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The Science of the Total Environment Dec 2023The Mexican Atlantic coast is vulnerable to sea level rise due to its low, sandy shorelines with extensive adjacent wetlands. The increasing trends at the regional level...
The Mexican Atlantic coast is vulnerable to sea level rise due to its low, sandy shorelines with extensive adjacent wetlands. The increasing trends at the regional level are similar to global trends (~3 ± 0.04 mm/year): between 1.8 mm/year in Alvarado, Veracruz, to 3.6 mm/year in Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo. A synthetic model was applied to Mexican Atlantic coast under two sea level rise scenarios for the year 2100. Our objectives were: 1) to identify potentially floodable zones in the face of a sea level rise of one and two meters on the Mexican Atlantic coast with a synthetic model using SRTM and LiDAR topographic data; 2) to determine vegetation and land use affected in the potentially floodable zones; and 3) quantify the vulnerable human population. With topographic data we identified low areas (one and two meters) to assess potentially floodable zones; these were intersected with data layers of vegetation, land use, and human population. Deltaic zones, coastal lagoons and low-lying areas of the Yucatan Peninsula were regions with the largest potentially floodable surface. In the one-meter sea rise scenario, 581,674 ha were identified as potentially floodable, and 896,151 in the two-meter scenario. The most vulnerable vegetation and land use types were wetlands, such as cattail marshes (tulares; ~29 %) and mangroves (~27 %), as well as cultivated grasslands (~6 %). The indirectly affected coastal population could be approximately 5.5 million in these scenarios (~33 %), and the directly affected population could range between 124,000 and 440,000 (~0.72 and 2.55 %, respectively). These results indicate that there will be strong effects in economic, social, and environmental impacts on the Atlantic coast of Mexico in the event of a one- and two-meters sea level rise. This type of work will enable proposal conservation and adaptation strategies for human populations and coastal cities.
PubMed: 37591386
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166317 -
Journal of Nuclear Medicine : Official... Sep 2023In a recent multicenter study, discrepancies between PET/CT-measured activity and vendor-calibrated activity for Y glass and resin microspheres were found. In the...
In a recent multicenter study, discrepancies between PET/CT-measured activity and vendor-calibrated activity for Y glass and resin microspheres were found. In the present work, the origin of these discrepancies was investigated by Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Three vial configurations, containing Y-chloride, Y-labeled glass microspheres, and Y-labeled resin microspheres, were modeled with GAMOS, and the electric signal generated in an activity meter was simulated. Energy deposition was scored in the activity meter-active regions and converted into electric current per unit activity. Internal bremsstrahlung (IB) photons, always accompanying β-decay, were simulated in addition to Y decays. The electric current per source activity obtained for Y glass and resin microspheres, I and I, was compared in terms of relative percentage difference with that of Y-chloride ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) and each other (δ). The findings of this work were compared with the ones obtained through PET measurements in the multicenter study. With the inclusion of IB photons as primary particles in MC simulations, the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] results were 24.6% ± 3.9% and -15.0% ± 2.2%, respectively, whereas δ was 46.5% ± 1.9%, in very good agreement with the values reported in the multicenter study. The MC simulations performed in this study indicate that the discrepancies recently found between PET/CT-measured activity and vendor-calibrated activity for Y glass and resin microspheres can be attributed to differences in the geometry of the respective commercial vials and to the metrologic approach adopted for activity meter calibration with a Y-chloride liquid source. Furthermore, IB photons were shown to play a relevant role in determining the electric current in the activity meter.
Topics: Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; Monte Carlo Method; Chlorides; Yttrium Radioisotopes; Microspheres
PubMed: 37442605
DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.123.265494 -
HardwareX Sep 2023Non-intrusive load monitoring of domestic appliances has received steady interest in the last twenty years, first because of interest from energy companies interested in...
Non-intrusive load monitoring of domestic appliances has received steady interest in the last twenty years, first because of interest from energy companies interested in usage statistics for power balancing and, more recently, in order to assist users in tuning their habits for reduced power consumption. This has increased the need for accurate and economic methods of power measurement that can be efficiently implemented on cheap and easy-to-install platforms. To this end, we present a cheap and efficient device based on Arduino to monitor the usage of domestic appliances in real-time: Enerduino-pro. The design uses low-cost easy-to-assemble open-source electronic components and consists of four main parts: an Arduino UNO microcontroller, one photoresistor to measure instantaneous power absorption plus one optional additional one to measure reactive power, a WiFi shield, and an LED (for debugging purposes only). We describe the device, complete with open software and hardware specifications, and different use cases with proof-of-concept solutions.
PubMed: 37649585
DOI: 10.1016/j.ohx.2023.e00461 -
PloS One 2023Achieving high-quality development of the city requires actively promoting coordinated digitalization and low-carbon development. Previous studies have focused on the...
Achieving high-quality development of the city requires actively promoting coordinated digitalization and low-carbon development. Previous studies have focused on the unidirectional impact of urban digitalization on low-carbonization and there is a lack of research on their interactions. This study uses the generalized spatial three-stage least squares method and the spatial simultaneous equation to investigate the endogenous interactions between urban digitalization and low-carbonization. The properties of the spatiotemporal evolution are then examined using linked coordination degree models, kernel density, and spatial statistical approaches. Finally, using the spatial panel metering model, this study empirically investigates the motivations behind the synergistic advancement of digitalization and low-carbonization. The results show that: (1) There is an endogenous interaction between urban digitalization and low-carbonization and that this interaction pattern is closely linked to geographical proximity. (2) In general, both urban digitalization and low-carbonization have a positive spatial impact and a negative spatial interaction, and their coordination levels have a significant spatial impact. (3) Throughout the research period, the coordination degree of urban digitalization and low carbonization continued to increase, showing a positive spatial correlation and a balanced development trend. (4) Economic development, industrial structure, and human capital accumulation are vital internal drivers of the synergistic advancement of urban digitalization and low carbonization. Government capacities and technological innovations are key external factors that contribute to the synergistic advancement of urban digitalization and low-carbonization. Overall, the paper is essential not only to deepen understanding of the relationship between urban digitalization and low-carbonization but also to formulate policies for their coordinated development.
Topics: Carbon; China; Cities; Economic Development; Geography; Digital Technology; Sustainable Development; Spatial Analysis
PubMed: 37847722
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292405 -
Journal of Aerosol Medicine and... Dec 2023Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) are now widely prescribed and preferred by the majority of patients. These devices have many advantages over the traditional pressurized...
Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) are now widely prescribed and preferred by the majority of patients. These devices have many advantages over the traditional pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI) but they do have disadvantages. The characteristics of the dose emitted from a DPI are affected by the inhalation manoeuvre used by a patient. Each patient is different and the severity of their lung disease varies from mild to very severe. This affects how they use an inhaler and so determines the type of dose they inhale. An understanding of the pharmaceutical science related to DPIs is important to appreciate the relevance of how patients inhale through these devices. Also, each type of DPI has its unique dose preparation routine, and thus it is essential to follow these recommended steps because errors at this stage may result in no dose being inhaled. All issues related to the inhalation manoeuvre and dose preparation are addressed in this chapter. The importance of the inhalation technique is highlighted with a realization of inhale technique training and checking. During routine patient management, devices should not be switched nor doses increased unless the patient has demonstrated that they can and do use their DPI.
Topics: Humans; Dry Powder Inhalers; Administration, Inhalation; Asthma; Metered Dose Inhalers; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive
PubMed: 38016124
DOI: 10.1089/jamp.2023.29103.hc -
Quantitative Plant Biology 2023How to get a metre of DNA into a tiny space while preserving its functional characteristics? This question seems easy to pose, but the answer is far from being trivial....
How to get a metre of DNA into a tiny space while preserving its functional characteristics? This question seems easy to pose, but the answer is far from being trivial. Facing this riddle, salvation came from technical improvements in microscopy and hybridisation techniques applied to cytogenetics. Here, we would like to look into the past at one of these pure cytogenetics articles that makes a breakthrough in addressing this question in plant science. Our choice fell on the work published two decades ago by Fransz et al. (2002). Besides the elegant manner in which DNA probes were organised to bring into light the out-looping arrangement of interphase chromosomes in nuclei, this article perfectly illustrates that painting is not reserved to the fine art. As for whether emotional expression prioritised by artists can sometimes hide behind scientific empirical evidence, there is only a small step to make to the general case.
PubMed: 37901685
DOI: 10.1017/qpb.2023.11