Dust Storms from Degraded Drylands of Asia: Dynamics and Health Impacts

Asian dust events are massive meteorological phenomena during which dust particles from Chinese and Mongolian deserts are blown into the atmosphere and carried by westerly winds across Northeast Asia. Recently, there has been steady increase in both the frequency and the severity of Asian atmospheric dust events. Concern has been expressed regarding the potential health hazards in affected areas. The principal nature of the damage associated with Asian dust events differs between the emission (sandstorm) and downwind (air pollution) regions. In the emission region, the health impacts of dust storms are reflected in the high prevalence of respiratory diseases and severe subjective symptoms. Extreme dust storm events may cause a disaster to happen. In downwind regions such as Japan, analysis of Asian dust particles has shown the presence of ammonium ions, sulfate ions, nitrate ions, and heavy metal compounds that are considered not to originate from soil. Asian dust particles have been thought to adsorb anthropogenic atmospheric pollutants during transport. Therefore, Asian dust events coincide with increases in daily hospital admissions and clinical visits for allergic diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis, and conjunctivitis. Although the effect of Asian dust on human health in each region is influenced by a variety of different mechanisms, human activities are partly responsible for such negative effects in many situations. We therefore need to address these environmental problems

Lack of medical resources and public health vulnerability in Mongolia's winter disasters

Introduction: Many countries face the need to address medical resource shortages following various disasters. The dzud is a winter disaster that occurs in Mongolia following drought in dryland areas, and it leads to high livestock mortality. Affected provinces suffer increased mortality rates for children aged under 5 years. Using various factors, including medical resources, the present study aimed to evaluate the health risks for children during the dzud. Methods: Data from all of Mongolia’s 21 provinces and the capital of Ulaanbaatar were analyzed. The change in child mortality (CCM) was defined as the difference in the under-five mortality rate from 2009 to 2010. To determine the correlations, the CCM was compared with the urbanization rate (proportion of urban population), number of physicians and nurses (per 1000 residents), average temperature, total precipitation (October 2009 to February 2010), and declining rate in livestock numbers for 2009-10 (percentage livestock loss) in each province. Results: The correlation coefficients between the CCM and each factor were as follows: number of physicians (r=-0.506, p=0.016), urbanization rate (r=-0.467, p=0.029), and percentage livestock loss (r=0.469, p=0.028). In the multiple regression analysis, the number of physicians was significantly negatively related to the CCM (standardizing coefficient -0.492, p=0.020). Conclusion: These results suggest that increased medical resources and infrastructure development have positive effects on child health - even in the setting where the dzud causes considerable damage to livestock

Nanoscale Cu Wiring by Electrodeposition in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Emulsified Electrolyte

Novel electrodeposition (ED) techniques utilizing supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) emulsions (SCE) are introduced. ScCO2 has low surface tension and high compatibility with hydrogen. Thus, this method is applied in fine Cu wiring to allow the complete filling of Cu into nanoscale confined space. The electrochemical reactions are carried out in emulsions composed of an aqueous electrolyte, scCO2, and surfactants. Three aspects in fine Cu wiring will be introduced, which are the dissolution of the Cu seed layer in the SCE, the gap-filling capability of the ED-SCE, and the contamination in the plated Cu. At first, the dissolution of the Cu seed layer in the SCE was observed. In order to prevent the dissolution of the Cu seed layer, the addition of Cu particles into the SCE was found to be effective. The electrolyte containing the SCE and the Cu particles is named scCO2 suspension (SCS). The gap-filling capability was evaluated using test element groups (TEGs) with patterns of vias with a diameter of 70 nm and an aspect ratio of 5. Many defects were observed in the vias filled using the conventional electrodeposition (CONV) method. On the other hand, defect-free fillings were obtained by the ED-SCS method. Because of the high-pressure environment needed to form the scCO2, the reaction cells are usually batch-type high-pressure vessels. In order to improve the feasibility of the ED-SCS technique, a continuous-flow reaction system is also proposed and examined using a round-type large-area TEG with a diameter of 300 mm. Complete fillings were obtained for vias with a diameter of 60 nm and an aspect ratio of 5 on the large-area TEG. This result was in good agreement with that of the batch-type reaction system and demonstrated the successful application of the continuous-flow system with ED-SCS

Assessment of the Effects of Severe Winter Disasters (Dzud) on Public Health in Mongolia on the Basis of Loss of Livestock

Objective: Mongolia experienced one of its most severe natural winter disasters (dzud) in 2009-2010. It is difficult to accurately assess the risk of the effects of dzud on human lives and public health. This study aimed to evaluate the Mongolian public health risks of dzud by assessing livestock loss. Methods: We analyzed data from all 21 provinces and Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia and compared the changes in infant mortality (2009-2010) and the decline in the numbers of livestock (percentage change from the previous year), which included horses, cattle, camels, sheep, and goats (2009-2010) and/or meteorological data. We also evaluated the association among the trends in the infant mortality rate, the number of livestock, and foodstuff consumption throughout Mongolia (2001-2012). Results: The change in the infant mortality rate was positively correlated with the rate of decreasing numbers of each type of livestock in 2010. Average temperature and total precipitation were not related to the change in the infant mortality rate. In the trend from 2001 to 2012, there was a significant positive correlation between the infant mortality rate and the number of livestock and the consumption of milk products. Conclusions: Loss of livestock and shortage of milk products leading to malnutrition might have affected public health as typified by infant mortality in Mongolia. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:549-552

Variations in the structure of airborne bacterial communities in Tsogt-Ovoo of Gobi desert area during dust events

Asian dust events transport the airborne bacteria in Chinese desert regions as well as mineral particles and influence downwind area varying biological ecosystems and climate changes. However, the airborne bacterial dynamics were rarely investigated in the Gobi desert area, where dust events are highly frequent. In this study, air samplings were sequentially performed at a 2-m high above the ground at the sampling site located in desert area (Tsogt-Ovoo of Gobi desert; Mongolia 44.2304°N, 105.1700°E). During the dust event days, the bacterial cells and mineral particles increased to more than tenfold of concentrations. MiSeq sequencing targeting 16S ribosomal DNA revealed that the airborne bacteria in desert area mainly belonged to the classes Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Bacilli, Alpha-proteobacteria, Beta-proteobacteria, and Gamma-proteobacteria. The bacterial community structures were different between dust events and non-dust events. The air samples collected at the dust events indicated high abundance rates of Alpha-proteobacteria, which were reported to dominate on the leaf surfaces of plants or in the saline lake environments. After the dust events, the members of Firmicutes (Bacilli) and Bacteroidetes, which are known to form endospore and attach with coarse particles, respectively, increased their relative abundances in the air samples. Presumably, the bacterial compositions and diversities in atmosphere significantly vary during dust events, which carry some particles from grassland (phyllo-sphere), dry lake, and sand surfaces, as well as some bacterial populations such as Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes maintain in the atmosphere for longer time. © 2016 The Author(s)Embargo Period 12 month