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Particulate organic nitrates (pON) significantly contribute to the mass of organic aerosol and influence the nitrogen oxides cycle in the atmosphere, but their evolution and lifetime remain uncertain. This study performed simultaneous measurements on the anthropogenically affected surface site and the mountain site on top of the polluted planetary boundary layer (PBL). After aging in the PBL, organic nitrate was converted from primary sources (decreased from 8.7% to 4.3%) to secondary sources (increased from 6.3% to 36.1%), spanning from the surface to the mountain. The evaporation of more volatile inorganic nitrate and the production of secondary organic nitrate during aging in the PBL contributed to the enhanced pON fraction over the top of PBL. The contribution of light absorption by brown carbon increased by 57% at the top of PBL compared to the surface, consistent with the higher fraction of nitrogenous organic aerosols over the mountain. The results provide field evidence that the nitrogenous organic aerosols (OA) may be preserved by adding into secondary OA and significantly contribute to the enhanced importance of brown carbon after aging during vertical transport in the PBL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore whether the different phases of the nasal cycle have a significant effect on nasal temperature, the nasal mucosal clearance rate, and levels of nasal nitric oxide (nNO) and to investigate the correlation between these nasal conditions. Methods: The study participants were divided into 2 groups: the control group and the rhinitis group. The participants' nasal temperature, cilia clearance rate, and nNO levels were measured during different phases of the nasal cycle (the congestion phase and decongestion phase) in the control group and before and after undergoing inferior turbinate ablation in the rhinitis group. Results: The temperature of the nasal cavity in the control group was significantly higher in the congestion phase than in the decongestion phase (P =.0025), while in the rhinitis group, the temperature of the nasal cavity decreased significantly after inferior turbinate ablation (P =.001). In the control group, the nasal mucosa clearance time was significantly shorter in the congestion phase than in the decongestion phase (P =.001), and in the rhinitis group, the clearance time of the nasal mucosa was significantly shortened after the operation (P =.0025). In the control group, the levels of nNO were significantly higher in the congestion phase than in the decongestion phase (P =.025), while in the rhinitis group, nNO levels decreased significantly after the operation (P =.005). Conclusion: The function of the nasal cavity changes in different phases of the nasal cycle. Therefore, when evaluating the impact of various factors on nasal function, factors associated with the nasal cycle should also be considered. Inferior turbinate plasma ablation can improve the ciliary function of the nasal mucosa, reduce the temperature of the nasal cavity, and reduce nNO levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric aerosols impact the Earth's climate system directly by scattering and absorbing solar radiation, and it is important to characterise the aerosol optical properties in detail. This study reports the development and validation of an airborne dual-wavelength cavity-attenuated phase-shift (CAPS) single monitor, named A2S2 (Aerosol Absorption Spectral Sizer), based on the commercial CAPS single-scattering albedo monitor (CAPS-PM SSA ; Aerodyne), to simultaneously measure the aerosol optical scattering and extinction at both 450 and 630 nm wavelengths. Replaced pressure and temperature sensors and an additional flow control system were incorporated into the A2S2 for its utilisation on board research aircraft measuring within the troposphere. The evaluation of A2S2 characteristics was performed in the laboratory and included the investigation of the signal-to-noise ratio, validation of performance at various pressure levels, optical closure studies and intercomparing with the currently validated techniques. The chamber experiments show that the A2S2 can perform measurements at sample pressures as low as 550 hPa and at sample temperatures as high as 315 K. Based on the Allan analysis results, we have evaluated that the minimum detection limit of the measurements shows that the measurements have a limit accuracy of ∼ 2 Mm-1 at 450 nm and ∼ 1 Mm-1 at 630 nm for 1 Hz measurements of both scattering coefficients (σsca) and extinction coefficients (σext). The optical closure study with size-selected polystyrene latex (PSL) particles shows that the truncation error of the A2S2 is negligible for particles with particle volume diameter (Dp) < 200 nm, while, for the larger sub-micrometre particles, the measurement uncertainty of A2S2 increases but remains less than 20 %. The average factors to correct the truncation error are 1.13 and 1.05 for 450 and 630 nm, respectively. A simplified truncation correction, dependent on the scattering Ångström exponent (SAE), was developed to rectify truncation errors of the future A2S2 field measurement data. The σsca and σext measured by the A2S2 show good agreement with the concurrent measured results from the nephelometer and the CAPS particle extinction monitor (CAPS-PM ex). The absorption coefficient (σabs) derived through the extinction-minus-scattering (EMS) method by the A2S2 also corresponds with the results obtained from the aethalometer. The A2S2 was successfully deployed during an aircraft measurement campaign (Atmospheric ChemistRy Of the Suburban foreSt – ACROSS) conducted in the vicinity of Paris and the surrounding regions. The average SSA measured during the entire ACROSS flight campaign is 0.86 and 0.88 at 450 and 630 nm, respectively, suggesting that light-absorbing organic aerosols play a significant role. The average SAE and absorption Ångström exponent (AAE) varied due to measurements in various pollution conditions. The results presented in this study indicate that the A2S2 instrument is reliable for measuring aerosol σsca and σext at both blue and red wavelengths, and it stands as a viable substitute for future airborne evaluations of aerosol optical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Over the past decade, heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitors have emerged as promising anticancer drugs in solid and hematological malignancies. Flavokawain C (FKC) is a naturally occurring chalcone that has been found to exert considerable anti-tumor efficacy by targeting multiple molecular pathways. However, the efficacy of FKC has not been studied in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Metabolic abnormalities and uncontrolled angiogenesis are two important features of malignant tumors, and the occurrence of these two events may involve the regulation of HSP90B1. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effects of FKC on NPC proliferation, glycolysis, and angiogenesis by regulating HSP90B1 and the underlying molecular regulatory mechanisms. Methods: HSP90B1 expression was analyzed in NPC tissues and its relationship with patient's prognosis was further identified. Afterward, the effects of HSP90B1 on proliferation, apoptosis, glycolysis, and angiogenesis in NPC were studied by loss-of-function assays. Next, the interaction of FKC, HSP90B1, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was evaluated. Then, in vitro experiments were designed to analyze the effect of FKC treatment on NPC cells. Finally, in vivo experiments were allowed to investigate whether FKC treatment regulates proliferation, glycolysis, and angiogenesis of NPC cells by HSP90B1/EGFR pathway. Results: HSP90B1 was highly expressed in NPC tissues and was identified as a poor prognostic factor in NPC. At the same time, knockdown of HSP90B1 can inhibit the proliferation of NPC cells, trigger apoptosis, and reduce glycolysis and angiogenesis. Mechanistically, FKC affects downstream EGFR phosphorylation by regulating HSP90B1, thereby regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. FKC treatment inhibited the proliferation, glycolysis, and angiogenesis of NPC cells, which was reversed by introducing overexpression of HSP90B1. In addition, FKC can affect NPC tumor growth and metastasis in vivo by regulating the HSP90B1/EGFR pathway. Conclusion: Collectively, FKC inhibits glucose metabolism and tumor angiogenesis in NPC by targeting the HSP90B1/EGFR/PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity of black carbon (BC) particles importantly determines their impacts on cloud microphysics and atmospheric lifetime. This process is crucially influenced by the number of hygroscopic coating materials that BC acquire during the ageing process. It remains a challenge for ambient measurements to capture this process and link this with CCN activity of BC. Here, we directly measured the droplet activation diameter (D50) and activation fraction of BC-containing (BCc) particles (Fact,BC) in suburban Beijing using coupled measurements of size-resolved number concentrations of CCN at configured water supersaturation (SS) and BCc particles. The number concentration of BCc particles was found to peak at diameter 180–210 nm after acquiring coatings, larger than that for all particles (50–150 nm). Consequently, the initially smaller BC particles become enlarged and more hygroscopic, thereby exhibiting CCN activities than other particles. The Fact,BC increased from 42 % to 69 % in number and from 67 % to 85 % in mass as SS increased from 0.1 % to 0.2 % but tended to reach a plateau when SS > 0.2 %. Notably, Fact,BC and D50 linearly correlated with equivalent photochemical age, at a rate of +2 % h -1 and -3 nm h -1 , respectively. The results suggest BCc particles from anthropogenic sources can readily serve as CCN at a relatively low SS, and more than half of the BC population can be activated within a few hours, indicating that the surface-sourced BC can efficiently incorporate into clouds and potentially exert important indirect radiative impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aim of the study was to investigate differences in the intra- and inter-network functional connectivity (FC) of the brain using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) in patients with tinnitus, with (T + H) or without hearing loss (T). Methods: We performed rs-fMRI on 82 participants (21 T, 32 T + H, and 29 healthy controls). An independent component analysis (ICA) was performed to obtain the resting-state networks (RSNs) and calculate the differences in FC. Moreover, we investigated the relationships between networks using functional network connectivity analysis. Results: We identified nine major RSNs, including the auditory network; default mode network; executive control network (ECN), including the right frontoparietal network and left frontoparietal network (LFPN); somatomotor network (SMN); dorsal attention network; ventral attention network; salience network (SN); and visual network (VN). These RSNs were extracted in all groups using ICA. Compared with that in the control group, we observed reduced FC between the LFPN and VN in the T group and between the LFPN and SN in the T + H group. The inter-network connectivity analysis revealed decreased network interactions in the SMN (IC 22)-ECN (IC 2), SMN (IC 22)-VN (IC 8), and VN (IC 14)-SN (IC 3) connections in the T + H group, compared with the healthy control group. Furthermore, we observed significantly decreased network interactions in the SMN (IC 22)-VN (IC 8) in the T group. Conclusions: Our results indicated abnormalities within the brain networks of the T and T + H groups, including the SMN, ECN, and VN, compared with the control group. Furthermore, both T and T + H groups demonstrated reduced FC between the LFPN, VN, and SMN. There were no significant differences between the T and the T + H groups. Furthermore, we observed reduced FC between the right olfactory cortex and the orbital part of the right middle frontal gyrus, right precentral gyrus, left dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus, and right triangular part of the inferior frontal gyrus within the T and T + H groups. Thus, disruptions in brain regions responsible for attention, stimulus monitoring, and auditory orientation contribute to tinnitus generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity of black carbon particles (BC) importantly determines their impacts on cloud microphysics and atmospheric lifetime. This process is crucially determined by the amount of more hygroscopic coating materials BC can acquire during aging process. It remains a challenge for ambient measurements to capture this process and link this with CCN activity of BC. Here by using coupled measurements of size-resolved number concentrations of CCN at configured water supersaturation (SS) and BC-containing particles (BCc), we are able to directly monitor the droplet activation diameter (D50) and activation fraction of BCc (Fact,BC) in ambient environment. The number concentration of BCc was found to peak at diameter 180–210 nm after acquiring coatings, larger than that for all particles (50–150 nm). This led to that the initially smaller BC can be enlarged and become larger and more hygroscopic, even having higher CCN activities than other particles. The Fact,BC increased from 42 % to 69 % in number and from 67 % to 85 % in mass, as SS increased from 0.1 % to 0.2 %, but tended to reach a plateau when SS>0.2 %.Notably, Fact,BC and D50 linearly correlated with equivalent photochemical age, at a rate of +2 % per hour and -3 nm per hour, respectively. The results suggest BCc from anthropogenic sources can readily serve as CCN at a relatively low SS, and over half of the BC population can be activated in a few hours. This means the surface-sourced BC can efficiently incorporate into clouds and may exert important indirect radiative impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]