Summertime Research Articles

Relationship between summer time near-surface ozone concentration and planetary boundary layer height in Beijing

The planetary boundary layer height (PBLH) is critical in affecting the concentration of air pollutants at surface. The relationship between PBLH and surface ozone concentration can be complicated but not entirely clear. In this study, by using observations and WRF-Chem simulations, we explore the relationship between the surface ozone and the PBLH in the summer daytime in Beijing, a major global ozone pollution hotspot. It is found that the surface ozone-PBLH relationship exhibits a three-stage evolution with ozone: first, increasing with PBLH, then keeping steady, and finally falling. The two turning points are around 1000 and 2000 m respectively. This process is likely controlled by the different contributions of chemical production and vertical mixing. Specifically, when PBLH is below ∼1000 m, as PBLH increases, chemical production increases owing to the light enhancement whereas the ozone contribution from vertical mixing remains weak due to the decreased ozone concentration gradient between the surface and the upper layer, resulting in a net gain of surface ozone concentration. When the PBL continues to rise, chemical production contributes less mainly due to the decrease of ozone precursors at the surface, whereas vertical mixing becomes more vigorous that further diluting surface ozone, resulting in a net loss of surface ozone concentration, especially when PBLH reaches above ∼2000 m. Our results contribute to understanding the variability of surface ozone in Beijing area and provide insights for local ozone air quality control.

Environmental and ecological risk assessment of municipal sewage sludge management using a sustainable solar drying system.

Providing a cost-effective and suitable way for sewage sludge refinement with the purpose of reducing environmental impacts or reutilization of sewage sludge can be an important issue for researchers. This study is inclined at bringing an economical and sustainable solution to sludge management in a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Three types of sludges were collected for the experiments: raw sludge was collected during winter (R.S.), digested sludge was collected during winter (D.S.1), and digested sludge was collected during summer time (D.S.2). This study proposes replacing mechanical drying by a solar drying system. Experimental analysis was carried out to determine the total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), heavy metals concentration, and pollution index (index of geo accumulation, contamination factor, ecological risk factor). The solar drying system was demonstrated to be very efficient with the three samples achieving a dry solid content of 96.96% for R.S., 96.75% for D.S.1, and 93.60% for D.S.2. after solar drying. While pollution index calculations showed that all three sludges present a low potential ecological risk.

A 1-year aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM) source analysis of organic aerosol particle contributions from anthropogenic sources after long-range transport at the TROPOS research station Melpitz

Abstract. Atmospheric aerosol particles are a complex combination of primary emitted sources (biogenic and anthropogenic) and secondary aerosol resulting from aging processes such as condensation, coagulation, and cloud processing. To better understand their sources, investigations have been focused on urban areas in the past, whereas rural-background stations are normally less impacted by surrounding anthropogenic sources. Therefore, they are predisposed for studying the impact of long-range transport of anthropogenic aerosols. Here, the chemical composition and organic aerosol (OA) sources of submicron aerosol particles measured by an aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM) and a multi-angle absorption photometer (MAAP) were investigated at Melpitz from September 2016 to August 2017. The location of the station at the frontier between western and eastern Europe makes it the ideal place to investigate the impact of long-range transport over Europe. Indeed, the station is under the influence of less polluted air masses from westerly directions and more polluted continental air masses from eastern Europe. The OA dominated the submicron particle mass concentration and showed strong seasonal variability ranging from 39 % (in winter) to 58 % (in summer). It was followed by sulfate (15 % and 20 %) and nitrate (24 % and 11 %). The OA source identification was performed using the rolling positive matrix factorization (PMF) approach to account for the potential temporal changes in the source profile. It was possible to split OA into five factors with a distinct temporal variability and mass spectral signature. Three were associated with anthropogenic primary OA (POA) sources: hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA; 5.2 % of OA mass in winter and 6.8 % in summer), biomass burning OA (BBOA; 10.6 % and 6.1 %) and coal combustion OA (CCOA; 23 % and 8.7 %). Another two are secondary and processed oxygenated OA (OOA) sources: less oxidized OOA (LO-OOA; 28.4 % and 36.7 %) and more oxidized OOA (MO-OOA; 32.8 % and 41.8 %). Since equivalent black carbon (eBC) was clearly associated with the identified POA factors (sum of HOA, BBOA, and CCOA; R2= 0. 87), eBC's contribution to each of the POA factors was achieved using a multilinear regression model. Consequently, CCOA represented the main anthropogenic sources of carbonaceous aerosol (sum of OA and eBC) not only during winter (56 % of POA in winter) but also in summer (13 % of POA in summer), followed by BBOA (29 % and 69 % of POA in winter and summer, respectively) and HOA (15 % and 18 % of POA in winter and summer, respectively). A seasonal air mass cluster analysis was used to understand the geographical origins of the different aerosol types and showed that during both winter and summer time, PM1 (PM with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 1 µm) air masses with eastern influence were always associated with the highest mass concentration and the highest coal combustion fraction. Since during wintertime CCOA is a combination of domestic heating and power plant emissions, the summer contribution of CCOA emphasizes the critical importance of coal power plant emissions to rural-background aerosols and its impact on air quality, through long-range transportation.

Detection and Removal of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon from Selected Areas in Tigris River in Baghdad City

Aromatic hydrocarbons present in Iraqi national surface water were believed to be raised principally from combustion of various petroleum products, industrial processes and transport output and their precipitation on surface water.Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were included in the priority pollutant list due to their toxic and carcinogenic nature. The concern about water contamination and the consequent human exposure have encouraged the development of new methods forPAHs detection and removal.PAHs, the real contaminants of petroleum matter, were detected in selected sites along Tigris River within Baghdad City in summer and winter time, using Shimadzu high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system.Analysis of samples from selected sites proved that the most abundant component of aromatic hydrocarbons were phenanthrene naphthalene, and acenaphthylene, followed by fluorene, acenaphthene, fluoranthene, benzo (a) pyrene, anthracene. and pyrene werepresent in low concentrations ranging in a descending order. Chrysene and benzo (a) anthracene were found in very low concentration.A laboratory unit was designed to optimize the factors which may influence the feasibility of degradation processes of naphthalene and phenanthrene in aqueous matrices by oxidation with Fenton reagent. The study proved that 83% and 79% removal of naphthalene and phenanthrene were achieved applying optimum conditions of pH=3, temperature=40 ° C, H2O2=50 ppm and Fe2+ catalyst = 6 ppm

Review on Effect of Nutrition during Flood on Children

Purpose: Nepal is a highly disaster-prone country, experiencing earthquakes, floods, landslides, drought, hot and cold waves, and vector-borne diseases on a regular basis. Monsoonal floods and landslides affect the most vulnerable communities in the hills and plains every year. The paper is aimed to review the effects of nutrition during floods on children. Design/Methodology/Approach: It is a review-based study. In this review, the researcher attempts to recommend a pragmatic solution for the time being through the systematic literature. The researcher uses deductive logic reasoning at large during the review. In-depth archival analysis followed by an intensive review would be strategies adopted during the scientific review. Findings/Result: The floods affected children, mothers’ and elders in Nepal. June to September is the main monsoon month in Nepal. Floods damage houses, foods, agricultural crops, livestock, poultry, and cloth. Floods affect the Terai area of Nepal. There is found floods affected 3-5 years children in Bhutan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal. At the flooding time floods damage houses, food, crops, livestock, and cloths. In Nepal all the family members’ victimised time more vulnerable found mothers, children and elders. June to July summer time floods affect more in the Terai districts children nutrition. It is needed to do research study in seven provinces of Nepal. Central, Province, and Local government allocate special funds for flooding victim children, mother, and elders. Originality/Value: The paper provides pragmatic solutions to the effect of the disaster on Children's nutrition status which might be the foundation for a healthy society overcoming the issue of flood in Nepal. Paper Type: Review paper

Spatiotemporal exposure of motorcyclists to particulate matter in a densely populated urban area: A case study of Varanasi, India

Researchers have studied motorcyclists' exposure to Particulate Matter (PM) during rush and non-rush hours. However, the combined effect of season and hour of the day on PM concentration has not been studied. PM concentration was measured near the typical breathing zone of motorcyclists who traveled along four designated routes in a densely populated city (Varanasi, India). Data were collected from January to June 2022 during various hours of the day (from 07:00 to 17:00 h). PM2.5 and PM10 concentration during winter was 2.36 and 1.69 times in summer, respectively. In contrast, PM2.5 and PM10 concentration during spring were 1.35 and 1.12 times during summer, respectively. PM2.5 correlated much more with relative humidity and atmospheric temperature than PM10. Higher PM concentration was recorded in rush hour (09:00–10:00) during spring and summer but in non-rush hours (12:00–13:00) during winter. The opposite trend in the winter was caused by more extended dispersion and dilution time of PM particles. Also, a higher proportion of PM2.5 was observed on routes with longer rush hours caused due to road encroachment by street vendors and pedestrians.

Carbon emissions from emerging glacier-fed Himalayan lakes

Glacial lakes are rapidly emerging in the Himalayas as glacier mass wastage rates in the region nearly doubled in recent times. Yet, the weathering‑carbon feedbacks in the glacial lakes are poorly constrained limiting our ability to predict how these newly forming and expanding lakes will modulate atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. In this study, we quantify the sources and process of carbon cycling in small-sized (≤0.4 km2) glacier-fed Himalayan lakes during summer time and evaluated the role of glacial lakes and streams in the atmospheric carbon budget. We find that glacier-fed Himalayan lakes and streams are expected to emit CO2 up to 1746 ± 139 mg C m−2 d−1 and 1960 ± 176 mg C m−2 d−1, respectively, which is mostly controlled by dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) fluxes. Using the glacial-lake inventory database, we estimate that the smaller glacial lakes in the Himalayas have the potential to emit ∼0.1 Tg C yr−1 to the atmosphere. As recent findings suggest that the existing lakes in the “Third Pole” have undergone >45% expansion in an area with a rapid expansion rate of +14.44 km2 yr−1 between 1976 and 2018, we conclude that CO2 emission from these smaller and newly developed Himalayan glacier-fed lakes and streams would be an important emerging component of carbon budgets in the glacierized Himalayan catchments, and its contribution will increase in future. Glacial lakes are emerging worldwide in response to melting glaciers. However, their role in carbon cycling is still underexplored. The lack of direct observational datasets on carbon fluxes, as well as their CO2 feedback mechanisms in glacial catchments has made it challenging to determine the impact of glacier-weathering‑carbon feedbacks on the concentration of atmospheric CO2. Here, we quantify the CO2 emitting potential of glacier-fed lakes and streams. By studying the carbon biogeochemistry of small (≤0.4 km2) glacier-fed Himalayan lakes and streams, we show that small lakes are a significant emitter of atmospheric CO2 controlled by dissolved inorganic carbon. We suggest that CO2 emission from small glacial lakes is an emerging—and not an inert—component of the regional carbon budget. Small glacial-fed Himalayan lakes emit ∼ 0.1 Tg C yr−1 to the atmosphere contributing to the annual carbon budget estimates of glacierized Himalayan catchments.

Analysis of the economic performance of salmon farming in submerged and surface cages in the Black Sea.

The production period for salmon farming in the Black Sea comprises the winter period and is limited to seven months, due to high water temperatures during the summer time. As an alternative strategy, temporary cage submersion during the summer season might be a solution for salmon grow-out throughout the year. Therefore, this study was conducted for comparative evaluation of economic performance of submerged and surface cages, by analyzing structural costs and returns for Turkish salmon farming in the Black Sea. As a result of the temporary cage submersion strategy, economic profits increased by nearly 70%, granting higher values of financial indicators with increased net profit (685,652.5 $ year-1) and margin of safety (89.6%), compared to the traditional surface cage (397,058.5 $ year-1 net profit and 88.4% margin of safety). The "What-if" analysis showed that profits from both cage systems were sensitive to variations in sale price, and the simulation by 10% reduced export market value may decrease revenues, with less financial profit loss for the submerged cage over the surface once. Hence, temporary cage submersion seems to be an alternative farm management strategy with extended production cycle and higher profits for the sustainable development of Turkish salmon farming in the Black Sea.

Evolution of summer surface ozone pollution patterns in China during 2015–2020

Surface ozone is one of the most severe air pollutants in China and is influenced by meteorological processes on multiple scales. By identifying the two dominant patterns of ozone pollution through Empirical Orthogonal Functions method, we show here that the widespread pollution processes in China may be closely related to high-pressure anomaly in North China and low-pressure anomaly in the western Pacific, respectively. The positive time period of the first pattern (PC1P) extracts the distribution characteristics of the most severe periods of ozone pollution in summer time. It is physically linked to the high-pressure anomaly in North China centered on the Huanghuai Region, which eventually induced the high-temperature anomaly and low-humidity anomaly that enhanced the photochemical reactions to elevate the ozone levels. The spatial and temporal evolution of ozone pollution during this meteorological process shows a uniform pollution characteristic in the northern region and a higher increase in ozone concentration in the Huanghuai Region. The positive time period of the second pattern (PC2P) is associated with the variation of the low-pressure anomaly in the western Pacific. It indicates uniformly high ozone pollution in the south, especially in the Yangtze River Delta, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (MYR) and the Pearl River Delta. Our results highlight that summer ozone pollution in eastern China is closely related to weather patterns. In addition, it is noteworthy that in the positive time period, the annual growth trends of Huanghuai Region in the first pattern (PC1P) and MYR in the second pattern (PC2P) are significantly higher than the growth trends of the megacity clusters, which requires the attention of relevant policy-making authorities.

(453) Seasonal Variation in Serum Testosterone Levels

Abstract Introduction Variation in testosterone levels by season and month have been reported, however results have been inconsistent across studies. Large series are conflicting with reported peaks in June, October, December, and January. Testosterone levels in most of these studies nadir in the spring. The etiology for the variability remains unknown but is likely multifactorial including sunlight exposure, sleep duration, and outdoor temperature. Objective To determine if there is seasonal variability in testosterone levels in a large cohort of men and if this variability may be clinically relevant. Methods Using a single institutional database, testosterone levels were obtained for men ages 18-99 from 2010-2021 who had at least 2 testosterone levels drawn within a 2-year period. Patients who were currently or previously on exogenous testosterone, testosterone stimulating medications, testosterone suppressing medications, and aromatase inhibitors were excluded from the study. Climate data including mean monthly temperature for Miami-Dade County, FL was obtained from the PRISM Climate Group. Minutes of daylight on the fifteenth day of each month was applied as the representative daylight duration for each month. Results There were 3,377 total patients included in the study, there were 9495 total testosterone levels measured with all patients having 2 or more levels. The mean age was 58.8 years old. In the winter the mean testosterone level in the was 422 ng/dl (Figure 1.), the average time of daylight was 682 minutes, and the average temperature was 68 F. In the spring the mean testosterone level was 412 ng/dl, the average time of daylight was 801 minutes, and the average temperature was 78.4 F. In the summer the mean testosterone level was 416 ng/dl, the average time of daylight was 780 minutes, and the average temperature was 83.6 F. In the fall the mean testosterone level in the fall was 417ng/dl, the average time of daylight was 661 minutes, and the average temperature was 75.3 F. Conclusions Our findings suggest seasonal variability in testosterone levels with the highest testosterone levels in the winter, the lowest levels in the spring and a steady increase in testosterone levels in the summer and fall. However, this variation is minor and not likely to be clinically relevant. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Acerus Pharmaceuticals Consultant, Grant Recipient Boston Scientific Consultant, Grant Recipient Coloplas tConsultant, Grant Recipient Endo Pharmaceuticals Consultant, Grant Recipient Empower Pharmacy Grant Recipient Nestle Health Consultant Olympus Grant Recipient Hims, Inc Advisory Board.

Material flow analysis and global warming potential assessment of an industrial insect-based bioconversion plant using housefly larvae

The significant increase in the demand for biomass waste treatment after garbage classification has led to housefly larvae treatment becoming an attractive treatment option. It can provide a source of protein while treating biomass waste, which means that nutrients can be returned to the natural food chain. However, the performance of this technology in terms of its environmental impacts is still unclear, particularly with regards to global warming potential (GWP).This study used a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach to assess a housefly larvae treatment plant with a treatment capacity of 50 tons of biomass waste per day. The LCA results showed that the 95% confidence intervals for the GWP in summer and winter were determined to be 24.46–32.81 kg CO2 equivalent (CO2-eq)/ton biomass waste and 5.37–10.08 kg CO2-eq/ton biomass waste, respectively. The greater GWP value in summer is due to the longer ventilation time and higher ventilation intensity in summer, which consumes more power. The main GWP contributions are from (1) electricity needs (accounting for 78.6% of emissions in summer and 70.2% in winter) and (2) product substitution by mature housefly larvae and compost (both summer and winter accounting for 96.8% of carbon reduction).

Multiscale feature analysis of forecast errors of 500 hPa geopotential height for the CMA‐GFS model

AbstractUsing ERA5 reanalysis data from March 2021 to February 2022 and the China Meteorological Administration Global Forecasting System (CMA‐GFS) operational forecast dataset of 500 hPa geopotential height in the Northern Hemisphere in the same period, the multiscale features of forecast errors are analyzed. The results indicate that the anomaly correlation coefficient (ACC) of 500 hPa geopotential height and its multiscale components in the Northern Hemisphere keep decreasing with the extension of forecast lead time, and there are no seasonal differences in the evolution of the ACC. The effective forecast skills by season for the CMA‐GFS model are above 6 days at multiscale, with the highest skills in winter and the planetary‐scale components. In space, significant seasonal differences are observed in the locations of the extreme values of multiscale forecast errors for 500 hPa geopotential height, and the spatial distribution of forecast errors reflects the inadequate prediction of the intensity of large‐scale trough and ridge systems at middle and high latitudes and the phase‐shift prediction of small troughs and ridges at middle latitudes. Generally, the forecast errors of the original field and planetary‐scale component show wavelike or banded distribution, and the synoptic‐scale forecast errors are always distributed in latitudinal wavelike patterns alternating between positive and negative, without significant differences in the distribution of land, sea, and terrain. The first empirical orthogonal function modes of multiscale forecast errors almost retain their respective feature. In temporal, the spring, summer, and autumn time series all have quasi‐biweekly positive and negative phase transitions within the monthly scale, and the significant phase transition in winter only occurs around January 1st. These results deepen the understanding of the distribution and possible causes of forecast errors of the CMA‐GFS model and provide ideas for the improvement and revision of the model.

Estimation of Inactivation time for the SARS-CoV-2 virus from the UV biometer in South Korea.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a result of the infection by "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and has caused various social and economic effects over the globe. As the SARS-CoV-2 is effectively inactivated by the exposure to the UV-B radiation (shorter than 315nm), the exposure time for inactivation of the SARS-CoV-2 was estimated using the broadband UV observation instrument over 11 observation sites in South Korea. For the limitation of the UV biometer, which has limited spectral information, the coefficient for conversion from the erythemal UV (EUV) to the radiation for virus inactivation was adopted before estimating the inactivation time. The inactivation time of SARS-CoV-2 is significantly dependent on seasonal and diurnal variations due to the temporal variations of surface incident UV irradiance. The inactivation times in summer and winter were around 10 and 50min, respectively. The inactivation time was unidentified during winter afternoons due to the weak spectral UV solar radiation in winter. As the estimation of inactivation time using broadband observation includes the uncertainty due to the conversion coefficient and the error due to the solar irradiance, the sensitivity analysis of the inactivation time estimation was also conducted by changing the UV irradiance.

Statistical Characteristics of Nighttime Medium‐Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances From 10‐Years of Airglow Observation by the Machine Learning Method

AbstractFor the first time, we used the machine learning method to analyze the statistical occurrence and propagation characteristics of nighttime medium‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) from October 2011 to December 2021 observed by the all‐sky airglow imager deployed at Xinglong (40.4°N, 117.6°E, 30.5° MLAT), China. We developed a program code using the algorithms to identify and extract the propagation and morphological features of MSTIDs in 630 nm airglow images automatically. The classification model and detection model have accuracies of 96.9% and 70%–85%, respectively. We identified 611 MSTID events from 749,888 airglow images, and obtained the following statistical results: (a) the MSTIDs occurrence peaked at 2200–2300 local time in summer and 2300–2400 in winter; (b) the annual average of horizontal wavelength and velocity are 160–311 km and 98–133 m/s, respectively; (c) among 611 events, 589 MSTIDs propagated southwestward. Fifteen events are northeastward and all of them are periodic MSTIDs, most of which occurred between April and August; (d) the annual trend of relative intensity perturbation (%) shows a negative correlation with the horizontal phase speed; (e) horizontal wavelengths of MSTIDs are independent of the solar activity. Further analyses found those southwestward propagating MSTIDs are consistent with the Es‐Perkins coupling theory, while those non‐southwestward ones could be related to the atmospheric gravity waves and other possible sources. The northeastward events exhibit morphological and seasonal characteristics, which cannot be explained by the Perkins instability, more simultaneous observations (GPS‐TEC, OH airglow, etc.) are required to reveal the mechanism behind these characteristics.

Persistent contamination of a hospital hot water network by Legionella pneumophila

We assessed the contamination with Legionella pneumophila (Lp) of the hot water network (HWN) of a hospital, mapped the risk of contamination, and evaluated the relatedness of isolates. We further validated phenotypically the biological features that could account for the contamination of the network. We collected 360 water samples from October 2017 to September 2018 in 36 sampling points of a HWN of a building from a hospital in France. Lp were quantified and identified with culture-based methods and serotyping. Lp concentrations were correlated with water temperature, date and location of isolation. Lp isolates were genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and compared to a collection of isolates retrieved in the same HWN two years later, or in other HWN from the same hospital. 207/360 (57.5%) samples were positive with Lp. In the hot water production system, Lp concentration was negatively associated with water temperature. In the distribution system, the risk of recovering Lp decreased when temperature was >55°C (p<10-3), the proportion of samples with Lp increased with distance from the production network (p<10-3), and the risk of finding high loads of Lp increased 7.96 times in summer (p=0.001). All Lp isolates (n=135) were of serotype 3, and 134 (99.3%) shared the same pulsotype which is found two years later (Lp G). In vitro competition experiments showed that a 3-day culture of Lp G on agar inhibited the growth of a different pulsotype of Lp (Lp O) contaminating another HWN of the same hospital (p=0.050). We also found that only Lp G survived to a 24h-incubation in water at 55°C (p=0.014). We report here a persistent contamination with Lp of a hospital HWN. Lp concentrations were correlated with water temperature, season, and distance from the production system. Such persistent contamination could be due to biotic parameters such as intra-Legionella inhibition and tolerance to high temperature, but also to the non-optimal configuration of the HWN that prevented the maintenance of high temperature and optimal water circulation.

ENTOMOFAUNA DE INTERES FORENSE ASOCIADA AL PROCESO DE DESCOMPOSICIÓN CADAVÉRICA DE Sus scrofa EN ÉPOCA DE VERANO EN UN DISTRITO DEL NORTE DEL PERÚ

Necrophagous insects, mainly Diptera and Coleoptera, are involved in the cadaveric decomposition process depending on time ofstudy and location, are important to estimate the postmortem interval. Pigs have become the most frequently used animal model in forensic science. The objective of this research was to identify the genera and/or species of necrophagous insects in the five stages of the cadaveric decomposition process, at the time of summer 2018 taking place in an urban area of Nuevo Chimbote (Ancash, Peru), using SusscrofaL. as an animal model. It was used a 12-kg pig carcass, recently euthanized and kept for 70 days, at an average temperature of 24.26°C and an average relative humidity of 66.96% inside a Schoenly-type trap to capture insects. Insects of the Diptera and Coleoptera orders were found in the different phases of decomposition: In the initial phase (two days) only dipterous insects, Sarcophagasp., Chrysomyaalbiceps, Cochliomyiamacellariaand Luciliacuprinawere identified; in the phase of active putrefaction(two days) the same species of diptera and coleoptera, Necrobiarufipesand Dermestesfrischii; in the advanced putrefaction phase (three days) the same species and also Muscadomesticadiptera; in the fermentation phase (11 days) the same species and also beetle Ammophorusperuvianus; and in the skeletonization phase (52 days) only beetles Saprinussp., Necrobiarufipesand Dermestesfrischiiwere identified. The results of this study indicate that in an open environment in an urban area of Nuevo Chimbote(Ancash, Peru), in summer season (January-March), the entomofauna was associated with the decomposition of S. scrofwhich is composed of five species of the order Diptera and four of the order Coleoptera. In addition, it was possible to observe that in the initial phase only diptera were present and in the final phase (skeletation) only coleoptera, which could be used as decomposition markers.

Otitis externa and the use of different antibiotics

A descriptive study , microbiological and pharmacological study was done on hildren with otitis externa 10 years of age and less attending the pediatrics and the Ear Nose and Throat department at the Tikrit Teaching hospitals during the period from 1st of August to 2007 to the last of February 2008. The aim of this study is to evaluate the response of bacteria causing otitis externa to the newly used antibiotics as compared with other old drugs. The total number of cases were 27 cases, males were 21 (77.8% ) while the rest were females, 6 cases (22.2% ). Most of the study cases were between the age of 5-10 years 22 cases (81.5%) .Most of the study cases were from the rural areas 18 cases (66.7%) . Chronic otitis externa is the commonest form of disease in the study cases 25 cases (92.6%) .Most of the study cases have nilateral OE 22 cases (81.5%). Most ofthe cases have infection at the auricle in both male and females, 13 cases (48.1%) and 5 cases (18.5%) respectively. Most ofthe study cases have onset of the disease during summer time , 21 cases (77. 8% ). Most of the study cases had history of swimming 19 cases (70.4% ). All the study cases had history of auricular pain 27 cases (100%), followed by feeling of itching in 16 cases (59.3% All the study cases have tenderness of the external ears specially on moving the pinna 27 cases (100%), followed by swelling of the pinna 16 cases (59.3% ).Staph aureus was the commonest microorganism encountered 18 cases ( 66.7%) followed by pseudomonas Aeruginosa 2 cases (7.4% ). No growth was found in 6 cases (22.2% ). Regarding staph aureus, there is significant response to both erythromycin and to the ciprofloxacin , 18 cases ( 1 00%) and 17 cases (94.4% ) respectively. Regarding the pseudomonas , only the ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin shows response 2 cases for each (100%).the study concludes that the use ofnew regime in the treatment of otitis

Source contribution of PCBs and OC/EC at a background site in the Yangtze River Estuary: insight from inter-comparison by Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF)

Background air samples, including gas-phase components and suspended particulates, were collected over one year (2013-2014) for an investigation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and OC/EC in the Yangtze River Estuary. PCB concentrations exhibited great seasonal variability and ranged between 43 and 720 pg·m−3. They mainly were associated with the gas phase, and levels peaked in the summer time at 327 ± 177 pg·m−3. By contrast, concentrations of particulate PCBs and OC/EC were higher in the cold seasons, which was due to high-temperature combustion emission and frequent haze events. According to the results of a positive matrix factorization, the combustion and non-combustion sources of PCBs accounted for 30% and 70% of total PCBs, respectively. Meanwhile, SOC/OC value was 54.7% ± 20.1%, which suggests gas-to-particle conversion process plays a significant role in contributing to atmospheric particles. To this end, the influence of OC/EC on both combustion and non-combustion PCBs in the long-range atmospheric transport deserves further research.Graphical

Development of an automatic measurement system using atmospheric pressure photoionization ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry and application for on-line analysis of particulate matter

On-line chemical characterization of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) with soft ionization technique and ultrahigh-resolution Mass Spectrometry (UHRMS) provides molecular information of organic constituents in real time. Here we describe the development and application of an automatic measurement system that incorporates PM2.5 sampling, thermal desorption, atmospheric pressure photoionization, and UHRMS analysis. Molecular formulas of detected organic compounds were deducted from the accurate (±10 ppm) molecular weights obtained at a mass resolution of 100,000, allowing the identification of small organic compounds in PM2.5. Detection efficiencies of 28 standard compounds were determined and we found a high sensitivity and selectivity towards organic amines with limits of detection below 10 pg. As a proof of principle, PM2.5 samples collected off-line in winter in the urban area of Beijing were analyzed using the Ionization Module and HRMS of the system. The automatic system was then applied to conduct on-line measurements during the summer time at a time resolution of 2 hr. The detected organic compounds comprised mainly CHON and CHN compounds below 350 m/z. Pronounced seasonal variations in elemental composition were observed with shorter carbon backbones and higher O/C ratios in summer than that in winter. This result is consistent with stronger photochemical reactions and thus a higher oxidation state of organics in summer. Diurnal variation in signal intensity of each formula provides crucial information to reveal its source and formation pathway. In summary, the automatic measurement system serves as an important tool for the on-line characterization and identification of organic species in PM2.5.

Radiation and Temperature of a Tropical Grassland in Summer Times: Experimental Observations

The surface texture of urbanized regions is altered by the replacement of natural vegetated surfaces with hardened pavement surfaces, which have been described as a heat source for the formation of urban heat islands. Grasslands may store rainfall in their roots and leaves for later cooling, but this has received little attention. This study investigated the radiant flux and temperature of a tropical grassland throughout the summer in order to understand the albedo, long-wave radiation, short-wave radiation, and surface temperature of the grassland over 10 days. The grassland had an albedo of 0.13, which did not fluctuate during the day compared to the albedo of other surfaces in metropolitan areas. Even if the local weather changes considerably, this albedo does not alter significantly. The surface temperature and the air temperature above the grassland increase linearly with the upwelling reflectance, incident solar radiation, and upwelling long-wave radiation. These two temperatures do not correspond with downwelling long-wave radiation, which is influenced by cloud cover in the sky. However, the peaks of these temperatures lag behind the incident shortwave radiation and net radiation that reaches the grassland surface. The finding that the thermal properties of grasslands could be harnessed to reduce the heat absorbed by urban surfaces provides valuable insights into the grasslands’ potential to mitigate the impacts of urbanization on temperature.