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The present study aimed to analyze adipocyte enhancer-binding protein 1 (AEBP1) expression in colorectal cancer (CRC), with a focus on its possible molecular mechanisms, in order to provide novel insight into the clinical treatment of CRC. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect AEBP1 expression in 62 CRC tissues. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to analyze AEBP1 expression and the postoperative disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates of CRC patients. HT-29 cells were treated with oxaliplatin to detect cell proliferation and apoptosis following a Cell Counting kit-8. Through bioinformatics prediction, microRNA 214 (miR214) was identified as an upstream microRNA of AEBP1 that regulates its expression. IHC revealed that the expression of AEBP1 in CRC tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent healthy tissues, and that it is associated with Tumor-Node-Metastasis stage, recurrence and metastasis. The DFS and OS rates of patients with a low AEBP1 expression were significantly higher than those in patients with a high expression (P<0.05). Following depletion of AEBP1 and treatment with oxaliplatin, the HT-29 cell proliferation was lower than that of the blank control and the negative control groups. However, the cell apoptosis rate was higher than that of the control group at 72 h (P<0.05). Bioinformatics prediction revealed that miR-214 is negatively associated with AEBP1 expression, and co-transfection and luciferase report gene tests revealed that AEBP1 is a target gene of miR-214. Therefore, AEBP1 may become a novel treatment for CRC patients with chemoresistance and may act through the upstream miR-214 to participate in the progression of a tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evacuation in high-rise buildings has attracted a lot of researchers to study human performance during evacuation process especially since the “911” disaster. However, there is little research studying the effect of initial distribution ratios among the different floors and the impact of sub-optimal illumination on merging behaviors between different pedestrian flows. In this paper, some experiments are presented in a real staircase to analyze the human behavior at the merging area. Through extracting movement characteristics from recorded video, the data about human movement performance is obtained and studied. It is found that when inflows from upstairs are opposite to inflows from stairs at the merging area, the geometrical structure seems to be biased in favor of occupants from floors and merging behaviors negatively affect the walking speed of pedestrians from upper floors. Then it is found there are three phases (free movement, extended zipper effect and following movement) during merging process. Furthermore, there is a relationship between the time pedestrians enter mid-landing and overall speed: speeds of pedestrians decrease and stabilize as the arrival time to the merging area grows. The merging behaviors are influenced by illumination and initial distribution ratios: in the experimental conditions, initial occupants from floors are more than that from upstairs, contributing high density at the merging area regardless of illumination. The results help to better understand the overall movement during stair evacuations and provide valuable data to validate and improve evacuation models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is widely accepted as one of main solutions to mitigate global warming in the world. However, the still-high cost of CCS is one of the major concerns, in particular in developing China. In the other hand, emission control of H2S and SO2 has already become the urgent need, and the reduction target has been set in the 11th Five-Year Plan of China. Therefore, co-storage of CO2+SO2 or CO2+H2S may be an effective way to reduce CCS cost, e.g. due to saving the de-sulphur device, and enable CCS to has an earlier deployment opportunity. In this paper, we try to, at first, reveal some key problems, i.e., trapping mechanism, injectivity and leakage risk, for co-injection and co-storage of CO2 and the strong acid SO2 into subsurface spaces in a certain gas field in China. The output of this gas field includes about 6.8% H2S and 4.6% CO2. Then, we want to insight into the possibilities and potentials of co-storage of CO2+SO2 by numerical studies. After widely referring all opened and published scientifical and technical literature, we develop a model to study a porous media system associated with the thermo-hydro-chemical coupling interactions. The hydrogeology and mineralogy of the injected formation are extracted from the historical materials of the gas field. We have performed several numerical simulations with consideration of a sandstone-clay sequence under acid-gas injection conditions. The clay formation is supposed as a sealed cap rock for the co-storage disposal system. The study examines the impact of SO2 co-injection on the pH of formation brine. Co-injection of CO2 with SO2 results in a larger and more strongly acidified zone, and alteration differs substantially from that caused by the injection of CO2 alone. The mineral alteration induced by injection of CO2 with SO2 leads to corresponding changes in porosity. Significant increases in porosity occur in the acidified zones where mineral dissolution dominates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A seismic casualty prediction method that considers the rescue process is constructed. • In this method, a seismic network model with a dynamic rescue rate is built. • The optimal rescue plan can be obtained by solving the seismic network model. • The optimal rescue plan can minimize the casualties of earthquake. To predict the impact of the rescue work on the casualties after the earthquake, a seismic casualty prediction method that comprehensively considers the burial situation and the rescue process is constructed. In this method, a seismic network model based on the graph theory method is built, then the burial situation on an area of after an earthquake can be quickly calculated by using the calculation method of casualty rate based on the building damage rate. Finally, the optimal rescue plan can be obtained by solving the objective function of the seismic network model through the genetic algorithm. Taking the 1100 campus of University of Shanghai for Science and Technology as a case, the burial situation and the casualties under the influence of the rescue work are analyzed after assuming a Ⅹ-degree earthquake occurs on this area, based on which an optimal rescue plan is proposed. After that, by comparing with two shortest path methods, the superiority of the proposed method is highlighted. This method can be used as the basis for regional earthquake risk assessment and emergency rescue plans establishment, and it can also be used as a tool for generating optimal rescue routes after the earthquake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The movement characteristics of heterogeneous crowds involving individuals with different types of disabilities are analyzed. • The movement characteristics of the mixed disabled group and the elderly are studied contrastively. • The fundamental diagram of the mixed disabled group on the corridors is derived. • The evacuation efficiency of the mixed disabled group is investigated. • Spatial distribution of the mixed disabled group in different density ranges is investigated. In this paper, the movement experiment of mixed disabled group including visual disabilities, hearing disabilities, physical disabilities, mental disabilities, intellectual disabilities and people without disabilities is conducted to analyze the movement characteristics in the corridor. The results show that mental and intellectual disabilities have a higher global velocity than the rest of the crowds. The density range of the mixed disabled group (0.48–2.25 m−2) is narrower than that of the elderly group (0.27–2.64 m−2) in the analysis of fundamental diagram. In the same density range, the differences in velocity and specific flow between two groups are 0.00 ± 0.09 m/s and 0.04 ± 0.11 (m∙s)-1, respectively; the specific flow of the mixed disabled group is increases by (3.84 ± 10.67) % compared to the elderly group. Further analysis shows that evacuation time of the mixed disabled group is inversely proportional to the exit width, the same relationship as for the elderly group, with the curve below that of the elderly group; the flow of the mixed disabled group is greater than that of the elderly group. The spatial distribution of nearest neighbor for the mixed disabled group presents an elliptical shape; with increasing density, the shape of the spatial distribution tends to be circular. For wheelchair users and other crowds, the area of the nearest neighbor spatial distribution decreases as the exit width decreases. However, the area of wheelchair users is larger than that of other crowds. The findings of this study are hoped to be a guide for pedestrian safety management and engineering egress design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Inner mitochondrial membrane peptidase 2 like' (IMMP2L) is a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial peptidase that has been conserved through evolutionary history, as has its target enzyme, 'mitochondrial glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase 2′ (GPD2). IMMP2L is known to cleave the mitochondrial transit peptide from GPD2 and another nuclear-encoded mitochondrial respiratory-related protein, cytochrome C1 (CYC1). However, it is not known whether IMMP2L peptidase activates or alters the activity or respiratory-related functions of GPD2 or CYC1. Previous investigations found compelling evidence of behavioural change in the Immp2lKD−/− KO mouse, and in this study, EchoMRI analysis found that the organs of the Immp2lKD−/− KO mouse were smaller and that the KO mouse had significantly less lean mass and overall body weight compared with wildtype littermates (p < 0.05). Moreover, all organs analysed from the Immp2lKD−/− KO had lower relative levels of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mitoROS). The kidneys of the Immp2lKD−/− KO mouse displayed the greatest decrease in mitoROS levels that were over 50% less compared with wildtype litter mates. Mitochondrial respiration was also lowest in the kidney of the Immp2lKD−/− KO mouse compared with other tissues when using succinate as the respiratory substrate, whereas respiration was similar to the wildtype when glutamate was used as the substrate. When glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) was used as the substrate for Gpd2, we observed ~20% and ~7% respective decreases in respiration in female and male Immp2lKD−/− KO mice over time. Together, these findings indicate that the respiratory-related functions of mGpd2 and Cyc1 have been compromised to different degrees in different tissues and genders of the Immp2lKD−/− KO mouse. Structural analyses using AlphaFold2-Multimer further predicted that the interaction between Cyc1 and mitochondrial-encoded cytochrome b (Cyb) in Complex III had been altered, as had the homodimeric structure of the mGpd2 enzyme within the inner mitochondrial membrane of the Immp2lKD−/− KO mouse. mGpd2 functions as an integral component of the glycerol phosphate shuttle (GPS), which positively regulates both mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis. Interestingly, we found that nonmitochondrial respiration (NMR) was also dramatically lowered in the Immp2lKD−/− KO mouse. Primary mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cell lines derived from the Immp2lKD−/− KO mouse displayed a ~27% decrease in total respiration, comprising a ~50% decrease in NMR and a ~12% decrease in total mitochondrial respiration, where the latter was consistent with the cumulative decreases in substrate-specific mediated mitochondrial respiration reported here. This study is the first to report the role of Immp2l in enhancing Gpd2 structure and function, mitochondrial respiration, nonmitochondrial respiration, organ size and homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient passenger flow assignment is essential for ensuring the safe and stable operation of the urban rail transit (URT). This paper proposes a new passenger flow assignment approach to address this challenge. The approach generates two agents: connected vehicle and unconnected passenger, to simulate vehicle operation and passenger travel for the URT network. It derives the passenger trajectory by the passenger route evolution mechanism to achieve the passenger flow assignment for the whole network. Furthermore, it provides statistics on platform passenger flow when obtaining the overall station passenger flow. Meanwhile, the approach employed Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) data as input to analyze the passenger flow features of the Shanghai Metro. The passenger flow assignment results can reveal the start and end of morning and evening peak hours at a time granularity of seconds. That is, 7:16:20 and 9:33:00 for the morning peak and 16:49:00 and 19:22:50 for the evening peak, respectively. The results also reveal the route choice pattern of passengers. Passengers have preferences for each type of route, in descending order: the shortest route, the minimum number of stations route, and the minimum number of transfer stations route, when they have a choice of these three routes. Moreover, the results can accurately identify large passenger flow stations and provide data support for station passenger flow management strategies. • This paper proposes a new passenger flow assignment approach. • The approach simulates connected vehicles and unconnected passengers. • Count platform passenger flow when obtaining the overall station flow. • Analyzing passenger route choice preferences and large passenger flow stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Collection and processing of vehicle trajectory data along with driver-vehicle–road-environment data are conducted. • Entropy weight-TOPSIS and K-means are applied to determine risk scores and risk levels. • Random parameters logit models with heterogeneity in means and variances are developed to identify driving risk factors. • Significant factors are identified as having different impacts on risk levels between arterial and collector roads. Urban arterial and collector roads, while interconnected within the urban transportation network, serve distinct purposes, leading to different driving risk profiles. Investigating these differences using advanced methods is of paramount significance. This study aims to achieve this by primarily collecting and processing relevant vehicle trajectory data alongside driver-vehicle–road-environment data. A comprehensive risk assessment matrix is constructed to assess driving risks, incorporating multiple conflict and traffic flow indicators with statistically temporal stability. The Entropy weight-TOPSIS method and the K-means algorithm are employed to determine the risk scores and levels of the target arterial and collector roads. Using risk levels as the outcome variables and multi-scale features as the explanatory variables, random parameters models with heterogeneity in means and variances are developed to identify the determinants of driving risks at different levels. Likelihood ratio tests and comparisons of out-of-sample and within-sample prediction are conducted. Results reveal significant statistical differences in the risk profiles between arterial and collector roads. The marginal effects of significant parameters are then calculated separately for arterial and collector roads, indicating that several factors have different impacts on the probability of risk levels for arterial and collector roads, such as the number of movable elements in road landscape pictures, the standard deviation of the vehicle's lateral acceleration, the average standard deviation of speed for all vehicles on the road segment, and the number of one-way lanes on the road segment. Some practical implications are provided based on the findings. Future research can be implemented by expanding the collected data to different regions and cities over longer periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stairwell is the main evacuation channel of super high-rise buildings, so revealing the evacuation characteristics on stairs in such buildings based on a full-scale experiment is critical for safer evacuation. However, currently there are few studies focusing on the evacuation performance of crowd in such buildings, especially for the collective movement scenarios. Here, an evacuation experiment is carried out in Shanghai Tower with a vertical height of 583 m, which is the second tallest building in the world. The evacuation speeds for 69 participants in 58 stair sections are extracted and the effects of travel distance, gender, age and density on descent speeds are analyzed and discussed. According to the result that the group of participants with a 9.63% higher travel height spends a 16.39% longer evacuation time, yet within each group the speed does not decrease with the increase of the moving distance, we propose an interesting hypothesis that the travel distance may affect descent speed, but it needs to be further verified. The speeds of the female are significantly lower than those of the male and the female are more sensitive to the increase of travel distance. At the same time, younger participants show better evacuation ability than the older ones, including that they evacuate faster and are less affected by the confluence. Furthermore, a new method is proposed to calculate density and the fundamental diagram These results are useful for the validation and calibration of related evacuation models, and can provide basic data for the design of emergency evacuation facilities in super high-rise buildings. • An evacuation drill is conducted in a super high-rise building up to 126 stories. • Pedestrian evacuation speeds in different stair sections are extracted. • The effects of travel distance, gender, age and congestion on descent speed are analyzed and discussed. • A new measurement method for fundamental diagram is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The reliability and efficiency of bus operation can be improved at the signalized intersection. • Two interactional random factors are considered in the optimal control method. • The signal priority control method can be extended for other vehicles. Bus priority has been proposed for many years to improve traffic congestion, energy conservation, and emissions reduction. Transit signal priority is a main measure of executing bus priority. Moreover, because the time that buses arrive at an intersection should be predicted quite precisely to make a signal control scheme in advance, bus lane is an important segment in transit priority at signalized intersections to avoid disturbances from other vehicles on the road. However, in practice, the bus route of demand responsive transport is widespread, which is not inappropriate to set bus lane for each bus route because of low frequency. Therefore, in this paper, a robust optimization control method is proposed to solve the bus priority problem at signalized intersections without exclusive bus lanes and improve reliability of demand responsive transport priority at signalized intersections. First, the bus delay probability density function is formulated to describe the interaction mechanism about the bus and other vehicles at the signalized intersection. Then, the accurate bus delay expectation and variance calculation mathematical models are formulated based on the bus delay probability density function. Furthermore, a robust optimal signal control method is proposed followed by the discussions of boundary conditions. Finally, simulation test and case study were conducted to illustrate the performance of the robust optimization control method proposed in this paper. The results show that the proposed control method could significantly improve bus delay compared to considering the bus operation process as stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonreciprocal interaction crowd systems, such as human–human, human–vehicle, and human–robot systems, often have serious impacts on pedestrian safety and social order. A more comprehensive understanding of these systems is needed to optimize system stability and efficiency. Despite the importance of these interactions, empirical research in this area remains limited. Thus, in our study we explore this underresearched area, focusing on scenarios where nonreciprocity plays a critical role, such as mass stabbings, which pose a substantial risk to public safety. We conducted the first experiments on this system and analysed high-accuracy data obtained from these experiments. Specifically, we conduct laboratory experiments on three scenarios: single exits, dual exits, and obscured chases. Then, we introduce an equation to describe the mechanism behind a direct threat zone, which significantly affects pedestrian behaviour. The extent of the direct threat zone is determined by the speed of the moving threat and the radius of danger occurrence. The equation can provide insights for different nonreciprocal interaction crowd systems, where the subjects of the nonreciprocal interactions can be a pedestrian, an autonomous robot or a vehicle. We further categorize potential threats into direct, adjacent, and rear-view zones, quantifying the level of threat for pedestrians. Our study revealed that a pedestrian's desired velocity correlated positively with potential threat intensity, increasing until near the direct threat zone. An emerging steady state is observed when escape routes are blocked by moving threats. This deviation affects the density–velocity relationship, making it distinct from the general relationship. This deviation signifies unique pedestrian behaviour in the presence of moving threats. Additionally, the rate of change in the angle for pedestrian motion in various desired directions is synchronized. This indicates the emergence of collective intelligence in nonreciprocal interaction crowd systems. As a result, our study may constitute a pioneering step towards understanding nonreciprocal interactions in crowd systems through laboratory experiments. These findings may enhance pedestrian safety and inform not only government crowd management strategies but also individual self-protection measures. • First high-accuracy lab experiment on strongly coupled nonreciprocal crowd systems. • Modelling non-reciprocal pedestrian-attacker interactions through potential threats. • Threat increases nearby pedestrian's desired speed; relationship is nonlinear. • Collective intelligence emergence and its causes observed in experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The evacuation process was divided into 4 stages based on five events. • A shorter voice alarm cycle, a closer voice source and a more rapid tone resulted in a shorter recognition time. • Individual response time followed a Weibull distribution and the response order was affected by physical distance. • A closer and more directive voice guided evacuees to find the exit more quickly. • Opening doors by using emergency devices took about 75% of the transfer time on average. Controlled experiments involved more than 700 participants inside a metro train model were conducted to investigate effects of voice alarms on the evacuation process. The process was divided into 4 stages from the perspective of collective behavior: the recognition stage (from the emergency happens to the first person standing up), the response stage (from the first person standing up to the last person standing up), the transfer stage (from the last person standing up to the first person leaving the carriage), and the queue stage (from the first person leaving the carriage to the last person leaving the carriage). Results showed that the mean evacuation time of all experiments was 77.61 s, and mean percentages of the four stages were 16.89%, 12.80%, 30.67% and 30.76%, respectively. When focusing on a specific stage, a shorter voice alarm cycle, a closer voice source and a more rapid tone resulted in a shorter recognition time. In the response stage, the response order was mainly affected by physical distance. A closer and more directive voice guided evacuees to find the exit more quickly, and further reduced the transfer time. Opening doors by using emergency devices took about 75% of the transfer time on average. Voice alarm didn't play a key role in the queue stage, and the queue time was mainly affected by the number and the width of available doors. The results provide references for developing models and designing Public Announcement system of a metro train. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calculating the evacuation time during staircase evacuation is essential to evaluate the security conditions of high-rise buildings under emergency scenarios. A three-stage hierarchical model for calculating emergency evacuation time is constructed by combining discrete state update rules and continuous forms in computation to investigate the evacuation process of pedestrians in multi-floor buildings in emergency circumstances. Combined with simulation analysis, the model considers the capacity constraint of stairwell and congestion effects and calculates the evacuation time hierarchically. The model's validity is verified by the existing evacuation simulator for a hypothetical building case study, coupled with a comprehensive computational comparison. Calculations on entire and separate evacuation times are explored considering different stairway capacity restrictions and geometric features. Computational results demonstrated that this model is effective and may be regarded as a valid tool for staircase evacuation time calculation in the context of high-rise buildings. • A macro-mathematical model combining discrete state update procedures and continuous calculation formulas. • Three stages are subdivided for quick calculation of evacuation time hierarchically. • Evacuation time calculation and computational configuration under dual supporting of theoretical model and software simulation. • The alterations in staircase capacity, stair width and landing area are addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans plan their movements mainly based on visual information. However, agents in few existing evacuation models perceive the environment by using visual information. To obtain the visual features of an individual in a discrete field, a Dynamic Scanning Algorithm (DSA) is proposed. DSA introduces the ray-scanning of LIDAR, a "laser" is released by an agent to detect the nearest object that intersects it. By pre-storing the grids crossed by the rays, the efficiency of DSA is significantly improved. Using the scan results as inputs, an evacuation model has been developed based on the Deep Reinforcement Learning with Double Q-learning (DDQN). The parameters of DSA are calibrated at first, and a group of parameters with a good balance between efficiency and accuracy are recommended. Furthermore, the fundamental diagram is reproduced to calibrate the reward values in DDQN. At last, trajectories and behaviors in the model are studied by using the calibrated parameters. Results show that the movement trajectories are affected by visible distances and reward values, and some effectiveness are consistent with that in experiments. Besides, the exit selection behavior and the lane formation behavior are observed in simulation without introducing any special designed rules. DSA provides a new method to obtain the first-person environmental information in discrete field, and the DSA&DDQN based model defines a new ray-scan-based evacuation modeling scheme. • Propose a Dynamic Scanning Algorithm to obtain the environmental information in discrete features field. • By pre-storing the grids crossed by the rays, the efficiency of DSA is significantly improved. • An evacuation model has been developed based on a reinforcement learning algorithm by using the scan results as inputs. • The fundamental diagram, trajectories and behaviors of specific evacuation scenarios are reproduced by the model. • The DSA&DDQN based model defines a new ray-scan-based evacuation modeling scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The merging flow happens when pedestrians coming from the stair (referred to as stair crowd) encounter those coming from the floor (referred to as floor crowd) on the stair landing, which is usually thought to significantly reduce movement efficiency during building evacuation. However, currently investigations on it are still rare especially the experimental ones with trajectories. In this paper, characteristics of stair landing merging flow are analyzed, based on precise trajectories extracted from the heads through a controlled experiment. Due to the interference of floor crowd, the average path of stair crowd in merging flow experiment is less smooth, compared with that in experiment with no merging flow. Pedestrian total travel time and total travel distance on the stair landing exhibit a linear relation, but the fitting functions are varied depending on the movement directions (ascent and descent), merging conditions (with and without merging flow), and crowd types (floor crowd and stair crowd). The sum of flow rates for stair crowd and floor crowd before merging is larger than the flow rate of overall crowd after merging, due to the occurrence of congestion after merging. Microscopic fundamental diagrams based on Voronoi diagram for different movements are derived and compared. For movements without merging flow, the speed on the stair landing is higher during descent movement. While for movements with merging flow, the speed on the stair landing is higher during ascent movement, which results from the higher speed for ascent floor crowd because ascent floor crowd is not affected by the transition from stair to landing when just stepping onto the stair landing and is less affected by the merging phenomenon. • A controlled experiment on pedestrian movements on the stair landing with and without merging flow is conducted. • The average walking path of stair crowd becomes less smooth with the interference of floor crowd. • Pedestrian total travel time and total travel distance on the stair landing exhibit a linear relation. • The average flow rate after merging is smaller than that before merging due to congestion after merging. • In our experimental setup, ascent floor crowd can move the fastest, leading to higher speed in ascent merging flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we conduct a single-file experiment on stairs under two motivations, namely normal walking condition and fast walking condition at various densities. Totally four types of movements are analyzed and compared, namely normal walking-ascending movement, normal walking-descending movement, fast walking-ascending movement and fast walking-descending movement. Compared with the normal walking condition, in fast walking condition pedestrians move with higher velocity, which can be clearly observed in color-coded trajectories and time–space diagrams. We further make pairwise comparisons of density–velocity and headway–velocity relations for four types of movement, and critical parameters such as minimum headway, adaptation time, critical headway and free-flow velocity are extracted. It is found that the adaptation time is negatively correlated with free-flow velocity, indicating that pedestrians under higher movement motivation have a stronger ability to adapt their velocities. Besides, the values of time to collision are smaller for ascending movement than descending movement, apart from those at high density. In addition, we also analyze the following behavior through the relation between velocities of two adjacent pedestrians. The correlation analysis indicates that velocities are most correlated in fast walking-descending movement, and least correlated in normal walking-ascending movement. It is hoped that our study can be useful for the modeling of stair motion and the design of building stairway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topoisomerase I is required for the proper expression of long genes (> 100 kb) in mouse and human cortical neurons, including many candidate genes for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) [1]. Given the important role of astrocytes in brain development [2], we investigated whether long genes, including autism susceptibility genes, also require topoisomerase I expression in human primary astrocytes. We carried genome-wide expression profiling of cultured human primary astrocytes following treatment with the topoisomerase I inhibitor Topotecan, using Illumina microarrays. We identified several thousands of differentially expressed genes and confirmed that topoisomerase I inhibition affects gene expression in human primary astrocytes in a length-dependent manner. We also identified over 20 ASD-associated genes that show topoisomerase-dependent gene expression in human primary astrocytes but have not been previously reported as topoisomerase-I-dependent in neurons. The microarray data have been deposited in NCBI GEO (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/) under accession number GSE90052.