A methodological framework for estimating ambient PM particulate matter concentrations in the UK.

Scientific evidence sustains PM particles' inhalation may generate harmful impacts on human beings' health; therefore, their monitoring in ambient air is of paramount relevance in terms of public health. Due to the limited number of fixed stations within the air quality monitoring networks, development of methodological frameworks to model ambient air PM particles is primordial to providing additional information on PM exposure and its trends. In this sense, this work aims to offer a global easily-applicable tool to estimate ambient air PM as a function of meteorological conditions using a multivariate analysis.

Contact Lens with pH Sensitivity for On-Demand Drug Release in Wearing Situation.

Drug-releasing contact lenses are emerging therapeutic systems for treating ocular diseases. However, their applicability is limited by the burst release of drugs during lens wear and premature drug leakage during packaging, rendering the precise control of release duration or dose difficult. Here, we introduce a pH-sensitive contact lens exhibiting on-demand drug release only during lens wear and negligible premature drug leakage during packaging and transportation, which is accomplished by incorporating drug-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) coated with a pH-sensitive polymer into the contact lens.

Influence of WO-Based Antireflection Coatings on Current Density in Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells.

Antireflection coatings (ARCs) with an indium thin oxide (ITO) layer on silicon heterojunction solar cells (SHJ) have garnered significant attention, which is due to their potential for increasing current density (J) and enhancing reliability. We propose an additional tungsten trioxide (WO) layer on the ITO/Si structure in this paper in order to raise the J and demonstrate the influence on the SHJ solar cell. First, we simulate the J characteristics for the proposed WO/ITO/Si structure in order to analyze J depending on the thickness of WO using an OPAL 2 simulator.

Health risk assessment of the European inhabitants exposed to contaminated ambient particulate matter by potentially toxic elements.

PM-associated potential toxic elements (PTEs) can enter the respiratory system and cause health problems. In the current study, the health risk indices caused by PM inhalation by adults, children, and infants in 158 European cities between 2013 and 2019 were studied to determine if Europeans were adversely affected by carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic factors or not. The Mann-Kendall trend test examined PM's increasing or decreasing trend.

Self-Sensing Cementitious Composites: Review and Perspective.

Self-sensing concrete (SSC) has been vastly studied for its possibility to provide a cost-effective solution for structural health monitoring of concrete structures, rendering it very attractive in real-life applications. In this review paper, comprehensive information about the components of self-sensing concrete, dispersion methods and mix design, as well as the recent progress in the field of self-sensing concrete, has been provided. The information and recent research findings about self-sensing materials for smart composites, their properties, measurement of self-sensing signal and the behavior of self-sensing concrete under different loading conditions are included.

Assessment of potential benefits of traffic and urban mobility reductions during COVID-19 lockdowns: dose-response calculations for material corrosions on built cultural heritage.

Air pollution, particularly in urban areas, puts human health in danger and has adverse impacts on the built environment. It can accelerate the natural corrosion rate of cultural heritages and monuments, leading to premature aging and lowering their aesthetic value. Globally, at the beginning of 2020, to tackle the spread of novel COVID-19, the lockdown was enforced in the most hard-hit countries.