It is without question that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the U.S. economy. Stay-at-home orders led to reduced vehicular traffic and widespread declines in anthropogenic emissions ...(e.g., nitrogen oxides (NO
)). This study is the first to explore the potential consequences of O
changes resulting from the economic shutdown in the United States on soybean crop yields for 2020. The pandemic's impact on surface O
is quantified using the NOAA's National Air Quality Forecasting Capability (NAQFC), which is based on the Community Multi-Scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model for May-July 2020. The "would-be", 2020 level business-as-usual (BAU) emissions are compared to a simulation that uses representative COVID-19 (C19) emissions. For each emissions scenario, crop exposures are calculated using the AOT40 cumulative exposure index and then combined with county-level soybean production totals to determine regional yield losses. Exposure changes ranged between - 2 and 2 ppmVhr
. It was further shown that increased exposures (0.5 to 1.10 ppmVhr
) in the Southeast U.S. counteracted decreased exposures (0.8 to 0.5 ppmVhr
) in the other soybean-producing regions. As a result, corresponding yield improvements counteracted yield losses around the Mississippi River Valley and allowed for minimal improvements in soybean production loss totaling $6.5 million over CONUS.
There is a growing interest in the role of personality characteristics in describing financial outcomes. The Big Five personality traits have been shown to predict relevant financial outcomes ...including income and net worth. In the present research (n = 395), we move beyond individual Big Five personality traits to look at personality profiles in the prediction of financial outcomes. Using latent profile analyses, we identified three profiles—Under Controlled, Resilient, and Over Controlled—which were uniquely associated with income, risk tolerance, and life satisfaction. These patterns held even after controlling for gender, education, and age. The discussion focuses on the relative benefits of a personality approach over the common risk-tolerance approach.
Satellite nitrogen dioxide (NO2) measurements are used extensively to infer nitrogen oxide emissions and their trends, but interpretation can be complicated by background contributions to the NO2 ...column sensed from space. We use the step decrease of US anthropogenic emissions from the COVID‐19 shutdown to compare the responses of NO2 concentrations observed at surface network sites and from satellites (Ozone Monitoring Instrument OMI, Tropospheric Ozone Monitoring Instrument TROPOMI). After correcting for differences in meteorology, surface NO2 measurements for 2020 show decreases of 20% in March–April and 10% in May–August compared to 2019. The satellites show much weaker responses in March–June and no decrease in July–August, consistent with a large background contribution to the NO2 column. Inspection of the long‐term OMI trend over remote US regions shows a rising summertime NO2 background from 2010 to 2019 potentially attributable to wildfires.
Plain Language Summary
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) emitted from combustion are a major source of air pollution. Satellite observations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) have been used to infer NOx emissions, but this inference is complicated by NO2 present in background air. Here, we show that this NO2 background results in a muted response of the satellite observations to the abrupt drop in NOx emissions from the US COVID‐19 shutdown. The NO2 background over the US has increased in the past decade, masking the effect of emission decreases. Understanding this background NO2 and its rise is critical for the interpretation of satellite observations.
Key Points
COVID‐19 US shutdown led to 22%–26% reductions of surface NO2 in March–April 2020
Satellite NO2 data show muted response to COVID‐19 shutdown because of NO2 background contribution to tropospheric column sensed from space
Summertime NO2 background has been rising in the US over the past decade and complicates the interpretation of trends in satellite NO2 data
In this work, we use observations and experimental emissions in a version of NOAA's National Air Quality Forecasting Capability to show that the COVID-19 economic slowdown led to disproportionate ...impacts on near-surface ozone concentrations across the contiguous U.S. (CONUS). The data-fusion methodology used here includes both U.S. EPA Air Quality System ground and the NASA Aura satellite Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) NO2 observations to infer the representative emissions changes due to the COVID-19 economic slowdown in the U.S. Results show that there were widespread decreases in anthropogenic (e.g., NOx) emissions in the U.S. during March–June 2020, which led to widespread decreases in ozone concentrations in the rural regions that are NOx-limited, but also some localized increases near urban centers that are VOC-limited. Later in June–September, there were smaller decreases, and potentially some relative increases in NOx emissions for many areas of the U.S. (e.g., south-southeast) that led to more extensive increases in ozone concentrations that are partly in agreement with observations. The widespread NOx emissions changes also alters the O3 photochemical formation regimes, most notably the NOx emissions decreases in March–April, which can enhance (mitigate) the NOx-limited (VOC-limited) regimes in different regions of CONUS. The average of all AirNow hourly O3 changes for 2020–2019 range from about +1 to −4 ppb during March–September, and are associated with predominantly urban monitoring sites that demonstrate considerable spatiotemporal variability for the 2020 ozone changes compared to the previous five years individually (2015–2019). The simulated maximum values of the average O3 changes for March–September range from about +8 to −4 ppb (or +40 to −10%). Results of this work have implications for the use of widespread controls of anthropogenic emissions, particularly those from mobile sources, used to curb ozone pollution under the current meteorological and climate conditions in the U.S.
•Observations and chemical transport modeling are used to quantify COVID-19 lockdown impacts on ozone pollution in the U.S.•Widespread emissions decreases lead to widespread ozone decreases in rural regions, but local increases in urban regions.•There is considerable spatiotemporal variability for the 2020 ozone changes compared to the previous five years.
Plain Language Summary: This study uses observations and chemical transport modeling to calculate the changes in air pollution, namely for ground-level ozone, or “smog”, which are related to the COVID-19 mobility restrictions and traffic emissions changes in the U.S. between March and September 2020. Results show that there are widespread decreases in emissions during March–April, but also that the changes are highly variable, while shifting to smaller emission decreases or even increases for a number of U.S. states by June–September. The changes in emissions and characteristics of ozone formation lead to spatially variable impacts on ozone concentrations, with widespread decreases in the rural areas, and some local increases near the major cities of the U.S. The observations and modeling suggest that the areas of increased ozone concentration becomes more extensive in the late spring and summer, “ozone-season” months of June–September. Results of this work are important to strategies used to control emissions and ozone pollution in the U.S.
Wildfire outbreaks can lead to extreme biomass burning (BB) emissions of both oxidized (e.g., nitrogen oxides; NOx = NO+NO2) and reduced form (e.g., ammonia; NH3) nitrogen (N) compounds. High N ...emissions are major concerns for air quality, atmospheric deposition, and consequential human and ecosystem health impacts. In this study, we use both satellite-based observations and modeling results to quantify the contribution of BB to the total emissions, and approximate the impact on total N deposition in the western U.S. Our results show that during the 2020 wildfire season of August–October, BB contributes significantly to the total emissions, with a satellite-derived fraction of NH3 to the total reactive N emissions (median ~ 40%) in the range of aircraft observations. During the peak of the western August Complex Fires in September, BB contributed to ~55% (for the contiguous U.S.) and ~ 83% (for the western U.S.) of the monthly total NOx and NH3 emissions. Overall, there is good model performance of the George Mason University-Wildfire Forecasting System (GMU-WFS) used in this work. The extreme BB emissions lead to significant contributions to the total N deposition for different ecosystems in California, with an average August – October 2020 relative increase of ~78% (from 7.1 to 12.6 kg ha−1 year−1) in deposition rate to major vegetation types (mixed forests + grasslands/shrublands/savanna) compared to the GMU-WFS simulations without BB emissions. For mixed forest types only, the average N deposition rate increases (from 6.2 to 16.9 kg ha−1 year−1) are even larger at ~173%. Such large N deposition due to extreme BB emissions are much (~6-12 times) larger than low-end critical load thresholds for major vegetation types (e.g., forests at 1.5-3 kg ha−1 year−1), and thus may result in adverse N deposition effects across larger areas of lichen communities found in California's mixed conifer forests.
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•The 2020 “gigafires” contributed up to 83% of the total nitrogen emissions in the western U.S.•The 2020 fire emissions led to a 78% increase in annual average nitrogen deposition in California.•The average nitrogen deposition increases to California’s forests are 6-12 times the critical load.
Regional, state, and local environmental regulatory agencies often use Eulerian models to investigate the potential impacts on pollutant deposition and air quality from changes in land use, ...anthropogenic and natural emissions, and climate. The Noah land surface model (LSM) in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is widely used with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model for such investigations, but there are many inconsistencies that need to be changed so that they are consistent with dry deposition and emission processes. In this work, the Noah LSM in WRFv3.8.1 is improved in its linkage to CMAQv5.2 by adding important parameters to the WRF/Noah output, updating the WRF soil and vegetation reference tables that influence CMAQ wet and dry photochemical deposition processes, and decreasing WRF/Noah's top soil layer depth to be consistent with CMAQ processes (e.g., windblown dust and bidirectional ammonia exchange). The modified WRF/Noah‐CMAQ system (both off‐line and coupled) impacts meteorological predictions of 2‐m temperature (T2; increases and decreases), 2‐m mixing ratio (Q2; decreases), and 10‐m wind speed (WSPD10; decreases) in the United States. These changes are mostly driven by leaf area index values and aerodynamic roughness lengths updated in the vegetation tables based on satellite data, with additional impacts from soil tables updated based on recent soil data. Improvements in the consistency in the treatment of land surface processes between CMAQ and WRF resulted in improvements in both estimated meteorological (e.g., T2, WSPD10, and latent heat fluxes) and chemical (e.g., ozone, sulfur dioxide, and windblown dust) model estimates.
Plain Language Summary
In this study we update a robust and well‐established coupled meteorology‐chemistry model, via the use of advanced treatments of land‐atmosphere characteristics and processes, as well as improved linkages for a commonly used land surface model in weather, climate, and air quality applications. The updated model shows improved predictions of important weather and air quality parameters, such as temperature, wind speed, and ozone when compared to observations in the United States. Overall, the updated modeling system more firmly establishes the physical connections between the land and atmosphere to expand the model to a wider array of weather, climate, and air quality applications.
Key Points
The Noah land surface model is updated for its linkage and consistency in a meteorological‐air quality modeling system
The advanced land‐atmosphere characteristics and processes allow for a more accurate and usable coupled air quality modeling system
The updated air quality model shows improved meteorological and air quality predictions compared to observations in the United States
Central sensitization (CS), nociceptive hyperexcitability known to amplify and maintain clinical pain, has been identified as a leading culprit responsible for maintaining pain in several chronic ...pain conditions. Recent evidence suggests that it may explain differences in the symptom experience of individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). Quantitative sensory testing (QST) can be used to examine CS and identify individuals who may have a heightened CS profile. The present study categorized patients with SCD on the basis of QST responses into a high or low CS phenotype and compared these groups according to measures of clinical pain, vaso-occlusive crises, psychosocial factors, and sleep continuity. Eighty-three adult patients with SCD completed QST, questionnaires, and daily sleep and pain diaries over a 3-month period, weekly phone calls for 3 months, and monthly phone calls for 12 months. Patients were divided into CS groups (ie, no/low CS n = 17 vs high CS n = 21), on the basis of thermal and mechanical temporal summation and aftersensations, which were norm-referenced to 47 healthy control subjects. High CS subjects reported more clinical pain, vaso-occlusive crises, catastrophizing, and negative mood, and poorer sleep continuity (Ps < .05) over the 18-month follow-up period. Future analyses should investigate whether psychosocial disturbances and sleep mediate the relationship between CS and pain outcomes.
In general, SCD patients with greater CS had more clinical pain, more crises, worse sleep, and more psychosocial disturbances compared with the low CS group.
Chronic opioid therapy (COT) for chronic non-cancer pain is frequently debated, and its effectiveness is unproven in sickle cell disease (SCD). The authors conducted a descriptive study among 83 ...adult SCD patients and compared the severity of disease and pain symptoms among those who were prescribed COT ( n =29) with those who were not using COT. All patients completed baseline laboratory pain assessment and questionnaires between January 2010 and June 2014. Thereafter, participants recorded daily pain, crises, function, and healthcare utilization for 90 days using electronic diaries. Analyses were conducted shortly after the final diary data collection period. Patients on COT did not differ on age, sex, or measures of disease severity. However, patients on COT exhibited greater levels of clinical pain (particularly non-crisis); central sensitization; and depression and increased diary measures of pain severity, function, and healthcare utilization on crisis and non-crisis diary days, as well as a greater proportion of days in crisis. Including depressive symptoms in multivariate models did not change the associations between COT and pain, interference, central sensitization, or utilization. Additionally, participants not on COT displayed the expected positive relationship between central sensitization and clinical pain, whereas those on COT demonstrated no such relationship, despite having both higher central sensitization and higher clinical pain. Overall, the results point out a high symptom burden in SCD patients on COT, including those on high-dose COT, and suggest that nociceptive processing in SCD patients on COT differs from those who are not.
Median survival for glioblastoma (GBM) remains <15 months. Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens have been identified in GBM but not normal brain, providing an unparalleled opportunity to subvert CMV ...antigens as tumor-specific immunotherapy targets. A recent trial in recurrent GBM patients demonstrated the potential clinical benefit of adoptive T-cell therapy (ATCT) of CMV phosphoprotein 65 (pp65)-specific T cells. However,
analyses from this study found no change in the capacity of CMV pp65-specific T cells to gain multiple effector functions or polyfunctionality, which has been associated with superior antitumor efficacy. Previous studies have shown that dendritic cells (DC) could further enhance tumor-specific CD8
T-cell polyfunctionality
when administered as a vaccine. Therefore, we hypothesized that vaccination with CMV pp65 RNA-loaded DCs would enhance the frequency of polyfunctional CMV pp65-specific CD8
T cells after ATCT. Here, we report prospective results of a pilot trial in which 22 patients with newly diagnosed GBM were initially enrolled, of which 17 patients were randomized to receive CMV pp65-specific T cells with CMV-DC vaccination (CMV-ATCT-DC) or saline (CMV-ATCT-saline). Patients who received CMV-ATCT-DC vaccination experienced a significant increase in the overall frequencies of IFNγ
, TNFα
, and CCL3
polyfunctional, CMV-specific CD8
T cells. These increases in polyfunctional CMV-specific CD8
T cells correlated (
= 0.7371,
= 0.0369) with overall survival, although we cannot conclude this was causally related. Our data implicate polyfunctional T-cell responses as a potential biomarker for effective antitumor immunotherapy and support a formal assessment of this combination approach in a larger randomized study.
A randomized pilot trial in patients with GBM implicates polyfunctional T-cell responses as a biomarker for effective antitumor immunotherapy.
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Colloidal suspensions are widely used to study processes such as melting, freezing and glass transitions. This is because they display the same phase behaviour as atoms or molecules, with the nano- ...to micrometre size of the colloidal particles making it possible to observe them directly in real space. Another attractive feature is that different types of colloidal interactions, such as long-range repulsive, short-range attractive, hard-sphere-like and dipolar, can be realized and give rise to equilibrium phases. However, spherically symmetric, long-range attractions (that is, ionic interactions) have so far always resulted in irreversible colloidal aggregation. Here we show that the electrostatic interaction between oppositely charged particles can be tuned such that large ionic colloidal crystals form readily, with our theory and simulations confirming the stability of these structures. We find that in contrast to atomic systems, the stoichiometry of our colloidal crystals is not dictated by charge neutrality; this allows us to obtain a remarkable diversity of new binary structures. An external electric field melts the crystals, confirming that the constituent particles are indeed oppositely charged. Colloidal model systems can thus be used to study the phase behaviour of ionic species. We also expect that our approach to controlling opposite-charge interactions will facilitate the production of binary crystals of micrometre-sized particles, which could find use as advanced materials for photonic applications.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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