No abstract

The size-segregated atmospheric aerosols have been collected at 1100 m site of Mt. Halla in Jeju, a background area in Korea, using 8-stage cascade impact air sampler during Asian dust and non-Asian dust storm periods. Their ionic and elemental species were analyzed, in order to examine the pollution characteristics and composition change between Asian dust and non-Asian dust periods. The major ionic species such as nss-SO 4 2− , NH 4 + , and K + were predominantly distributed in the fine particles (below 2.1 µm diameter), and besides the NO 3 − was distributed more in coarse particle fraction than fine particle. On the other hand, the typical soil and marine species i.e., nss-Ca 2+, Na and Mg 2+, were mostly existed in the coarse particles (over 2.1 µm diameter). As well in the elemental analysis of aerosols, the major soil-originated Al, Fe, Ca, and others showed prominently high concentrations in the coarse particle fraction, whereas the anthropogenic S and Pb were relatively high in the fine particle fraction. From the comparison of aerosol compositions between Asian dust and non-Asian dust periods, the concentrations of the soil-originated species such as nss-Ca 2+, Al, Ca, Fe, Ti, Mn, Ba, Sr have increased as 2.7-4.2 times during the Asian dust periods. Meanwhile the concentrations of nss-SO 4 2− and NO 3 − have increased as 1.4 and 2.0 times, and on the contrary NH 4 + concentrations have a little bit decreased during the Asian dust periods. Especially the concentrations of both soil-originated ionic and elemental species increased noticeably in the coarse particle mode during the dust storm periods.

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CMs) are vascular malformations of the central nervous system, which can be detected in the absence of any clinical symptoms. Nodules and cysts with mixed signal intensity and a peripheral hemosiderin rim are considered brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings typical of CMs. A 48-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of abnormal MRI findings without significant neurological symptoms. A cyst with an internal fluid-fluid level was found in the left basal ganglia on the initial brain MRI. We decided to observe the natural course of the asymptomatic lesion with serial MRI follow-up. On MRI at the 5-month follow-up, the cystic mass was enlarged and showed findings consistent with those of cystic CM. Surgical resection was performed and the pathological diagnosis was CM. Our experience suggests that the initial presentation of a CM can be a pure cyst and neurosurgeons should consider the likelihood of CMs in cases of cystic cerebral lesions with intracystic hemorrhage.

We report on 10 years of hourly atmospheric radon, CO, and SO 2 observations at Gosan Station, Korea. An improved radon detector was installed during this period and performance of the detectors is compared. A technique is developed whereby the distribution of radon concentrations from a fetch region can be used to select air masses that have consistently been in direct contact with land-based emissions, and have been least diluted en route to the measurement site. Hourly radon concentrations are used to demonstrate and characterise contamination of remote-fetch pollution observations by local emissions at this key WMO GAW site, and a seasonally-varying 5-hour diurnal sampling window is proposed for days on which diurnal cycles are evident to minimise these effects. The seasonal variability in mixing depth and "background" pollutant concentrations are characterised. Based on a subset of observations most representative of the important regional fetch areas for this site, and least affected by local emissions, seasonal estimates of CO and SO 2 in air masses originating from South China, North China, Korea and Japan are compared across the decade of observations.