Formaldehyde production from isoprene oxidation across NOx regimes.

The chemical link between isoprene and formaldehyde (HCHO) is a strong, non-linear function of NOx (= NO + NO2). This relationship is a linchpin for top-down isoprene emission inventory verification from orbital HCHO column observations. It is also a benchmark for overall photochemical mechanism performance with regard to VOC oxidation. Using a comprehensive suite of airborne in situ observations over the Southeast U.S., we quantify HCHO production across the urban-rural spectrum. Analysis of isoprene and its major first-generation oxidation products allows us to define both a "prompt" yield of HCHO (molecules of HCHO produced per molecule of freshly-emitted isoprene) and the background HCHO mixing ratio (from oxidation of longer-lived hydrocarbons). Over the range of observed NOx values (roughly 0.1 - 2 ppbv), the prompt yield increases by a factor of 3 (from 0.3 to 0.9 ppbv ppbv-1), while background HCHO increases by a factor of 2 (from 1.6 to 3.3 ppbv). We apply the same method to evaluate the performance of both a global chemical transport model (AM3) and a measurement-constrained 0-D steady state box model. Both models reproduce the NOx dependence of the prompt HCHO yield, illustrating that models with updated isoprene oxidation mechanisms can adequately capture the link between HCHO and recent isoprene emissions. On the other hand, both models under-estimate background HCHO mixing ratios, suggesting missing HCHO precursors, inadequate representation of later-generation isoprene degradation and/or under-estimated hydroxyl radical concentrations. Detailed process rates from the box model simulation demonstrate a 3-fold increase in HCHO production across the range of observed NOx values, driven by a 100% increase in OH and a 40% increase in branching of organic peroxy radical reactions to produce HCHO.

Instrumentation and Measurement Strategy for the NOAA SENEX Aircraft Campaign as Part of the Southeast Atmosphere Study 2013.

Natural emissions of ozone-and-aerosol-precursor gases such as isoprene and monoterpenes are high in the southeast of the US. In addition, anthropogenic emissions are significant in the Southeast US and summertime photochemistry is rapid. The NOAA-led SENEX (Southeast Nexus) aircraft campaign was one of the major components of the Southeast Atmosphere Study (SAS) and was focused on studying the interactions between biogenic and anthropogenic emissions to form secondary pollutants. During SENEX, the NOAA WP-3D aircraft conducted 20 research flights between 27 May and 10 July 2013 based out of Smyrna, TN. Here we describe the experimental approach, the science goals and early results of the NOAA SENEX campaign. The aircraft, its capabilities and standard measurements are described. The instrument payload is summarized including detection limits, accuracy, precision and time resolutions for all gas-and-aerosol phase instruments. The inter-comparisons of compounds measured with multiple instruments on the NOAA WP-3D are presented and were all within the stated uncertainties, except two of the three NO2 measurements. The SENEX flights included day- and nighttime flights in the Southeast as well as flights over areas with intense shale gas extraction (Marcellus, Fayetteville and Haynesville shale). We present one example flight on 16 June 2013, which was a daytime flight over the Atlanta region, where several crosswind transects of plumes from the city and nearby point sources, such as power plants, paper mills and landfills, were flown. The area around Atlanta has large biogenic isoprene emissions, which provided an excellent case for studying the interactions between biogenic and anthropogenic emissions. In this example flight, chemistry in and outside the Atlanta plumes was observed for several hours after emission. The analysis of this flight showcases the strategies implemented to answer some of the main SENEX science questions.

Atmospheric benzenoid emissions from plants rival those from fossil fuels.

Despite the known biochemical production of a range of aromatic compounds by plants and the presence of benzenoids in floral scents, the emissions of only a few benzenoid compounds have been reported from the biosphere to the atmosphere. Here, using evidence from measurements at aircraft, ecosystem, tree, branch and leaf scales, with complementary isotopic labeling experiments, we show that vegetation (leaves, flowers, and phytoplankton) emits a wide variety of benzenoid compounds to the atmosphere at substantial rates. Controlled environment experiments show that plants are able to alter their metabolism to produce and release many benzenoids under stress conditions. The functions of these compounds remain unclear but may be related to chemical communication and protection against stress. We estimate the total global secondary organic aerosol potential from biogenic benzenoids to be similar to that from anthropogenic benzenoids (~10 Tg y(-1)), pointing to the importance of these natural emissions in atmospheric physics and chemistry.

Source signature of volatile organic compounds from oil and natural gas operations in northeastern Colorado.

An extensive set of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was measured at the Boulder Atmospheric Observatory (BAO) in winter 2011 in order to investigate the composition and influence of VOC emissions from oil and natural gas (O&NG) operations in northeastern Colorado. BAO is 30 km north of Denver and is in the southwestern section of Wattenberg Field, one of Colorado's most productive O&NG fields. We compare VOC concentrations at BAO to those of other U.S. cities and summertime measurements at two additional sites in northeastern Colorado, as well as the composition of raw natural gas from Wattenberg Field. These comparisons show that (i) the VOC source signature associated with O&NG operations can be clearly differentiated from urban sources dominated by vehicular exhaust, and (ii) VOCs emitted from O&NG operations are evident at all three measurement sites in northeastern Colorado. At BAO, the reactivity of VOCs with the hydroxyl radical (OH) was dominated by C(2)-C(6) alkanes due to their remarkably large abundances (e.g., mean propane = 27.2 ppbv). Through statistical regression analysis, we estimate that on average 55 ± 18% of the VOC-OH reactivity was attributable to emissions from O&NG operations indicating that these emissions are a significant source of ozone precursors.

Selectivity and stability of organic films at the air-aqueous interface.

It has recently been determined that organic compounds represent a significant percentage of the composition of certain atmospheric aerosols. Amphiphilic organics, such as fatty acids and alcohols, partition to the interface of aqueous aerosols. In this way, the air-aqueous interface of an aerosol has the ability to act as both a concentrator and a selector of organic surfactants. Isotherms of nonanoic acid, stearic acid, 1-octadecanol, and a binary of mixture of nonanoic and stearic acids were used to infer the packing ability and molecular orientation of the surfactants at the interface. The selectivity of the air-aqueous interface was studied by monitoring the composition of binary organic films as a function of film exposure time. The films were formed, aged, and collected with the use of a Langmuir trough. The composition of the aged film was determined via GC-MS. Surfactants with differing carbon number and chemical functionalities were studied. These included stearic acid, lauric acid, 1-octadecanol, and octadecane. The stability and packing ability of stearic and lauric acid films were examined as a function of subphase pH. The relevance of these findings as they relate to the composition and structure of organic aerosols as well as recent surface-sensitive aerosol field measurements is discussed.

Seasonal change in nutritional status among young children in an urban shanty town in Peru.

Seasonal variation in nutritional status among young children has been described in rural populations, but in few urban settings. We examined seasonality in 7 years of nutritional surveillance data from an urban shanty town near Lima, Peru, where children 0-35 months old were measured at intervals of 4-5 months. We compared nutritional status by month, using generalized estimating equations to account for the intercorrelations among measurements of the same person at different times. The periodicity of the seasonal variation was found to fit a model in which the month of the year was sine-transformed, and this sine-transformed model was used to examine possible interactions with age, sex and year of examination. A total of 38,626 measurements was available from 11,333 children. In late winter, mean weight-for-height was an estimated 0.38 Z score higher than in late summer. The seasonal effect occurred at all ages, in both sexes, and in each year of surveillance. The amplitude was greatest for children 6-23 months old. The summer trough in weight-for-height was lower in 1989 than in other years; children who experienced this summer low had lower mean height-for-age in subsequent years. The seasonal variation in nutritional status may be related to differences in dietary intake, or to the higher prevalence of bacterial diarrhoea in summer than in winter. The more marked drop in weight-for-height in 1989 and subsequent trough in height-for-age may be related to political and economic changes than adversely affected food access in Peru.

Compensatory growth in broiler chicks fed on Lemna gibba.

The growth of broiler chickens on diets containing various levels of Lemna gibba was evaluated. Groups of broiler chicks were fed on diets containing 0-400 g Lemna gibba/kg for 3 weeks. These chickens were then changed to standard diets for a further 2 weeks. As the level of Lemna gibba increased, feed consumption and weight gain decreased. However, when diets were changed to the standard diet, compensatory growth was observed. In a second experiment, diets were formulated with a metabolizable energy of 5.02 MJ (1200 kcal)/kg Lemna gibba and included a finer-milled Lemna gibba. Chickens were fed on diets containing 0-300 g Lemna gibba/kg for 4 weeks. Each group was then divided into two subgroups. For the next 2 weeks one of these sub-groups was maintained on the experimental (Lemna gibba) diets (LL), while the other sub-group was changed to a standard diet (LS). Bird fed at levels above 150 g Lemna gibba/kg had decreased consumption and weight gain. These birds when changed to a standard diet tended to have increased weight gain compared with chickens continuously fed standard rations. LS birds had significantly higher weight gains and feed consumption and lower feed conversion than LL birds. In contrast to older birds, chicks fed on Lemna gibba at high concentrations showed growth retardation. When changed back to a standard diet they demonstrated normal or compensatory growth.

A home nutritional rehabilitation programme in a Peruvian peri-urban shanty town (pueblo joven).

In a peri-urban shanty town located in Lima, Peru, a nutritional census of children 0-3 years old revealed a number of second and third degree malnourished children. In order to treat these children a home-based nutritional rehabilitation (HNR) programme was developed utilizing available community health staff. The programme focused on individual and group maternal education, home-based therapy such as oral rehydration solution for diarrhoea, periodic growth monitoring, and a strong trust relationship between mother and health professional. There was one death and four (7%) hospital admissions among the 54 HNR children. These morbidity and mortality rates were similar to those achieved by more traditional programmes in Bangladesh, India, and Guatemala. NHR can provide an inexpensive, reproducible method useful for the treatment of malnourished 'third world' children in peri-urban slums.

Colonization of the oropharynx with Gram-negative bacilli in children with severe protein-calorie malnutrition.

Oral pharyngeal isolation of Gram-negative bacteria was compared in four groups of Bengali children; acutely ill, severely malnourished outpatients swabbed on hospital admission; ill but less severely malnourished outpatients from the same area as the malnourished children; orphans also less severely malnourished but not acutely ill; and well controls drawn from a priviledged socioeconomic group. The expected weight for height percentage (National Center Health Statistics/Center for Disease Control median) of the four groups was respectively 67, 91, 97, and 97%. Isolation of Gram-negative bacteria from 74 of 87 (85%) severely malnourished children was significantly greater (p less than 0.01) compared to 43 of 113 (38%) outpatients, to 20 of 93 (22%) orphans, and to five of 51 (10%) controls. A total of 71 malnourished children under 5 yr of age (90%) had higher rates of Gram-negative throat colonization than did 16 older children (63%) (p less than 0.01). Thus there was an increased rate of Gram-negative colonization in severely malnourished children especially among the younger age group. In the subset of ill children, Gram-negative pharyngeal colonization was significantly associated inversely with nutritional indices and age. The high rate of such carriage may be partly responsible for the increased susceptibility of Gram-negative infection demonstrated in these children.

Endemic focus of Fasciolopsis buski infection in Bangladesh.

Stool surveys were conducted on children 2--10 years of age in 27 villages within Dacca District and around this index area (1,668 children were sampled), revealing an endemic focus of Fasciolopsis buski infection to the south and the east of Dacca District. In order to determine the seasonal variation in the total snail populations and the natural rate of F. buski infection in the snails, two species of planorbid snails, Segmentina (Trochorbis) trochoideus and Hippeutis (Helicorbis) umbilicalis, were periodically sampled for 12 months from a village endemic for F. buski infection. Gymnocephalous cercariae were found in S. (T.) trochoideus snails during August, September and October. The size of the snail population (n = 1,275) was significantly correlated with inches of rainfall (r = +0.62; P less than 0.05) and water temperature (r = +0.59; P less than 0.05). The natural infection rate of F. buski in the snails ranged from 0.5--2%. Snails from non-endemic areas were exposed to 3--10 miracidia. A total of 13 of 49 (27%) of H. (H.) umbilicalis and 6 of 14 (43%) of S. (T.) trochoideus had gymnocephalous cercariae present 4 to 6 weeks after exposure to miracidia. Thus, snail strain variation is unlikely to be a barrier to F. buski transmission.

Single dose piperazine therapy for Ascaris lumbricoides: an unsuccessful method of promoting growth.

One-hundred eighty-five Bangladeshi children age 1 1/2 to 8 yr with no Ascaris lumbricoides infection or with light, moderate, or heavy infection were randomly assigned to treatment of placebo groups, with treatment given in a double-blind fashion. The groups were comparable for nutritional and socioeconomic parameters. Treatment consisted of a single dose of piperazine citrate administered twice within a 2-wk period. The cure rates for the low, moderate, and heavy A. lumbricoides infected subgroups were 53, 31, and 36%, respectively. With more severe infections, worm eradication was more difficult and the rate of reinfection after treatment was more rapid. The rate of reinfection was significantly different for the low A. lumbricoides infected treatment and placebo subgroups for 5 months after treatment, for the moderate treatment and placebo subgroups for 3 months after treatment, and for the heavy A. lumbricoides infected treatment and placebo subgroups there was a difference, although not significant, for 1 month after treatment. Anthropometric measurements were obtained for a period of 11 months. Analysis of covariance revealed no significant difference for change of weight, change of height, weight-for age, weight-for-height, height-for-age, triceps skinfold, midarm circumference, and the abdominal girth to chest circumference ratio between the treatment and placebo groups after drug administration. The results of this study do not support single dose worm therapy as a means to enhance growth.