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Cooking with biomass fuels on open fires results in exposure to health-damaging pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and particulate matter.We compared CO exposures and urinary PAH biomarkers pre- and postintervention with an improved biomass stove, the Patsari stove.In a subsample of 63 women participating in a randomized controlled trial in central Mexico, we measured personal CO exposure for 8 hr during the day using continuous monitors and passive samplers. In addition, first-morning urine samples obtained the next day were analyzed for monohydroxylated PAH metabolites by gas chromatography/isotope dilution/high-resolution mass spectrometry. Exposure data were collected during the use of an open fire (preintervention) and after installation of the improved stove (postintervention) for 47 women, enabling paired comparisons.Median pre- and postintervention values were 4 and 1 ppm for continuous personal CO and 3 and 1 ppm for passive sampler CO, respectively. Postintervention measurements indicated an average reduction of 42% for hydroxylated metabolites of naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, and pyrene on a whole-weight concentration basis (micrograms per liter of urine), and a 34% reduction on a creatinine-adjusted basis (micrograms per gram of creatinine). Pre- and postintervention geometric mean values for 1-hydroxypyrene were 3.2 and 2.0 μg/g creatinine, respectively.Use of the Patsari stove significantly reduced CO and PAH exposures in women. However, levels of many PAH biomarkers remained higher than those reported among smokers.

Abstract Comprehensive analytical and numerical analyses were performed, focusing on anode water loss, cathode flooding, and water equilibrium for polymer electrolyte fuel cells. General features of water transport as a function of membrane thickness and current density were presented to illustrate the net effect of back-diffusion of water from the cathode to anode over a polymer electrolyte fuel cell domain. First, two-dimensional numerical simulation were performed, showing that the difference in molar concentration of water at the channel outlet is widened as the operating current density increases with a thin membrane ( Nafion ® 111), which was verified by Dong et al. [Distributed performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells under low-humidity conditions. J Electrochem Soc 2005; 152: A2114–22]. Then, analytical solutions were compared with computational results in predicting those characteristics of water transport phenomena. It was theoretically estimated that the high pressure operation of fuel cells expedites water condensing and results in shorter anode water loss and cathode flooding locations. In this study, it was also found that a thin membrane ( Nafion ® 111) facilitates water transport in the through-membrane direction and therefore water concentration at the anode and cathode channel outlets reaches an equilibrium state particularly at low operating current densities. Moreover, the difference in the anode water concentration between Nafion ® 111 and Nafion ® 115 membranes becomes intensified in the in-plane direction under the same water production condition, while the cathode water concentration profiles remains almost same.

Saussurea involucrata is a Mongolian medicinal plant well known for its effects in promoting blood circulation, and anti-inflammation and analgesic functions. Earlier studies reported that Saussurea involucrata has anti- cancer activity. The purpose of this study was to confirm the anticancer activity of an ethanol extract of Saussurea involucrata against hepatic cancer and elucidate its mechanisms of action. Hepatocellular carcinoma cells were tested in vitro for cytotoxicity, AO/EB staining for apoptotic cells, apoptotic DNA fragmentation and cell cycle distribution in response to Saussurea involucrata extract (SIE). The mRNA expression of caspase-3,-9 and Cdk2 and protein expression of caspase-3,-9, PARP, XIAP, Cdk2 and p21 were analyzed through real time PCR and Western blotting. Treatment with SIE inhibited HepG2 cell proliferation dose- and time-dependently, but SIE only exerted a modest cytotoxic effect on a viability of Chang human liver cells. Cells exposed to SIE showed typical hallmarks of apoptotic cell death. Cell cycle analysis revealed that SIE caused G1-phase arrest in HepG2 cells. In conclusion, Saussurea involucrata ethanol extract has potential cytotoxic and apoptotic effects on human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Its mechanism of action might be associated with the inhibition of DNA synthesis, cell cycle (G1) arrest and apoptosis induction through up-regulation of the protein expressions of caspase-3,-9 and p21, degradation of PARP and down-regulation of the protein expression of Cdk2 and XIAP.

Abstract With increasing concern for energy savings in universities, operational solutions, such as control strategies and occupant interventions, have been recommended to reduce energy use, due to the limited responsibilities of faculties and students for energy saving. Additionally, the energy-efficient allocation of classrooms can contribute to achieving further energy saving, because they have different spatial and functional capacities, which result in variation in energy use. In this context, course timetabling can be regarded as a basic source of allocating specific classrooms to lectures. However, there have been few attempts to consider spatial and functional capacities related to energy use in classrooms. Further, little is known about investigating the impact of course timetabling on energy consumption in classrooms. Therefore, this research proposes an energy efficiency-based course timetabling algorithm that identifies an optimal timetable in terms of energy use. The experimental results using the proposed algorithms make it evident that the optimal timetable produces 4% energy saving during cooling and heating season compared to the existing timetable. In addition, more energy savings up to 5.0% are achieved by mitigating hard constraints. The developed algorithm allows for administration staff and facility managers to schedule a course timetable that achieves energy savings in university buildings.

AbstractAn efficient organic sensitizer (JK‐306) featuring a planar indeno[1,2‐b]thiophene as the π‐linker of a bridging unit for dye‐sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) was synthesized. The sensitizer had a strong molar absorption coefficient and a red‐shifted absorption band compared with JK‐305, which resulted in a significant increase in the short‐circuit photocurrent density. We incorporated a highly congested bulky amino group into the 2′,4′‐dihexyloxybiphenyl‐4‐yl moiety, an electron donor, to diminish the charge recombination and to prevent aggregation of the sensitizer. Under standard AM 1.5G solar conditions, JK‐306‐sensitized cells in the presence of co‐adsorbents chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) and 4‐[bis(9,9‐dimethyl‐9H‐fluoren‐2‐yl)amino]benzoic acid (HC‐A), which afforded an overall conversion efficiency of 8.37 % and 8.52 %, respectively. Upon changing the I−/I3− electrolyte to the CoII/CoIII redox couple, the cell gave rise to a significantly improved conversion efficiency of 10.02 % with the multifunctional HC‐A, which is one of the highest values reported for DSSCs with a cobalt‐based electrolyte. Furthermore, the JK‐306‐based solar cell with a polymer gel electrolyte revealed a high conversion efficiency of 7.61 %, which is one of the highest values for cells based on organic sensitizers.

13 Pág. Global warming and the changes in environmental conditions such as temperature and salinity may affect the health of marine species. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly characterized. The objectives of the present study were to examine the liver transcriptome and proteome of the marine species, hybrid grouper (E. fuscoguttatus ♀ × E. lanceolatus ♂), to assess which physiological pathways are modulated by exposure to climate change-related stressors, how the responses vary with exposure duration, and whether they represent adaptive or maladaptive changes. To answer these questions, the hybrid grouper was subjected to single stressors (elevated temperatures, reduced salinity) or stressor combinations for 3 or 14 days. As endpoints, we examined changes in body and organ growth, liver histopathology, lipid accumulation, and alterations of the liver transcriptome and proteome. The results demonstrated that the elevated temperature resulted in reduced body weight and a reduced liver-somatic index after a 14-day exposure. The spleen-somatic index was significantly decreased compared to controls after 3-day treatment. At the transcriptomic level, the pathways with the greatest numbers of differentially expressed genes at day 3 of exposure were immune-related in all treatment groups. After 14 days of exposure, the transcriptomic and proteomic analyses showed that metabolic and protective processes became activated. The increased lipid droplet accumulation in the hepatocytes is corroborated by the transcriptomic/proteomic findings which show alterations in the pathways of lipid metabolism and fatty acid oxidation. While these changes may represent adaptive responses, the increase of hepatic lipid accumulation despite an overall loss of liver and body weight may represent a maladaptive process. Overall, the physiological responses of the hybrid grouper showed a clear time dependency, and they were partly stressor-specific, with the low salinity treatment separating from the treatments with elevated temperature. When both stressors were combined, the temperature effect dominated the salinity effect. This work was sponsored by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2017YFA0604902 ) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41977211 ). The authors would like to thank Dr. Hongjian Tan for his discussion on future climate change. Peer reviewed

The purpose of this article is to compare the efficacy and safety of ethanol ablation and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) used as treatment of benign cystic thyroid nodules.Fifty-seven patients (44 women and 13 men) with benign cystic nodules (cystic portions > 90%) inducing pressure symptoms or cosmetic problems were treated with ethanol ablation (n = 36) or RFA (n = 21). Ethanol ablation was performed using 16- or 18-gauge needles with 95-99% ethanol, and RFA used a cooled-electrode RFA system and 17- or 18-gauge internally cooled electrodes. Of nine viscous nodules, five were treated with ethanol ablation and four with RFA, with all except for one nodule in the RFA group being treated only after evacuation of internal colloid material. Nodule volume, symptom score (0-10), cosmetic score (1-4), and complications were evaluated before and after treatment.Both ethanol ablation and RFA resulted in significant decreases in nodule volume (p < 0.001), symptom score (p < 0.001), and cosmetic score (p < 0.001). There were no between-group differences in mean volume reduction (p = 0.15), decreases in symptoms (p = 0.53), cosmetic scores (p = 0.69), or therapeutic success rate (p = 0.61). However, the mean number of treatment sessions was significantly lower in the ethanol ablation than in the RFA group (p = 0.026). No serious complications were encountered in either group.Ethanol ablation yielded similar results with fewer treatment sessions compared with RFA. Because ethanol ablation is also less expensive and simpler to perform than RFA, our findings suggest that ethanol ablation, rather than RFA, should be the first-line treatment technique for benign predominantly cystic thyroid nodules.

People of developing countries especially from rural area are commonly exposed to high levels of household pollution for 3-7 h daily using biomass in their kitchen. Such biomass produces harmful smoke and makes indoor air pollution (IAP). Community-based cross-sectional study was performed to identify effects of IAP by simplified measurement approach in Sunsari District of Nepal. Representative samples of 157 housewives from household, involving more than 5 years in kitchen were included by cluster sampling. Data were analyzed by SPSS and logistic regression was applied for the statistical test. Most (87.3%) housewives used biomass as a cooking fuel. Tearing of eyes, difficulty in breathing, and productive cough were the main reported health problems and traditional mud stoves and use of unrefined biomass were statistically significant (p  2) with health problems related to IAP. The treatment cost and episodes of acute respiratory infection was >2 folders higher in severe IAP than mild IAP. Simplified measurement approach could be helpful to measure IAP in rural area. Some effective intervention is suggested to reduce the severe level of IAP considering women and children.