Physicochemical characteristics of airborne microplastics of a typical coastal city in the Yangtze River Delta Region, China.

Airborne microplastics (MPs) are important pollutants that have been present in the environment for many years and are characterized by their universality, persistence, and potential toxicity. This study investigated the effects of terrestrial and marine transport of MPs in the atmosphere of a coastal city and compared the difference between daytime and nighttime. Laser direct infrared imaging (LDIR) and polarized light microscopy were used to characterize the physical and chemical properties of MPs, including number concentration, chemical types, shape, and size. Backward trajectories were used to distinguish the air masses from marine and terrestrial transport. Twenty chemical types were detected by LDIR, with rubber (16.7%) and phenol-formaldehyde resin (PFR; 14.8%) being major components. Three main morphological types of MPs were identified, and fragments (78.1%) are the dominant type. MPs in the atmosphere were concentrated in the small particle size segment (20-50 µm). The concentration of MPs in the air mass from marine transport was 14.7 items/m3 - lower than that from terrestrial transport (32.0 items/m3). The number concentration of airborne MPs was negatively correlated with relative humidity. MPs from terrestrial transport were mainly rubber (20.2%), while those from marine transport were mainly PFR (18%). MPs in the marine transport air mass were more aged and had a lower number concentration than those in the terrestrial transport air mass. The number concentration of airborne MPs is higher during the day than at night. These findings could contribute to the development of targeted control measures and methods to reduce MP pollution.

Airborne fungal communities are more susceptible to anthropogenic activities than bacteria.

Airborne microorganisms (AM) have significant environmental and health implications. Extensive studies have been conducted to investigate the factors influencing the composition and diversity of AM. However, the knowledge of AM with anthropogenic activities has not reach a consensus. In this study, we took advantage of the dramatic decline of outdoor anthropogenic activities resulting from COVID-19 lockdown to reveal their associations. We collected airborne particulate matter before and during the lockdown period in two cities. The results showed that it was fungal diversity and communities but not bacteria obviously different between pre-lockdown and lockdown samples, suggesting that airborne fungi were more susceptible to anthropogenic activities than bacteria. However, after the implementation of lockdown, the co-occurrence networks of both bacterial and fungal community became more complex, which might be due to the variation of microbial sources. Furthermore, Mantel test and correlation analysis showed that air pollutants also partly contributed to microbial alterations. Airborne fungal community was more affected by air pollutants than bacterial community. Notably, some human pathogens like Nigrospora and Arthrinium were negatively correlated with air pollutants. Overall, our study highlighted the more impacts of anthropogenic activities on airborne fungal community than bacterial community and advanced the understanding of associations between anthropogenic activities and AM.

Salt Supersaturation as an Accelerator of Influenza A Virus Inactivation in 1 µL Droplets.

Influenza A virus (IAV) spreads through exhaled aerosol particles and larger droplets. Estimating the stability of IAV is challenging and depends on factors such as the respiratory matrix and drying kinetics. Here, we combine kinetic experiments on millimeter-sized saline droplets with a biophysical aerosol model to quantify the impact of NaCl on IAV stability. We show that IAV inactivation is determined by NaCl concentration, which increases during water evaporation and then decreases again when efflorescence occurs. When drying in air with relative humidity RH = 30%, inactivation follows an inverted sigmoidal curve, with inactivation occurring most rapidly when the NaCl concentration exceeds 20 mol/(kg H2O) immediately prior to efflorescence. Efflorescence reduces the NaCl molality to saturated conditions, resulting in a significantly reduced inactivation rate. We demonstrate that the inactivation rate k depends exponentially on NaCl molality, and after the solution reaches equilibrium, the inactivation proceeds at a first-order rate. Introducing sucrose, an organic cosolute, attenuates IAV inactivation via two mechanisms: first by decreasing the NaCl molality during the drying phase and second by a protective effect against the NaCl-induced inactivation. For both pure saline and sucrose-containing droplets, our biophysical model ResAM accurately simulates the inactivation when NaCl molality is used as the only inactivating factor. This study highlights the role of NaCl molality in IAV inactivation and provides a mechanistic basis for the observed inactivation rates.

A review of airborne micro- and nano-plastics: Sampling methods, analytical techniques, and exposure risks.

Atmospheric Micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) can be easily inhaled and ingested by humans and have become a global health concern. With the development of instruments and techniques, an increasing number of sampling and analytical methods have been applied to study airborne MNPs. Active samplers and passive collectors are used to collect suspended aerosols and atmospheric depositions. Microscopes and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been used to physically identify the MNPs, while Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and Pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) are used to identify the polymer compositions of the MNPs. However, the diversity of methods and strategies has greatly limited our ability to compare results and assess exposure risks. In this review, we extracted data from PubMed, Embase, and Scopus from 2018 to 2024 that reported sampling methods, analytical techniques, and abundance/deposition of airborne MNPs. Through a systematic review of the included 140 articles, we emphasized the advantages and limitations of different methods for collecting and analyzing airborne MNPs. In addition, we provided an in-depth analysis of the performance of specific methods across different airborne environments. Furthermore, the current knowledge regarding the abundance, deposition, exposure risks of airborne MNPs, and exposure risk assessment models has been discussed. Finally, we provide concrete recommendations for standardization of methods. This review identified knowledge gaps and recommended future research directions for exposure assessment of airborne MNPs.

Efficacy of Air Cleaning Units for preventing SARS-CoV-2 and other hospital-acquired infections on medicine for older people wards: A quasi-experimental controlled before-and- after study.

BACKGROUND: Nosocomial infections are costly and airborne transmission is increasingly recognised as important for spread. Air Cleaning Units (ACUs) may reduce transmission but little research has focused on their effectiveness on open wards. AIM: Assess whether ACUs reduce nosocomial SARS-CoV-2, or other, infections on older adult inpatient wards. METHODS: Quasi-experimental before-after study on two intervention-control ward pairs in a UK teaching hospital. Infections were identified using routinely collected electronic health records data during one year of ACU implementation and the preceding year ("core study period"). Extended analyses included 6 months additional data from one ward pair following ACU removal. Hazard ratios (HR) were estimated through Cox regression controlling for age, sex, ward and background infection risk. Time the ACUs were switched on was also recorded for intervention ward 2. FINDINGS: ACUs were initially feasible but compliance reduced towards the end of the study (average operation in first vs second half of ACU time on intervention ward 2: 77% vs 53%). 8171 admissions >48hrs (6112 patients, median age 85yrs) were included. Overall, incidence of ward-acquired SARS-CoV-2 was 3.8%. ACU implementation was associated with a non-significant trend of lower hazard for SARS-CoV-2 infection (HR core study period 0.90, 95% CI 0.53, 1.52; extended study period 0.78, 95% CI 0.53, 1.14). Only 1.5% of admissions resulted in other notable ward-acquired infections. CONCLUSION: ACUs may reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection to a clinically-meaningfully degree. Larger studies could reduce uncertainty, perhaps using a cross-over design, and factors influencing acceptability to staff and patients should be further explored.

Is zirconia surface etching a viable alternative to airborne particle abrasion? A systematic review and meta-analysis of in vitro studies.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aimed to determine the effectiveness of various etching surface treatments on zirconia bond strength with the following research question: "Can zirconia etching serve as a viable alternative to airborne particle abrasion (APA) for achieving reliable bonding?". DATA: In vitro studies comparing APA, performed with either conventional or silica-coated aluminum oxide (Al2O3) particles, with various etching protocols in terms of bonding performance were included. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using the QUIN's tool for in vitro studies. Meta-analyses were performed using RevMan; random-effects models were applied, and heterogeneity was tested using the I2 index. The significance level was set at p<0.05. SOURCES: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across electronic databases, including Clarivate Analytics' Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus and ProQuest. STUDY SELECTION: Fifty-four relevant articles were included in this systematic review. According to the QUIN's tool, 7 studies were rated as "high risk of bias", 46 studies were rated as "medium risk", and 1 study was rated as "low risk". Nineteen studies were used for meta-analyses. Mostly, APA demonstrated significantly higher bond strength compared to various etching protocols (p<0.05). However, no statistical difference was found between APA and high concentrations (40-48%) of hydrofluoric acid (HF) in terms of immediate- and medium-term bond strength to resin composite (p>0.05). On enamel, an experimental hot etching solution performed significantly better than APA in short-term follow-up (p<0.05). A novel multi-acid solution exhibited significantly higher immediate shear bond strength to resin cement than APA (p<0.05). Variable heterogeneity, ranging from low to high, was observed. CONCLUSIONS: APA remains the surface treatment with the strongest evidence in the literature and it is usually more efficacious than zirconia etching. However, highly concentrated HF and an experimental hot etching solution have demonstrated similar or significantly higher bond strength values over time compared to APA, depending on the adhesive substrate. A recently introduced multi-acid solution (Zircos-E) needs to be further explored. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This systematic review provides a comprehensive analysis of the existing in vitro evidence on the potential of zirconia etching and the bond durability of resin-based materials after artificial aging. Selecting appropriate surface treatment protocols is crucial for achieving optimal clinical outcomes.

A review of pathogenic airborne fungi and bacteria: unveiling occurrence, sources, and profound human health implication.

Airborne fungi and bacteria have been extensively studied by researchers due to their significant effects on human health. We provided an overview of the distribution and sources of airborne pathogenic microbes, and a detailed description of the detrimental effects that these microorganisms cause to human health in both outdoor and indoor environments. By analyzing the large body of literature published in this field, we offered valuable insights into how airborne microbes influence our well-being. The findings highlight the harmful consequences associated with the exposure to airborne fungi and bacteria in a variety of natural and human-mediated environments. Certain demographic groups, including children and the elderly, immunocompromised individuals, and various categories of workers are particularly exposed and vulnerable to the detrimental effect on health of air microbial pollution. A number of studies performed up to date consistently identified Alternaria, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Fusarium as the predominant fungal genera in various indoor and outdoor environments. Among bacteria, Bacillus, Streptococcus, Micrococcus, Enterococcus, and Pseudomonas emerged as the dominant genera in air samples collected from numerous environments. All these findings contributed to expanding our knowledge on airborne microbe distribution, emphasizing the crucial need for further research and increased public awareness. Collectively, these efforts may play a vital role in safeguarding human health in the face of risks posed by airborne microbial contaminants.

Quantifying multi-virion aerosols in respiratory infection transmission.

Infectious aerosols are expired in various sizes, and the number of contained virions is expected to significantly vary among expired aerosols. To evaluate the effect of the number of contained virions on infection risk, multi-virion aerosols in expired air should be first quantified. In this study, we categorised expired aerosols into traditional aerosol size bins and aerosols containing different number of virions. We quantified the number of virions in aerosols of each size bin and estimated the size distribution of aerosols which contain a certain number of virions when the viral load is known. This analysis helped us to determine the relationship between multi-size aerosols and multi-virion aerosols. Our findings indicate that for long-range airborne transmission, the airborne transmission droplets derived from four COVID-19 outbreak venues contain at most one infectious virion, supporting the one-virion assumption for the considered viral load ranges. However, for short-range airborne transmission, the impact of multi-virion aerosols on infection risk must be considered. Our quantification of multi-virion aerosols for the first time lays the groundwork for incorporating the multi-virion assumption into infection risk assessments.

Atmospheric CO2 monitoring to identify zones of increased airborne pathogen transmission risk in hospital settings.

Measures to reduce airborne pathogen transmission in healthcare settings, such as increased air exchange, air decontamination, and reductions in peak occupancy, can be expensive and disruptive, particularly when employed in an untargeted manner. We report the empirical identification of high transmission risk zones in a tertiary hospital, using CO2-based assessments of air exchange. This rapid, cost-effective, and unobtrusive approach led to the targeted remediation of a high transmission risk zone.

Respiratory Isolation for Tuberculosis: A Historical Perspective.

Although tuberculosis is an ancient disease, recognition of its airborne route of transmission, with implications for respiratory isolation, is only relatively recent. Since the time of Hippocrates, the dogma among health practitioners was that the disease was hereditary or that it could be contracted by inhaling "miasma", or corrupted air. Consequently, isolation of patients was not routine practice, and, in fact, patients with scrofula (morbus regius, or "king's evil) sought to be cured by the "royal touch" throughout the middle ages. The sanatorium, which emerged in the mid-19th century, initially served as a place of healing, where patients could receive the appropriate diet, rest therapy, graduated exercise, and abundant fresh air. Major scientific breakthroughs, including Robert Koch's 1882 discovery of the tubercle bacillus as the disease's etiological agent and early 20th century experimental evidence that the organism could be transmitted via expectorated droplet nuclei, helped to reinforce the important public health role of sanatoria and tuberculosis hospitals in preventing disease transmission through isolation. The advent of highly efficacious and oral antitubercular regimens in the mid-20th century and the concurrent declining incidence of the disease contributed to the closure of tuberculosis sanatoria and hospitals in the US and western Europe. Over the past several decades, tuberculosis treatment in the US has been conducted in the outpatient setting under the supervision of local public health departments. Patients receiving treatment are required to remain in respiratory isolation in the home until they are deemed noninfectious based on multiple sputum samples. This historical review demonstrates that despite changing medical knowledge, drug therapies, and social conditions over time, the role of isolation remains an important topic of debate in the treatment of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Assessing infectiousness and the impact of effective treatment to guide isolation recommendations for people with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Determining the extent and duration of infectiousness of individuals with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is critical for various aspects of TB care, including decisions regarding isolation. Studies suggest considerable heterogeneity in infectiousness of people with pulmonary TB. Pre-treatment, measures of bacillary burden including sputum smear microscopy, culture time-to-positivity, and Xpert MTB/RIF cycle threshold (Ct) value, predict the risk of transmission to contacts. Index patients with smear negative disease pose lower infectious risk than those who have smear-positive disease, and household contact infection is more likely with index patients who have lower Xpert Ct values. Newer tools that enable detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (Mtb complex) from cough aerosol sampling and face mask sampling may be better predictors of contact infection risk. Clinical factors such as cough strength and frequency, and presence of cavitation on chest imaging, may also assist with risk prediction. Post-treatment, smear and culture status are poor predictors of infectiousness. While the exact duration of infectiousness post treatment initiation remains uncertain, data from human-to-guinea pig transmission studies and clinical studies suggest effective treatment results in a rapid decline in infectiousness, irrespective of smear or culture conversion. This is largely supported by early bactericidal activity and transcriptomic studies, and cough aerosol sampling studies, although a subset of patients may have persistent cough aerosol positivity. These findings can enable a more nuanced approach to isolation decision making, while further research studies are awaited.

High aerospora levels and associated atmospheric circulation patterns: Pretoria, South Africa.

At high exposure levels, airborne pollen grains and fungal spores (termed aerospora hereafter), can trigger severe allergic respiratory diseases. For South Africa's administrative capital Pretoria, which boasts dense vegetation within a large urban forest, it is valuable from a health perspective to understand daily atmospheric circulation patterns associated with high aerospora levels. Therefore, we utilised a daily aerospora grain count dataset collected in Pretoria from 08/2019-02/2023 to investigate atmospheric circulation patterns (derived from ERA5 reanalysis sea level pressure [SLP] and 500 hPa geopotential height [zg500] fields) associated with high-risk aerospora levels (aerospora grain count > 90th percentile). Concentrated during October-May, there were 128 high-risk days, with 69.6% of days occurring in November, February and April. Although generally above-average mid-tropospheric subsidence levels prevailed over Pretoria during high-risk days, no single distinct atmospheric circulation pattern was associated with these high-risk days. Therefore, using Principal Component Analysis, we classified 14 Circulation Weather Types (CWTs) for October-May months between 08/2019-02/2023 to assess which CWTs most frequently occurred during high-risk days. Three CWTs had a statistically significant proportion of high-risk days - collectively they occurred during 37.1% of days studied, yet accounted for 45.3% of high-risk days. Among these CWTs, two CWTs were similarly associated with surface and mid-tropospheric high-pressure conditions, while the third was associated with a surface and mid-tropospheric trough. By comparing our CWT classification to daily synoptic charts (from the South African Weather Service), our classification can be used to identify days with potentially high allergenicity risk over Pretoria.

Volatilization and disinfection efficacy of gaseous hypochlorous acid from an air washer-type humidifier in a large space.

An air washer-type humidifier has two useful functions: humidification, and air purification, and it applies to large indoor spaces. In this study, the efficacy of an air washer-type humidifier fed with 24 L of weakly acidic electrolyzed water（WAEW) at pH 5.0 and 30 mg/L in disinfecting attached bacteria and airborne microorganisms was studied in a 480 m3 indoor space. The humidifier was operated at a shower volume of 9.0 L/min of WAEW and at an air flow rate of 29 m3/min. Volatilization of gaseous hypochlorous acid（HOCl(g)) proceeded according to first-order kinetics during the 60 min of operation. Fresh WAEW was supplied to the humidifier every 60 min, and the HOCl(g) concentration in the indoor space was maintained within the range of 25-52 ppb for at least 180 min of operation. The number of viable bacterial cells on wet agar plates placed on the floor at a distance of 5-20 m away from the humidifier decreased by 2.0-3.0 log after 30 min of operation, and no viable cells were detected after 60 min of operation. A logarithmic reduction of more than 2.7 was achieved within 15 min against bacteria-attached plates placed at a 1.5 m-height position where the outlet airflow from the humidifier was directly exposed. This indicates that the disinfection efficacy of HOCl(g) volatilized from the humidifier depends on the rate of outlet airflow reaching the bacteria-attached plates. The number of viable airborne microorganisms decreased by approximately 54% after 180 min of operation. This study demonstrated that an air-washer-type humidifier can spread HOCl(g) evenly throughout a large indoor space and is effective in disinfecting attached bacteria and airborne microorganisms.

Influence of different cleaning methods on the concentration of airborne endotoxins and microbial aerosols in the oral clinical environment.

AIM: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of various cleaning methods in reducing airborne endotoxin and microbial aerosols during oral cleaning procedures. METHOD: Forty patients undergoing oral cleaning procedures were randomly assigned to one of four groups (n = 10 per group). Group A received strong suction alone; Group B received strong suction combined with an air disinfection machine; Group C received strong suction combined with a dental electric suction machine; Group D received strong suction in conjunction with both an air disinfection machine and a dental electric suction machine. Airborne aerosol concentrations were assessed at four-time points: before treatment, 30 min into treatment, immediately after treatment, and 60 min after treatment ended. Samples were collected at distances of 20 cm, 60 cm, and 1 m from the patient's oral cavity using the natural sedimentation method. T-test was used to evaluate the difference among tested groups. RESULTS: Airborne endotoxins and microbial aerosols levels increased significantly during treatment, with the highest levels observed at 20 cm from the patient's mouth. During treatment, groups with additional cleaning methods (Groups B, C, and D) exhibited higher levels of airborne endotoxins and microbial aerosols compared to Group A (strong suction alone). However, post-treatment analysis revealed that Group D demonstrated the lowest level of airborne endotoxins and microbial aerosols, while Group A exhibited the highest. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing effective aerosol management strategies can significantly reduce aerosol dispersion in the oral clinical environment. Continuous monitoring aerosol concentrations and the application of appropriate control measures are essential for minimizing infection risks for both patients and healthcare providers during oral cleaning procedures.

Retrospective Comparison of Influenza and COVID-19-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS): An Experience From a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on global healthcare systems, often compared to seasonal influenza due to similarities in clinical presentation. This study aims to compare the clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and outcomes of critically ill patients with COVID-19 and those with influenza admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan. Methods This retrospective cohort study included 120 patients, 60 with confirmed COVID-19 and 60 with confirmed influenza, all of whom required ICU admission and mechanical ventilation between January 1, 2021, and January 1, 2024. Data were collected from electronic medical records, including demographic information, comorbidities, and clinical outcomes. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the two groups. Results The median age of COVID-19 patients was 55 years (range 30-78), while that of influenza patients was 58 years (range 31-80). Both groups had a slight male predominance (COVID-19: 66.7%, Influenza: 63.3%). Comorbidities were common in both groups, with 75.0% of COVID-19 patients and 83.3% of influenza patients having at least one comorbidity. The most common comorbidities included hypertension (COVID-19: 30.0%, Influenza: 33.3%) and diabetes (COVID-19: 20.0%, Influenza: 25.0%). Clinical outcomes revealed a higher mortality rate among influenza patients (43.3%) compared to COVID-19 patients (28.3%). ICU admission rates were identical for both groups at 66.7%, and mechanical ventilation was required for 66.7% of ICU-admitted patients in both groups. The presence of cardiovascular comorbidities significantly impacted patient outcomes, with higher mortality observed in influenza patients with such comorbidities (44.7%) compared to COVID-19 patients (28.9%). Conclusion This study highlights the significant burden of both COVID-19 and influenza on critically ill patients, particularly those with cardiovascular comorbidities. While influenza patients in this cohort exhibited higher mortality rates, both groups demonstrated substantial ICU admission rates and a need for mechanical ventilation.

Air mycobiome in the National Library of Greece following relocation to novel premises.

The aim of this work was to study the diversity and spatiotemporal fluctuations of airborne fungi in the National Library of Greece after its relocation from the Vallianeio historic building in the center of Athens to entirely new premises at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, and also to compare the fungal aerosol in between the two sites. The air mycobiota were studied by a volumetric culture-based method, during the year 2019 in order to assess their diversity and abundance and to compare with those previously reported in the historic building. Twenty-eight genera of filamentous fungi were recovered indoors and 17 outdoors, in addition to yeasts registered as a group. The number of fungal genera recovered was almost similar in both premises, whereas seventeen genera indoors were identical, dominated by Penicillium, Cladosporium and Aspergillus. The mean daily fungal concentration was found to be 66 CFU m-3 indoors and 927 CFU m-3 outdoors in the new location vs 293 and 428 CFU m- 3 indoors and 707 and 648 CFU m- 3 outdoors in the previous one. The mean daily concentration indoors was consistently and significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the new building than in the historic one, although it was higher outdoors. The indoor/outdoor ratio for the total fungi was 0.07 in the new vs 0.41 and 0.66 in the previous one and reveals a superior indoor air quality in the new site. Air temperature and occupancy had a statistically significant impact on the concentration of indoor fungi. The remarkably reduced concentration of the mycobiota in the new premises indicated a considerable decline in fungal burden, mainly due to technological excellency of the facility and continuous preventive measures to ensure an enhanced indoor air quality in the National Library of Greece. This case study provides a paradigm about upgrading of indoor air after re-establishment of a facility in another setting.

Pollution of the environment and building interiors during asbestos removal as a result of lack of negative pressure in the working areas.

The paper presents examples of the consequences of the lack of negative pressure in the work zone during asbestos removal. The asbestos fibre concentrations generated in those work zones were relatively low. This was due to the leakage in barriers restricting the work zone. Therefore the asbestos content in the outside air, near the renovated rooms was increasing. In the cases discussed, these works resulted in short-term pollution of the building's outdoor air to a depth of up to 15 m. Such contamination can cover the entire interior of the building. This may lead to long-term retention of asbestos fibre in the facility, despite the completion of asbestos removal. For example, non-friable asbestos-cement sheets removal in those work conditions increased indoor air by contamination up to 3000 f/m3 (outside the work zone). In the case of removing friable asbestos inside the building type "LIPSK", indoor air contamination locally was up 21,000-51,000 f/m3, and outside the work zone to 18,000-28,900 f/m3. These values are above the average concentration of asbestos fibres in the same type of buildings (< 300-400 f/m3) in regular use.

Evaluation of gold mineralisation potential using AHP systems and weighted overlay analysis.

The demand for sustainable development goals and the absence of systematic development and organised exploration for gold has prompted this study to integrate magnetic and radiometric datasets with lithology to evaluate the gold mineralisation potential in the Ilesha schist belt. This study considers 3168.72 km2 of the Ilesha schist belt in southwestern Nigeria, a frontier belt for gold deposits. The high-resolution airborne magnetic and radiometric datasets were processed using enhancement techniques, including the analytical signal, lineament density, and K/Th ratio. CET grid analysis, Euler deconvolution, and analytical signal depth estimation methods were used to aid the interpretation. The spatial integration and interpolation were performed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and weighted overlay analytical tools within the ArcGIS environment. The dominant structural controls for potential mineralisation are ENE-WSW and ESE-WNW trends. The depth of the magnetic sources revealed by the analytical signal ranged from 63.17 to 629.47 m, while depths ranging from 47.32 to 457.22 m were obtained from Euler deconvolution. The delineated highly magnetic edge sources, dense lineaments, radiometrically highlighted alteration zones, and lithological hosts for gold mineralisation were integrated to establish the gold mineralisation potential map. The AHP deductions reveal that 10.52% of the study site is within the high mineralisation potential class, a remarkable 60.39% falls within the moderate class, a significant portion (28.86%) falls within the poor class, and 0.23% is considered unfavourable. The result was optimised by validation using known mines, with 94% (i.e., 15 out of 16 mining sites) plotting within the high mineralisation potential class. This assessment provides invaluable insight for stakeholders and policymakers to embark on gold exploration and exploitation and promote sustainable mineral development.

Design, development, and operation of an ISO class 5 cleanroom for planetary instrumentation and planetary protection protocols.

Cleanrooms are controlled environments where the number of airborne particles is reduced to a level defined by an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard. These facilities have applications in different fields, such as the electronic, pharmaceutical, and healthcare sectors, and are also necessary for the assembly, testing and handling of space hardware. Cleanrooms are expensive to build and maintain and require the permanent designation of infrastructures and dedicated spaces within a building. Once built, clean rooms cannot be used for any other purpose, as contamination is a significant risk. The restricted access to these facilities limits the process of designing, testing, and calibrating instruments developed by academic institutions, small companies, and space startups. Here we present a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) procedure for building and maintaining a highly controlled ISO class 5 cleanroom, according to ISO14644 standards. We provide a detailed explanation of how to design, develop and operate a portable, modular, and cost-effective ISO class 5 cleanroom that can be used for the usual workflow of development, integration, test procedures and planetary protection associated with the design of instrumentation for planetary exploration.

Spray drift in viticulture: A dataset to analyse the influence of spray application techniques, hedges and their combination on the reduction of sedimentary drift, aerial drift and exposure of bystanders.

In 2021 and 2022, the national and cross-sector project CAPRIV funded by the French Ministry of Agriculture, made it possible to assess the influence of application techniques associated or not with a hedge or an anti-drift net on spray drift and bystander exposure. The acronym CAPRIV stands for "Concilier l'application des PPP et la protection des riverains" (Reconciling the use of PPPs and the protection of residents), within the orchard, viticulture, and field crops sectors. This specific data article focuses on viticulture. In viticulture, over the two years, 10 different spray application techniques were tested. For 3 of them the influence of a hedge on drift mitigation was also evaluated. All the trials were conducted on the "EoleDrift" test bench, with an artificial vegetation and an artificial wind. Spray drift has been measured according to a common protocol harmonised between cropping sectors within the project using three different types of passive drift collectors that were set up downwind of the treated field. Petri dishes collected sedimentary drift, PVC wires collected airborne drift and cotton T-shirts placed on manikins were used to assess potential dermal exposure of bystanders. The plant protection mix was simulated by a dilution of a fluorescent dye in water. The collected mass of dye was measured using a classical technique with dilution and concentration evaluation. Two fluorescent dyes were successively used, Brillant Sulfaflavine and Sulforhodamine B. A total amount of 4770 collectors were analysed individually. The data set provides a drift index for each collector expressed as the quantity of dye recovered per unit area of collector on the quantity of dye applied per unit area on the sprayed field multiplied by 100.