Gasoline exhaust particles induce MMP1 expression via Nox4-derived ROS-ATF3-linked pathway in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Gasoline exhaust particles (GEP) are risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) is a transcription factor known to form a heterodimer with AP-1 transcription factors for its target gene expression. However, the involvement of ATF3 in GEP-induced gene expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) has not been investigated.

Understanding of enhanced nitrate in fine particles at agricultural sites in summer with high ammonia level.

Nitrate is one of the major constituents of fine particles and has not been effectively alleviated in Northeast Asia. Field measurements of various gases and the chemical composition of fine particles were conducted at two agricultural sites (cropland and livestock) in ammonia-rich environments to understand the effect of ammonia on nitric acid-nitrate partitioning using a thermodynamic model and to suggest a possible strategy to control total nitrate (i.e.

Effect of diesel exhaust particles on RANK/RANKL expression in in vivo and in vitro models of middle ear inflammation.

Objective: Increasing evidence suggests a link between middle ear inflammation and the development of diesel exhaust particles (DEPs). Chronic middle ear inflammation can lead to bone damage and remodeling. This study aimed to explore the impact of DEPs on the expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and RANKL under conditions of middle ear inflammation.

Rational design of hybrid sensor arrays combined synergistically with machine learning for rapid response to a hazardous gas leak environment in chemical plants.

Combinations of semiconductor metal oxide (SMO) sensors, electrochemical (EC) sensors, and photoionization detection (PID) sensors were used to discriminate chemical hazards on the basis of machine learning. Sensing data inputs were exploited in the form of either numerical or image data formats, and the classification of chemical hazards with high accuracy was achieved in both cases. Even a small amount of gas sensing or purging data (input for ∼30 s) input can be exploited in machine-learning-based gas discrimination.

Synergistic Integration of Machine Learning with Microstructure/Composition-Designed SnO and WO Breath Sensors.

A high-performance semiconductor metal oxide gas sensing strategy is proposed for efficient sensor-based disease prediction by integrating a machine learning methodology with complementary sensor arrays composed of SnO- and WO-based sensors. The six sensors, including SnO- and WO-based sensors and neural network algorithms, were used to measure gas mixtures. The six constituent sensors were subjected to acetone and hydrogen environments to monitor the effect of diet and/or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) under the interference of ethanol.

Proteomic analysis reveals activation of platelet- and fibrosis-related pathways in hearts of ApoE mice exposed to diesel exhaust particles.

Air pollution is an environmental risk factor linked to multiple human diseases including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). While particulate matter (PM) emitted by diesel exhaust damages multiple organ systems, heart disease is one of the most severe pathologies affected by PM. However, the in vivo effects of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) on the heart and the molecular mechanisms of DEP-induced heart dysfunction have not been investigated.

Characteristics of fine particles from incense burning at temple premises of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.

The impact of incense burning on ambient air quality was investigated by measuring the concentrations of fine particles (PM), elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), and their oxidative potential (OP) at three temple premises in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. These temples, namely, Bajrabarahi, Bagalamukhi, and Bhadrakali, are located in three distinct environments: forest, residential, and roadside, respectively. During the incense burning event days, the PM concentration at Bhadrakali (431.

Metal contents and size distributions of brake and tire wear particles dispersed in the near-road environment.

Traffic related non-tailpipe particulate matter emissions can rival the continuously decreasing tailpipe emissions in modern fleets. Non-tailpipe emissions have become the dominating source of traffic emissions in California already. This study measured ambient PM and PM concentrations at near road environments for two major highways in California, I-5 in Anaheim and I-710 in Long Beach.

KISTI remote control room for CDF and Belle II collider experiments.

Particle collider experiments would be continued even when one is not present at the laboratory (on-site). To achieve this, we require an e-Science paradigm of studying particle physics anytime anywhere. One of the components for establishing this paradigm is a remote control room for data acquisition (DAQ).

Diesel exhaust particles induce human umbilical vein endothelial cells apoptosis by accumulation of autophagosomes and caspase-8 activation.

Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) are risk factors for endothelial cells (ECs) dysfunction. However, the mechanism by which DEP induce ECs apoptosis remains unclear. Here, we investigated how DEP induce death of human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs), with a focus on the autophagy-mediated apoptotic pathway.

Chromism-Integrated Sensors and Devices for Visual Indicators.

The bifunctionality of chromism-integrated sensors and devices has been highlighted because of their reversibility, fast response, and visual indication. For example, one of the representative chromism electrochromic materials exhibits optical modulation under ion insertion/extraction by applying a potential. This operation mechanism can be integrated with various sensors (pressure, strain, biomolecules, gas, etc.

Morphological and chemical classification of fine particles over the Yellow Sea during spring, 2015-2018.

Airborne fine particles can affect climate change and human health; moreover, they can be transported over significant distances. However, studies on characteristics of individual particles and their morphology, elemental composition, aging processes, and spatial distribution after long-range transport over the Yellow Sea are limited. Therefore, in this study, we conducted shipborne measurements of fine particulate matter of less than 2.

Transcriptional analysis of gasoline engine exhaust particulate matter 2.5-exposed human umbilical vein endothelial cells reveals the different gene expression patterns related to the cardiovascular diseases.

Particulate matter (PM) causes several diseases, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Previous studies compared the gene expression patterns in airway epithelial cells and keratinocytes exposed to PM. However, analysis of differentially expressed gene (DEGs) in endothelial cells exposed to PM2.

Application of Single-Particle Mass Spectrometer to Obtain Chemical Signatures of Various Combustion Aerosols.

A single-particle mass spectrometer (SPMS) with laser ionization was constructed to determine the chemical composition of single particles in real time. The technique was evaluated using various polystyrene latex particles with different sizes (125 nm, 300 nm, 700 nm, and 1000 nm); NaCl, KCl, MgCO, CaCO, and AlO particles with different chemical compositions; an internal mixture of NaCl and KCl; and an internal mixture of NaCl, KCl, and MgCl with different mixing states. The results show that the SPMS can be useful for the determination of chemical characteristics and mixing states of single particles in real time.

When river water meets seawater: Insights into primary marine aerosol production.

The impact of inorganic salts and organic matter (OM) on the production of primary marine aerosols is still under debate. To constrain their impact, we investigated primary aerosols generated by a sea-spray generator chamber using surface water samples from rivers, estuaries, and seas that were collected along salinity gradients in two temperate Korean coastal systems and one Arctic coastal system. Salinity values showed an increasing trend along the river-estuary-coastal water transition, indicating the lowest amount of inorganic salts in the river but the highest amount in the sea.

Synthesis of vertically aligned wafer-scale tantalum disulfide using high-Ar/HS ratio plasma.

Nanostructural modification of two-dimensional (2D) materials has attracted significant attention for enhancing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity. In this study, the nanostructure of TaSfilms was controlled by controlling the Ar/HS gas ratio used in plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). At a high Ar/HS gas ratio, vertically aligned TaS(V-TaS) films were formed over a large-area (4 in) at a temperature of 250 °C, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the lowest temperature reported for PECVD.

Potential sources, scavenging processes, and source regions of mercury in the wet deposition of South Korea.

In this study, the potential sources, scavenging processes, and emission regions for Hg in wet deposition were investigated in rural (Jeju), suburban (Gwangju), and urban sites (Incheon and Seoul) of South Korea. The annual volume-weighted mean concentrations of Hg in wet deposition were four to five times higher in Incheon (16.6 ng L) and Seoul (22.

A Novel Path Planning Algorithm for Truck Platooning Using V2V Communication.

In truck platooning, the leading vehicle is driven manually, and the following vehicles run by autonomous driving, with the short inter-vehicle distance between trucks. To successfully perform platooning in various situations, each truck must maintain dynamic stability, and furthermore, the whole system must maintain string stability. Due to the short front-view range, however, the following vehicles' path planning capabilities become significantly impaired.

Application of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for detection of elements in flowback water samples from shale gas wells.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied to rapidly detect elements in flowback water samples from shale gas wells in Oklahoma. Two types of LIBS systems (aerosolization and collection on a substrate) were used. The LIBS with an aerosolization system provided rapid determination of elements in flowback water, but moisture present in the chamber and variation in the water droplet size could make quantification difficult.

Application of various cytotoxic endpoints for the toxicity prioritization of fine dust (PM2.5) sources using a multi-criteria decision-making approach.

Fine dust (PM2.5) is generated from various sources, and many studies have reported on the sources of PM2.5.