The role of absolute humidity in respiratory mortality in Guangzhou, a hot and wet city of South China

Background For the reason that many studies have been inconclusive on the effect of humidity on respiratory disease, we examined the association between absolute humidity and respiratory disease mortality and quantified the mortality burden due to non-optimal absolute humidity in Guangzhou, China. Methods Daily respiratory disease mortality including total 42,440 deaths from 1 February 2013 to 31 December 2018 and meteorological data of the same period in Guangzhou City were collected. The distributed lag non-linear model was used to determine the optimal absolute humidity of death and discuss their non-linear lagged effects. Attributable fraction and population attributable mortality were calculated based on the optimal absolute humidity, defined as the minimum mortality absolute humidity. Results The association between absolute humidity and total respiratory disease mortality showed an M-shaped non-linear curve. In total, 21.57% (95% CI 14.20 ~ 27.75%) of respiratory disease mortality (9154 deaths) was attributable to non-optimum absolute humidity. The attributable fractions due to high absolute humidity were 13.49% (95% CI 9.56 ~ 16.98%), while mortality burden of low absolute humidity were 8.08% (95% CI 0.89 ~ 13.93%), respectively. Extreme dry and moist absolute humidity accounted for total respiratory disease mortality fraction of 0.87% (95% CI − 0.09 ~ 1.58%) and 0.91% (95% CI 0.25 ~ 1.39%), respectively. There was no significant gender and age difference in the burden of attributable risk due to absolute humidity. Conclusions Our study showed that both high and low absolute humidity are responsible for considerable respiratory disease mortality burden, the component attributed to the high absolute humidity effect is greater. Our results may have important implications for the development of public health measures to reduce respiratory disease mortality.

Possible use of food grade Isomalt material as an EPR dosimeter

The feasibility of using Isomalt “the food grade substance” as electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) material in monitoring the absorbed dose has been studied. Isomalt was prepared in two forms (powder and rods). The sensitivity of Isomalt to gamma rays exceeded by increasing the absorbed dose. The prepared powder can be used in monitoring the absorbed dose in the dose range up to 22 kGy, whereas the rods can be used in the range from 5 to 50 kGy (almost double the allowed powder range). After irradiation two signals were recorded using the EPR technique addressed as S1 and S2 with (g) factor valued by 2.01 ± 0.002 and 1.993 ± 0.002 respectively. This dosimeter offers negligible humidity effect during irradiation, short and long term stabilities were investigated as well. The obtained results may qualify the Isomalt substance to be used as dose monitoring in low and moderate irradiation doses.

A Novel Trace-Level Ammonia Gas Sensing Based on Flexible PAni-CoFe2O4 Nanocomposite Film at Room Temperature

In this study, we developed a new chemi-resistive, flexible and selective ammonia (NH3) gas sensor. The sensor was prepared by depositing thin film of polyaniline-cobalt ferrite (PAni-CoFe2O4) nanocomposite on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) through an in situ chemical oxidative polymerization method. The prepared PAni-CoFe2O4 nanocomposite and flexible PET-PAni-CoFe2O4 sensor were evaluated for their thermal stability, surface morphology and materials composition. The response to NH3 gas of the developed sensor was examined thoroughly in the range of 1–50 ppm at room temperature. The sensor with 50 wt% CoFe2O4 NPs content showed an optimum selectivity to NH3 molecules, with a 118.3% response towards 50 ppm in 24.3 s response time. Furthermore, the sensor showed good reproducibility, ultra-low detection limit (25 ppb) and excellent flexibility. In addition, the relative humidity effect on the sensor performance was investigated. Consequently, the flexible PET-PAni-CoFe2O4 sensor is a promising candidate for trace-level on-site sensing of NH3 in wearable electronic or portable devices.

True Cause for Multi-Layer Inductive Coils’ Sensitivity to Ambient Relative Humidity

For analyzing the properties of humidity-effect on the measurement of the inductance of multi-layer coils, a formula that establishes an approximate relationship between the coil’s inherent capacitance and interlayer parasitic capacitance has been derived. Such a derivation using the inductor’s equivalent circuit to include humidity effects clarifies the characterization of inductance, after more than half a century of neglect in the literature.