An iteratively optimized downscaling method for city-scale air quality forecast emission inventory establishment.

Air quality models (AQMs) are pivotal in forecasting air quality and shaping pollution control strategies. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of AQMs is often compromised in many cities due to the absence of accurate local emission inventories. To address this gap, this study presents a novel AQM-ready emission inventory generation technique with iterative optimization ability for city-scale applications in China. An efficient emission processing tool was introduced in this study, which utilizes the High-Resolution Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China (HR-MEIC) as input. Using environmental observations and a region map, the tool can justify emissions of different regions iteratively. With the iterative optimization method, the model performance can be notably improved even without local emissions. The optimization was realized by splitting model-ready emissions into different regions and adjusting the emissions using scale factors calculated with the modeling results and the observations of each region. This methodology was applied to the Eight Cities in the Chengdu Plain (CP8C), located in the western margin of Sichuan Basin with complex topography and meteorological conditions, southwestern China, monthly throughout 2023. Air quality modeling was carried out using Weather Forecast and Research Model (WRF) and the Community Multiscale Air Quality Model (CMAQ). The results showed that the optimization acquired a good performance after five cycles for PM2.5 and NO2, with correlation coefficients (R values) surging from 0.62 and 0.37 to 0.77 and 0.73, respectively, while their normalized mean bias (NMB) substantially decreased from 22.8 % and 100.4 % to 3.6 % and 3.3 %. The underestimation on O3 concentration was also improved by the optimization, although enhancements in O3 modeling remained modest. This technique provides an easy-to-copy method to generate reasonable AQM-ready emission files with open emission data and observation data, which would be beneficial for the cities' air quality forecast in cities without local emission inventories.

Assessing traffic emissions during the summer world university games 2023: Insights for multisectoral synergetic decontamination.

Implementing temporary traffic control measures is a common strategy to prevent air pollution and alleviate traffic congestion during mega-events. Accurate assessment of event-time vehicular emissions is useful for local authorities to develop effective policies. However, many previous assessments were based on policy-based scenarios, which often failed to capture the synergistic impact from other sectors (e.g., the industrial sector). Here, we conducted both traditional scenario-based ex-ante evaluation and data-driven real-time emissions tracking to evaluate the impacts of traffic restriction policies during the Summer World University Games 2023 in Chengdu, China. Real-time tracking revealed that average vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT), traffic emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX), and volatile organic compound (VOC) decreased by 18.3 %, 37.9 %, and 18.4 %, respectively, compared to the non-event period. The scenario-based ex-ante evaluation substantially underestimated NOX emission reduction from the truck fleet due to the lack of consideration for multisectoral synergistic effects. Event-time interventions in the industrial sector accounted for an additional 18.1 % reduction in truck NOX emissions. This study underscores the importance of considering cross-sectoral synergy when establishing policies for future mega events.

Impacts of the Chengdu 2021 world university games on NO2 pollution: Implications for urban vehicle electrification promotion.

Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) are a dominant contributor to ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations, but the quantitative relationship between them at an intracity scale remains elusive. The Chengdu 2021 FISU World University Games (July 22 to August 10, 2023) was the first world-class multisport event in China after the COVID-19 pandemic which led to a substantial decline in NOx emissions in Chengdu. This study evaluated the impact of variations in NOx emissions on NO2 concentrations at a fine spatiotemporal scale by leveraging this event-driven experiment. Based on ground-based and satellite observations, we developed a data-driven approach to estimate full-coverage hourly NO2 concentrations at 1 km resolution. Then, a random-forest-based meteorological normalization method was applied to decouple the impact of meteorological conditions on NO2 concentrations for every grid cell, the resulting data were then compared with the timely bottom-up NOx emissions. The SHapley-Additive-exPlanation (SHAP) method was employed to delineate the individual contributions of meteorological factors and various emission sources to the changes in NO2 concentrations. According to the full-coverage meteorologically normalized NO2 concentrations, a decrease in NOx emissions and favorable meteorological conditions accounted for 80 % and 20 % of the NO2 reduction, respectively, across Chengdu city during the control period. Within the strict control zone, a 30 % decrease in the meteorologically normalized NO2 concentrations was observed during the control period. The normalized NO2 concentrations demonstrated a strong correlation with NOx emissions (R = 0.96). Based on the SHAP analysis, traffic emissions accounted for 73 % of the reduction in NO2 concentrations, underscoring the significance of traffic control measures in improving air quality in urban areas. This study provides insights into the relationship between NO2 concentrations and NOx emissions using real-world data, which implies the substantial benefits of vehicle electrification for sustainable urban development.

Ozone production sensitivity analysis for the Chengdu Plain Urban Agglomeration based on a multi-site and two-episode observation.

Chengdu Plain Urban Agglomeration (CPUA) is one of the most serious areas suffering from ozone pollution in China. A comprehensive field observation focused on the ozone production rate and its sensitivity was conducted at CPUA in the summer of 2019. Six sampling sites were set and two ozone pollution episodes were recognized. The daily maximum 8-h average (MDA8) O3 concentration reached 137.9 ppbv in the urban sites during the ozone pollution episode. Peak concentration of O3 was closely related to intense solar radiation, high temperatures, and precursor emissions. The OH-HO2-RO2 radical chemistry and ozone production rate (P(O3)) were calculated using an observation-based model (OBM). The daily peak OH concentration varied in the range of 3-13 × 106 molecules cm-3, and peak HO2 and RO2 were in the range of 2-14 × 108 molecules cm-3 during ozone pollution episodes. During the ozone pollution episode, the average maximum of P(O3) in suburban sites (about 30 ppbv h-1.) was compared with urban sites, and the maximum of P(O3) was 18 ppbv h-1 in rural sites. The relative incremental reactivity (RIR) results demonstrate that it was a VOCs-limited regime in the central urban area of Chengdu, with NOx suppression effect in some regions. In the southern neighboring suburb of Chengdu, it was VOCs-limited as well. However, the northern suburban area was a transition region. In the remote rural areas of the southern CPUA, it was highly NOx-limited. Local ozone production driven by the photochemical process is crucial to the ozone pollution formation in CPUA. The geographically differentiated recognition of the ozone regime found by this study can help to tailor control strategies for local conditions and avoid the negative effects of a one-size-fits-all approach.

Evolution of black carbon and brown carbon during summertime in Southwestern China: An assessment of control measures during the 2023 Chengdu Summer World University Games.

The 31st FISU Summer World University Games (SWUG) was held in Chengdu, southwestern China, from July 22 to August 8, 2023. A series of control measures were carried out to ensure good air quality during the SWUG, providing an opportunity to investigate the atmospheric behaviors of light-absorbing aerosols under such a substantial disturbance caused by the control measures. To assess the impacts of emission controls on primary pollutants, a field campaign was conducted at a rural site in Chengdu to investigate the characterization of equivalent black carbon (eBC). The changes of eBC concentrations before, during, and after the SWUG were characterized. The sources of eBC were resolved, and the impacts of atmospheric processes on the absorption capacity were also investigated. During the SWUG, the eBC concentration decreased by 12.1 % and 25.3 % compared with those before and after the SWUG. A fossil fuel combustion (eBCff) and a biomass burning (eBCbb) originated eBC were resolved using the aethalometer model. Both eBCff and eBCbb decreased during the SWUG, indicating the effectiveness of control measures. After the SWUG, the influence of biomass burning emissions became more and more significant, and the contribution of brown carbon (BrC) to light absorption at 370-660 nm increased by 52, 19, 7, 6, and 17 % compared to those during the SWUG. As the biomass burning emitted aerosols aged, the absorption Ångström exponent and babs(BrC370nm) decreased gradually, which was mainly due to the photobleaching of the chromophores during the daytime. eBCff was mainly affected by strong wind, while high eBCbb concentration was mainly attributed to the gradual accumulation of biomass-burning emissions near the observation site. The results show the significant reduction of eBC with the implementation of the air pollution mitigation campaign, and provide insights on the impacts of atmospheric processes on BC optical properties during summertime.

Ozone sensitivity regimes vary at different heights in the planetary boundary layer.

The sensitivity of tropospheric ozone (O3) to its precursors volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) determines the emission reduction strategy for O3 mitigation. Due to the lack of comprehensive vertical measurements of VOCs, the vertical distribution of O3 sensitivity regimes has not been well understood. O3 precursor sensitivity determined by ground-level measurements has been generally used to guide O3 control strategy. Here, to precisely diagnose O3 sensitivity regimes at different heights in the planetary boundary layer (PBL), we developed a vertical measurement system based on an unmanned aerial vehicle platform to conduct comprehensive vertical measurements of VOCs, NOX and other relevant parameters. Our results suggest that the O3 precursor sensitivity shifts from a VOC-limited regime at the ground to a NOX-limited regime at upper layers, indicating that the ground-level O3 sensitivity cannot represent the situation of the whole PBL. We also found that the state-of-the-art photochemical model tends to underestimate oxygenated VOCs at upper layers, resulting in overestimation of the degree of VOCs-limited regime. Therefore, thorough vertical measurements of VOCs to accurately diagnose O3 precursor sensitivity is in urgent need for the development of effective O3 control strategies.

A review of occurrence, bioaccumulation, and fate of novel brominated flame retardants in aquatic environments: A comparison with legacy brominated flame retardants.

Novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) have been developed as replacements for legacy brominated flame retardants (BFRs) such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs). The prevalence of NBFRs in aquatic environments has initiated intense concerns that they resemble to BFRs. To comprehensively elucidate the fate of NBFRs in aquatic environments, this review summarizes the physico-chemical properties, distribution, bioaccumulation, and fates in aquatic environments. 1,2-bis(2,3,4,5,6-pentabromophenyl) ethane (DBDPE) as the major substitute for PBDEs is the primary NBFR. The release from industrial point sources such as e-waste recycling stations is the dominant way for NBFRs to enter the environment, which results in significant differences in the regional distribution of NBFRs. Sediment is the major sink of NBFRs attributed to the high hydrophobicity. Significantly, there is no decreasing trend of NBFRs concentrations, while PBDEs achieved the peak value in 1970-2000 and decreased gradually. The bioaccumulation of NBFRs is reported in both field studies and laboratory studies, which is regulated by the active area, lipid contents, trophic level of aquatic organisms, and the log KOW of NBFRs. The biotransformation of NBFRs showed similar metabolism patterns to that of BFRs, including debromination, hydroxylation, methoxylation, hydrolysis, and glycosylation. In addition, NBFRs show great potential in trophic magnification along the aquatic food chain, which could pose a higher risk to high trophic-level species. The passive uptake by roots dominates the plant uptake of NBFRs, followed by acropetal and basipetal bidirectional transportation between roots and leaves in plants. This review will provide the support to understand the current pollution characteristics of NBFRs and highlight perspectives for future research.

Atmospheric Oxidation Capacity Elevated during 2020 Spring Lockdown in Chengdu, China: Lessons for Future Secondary Pollution Control.

This study presents the measurement of photochemical precursors during the lockdown period from January 23, 2020, to March 14, 2020, in Chengdu in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To derive the lockdown impact on air quality, the observations are compared to the equivalent periods in the last 2 years. An observation-based model is used to investigate the atmospheric oxidation capacity change during lockdown. OH, HO2, and RO2 concentrations are simulated, which are elevated by 42, 220, and 277%, respectively, during the lockdown period, mainly due to the reduction in nitrogen oxides (NOx). However, the radical turnover rates, i.e., OH oxidation rate L(OH) and local ozone production rate P(O3), which determine the secondary intermediates formation and O3 formation, only increase by 24 and 48%, respectively. Therefore, the oxidation capacity increases slightly during lockdown, which is partly attributed to unchanged alkene concentrations. During the lockdown, alkene ozonolysis seems to be a significant radical primary source due to the elevated O3 concentrations. This unique data set during the lockdown period highlights the importance of controlling alkene emission to mitigate secondary pollution formation in Chengdu and may also be applicable in other regions of China given an expected NOx reduction due to the rapid transformation to electrified fleets in the future.

Light absorption enhancement of black carbon and its impact factors during winter in a megacity of the Sichuan Basin, China.

Carbonaceous aerosols play a vital role in global climate patterns due to their potent light absorption capabilities. However, the light absorption enhancement effect (Eabs) of black carbon (BC) is still subject to great uncertainties due to factors such as the mixing state, coating material, and particle size distribution. In this study, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) samples were collected in Chengdu, a megacity in the Sichuan Basin, during the winter of 2020 and 2021. The chemical components of PM2.5 and the light absorption properties of BC were investigated. The results revealed that secondary inorganic aerosols and carbonaceous aerosols were the dominant components in PM2.5. Additionally, the aerosol filter filtration-dissolution (AFD) treatment could improve the accuracy of measuring elemental carbon (EC) through thermal/optical analysis. During winter in Chengdu, the absorption enhancement values of BC ranged between 1.56 and 2.27, depending on the absorption wavelength and the mixing state of BC and non-BC materials. The presence of internally mixed BC and non-BC materials significantly contributed to Eabs, accounting for an average of 68 % at 405 nm and 100 % at 635 nm. The thickness of the BC coating influenced Eabs, displaying an increasing-then-decreasing trend. This trend was primarily attributed to the hygroscopic growth and dehydration shrinkage of particulate matter. Nitrate, as the major component of BC coating, played a crucial role in the lensing effect and exhibited fast growth during variation in Eabs. By combining the results from PMF, we identified the secondary formation and vehicle emission as the primary contributors to Eabs. Consequently, this study can provide valuable insights into the optical parameters, which are essential for assessing the environmental quality, improving regional atmospheric conditions, and formulating effective air pollution control strategies.

[Analysis of Influencing Factors of Ozone Pollution Difference Between Chengdu and Chongqing in August 2022].

In August 2022, Chengdu and Chongqing showed significant differences in ozone (O3) pollution. Chengdu had O3 pollution days for 20 days, whereas Chongqing had no O3 pollution days. In this study, we analyzed the influencing factors of this difference from the emission level of precursors and meteorological conditions. The results showed that:① the total mixing ratio of 52 VOCs (volatile organic compounds) (including 26 alkanes, 16 aromatics, and 10 alkenes) in Chengdu (18.8×10-9) was 2.8 times that of Chongqing (6.6×10-9), and the total O3 formation potential (OFP) (51.2×10-9) was 2.0 times that of Chongqing (25.0×10-9). The·OH radical loss rate (L·OH) (3.9 s-1) was 1.7 times that of Chongqing (2.3 s-1). The top three OFP in Chengdu were ethylene, m/p-xylene, and isoprene, and those in Chongqing were isoprene, ethylene, and propylene. The contribution rate of alkenes to O3 in Chongqing was 60.7%, whereas the OFP of alkenes and aromatics in Chengdu were 1.6 times and 2.9 times that in Chongqing. In conclusion, the total mixing ratio of VOCs, atmospheric photochemical activity, and O3 formation potential of Chengdu were higher than those of Chongqing. ② Isoprene was ranked first place in L·OH in both Chengdu and Chongqing, indicating that the contribution of biogenic sources to O3 pollution in August was significant. However, the biogenic source emission activity was in response to temperature. From August 14 to 24, the high temperature in Chongqing (38.3℃) decreased biogenic source emission activity, whereas the temperature in Chengdu (34.9℃) increased the biogenic sources emission activity. ③ The horizontal and vertical atmospheric diffusion conditions of Chongqing were better than those of Chengdu, and Chengdu was affected by regional pollution transmission.

Multilevel synergically controlling wavefront correction of a high-power slab laser system.

We present a multilevel synergically controlling wavefront correction method that can apply in a slab laser system. To fully utilize the response frequency and the stroke of actuators of the single deformable mirror (DM), we design a set of multilevel wavefront correction devices to reduce the root-mean square of wavefront aberration before the DM. As the wavefront of slab geometry solid-state lasers mainly consists of fourth and longitudinally distributed aberration, such as 5th, 9th, and 14th orders of Legendre polynomials. We design a precompensating level of the aberration with a slow-drift mirror, fast-steer mirror, one-dimensional adjustable slab-aberration compensator, and beam-shaping system to reduce these orders of wavefront aberration with low spatial resolution and large stroke. As the controlling bandwidth of different devices is diverse, the coupling oscillation between the precompensating level and adaptive optics (AO) level occurs, then we develop the multilevel synergically control to address the coupling. With the precompensating level, the experimental result shows the residual wavefront aberration of the slab laser is compensated well by the AO level effectively within the compensating capability. We clean up a 9.8 kW slab laser system with the beam quality ß of far-field focus spots improved from 17.71 to 2.24 times the diffraction limit.

Atmospheric oxidation capacity and secondary pollutant formation potentials based on photochemical loss of VOCs in a megacity of the Sichuan Basin, China.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are significant precursors to photochemical pollution. However, reactive VOC species are easily oxidized during transportation, resulting in a systematic underestimate of the measured concentrations. To address this, we applied an improved calculation method to correct the measured VOC concentrations into photochemical initial concentrations (PICs) in Chengdu, a megacity in the Sichuan Basin, China, which is highly vulnerable to complex pollution. In this study, 56 VOC species on the Photochemical Assessment Monitor Station (PAMS) target list were quantitatively monitored throughout all four seasons. Comparing to directly measured values, photochemically initialized total mixing ratios of VOCs increased by 18.6 % in general. The photochemical loss percentages of alkenes and aromatics were prominent in summer (68.6 %, 28.7 %) and spring (65.9 %, 24.7 %), respectively. Furthermore, we examined contributions of VOCs to atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC) depending on PICs and found that maximum daily total AOC showed a surge in spring and summer. Besides hydroxyl radicals, daytime O3 in spring and late-afternoon nitrate radicals in summer were essential for AOC with PICs. As expected, alkenes and aromatics dominated PIC-based ozone formation potentials (OFPs). Furthermore, contribution of alkenes to secondary organic aerosol formation potentials reached 15.5 % and 7.6 % in spring and summer, respectively. Using positive matrix factorization model, we identified five VOC sources including vehicular exhaust, industrial emissions, solvent usage, biogenic sources, and liquefied petroleum gas/natural gas use. Based on PICs, biogenic sources were significantly underestimated in spring and summer. Meanwhile, m,p-xylene from solvent usage and isoprene from biogenic sources were the primary contributors to OFPs. Consequently, these results emphasize the significance of photochemically oxidized VOC concentrations, especially for reactive species in typical seasons.

Primary sources of HONO vary during the daytime: Insights based on a field campaign.

Nitrous acid (HONO) is an established precursor of hydroxyl (OH) radical and has significant impacts on the formation of PM2.5 and O3. Despite extensive research on HONO observation in recent years, knowledge regarding its sources and sinks in urban areas remains inadequate. In this study, we monitored the atmospheric concentrations of HONO and related pollutants, including gaseous nitric acid and particulate nitrate, simultaneously at a supersite in downtown Chengdu, a megacity in southwestern China during spring, when was chosen due to its tolerance for both PM2.5 and O3 pollution. Furthermore, we employed the random forest model to fill the missing data of HONO, which exhibited good predictive performance (R2 = 0.96, RMSE = 0.36 ppbv). During this campaign, the average mixing ratio of HONO was measured to be 1.0 ± 0.7 ppbv. Notably, during periods of high O3 and PM2.5 concentrations, the mixing ratio of HONO was >50 % higher compared to the clean period. We developed a comprehensive parameterization scheme for the HONO budget, and it performed well in simulating diurnal variations of HONO. Based on the HONO budget analysis, we identified different mechanisms that dominate HONO formation at different times of the day. Vehicle emissions and NO2 heterogeneous conversions were found to be the primary sources of HONO during nighttime (21.0 %, 30.2 %, respectively, from 18:00 to 7:00 the next day). In the morning (7:00-12:00), NO2 heterogeneous conversions and the reaction of NO with OH became the main sources (35.0 %, 32.2 %, respectively). However, in the afternoon (12:00-18:00), the heterogeneous photolysis of HNO3 on PM2.5 was identified as the most substantial source of HONO (contributing 52.5 %). This study highlights the significant variations in primary HONO sources throughout the day.

Strong and Ultra-tough Ionic Hydrogel Based on Hyperbranched Macro-Cross-linker: Influence of Topological Structure on Properties.

The application of hydrogels often suffers from their inherent limitation of poor mechanical properties. Here, a carboxyl-functionalized and acryloyl-terminated hyperbranched polycaprolactone (PCL) was synthesized and used as a macro-cross-linker to fabricate a super strong and ultra-tough ionic hydrogel. The terminal acryloyl groups of hyperbranched PCL are chemically incorporated into the network to form covalent cross-links, which contribute to robust networks. Meanwhile, the hydrophobic domains formed by the spontaneous aggregation of PCL chains and coordination bonds between Fe3+ and COO- groups serve as dynamic non-covalent cross-links, which enhance the energy dissipation ability. Especially, the influence of the hyperbranched topological structure of PCL on hydrogel properties has been well investigated, exhibiting superior strengthening and toughening effects compared to the linear one. Moreover, the hyperbranched PCL cross-linker also endowed the ionic hydrogel with higher sensitivity than the linear one when used as a strain sensor. As a result, this well-designed ionic hydrogel possesses high mechanical strength, superior toughness, and well ionic conductivity, exhibiting potential applications in the field of flexible strain sensors.

Efficient photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin by graphite felt-supported MnS/Polypyrrole composite: Dominant reactive species and reaction mechanisms.

The accumulation of antibiotics in aquatic environments poses a serious threat to human health. Photocatalytic degradation is a promising method for removing antibiotics from water, but its practical implementation requires improvements in photocatalyst activity and recovery. Here, a novel graphite felt-supported MnS/Polypyrrole composite (MnS/PPy/GF) was constructed to achieve effective adsorption of antibiotics, stable loading of photocatalyst, and rapid separation of spatial charge. Systematic characterization of composition, structure and photoelectric properties indicated the efficient light absorption, charge separation and migration of the MnS/PPy/GF, which achieved 86.2% removal of antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CFX), higher than that of MnS/GF (73.7%) and PPy/GF (34.8%). The charge transfer-generated 1O2, energy transfer-generated 1O2, and photogenerated h+ were identified as the dominant reactive species, which mainly attacked the piperazine ring in the photodegradation of CFX by MnS/PPy/GF. The •OH was confirmed to participate in the defluorination of CFX via hydroxylation substitution. The MnS/PPy/GF-based photocatalytic process could ultimately achieve the mineralization of CFX. The facile recyclability, robust stability, and excellent adaptability to actual aquatic environments further confirmed MnS/PPy/GF is a promising eco-friendly photocatalyst for antibiotic pollution control.

A UV-induced self-reinforced hydrogel based on in situ hydrophobic aggregation of strained 1,2-dithiolane rings.

A novel responsive hydrogel exhibiting self-reinforcement and self-healing capacity was developed based on the hydrophobic aggregation of strained 1,2-dithiolane rings. Oligomerization of 1,2-dithiolane within hydrophobic domains under UV irradiation not only reinforced the hydrogel but also maintained its dynamic cross-linked nature by converting the intraring dynamic S-S bond to an outer one.

Enhanced nitrate contribution to light extinction during haze pollution in Chengdu: Insights based on an improved multiple linear regression model.

In recent years, the annual mean concentration of PM2.5 has decreased in Chengdu, China; however, atmospheric visibility has not improved accordingly. Low-visibility events occurred even when the PM2.5 mass concentrations were below the national ambient air quality secondary standard (daily mean concentration, 75 µg/m3). In this study, the non-linear relationship between PM2.5 and visibility was analyzed under different NO3- mass fractions in PM2.5 based on 2-year field observation data. The results indicated that NO3- formation contributed to particulate pollution events and reduced atmospheric visibility. Multiple linear regression was used to propose a localized reconstruction equation for the light-scattering coefficient. According to the maximum likelihood estimation method and log-transformed residuals, the mass scattering coefficients (MSEs) of organic matter (OM), NH4NO3, and (NH4)2SO4 in Chengdu were 7.42, 3.83, and 3.80, respectively. OM and NH4NO3 contributed to more than 50% of the light-extinction coefficient (bext). NH4NO3 was the main pollutant causing the substantial increase in bext. Chengdu has a high relative humidity (annual mean 70%), and under such conditions, the contribution of NH4NO3 to bext was considerably enhanced through hygroscopic growth and heterogeneous reactions. This study estimated the localized MSEs of OM, NH4NO3, and (NH4)2SO4 in Chengdu and emphasized that effective control measures to reduce nitrate and its precursors could simultaneously ameliorate air quality and visibility in humid regions with poor atmospheric visibility.

A case of ascetic fluid Mycobacterium aubagnense infection in a patient with severe peritoneal effusion.

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterium aubagnense, which was first characterized in 2006, is a non-tuberculosis mycobacterium (NTM) that has only been isolated from respiratory secretions and joint fluid. With only four cases globally, the microbe has rarely been reported in human clinical cases and the strain has not been isolated from ascites. CASE PRESENTATION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that M. aubagnense has been isolated from ascites samples of a patient with severe peritoneal effusion and normal liver functions. Anti-NTM therapy with moxifloxacin, ethambutol, and isoniazid combined with furosemide and spironolactone diuretic therapy relieved the symptoms after six months. CONCLUSIONS: Increased puncture and drainage of ascites combined with diuretic treatment did not significantly relieve the ascites, leading to relapse with aggravated symptoms. The subsequent anti-NTM treatment with moxifloxacin, ethambutol, and isoniazid alleviated the degree of ascites. Therefore, we postulated that M. aubagnense infection was the potential cause of the difficult reduction of ascites in this patient. However, the ascites repeatedly occurred in the patient, which was attributed to M. aubagnense resistance due to insufficient medication time and repeated medication. The patient's underlying diseases may also result in ascites. Therefore, there is a need for careful analysis of the clinical significance of M. aubagnense.

Progressively narrow the gap of PM2.5 pollution characteristics at urban and suburban sites in a megacity of Sichuan Basin, China.

Nowadays, the fine particle pollution is still severe in some megacities of China, especially in the Sichuan Basin, southwestern China. In order to understand the causes, sources, and impacts of fine particles, we collected PM2.5 samples and analyzed their chemical composition in typical months from July 2018 to May 2019 at an urban and a suburban (background) site of Chengdu, a megacity in this region. The daily average concentrations of PM2.5 ranged from 5.6-102.3 µg/m3 and 4.3-110.4 µg/m3 at each site. Secondary inorganics and organic matters were the major components in PM2.5 at both sites. The proportion of nitrate in PM2.5 has exceeded sulfate and become the primary inorganic component. SO2 was easier to transform into sulfate in urban areas because of Mn-catalytic heterogeneous reactions. In contrast, NO2 was easily converted in suburbs with high aerosol water content. Furthermore, organic carbon in urban was much greater than that in rural, other than elemental carbon. Element Cr and As were the key cancer risk drivers. The main sources of PM2.5 in urban and suburban areas were all secondary aerosols (42.9%, 32.1%), combustion (16.0%, 25.2%) and vehicle emission (15.2%, 19.2%). From clean period to pollution period, the contributions from combustion and secondary aerosols increased markedly. In addition to tightening vehicle controls, urban areas need to restrict emissions from steel smelters, and suburbs need to minimize coal and biomass combustion in autumn and winter.

The Effect of Quadruple Therapy with Polaprezinc or Bismuth on Gut Microbiota after Helicobacter pylori Eradication: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Quadruple therapy with polaprezinc provided an alternative to Helicobacter pylori eradication; however, the effect on gut microbiota remains uncertain. This study aims to identify whether polaprezinc-containing quadruple therapy causes adverse microbiota effects among asymptomatic adults, compared with bismuth therapy. Methods: This was a randomized control trial. One hundred asymptomatic H. pylori-infected adults were randomly (1:1) assigned to two treatment groups (polaprezinc-containing therapy, PQT; or bismuth-containing therapy, BQT). Fecal samples were collected from subjects before and 4−8 weeks after therapy. Samples were sequenced for the V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. Results: The relative abundance of the three dominant bacterial phyla (Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria) accounted for more than 95% of each treatment group. The alpha diversity between eradications that succeeded and those that failed had no significant difference (p > 0.05). After successful eradication, the alpha diversity in the BQT group decreased in comparison with the baseline (p < 0.05). Subjects who were successfully eradicated by BQT showed considerably lower alpha diversity indices than those of the PQT at follow-up (p < 0.05). The abundance of Parasutterella in subjects who were successfully eradicated by PQT was four times greater than that of BQT (q < 0.05). Conclusion: A 14-day PQT may be superior to BQT in maintaining short-term gut microbiota homeostasis after H. pylori treatment. Our findings preliminarily provide evidence of the short-term impacts of the gut microbiota after PQT treatment of H. pylori infection.