Lighting preferences in office spaces concerning the indoor thermal environment

The accurate prediction of the visual comfort zone in an indoor environment is difficult as it depends on many parameters. This is especially the case for large compact urban areas in which the density and shadow from neighboring buildings can limit the accessible daylighting in indoor spaces. This paper investigates the satisfaction range for illuminance regarding indoor air temperature in office buildings and the significant parameters affecting this range in six office buildings in Tehran, Iran. Lighting comfort has been evaluated by a subjective survey (509 total responses) and field measurement. The questionnaires were filled out in 146 and 109 rooms in summer and winter, respectively. The results show that the illuminance should not be less than 550 lx, while illuminance between 600 and 650 lx provides the highest satisfaction level. The satisfaction with lighting level is affected by individual parameters such as age, type of activity, and environmental parameters such as window orientation, external obscurations, and season. A relationship was observed between lighting level satisfaction and thermal condition acceptance, and the overall comfort depends more on thermal conditions than the lighting level.     

Plastid Transformation of Micro-Tom Tomato with a Hemipteran Double-Stranded RNA Results in RNA Interference in Multiple Insect Species

Plant-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) holds great promise for insect pest control, as plants can be transformed to produce double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to selectively down-regulate insect genes essential for survival. For optimum potency, dsRNA can be produced in plant plastids, enabling the accumulation of unprocessed dsRNAs. However, the relative effectiveness of this strategy in inducing an RNAi response in insects using different feeding mechanisms is understudied. To investigate this, we first tested an in vitro-synthesized 189 bp dsRNA matching a highly conserved region of the v-ATPaseA gene from cotton mealybug (Phenacoccus solenopsis) on three insect species from two different orders that use leaf-chewing, lacerate-and-flush, or sap-sucking mechanisms to feed, and showed that the dsRNA significantly down-regulated the target gene. We then developed transplastomic Micro-tom tomato plants to produce the dsRNA in plant plastids and showed that the dsRNA is produced in leaf, flower, green fruit, red fruit, and roots, with the highest dsRNA levels found in the leaf. The plastid-produced dsRNA induced a significant gene down-regulation in insects using leaf-chewing and lacerate-and-flush feeding mechanisms, while sap-sucking insects were unaffected. Our results suggest that plastid-produced dsRNA can be used to control leaf-chewing and lacerate-and-flush feeding insects, but may not be useful for sap-sucking insects.     

Fast removal of Pb(II) and Cu(II) from contaminated water by groundwater treatment waste: impact of sorbent composition

ABSTRACT

A non-hazardous groundwater treatment waste (GWTW) was examined as a low-cost sorbent for Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions. The content of the dominant elements in GWTW was as follows: 78% Fe₂O₃, 7.4% P₂O₅, 7.4% CaO and 5.2% SiO₂. The removal of Pb(II) and Cu(II) was fast, and more than 67–95% of ions were accumulated by GWTW during the first 3 min. The sorption capacity of GWTW depends on solution pH, concentration and temperature. Equilibrium data fitted well with Langmuir–Freundlich and Langmuir-partition models. The inherently formed nano-adsorbent could be utilized for the treatment of water contaminated with Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions.     

A Review on the Radioprotective Activity of organogermanium and Organosilicon Compounds

The present review describes the work carried out during the last 20 years in the field of the radioprotective activity and toxicity of several classes of organosilicon and organogermanium compounds (i.e. metallathiazolidines, metalladithioacetals, metallatranes and germathianes).     

The Binding of Anionic Dyes by Cross-Linked Cationic Starches

Adsorption of anionic dyes on the cross-linked with epichlorohydrin starches containing quaternary ammonium groups (CCS) was investigated and compared with that of modified starches containing only quaternary ammonium groups (CS). The adsorption of anionic dyes on CS and CCS closely follows the Langmuir model of adsorption. The computed Langmuir saturation capacity Q _o increases with increasing degree of substitution (DS) of CS or CCS and has the value from 0.81 mol/kg to 3.22 mol/kg for CCS and from 0.88 mol/kg to 1.87 mol/kg for CS. The effectiveness of the cationic groups in dye binding was about 1 mol/equiv for CSS with DS from 0.47 to 0.62 and all the cationic groups had attached one anionic groups of the dye. Increasing DS of CS decreases the effectiveness of dye binding due to the increase in solubility of CS, and the soluble part of CS binds the dye as a typical soluble polyelectrolyte. CCS are more suitable than CS for the anionic dye adsorption from a textile dyeing solution. DS of CCS should be about 0.5–0.6. They adsorb the anionic dyes in few minutes and acts in the wide range of pH of the solutions. The Langmuir saturation capacity Q _o and the effectiveness of the cationic groups in dye binding increase with an increase of the adsorption temperature. The positive values of the enthalpy and entropy suggest that the adsorption is endothermic and during the adsorption of the anionic dye on CCS the randomness of the system increases.     

汽油中烃类物质的太赫兹时域光谱研究

本文应用太赫兹时域光谱技术研究了在室温氮气环境下催化裂化汽油中芳烃、烯烃的光学性质,以芳烃中二甲苯、均三甲苯及烯烃中二异丁烯为例,分析了含有不同浓度二甲苯、均三甲苯和二异丁烯的催化裂化汽油在太赫兹波段的光谱效应。结果表明,汽油中不同浓度的芳烃和烯烃具有不同的吸收谱和折射率特性。根据太赫兹光谱包含的特征信息能够对汽油中芳烃、烯烃成分进行定性分析,从而为汽油中烃含量的定量检测做基础。     

Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Chinese sumac (Rhus typhina L.) fruit extract

Sumac plant (Rhus typhina) is mainly used for forestation and gardening, whereas its fruit can be used to prepare a kind of beverage called “sumac-ade” and to treat gastrointestinal disorders. This study aimed at assaying the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of R. typhina growing in China. The antimicrobial activity of R. typhina fruit extract was tested against twelve strains including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as yeasts. The extract showed a strong antimicrobial activity with a concentration-dependence and a broad antimicrobial spectrum for all tested bacteria species. Bacillus cereus and Helicobacter pylori were found to be the most sensitive Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria respectively, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.10%. However, yeasts exhibited much lower sensitivity, with MICs of 0.60–0.75%. Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of the extract was investigated, including scavenging activity of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals (0.016 mg/ml as IC₅₀ value) and reducing power (IC₅₀ value of 0.041 mg/ml). To our knowledge, this is the first report on the biological activities of R. typhina fruit extract and our findings suggest the possibility of using the fruit of R. typhina as a novel source of natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agents for the food and pharmaceutical industries.     

Wild type mumps viruses circulating in China establish a new genotype

By analysing the nucleotide sequence of the SH genes of five mumps virus strains derived from the clinical specimens collected during the 1995/96 mumps epidemic in China a new genotype has been established. The circulating viruses showed divergence ranging from 0.8-4.5% at the nucleotide level and 3.5-12.3% at the amino acid level. In addition, a more rational approach has been taken in proposing genotype groupings to MuV strains.     

Stripping and recycling of metal ions in aqueous nitric acid solutions: Experimental and molecular dynamics insights

Stripping of metal ions (i.e., Cs⁺ and Na⁺) in presence of ionophore such as dibenzo-18-crown-6, (DB18C6) from the ionic liquid phase to the aqueous nitric acid phase by molecular dynamics simulation is reported. The experimentally determined stripping percentages of Na⁺ (i.e., 43.4, 38.5, 34.4, and 31.9%) were found to be higher than the same for Cs⁺ (i.e., 32.6, 32.0, 31.3, and 30.2%). The nonbonded and the hydrogen bond energies between Na⁺ and water (i.e., −356.41 and −363.77 kcal/mol) were higher when compared with Cs⁺ (i.e., −212.43 and −221.04 kcal/mol). The spatial distribution functions further confirmed that the surfaces of Na⁺ were very closely distributed around the active sides of water whereas for Cs⁺, it was distributed very far from the water molecules. In the penultimate section, the effect of methanol to the aqueous phase was studied so as to enhance the extraction efficiency of the complex.     

Microgrid finance,revenue, and regulation considerations

This article is intended to serve as an introduction to planning considerations for decision makers of critical public and large private infrastructures and assets pursuing microgrids. The specific planning considerations outlined in this article include gathering regulatory and financial information necessary to facilitate technical and economic analysis, project evaluation, and implementation. This will inform preliminary analysis, site screening, and feasibility studies, as well as provide an overview of financial mechanisms available for microgrids.