Spatiotemporally Detailed Quantification of Air Quality Benefits of Emissions Reductions-Part I: Benefit-per-Ton Estimates for Canada and the U.S.

The U.S. EPA's Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ)-adjoint model is used to map monetized health benefits (defined here as benefits of reduced mortality from chronic PM exposure) in the form of benefits per ton (of emissions reduced) for the U.

Spatiotemporally Detailed Quantification of Air Quality Benefits of Emissions-Part II: Sensitivity to Study Parameters and Assumptions.

Adjoint modeling, using U.S. EPA's Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ), has been performed to provide location-specific monetized health benefits from the controls of primary PM and PM precursors (NO , SO, and NH) across North America.

Estimating Model-Based Marginal Societal Health Benefits of Air Pollution Emission Reductions in the United States and Canada.

We developed spatially detailed source-impact estimates of population health burden measures of air pollution for the United States and Canada by quantifying sources-receptor relationships using the benefit-per-ton (BPT) metric. We calculated BPTs as the valuations of premature mortality counts due to fine particulate matter (PM; particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter) exposure resulting from emissions of one ton of a given pollutant.

Low-Molecular-Weight Carboxylic Acids in the Southeastern U.S.: Formation, Partitioning, and Implications for Organic Aerosol Aging.

While carboxylic acids are important components in both particle and gas phases in the atmosphere, their sources and partitioning are not fully understood. In this study, we present real-time measurements of both particle- and gas-phase concentrations for five of the most common and abundant low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids (LMWCA) in a rural region in the southeastern U.S.

Detailed Analysis of Estimated pH, Activity Coefficients, and Ion Concentrations between the Three Aerosol Thermodynamic Models.

In this work, we utilize a rich set of simulated and ground-based observational data in Tianjin, China to examine and compare the differences in aerosol acidity and composition predicted by three popular thermodynamic equilibrium models: ISORROPIA II, the Extended Aerosol Inorganics Model vision IV (E-AIM IV), and the Aerosol Inorganic-Organic Mixtures Functional groups Activity Coefficients model (AIOMFAC). The species used to estimate aerosol acidity for both simulated and ambient data were NH, Na, SO, NO, and Cl. For simulated data, there is good agreement between ISORROPIA II and E-AIM IV predicted acidity in the forward and metastable mode, resulting from the hydrogen ion activity coefficient (γ) and the molality () showing opposite trends.

Linked Response of Aerosol Acidity and Ammonia to SO and NO Emissions Reductions in the United States.

Large reductions of sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions in the United States have led to considerable improvements in air quality, though recent analyses in the Southeastern United States have shown little response of aerosol pH to these reductions. This study examines the effects of reduced emissions on the trend of aerosol acidity in fine particulate matter (PM), at a nationwide scale, using ambient concentration data from three monitoring networks-the Ammonia Monitoring Network (AMoN), the Clean Air Status and Trends network (CASTNET) and the Southeastern Aerosol Research and Characterization Network (SEARCH), in conjunction with thermodynamic (ISORROPIA-II) and chemical transport (CMAQ) model results. Sulfate and ammonium experienced similar and significant decreases with little change in pH, neutralization ratio ( f = [NH]/2[SO] + [NO]), or nitrate.

Studying the impact of radioactive charging on the microphysical evolution and transport of radioactive aerosols with the TOMAS-RC v1 framework.

Radioactive charging can significantly impact the way radioactive aerosols behave, and as a result their lifetime, but such effects are neglected in predictive model studies of radioactive plumes. The objective of this work is to determine the influence of radioactive charging on the vertical transport of radioactive aerosols in the atmosphere, through its effect on coagulation and deposition, as well as quantifying the impact of this charging on aerosol lifetime. The TwO-Moment Aerosol Sectional (TOMAS) microphysical model was extended to account for radioactive charging effects on coagulation in a computationally efficient way.

On the implications of aerosol liquid water and phase separation for organic aerosol mass.

Organic compounds and liquid water are major aerosol constituents in the southeast United States (SE US). Water associated with inorganic constituents (inorganic water) can contribute to the partitioning medium for organic aerosol when relative humidities or organic matter to organic carbon (OM/OC) ratios are high such that separation relative humidities (SRH) are below the ambient relative humidity (RH). As OM/OC ratios in the SE US are often between 1.

Expression of estrogen receptors in melanoma and sentinel lymph nodes; a "female" clinical entity or a possible treatment modality?

Purpose: The natural history of human malignant melanoma suggests that steroid hormones may affect the biological behavior of this tumor. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the specific immunostaining patterns of estrogen receptors in malignant melanomas and their sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs), as well as to examine any possible association with patients' prognosis and overall survival.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data was conducted during a 12-year period (2001-2012).

Contribution of the sST elevation/T-wave normalization in Q-wave leads during routine, pre-discharge treadmill exercise test to patient management and risk stratification after acute myocardial infarction: a 2.5-year follow-up study.

Objectives: This study investigated whether ST-segment elevation and T-wave normalization (TWN) in Q-wave leads on pre-discharge exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) can contribute to patient management after a recent myocardial infarction (MI).

Background: The clinical relevance of these exercise ECG changes remains controversial despite accumulating evidence of their association with myocardial viability. Because discrepancies of previous studies may depend on patient selection, the value of these ST/T abnormalities in the thrombolytic era should be better defined.

Electrocardiographic changes in elderly patients during small bowel enema.

Rationale And Objectives: Enteroclysis (small-bowel enema) involves the introduction of a large amount of fluid into the small bowel, through a tube, producing small bowel distention. A study was done to determine the incidence of any electrocardiographic changes during enteroclysis with Holter monitoring.

Methods: Continuous electrocardiographic monitoring and 12-lead electrocardiograms were performed in 30 elderly patients undergoing enteroclysis and in 30 control subjects undergoing routine chest, bone, and upper gastrointestinal small bowel follow-up studies.

Gallbladder contraction after administration of intravenous amino acids and long-chain triacylglycerols in humans.

We examined the possible physiologic effects of intravenous (IV) amino acids (AAs) and long-chain triacylglycerols (LCTs) on gallbladder (GB) motility and release of cholecystokinin (CCK) on humans. GB contraction was studied in normal volunteers after administration of a fatty meal and IV infusion of AA and LCT. The GB contraction volume was calculated with ultrasound.

False aneurysm of splanchnic arteries--a scintigraphic pitfall.

A 99mTc-DTPA flow study fo the abdominal aorta in a 56-year old woman gave a false-positive image of an aneurysm at the site of the celiac axis or superior mesenteric artery.

An unusual encapsulated collection of urine (urinoma) in an infant with vesicoureteral reflux.

We describe an unusual case of encapsulated collection of urine (urinoma) in a 7-month-old female infant. The clinical diagnosis was urinary tract infection. The retrograde cysto-urethrogram revealed grade III vesicoureteral reflux, which we believe was the cause of the urinoma.