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Europe has set a target to become a decarbonised continent by 2050. To achieve this, intervention in buildings is crucial, as they serve as significant energy consumers and greenhouse gas emitters. This intervention encompasses two essential pathways: renovation and digitalisation. The combination of these two aspects gives rise to elements such as the Digital Building Logbook (DBL), a digital data repository expected to enhance the pace and quality of renovation efforts. This paper introduces, for the first time, a European DBL data model with a specific focus on building renovation purposes—the DBrL. It outlines its initial requirements, constituent entities, relationships, and attributes. While acknowledging the need to address issues related to data protection, integration with existing data sources, and connections with Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Geographic Information System (GIS) in subsequent design phases, the study’s outcome represents a significant stride in defining this tool.

Challenges in cognitive radio and tactical communications include recognizing anonymously received signals and estimating parameters in a blind or semiblind manner. In this paper, we examine this issue for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signaling. There are several parameters in OFDM signaling, and the blind receiver must extract and consider the synchronization issue. We assume that the blind receiver is aware of modulation type, OFDM, and not aware of chip duration and the length of cyclic prefix. First, we present new criteria based on kurtosis to estimate these parameters and compare their performance at different levels of additive white Gaussian noise with methods based on correlation, kurtosis, maximum likelihood, and matched filter. Then, we perform synchronization and estimate the start time based on these criteria and several new criteria in two steps: fine and coarse synchronization. Finally, in a more practical setup, we present the idea of jointly estimating the mentioned parameters and the signal start time as coarse synchronization. We compare different criteria and show that one of the pro posed criteria has the highest efficiency.

Every year, large quantities of dust are transported from North Africa to the Americas, Europe, and West Asia. The purpose of this study is to analyze four intense and pervasive dust storms that entered the Middle East from Northern Africa. Satellite products, ground-based remote sensing measurements, reanalysis data, and the outputs of the Aire Limitée Adaptation dynamique Développement InterNational-Dust (ALADIN-Dust) and the ICOsahedral Nonhydrostatic weather and climate model with Aerosols and Reactive Trace gases (ICON-ART) forecasting models were synergized. The dust storms originated from different source regions located in the north, northeastern, and central parts of the Sahara Desert. The transport height of the main dust plumes was about 3–5 km, triggered by the westerly zonal winds. The presence of a closed low over the Eastern Mediterranean and the penetration of a deep trough into North Africa at 500 hPa were the main synoptic circulation patterns favoring long-range dust transport during the four dust events. A comparison of aerosol optical depth (AOD) outputs from the two models with satellite data revealed that although both models forecasted dust transport from Africa to the Middle East, they considerably underestimated the AOD values, especially near the dust sources. The ICON-ART model performed slightly better than ALADIN in forecasting these dust storms, and for longer forecasting leading time, although the performance of both models decreased, the superiority of the ICON-ART model became more apparent.

Dust storms, one of the environmental problems in Central Iran, annually damage natural and human ecosystems. The dust has irreversible effects on human societies, including respiratory diseases and declining public health. Therefore, performing research on this subject and identifying the origin of dust is of great importance. Simulation and numerical analysis of severe dust storms are one of the new methods of studying this phenomenon. For the numerical analysis of dust, data related to the storm of July 10, 2014, and the MACC-ECMWF model were used for simulation. The results of the MACC-ECMWF model were extracted based on the Aerosol Optical Depth indices and dust concentration. The time series of the changes in the value of the AOD indices and dust concentration in a one-hour period indicated that the values ​​of these two indices had an increasing trend and reached a maximum at 23:00. Also, spatial analysis of the Aerosol Optical Depth and dust concentrations showed that the Central Desert of Iran, extending from Semnan and East Isfahan Provinces to the Central Loot Desert in the east of the Province of Kerman, is the largest dust source in Central Iran.

Introduction: Recently, the industry of launching solar power plants in arid/semi-arid regions has developed. A considerable part of Iran is covered by dry/semi-arid areas, which are exposed to severe wind erosion. Considering the occurrence of dust in these areas, this study investigated the possible impact of the photovoltaic industry on the prevention of dust storms. Materials and methods: The effect of solar power plant construction on atmospheric variables and its possible effect on the occurrence of dust were investigated in Tehran province. The criterion is to compare the monthly average wind and temperature respectively at the height of 10 and 2 m inside and outside the power plant (obtained from the TerraClimate database for 2020 and 2021) on the western side and at the closest point to the power plant. Results: The monthly average of wind and temperature respectively at the height of 10 and 2 m in 2020-2021 decreased inside of the power plant with respect to the outside of that. Significant differences were observed on temperature and wind inside and outside of the power plant during the peak heat in the summer, which increase with increasing temperature. The maximum of differences of monthly average of wind and temperature variables inside and outside of the power plant for Pars Ray Energy Bahar, Tehran Wastewater and Sohail Power Plants respectively are (0.5 °C, 0.55 m/s), (0.6 °C, 0.3 m/s), and (0.7 °C, 0.3 m/s). Conclusion: The photovoltaic industry can change the effective solar radiation, and possibly decrease the occurrence of dust storms by weakening wind power.

Introduction: Recently, due to climate change, the number and intensity of dust sources are increasing, which leads to the occurrence of dust storms. Atmospheric patterns governing the region, topography and surface features are effective on transportation and dispersion of dust particles. Materials and methods: In this study, a severe dust phenomenon on the 3th and 4th March, 2022, was investigated. The dust was emitted from the east of Iraq and passed through the Zagros and Alborz mountain ranges toward the Caspian sea. Meteorological data of the country, satellite data, ERA5 reanalysis data and HYSPLIT and output from the Weather Research and Forecasting Model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) were used. Results: Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) anomaly compared to the long-term indicated that the intense transport of dust particles from eastern Iraq and reaching the Caspian Sea is not a common phenomenon. Synoptic analysis showed that the dust particles in the source area ascended to the mid-levels of the atmosphere and a large part of the particles passed through the Zagros Mountains. Then, the dust entered the Caspian Sea by passing through the Manjil valley. The vertical profile of WRF-Chem model output showed the ascent of dust particles up to 600 hPa near the dust source and its passage over mountainous areas. Conclusion: The main factors in the formation of this unusual dust phenomenon are: severe two-year drought in the Middle East, reduction of vegetation and cold front of the dynamic low-pressure located in the east of the Black Sea, east of Turkey and northern Iraq moving eastward to the Caspian sea in the following hours.

Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients are at a substantial risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is well known to have protective effects against the development of atherosclerotic CVD. One of the major antiatherogenic effects of HDL is its anti-oxidative function. Objectives This study investigated the association of anti-oxidative capacity of HDL with subclinical atherosclerosis in NAFLD and non-NAFLD subjects. Methods A total of 143 subjects including 51 NAFLD and 92 control subjects were included in this case–control study. HDL oxidative index (HOI) was determined spectrophotometrically using a cell-free method in the presence of a fluorescent substrate dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA). Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) plasma levels were assessed in both groups. Results The NAFLD patients with impaired HDL anti-oxidative function (HOI ≥ 1) had higher MDA levels, aspartate amino transferase (AST), liver stiffness (LS), and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) values compared to the controls. HDL oxidative index (HOI) was positively correlated with MDA levels and cIMT and negatively correlated with SOD activity. Conclusions Higher circulating levels of MDA were associated with the impaired anti-oxidative function of HDL in NAFLD. The impaired anti-oxidative capacity of HDL might be related to NAFLD severity and subclinical atherosclerosis in NAFLD patients.

Abstract Background Family with sequence similarity 19 (chemokine (C-C motif)-like) member A5 (FAM19A5) is a newly identified adipokine. There is a limited number of studies linking FAM19A5 to metabolic disorders. In the current study, we aimed to explore if FAM19A5 is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We also sought to determine the possibility of FAM19A5 association with subclinical atherosclerosis in NAFLD patients. Methods A total of 69 subjects including 37 NAFLD and 32 control subjects were included in this cross-sectional study. Plasma concentration of FAM19A5 was measured with the ELISA method. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (cIMT) was assessed by the ultrasonography. Results Plasma concentration of FAM19A5 in patients with NAFLD was significantly lower in NAFLD patients than controls. Moreover, we observed significant negative correlations between plasma level of FAM19A5 and body mass index (BMI), visceral fat, alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), liver stiffness (LS), and cIMT. Following stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, ALT and cIMT were the only determinants of FAM19A5 level. Conclusions This is the first report to describe association of circulating FAM19A5 levels with NAFLD. Our findings provide further evidence showing relation of FAM19A5 with the risk of atherosclerosis. However, more studies are necessary to unravel the contribution of lower FAM19A5 levels to the NAFLD pathogenesis and the higher risk of atherosclerosis in these patients.

In this work, a simple and inexpensive dispersive micro solid-phase extraction method using magnetic molecular imprinted polymer nanocomposite and deep eutectic solvent and optimization by central compound design method was developed for selective determination of dipyridamole in pharmaceutical and biological samples. The synthesized nanocomposite was used to enhance the extraction efficiency of the adsorption and desorption step, also a deep eutectic solvent was used for the desorption of the analyte and the detection was performed by high performance liquid chromatography with an ultraviolet detector. Simultaneous optimization of effective parameters include the adsorbent dosage (w), desorption sovent volume (v), and desorption time (t) was performed by the central compound design method. After optimization, the maximum adsorption capacity of the analyte on the magnetic molecular imprinted polymer adsorbent for dipyridamole 2.82 mg g-1 and the obtained linear range for the method was 0.008-1200 μg L-1. Limit of detection and quantitation were also obtained 0.003 µg L-1 and 0.009 µg L-1, respectively. The relative standard deviation of the method by inter-day test for concentration levels of 5, 50 and 150 µg L-1 were 3.26%, 2.09% and 3.41%, respectively, and by intra-day test for the same concentration levels were less than 4%. . Finally, this very method was successfully used for preconcentation and determination of dipyridamole in plasma, serum and tablet samples with a standard deviation of less than 4%.Keywords: Dipyridamole; Micro solid phase extraction; Magnetic nanoparticles ; Molecular imprinted polymer; Deep Eutectic Solvent; Central composite design

Background and Purpose: The importance of hospital quality services in order to best utiliz available resources are not unknown to managers. This is especially important in the maternity sector due to the high density of referrals. Implementation of LDR (Labor, Delivery, Recovery) is one of the new approaches to improve delivery services in the country. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of LDR system on quality of delivery services in two selected hospitals of Qom. Methods and Materials: This is a descriptive-survey study. Data were collected with a cross-sectional approach to compare the quality of service indicators of a hospital with LDR system as a case and a hospital without LDR system as a control group. Data were collected using a standard questionnaire by Poisson sampling and analyzed by SPSS software. Results: There was no significant difference between the two hospitals except for LDR implementation. There was no significant association between LDR implementation in delivery sector with overall quality of service indicators (3 vs. 2.5) , input, process and output quality indices. However, LDR implementation had a significant effect on some items of these indices (level of significance = 0.05). Conclusion: According to the research findings, implementation of LDR did not have a significant effect on overall quality of services, but it did affect the subscales of these indices. Therefore, it seems clear that there is a need for proper management policy to control the costs involved in implementing this system.

A strong low level jet (LLJ) in the northern region of the Persian Gulf (PG) observed on 5th Jun 2020 that sank the Behbahan cargo vessel. In this article, we have used the WRF-V3 model and reanalysis ERA5 data to study the vertical structure, diurnal variation and intensity of the LLJs. The aimed topography’s region, the pressure gradient and the land-sea breeze are the essential key factors in analyzing the diurnal variation of the LLJ over the PG that is known as the Shamal wind. The low terrain height in the northern of the PG and Zagros Mountains channelized the northwest winds and increased the pressure gradient that increased the wind speed. The decreasing friction over the PG during nighttime and the differences in temperature and specific heat capacity between water and land cause an increase in the LLJ intensity. The LLJ’s core 22-24 ms-1 was located over the study region in 925hPa on 4th and 5th June at 18 and 00 UTC respectively. Thereafter core’s wind speed decreased to 10-14 ms-1at 12UTC on 5th June. The mix-down of momentum from the LLJ level to the surface caused an increase in wind speed and wave height over the PG which sank the Behbahan cargo vessel at early morning of 5th June. The LLJ at some regions like Kuwait formed at lower heights (under 950 hPa) and at the other points LLJ formed at levels upper than 950 hPa during nighttime of 4th Jun to afternoon of 5th Jun.

Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. HDL exerts various protective functions on the cardiovascular system including anti-inflammatory activity by suppressing adhesion molecules expression in inflammation-induced endothelial cells. This study was designed to search if the anti-inflammatory capacity of apolipoprotein B-depleted plasma (apoB-depleted plasma) is altered in NAFLD patients. Methods A total of 83 subjects including 42 NAFLD and 41 control subjects were included in this cross-sectional study. Anti-inflammatory function of HDL was determined as the ability of apoB-depleted plasma to inhibit tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-induced expression of adhesion molecules in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Results Incubation of inflammation-stimulated HUVECs with the NAFLD patients’ apo-B depleted plasma led to higher levels of expression of adhesion molecules compared to the control subjects’ plasma samples, reflecting an impaired anti-inflammatory capacity of apoB-depleted plasma in the NAFLD patients. Impaired anti-inflammatory capacity of apoB-depleted plasma was correlated with fatty liver and obesity indices. After adjustment with obesity indices, the association of anti-inflammatory capacity of apoB-depleted plasma with NAFLD remained significant. Conclusion Impaired anti-inflammatory activity of apoB-depleted plasma was independently associated with NAFLD.

Introduction: The entry of dust particles into water areas, which has increased sharply in recent years, causes a lot of environmental damage. The Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman are among the water areas that are covered with dust many times of the year. Materials and methods: In this study, a severe dust from July 27 to 31, 2018 is analyzed, in which a large part of the Persian Gulf, Oman Sea and the western part of the Indian Ocean was involved. To study this phenomenon from different perspectives, satellite products, visibility from synoptic stations and synoptic maps were analyzed and the output of two numerical dust models of United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Goddard Earth Observing System (NASA-GEOS) and Dust Regional Atmospheric Model with 8 categories-Monitoring Atmospheric Composition and Climate (DREAM8-MACC) were examined. To qualitative and quantitative evaluate of the model outputs, the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) of TERRA/MODIS was used. Results: Satellite imagery shows that in this case study, parts of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman were affected by dust, and on July 30, dust particles entered the western half of the Indian Ocean. Comparison of model outputs with satellite data resulted that both models underestimate the AOD values, especially over water, and do not show well the entrance of dust particles into the eastern part of the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the western half of the Indian Ocean. Conclusion: Qualitative and quantitative comparison of AOD output of the two models with satellite data showed that the NASA-GEOS model had better performance and its output correlation with observational data was higher.

This study investigates four types of synoptic dust events in the Middle East region, including cyclonic, pre-frontal, post-frontal and Shamal dust storms. For each of these types, three intense and pervasive dust events are analyzed from a synoptic meteorological and numerical simulation perspective. The performance of 9 operational dust models in forecasting these dust events in the Middle East is qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated against Terra-MODIS observations and AERONET measurements during the dust events. The comparison of model AOD outputs with Terra-MODIS retrievals reveals that despite the significant discrepancies, all models have a relatively acceptable performance in forecasting the AOD patterns in the Middle East. The models enable to represent the high AODs along the dust plumes, although they underestimate them, especially for cyclonic dust storms. In general, the outputs of the NASA-GEOS and DREAM8-MACC models present greater similarity with the satellite and AERONET observations in most of the cases, also exhibiting the highest correlation coefficient, although it is difficult to introduce a single model as the best for all cases. Model AOD predictions over the AERONET stations showed that DREAM8-MACC exhibited the highest R2 of 0.78, followed by NASA_GEOS model (R2 = 0.74), which both initially use MODIS data assimilation. Although the outputs of all models correspond to valid time more than 24 h after the initial time, the effect of data assimilation on increasing the accuracy is important. The different dust emission schemes, soil and vegetation mapping, initial and boundary meteorological conditions and spatial resolution between the models, are the main factors influencing the differences in forecasting the dust AODs in the Middle East.

Introduction: Many countries in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world encounter dust storms phenomenon, that is one of the meteorological problems leading to daily life disturbances, financial losses, public health risks and the destructive environmental impacts. Materials and methods: Although the dust storm is historically recorded as an old event in some provinces of Iran, nowadays it becomes a new event in the other provinces such as Ilam in the west of Iran. Dust storms have been remarkably increased since 2007 in a period of 20 years (1997-2017) of daily frequency of dust storms in Ilam station. The dust storm is mostly observed in Ilam city (center of Ilam province) in 2011, after the years of rainfall deficiency. Results: After statiscal investigation of dust storms in Ilam province and factors affecting its formation, the dust storm from 3nd to 6th July 2016 are studied that reduced visibility so much in West and SW of Iran. On the of 3rd- 4th of July of the same year, the intensity of the dust storm was so high that made the visibility decresses severely in Ilam city. The source of this dust storm was the eastern areas of Syria and central Iraq. This fact also appeared in the satellite images and in the output of HYSPLIT MODEL. The output of WRF-Chem Model clearly shows the dust mass over East-Syria, Central and East Iraq and West and SW Iran. Conclusion: Model outputs in intensity of surface dust concentration of MACC-ECMWF, NASA-GEOS, NCEP-NGAC, NMMB-BSC, and BSC-DREAM8b models are compared to the observation of the aerosol concentration in Ilam city and results show that NASA-GEOS model has better performance, based on the results compared to the other models. In display of dust dispertion on Iran, the middle of all models is more compatible with reality.

This study analyzes six frontal dust storms in the Middle East during the cold period (October–March), aiming to examine the atmospheric circulation patterns and force dynamics that triggered the fronts and the associated (pre- or post-frontal) dust storms. Cold troughs mostly located over Turkey, Syria and north Iraq played a major role in the front propagation at the surface, while cyclonic conditions and strong winds facilitated the dust storms. The presence of an upper-atmosphere (300 hPa) sub-tropical jet stream traversing from Egypt to Iran constitutes also a dynamic force accompanying the frontal dust storms. Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) observations are used to monitor the spatial and vertical extent of the dust storms, while model (Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem), Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS), Regional Climate Model-4 (RegCM4)) simulations are also analyzed. The WRF-Chem outputs were in better agreement with the MODIS observations compared to those of CAMS and RegCM4. The fronts were identified by WRF-Chem simulations via gradients in the potential temperature and sudden changes of wind direction in vertical cross-sections. Overall, the uncertainties in the simulations and the remarkable differences between the model outputs indicate that modelling of dust storms in the Middle East is really challenging due to the complex terrain, incorrect representation of the dust sources and soil/surface characteristics, and uncertainties in simulating the wind speed/direction and meteorological dynamics. Given the potential threat by dust storms, more attention should be directed to the dust model development in this region.

There has been a severely negative impact on soil water resources in temperate forests caused by the introduction of the type of heavy machinery in the forestry sector used for forest harvesting operations. These soil disturbances increase the raindrop impact on bare mineral soil, decrease infiltration rate, detach soil particles, and enhance surface flow. According to several studies, the role of slope gradient influence on runoff and soil loss continues to be an issue, and therefore more study is needed in both laboratory simulations and field experiments. It is important to define and understand what the impacts of slope gradient in harvesting practices are, so as to develop guidelines for forest managers. More knowledge on the key factors that cause surface runoff and soil loss is important in order to limit any negative results from timber harvesting operations performed on hilly terrains in mountainous forests. A field setting using a runoff plot 2 m2 in size was installed to individualize the effects of different levels of slope gradient (i.e., 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40%) on the surface runoff, runoff coefficient, and sediment yield on the skid trails under natural rainfall conditions. Runoff and sediment yield were measured with 46 rainfall events which occurred during the first year after machine traffic from 17 July 2015 to 11 July 2016 under natural conditions. According to Pearson correlation, runoff (r = 0.51), runoff coefficient (r = 0.55), and sediment yield (r = 0.51) were significantly correlated with slope gradient. Results show that runoff increased from 2.45 to 6.43 mm as slope gradient increased from 5 to 25%, reaching to the critical point of 25% for slope. Also, further increasing the slope gradient from 25 to 40% led to a gradual decrease of the runoff from 6.43 to 4.62 mm. Runoff coefficient was significantly higher under the plot with a slope gradient of 25% by 0.265, whereas runoff coefficient was lowest under the plot with a slope gradient of 5%. Results show that sediment yield increased by increasing the slope gradient of plot ranging 5% to 30%, reaching to the critical point of 30%, and then decreased as the slope gradient increased from 35% to 40%. Runoff plot with a slope gradient of 30% (4.08 g m−2) ≈ plot length of 25% (3.91 g m−2) had a significantly higher sediment yield, whereas sediment yield was lowest under the plot with a slope gradient of 5% and 10%. A regression analysis of rainfall and runoff showed that runoff responses to rainfall for plots with different slope gradients were linearly and significantly increased. According to the current results, log skidding operations should be planned in the skid trails with a slope gradient lower than the 25 to 30% to suppress the negative effect of skidding operations on runoff and sediment yield.

Dust and sand storms are among the major threats to central Iran. These phenomena pose irreparable risks to natural ecosystems and human societies, including effects on health. In this study, the spatial and temporal pattern of vertical dust flux (VDF) was used to identify dust sources as well as areas with high potential for dust generation. To simulate VDF, two intense dust storms, from 21 February 2015 and 14 February 2018, were selected using synoptic data and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images. These dust storms were identified as responsible for a reduction of horizontal visibility to less than 1000 m, using remote sensing tools and Ackerman Dust Index. MODIS images show that these two storms covered most of Central Plateau of Iran. The Weather Research and Forecasting model with chemistry (WRF-Chem) was used to simulate the storms, with either the Global Ozone Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) or Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) scheme to calculate VDF. Modeled vertical dust fluxes in both events indicate that the Arabian deserts in Saudi Arabia and in southwestern Iran can be identified as main sources of the dust in the central Iranian plateau. The other source of dust is the Hirmand Basin, located in the country of Afghanistan and in the southeast of Iran. The results of VDF simulations indicate that central southeast Iran could be the main dust source of internal origin. Additionally, over seasonal wetlands in Iran, the amount of VDF was simulated to be sometimes over 4000 μg/(m2s), an indication that these areas are sensitive to wind erosion in dry conditions and can be a source of dust. The WRF-Chem results were compared with the horizontal visibility measured in synoptic stations in the area. The results showed that the coefficients of determination of GOCART results with the measured horizontal visibility on 21 February 2015 and 14 February 2018 were 0.72 and 0.76, respectively, while the coefficient values from the simulations with AFWA scheme on 21 February 2015 and 14 February 2018 with the measured horizontal visibility were lower, 0.44 and 0.50, respectively. Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA2) re-analysis data also showed timing of peak dust levels consistent with the GOCART scheme.

Introduction: Nowadays, air pollution is one of the most important problems, leading to serious financial and human health concerns. On the 15th to 17th days of November, 2016 an intense air pollution episode occurred in Tehran, Iran. Materials and methods: In this study, the meteorological data, pollutant concentration, and the data related to this severe air pollution episode, required to implement the model, besides, a brief account, pertinent to the configuration of atmospheric model WRF and air quality model LASAT is presented and certain meteorological quantity are studied. Results: Statistical analysis indicates in this case study, negative wind speed anomaly and positive mean temperature anomaly related to the average 65 years for Novembers. The minimum visibility, is reported for the two days of November 15 and 16. Atmospheric vertical structure analysis shows the temperature inversion at 950 hPa height on November 14th, 2016, it causes stable atmospheric conditions. Conclusions: Running WRF model, with YSU boundary layer scheme, shows that it can well simulate the atmospheric quantities, however, the 10 m wind speed has more errors among the quantities. In this case study LASAT Model is applied for simulation of different pollutant concentrations. The results indicate the underestimation of model by using the output of WRF as atmospheric model is not dependent on the meteorological data, whereas the reference error is driven either from the parameterization, or from the estimation of pollutants emission related to ground level.

Renal tumor heterogeneity studies have utilized the von Hippel-Lindau VHL gene to classify disease into molecularly defined subtypes to examine associations with etiologic risk factors and prognosis. The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive analysis of VHL inactivation in clear cell renal tumors (ccRCC) and to evaluate relationships between VHL inactivation subgroups with renal cancer risk factors and VHL germline single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). VHL genetic and epigenetic inactivation was examined among 507 sporadic RCC/470 ccRCC cases using endonuclease scanning and using bisulfite treatment and Sanger sequencing across 11 CpG sites within the VHL promoter. Case-only multivariate analyses were conducted to identify associations between alteration subtypes and risk factors. VHL inactivation, either through sequence alterations or promoter methylation in tumor DNA, was observed among 86.6% of ccRCC cases. Germline VHL SNPs and a haplotype were associated with promoter hypermethylation in tumor tissue (OR = 6.10; 95% CI: 2.28-16.35, p = 3.76E-4, p-global = 8E-5). Risk of having genetic VHL inactivation was inversely associated with smoking due to a higher proportion of wild-type ccRCC tumors [former: OR = 0.70 (0.20-1.31) and current: OR = 0.56 (0.32-0.99); P-trend = 0.04]. Alteration prevalence did not differ by histopathologic characteristics or occupational exposure to trichloroethylene. ccRCC cases with particular VHL germline polymorphisms were more likely to have VHL inactivation through promoter hypermethylation than through sequence alterations in tumor DNA, suggesting that the presence of these SNPs may represent an example of facilitated epigenetic variation (an inherited propensity towards epigenetic variation) in renal tissue. A proportion of tumors from current smokers lacked VHL alterations and may represent a biologically distinct clinical entity from inactivated cases.

Folate and one-carbon metabolism are linked to cancer risk through their integral role in DNA synthesis and methylation. Variation in one-carbon metabolism genes, particularly MTHFR, has been associated with risk of a number of cancers in epidemiologic studies, but little is known regarding renal cancer.Tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) selected to produce high genomic coverage of 13 gene regions of one-carbon metabolism (ALDH1L1, BHMT, CBS, FOLR1, MTHFR, MTR, MTRR, SHMT1, SLC19A1, TYMS) and the closely associated glutathione synthesis pathway (CTH, GGH, GSS) were genotyped for 777 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cases and 1,035 controls in the Central and Eastern European Renal Cancer case-control study. Associations of individual SNPs (n = 163) with RCC risk were calculated using unconditional logistic regression adjusted for age, sex and study center. Minimum p-value permutation (Min-P) tests were used to identify gene regions associated with risk, and haplotypes were evaluated within these genes.The strongest associations with RCC risk were observed for SLC19A1 (P(min-P) = 0.03) and MTHFR (P(min-P) = 0.13). A haplotype consisting of four SNPs in SLC19A1 (rs12483553, rs2838950, rs2838951, and rs17004785) was associated with a 37% increased risk (p = 0.02), and exploratory stratified analysis suggested the association was only significant among those in the lowest tertile of vegetable intake.To our knowledge, this is the first study to comprehensively examine variation in one-carbon metabolism genes in relation to RCC risk. We identified a novel association with SLC19A1, which is important for transport of folate into cells. Replication in other populations is required to confirm these findings.

Epidemiologic studies are reporting associations between lead exposure and human cancers. A polymorphism in the 5-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD) gene affects lead toxicokinetics and may modify the adverse effects of lead.The objective of this study was to evaluate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) tagging the ALAD region among renal cancer cases and controls to determine whether genetic variation alters the relationship between lead and renal cancer. Occupational exposure to lead and risk of cancer was examined in a case-control study of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Comprehensive analysis of variation across the ALAD gene was assessed using a tagging SNP approach among 987 cases and 1298 controls. Occupational lead exposure was estimated using questionnaire-based exposure assessment and expert review. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using logistic regression.The adjusted risk associated with the ALAD variant rs8177796(CT/TT) was increased (OR = 1.35, 95%CI = 1.05-1.73, p-value = 0.02) when compared to the major allele, regardless of lead exposure. Joint effects of lead and ALAD rs2761016 suggest an increased RCC risk for the homozygous wild-type and heterozygous alleles ((GG)OR = 2.68, 95%CI = 1.17-6.12, p = 0.01; (GA)OR = 1.79, 95%CI = 1.06-3.04 with an interaction approaching significance (p(int) = 0.06). No significant modification in RCC risk was observed for the functional variant rs1800435(K68N). Haplotype analysis identified a region associated with risk supporting tagging SNP results.A common genetic variation in ALAD may alter the risk of RCC overall, and among individuals occupationally exposed to lead. Further work in larger exposed populations is warranted to determine if ALAD modifies RCC risk associated with lead exposure.

In the kidney vitamin D is converted to its active form. Since vitamin D exerts its activity through binding to the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR), most genetic studies have primarily focused on variation within this gene. Therefore, analysis of genetic variation in VDR and other vitamin D pathway genes may provide insight into the role of vitamin D in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) etiology. RCC cases (N = 777) and controls (N = 1,035) were genotyped to investigate the relationship between RCC risk and variation in eight target genes. Minimum-p-value permutation (Min-P) tests were used to identify genes associated with risk. A three single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sliding window was used to identify chromosomal regions with a False Discovery Rate of

We conducted a case-control study of renal cancer (987 cases and 1298 controls) in Central and Eastern Europe and analyzed genomic DNA for 319 tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 21 genes involved in cellular growth, differentiation and apoptosis using an Illumina Oligo Pool All (OPA). A haplotype-based method (sliding window analysis of consecutive SNPs) was used to identify chromosome regions of interest that remained significant at a false discovery rate of 10%. Subsequently, risk estimates were generated for regions with a high level of signal and individual SNPs by unconditional logistic regression adjusting for age, gender and study center. Three regions containing genes associated with renal cancer were identified: caspase 1/5/4/12(CASP 1/5/4/12), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP3). We observed that individuals with CASP1/5/4/12 haplotype (spanning area upstream of CASP1 through exon 2 of CASP5) GGGCTCAGT were at higher risk of renal cancer compared to individuals with the most common haplotype (OR:1.40, 95% CI:1.10-1.78, p-value = 0.007). Analysis of EGFR revealed three strong signals within intron 1, particularly a region centered around rs759158 with a global p = 0.006 (GGG: OR:1.26, 95% CI:1.04-1.53 and ATG: OR:1.55, 95% CI:1.14-2.11). A region in IGFBP3 was also associated with increased risk (global p = 0.04). In addition, the number of statistically significant (p-value