'Finding the play' - exploring with occupational therapists practice possibilities in the context of Irish schoolyards.

BACKGROUND: Research has identified diverse constraints to the adoption of school-based occupational therapy approaches and a lack of attention to addressing the barriers to children's play opportunities. Critical contextualised research is advocated to inform practice possibilities. AIMS/OBJECTIVES: This inquiry aimed to explore with occupational therapists their existing practices in Irish schoolyards to generate practice possibilities concerned with play, as an issue of occupational justice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the theory of practice architectures, six occupational therapists from diverse sites of practice participated in the first phase of a critical action research process using dialogical focus group and occupational mapping methods. RESULTS: Three themes were generated (1) Existing practices as situated (2) (Re)mattering play and practices as occupations and (3) Practice possibilities - 'Finding the play' between responsiveness and responsibilities. A further interrelated dimension was how the research methods provided mechanisms of raising consciousness. CONCLUSIONS, AND SIGNIFICANCE: Alongside constructing knowledges on existing practices in an Irish context, this inquiry contributes to understandings of practices as socially embedded generative processes of 'finding the play', highlighting ethical responsibilities to make visible inequities reproduced in habitual practices and engage in relationships of solidarity to (re)construct alternative shared practices.

Air quality impacts and health-benefit valuation of a low-emission technology for rail yard locomotives in Atlanta Georgia.

One of the largest rail yard facilities in the Southeastern US, the Inman and Tilford yards, is located in the northwestern section of Atlanta, Georgia alongside other industries, schools, businesses, and dwellings. It is a significant source of fine particulate (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC) (Galvis, Bergin, & Russell, 2013). We calculate 2011 PM2.5 and BC emissions from the rail yards and primary industrial and on-road mobile sources in the area and determine their impact on local air quality using Gaussian dispersion modeling. We determine the change in PM2.5 and BC concentrations that could be accomplished by upgrading traditional switcher locomotives used in these rail yards to a lower emitting technology and evaluate the health benefits for comparison with upgrade costs. Emissions from the rail yards were estimated using reported fuel consumption data (GAEPD, 2012b) and emission factors previously measured in the rail yards (Galvis et al., 2013). Model evaluation against 2011 monitoring data found agreement between measured and simulated concentrations. Model outputs indicate that the line-haul and switcher activities are responsible for increments in annual average concentrations of approximately 0.5±0.03 µg/m(3) (39%) and 0.7±0.04 µg/m(3) (56%) of BC, and for 1.0±0.1 µg/m(3) (7%) and 1.6±0.2 µg/m(3) (14%) of PM2.5 at two monitoring sites located north and south of the rail yards respectively. Upgrading the switcher locomotives at the yards with a lower emitting technology in this case "mother slug" units could decrease PM2.5 and BC emissions by about 9 and 3 t/year respectively. This will lower annual average PM2.5 concentrations between 0.3±0.1 µg/m(3) and 0.6±0.1 µg/m(3) and BC concentrations between 0.1±0.02 µg/m(3) and 0.2±0.03 µg/m(3) at monitoring sites north and south of the rail yards respectively, and would facilitate PM2.5 NAAQS attainment in the area. We estimate that health benefits of approximately 20 million dollars per year could be gained.

Uncertainty analysis of ozone formation and response to emission controls using higher-order sensitivities.

Understanding ozone response to its precursor emissions is crucial for effective air quality management practices. This nonlinear response is usually simulated using chemical transport models, and the modeling results are affected by uncertainties in emissions inputs. In this study, a high ozone episode in the southeastern United States is simulated using the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model. Uncertainties in ozone formation and response to emissions controls due to uncertainties in emission rates are quantified using the Monte Carlo method. Instead of propagating emissions uncertainties through the original CMAQ a reduced form of CMAQ is formulated using directly calculated first- and second-order sensitivities that capture the nonlinear ozone concentration-emission responses. This modification greatly reduces the associated computational cost. Quantified uncertainties in modeled ozone concentrations and responses to various emissions controls are much less than the uncertainties in emissions inputs. Average uncertainties in modeled ozone concentrations for the Atlanta area are less than 10% (as measured by the inferred coefficient of variance [ICOV]) even when emissions uncertainties are assumed to vary between a factor of 1.5 and 2. Uncertainties in the ozone responses generally decrease with increased emission controls. Average uncertainties (ICOV) in emission-normalized ozone responses range from 4 to 22%, with the smaller being associated with controlling of the relatively certain point nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and the larger resulting from controlling of the less certain mobile NOx emissions. These small uncertainties provide confidence in the model applications, such as in performance evaluation, attainment demonstration, and control strategy development.

Single-source impact analysis using three-dimensional air quality models.

Isolating the effects of an individual emissions source on secondary air pollutants such as ozone and some components of particulate matter must incorporate complex nonlinear processes, be sensitive to small emissions perturbations, and account for impacts that may occur hundreds of kilometers away. The ability to evaluate these impacts is becoming increasingly important for efficient air quality management. Here, as part of a recent compliance enforcement action for a violation of the Clean Air Act and as an evaluation of ozone response to single-source emissions plumes, two three-dimensional regional photochemical air quality models are used to assess the impact on ozone from approximately 2000 to 3000 excess t/month of nitrogen oxides emitted from a single power plant in Ohio. Periods in May, July, and August are evaluated. Two sensitivity methods are applied: the "brute-force" (B-F) method and the decoupled direct method (DDM). Using DDM, maximum 1-hr averaged ozone concentrations are found to increase by up to 1.8, 1.3, and 2.2 ppbv during May, July, and August episodes, respectively, and concentration increases greater than 0.5 ppbv occur in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, West Virginia, Virginia, and North and South Carolina. B-F results for the August episode show a maximum 1-hr averaged ozone concentration increase of 2.3 ppbv. Significant localized decreases are also simulated, with a maximum of 3.6 ppbv in Ohio during the August episode and decreases of 0.50 ppbv and greater in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. Maximum increases are compared with maximum decreases for the August period using second-order DDM and are found, in aggregate, to be greater in magnitude by 42%. When evaluated during hours when ozone concentrations exceed 0.060 ppm, the maximum increases in ozone are higher than decreases by 82%. The spatial extent of ozone increase in both cases is about triple that of reduction.

Air quality impacts from prescribed forest fires under different management practices.

Large amounts of air pollutants are emitted during prescribed forest fires. Such emissions and corresponding air quality impacts can be modulated by different forest management practices. The impacts of changing burning seasons and frequencies and of controlling emissions during smoldering on regional air quality in Georgia are quantified using source-oriented air quality modeling, with modified emissions from prescribed fires reflecting effects of each practice. Equivalent fires in the spring and winter are found to have a greater impact on PM2.5 than those in summer, though ozone impacts are larger from spring and summer fires. If prescribed fires are less frequent more biofuel is burnt in each fire, leading to larger emissions and air quality impacts per fire. For example, emissions from a fire with a 5-year fire return interval (FRI) are 72% larger than those from a fire of the same acreage with a 2-year FRI. However, corresponding long-term regional impacts are reduced with the longer FRI since the annual burned area is reduced. Total emissions for fires in Georgia with a 5-year FRI are 32% less than those with a 2-year FRI. Smoldering emissions can lead to approximately 1.0 or 1.9 microg/m3 of PM2.5 in the Atlanta PM2.5 nonattainment area during March 2002.

Regional air quality: local and interstate impacts of NO(x) and SO2 emissions on ozone and fine particulate matter in the eastern United States.

While the U.S. air quality management system is largely designed and managed on a state level, many critical air quality problems are now recognized as regional. In particular, concentrations of two secondary pollutants, ozone and particulate matter, are often above regulated levels and can be dependent on emissions from upwind states. Here, impacts of statewide emissions on concentrations of local and downwind states' ozone and fine particulate matter are simulated for three seasonal periods in the eastern United States using a regional Eulerian photochemical model. Impacts of ground level NO(x) (e.g., mobile and area sources), elevated NO(x) (e.g., power plants and large industrial sources), and SO2 emissions are examined. An average of 77% of each state's ozone and PM(2.5) concentrations that are sensitive to the emissions evaluated here are found to be caused by emissions from other states. Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia are shown to have high concentrations of ozone and PM(2.5) caused by interstate emissions. When weighted by population, New York receives increased interstate contributions to these pollutants and contributions to ozone from local emissions are generally higher. When accounting for emission rates, combined states from the western side of the modeling domain and individual states such as Illinois, Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, and Georgia are major contributors to interstate ozone. Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois are the major contributors to interstate PM(2.5). When accounting for an equivalent mass of emissions, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and Alabama contribute large fractions of these pollutants to other states.

Ozone formation potential of organic compounds in the Eastern United States: a comparison of episodes, inventories, and domains.

Direct sensitivity analysis is applied for 3-D assessment of ozone reactivity (or ozone formation potential) in the Eastern United States. A detailed chemical mechanism (SAPRC-99) is implemented in a multiscale air quality model to calculate the reactivity of 32 explicit and 9 lumped compounds. Simulations are carried out for two different episodes and two different emission scenarios. While absolute reactivities of VOCs show a great deal of spatial variability, relative reactivities (normalized to the reactivity of a base mixture) produce a significantly more homogeneous field. Three types of domain-wide relative reactivity metrics are formed for 1-h and 8-h averaging intervals. In general, ozone reactivity metrics (with the exception of those based on daily peak ozone) are fairly robust and consistent between different episodes or emission scenarios. The 3-D metrics also show fairly similar rankings for VOC reactivity when compared to the box model scales. However, the 3-D metrics have a noticeably narrower range for species reactivities, as they result in lower reactivity for some of the more reactive, radical-producing VOCs (especially aldehydes). As expected, episodes and emission scenarios with less radical availability have higher absolute reactivities for all species and higher relative reactivities for the more radical-producing species. Finally, comparing the results with those from a different domain (central California) shows that relative reactivity metrics are comparable over these two significantly different domains.

Speciation of Organic By-Products from the Thermal Decomposition of Alternative Automotive Fuels.

The high-temperature thermal degradation of four alternative automotive fuels (methanol, ethanol, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum (LP) gas) have been examined as a function of fuel-oxygen equivalence ratio and exposure temperature using fused silica flow reactor instrumentation coupled to in-line GC-TCD and GC-MS detection. Organic speciation for methanol, natural gas, and LP gas were consistent with previous measurements. However, several previously undetected organic by-products were observed from ethanol oxidation and pyrolysis. Organic speciation was found to vary significantly between methanol and ethanol and less so between natural gas and LP gas. Non-methane organic gases (NMOG) and specific reactivities of the respective fuels were measured, and trends with respect to proposed reactivity adjustment factors are discussed. A qualitative comparison of NMOG quantified in the flow reactor tests with the results of recent vehicle tests is also reported. The most significant differences in the comparisons were observed for toxic compounds, including the lack of detection of acetalde-hyde, 1,3-butadiene, and benzene from flow reactor experiments of methanol degradation, and the lack of detection of 1,3-butadiene from flow reactor experiments of ethanol combustion. Possible sources for the formation of these compounds in vehicle tests are discussed.