Correlation Between Daily PM10, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Ozone Measurements with the Stringency Index in 15 Different Districts of a Big Metropolis

OBJECTIVE

Studies have investigated the effects of lockdowns on air quality around the world and found that fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide concentrations decreased due to reduced human activity, while ozone concentrations increased. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the correlation between daily stringency index values of our country and daily PM10, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone measurements in different districts of Istanbul between March 1, 2020, and February 28, 2022.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and National Air Quality Monitoring Network data on Istanbul air quality monitoring stations were used. The analysis included 15 stations that can monitor at least 75% of the days in a year. PM10, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone were the main pollutants analyzed.

RESULTS

There was negative correlation between daily PM10 measurements and daily stringency index values in 3 stations; there was positive correlation in 6 stations. Between daily stringency index values and daily nitrogen dioxide measurements, there was a negative correlation in 3 stations and a positive correlation in 1 station. The daily measurements of 1 station showed a negative correlation with the daily values of stringency index for both PM10 and nitrogen dioxide. In 1 station, while PM10 measures were negatively correlated with stringency index, nitrogen dioxide measurements were positively correlated.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that pandemic limitations could not improve Istanbul's air quality everywhere. For adequate evaluation of impact of the limitations on air quality, it may be more relevant to study the socioeconomic infrastructure of each living area, the sociospatial inequality, industrial employment, the number of households, the density of employee class, and so on with all influencing factors that could have contributed to these various changes.

Effect of Sodium Flouride Mouthwash and Ozone-Infused Oil Pulling Solution With Coconut Oil on Mechanical Properties and Surface Characterization of Copper-Nickel-Titanium Orthodontic Archwires

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To determine the impact on the mechanical properties and surface characteristics of prefabricated 0.016" copper-nickel-titanium (Cu-Ni-Ti) type 35^oC (Ormco Company, USA) archwires when subjected to 0.05% sodium fluoride (NaF) mouthwash (ACT Anti-Cavity Fluoride Mouthwash, Sanofi Company, USA) and ozone-infused oil-pulling solution with coconut oil (O₃) (O₃ Essentials, Health Ranger Store, USA).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sixty samples of preformed maxillary 0.016" Cu-Ni-Ti archwires were cut at the straight posterior ends for a length of 25 mm and then equally distributed into three groups (n=20). Each group of wires was immersed in distilled water (dH₂O), NaF, and O₃ solutions for 90 minutes at 37^oC. All samples were taken out of their solutions and washed with distilled water prior to testing. On a universal testing device, a three-point bending test was performed on 15 samples. Yield strength (YS), flexural modulus of elasticity (E), and springback ratio (YS/E) were calculated. The remaining five samples from respective solutions were observed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) for surface topography evaluation.

RESULTS

The mean differences in loading YS, E, and YS/E between NaF and O₃ are 41.14 MPa, 4.58 GPa, and -0.0006 whereas unloading values are 23.45 MPa, 4.38 GPa, and -0.0004, respectively with a statistical significance of <0.001. Surface topography alteration was appreciated in the NaF mouthwash group compared to the O₃ solution.

CONCLUSIONS

The mechanical properties of 0.016" Cu-Ni-Ti archwires during loading and unloading were changed after exposure to NaF mouthwash and O₃ solution. The mechanical properties of Cu-Ni-Ti archwires were more negatively affected by NaF mouthwash than by O₃ solution. Sodium fluoride mouthwash offers more corrosive changes when compared with the O₃ solution.

Can increasing technological complexity help strengthen regional economic resilience?

Improving regional economic resilience through technological innovation has always been a strategic focus of China, but the previous studies have paid little attention to the impact of structural characteristics of technological innovation on regional economic resilience. Based on the complexity of technology, this study studies the impact and mechanism of technological systems with more complex internal mechanisms on economic resilience. The main findings are as follows: (1) Higher technological complexity is conducive to technological innovation and can improve regional economic resilience; (2) technological complexity needs to be in the appropriate range, and its positive effect shows diminishing marginal effect; and (3) optimizing market competition and absorptive capacity plays a positive role in regulating the relationship between technological complexity and regional economic resilience. This study provides policy implications for implementing innovation-driven development strategy, formulating economic recovery plan, and medium- and long-term sustainable development strategy.

Industry 4.0: critical investigations and synthesis of key findings

The concept of Industry 4.0 has been one of the most debated and trending topics over the last few years. Progressively, it has attracted the attention of academicians, practitioners, and policymakers worldwide. However, there needs to be more systematic review of research in the current literature that captures the current state of this new paradigm. This study aims to address this gap by conducting a comprehensive review of Industry 4.0 previous studies to identify its technological, organisational, and managerial enablers, as well as its implementation challenges and benefits. A systematic literature review was conducted, in which 244 peer-reviewed journal papers were analysed in the Scopus database until the end of May 2022. This study excluded conference papers, book chapters, and journal papers not written in English. The study indicated that industry 4.0 is still an immature topic, and applying this new paradigm is not a matter of technology only. Organisational and managerial aspects should be considered. Additionally, the transition towards Industry 4.0 is a complex task, many obstacles exist, and manufacturing companies should be aware of these challenges for successfully implementing this new paradigm. The obtained results in this study synthesise recent studies published on Industry 4.0 and provide a comprehensive picture of Industry 4.0 and potential research directions for future research. Also, this study offers significant guidelines for managers interested in implementing Industry 4.0.

Photochemical oxidants and ambulance dispatches for asthmatic symptoms in Tokyo

While photochemical oxidants (O_x = O₃+ NO₂) are known to increase asthma flare-ups, there is a paucity of studies of the Japanese population, especially for Tokyo residents. We used data on asthma cases (n = 7,455) from ambulance dispatches in Tokyo, 2015-2016. Variables included date and time of incidence, age, sex, occurrence location at the ward (ku) level, and the symptom/cause of dispatch as recorded by paramedics. O_x data were obtained from the nearest air quality monitoring station to the occurrence location, then linked them with the outcomes based on occurrence date. We directly incorporated a distributed lag model into a bi-directional case-crossover study design controlling for ambient temperature and day of week. A 10-ppb increase in O_x for lag days 0-3 was associated with a 5.51% (95% CI: 0.13 to 11.18) increase in ambulance dispatches related to asthma. The association was strongest on lag day 1 (4.67%, 95% CI: 0.51 to 9.00). Exposure to high levels of O_x was associated with increased ambulance dispatches related to asthma exacerbations in Tokyo, Japan.

[Corona Crisis: Transformative Recession]

With the Corona crisis, unemployment is increasing in Germany despite all the countermeasures taken. In previous recessions, unemployment of the low-skilled in particular has become entrenched. Today, it is becoming apparent that technological change is also affecting medium-skilled workers in particular. In order to avoid consolidation, it is important to promote new hires, support qualification and enable vocational reorientation.

Pandemic pushes polarisation: the Corona crisis and macroeconomic divergence in the Eurozone

This paper discusses the uneven consequences of the macroeconomic fallout from the Coronavirus and related economic policy responses against the background of an analysis of longer-term macroeconomic divergence in the Eurozone. We show that the macroeconomic impact of the Corona crisis is estimated to be more severe in Southern Eurozone countries than in Northern Eurozone countries, which further reinforces the tendency of an increasing economic polarisation. This polarisation process can be traced back to existing differences in production structures and uneven vulnerabilities of the underlying growth models. As a consequence, any policy response to the Corona crisis that does not take the deeper problems of structural polarisation into account will suffer from limited impact in the medium to long run.