It has become increasingly clear that heterogeneous and multiphase chemistry of tropospheric aerosols can change the chemical balance of the atmosphere. In this review, we focus on recent laboratory studies of the heterogeneous and multiphase chemistry and photochemistry of mineral dust aerosol, a large mass fraction of the tropospheric aerosol. Mineral dust aerosol contains a mixture of oxides, clays, and carbonates. Molecular-based studies of reactions of these dust components provide insights into the chemistry of Earth's atmosphere. We discuss several different types of heterogeneous and multiphase reactions, including (a) ozone decomposition, (b) nitrogen dioxide and nitrate photochemistry, and (c) the dissolution and redox chemistry of Fe-containing dust. We also review some of the important chemical concepts that have recently emerged.

We have undertaken a kinetic study of heterogeneous ozone decomposition on alpha-Fe2O3 (hematite) and alpha-Al2O3 (corundum) aerosols under ambient conditions of temperature, pressure, and relative humidity in order to better understand the role of mineral dust aerosol in ozone loss mechanisms in the atmosphere. The kinetic measurements are made in an environmental aerosol reaction chamber by use of infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopic probes. The apparent heterogeneous uptake coefficient, gamma, for ozone reaction with alpha-Fe2O3 and alpha-Al2O3 surfaces is determined as a function of relative humidity (RH). The uptake of ozone by the iron oxide surface is approximately an order of magnitude larger than that by the aluminum oxide sample, under dry conditions. At the pressures used, alpha-Fe2O3 shows clear evidence for catalytic decomposition of ozone while alpha-Al2O3 appears to saturate at a finite ozone coverage. The measured uptake for both minerals decreases markedly as the RH is increased. Comparison with other literature reports and the atmospheric implications of these results are discussed.

Background: Chronic plantar heel pain (CPHP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders of the foot, yet its aetiology is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between CPHP and a number of commonly hypothesised causative factors.

Background:Conservative treatment of patellar tendinopathy has been minimally investigated. Effective validated treatment protocols are required.Objectives:To investigate the immediate (12 weeks) and long term (12 months) efficacy of two eccentric exercise programmes for the treatment of patellar tendinopathy.Methods:This was a prospective randomised controlled trial of 17 elite volleyball players with clinically diagnosed and imaging confirmed patellar tendinopathy. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: a decline group and a step group. The decline group were required to perform single leg squats on a 25° decline board, exercising into tendon pain and progressing their exercises with load. The step group performed single leg squats on a 10 cm step, exercising without tendon pain and progressing their exercises with speed then load. All participants completed a 12 week intervention programme during their preseason. Outcome measures used were the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment (VISA) score for knee function and 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) for tendon pain with activity. Measures were taken throughout the intervention period and at 12 months.Results:Both groups had improved significantly from baseline at 12 weeks and 12 months. Analysis of the likelihood of a 20 point improvement in VISA score at 12 months revealed a greater likelihood of clinical improvements in the decline group than the step group. VAS scores at 12 months did not differ between the groups.Conclusions:Both exercise protocols improved pain and sporting function in volleyball players over 12 months. This study indicates that the decline squat protocol offers greater clinical gains during a rehabilitation programme for patellar tendinopathy in athletes who continue to train and play with pain.

Background: Chronic plantar heel pain (CPHP) is common and is thought to have a detrimental impact on health-related quality of life. However, no study has used normative data or a control data set for comparison of scores. Therefore, we describe the impact of CPHP on foot-specific and general health-related quality of life by comparing CPHP subjects with controls. Methods: Foot Health Status Questionnaire scores were compared in 80 subjects with CPHP and 80 sex- and age-matched controls without CPHP. Results: The CPHP group demonstrated significantly poorer foot-specific quality of life, as evidenced by lower scores on the foot pain, foot function, footwear, and general foot health domains of the Foot Health Status Questionnaire. The group also demonstrated significantly poorer general health-related quality of life, with lower scores on the physical activity, social capacity, and vigor domains. In multivariate analysis, CPHP remained significantly and independently associated with Foot Health Status Questionnaire scores after adjustment for differences in body mass index. Age, sex, body mass index, and whether symptoms were unilateral or bilateral had no association with the degree of impairment in people with CPHP. Conclusion: Chronic plantar heel pain has a significant negative impact on foot-specific and general health-related quality of life. The degree of negative impact does not seem to be associated with age, sex, or body mass index. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 98(4): 283–289, 2008)

1] Simultaneous size distributions and Fourier transform infrared extinction spectra have been measured for several clay components of mineral dust aerosol (illite, kaolinite, and montmorillonite) in the fine particle-sized mode (D = 0.1-1 mm). Published optical constants have been used in combination with the measured size distributions in spectral simulations for comparison to the measured extinction spectrum. In general, the Mie theory simulation does not accurately reproduce the peak position or band shape for the prominent Si-O stretch resonance near 9.5 mm (ca. 1050 cm À1 ) for any of the clays. The resonance peak in the Mie simulation is consistently blue shifted (27-44 cm À1 ) relative to the experimental spectrum. Additionally, the integrated absorbance in the resonance band is underpredicted for all three clay compounds. Spectral simulations based on various distributions of ellipsoid-shaped particles better reproduce the experimental spectrum including the peak position, band shape, and integrated absorbance for these fine clay aerosols. Citation: Hudson, P. K., E. R. Gibson, M. A. Young, P. D. Kleiber, and V. H. Grassian (2008), Coupled infrared extinction and size distribution measurements for several clay components of mineral dust aerosol,

Alcohol-induced hangover, defined by a series of symptoms, is the most commonly reported consequence of excessive alcohol consumption. Alcohol hangovers contribute to workplace absenteeism, impaired job performance, reduced productivity, poor academic achievement, and may compromise potentially dangerous daily activities such as driving a car or operating heavy machinery. These socioeconomic consequences and health risks of alcohol hangover are much higher when compared to various common diseases and other health risk factors. Nevertheless, unlike alcohol intoxication the hangover has received very little scientific attention and studies have often yielded inconclusive results. Systematic research is important to increase our knowledge on alcohol hangover and its consequences. This consensus paper of the Alcohol Hangover Research Group discusses methodological issues that should be taken into account when performing future alcohol hangover research. Future research should aim to (1) further determine the pathology of alcohol hangover, (2) examine the role of genetics, (3) determine the economic costs of alcohol hangover, (4) examine sex and age differences, (5) develop common research tools and methodologies to study hangover effects, (6) focus on factor that aggravate hangover severity (e.g., congeners), and (7) develop effective hangover remedies.

. Agreement between the predicted and measured values was typically within 10% for both cases.