A modern, flexible cloud-based database and computing service for real-time analysis of vehicle emissions data.

In response to the demand for advanced tools in environmental monitoring and policy formulation, this work leverages modern software and big data technologies to enhance novel road transport emissions research. This is achieved by making data and analysis tools more widely available and customisable so users can tailor outputs to their requirements. Through the novel combination of vehicle emissions remote sensing and cloud computing methodologies, these developments aim to reduce the barriers to understanding real-driving emissions (RDE) across urban environments.

From automated Raman to cost-effective nanoparticle-on-film (NPoF) SERS spectroscopy: A combined approach for assessing micro- and nanoplastics released into the oral cavity from chewing gum.

Microplastics (MPs) and Nanoplastics (NPs), a burgeoning health hazard, often go unnoticed due to suboptimal analytical tools, making their way inside our bodies through various means. Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), although is utilized in detecting NPs, challenges arise at low concentrations due to their low Raman cross section and inability to situate within hotspots owing to their ubiquitous size and shape. This study presents an innovative and cost-effective approach employing household metallic foils (aluminium and copper) as nanoparticle-on-film (NPoF) substrates for targeting such analytes.

The effects of exposure to NO, PM and PM on health service attendances with respiratory illnesses: A time-series analysis.

The associations of exposure to air-pollutants and respiratory illness remains inconsistent and studies have not adequately addressed the non-linearity and delayed effects of exposure. This is a retrospective cohort study using linked routine health and pollution data collected between January 2018 and December 2021. Participants were patients who visited General Practice (GP) or accident and emergency (A&E) services for respiratory illness.

Study Protocol. Evaluating the life-course health impact of a city-wide system approach to improve air quality in Bradford, UK: A quasi-experimental study with implementation and process evaluation.

Background: Air quality is a major public health threat linked to poor birth outcomes, respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and premature mortality. Deprived groups and children are disproportionately affected. Bradford will implement a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) as part of the Bradford Clean Air Plan (B-CAP) in 2022 to reduce pollution, providing a natural experiment.

Detecting candidate high NO emitting light commercial vehicles using vehicle emission remote sensing.

Vehicle emission remote sensing devices have been widely used for monitoring and assessing the real-world emission performance of vehicles. They are also well-suited to identify candidate high emitting vehicles as remote sensing surveys measure the on-road, real-driving emissions (RDE) of a high proportion of the operational vehicle fleet passing through a testing site. This study uses the Gumbel distribution to characterize the fuel-specific NO emission rates (g·kg) from diesel vans (formally referred to as light commercial vehicles or LCVs) and screen candidate high emitting vehicles.

Early observations on the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on air quality trends across the UK.

UK government implemented national lockdown in response to COVID-19 on the 23-26 March 2020. As elsewhere in Europe and Internationally, associated restrictions initially limited individual mobility and workplace activity to essential services and travel, and significant air quality benefits were widely anticipated. Here, break-point/segment methods are applied to air pollutant time-series from the first half of 2020 to provide an independent estimate of the timings of discrete changes in NO, NO, NO, O, PM and PM time-series from Automatic Urban Rural Network (AURN) monitoring stations across the UK.

A novel method for comparing passenger car fleets and identifying high-chance gross emitting vehicles using kerbside remote sensing data.

The quantification and comparison of NO emission from in-situ car fleets, and identification of the highest emitters is an ongoing challenge. This challenge will become more important as new and increasingly complex emissions removal systems penetrate the market. We combine real-world data with new-to-the-field statistical methods to describe fleet-scale emissions behaviours and identify candidate gross-emitter vehicles.

Real-world CO and NO emissions from refrigerated vans.

Refrigerated vans used for home deliveries are attracting attention as online grocery shopping in the UK is expanding rapidly and contributes to the increasing greenhouse gas (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NO) emissions. These vans are typically 3.5-tonne gross weight vehicles equipped with temperature-controlled units called Transport Refrigeration Units (TRUs), which are usually powered off the vehicles' engine.

Distance-based emission factors from vehicle emission remote sensing measurements.

Vehicle emission remote sensing has the potential to provide detailed emissions information at a highly disaggregated level owing to the ability to measure thousands of vehicles in a single day. Fundamentally, vehicle emission remote sensing provides a direct measure of the molar volume ratio of a pollutant to carbon dioxide, from which fuel-based emissions factors can readily be calculated. However, vehicle emissions are more commonly expressed in emission per unit distance travelled e.

Impact of transport electrification on critical metal sustainability with a focus on the heavy-duty segment.

The majority of transport electrification studies, examining the demand and sustainability of critical metals, have focused on light-duty vehicles. Heavy-duty vehicles have often been excluded from the research scope due to their smaller vehicle stock and slower pace of electrification. This study fills this research gap by evaluating the lithium resource impacts from electrification of the heavy-duty segment at the global level.

Interinstrument comparison of remote-sensing devices and a new method for calculating on-road nitrogen oxides emissions and validation of vehicle-specific power.

Unlabelled: Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by vehicles in real driving environments are only partially understood. This has been brought to the attention of the world with recent revelations of the cheating of the type of approval tests exposed in the dieselgate scandal. Remote-sensing devices offer investigators an opportunity to directly measure in situ real driving emissions of tens of thousands of vehicles.

Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and risk of development of childhood asthma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Objective: The question of whether children's exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) contributes to their development of asthma is unresolved. We conducted a systematic review and performed meta-analyses to analyze the association between TRAP and asthma development in childhood.

Data Sources: We systematically reviewed epidemiological studies published until 8 September 2016 and available in the Embase, Ovid MEDLINE (R), and Transport databases.

Biodegradation of ivory (natural apatite): possible involvement of fungal activity in biodeterioration of the Lewis Chessmen.

Fungal biodeterioration of ivory was investigated with in vitro inoculation of samples obtained from boar and walrus tusks with the fungi Aspergillus niger and Serpula himantioides, species of known geoactive abilities. A combination of light and scanning electron microscopy together with associated analytical techniques was used to characterize fungal interactions with the ivory, including changes in ivory composition, dissolution and tunnelling, and the formation of new biominerals. The research was aimed at providing further understanding of the potential roles of fungi in the colonization and deterioration of ivory in terrestrial environments, but also contributes to our knowledge regarding the possible origins of the surface damage observed on early medieval sculptures made largely from walrus tusks, referred to as 'the Lewis hoard of gaming pieces', that were presumably produced for playing chess.

Osteoid osteoma of the ethmoid sinus: a rare diagnosis.

Osteoid osteomas are benign osseous lesions. They have seldom been described in the otolaryngology literature, and they are extremely rare in the ethmoid sinuses. We report a new case of osteoid osteoma of the ethmoid sinus in a 15-year-old girl.

Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis.

Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis is a rare cause of nasal obstruction in the neonate. This condition is caused by a bony overgrowth of the median nasal process of the maxilla. An appropriate workup includes evaluation for associated anomalies and fine-cut CT.

Factors influencing particle number concentrations, size distributions and modal parameters at a roof-level and roadside site in Leicester, UK.

Measurements of urban particle number concentrations and size distributions in the range 5-1000 nm were taken at elevated (roof-level) and roadside sampling sites on Narborough Road in Leicester, UK, along with simultaneous measurements of traffic, NO(x), CO and 1,3-butadiene concentrations and meteorological parameters. A fitting program was used to determine the characteristics of up to five modal groups present in the particle size distributions. All particle modal concentrations peaked during the morning and evening rush hours.

Real-world comparison of probe vehicle emissions and fuel consumption using diesel and 5% biodiesel (B5) blend.

An instrumented EURO I Ford Mondeo was used to perform a real-world comparison of vehicle exhaust (carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen) emissions and fuel consumption for diesel and 5% biodiesel in diesel blend (B5) fuels. Data were collected on multiple replicates of three standardised on-road journeys: (1) a simple urban route; (2) a combined urban/inter-urban route; and, (3) an urban route subject to significant traffic management. At the total journey measurement level, data collected here indicate that replacing diesel with a B5 substitute could result in significant increases in both NO(x) emissions (8-13%) and fuel consumption (7-8%).

Advances in facial reanimation.

Purpose Of Review: Facial paralysis often has a significant emotional impact on patients. Along with the myriad of new surgical techniques in managing facial paralysis comes the challenge of selecting the most effective procedure for the patient. This review delineates common surgical techniques and reviews state-of-the-art techniques.

Development and validation of a self-rating scale for positive- and negative-reinforcement smoking: The Michigan Nicotine Reinforcement Questionnaire.

Positive- and negative-reinforcement consequences of smoking were assessed using a self-report inventory. Data from 429 current smokers (348 women, 81 men) were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis, with concurrent validation of resulting scales in 288 current smokers (235 women, 53 men), controlling for sex and age. The solution with three factors--positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and smoking patterns--provided the clearest and most interpretable factor solution.