[An investigation of the CH4 and N2O emission factors of light-duty gasoline vehicles].

In China, most of the studies of vehicular greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been focused on CO2 emissions. The investigation of non-CO2 GHGs, e.g. CH4 and N2O, are mainly carried out based on models developed in Europe and the US, and there are few vehicle emission tests for CH4 and N2O. In this study, 22 light-duty gasoline vehicles (LDGVs) were selected for tailpipe CH4 and N2O tests using chassis dynamometer, and their emission factors were obtained based on the NEDC driving cycle. The results showed that the CH4 emission factors of China I to China IV LDGVs were 0.048 g x km(-1), 0.048 g x km(-1), 0.038 g x km(-1) and 0.028 g x km(-1), respectively. For N2O, the emission factors of China I to China IV were 0.045 g x km(-1), 0.039 g x km(-1), 0.026 g x km(-1) and 0.021 g x km(-1), respectively. In the GHGs emissions (in terms of CO2 Eq.) per LDGV, the percentage of CH4 and N2O emissions decreased gradually with tightening of emission standards. The contribution of CH4 emissions was lower than 0.5% in the total emissions, and N2O share rate was between 3.03% and 6.35%. Therefore, tightening emission standards can effectively reduce the CH4 and N2O emissions, to mitigate the greenhouse effects caused by vehicle emissions.

WU polyomavirus infection among children in South China.

This study aimed at investigating the prevalence and clinical characteristics of children with respiratory infection by WU polyomavirus (WUPyV) in Southern China. Nasopharyngeal aspirate samples were collected from 771 children with acute respiratory tract infection admitted to hospital and 82 samples from healthy subjects for routine examination at the outpatient service at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University, Medical College from July 2008 to June 2009. WUPyV was detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing. All WUPyV-positive specimens were characterized further for nine viruses causing common respiratory infections, including influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus (PIV) 1 and 3, human metapneumovirus, human bocavirus, adenovirus, and rhinovirus by PCR or real time (RT)-PCR. Fifteen out of 771 specimens from patients with acute respiratory tract infection, but none from healthy subjects, were positive for WUPyV and the positivity rate was 2%. Patients with WUPyV infection were between 2 and 48 months of age, and nine of the patients were male while six female. Four out of 15 patients were co-infected with RSV, one with adenovirus or rhinovirus, respectively. Patients with WUPyV infection displayed predominantly cough, moderate fever, and wheezing, and were diagnosed with pneumonia (n = 8), bronchiolitis (n = 4), upper respiratory tract infections (n = 2) and bronchitis (n = 1). One patient developed encephalitis. Therefore, WUPyV infection can cause acute respiratory tract infection with atypical symptoms, including severe complications, in children.

[Analysis of surface composition of three-way catalysts of in-use vehicles].

The kinds and contents of surface elements in three-way catalysts of six light-duty in-use taxi cabs, which were mainly operated in Beijing and whose driving mileages were in the range of 34 x 10(4)-59 x 10(4) km, were determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), and the effect of driving mileage on element content was investigated. Results showed that nearly 30 kinds of elements were present on the catalyst surface. The main elements of different samples were similar. The common elements of the pollutant on the front and rear catalysts were P, Ca, Zn and Mn etc., most of which are from engine oil and gasoline. S was only observed on the rear catalysts, indicating that S tends to deposit on the rear catalysts. After 34 x 10(4) km run, the P content increased very slowly and 40 x 10(4) km run S content reached a saturated value. While the contents of Ca, Zn and Mn still exhibit an increase tendency after 56 x 10(4) km. That means after 40 x 10(4) km driving mileage, the effects of P and S on the catalyst activity are minor, and the continuous deposit of Ca, Zn and Mn will lead to further decrease of the activity.

[Detection and clinical characterization of WU polyomavirus in acute respiratory tract infection in children].

OBJECTIVE: WU polyomavirus (WUPyV), a new member of the genus Polyomavirus in the family Polyomaviridae, has been found to be associated with respiratory tract infections recently. But the role of the WUPyV as agents of human disease remains uncertain. We sought to describe the detection and clinical characterization of WUPyV in acute respiratory tract infection in children. METHOD: From July 2008 through June 2009, nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected from 771 children who were hospitalized with acute respiratory tract infection in Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, and from 82 asymptomatic children who visited the health checkup clinic. WUPyV was detected by using PCR technology and was identified by using DNA sequencing. All WUPyV-positive specimens were screened for 9 common viruses [influenza A and B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza virus (PIV) 1 and 3, human metapneumovirus, human bocavirus, adenovirus and rhinovirus] by using PCR or RT-PCR. The clinical data of WUPyV infection were collected and analyzed. RESULT: In this study, fifteen of the 771 tested specimens with acute respiratory tract infection were positive for WUPyV, the positive rate was 1.95% and all of the asymptomatic children who visited the health checkup clinic were negative. Of the 15 cases who were positive for the virus, the age range was 2 to 48 (mean 18.8) months, 9 (60%) were male and 6 (40%) were female. WUPyV was the sole virus detected in 9 specimens (60%) from patients with acute respiratory tract infection. WUPyV was associated with the co-infection with another respiratory virus in 6 of 15 (40%) cases, most frequently with RSV (n = 4), followed by adenovirus (n = 1) and rhinovirus (n = 1). The most common clinical findings in the patients with WUPyV were cough, fever and wheezing. The most frequent diagnoses were pneumonia (n = 8), bronchiolitis (n = 4), upper respiratory tract infections (n = 2) and bronchitis (n = 1). A severe case was complicated with viral encephalitis. CONCLUSION: WUPyV may be a respiratory pathogen because it was the sole virus detected in 9 specimens from patients with respiratory illness and all of the asymptomatic controls were negative. The most common clinical findings are cough and wheezing. Young children may be susceptible to infection with this virus and occasionally the infection with this virus may cause severe disease. More comprehensive and in-depth studies are required to prove the pathogenicity of these viruses.

Effect of SO2 on the performance of Ag-Pd/Al2O3 for the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with C2H5OH.

The influence of SO2 on the performance of Ag-Pd/Al2O3 for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with C2H5OH was investigated experimentally. The activity test results suggest that Ag-Pd/Al203 shows a small activity loss in the presence of SO2 when using C2H5OH as a reductant. In situ DRIFTS spectra show that the activity loss originates from the formation of surface sulphate species on the Ag-Pd/Al2O3. The surface sulphate species formation inhibits the formation of nitrate, whereas hardly changes the partial oxidation of C2HsOH. Compared with the NOx reduction by C3H6 an obvious suppression of the surface sulphate species formation was observed by DRIFTS experiment when using C2H50H as a reductant. This phenomenon reveals the better catalytic performance and strong SO2 tolerance of Ag-Pd/Al2O3-C2H5OH system.