Air Emissions from Natural Gas Facilities in New York State.

While New York has banned fracking, new and expanded natural gas pipelines are being constructed across the state. Our previous studies have reported that compressor stations are a major source of air pollution at fracking sites. We have used two federal datasets, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Emissions Inventory and Greenhouse Gas Inventory, to determine what is known concerning emissions from the compressor stations along natural gas pipelines in the state. From a total of 74 compressor stations only 18 report to EPA on emissions. In the seven year period between 2008 and 2014 they released a total of 36.99 million pounds of air pollutants, not including CO2 and methane. This included emissions of 39 chemicals known to be human carcinogens. There was in addition 6.1 billion pounds of greenhouse gases release from ten stations in a single year. These data clearly underestimate the total releases from the state's natural gas transportation and distribution system. However, they demonstrate significant releases of air pollutants, some of which are known to cause human disease. In addition, they release large amounts of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

Local and global dynamics of multi-resolved polymer chains: Effects of the interactions atoms-beads on the dynamic of the chains.

We present a thorough analysis of the dynamic behaviour of hybrid atomistic/coarse-grained (CG) models of polymer melts. While structural properties are well preserved in a dual-resolved model, we show how the dynamic of the chains can be influenced by the simultaneous presence of atoms and beads. We show that although the polymer chains are long enough to exhibit reptation, the corresponding CG model is unable to capture the expected subdiffusive regimes and seems to still follow the Rouse dynamics. The introduction of atoms in the chain restores the correct dynamic regime, and the dynamics of hybrid systems becomes comparable to that of the atomistic dynamics as the atoms/beads ratio is increased.

Affective temperaments are associated with higher hopelessness and perceived disability in patients with open-angle glaucoma.

AIM: The aims of the study were to study: (i) affective temperaments in open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients with some degree of functional visual impairment; (ii) psychological well-being and perceived disability, and their associations with affective temperaments; and (iii) associations between visual impairment, affective temperaments and psychological well-being. METHOD: Participants were 91 outpatients (39 women, and 52 men) with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) who were assessed for Visual Field Index, Mean Defect and Pattern Standard Deviation. Patients were also administered the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the TEMPS-A (Rome), the Gotland Male Depression Scale, the Emotional Well-being Scale, the Perceived Disability Questionnaire and the Suicidal History Self-Rating Screening Scale. RESULTS: Open-angle glaucoma patients (compared with a non-clinical sample of university students) had higher scores on the TEMP-A dysthimic and hyperthimic traits and lower scores on cyclothimic, irritability and anxiety traits. Such temperament variability was not linked to differences in severity of glaucoma. We did not find strong evidence supporting the fact that measures of visual impairment were linked to emotional well-being and depression. However, logistic regression analysis revealed that patients may have different patterns related to their illness according to specific temperaments. CONCLUSION: Patients with OAG may have different temperament profiles than non-clinical individuals. Such categorisation may be useful for predicting how they face the illness, for providing better care as well as for early recognition of mood disorders symptoms.

Laser therapies for glaucoma: new frontiers.

Glaucoma is a long-term ocular neuropathy defined by optic disc or retinal nerve fiber structural abnormalities and visual-field defects. Treatment for glaucoma consists of reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) to an acceptable target range to prevent further optic-nerve damage. Currently available treatments include topical drug (single then multidrug combinations) followed, for those patients on maximal tolerated medical therapy who still need additional IOP reduction, by laser treatments. These included laser iridotomy, laser trabeculoplasty, laser iridoplasty, laser cyclophotocoagulation. Although the various types of laser enjoyed great success as glaucoma therapy for many years, recently the excimer laser trabeculotomy is a promising IOP-lowering technique.

[Use of statistics in occupational medicine. Analysis of papers presented at the national congresses of the Italian Society of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene]. / L'uso della statistica in Medicina del Lavoro. Analisi dei lavori presentati ai congressi nazionali della SIMLII.

The statistical methods used in occupational health studies were evaluated by analyzing the papers published from 1986 to 1990 in the proceedings of the annual meetings of the Italian Society of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, in order to calculate the degree of understanding of the readers provided with only one-sided knowledge of statistical subjects and to improve the educational objectives in postgraduate schools of occupational health. Almost 70% of the 1151 articles reviewed contained some kind of statistical analysis: methods more complicated than descriptive statistics were used in about 35%. Student's t test (15%) and chi square (12%) were the most common methods. Other methods were less frequently used, so that it was possible to estimate that the learning of any new method would improve the understanding of about 1-2% of the articles. A wider use of statistical methods in data analysis is recommended; the attainment of a higher level of statistical knowledge should be a priority target in occupational health training.