Assessment Methodology Research Articles

Cardiovascular Health and Disease in the Pakistani American Population.

This narrative review seeks to elucidate clinical and social factors influencing cardiovascular health, explore the challenges and potential solutions for enhancing cardiovascular health, and identify areas where further research is needed to better understand cardiovascular issues in native and American Pakistani populations. The prevalence of cardiometabolic disease is high not only in Pakistan but also among its global diaspora. This situation is further complicated by the inadequacy of current cardiovascular risk assessment tools, which often fall short of accurately gauging the risk among Pakistani individuals, underscoring the urgent need for more tailored and effective assessment methodologies. Moreover, social determinants play a crucial role in shaping cardiovascular health. The burden of cardiovascular disease and upstream risk factors is high among American Pakistani individuals. Future research is needed to better understand the heightened risk of cardiovascular disease among Pakistani individuals.

How effective are mobile apps in managing people with type 2 diabetes mellitus? A systematic literature review protocol.

The rise of new technologies in the field of health is yielding promising results. In certain chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, which ranks among the top five causes of global mortality, it could be useful in supporting patient management. A systematic review will be conducted on scientific publications from the last 5 years (January 2019 to October 2023) to describe the effect of mobile app usage on glycated hemoglobin for the management of adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who participated in randomized controlled clinical trials. The search will be carried out in the databases of MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), CENTRAL, WoS, Scopus, Epistemonikos, and LILACS. The search strategy will be constructed using both controlled and natural language. Additionally, the Cochrane filter will be applied to identify randomized controlled trials. The review will include scientific articles reporting studies that present results from randomized controlled trials, with texts in Spanish, English, or French, utilizing mobile applications for the management of adult individuals (over 18 years) with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and whose outcomes report the effects on glycated hemoglobin. The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool will be used to assess the quality of the studies, and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology will be implemented to evaluate the certainty of the evidence. The analysis will be conducted by observing the value of the glycated hemoglobin levels of the participants. Given that this data is a quantitative and continuous value, it facilitates the identification of the effects of the mobile applications used for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in adults. Furthermore, if sufficient data are available, a meta-analysis will be conducted using IBM-SPSS. The effect of the intervention will be estimated by the mean difference. All point estimates will be accompanied by 95% confidence intervals. A random effects model will be used. The heterogeneity of the results will be assessed using Cochrane's Q and I2 statistics. Considering that the quality of content and functionality of certain applications in the healthcare field is highly variable, it is necessary to evaluate the scientific evidence reported on the effect of the use of this type of technology in people with T2DM.

Environmental impacts of materials in masonry residential house

AbstractThis study aims to quantify the environmental impact of a specific family home, with a particular focus on its contribution to climate change. To achieve a more precise assessment, the family home was dissected into various components based on the materials’ function and their location within the structure. The evaluation was conducted using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, considering the “cradle to site” boundaries and utilizing the IPCC GWP100 method. The cumulative contribution of the materials used in the selected house to climate change was found to be 125,000 kg CO2 equivalent (CO2eq). When analyzing the global warming potentials (GWP100) of individual building structures, the calculated values ranged from 3.8 to 62.2 kg CO2eq. The results indicate that the materials for horizontal structures had the lowest global warming potential values, while materials for vertical structures had the highest values. Particular attention was paid to comparing three different ways of transporting materials to the site. The portion of climate change attributable to transportation fell within a range of 10.9–12.3%. Findings verified that road transportation consistently made the greatest contribution to the overall GWP100, regardless of distance, with rail transportation yielding the lowest values. Discrepancies between the highest and lowest values of transport-related GWP100 were determined to be as much as 9.1%. Opting for the most environmentally friendly option, namely rail in this study, could result in savings of 4.9 kg CO2eq per 1 km of transportation distance for the analyzed building materials used per family house.

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of a centrifugal compressor impeller: Hybrid technology production versus welding production

Sustainable development is one of the main objectives in the turbomachinery sector to achieve the climate neutrality targets set by 2050 protocols. The manufacturing industry consumes an average of 23% of global energy, significantly contributing to the generation of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Therefore, it is crucial to research technological solutions aimed at reducing consumption for the benefit of the environmental sustainability of the products manufactured. This study presents a comparative environmental impact assessment using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to evaluate the sustainability of two technological alternatives used to produce centrifugal impellers in the industrial sector. The first process analyzed deals with making an impeller by welding the shroud to the impeller body. The second process involves producing the component from a semi-finished product, machined through milling and Electrical Discharge Machining (hybrid solution). The study has been conducted at Nuovo Pignone company. It is based on primary inventory data collected through specific measurement campaigns and modeled using the environmental database Ecoinvent v3.9. The results were produced using the ILCD Midpoint method, and four different impact categories were investigated: Climate Change, Human Toxicity, Cancer Effects, and Freshwater Ecotoxicity. The results demonstrate that the solution produced through hybrid manufacturing is generally less impactful compared to the welded one. The insight implemented in the work is functional in drafting suggestions for manufacturers and customers to reduce the environmental burdens of the examined product.

Monitoring Forest Dynamics and Conducting Restoration Assessment Using Multi-Source Earth Observation Data in Northern Andes, Colombia

Examining the efficacy of current assessment methodologies for forest conservation and restoration initiatives to align with global and national agendas to combat deforestation and facilitate restoration efforts is necessary to identify efficient and robust approaches. The objective of this study is to understand forest dynamics (1996–2021) and assess restoration implementations at the Urra’s supplying basin hydroelectric reservoir in Colombia. The processing approach integrates optical and radar Earth Observation (EO) data from Sentinel-2 and Landsat for forest mapping and multi-temporal forest change assessment (1996–2021), and a Sentinel-1 backscatter time-series analysis is conducted to assess the state of forest restoration implementations. The processing chain was scaled in a cloud-based environment using the Nebari and SEPPO software and the Python language. The results demonstrate an overall substantial decrease in forested areas in the 1996–2000 period (37,763 ha). An accuracy assessment of multi-temporal forest change maps showed a high precision in detecting deforestation events, while improvements are necessary for accurately representing non-forested areas. The forest restoration assessment suggests that the majority of the 270 evaluated plots are in the intermediate growth state (82.96%) compared to the reference data. This study underscores the need for robust and continuous monitoring systems that integrate ground truth data with EO techniques for enhanced accuracy and effectiveness in forest restoration and conservation endeavors.

Environmental assessment of an innovative adhesive for the footwear industry: road map for product development

Abstract Purpose This work presents an environmental assessment of two adhesives to evaluate the replacement of the traditional adhesive (PU) used in the footwear industry by a novel adhesive based on a microencapsulation approach (PUMC) which is more favorable from the safety and technical perspectives. The PU adhesive is polyurethane-based, while the PUMC adhesive is polyurethane-based but with its isocyanate compounds microencapsulated, increasing storage life and reducing risks related to the exposure of workers with the adhesives. Methods The potential environmental impact of the adhesives was evaluated using the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. A detailed process model was developed (both for laboratory and for a pilot-scale implementation) to investigate the environmental impacts associated with these processes. The functional unit was one kilogram of adhesive (PU and PUMC adhesives) produced. A cradle-to-customers’ gate approach was defined. The system boundary starts from extraction of resources, through material production, until adhesive use. This includes microcapsule production in the case of the PUMC adhesive. This study investigates the important drivers behind the environmental impacts to help guide commercialization efforts. A scenarios study/sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the response of the PUMC adhesive system to the variability of the model, scenarios, and parameters. Results The results show that the PU adhesive environmental impact is due to acetone and polyol consumption in the production stage. In the PUMC adhesive system, acetone consumption and microcapsule production are the major factors responsible for the environmental impact. Polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT), dichloromethane (DCM), and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) consumption are the major factors responsible for the environmental impact of the microcapsules’ production. A sensitivity analysis was conducted using three alternative scenarios focused on the reduction in material consumption and increase in material recuperation, as well as using an alternative renewable energy source. Although the traditional PU adhesive has a lower impact, it was found that the three alternative PUMC adhesive systems can become comparable to the traditional PU adhesive. Conclusions This study shows the advance and development of a new technology for microencapsulation of isocyanate in adhesives and its environmental advantages and disadvantages with respect to a traditional product that uses non-encapsulated isocyanate. Finally, it was shown that there is significant potential for minimizing some environmental impacts of the PUMC adhesive, such as optimizing the microcapsules’ production stage, increasing the production efficiency to decrease the required material consumption.

Environmental impact of small-bowel capsule endoscopy.

The environmental impact of endoscopy, including small-bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE), has gained attention due to its contribution to the global carbon footprint. This study aimed to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (kgCO2e) of SBCE, including devices life cycle and capsule journey. SBCE devices (3 brands) were evaluated using life cycle assessment methodology (ISO 14040), including patient travelling, bowel preparation, capsule examination and video recording. A survey was conducted on 120 patients undergoing a SBCE to gather data on their transportation, activities during the procedure, and awareness of pollution generated and on 87 physicians reading capsules. For the 3 different capsules, the weight was 4 g (3.9-5.2% of total), while 43 to 119 g were attributed for packaging (9-97%) including 5 g of deactivation magnets (4-6%) and 11 to 50 g for instruction forms (40%). A full SBCE generated between 19 and 20 kgCO2e, including 0.04 kgCO2e (0.2%) for the capsule itself and 18 kgCO2e related to patient travelling (94.7%). Capsule retrieval would add 0.98 kgCO2e using dedicated devices. Capsule deconstruction revealed components (e.g. Neodymium) that are prohibited from environmental disposal. 76% of patients were not aware of the illegal nature of flushing capsules, and 63% would be willing to retrieve it. Data storage and physician impact were negligible. The GHG emission of SBCE is mainly determined by patient travelling. The capsule device itself has a comparably low carbon footprint. Considering capsule components disposal is illegal, retrieval of the capsule seems crucial but increasing device-related emissions.

Algorithm for community security risk assessment and influencing factors analysis by back propagation neural network

This paper aims to accurately assess and effectively manage various security risks in the community and overcome the challenges faced by traditional models in handling large amounts of features and high-dimensional data. Hence, this paper utilizes the back propagation neural network (BPNN) to optimize the security risk assessment model. A key challenge of researching community security risk assessment lies in accurately identifying and predicting a range of potential security threats. These threats may encompass natural disasters, public health crises, accidents, and social security issues. The intricate interplay of these risk factors, combined with the dynamic nature of community environments, presents difficulties for traditional risk assessment methodologies to address effectively. Initially, this paper delves into the factors influencing safety incidents within communities and establishes a comprehensive system of safety risk assessment indicators. Leveraging the adaptable and generalizable nature of the BPNN model, the paper proceeds to optimize the BPNN model, enhancing the security risk assessment model through this optimization. Subsequent comparison experiments with traditional models validate the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed model, with hidden layer nodes set at various levels like 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35. These traditional models include Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Long Short-Term Memory Network (LSTM), Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBOOST). Experimental findings demonstrate that with 20 hidden layer nodes, the optimized model achieves a remarkable final recognition accuracy of 99.1 %. Moreover, the optimized model exhibits significantly lower final function loss compared to models with different node numbers. Increasing the number of hidden layer nodes may diminish the optimized model's fit and accuracy. Comparison with traditional models reveals that the average accuracy of the optimized model in community risk identification reaches 98.5 %, with a maximum accuracy of 99.6 %. This marks an improvement of 9%–11 % in recognition accuracy across various risk factors compared to traditional models. Regarding system response time and resource utilization, the optimized model exhibits a response time ranging from 100 ms to 120 ms and consistently lower resource utilization rates across all scenarios, underscoring its efficiency in community security risk assessment. In conclusion, this experiment sheds light on the underlying mechanisms and patterns of community safety risk formation, offering novel perspectives and methodologies for researching community safety risk assessment. The paper concludes by presenting recommendations and strategies for addressing community safety risks based on experimental analysis.

Methodology for geometry assessment of self-drilling micropiles using distributed fibre optic sensors

Self-drilling micropiles (SDMs) are gaining popularity as bearing foundation elements, as this construction technique allows for considerable time and cost savings. However, the irregular geometry and variability in the bearing capacity present uncertainty and a significant risk that has limited SDM deployment. To date, no reliable technology has been used to measure the SDM geometry. This paper proposes a methodology that uses distributed fibre optics (DFO), heat conduction modelling and inverse analysis to measure the pile geometry, and could also be extended to assess its bearing capacity. The temperature distribution during cement hydration was measured using two DFO investigative technologies and was compared to traditional temperature measurements using point sensors. An inverse analysis of SDM geometry was subsequently carried out based on the DFO measurement of temperature, a finite-element heat conduction model and a calibration pile. Finally, the calculated pile geometry was compared to the geometry of an excavated pile in the uppermost part. The methodology presented here is not only intended as a tool for designing SDMs but can also be deployed as a structural health monitoring system to detect and monitor crack formation.

Life Cycle Assessment and Model Optimization for Sustainable Energy Cross-Border E-Commerce

INTRODUCTION: In an in-depth study of the application of sustainable energy in cross-border e-commerce, a comprehensive assessment and model optimization of its life cycle are conducted to promote the practical application of sustainable development in e-commerce. With the increasing global concern for renewable energy and environmental protection, e-commerce, as an international business model, has attracted much attention in terms of the environmental and social impacts of its sustainability.OBJECTIVES: The aim is to provide scientific assessment methods and effective model optimization strategies to promote the feasibility and sustainability of cross-border e-commerce for sustainable energy.METHODS: A comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) model was constructed using the system life cycle assessment (SLCA) methodology by collecting data from various aspects of sustainable energy cross-border e-commerce. The model considers the entire life cycle process from energy production, logistics, transportation, and product manufacturing to final consumption and integrates various factors such as resource utilization, environmental emissions, and social responsibility. Based on the assessment, a series of model optimization strategies are proposed, including suggestions for improving supply chain efficiency, promoting green energy applications, and strengthening social responsibility.RESULTS: This study achieved significant life cycle assessment and model optimization results. In terms of energy use, promoting the application of renewable energy significantly reduces carbon emissions; in terms of supply chain management, optimization leads to an overall efficiency improvement and a reduction in resource wastage; and in terms of social responsibility, the enterprise strengthens employee training and community involvement, which enhances its social image. These results show that sustainable energy cross-border e-commerce can better achieve sustainable development goals through systematic assessment and optimization.CONCLUSION: Life cycle assessment and model optimization provide scientific assessment methods and practical suggestions for sustainable energy cross-border e-commerce. In global sustainable development, the e-commerce industry should actively adopt sustainable energy and minimize its negative impacts on the environment and society by optimizing production and supply chain management. Future research can continue to expand the assessment model and deeply explore the potential of sustainable energy in e-commerce to provide more precise guidance for the industry's sustainable development.

Ecological Risk Assessment of Land Use Change in the Tarim River Basin, Xinjiang, China

In recent years, global climate change and human alterations to land use have led to a decrease in ecosystem services, making ecosystems more vulnerable. However, unlike the well-established risk assessment frameworks used in natural disaster research, the concept of ecological risks arising from changes in land use is still in its early stages, with its nuances and assessment methodologies yet to be clearly defined. This study proposes a new framework for assessing ecological risks resulting from changes in land use in the Tarim River Basin. The framework employs a coupled PLUS and Invest model to evaluate the ecological risks of land use change under three development scenarios projected for the Tarim River Basin in Xinjiang by 2035. The findings indicate that: (1) Between 2000 and 2020, the predominant land use types in the Tarim River Basin in Xinjiang were primarily unused land, followed by grassland and cropland. Conversely, grassland, water, and construction land were relatively less prevalent. During this period, the area of unused land and cultivated land increased, while grassland, forest land, and water exhibited a declining trend. Moving forward, under the three scenarios from 2020 to 2035, land use changes in the study area are characterized by the expansion of cropland and unused land, coupled with a significant decrease in grassland area, while other land categories demonstrate minor fluctuations. (2) From 2020 to 2035, across various scenarios, the total ecosystem service within the study area demonstrates an overall increasing trend in both the northern and southern marginal zones. Specifically, under the baseline scenario, the total amount of ecosystem services in the study area decreased by 15.247% compared to 2020. Similarly, under the economic development scenario, this decrease amounted to 13.358% compared to 2020. Conversely, under the ecological protection scenario, the decrease reached 19.852% compared to 2020. (3) The structure of ecological risk levels from 2020 to 2035, across multiple scenarios, demonstrates a consistent pattern, characterized by a predominant proportion of moderate risk. Conversely, other risk levels occupy relatively smaller proportions of the area.

Testing and optimizing metabarcoding of iDNA from dung beetles to sample mammals in the hyperdiverse Neotropics.

Over the past few years, insects have been used as samplers of vertebrate diversity by assessing the ingested-derived DNA (iDNA), and dung beetles have been shown to be a good mammal sampler given their broad feeding preference, wide distribution and easy sampling. Here, we tested and optimized the use of iDNA from dung beetles to assess the mammal community by evaluating if some biological and methodological aspects affect the use of dung beetles as mammal species samplers. We collected 403 dung beetles from 60 pitfall traps. iDNA from each dung beetle was sequenced by metabarcoding using two mini-barcodes (12SrRNA and 16SrRNA). We assessed whether dung beetles with different traits related to feeding, nesting and body size differed in the number of mammal species found in their iDNA. We also tested differences among four killing solutions in preserving the iDNA and compared the effectiveness of each mini barcode to recover mammals. We identified a total of 50 mammal OTUs (operational taxonomic unit), including terrestrial and arboreal species from 10 different orders. We found that at least one mammal-matching sequence was obtained from 70% of the dung beetle specimens. The number of mammal OTUs obtained did not vary with dung beetle traits as well as between the killing solutions. The 16SrRNA mini-barcode recovered a higher number of mammal OTUs than 12SrRNA, although both sets were partly non-overlapping. Thus, the complete mammal diversity may not be achieved by using only one of them. This study refines the methodology for routine assessment of tropical mammal communities via dung beetle 'samplers' and its universal applicability independently of the species traits of local beetle communities.

Sustainability of underground infrastructure – Part 1: Digitalisation-based carbon assessment and baseline for TBM tunnelling

Alongside the transition towards sustainable and renewable infrastructure and energy production, tunnelling projects that adopt tunnel boring machines (TBM) continue to increase in size and complexity. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies have a significant impact on the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, with a shift in focus to cost and carbon management across the infrastructure lifecycle through the use of digitalisation techniques and sustainability rating systems. This paper aims to develop a systematic framework to enhance the sustainability of underground infrastructure in the early design and construction stages, aiming for “build clever and efficiently”. This framework integrates digitalisation, carbon assessment standards, numerical modelling, and optimisation techniques to assess carbon emissions and establish benchmarks for construction products and processes. The approach uses parametric models to define tunnelling-related entities such as geological formations, TBM, and segments, designed with dimensional constraints that allow for adaptive modelling and interactions. Enabled by building information modelling (BIM) through parametric models enriched with domain properties, module-based carbon accounting is adopted to evaluate the footprint of material- and asset-level key emitters with functional units. Leveraging established databases, baselines for segmental lining designs and carbon reduction strategies are established. Through project-driven case studies, the correlations among geotechnical conditions, tunnel dimensions, and TBM operating parameters are developed to quantify TBM carbon emissions. A prototype programme demonstrates the framework's application on typical metro and road tunnels at different levels of details (LoD). This paper serves as a guideline for conducting embodied carbon assessments specifically tailored to TBM tunnelling, acknowledging the substantial contribution of the TBM construction process, which is controlled by geotechnical conditions.

Group Level Assessment Methodology as a Liberating Structure Within Qualitative and Participatory Research.

Group level assessment (GLA) is a qualitative and participatory research-to-action methodology designed to engage a large group of relevant participants throughout the research process. As originally conceived, a single GLA session is led by a trained facilitator who guides the participants through seven structured steps: climate setting, generating, appreciating, reflecting, understanding, selecting, and action. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the 25-year trajectory and uses, contributions as a liberating structure, and adaptations of GLA.

RECIST 1.1 versus clinico-radiological response assessment for locally advanced cervical cancer: implications on interpreting survival outcomes of future trials.

To investigate differences in standard clinico-radiological evaluation versus Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 for reporting survival outcomes in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with chemoradiation and brachytherapy. Between November 2017 and March 2020, patients recruited in cervical cancer trials were identified. MRI at diagnosis and at least one follow-up imaging was mandatory. Disease-free survival and progression-free survival were determined using standard evaluation (clinical examination and symptom-directed imaging) and RECIST 1.1. Agreement between criteria was estimated using κ value. Sensitivity analysis was done to test the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of RECIST 1.1 in detecting response to treatment. Sixty-nine eligible patients had at least one target lesion. Thirty-three patients (47.8%) had pathological lymph nodes. Of these 33 patients, RECIST 1.1 classified only 18% (6/33) as 'target nodal lesions' and the remaining nodes as 'non-target'. There were 6 (8.7%) and 8 (11.6%) patients with disease events using RECIST 1.1 and standard evaluation, respectively. The disease-free survival at 12, 18, and 24 months using RECIST 1.1 was 94.2%, 91.2%, 91.2%, and with standard evaluation was 94.2%, 89.7%, and 88.2%, respectively (p=0.58). Whereas, progression-free survival at 12, 18, and 24 months using RECIST 1.1 and standard evaluation were same (94.2%, 91.2%, and 91.2%, respectively). The κ value was 0.84, showing strong agreement in assessing disease-free survival, although an absolute difference of 3% between endpoint assessment methodologies. RECIST 1.1 had a sensitivity of 75% (95% CI 34.91% to 96.81%), specificity of 100% (95% CI 94.13% to 100%), and accuracy of 97.1% (95% CI 89.92% to 99.65%). The study showed 1.5% and 3% difference in disease-free survival at 18 and 24 months and no difference in progression-free survival between RECIST 1.1 and standard evaluation in a patient cohort with low event rate.

Life Cycle Assessment as a Decision-Making Tool for Photochemical Treatment of Iprodione Fungicide from Wastewater

Water contamination with various micropollutants is a serious environmental concern since this group of chemicals cannot always be removed efficiently with advanced treatment methods. Therefore, alternative chemical- and energy-intensive oxidation processes have been proposed for the removal of refractory and/or toxic chemicals. However, similar treatment performances might result in different environmental impacts. Environmental impacts can be determined by adopting a life cycle assessment methodology. In this context, lab-scale experimental data related to 100% iprodione (a hydantoin fungicide/nematicide selected as the model micropollutant at a concentration of 2 mg/L) removal from simulated tertiary treated urban wastewater (dissolved organic carbon content = 10 mg/L) with UV-C-activated persulfate treatment were studied in terms of environmental impacts generated during photochemical treatment through the application of a life cycle assessment procedure. Standard guidelines were followed in this procedure. Iprodione removal was achieved at varying persulfate concentrations and UV-C doses; however, an “optimum” treatment condition (0.03 mM persulfate, 0.5 W/L UV-C) was experimentally established for kinetically acceptable, 100% iprodione removal in distilled water and adopted to treat iprodione in simulated tertiary treated wastewater (total dissolved organic carbon of iprodione + tertiary wastewater = 11.2 mg/L). The study findings indicated that energy input was the major contributor to all the environmental impact categories, namely global warming, abiotic depletion (fossil and elements), acidification, eutrophication, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, human toxicity, ozone depletion, photochemical ozone creation, and terrestrial ecotoxicity potentials. According to the life cycle assessment results, a concentration of 21.42 mg/L persulfate and an electrical energy input of 1.787 kWh/m3 (Wh/L) UV-C light yielded the lowest undesired environmental impacts among the examined photochemical treatment conditions.

RISK-ORIENTED APPROACH TO THE ASSESSMENT OF WORKING CONDITIONS OF WORKERS WITH INCREASED THERMAL EXPOSURE

Problem statement. The issue of studying the working conditions of workers with increased heat exposure is considered. Diseases provoked by harmful working conditions have a rather long incubation period, so their manifestation is not always easy to recognize and there are difficulties in establishing the root cause of occupational disease. The purpose of the article. Development and implementation of risk assessment methodology based on the joint action of harmful and hazardous industrial factors and regularities of their intensity decrease with distance from the source. Methodology. The impact of occupational and heterogeneous industrial factors on the employee's health, taking into account the time of action and the impact of their joint action in quantitative form, can be fairly objectively assessed on the basis of the Weber-Fechner law through the calculation of the integral index of potential risk. Structural analysis was used to determine the structure and causes of occupational diseases. Correlation analysis was carried out to find out the nature of relationships between the levels of influence of factors of the industrial environment to assess the conditions and nature of labor at the workplaces of workers, at whose workplaces the increased thermal stress was installed. Probabilistic-statistical methods were used for data processing - to determine the algorithm of transformation of environmental parameters into an indicator of occupational risk for workers with harmful working conditions. Development of a model for determining the zones of transformation of occupational risk through mutual influence on the industrial risk of the processing of research results needed the application of formalization methods. A software system for the formation of aggregated for multivariate analysis of information was used, which made it possible to build a three-dimensional model of changes in the values of the indicator of occupational risk in the space between the workplaces of employees located in the welding department. Scientific novelty. The applied risk-oriented approach using the methods of occupational and industrial risk assessment for electric welders' workplaces allows to take into account the harm to the worker's organism from the factors of the industrial environment. The established regularities allow to determine the zones of transformation of occupational risk through mutual influence into production risk, which is the justification of measures to reduce injuries and occupational diseases. Practical value. On the example of labor conditions at the workplaces of electric welders the methodology of risk assessment is developed and tested taking into account the joint action of harmful and hazardous industrial factors and regularities of their intensity decrease with distance from the source. The given risk-oriented approach allows to fulfill all the requirements and recommendations set forth in ISO 45001: its application to the working conditions of workers of hot professions (welders) allows to carry out a quantitative assessment of occupational and industrial risk at their workplaces, in particular for preparation for certification under ISO 45001. Conclusions. An effective tool for theoretical analysis of pollution zones formed during an extreme situation at gas stations has been created. The results of computational experiments are presented. The methodology of risk assessment based on the fundamental Weber-Fechner law for objective assessment of the impact of occupational and heterogeneous industrial factors on the employee's health in quantitative form through the calculation of the integral index (potential risk), which will allow to assess the working conditions at workplaces and objectively determine the class of working conditions, has been developed and implemented.

Using disability-adjusted life years measure for characterization of radiation risk from fluoroscopy

Medical diagnostics procedures involving the use of ionising radiation is one of the most intensively developing areas in medical diagnostics. At the same time, medical exposure of patients has a number of fundamental differences from other routine situations of planned exposure. As a rule, medical exposure is acute, and radiation doses in some types of examinations exceed the level of natural and man-made exposure associated with normal operation of radiation facilities. In such a situation, risk differentiation is of great importance, taking into account the different radiosensitivity of individual sex and age groups of patients. Radiation risks should be taken into account both when prescribing examinations involving the use of ionising radiation and when analysing the benefit-harm ratio associated with their application to specific patients. Another reason why risk assessment is an urgent task is the need to inform patients and/or their legal representatives about the health risks associated with the carrying out of examinations, including radiation risks. Within the framework of the present work, the risks associated with fluoroscopic examinations were assessed. To characterise the risk we used the DALY indicator, which is more and more frequently used in risk assessment, reflecting the possible number of lost years of healthy life as a result of radiation exposure during the study. The aim of the work was to calculate DALY values for different sex and age groups of patients from the Russian population during fluoroscopic examinations. To achieve this aim, the method of estimating the number of healthy life years lost due to exposure to ionising radiation, which was developed in the course of the research work, was used. The paper presents the results of calculating DALY values for three types of fluoroscopic examinations. This work represents the next step in the direction of harmonisation of radiation risk assessment methodology with the methodologies of risk assessment of other nature. One of the directions of using the calculation results is the development of methodological approaches to the calculation of sex- and age-dependent risk coefficients associated with medical exposure of patients. The analysis of the obtained results showed that the contribution of oncological diseases to the total radiation harm in older men was significantly higher than in women.

Assessing the environmental sustainability of consumer-centric poultry chain in the UK through life cycle approaches and the household simulation model

Chicken fillets, predominantly encased in disposable plastic packaging, represent a common perishable commodity frequently found in the shopping baskets of British consumers, with an annual slaughter exceeding 1.1 billion chickens. The associated environmental implications are of considerable significance. However, a noticeable gap exists concerning the household-level ramifications of chicken meat consumption, which remains a prominent driver (165 kg CO2eyr−1 per capita) of environmental impacts in the United Kingdom (UK). This study's primary objective is to integrate Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology with insights derived from a spectrum of interventions simulated within the Household Simulation Model (HHSM). The interventions that are simulated are influenced by various consumer behaviours related to the purchase, consumption, storage and disposal of chicken fillets. The overarching aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the environmental consequences associated with each intervention.The research encompasses eight distinct household archetypes and the UK average, with a focus on discerning differences in their environmental influence. The introduction of shelf-life extension measures leads to a reduction in the overall environmental impacts (in μPt), with reductions ranging from 1 % to 18 %. Concurrently, waste treatment's environmental burdens can be curtailed by 9 % to 69 % for the UK average. Of the 12 interventions tested, the intervention that combines a one-day extension in the shelf life of open packs and a three-day extension for unopened packs leads to the greatest reduction in environmental impacts, at 18 % for the entire process and 69 % for the waste treatment. This intervention is estimated to yield annual reductions of 130,722 t of CO2 emissions across the entire process and 34,720 t of CO2 emissions from waste treatment, as compared to the default scenario. These findings demonstrate the importance of integrating consumer behaviour, food waste, and packaging considerations within the domain of food LCA research.

Life Cycle Assessment Methodology Applied to a Wastewater Treatment Plant

Wastewater treatment plants are highly energy-intensive systems. This research uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to determine the impacts generated during the operation of a wastewater treatment plant. Three different scenarios are analyzed: a baseline scenario that considers a conventional activated sludge treatment technology exploiting data from an existing plant located in central Italy, a second scenario that involves the implementation of MBR technology applied to the baseline scenario, and finally a third scenario that consists of the addition of an anaerobic digester that allows energy recovery from biogas production, followed by a photovoltaic plant capable of supplying the plant energy demand. Global warming potential, eutrophication, and acidification are the environmental categories considered most relevant to emissions. The results showed that the effluent had the highest impact in terms of CO2 equivalent in all three situations due to the presence of N2O. Since emissions from biological processes, transportation, and wastewater are almost similar in all three scenarios, it is preferable to focus on the environmental impacts associated with energy consumption. The third scenario involves careful resource management and the use of treatment technologies that allow for a reduction in the use of nonrenewable energy sources in favor of renewable ones.