Annual cycles of major ions, levoglucosan and cellulose in atmospheric aerosol samples

Diese Arbeit beruht auf Ergebnissen, die im Rahmen der Projekte ,Backgroundmessungen Sonnblick' und ,CARBOSOL' gewonnen wurden. Beide Forschungsprojekte befaßten sich mit der Untersuchung des atmosphärischen Aerosols. Im Projekt ,Backgroundmessungen Sonnblick' wurden am Sonnblick Observatorium (3106 m Seehöhe) die Aerosolkomponenten Sulfat, Nitrat, Oxalat, Chlorid, Ammonium, Kalzium, Magnesium, Natrium und Kalium sowie die Spurengase Schwefeldioxid, Salpetersäure und Ammoniak mit zwei parallel installierten In-Line Filterpacks gemessen. Im Zeitraum von Dezember 2002 bis Oktober 2004 wurden täglich Proben genommen. Das Projekt ,CARBOSOL' wurde an sechs Meßstellen durchgeführt. In der Zeit von Sommer 2002 bis Herbst 2004 wurden Hi-Vol Wochenproben auf Quarzfaserfiltern gesammelt. Für diese Arbeit wurden nur die Messungen von Cellulose und Levoglucosan ausgewertet. Die im Rahmen der ,Backgroundmessungen Sonnblick' bestimmten Aerosolkomponenten sowie Ammoniak und Salpetersäure zeigten ausgeprägte Jahresgänge mit höheren Meßwerten im Sommer und geringeren Werten im Winter. Die Jahresmittelwerte der Aerosolkomponenten Nitrat, Sulfat und Ammonium lagen bei 5,5 bis 15 nmol/m³, die Jahresmittelwerte der Spurengase bei 2,9 bis 19 nmol/m³.Die im Rahmen von ,CARBOSOL' gemessenen mittleren Konzentrationswerte lagen an den sechs Meßplätzen bei 14 bis 273 ng/m³ für Levoglucosan und bei 13,5 bis 133 ng/m³ für Cellulose. Verwendet man Levoglucosan und Cellulose als ,Makro-Tracer', so kann der Beitrag der Holzverbrennung und Pflanzenabbrieb am Organischen Material einer Aerosolprobe bestimmt werden. Der Beitrag der Holzverbrennung liegt bei 21 bis 39 %, während der Einfluß des Pflanzenabrieb geringer ist und im Bereich von 3 bis 16 % liegt.This work contains input from two projects:"Backgroundmeasurements Sonnblick" and "CARBOSOL". In "Backgroundmeasurements Sonnblick" the aerosol compounds sulphate, nitrate, oxalate, chloride, ammonium, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium as well as the trace gases sulphur dioxide, nitric acid and ammonia were collected with two parallel in-line system filter packs at Sonnblick Observatory (3106 m a.s.l.). Daily samples were collected (December 2002 - October 2004). The "CARBOSOL" project was performed at six sampling sites across Europe. With a High-Volume sampler, weekly aerosol samples were collected during two years (2002 - 2004) on quartz fiber filters. Here the determination of the organic compounds cellulose and levoglucosan for all the six sampling sites was carried out. Aerosol compounds as well as ammonia and acid nitric show pronounced annual cycles with high values in summer and low in winter. For aerosol compounds as nitrate, sulphate and ammonia the average concentration values of the whole period range between 5,5 and 15 nmol/m³ and for the trace gases nitric acid, sulphur dioxide and ammonium 2,9 and 19 nmol/m³. Concerning "CARBOSOL" the average concentrations of the whole period for the six sampling sites in Europe range between 14 and 273 ng/m³ for levoglucosan and between 13,5 and 133 ng/m³ for cellulose. Using levoglucosan and cellulose as macrotracers for "wood smoke" and "plant debris" it is possible to calculate the contribution to OM. The contribution of wood smoke to OM ranges between 21 and 39 %, while the contribution of plant debris to OM is between 3 and 16%.12

Concentration of atmospheric cellulose: A proxy for plant debris across a west-east transect over Europe

International audienceAtmospheric “free cellulose” has been determined as a proxy for “plant debris” in samples from six background stations on a west-east transect extending from the Atlantic (Azores) to the mid-European background site KPZ (K-Puszta, Hungary). Concentration levels of cellulose (biannual averages) range from 16.3 ng/m3 at the oceanic background site AZO (Azores) to 181 ng/m3 at KPZ (Hungary). Concentrations decrease with elevation, winter levels at the midtropospheric Sonnblick site (SBO, 3106 m) are comparable to clean Atlantic conditions. The atmospheric concentration of plant debris (biannual averages) was derived from the cellulose data and ranges from 33.4 ng/m3 at AZO to 363 ng/m3 at KPZ. Relative contributions of plant debris to organic matter (OM) range from around 2% at the semirural coastal site Aveiro (AVE) to 10% at SBO. Surprisingly high relative concentrations of plant debris in OM were observed for wintry conditions at the elevated sites. The relative fraction of plant debris in OM ranged as averages from 6.1% at Schauinsland, Germany (1205 m) to 10.1% at Puy de Dome, France (1405 m) and 22.4% at Sonnblick, Austria (3106 m). Thus plant debris is a very important constituent of the organic material at elevated background sites with summer concentrations of around 5% and winter levels from around 6–22% depending on elevation. Since cellulose is considered rather long-lived with respect to atmospheric oxidation processes, it may become enriched on the way to background regions, which may explain the elevated relative levels at elevated sites

Chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols during the 2003 summer intense forest fire period

International audienceIn Portugal, during summer 2003, unusually large forested areas (>300,000 ha) were destroyed by fire, emitting pollutants to the atmosphere. During this period, aerosol samples were collected in the Aveiro region, and analysed for total mass and a set of inorganic and organic compounds, including tracers of biomass burning. Comparisons of aerosol size distributions, levels of particulate mass and chemical aerosol composition between heavily smoke-impacted periods and the rest of the summer permit to evaluate the contribution of forest fires to the regional aerosol load. The absolute and relative variability of the particulate inorganic and organic constituents were used to evaluate the importance of wildfires as emission sources responsible for the presence of compounds such as molecular tracers in the summer atmosphere. From organic carbon to levoglucosan or to potassium ratios it was estimated that 40–55% of primary organic carbon could be attributed to wood smoke. The large fraction of secondary organic carbon suggested that forest fires may strongly contribute to gas-to-particle processes. It was found a better correlation of organic carbon with potassium than with levoglucosan, indicating that, during more complete combustive processes, potassium is possibly a more reasonable biomass burning tracer

Source apportionment of PM2.5 organic aerosol over Europe: Primary/secondary, natural/anthropogenic, and fossil/biogenic origin

International audienceOn the basis of a 2-year comprehensive data set obtained within the CARBOSOL project, seasonal source apportionment of PM2.5 aerosol is attempted for five rural/remote sites in Europe. The approach developed combines radiocarbon measurements with bulk measurements of organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and two organic tracers (levoglucosan and cellulose). Source types are lumped into primary emissions from fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning, bioaerosol, and secondary organic aerosol from precursors emitted by fossil and nonfossil sources. Bulk concentration ratios reported for these source types in the literature are used to estimate the source contributions which are constrained by measured radiocarbon concentrations. It has been found that while fossil-related sources predominate EC throughout the year at all sites, the sources of OC are primarily biogenic and markedly different between summer and winter. In winter biomass burning primary emission is the main source, with sizable additional contribution from fossil fuel combustion. In contrast, in summer secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from nonfossil sources becomes predominant (63–76% of TC), with some contribution of SOA from fossil fuel combustion. The results agree well with recent findings of other authors who established the predominance of biogenic SOA for rural sites in summer in Europe. An uncertainty analysis has been conducted, which shows that the main conclusions from this study are robust

Climatology of aerosol composition (organic versus inorganic) at nonurban sites on a west-east transect across Europe

International audienceIn the framework of the European CARBOSOL project (Present and Retrospective State of Organic versus Inorganic Aerosol over Europe: Implications for Climate), atmospheric aerosol was continuously sampled for 2 years at six sites along a west-east transect extending from Azores, in the mid-Atlantic Ocean, to K-Puszta (Hungary), in central Europe. Aerosols were analyzed for 210Pb, inorganic ions, elemental (EC) and organic (OC) carbon, water soluble organic carbon (WSOC), macromolecular type (humic-like) organic substances (HULIS), C2–C5 diacids, cellulose, and levoglucosan. Pooled aerosol filters were also used for the identification of different families of organic compounds by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, GC/MS, as well as 14C determinations. The data resulted in a climatological overview of the aerosol composition over Europe in the various seasons, from west to east, and from the boundary layer to the free troposphere. The paper first summarizes the characteristics of the sites and collected samples and then focuses on the aerosol mass partitioning (mass closure, inorganic versus organic, EC versus OC, water soluble versus insoluble OC), giving an insight on the sources of carbonaceous aerosol present in rural and natural background areas in Europe. It also introduces the main role of other companion papers dealing with CARBOSOL aerosol data that are also presented in this issue

Association of anti-SARS-COV-2 vaccine with increased incidence of myositis-related anti-RNA-synthetases auto-antibodies

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 is a RNA virus that associates with heterogeneous clinical manifestations and complications. Auto-antibodies are identified in approximately 50% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Objectives: To determine the global incidence of myositis-related auto-antibodies (non Jo1-RNA synthetases: anti-PL7, anti-PL12, anti-EJ, anti-OJ and RNA-sensor: anti-MDA5) in our laboratory during COVID-19 pandemics, and to describe the clinical and laboratory features of these patients. Study design: A retrospective study was performed from 2015 to 2021 in a cohort of 444 patients with suspected inflammatory myopathy. The incidence of positive results for the MSA was expressed as absolute value per year for the reference population. Immunoblot analysis, indirect immunofluorescence and HLA typing of 36 patients with positivity for MSAs were collected and analyzed. Results: We observed MSA positive in 28 patients in 2020 and 36 patients in 2021, representing a mean increase of 6-fold respect to previous years since 2015 (range, 0 to 19). In 2020, the most common antibody detected was anti-MDA5 (68%). In contrast, in 2021 the most common antibodies were anti-PL7 and/or anti-PL12 (69%). All patients in 2021 with positive anti-synthetases were fully vaccinated, 4 had previous documented infection, with median time from vaccine to MSA positivity of 5 months. Eight out of 36 patients (22%) reported clinical onset after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and 6 out of 36 (17%) presented clinical and/or radiological worsening after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. All patients presented with a known human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1* allele associated with ASS. The most prevalent alleles identified were DRB1*03:01, DRB1*04, DRB1*11:01, corresponding to 70% (16/23) of our cohort. Conclusions: Our preliminary data show an increased incidence of anti-synthetase antibodies during COVID-19 pandemic and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination associated to HLA DRB1* risk allele. Differential profiles of MSA specificities were observed: mainly against RNA-sensors in 2020 and against RNA-synthetases in 2021. Further studies are needed to support the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or vaccination and the occurrence of this autoimmune syndrome

Modelos para la elaboración de las adaptaciones curriculares en la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria

Contiene: Modelo para la elaboración del documento individual de adaptación curricularSe muestra el resultado de dos años de trabajo por parte de los orientadores que participaron en el Seminario de Coordinación Institucional de los Servicios de Orientación Educativa en Educación Secundaria de la Región de Murcia organizado por la Consejería de Educación, Formación y Empleo. La tarea propuesta ha sido diseñar instrumentos ágiles para la elaboración de las adaptaciones curriculares no significativas y de acceso y el documento individual de adaptación curricular. Para la elaboración de los modelos de adaptación curricular, se ha partido de la definición de lo que es y no es adaptación curricular a la luz de la legislación educativa, tanto nacional como autonómica. En cuanto a la elaboración del modelo del documento individual de adaptación curricular, se han utilizado y recogido los formatos existentes, todos válidos y útiles, reelaborando uno nuevo, más asequible para la labor diaria de los orientadores educativos, profesores, especialmente tutores y especialistas, con la finalidad de que puedan tener a mano documentos para trabajar la atención a la diversidad con sus alumnos de manera casi intuitiva, con orientaciones claras sobre cada uno de los problemas con los que se enfrentan diariamente en su tarea docente.Murcia: Consejería de Educación. Secretaría General, Servicio de Publicaciones y Estadística; Avenida de La Fama, 15. 30006 Murcia; Teléfono 968 279842; Fax: 968 27 98 35; [email protected]; http://www.educarm.es/publicacionesES

Assessment of plasma chitotriosidase activity, CCL18/PARC concentration and NP-C suspicion index in the diagnosis of Niemann-Pick disease type C : A prospective observational study

Niemann-Pick disease type C (NP-C) is a rare, autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disease caused by mutations in either the NPC1 or NPC2 genes. The diagnosis of NP-C remains challenging due to the non-specific, heterogeneous nature of signs/symptoms. This study assessed the utility of plasma chitotriosidase (ChT) and Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 18 (CCL18)/pulmonary and activation-regulated chemokine (PARC) in conjunction with the NP-C suspicion index (NP-C SI) for guiding confirmatory laboratory testing in patients with suspected NP-C. In a prospective observational cohort study, incorporating a retrospective determination of NP-C SI scores, two different diagnostic approaches were applied in two separate groups of unrelated patients from 51 Spanish medical centers (n = 118 in both groups). From Jan 2010 to Apr 2012 (Period 1), patients with ≥2 clinical signs/symptoms of NP-C were considered 'suspected NP-C' cases, and NPC1/NPC2 sequencing, plasma chitotriosidase (ChT), CCL18/PARC and sphingomyelinase levels were assessed. Based on findings in Period 1, plasma ChT and CCL18/PARC, and NP-C SI prediction scores were determined in a second group of patients between May 2012 and Apr 2014 (Period 2), and NPC1 and NPC2 were sequenced only in those with elevated ChT and/or elevated CCL18/PARC and/or NP-C SI ≥70. Filipin staining and 7-ketocholesterol (7-KC) measurements were performed in all patients with NP-C gene mutations, where possible. In total across Periods 1 and 2, 10/236 (4%) patients had a confirmed diagnosis o NP-C based on gene sequencing (5/118 [4.2%] in each Period): all of these patients had two causal NPC1 mutations. Single mutant NPC1 alleles were detected in 8/236 (3%) patients, overall. Positive filipin staining results comprised three classical and five variant biochemical phenotypes. No NPC2 mutations were detected. All patients with NPC1 mutations had high ChT activity, high CCL18/PARC concentrations and/or NP-C SI scores ≥70. Plasma 7-KC was higher than control cut-off values in all patients with two NPC1 mutations, and in the majority of patients with single mutations. Family studies identified three further NP-C patients. This approach may be very useful for laboratories that do not have mass spectrometry facilities and therefore, they cannot use other NP-C biomarkers for diagnosis