Atmospheric acidity is increasingly determined by carbon dioxide and organic acids
. Among the latter, formic acid facilitates the nucleation of cloud droplets
and contributes to the acidity of ...clouds and rainwater
. At present, chemistry-climate models greatly underestimate the atmospheric burden of formic acid, because key processes related to its sources and sinks remain poorly understood
. Here we present atmospheric chamber experiments that show that formaldehyde is efficiently converted to gaseous formic acid via a multiphase pathway that involves its hydrated form, methanediol. In warm cloud droplets, methanediol undergoes fast outgassing but slow dehydration. Using a chemistry-climate model, we estimate that the gas-phase oxidation of methanediol produces up to four times more formic acid than all other known chemical sources combined. Our findings reconcile model predictions and measurements of formic acid abundance. The additional formic acid burden increases atmospheric acidity by reducing the pH of clouds and rainwater by up to 0.3. The diol mechanism presented here probably applies to other aldehydes and may help to explain the high atmospheric levels of other organic acids that affect aerosol growth and cloud evolution.
The powerful El Niño event of 2015-2016 - the third most intense since the 1950s - has exerted a large impact on the Earth's natural climate system. The column-averaged CO2 dry-air mole fraction ...(XCO2) observations from satellites and ground based networks are analyzed together with in situ observations for the period of September 2014 to October 2016. From the differences between satellite (OCO-2) observations and simulations using an atmospheric chemistry-transport model, we estimate that, relative to the mean annual fluxes for 2014, the most recent El Niño has contributed to an excess CO2 emission from the Earth's surface (land+ocean) to the atmosphere in the range of 2.4+/-0.2 PgC (1 Pg = 10(exp 15) g) over the period of July 2015 to June 2016. The excess CO2 flux is resulted primarily from reduction in vegetation uptake due to drought, and to a lesser degree from increased biomass burning. It is about the half of the CO2 flux anomaly (range: 4.4-6.7 PgC) estimated for the 1997/1998 El Niño. The annual total sink is estimated to be 3.9+/-0.2 PgC for the assumed fossil fuel emission of 10.1 PgC. The major uncertainty in attribution arise from error in anthropogenic emission trends, satellite data and atmospheric transport.
In 2022, the World Health Organization published a report encouraging researchers to focus on
spp. to strengthen the global response to fungal oral infections and antifungal resistance. In the ...context of innovative research, it seems pertinent to investigate the antifungal potential of natural extracts of plants and the methodology involved in the recent reports. The aim of this systematic review is to identify the current state of
research on the evaluation of the ability of plant extracts to inhibit
spp.
A bibliographic search has been developed to on a 10-year period to identify which plant extracts have an antifungal effect on the
spp. found in the oral cavity.
A total of 20 papers were reviewed and fulfilled all the selection criteria and were included in the full data analysis.
Plants have been tested in a wide range of states - whole extracts, extraction of particular components such as flavonoids or polyphenols, or even using the plant to synthesize nanoparticles. Of forty-five plants tested, five of them did not show any effect against
spp., which weren't part of the same family. There is a wide range of plant that exhibit antifungal proprieties.
Many plants have been tested in a wide range of states - whole extracts, extraction of components such as flavonoids or polyphenols, or even using the plant to synthetize nanoparticles. The combination of plants, the addition of plants to a traditional antifungal and the interference with adhesion provided by some plants seem to be promising strategies. Nonetheless, on contrary to drugs, there is a critical lack of standardization on methodologies and protocols, which makes it difficult to compare data and, consequently, to conclude, beyond doubts, about the most promising plants to fight
spp. oral infections.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) are the two most important greenhouse gases emitted by mankind. Better knowledge of the surface sources and sinks of these Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) ...and related carbon uptake and release processes is needed for important climate change related applications such as improved climate modelling and prediction. Some satellites provide near-surface-sensitive atmospheric CO2 and CH4 observations that can be used to obtain information on CO2 and CH4 surface fluxes. The goal of the GHG-CCI project of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Climate Change Initiative (CCI) is to use satellite data to generate atmospheric CO2 and CH4 data products meeting demanding GCOS (Global Climate Observing System) greenhouse gas (GHG) ECV requirements. To achieve this, retrieval algorithms are regularly being improved followed by annual data reprocessing and analysis cycles to generate better products in terms of extended time series and continuously improved data quality. Here we present an overview about the latest GHG-CCI data set called Climate Research Data Package No. 3 (CRDP3) focusing on the GHG-CCI core data products, which are column-averaged dry-air mole fractions of CO2 and CH4, i.e., XCO2 and XCH4, as retrieved from SCIAMACHY/ENVISAT and TANSO/GOSAT satellite radiances covering the time period end of 2002 to end of 2014. We present global maps and time series including initial validation results obtained by comparisons with Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) ground-based observations. We show that the GCOS requirements for systematic error (<1ppm for XCO2, <10ppb for XCH4) and long-term stability (<0.2ppm/year for XCO2, <2ppb/year for XCH4) are met for nearly all products (an exception is SCIAMACHY methane especially since 2010). For XCO2 we present comparisons with global models using the output of two CO2 assimilation systems (MACC version 14r2 and CarbonTracker version CT2013B). We show that overall there is reasonable consistency and agreement between all data sets (within ~1–2ppm) but we also found significant differences depending on region and time period.
•State-of-the-art satellite-derived data sets of atmospheric CO2 and CH4•Comparisons with TCCON ground-based observations•Critical GCOS requirements are met (with some exceptions).•Detailed comparisons with state-of-the art global CO2 assimilation systems•Overall, reasonable agreement between all CO2 data sets
The GHG-CCI project is one of several projects of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Climate Change Initiative (CCI). The goal of the CCI is to generate and deliver data sets of various ...satellite-derived Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) in line with GCOS (Global Climate Observing System) requirements. The “ECV Greenhouse Gases” (ECV GHG) is the global distribution of important climate relevant gases – atmospheric CO2 and CH4 – with a quality sufficient to obtain information on regional CO2 and CH4 sources and sinks. Two satellite instruments deliver the main input data for GHG-CCI: SCIAMACHY/ENVISAT and TANSO-FTS/GOSAT. The first order priority goal of GHG-CCI is the further development of retrieval algorithms for near-surface-sensitive column-averaged dry air mole fractions of CO2 and CH4, denoted XCO2 and XCH4, to meet the demanding user requirements. GHG-CCI focuses on four core data products: XCO2 from SCIAMACHY and TANSO and XCH4 from the same two sensors. For each of the four core data products at least two candidate retrieval algorithms have been independently further developed and the corresponding data products have been quality-assessed and inter-compared. This activity is referred to as “Round Robin” (RR) activity within the CCI. The main goal of the RR was to identify for each of the four core products which algorithms should be used to generate the Climate Research Data Package (CRDP). The CRDP will essentially be the first version of the ECV GHG. This manuscript gives an overview of the GHG-CCI RR and related activities. This comprises the establishment of the user requirements, the improvement of the candidate retrieval algorithms and comparisons with ground-based observations and models. The manuscript summarizes the final RR algorithm selection decision and its justification. Comparison with ground-based Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) data indicates that the “breakthrough” single measurement precision requirement has been met for SCIAMACHY and TANSO XCO2 (<3ppm) and TANSO XCH4 (<17ppb). The achieved relative accuracy for XCH4 is 3–15ppb for SCIAMACHY and 2–8ppb for TANSO depending on algorithm and time period. Meeting the 0.5ppm systematic error requirement for XCO2 remains a challenge: approximately 1ppm has been achieved at the validation sites but also larger differences have been found in regions remote from TCCON. More research is needed to identify the causes for the observed differences. In this context GHG-CCI suggests taking advantage of the ensemble of existing data products, for example, via the EnseMble Median Algorithm (EMMA).
•Global satellite data sets of column-averaged CO2 and CH4 have been assessed.•For the first time the quality obtained using different methods has been evaluated.•CO2 relative biases are typically approximately 1ppm relative to TCCON.•CH4 relative biases are typically in the 3–13ppb range relative to TCCON.•However, also differences have been identified which are not yet well understood.
Homozygous Apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) variants G1 and G2 cause APOL1-mediated kidney disease, purportedly acting as surface cation channels in podocytes. APOL1-G0 exhibits various single nucleotide ...polymorphisms, most commonly haplotype E150K, M228I and R255K ("KIK"; the Reference Sequence is "EMR"), whereas variants G1 and G2 are mostly found in a single "African" haplotype background ("EIK"). Several labs reported cytotoxicity with risk variants G1 and G2 in KIK or EIK background haplotypes, but used HEK-293 cells and did not verify equal surface expression. To see if haplotype matters in a more relevant cell type, we induced APOL1-G0, G1 and G2 EIK, KIK and EMR at comparable surface levels in immortalized podocytes. G1 and G2 risk variants (but not G0) caused dose-dependent podocyte death within 48h only in their native African EIK haplotype and correlated with K
conductance (thallium FLIPR). We ruled out differences in localization and trafficking, except for possibly greater surface clustering of cytotoxic haplotypes. APOL1 surface expression was required, since Brefeldin A rescued cytotoxicity; and cytoplasmic isoforms vB3 and vC were not cytotoxic. Thus, APOL1-EIK risk variants kill podocytes in a dose and haplotype-dependent manner (as in HEK-293 cells), whereas unlike in HEK-293 cells the KIK risk variants did not.
ErbB2 is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase whose surface overexpression is linked to tumorigenesis and poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. Two models have emerged that account for the high ...surface distribution of ErbB2. In one model, the surface pool is dynamic and governed by a balance between endocytosis and recycling, whereas in the other it is retained, static, and excluded from endocytosis. These models have contrasting implications for how ErbB2 exerts its biological function and how cancer therapies might down-regulate surface ErbB2, such as the antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin) or the Hsp90 inhibitor geldanamycin. Little is known, however, about how these treatments affect ErbB2 endocytic trafficking. To investigate this issue, we examined breast carcinoma cells by immunofluorescence and quantitative immunoelectron microscopy and developed imaging and trafficking kinetics assays using cell surface fluorescence quenching. Surprisingly, trastuzumab does not influence ErbB2 distribution but instead recycles passively with internalized ErbB2. By contrast, geldanamycin down-regulates surface ErbB2 through improved degradative sorting in endosomes exclusively rather than through increased endocytosis. These results reveal substantial dynamism in the surface ErbB2 pool and clearly demonstrate the significance of endosomal sorting in the maintenance of ErbB2 surface distribution, a critical feature of its biological function.
Large enhancements of the BrO total column have been detected from analysis of nadir earthshine UV‐visible radiance observations by the GOME‐2 satellite instrument in the vicinity of the Kasatochi ...volcano (Alaska) during several days after its eruption on the 7 August 2008. The transport of the volcanic plume has been simulated using the FLEXPART dispersion model, and evidence is found that the injection altitude of the BrO plume was located between 8 and 12 km altitude, i.e., in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere region. Based on these results, the total mass of reactive bromine emitted by the volcano is estimated to be in the range from 50 to 120 tons.
Isoprene is the dominant nonmethane organic compound emitted to the atmosphere, where it drives ozone and aerosol production, modulates atmospheric oxidation, and interacts with the global nitrogen ...cycle. Isoprene emissions are highly variable and uncertain, as is the nonlinear chemistry coupling isoprene and its primary sink, the hydroxyl radical. Space‐based isoprene measurements can help close the gap on these uncertainties, and when combined with concurrent formaldehyde data provide a new constraint on atmospheric oxidation regimes. Here, we present a next‐generation machine‐learning isoprene retrieval for the Cross‐track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) that provides improved sensitivity, lower noise, and thus higher space‐time resolution than earlier approaches. The Retrieval of Organics from CrIS Radiances (ROCR) isoprene measurements compare well with previous space‐based retrievals as well as with the first‐ever ground‐based isoprene column measurements, with 20%–50% discrepancies that reflect differing sources of systematic uncertainty. An ensemble of sensitivity tests points to the spectral background and isoprene profile specification as the most relevant uncertainty sources in the ROCR framework. We apply the ROCR isoprene algorithm to the full CrIS record from 2012 to 2020, showing that it can resolve fine‐scale spatial gradients at daily resolution over the world's isoprene hotspots. Results over North America and Amazonia highlight emergent connections between isoprene abundance and daily‐to‐interannual variations in temperature and nitrogen oxides.
Plain Language Summary
Isoprene is a naturally occurring trace gas emitted primarily from the leaves of woody plants. Isoprene has important impacts on both air quality and climate; however, these impacts are difficult to assess and predict given large uncertainties in its sources and atmospheric chemistry. Space‐based measurements can help to address these uncertainties. Here, we present new satellite measurements of isoprene from the Cross‐track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), using a computationally efficient machine‐learning framework (Retrieval of Organics from CrIS Radiances; ROCR). ROCR measurements provide improved sensitivity and richer spatiotemporal information on atmospheric isoprene than was previously available. Results compare well to previous satellite‐based approaches and to new ground‐based observations. We apply the ROCR framework to measure daily, global isoprene distributions from 2012 to 2020. Results over North America and Amazonia highlight the processes controlling isoprene abundances and their variability over time.
Key Points
We present a next‐generation spaced‐based isoprene retrieval with higher sensitivity and resolution than previous approaches
Global, daily isoprene distributions are derived from 2012 to 2020 that compare well with the first ground‐based isoprene column observations
High‐resolution results over isoprene hotspots highlight processes controlling isoprene abundance and its daily‐to‐interannual variability
PDF
