Spatiotemporal Analysis of Complex Emission Dynamics in Port Areas Using High-Density Air Sensor Network.

Cargo terminals, as pivotal hubs of mechanical activities, maritime shipping, and land transportation, are significant sources of air pollutants, exhibiting considerable spatiotemporal heterogeneity due to the complex and irregular nature of emissions. This study employed a high-density air sensor network with 17 sites across four functional zones in two Shanghai cargo terminals to monitor NO and NO concentrations with high spatiotemporal resolution post sensor data validation against regulatory monitoring stations. Notably, NO and NO concentrations within the terminal surged during the night, peaking at 06:00 h, likely due to local regulations on heavy-duty diesel trucks.

Dissecting PM sensor capabilities: A combined experimental and theoretical study on particle sizing and physicochemical properties.

Recent advancements in particulate matter (PM) optical measurement technology have enhanced the characterization of particle size distributions (PSDs) across various temporal and spatial scales, offering a more detailed analysis than traditional PM mass concentration monitoring. This study employs field experiments, laboratory tests, and model simulations to evaluate the influence of physicochemical characteristics of particulate matter (PM) on the performance of a compact, multi-channel PM sizing sensor. The sensor is integrated within a mini air station (MAS) designed to detect particles across 52 channels.

Evaluating methods for marine fuel sulfur content using microsensor sniffing systems on ocean-going vessels.

Establishing emission control areas (ECAs) can effectively reduce air pollution from marine emissions, making efficient monitoring of the fuel sulfur content (FSC) of ocean-going vessels (OGVs) key to ECA policy enforcement. Various FSC detection approaches, including oil sample analysis, sniffing method, and optical remote sensing, have been proposed, each with its benefits and drawbacks. Among these, the sniffing method appears promising but requires further improvement in field operation protocol and data analysis processes.

Assessing the spatial distribution of odor at an urban waterfront using AERMOD coupled with sensor measurements.

Impressions of a place are partly formed by smell. The urban waterfronts often leave a rather poor impression due to odor pollution, resulting in recurring complaints. The nature of such complaints can be subjective and vague, so there is a growing interest in quantitative measurements of emissions to explore the causes of malodorous influence.

Physical properties and structural characteristics of particulate matter emitted from a diesel engine fueled with biodiesel blends.

This research explores the influence of renewable fuels, including three kinds of biodiesel along with ethanol on the physical properties and structural characteristics of particulate matter (PM) emitted from a diesel engine in comparison with pure diesel. After adding 10 vol% of grape seed biodiesel, coffee biodiesel and eucalyptus oil into diesel, three biodiesel blended fuels (10% grape seed biodiesel (DGs10), 10% spent coffee ground biodiesel (DC10) and eucalyptus oil biodiesel (DEu10)) were produced and tested in this study. Besides, one ethanol blend containing 9 vol% of ethanol and 1 vol% of biodiesel (blend stabilizer) was also tested to do the comparison.

Physical, chemical, and cell toxicity properties of mature/aged particulate matter (PM) trapped in a diesel particulate filter (DPF) along with the results from freshly produced PM of a diesel engine.

The lifetime and efficiency of diesel particulate filters (DPFs) strongly depend on the proper and periodic cleaning and servicing. Unfortunately, in some cases, inappropriate methods are applied to clean the DPFs, e.g.

Physicochemical and cell toxicity properties of particulate matter (PM) from a diesel vehicle fueled with diesel, spent coffee ground biodiesel, and ethanol.

The literature shows that information about the physical, chemical, and cell toxicity properties of particulate matter (PM) from diesel vehicles is not rich as the existence of a remarkable number of studies about the combustion, performance, and emissions of diesel vehicles using renewable liquid fuels, particularly biodiesels and alcohols. Also, the PM analyses from combustion of spent coffee ground biodiesel have not been comprehensively explored. Therefore, this research is presented.

Why is the world not yet ready to use alternative fuel vehicles?

Despite the improvement in technologies for the production of alternative fuels (AFs), and the needs for using more AFs for motor vehicles for the reductions in air pollution and greenhouse gases, the number of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) in the global transportation sector has not been increasing significantly (there are even small drops for adapting some AFs through the projections) in recent years and even in the near future with projections to 2050. And gasoline and diesel fuels will remain as the main energy sources for motor vehicles. After reviewing the latest advantages and disadvantages of AFVs, including flexible-fuel, gas, electric, hybrid electric, and fuel cell electric vehicles, it is found that the higher price of AFVs, compared to that of gasoline and diesel vehicles, might be one of the main barriers for their wider adoption.

Communication as a Key for Imparting Oral Health Knowledge in Special Needs Patients Attending Special Schools in Sangareddy District in Telangana.

Aim And Objective: To assess the oral health status of special health care needs children, adequacy of awareness on oral hygiene among their parents, and recognition of the critical role of teachers as oral health moderators.

Materials And Methods: This study included 78, 4-15 years aged children of Government Special Schools, Sangareddy. Both parents and teachers took part in the study.

Role of semi-volatile particulate matter in gas-particle partitioning leading to change in oxidative potential.

Atmospheric semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) are complex in their chemical and toxicological characteristics with sources from both primary combustion emissions and secondary oxygenated aerosol formation processes. In this study, thermal desorption of PM in association with online measurement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was carried out to study the role of SVOCs in its gas-particle partitioning. The mass concentrations of PM, black carbon (BC) and p-PAHs downstream of a thermodenuder were measured online at different temperature settings (25, 50, 100, and 200 °C) to characterize PM physico-chemical properties.

Protocol development for real-time ship fuel sulfur content determination using drone based plume sniffing microsensor system.

Pollutants from navigation sector are key contributors to emission inventories of most coastal cities with heavy port activities. The use of high fuel sulfur content (FSC) bunker oil by ocean going vessels (OGVs) has been identified as a major source of sulfur dioxide (SO). Government authorities all over the world, including Hong Kong government, have implemented air pollution control regulations to cap FSC of fuel used by OGVs to 0.

Characteristics and toxicological effects of commuter exposure to black carbon and metal components of fine particles (PM) in Hong Kong.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated significant associations between traffic-related air pollution and adverse health outcomes. Personal exposure to fine particles (PM) in transport microenvironments and their toxicological properties remain to be investigated. Commuter exposures were investigated in public transport systems (including the buses and Mass Transit Railway (MTR)) along two sampling routes in Hong Kong.

Aerodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in two Wuhan hospitals.

The ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly on a global scale. Although it is clear that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is transmitted through human respiratory droplets and direct contact, the potential for aerosol transmission is poorly understood. Here we investigated the aerodynamic nature of SARS-CoV-2 by measuring viral RNA in aerosols in different areas of two Wuhan hospitals during the outbreak of COVID-19 in February and March 2020.

Photo-oxidation of particle phase iron species dominates the generation of reactive oxygen species in secondary aerosol.

This study presents an experimental investigation on the photochemical transformation of iron species in aerosol including dissolution of insoluble iron species into soluble fraction, and soluble ferric oxidation to ferrous form. This process has significantly contributed to the aerosol oxidative potential in generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We conducted both laboratory experiment of UV irradiation and real world solar irradiation on large variation of aerosol samples for the characterization of iron speciation in insoluble and soluble fractions to investigate their transformation under photooxidation process.

Ambient fine particulate matter inhibits 15-lipoxygenases to promote lung carcinogenesis.

Background: Epidemiological observations have demonstrated that ambient fine particulate matter with d < 2.5 μm (PM) as the major factor responsible for the increasing incidence of lung cancer in never-smokers. However, there are very limited experimental data to support the association of PM with lung carcinogenesis and to compare PM with smoking carcinogens.

Diurnal trends in redox characteristics of water-soluble and -insoluble PM components.

Densely populated cities with a compact urban built environment have concerns over health risks derived from high levels of airborne particulate matter (PM) exposure. Understanding the association between PM and reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an important step towards unravelling the mechanisms behind. This study investigated the role of time-integrated PM sampling on cellular toxicity mechanism on a diurnal scale.

Mechanistic insight into the in vitro toxicity of graphene oxide against biofilm forming bacteria using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

While the cytotoxicity of graphene oxide (GO) has been well established, its bactericidal mechanism, however, has yet to be elucidated to advance GO-based biomedical and environmental applications. In an attempt to better understand the bactericidal action of GO, herein we studied the interactions of GO with Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus cells using physical techniques and chemical probes, respectively. In particular, a novel laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) based elemental fingerprint analysis revealed notable differences between viable and non-viable cells based on the difference in the concentration of trace inorganic elements in complex bacterial systems, which reflect cellular membrane integrity.

The Emerging Nutritional Problems of School Adolescents: Overweight/Obesity and Associated Factors in Jimma Town, Ethiopia.

Background: Globally, overweight is rapidly becoming one of the most important medical and public health problems. Adolescent obesity is a multisystem disease with potentially devastating consequences that persist into adulthood. However, there is a paucity of available information regarding the adolescent overweight and obesity in Ethiopia, particularly in the study area.

Chemical characterization of size-segregated PM from different public transport modes and implications of source specific contribution to public exposure.

To investigate the chemical properties of particulate matter (PM) in different public transport microenvironments in Hong Kong, the coarse (2.5-10 μm) and fine (<2.5 μm) PM samples were collected in three different types of transport modes including Mass Transit Railway (MTR)-Aboveground (AG), MTR Underground (UG), and Bus routes from October 2013 to April 2014.

Investigation on the mechanism of non-photocatalytically TiO2 -induced reactive oxygen species and its significance on cell cycle and morphology.

Titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) nanoparticles are widely used in daily human life, and were reported to elicit biological effects such as oxidative stress either generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) or causing cell necrosis without generating ROS, whose underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet known. In this study, the role of dissolved oxygen in TiO2 catalytic activity in dark environment, and long-term cytotoxic effects of TiO2 exposure were investigated. To determine the effect of dissolved oxygen, the anatase-TiO2 nanoparticle suspension was prepared both in deoxygenated and regular MilliQ water, and a ~ 9-fold higher ROS in regular MilliQ samples was observed compared to deoxygenated samples while in the dark, which suggested dissolved oxygen as the driving agent behind the TiO2 catalytic reaction.

Spatial and seasonal heterogeneity of atmospheric particles induced reactive oxygen species in urban areas and the role of water-soluble metals.

Adverse health effects are associated with exposure to atmospheric particulate matter (PM), which carry various chemical constituents and induce both exogenous and endogenous oxidative stress. This study investigated the spatial and seasonal variability of PM-induced ROS at four sites with different characteristics in Hong Kong. Cytotoxicity, exogenous and endogenous ROS was determined on a dose and time dependent analysis.