Strawberry Plant as a Biomonitor of Trace Metal Air Pollution-A Citizen Science Approach in an Urban-Industrial Area near Lisbon, Portugal.

A biomonitoring study of air pollution was developed in an urban-industrial area (Seixal, Portugal) using leaves of strawberry plants ( Duchesne ex Rozier) as biomonitors to identify the main sources and hotspots of air pollution in the study area. The distribution of exposed strawberry plants in the area was based on a citizen science approach, where residents were invited to have the plants exposed outside their homes. Samples were collected from a total of 49 different locations, and their chemical composition was analyzed for 22 chemical elements using X-ray Fluorescence spectrometry.

Characterisation of urban aerosol size distribution by radiocarbon and PIXE analyses in a middle-European urban environment for source identification: a pilot study.

This study, conducted in Debrecen, Hungary, aimed to analyse atmospheric particulate matter (APM or PM) through radiocarbon and PIXE analyses during the winter smog (23-25 January) and spring (15-18 May) seasons. The information presented in this pilot study aims to provide insight into the importance of utilising detailed characteristics of the mass size distributions of fossil carbon (f) and contemporary carbon (f) content. Additionally, it seeks to compare these characteristics with the size distributions of various elements to enable even more accurate PM source identification.

Electronic vape fluid activates the pulmonary endothelium and disrupts vascular integrity in vitro through an ARF6-dependent pathway.

The use of e-cigarettes or vapes is increasingly popular amongst a range of different demographics however the research in this area is surprisingly sparse. Clinical reports of e-cigarette- or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI) and vascular disruption, in both nicotine-containing and nicotine-free e-cigarette smokers, prompts the need for further research with a focus on the pulmonary endothelium. Using a common brand of e-cigarette (eVape) and an in vitro model of the human lung microvasculature, we investigated the effect of nicotine-free eVape fluid on pulmonary endothelial barrier integrity, oxidative stress and inflammation profile.

Structural Analysis of Si(OEt) Deposits on Au(111)/SiO Substrates at the Nanometer Scale Using Focused Electron Beam-Induced Deposition.

The focused electron beam-induced deposition (FEBID) process was used by employing a GeminiSEM with a beam characteristic of 1 keV and 24 pA to deposit pillars and line-shaped nanostructures with heights between 9 nm and 1 μm and widths from 5 nm to 0.5 μm. All structures have been analyzed to their composition looking at a desired Si/O/C content measuring a 1:2:0 ratio.

Source apportionment of PM before and after COVID-19 lockdown in an urban-industrial area of the Lisbon metropolitan area, Portugal.

The lockdowns held due to the COVID-19 pandemic conducted to changes in air quality. This study aimed to understand the variability of PM levels and composition in an urban-industrial area of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and to identify the contribution of the different sources. The composition of PM was assessed for 24 elements (by PIXE), secondary inorganic ions and black carbon.