Human Monocyte-Derived Macrophages Demonstrate Distinct Responses to Ambient Particulate Matter in a Polarization State- and Particle Seasonality-Specific Manner.

Macrophages are professional phagocytic immune cells that, following activation, polarize on a spectrum between the proinflammatory M1 and the proresolution M2 states. Macrophages have further been demonstrated to retain plasticity, allowing for the reprogramming of their polarization states following exposure to new stimuli. Particulate matter (PM) has been repeatedly shown to modify macrophage function and polarization while also inducing worsening respiratory infection morbidity and mortality.

Chemistry and lung toxicity of particulate matter emitted from firearms.

Smoke emissions produced by firearms contain hazardous chemicals, but little is known if their properties change depending on firearm and ammunition type and whether such changes affect toxicity outcomes. Pulmonary toxicity was assessed in mice exposed by oropharyngeal aspiration to six different types of smoke-related particulate matter (PM) samples; (1) handgun PM, (2) rifle PM, (3) copper (Cu) particles (a surrogate for Cu in the rifle PM) with and without the Cu chelator penicillamine, (4) water-soluble components of the rifle PM, (5) soluble components with removal of metal ions, and (6) insoluble components of the rifle PM. Gun firing smoke PM was in the respirable size range but the chemical composition varied with high levels of Pb in the handgun and Cu in the rifle smoke.

Investigating emergent nested geographic structure in consumer purchases: a Bayesian dynamic multi-scale spatiotemporal modeling approach.

Spatial modeling of consumer response data has gained increased interest recently in the marketing literature. In this paper, we extend the (spatial) multi-scale model by incorporating both spatial and temporal dimensions in the dynamic multi-scale spatiotemporal modeling approach. Our empirical application with a US company's catalog purchase data for the period 1997-2001 reveals a nested geographic market structure that spans geopolitical boundaries such as state borders.

Ambient Particulate Matter and Acrolein Co-Exposure Increases Myocardial Dyssynchrony in Mice via TRPA1.

Air pollution is a complex mixture of particulate matter and gases linked to adverse clinical outcomes. As such, studying responses to individual pollutants does not account for the potential biological responses resulting from the interaction of various constituents within an ambient air shed. We previously reported that exposure to high levels of the gaseous pollutant acrolein perturbs myocardial synchrony.

Application of ICP-OES for evaluating energy extraction and production wastewater discharge impacts on surface waters in Western Pennsylvania.

Oil and gas extraction and coal-fired electrical power generating stations produce wastewaters that are treated and discharged to rivers in Western Pennsylvania with public drinking water system (PDWS) intakes. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was used to quantify inorganic species in wastewater and river samples using a method based on EPA Method 200.7 rev4.

Source identification of PM2.5 in Steubenville, Ohio using a hybrid method for highly time-resolved data.

A new source-type identification method, Reduction and Species Clustering Using Episodes (ReSCUE), was developed to exploit the temporal synchronicity typically observed between ambient species in high time resolution fine particulate matter (PM2.5) data to form clusters that vary together. High time-resolution (30 min) PM2.

Source apportionment of ambient fine particulate matter in Dearborn, Michigan, using hourly resolved PM chemical composition data.

High time-resolution aerosol sampling was conducted for one month during July-August 2007 in Dearborn, MI, a non-attainment area for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Measurements of more than 30 PM2.

Application of EPA unmix and nonparametric wind regression on high time resolution trace elements and speciated mercury in Tampa, Florida aerosol.

Intensive ambient air sampling was conducted in Tampa, FL, during October and November of 2002. Fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) was collected at 30 min resolution using the Semicontinuous Elements in Aerosol Sampler II (SEAS-II) and analyzed off-line for up to 45 trace elements by high-resolution ICPMS (HR-ICPMS).