Molecular mechanisms and cellular process in signal transduction pathway related to air pollutants in obstructive lung diseases:A mini-review

Exposure to air pollutants such as PM_(10),PM_(2.5),PM_(0.1),O_(3),CO,NO2,and SO_(2),and biological pollutants are important factors causing the evolution and furtherance of obstructive lung diseases(OLD),including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD).Asthma is the most frequent chronic inflammatory airway disease,characterized by breathlessness,wheezing,chest tightness,and cough,together with the presence of exaggerated expiratory airflow fluctuation that varies over time.COPD is a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea,cough,expectoration,and/or exacerbations due to abnormalities of the airways and/or alveoli that cause persistent,often progressive,airflow obstruction.Understanding the molecular mechanisms and cellular processes based on the development of OLD on exposure to air pollutants will provide insights into the solution of pathogenesis,prevention,and treatment of these conditions.The molecular mechanisms and cellular process involved in signal transduction pathway plays a role in the binding of extracellular signaling molecules and ligands to receptors placed on the cell surface or on the inner side cell that trigger inflammation that occurs,especially when something important enters the cell to bring into a cascade response.This binding then alters the cell metabolism,shape,and gene expression in the airway.This review aimed to reveal the effect of air pollutants on the molecular mechanisms and cellular processes involved in the signal transduction pathways in OLD.

Evaluation of Effluent Discharge from Steel Manufacturing Industries on the Proliferating Environmental Degradation in Nairobi Metropolitan in the Republic of Kenya

The overall objective of this study was to establish the effects of steel industrial effluent on Nairobi metropolitan water system and its impact to the society. The study sought to identify various types of wastes produced by factories, assess how the waste generated is managed and disposed, examine the effects of effluent discharge on Nairobi River and finally propose mitigation measures. The research adopted a qualitative design and employed a number of methods: direct observations, document reviews to content analysis of the past studies, which in the end generated invaluable data. The study revealed that there are four categories of waste generated: solid waste, liquid waste, footbath chemicals as well as thermal wastes. It was also found that waste management in place was not effective enough leading to water and soil pollution. Other causes of pollution were found out to emanate from gasses contamination to the air and chemicals used during steel processing. The findings will inform the community of the harmful effects of untreated water and how it impacts on their health and productivity. It will also help the stakeholders in the environmental conservation to articulate issues of policy and influence agenda setting in the national and sub-national levels.

Research on the Relationship Between Environmental and Economic Coupling Systems in Bohai Bay Area Based on a Vector Autoregression(VAR)Model

This study analyzed the impact of land-based contaminants and tertiary industrial structure on economic development in the selected Bohai Bay area,China.Based on panel data spanning 2011-2020,a vector autoregressive(VAR)model is used to analyze and forecast the short-run and long-run relationships between three industrial structures,pollutant discharge,and economic development.The results showed that the environmental index had a long-term cointegration relationship with the industrial structure economic index.Per capital chemical oxygen demand(PCOD)and per capita ammonia nitrogen(PNH_(3)N)had a positive impact on delta per capita GDP(dPGDP),while per capita solid waste(PSW),the secondary industry rate(SIR)and delta tertiary industry(dTIR)had a negative impact on dPGDP.The VAR model under this coupling system had stability and credibility.The impulse response results showed that the short-term effect of the coupling system on dPGDP was basically consistent with the Granger causality test results.In addition,variance decomposition was used in this study to predict the long-term impact of the coupling system in the next ten periods(i.e.,ten years).It was found that dTIR had a great impact on dPGDP,with a contribution rate as high as 74.35%in the tenth period,followed by the contribution rate of PCOD up to 3.94%,while the long-term contribution rates of PSW,SIR and PNH3N were all less than 1%.The results show that the government should support the development of the tertiary industry to maintain the vitality of economic development and prevent environmental deterioration.

Analysis of the Impact of Big Data Technology on Environmental Pollution Control Audit

As China strives towards the second centenary goal,increasing attention is being paid to environmental pollution and other related issues.Concurrently,with the rapid development of big data technology,many big data solutions have been applied to environmental pollution control audits,exerting a significant impact.This paper presents the current situation of environmental pollution audits,summarizing the application of big data from the perspectives of both domestic and international research.In terms of data collection and data analysis for environmental pollution audits,cloud platform technology,and visualization technology are selected based on multiple data sources.The impact in the field of environmental pollution control audits is further analyzed.It is found that the environmental pollution audit cloud platform is not yet perfect,the technical skills of audit personnel are insufficient,and some technologies are not mature.Relevant suggestions are put forward to provide a reference for the future development of big data technology and its integration with environmental pollution control audits.

Severe Global Environmental Issues Caused by Canada’s Record-Breaking Wildfires in 2023

Due to the record-breaking wildfires that occurred in Canada in 2023,unprecedented quantities of air pollutants and greenhouse gases were released into the atmosphere.The wildfires had emitted more than 1.3 Pg CO_(2)and 0.14 Pg CO_(2)equivalent of other greenhouse gases(GHG)including CH4 and N_(2)O as of 31 August.The wildfire-related GHG emissions constituted more than doubled Canada’s planned cumulative anthropogenic emissions reductions in 10 years,which represents a significant challenge to climate mitigation efforts.The model simulations showed that the Canadian wildfires impacted not only the local air quality but also that of most areas in the northern hemisphere due to long-range transport,causing severe PM_(2.5)pollution in the northeastern United States and increasing daily mean PM_(2.5)concentration in northwestern China by up to 2μg m-3.The observed maximum daily mean PM_(2.5)concentration in New York City reached 148.3μg m-3,which was their worst air quality in more than 50 years,nearly 10 times that of the air quality guideline(i.e.,15μg m-3)issued by the World Health Organization(WHO).Aside from the direct emissions from forest fires,the peat fires beneath the surface might smolder for several months or even longer and release substantial amounts of CO_(2).The substantial amounts of greenhouse gases from forest and peat fires might contribute to the positive feedback to the climate,potentially accelerating global warming.To better understand the comprehensive environmental effects of wildfires and their interactions with the climate system,more detailed research based on advanced observations and Earth System Models is essential.

Nexus between air travel and environmental degradation in BRICS Countries:A tourism perspective

International tourism is highly dependent on air travel,which enhances destination countries’economic growth and living standards while causing environmental degradation.This study investigates the effect of air travel on environmental degradation in BRICS nations.The study used feasible generalized least squares(FGLS)to evaluate the environmental Kuznets curve using data spanning 1995 to 2018.The study finds evidence of N-shaped EKC in the economies of the BRICS nations.We also find a positive relationship between tourism,urbanization,and environmental degradation(as measured by CO_(2) and SO_(2) emissions from civil aviation)and a negative relationship between economic development and environmental degradation.To achieve sustainable growth and environmental protection and promote green technology,the BRICS governments should devise policies that address the aviation industry’s short-and long-term needs.

The impact of political connections on firm pollution: New evidence based on heterogeneous environmental regulation

Increasing attention has been focused on the extent to which corporate political connections influence the growing pollution due to the rapid growth in the popularity of firm pollution in developing countries.We adopt a static threshold regression model to investigate the effects of heterogeneous environmental regulation on political connections and firm pollution based on the panel data from China’s A-share listed companies from 2012 to 2019.The empirical results show a non-linear relationship between the degree of political connection of listed company executives and the level of firm pollution.And the relationship between the two roughly presents a U-shaped relationship under the action of the marketincentive environmental regulation threshold.However,it roughly presents an inverted N-shaped relationship under the action of the command-control environmental regulation threshold.Additionally,the group test results show that the existence of regional and ownership heterogeneity causes certain differences in the environmental behaviour of politically connected enterprises.These findings indicate that diverse environmental regulations are needed to promote sustainable green development and to further expand the theoretical and practical exploration of political connections on firm pollution.

Air pollutants and greenhouse gases emission inventory for power plants in the Antarctic

Emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in Antarctica from power plants with diesel generators(the main sources of energy at Antarctic research stations and the main stationary sources of anthropogenic emissions in the Antarctic)were assessed.A bottom-up approach was used to compile an emission inventory for the Antarctic.This involved estimating emissions at various spatial levels by sequentially aggregating estimate emissions from point emission sources.This is the first time this approach has been proposed and used.Emissions of CO2,NOx,particulate matter(PM10),and CO in the modern period were estimated at the research station,geographic region,natural domain,biogeographic region,continent section,and whole continent scales.Yearly emissions are presented here,but the approach allows emissions at different averaging periods to be estimated.This means mean or maximum yearly,monthly,daily,or hourly emissions can be estimated.The estimates could be used to model pollutant transmission and dispersion,assess the impacts of pollutants,and develop emission forecasts for various scenarios.

Prevention and Control Measures of Environmental Pollution Problem Caused by Dairy Farming in Inner Mongolia

Environmental pollution problem generated in dairy farming process is the bottleneck restricting development of animal husbandry. By using the investigation data from dairy farmers of Inner Mongolia,environmental pollution problem generated by dairy farming in Inner Mongolia and its cause were analyzed,and prevention and control measures were put forward. The research result showed that weak technology support of environmental treatment and environmental-protection awareness of dairy farmer and bad application effect of pollution control technology caused by lower education degree of dairy farmer were main reasons for environmental pollution problem. We should develop dairy circular economy,advocate a moderate scale,scientifically breed,and enhance training of pollution control technology and propaganda to protect environment.

Misperception and pro-environmental behaviors of the Chinese public toward air pollution

This study analyzes the misperceptions of the Chinese public about air pollution levels and other potential predictors of participation in pro-environmental behaviors based on the 2013 Chinese General Social Survey(CGSS).In this paper,misperception is defined as the difference between subjective perceptions of air pollution and measurements through objective monitoring.We find that pessimistic respondents are more likely to participate in pro-environmental behaviors.The media use and evaluation of the environmental performance of the local government significantly stimulate pro-environmental participation.The results reveal that knowledge and concern about the environment can mitigate the negative effect of optimistic bias on pro-environmental behaviors.In regions where environmental information is widely available,environmental pessimists are especially more likely to participate in such activities.This finding suggests that the government should provide not only accurate information about environmental pollution but also relevant education to enhance the environmental awareness of the public and stimulate pro-environmental participation.

Ionic Liquid Assisted Extraction of Nitrogen and Sulphur-Containing Air Pollutants from Model Oil and Regeneration of the Spent Ionic Liquid

Removal of air pollutants, such as nitrogen and sulphur containing compounds from a model oil (dodecane) was studied. An ionic liquid (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [C2mim] [Cl]) was used as an extractant. Liquid-liquid extraction by using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [C2mim] [Cl] was found to be a very promising method for the removal of N- and S-compounds. This was evaluated by using a model oil (dodecane) with indole as a neutral nitrogen compound and pyridine as a basic nitrogen compound. Dibenzothiophene (DBT) was used as a sulphur compound. An extraction capacity of up to 90 wt% was achieved for the model oil containing pyridine, while only 76 wt% of indole in the oil was extracted. The extraction capacity of a model sulphur compound DBT was found to be up to 99 wt%. Regeneration of the spent ionic liquid was carried out with toluene back-extraction. A 1:1 toluene-to-IL wt ratio was performed at room temperature. It was observed that, for the spent ionic liquid containing DBT as a model compound more than 85 wt% (corresponding 3852 mg/kg) could be removed from the oil. After the second regeneration cycle, 86 wt% of the DBT was recovered from the ionic liquid to toluene. In the case of indole as the nitrogen containing species, more than 99 wt%, (corresponding to 2993 mg/kg) of the original indole was transferred from the model oil to the ionic liquid. After the first-regeneration cycle of the spent ionic liquid, 54 wt% of the indole–in-IL was transferred to toluene. Thus, both extractions of nitrogen and sulphur model compounds were successfully carried out from model oil and the back-extraction of these compounds from the ionic liquids to toluene demonstrated the proved the concept of the regeneration point of view.

Analysis of the Game for the Air Pollution in the Perspective of the Amendment about Environmental Law

The haze has become the necessary thing to talk about everywhere for the Chinese people nowadays and the main report object in the news. It becomes increasingly urgent to develop the circular economy and build a beautiful China. But there exists secretly a game between the central and local governments when the air protection is enforced. The central government calls for implementing the total control system of the key pollutant emission,but the local governments are blandly ignoring the central government＇s requirement as they have to face the pressures of the assessment and performance. And the games among the local governments at the same level and between the governments and enterprises lead that the existing incentive policy through the legislation is inefficiency in China. The amendment about Environmental Law has laid foundation of the legal system for it.

Big Data Analytics with Artificial Intelligence Enabled Environmental Air Pollution Monitoring Framework

Environmental sustainability is the rate of renewable resourceharvesting, pollution control, and non-renewable resource exhaustion. Airpollution is a significant issue confronted by the environment particularlyby highly populated countries like India. Due to increased population, thenumber of vehicles also continues to increase. Each vehicle has its individualemission rate;however, the issue arises when the emission rate crosses thestandard value and the quality of the air gets degraded. Owing to the technological advances in machine learning (ML), it is possible to develop predictionapproaches to monitor and control pollution using real time data. With thedevelopment of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data Analytics (BDA),there is a huge paradigm shift in how environmental data are employed forsustainable cities and societies, especially by applying intelligent algorithms.In this view, this study develops an optimal AI based air quality prediction andclassification (OAI-AQPC) model in big data environment. For handling bigdata from environmental monitoring, Hadoop MapReduce tool is employed.In addition, a predictive model is built using the hybridization of ARIMAand neural network (NN) called ARIMA-NN to predict the pollution level.For improving the performance of the ARIMA-NN algorithm, the parametertuning process takes place using oppositional swallow swarm optimization(OSSO) algorithm. Finally, Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS)classifier is used to classify the air quality into pollutant and non-pollutant.A detailed experimental analysis is performed for highlighting the betterprediction performance of the proposed ARIMA-NN method. The obtainedoutcomes pointed out the enhanced outcomes of the proposed OAI-AQPCtechnique over the recent state of art techniques.

Analysis on the Variation of Urban Heat Island Intensity and Its Relationships with Air Pollutants in Kunming,China

[ Objective] The research aimed to study variation of the urban heat island （UHI） intensity and its relationships with air pollutants in Kunming. [ Method] Observation data of the air temperature series from Kunming station and surrounding Taihuashan meteorological station were used to investigate the variation characteristics of UHI intensity in Kunming during 2001 -2010. Meanwhile, relationship between UHI intensity and air quality on the basis of concentration data for primary air pollutants （SO2, NO2 and PMlo ） from environmental monitoring station of Kunming was studied in this paper. [Result] Annual mean UHI intensity increased at the rate of 0.110 ℃/10 a, and UHI intensity was higher in dry season than that in rainy season. The change trend of air pollutants level in Kunming was in accordance with that of the UHI intensity. When UHI intensity reached peak value, air pollutants showed high concentration. UHI intensity had significantly positive correlation with air pollutants level. Annual mean UHI intensity had significantly positive correlation with PMlo level under the likelihood of 95%, but monthly mean UHI intensity had significantly positive correlation with NO2 level under the likelihood of 99%. In addition, annual statistics days with Grade I air quality obviously decreased with the strengthenment of UHI intensity. Therefore, air quality in Kunming City tumed more deteriorated with the enhancement of UHI intensity. [ Conclusion] The research findings provided a valid scientific basis for the mitigation of UHI and improvement of the atmospheric environment in Kunming.

Analysis of the relationship between environmental policies and air quality during major social events

Based on an analysis of major recent social events in China,such as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games,2010 Shanghai World Expo,2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games,and 2014 Beijing Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference,mandatory,temporary,and indemnificatory quantitative policies aimed at protecting air quality,which were carried out by both central and local governments,made substantial contributions to changes and improvements in air quality.To some extent,the findings show that command and control measures play a significant role in protecting air quality,while the law and economic and voluntary environmental safeguard measures do not during major social events.Therefore,it reminds us the air quality could and will improve not only during major social events but also in the regular days if we implement appropriate environmental policies and safeguard measures.

Study on determination of environmental pollutants(nitrophenols)

Ｓｔｕｄｙｏｎｄｅｔｅｒｍｉｎａｔｉｏｎｏｆｅｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔａｌｐｏｌｕｔａｎｔｓ（ｎｉｔｒｏｐｈｅｎｏｌｓ）ＹｕＹｏｎｇ，ＺｈａｎｇＺｈｅｎｍａｎ，ＰａｎＸｕｎｘｉ，ＬｉＣｈａｎｇｌｉｎ，ＨｏｕＨｕｉｑｉＥｎｖｉｒｏｎｍｅｎｔａｌＳｃｉｅｎｃ...

Oxidation Performance of Ytterbium Disilicate/Silicon Environmental Barrier Coating via Optimized Air Plasma Spraying

Environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) play a critical role in mitigating the degradation of SiCf/SiC ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) in complex combustion environment, and improve the service life of thermal engine components. In this paper, by adjusting the parameters of atmospheric plasma spraying (APS), the spraying process of ytterbium disilicate (Yb2Si2O7) under a lower power has been optimized. A two-layer EBC system consisting of ytterbium disilicate and silicon is prepared on the SiCf/SiC composite substrate by using optimized technological parameters. The thermal resistance and water oxygen corrosion resistance of such two-layer EBC system are investigated. The results indicate that the current ytterbium disilicate/silicon EBC system exhibits good phase stability, excellent water vapor and oxygen corrosion resistance. However, the exposed silicon bonding layer tends to generate an excessive thermal growth oxide (TGO) layer known as SiO2, leading to an early spallation of the coating.

Study on Air Quality and Spatial and Temporal Distribution Characteristics of Air Pollutants in Sichuan Province from 2017 to 2021

Atmosphere is the basic environmental element on which human beings depend for survival and development,and its environmental quality is directly related to sustainable socio-economic development.China is currently in a period of accelerated urbanization,accompanied by industrialization and urbanization bringing environmental pollution problems more and more prominent.Therefore,it is particularly important to strengthen the management of atmospheric quality and improve the level of atmospheric environment.To this end,the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of AQI and six types of air pollutants in eight prefecture-level cities were analysed and studied using the month-by-month air quality monitoring data of Sichuan Province from 2017 to 2021.The results show that:(1)according to the Ambient Air Quality Standards,Chengdu,Mianyang,Zigong,Luzhou and Deyang do not meet the concentration limits of PM_(2.5),Zigong and Suining do not meet the concentration limits of PM_(10),Chengdu does not meet the concentration limits of NO_(2),and all eight cities meet the concentration limits of NO_(2)and SO_(2).(2)The seasonal concentration changes of PM_(2.5),PM_(10)and NO_(2)have the same characteristics,showing that they are winter>spring>autumn>summer.The seasonal concentration changes of CO are winter>autumn>spring>summer;the seasonal concentration changes of SO_(2)are winter>spring>summer>autumn;the seasonal concentration changes of O_(3)are summer>spring>autumn>winter.

Seaberry (<i>Hippophae rhamnoides L.</i>) and Water Lily (<i>Nymphaeaceae</i>) Extracts Protect Human Skin against Blue Light, Environmental Pollutants and UV-A Irradiations in an <i>Ex Vivo</i>Model System

Background: The skin is the outer shell of the mammalian body and it is continuously exposed to a large spectrum of external stimuli including sun irradiation and atmospheric pollutants. These factors present deleterious effects on the cutaneous compartment by altering the skin barrier functions and accelerating the aging of the skin. Objectives: The goal of this study was to investigate the activity of Seaberry and Water Lily extracts, here called Dermina complex, against different external stresses. Methods: Human skin explants were exposed to different stimuli including delipidation by organic solvents, blue light, atmospheric pollutants and UV-A. The activity of the Seaberry and Water Lily extracts was assessed by immunohistochemistry and by biochemical assays. Results: We showed that Dermina complex prevents the delipidation-induced filaggrin decrease, suggesting that these plant extracts exhibited barrier function protecting properties. Also, we observed that Dermina complex showed an antioxidant and DNA protection activity by decreasing the activated form of Nrf2, the oxidized proteins and the formation of γ-H2AX induced upon stress conditions. The Dermina complex also decreased the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1 alpha released in the culture medium following atmospheric pollutants and UV-A exposure confirming its anti-inflammatory activity. Moreover, Dermina complex reduced the blue light-induced overexpression of opsin 3, indicating that its skin protection activities may be due, in part, to filter property against environmental stresses. Conclusions: Dermina complex shows a protective activity of the skin against different environmental stresses and these extracts may be able to slow down the aging process of the cutaneous compartment.

Seasonal Influence in Traffic-Related Air Pollutants Concentrations in Urban Parks from Porto Alegre,Brazil

Traffic-related air pollution is an alarming source of pollutants exposure and consequently to the development of several adverse health effects. Otherwise, green spaces are reported to improve health status. Although, in an urban scenario most of these areas are located near air pollutants sources, as vehicle fleet. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine, during one year, the levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) in the main parks from Porto Alegre—Brazil. This study focused on three urban parks: Germania, Moinhos de Vento and Marinha do Brasil Park. Nitrogen dioxide and ozone measurements were accessed by passive monitoring in four campaigns including all seasons and performed at distances of 0 m, 15 m, 30 m, 45 m, 60 m and 75 m from the main road at each park. NO2 and O3 concentration among the parks was not different (p > 0.05), as well as the mean concentration of NO2 and O3 of all parks in the six sites did not differ (p > 0.05). However, season 1 and 3 showed increased NO2 and O3 concentration. Temperature were decreased in season 1 and 3 (p p > 0.05). Traffic flow was higher in Moinhos de Vento Park and Marinha do Brasil Park compared to Germania Park (p 2 and O3 concentration in urban parks from Porto Alegre.