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Recent experimental studies and clinical trial results might indicate that—at least for some indications—continued use of the mechanistic model for relative biological effectiveness (RBE) applied at carbon ion therapy facilities in Europe for several decades (LEM-I) may be unwarranted. We present a novel clinical framework for prostate cancer treatment planning and tumor control probability (TCP) prediction based on the modified microdosimetric kinetic model (mMKM) for particle therapy. Treatment plans of 91 patients with prostate tumors (proton: 46, carbon ions: 45) applying 66 GyRBE [RBE = 1.1 for protons and LEM-I, (α/β) x = 2.0 Gy, for carbon ions] in 20 fractions were recalculated using mMKM [(α / β) x = 3.1 Gy]). Based solely on the response data of photon-irradiated patient groups stratified according to risk and usage of androgen deprivation therapy, we derived parameters for an mMKM-based Poisson-TCP model. Subsequently, new carbon and helium ion plans, adhering to prescribed biological dose criteria, were generated. These were systematically compared with the clinical experience of Japanese centers employing an analogous fractionation scheme and existing proton plans. mMKM predictions suggested significant biological dose deviation between the proton and carbon ion arms. Patients irradiated with protons received (3.25 ± 0.08) GyRBE mMKM /Fx, whereas patients treated with carbon ions received(2.51 ± 0.05) GyRBE mMKM /Fx. TCP predictions were (86 ± 3)% for protons and (52 ± 4)% for carbon ions, matching the clinical outcome of 85% and 50%. Newly optimized carbon ion plans, guided by the mMKM/TCP model, effectively replicated clinical data from Japanese centers. Using mMKM, helium ions exhibited similar target coverage as proton and carbon ions and improved rectum and bladder sparing compared with proton. Our mMKM-based model for prostate cancer treatment planning and TCP prediction was validated against clinical data for proton and carbon ion therapy, and its application was extended to helium ion therapy. Based on the data presented in this work, mMKM seems to be a good candidate for clinical biological calculations in carbon ion therapy for prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A heavy-duty engine is homologated in a test cell. However, starting with Euro VI regulation, the in-service conformity is controlled with the engine installed in the vehicle using portable emission measurement systems (PEMS). In Europe, the application of solid particle number (SPN) PEMS started in 2021 for compression ignition (diesel) vehicles and in 2023 for positive ignition vehicles, thus including those operating with compressed natural gas (CNG). Even though today only particles with sizes > 23 nm are regulated, the Euro 7 proposal includes particles > 10 nm. There are not many studies on the accuracy of the SPN PEMS, especially for heavy-duty applications. In this study, PEMS measuring > 23 and >10 nm from two instrument manufacturers were compared with laboratory-grade instruments. The particle detector of one PEMS was a condensation particle counter (CPC), and of the other a the diffusion charger (DC). The results showed the robustness and good accuracy (40% or 1 × 1011 #/kWh) of the PEMS for ambient temperatures from −7 °C to 35 °C, active regeneration events, different fuels (Diesel B7, HVO, and CNG), different test cycles, cold start or hot engine operations, and high exhaust gas humidity content. Nevertheless, for the DC-based PEMS, sensitivity to pre-charged urea particles was identified, and for the CPC-based PEMS, sensitivity to pressure changes with one vehicle was nnoticed. Nevertheless, the results of this study confirm that the PEMS are accurate enough to measure even the stricter Euro 7 limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle emission regulations in Europe and many Asian countries include a particle number limit. The number concentration is measured, typically, with condensation particle counters (CPCs). For research purposes, the size distributions provide useful information. Scanning mobility particle sizers (SMPSs) accurately provide the size distribution but are not suitable for transient aerosol. Engine (fast) exhaust particle sizers (EEPSs) cover this gap, but with less accuracy. Fast size distribution instruments are commonly used in the research and development of engines. In the last few years, instrument algorithms have been improved, but studies assessing the improvements are limited, in particular in their lower size range, around 10–20 nm, and for soot-like aerosol. In this paper, we compared the three instruments using salt, silver, diffusion flame soot (CAST), and spark discharge graphite particles. Moreover, vehicle exhaust number concentration measurements with EEPSs over a seven-year period were presented. In terms of particle concentration, EEPS overestimated, on average, 25% compared to CPC, in agreement with previous studies. Its accuracy for mean particle size determination was better than 5 nm compared to SMPS. The agreement between the instruments was satisfactory but the uncertainty increased at low concentrations and larger particle sizes, showing that there is still room for further improvements. Experimental challenges, such as low concentration levels of modern vehicles, losses in the diluters, use of photometric mode by the CPCs, and the material impact, are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 2-3 May 2022 ARIES - Accelerator Research and Innovation for European Science and Society held its last annual conference in CERN summarizing 6 year long effort on the smart development of particle accelerator infrastructures in Europe. The whole series of Integrating Activities on accelerator infrastructures started in 2003 with preparations of CARE, then followed by EuCARD, TIARA, EuCARD2 and culminating with ARIES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of aerosol particles is a key parameter for human health and climate effects. Single-particle mass spectrometry (SPMS) has evolved to a mature technology with unique chemical coverage and the capability to analyze the distribution of aerosol components in the particle ensemble in real time. With the fully automated characterization of the chemical profile of the aerosol particles, selective real-time monitoring of air quality could be performed, e.g., for urgent risk assessments due to particularly harmful pollutants. For aerosol particle classification, mostly unsupervised clustering algorithms (ART-2a, K -means and their derivatives) are used, which require manual postprocessing. In this work, we focus on supervised algorithms to tackle the problem of the automatic classification of large amounts of aerosol particle data. Supervised learning requires data with labels to train a predictive model. Therefore, we created a labeled benchmark dataset containing ∼ 24 000 particles with eight different coarse categories that were highly abundant at a measurement in summer in Central Europe: elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon and elemental carbon (OC-EC), potassium-rich (K-rich), calcium-rich (Ca-rich), iron-rich (Fe-rich), vanadium-rich (V-rich), magnesium-rich (Mg-rich) and sodium-rich (Na-rich). Using the chemical features of particles, the performance of the following classical supervised algorithms was tested: K -nearest neighbors, support vector machine, decision tree, random forest and multi-layer perceptron. This work shows that despite the entrenched position of unsupervised clustering algorithms in the field, the use of supervised algorithms has the potential to replace the manual step of clustering algorithms in many applications, where real-time data analysis is essential. For the classification of the eight classes, the prediction accuracy of several supervised algorithms exceeded 97 %. The trained model was used to classify ∼ 49 000 particles from a blind dataset in 0.2 s , taking into account also a class of "unclassified" particles. The predictions are highly consistent with the results obtained in a previous study using ART-2a. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The real-time automatic and accurate measurement of the mass of ultrafine particles is especially challenging due to their low concentrations and the interferences of larger particles. This work introduces a new method to estimate PM0.1 continuously. Based on the theoretical predictions of a 3-D chemical transport model, PM0.1 and N50 (number concentration of particles with a diameter above 50 nm) can have a very good correlation. This hypothesis is tested in this work by analyzing hourly measurements of size distributions, from different cities in Europe for a year. PM0.1 had a strong spatial and temporal correlation with N50 (R2 > 90%). The line passing through zero had an average slope of 0.16 ± 0.01 × 10−9 µg, for an assumed particle density equal to 1 g cm−3. This suggests that PM0.1 can be, at least in principle, measured indirectly but quite accurately and continuously by measuring N50 with a suitable condensation particle counter. Copyright © 2023 American Association for Aerosol Research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Despite a large number of studies, out of all drivers of radiative forcing, the effect of aerosols has the largest uncertainty in global climate model radiative forcing estimates. There have been studies of aerosol optical properties in climate models, but the effects of particle number size distribution need a more thorough inspection. We investigated the trends and seasonality of particle number concentrations in nucleation, Aitken, and accumulation modes at 21 measurement sites in Europe and the Arctic. For 13 of those sites, with longer measurement time series, we compared the field observations with the results from five climate models, namely EC-Earth3, ECHAM-M7, ECHAM-SALSA, NorESM1.2, and UKESM1. This is the first extensive comparison of detailed aerosol size distribution trends between in situ observations from Europe and five earth system models (ESMs). We found that the trends of particle number concentrations were mostly consistent and decreasing in both measurements and models. However, for many sites, climate models showed weaker decreasing trends than the measurements. Seasonal variability in measured number concentrations, quantified by the ratio between maximum and minimum monthly number concentration, was typically stronger at northern measurement sites compared to other locations. Models had large differences in their seasonal representation, and they can be roughly divided into two categories: for EC-Earth and NorESM, the seasonal cycle was relatively similar for all sites, and for other models the pattern of seasonality varied between northern and southern sites. In addition, the variability in concentrations across sites varied between models, some having relatively similar concentrations for all sites, whereas others showed clear differences in concentrations between remote and urban sites. To conclude, although all of the model simulations had identical input data to describe anthropogenic mass emissions, trends in differently sized particles vary among the models due to assumptions in emission sizes and differences in how models treat size-dependent aerosol processes. The inter-model variability was largest in the accumulation mode, i.e. sizes which have implications for aerosol–cloud interactions. Our analysis also indicates that between models there is a large variation in efficiency of long-range transportation of aerosols to remote locations. The differences in model results are most likely due to the more complex effect of different processes instead of one specific feature (e.g. the representation of aerosol or emission size distributions). Hence, a more detailed characterization of microphysical processes and deposition processes affecting the long-range transport is needed to understand the model variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The real-time automatic and accurate measurement of the mass of ultrafine particles is especially challenging due to their low concentrations and the interferences of larger particles. This work introduces a new method to estimate PM0.1 continuously. Based on the theoretical predictions of a 3-D chemical transport model, PM0.1 and N50 (number concentration of particles with a diameter above 50 nm) can have a very good correlation. This hypothesis is tested in this work by analyzing hourly measurements of size distributions, from different cities in Europe for a year. PM0.1 had a strong spatial and temporal correlation with N50 (R2 > 90%). The line passing through zero had an average slope of 0.16 ± 0.01 × 10−9 µg, for an assumed particle density equal to 1 g cm−3. This suggests that PM0.1 can be, at least in principle, measured indirectly but quite accurately and continuously by measuring N50 with a suitable condensation particle counter. Copyright © 2023 American Association for Aerosol Research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although traffic exhaust emissions in Europe have been drastically reduced, airborne particle emissions caused by brakes and tires are still increasing with the number of vehicles. The measurement of non-exhaust emissions is an emerging technological challenge. We present a custom measurement setup to investigate the brake- and tire-wear emissions of an in-use battery electric vehicle. A separate brake housing and HEPA ventilation enabled airborne brake wear emissions to be measured under realistic conditions without external influences. The emission tests on a chassis dynamometer included particle number concentrations and particle size distribution for diameters of 4 nm to 10 μm. Emission indices were determined for three driving cycles: WLTC Class 3b, WLTC Brake Part 10, and a real driving cycle. Further investigations focused on emission control through regenerative braking and brake coating. Driving with regenerative braking reduced emissions by up to 89.9%, which related to the concentration of particles in the ultrafine/fine size range. Hard-metal brake coating led to a further significant reduction in emissions of up to 78.9%. The results point the way to future RDE measurement of non-exhaust emissions and show the potential of regenerative braking and brake coating to reduce airborne brake wear emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents results of the research on atmospheric aerosol particles in the coastal environment, focusing on the investigation of new particle formation (NPF) events. Continuous measurements of the particle number size distribution (8.7–840 nm) were performed at the Preila station throughout the year 2013. An estimation of the aerosol particle number concentration (PNC) of nucleation (8.7–20 nm), Aitken (20–100 nm) and accumulation modes (100–840 nm) and their input to the total PNC were performed. The annual average value of the total PNC was 3.9·10 3 cm −3 . The seasonal variations of the total PNC essentially comprised the maximum monthly average in March (6.3·10 3 cm −3 ) and the minimum in November (1.9·10 3 cm −3 ). The highest input (44–64%) into the total PNC was influenced by Aitken mode particles. The particles of the accumulation mode made up 23% of the total PNC during spring, summer and autumn months, and comprised about 48% during winter months. The monthly average input of the nucleation mode particles to the total PNC varied from 11% to 20%. However, the diurnal average input of each nucleation mode particles to the total PNC had higher variations and showed the limits of the nucleation mode input to the total PNC depending on the inputs of Aitken and accumulation modes. It should be noted that the described limits of the nucleation mode input to the total PNC were constant for NPF event days and non-event day׳s datasets. During whole 2013 year were observed 111 NPF events, which were classified as Class I (18 days) and Class II (93 days). The average particle formation and growth rates were 0.45 cm −3 s −1 and 3.7 nm h −1 , respectively. The average condensation sink was 1.53·10 −3 s −1 . The highest number of NPF days was observed when the air masses advected from northern directions (Scandinavia, the North Sea, and the Arctic) and contrary the NPF events were observed very rarely during advection of polluted continental air masses. Thus, the parameters estimated for the NPF events observed at the Preila station are partially similar to the Northern Europe stations. However, the PNC level, low seasonal PNC cycle and heterogeneous air masses showed similarity with Central Europe aerosol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hadron therapy with protons and carbon ions is widely attracting interest as a potential competitor of conventional photon radiotherapy. Exquisite dose distribution of charged particles allows for a higher local control of the tumor and lower probability of damage to nearby healthy tissues. Heavy ions have presumed biological advantages rising from their high-linear energy transfer (LET) characteristics, including greater cell-killing effectiveness and reduced heterogeneity dependence of radiation response. Although these advantages are clear and supported by data, only 18.0% of proton and carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) facilities in Europe are treating breast cancers. This review summarizes the physical and radiobiological properties of charged particles, clinical use of particle beam for breast cancer, and suggested approaches to overcome technical and financial challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The phenomenology of urban ultrafine particles in 16 cities of Europe is presented. • N to S&E Europe increasing urban background concentration trends are evidenced. • Road traffic emissions is the main source of ultrafine particles in urban Europe. • High midday concentrations independent of traffic influence occur in many cities. • There is an urgent need to harmonize measurements and making the data open. The 2017–2019 hourly particle number size distributions (PNSD) from 26 sites in Europe and 1 in the US were evaluated focusing on 16 urban background (UB) and 6 traffic (TR) sites in the framework of R esearch I nfrastructures services reinforcing air quality monitoring capacities in European URBAN & industrial area S (RI-URBANS) project. The main objective was to describe the phenomenology of urban ultrafine particles (UFP) in Europe with a significant air quality focus. The varying lower size detection limits made it difficult to compare PN concentrations (PNC), particularly PN 10-25 , from different cities. PNCs follow a TR > UB > Suburban (SUB) order. PNC and Black Carbon (BC) progressively increase from Northern Europe to Southern Europe and from Western to Eastern Europe. At the UB sites, typical traffic rush hour PNC peaks are evident, many also showing midday-morning PNC peaks anti-correlated with BC. These peaks result from increased PN 10-25 , suggesting significant PNC contributions from nucleation, fumigation and shipping. Site types to be identified by daily and seasonal PNC and BC patterns are: (i) PNC mainly driven by traffic emissions, with marked correlations with BC on different time scales; (ii) marked midday/morning PNC peaks and a seasonal anti-correlation with PNC/BC; (iii) both traffic peaks and midday peaks without marked seasonal patterns. Groups (ii) and (iii) included cities with high insolation. PNC, especially PN 25-800 , was positively correlated with BC, NO 2 , CO and PM for several sites. The variable correlation of PNSD with different urban pollutants demonstrates that these do not reflect the variability of UFP in urban environments. Specific monitoring of PNSD is needed if nanoparticles and their associated health impacts are to be assessed. Implementation of the CEN-ACTRIS recommendations for PNSD measurements would provide comparable measurements, and measurements of <10 nm PNC are needed for full evaluation of the health effects of this size fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an overview of the modelling of particle number concentrations (PNCs) in five major European cities, namely Helsinki, Oslo, London, Rotterdam, and Athens, in 2008. Novel emission inventories of particle numbers have been compiled both on urban and European scales. We used atmospheric dispersion modelling for PNCs in the five target cities and on a European scale, and evaluated the predicted results against available measured concentrations. In all the target cities, the concentrations of particle numbers (PNs) were mostly influenced by the emissions originating from local vehicular traffic. The influence of shipping and harbours was also significant for Helsinki, Oslo, Rotterdam, and Athens, but not for London. The influence of the aviation emissions in Athens was also notable. The regional background concentrations were clearly lower than the contributions originating from urban sources in Helsinki, Oslo, and Athens. The regional background was also lower than urban contributions in traffic environments in London, but higher or approximately equal to urban contributions in Rotterdam. It was numerically evaluated that the influence of coagulation and dry deposition on the predicted PNCs was substantial for the urban background in Oslo. The predicted and measured annual average PNCs in four cities agreed within approximately ⩽26% (measured as fractional biases), except for one traffic station in London. This study indicates that it is feasible to model PNCs in major cities within a reasonable accuracy, although major challenges remain in the evaluation of both the emissions and atmospheric transformation of PNCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shipping contributes significantly to air pollutant emissions and atmospheric particulate matter (PM) concentrations. At the same time, worldwide maritime transport volumes are expected to continue to rise in the future. The Mediterranean Sea is a major short-sea shipping route within Europe and is the main shipping route between Europe and East Asia. As a result, it is a heavily trafficked shipping area, and air quality monitoring stations in numerous cities along the Mediterranean coast have detected high levels of air pollutants originating from shipping emissions. The current study is a part of the EU Horizon 2020 project SCIPPER (Shipping Contributions to Inland Pollution – Push for the Enforcement of Regulations), which intends to investigate how existing restrictions on shipping-related emissions to the atmosphere ensure compliance with legislation. To demonstrate the impact of ships on relatively large scales, the potential shipping impacts on various air pollutants can be simulated with chemical transport models. To determine the formation, transport, chemical transformation, and fate of particulate matter < 2.5 µ m (PM 2.5) in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015, five different regional chemical transport models (CAMx – Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions, CHIMERE, CMAQ – Community Multiscale Air Quality model, EMEP – European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme model, and LOTOS-EUROS) were applied. Furthermore, PM 2.5 precursors (ammonia (NH 3), sulfur dioxide (SO 2), nitric acid (HNO 3)) and inorganic particle species (sulfate (SO 42-), ammonia (NH 4+), nitrate (NO 3-)) were studied, as they are important for explaining differences among the models. STEAM (see "List of abbreviations" in Appendix A) version 3.3.0 was used to compute shipping emissions, and the CAMS-REG version 2.2.1 dataset was used to calculate land-based emissions for an area encompassing the Mediterranean Sea at a resolution of 12 × 12 km 2 (or 0.1 ∘ × 0.1 ∘). For additional input, like meteorological fields and boundary conditions, all models utilized their regular configuration. The zero-out approach was used to quantify the potential impact of ship emissions on PM 2.5 concentrations. The model results were compared with observed background data from monitoring sites. Four of the five models underestimated the actual measured PM 2.5 concentrations. These underestimations are linked to model-specific mechanisms or underpredictions of particle precursors. The potential impact of ships on the PM 2.5 concentration is between 15 % and 25 % at the main shipping routes. Regarding particle species, SO 42- is the main contributor to the absolute ship-related PM 2.5 and to total PM 2.5 concentrations. In the ship-related PM 2.5 , a higher share of inorganic particle species can be found when compared with the total PM 2.5. The seasonal variabilities in particle species show that NO 3- is higher in winter and spring, while the NH 4+ concentrations displayed no clear seasonal pattern in any models. In most cases with high concentrations of both NH 4+ and NO 3- , lower SO 42- concentrations are simulated. Differences among the simulated particle species distributions might be traced back to the aerosol size distribution and how models distribute emissions between the coarse and fine modes (PM 2.5 and PM 10). The seasonality of wet deposition follows the seasonality of the precipitation, showing that precipitation predominates wet deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study we evaluated a forecast model for urban aerosol number concentrations against measurements made at five European cities: Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Leipzig, and Athens. This model requires a learning data set with particle number concentrations, traffic densities and local meteorology. Additionally, in the forecasting process it requires the same parameters from the past week and forecasted values of weather and traffic. The model performance was tested based on the R 2, index of agreement (IA), mean square error (MSE), and bias. We tested three modelling approaches: one with fixed parameterisation and two with optimisations based on either the Deviance or the Akaike Information Criterion. Based on the hourly one-day forecasts at the urban background sites the IA ranged from 0.65 to 0.80 for accumulation mode particles and from 0.68 to 0.87 for ultrafine particles. The model performance was the best for Helsinki and Stockholm and the worst for Leipzig and Copenhagen. The main reason is the more pronounced diurnal variation in Helsinki and Stockholm. Another reason is that the traffic data for Leipzig and Copenhagen were not as complete as for the other cities. The three approaches yielded similar model performances, hence we conclude that the simplest one based on a fixed parametrisation is to be preferred. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We investigated the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on individual ambient aerosol particles at the Swedish western coast in a pristine environment for 10 d in October 2019. The measurements were carried out using new technology with single-particle mass spectrometry (SPMS) that reveals both the inorganic particle composition as well as the particle-bound PAHs (Schade et al., 2019). More than 290 000 particles were characterized; 4412 of them reveal PAH signatures. Most of the PAH-containing particles were internal mixtures of carbonaceous material, secondary nitrate and metals from distant sources in central and eastern Europe. We characterize the aerosol with respect to the inorganic composition, comparable to conventional SPMS, before we discuss the distribution of PAHs within this particle ensemble. Vice versa, we analyze the single-particle PAH spectra for characteristic patterns and discuss the inorganic composition, origin and atmospheric processing of the respective particles. The study period comprised different meteorological situations: clean air conditions with winds from the North Sea/Kattegat and little terrestrial air pollution, long-range transport from eastern Europe and southern Sweden, and transport of aerosols from central Europe over the sea. For all meteorological conditions, PAHs were detected in particles whose inorganic content indicates traffic emissions, such as combinations of soot, iron and calcium as well as in particles with biomass-burning signatures. However, there were variations in their amounts, dependent on the geographic origin. Because of strong mixing, rapid degradation and speciation limits, e.g., for PAHs of the same nominal mass, the application of diagnostic ratios for source apportionment is limited under the conditions of our study. Nevertheless, the combination with the inorganic content and meteorological data provides unique insights into the particles' origin, aging and mixing state. We exemplarily show how the observation of PAH profiles and inorganic secondary components on a single-particle level can open a new door to investigate aerosol aging processes. To our best knowledge, we herewith present the first comprehensive study on the single-particle distribution of PAHs in ambient air as well as the first set of combined data on PAHs and inorganic composition on a single-particle level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of titanium dioxide (TiO2) as an additive in food has been a subject of ongoing debate in Europe due to its potential toxicity. To inform and support toxicological assessment of this additive, a better understanding of the physicochemical characteristics of TiO2 added to food is needed. For this reason, recent research efforts have focused on method development for the physicochemical characterisation of TiO2 in food and, as a raw material, in a regulatory context. Despite the significant progress made so far, more information is needed about the size-resolved quantification of titania nanoparticles in the fraction below 100 nm. Here, we report the development of a multi-method analytical platform for the characterisation of TiO2 in food. It is based on single particle ICP-MS (spICP-MS), supported by asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) coupled on-line to ICP-MS and multi-angle light scattering (MALS). spICP-MS was optimised to detect TiO2 with sizes down to 15 nm. This enabled us to detect and quantify a fraction of TiO2 particles with sizes below 35 nm, which has not been reported in the literature so far. The presence of this size fraction was confirmed by AF4/MALS/ICP-MS in the raw E171 additive. The relative percentage of particles in this fraction (from the total particle number detected) ranged from 48 to 61% in a range of food products purchased from a local grocery store, with a number concentration range of 2.9 1010–7.13 1013 kg−1, depending on the product. These findings will help bridge the gap with regard to lack of data comparability between orthogonal measurement methods and provide further scientific evidence supporting policy makers and regulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Roadside measurements of particle size distributions from 2010 to 2021. • Diesel particle filters introduced from 2011 steadily reduce black carbon concentrations. • Nucleation mode particles are little changed and total ultrafine particles show a small decline in concentration. • Ultrafine particle concentrations remain in the "high" category as defined by WHO. Diesel engines are a major contributor to emissions of both Black Carbon (BC) and ultrafine particles. Analysis of data from the only roadside monitoring site in Europe with a continuous dataset for size-segregated particle number count (Marylebone Road, London) from 2010 to 2021 reveals that the growing number of vehicles fitted with a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) and Diesel Particle Filter (DPF) has been very effective in controlling the emissions of solid particles and hence BC, but that there has been little change in the liquid mode (<30 nm) particles, and that concentrations of ultrafine particles (<100 nm) still well exceed the threshold for "high" concentrations (>104 cm−3 /24-hour mean) defined by WHO. BC declined by 81% between 2014 and 2021, but the ultrafine particle (<100 nm) count declined by only 26%. Consequently, in locations worldwide with heavy diesel traffic, concentrations of ultrafine particles are likely to remain "high" for the foreseeable future unless more effective abatement technologies are implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra of different particle size fractions of four kaolins from diverse sources in North America, Europe and Asia have been investigated in order to characterize their paramagnetic properties and heterogeneity. There were major differences in the sources of the EPR signals from transition metals; V and Mn were structural, Fe was both structural and as associated oxides, and Cu was in the form of an adsorbed ion. The radiation-induced free radical signals commonly known as the A- and B-centres were observed in three of the deposits; however, in addition to the previously reported 27Al hyperfine structure associated with the B-centre, we also observed much smaller 27Al hyperfine structure on the g? feature of the A-centre. The other kaolin sample produced four free radical signals that have not previously been reported in kaolins. Each had substantial 1H hyperfine splitting; three are interpreted as corresponding to defect centres associated with Si-OH groups, and the other to a Si hole surrounded by protonated O atoms. The EPR spectra changed progressively with particle size, and measurements on the Asian specimens after grinding showed major differences in the Fe3+signals from the same particle size fractions separated from the natural samples, thus supporting previous reports that grinding results in major structural changes in the minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric aerosol particles are a complex combination of primary emitted sources (biogenic and anthropogenic) and secondary aerosol resulting from aging processes such as condensation, coagulation, and cloud processing. To better understand their sources, investigations have been focused on urban areas in the past, whereas rural-background stations are normally less impacted by surrounding anthropogenic sources. Therefore, they are predisposed for studying the impact of long-range transport of anthropogenic aerosols. Here, the chemical composition and organic aerosol (OA) sources of submicron aerosol particles measured by an aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM) and a multi-angle absorption photometer (MAAP) were investigated at Melpitz from September 2016 to August 2017. The location of the station at the frontier between western and eastern Europe makes it the ideal place to investigate the impact of long-range transport over Europe. Indeed, the station is under the influence of less polluted air masses from westerly directions and more polluted continental air masses from eastern Europe. The OA dominated the submicron particle mass concentration and showed strong seasonal variability ranging from 39 % (in winter) to 58 % (in summer). It was followed by sulfate (15 % and 20 %) and nitrate (24 % and 11 %). The OA source identification was performed using the rolling positive matrix factorization (PMF) approach to account for the potential temporal changes in the source profile. It was possible to split OA into five factors with a distinct temporal variability and mass spectral signature. Three were associated with anthropogenic primary OA (POA) sources: hydrocarbon-like OA (HOA; 5.2 % of OA mass in winter and 6.8 % in summer), biomass burning OA (BBOA; 10.6 % and 6.1 %) and coal combustion OA (CCOA; 23 % and 8.7 %). Another two are secondary and processed oxygenated OA (OOA) sources: less oxidized OOA (LO-OOA; 28.4 % and 36.7 %) and more oxidized OOA (MO-OOA; 32.8 % and 41.8 %). Since equivalent black carbon (eBC) was clearly associated with the identified POA factors (sum of HOA, BBOA, and CCOA; R2= 0. 87), eBC's contribution to each of the POA factors was achieved using a multilinear regression model. Consequently, CCOA represented the main anthropogenic sources of carbonaceous aerosol (sum of OA and eBC) not only during winter (56 % of POA in winter) but also in summer (13 % of POA in summer), followed by BBOA (29 % and 69 % of POA in winter and summer, respectively) and HOA (15 % and 18 % of POA in winter and summer, respectively). A seasonal air mass cluster analysis was used to understand the geographical origins of the different aerosol types and showed that during both winter and summer time, PM 1 (PM with an aerodynamic diameter smaller than 1 µm) air masses with eastern influence were always associated with the highest mass concentration and the highest coal combustion fraction. Since during wintertime CCOA is a combination of domestic heating and power plant emissions, the summer contribution of CCOA emphasizes the critical importance of coal power plant emissions to rural-background aerosols and its impact on air quality, through long-range transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Applied nuclear physics is an essential part of the research activity at many particle accelerators. New, large accelerator facilities are currently under construction in Europe, Asia, and USA. These machines will be able to produce radioactive ion beams, and to increase the intensity and the energy of the heavy ions well beyond the limits currently available at the therapy or research facilities. The upcoming facilities open new opportunities for research in biomedical applications that require these special properties, such as particle radiography, radioactive beam imaging, ultra-high dose rates and new ions for therapy. Moreover, space radiation research and materials science can successfully exploit these new centers. The new facilities can pave the way to many future applications of nuclear physics for the benefit of the society. In this paper we will summarize the current status of applied sciences at high-energy accelerators, describe the characteristics of some of the machines under construction (FAIR, NICA, RAON, ELI) and discuss the new opportunities offered by these facilities in applied sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the implementation of a method to determine particle size distribution that could be appropriate for the methodology of vehicle certification in Europe. Scanning mobility particle sizer to determine particle size distribution in the mentioned size range; Structure of filters used in particle sampling; Analysis of images taken from different parts of the filter.

SUMMARY We investigate different aspects concerning the application of swarm intelligence optimization to the inversion of Scholte-wave phase-slowness frequency ( p- f) spectra with respect to shear wave velocity structure. Besides human influence due to the dependence on a priori information for starting models and interpretation of p- f spectra as well as noise, the model resolution of the inversion problem is strongly influenced by the multimodality of the misfit function. We thus tested the efficiency of global, stochastic optimization approaches with focus on swarm intelligence methods that can explore the multiple minima of the misfit function. A comparison among different PSO schemes by applying them to synthetic Scholte-wave spectra led to a hybrid of Particle Swarm Optimization and Downhill Simplex providing the best resolution of inverted shear wave velocity depth models. The results showed a very low spread of best fitting solutions of 7 per cent in shear wave velocity and an average of 9 per cent for noisy synthetic data and a very good fit to the true synthetic model used for computation of the input data. To classify this method we also compared the probability of finding a good fit in synthetic spectra inversion with that of Evolutionary Algorithm, Simulated Annealing, Neighbourhood Algorithm and Artificial Bee Colony algorithm. Again the hybrid optimization scheme showed its predominance. The usage of stochastic algorithms furthermore allowed a new way of misfit definition in terms of dispersion curve slowness residuals making the inversion scheme independent on Scholte-wave mode identification and allowing joint inversion of fundamental mode and higher mode information. Finally we used the hybrid optimization scheme and the misfit calculation for the inversion of 2-D shear wave velocity profiles from two locations in the North- and Baltic Sea. The models show acceptable resolution and a very good structural correlation to high resolution reflection seismic data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrafine particles (UFP, those with diameters ≤ 100 nm), have been reported to potentially penetrate deeply into the respiratory system, translocate through the alveoli, and affect various organs, potentially correlating with increased mortality. The aim of this study is to assess long-term trends (5–11 years) in mostly urban UFP concentrations based on measurements of particle number size distributions (PNSD). Additionally, concentrations of other pollutants and meteorological variables were evaluated to support the interpretations. PNSD datasets from 12 urban background (UB), 5 traffic (TR), 3 suburban background (SUB) and 1 regional background (RB) sites in 15 European cities and 1 in the USA were evaluated. The non-parametric Theil-Sen's method was used to detect monotonic trends. Meta-analyses were carried out to assess the overall trends and those for different environments. The results showed significant decreases in NO, NO 2 , BC, CO, and particle concentrations in the Aitken (25–100 nm) and the Accumulation (100–800 nm) modes, suggesting a positive impact of the implementation of EURO 5/V and 6/VI vehicle standards on European air quality. The growing use of Diesel Particle Filters (DPFs) might also have clearly reduced exhaust emissions of BC, PM, and the Aitken and Accumulation mode particles. However, as reported by prior studies, there remains an issue of poor control of Nucleation mode particles (smaller than 25 nm), which are not fully reduced with current DPFs, without emission controls for semi-volatile organic compounds, and might have different origins than road traffic. Thus, contrasting trends for Nucleation mode particles were obtained across the cities studied. This mode also affected the UFP and total PNC trends because of the high proportion of Nucleation mode particles in both concentration ranges. It was also found that the urban temperature increasing trends might have also influenced those of PNC, Nucleation and Aitken modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PANDA (antiProton ANihilation at DArmstadt) is the central experiment to fully exploit the physics research potential of antiproton beams at the international accelerator Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research in Europe (FAIR), currently under construction at GSI. Phase-space cooled high intensity antiproton beams up to 15 GeV/c will be provided by the High Energy Storage Ring (HESR) at FAIR to interact with PANDA internal proton or nuclear targets enabling a broad range of exciting studies in Particle and Nuclear Physics. The PANDA detector features two spectrometers, the Target Spectrometer with a superconducting solenoid magnet of 2 T around the interaction region with hermetic coverage and the Forward Spectrometer with a 2 Tm dipole magnet for coverage of the forward boosted particles. Several modern particle detector systems are employed in PANDA to provide excellent charged particle tracking, particle identification, calorimetry and muon detection, over the full momentum range in both spectrometers throughout the lifetime of the experiment. Focusing on the various PANDA detector systems we present an overview of recent developments, the detector construction progress and conclude with an outline for a phased deployment of PANDA at FAIR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forest sector is vital in Europe, providing economic and social benefits to communities. However, this sector is also responsible for some environmental impacts, and it is crucial to ensure that these impacts do not outweigh the benefits described. For this reason, this paper proposes an environmental and economic assessment of three forest wood products – uncoated woodfree paper, natural cork stoppers, and particle boards. The life cycles of these products were modeled using foreground data and a life cycle assessment was conducted to determine the environmental impacts associated with these three life cycles. For the economic assessment, the net present value method was adopted. From the results, it is possible to conclude that the utilization of 1 ha of forest land for 100 years to plant Eucalyptus globulus used in the production of uncoated woodfree paper generates the least environmental impact per euro. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine the reliability of the results achieved given the uncertainty associated with the data used to model the three life cycles. The same critical impact categories and the same critical life cycle stage (raw materials' extraction) were identified for the three systems under study. Given these similarities, an effort must be made by the forest sector to reduce the impacts of these categories and this life cycle stage. To assist on this task, a set of generic and industry-specific recommendations is provided for companies operating in the forest sector. • An environmental and economic assessment of three forest wood products is performed. • The life cycle assessment methodology and the net present value method are used. • The production of uncoated woodfree paper generates the least environmental impact per euro of NPV. • Using sensitivity analysis, the results were found to be reliable. • Recommendations for different stakeholders in the forest sector are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is one of the oldest, largest, and most emblematic European research infrastructures. Its history, as expressed through narratives of its own organizational identity, does not only reflect the development of its technoscientific activities but also strongly references a multiplicity of performances of Europe. By analysing these narratives of organizational identity over nearly seven decades, it is possible to observe an ongoing coproductive relationship between technoscientific and sociopolitical orders—more specifically between particle physics and Europe. Furthermore, there has been a considerable shift in the justificatory and explanatory relationship between these orders. In its first three decades, CERN was envisioned as an organization in which European unity could be accomplished through science. A broad vision of science as a common European language contributed to an imaginary of postwar Europe (re-)united through its cultural/scientific roots. Roughly since 1990, however, CERN has been presenting itself as a 'laboratory for the world', thereby constructing a new imaginary of Europeanness as an organizational and cultural resource to support global particle physics. Thus, there has been a narrative shift from European collaboration being promoted through science, to science on a world scale being promoted by a specific idea of Europeanness. Studying the temporal dynamics of coproductive relationships like these sensitizes us to shifts of balance between sociopolitical and technoscientific orders: it reveals which orders are narrated as drivers and which as driven as well as how this opens up or closes down justificatory narratives and ways of acting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient particle number size distributions were measured in Paris, France, during summer (1-31 July 2009) and winter (15 January to 15 February 2010) at three fixed ground sites and using two mobile laboratories and one airplane. The campaigns were part of the Megacities: Emissions, urban, regional and Global Atmospheric POLlution and climate effects, and Integrated tools for assessment and mitigation (MEGAPOLI) project. New particle formation (NPF) was observed only during summer on approximately 50% of the campaign days, assisted by the low condensation sink (about 10.7 ± 5.9 × 10-3 s-1). NPF events inside the Paris plume were also observed at 600 m altitude onboard an aircraft simultaneously with regional events identified on the ground. Increased particle number concentrations were measured aloft also outside of the Paris plume at the same altitude, and were attributed to NPF. The Paris plume was identified, based on increased particle number and black carbon concentration, up to 200 km away from the Paris center during summer. The number concentration of particles with diameters exceeding 2.5 nm measured on the surface at the Paris center was on average 6.9 ± 8.7 × 104 and 12.1 ± 8.6 × 104 cm-3 during summer and winter, respectively, and was found to decrease exponentially with distance from Paris. However, further than 30 km from the city center, the particle number concentration at the surface was similar during both campaigns. During summer, one suburban site in the NE was not significantly affected by Paris emissions due to higher background number concentrations, while the particle number concentration at the second suburban site in the SW increased by a factor of 3 when it was downwind of Paris. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the goals are to pick a Higgs factory, carry out R&D on accelerators and detectors, conduct feasibility studies, and improve environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical composition of aerosol particles is a key parameter for human health and climate effects. Single-particle mass spectrometry (SPMS) has evolved to a mature technology with unique chemical coverage and the capability to analyze the distribution of aerosol components in the particle ensemble in real-time. With the fully automated characterization of the chemical profile of the aerosol particles, selective real-time monitoring of air quality could be performed e.g. for urgent risk assessments due to particularly harmful pollutants. For aerosol particle classification, mostly unsupervised clustering algorithms (ART-2a, K-means and their derivatives) are used, which require manual post-processing. In this work, we focus on supervised algorithms to tackle the problem of automatic classification of large amounts of aerosol particle data. Supervised learning requires data with labels to train a predictive model. Therefore, we created a labeled benchmark dataset containing ~24,000 particles with eight different coarse categories that were highly abundant at a measurement in summer in Central Europe: Elemental Carbon (EC) , Organic Carbon and Elemental Carbon (OC-EC) , Potassium-rich (K-rich) , Calcium-rich (Ca-rich) , Iron-rich (Fe-rich) , Vanadium-rich (V-rich) , Magnesium-rich (Mg-rich) and Sodium-rich (Na-rich). Using the chemical features of particles the performance of the following classical supervised algorithms was tested: K-nearest neighbors, support vector machine, decision tree, random forest and multi-layer perceptron. This work shows that despite the entrenched position of unsupervised clustering algorithms in the field, the use of supervised algorithms has the potential to replace the manual step of clustering algorithms in many applications, where real-time data analysis is essential. For the classification of the eight classes, the prediction accuracy of several supervised algorithms exceeded 97 %. The trained model was used to classify ~49,000 particles from a blind dataset in 0.2 seconds, taking into account also a class of "unclassified" particles. The predictions are highly consistent with the results obtained in a previous study using ART-2a. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report presents the conceptual design of a new European research infrastructure EuPRAXIA. The concept has been established over the last four years in a unique collaboration of 41 laboratories within a Horizon 2020 design study funded by the European Union. EuPRAXIA is the first European project that develops a dedicated particle accelerator research infrastructure based on novel plasma acceleration concepts and laser technology. It focuses on the development of electron accelerators and underlying technologies, their user communities, and the exploitation of existing accelerator infrastructures in Europe. EuPRAXIA has involved, amongst others, the international laser community and industry to build links and bridges with accelerator science — through realising synergies, identifying disruptive ideas, innovating, and fostering knowledge exchange. The Eu-PRAXIA project aims at the construction of an innovative electron accelerator using laser- and electron-beam-driven plasma wakefield acceleration that offers a significant reduction in size and possible savings in cost over current state-of-the-art radiofrequency-based accelerators. The foreseen electron energy range of one to five gigaelectronvolts (GeV) and its performance goals will enable versatile applications in various domains, e.g. as a compact free-electron laser (FEL), compact sources for medical imaging and positron generation, table-top test beams for particle detectors, as well as deeply penetrating X-ray and gamma-ray sources for material testing. EuPRAXIA is designed to be the required stepping stone to possible future plasma-based facilities, such as linear colliders at the high-energy physics (HEP) energy frontier. Consistent with a high-confidence approach, the project includes measures to retire risk by establishing scaled technology demonstrators. This report includes preliminary models for project implementation, cost and schedule that would allow operation of the full Eu-PRAXIA facility within 8—10 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was aimed at preparing stable dry adsorbed nanoparticles (DANs) of olanzapine (OLZ) loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) for sustained release. OLZ SLNs were prepared by hot melt emulsification and ultrasonication using Precirol ATO 5 (PRE) as a solid lipid, combination of Kolliphor ELP (KELP) and Tween 80 (T80) as surfactants, after optimising formulation and process variables. The SLN system was subjected to evaluation of particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency (EE), in-vitro drug release and ex-vivo intestinal permeability studies using the chicken intestinal segments (jejunum). Further, these SLNs were converted into stable DANs by adsorbing onto a Neusilin US2 (NUS2) and Avicel CL 611 (ACL) carriers using the granulation-evaporative drying method. The DANs were characterised for redispersion properties, in-vitro drug release, thermal behaviour, crystallinity, and morphology. The SLN and DAN had a particle size of 238.0 nm [0.274 polydispersity index (PdI)] and 302.4 [0.494 PdI] respectively. The zeta potentials of SLN and DAN were found to be −29.3 mV and −26.3 mV, respectively. The SLN had 67% EE, and showed a sustained drug release in various media. The highest permeability of SLNs was observed in ex-vivo permeation model compared to the OLZ suspension, indicating that SLNs have the potential to bypass hepatic metabolism. The adsorption of SLNs onto carriers was confirmed by surface morphology. The DAN had good flow properties and sustained drug release similar to that of SLNs. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and endothermic peaks confirmed the complete encapsulation of actives in lipid matrices. The encapsulating of OLZ in SLNs and converting it into DAN showed a sustained release and adsorption technique that can be used for improving the stability of NLC dispersion. The DANs can be offered in dosage forms such as filling into sachets, capsules and compressed into tablets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonal variability of non-refractory PM 1 (NR-PM 1) was studied at a rural background site (National Atmospheric Observatory Košetice – NAOK) in the Czech Republic to investigate the effect of regional and long-range atmospheric transport in central Europe. NR-PM 1 measurements were performed by compact time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometry (C-ToF-AMS), and the chemically speciated mass size distributions, density, shape, and origin were discussed. Average PM 1 concentrations, calculated as the sum of the NR-PM 1 and the equivalent black carbon (eBC) concentrations measured by an aethalometer (AE), were 8.58 ± 3.70 µ g m -3 in summer and 10.08 ± 8.04 µ g m -3 in winter. Organics were dominant during both campaigns (summer/winter: 4.97 ± 2.92 / 4.55 ± 4.40 µ g m -3), followed by SO 42- in summer (1.68 ± 0.81/1.36 ± 1.38 µ g m -3) and NO 3- in winter (0.67 ± 0.38/2.03 ± 1.71 µ g m -3). The accumulation mode dominated the average mass size distribution during both seasons, with larger particles of all species measured in winter (mode diameters: Org: 334 / 413 nm, NO 3- : 377/501 nm, SO 42- : 400 / 547 nm, and NH 4+ : 489 / 515 nm) indicating regional and long-range transport. However, since the winter aerosols were less oxidized than the summer aerosols (comparing fragments f44 and f43), the importance of local sources in the cold part of the year was still enough to be considered. Although aged continental air masses from the south-east (SE) were rare in summer (7 %), they were related to the highest concentrations of PM 1 , eBC, and all NR-PM 1 species, especially SO 42- and NH 4+. In winter, slow continental air masses from the south-west (SW) (44 %) were linked to inversion conditions over central Europe and were associated with the highest concentrations among all NR-PM 1 species as well as PM 1 and eBC. Average PM 1 material density (ρm) corresponded to higher inorganic contents in both seasons (summer: ∼ 1.30 g cm -3 and winter: ∼ 1.40 g cm -3). During episodes of higher mass concentrations ρm ranged from 1.30–1.40 g cm -3 in summer and from 1.30–1.50 g cm -3 in winter. The dynamic shape factors (χ) decreased slightly with particle mobility diameter (Dm) in both seasons. This study provides insights into the seasonal effects and air mass variability on aerosol particles, focusing on episodes of high mass and number concentrations measured at a central European rural background site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Application of an electrofilter and a tandem negative-positive corona charger to a diffusion charger based instrument to mitigate the influence of highly charged aerosol. Onboard measurement of non-volatile particle number (PN) emissions with portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS) was introduced for the type-approval of passenger cars in Europe since 2017 and is foreseen for heavy-duty (HD) vehicles in 2021. First studies on the performance of PN-PEMS with HD engine exhaust revealed larger differences between established PN-PEMS techniques than what was observed for passenger cars. Particles forming in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems for NOx of late technology HD engines have recently been identified as a potential reason for the observed differences. The formed particles have a size distribution peaking below the regulatory limit of 23 nm and most importantly acquire high (more than one) positive charges at the elevated exhaust temperatures. Precise measurement of such highly charged nanosized particles with PN-PEMS instrumentation utilizing diffusion charger (DC) based counters requires proper conditioning of these charges. Two approaches were investigated in this study: (a) an electrofilter (EF) to completely remove charged particles below the regulated size and (b) a tandem negative-positive corona (TC) charger to directly condition pre-charged particles. The two technical solutions were tested alongside the unmodified DC-based PN-PEMS, a PN-PEMS utilizing a condensation particle counter (CPC) and a reference stationary PN system using exhaust of two SCR-equipped HD engines. The results confirmed that the particles forming in such SCR systems are responsible for the observed inconsistencies and that both technical solutions efficiently address the interferences of these pre-charged nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PMCAMx-UF, a three-dimensional chemical transport model focusing on the simulation of the ultrafine particle size distribution and composition has been extended with the addition of reactions of chemical aging of semivolatile anthropogenic organic vapors, the emissions and chemical aging of intermediate-volatility organic compounds (IVOCs), and the production of extremely low-volatility organic compounds (ELVOCs) by monoterpenes. The model is applied in Europe to quantify the effect of these processes on particle number concentrations. The model predictions are evaluated against both ground measurements collected during the PEGASOS 2012 summer campaign across many stations in Europe and airborne observations by a zeppelin measuring above Po Valley, Italy. PMCAMx-UF reproduces the ground level daily average concentrations of particles with a diameter larger than 100 nm (N100) with normalized mean error (NME) of 45 % and normalized mean bias (NMB) close to 10 %. For the same simulation, PMCAMx-UF tends to overestimate the concentration of particles with a diameter larger than 10 nm (N10) with a daily NMB of 23 % and a daily NME of 63 %. The model was able to reproduce more than 75 % of the N10 and N100 airborne observations (zeppelin) within a factor of 2. According to the PMCAMx-UF predictions, the ELVOC production by monoterpenes leads to surprisingly small changes of the average number concentrations over Europe. The total number concentration decreased due to the ELVOC formation by 0.2 %, N10 decreased by 1.1 %, N50 (particles with a diameter larger than 50 nm) increased by 3 %, and N100 increased by 4 % due to this new secondary organic aerosol (SOA) source. This small change is due to the nonlinearity of the system, with increases predicted in some areas and decreases in others, but also the cancelation of the effects of the various processes like accelerated growth and accelerated coagulation. Locally, the effects can be significant. For example, an increase in N100 by 20 %–50 % is predicted over Scandinavia and significant increases (10 %–20 %) are predicted over some parts of central Europe. The ELVOCs contributed on average around 0.5 µgm-3 and accounted for 10 %–15 % of the PM2.5 OA. The addition of IVOC emissions and their aging reactions led to a surprising reduction of the total number of particles (Ntot) and N10 by 10 %–15 % and 5 %–10 %, respectively, and to an increase in the concentration of N100 by 5 %–10 %. These were due to the accelerated coagulation and reduced nucleation rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The implementation of emission mitigation policies in Europe over the last two decades has generally improved the air quality, which resulted in lower aerosol particle mass, particle number, and black carbon mass concentration. However, little is known whether the decreasing particle concentrations at a lower-altitude level can be observed in the free troposphere (FT), an important layer of the atmosphere, where aerosol particles have a longer lifetime and may affect climate dynamics. In this study, we used data from two high-Alpine observatories, Zugspitze-Schneefernerhaus (ZSF) and Jungfraujoch (JFJ), to assess the long-term trends on size-resolved particle number concentrations (PNCs) and equivalent black carbon (eBC) mass concentration separated for undisturbed lower FT conditions and under the influence of air from the planetary boundary layer (PBL) from 2009 to 2018. Results: The FT and PBL-influenced conditions were segregated for both sites. We found that the FT conditions in cold months were more prevalent than in warm months, while the measured aerosol parameters showed different seasonal patterns for the FT and PBL-influenced conditions. The pollutants in the PBL-influenced condition have a higher chance to be transported to high-altitudes due to the mountainous topography, leading to a higher concentration and more distinct seasonal variation, and vice versa. The long-term trends of the measured aerosol parameters were evaluated and the decreased aerosol concentrations were observed for both FT and PBL-influenced conditions. The observed decreasing trends in eBC concentration in the PBL-influenced condition are well consistent with the reported trends in total BC emission in Germany and Switzerland. The decreased concentrations in the FT condition suggest that the background aerosol concentration in the lower FT over Central Europe has correspondingly decreased. The change of back trajectories in the FT condition at ZSF and JFJ was further evaluated to investigate the other possible drivers for the decreasing trends. Conclusions: The background aerosol concentration in the lower FT over Central Europe has significantly decreased during 2009–2018. The implementation of emission mitigation policies is the most decisive factor and the decrease of the regional airmass occurrence over Central Europe also has contributed to the decreasing trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparative study for 62 toxic chemicals based on the simultaneous monthly collection of aerosol samples during 2015-2016 in two coastal cities at both the African (Bizerte, Tunisia) and European (Marseille, France) edges of the Western Mediterranean basin is presented. Legacy polychlorinated biphenyls (Σ18PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (Σ17PCDD/Fs) show generally higher median levels at the African edge (2.1 and 0.2 pg m-3, respectively) compared to the European coastal site (1.0 and 0.08 pg m-3, respectively). Contrarily, the "emerging" polybrominated diphenyl ethers' (Σ27PBDES) median concentrations were higher in Marseille (~9.0 pg m-3) compared to Bizerte (~6.0 pg rn-3). Different past usages and current emission patterns were found at both edges of the Western Mediterranean, most probably linked to the respective different regulatory frameworks for toxic chemicals. Our results indicate that the total organic carbon (TOC) and/ or the elemental carbon (EC) contents in the atmospheric aerosol may have a stronger effect than the total suspended particle (TSP) content as a whole on the spatial-temporal variability and the long-range atmospheric transport potential of the studied POPs. A "jumping" of the PBDE local atmospheric stocks from the Northwestern European Mediterranean edge to the Northwestern African coast seems to be possible under favorable conditions at present. While a higher PBDE median loading is estimated for the Marseille area (~550 ng m-2 y-1) compared to Bizerte (~400 ng m-2 y-1), the median PCB and PCDD/F dry deposition fluxes were higher at the African site, resulting in a 3-fold higher toxic equivalent (TEQ) loading of dioxin-like pollutants (400 pg TEQ m-2 y-1) compared to Marseille (~140 pg TEQ m-2 y-1), with potential implications for aquatic organisms. However, the inhalation exposure assessment points to a minimum risk for human health at both sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, pollutant dispersion inside a street canyon is simulated using SLP-2D (street Lagrangian particles). SLP-2D is a Lagrangian particle model developed by Research Center for Energy, Environment and Technology (CIEMAT), and it uses wind flow data provided by FLUENT CFD simulations to compute particle trajectories. The simulations presented are divided into two parts. In the first part Meroney, et al. [1996. Study of line source characteristics for 2-D physical modeling of pollutant dispersion in street canopies. Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics 62, 37–56] wind tunnel experiment is analyzed and we find good agreement between computed and experimental results. In the second part, dispersion inside real street canyons from Stockholm (Hornsgatan Street) and Berlin (Frankfurter Alee) is studied. Field data have been provided by street emission ceilings (SEC) team for use in SEC intercomparison model exercise. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The number of ultrafine particles in urban air may be more health relevant than the usually measured mass of particles smaller than 2.5 or 10μm. Epidemiological studies typically assess exposure by measurements at a central site. Limited information is available about how well measurements at a central site reflect exposure to ultrafine particles. The goals of this paper are to assess the relationships between particle number (PN) and mass concentrations measured outdoors at a central site, right outside and inside the study homes. The study was conducted in four European cities: Amsterdam, Athens, Birmingham and Helsinki. Particle mass (PM10 and PM2.5), PN, soot and sulfate concentrations were measured at these sites. Measurements of indoors and outdoors near the home were made during 1 week in 152, mostly non-smoking, homes. In each city continuous measurements were also performed at a central site during the entire study period. The correlation between 24-h average central site outdoor and indoor concentrations was lower for PN (correlation among cities ranged from 0.18 to 0.45) than for PM2.5 (0.40–0.80), soot (0.64–0.92) and sulfate (0.91–0.99). In Athens, the indoor–central site correlation was similar for PN and PM2.5. Infiltration factors for PN and PM2.5 were lower than for sulfate and soot. Night-time hourly average PN concentrations showed higher correlations between indoor and central site, implying that indoor sources explained part of the low correlation found for 24-h average concentrations. Measurements at a central site may characterize indoor exposure to ambient particles less well for ultrafine particles than for fine particle mass, soot and sulfate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The number of ultrafine particles may be a more health relevant characteristic of ambient particulate matter than the conventionally measured mass. Epidemiological time series studies typically use a central site to characterize human exposure to outdoor air pollution. There is currently very limited information how well measurements at a central site reflect temporal and spatial variation across an urban area for particle number concentrations (PNC). The main objective of the study was to assess the spatial variation of PNC compared to the mass concentration of particles with diameter less than 10 or 2.5μm (PM10 and PM2.5). Continuous measurements of PM10, PM2.5, PNC and soot concentrations were conducted at a central site during October 2002–March 2004 in four cities spread over Europe (Amsterdam, Athens, Birmingham and Helsinki). The same measurements were conducted directly outside 152 homes spread over the metropolitan areas. Each home was monitored during 1 week. We assessed the temporal correlation and the variability of absolute concentrations. For all particle indices, including particle number, temporal correlation of 24-h average concentrations was high. The median correlation for PNC per city ranged between 0.67 and 0.76. For PM2.5 median correlation ranged between 0.79 and 0.98. The median correlation for hourly average PNC was lower (range 0.56–0.66). Absolute concentration levels varied substantially more within cities for PNC and coarse particles than for PM2.5. Measurements at the central site reflected the temporal variation of 24-h average concentrations for all particle indices at the selected homes across the urban area. A central site could not assess absolute concentrations across the urban areas for particle number. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper studies a consolidation center selection and cargo transportation optimization problem of the Sino-Europe railway express. It takes account of demand uncertainty and multiple cost factors, such as transportation cost, time cost, waiting cost before consolidation, penalty cost of not full load after distribution, track changing cost, and customs clearance fee. A complicated mixed-integer programming (MIP) model is presented to describe the problem. Then a solution method based on binary particle swarm optimization (BPSO) is designed to solve the model of different scales of cases. Extensive numerical experiments generated from real-world data are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed model. Moreover, we compare the efficiency of the solution method with a commercial solver and a heuristic algorithm based on variable neighborhood search (VNS). Results show that our solution method can optimally solve the problem in small-scale cases and get near-optimal solutions for large-scale problem instances. The proposed mathematical model and the calculation results may provide valuable insights for both business owners and government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an overview of the modelling of particle number concentrations (PNC's) in five major European cities, namely Helsinki, Oslo, London, Rotterdam and Athens, in 2008. Novel emission inventories of particle numbers have been compiled both on urban and European scales. We use atmospheric dispersion modelling for PNC's in the five target cities and on a European scale, and evaluate the predicted results against available measured concentrations. The concentrations of PN in the selected cities were mostly influenced by the emissions originated from local vehicular traffic; however, in some of the cities, also harbour and airport activities were significant. The highest values of the predicted PNC's were higher in the megacities, London and Athens, and also in Rotterdam, whereas these were lower in Helsinki and Oslo. It was numerically evaluated that the influence of coagulation and dry deposition on the predicted PNC's was substantial for urban background in Oslo. The predicted and measured annual average PNC's in four cities agreed within approximately ⩽36% (measured as fractional biases), except for one traffic station in London. The indexes of agreement (IA) for the comparisons of hourly measured and predicted time-series in Oslo and Helsinki ranged from 0.75 to 0.79. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The final design process of the ITER EC upper launcher (UL) was carried out between 2011 and 2018 under a Grant agreement between the European Domestic Agency F4E and a consortium of European associations, namely KIT (D), SPC (CH), DIFFER (NL), IPP (D), CNR (I), and IPF (D). The final design is scheduled for 2019. The final design review (FDR) will be split into several review processes for dedicated sub-components. One of these sub-components is the structural system of the EC launcher. This article presents a brief overview on the final design status of the ITER EC UL structure of spring 2018, including the history of development since 2004. It highlights the most challenging design issues and debates demanding project management steps. The lesson learned in the technical development of the design will be discussed, in view of the design work for future fusion devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this work is the study of the impact of windblown dust, sea-salt aerosol and biogenic emissions on particle pollution levels in Europe. The Natural Emissions MOdel (NEMO) and the modelling system consisted of the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) and the Comprehensive Air Quality model with extensions (CAMx) were applied in a 30 km horizontal resolution grid, which covered Europe and the adjacent areas for the year 2009. Air quality simulations were performed for different emission scenarios in order to study the contribution of each natural emission source individually and together to air quality levels in Europe. The simulations reveal that the exclusion of windblown dust emissions decreases the mean seasonal PM10 levels by more than 3.3 μg/m 3 (∼20%) in the Eastern Mediterranean during winter while an impact of 3 μg/m 3 was also found during summer. The results suggest that sea-salt aerosol has a significant effect on PM levels and composition. Eliminating sea-salt emissions reduces PM10 seasonal concentrations by around 10 μg/m 3 in Mediterranean Sea during summer while a decrease of up to 6 μg/m 3 is found in Atlantic Ocean during autumn. Sea-salt particles also interact with the anthropogenic component and therefore their absence in the atmosphere decreases significantly the nitrates in aerosols where shipping activities are present. The exclusion of biogenic emissions in the model runs leads to a significant reduction of secondary organic aerosols of more than 90% while an increase in PM2.5 levels in central Europe and Eastern Mediterranean is found due to their interaction with anthropogenic component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkylamines are associated with both natural and anthropogenic sources and have been detected in ambient aerosol in a variety of environments. However, little is known about the ubiquity or relative abundance of these species in Europe. In this work, ambient single-particle mass spectra collected at five sampling sites across Europe have been analysed for their alkylamine content. The aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) data used were collected in Ireland (Cork), France (Paris, Dunkirk and Corsica) and Switzerland (Zurich) between 2008 and 2013. Each dataset was queried for mass spectral marker ions associated with the following ambient alkylamines: dimethylamine (DMA), trimethylamine (TMA), diethylamine (DEA), triethylamine (TEA), dipropylamine (DPA) and tripropylamine (TPA). The fraction of ambient particles that contained detectable alkylamines ranged from 1 to 17 % depending on location, with the highest fractions observed in Paris and Zurich in the winter months. The lowest fractions were observed at coastal sites, where the influence of animal husbandry-related alkylamine emissions is also expected to be lowest. TMA was the most ubiquitous particle phase alkylamine detected and was observed at all locations. Alkylamines were found to be internally mixed with both sulphate and nitrate for each dataset, suggesting that aminium salt formation may be important at all sites investigated. Interestingly, in Corsica, all alkylamine particles detected were also found to be internally mixed with methanesulphonic acid (MSA), indicating that aminium methanesulphonate salts may represent a component of marine ambient aerosol in the summer months. Internal mixing of alkylamines with sea salt was not observed, however. Alkylamine-containing particle composition was found to be reasonably homogeneous at each location, with the exception of the Corsica and Dunkirk sites, where two and four distinct mixing states were observed, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fine particle and gas emissions from the residential wood combustion (RWC) appear to be a major contributor to winter-time pollution in Europe. In this study, we characterized the effect of two different combustion conditions on particulate and gaseous emissions from a conventional masonry heater. Normal combustion (NC) is the best available operational practice for the heater, whereas smoldering combustion (SC) mimicked slow heating combustion. It was found that the operational practice in RWC can significantly influence the quantity and quality of particle and gaseous emissions into the atmosphere. In SC, the emissions of carbon monoxide were 3.5-fold, total volatile organics 14-fold and PM1 6-fold to those of NC, whereas the mass of the inorganic compounds (“fine ash”) and particle number emissions were lower from SC than from NC. According to electron microscopy analyses, the observed fine ash particles seemed to occur mainly as separate spherical or irregularly shaped particles but not as agglomerates. Ultrafine (<100nm) fine ash particles were composed mainly of K, S and Zn, but also in a lesser extent of C, Ca, Fe, Mg, Cl, P and Na. Large agglomerates were found to contain mainly carbon and are considered to be primarily soot particles. The larger spherical and irregularly shaped particles were composed of same alkali metal compounds as ultrafine particles, but they were probably covered with heavy organic compounds. From SC, particles were composed mainly of carbon compounds and they had a more closed structure than the particles from NC, due to organic matter on the particles. In the present experiments, the ultrafine mode in the particle number distributions seemed to be determined mainly by the amount of released ash forming material in combustion, and the shifting of particle size during different combustion conditions seemed to be determined by the amount of condensed organic vapor in the flue gas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ice particle activation and evolution have important atmospheric implications for cloud formation, initiation of precipitation and radiative interactions. The initial formation of atmospheric ice by heterogeneous ice nucleation requires the presence of a nucleating seed, an ice-nucleating particle (INP), to facilitate its first emergence. Unfortunately, only a few long-term measurements of INPs exist, and as a result, knowledge about geographic and seasonal variations of INP concentrations is sparse. Here we present data from nearly 2 years of INP measurements from four stations in different regions of the world: the Amazon (Brazil), the Caribbean (Martinique), central Europe (Germany) and the Arctic (Svalbard). The sites feature diverse geographical climates and ecosystems that are associated with dissimilar transport patterns, aerosol characteristics and levels of anthropogenic impact (ranging from near pristine to mostly rural). Interestingly, observed INP concentrations, which represent measurements in the deposition and condensation freezing modes, do not differ greatly from site to site but usually fall well within the same order of magnitude. Moreover, short-term variability overwhelms all long-term trends and/or seasonality in the INP concentration at all locations. An analysis of the frequency distributions of INP concentrations suggests that INPs tend to be well mixed and reflective of large-scale air mass movements. No universal physical or chemical parameter could be identified to be a causal link driving INP climatology, highlighting the complex nature of the ice nucleation process. Amazonian INP concentrations were mostly unaffected by the biomass burning season, even though aerosol concentrations increase by a factor of 10 from the wet to dry season. Caribbean INPs were positively correlated to parameters related to transported mineral dust, which is known to increase during the Northern Hemisphere summer. A wind sector analysis revealed the absence of an anthropogenic impact on average INP concentrations at the site in central Europe. Likewise, no Arctic haze influence was observed on INPs at the Arctic site, where low concentrations were generally measured. We consider the collected data to be a unique resource for the community that illustrates some of the challenges and knowledge gaps of the field in general, while specifically highlighting the need for more long-term observations of INPs worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operating rooms for patients undergoing infection-prone surgery often have unidirectional flow supply air systems. Many systems installed in Europe have low air velocities, i.e. equal and below 0.3 m/s, while other supply air systems have velocities about 0.4 m/s. The velocity, given by the supplier, is mostly the inlet air velocity just below the filter screen of the unidirectional flow system. The purpose of this paper is to describe contamination risks in unidirectional airflow without obstacles at different air velocities. To evaluate contamination risks, the method for limitation of risks, the LR-Method, has been used. The results show that the convection flows and arm movements from a person standing in the unidirectional airflow system have a great impact on the contamination risks at air velocities below 0.4 m/s and that the air velocity should at least be 0.4 m/s to achieve a good protection efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic-related emissions of fine particles represent one of the main sources of air pollution especially in urban areas. In particular, diesel engines are blamed as one of the main contributors for their inherent high particulate emissions. In order to reduce the impact on human health of particulate emissions from vehicles, new stricter emission standards were considered necessary for Europe. The introduction of very low particulate emission limits has required the development of an improved measurement procedure for particulate mass and a new measurement procedure for particle number. The Particle Measurement Programme (PMP) was established in 2001 on the initiative of some European states to achieve this target. The interlaboratory comparison exercise for light duty vehicles, co-managed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission and the UK Department of Transport, was completed in 2007, and the results have provided the scientific basis for the new Euro 5/6 limits for particle number and particulate mass. The heavy-duty interlaboratory exercise was started in the second half of 2007 with an exploratory work carried out at the JRC and is still on-going. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]