Search

Plant pathogens manipulate host development, facilitating colonization and proliferation. Ralstonia solanacearum is a soil-borne bacterial pathogen that penetrates roots and colonizes plants through the vascular system, causing wilting and death. Here, we find that RipAC, an effector protein from R. solanacearum , alters root development in Arabidopsis , promoting the formation of lateral roots and root hairs. RipAC interacts with CELLULOSE SYNTHASE (CESA)-INTERACTIVE PROTEIN 1 (CSI1), which regulates the activity of CESA complexes at the plasma membrane. RipAC disrupts CESA-CSI1 interaction, leading to a reduction in cellulose content, root developmental alterations, and a promotion of bacterial pathogenicity. We find that CSI1 also associates with the receptor kinase FERONIA, forming a complex that negatively regulates immunity in roots; this interaction, however, is not affected by RipAC. Our work reveals a bacterial virulence strategy that selectively affects the activities of a host target, promoting anatomical alterations that facilitate infection without causing activation of immunity. [Display omitted] • RipAC, a Ralstonia effector protein, associates with CSI1 and disrupts cellulose biosynthesis • This RipAC activity promotes the formation of lateral roots during Ralstonia infection • Lateral root emergence contributes to Ralstonia invasion and colonization of the host plant • CSI1 differentially regulates plant immune responses in shoots and roots Yu et al. show that Ralstonia , a soil-borne bacterial pathogen, secretes an effector protein inside plant cells to disrupt cellulose biosynthesis and promote the formation of lateral roots, providing additional entry points for invasion of host plants. This shows that Ralstonia manipulates root development in order to promote infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a global health problem with an increasing prevalence. However, effects of trace elements and heavy metals on MetS and the mechanism underlying this effect are poorly understood. A preliminary cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015. Significantly higher blood concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and selenium (Se) were observed in the MetS group. With a priori adjustment for age, the concentration of Cu and Se in the blood was associated with a 2.56 - fold [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.11, 5.92] and 3.31 - fold (95% CI, 1.4, 7.82) increased risk of MetS, respectively. Moreover, increased blood Se concentrations were associated with body mass index (BMI) [odds ratio (OR): 2.56; 95% CI, 1.11, 5.93], high blood pressure [for both systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP and DBP); OR: 3.82; 95% CI, 1.47, 7.31 for SBP and OR: 2.56; 95% CI, 1.18, 5.59 for DBP], and hypertriglyceridemia (OR: 3.3; 95% CI, 1.51, 7.2). In addition, the expression of miR-21-5p, miR-122-5p, and miR-146a-5p was significantly higher in subjects with MetS than those without MetS. Increased expression of miR-21-5p was significantly associated with increased SBP (β = 5.28; 95% CI, 0.63, 9.94) and DBP (β = 4.17; 95% CI, 0.68, 7.66). Moreover, Cu was positively associated with miR-21-5p (β = 3.02; 95% CI, 0.07, 5.95), whereas Se was positively associated with miR-122-5p (β = 2.7; 95% CI, 0.64, 4.76). The bootstrapping mediation models indicated that miR-21-5p partially mediated the relationships between Cu level and SBP/DBP. This study suggested that Cu and Se were both associated with MetS, and miR-21-5p participated in the development of MetS associated with Cu. Image 1 • The level of Pb, Cd, Cu, and Se was demonstrated to be significantly higher in the MetS group. • Cu and Se was associated with MetS. • miR-21-5p partially mediated the relationship between Cu level and SBP/DBP. Cu and Se were both associated with MetS, and miR-21-5p participated in the development of MetS associated with Cu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract As an increasingly popular green building technology, natural ventilation (NV) is an effective solution for better thermal comfort and lower HVAC system energy consumption. However, to achieve NV's full potential in practice, it is critical to control windows and HVAC systems. Three main types of control schemes are examined in this study: spontaneous occupant control, informed occupant control, and fully automatic control. Five representative climates, ranging from hot, temperate, to severely cold, are tested for the effectiveness of each control scheme. The results confirmed the superior performance of the fully automatic system, especially with the model predictive control algorithm, which demonstrates a cooling energy saving of 17%–80%, with zero discomfort degree hours. Neither the informed or spontaneous occupant controls are able to maintain the indoor temperature within the comfort range at all times. In particular, the informed occupant operation following the fixed-schedule four-times-daily signals shows the worst thermal control capacity and leads to 1500–4000 discomfort degree hours. In terms of energy performance, the informed occupant control, by following the heuristic control signals, shows the least energy savings and even indicates energy waste in some scenarios. Based on the study's results, it is recommended to either adopt the fully automatic natural ventilation control system to achieve maximum energy-saving potential or allow occupant autonomy for natural ventilation controls to achieve a lower budget for initial installation and maintenance cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Increasing levels of automation in natural ventilation control were analyzed. • Fully automatic window/HVAC control system with MPC showed the best performance. • Informed occupant control showed no significant improvement compared with spontaneous control. • Improper NV control can introduce greater energy consumption and excessive discomfort. • The selection of NV control system depends largely on the climate. Abstract A major challenge to fully achieve the natural ventilation (NV) potential in green buildings is the control and coordination of windows and the HVAC system. Three main types of control schemes with increasing levels of automation were examined in this study: spontaneous occupant control driven by thermal comfort, informed occupant manual control that follows instructional signals, and the fully automatic window/HVAC control system governed by either rule-based heuristic control criteria or a computational backend for model predictive control (MPC). Energy saving performance, indoor thermal comfort, and frequency of operation were used as metrics to evaluate various control schemes. We assessed the effectiveness of these control schemes using five representative climates in China that range from hot to severely cold. Our results demonstrated the advantage of fully automatic system, especially integrated with MPC, which showed energy savings of 17–80% with zero discomfort degree hours. In contrast with MPC, the fully automatic system with heuristic control showed 10–66% energy savings and the same discomfort degree hours. Neither the informed nor the spontaneous occupant control cases studied were able to maintain the indoor air temperature within the comfort range at all times. The informed occupant control in particular resulted in thousands of discomfort degree hours in the worst cases. The spontaneous occupant control showed moderate to no energy savings, whereas the informed occupant control introduced excessive energy usage in certain cases. Overall, the fully automatic NV control system exhibited the best energy saving performance and occupant satisfaction among studied control schemes despite of the additional initial investment. It is particularly true in climates where NV control has a considerable impact on building energy performance and employing improper NV control can cause energy waste and excessive thermal discomfort. In the selection of natural ventilation control system, our analysis suggests that developers and building owners should not only consider the initial system investment and maintenance cost, but also take into account the annual energy savings and occupant satisfaction to fully realize natural ventilation potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Smurf1 (Smad ubiquitylation regulatory factor 1) and Smurf2 are negative regulators of the TGF-β (transforming growth factor-β) pathway. The protein stability and ubiquitin E3 activity regulation of Smurfs have been well studied. However, the mechanism of Smurfs expression at the transcriptional level remains uncharacterized. Here, we reported that USF2 (upstream stimulatory factor 2), a basic helix-loop-helix-leucine-zip transcription factor, is necessary for the transcriptional activity of Smurf1 and Smurf2. The 5′-flanking sequences of the Smurfs gene have more than one E -box motifs, and USF2 bounds the Smurfs promoter in vitro and in vivo. Over-expression USF2 inhibited the transcriptional activity of the Smurfs, and Smurfs mRNA was markedly decreased. Therefore, the activity of TGF-β was distinctly enhanced. Furthermore, in human breast cancers, USF2 was abnormally high expressed and correlated with cancer progression. USF2 was specifically inversely correlated with Smurfs in Luminal A subtype breast cancer patients. These findings suggest the mechanism regulation of Smurfs transcriptional activity, and shed new light on the cancer-promoting role of USF2. Highlights • Here, we found USF2, upstream stimulatory factor 2, bounds the Smurfs promoter to inhibite the transcriptional activity of the Smurfs. • USF2 modulates TGF-β and BMP signaling by down-regulating Smurf1 and Smurf2. • Furthermore, in human breast cancers, USF2 was abnormally high expressed and correlated with cancer progression. • USF2 was specifically inversely correlated with Smurfs in Luminal A subtype breast cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzene is widely employed in the field of production, and its toxicity on biological systems has received increasing attention. Cell proliferation is a major life characteristic of living organisms. KLF15 and NOTCH1 are mature and classical genes in cell proliferation studies, particularly in the area of tumor investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and mechanism of VNN3 on cell proliferation induced by 1,4-benzoquinone (1,4-BQ), an important metabolite of benzene, and obtain a sensitive biomarker for the hazard screening and health care of benzene exposure. Normally growing AHH-1 cells were cultured in vitro and were incubated with different concentrations of 1,4-BQ (0, 10, 20, and 40 μM) for 24 h. A CCK-8 assay was used to assess the cell viability, whereas EdU was used to detect the cell proliferation of AHH-1 cells. The expression of VNN3, KLF15 and NOTCH1 was detected by real-time PCR. Moreover, a lentiviral model was constructed in AHH-1 cells to interfere with VNN3 expression. The results showed that 1,4-BQ clearly increased the expression of VNN3. Moreover, 1,4-BQ dose-dependently inhibited cell proliferation and caused increased KLF15 expression; in contrast, the NOTCH1 expression decreased in AHH-1 cells. Furthermore, following interference with the VNN3 expression, the cell proliferation inhibition and the expression of KLF15 and NOTCH1 were rescued. To further investigate the action of VNN3 in benzene hematotoxicity, we assessed it in benzene-exposed workers. The results showed that there was a remarkable correlation between the VNN3 expression and hemogram, which included RBC, NEUT and HGB. In addition, analysis of the KLF15 and NOTCH1 expression showed that the VNN3 expression was related to cell proliferation, which was consistent with the in vitro results. In conclusion, VNN3 influences cell proliferation induced by 1,4-BQ by regulating the expression of KLF15 and NOTCH1. VNN3 may represent a potential biomarker of benzene toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to benzene results in peripheral blood cell reduction, aplastic anemia, and leukemia. We previously observed that the lncRNA OBFC2A was upregulated significantly in benzene-exposed workers and correlated with reduced blood cell counts. However, the role of lncRNA OBFC2A in benzene hematotoxicity remains unclear. In this study, we discovered that lncRNA OBFC2A was regulated by oxidative stress and played roles in cell autophagy and apoptosis caused by the benzene metabolite 1,4-Benzoquinone (1,4-BQ) in vitro. Mechanistically, protein chip, RNA pull-down, and FISH colocalization uncovered that lncRNA OBFC2A directly bound to LAMP2, a regulator of chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), and upregulated its expression in 1,4-BQ-treated cells. LncRNA OBFC2A knockdown alleviated LAMP2 overexpression caused by 1,4-BQ, which confirmed their regulatory relationship. In conclusion, we demonstrate that lncRNA OBFC2A mediates 1,4-BQ-induced apoptosis and autophagy by interacting with LAMP2. LncRNA OBFC2A could serve as a biomarker for hematotoxicity caused by benzene. [Display omitted] • LncRNA OBFC2A was upregulated in benzene-exposed workers and in vitro. • LncRNA OBFC2A knockdown inhibited 1,4-BQ-induced apoptosis and autophagy. • LncRNA OBFC2A interacted with LAMP2 to mediate benzene hematotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural ventilation (NV) that reduces building energy consumption and improves indoor environment has become a key solution to achieving sustainability in the building industry. The potential for utilizing NV strategies depends greatly on the local climate, which varies widely from region to region in the world. In this study, we estimated the NV potentials of 1854 locations around the world by calculating the NV hour. Energy saving potentials of the world's 60 largest cities were calculated with Building Energy Simulation (BES). We demonstrated that NV hour derived from outdoor meteorological data can measure maximum energy saving potential of NV without conducting detailed BES. Our analysis shows the subtropical highland climate, found in South-Central Mexico, Ethiopian Highland, and Southwest China, is most favorable for NV, because spring-like weather occurs all year with little variation in temperature and almost no snowfall. Another climate where NV can be beneficial is the Mediterranean climate, which occurs not only near the Mediterranean Sea, but also in California, Western Australia, Portugal, and Central Chile. In certain regions with desert climate and large diurnal temperature range such as the Middle East and Central Australia, greater-than-expected NV hours are observed due to significant potential of night-purge ventilation. Countries in Southeast Asia, e.g., Singapore and Malaysia, are shown to have little to no NV potential as a result of hot and humid weather all year. These findings provide valuable guidelines for architects and policy makers around the world to effectively utilize NV designs that meet local climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of energy conservative buildings that incorporates natural ventilation (NV) strategy has become increasingly popular around the world. Natural ventilation is a key solution for reducing energy consumption of buildings and for maintaining a healthy indoor environment. However, the adoption of natural ventilation in high-rise buildings is less common. As rapid population growth and urbanization take place in cities, it is important to explore the substantial energy saving potential of high rises by utilizing natural ventilation. In this study, we have provided the early effort to estimate quantitatively the vertical profiles of NV potential for high rises at major cities from six climate zones in the U.S. (i.e., Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Minneapolis), using an in-house boundary layer meteorology model. The diurnal cycle of atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and local climate characteristics are found to have a great effect on the vertical structure of NV potential. In general, negative vertical gradients of NV hours are observed for all cities except Miami where the vertical distribution is nearly uniform. For example, the annual NV hour decreases from 7258 at ground level to 4866 at 300 m above the ground in Los Angeles. Our analysis shows that outdoor temperature is a key meteorological parameter that determines vertical profiles of NV hours in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis. In contrast, humidity plays a greater role in cities like Miami and Houston where the outdoor temperature is often favorable for using natural ventilation except in the summer. Among studied cities, Los Angeles provides the ideal climate (warm and dry) for utilizing natural ventilation, displaying the greatest NV potential (7258 NV hours or 83% time of the year at ground level), followed by New York City with 3360 NV hours. The remainder of the four studied cities display comparable numbers of NV hours of approximately 2500 at ground level. The methodology and findings from this study are intended to assist architects and policy makers in quantifying the potential energy savings of natural ventilation, and illustrating the importance of considering the vertical variations of elevated thermal environment in high-rise buildings across different climate zones in the U.S. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to benzene is inevitable, and concerns regarding the adverse health effects of benzene have been raised. Most investigators found that benzene exposure induced hematotoxicity. In this regard, Our study aimed to explore a novel potential biomarker of adverse health effects following benzene exposure and the toxic mechanisms of benzene metabolites in vitro. This study consisted of 314 benzene-exposed workers and 288 control workers, an air benzene concentration of who were 2.64 ± 1.60 mg/m 3 and 0.05 ± 0.01 mg/m 3 , respectively. In this population-based study, miR-34a expression was elevated in benzene-exposed workers. The correlation of miR-34a with the airborne benzene concentration, S-phenylmercapturic acid (S-PMA) and trans, trans-muconic acid (t, t-MA), all of which reflect benzene exposure, was found. Correlation analysis indicated that miR-34a was associated with peripheral blood count, alanine transaminase (ALT) and oxidative stress. Furthermore, multivariate analysis demonstrated that miR-34a expression was strongly associated with white blood cell count (structure loadings = 0.952). In population-based study, miR-34a had the largest contribution to altered peripheral blood counts, which reflect benzene-induced hematotoxicity. The role of miR-34a in benzene toxicity was assessed using lentiviral vector transfection. Results revealed that 1,4-benzoquinone induced abnormal cell apoptosis and simultaneously upregulated miR-34a accompanied with decreased Bcl-2. Finally, inhibition of miR-34a elevated Bcl-2 and decreased 1,4-benzoquinone-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, miR-34a was observed to be involved in benzene-induced hematotoxicity by targeting Bcl-2 and could be regarded as a potential novel biomarker for benzene toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have found an association between autoimmune diseases of the nervous system (ADNS) and schizophrenia (SCZ), but the findings remain controversial. We conducted the first meta-analysis to summarize the current evidence from cohort studies that evaluated the association between ADNS and SCZ. PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were comprehensively searched until May 30, 2022 for articles on the association between ADNS and SCZ. Every included study was reported effect size with 95% CIs for the association between ADNS and SCZ. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis were used to assess the heterogeneity. A total of 8 cohort studies with 12 cohorts were included in the meta-analysis. We observed a significant association between ADNS and SCZ (RR = 1.42; 95%CI, 1.18–1.72). Subgroup analysis showed that the risk of SCZ was significantly increased when ADNS were used as exposure factors (RR = 1.48; 95%CI, 1.15–1.89), whereas with SCZ did not observe an increased risk of subsequent ADNS (RR = 1.33; 95%CI, 0.92–1.92); multiple sclerosis (MS) was positively associated with SCZ (RR = 1.36; 95%CI, 1.12–1.66), but no significant association was found between Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and SCZ (RR = 1.90; 95%CI, 0.87–4.17). Meanwhile, we found location was the source of heterogeneity. High heterogeneity was observed (I 2 = 92.0%), and only English literature was included in the meta-analysis. We found a positive association between ADNS and SCZ, and the association was different across the different types of ADNS. The results of the study are helpful for clinicians to carry out targeted preventive measures for ADNS and SCZ. • Meta-analysis on the association between ADNS and SCZ from cohort studies was first conducted • A positive association between ADNS and SCZ was confirmed • The association was different across study outcomes and specific types of ADNS [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzene is an environmental and industrial chemical which is widely utilized in various applications. Our previous study showed that miR-133a expression was down-regulated in chronic benzene poisoning workers, but the mechanism of miR-133a in benzene-induced hematotoxicity remains unclear. In this population-based study, benzene-exposed group recruited workers whose concentration of air benzene was 3.50 ± 1.60 mg/m 3 , and control workers who were exposed to 0.06 ± 0.01 mg/m 3 air benzene. By comparison, Caspase-9 and Caspase-3 was up-regulated while miR-133a expression decreased in benzene-exposed workers. Pearson correlation analysis showed that miR-133a was reversely correlated with pro-apoptotic gene Caspase-9 in population-based study. Moreover, multiple linear regressions indicated that miR-133a was positively associated with blood cells count. To explore the underlying mechanism of miR-133a in benzene-induced hematotoxicity, AO/EB staining and TEM ultrastructural analysis were conducted to verify the activation of apoptosis in Human Leukemic U937 Cells induced by benzene metabolites (1,4-Benzoquinone, 1,4-BQ), while the mechanism of miR-133a in 1,4-BQ-induced apoptosis was performed using lentivirus vectors transfection. The results demonstrated that 1,4-BQ evidently induced mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and increased pro-apoptotic genes (Caspase-9 and Caspase-3) expression in a dose-dependent manner. The mechanistic study showed 1,4-BQ decreased miR-133a expression and miR-133a over-expression attenuated 1, 4-BQ-caused upregulation of Caspase-9, Caspase-3 and apoptosis. In conclusion, our research suggested that benzene induced hematotoxicity by decreasing miR-133a and caspase-dependent apoptosis which might contribute to the underlying mechanism of miR-133a in benzene-induced hematotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural ventilation is one of the most important design options for green buildings, which reduces energy use and improves thermal comfort. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations have been used increasingly for natural ventilation design in urban neighborhoods. The accuracy of such simulations relies largely on how the CFD domain is chosen. In the domain, we define the Influence Region as the area where the surrounding buildings must be modeled explicitly to predict the ventilation flow rate accurately. This study presents the early efforts to determine the adequate size of the Influence Region in the CFD domain using a coupled indoor-outdoor CFD simulation, in which the air change rate (ACH) no longer varies noticeably with increasing number of surrounding obstacles. Convergence charts of ACH as a function of an increasing number of surrounding building layers are generated using various urban parameters (e.g., wind condition, aspect ratio, building height relative to surroundings, downstream obstacles, and non-idealized surroundings). Our analysis demonstrated that only including the adjacent layer of surrounding obstacles is not sufficient for predicting correctly the ACH because of the artificial channeling effect between buildings. For both normal and oblique wind directions, three layers of surroundings are required for regular street canyons with an aspect ratio H/W = 1. In the case of wide canyons (H/W = 1/3), two layers of surroundings are needed because there is less flow interference between upstream and downstream obstacles. For the urban configuration, where the target building is significantly taller than nearby structures, the ACH on higher floors does not vary much with increasing amount of surroundings, which significantly reduces the required number of buildings in the Influence Region. In addition, buildings at the side and downstream of the target building can be moderately excluded in the Influence Region as long as the most adjacent downstream layer of obstacles is modeled. A real urban configuration with non-uniform spacing among buildings is evaluated. We showed that the required size of the Influence Region that is derived from uniform building arrays still generally applies to non-idealized landscapes. This study demonstrates the importance of assessing the sensitivity of the selected Influence Region in CFD simulations to reduce unintended modeling errors and computing expense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural ventilation (NV) is a key sustainable solution for reducing the energy use in buildings, improving thermal comfort, and maintaining a healthy indoor environment. However, the energy savings and environmental benefits are affected greatly by ambient air pollution in China. Here we estimate the NV potential of all major Chinese cities based on weather, ambient air quality, building configuration, and newly constructed square footage of office buildings in the year of 2015. In general, little NV potential is observed in northern China during the winter and southern China during the summer. Kunming located in the Southwest China is the most weather-favorable city for natural ventilation, and reveals almost no loss due to air pollution. Building Energy Simulation (BES) is conducted to estimate the energy savings of natural ventilation in which ambient air pollution and total square footage at each city must be taken into account. Beijing, the capital city, displays limited per-square-meter saving potential due to the unfavorable weather and air quality for natural ventilation, but its largest total square footage of office buildings makes it become the city with the greatest energy saving opportunity in China. Our analysis shows that the aggregated energy savings potential of office buildings at 35 major Chinese cities is 112 GWh in 2015, even after allowing for a 43 GWh loss due to China’s serious air pollution issue especially in North China. 8–78% of the cooling energy consumption can be potentially reduced by natural ventilation depending on local weather and air quality. The findings here provide guidelines for improving current energy and environmental policies in China, and a direction for reforming building codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a framework for the development of early-design guidance to inform architects and policy-makers using parametric whole-building energy simulation. It includes a case study of a prototype multifamily residential building, using an exhaustive search method and a total of 90,000+ simulations. The authors performed a simple sensitivity analysis to identify the most influential of the tested design parameters on energy use intensity, which included WWR, Glass Type, Building Rotation, Building Shape, and Wall Insulation, in that order. They identified synergies and trade-offs when designing for different energy objectives, including (a) decreasing Energy Use Intensity, (b) reducing peak-loads, and (c) increasing passive survivability – i.e., maintaining the safest interior temperatures in an extended power outage. This paper also investigated the effect of urban context as a source of sun shading and found it to have a substantial impact on the design optimization. Ignoring urban context in energy simulation, a common practice, would mislead designers in some cases and result in sub-optimal design decisions. Since in generalized guidelines the future building site is unknown, the authors tested a method for generating urban contexts based on the floor area ratio and maximum building heights of an urban district. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improper natural ventilation practices may deteriorate indoor air quality when in close proximity to roadways, although the intention is often to reduce energy consumption. In this study, we employed a CFD-based air quality model to quantify the impact of traffic-related air pollution on the indoor air quality of a naturally ventilated building. Our study found that the building envelope restricts dispersion and dilution of particulate matter. The indoor concentration in the baseline condition located 10 m away from the roadway is roughly 16–21% greater than that at the edge of the roadway. The indoor flow recirculation creates a well-mixed zone with little variation in fine particle concentration (i.e., 253 nm). For ultrafine particles (< 100 nm), a noticeable decrease in particle concentrations indoors with increasing distance from the road is observed due to Brownian and turbulent diffusion. In addition, the indoor concentration strongly depends on the distance between the roadway and building, particle size, wind condition, and window size and location. A break-even point is observed at D ′ ~ 2.1 (normalized distance from the roadway by the width of the road). The indoor particle concentration is greater than that at the highway where D ′ < 2.1, and vice versa. For new building planning, the distance from the roadway and the ambient wind condition need to be considered at the early design stage whereas the size and location of the window openings, the interior layout, and the placement of fresh air intakes are important to the indoor air quality of existing buildings adjacent to roadways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of disubstituted xanthones was obtained by cationic modification of xanthone’s C2 and C7 with amine groups of different p K a values. Modified structures by using moieties with high p K a values had good antitumor activity according to the MTT assay, AO/EB staining and flow cytometry assay, especially bis-dimethylamine derivative ( 5a ). Further study indicated that compound 5a had good binding activity to telomeric G-quadruplex DNA, as detected by using spectroscopy methods, melting profiles, polymerase chain reaction stop assay and molecular modeling study. The results suggested that the antitumor activity of 5a might be associated with its stabilization of G-quadruplex DNA, which could be developed as new G-quadruplex DNA stabilizer and potent antitumor agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel depth extraction method based on the regional feature point is proposed to enhance the estimation accuracy of the depth and is used to reconstruct 3D scene. Specifically, each elemental image is segmented into many regions firstly and the depth of the object point corresponding to each feature point in each region is extracted, then the depth corresponding to all feature points can be calculated to express the depth corresponding to all object points, which can enhance the accuracy by solving the wrong matching problem in weak texture regions and reduce the amount of calculation. To segment each elemental image properly, we first preprocess each elemental image and segment each elemental image into many regions, then merge some similar regions. Some computational reconstruction experiments are carried to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Median nerve block can provide excellent analgesia during open surgery for trigger thumb in children. However, no data on the 90% minimum effective volume (MEV90) and concentration (MEC90) of ropivacaine for ultrasound-guided median nerve block in pediatric patients have been reported.Design: A prospective two-phase study with an up-and-down sequential allocation trial using a biased coin design.Patients: Children aged 1-3 years are experiencing open surgery for trigger thumb.Intervention: This study has 2 parts, one for MEV90 and subsequently studied MEC90 from the former part of the study. The MEV90 and MEC90 of ropivacaine for each subsequent patient were determined by the response of the previous patient, with the biased coin design up-and-down sequential allocation trial. The interval of -volume or concentration was -0.1 ml or 0.01%, respectively.Measurements: The MEV90 and MEC90 of ropivacaine for ultrasound-guided median nerve block in pediatric patients, were then used to estimate the 99% minimum effective volume (MEV99) and concentration (MEC99). The patient's general condition, postoperative pain, and adverse events.Main Results: A total of one hundred and eighteen children were enrolled for the study, and 56 and 62 patients were enrolled for the MEV90 and MEC90 studies, respectively. The MEV90 of 0.2% ropivacaine was 1.44 ml (95% CI 1.043 ml, 1.466 ml), and the MEC90 of 1.5 ml ropivacaine was 0.195% (95% CI 0.159%, 0.197%). There were no adverse events that occurred.Conclusion: For ultrasound-guided median nerve block in children aged 1-3 years old with trigger finger undergoing open surgery, the MEV90 of 0.2% ropivacaine is 1.44 ml (95% CI 1.043 ml, 1.466 ml), and the MEC90 of 1.5 ml of ropivacaine is 0.195% (95% CI 0.159%, 0.197%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzene is a common environmental carcinogen that induces leukemia. Studies suggest that metabolic disorder has a relationship with the toxicity of benzene. Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) is a key rate-limiting enzyme in glycolysis. However, the upstream and downstream regulatory mechanisms of PKM2 in benzene-induced hematotoxicity and the therapeutic effects of targeting PKM2 in vivo are unclear. This study aims to provide insights into the new mechanism of benzene-induced hematotoxicity and reveal the therapeutic significance of targeting PKM2. Herein, we demonstrated that PKM2-dependent glycolysis contributes to benzene-induced hematotoxicity by regulating inflammation reaction. Mechanistically, acetylated proteomics revealed that 1,4-benzoquinone (1,4-BQ) induced acetylation of PKM2 at position K66, and this modification contributed to the increase of PKM2 expression and can be inhibited by inhibition of acetyltransferase GCN5. Meanwhile, the elevated PKM2 was shown to prompt the activation of nuclear phosphorylated Stat3 (p-Stat3) and IL17A. Clinically, pharmacological inhibition of PKM2 alleviated the blood toxicity induced by benzene, which was mainly characterized by an increase in routine blood parameters and improvement of hematopoietic imbalance. Besides, elevated PKM2 is a promising biomarker in people occupationally exposed to benzene. Overall, we identified PKM2/p-Stat3/IL-17A axis participates in the hematotoxicity of benzene, and targeting PKM2 has certain therapeutic implications in hematologic diseases. [Display omitted] • PKM2 participated in benzene-induced hematotoxicity via p-Stat3/IL17A axis. • GCN5-mediated PKM2 acetylation was contributed to the higher expression of PKM2. • Pharmacological inhibition of PKM2 alleviated benzene toxicity in vivo and vitro. • PKM2 overexpression was verified in occupationally benzene exposure populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We established a large-scale separation and purification platform to obtain kilogram amounts of natural compounds from the extraction of the fruiting bodies of C. militaris. Seven monomeric compounds, N6-(2-hydroxyethyl) adenosine (HEA), ergosterol (E), ergosta-7,22-diene-3,5,6-triol (EI), 5α,8α-epidioxy-(22 E ,24 R)-ergosta-6,22-dien-3β-ol (ED),ergosta-7,22-dien-3β,5α-dihydroxy-6-one (EO), (20 S ,22 E ,24 R)-Eegosta-7,22-dien-3β,5α,6β,9α-tetraol (ET), and (24 S)-5,22-stigmastadien-3β-ol (SE), were harvested using different solvents, and the structure of each compound was identified. The activities and functions of the isolated compounds were tested by label-free, real-time cell analysis methods at the cellular level, and their antitumor effects were verified using mouse models of Lewis and H22 tumors. The anti-insomnia effect of HEA was tested in an anti-insomnia mouse model. The interactions between E and 8 A549 cell proteins were determined. The biosynthetic pathways of HEA and E, which possess pharmacologically active monomers, were determined. This platform can provide a theoretical basis for the further development and discovery of novel natural medicines. Image 1 • Seven chemical monomers obtained from C. militaris , and hypothesied ergoterol and adenosine metabolic pathways in fungi. • The ergosterol may be acting on 8 A549 cell proteins by examining hydrogen bond formation and π-π interactions. • The ergosterol could prevent the mice of Lewis and liver enlargement, and the effect isn't due to autoimmunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced control strategies are central components of smart buildings. For model-based control algorithms, the quality of the model that represents building systems and dynamics is essential to guarantee satisfactory performance of smart building control and automation. For the model predictive control of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems in buildings coupled with natural ventilation, a high-fidelity model is necessary to reliably predict the thermal responses of the building under various environmental and operational conditions. This task can be accomplished by using a deep neural network, which can capture the dynamics of complicated physical processes, such as natural ventilation. Training a deep neural network requires the collection of a large amount of data; however, in practice, the target building may not have enough operational data available. This study demonstrates how transfer learning could help with this dilemma. By freezing most layers of a deep neural network model with 42,902 parameters that are pre-trained on multi-year data from a source room in Beijing, the model can be re-trained with only 200 trainable parameters on only 15 days of data from the target room in Shanghai that has entirely different floor area, building material, and window size. The proposed transfer learning model achieves high accuracy predicting both indoor air temperature and relative humidity for a time horizon from 10 minutes to 2 hours, showing the mean squared error almost one magnitude smaller than the comparison model that is only trained on source data or target data. This methodology can be applied to the design of the control system in a new building which reduces the required amount of data for the training of the model, thus saving costs in control system design and commissioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mitogenomes of three fungi were de-novo assembled by SMRT sequencing. • DNA methylation motifs were revealed in the three fungi mitogenomes. • New models of RNA editing were discovered from transcriptome data of two fungi. Beauveria bassiana , Cordyceps militaris and Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Ascomycotina) are traditional Chinese medicines. Here, mitogenomes of these three Ascomycotina fungi were sequenced and de-novo assembled using single-molecule real-time sequencing. The results showed that their complete mitogenomes were 31,258, 31,854 and 157,584 bp, respectively, with sequencing depth approximately 278,760×, 326,283× and 69,385×. Types of repeat sequences were mainly (AA)n, (AAT)n, (TA)n and (TATT)n. DNA methylation motifs were revealed in DNA modifications of these three fungi. We discovered new models of RNA editing through analysis of transcriptomes from B. bassiana and C. militaris. These data lay a solid foundation for further genetic and biological studies about these three fungi, especially for elucidating the mitogenome evolution and exploring the regulatory mechanism of adapting environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• •Method of laser micromachining crater-array–multi-groove (CAMG) is proposed. • •Microscale failure modes and anchoring microstructures are analyzed. • •Mechanism of CAMG affecting the bonding strength is revealed. • •The CAMG feature parameters are optimized. • •The advantages of CAMG are demonstrated through comparative analyses. The strength of aluminium (Al) alloy adhesive joints is essential for aerospace, ship and automotive applications. This study proposes the two-step laser processing of crater-array–multi-groove (CAMG) to maximize the shear strength of adhesive joints for 7075-T6 aluminum alloys. Firstly, the effects of CAMG feature parameters (groove pattern, groove spacing L , and groove depth G p) on the surface roughness (S a), shear strength (τ), and microscale failure mode were studied. The failure mode and anchoring structure reveal the influence mechanism of CAMG feature parameters on τ. Then, the parameters are optimized to obtain the best combination that maximizes τ. Finally, the advantages of CAMG were demonstrated by comparing it with a reference specimen and analyzing the surface morphology, wettability, chemical properties, and anchorage structure. The results show that for CAMG the surface had high cleanliness, wettability, and chemical modifications. The multi-scale anchoring structure formed by the grooves, craters, and micropores on the surfaces with the adhesive was sufficiently strong to allow cohesive failure (CF) to occur throughout the bonding region, maximizing τ. When the groove pattern is parallel-groove, L ≤ 100 μm, and the number of scans is N = 2–5, CAMG maximizes τ (∼29.34 MPa). To increase efficiency and save energy, the optimal combination of parameters for laser processing CAMG is parallel-groove, L = 100 μm, and N = 2. Compared with laser processing multi-grooves, CAMG improved the processing efficiency by 3.5 % and reduced the laser energy by 35.2 %. The proposed method shows great advantages in improvement of bonding strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A diode-side-pumped passively Q-switched laser at 532nm wavelength by Nd3+:YAG/Cr4+:YAG/YAG composite crystal is revealed for the first time. The output performances, including the threshold, slope efficiency, average power, pulse width, repetition rate and far field spot of lasers with Cr4+:YAG of different initial transmissions are experimentally compared. Under the pump power of 187.5W, the Q-switched green laser with initial transmission of 85% obtains the maximum average power of 27.2W and peak power of 7.8KW. The laser with initial transmission of 65% obtains the pulse width of 59ns. The initial transmission has significant effects on the output performances of passively Q-switched lasers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Our preliminary studies have suggested PFASs, heavy metals, and trace elements could bring significant risks to MetS. However, the role of epigenetic mechanisms (i.e., miRNAs) and risk factors of metabolic alternation (i.e., thyroid functions, glucose and lipids metabolism) are not fully understood. To test this hypothesis, a further cross-sectional study with 80 male MetS cases and 64 male references was undertaken. Negative association between the serum n- perfluorooctanoic acid (n- PFOA) with miR-140-5p was found [β = −0.772; 95% confidence interval (CI), −0.244 to −0.300; p < 0.01, q < 0.05)] after adjusted with age. Higher levels of leptin and total bile acid were observed in the MetS group. The significantly positive associations between leptin with Cd (β = 1.015, p < 0.01, q < 0.05), Cu (β = 6.796, p < 0.05, q = 0.077) and Se (β = 7.633, p < 0.05, q = 0.060) were found; whereas total bile acid was significantly associated with Se (β = 8.954, p < 0.05, q = 0.140). Significantly positive associations between leptin and systolic/diastolic blood pressure were showed. Moreover, increased total bile acid concentrations were associated with hypertriglyceridemia [odds ratio (OR): 2.24 (95%CI, 1.10–4.58) adjusted by age. Unlabelled Image • Leptin and total bile acid were significantly higher in MetS cases. • Leptin and bile acid were associated with blood pressure; meanwhile, bile acid was associated with an elevated risk of TG. • Cd, Cu, and Se were positively associated with leptin; while Se was associated with bile acid. • Increased miRNA-140-5p was positively associated with n– PFOA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Xylem development was suppressed by combination of N deficiency and Cd exposure. • Phytohormones and antioxidants decreased due to poor N nutritional status in stem. • Adequate N application promoted antioxidant defense and Cd tolerance in stems. • The suppression on xylem development was partially alleviated by N application. • N icnreased stem Cd accumulation via promoting Cd tolerance and xylem development. Populus species feature remarkable phytoremediation of cadmium (Cd) contamination. The influence of nitrogen (N) availability on Cd accumulation and tolerance in stems was investigated in a clone of Populus × euramericana. Secondary xylem development in stems was dramatically suppressed by the combined conditions of N deficiency and Cd exposure, but such suppression was partially alleviated by N application. Under adequate N condition, the Cd bioconcentration factor (BCF) in stems at moderate and high Cd exposures reached 3.07 and 0.91, respectively, whereas the Cd content in stems at high Cd exposure reached 164 μg Cd plant−1. However, Cd bioconcentration and accumulation in stems were sharply decreased due to N deficiency. The levels of phytohormones (abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid) and antioxidants (free proline and peroxidase) in stems decreased in low N treatment because of poor tissue N concentration, thereby attenuating antioxidant defense and Cd tolerance. The decreased Cd tolerance and inhibited xylem development under low N condition led to the dramatic decrement of Cd accumulation in stems. Adequate N application increased the phytohormone and antioxidant levels in stems, thereby promoting antioxidant defense, as indicated by the low malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Moreover, both the improved antioxidant defense and appropriate N nutrient status contributed to xylem development. Consequently, the capacity for Cd bioconcentration and accumulation in Populus stems was promoted by N application, thereby facilitating the phytoextraction of Cd from Cd-contaminated soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Buildings consume more than 40% of global energy use and ventilation is one of the largest source of energy consumption. Sustainable design requires choosing energy efficient ventilation strategies. Diffuse ceiling ventilation (DCV) has a great energy saving potential due to the low pressure drop (∼2 Pa) through the ceiling panel. A DCV system has three components: plenum, suspended ceiling and ventilated room. Conditioned air is supplied to plenum, then diffuses into the ventilated room through the suspended ceiling made of porous materials. The system can be designed to handle high cooling loads without inducing thermal discomfort. This review references research articles on DCV published from 2008 to 2018 to highlight the research outcomes and to identify the research gaps. One major objective of this review paper is to document simplified theoretical modelling methods for proposing quick DCV system design tool. The flow in the plenum can be described as impingement jet over porous materials. A design procedure is proposed to determine the size and number of nozzles. The heat transfer in the porous ceiling is treated as two-phase energy transport. Buoyancy force generated by the heat sources in the room has been identified to drive the airflow circulation, which motivates the thoughtful review of fundamental theories of thermal plumes in a stratified environment. The major task on thermal plumes is to calculate the height and induced volume flow rate, which are summarized according to the type of heat sources, e.g., point or area sources. The principle behind heating efficiency of DCV might be explained by theories of turbulent fountains. The rising height of warm air coming out of diffuse ceiling is determined by the source Froude number. The popular research methods to study DCV system are full-scale experiments and CFD modelling. Full-scale experiments are often used to evaluate the performance of the DCV system based on thermal comfort, indoor air quality and energy efficiency. On the other hand, CFD modelling is used for parametric analysis to improve the design of the DCV system. Finally, future research on DCV is discussed. Highlights • Diffuse ceiling ventilation features with low building energy use. • Thermal plumes drive the air motion in rooms with diffuse ceiling ventilation. • Turbulence fountain theory explains heating ability of diffuse ceiling ventilation. • Research methods for diffuse ceiling ventilation are CFD and full-scale experiment. • Future research themes for diffuse ceiling ventilation are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose an integral imaging display system based on KinectFusion, using only a moving low-cost depth camera as the pickup device. The multi-frame depth data of the observed scene streamed from a Kinect sensor is fused into a single global surface model represented by the volumetric truncated signed distance function. Thus, the inherent noise associated with single frame depth data can be eliminated. The elemental image array for display is obtained by ray casting the volumetric truncated signed distance function. To match the pickup part and the display part, the relationship between the pickup voxel and the display voxel is deduced using the ray optics theory. Experimental results show the validity of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to benzene causes damage to the hematopoietic system, but the mechanisms are still unclear. Competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) are the epigenetic regulatory axis of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)-microRNA-mRNA, which are shown to play roles in benzene-induced hematotoxicity. Ferroptosis, a lipid peroxidation-dependent cell death, has been reported to be regulated by ceRNAs. We hypothesized that ceRNAs regulated ferroptosis to participate in benzene hematotoxicity. In this study, we observed that the expression of lncRNA TC (Lnc-TC) and CUL4B were increased, but miR-142-5p was decreased in benzene-exposed workers. Correlation analysis suggested that the ceRNAs had co-expression relationships, and were associated with blood cell counts. We further explored the role of ceRNA in vitro, and discovered that 1,4- benzoquinone (1,4-BQ) stimulated ferroptosis in AHH-1 cells by inhibiting the expression of GPX4 and SLC7A11 , which was partially relieved by knockdown of Lnc-TC and CUL4B. Finally, by interfering with Lnc-TC and miR-142-5p expression, we confirmed that Lnc-TC acted as a microRNA sponge to reduce the accessibility and inhibition of miR-142-5p to CUL4B , thus increasing the expression of CUL4B. In summary, Lnc-TC / miR-142-5p / CUL4B signaling axis promoted cell ferroptosis to participate in benzene hematotoxicity, and was a potential biomarker for risk screening and health surveillance of benzene-exposed workers. [Display omitted] • Benzene induced aberrant expression of Lnc-TC/miR-142-5p/CUL4B network. • Ferroptosis was involved in hematotoxicity of benzene. • Lnc-TC/miR-142-5p/CUL4B network mediated benzene-induced ferroptosis. • Lnc-TC acted as a sponge for miR-142-5p to increase CUL4B expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Red blood cell (RBC) parameters are of great importance for diagnostic purposes. Using the simulation method, the variations of both the thickness and the refractive index of a RBC were investigated in a dual-medium quantitative measurement (DMQ), which is realized via phase-shifting digital holography with two types of cell media. Results show that both the calculated thickness and the calculated refractive index agree well with the original ones with an average relative deviation of 2.13% and of 0.12% in valid regions, respectively. The simulation for RBC will provide some guidance for experimental parameter setting and data processing in DMQ. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]