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M embrane deterioration is an early and characteristic feature of plant senescence engendering increased permeability, loss of ionic gradients, and decreased function of key membrane proteins such as ion pumps (1). One of the clearest manifestations of this is the onset of membrane leakiness measurable as increased conductivity of diffusates from intact tissue. This is detectable in carnation petals, for example, well before petal inrolling, the first morphological manifestation of senescence in this tissue, and also before the climacteric-like rise in ethylene production (2). The decline in membrane structural integrity at the onset of senescence appears to be largely attributable to accelerated metabolism of membrane lipids and ensuing change in the molecular organization of the bilayer. Indeed, loss of membrane phospholipid is one of the best documented indices of membrane lipid metabolism during senescence and has been demonstrated for senescing flower petals, leaves, cotyledons and ripening fruit (3, 4).The selective depletion of phospholipid fatty acids from the membranes of senescing tissues results in an increase in the sterol:fatty acid ratio in the bilayer and a consequent decrease in bulk lipid fluidity. This has been demonstrated by fluorescence depolarization and electron spin resonance for microsomal membranes from senescing cotyledons, flowers, leaves, and ripening fruit (5-8) and for plasmalemma of ripening fruit and senescing flowers (5). The decrease in lipid fluidity is engendered by an enrichment of free sterols relative to fatty acids in the bilayer as fatty acids are cleaved from the membrane lipids and selectively removed, reflecting the fact that free sterols are known to restrict the mobility of phospholipid fatty acids (9). As well, in some senescing tissues, the decrease in bulk lipid fluidity appears to be caused in part by a selective depletion of polyunsaturated fatty acids from membranes and an ensuing increase in the saturated-to-unsaturated fatty acid ratio (6). There are also reports that the large changes in bulk membrane lipid fluidity accompanying senescence may alter the conformation of membrane proteins, rendering them prone to proteolysis (10, 11).Recent data suggest that free fatty acids arising from the metabolism of membrane lipids may be removed from the bilayer by blebbing of lipid particles highly enriched in free fatty acids from the membrane surface into the cytosol (12-14). These lipid particles appear to be structurally analogous to oil bodies. Indeed, there is growing evidence that the free fatty acids released from senescing membranes are metabolized by glyoxylate cycle enzymes also induced at the onset of senescence (15). However, it is also clear that free fatty acids accumulate in senescing membranes and induce lipid-phase separations. The resulting mixture of liquid-crystalline and gel phase lipid domains in the bilayer contributes to the leakiness of senescing membranes because of packing imperfections at the phase boundaries (16).Deesterification of membr...

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Abstract.A new approach to more accurately monitor and evaluate transboundary particulate matter (PM) pollution is introduced based on aerosol optical products from Korea's Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI). The area studied is Northeast Asia (including eastern parts of China, the Korean peninsula and Japan), where GOCI has been monitoring since June 2010. The hourly multi-spectral aerosol optical data that were retrieved from GOCI sensor onboard geostationary satellite COMS (Communication, Ocean, and Meteorology Satellite) through the Yonsei aerosol retrieval algorithm were first presented and used in this study. The GOCI-retrieved aerosol optical data are integrated with estimated aerosol distributions from US EPA Models-3/CMAQ (Community Multi-scale Air Quality) v4.5.1 model simulations via data assimilation technique, thereby making the aerosol data spatially continuous and available even for cloud contamination cells. The assimilated aerosol optical data are utilized to provide quantitative estimates of transboundary PM pollution from China to the Korean peninsula and Japan. For the period of 1 April to 31 May, 2011 this analysis yields estimates that AOD as a proxy for PM 2.5 or PM 10 during long-range transport events increased by 117-265 % compared to background average AOD (aerosol optical depth) at the four AERONET sites in Korea, and average AOD increases of 121 % were found when averaged over the entire Korean peninsula. This paper demonstrates that the use of multi-spectral AOD retrievals from geostationary satellites can improve estimates of transboundary PM pollution. Such data will become more widely available later this decade when new sensors such as the GEMS (Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer) and GOCI-2 are scheduled to be launched.

South Korea has recently achieved developed country status with the second largest megacity in the world, the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA). This study provides insights into future changes in air quality for rapidly emerging megacities in the East Asian region. We present total OH reactivity observations in the SMA conducted at an urban Seoul site (May–June, 2015) and a suburban forest site (Sep, 2015). The total OH reactivity in an urban site during the daytime was observed at similar levels (∼15 s−1) to those previously reported from other East Asian megacity studies. Trace gas observations indicate that OH reactivity is largely accounted for by NOX (∼50%) followed by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (∼35%). Isoprene accounts for a substantial fraction of OH reactivity among the comprehensive VOC observational dataset (25–47%). In general, observed total OH reactivity can be accounted for by the observed trace gas dataset. However, observed total OH reactivity in the suburban forest area cannot be largely accounted for (∼70%) by the trace gas measurements. The importance of biogenic VOC (BVOCs) emissions and oxidations used to evaluate the impacts of East Asian megacity outflows for the regional air quality and climate contexts are highlighted in this study.