Urban areas and industrial facilities, which concentrate the majority of human activity and industrial production, are major sources of air pollutants, with serious implications for human health and ...global climate. For most of these pollutants, emission inventories are often highly uncertain, especially in developing countries. Spaceborne measurements from the TROPOMI instrument, on board the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite, are used to retrieve nitrogen dioxide (NO.sub.2) column densities at high spatial resolution. Here, we use 2 years of TROPOMI retrievals to map nitrogen oxide (NO.sub.x = NO + NO.sub.2) emissions in Egypt with a top-down approach using the continuity equation in steady state. Emissions are expressed as the sum of a transport term and a sink term representing the three-body reaction comprising NO.sub.2 and hydroxyl radical (OH). This sink term requires information on the lifetime of NO.sub.2, which is calculated with the use of the CAMS near-real-time temperature and OH concentration fields. We compare this derived lifetime with the lifetime inferred from the fitting of NO.sub.2 line density profiles in large plumes with an exponentially modified Gaussian function. This comparison, which is conducted for different samples of NO.sub.2 patterns above the city of Riyadh, provides information on the reliability of the CAMS near-real-time OH concentration fields; it also provides some hint on the vertical levels that best represent typical pollution sources in industrial areas and megacities in the Middle East region. In Egypt, total emissions of NO.sub.x are dominated by the sink term, but they can be locally dominated by wind transport, especially along the Nile where human activities are concentrated. Megacities and industrial regions clearly appear as the largest sources of NO.sub.x emissions in the country. Our top-down model infers emissions with a marked annual variability. By looking at the spatial distribution of emissions at the scale of different cities with different industrial characteristics, it appears that this variability is consistent with national electricity consumption. We detect lower emissions on Fridays, which are inherent to the social norm of the country, and quantify the drop in emissions in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, our estimations of NO.sub.x emissions for Egypt are 7.0 % higher than the CAMS-GLOB-ANT_v4.2 inventory and significantly differ in terms of seasonality.
Urban areas and industrial facilities, which concentrate the majority of human activity and industrial production, are major sources of air pollutants, with serious implications for human health and ...global climate. For most of these pollutants, emission inventories are often highly uncertain, especially in developing countries. Spaceborne measurements from the TROPOMI instrument, on board the Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite, are used to retrieve nitrogen dioxide (NO2) column densities at high spatial resolution. Here, we use 2 years of TROPOMI retrievals to map nitrogen oxide (NOx = NO + NO2) emissions in Egypt with a top-down approach using the continuity equation in steady state. Emissions are expressed as the sum of a transport term and a sink term representing the three-body reaction comprising NO2 and hydroxyl radical (OH). This sink term requires information on the lifetime of NO2, which is calculated with the use of the CAMS near-real-time temperature and OH concentration fields. We compare this derived lifetime with the lifetime inferred from the fitting of NO2 line density profiles in large plumes with an exponentially modified Gaussian function. This comparison, which is conducted for different samples of NO2 patterns above the city of Riyadh, provides information on the reliability of the CAMS near-real-time OH concentration fields; it also provides some hint on the vertical levels that best represent typical pollution sources in industrial areas and megacities in the Middle East region. In Egypt, total emissions of NOx are dominated by the sink term, but they can be locally dominated by wind transport, especially along the Nile where human activities are concentrated. Megacities and industrial regions clearly appear as the largest sources of NOx emissions in the country. Our top-down model infers emissions with a marked annual variability. By looking at the spatial distribution of emissions at the scale of different cities with different industrial characteristics, it appears that this variability is consistent with national electricity consumption. We detect lower emissions on Fridays, which are inherent to the social norm of the country, and quantify the drop in emissions in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, our estimations of NOx emissions for Egypt are 7.0 % higher than the CAMS-GLOB-ANT_v4.2 inventory and significantly differ in terms of seasonality.
Abstract Geological evidence indicates that a supernova within 100 parsecs of Earth occurs around once per million years. Such nearby supernovas can produce an intense gamma-ray burst and a 100-fold ...increase of cosmic rays, lasting several centuries. We find that the effect of a short burst of gamma rays is small since they are strongly attenuated before reaching the lower stratosphere. Intense cosmic radiation affects stratospheric ozone but, due to compensating effects in catalytic chemical cycles, ozone depletion is moderate and comparable to that from current anthropogenic emissions. This also holds for the low-oxygen atmosphere during early evolution of terrestrial life. We estimate the increase in aerosol and clouds from a 100-fold increase of cosmic rays exerts a radiative forcing comparable in magnitude but opposite in sign to current anthropogenic climate forcing. We conclude that Earth’s atmosphere is effective at shielding the biosphere from nearby supernovae.
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Background: Certain dietary choices and body mass index (BMI) are associated with increased risk of breast cancer (BC) recurrence. Most patients (pts) consider nutrition very important but ...also report feeling confused about nutrition information. Many do not have access to a registered dietitian (RD) and nutrition education in medical schools is often lacking. Health coaching, education, goal-setting, and motivation are factors that can improve healthy habits and increase adherence to lifestyle modifications. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a 12-week (wk) pilot program of individualized nutrition counseling by a RD for BC survivors in a community oncology setting. Methods: We conducted a single-center, prospective, single arm trial to evaluate the feasibility of individualized nutrition counseling by a RD in pts with stage I-IV BC. Counseling focused on the American Cancer Society healthy eating pattern recommendations. Stage I-III BC pts must have completed all planned surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Pts with stage IV/metastatic BC were eligible at any point during their treatment. Participants had three planned visits over a 12-week (wk) period: baseline, 4 wk follow-up visit, & 12 wk follow-up visit. Feasibility was measured by adherence to a three-visit protocol over a 12 wk period. Secondary objectives included effect of nutrition counseling on quality of life using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) and on physical activity using Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ). Demographic and medical variables were collected. Results: N = 50 participants signed consent for the study, & all had baseline visits. Mean age 56 yrs (33-77). Pts: Stage I (N = 38); Stage II (N = 8); Stage III (N = 1); metastatic (N = 3). Mean BMI: 28.64 (17.7-48). Pts: ER+/HER2- (N = 37); ER+/HER2+ (N = 7); ER-/HER2+ (N = 2); ER-/HER2- (N = 4). 42 pts were on endocrine therapy during their participation on study. 36 pts (72%) completed the 12-wk program in its entirety. Average visit adherence for the whole cohort was 84.7%. Reasons for the 14 pts (28%) who did not complete the program included no virtual option available (N = 6); no time to attend (N = 2); not interested (N = 1) & unknown (N = 5). 9 only attended Visit 1 and 5 attended Visits 2 and 3. Pts who completed the program experienced an improvement in self-reported energy level (p = 0.01) as assessed in FACT-B from baseline to 12 wks. There was no significant difference in GLTEQ from baseline to 12 wks (p = 0.21). Remainder of QoL assessments to be presented. Conclusions: Individualized nutrition counseling in a community oncology program was feasible and led to improvement in self-reported energy levels. It is imperative to expand the reach and access of nutrition counseling to reach a more diverse patient population and maintain continuity. Future work will focus on testing this intervention in larger and more diverse populations of BC survivors and thrivers.
Radionuclides from the reactor accident Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were observed in the airborne aerosols at CTBT International Monitoring System (IMS) stations (MRP43, CMP13) in Africa. ...The maximum activity concentrations in the air measured in Mauritania were 186.44 10−6 Bq.m−3, 264.16 10−6 Bq.m−3 and 1269.94 10−6 Bq.m−3 for 134Cs, 137Cs and 131I respectively, and in Cameroon 16.42 10−6 Bq.m−3, 25.53 10−6 and 37.58 10−6 Bq.m−3 respectively for 134Cs, 137Cs and 131I. The activity ratio of 134Cs/137Cs is almost constant throughout the period of time relevant to this study due to their long half-lives of 30.2 years for 137Cs and 2.06 years for 134Cs. Whereas the 131I/137Cs activity ratio varies in time according to the radioactive decay with a half-live of 8.06 days for 131I and different removal rates of both radionuclides from the atmosphere during transport. The EMAC atmospheric chemistry-general circulation was used to simulate the emission and transport of the isotope 137Cs and map the deposition of the 137Cs deposition over Africa.
•IMS stations in Africa (MRP43, CMP13) detected first 131I, caesium isotopes appearing with a delay of 6 days in Cameroon and 4 days for 134Cs in Mauritania.•The highest activity concentrations of fission products were found in Mauritania.•The EMAC atmospheric chemistry-general circulation was used to simulate the emission and transport of the isotope 137Cs and map the deposition of the 137Cs deposition over Africa.
In late March 2018, a large part of the Eastern Mediterranean experienced an extraordinary episode of African dust, one of the most intense in recent years, here referred to as the “Minoan Red” ...event. The episode mainly affected the Greek island of Crete, where the highest aerosol concentrations over the past 15 yeas were recorded, although impacts were also felt well beyond this core area. Our study fills a gap in dust research by assessing the multi-sectoral impacts of sand and dust storms and their socioeconomic implications. Specifically, we provide a multi-sectoral impact assessment of Crete during the occurrence of this exceptional African dust event. During the day of the occurrence of the maximum dust concentration in Crete, i.e. March 22nd, 2018, we identified impacts on meteorological conditions, agriculture, transport, energy, society (including closing of schools and cancellation of social events), and emergency response systems. As a result, the event led to a 3-fold increase in daily emergency responses compare to previous days associated with urban emergencies and wildfires, a 3.5-fold increase in hospital visits and admissions for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) exacerbations and dyspnoea, a reduction of visibility causing aircraft traffic disruptions (eleven cancellations and seven delays), and a reduction of solar energy production. We estimate the cost of direct and indirect effects of the dust episode, considering the most affected socio-economic sectors (e.g. civil protection, aviation, health and solar energy production), to be between 3.4 and 3.8 million EUR for Crete. Since such desert dust transport episodes are natural, meteorology-driven and thus to a large extent unavoidable, we argue that the efficiency of actions to mitigate dust impacts depends on the accuracy of operational dust forecasting and the implementation of relevant early warning systems for social awareness.
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•Impacts of an extraordinary episode of African dust transport are investigated.•Several types of impacts are identified in ecosystems, economy, society and health.•Increase (3 times) of emergencies responses and hospital admissions.•Reduction of visibility caused aircraft traffic disruptions in Crete.•Reduction of solar energy production is estimated on ~10 MW.
Abstract
New particle formation in the upper free troposphere is a major global source of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN)
1–4
. However, the precursor vapours that drive the process are not well ...understood. With experiments performed under upper tropospheric conditions in the CERN CLOUD chamber, we show that nitric acid, sulfuric acid and ammonia form particles synergistically, at rates that are orders of magnitude faster than those from any two of the three components. The importance of this mechanism depends on the availability of ammonia, which was previously thought to be efficiently scavenged by cloud droplets during convection. However, surprisingly high concentrations of ammonia and ammonium nitrate have recently been observed in the upper troposphere over the Asian monsoon region
5,6
. Once particles have formed, co-condensation of ammonia and abundant nitric acid alone is sufficient to drive rapid growth to CCN sizes with only trace sulfate. Moreover, our measurements show that these CCN are also highly efficient ice nucleating particles—comparable to desert dust. Our model simulations confirm that ammonia is efficiently convected aloft during the Asian monsoon, driving rapid, multi-acid HNO
3
–H
2
SO
4
–NH
3
nucleation in the upper troposphere and producing ice nucleating particles that spread across the mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere.
The global climate model ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC) is a modular global model that simulates climate change and air quality scenarios. The application includes different sub-models for ...the calculation of chemical species concentrations, their interaction with land and sea, and the human interaction. The paper presents a source-to-source parser that enables support for Graphics Processing Units (GPU) by the Kinetic Pre-Processor (KPP) general purpose open-source software tool. The requirements of the host system are also described. The source code of the source-to-source parser is available under the MIT License 1. Keywords: GPU, CUDA, Chemical Kinetics, Climate modeling, Atmospheric Chemistry
Abstract
Air pollution from fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been associated with various health implications that can lead to increased morbidity and excess mortality. Epidemiological and ...toxicological studies have shown that carbonaceous particles (black carbon and organic aerosols) may be more hazardous to human health than inorganic ones. Health impact studies and emission reduction policies are based on total PM2.5 concentration without differentiating the more harmful components. In such assessments, PM2.5 and their sub-component concentrations are usually modeled with air quality models. Organic aerosols have been shown to be consistently underestimated, which may affect excess mortality estimates. Here, we use the WRF-Chem model to simulate PM2.5 (including carbonaceous particles) over the wider European domain and assess some of the main factors that contribute to uncertainty. In particular, we explore the impact of anthropogenic emissions and meteorological modeling on carbonaceous aerosol concentrations. We further assess their effects on excess mortality estimates by using the Global Exposure Mortality Model (GEMM). We find that meteorological grid nudging is essential for accurately representing both PM2.5 and carbonaceous aerosols and that, for this application, results improve more significantly compared to spectral nudging. Our results indicate that the explicit account of organic precursors (semi-volatile and intermediate-volatile organic carbons—SVOCs/IVOCs) in emission inventories would improve the accuracy of organic aerosols modeling. We conclude that uncertainties related to PM2.5 modeling in Europe lead to a ∼15% deviation in excess mortality, which is comparable to the risk model uncertainty. This estimate is relevant when all PM2.5 sub-components are assumed to be equally toxic but can be higher by considering their specific toxicity.
Abstract
Background: Chemotherapy (CTX) for breast cancer (BC) can have a detrimental effect on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), as measured by VO2max. This decline may be attenuated by physical ...activity, which can also reduce mortality risk and improve quality of life (QoL) for patients (pts) with BC. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many have pivoted to home-based exercise routines, which have been shown to be safe and feasible for pts with BC receiving CTX. We conducted the STRENGTH Trial to evaluate the effect of a 12-week virtual supervised exercise program in BC pts receiving CTX on CRF. Methods: This is a single-center, prospective, single-arm study designed to evaluate the effect of a 12-week virtual supervised exercise training program on CRF in BC pts receiving CTX. Participants aged ≥18 years with stage I-IV BC who were planned to receive at least 12 weeks of CTX of investigator’s choice were eligible for inclusion. Participants were asked to complete a total of 150 minutes (min) of moderate intensity physical activity/week, as a combination of a 45 min weekly virtual personal training session and workout classes streamed from the Peloton® Digital platform (i.e. walking, running, cardio, yoga, strength training, and cycling). The primary endpoint was the distance walked on a Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), an accepted surrogate marker for VO2max, at the start and completion of the program. Secondary endpoints included assessment of QoL using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - General (FACT-G) and symptom assessment using the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) questionnaires at the beginning, middle and end of the study. Exploratory endpoints included treatment adherence, toxicities, completion and response. Results: 33 participants signed consent for the clinical trial and 2 withdrew voluntarily prior to beginning the program. 5 participants discontinued prematurely due to a diagnosis of COVID-19 (N=3) and pulmonary embolism (N=2) and were not included in the primary endpoint. One participant remains on study at this time. Median age 49 yrs; range 33-68. Mean BMI 29.55; range 18.1-46.5. 13 HR+/HER2-, 7 HR-/HER2-, 11 HER2+. 14 (45%) pts had Stage I, 11 (35%) pts had Stage 2, 5 (16%) pts had Stage 3, 1 (3%) pt had Stage 4. 23 pts (70%) received either an anthracycline or HER2-based therapy. 19 pts (61%) received neoadjuvant CTX on study, 11 pts (35%) received adjuvant CTX and 1 pt (3%) received treatment in metastatic setting. The average number of exercise min per week per participant was 123.2 min (95% CI, 104.1-142.2), with a relative dose intensity of 82%. In the pts that completed the study thus far (N=25), there was no statistically significant difference between the distance walked during the 6MWT at the start and end of the study (median difference= -10m, range: -129-150m, p= 0.67). There was no statistically significant difference in the FACT-G score at the start and end of the study (median difference= -1.0, range -17.83- 30.0, p=0.54). Pts scored higher on the MDASI (median difference= 0.33, range -1.55-4.62, p=0.04) at the end of the exercise program compared to the beginning. There were no new or unexpected treatment toxicities observed. Conclusion: Pts who participated in a 12-week virtual supervised exercise program during CTX for BC did not experience a statistically significant difference in the distance walked during the 6MWT between the beginning and end of the exercise program. Exercise may attenuate the decline in cardiorespiratory function that has historically been observed with CTX for BC. Some pts were not able to adhere to the recommended 150 min of exercise/week suggesting a potential need for modified exercise targets for pts with BC undergoing CTX. This study is limited by a small sample size and larger, randomized clinical trials are needed to further evaluate optimal exercise recommendations for patients with BC undergoing CTX in order to maintain and potentially, even improve, cardiorespiratory function.
Citation Format: Eleonora Teplinsky, Amanda Podolski, Kasey Bessada, John Rutledge, Benita Burke, Moira Christoudias, Laura Klein, Kariann Abbate. Effect of a 12 Week Virtual Supervised Exercise Program on Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: Results from the STRENGTH Trial abstract. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-07-13.
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