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Composite plates are susceptible to various damages in complex conditions and working environments, which may reduce the reliability of the structure and threaten equipment and personal safety. Thus, the implementation of a robust online Structural health monitoring (SHM) system for these composite structures becomes imperative. To enhance reliability and safety, we introduce a robust online SHM system anchored by our newly developed damage detection Bayesian neural network (DD-BNN). The main contribution of this study lies in the DD-BNN to perform precise and reliable damage detection and localization in composite plates using only one actuator-receiver pair without any signal/feature pre-processing and human intervention. The proposed DD-BNN model innovatively combines probabilistic modeling with deep learning to address uncertainty in Lamb wave-based damage detection and model performance for composite plates, featuring a specialized probabilistic layer trained through Bayesian inference to efficiently encapsulate and manage uncertainty in model weights and activation. Notably, our method significantly simplifies the SHM system design and manual operation requirements. In addition, this approach not only reduces overfitting but also enhances robustness to noise, as confirmed by experiments on perturbation analysis of Gaussian and Poisson noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pa0665 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa shares homologous sequences with that of the essential A-type iron–sulfur (Fe-S) cluster insertion protein ErpA in Escherichia coli. However, its essentiality in P. aeruginosa and its complementation with E. coli erpA has not been experimentally examined. To fulfill this task, we constructed plasmid-based ts-mutant Δpa0665/pTS-pa0665 using a three-step protocol. The mutant displayed growth defects at 42 °C, which were complemented by expressing ec.erpA. Microscopic observations indicated a petite cell phenotype for Δpa0665/pTS-pa0665 at 42 °C, correlated with the downregulation of the oprG gene. RNA sequencing revealed significant transcriptional changes in genes associated with the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system, aligning with reduced ATP levels in Δpa0665/pTS-pa0665 under 42 °C. Additionally, the ts-mutant showed heightened sensitivity to H2O2 at 42 °C. Overall, our study demonstrates the essential role of pa0665 for OXPHOS function and is complemented by ec.erpA. We propose that the plasmid-based ts-allele is useful for genetic analysis of essential genes of interest in P. aeruginosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The underground cave dwelling located in loess plateau of China is known for its use of natural and passive environment control systems for a comfortable indoor environment. However, it has not been proved by a detailed and quantitative analysis so far. This paper conducts qualitative and quantitative evaluations on the thermal performance of ancient cave dwellings. Firstly, the authors conducted a qualitative analysis on the passive strategies of vernacular underground cave dwellings by field investigations. The orientation of building, the presence of underground courtyard, use of biomass massive building envelope, etc. Formed the indoor environment. Secondly, a quantitative analysis was also carried out based on long-term remote monitoring experiments by recording thermal environment parameters in a selected building. The analysis results were very much in agreement with the inferences drawn from the qualitative analysis. Finally, in order to evaluate the whole annual thermal performance, numerical simulations on the Yaodong models was also conducted using the software Energyplus. The study provided positive results confirming that climate responsive strategies employed in underground cave dwellings were highly effective in providing methods and implications to create more comfortable indoor environments for rural residences. Image 1 • A vernacular underground cave dwelling presented for cold climates. • Climate responsive strategies of underground cave dwellings was obtained. • A long-term remote monitoring was carried out. • Annual thermal performance of the cave dwelling was evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turbulent mixed convections of lead-bismuth eutectic in heated upward pipe flows at Re = 2650 are investigated using direct numerical simulation. A high-precision space discretization of fourth-order central scheme is adopted for both velocity advection and diffusion terms. Mean velocity, mean temperature, Reynolds shear stress, heat flux, skin-friction coefficient, Nusselt number and some other statistics are demonstrated. With increasing buoyancy, mean velocity and temperature show a non-monotonic variation trend. Turbulent shear stress, turbulent fluctuation, the skin-friction coefficient, and the Nusselt number all firstly decrease and then increase due to the turbulence attenuation and recovery by buoyancy. The analysis of the turbulent kinetic energy budget shows that the shear stress production is the main source of turbulence recovery in LBE mixed convection, instead of the buoyancy production. The quadrant analysis shows the turbulence recovery is not from the near-wall coherent structures but due to the seriously distorted M -shaped velocity distribution. A new decomposition method shows that the turbulent contribution is important to skin-friction coefficient but is very little to the Nusselt number under present conditions. Therefore, the skin-friction coefficient has a large decrease while the Nusselt number has a slight decrease with increasing buoyancy due to turbulence attenuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vernacular architecture of cave dwelling is known for its use of local building materials and traditional heating system (Yaokang) for a comfortable indoor environment. However, it has not been proved by a quantitative evaluation study so far. A seven days short-term on-site monitoring was thus conducted in winter for evaluating the thermal performance and heating potential of Yaokang. Experimental results and Kang heating potential coefficient ( KPC) proposed here indicate that the average heat emission per unit area of the Yaokang is between 45 and 80 W/m 2 , giving energy saving of around 59.4% for cave dwelling in cold area of China. Additionally, to assess the long-term thermal response characteristic of underground cave dwellings, a two-years continuous remote monitoring was carried out. And the monitoring results show that the indoor air temperature of cave dwellings ranges from 9 °C to 17.4 °C in winter and from 22.8 °C to 26.7 °C in summer. Conclusions drawn from this study lay a theoretical basis for low energy building design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passive solar house can improve indoor thermal comfort, but produce the problems of overheating in summer and inconvenient for operation. To solve the existing problems, solar wall with color changed was proposed and a full-scale experimental house with color changed was built in Dalian. Thermal response characteristics of this passive solar house were studied by two years experiments. After analyzing experimental data, the correlation function of indoor thermal environment parameters (indoor air temperature and south wall inner surface temperature) and outdoor air temperature under different operation conditions were presented. Analysis of the humidity level in the indoor environment of the passive solar house indicated that passive heating could restrain condensation on the walls. However, condensation occurred on the thermal bridges at the inlets and outlets of solar walls after the fans were turned off. Therefore, thermal bridges should be avoided during design phase. Taking λ ρ c values of building envelope as the characterization parameter, results of heat flux direction and values of building envelope were obtained, which showed that thermal storage effect of floor was blindingly obvious. Building envelope stored heat during the day and released heat at night, and the average heat flux density at night was between 1 W/m 2 and 10 W/m 2 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] An improved passive solar house suitable for cold area of China is presented. [•] The function of heat gain and solar irradiance is obtained by regression analysis. [•] The free running temperature prediction formula of passive solar house is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Adobe Yaokang for traditional heating in cold climates was presented. • A quantitatively analysis of the thermal performance of Yaokang was conducted. • Effect of Yaokang heating on indoor air quality were analyzed. • A mathematic model based on thermodynamics equilibrium of Yaokang was proposed. As a traditional heating system, Yaokang are widely used in cave dwellings in rural China. Yaokang are built by local craftsmen, according to traditional construction methods. To study the thermal environment of Yaodong dwellings with Yaokang heating and the effect of the burning of Yaokang on the health of residents, the thermal performance of Yaokang and the indoor air quality with Yaokang heating were quantitatively analyzed. The results showed that Yaokang has an excellent thermal storage capacity, and can supply heat to the room for a long period, even after the burning has stopped, with a thermal efficiency of 67.7%. Meanwhile, the concentrations of CO, particulate matter (PM2.5), CO 2 , and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the indoor air were generally within the ranges of good air quality or light pollution. Finally, based on the theory of thermodynamics, a mathematical model of Yaokang heating process was established, and verified using experimental data. Based on the model, optimization of the thermal characteristics of Yaokang and effective regeneration designs for the Yaodong can be obtained. This study can also provide basic data and theoretical support for the protection and inheritance of vernacular buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are organic pollutants and manufactured substances conferring toxicity to human health. The present study investigated whether pyrene, a type of PAH, harms rats. Our research provides an effective feature selection strategy for the animal dataset from Wenzhou Medical University's Experimental Animal Center to thoroughly examine the impacts of PAH toxicity on rat features. Initially, we devised a high‐performance optimization method (SCBA) and added the Sobol sequence, vertical crossover and horizontal crossover mechanisms to the bat algorithm (BA). The SCBA‐KELM model, which combines SCBA with the kernel extreme learning machine model (KELM), has excellent accuracy and high stability for selecting features. Benchmark function tests are then used in this research to verify the overall optimization performance of SCBA. In this paper, the feature selection performance of SCBA‐KELM is verified using various comparative experiments. According to the results, the features of the genes PXR, CAR, CYP2B1/2 and CYP1A1/2 have the most impact on rats. The SCBA‐KELM model's classification performance for the gene dataset was 100%, and the model's precision value for the public dataset was around 96%, as determined by the classification index. In conclusion, the model utilized in this research is anticipated to be a reliable and valuable approach for toxicological classification and assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate responsive strategies contained in traditional native dwellings can provide theoretical basis for the development of sustainable buildings. This study focused on a quantitative analysis of cliff-side cave dwellings located in cold region of China. Field measurements in summer and winter were carried out. Based on the monitoring data, thermal environment of the cave dwelling and thermal characteristics of the adobe massive building envelope were evaluated. Results showed that the cliff-side cave dwelling was well adapted to local environment for its good ability of thermal insulation under the natural conditions. Furthermore, in order to assess the whole annual thermal performance and thermal comfort level, numerical simulations on the cliff-side cave dwelling models was also performed using the software Energyplus. Results showed that 52.50% time of the year was comfortable of the living room. Meanwhile, some technical strategies of making full use of solar energy and natural ventilation was proposed in the end of this paper, which can provide technical support for the regeneration design of traditional residential buildings. • Cave dwellings with massive envelope adapt themselves to the local climate well. • 52.50% time of the year was comfortable of the cliff-side cave dwelling room. • Renewable energy using strategies on the vernacular cave dwelling were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to reactive inhibition, intentional inhibition is the internally generated decision to "stop" without any external signals. Whether adults and adolescents' neural correlates on these two inhibitions have any differences is still unknown. We measured 20 adults and 21 adolescents' ERP-related N2 using a free-choice Go/Nogo task. The results of the adult's group showed that the mean amplitude and peak latency of intentional Nogo-N2 did not differ from the reactive Nogo-N2. In contrast, the mean amplitude and peak latency for reactive Nogo-N2 in the adolescent group was significantly greater than what was observed for the intentional Nogo-N2. Comparison across groups revealed that the mean amplitude and peak latency of reactive Nogo-N2 were significantly greater in adolescents than in adults, while intentional Nogo-N2 did not differ between groups. These findings may indicate that adolescents lack of self-control is more reflected in reactive inhibition, if adolescents decide whether to do, they will be as good as adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structure stability of CeO 2 nanoparticles and nanorods were studied for ethanol steam reforming reaction over Ir/CeO 2 nanocatalysts. Characterizations of BET, XRD, HRTEM, H 2 -TPR and H 2 O-TPD et al. were applied to analyze surface areas, sizes, morphologies, redox properties and water activation of the nanocatalysts. Performance results revealed that reaction patterns of ethanol steam reforming reaction were dependent on the structures of CeO 2 supports, originating from different abilities in water activation. After long time stability tests conducted at high temperature of 923 K, the CeO 2 nanoparticles maintained original polyhedral shape, while the CeO 2 nanorods changed to polyhedrons. The shape variation of the nanorods was supposed to associated with OH groups combination and oxygen exchange in surface crystal planes of ceria nanorods, which diminished oxygen vacancies and reconstructed ceria morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase change materials (PCMs) are recognized as a promising passive energy retrofit technology for existing buildings, as they are applied to the internal and external surfaces of the building with less impact on the original structure. However, the effectiveness of PCMs varies from region to region. Taking the Central Plains of China as an example, this paper investigated the effect of phase change temperature and material thickness variation on the energy efficiency of PCM when it was arranged on 14 placements including furniture through EnergyPlus (E+). And further explored the applicability of coupling PCMs with natural ventilation (NV). The results showed that: for the Central Plains of China, PCMs arranged on the internal surface of building roofs were optimal, and the reduction rate of uncomfortable degree hours could reach 38%, 26%, 24% and 40% after integrating PCMs into the roof, floor, external wall and furniture. The uncomfortable degree hour reduction rate per unit mass of PCM was 0.052%/kg for the roof, and the value of furniture was very close to the external wall and floor, which achieved 0.033%/kg. In addition, the coupling of PCM with NV improved the energy efficiency of PCM by more than twice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clothing can absorb fine particulate pollutants from the atmosphere outdoors and then release them after entering the room in a form similar to three-handed smoke. In this study, the experimental site in Zhengzhou, a typical city with heavy pollution in central China, was used to investigate the adsorption and diffusion patterns of three different fabrics of polyester, polyester-cotton, and cotton clothing for fine particle pollutants, to guide people's behavior patterns and indoor air distribution, and to reduce indoor pollution exposure. The results showed that when garments of three different fabrics were exposed to moderate and heavy PM2.5 pollution for 1 h, 2 h, and 3 h, respectively, and then transferred to the diffusion chamber, polyester always released the highest PM2.5 concentration to indoor air during the same release cycle, followed by cotton and polyester-cotton. In addition, the concentration of indoor air pollutants will be periodically affected by the diffusion of fine particulate adsorbed by clothing fabrics. With the increase in outdoor pollution and exposure duration, the indoor PM2.5 concentration takes longer to stabilize at certain levels after the clothing is transferred to the indoor side. Finally, the comparison of natural ventilation experiments proved that it is not feasible to rely solely on natural ventilation to improve the influence of clothing pollution sources on indoor air quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Exploring cooling behaviors beyond air conditioning in residential demand response. • Testing the effect of cooling behaviors on thermal comfort during demand response. • Identifying inaccuracy of prevalent thermal comfort models for demand response. • Developing more precise thermal comfort models for residential demand response. During periods of electricity demand response (DR) in residential buildings, inhabitants frequently engage in supplementary cooling behaviors, extending beyond the utilization of air conditioning (AC). However, the prevalent thermal comfort models, namely the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Temperature Range Method (TRM), which are typically employed during DR periods, are designed for stable environments and do not consider the impact of these additional cooling behaviors. This study aims to develop novel thermal comfort models that more accurately reflect these behaviors during residential DR periods. The initial stage of the study involved a questionnaire survey conducted among residents in Zhengzhou, China, to investigate the AC usage patterns and additional cooling behaviors. Subsequently, typical AC DR strategies, which include increasing indoor temperature set points and turning off AC, along with the three most comment additional cooling behaviors, namely utilizing an electric fan, reducing clothing and consuming cold beverages, were examined through multi-scenario experiments. The findings from these experiments facilitated the development of two novel models: the PMV-DR model, indicative of the thermal comfort level, and the TRM-DR model, representative of the thermal comfort acceptance rate (AR) during the DR period. When compared with the traditional PMV and TRM models, these newly proposed models demonstrated greater consistency with the experimental results. As a result, these models could serve as the basis for thermal comfort evaluations during residential DR periods in the Zhengzhou region. Furthermore, they could provide a methodological benchmark for other geographical locales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The shape of Ce 0.9 La 0.1 O 2 supports affected the properties of the catalysts. • Metal-support interaction was enhanced in the Ir/Ce 0.9 La 0.1 O 2 -nanorods catalysts. • The nanorods catalysts exhibited much higher performance and more stable for MDR reaction. Ir catalysts supported on Ce 0.9 La 0.1 O 2 nanorods and nanoparticles were comparatively investigated for syngas production from methane dry reforming reaction. The exposure of active {110} and {100} crystal planes in the Ir/Ce 0.9 La 0.1 O 2 - nanorods catalysts contributed to the stronger redox property and more oxygen vacancy than those in the Ir/Ce 0.9 La 0.1 O 2 -nanoparticles catalysts. These advantages facilitated activation and transformation of methane and carbon dioxide, giving an enhanced performance of methane dry reforming reaction over the Ir/Ce 0.9 La 0.1 O 2 -nanorods catalysts. The work demonstrated significant influences of support morphologies in obtaining stable catalysts for methane dry reforming reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Core-shell structured Ni@SiO 2 catalysts with ultrafine Ni nanoparticles were fabricated. • Catalytic performance of DRM was from coupling of size effect and SMIS in the Ni@SiO 2 catalysts. • The Ni@SiO 2 -600 catalyst had intermediate Ni size and SMIS achieved the best coupling. CO 2 reforming with methane is an attractive reaction to produce syngas and reduce greenhouse gases. The main problems for the reaction are catalyst sintering and carbon deposition at high temperatures. In this study, we fabricated core-shell structured Ni@SiO 2 catalysts with ultrafine nickel nanoparticles by microemulsion method. The catalysts were calcined at different temperatures to obtain different sizes of Ni nanoparticles and achieve different strengths of metal-support interaction. CO 2 reforming with methane reaction over the Ni@SiO 2 catalysts revealed that catalytic performance was dependent on both size of Ni nanoparticles and strength of metal-support interaction. The best coupling of size effect and metal-support interaction in the Ni@SiO 2 -600 exhibited the highest performance and stability, which was assigned to the maintained smallest size of Ni nanoparticles and the lowest carbon deposition when compared with Ni@SiO 2 -500 and Ni@SiO 2 -700 catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • DNS of LBE flow over backward-facing step is conducted to study buoyancy impact. • Statistics like velocity, temperature, Reynolds stress and heat flux are discussed. • Buoyancy has substantially altered the flow field for LBE flow at moderate Ri. • Recirculation zone decreases and heat transfer is improved in buoyancy-aided flow. • Recirculation zone largely increases and heat transfer is weakened in opposed flow. Abstract Studies of turbulent mixed convection over a vertical backward-facing step for liquid metals are indispensable to research the buoyancy effects in flow separation and reattachment scenarios that occurs in innovative nuclear and solar power facilities. Direct numerical simulations of turbulent buoyancy-aided flow at two moderate Richardson numbers (Ri = 0.1, 0.2) and buoyancy-opposed flow at Ri = −0.04 for lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE, Prandtl number Pr = 0.025) are performed. The forced convection and air mixed convection (Pr = 0.7, Ri = 0.1) are also simulated for comparison. In all the cases Reynolds number is 4805 and the expansion ratio is 1.5. Mean statistics like velocity components, temperature and heat fluxes are given. Second-order quantities such as Reynolds stresses, temperature fluctuations, and turbulent heat fluxes are also discussed. The results show that buoyancy has substantially altered the flow field for LBE flow compared to air flow at moderate Ri. For buoyancy-aided LBE flow, the recirculation zone is reduced in size and the reattachment length is shortened. With Ri increasing, the second vortex gradually prevails over the main vortex and finally pushes it detach from the wall, leading to positive skin-friction coefficient. Buoyancy weakens the turbulent quantities such as Reynolds stresses, temperature fluctuations and turbulent heat fluxes. Both skin-friction coefficient and Nusselt number increase due to the reduced reversed flow resulting from buoyancy acceleration near the wall. However, it is opposite for the case of buoyancy-opposed flow. The skin-friction coefficient and Nusselt number decrease due to the increased reversed flow though the turbulence is enhanced in buoyancy-opposed flow. These high-resolved data could promote the understanding of this scenario and improve turbulent modelling for flow separation and reattachment of low Prandtl fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The Pt/Bi 2 O 3 interfaces undergo structural reconstruction during CV process and form highly dispersed Bi0 species on the surface of Pt aerogel. • Higher MOR activity in alkaline media was obtained for Bi0 decorated Pt aerogel. • The reaction kinetics is investigated by In-suit FTIR measurement and DFT calculations. Improving the activity and stability of electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) is key important for the large-scale application of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Herein, we provide a novel scheme to firstly build Bi-decorated Pt aerogel through the structural reconstruction of Pt/Bi 2 O 3 interface, which demonstrates an excellent mass activity of 7.99 A mg-1 Pt in MOR (8-fold higher than that of commercial Pt/C). Experimental results show that the synergistic effect between Bi0 species and Pt aerogel is the major cause of the improvement of the catalytic activity. In-suit Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy results indicated that the generation and transformation of HCOO– intermediate are accelerated. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the decorated Bi enhances the adsorption of OH species on the adjacent Pt site, which can facilitate the dehydrogenation of methanol and the removal of poisonous CO species. Thus, the electro-catalytic performance can be improved. This strategy can be extended to construct other types of interfaces, which may open new routes for the synthesis of highly efficient electrocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of persistent organic global environmental pollutants and cause harmful effects on human health. Here, we evaluated adverse effects of chrysene, which is a four-ring PAH and an important member of 16 priority PAHs, on the liver. Chrysene was detected in some common raw and cooked Chinese food samples. Hepatotoxicity including increased relative liver weight, hepatocyte swelling and degeneration, and elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were observed in chrysene-exposed C57BL/6 mice. Glutamine treatment effectively ameliorated chrysene-induced mice liver injury by decreasing serum ALT levels. Chrysene induced mice hepatic glutathione depletion and oxidative DNA damage with increased 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels. Hepatic expression levels of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), AhR-related target genes including CYP1A1, CYP1A2 and CYP1B1, and AhR nuclear translocator (ARNT) were significantly increased in chrysene-exposed C57BL/6 mice. Chrysene induced mice hepatic mRNA levels of the nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2) and Nrf2-mediated phase II detoxifying and antioxidant enzymes including NQO1, UGT1A1, UGT1A6, SULT1A1, GSTm1, GSTm3, Catalase (CAT), GPx1, and SOD2. We found that chrysene had toxic effects including increased relative liver weight and elevated serum ALT levels on AhR+/+ mice but not AhR−/- mice. Chrysene significantly induced hepatic mRNA levels of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 in AhR+/+ mice but not AhR−/- mice. To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that hepatotoxicity causes by chrysene is dependent on AhR, and Nrf2 plays an important regulation role in protection against oxidative liver injury induced by chrysene. • Chrysene is detected in some common raw and cooked Chinese food samples. • Chrysene causes mouse hepatotoxicity is dependent on AhR. • Chrysene causes mouse oxidative damage and glutathione depletion. • Nrf2-mediated antioxidant defense system is activated after chrysene exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Near-wall microenvironment of a building refers to parameters such as wind speed, temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation near the building's façade, etc. The distribution of these parameters on the building façade shows a certain variation based on changes in height. As a technology of passive heating and ventilation, the effectiveness of this application on heat collection wall is significantly affected by the near-wall microclimate, which is manifested by the differences, and rules of the thermal process of the components present at different elevations. To explore the feasibility and specificity of this application of heat collection wall in high-rise buildings, this study uses three typical high-rise buildings from Zhengzhou, China, as research buildings. Periodic measurements of the near-wall microclimate during winter and summer were carried out, and the changing rules of vertical and horizontal microclimate were discussed in detail. Later, by combining these measured data with numerical method, thermal process and performance of heat collection wall based on increasing altitude were quantitatively analyzed through numerical calculations, and the optimum scheme for heat collection wall components was summarized to provide a theoretical basis for the structural design of heat-collecting wall in high-rise buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of pervasive global environmental pollutants and adversely affect human health. Among PAHs, phenanthrene and anthracene are isomers consisting of three benzene rings. In the present study, we have made comparisons of constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) activation and toxic effects on the liver between these two isomers. Phenanthrene, but not anthracene, significantly induced promoter activity and gene expression of human drug metabolizing enzyme CYP2B6 in HepG2 cells and human primary hepatocytes, respectively. Phenanthrene, but not anthracene, significantly increased CYP2B10 expression levels and caused hepatotoxicity in mice. Phenanthrene induced the nuclear accumulation of CAR in the liver of wild-type mice, but not CAR−/− mice. Hepatocellular necrosis, elevated expression levels of some CAR-related genes such as CYP2B10, CYP3A11, UGT1A1, SULT2A1 and GSTM3, and lower hepatic glutathione levels were found in phenanthrene-exposed wild-type mice but not CAR−/− mice. Additionally, phenanthrene and anthracene were detected in both raw and grilled lamb samples. The average concentrations of phenanthrene were much higher than those of anthracene in these samples. This study is the first to demonstrate that phenanthrene, but not its isomer anthracene, effectively activates both human and mouse nuclear receptor CAR, and CAR plays a crucial role in phenanthrene-induced mouse hepatotoxicity. Compared with anthracene, K region may be an important electronic structure of phenanthrene for activation of CAR. Dietary consumption of PAHs-contaminated food is an important exposure route for humans. Exposure to phenanthrene may affect human health especially associated with liver. • Phe and Ant are present in both raw and grilled lamb samples. • Phe, but not Ant, activates human CAR and induces CYP2B6 gene expression. • Phe, but not Ant, activates mouse CAR and causes hepatotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]