Hospital admissions for CHF and ambient air pollution data for Taipei were obtained

for the period from 1996 to 2004. The relative risk of hospital admission was estimated using a case-crossover approach, controlling for weather variables, day of the week, seasonality, and long-term time trends. In the single-pollutant model, the number of CHF admissions was significantly associated with the environmental presence of the contaminants particulate matter (PM(10)), nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O(3)) on warm days (> 20 degrees C). However, statistically significant positive effects on increased CHF admissions on cool days (< 20 degrees Selleckchem FHPI C) was observed only for CO levels. For the two-pollutant model, NO(2) and O(3) were significant in combination with each of the other four pollutants SP600125 price on warm days for enhanced CHF admissions. This study provides evidence that higher levels of ambient air pollutants increase the risk of hospital admissions for CHF.”
“The development of static and dynamic perception for stimuli requiring different levels of neural analysis was assessed

by measuring orientation-identification and direction-identification thresholds for both lower-level [or first-order (FO)] and higher-level [or second-order (SO)] stimuli as a function of age. Results demonstrate that both lower-level and higher-level perception continue to develop during school-age years in both dynamic and static domains. When compared with adult levels, dynamic performance for 5-6-year-olds during is significantly decreased for SO, but not for the FO perception; however, type of stimulus (FO vs. SO) did not affect the development of static perception. We therefore suggest that levels of stimulus complexity should be considered an important variable when assessing and making inferences regarding the typical and atypical development of static and dynamic perception.”
“Aluminum smelters produce in excess thousand of tons

of spent pot lining (SPL) each year. CAlSiFrit technology is a recycling process in which spent pot lining (SPL) is recovered and transformed into commercial value-added products. Since SPL contains beryllium (Be), exposures encountered by workers may result in adverse effects. This study aimed to establish the level at which Be is present in the CAlSiFrit and to determine the chemical and physical characteristics of the Be-containing particles. Three samples of CAlSiFrit powder supplied by the recycling industry were analyzed using several methods in order to (1) detect and characterize Be-containing particles, (2) identify the Be chemical form, and (3) quantify the amount of other major chemical elements present. These methods were: inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, instrumental neutron activation analysis, time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), analytical transmission electron microscopy (ATEM), and x-ray diffraction.