It has been observed that Asians and Caucasians possess considerably different craniofacial features, which may affect the anatomical structure of the upper respiratory tract and, consequently, the characteristics of particle deposition. Most deposition studies on the human respiratory tract were primarily based on a limited number of Caucasian subjects. Therefore, data of the particle deposition efficiency in the upper respiratory tract of Asians are needed to supplement the understanding of the deposition characteristics in the human respiratory tract. This study measured the nasal deposition efficiency of particles ranging from 0.5 to 20 µm in five Taiwanese male and four Taiwanese female adults under different inspiratory flow rates. The measured deposition efficiency showed a very large intersubject variability in the inertial parameters, ranging between 10 3 to 5 × 10 4 µm 2 cm 3 /s, and the deposition efficiency of the subjects with similar values of the minimum nasal cross-sectional area approaches to each other. This study showed that Taiwanese adults have lower nasal deposition efficiency than Caucasians, and that the differences in the nostril shape, inclination of nostrils, and nasal hair density between the two ethnic groups are likely the causes. In addition, this study suggested that up to 15% of overestimation in the nasal deposition efficiency for larger particles may occur if the inhalation efficiency is not considered. An empirical equation adopting inspiratory flow rate and the minimum nasal cross-sectional area was developed to predict the nasal particle deposition in the upper airway of Taiwanese adults.
Hypoxic events are becoming frequent in some estuaries and coastal waters due to over-enrichment of anthropogenic nutrients, organic matter, and/or due to restricted water circulation. The coastal lagoons and estuaries of Sri Lanka are facing high population pressure and lacking sufficient infrastructure. Coastal lagoons may receive high anthropogenic inputs of natural or untreated nitrogen and phosphorus wastes, and consequently result in hypoxic conditions while sluggish circulation occurred. In this study, we examined the spatiotemporal variability of eutrophication and hypoxia in the Negombo Lagoon, one of the most productive and sensitive coastal ecosystems in Sri Lanka. Based on seasonal measurements of dissolved oxygen, nutrients, chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), particulate and dissolved organic carbon (POC and DOC), we concluded that eutrophication and hypoxia occurred in both the dry and wet seasons. The main contributing factors were high seawater temperature and poor water circulation in the dry season and high nutrient loading combined with elevated POC and DOC inputs in the wet season.
A solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sampling device, called a needle trap samplers (NTS) that were packed with 60-80 mesh divinylbenzene (DVB) particles, was used to extract indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that were emitted in an oil painting studio. This work compared the sampling performances of a passive NTS and an active charcoal desorption tube that was connected to a personal sampling pump (Method 1501), developed by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, USA. The experimental results reveal that the NTS is a dependable alternative device to Method 1501 for monitoring indoor air quality. 2,2,4,6,6-Pentamethylheptane (isododecane) is the main emitted pollutant when oil painters use odorless thinner as a substitute solvent for turpentine oil, and the mean exposed concentrations of isododecane determined by NTS ranged from 0.83 to 3.10 ppm, which were dependent on whether the indoor ventilation was performed by the natural or mechanic mode. To maintain adequate air exchange rates in an oil painting studio, doors should be opened to increase air circulation, lowering the concentrations of isododecane to which painters are exposed.Implications: A needle trap sampler (NTS) was used to sample VOCs from oil painting in an indoor studio. Isododecane is the main emitted pollutant when painters use the odorless thinner. The NTS was evaluated to be a dependable alternative to Method 1501 for monitoring indoor air quality. To maintain adequate air exchange rates in a painting studio, doors should be opened to lower concentrations of VOCs.
Shot put is a throwing exercise in track and field. Performance has a strong relationship with the thrower’s height, technique, and energy transferred. The purpose of this study was to compare basic kinematics, joint movement, shot mechanical energy, and joint energy of the male glide-style shot put between high-performance (HP) and low-performance (LP) athletes. Data for 12 right-handed male shot putters with glide-style was captured at the National Games held in Taipei city in 2013. The HP ( n = 6) and LP ( n = 6) groups were classified according to their best throwing distance in the competition. Additionally, the 2D kinematics of their joints and shots were obtained by Kwon 3D motion analysis. Finally, the kinematics and energy were calculated in Excel software package. Results showed significant differences in throwing distance, the relationship between throwing distance and body height index (RDH index), release velocity, and the shoulder-shot (BSX) angle at right toe-off ground instant (RTF) and the angle difference between the right toe-off instant and release instant (RI-RTF) between the HP and LP groups. However, the energy of the joints and shots were not significantly different between the two groups. The better throwers exhibited a faster release velocity, accompanied by a smaller change in the SSX angle, and the SSX angle can be used by the coach to assess the body’s forward or backward tilt during training.
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