Suchergebnisse

Abstract
The measures and policies states adopt and apply related to law enforcement at sea in peacetime, such as setting up and legislating about Coast Guards and their role, increasingly take maritime security into account. A grey area between military and civilian rules, actors, and activities, can be discerned in relation to maritime security. The article explores the issue of security concerns as a basis for the on-going widening of powers of the Finnish Border Guard, which includes the Coast Guard – in particular how such a widening of the powers relates to the Åland Islands' demilitarised status. The main question here is whether there is a conflict between possible military aspects of the Coast Guard vis-à-vis the demilitarised status of the Åland Islands. The article identifies aspects of a military nature regarding how the Finnish Coast Guard functions; these are not assessed as being decisive: the Border Guard is not part of the armed forces in peacetime. The article highlights the need for a comprehensive exploration and analysis – including both Finnish authorities and Ålandic authorities – of the Åland Islands' status in relation to possible future assistance by the Defence Forces on the Åland Islands.

L'article fournit une exploration globale des « menaces » du point de vue du droit international, telles que codifiées dans l'art. 2 (4) de la Charte des Nations Unies, et de la « dissuasion », bien que touchant également d'autres domaines, en citant l'exemple des « exercices militaires » comme une menace ou un moyen de dissuasion. L'accent est mis sur une exploration conceptuelle des « menaces » et de la « dissuasion », suivie d'un bref aperçu des exercices militaires russes dans les cas de la Géorgie (2008) et de l'Ukraine (2014), qui est également jugé pertinent pour le contexte de la région Russie-mer Baltique. Aucune exploration détaillée n'est faite des exercices militaires russes en question, car cela nécessiterait une analyse contextuelle approfondie. L'exemple des « exercices militaires » russes, en tant qu'exemples pertinents de menace et de dissuasion pour la région de la mer Baltique, est plutôt considéré dans le contexte des exigences de l'art. 2 (4) de la Charte des Nations Unies et des faits nouveaux survenus en Géorgie en 2008 et en Ukraine en 2014. Des observations finales de caractère général et provisoire seront formulées, notamment celle qui estime qu'il est plus probable que les exercices militaires soient considérés comme une menace juridique dans une situation de conflit plutôt que comme des exercices autonomes.

AbstractIndoor environments may impact human health due to chemical pollutants in the indoor air and house dust. This study aimed at comparing the bioavailability and distribution of PFOA following both an inhalation and an oral exposure to PFOA coated house dust in rats. In addition, extractable organofluorine (EOF) was measured in different tissue samples to assess any potential influence of other organofluorine compounds in the experimental house dust. Blood samples were collected at sequential time points after exposure and at the time of termination; the lungs, liver, and kidney were collected for quantification of PFOA and EOF. The concentration of PFOA in plasma increased rapidly in both exposure groups attaining a Cmax at 3 h post exposure. The Cmax following inhalation was four times higher compared to oral exposures. At 48 h post exposure, the levels of PFOA in the plasma, liver, and kidney were twice as high from inhalation exposures. This shows that PFOA is readily bioavailable and has a rapid systemic distribution following an inhalation or oral exposure to house dust coated with PFOA. The proportion of PFOA to EOF corresponded to 65–71% and 74–87% in plasma and tissues, respectively. The mass balance between EOF and target PFOA indicates that there might be other unknown PFAS precursor and/or fluorinated compounds that co-existed in the house dust sample that can have accumulated in rats.

Abstract
Background
Physical and biological properties of dust particles might affect the availability and distribution of chemicals associated to indoor dust; however it has not been adequately examined. In this study, household dust from Shanghai was fractionated into five particle sizes and size distribution, morphology, surface area, organic matter, microorganisms, elemental composition, metals and organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) compositions were characterized. Also, household dust samples from Stockholm that has previously been characterized were included in the analysis of OPFRs for comparison.

Results
The respirable fraction had a yield of 3.3% in mass percentage, with a particle size of 2.22 ± 2.04 µm. As expected, both metals and OPFRs concentrations increased with decreased particle size. Al and Fe dominated (66–87%) followed by the concentrations of Zn (5–14%) and Ga (1.8–5%) of the sum of 16 metals in the dust. The concentrations of OPFRs in Shanghai dust ranged from 5.34 to 13.7 µg/g (median: 7.21 µg/g), compared to household dust from Stockholm that ranged from 16.0 to 28.3 µg/g (median: 26.6 µg/g). Tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) and tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) dominated in Shanghai dust samples while tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) dominated in dust from Stockholm homes.

Conclusion
The results showed that mass percentage for each particle size fraction was not evenly distributed. Furthermore, the particle-bound microorganisms and OPFRs increased with decreased particle size, whereas metals had the highest concentrations at specific dust sizes. Therefore, it is essential to select the proper particle size in order to assess any specific human exposure study to indoor pollutants.

Mitochondrial biology is the sum of diverse phenomena from molecular profiles to physiological functions. A mechanistic understanding of mitochondria in disease development, and hence the future prospect of clinical translations, relies on a systems-level integration of expertise from multiple fields of investigation. Upon the successful conclusion of a recent National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute initiative on integrative mitochondrial biology in cardiovascular diseases, we reflect on the accomplishments made possible by this unique interdisciplinary collaboration effort and exciting new fronts on the study of these remarkable organelles.