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The World Health Organization has identified climate change as "the single biggest health threat facing humanity". Climate change will affect athletes in particular. The literature lacks thorough, scientifically based studies on what health effects climate change will have on athletes. The aim of this study was to systematically analyze the emerging climate change-related health effects on outdoor athletes. We conducted a classic, asynchronous Delphi study among a panel of experts. To maintain a multidisciplinary approach, 24 medical doctors from different specialties and 24 experts from the eight largest German outdoor sports associations were recruited. According to the expert panel, outdoor sports will be increasingly confronted with the following six risk factors: temperature-related risks, accident and injury risks, UV-related risks, respiratory risks, infection and intoxication risks, and mental and psychosocial risks. This empirical aggregation of knowledge from scientists, sports organizations, clubs, trainers, and professional athletes may lay the foundation for future approaches that could prevent or intervene in climate change driven health risks in outdoor sports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The contribution presents the results of investigations performed on the new class of CO2 chemoresistive materials based on rare earths oxy-carbonates. Firstly, the performance an alternative senso2r readout parameter, work function, is presented together with a comparison between the effect of the target gas, CO, and main interferent, water vapor. Afterwards, new synthesis routes, targeting the lowering of the sensitive materials costs are described together with sensing performance obtained in realistic application conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this work we compare the CO2 gas sensing properties of two new materials synthesized from rare earth hydroxide (La(OH)3,Pr(OH)3) precursors, with the already reported ones for neodymium oxycarbonate, which was synthesized from the corresponding Nd(OH)3 precursor. In-situ XRD measurements show that by following similar thermal treatment, praseodymium hydroxide is transforming to the metal oxide while lanthanum hydroxide forms an oxycarbonate, like in the case of neodymium. The chemoresistive effects we found for the lanthanum oxycarbonate were even higher than the ones recorded for the neodymium oxycarbonate; for the praseodymium metal oxide we could not find any CO2 sensitivity. Accordingly, we think that the condition for CO2 sensing is the formation of the rare earth oxycarbonate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this work the sensing of Nd2O2CO3-based chemoresistive CO2 sensor was investigated combining DRIFT and DC-resistance measurements. Besides the already reported effect of CO2 exposure, we found that exposure to CO determines comparable effects and that the presence of oxygen in the background is not important. The humidity significantly influences the response for both gases. The spectroscopic results reveal that the exposure to both CO and CO2 consumes the water-related surface species – the rooted-hydroxyls being the electrically active one – and increases the concentration of carbonates; the decrease of the rooted-hydroxyls is probably the cause of the resistance increase. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Acute renal failure (ARF) in critically ill patients is associated with high mortality. Optimal method and dose of continuous renal replacement therapy could improve survival in these patients. We studied the hypothesis that an increase in dialysis dose obtained by continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) is associated with a better survival than continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) among critically ill patients with ARF. In a prospective randomized trial, these two methods were compared in patients undergoing renal replacement therapy in two intensive care units (ICUs). The patients had either CVVH (1–2.5 l/h replacement fluid) or continuous CVVHDF (1–2.5 l/h replacement fluid+1–1.5 l/h dialysate) according to their body weight. 28- and 90-day mortalities, renal recovery, and duration of ICU stay were the main outcome measures. Two hundred and six patients were randomized from October 2000 to December 2003. Twenty-eight-day survivals (%) were, respectively, 39 and 59 (P=0.03) in the CVVH and CVVHDF groups. Three months survivals (%) were, respectively, 34 and 59 (P=0.0005) in the CVVH and CVVHDF groups. Apache II score, age, baseline blood urea nitrogen, and hemodiafiltration (hazard ratio 0.59, 95% confidence interval 0.40–0.87; P=0.008) were independent predictors of survival at 90 days. Renal recovery rate among survivors (71 versus 78% in the CVVH and CVVHDF groups respectively, P=0.62) was not affected by the type of renal replacement therapy. These results suggest that increasing the dialysis dose especially for low molecular weight solutes confers a better survival in severely ill patients with ARF.Kidney International (2006) 70, 1312–1317. doi:10.1038/sj.ki.5001705; published online 19 July 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Fine powder of iron oxide has been required in the preparation of ferromagnetic α″-Fe16N2 powder in low temperature nitridation. Magnetite and maghemite mixture was obtained by the reaction of iron acetylacetonate Fe(acac)3 in benzyl alcohol. It was reduced to α-Fe in hydrogen at 400°C. Particle size of the α-Fe was 300nm in the reduction of iron oxides obtained from 2g of Fe(acac)3. It decreased to 100nm in the preparation using 8g of Fe(acac)3. After the successive nitridation under ammonia flow at 160°C, the highest yield of α″-Fe16N2 in 66wt.% was observed on the nitrided product from the latter α-Fe, because of the smallest α-Fe particle size after the reduction in the present study. The yield and reproducibility of α″-Fe16N2 formation in low temperature nitridation was improved using the iron oxide prepared in non-aqueous benzyl alcohol compared to the use of magnetite obtained from aqueous solution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In2O3 and Pt-doped In2O3 nanopowders were investigated for oxygen monitoring at low temperature (from RT to 350°C). In the first step, In2O3 nano-sized powders were synthesized by a non-aqueous sol–gel method, followed by deposition of 1 or 3wt% Pt on the surface of the semiconducting metal oxide by wetness impregnation. In comparison to undoped In2O3, the Pt-doped sensors showed better performances in terms of sensitivity, response and recovery times, presumably due to the increased number of active sites for oxygen adsorption and dissociation, which favours the exchange kinetics of gaseous oxygen with adsorbed oxygen species. Depending on the working temperature, surface and/or bulk effects contribute to the oxygen sensing mechanism, strongly influencing the response and recovery times, as well as, the shape of the transient response. The high response combined with fast response and recovery times makes the Pt-In2O3 sensors a promising candidate for applications in oxygen monitoring at low temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A non-aqueous sol–gel process was implemented for the preparation of SnO2- and In2O3-nanostructured powders. A detailed transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization carried out on the prepared nanomaterials showed that they were composed of single crystallites only slightly aggregated with an average size of 2.2nm for SnO2 and 20nm for In2O3. A mixed oxide of composition Sn0.95In0.05O x was also prepared showing a crystallite size of 2.2nm. The nanoparticles were directly used for thick film sensor deposition by drop coating and tested as gas sensors in the monitoring of trace level of both oxidizing and reducing gases. In particular, the In2O3-based sensor showed enhanced gas sensing properties toward the oxidizing gas NO2, while for the mixed metal oxide Sn0.95In0.05O x very interesting gas sensing properties were found towards the reducing gases CO and CH4. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]