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Left-to-right differences in the histopathologic patterns of transthyretin-derived amyloid (ATTR) deposition in the atria of older adults have not yet been investigated. Hence, this study evaluated heart specimens from 325 serial autopsy subjects. The amount of ATTR deposits in the seven cardiac regions, including both sides of atria and atrial appendages, was evaluated semiquantitatively. Using digital pathology, we quantitatively evaluated the immunohistochemical deposition burden of ATTR in the myocardium. We identified 20 sporadic ATTR cardiac amyloidosis cases (nine males). All patients had ATTR deposition in the left atrial regions of the myocardium. In the semiquantitative analysis, 14 of the 20 cases showed more severe ATTR deposition on the left atrial regions than on the right side, with statistically significant differences in the pathology grading (p < 0.01 for both the atrium and atrial appendage). Quantitative analysis further supported the difference. Moreover, six had ATTR deposition in the epineurium and/or neural fibers of the atria. Cluster analysis revealed that ATTR deposition in the myocardium was significantly more severe in males than in females. The heterogeneous distribution of amyloid deposits between atria revealed in this study may impair the orderly transmission of the cardiac conduction system and induce arrhythmias, which may be further aggravated by additional neuropathy in the advanced phase. This impairment could be more severe among males. These findings emphasize that atrial evaluation is important for individuals with sporadic ATTR cardiac amyloidosis, particularly for early detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of school building typologies, along with the use of advanced glazing systems such as suspended particle devices (SPD), is crucial for determining visual comfort for students. Recent research has focused on integrating SPD in architectural elements such as skylights, clerestories, and windows. In hot desert climates, minimizing window areas, employing shading mechanisms, and utilizing daylighting features such as courtyards and atriums are practical. This study explores the optimization of various architectural components in classroom designs, including Window Wall Ratios (WWR), Skylight Ratios (SR), floor levels, cardinal orientation, and SPD switching states. Using a detailed and comprehensive radiance simulation via Rhino-Grasshopper and Colibri 2.0, we conducted a thorough analysis and optimization of the SPD glazing system across different states on both annual and hourly bases. The results indicate that optimizing SPD transmittance states between 30–40%, maintaining WWRs from 20–40%, and incorporating a large skylight ratio significantly enhances the recommended work plane illuminance (WPI) and the uniformity index (Ui) of the tested typologies. This optimization improves glare control across various building typologies and provides a roadmap for architects aiming to design learning spaces that prioritize visual comfort and overall student well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike adult mammalian cardiomyocytes, cardiomyocytes in teleosts display high proliferative capacity throughout adulthood. This study aimed to identify the immunohistochemical profiles of cardiomyocytes and immune cells in the hearts of Molly fish by assessing the immunolabelling expression of key proteins involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, and tissue protection. The cardiac anatomy of Molly fish includes the atrium, ventricle, and bulbus arteriosus. The expression of SOX9, NF-κB, myostatin, and S100 proteins in myocardial cells indicates the proliferative features of the heart in Molly fish. The bulbus arteriosus is characterized by collagenous chambers and smooth muscle cells that express Ach and iba1. The atrium of Molly fish serves as a storage unit for rodlet cells and immune cells. Rodlet cells displayed immunoreactivity to NF-κB, iba1, Olig2, Ach, and S100 proteins, suggesting their roles in the immune response within the heart. Furthermore, telocytes (TCs) have emerged as a significant component of the atrium of Molly fish, expressing Ach, CD68, S100 protein, and iba1. These expressions indicate the involvement of TCs in multiple signaling pathways that contribute to heart architecture. This study delineates the intricate relationship between cardiomyocytes and innate immune cells in Molly fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ventilation systems are mainly responsible for maintaining the quality of indoor air. Together with thermal comfort maintenance systems, they create appropriate conditions for living, working, learning, sleeping, etc., depending on the type of building. This explains the high popularity of research in this area. This paper presents a review of articles published in the years 2020–2023, which are indexed in the Scopus database and found with keywords "ventilation" and "thermal comfort" in conjunction with the type of building or predominant activity. Finally, 88 selected works for five types of buildings were discussed, namely offices, schools, hospitals, bedrooms, and atriums. Data on publications are summarized in the tables, taking into account the publishing year, country of origin of the authors, and keywords. In this way, the latest directions in research were presented, and research groups dealing with this subject were highlighted. For each type of building, synthetic conclusions were presented, summarizing the results of the analyzed research. This review paper would be helpful for scientists and practitioners in the field of ventilation in order to organize knowledge and in a short time be up to date with the latest research showing how ventilation affects the quality of use of buildings by their users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to investigate the impact exerted by different types of covering an atrium with glazing on the energy performance of a kindergarten building, provided by the authors as a conceptual design. The considered types of atria included an open atrium, a glazed atrium, and an atrium that operated as a hybrid system. Additionally, the following aspects were taken into consideration: the effect of a glazing-integrated PV system (BIPV); the variety of thermal features represented by the inner boundary between the conditioned and the unconditioned space (Uiu); and the atrium space air-exchange ratio (nue) on the energy balance of the building. Energy performance indicators, including energy demands for space heating and cooling (Eu), delivered energy (Ed), and primary energy (Ep) indicators for heating and cooling mode were estimated for the moderate climates and two locations of the building model, i.e., for Warsaw (Central Poland) and Ahlbeck (Northern Germany). The research results prove that the glazed atrium exerts the most beneficial impact on the energy performance of the building. Nevertheless, certain variables must be considered, especially the air-exchange ratio of the atrium space, as they significantly influence the total annual energy performance. The results obtained with regard to the effect exerted by the presence of BIPV systems differ from those usually expected. This is due to the effect of the total solar-energy-transmittance value (g) modulation caused by the system and, finally, by a significant reduction in passive solar-gain harvesting, which is important for heating-mode results in examined climate conditions. Taking the present analysis into account, it can be concluded that the energy and environmental effects of the glazed integrated PV systems in temperate climates are strongly influenced by the environmental conditions, and, in some cases, these solutions may prove to be not efficient enough in terms of the energy and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the variation in left atrial (LA) and biventricular strain and its prognostic value in the course of suspected myocarditis, this retrospective study included 55 patients with clinically suspected myocarditis who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) examinations at baseline and follow-up periods. Cine images were used for feature tracking analysis. Paired Student's t test, McNemar's test, and Cox proportional hazard regression were used for statistical analysis. The LA total emptying fraction was the only functional index that showed a statistically significant improvement. The initial LA peak's late negative strain rate (SRa) was the only parameter with a significant predictive power of major adverse cardiac events under univariable (hazard ratio [HR] 2.396, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.044–5.498, p = 0.039) and multivariable Cox survival analysis when adjusted by LA strain parameters (HR 5.072, 95% CI 1.478–17.404, p = 0.010), LA strain and functional parameters (HR 7.197, 95% CI 1.679–30.846, p = 0.008), and LA and biventricular strain and functional parameters (HR 10.389, 95% CI 2.250–47.977, p = 0.003). Thus, our findings indicate that CMR strain is useful for monitoring LA and ventricular function in suspected myocarditis, that LA function may recover preceding ventricular function changes, and that LA strain may serve as an incremental tool to predict adverse outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atriums play an irreplaceable role within the plan of modern commercial buildings. However, the presence of skylights makes the atrium suffer from unfavorable conditions such as overheating, high energy consumption, and glare, which can be partially reduced by the sun-shading design of skylights. In this paper, we conducted a field test and questionnaire survey on the daylight quality of commercial buildings in cold zones in China to find out the current problems of daylight quality in atriums and to establish a model of commercial atrium. After the dynamic daylight and energy consumption simulation, the sensitivity analysis of daylight and energy performance is performed for the skylight and shading (SAS) design parameters under three shading types. Finally, the Pareto front solution set of optimized commercial atrium daylight, visual comfort, and energy performance for the three shading types has been obtained using a multi-objective search tool. The results show that SRR has the greatest effect on sDA, DGP, and EUI in all shading cases; while SGT has a greater effect on EUI than on daylight quality; FC has a greater effect on EUI than FV on EUI; and LS and LI have a more significant influence on daylight and visual comfort. The optimal SAS values of no shading, fabric shading and louvered shading were screened as SRR is 0.4–0.5, SGT is Double silver Low-E insulating glass; SRR is 0.5–0.6, SGT is Double silver Low-E insulating glass, FV is 0.5–0.7, FC is 0.5–0.6; SRR is 0.6–0.7, SGT is Double silver Low-E insulating glass, LS is 100 mm/125 mm, and LI is 60–70°. It is expected that this study will provide some information and reference for the design of commercial atriums in cold zones in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the detailed design of the passive design of the geometric parameters of the atrium, it is beneficial to achieve the design goal of a nearly zero-energy building. In the architectural design stage, the geometric design parameters of the atrium are verified and evaluated with different objectives such as energy consumption, carbon emissions, and costs, and then the most appropriate solution according to different design requirements is selected, which can reduce energy consumption and save costs. This paper proposes a method to optimize the energy consumption of a building's atrium. Taking Jinan City as an example, this paper conducted 1260 energy consumption simulations for buildings with different geometric parameters of the atrium, based on the investigation of the geometric scale and energy consumption of the multi-story office buildings with near-zero energy consumption in cold areas with atriums. The degree of influence of each parameter on building energy consumption was determined. Finally, the parameter selection combination with the best effect is proposed. The results show that the selected four parameters are significantly related to energy consumption, and a new atrium design parameter was found through the combined analysis of the parameters: the body shape coefficient of the atrium. It was found that the importance of atrium design parameters on building energy consumption is as follows: the body shape coefficient of the atrium, the height-span ratio of the atrium (DSR), the atrium building volume ratio (VR), the skylight area ratio (SR), the atrium width-to-depth ratio (FDR). Seven groups of optimal design parameters were obtained by analyzing the design decisions with energy consumption as the target. Taking carbon emission and cost as the targets, three groups of optimal design parameters were obtained according to the Pareto frontier solution set, such as DSR = 2, VR = 0.13, SR = 0.1, and FDR = 2.5. It provides some references and ideas for the optimization of the energy consumption of the atrium of multi-story nearly zero-energy office buildings in the cold regions of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transforming historical listed buildings into workplaces is a serious challenge, particularly for buildings with relatively small windows in the façades, which determine scarce daylighting indoors. This paper studied how daylighting can be significantly increased in a case-study historical building through rooflighting systems, as the façade cannot be modified. The case-study was a historic and iconic warehouse built-in 1681 in Trondheim, Norway. The optimized configuration was analyzed in terms of daylight amount and view analysis, according to EN 17037 and to LEED v4.1 protocol. A critical evaluation of the actual applicability of the optimized Scenario in the real building was carried out along with the constructors. A 3D model was built in Rhinoceros, and daylighting simulations of the base-case (the building in the existing configuration) and for 6 alternative Scenarios were run through Climate Studio. The following metrics were calculated: Daylight Factor (DF), Spatial Daylight Autonomy (sDA), Annual Sunlight Exposure (ASE), and views. An optimized configuration was eventually identified through the Galapagos component in Grasshopper, with an average DF value of 2.7% (against 0.9% in the base-case configuration), higher than the target DFm of 2.4% for Norway), and a sDA value of 50.2% (14.2% in base-case configuration). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surgical removal of tumors of the atrium is challenging due to their deep location, vascularization, and to their complex three-dimensional relationships with the highly functional white matter fibers of the region. To assess the feasibility and the effectiveness of the ipsilateral interhemispheric transprecuneus approach (IITA) for tumors involving the atrium and the posterior third of the temporal horn, a retrospective chart review of all patients who had undergone a surgical treatment for intraventricular tumors between January 2008 and January 2017 was performed, and the step-by-step approach is described. Ten patients affected by lesions of the atrium of the lateral ventricle underwent surgical treatment, seven of which were approached through the IITA. The mean age was 42.8 years (range 6–63 years). The symptoms presented included severe, drug-resistant headache (90%), lateral homonymous hemianopsia (50%), seizures (30%), and speech disturbances (30%). Histological examinations revealed seven patients with meningioma (70%), one with a metastasis (10%), one with a choroid plexus papilloma (10%) and one with a cavernoma (10%). In all cases, a gross total removal was obtained. All patients had a significant improvement in their headache. Two patients experienced a worsening of the pre-operative visual disturbances, while two patients had a significant improvement. No patients without pre-operative visual disturbances described a post-operative worsening of visual symptoms. The IITA represents a feasible approach for tumors of the atrium. The three-quarter prone position facilitates the enlargement of the interhemispheric fissure by increasing the working angle and facilitating the exposure of the lateral wall of the atrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of urbanization, more and more commercial buildings are built in cities, which is resulting in a large amount of building energy consumption that threatens the ecological environment of the earth. Lighting energy in commercial buildings occupies a large proportion of consumption, and improving the quality of natural daylight in commercial atriums is of great significance for building energy efficiency as well as improving indoor comfort. This paper proposes a method for optimizing the daylight quality of commercial atriums. Starting from the perspective of parametric design, this paper investigates the current status and theoretical research on the natural daylight of commercial atriums in cold regions, taking Jinan, China, as an example. Dynamic daylight and glare simulations were performed using Rhino + Grasshopper and Ladybug + Honeybee for every design parameter in the system, followed by correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis using SPSS to determine the degree of influence of each design parameter on the daylight quality of the atrium. Based on the results of the above analysis, the multi-objective optimization plug-in Octopus is used to find the combination of design parameters that can achieve the best indoor daylight. The results show that among a total of fourteen atrium design parameters, seven of them are significantly correlated with atrium daylight, and after regression analysis, it is found that the atrium design parameters affect the atrium daylight and glare in the following order: Skylight VT, Skylight ratio, Atrium inclination, Fabric coverage, Fabric VT, Wall reflectivity, Roof reflectivity. The optimal design parameters for commercial atrium daylight quality are obtained according to the Pareto front solution set, which provides some reference and ideas for improving the optimization of commercial atrium daylight in cold regions of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atria within buildings present an environment which allows smoke to spread around a building in a fire situation. This could create dangerous conditions for the evacuation of people. Smoke control ventilation systems in atria work in the case of a fire, keeping evacuation routes available for people. They play a significant role in sustainable, holistic building fire strategies, and are most often designed following prescriptive requirements. However, contemporary, complex atria with additional architectural elements—such as transversal balconies—may not meet the standard approach, and require individual, performance-based research. This article proves a thesis that the atrium's architecture can impact the effectiveness of smoke control systems, and suggests how to verify them based on CFD simulations. In the presented example, the authors suggest an improvement of people's safety in a fire scenario by extending the preliminary smoke control system parameters, or by providing smoke curtains at additional levels of the atrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on in silico results, recently we have assumed that FSCPX, an irreversible A1 adenosine receptor antagonist, inhibits the action of NBTI that is apparent on E/c curves of adenosine receptor agonists. As a mechanism for this unexpected effect, we hypothesized that FSCPX might modify the equilibrative and NBTI-sensitive nucleoside transporter (ENT1) in a way that allows ENT1 to transport adenosine but impedes NBTI to inhibit this transport. This assumption implies that our method developed to estimate receptor reserve for agonists with short half-life such as adenosine, in its original form, overestimates the receptor reserve. In this study, therefore, our goals were to experimentally test our assumption on this effect of FSCPX, to improve our receptor reserve-estimating method and then to compare the original and improved forms of this method. Thus, we improved our method and assessed the receptor reserve for the direct negative inotropic effect of adenosine with both forms of this method in guinea pig atria. We have found that FSCPX inhibits the effects of NBTI that are mediated by increasing the interstitial concentration of adenosine of endogenous (but not exogenous) origin. As a mechanism for this action of FSCPX, inhibition of enzymes participating in the interstitial adenosine production can be hypothesized, while modification of ENT1 can be excluded. Furthermore, we have shown that, in comparison with the improved form, the original version of our method overestimates receptor reserve but only to a small extent. Nevertheless, use of the improved form is recommended in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an attempt to search for more potent positive inotropic agents, two series of [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a] quinoxaline derivatives bearing substituted benzylpiperazine and benzoylpiperazine moieties were synthesized and their positive inotropic activities evaluated by measuring left atrial stroke volume in isolated rabbit heart preparations. Several compounds showed favorable activities compared with the standard drug, milrinone. Compound 6c was the most potent agent, with an increased stroke volume of 12.53% ± 0.30% (milrinone: 2.46% ± 0.07%) at 3 × 10−5 M. The chronotropic effects of compounds having considerable inotropic effects were also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offices and retail spaces are among the most energy-intensive building typologies. Designing office buildings without proper consideration of their form, orientation, envelope, and other variables can lead to a considerable increase in energy usage. This research investigates how integrated usage of an atrium and courtyard can improve a building's energy performance. Thermal performance of both atrium and courtyard spaces as well as their energy-efficient integrated usage in office buildings have been investigated within the scope of this research. DesignBuilder as an interface and EnergyPlus (based on ASHRAE, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers) as analytical software have been used to investigate the thermal behavior of an atrium and courtyard in two stages. From the results it appeared that a courtyard with 40% window-to-wall ratio and triple glazing has the best energy performance, while those with single glazing and an 80% window-to-wall ratio represent maximum energy consumption in all climates. The findings also revealed that the integrated usage of a courtyard and atrium can save energy if it is used as a courtyard type of building during summer in all climates and if it is used as an atrium in the cold months. This research is original and will contribute to the literature, as it investigates the integrated usage of an atrium and courtyard with respect to energy efficiency. This research is expected to be beneficial to professionals and academics, especially with respect to the energy-efficient use of courtyards, atria, and their integrated modes. Furthermore, the findings can contribute to the sustainability performance of the built environment through an integrated atrium-courtyard building, resulting in minimal energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In previous studies using isolated, paced guinea pig left atria, we observed that FSCPX, known as a selective A1 adenosine receptor antagonist, paradoxically increased the direct negative inotropic response to A1 adenosine receptor agonists (determined using concentration/effect (E/c) curves) if NBTI, a nucleoside transport inhibitor, was present. Based on mathematical modeling, we hypothesized that FSCPX blunted the cardiac interstitial adenosine accumulation in response to nucleoside transport blockade, probably by inhibiting CD39 and/or CD73, which are the two main enzymes of the interstitial adenosine production in the heart. The goal of the present study was to test this hypothesis. In vitro CD39 and CD73 inhibitor assays were carried out; furthermore, E/c curves were constructed in isolated, paced rat and guinea pig left atria using adenosine, CHA and CPA (two A1 adenosine receptor agonists), FSCPX, NBTI and NBMPR (two nucleoside transport inhibitors), and PSB-12379 (a CD73 inhibitor), measuring the contractile force. We found that FSCPX did not show any inhibitory effect during the in vitro enzyme assays. However, we successfully reproduced the paradox effect of FSCPX in the rat model, mimicked the "paradox" effect of FSCPX with PSB-12379, and demonstrated the lipophilia of FSCPX, which could explain the negative outcome of inhibitor assays with CD39 and CD73 dissolved in a water-based solution. Taken together, these three pieces of indirect evidence are strong enough to indicate that FSCPX possesses an additional action besides the A1 adenosine receptor antagonism, which action may be the inhibition of an ectonucleotidase. Incidentally, we found that POM-1 inhibited CD73, in addition to CD39. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smoke extraction systems, either static with natural ventilation, or dynamic with mechanical ventilation are required to keep smoke layer at high levels in many tall atria. It is observed that a design fire with high heat release rate (HRR) is commonly used for designing natural vents, but a low HRR is used for mechanical ventilation system. This will not produce a sustainable environment. There are no internationally agreed on design guides to determine the HRR in the design fire for different extraction systems and scenarios. This issue will be studied using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)-based software, the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) version 6.7.1. Simulations on natural smoke filling, static and dynamic smoke extractions were carried out in a big example atrium. CFD-FDS predictions were compared with previous full-scale burning tests. Results confirmed that static smoke extraction is a good option for big fires, and a dynamic system is best for small fires. A sustainable new hybrid design combining the advantages of static and dynamic systems is proposed, which could result in a lower smoke temperature and higher smoke layer interface height, indicating a better extraction design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality carry great socioeconomic burden worldwide that mandates the development of new, efficacious therapeutic agents with limited adverse effects. O-(3-piperidino-2-hydroxy-1-propyl) nicotinic acid amidoxime (BGP-15) is a known, well-tolerable drug candidate that exerts beneficial effects in several disease models. As BGP-15 has a significant structural similarity with propranolol, it arose that BGP-15 might also have a direct effect on the heart. Thus, in the present work, we investigated the effect of BGP-15 and propranolol on the contractility of isolated, paced, human right atrial samples (obtained from patients undergone open-heart surgery), with or without previous isoproterenol (ISO) stimulation (evoking an indirect or direct effect, respectively). We found that both BGP-15 and propranolol exerted direct as well as indirect negative inotropic effects on the atrial myocardium, reaching similar maximal response. However, BGP-15 had considerably smaller potency than propranolol regarding both types of negative inotropy. In addition, BGP-15, in contrast to propranolol, had a significantly greater indirect negative inotropic effect on samples exhibiting strong response to ISO. Moreover, the indirect negative inotropic effect of BGP-15 was significantly greater on samples derived from diabetic patients than on samples obtained from non-diabetic ones. Our results suggest that the enhanced ISO sensitivity is associated with the diabetic state, and BGP-15 exerts greater negative inotropic effect on the human atrial myocardium in both conditions (as compared to the atrial tissue that is not ISO oversensitive and/or diabetic). Additionally, the negative inotropic effects of BGP-15 and propranolol seem to be mediated by in part different molecular pathways in the atrial myocardium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atria are added to buildings for their aesthetical, environmental, and economic benefits; the appropriate atrium design can enhance an atrium's thermal performance and the adjacent spaces' temperatures. However, inappropriate design decisions cause thermal discomfort and consequently, higher energy consumption. Since the Mediterranean climate has diverse climatic conditions around the year, a central atrium with a top-lit skylight is recommended, but during the summer period it can cause overheating, and the insertion of shading elements shrinks the lighting performance: thus, the atrium skylight design is supposed to improve thermal comfort without affecting the lighting level. This study investigated the improvement of thermal performance in the atrium building by the implementation of a double-skin skylight (DSS) to enhance the atrium thermal performance without shading. The research conducted computer simulations with Environmental Design Solutions (EDSL) Tas software sequentially. The study prepared various design strategies, and different proposals were tested and compared in terms of indoor temperatures, with reference to American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE-55). The implementation of DSS achieved an average of 77% comfort in working hours around the year with different opening percentages according to the outdoor conditions. Moreover, results show that changing the DSS glazing materials did not affect the thermal performance of the atrium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The receptorial responsiveness method (RRM) is a procedure that is based on a simple nonlinear regression while using a model with two variables (X, Y) and (at least) one parameter to be determined (cx). The model of RRM describes the co-action of two agonists that consume the same response capacity (due to the use of the same postreceptorial signaling in a biological system). While using RRM, uniquely, an acute increase in the concentration of an agonist (near the receptors) can be quantified (as cx), via evaluating E/c curves that were constructed with the same or another agonist in the same system. As this measurement is sensitive to the implementation of the curve fitting, the goal of the present study was to test RRM by combining different ways and setting options, namely: individual vs. global fitting, ordinary vs. robust fitting, and three weighting options (no weighting vs. weighting by 1/Y2 vs. weighting by 1/SD2). During the testing, RRM was used to estimate the known concentrations of stable synthetic A1 adenosine receptor agonists in isolated, paced guinea pig left atria. The estimates were then compared to the known agonist concentrations (to assess the accuracy of RRM); furthermore, the 95% confidence limits of the best-fit values were also considered (to evaluate the precision of RRM). It was found that, although the global fitting offered the most convenient way to perform RRM, the best estimates were provided by the individual fitting without any weighting, almost irrespective of the fact whether ordinary or robust fitting was chosen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of buoyancy-driven natural ventilation in atrium buildings during transitional seasons helps create a healthy and comfortable indoor environment by bringing fresh air indoors. Among other factors, the air flow rate is a key parameter determining the ventilation performance of an atrium. In this study, a grey box modeling method is proposed and a prediction model is built for calculating the buoyancy-driven ventilation rate using three openings. This model developed from Bruce's neutral height-based formulation and conservation laws is supported with a theoretical structure and determined with 7 independent variables and 4 integrated parameters. The integrated parameters could be estimated from a set of simulated data and in the results, the error of the semi-empirical predictive equation derived from CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulated data is controlled within 10%, which indicates that a reliable predictive equation could be established with a rather small dataset. This modeling method has been validated with CFD simulated data, and it can be applied extensively to similar buildings for designing an expected ventilation rate. The simplicity of this grey box modeling should save the evaluation time for new cases and help designers to estimate the ventilation performance and choose building optimal opening designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the multiple benefits on energy, well-being, comfort, and the economy, the utilization of daylight remains an imperative topic of architectural design. With the remarkable ability of drawing and increasing daylight deep into the core of buildings, atriums with a large proportion of glazing have become one of the most preferred design forms. The concomitant and unexpected visual discomfort in modern buildings, however, has drawn increasing concerns. Therefore, this study investigated the relation between glazing proportion and daylight performance, as well as the impact of building height and atrium types on daylight performance in atrium buildings by using an annual dynamic simulation method and metrics. It was found that extending glazing proportion had prominent effectiveness in the enhancement of daylighting; building height had a negative influence; round and square types of buildings performed much better than rectangular ones. Moreover, to inform a practical design, we analyzed the link between increasing daylight and visual comfort from the perspective of balancing them, and then proposed a design guide for atrium roof-glazing sizing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to determine the optimal single-story office building model with a corner atrium regarding different atrium orientations and office-building window-opening ratios in the Mediterranean climate via EDSL Tas software. When window-opening ratios were 25% and 50% at the northeast and southeast orientations of atriums and office spaces, thermal comfort was achieved according to categories B and C, respectively, within the cold season. Additionally, for the northeast atrium orientation with 25%, 137.2 W and 189.5 W of heat loss and gain in the office zone, and 37.7 W and 204.7 W of heat loss and gain in the atrium zone were recorded. Moreover, for the northeast atrium orientation with 50%, 134.5 W and 134.2 W of heat loss and gain in the office zone, and 40 W and 192 W of heat loss and gain in the atrium zone were recorded. On the other hand, for the southeast atrium orientation with 25%, 108.7 W and 143 W of heat loss and gain in the office zone, and 68.8 W and 130 W of heat loss and gain in the atrium zone were recorded, while, with 50%, 111.7 W and 142.7 W of heat loss and gain in the office zone, and 67.5 W and 121.2 W of heat loss and gain in the atrium zone were recorded. In the warm season, the atrium and office spaces were not thermally comfortable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lipid expression is increased in the atrial myocytes of mitral regurgitation (MR) patients. This study aimed to investigate key regulatory genes and mechanisms of atrial lipotoxic myopathy in MR. Methods: The HL-1 atrial myocytes were subjected to uniaxial cyclic stretching for eight hours. Fatty acid metabolism, lipoprotein signaling, and cholesterol metabolism were analyzed by PCR assay (168 genes). Results: The stretched myocytes had significantly larger cell size and higher lipid expression than non-stretched myocytes (all p < 0.001). Fatty acid metabolism, lipoprotein signaling, and cholesterol metabolism in the myocytes were analyzed by PCR assay (168 genes). In comparison with their counterparts in non-stretched myocytes, seven genes in stretched monocytes (Idi1, Olr1, Nr1h4, Fabp2, Prkag3, Slc27a5, Fabp6) revealed differential upregulation with an altered fold change >1.5. Nine genes in stretched monocytes (Apoa4, Hmgcs2, Apol8, Srebf1, Acsm4, Fabp1, Acox2, Acsl6, Gk) revealed differential downregulation with an altered fold change <0.67. Canonical pathway analysis, using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software, revealed that the only genes in the "superpathway of cholesterol biosynthesis" were Idi1 (upregulated) and Hmgcs2 (downregulated). The fraction of stretched myocytes expressing Nile red was significantly decreased by RNA interference of Idi1 (p < 0.05) and was significantly decreased by plasmid transfection of Hmgcs2 (p = 0.004). Conclusions: The Idi1 and Hmgcs2 genes have regulatory roles in atrial lipotoxic myopathy associated with atrial enlargement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on in silico results, recently we have assumed that FSCPX, an irreversible A₁ adenosine receptor antagonist, inhibits the action of NBTI that is apparent on E / c curves of adenosine receptor agonists. As a mechanism for this unexpected effect, we hypothesized that FSCPX might modify the equilibrative and NBTI-sensitive nucleoside transporter (ENT1) in a way that allows ENT1 to transport adenosine but impedes NBTI to inhibit this transport. This assumption implies that our method developed to estimate receptor reserve for agonists with short half-life such as adenosine, in its original form, overestimates the receptor reserve. In this study, therefore, our goals were to experimentally test our assumption on this effect of FSCPX, to improve our receptor reserve-estimating method and then to compare the original and improved forms of this method. Thus, we improved our method and assessed the receptor reserve for the direct negative inotropic effect of adenosine with both forms of this method in guinea pig atria. We have found that FSCPX inhibits the effects of NBTI that are mediated by increasing the interstitial concentration of adenosine of endogenous (but not exogenous) origin. As a mechanism for this action of FSCPX, inhibition of enzymes participating in the interstitial adenosine production can be hypothesized, while modification of ENT1 can be excluded. Furthermore, we have shown that, in comparison with the improved form, the original version of our method overestimates receptor reserve but only to a small extent. Nevertheless, use of the improved form is recommended in the future.

In an attempt to search for more potent positive inotropic agents, two series of [1,2,4]triazolo[4,3- a ] quinoxaline derivatives bearing substituted benzylpiperazine and benzoylpiperazine moieties were synthesized and their positive inotropic activities evaluated by measuring left atrial stroke volume in isolated rabbit heart preparations. Several compounds showed favorable activities compared with the standard drug, milrinone. Compound 6c was the most potent agent, with an increased stroke volume of 12.53% ± 0.30% (milrinone: 2.46% ± 0.07%) at 3 × 10 -5 M. The chronotropic effects of compounds having considerable inotropic effects were also evaluated.