Study of lower tropospheric ozone over central and eastern China: Comparison of satellite observation with model simulation

Land Atmospheric Interactions in Asia(Springer社より刊行予定)のプレプリント。Land‐Atmospheric Interactions in Asia, Book Series: Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetryothe

Impact of energy and vehicle transformation through 2050 on atmospheric PM2.5-metals concentration and aerosol acidity that induce respiratory inflammation in Japan;  focus on the changes in exhaust/non-exhaust and upstream emissions

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Transition metal components in PM&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2.5&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; induce inflammation of the respiratory system. The increase in aerosol acidity due to gaseous pollutants promotes metal dissolution and contributes to redox activation. In this study, the impact of renewable energy shifting, passenger car electrification and light-weighting on atmospheric concentration of PM&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2.5&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; total mass, Fe, Cu, Zn and aerosol acidity in Japan over 2050 was evaluated using a regional meteorology-chemistry model. The primary emissions of PM&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2.5&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;, Fe, Cu, and Zn were reduced by 9%, 19%, 18% and 10%, and their surface wide-area concentrations decreased 6 &amp;amp;#8211; 8%, 10 &amp;amp;#8211; 12%, 16 &amp;amp;#8211; 18% and 2 &amp;amp;#8211; 4%, respectively. On a PM&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2.5&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; mass basis, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have been considered to have no advantage in non-exhaust PM emissions because the increased tire and road wear and resuspension due to their heavy weight offset the benefit of brake wear reduction by regenerative brake. Indeed, passenger car electrification without light-weighting also did not significantly reduce total primary PM&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2.5&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; emissions in Japan in this study (-1.4%), but was highly effective in reducing metals, especially Fe and Cu (-6.7% and -11.4%, respectively). Furthermore, this study estimated that even tire and road wear and resuspension could be reduced if the drive battery and body frame were light-weighted, and the benefit would be larger. Therefore, vehicle electrification (mainly BEVs) and light-weighting could be one of the effective means of reducing the risks of respiratory inflammation. The renewable energy shifting reduced SO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;x&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; and NO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;x&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; emissions from thermal power plants and decreased aerosol acidity near power plants (approximately pH +0.2), while the passenger car electrification reduced NO&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;x&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; and NH&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;3&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt; emissions and slightly increased aerosol acidity in urban, as a result of acid-base balance (in July, approximately pH -0.1 &amp;amp;#8211; -0.2). However, anyway, the sensitivity of water-soluble metal concentrations was mostly dependent on changes in primary metal emissions and little affected by changes in aerosol acidity (0 &amp;amp;#8211; +2% for Fe, 0 &amp;amp;#8211; +0.5% for Cu and Zn). Therefore, it was suggested that primary emission control of metals is more important than gaseous pollutants in reducing water-soluble metal concentrations.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;</jats:p

Potential Impacts of Energy and Vehicle Transformation through 2050 on the Atmospheric Environment of Japan: focus on PM2.5 Metals and Aerosol Acidity inducing Respiratory Inflammation

The impacts of renewable energy shifting, passenger car electrification, and lightweighting through 2050 on the atmospheric concentrations of PM2.5 total mass, Fe, Cu, and Zn, and aerosol acidity in Japan were evaluated using a regional meteorology–chemistry model. We focus on the changes in on-road exhaust/non-exhaust and upstream emissions. The domestic primary emissions of PM2.5, Fe, Cu, and Zn were reduced by 9%, 19%, 18%, and 10%, and their surface concentrations in the urban area decreased by 8%, 13%, 18%, and 5%, respectively. On a PM2.5 mass basis, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have been considered to have no advantage in non-exhaust PM emissions because the increased tire and road wear and resuspension due to their heavy weight offset the benefit of brake wear reduction by regenerative brake. Indeed, passenger car electrification without lightweighting also did not significantly reduce PM2.5 concentration in urban area in this study (-2%) but was highly effective in reducing Fe and Cu concentrations owing to their high brake wear dependence (-8% and -13%, respectively). Furthermore, the lightweigting of the drive battery and the body frame of BEVs reduced even tire and road wear and resuspension. Therefore, vehicle electrification and lightweighting could effectively reduce the risks of respiratory inflammation. The reduction of SOx, NOx, and NH3 emissions changed aerosol acidity in urban area (maximum pH ±0.2). However, changes in aerosol acidity only slightly changed water-soluble metal concentrations (maximum +2% for Fe and +0.5% for Cu and Zn); therefore, it is important to focus on reducing primary metal emissions.</jats:p

Google Trends search volumes indicate habituation against COVID-19 in Japan

Purpose: To clarify the association between the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic curve and Google Trends searchvolumes for the disease during the three major epidemic waves in Japan. Method: Correlation between the number of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 in Japan and the internet search volumefor “corona” in the period 12th January 2020 to 19th February 2021 was evaluated using the open database providedby the Japan Broadcasting Corporation and Google Trends index data. Results: The peak search volume for “corona” was highest during the first wave and lowest during the third wave.In contrast, the peak number of new cases per week was lowest during the first wave and highest during the thirdwave. The search volume and number of new cases per week showed strong correlations in each wave; however, thesearch volume in each wave decreased remarkably from the first to the third wave. Conclusion: This study identified evidence of so-called “pandemic fatigue”, a habituation reaction against COVID-19,in Japan. Prolonged and repeated waves of the epidemic have made people less sensitive for preventing spread ofcoronavirus disease 2019. Sustained, clear communication will be required to elicit the cooperation of the population incontrolling the pandemic.journal articl

Relationship between red blood cell aging and intracellular chemokine storage

Background: The Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines （DARC） is expressed on RBCs and is a non-signalingreceptor for multiple chemokines. In the previous study, we had shown that DARC-affinity chemokines are stored inthe RBCs. However, the fate of intracellularly stored chemokines has yet to be investigated. This study investigatedwhether RBCs retain the ability to accumulate these chemokines as they age. Methods: Peripheral blood from five healthy volunteers were collected, and then transferred to hematocrit capillarytubes. After centrifugation, the RBC layer was divided to compare the top, upper, middle and bottom fractions.HbA1c, eotaxin-1 and RANTES were measured in each fraction. Results: HbA1c increased significantly from the top fraction to the bottom fraction. Eotaxin-1 decreased significantlyfrom the top fraction to the bottom fraction. RANTES exhibited a similar decrease, although no significant differenceswere observed. Eotaxin-1 showed a negative correlation（ r = -0.51, p = 0.03） with HbA1c. Although not statisticallysignificant, RANTES showed a decreasing tendency （r = -0.40, p = 0.08） with the increase of HbA1c levels. Theseresults indicate that RANTES and eotaxin-1 decrease rather than increase with RBC aging. Conclusion: Eotaxin-1 and RANTES stored in RBCs tended to decrease as RBCs age.journal articl

Potential Impacts of Future Energy and Vehicle Transition on Air Pollutant Concentrations Inducing Respiratory Oxidative Stress

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