Although numerous investigations have monitored polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) emissions from large municipal solid waste incinerators (MSWIs) and undertaken laboratory experiments to identify the formation mechanisms of PCDD/F, the PCDD/F profiles inside an air-pollution control device have seldom been determined. This study presents the outcome of a dioxin abatement program that injected particulate activated carbon (PAC) into an MSWI. The fly ashes collected from different locations in a bag filter were examined and the mass distribution was determined. Emissions from the stack were sampled to analyze PCDD/F content after injections of 10, 13 and 17 kg/h PAC. The concentration of PCDD congeners decreased from 117.00 to 0.32 ng/Nm 3 and that of PCDF decreased from 94.84 to 0.19 ng/Nm 3 . The concentrations of filter cake ashes in different chambers and at different locations varied at 105.11-147.53 ng/g. Based on mass balance evaluation, the flow rate of PCDD/Fs in filter cake ash was 3.33 ± 0.50 ng/min; this value was roughly six times higher than that of fly ash in the disposal pit, indicating that filter cake ash treatment warrants considerable attention due to the policy for controlling PCDD/Fs.

This study investigates the individual removal efficiencies of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) by venutri scrubber and bag filter, which operated in one medical waste incinerator (MWI) and one secondary aluminum smelter (secondary ALS),

Background Non-adherence to immune-modifying therapy is a complex behaviour which, before the COVID-19 pandemic, was shown to be associated with mental health disorders in people with immune-mediated diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in the global prevalence of anxiety and depression, and limited data exist on the association between mental health and non-adherence to immune modifying therapy during the pandemic. Objectives To assess the extent of and reasons underlying non-adherence to systemic immune-modifying therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic in individuals with psoriasis, and the association between mental health and non-adherence. Methods Online self-report surveys (PsoProtectMe), including validated screens for anxiety and depression, were completed globally during the first year of the pandemic. We assessed the association between anxiety or depression and non-adherence to systemic immune-modifying therapy using binomial logistic regression, adjusting for potential cofounders (age, sex, ethnicity, comorbidity), and country of residence. Results Of 3980 participants from 77 countries, 1611 (40.5%) were prescribed a systemic immune-modifying therapy. Of these, 408 (25.3%) reported non-adherence during the pandemic, most commonly due to concerns about their immunity. In the unadjusted model, a positive anxiety screen was associated with non-adherence to systemic immune-modifying therapy (OR 1.36, 95%CI 1.07-1.76). Specifically, anxiety was associated with non-adherence to targeted therapy (OR 1.41, 95%CI 1.01-1.96) but not standard systemic therapy (OR 1.16, 95%CI 0.81-1.67). In the adjusted model, although the directions of the effects remained, anxiety was not significantly associated with non-adherence to overall systemic (OR 1.20, 95%CI 0.92-1.56) or targeted (OR 1.33, 95%CI 0.94-1.89) immune-modifying therapy. A positive depression screen was not strongly associated with non-adherence to systemic immune-modifying therapy in the unadjusted (OR 1.22, 95% CI 0.94-1.57) or adjusted models (OR 1.14, 95% CI 0.87-1.49). Conclusion These data indicate substantial non-adherence to immune-modifying therapy in people with psoriasis during the pandemic, with attenuation of the association with mental health after adjusting for confounders. Future research in larger populations should further explore pandemic-specific drivers of treatment non-adherence. Clear communication of the reassuring findings from population-based research regarding immune-modifying therapy-associated adverse COVID-19 risks to people with psoriasis is essential, to optimise adherence and disease outcomes.

Large-area GaN -based blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on sapphire substrates with an omnidirectional nanostructure consisted of Ag nanoparticles and TiO2/SiO2 Bragg reflector were fabricated. For the LEDs without the omnidirectional nanostructure, the spectra of the P- and S-polarization light are lightly different and the peak wavelength of P- and S-polarization light was estimated to be 464 nm and 463 nm, respectively at forward current of 20 mA. In contrast, for the LEDs with the omnidirectional nanostructure, the spectra of the P- and S-polarization light are nearly the same at forward current of 20 mA and 100 mA.