Optical properties and composition of viscous organic particles found in the Southern Great Plains

Atmospheric high-viscosity organic particles (HVOPs) were observed in samples of ambient aerosols collected in April and May 2016 in the Southern Great Plains of the United States. These particles were apportioned as either airborne soil organic particles (ASOPs) or tar balls (TBs) from biomass burning based on spetro-microscopic imaging and assessments of meteorological records of smoke and precipitation data. Regardless of their apportionment, the number fractions of HVOPs were positively correlated (R2=0.85) with increased values of absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) measured in situ for ambient aerosol at the site. Extending this correlation to 100 % HVOPs yields an AAE of 2.6, similar to previous literature reports of the class of light-absorbing organic particles known as brown carbon (BrC). One out of the three samples investigated had a significant number of ASOPs, while the other two samples contained TBs. Although there are chemical similarities between ASOPs and TBs, they can be distinguished based on composition inferred from near-edge absorption X-ray fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. ASOPs were distinguished from TBs based on their average − COOH/C = C and − COOH/COH peak ratios, with ASOPs having lower ratios. NEXAFS spectra of filtered soil organic brine particles nebulized from field samples of standing water deposited after rain were consistent with ASOPs when laboratory particles were generated by bubble bursting at the air–organic brine interface. However, particles generated by nebulizing the bulk volume of soil organic brine had a particle composition different from ASOPs. These observations are consistent with the raindrop generation mechanism responsible for ASOP emissions in the area of study. In contrast, nebulized samples carry with them higher fractions of soil inorganics dissolved in the bulk volume of soil brine, which are not aerosolized by the raindrop mechanism. Our results support the bubble bursting mechanism of particle generation during rainfall resulting in the ejection of soil organics into the atmosphere. In addition, our results show that ASOPs may only be atmospherically relevant during times when suitable emission conditions are met

Review of \u3cem\u3eThe Other Welfare: Supplemental Security Income and U.S. Social Policy\u3c/em\u3e. Edward D. Berkowitz and Larry DeWitt. Reviewed by Benjamin W. Veghte

Edward D. Berkowitz and Larry DeWitt, The Other Welfare: Supplemental Security Income and U.S. Social Policy. Cornell University Press (2013), 296 pages, $45.00 (hardcover)

Thermal Exchange Between The Raven (corvus Corax) And Its Environment.

PhDZoologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/189172/2/7609534.pd

How Could Congressional Medicaid Cuts Affect Americans?

This infographic addresses how cuts to federal Medicaid funding under a shift from current law (as of June 2017) to a federal cap could affect Americans. It is based on the brief Medicaid and Federal Funding Caps: Implications for Access to Health Care and Long-Term Services and Supports among Vulnerable Americans, which analyzes in depth the policy of capping federal Medicaid spending through per capita caps and the implications of such a policy for states' ability to provide health care and long-term services and supports to vulnerable Americans

Facile Method for Determining the Aspect Ratios of Mineral Dust Aerosol by Electron Microscopy

<div><p>Mineral dust is the second largest atmospheric emission by mass and one of the least understood sources. The shape of the particles depends on their composition and has implications for particle optical properties and reactive surface area. Mineral dust particles are often approximated as spheroids to model their optical properties. In this study, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is used to measure the aspect ratios of calcite, quartz, NX-illite, kaolinite (KGa-1b and KGa-2), and montmorillonite (STx-1b and SWy-2). In addition to traditional SEM images of the top of the particles, the SEM substrates are oriented approximately normal to the electron beam in order to image the side of the particles. In this manner, aspect ratios for the top and side orientation of the particles are determined. Calcite particles have an aspect ratio of approximately 1.3 in both orientations, while quartz particles have an aspect ratio of 1.38 in the top orientation and 1.64 in the side orientation. The clay minerals studied all exhibited plate-like structures with aspect ratios of 1.35 to 1.44 for the top orientation and 4.80 to 9.14 for the side orientation. These values are used to estimate the specific surface areas (SSAs) of the minerals, which are compared to Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurements. Through this study, we present a simple method for determining the aspect ratios of aerosolized samples, rather than relying on literature values of model systems. As a result, this technique should provide a better method for determining the optical properties of mineral dust particles.</p><p>Copyright 2014 American Association for Aerosol Research</p></div