In China, rapid economic growth and increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) is the driving force for urbanization, and transformation of urban spatial structures and transportation. Frequent interactive economic activities among the neighboring cities reinforce the already spatially clustered cities. In this paper we tried to extract the key urban transportation characteristics of seventy ma...

A previously developed and highly sensitive umu-microplate test system based on the nitroreductase- and O-acetyltransferase-overproducing strain Salmonella typhimurium NM3009 and the O-acetyltransferase-overproducing strain S. typhimurium NM2009 was applied to the detection of genotoxic activity in atmospheric particles in urban areas using a relatively small sample load. The results showed tha...

The health effects of particle inhalation including urban air pollution and tobacco smoke comprise a significant public health concern worldwide, although the mechanisms by which inhaled particles cause premature deaths remain undetermined. In this study, we assessed the physicochemical interactions of fine airborne particles (PM(2.5)) and lung lining liquid using scanning electron microscopy, ...

Particle size distributions in the range of 1.34– 615 nm were recorded from 25 November 2013 to 25 January 2014 in urban Shanghai, using a combination of one nano condensation nucleus counter system, one nano scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), and one longSMPS. Measurements of sulfur dioxide by an SO2 analyzer with pulsed UV fluorescence technique allowed calculation of sulfuric acid prox...

Anthropogenic atmospheric aerosols play a large role in climate change by acting as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and influencing cloud reflectivity. The ability of anthropogenic aerosols to contribute to cloud droplet activation depends on particle size and composition. Up to 90% of fine particle mass (PM2.5) is composed of carbonaceous (elemental and organic carbon) compounds, which play a ...

Exposure to vehicle exhaust can drive up to 70 % of excess lifetime cancer incidences due to air pollution in urban environments. Little is known about how exhaust-derived particles and organic pollutants, implicated in adverse health effects, are affected by freezing ambient temperatures and the presence of snow. Airborne particles and (semi)volatile organic constituents in dilute exhaust were...

Being major ornamental street trees, species of Platanus are widely planted in the Shanghai urban area. A great deal of allergenic Platanus pollen is released from the trees and suspended in the atmosphere during its flowering season, ultimately causing allergic respiratory diseases. Few papers have focused on the distribution of this type of pollen and its expression of allergenic proteins. In...

Particulate pollution is a term that covers a broad spectrum of specific pollutant types, including smoke and aerosols, which permeate the atmosphere. The effects of such pollutants on human health have prompted a great deal of research effort in recent years, with the establishment of PM10 (particulate matter having an aerodynamic diameter of <10 μm) as the definition for the health-damaging f...

The air we breathe contains microscopic biological particles such as viruses, bacteria, fungi and pollen, some of them with relevant clinic importance. These organisms and/or their propagules have been traditionally studied by different disciplines and diverse methodologies like culture and microscopy. These techniques require time, expertise and also have some important biases. As a consequenc...

Air pollution causes serious problems in spring in northern China; therefore, studying the ability of different plants to accumulate particulate matter (PM) at the beginning of the growing season may benefit urban planners in their attempts to control air pollution. This study evaluated deposits of PM on the leaves and in the wax layer of 35 species (11 shrubs, 24 trees) in Beijing, China. Diff...