Akrylonitryl. Metoda oznaczania w powietrzu na stanowiskach pracy Anna Jeżewska, Agnieszka Woźnica

Acrylonitrile (AN) is highly flammable, colorless liquid with an unpleasant odor. Acrylonitrile is used in industry to produce polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and its copolymers. Acrylonitrile can cause cancer. The aim of this study was to develop a method for determining acrylonitrile in workplace air which will allow determination of its concentrations at the level of 0.1 mg/m3 . The method was based on adsorption of acrylonitrile vapors on activated carbon, desorption with acetone solution in carbon disulfide and chromatographic analysis of the obtained solution. The study was performed using a gas chromatograph (GC) with a flame ionization detector (FID) equipped with a DB-VRX capillary column (60 m × 0.25 mm, 1.4 µm). The method was validated in accordance with the requirements of Standard No. EN 482. The method allows the determination of acrylonitrile in workplace air at the concentration range from 0.1 to 2 mg/m3. The method for determining acrylonitrile has been recorded in the form of an analytical procedure (see Appendix). This article discusses the problems of occupational safety and health, which are covered by health sciences and environmental engineering.

Sociodemographic, income, and environmental characteristics of individuals displaying animal and object hoarding behavior in a major city in South Brazil: A cross-sectional study

Background and Aim: Hoarding cases have not been researched in depth in developing countries, such as Brazil. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of people with hoarding behavior in Curitiba, Brazil. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted based on complaints about hoarding situations received by the City Hall. The data on sociodemographic, income, and environmental characteristics of individuals displaying animal and object hoarding behavior were obtained and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple correspondence analyses. Results: Out of the 113 hoarding cases reported, 69 (61.06%) were fully assessed. Most of the participants (43; 62.32%) were women, and it was observed that most of the animal hoarding cases were women (p=0.02). The average age was 62.47 years old, and most of them (44; 63.76%) had studied up to the middle school level. People associated with object hoarding belonged to the lower income category (p=0.031). In most cases, the homes had an unpleasant odor (45; 65.21%), and this was prevalent in cases involving women (p=0.004) and animals (p=0.001). The risk of fire (24 [34.78%]) and landslip (9 [13.04%]) was more frequent in the case of object hoarding (p=0.018 and 0.021, respectively). Conclusion: The description of characteristics of individuals with hoarding behavior may assist in understanding the magnitude of this public health problem in Brazil and shed light on the need to develop studies on the health conditions of people and animals that live in these situations.

PENGARUH PENAMBAHAN BIOAKTIVATOR EM-4 TERHADAP PRODUKSI BIOGAS DARI LIMBAH CAIR INDUSTRI TAHU

Tofu industrial waste is generally divided into two forms of waste, namely solid waste and liquid waste. The liquid waste of the tofu industry contains organic material that can be decomposed anaerobically into methane gas (CH4), other gases, and water which is commonly called biogas. One of the potential biocatalysts as a source of microorganisms in biogas production is Effective Microorganisms 4 (EM-4). This research was conducted by adding EM-4 with a concentration of 0.5%; 1%; and without EM-4 into 15 liters of tofu liquid waste in the digester for fermentation for 7 days. Observation of the pressure on the manometer seen from the difference in the height of the liquid manometer U and the combustion process was carried out on the 7th day (constant pressure). The maximum pressure of biogas for 7 days at 1% EM4 of 927,864 kg/m.s2 produces a blue flame, has an unpleasant odor, does not cause smoke with a fire height of 12,602 mm. So it can be concluded that the greater concentration of EM-4 used, the greater the pressure of biogas and fire

Study of Aquilaria crassna Wood as an Antifungal Additive to Improve the Properties of Natural Rubber as Air-Dried Sheets

Fungal growth on rubber sheets confers inferior properties and an unpleasant odor to raw natural rubber (NR) and products made from it, and it causes environmental concerns. The purpose of the present work was to investigate the effects of Aquilaria crassna wood (ACW) on the antifungal, physical and mechanical properties of NR as air-dried sheets (ADS) and ADS filled with ACW. The results show that the ACW-filled ADS had an increased Mooney viscosity, initial plasticity (PO), and high thermo-oxidation plasticity (i.e., high plasticity retention index PRI). Additionally, superior green strength was observed for the ACW-filled ADS over the ADS without additive because of chemical interactions between lignin and proteins in NR molecules eliciting greater gel formation. A significant inhibition of fungal growth on the NR products during storage over a long period (5 months) was observed for ACW-filled ADS. Thus, it can be concluded that ACW could be applied as an antifungal additive that reduces fungal growth. This is a practically important aspect for the rubber industry, as fungal growth tends to spoil and cause the loss of NR sheets during storage. Moreover, the ACW is active as an incense agent, reducing negative impacts from odors that fungi, on rubber surfaces, release. Therefore, these filled intermediate NR products provide added value through, an environmentally friendly approach, this is pleasant to customers.

Efficacy of a Zinc Lactate Mouthwash and Tongue Scraping in the Reduction of Oral Halitosis: A Single-Blind, Controlled, Crossover Clinical Trial—A Pilot Study

Halitosis is defined as an unpleasant odor that comes out of the mouth. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of zinc lactate mouthwash and tongue scraping on oral halitosis. The study was conducted on 60 volunteers that were divided into two groups and followed two types of 14-day oral hygiene protocols on a cross-over basis after a 7-day wash-out period. One protocol was based on tooth brushing only, while the other was based on additional mouth rinsing with a zinc lactate product and tongue scraping. Morning mouth breath was assessed organoleptic and by volatile sulfur compound concentrations. The highest mean organoleptic and volatile sulfur compound measurement values were found in the tooth brushing without mouth washing and tongue scraping oral hygiene protocol (p < 0.05). The zinc lactate mouthwash combined with tongue scraping appears to be an important hygienic procedure to reduce breath odor.

Evaluation and improvement of the oxidative stability of leather fatliquors

Fatliquor oxidation may give leather unpleasant odor, and excessive amounts of Cr(VI) and volatile organic compounds. The accurate evaluation and improvement of the oxidative stability of fatliquors are of great significance to high-quality leather manufacturing. We proposed a set of practical methods for evaluating the oxidative stability of fatliquors on the basis of oxidation induction time, change in iodine value (∆ IV), and change in acid value (∆ AV) under accelerated oxidation conditions (at 100 °C with 10 L/h of air). Oxidation induction time is a highly sensitive marker for quantifying the oxidative stability of fatliquors, and ∆ IV and ∆ AV that are low cost and easy to operate are useful in evaluating the oxidative stability of fatliquors when the oxidation induction time is less than 22 h. The number of double bonds in fatliquors is an important factor affecting oxidative stability. The sulfation modification of fatliquors that greatly reduces double bonds and the addition of antioxidants, especially butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene, markedly improve oxidative stability of fatliquors.

Can ambient odors influence the recognition of emotional words? A behavioral and event-related potentials study

Odor context can affect the recognition of facial expressions. However, there is no evidence to date that odor can regulate the processing of emotional words conveyed by visual words. An emotional word recognition task was combined with event-related potential technology. Briefly, 49 adults were randomly divided into three odor contexts (pleasant odor, unpleasant odor, and no odor) to judge the valence of emotional words (positive, negative, and neutral). Both behavioral and Electroencephalography (EEG) data were collected. Both the pleasant odor and unpleasant odor contexts shortened the response time of the subjects to emotional words. In addition, negative words induced greater amplitudes of early posterior negativity (EPN) and late positive potential (LPP) than the positive and neutral words. However, the neutral words induced a larger N400 amplitude than the positive and negative words. More importantly, the processing of emotional words was found to be modulated by external odor contexts. For example, during the earlier (P2) processing stages, pleasant and unpleasant odor contexts induced greater P2 amplitudes than the no odor context. In the unpleasant odor context, negative words with the same odor valence induced greater P2 amplitudes than the positive words. During the later (N400) stages, various regions of the brain regions exhibited different results. For example, in the left and right frontal areas of the brain, exposure to positive words in a pleasant odor context resulted in a smaller N400 amplitude than exposure to neutral words in the same context. Meanwhile, in the left and right central regions, emotional words with the same valence as pleasant or unpleasant odor contexts elicited the minimum N400 amplitude. Individuals are very sensitive to emotional information. With deeper processing, different cognitive processes are reflected and they can be modulated by external odors. In the early and late stages of word processing, both pleasant and unpleasant odor contexts exhibited an undifferentiated dominance effect and could specifically modulate affectively congruent words.

Monitoring of beef cold chain to ensure quality, safety, and halal using RFID: A review

The traceability application by the industry to ensure products along the supply chain include quality, safe and halal. Traceability is an essential part of the cold chain system for meat and meat products. The cold chain of beef, including a slaughterhouse, distribution, and retail, needs to be monitored. The decline in the beef quality is marked by sensory changes such as color, unpleasant odor, and mucus formation triggered by bacterial growth. Beef quality is easily damaged during distribution due to the complexity and length of the cold chain. Consumers also pay attention to the halalness of beef in the supply chain. The implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) can monitor changes in quality and halalness of beef when distribution utilizes various sensor and product information tags. RFID requires a transponder to store and retrieve data remotely, an antenna for transponders, and a reader. This article reviews the RFID traceability system, the cold supply chain for beef, and RFID development to maintain beef quality, safety, and halalness. RFID technology helps producers and consumers to get quality, safe, and halal beef information in real-time.

Off-Flavor Removal from Sheep Placenta via Fermentation with Novel Yeast Strain Brettanomyces deamine kh3 Isolated from Traditional Apple Vinegar

Animal placentae can be used as health-promoting food ingredients with various therapeutic efficacies, but their use is limited by their unpleasant odor and taste. This study aimed to investigate the possibility of deodorization of sheep placenta via yeast fermentation. A yeast strain was successfully isolated and identified as a novel Brettanomyces strain (Brettanomyces deamine kh3). The deodorizing efficacy of fermentation of the sheep placenta with B. deamine kh3 was evaluated by 42 panels, based on evaluation of preference, ranking, and aroma profiles, and compared with normal placenta and placenta fermented with B. bruxellensis. The results of the sensory evaluation indicated that fermentation of the sheep placenta with B. deamine kh3 may improve its palatability by increasing flavors such as that of grass (tree), rubber, and burnt, and by decreasing the odor and soy sauce flavor. Solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography (SPME-GC) showed that major off-flavors in sheep placenta, such as ammonia, dimethyl disulfide, and 1,3-dioxolane, were completely diminished in the sheep placenta fermented with B. deamine kh3. This study presents those major volatile compounds, including 2-isobutyl\-4,4-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane, and 3-methyl-1-butanol, could be crucial in improving the palatability of the sheep placentae fermented with B. deamine kh3. This study provides a good starting point for the industrial application of a new deodorization method.

Objective Assessment of Hyposmia in Alzheimer's Disease From Image and Behavior by Combining Pleasant Odor With Unpleasant Odor

Background: Olfactory functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of responses to a pleasant odor (PO) (lavender) can objectively evaluate olfactory dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. The brain responses to a PO and unpleasant odor (UPO) were shown to differ in normal young people. Whether AD patients with olfactory dysfunction have the same brain response is not yet known.Objective: Our aim was to explore whether olfactory fMRI with both a PO and UPO can provide more information regarding olfactory impairment in AD than a PO alone.Methods: Twenty-five normal controls (NC), 26 individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 22 AD patients underwent olfactory fMRI with lavender and pyridine odorants at three concentrations (0.10, 0.33, and 1.00%) with a 3.0-T MRI scanner.Results: There were no differences in the number of activated voxels in the primary olfactory cortex (POC) between PO and UPO conditions in the NC, MCI, and AD groups (SPM, paired t-test, uncorrected p &lt; 0.001, extent threshold = 70). In the right inferior frontal gyrus, orbital part (F3O), the number of activated voxels was greater with the UPO than with the PO in the NC group (SPM, paired t-test, uncorrected p &lt; 0.001, extent threshold = 70), but there were no differences in the MCI and AD groups. Regardless of PO or UPO conditions, there were significant differences in the number of activated voxels in the POC among the NC, MCI, and AD groups. With increasing odor concentration, the number of activated voxels in the POC decreased in the NC group but increased in the AD group. When 0.10% UPO was presented, the NC group (21/25) showed a lower breathing amplitude and shorter inhalation time, whereas the AD patients (0/22) did not show such changes in breathing.Conclusions: After PO and UPO inhalation, brain activation and respiratory behavior in AD patients were significantly different than in NC patients. Therefore, olfactory fMRI using both PO and UPO stimulation, compared with PO stimulation only, can provide more objective information regarding hyposmia associated with AD based on imaging and behavior.