Abstract. Organic molecular composition of PM 10 samples, collected at Chennai in tropical India, was studied using capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Fourteen organic compound classes were detected in the aerosols, including aliphatic lipids, sugar compounds, lignin products, terpenoid biomarkers, sterols, aromatic acids, hydroxy-/polyacids, phthalate esters, hopanes, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), and photooxidation products from biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). At daytime, phthalate esters were found to be the most abundant compound class; however, at nighttime, fatty acids were the dominant one. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, C 16 fatty acid, and levoglucosan were identified as the most abundant single compounds. The nighttime maxima of most organics in the aerosols indicate a land/sea breeze effect in tropical India, although some other factors such as local emissions and long-range transport may also influence the composition of organic aerosols. However, biogenic VOC oxidation products (e.g., 2-methyltetrols, pinic acid, 3-hydroxyglutaric acid and β-caryophyllinic acid) showed diurnal patterns with daytime maxima. Interestingly, terephthalic acid was maximized at nighttime, which is different from those of phthalic and isophthalic acids. A positive relation was found between 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene (a tracer for plastic burning) and terephthalic acid, suggesting that the field burning Correspondence to:K. Kawamura (kawamura@lowtem.hokudai.ac.jp) of municipal solid wastes including plastics is a significant source of terephthalic acid. Organic compounds were further categorized into several groups to clarify their sources. Fossil fuel combustion (24-43%) was recognized as the most significant source for the total identified compounds, followed by plastic emission (16-33%), secondary oxidation (8.6-23%), and microbial/marine sources (7.2-17%). In contrast, the contributions of terrestrial plant waxes (5.9-11%) and biomass burning (4.2-6.4%) were relatively small. This study demonstrates that, in addition to fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning, the open-burning of plastics in urban area also contributes to the organic aerosols in South Asia.

To better understand the microbial basis of oral malodor development in humans, we used a cross-sectional and longitudinal study design and the pyrosequencing approach to track and compare the tongue microbiota associated with oral malodor in 29 Chinese adults who underwent a consecutive three-day evaluation for the amount of H 2 S excreted orally. Three levels of the oral malodor state (healthy, oral malodor, and severe oral malodor) were defined based on the H 2 S level. Community structure of the tongue plaques was more sensitive to changes of malodor state than to interpersonal variations or differences in sampling times. Within each individual, the structure of microbiota was relatively stable, while their variations were correlated with the change in the H 2 S level. Severe oral malodor microbiota were the most conserved in community structure, whereas the healthy ones were relatively varied. Oralmalodor-associated bacteria were identified. The relative abundance of Leptotrichia and Prevotella was positively correlated with oral malodor severity, whereas Hemophilus and Gemella exhibited a negative relationship with oral malodor severity. Our study provides one of the first landscapes of oral microbiota changes associated with oral malodor development and reveals microbes potentially useful to the evaluation and control of oral malodor.