The Atacama Desert, northern Chile, is one of the driest deserts on Earth and, as such, a natural laboratory to explore the limits of life and the strategies evolved by microorganisms to adapt to extreme environments. Here we report the exceptional adaptation strategies of chlorophototrophic and eukaryotic algae, and chlorophototrophic and prokaryotic cyanobacteria to the hyperarid and extremel...

backgrounds and aims: aluminum and in particular its compounds make up a large proportion of the pollutants coming from the aluminum foundry. in several studies conducted on the harmful effects of aluminum in recent decades, it has been identified as a neurotoxic metal. chronic occupational exposure through inhalation of dust is a common problem in aluminum foundries. investigation of the expos...

this study is aimed to identify sources of particulate matter with mean aerodynamic diameterbelow 10 μm (pm10) present in the atmosphere of the metropolitan area of mexico city (mamc), usingsamples obtained from january 1st to june 30th, 2009, analyzed with x-ray spectrometric techniques.minivol samplers were used to collect samples on polycarbonate filters in three sites (north, center, andsou...

The goal of this project is to develop a new capability for the chemical characterization of marine aerosols. This involves the development of an instrument to make quantitative, near real-time sodium concentration measurements on individual size-segregated marine aerosols. The development and deployment of a single particle sodium detector would allow us to measure the size distribution of sea...

An indoor air purification technique, which combines unipolar ion emission and photocatalytic oxidation (promoted by a specially designed RCI cell), was investigated in two test chambers, 2.75 m3 and 24.3 m3, using nonbiological and biological challenge aerosols. The reduction in particle concentration was measured size selectively in real-time, and the Air Cleaning Factor and the Clean Air Del...

Aerosol microphysics, chemical composition, and CCN properties were measured on the Department of Energy Gulfstream-1 aircraft during the Marine Stratus/Stratocumulus Experiment (MASE) conducted over the coastal waters between Point Reyes National Seashore and Monterey Bay, California, in July 2005. Aerosols measured during MASE included free tropospheric aerosols, marine boundary layer aerosol...

The effect of nebulizer solution temperature and dilution air humidity on the size and solute concentration of aqueous aerosol droplets were studied. Four combinations of jet-nebulizers with air compressors or oxygen sources and one ultrasonic nebulizer were tested. The temperature to which the nebulizer solution of each system fell during generation was measured. The nebulizers were then kept ...

We present measurements of aerosols acquired with a differential mobility analyzer – condensation particle counter (DMA-CPC) system aboard a P-3 flight from Miami, FL to Bermuda during Hurricane Erika in 1997. We have analyzed particle number densities as a function of particle diameter, wind speed, and distance from the eye of the hurricane. Our results indicate that particles with diameters l...

the impacts of dust and sand storms (dss) on people, crops, livestock, infrastructure and health are well documented. data have accumulated on the deleterious effects of dust aerosols when they settle on plants. sand blasting of low growing plants is a common cause of failure in reforestation efforts. burial of plants by moving sands are also a cause of much damage. the physics of moving sand a...

BACKGROUND Bio-aerosols originate from different sources and their potentially pathogenic nature may form a hazard to healthcare workers and patients. So far no extensive review on existing evidence regarding bio-aerosols is available. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to review evidence on bio-aerosols in healthcare and the dental setting. The objectives were 1) What are the sources that generate ...