Effective Protection Measures Research Articles

Temperature-adjustable F-carbon nanofiber/carbon fiber nanocomposite fibrous masks with excellent comfortability and anti-pathogen functionality.

Wearing surgical masks remains the most effective protective measure against COVID-19 before mass vaccination, but insufficient comfortability and low antibacterial/antiviral activities accelerate the replacement frequency of surgical masks, resulting in large amounts of medical waste. To solve this problem, we report new nanofiber membrane masks with outstanding comfortability and anti-pathogen functionality prepared using fluorinated carbon nanofibers/carbon fiber (F-CNFs/CF). This was used to replace commercial polypropylene (PP) nonwovens as the core layer of face masks. The through-plane and in-plane thermal conductivity of commercial PP nonwovens were only 0.12 and 0.20W/m K, but the F-CNFs/CF nanofiber membranes reached 0.62 and 5.23W/m K, which represent enhancements of 380% and 2523%, respectively. The surface temperature of the PP surgical masks was 23.9 ℃ when the wearing time was 15min, while the F-CNFs/CF nanocomposite fibrous masks reached 27.3 ℃, displaying stronger heat dissipation. Moreover, the F-CNFs/CF nanofiber membranes displayed excellent electrical conductivity and produced a high-temperature layer that killed viruses and bacteria in the masks. The surface temperature of the F-CNFs/CF nanocomposite fibrous masks reached 69.2 ℃ after being connected to a portable power source for 60s. Their antibacterial rates were 97.9% and 98.6% against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively, after being connected to a portable power source for 30min.

The Impacts of Climate Change on Genetic Diversity

In this research, the destruction caused by climate change on genetic diversity has been demonstrated with solid examples. The consequences of the destruction on the genetic levels are discussed with concrete examples. In the study, the data obtained from the results of 40 printed publications were evaluated by correlation analysis. With these data, the importance of genetic diversity, the effect of climate change on genetic diversity, the models used to determine the relationship between climate and genetic diversity, genetic losses and protection measures were evaluated. It is noteworthy that embedded methods, in which ecological models are integrated into climate models, have been used in determining the relationships between climate and genetic diversity, especially in recent years. It is firstly necessary to detect genetic losses, genetic shifts and variations, and to reveal their future projections. These projections play a decisive role in taking effective protection measures against climate change.

Climate change and the right to health of people with disabilities

Climate change and the right to health of people with disabilities

Expectations, concerns and experiences of rehabilitation patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: a qualitative analysis of online forum posts

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic, as well as efforts to prevent its spread, have had a strong impact on the delivery of rehabilitative services in Germany. While several studies have addressed the impact of these developments on health service providers and COVID-19 patients, little is known about its impact on patients in need of rehabilitative treatment because of other conditions. This study aims to identify expectations, concerns and experiences of rehabilitation patients related to service delivery in this situation.MethodsUsing a qualitative study design, user posts from six German online forums between March and Mid-November 2020 were systematically searched with respect to experiences, concerns and expectations of health care users toward receiving rehabilitative treatment. We used qualitative content analysis with inductive coding as our methodological approach.ResultsUsers fearing physical or psychological impairment were concerned about not receiving timely or effective treatment due to closed hospitals, reduced treatments and limited admissions. In contrast, patients more concerned about getting infected with COVID-19 worried about the effectiveness of protective measures and being denied postponement of treatment by the funding bodies. During their stay, some patients reported feeling isolated due to contact restrictions and did not feel their treatment was effective, while others reported being satisfied and praised hospitals for their efforts to ensure the safety of the patients. Many patients reported communication problems before and during their treatment, including concerns about the safety and effectiveness of their treatment, as well as financial concerns and worries about future treatments. Several users felt that their concerns were disregarded by the hospitals and the funding bodies, leaving them feeling distressed, insecure and dissatisfied.ConclusionsWhile some users report only minor concerns related to the pandemic and its impact on rehabilitation, others report strong concerns relating not only to their own health and safety, but also to financial aspects and their ability to work. Many users feel ignored and disregarded, showing a strong need for more coordinated strategies and improved communication specifically with funding bodies like health insurance companies and the German pension funds.

Impact of natural ventilation on exposure to SARS-CoV 2 in indoor/semi-indoor terraces using CO2 concentrations as a proxy

Nowadays, it is necessary a better airborne transmission understanding of respiratory diseases in shared indoor and semi-indoor environments with natural ventilation in order to adopt effective people's health protection measures. The aim of this work is to evaluate the relative exposure to SARS-CoV 2 in a set of virtual scenarios representing enclosed and semi-enclosed terraces under different outdoor meteorological conditions. For this purpose, indoor CO2 concentration is used as a proxy for the risk assessment. Airflow and people exhaled CO2 in different scenarios are simulated through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling with Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) approach. Both spatial average concentrations and local concentrations are analyzed. In general, spatial average concentrations decrease as ventilation increases, however, depending on the people arrangement inside the terrace, spatial average concentrations and local concentrations can be very different. Therefore, for assessing the relative exposure to SARS-CoV 2 it is necessary to consider the indoor flow patterns between infectors and susceptibles. This research provides detailed information about CO2 dispersion in enclosed/semi-enclosed scenarios, which can be very useful for reducing the transmission risk through better natural ventilation designs and improving the classic risk models since it allows to check their hypotheses in real-world scenarios. Although CFD ventilation studies in indoor/semi-indoor environments have been already addressed in the literature, this research is focused on restaurant terraces, scenarios scarcely investigated. Likewise, one of the novelties of this study is to take into account the outdoor meteorological conditions to appropriately simulate natural ventilation.

What factors relate with the activity synchronization intensity among big cats and their ungulate prey in Northeast China?

The activity synchronization rhythm is an important aspect of measuring interspecific interactions between predators and prey, and crucial for large carnivores conservation. However, little is known about what factors relate their activity synchronization dynamics. With the climate change and human society development, the spatial-temporal distribution and activity synchronized rhythm of large carnivores and their prey would inevitably be affected, which would further affect the adaptability of large carnivores and bring new challenges to their conservation. In this study, we hypothesized the ambient temperature and human activity would influence the activity synchronization intensity among Amur tiger, Amur leopard and ungulates (roe deer, sika deer and wild boar) through cross-correlation function and temporal niche overlap model based on the camera traps data. The result show that the activity rhythms of the five target species showed species and seasonal differences, the temporal niche overlaps between ungulates were normally higher than that between the cats and prey, the weakest overlap was observed between the two big cat species, and time-lags of similar rhythmic activity can reduce the temporal overlap pressures of species. Furthermore, we found that ambient temperature relate interspecific synchrony of roe deer-sika deer and roe deer-wild boar pairs at the daily scale. And at hourly scale, temperature and human activities exerted significantly positive or negative stresses on the interspecific activity synchronization of all target species, observed in all three seasons. Our study provides new insights on our understanding of the mechanisms by which sympatric predators and ungulate prey coexist and interact in view of temporal niche overlap, as well as how wildlife managers can manage the mammal assembly effectively. As the Amur tiger and leopard populations in China are being recovered quickly, the rapidly increasing predation pressure and limited environmental resources could have profound implications for the interaction and coexistence among these two large carnivores and their ungulate prey. Managers should strengthen the monitoring, and understand its causes and consequences, so as to develop effective protective measures.

Insights into the conformation changes of SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain on graphene

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been widely spread in the world, causing more than two million deaths and seriously threatening human life. Effective protection measures are important to prevent the infection and spreading of the virus. To explore the effects of graphene on the virus adsorption and its biological properties, the adsorption process of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 on graphene has been investigated by molecular dynamics simulations in this paper. The results show that RBD can be quickly adsorbed onto the surface of graphene due to π-π stacking and hydrophobic interactions. Residue PHE486 with benzene ring has stronger adsorption force and the maximum contact area with graphene. Graphene significantly affects the secondary structure of RBD area, especially on the three key sites of binding with human ACE2, GLY476, PHE486 and ASN487. The binding free energy of RBD and graphene shows that the adsorption is irreversible. Undoubtedly, these changes will inevitably affect the pathogenicity of the virus. Therefore, this study provides a theoretical basis for the application of graphene in the protection of SARS-CoV-2, and also provides a reference for the potential application of graphene in the biomedical field.

Tuberculosis Pathology of Fraxinus Excelsior L. in Ukraine: Symptomatology, Etiology, Pathogenesis

Given the forestry, the ecological and economic value of forests with the participation of Fraxinus excelsior and taking into account the intensive deterioration of their phytosanitary status in modern conditions, a comprehensive study of symptoms, causes, and pathogenesis of ash tuberculosis with further development of effective protection measures, including using biological products based on Bacillus sp. and other myco- and microorganisms, is a particularly relevant area of research. The aim of the research is to identify negative abiotic and biotic factors in the pathology of F. excelsior. In the process of research general scientific and special research methods were used (microbiological, mycological, phytopathological, entomological, and silvicultural-ecological methods). It is emphasized that the pathology of the common ash is a multifaceted phenomenon with interrelated processes of infectious and non-infectious nature, which in recent years has led to epiphytic dieback and now has a tendency to increase. It has been established that tuberculosis of F. excelsior is the most common and harmful disease within the study region and causes more economic than environmental damage. Bacteria of the genera Pseudomonas sp., Erwinia sp., and Xanthomonas sp., as well as micromycetes, which mainly take the place of the concomitant mycobiota. There are five stages (phases) of the development of tuberculosis pathology, which differ significantly in symptoms. The species composition of harmful insects has been identified. It is shown that hydrothermal stress is a catalyst for the epiphytic dieback of common ash. Direct dependence of the spread of tuberculosis on the share of ash in the stands of different age groups was revealed. In the study area, tuberculosis reaches epiphytotics on F. excelsior, especially at a young age. The expediency of distinguishing the causes and pathological processes associated with ash tuberculosis is indicated, so as not to confuse the disease-catalyzing factors and the factors that lead to the complete degradation of ash stands

Hypochlorous acid as an antiseptic in the care of patients with suspected COVID-19 infection.

PurposeThe SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19 disease, is transmitted by aerosols or by contact with infected surfaces. The route of entry to the body is through the nasal, oral or conjunctival mucosa. Health workers must use effective protection measures against the entry of the virus into mucous membranes, both physical and antiseptic filters. There is an antiseptic used in Ophthalmology that we believe could have virucidal action against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, formulated based on 0.01% hypochlorous acid.MethodsAn exhaustive search has been carried out in the databases of Pubmed and Web of Science to identify relevant articles on the virucidal activity of hypochlorous acid in different concentrations until October 4, 2020.ResultsThere is evidence of the virucidal efficacy of 0.01% hypochlorous acid against SARS-CoV-2. According to the different scientific publications reviewed, hypochlorous acid has virucidal efficacy against different viruses, among them, SARS-CoV-2.ConclusionsThe 0.01% hypochlorous acid could act as an effective antiseptic against SARS-CoV-2, exerting a barrier on the mucosa to prevent COVID-19 infection. It can be used on the eyes, nose and mouth. We consider it necessary to assess its use in the protocol for patient health care in ophthalmology consultations, as well as to recommend its use to the general population to reduce viral load and/or prevent transmission of infection. Additional in vivo studies would be required to confirm its antiseptic action.

One of the approaches to modeling the process of insect development to improve the effectiveness of protective measures of fruit crops

Protection of fruit crops from pests is one of the most important tasks of gardening. In turn, the use of protective measures has both positive and negative sides, which makes the issue of improving their effectiveness one of the main ones. Having data on the estimated number of pests and the dates of the beginning of their development phases, it is possible to increase efficiency by choosing the optimal exposure measure and drawing up a more accurate schedule of protective measures. One way to determine such parameters is to use simulation. The article presents one of the approaches to constructing a mathematical model of the insect development process, which is used to build a software simulation model that allows to increase the effectiveness of protective measures of fruit crops. The article describes what is the essence of the modeled process. A mathematical model and methods for determining its parameters are presented. The required initial data for modeling are defined.

Disaster Flood Scenario: Case Study of the Uh River at Lekárovce (Slovakia)

The occurrence of extreme floods in several river basins of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe over the last thirty years has drawn the attention of the public (as well as the competent authorities) to the problems of flood protection. Although the development and operational use of non-structural measures (such as flood forecasting and warning systems), represents one of the effective flood protection measures, the structural means (flood protection, levees, flood control reservoirs) are of great importance, too. Especially in the upper parts of the river basin, where the time between the detection of the causes of the flood (heavy rainfall) and its consequence (flood) is short and does not affect the effective protective activity (e.g. evacuation). Over the last 30 years, flood protections have been built along the Uh River (Slovakia, Ukraine) to protect the environment from floods. These dams adversely affected the storage capacity of water in the basin. This resulted in flood flows increase on the lower sections of the Uh River in Slovakia. These facts need to be demonstrated by the need to evaluate the proposed design values for those sections. The study presents an analysis of the long-term flood regime of the river Uh in the section Uzhhorod (Ukraine) - Lekárovce (Slovakia). The first part analyses the trend changes in the time series of maximum annual discharge Qmax in the stations Lekárovce and Uzhhorod on the basis of the observed Qmax data in these profiles (period 1931-2019). These Qmax series were subsequently used to estimate the maximum T-year discharge at the Lekárovce station for the changed conditions of the Uzhhorod - Lekárovce section. Using these derived data and the observed form of the summer flood hydrograph from July 1980, a 100-year flood scenario was developed for the Uh River in Lekárovce. The achieved results indicate a further increase in flood risk in Lekárovce.

On the conservation of fungi

The article is devoted to the actual problem of conservation of biological diversity in the modern world. The basic principles and specific approaches to the protection of macromycetes as organisms that are difficult in qualitative and quantitative accounting due to the peculiarities of biology and life cycle have been studied. Domestic and global trends and practices in the field of protecting the species diversity of agaricoid fungi as a component of any ecosystem are discussed. The information on the features of regional fungal diversity detection, rare and threatened species for inclusion into the Red lists of various levels as well as on determining the boundaries of fungal populations, including using barcoding methods is provided. It is noted that for the organization of specially protected natural areas, it is necessary to specify and substantiate the changes in the status of separate species, to identify key areas with specific and typical mycological complexes. The idea that the system of mushroom protection should be integrated into the general system of nature protection is substantiated. Along with the protection of rare and endangered fungi species in their typical habitats (nature reserves, nature parks, wildlife areas, etc.), priority directions for preserving the gene pool of fungi in scientific collections and ex situ banks are described. Live mycelial cultures of fungi can be used for the development of new resistant populations by the reintroduction of rare and endangered species, as well as for the production of fungal metabolites useful for humans. There has been also discussed the problem of improving the effectiveness of protective measures through the digitalization of information systems: free and open access to the data on the endangered fungi species through the development of specialized computer databases, websites and unified information banks.

Experiences and views on SHS exposure prevention in Middle Eastern countries: a systematic review

Abstract Background More than 50% of non-smoking women and children are exposed to second-hand smoke (SHS) in Middle Eastern countries. This review aims to synthesize the evidence on experiences and views of parents, children, and professionals towards SHS exposure prevention in Middle Eastern countries. Methods We included qualitative studies exploring experiences and views on prevention of SHS exposure among women and children in all settings in Middle Eastern countries. A systematic review was undertaken according to the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines for qualitative systematic reviews. Nine databases were searched from inception to January 2021. Meta-aggregation was used to synthesize the findings. Results Out of 5229 records identified, two qualitative studies reported in three publications met the eligibility criteria and were included. Using the JBI checklist for qualitative research, the critical appraisal scores of all papers were high. One study was conducted in Turkey and the other one in Israel, and study participants were parents of children. A total of 49 findings were extracted and aggregated into 8 categories, based on the similarity of meaning. Parents were aware that SHS is harmful, although the hazards of SHS exposure were not commonly discussed during pregnancy. However, there were conflicting views on ways of SHS exposure and approaches to minimise it. Parents implemented rules to decrease SHS exposure among children. While some parents were uncertain about the effectiveness of protective measures. Most common perceived barriers to reducing SHS exposure were beliefs about traditional values and personal psychological factors. Conclusions Parents in Middle Eastern countries knew that children's SHS exposure is harmful, though knowledge was not comprehensive and did not translate into actions to protect children. Health education program is essential to improve parental knowledge on hazards of SHS and effective preventive measures. Key messages Parents’ risk-awareness of SHS exposure is inadequate. Health education program is essential to improve parental knowledge on hazards of SHS and effective preventive measures in Middle Eastern countries.

Assessment of the Relationship between Religious Officials' Vaccine Acceptance and Health Literacy

Abstract Background Vaccination, which is the most effective protective measure from infectious diseases, has not been able to achieve the desired success in recent years.Religious officials, who have an important effect on the community, can play an important role for the vaccine acceptance. The study was aimed to assesment of vaccine acceptance and health literacy(HL) among religious officials. Methods This cross-sectional study, 72%(n = 328) of the religious officials in the city were reached. The questionnaire consisted of sociodemographic characteristics, Vaccine Acceptance Instrument (VAI) and Chew Health Literacy Scale(CHLS) which was developed by Sarathchandra et al. The instrument,which language validity and reliability were made by the researchers, consisted of 16 items and one dimension. The Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.841. The cut off score the scale was determined by ROC analysis according to the variable of getting vaccinated. Those who scored above 54 points were determined as those who accepted the vaccine. It is accepted that HL decreases as the score on the CHLS increases. Results The mean age(SD) study group was 41.9(9.2), and the 76.8% were male. The vaccine acceptance frequency of religious officials was 58.8%. The CHLS score was lower in those who accepted the vaccine(p = 0.001). The HL level of 43.9% was below the mean score. 33.8% of the study group reported that they were advising the community about vaccination. According to multiple logistic regression analysis, vaccine acceptance was 2.16(OR;95% CI,1.15-4.08) higher in males, 3.01(1.73-5.25) higher who had information, 6.14 times(1.57-23.94) higher who had their children vaccinated, and 0.8 times(0.74-0.91) lower with who had low HL. Conclusions Vaccine acceptance among religious officials was found to be insufficient. The frequency of vaccination acceptance was higher in male, those who had high knowledge about the vaccine, those who had their children vaccinated, and those with high HL. Key messages Increasing the acceptance of vaccines among religious officials is an important issue as it affects the community. It would be beneficial to increase their knowledge level on this issue. Health literacy is important in increasing the acceptance of vaccines among religious officials as it affects the community.

Exploring the factors associated with the mental health of frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus.

The spread of COVID-19 into a global pandemic has negatively affected the mental health of frontline healthcare-workers. This study is a multi-centre, cross-sectional epidemiological study that uses nationwide data to assess the prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression and burnout among health care workers managing COVID-19 patients in Cyprus. The study also investigates the mechanism behind the manifestation of these pathologies, as to allow for the design of more effective protective measures. Data on the mental health status of the healthcare workers were collected from healthcare professionals from all over the nation, who worked directly with Covid patients. This was done via the use of 64-item, self-administered questionnaire, which was comprised of the DASS21 questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and a number of original questions. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate factors associated with each of the mental health measures. The sample population was comprised of 381 healthcare professionals, out of which 72.7% were nursing staff, 12.9% were medical doctors and 14.4% belonged to other occupations. The prevalence of anxiety, stress and depression among the sample population were 28.6%, 18.11% and 15% respectively. The prevalence of burnout was 12.3%. This was in parallel with several changes in the lives of the healthcare professionals, including; working longer hours, spending time in isolation and being separated from family. This study indicates that the mental health of a significant portion of the nation's workforce is compromised and, therefore, highlights the need for an urgent intervention particularly since many countries, including Cyprus, are suffering a second wave of the pandemic. The identified risk factors should offer guidance for employers aiming to protect their frontline healthcare workers from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source Apportionment of PM2.5, PAH and Arsenic Air Pollution in Central Bohemia

The results of air quality monitoring show significantly increased concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and arsenic in the area located near the town of Kladno in Central Bohemia, Czech Republic. The region of interest is historically associated with coal mines and steelworks. Source apportionment using the method of Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) at three sites has been used to try to explain the reasons of the increased PM2.5, benzo[a]pyrene, and arsenic concentrations in the ambient air. Based on the PMF analysis, nine factors explaining the atmospheric aerosol mass have been identified. The PMF results showed that most of the aerosol mass originated from residential heating (about one third of PM2.5), both primary particles and secondary organic aerosols induced by road traffic (up to approximately 25%), soil and other mineral dust (about 15%), secondary inorganic aerosol ammonium sulfate (up to 16%), ammonium nitrate (up to 14%) and other sulfates (up to 9%). The main source of arsenic and benzo[a]pyrene was residential heating, which accounted for two-thirds and 80% of their total mass, respectively. The results have pointed to the most important measures for effective air quality protection in the area of interest: replacing coal fuel and old boilers used for residential heating in order to reduce arsenic and PAH emissions and mitigate sources of secondary particles precursors to decrease PM concentrations.

Ácido hipocloroso como antiséptico en la atención al paciente con sospecha de infección por COVID-19

PurposeThe SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19 disease, is transmitted by aerosols or by contact with infected surfaces. The route of entry to the body is through the nasal, oral or conjunctival mucosa. Health workers must use effective protection measures against the entry of the virus into mucous membranes, both physical and antiseptic filters. There is an antiseptic used in Ophthalmology that we believe could have virucidal action against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, formulated based on 0.01% hypochlorous acid. MethodsAn exhaustive search has been carried out in the databases of Pubmed and Web of Science to identify relevant articles on the virucidal activity of hypochlorous acid in different concentrations until October 4, 2020. ResultsThere is evidence of the virucidal efficacy of 0.01% hypochlorous acid against SARS-CoV-2. According to the different scientific publications reviewed, hypochlorous acid has virucidal efficacy against different viruses, among them, SARS-CoV-2. ConclusionsThe 0.01% hypochlorous acid could act as an effective antiseptic against SARS-CoV-2, exerting a barrier on the mucosa to prevent COVID-19 infection. It can be used on the eyes, nose and mouth. We consider it necessary to assess its use in the protocol for patient health care in ophthalmology consultations, as well as to recommend its use to the general population to reduce viral load and / or prevent transmission of infection. Additional in vivo studies would be required to confirm its antiseptic action.

Temporal activity patterns suggesting niche partitioning of sympatric carnivores in Borneo, Malaysia

To propose proper conservation measures and to elucidate coexistence mechanisms of sympatric carnivore species, we assessed temporal activity patterns of the sympatric carnivore species using 37,379 photos collected for more than 3 years at three study sites in Borneo. We categorized activity patterns of nine carnivore species (one bear, three civets, two felids, one skunk, one mustelid, one linsang) by calculating the photo-capturing proportions at each time period (day, night, twilight). We then evaluated temporal activity overlaps by calculating the overlap coefficients. We identified six nocturnal (three civets, one felid, one skunk, one linsang), two diurnal (one felid, one mustelid), and one cathemeral (bear) species. Temporal activity overlaps were high among the nocturnal species. The two felid species possessing morphological and ecological similarities exhibited clear temporal niche segregation, but the three civet species with similar morphology and ecology did not. Broad dietary breadth may compensate for the high temporal niche overlaps among the nocturnal species. Despite the high species richness of Bornean carnivores, almost half are threatened with extinction. By comparing individual radio-tracking and our data, we propose that a long-term study of at least 2 or 3 years is necessary to understand animals’ temporal activity patterns, especially for sun bears and civets, by camera-trapping and to establish effective protection measures.

How to Reduce the Exposure of Welders to an Acceptable Level: Results of the InterWeld Study.

Workplace measurements in the past have shown that the applicable occupational exposure limits (OELs) are regularly exceeded in practice when high-emission welding processes are applied. The InterWeld pilot study was planned as part of an intervention study to show under which conditions compliance with the OEL is achievable in gas metal arc welding (GMAW) with solid wire. The investigation focussed on local exhaust ventilation, i.e. captor hoods and welding torches with integrated fume extraction. Forty tests with hand-guided GMAW were configured by experts with regard to all technical parameters and carried out by a professional welder. Effects of protective measures and process parameters on the exposure to respirable welding fumes and airborne manganese (Mn), chromium, nickel, and hexavalent chromium were investigated. Personal sampling was carried out in the welder's breathing zone outside the face shield at high flow rates (10 l min-1) in order to achieve sufficient filter loading. Particle masses and welding fume concentrations were determined by weighing the sampling filters. Metal concentrations were analysed by inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry. In order to evaluate the effects on exposure, the measurements were performed under similar conditions. The data were analysed descriptively and with mixed linear models. For measurements below the limit of detection, the exposure level was estimated using multiple imputation. Two to five times higher exposures to respirable welding fumes and airborne metals were observed during welding of 10 mm sheets than during welding of 2- or 3-mm sheets. Welding fume and Mn exposure were reduced by 70 and 90% when on-torch extraction or a captor hood was applied. Other airborne metals were reduced to a similar extent. Modifications on welding parameters led to a reduction of exposure against respirable particles by 51 up to 54%. Although proper extraction at the point of origin and lower-emitting process variants ensure a drastic reduction in exposure, compliance with current OELs is not guaranteed. In order to ensure adequate health protection, especially at workplaces where thick sheets with long relative arc times are processed, there is a need for technical development.

The palaeontological heritage of Ribeira de Cacela (Algarve, Portugal). Its preservation in the Portuguese context

The protection of palaeontological heritage is justified by its own specificity, which results from its limited visibility, spatial variability, irreproducibility and importance as a record of past biodiversity. Until the present in Portugal the laws concerning the preservation of natural areas are focused mainly on the protection of threatened living species and their habitats, neglecting any geological aspect, and even less the concept of palaeontological heritage. The present analysis refers to the fossil-site of Ribeira de Cacela, included in the Natural Park of Ria Formosa (Algarve, southern Portugal), which represents a site of great paleontological interest. No particular palaeontological inventory being still available, and no any effective protective measures having yet been applied, the result is a continuous dilapidation of the palaeontological heritage, caused by sediment removal and, especially, by the continuous exploitation of sites by uncontrolled fossil collectors. The obvious consequence is the loss of important scientific information. Considering the palaeontological importance of this area, as well as its scientific, educational and cultural interest, a formal proposal will be made to the lnstituto da Conservaçao da Natureza (the Portuguese Nature Conservation Institute), in order to nominate this outcrop as a Natural Monument and to promote its protection. Although the proposed legal protection is expected to be a long and difficult process, they will be rewarded by the resulting benefits.