Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Biomed Opt 2018 Dec;23(12):1-7

University of British Columbia, School of Biomedical Engineering, Vancouver, Canada.

Determining the optical polarization properties of a skin lesion is a proposed method to differentiate melanoma from other skin lesions. We developed an in vivo Stokes polarimetry probe that fires a laser of known polarization at the skin and measures the Stokes parameters of the backscattered light in one shot. From these measured Stokes parameters, we can calculate the degree of polarization (DOP). Read More

J Hazard Mater 2018 Dec 7;366:423-431. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, 20 Cornwall street, Woolloongabba, Queensland, 4102, Australia.

Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) as key components in aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) have led to growing incidences of environmental contamination. The aim of this study was to investigate a novel diffusion based passive sampling device comprising of microporous polyethylene (PE) for the long-term time-integrative monitoring of PFASs in groundwater systems. PE passive samplers (PEs) were deployed for 83 d and calibrated at five AFFF impacted groundwater sites representing different PFASs concentration levels (ΣPFAS 0. Read More

Eur J Cancer 2018 Dec 13;107:100-114. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Division of Medical Oncology, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1441 Eastlake Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor signalling blockade increases CCL5 expression that regulates either the anti-tumour immune response or tumour progression. We investigated the potential role of CCL5/CCR5 axis in cetuximab-based treatment in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients.

Patients And Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from 491 samples of two different cohorts with KRAS wild-type mCRC from the FIRE-3 trial: an evaluation cohort of 244 patients receiving cetuximab plus FOLFIRI and a control cohort of 247 patients receiving bevacizumab plus FOLFIRI. Read More

Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Oncology Biology, Sanofi, 270 Albany Street, Cambridge MA 02139, United States.

N-substituted azaindoles were discovered as promising pan-PIM inhibitors. Lead optimization is described en route toward the identification of a clinical candidate. Modulation of physico-chemical properties allowed to solve inherent hERG and permeability liabilities. Read More

Curr Opin Insect Sci 2018 Dec 9;30:93-98. Epub 2018 Oct 9.

Centre for Respiratory Biology, UCL Respiratory, University College London, Rayne Building, 5 University Street, London WC1E 6JF, UK. Electronic address:

Insect toxins comprise a diverse array of chemicals ranging from small molecules, polyamines and peptide toxins. Many target nervous system and neuromuscular ion channels and so rapidly affect the behaviour of animals to which the toxin is applied or injected. Other modes of action have also been identified. Read More

J Safety Res 2018 Dec 5;67:77-82. Epub 2018 Oct 5.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Campus College of Aeronautics, Department of Aeronautics Graduate Studies, Daytona Beach, FL, USA.

Introduction: Fire and emergency service workers, including Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting members, may be called on to perform confined space entry and rescue operations. The purpose of the present study was to develop a comprehensive and valid understanding of the present state of confined space entry and rescue training effectiveness and resultant compliance or use of best practices among trained Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting personnel.

Method: The study used a convergent, parallel mixed-methods approach. Read More

J Safety Res 2018 Dec 19;67:197-201. Epub 2018 Jun 19.

Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC, United States of America.

Introduction: Each year from 1999 through 2015, residential fires caused between 2,000 and 3,000 deaths in the U.S., totaling approximately 45,000 deaths during this period. Read More

Carbohydr Polym 2019 Feb 17;206:827-836. Epub 2018 Nov 17.

School of Mechanical and Automotive, South China University of Technology, Guangdong Guangzhou 510640, China.

Sustainable biodegradable polymers with high performances is the optimized alternatives for resolving environmental key issues evoked by petroleum-based polymer. A novel bio-based elastomer was designed and developed using reactive extrusion for the mixtures of starch, glycerol and tartaric acid (TPS-TA). Then TPS-TA was extruded with PBS (30:70, wt%) to fabricate the bio-composites and the impact strength of PBS/TPS-TA was superior to that of PBS. Read More

Carbohydr Polym 2019 Feb 12;206:801-810. Epub 2018 Nov 12.

Lithium Battery Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, Zaozhuang, 277000, China.

In this work, a thermally stable and eco-friendly separator composed of polyvinyl alcohol modified cellulose/styrene-co-acrylate composite (pCSA) was prepared via a facile and cost-effective phase inversion process. The results indicated that styrene-co-acrylate (SA) endowed the membrane with more network junctions, thereby, improving the film formation of membrane. Polyvinyl alcohol was used to further improve the electrolyte uptake of membrane, which was crucial for high electrical conductivity. Read More

Carbohydr Polym 2019 Feb 13;206:396-402. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Institute of Environmental Materials and Applications, College of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, 310018 Hangzhou, PR China. Electronic address:

A crosslinked and flame retardant coating was fabricated by layer-by-layer self-assembly on cotton fabric. The coated fabric was treated using positively charged polyethylenimine (PEI) and negatively charged hypophosphorous acid-modified chitosan (HACH) with subsequent crosslinking with genipin. The thermal stability and flammability of the treated cotton fabric were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), the horizontal flame test and microscale combustion calorimetry. Read More

Forensic Sci Int 2018 Dec 5;295:8-18. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

UMR Ingénierie Procédés Aliments, AgroParisTech, Inra, Université Paris-Saclay, 91300 Massy, France. Electronic address:

Recent research efforts in the domain of fire debris analysis have been mainly oriented towards the development of innovative analytical procedures and chemometric approaches for the detection and classification of ignitable liquids in fire specimens according to the ASTM E1618. However, less attention has been brought to the question of the source inference of ignitable liquids. Infer the identity of source of ignitable liquids recovered from arson sites is still a challenging and ongoing research area. Read More

Nat Commun 2018 Dec 14;9(1):5311. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106-9560, USA.

Spiking neural networks, the most realistic artificial representation of biological nervous systems, are promising due to their inherent local training rules that enable low-overhead online learning, and energy-efficient information encoding. Their downside is more demanding functionality of the artificial synapses, notably including spike-timing-dependent plasticity, which makes their compact efficient hardware implementation challenging with conventional device technologies. Recent work showed that memristors are excellent candidates for artificial synapses, although reports of even simple neuromorphic systems are still very rare. Read More

Curr Opin Insect Sci 2018 Oct 26;29:12-20. Epub 2018 May 26.

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-3128, United States.

Regulation of many physiological processes in animals, certainly those controlled by neuropeptide hormones, involves G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Our work focusing on endocrine regulation of diuresis and water balance in mosquitoes and ticks started in 1997 with the kinin receptor, at the dawn of the omics era. After the genomic revolution, we began work on the endocrinology of reproduction in the red imported fire ant. Read More

Curr Opin Insect Sci 2018 Oct 31;29:110-116. Epub 2018 Jul 31.

Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, 2050 E Iliff Ave, Boettcher West, Denver, CO 80210, USA. Electronic address:

Climate change is drastically altering global fire regimes, which may affect the structure and function of insect communities. Insect responses to fire are strongly tied to fire history, plant responses, and changes in species interactions. Many insects already possess adaptive traits to survive fire or benefit from post-fire resources, which may result in community composition shifting toward habitat and dietary generalists as well as species with high dispersal abilities. Read More

Psychiatry Res 2018 Dec 28;270:815-821. Epub 2018 Oct 28.

School of Social Work, Ariel University, Ariel, 40700, Israel. Electronic address:

The current study aimed to explore Israelis' state anxiety due to a Syrian-Israeli incident that occurred on February 10, 2018, when an Israeli F-16 fighter jet was shot down by Syrian air defense forces. In line with the "looming vulnerability" model which emphasizes the importance of the dynamic nature of psychologically threatening situations, the following psychological factors were suggested: associative memory of prior events, worries of future war, sense of safety, and death anxiety. We employed two cross-sectional points of time in our assessment: 36 hours and three months after the incident. Read More

Z Orthop Unfall 2018 Dec 14;156(6):723-724. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Sicherheitsmanagement, Klinikverbund Südwest GmbH, Sindelfingen.

Indication: In-hospital patients with limited mobility are extremely vulnerable in cases of emergency or fire. In the past, several large fires in multi-story hospitals have resulted in deaths.

Methods: For this reason, we have developed an evacuation mattress that incorporates the functions of an evacuation towel with the comfort of a normal mattress. Read More

Int J Food Microbiol 2018 Dec 4;291:197-204. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Department of Horticulture, University of Georgia, 2360 Rainwater Rd., Tifton, GA 31793-5766, USA.

Plant genotype has been advocated to have an important role in the fate of enteric pathogens residing in lettuce foliage. This study was therefore undertaken under the premise that different pathogen responses could occur in lettuce cultivars with cultivar selection being one of several hurdles in an overall strategy for controlling foodborne pathogens on field-grown produce. Up to eight lettuce cultivars ('Gabriella', 'Green Star', 'Muir', 'New Red Fire', 'Coastal Star', 'Starfighter', 'Tropicana', and 'Two Star') were examined in these experiments in which the plants were subjected to spray contamination of their foliage with pathogens. Read More

PLoS One 2018 14;13(12):e0208400. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America.

Understanding the drivers of large-scale vegetation change is critical to managing landscapes and key to predicting how projected climate and land use changes will affect regional vegetation patterns. This study aimed to improve our understanding of the role, magnitude, and spatial distribution of the key environmental and socioeconomic factors driving vegetation change in a southern African savanna. This research was conducted across the Kwando, Okavango and Zambezi catchments of southern Africa (Angola, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia) and explored vegetation cover change across the region from 2001-2010. Read More

Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, U.K.

In focusing on how organisms' generalizable functional properties (traits) interact mechanistically with environments across spatial scales and levels of biological organization, trait-based approaches provide a powerful framework for attaining synthesis, generality and prediction. Trait-based research has considerably improved understanding of the assembly, structure and functioning of plant communities. Further advances in ecology may be achieved by exploring the trait-environment relationships of non-sessile, heterotrophic organisms such as terrestrial arthropods, which are geographically ubiquitous, ecologically diverse, and often important functional components of ecosystems. Read More

J Comput Neurosci 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Unité de Neurosciences, Information et Complexité, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

Many neurons possess dendrites enriched with sodium channels and are capable of generating action potentials. However, the role of dendritic sodium spikes remain unclear. Here, we study computational models of neurons to investigate the functional effects of dendritic spikes. Read More

Sensors (Basel) 2018 Dec 10;18(12). Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Civil and Infrastructure Engineering Discipline, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia.

Low visibility and hot smoke environment under fire conditions can largely hamper the related fire rescue processes. Ultrasound obstacle avoidance technology is then useful for guidance. However, the biggest challenge of adopting ultrasound technology comes from accurate distance measurements under the disturbances of high temperature and soot particle concentration. Read More

Insects 2018 Dec 10;9(4). Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Station de Recherche en Ecologie du Parc National de la Comoé, 27 BP 847 Abidjan 27, Ivory Coast.

Termites are one of the major components of tropical ecosystems. However, the ecological and biological variables determining the structure of their communities within natural habitats are less documented in general and especially in the Comoe National Park, a Sudano-Guinean savanna zone located in the north-eastern part of Côte d'Ivoire (West Africa). Using a standardized method of belt transects, the structure of termite's communities was estimated within habitats differing in the structure of their vegetation, soil characteristics, and the disturbance level caused by annual occurrences of bushfires. Read More

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2018 Dec 13. Epub 2018 Dec 13.

Development of non-flammable separators with excellent properties is in urgent need by next-generation advanced and safe energy storage devices. However, it has been extremely challenging to simultaneously achieve fire-resistance, high mechanical strength, good thermo-mechanical stability and low ion-transport resistance for polymeric separators. Herein, to address all these needs, we report an in-situ formed core-shell silica@ silica-imbedded polyimide (in-situ SiO@(PI/SiO)) nanofabric as a new high-performance inorganic-organic hybrid separator. Read More

Sci Rep 2018 Dec 12;8(1):17797. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Avda. Carlos III, 45071, Toledo, Spain.

During the last decades, wildfires have been changing in many areas across the world, due to changes in climate, landscapes and socioeconomic drivers. However, how the role of these drivers changed over time has been little explored. Here, we assessed, in a spatially and temporally explicit way, the changing role of biophysical and human-related factors on wildfires in a rural area in west-central Spain from 1979 to 2008. Read More

Front Cell Neurosci 2018 14;12:407. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier (INM), Inserm, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.

During development, the sensory cells of the cochlea, the inner hair cells (IHCs), fire spontaneous calcium action potentials. This activity at the pre-hearing stage allows the IHCs to autonomously excite the auditory nerve fibers and hence, represents an efficient mechanism to shape the tonotopic organization along the ascending auditory pathway. Using calcium imaging, we show that the activity in the developing cochlea consists of calcium waves that propagate across the supporting and sensory cells. Read More

Front Neurosci 2018 22;12:858. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ, United States.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been successfully used in treating neural disorders in brain, such as Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. However, the precise mechanisms of DBS remain unclear. Regular DBS therapy utilizes high-frequency stimulation (HFS) of electrical pulses. Read More

Am J Ind Med 2019 Jan 6;62(1):43-49. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Fire Department of the City of New York, Bureau of Health Services, Brooklyn, New York.

Background: The goal of this study was to estimate the impact of exposure to the World Trade Center (WTC) site on annual and persistent rates of otalgia and hearing impairment among Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) Firefighters and Emergency Medical Service Workers (EMS).

Methods: Responders completed routine physical health questionnaires at monitoring visits. We used logistic and marginal logistic regression models to explore the association between otalgia and hearing impairment and WTC arrival time. Read More

Eur Respir J 2018 Dec 5. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

APHP, Hôpital Bichat, Service de Pneumologie A, DHU FIRE, Paris, France.

mutations have been evidenced in 5-9% of familial pulmonary fibrosis, but the phenotype of patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and mutations is poorly known.Whole exome sequencing was performed in 252 probands with ILD and we included all patients with ILD and mutation. RTEL1 expression was evaluated by immunochemistry in the lung of controls, and mutation carriers. Read More

Eur Heart J 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

INSERM U1148, Laboratory for Vascular Translational Science (LVTS), DHU FIRE, University Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 46 rue Henri Huchard, Paris, France.

Aims: Inflammatory mediators, including blood cells and their products, contribute critically to atherogenesis, but the igniting triggers of inflammation remain elusive. Atherosclerosis develops at sites of flow perturbation, where the enhanced haemodynamic stress could initiate the atherogenic inflammatory process due to the occurrence of mechanic injury. We investigated the role of haemodynamic stress-induced breaches, allowing the entry of blood cells in the arterial intima, in triggering inflammation-driven atherogenesis. Read More

Oecologia 2018 Dec 11. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (IMBIV), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Vélez Sarsfield 1611, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina.

The coexistence of several species involves a complex mix of positive and negative interactions that can be represented as networks. As much as other ecological features, patterns of multispecies co-occurrence are susceptible to anthropogenic disturbance. In ant communities, wildfires may enhance competitive interactions by benefiting active, aggressive species, and by increasing encounter probabilities through decreased space availability. Read More

Acad Emerg Med 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

Department of Emergency Health Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA.

Study Objectives: The goal of our study is to determine if prehospital double sequential defibrillation (DSD) is associated with improved survival to hospital admission in the setting of refractory ventricular fibrillation/pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VF/pVT).

Methods: This project is a matched case-control study derived from prospectively collected Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement (QA/QI) data obtained from the San Antonio Fire Department out-of-hospital cardiac arrest database between JAN 2013 and DEC 2015. The cases were defined as out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients with refractory VF/pVT that survived to hospital admission. Read More

Glob Chang Biol 2018 Dec 9. Epub 2018 Dec 9.

Oregon State University, Forest Ecosystems and Society, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, Oregon, United States, 97331-5752.

A century of fire suppression across the Western US has led to more crowded forests and increased competition for resources. Studies of forest thinning or stand conditions after mortality events have provided indirect evidence for how competition can promote drought stress and predispose forests to severe fire and/or bark beetle outbreaks. Here we demonstrate linkages between fire deficits and increasing drought stress through analyses of annually resolved tree-ring growth, fire scars, and carbon isotope discrimination (Δ C) across a dry mixed-conifer forest landscape. Read More

J Econ Entomol 2018 Dec 10. Epub 2018 Dec 10.

US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Biological Control Laboratory, Stoneville, MS.

Although insecticidal properties of certain benzoates have been investigated for pest insects and mites, toxicity of benzoates to the red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren, has never been reported. In this study, 15 commercially available benzoates were assessed for their contact and fumigation toxicity to S. invicta workers and their chemical structure-activity relationships. Read More

Labour Econ 2018 Oct 13;54:116-134. Epub 2018 Aug 13.

Rhee: Korea Development Institute, 263 Namsejong-ro, Sejong City 30149, Republic of Korea.

Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is an employment protection policy for disabled workers. By exploiting cross-state variation in pre-ADA legislation, we measure the effects of the law on transition rates of disabled workers. We find a decline in employment-to-non-employment transitions after the ADA, with an insignificant change in flow into employment. Read More

J Environ Manage 2018 Dec 5;232:789-795. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.

Partial or complete substitution of coal with renewable biomass like wood is a sustainable and effective solution to reduce the CO emissions in the atmosphere. Utilization of these woods in the form of compact pellets facilitates in its handling and transportation with higher energy density. However, for electric power generation the pellets are broken up into their constituent milled finer particles for burning as a pulverised biomass flame. Read More

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 2018 Dec 4;170:98-106. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais Departamento de Química, ICEX, UFMG, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Electronic address:

Gaseous elemental Hg is stable enough to be transported over long distances. Some of the most important sources of Hg in the atmosphere are artisanal gold mining activities and forest fires. Both of these sources are particularly prevalent in the Amazonia region. Read More

Toxicon 2018 Dec 4;158:77-83. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Red Imported Fire Ant Research Centre, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, PR China.

Fire ant venom contains insecticidal alkaloids named 'solenopsins'. Whilst species-specific differences are reported, little attention has been given to caste-specific venom adaptations. The venom of fire ant queens has remained particularly poorly studied, though studies have shown it to be strikingly similar across different species, in being primarily composed of the alkaloid isosolenopsin A, regardless of the chemical configuration in workers. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Département de Médecine Interne, Hôpital Bichat, Université Paris Diderot, PRES Sorbonne Paris Cité, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France; Département Hospitalo-Universitaire FIRE (Fibrosis, Inflammation and Remodelling in Renal and Respiratory Diseases), Paris, France; INSERM U1149, Paris, France. Electronic address:

Background: We aimed to compare the efficacy of steroids alone or associated with immunosuppressive drugs for the prevention of relapse in cardiac sarcoidosis (CS).

Methods: In this monocentric multidisciplinary retrospective single center study, all consecutive patients with histologically proven sarcoidosis hospitalized from January 2012 to December 2016 were considered. All patients with symptomatic CS were studied. Read More

Am J Kidney Dis 2018 Dec 4. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

Hypertension Unit, AP-HP, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris, France; Faculty of Medicine, Paris-Descartes University, Paris, France. Electronic address:

Juxtaglomerular cell tumors (JCTs), a rare but potentially curable cause of hypertension, are difficult to diagnose because they may be missed or misidentified as a cyst by computed tomography (CT). Their magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pattern has not been well described. We report the clinical, biological, and radiologic features of 10 patients with JCTs. Read More

Biol Psychiatry 2019 Jan;85(1):5-7

Schizophrenia Research Laboratory Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia; School of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York. Electronic address:

Prehosp Emerg Care 2018 Dec 11:1-24. Epub 2018 Dec 11.

e Research Institute at Nationwide Childrens Hospital, Center for Injury Research and Policy , 700 Children's Drive, RB III , Columbus , 43205-2664 United States.

Objective: Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency requiring prompt recognition and treatment with intramuscular epinephrine to optimize outcomes. To date, there is a paucity of data regarding the demographic characteristics of the subset of patients calling 911 for allergic reactions and the emergency medical services (EMS) dispatcher's adherence to national protocols for their response to a suspected allergic reaction.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of dispatch calls to a local municipality that were dispatched with an impression of an "allergic reaction" or "difficulty breathing related to a suspected allergic reaction" from January 2016 to June 2016. Read More

J Environ Manage 2018 Dec 3;232:600-606. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia. Electronic address:

Land occupation and management systems have defined fire regimes and landscapes for millennia. The savanna biome is responsible for 86% of all fire events, contributes to 10% of the total carbon emissions annually and is home to 10% of the human population. European colonization has been associated with the implementation of fire suppression policies in many tropical savanna regions, markedly disrupting traditional fire management practices and transforming ecosystems. Read More

J Invest Dermatol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Paediatrics, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, SAR China.

Some previously described environmental associations for atopic eczema (AE) may be due to reverse causation. We explored the role of reverse causation by comparing individual- and school-level results for multiple AE risk factors. ISAAC Phase Three surveyed children within schools (the sampling unit) on AE symptoms and potential risk factors. Read More

Int J Min Sci Technol 2018 Nov;28(6):969-974

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Pittsburgh Mining Research Division, Pittsburgh 15236, USA.

This report presents the results of experiments to evaluate a prototype fiber optic methane monitor exposed to smoke using a smoke chamber to simulate atmospheric conditions in an underground coal mine after a fire or explosion. The experiments were conducted using test fires of different combustible sources commonly found in mines -douglas-fir wood, SBR belt, and Pittsburgh seam coal. The experiments were designed to assess the response of the fiber optic methane sensor to different contaminants, different contaminant levels and different contaminant durations produced from the test fires. Read More

Ecol Evol 2018 Nov 17;8(22):10952-10963. Epub 2018 Oct 17.

Fenner School of Environment and Society The Australian National University Acton ACT Australia.

Our understanding of the impacts of time since fire on reptiles remains limited, partly because there are relatively few locations where long-term, spatially explicit fire histories are available. Such information is important given the large proportion of some landscapes that are managed with frequent prescribed fire to meet fuel management objectives. We conducted a space-for-time study across a landscape in southeastern Australia where the known fire history spanned 6 months to at least 96 years. Read More

BMJ 2018 Dec 5;363:k5158. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Montreal.

Pneumologie 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, ehem. Lehrstuhl Arbeitsmedizin und Maritime Medizin; European Society for Environmental und Occupational Medicine (EOM Society).

The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by mainly non-reversible bronchial obstruction with airflow limitation. Typically, it exhibits a progressive course. It is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Read More

Clin Exp Allergy 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

Background: Phase Three of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) measured the global prevalence of symptoms of asthma in children. We undertook comprehensive analyses addressing risk factors for asthma symptoms in combination, at both the individual and the school level, to explore the potential role of reverse causation due to selective avoidance or confounding by indication.

Objective: To explore the role of reverse causation in risk factors of asthma symptoms. Read More

Int J Occup Saf Ergon 2018 Dec 3:1-27. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

a Service de Santé et de Secours Médical - Health and Medical Rescue Service (SSSM) Service Départemental d'Incendie et de Secours de Maine-et-Loire - Departmental Fire and Rescue Services of Maine-et-Loire (SDIS 49) 6 Avenue du Grand Perigne, 49071 Beaucouzé France ,

This study investigated physiological, cognitive and neuromuscular performances in firefighters after a structural live fire scenario. Changes in vital signs and environmental parameters, cognitive and neuromuscular performance were measured before and after a live-fire training session in a closed environment, in conditions similar to those one could encounter in a structural fire. Very high ambient temperature peaks were reached during the 30  min sessions. Read More