The Slowdown in Global Air-Pollutant Emission Growth and Driving Factors

Fine-particulate-matter pollution (PM2.5) is linked to millions of deaths annually. Consumption in one region can cause production and PM2.5 emissions in another, but the socioeconomic drivers of transboundary PM2.5 emissions are not fully understood. Here, we quantify the driving factors of primary-particle and oxidized-precursor emissions from 2004 to 2011 at global and regional scales. The results indicate that the growth rate of global PM2.5 emissions slowed from 2004 to 2011, mainly due to improvements in energy intensities and production efficiency. Improvements in the emission intensity of coal represent the main factor offsetting SO2 and NOx emissions, whereas emission controls implemented for industrial processes have largely contributed to reducing primary PM2.5 emissions. The net emissions embodied in East Asia's exports to developed countries declined, while that to developing countries increased rapidly. The analysis creates opportunities to involve both producers and consumers in co-mitigation of various pollutants

Drug susceptibility profile and pathogenicity of H7N9 influenza virus (Anhui1 lineage) with R292K substitution

Neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) are the only available licensed therapeutics against human H7N9 influenza virus infections. The emergence of NAI-resistant variants of H7N9viruses with an NA R292K mutation poses a therapeutic challenge. A comprehensive understanding of the susceptibility of these viruses to clinically available NAIs, non-NAIs and their combinations is crucial for effective treatment. In this study, by using limited serial passage and plaque purification, an R292K variant of the Anhui1 lineage was isolated from a patient with clinical evidence of resistance to oseltamivir. In vitro and cell-based assays confirmed a high level of resistance conferred by the R292K mutation to oseltamivir carboxylate and a moderate level of resistance to zanamivir and peramivir. Non-NAI antivirals, such as T-705, ribavirin and NT-300, efficiently inhibited both the variant and the wild-type in cell-based assays. A combination of NAIs and non-NAIs did not exhibit a marked synergistic effect against the R292K variant. However, the combination of two non-NAIs (T-705 and ribavirin) exhibited significant synergism against the mutant virus. In experimentally infected mice, the variant showed delayed onset of symptoms, a reduced viral load and attenuated lethality compared with the wild-type. Our study suggested non-NAIs should be tested clinically for H7N9 patients with a sustained high viral load. Possible drug combination regimens, such as T-705 plus ribavirin, should be further tested in animal models. The pathogenicity and transmissibility of the R292K H7N9 variant should be further assessed with genetically well-characterized pairs of viruses and, most-desirably, with competitive fitness experiments.published_or_final_versio

The Geometry of an Electron Scale Magnetic Cavity in the Plasma Sheet

Electron scale magnetic cavities are electron vortex structures formed in turbulent plasma, while the evolution and electron dynamics of these structures have not been fully understood. Recently, highâ energy, angular, and temporal electron measurements from Magnetospheric Multiscale have enabled the application of an energetic particle sounding technique to these structures. This study analyzes an electron scale magnetic cavity observed by Magnetospheric Multiscale on 7 May 2015 in the plasma sheet. A comprehensive sounding technique is applied to obtain the geometry and propagation velocities of the boundaries. The result shows that the scale size of the structure is â ¼90 km, and the leading and trailing boundaries are moving in the same direction but with different speeds (â ¼11.5 ± 2.2 and â ¼18.1 ± 3.4 km/s, respectively). The speed difference suggests a shrinking of the structure that may play a significant role in magnetic energy dissipation and electron energization of electron scale magnetic cavities.Plain Language SummaryElectron scale magnetic cavities are extremely small vortices frequently found in space plasma environments, where a cavity of the depressed magnetic field contains energetic electrons forming a ringâ like current at electron scale. The formation of these structures is thought to be linked to energy cascade in plasma turbulence, while the mechanism and process of the energy transformation are not clear. In this paper we discuss an electron scale magnetic cavity in the terrestrial plasma sheet with a modified particle sounding technique proposed and applied to the boundaries, suggesting that the structure is shrinking. This analysis may provide new insight into understanding the evolution and electron energization of these structures.Key PointsA comprehensive energetic particle sounding technique is applied to detect the geometry of an electron scale magnetic cavityThe boundary loss plays a significant role in forming electron nonâ gyrotropic distributions in the cavityMoving speed obtained by the technique is higher for the trailing boundary than the leading boundary suggesting a shrinkage of the cavityPeer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151894/1/grl59390.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151894/2/grl59390_am.pd

Observation of χc1\chi_{c1} decays into vector meson pairs ϕϕ\phi\phi, ωω\omega\omega, and ωϕ\omega\phi

Decays of $\chi_{c1}$ to vector meson pairs $\phi\phi$, $\omega\omega$ and $\omega\phi$ are observed for the first time using $(106\pm4)\times 10^6$ \psip events accumulated at the BESIII detector at the BEPCII $e^+e^-$ collider. The branching fractions are measured to be $(4.4\pm 0.3\pm 0.5)\times 10^{-4}$, $(6.0\pm 0.3\pm 0.7)\times 10^{-4}$, and $(2.2\pm 0.6\pm 0.2)\times 10^{-5}$, for $\chi_{c1}\to \phi\phi$, $\omega\omega$, and $\omega\phi$, respectively. The observation of $\chi_{c1}$ decays into a pair of vector mesons $\phi\phi$, $\omega\omega$ and $\omega\phi$ indicates that the hadron helicity selection rule is significantly violated in $\chi_{cJ}$ decays. In addition, the measurement of $\chi_{cJ}\to \omega\phi$ gives the rate of doubly OZI-suppressed decay. Branching fractions for $\chi_{c0}$ and $\chi_{c2}$ decays into other vector meson pairs are also measured with improved precision.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Higher-order multipole amplitude measurement in ψ(2S)→γχc2\psi(2S)\to\gamma\chi_{c2}

Using $106\times10^6$ $\psi(2S)$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII storage ring, the higher-order multipole amplitudes in the radiative transition $\psi(2S)\to\gamma\chi_{c2}\to\gamma\pi\pi/\gamma KK$ are measured. A fit to the $\chi_{c2}$ production and decay angular distributions yields $M2=0.046\pm0.010\pm0.013$ and $E3=0.015\pm0.008\pm0.018$, where the first errors are statistical and the second systematic. Here $M2$ denotes the normalized magnetic quadrupole amplitude and $E3$ the normalized electric octupole amplitude. This measurement shows evidence for the existence of the $M2$ signal with $4.4\sigma$ statistical significance and is consistent with the charm quark having no anomalous magnetic moment.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

First Observation of the Decays chi_{cJ} -> pi^0 pi^0 pi^0 pi^0

We present a study of the P-wave spin -triplet charmonium chi_{cJ} decays (J=0,1,2) into pi^0 pi^0 pi^0 pi^0. The analysis is based on 106 million \psiprime decays recorded with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII electron positron collider. The decay into the pi^0 pi^0 pi^0 pi^0 hadronic final state is observed for the first time. We measure the branching fractions B(chi_{c0} -> pi^0 pi^0 pi^0 pi^0)=(3.34 +- 0.06 +- 0.44)*10^{-3}, B(chi_{c1} -> pi^0 pi^0 pi^0 pi^0)=(0.57 +- 0.03 +- 0.08)*10^{-3}, and B(chi_{c2} -> pi^0 pi^0 pi^0 pi^0)=(1.21 +- 0.05 +- 0.16)*10^{-3}, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematical, respectively.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Study of χcJ\chi_{cJ} radiative decays into a vector meson

The decays $\chi_{cJ}\to\gamma V$ ($V=\phi, \rho^0, \omega$) are studied with a sample of radiative \psip\to\gamma\chi_{cJ} events in a sample of (1.06\pm0.04)\times 10^{8} \psip events collected with the BESIII detector. The branching fractions are determined to be: ${\cal B}(\chi_{c1}\to \gamma\phi)=(25.8\pm 5.2\pm 2.3)\times 10^{-6}$, ${\cal B}(\chi_{c1}\to \gamma\rho^0)=(228\pm 13\pm 22)\times 10^{-6}$, and ${\cal B}(\chi_{c1}\to \gamma\omega)=(69.7\pm 7.2\pm 6.6)\times 10^{-6}$. The decay $\chi_{c1}\to \gamma\phi$ is observed for the first time. Upper limits at the 90% confidence level on the branching fractions for $\chi_{c0}$ and \chict decays into these final states are determined. In addition, the fractions of the transverse polarization component of the vector meson in $\chi_{c1}\to \gamma V$ decays are measured to be $0.29_{-0.12-0.09}^{+0.13+0.10}$ for $\chi_{c1}\to \gamma\phi$, $0.158\pm 0.034^{+0.015}_{-0.014}$ for $\chi_{c1}\to \gamma\rho^0$, and $0.247_{-0.087-0.026}^{+0.090+0.044}$ for $\chi_{c1}\to \gamma\omega$, respectively. The first errors are statistical and the second ones are systematic.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Study of J/ψ→ppˉJ/\psi\to p\bar{p} and J/ψ→nnˉJ/\psi\to n\bar{n}

The decays $J/\psi\to p\bar{p}$ and $J/\psi\to n\bar{n}$ have been investigated with a sample of 225.2 million $J/\psi$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII $e^+e^-$ collider. The branching fractions are determined to be $\mathcal{B}(J/\psi\to p\bar{p})=(2.112\pm0.004\pm0.031)\times10^{-3}$ and $\mathcal{B}(J/\psi\to n\bar{n})=(2.07\pm0.01\pm0.17)\times10^{-3}$. Distributions of the angle $\theta$ between the proton or anti-neutron and the beam direction are well described by the form $1+\alpha\cos^2\theta$, and we find $\alpha=0.595\pm0.012\pm0.015$ for $J/\psi\to p\bar{p}$ and $\alpha=0.50\pm0.04\pm0.21$ for $J/\psi\to n\bar{n}$. Our branching-fraction results suggest a large phase angle between the strong and electromagnetic amplitudes describing the $J/\psi\to N\bar{N}$ decay.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, the 2nd version, submitted to PR

Precision measurement of the branching fractions of J/psi -> pi+pi-pi0 and psi' -> pi+pi-pi0

We study the decays of the J/psi and psi' mesons to pi+pi-pi0 using data samples at both resonances collected with the BES III detector in 2009. We measure the corresponding branching fractions with unprecedented precision and provide mass spectra and Dalitz plots. The branching fraction for J/psi -> pi+pi-pi0 is determined to be (2.137 +- 0.004 (stat.) +0.058-0.056 (syst.) +0.027-0.026 (norm.))*10-2, and the branching fraction for psi' -> pi+pi-pi0 is measured as (2.14 +- 0.03 (stat.) +0.08-0.07 (syst.) +0.09-0.08 (norm.))*10-4. The J/psi decay is found to be dominated by an intermediate rho(770) state, whereas the psi' decay is dominated by di-pion masses around 2.2 GeV/c2, leading to strikingly different Dalitz distributions.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figure