Atmosphere

"Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos opens the book with his latest contribution to his comprehensive project of re-theorising spatial justice with a piece titled ‘Spatial Justice in a World of Violence’. Through a close reading
of the photographic series Fortunes of War, Life Day by artist Eric Lesdema,
Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos is interested in how these images reveal peripheral
spaces at the edge of violence which impose an ethic of spatial responsibility on the
viewer in the act of turning away and looking elsewhere. While no acts of explicit
violence are shown in the images, we are left with no doubt that violence is ubiquitous
along the spatio-temporal continuum. This continuum of violence between
bodies raises questions of complicity and responsibility. Do we submit to a state
of affairs in which space is saturated with the everyday and immobilised violence
of the ‘engineered atmosphere’ – or is it also possible for bodies to withdraw from
the atmosphere, through ruptures and folds within the continuum? Such a notion
raises the ethical possibility of the ‘emergence of spatial justice’." Chris Butler and Edward Mussawir (eds)

Deterministic photochemical air quality models are commonly used for regulatory management and planning of urban airsheds. These models are complex, computer intensive, and hence are prohibitively expensive for routine air quality predictions. Stochastic methods are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative, which relegate decision making to artificial intelligence based on Neural Networks that are made of artificial neurons or 'nodes' capable of 'learning through training' via historic data. A Neural Network was used to predict particulate matter concentration at a regulatory monitoring site in Phoenix, Arizona; its development, efficacy as a predictive tool and performance vis-à-vis a commonly used regulatory photochemical model are described in this paper. It is concluded that Neural Networks are much easier, quicker and economical to implement without compromising the accuracy of predictions. Neural Networks can be used to develop rapid air quality warning systems based on a network of automated monitoring stations.

Tourism is a major socioeconomic contributor to established and emerging destinations in the Mediterranean region. Recent studies introducing the Holiday Climate Index (HCI) highlight the significance of climate as a factor in sustaining the competitiveness of coastal and urban destinations. The aim of this study is to assess the future HCI performance of urban and beach destinations in the greater Mediterranean region. For this purpose, HCI scores for the reference (1971-2000) and future (2021-2050, 2070-2099) periods were computed with the use of two latest greenhouse gas concentration trajectories, RCP 4.5 and 8.5, based on the Middle East North Africa (MENA) Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) domain and data. The outputs were adjusted to a 500 m resolution via the use of lapse rate corrections that extrapolate the climate model topography against a resampled digital elevation model. All periodic results were seasonally aggregated and visualized on a (web) geogr...

Acidification of slurry is an effective method to reduce ammonia emission from animal manure. However, high sulphur concentration of acidified manure may make this material unsuitable as a sole substrate in anaerobic digestion (AD). Therefore this study investigates the utilization of solid fractions from solid-liquid separation of acidified manure (SFAM), which contain most of the methane potential but only a minor part of the sulphur. The result of batch experiments showed that the AD process was inhibited when whole and the liquid fraction of sow and fattening pig acidified manure were digested, but SFAM showed no inhibition. There was no significant effect on the ultimate methane yield (B o) of sow SFAM when the screen size of screw press solid-liquid manure separation (SPMS) was varied. SFAM from SPMS is higher in dry matter content compared to SFAM from drum solid-liquid manure separation (DSMS), hence this technology not only can reduce transport costs of SFAM but also can pr...

The energy sector is integral to the wellbeing of the entire Iraqi economy and will remain so well into the future. In the current study, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology was used to estimate CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions from oil refining and electricity generation in Iraq for a period exceeding 25 years. From 1990, Iraq experienced two wars and an economic siege, then faced political, social, and security instability, which affected its energy production. The results showed that the CO2, CH4, and N2O emissions from the oil refining and electricity generation in Iraq experienced a sharp decline in the years 1991, 2003, and 2007 due to a decrease in the production of oil derivatives in refineries, according to political and security conditions. The total CO2 emissions from the types of fuel used in electricity generation in Iraq was approximately 14,000 Gg and 58,000 Gg in 1990 and 2017, respectively. The increase in CO2 emissions was greater than 300% ...

Natural resources degradation poses multiple challenges particularly to environmental and economic processes. It is usually difficult to identify the degree of degradation and the critical vulnerability values in the affected systems. Thus, among other tools, indices (composite indicators) may also describe these complex systems or phenomena. In this approach, the Water and Land Resources Degradation Index was applied to the fifth largest Mediterranean island, Crete, for the 1999–2014 period. The Water and Land Resources Degradation Index uses 11 water and soil resources related indicators: Aridity Index, Water Demand, Drought Impacts, Drought Resistance Water Resources Infrastructure, Land Use Intensity, Soil Parent Material, Plant Cover, Rainfall, Slope, and Soil Texture. The aim is to identify the sensitive areas to degradation due to anthropogenic interventions and natural processes, as well as their vulnerability status. The results for Crete Island indicate that prolonged wate...

Wildland fire smoke exposure affects a broad proportion of the U.S. population and is increasing due to climate change, settlement patterns and fire seclusion. Significant public health questions surrounding its effects remain, including the impact on cardiovascular disease and maternal health. Using atmospheric chemical transport modeling, we examined general air quality with and without wildland fire smoke PM2.5. The 24-h average concentration of PM2.5 from all sources in 12-km gridded output from all sources in California (2007–2013) was 4.91 μg/m3. The average concentration of fire-PM2.5 in California by year was 1.22 μg/m3 (~25% of total PM2.5). The fire-PM2.5 daily mean was estimated at 4.40 μg/m3 in a high fire year (2008). Based on the model-derived fire-PM2.5 data, 97.4% of California’s population lived in a county that experienced at least one episode of high smoke exposure (“smokewave”) from 2007–2013. Photochemical model predictions of wildfire impacts on daily average P...

It was investigated the effect of particle size, use of infrared radiation, and type of freeze-drying (vacuum or atmospheric) on some nutritional properties of blueberries. Particle size and type of freeze-drying had negative effects on ascorbic acid and total polyphenols content, while the use of infrared radiation had positive effects on them. Particle size negatively affected antioxidant activity. Ascorbic acid was significantly decreased in freeze-dried blueberries compared to fresh fruit, in all the conditions studied. The total polyphenols content was significantly lower in atmospheric freezedried blueberries compared to the fresh ones, unlike in vacuum freeze-drying, where this nutritional property was increased. Antioxidant activity of freeze-dried blueberries did not differ significantly from that found in fresh fruits. In order to minimize the impairment of the nutritional properties of freeze-dried blueberries, it is suggested to use infrared radiation, a relatively small particle size and vacuum freeze-drying.

A lower atmosphere wind profiler, which is a pulse Doppler radar, is a useful operation tool that can provide unattended and continuous observation of wind profiles. Since the observed signals are usually degraded by ground clutters which are overlapped with the wind signal, it is necessary to develop a method to estimate the wind signal from the observed signals. In this paper, we propose to use a genetic algorithm to resolve the overlapped signals.

A prerequisite for the calculation of the proportion of a legume’s nitrogen derived from the atmosphere (%Ndfa) using the 15N natural abundance technique (NA) is the determination of the B value (δ15N value for a legume when completely dependent on N2 fixation for growth). With this objective, Kabuli-type chickpea seeds were inoculated with Mesorhizobium ciceri, strain ISC-6, and an indigenous strain mixture (ISM) from the Guadalquivir Valley (southern Spain); and mayor-equina-type faba bean seeds were inoculated with Rhizobium leguminosarum strain ISL-19. Both legumes were grown in perlite with an N-free nutrient solution and in a growth chamber; uninoculated plants were also grown under the same conditions. Samples of the inoculated plants were collected at full flowering and maturity, analyzing total N and 15N content of the nodules, root, shoot and seeds. The seeds sown and uninoculated plants at wilting were also analyzed. The uninoculated chickpea and faba bean plants showed strong 15N discrimination in the remobilization of reserve proteins from the cotyledons to the shoot. Only 52% of the 15N from the chickpea seed and 46% from the faba bean seed were translocated to the shoot. The Bwhole plant value for both inoculated species (−1.44‰ in chickpea and −1.33‰ in faba bean) demonstrated the existence of a significant isotopic discrimination of N in the fixation of atmospheric N2. The Bshoot value did not show significant differences between full flowering and seed maturity for either species, which allowed field sampling to be performed for the calculation of %Ndfa between both growth stages. Each species presented different 15N discrimination for the different parts analyzed. In chickpea, strong discrimination was observed between the nodules (+3.11‰) and the rest of the plant (−1.67‰); this discrimination was less pronounced in faba bean and always with negative values between the underground parts (nodules and root, with a mean value of −0.75‰) and the shoot (−1.71‰). The Bshoot value obtained was −1.80‰ in chickpea and −1.71‰ in faba bean. However, given the importance of the amount of seed N in chickpea and faba bean, seed 15N contribution should be considered in the calculation of the Bshoot value using a mass balance model which considers 50% of this amount. In this case, the adjusted Bshoot values would increase to −2.05‰ and −1.89‰ in chickpea and faba bean, respectively.

We report herein the formation of pepsin monomolecular layer by the Langmuir-Blodgett film deposition technique. An effort was made to find an optimal subphase by adjusting the concentration of salt (KCl) and pH by monitoring the growth kinetics of pepsin for the formation of Langmuir monolayer by using as little as possible pepsin molecules to build up ultra thin film and to measure the extent of denaturation. Significant changes of area/molecule, compressibility, rigidity and unfolding of pepsin are observed at optimized subphase than pure water subphase. Observations at optimal subphase are explained in context of the modified DLVO theory and the site dissociation model. FTIR analysis of amide band together with the observed surface morphology of pepsin film in FE-SEM images indicate that at optimal subphase the pepsin molecules modify their structures by incrementing theˇ-structure, resulting into larger unfolding and inter-molecular aggregates.

The article is aimed at presenting a semi-empirical model coded and computed in the programming language Python, which utilizes data gathered with a standard biaxial elastic lidar platform in order to calculate the altitude profiles of the structure coefficients of the atmospheric refraction index C N 2 ( z ) and other associated turbulence parameters. Additionally, the model can be used to calculate the PBL (Planetary Boundary Layer) height, and other parameters typically employed in the field of astronomy. Solving the Fernard–Klett inversion by correlating sun-photometer data obtained through our AERONET site with lidar data, it can yield the atmospheric extinction and backscatter profiles α ( z ) and β ( z ) , and thus obtain the atmospheric optical depth. Finally, several theoretical notions of interest that utilize the solved parameters are presented, such as approximated relations between C N 2 ( z ) and the atmospheric temperature profile T ( z ) , and between the scintillati...

Tropospheric ozone (O3) levels in southern Europe have an increasing tendency, in close relation with the higher incidence of hot summers and heatwaves. Given that O3 is one of the most damaging pollutants for vegetation, known to affect productivity and quality of crops, it is necessary to develop more rigorous and consistent methods of risk assessment that consider climate change conditions. Studying the O3 deposition over the Douro Demarcated Region (DDR), which is one of the most productive wine areas in Portugal, and assessing its potential effects under a climate change scenario, was the purpose of this study. To that end, the chemical transport model CHIMERE, with a spatial resolution of 1 km2, fed by meteorological data from the WRF model, was applied for a recent past climate (2003 to 2005) and future mid-term (2049 and 2064) and long-term (2096 and 2097) scenarios. Simulations for future climate were performed considering: i) only the climate change effect, and ii) the eff...

Currently rising CO 2 levels in atmosphere and marine surface waters as well as projected scenarios of CO 2 disposal in the ocean emphasize that CO 2 sensitivities need to be investigated in aquatic organisms, especially in animals which may well be the most sensitive. Moreover, to understand causes and effects, we need to identify the physiological processes that are sensitive to CO 2 beyond the current emphasis on calcification. Few animals may be acutely sensitive to moderate CO 2 increases, but subtle changes due to long-term exposure may already have started to be felt in a wide range of species. CO 2 effects identified in invertebrate fauna from habitats characterized by oscillating CO 2 levels include depressed metabolic rates and reduced ion exchange and protein synthesis rates. These result in shifts in metabolic equilibria and slowed growth. Long-term moderate hypercapnia has been observed to produce enhanced mortality with as yet unidentified cause and effect relationships. During future climate change, simultaneous shifts in temperature, CO 2 , and hypoxia levels will enhance sensitivity to environmental extremes relative to a change in just one of these variables. Some interactions between these variables result from joint effects on the same physiological mechanisms. Such interactions need to be considered in terms of future increases in atmospheric CO 2 and its uptake by the ocean as well as in terms of currently proposed mitigation scenarios. These include purposeful injection of CO 2 in the deep ocean or Fe fertilization of the surface ocean, which reduces subsurface O 2 levels. The resulting ecosystem shifts could develop progressively, rather than beyond specific thresholds, such that effects parallel CO 2 oscillations. It is unsure to what extent and how quickly species may adapt to permanently elevated CO 2 levels by microevolutionary compensatory processes.

Biogas technology, besides supplying energy and manure, provides an excellent opportunity for mitigation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and reducing global warming through substituting firewood for cooking, kerosene for lighting and cooking and chemical fertilizers. A study was undertaken to calculate (1) global warming mitigation potential (GMP) and thereby earning carbon credit of a family size biogas plant in India, (2) GMP of the existing and target biogas plants in the country and (3) atmospheric pollution reduction by a family size biogas plant. The GMP of a family size biogas plant was 9.7 t CO 2 equiv. year −1 and with the current price of US $10 t −1 CO 2 equiv., carbon credit of US

The potential of a ground-based microwave temperature profiler to combine full tropospheric profiling with highresolution profiling of the boundary layer is investigated. For that purpose, statistical retrieval algorithms that incorporate observations from different elevation angles and frequencies are derived from long-term radiosonde data. A simulation study shows the potential to significantly improve the retrieval performance in the lowest kilometer by combining angular information from relatively opaque channels with zenith-only information from more transparent channels. Observations by a state-of-the-art radiometer employed during the International Lindenberg Campaign for Assessment of Humidity and Cloud Profiling Systems and Its Impact on High-Resolution Modeling (LAUNCH) in Lindenberg, Germany, are used for an experimental evaluation with observations from a 99-m mast and radiosondes. The comparison not only reveals the high accuracy achieved by combining angular and spectral observations (overall, less than 1 K below 1.5 km), but also emphasizes the need for a realistic description of radiometer noise within the algorithm. The capability of the profiler to observe the height and strength of low-level temperature inversions is highlighted.

RATIONALE: Static-chamber flux measurements have suggested that one of the world's largest grasslands, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), is a potential source of nitrous oxide (N 2 O), a major greenhouse gas. However, production and consumption pathways of N 2 O have not been identified by in situ field measurements. 14 N 14 N 16 O in the atmosphere, static chambers, and soils were measured by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry in the summer of 2005 and the following winter of 2006 at three typical alpine ecosystems: alpine meadow, alpine shrub, and alpine wetland, on the QTP, China. RESULTS: Site preference (SP) values of soil-emitted N 2 O were estimated as 33.7% and 30.1% for alpine meadow and shrub, respectively, suggesting larger contributions by fungal denitrification, than by bacterial denitrification and nitrifier-denitrification, to N 2 O production. Statistical analysis of the relationship between SP and d 15 N bulk values indicated that in alpine meadow, shrub, and wetland sites fungal denitrification contributed 40.7%, 40.0%, and 23.2% to gross N 2 O production and the produced N 2 O was reduced by 87.6%, 82.9%, and 92.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The combined measurements of N 2 O concentration, flux, and isotopomeric signatures provide a robust estimation of N 2 O circulation dynamics in alpine ecosystems on the QTP, which would contribute to the development of ecosystem nitrogen cycle model.

  Classroom environment influences each student's educational experience. The aim of this classroom evaluation was to gain a better understanding of how each gender functions in an introductory robotics class, where LEGOs and ROBOLAB were used as a tool to teach engineering principles and basic robotics concepts. A better understanding of how each gender performs in reaction to the classroom setup will hopefully lead to the development of a learning environment that is mutually beneficial to each gender. The course, a general freshman introduction to engineering, targeted for this evaluation required students to complete robotic challenges while working within groups and participating in design competitions. The present evaluation explored gender differences in self-confidence levels related to robotic tasks, feelings toward competitions as a component of the course, and differences in the way males and females interact within groups. Assessment was conducted through interviews, observations, and written questionnaires. Competency in robotics activities was found to be similar although males were found to be more confident of their own abilities. Both genders felt the competitions were enjoyable and integral to the atmosphere of the class. Males in the class took the competitions more seriously than did the females. Building and programming robots were thought to be their greatest areas of learning by the women. Males, on the other hand, cited working in groups and learning to compromise as the areas where they made the greatest improvements.

The Chicxulub impact crater in Mexico is the site of the impact purported to have caused mass extinctions at the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary. 2-D hydrocode modeling of the impact, coupled with studies of the impact site geology, indicate that between 0.4 and 7.0 × 10 17 g of sulfur were vaporized by the impact into anhydrite target rocks. A small portion of the sulfur was released as SO 3 or SO 4, which converted rapidly into H 2SO 4 aerosol and fell as acid rain. A radiative transfer model, coupled with a model of coagulation indicates that the aerosol prolonged the initial blackout period caused by impact dust only if the aerosol contained impurities. A larger portion of sulfur was released as SO 2, which converted to aerosol slowly, due to the rate-limiting oxidation of SO 2. Our radiative transfer calculations, combined with rates of acid production, coagulation, and diffusion indicate that solar transmission was reduced to 10-20% of normal for a period of 8-13 yr. This reduction produced a climate forcing (cooling) of -300 Wm -2, which far exceeded the +8 Wm -2 greenhouse warming, caused by the CO 2 released through the vaporization of carbonates, and therefore produced a decade of freezing and near-freezing temperatures. Several decades of moderate warming followed the decade of severe cooling due to the long residence time of CO 2. The prolonged impact winter may have been a major cause of the K/T extinctions.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) play an increasingly important role in various areas of life, including in terms of protection and security. As a result of fires, volcanic eruptions, or other emergencies, huge amounts of toxic gases, dust, and other substances are emitted into the environment, which, together with high temperature, often leads to serious environmental contamination. Based on the available literature and patent databases, an analysis of the available UAVs models was carried out in terms of their applicability in air contaminated conditions in industrial areas, in the event of emergencies, such as fire, chemical contamination. The possibilities of using the devices were analyzed in terms of weather conditions, construction, and used materials in CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) threat situations. It was found that, thanks to the use of appropriate sensors, cameras, and software of UAVs integrated with a given system, it is possible to obtain informat...

Leaching of nitrogen from the soil is a natural but unfavorable effect that generates N2O emissions. Exact quantification of nitrogen leakage is a challenging process. Intensive leakage occurs mainly when the soil is without vegetation and under specific climatic conditions. This paper aims to quantify the amount of nitrogen leakage from arable land and grassland, and to estimate N2O emissions in 2017. Estimating the country-specific fraction of leached nitrogen (FracLEACH) is important for the emission balance from this source. Emissions are underestimated when the fraction is low; on the contrary, a high fraction causes overestimation. The internationally recognized fraction is 30%, according to the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Control (IPCC) Guidelines. This factor represents the fraction of nitrogen losses compared to total nitrogen inputs and sources. In this study, we analyzed the effects of climatic conditions on agricultural soils in Slovakia to evaluate the area ...

Volatile compounds are usually associated with an appearance/presence in the atmosphere. Recent advances, however, indicated that the soil is a huge reservoir and source of biogenic volatile organic compounds (bVOCs), which are formed from decomposing litter and dead organic material or are synthesized by underground living organism or organs and tissues of plants. This review summarizes the scarce available data on the exchange of VOCs between soil and atmosphere and the features of the soil and particle structure allowing diffusion of volatiles in the soil, which is the prerequisite for biological VOC-based interactions. In fact, soil may function either as a sink or as a source of bVOCs. Soil VOC emissions to the atmosphere are often 1-2 (0-3) orders of magnitude lower than those from aboveground vegetation. Microorganisms and the plant root system are the major sources for bVOCs. The current methodology to detect belowground volatiles is described as well as the metabolic capabilities resulting in the wealth of microbial and root VOC emissions. Furthermore, VOC profiles are discussed as non-destructive fingerprints for the detection of organisms. In the last chapter, belowground volatile-based bi-and multitrophic interactions between microorganisms, plants and invertebrates in the soil are discussed.

clicking here. colleagues, clients, or customers by , you can order high-quality copies for your If you wish to distribute this article to others here. following the guidelines can be obtained by Permission to republish or repurpose articles or portions of articles

Indoor and outdoor ultrafine, accumulation mode, and coarse fractions collected at two preschools (S1 and S2) in Hanoi capital, Vietnam were characterized in terms of mass-size distribution and elemental composition to identify major emission sources. The sampling campaigns were performed simultaneously indoors and outdoors over four consecutive weeks at each school. Indoor average concentrations of CO2 and CO at both schools were below the limit values recommended by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (1000 ppm for CO2) and World Health Organization (7 mg/m3 for CO). Indoor concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 at S1 and S2 were strongly influenced by the presence of children and their activities indoors. The indoor average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were 49.4 µg/m3 and 59.7 µg/m3 at S1, while those values at S2 were 7.9 and 10.8 µg/m3, respectively. Mass-size distribution of indoor and outdoor particles presented similar patterns, in which u...

levels (that is, greater than 10 25 times that of the present atmospheric level) during the deposition of these units. The presence of rounded pebbles of sideritic iron formation at the base of the Rooihoogte Formation and an extensive and thick ironstone layer consisting of haematitic pisolites and oolites in the upper Timeball Hill Formation indicate that atmospheric oxygen rose

An example of an integrated approach to assess air pollution threats to cultural heritage in a semi-confined environment is presented in this work, where the monitoring campaign carried out at the Michelozzo's Courtyard (in Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy) is used as a case study. A wide research project was carried out, with the main aim of obtaining the first quantitative data on air quality and microclimate conditions inside the Courtyard, and, if possible, identifying the main causes of degradation and suggesting appropriate conservation strategies. The investigation adopted a holistic approach involving thermographic measurements on the wall paintings, microclimatic analysis, gaseous pollutant monitoring, atmospheric particles characterisation and dry deposition compositional analysis. Attention was focused on the wall painting depicting the city of Hall because of its anomalous and critical conservation conditions, which are visible at a glance, due to the contrast between a wide darker zone around the central subject of the painting and external lighter areas.

Halloysite clay minerals are ubiquitous in soils and weathered rocks where they occur in a variety of particle shapes and hydration states. When both halloysite and kaolinite are present in a given sample, differentiation between the two minerals is problematic particularly when the halloysite constituent is dehydrated. Formamide intercalation test is widely used to differentiate halloysite-(7 Å) from kaolinite. The soil used in this study was taken from an Udalf B horizon. It was sampled in 1986, immediately studied, and then stored. This soil was selected due to its high halloysite-(10 Å) content. The formamide intercalation test was performed on 3 clay fractions (b 0.1, 0.1-1, and 1-2 μm) re-extracted from the stored soil. X-ray diffraction shows that the hydrated halloysite, initially present (in the fresh sample), is totally dehydrated after storage. Since the interlayer water in halloysite is weakly held, halloysite-(10 Å) can readily and irreversibly dehydrate to give the corresponding halloysite-(7 Å) form. Halloysite-rich samples should therefore be kept under controlled humidity conditions or in a water-saturated atmosphere if this clay mineral is to remain fully hydrated. The abundance of tubes and spheroids, estimated from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the re-extracted sample, is proportional to the amount of halloysite derived from the formamide test on the fresh sample. On the other hand, after storage and natural dehydration, the formamide test markedly underestimates the concentration of halloysite (30-40% in the halloysite-rich fractions). For the reference halloysites, however, the state of hydration does not affect formamide intercalation. After progressive formamide treatment, almost all the kaolinite is intercalated whereas only 50% of the halloysite is expanded in the re-extracted soil sample. Thus, the actual amount of halloysite in the fresh soil sample, estimated by formamide intercalation and TEM, cannot be reached even after progressive treatment with formamide. Formamide treatment indicates that the behaviour and physico-chemical properties of halloysite can be modified by dehydration.

Manure on dairies is the second largest agricultural source of ammonia emissions. Ammonia (NH3) emissions were measured at a 3400-cow open-lot dairy in Texas using a backward Lagrangian Stochastic model in combination with measurements from long-path tunable diode lasers and on-site sonic anemometers. Measurements were made for multiple weeks at a time for most seasons over two years. Both 30-min and daily average emissions were influenced by air temperature consistent with a van ’t Hoff equation. Emissions were also linearly related to saturation vapor density deficit. The influence of temperature on NH3 solubility, expressed by the van ’t Hoff temperature correction function, decreased as the water vapor deficit increased. The mean annual daily NH3 emissions at the farm was estimated at 82 g NH3 d−1 per animal (105 g NH3 AU−1 d−1, 1 AU = 500 kg) with mean emission during the summer of 124 g NH3 d−1 per animal (159 g NH3 AU−1 d−1). A distinct diurnal pattern in NH3 emissions was co...

Air pollution in rural China has often been ignored, especially for the less developed west China. Atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured monthly at 11 rural sites (5 rural villages and 6 rural fields) together with 7 urban stations in northern China between April 2010 and March 2011. PAH concentrations at rural village sites were similar to those in urban areas and significantly higher than those in rural fields, indicating severe contamination in rural villages. PAH concentrations in the west were similar to those in the more developed North China Plain, and higher than those along the coast. Such a geographical distribution is mainly caused by the differences in residential energy consumption and meteorological conditions, which can explain approximately 48% of the total variation in PAH concentrations. With heavy dependence on biofuel combustion for heating, seasonality in rural areas is more profound than that in urban areas.

The objective of the study was to compare the effectiveness of trehalose with that of melibiose in protecting a monoclonal antibody (rituximab) from aggregation, fragmentation, and secondary structure alterations during processing and subsequent storage. Because reducing disaccharides such as melibiose participate in Maillard reaction with proteins, especially in the presence of water, the lyophilizates were stored under different relative humidity (RH 5%, 11%, and 23%) atmospheres. Freeze drying was shown to cause clear alterations in rituximab secondary structure, an increase in noncovalent protein aggregation, and in some cases fragmentation. However, these changes were less pronounced in the formulation containing melibiose. Storing the lyophilizates under low RH (5%) proved to be most harmful to the stability of rituximab, intensifying secondary structure alterations and increasing protein aggregate content. Again, these changes were less aggravated in the formulation containing melibiose. Surprisingly, the concentration of aggregates larger than 1 :m decreased in some cases during storage at RH 11% and 23%. There was no indication that storage even under the highest RH (23%) would have caused significant amounts of Maillard reaction end products to be formed during 3 months of storage.

Metal uptake by plants occurs by soil-root transfer, but also by direct transfer of contaminants from the atmosphere to the shoots. This second pathway may be particularly important in kitchen gardens near industrial plants. The mechanisms of foliar uptake of lead by lettuce (lactuca sativa) exposed to the atmospheric fallouts of a lead-recycling plant were studied. After 43 days of exposure, the leaves thoroughly washed contained 335 ± 50 mg Pb.kg -1 DW. Micro X-ray fluorescence (µXRF) mappings evidenced Pb-rich spots of a few hundreds of micrometers in diameter located in necrotic zones. These spots were more abundant at the base of the central nervure. Environmental scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (ESEM-EDX) showed that smaller particles (few µm in diameter) were also present in other regions of the leaves, often located beneath the leaf surface. In addition, submicrometric particles were observed inside stomatal openings. Raman Microspectrometry (RMS) analyses of the leaves identified smelter-originated Pb minerals but also secondary phases likely resulting from the weathering of original particles. Based on these observations, several pathways for foliar lead uptake are discussed. A better understanding of these mechanisms may be of interest for risk assessment of population exposure to atmospheric metal contamination.

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.