In recent years, techniques of using system disturbance data to validate generator models have been widely discussed. Dynamic model validation and calibration is becoming one of the important ...applications to smart grid initiative. As this kind of technique is utilized to validate generator model, procedures of data screening and reprocessing are essential because raw data obtained from measurement is not always satisfactory. Regarding model parameter calibration, system model is usually quite complicated with various parameters interacting with each other. Artificial intelligent tool is the prior option to save the laborious tuning process and enhance the parameter accuracy. This paper presents a guideline to validate and calibrate parameters of generating units using the record data from phasor measurement unit. Associated procedures for signal filtering on the measurement data, key parameters screening, intelligent search of model parameters, and cross check of legitimate parameters will be discussed in detail. Finally, two historical disturbance cases that happened in the Taiwan power (Taipower) system are applied in accordance with the proposed guideline to demonstrate its effectiveness on generator parameter validation and calibration.
Purpose This study explored the influence of Dervin’s sensemaking methodology (SMM). Design/methodology/approach Citation context analysis was used to identify the most influential SMM concepts in ...948 articles citing 34 SMM-related studies by Dervin that were published between 1983 and 2017. Moreover, the bibliometric method and content analysis were incorporated to examine the disciplines and research topics influenced by the SMM-related studies and the role of cited content in SMM-related studies. Findings The influence of SMM is concentrated in information behavior research in the field of library and information science (LIS). The 1992 book chapter From the mind’s eye of the user was most frequently cited, followed by the first SMM study from 1983; 14 of the 18 content categories were relevant to SMM. “Sensemaking,” at the core of SMM, was the most influential cited concept, primarily cited from the 1983 SMM-related study. Although the SMM was developed as a research method, it has not been primarily applied to design research methods in other studies. Originality/value This study explored the interdisciplinary influence of Dervin’s SMM from several aspects and demonstrated the complex information dynamics between SMM-related works and citing articles.
Probiotics may protect against asthma. We want to investigate whether probiotics can reverse the adverse effects of phthalate exposure on asthma. We selected the female offspring of BALB/c mice, born ...from pregnant female mice fed with diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). They were continuously administrated DEHP and
ssp.
SA-03 when they were 5 weeks old, and ovalbumin (OVA) for asthma induction started at 6 weeks for 32 days. The mice were divided into four groups (
= 6/group): 1. control group (C), 2. OVA/DEHP group (OD), 3. OVA/DEHP/probiotics low-dose group (ODP-1X), and OVA/DEHP/probiotics high-dose group (ODP-5X). We found that the administration of probiotics significantly reduced the asthma severity of the mice, as well as serum IgE and IL-5. In the ODP-5X group, the proportion of CD4+ cells in the lung was reduced, whereas IL-10 in serum and CD8+ cells in BALF were increased. In histopathology, the ODP group showed reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells, bronchial epithelial cell hyperplasia, and tracheal mucus secretion. These results might indicate that high-dose probiotics may affect anti-inflammatory cytokines and reduce asthma-relative indicators. The above results may provide evidence that high-dose probiotics supplementation might play a modulating role in DEHP causes of allergic asthma in the pediatric animal model.
The oxidative stress biomarker of urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) was reported to be changed in patients with allergic diseases. Measurement of urinary oxidative products is noninvasive. ...However, correlations between the severity levels of atopic diseases and oxidative stress remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association among urinary 8-OHdG, atopic dermatitis (AD), and the phenotypes of atopic diseases in children. In a nested case-control study, participants of kindergarten children were enrolled from the Childhood Environment and Allergic Diseases Study (CEAS). Urinary analyses and urinary 8-OHdG were performed on samples from 200 children with AD as cases and 200 age- and sex-matched controls. Our study presents the following main findings: (1) The urinary 8-OHdG levels were significantly higher in cases than controls. Higher urinary 8-OHdG levels were associated with the risk of AD in a dose-response-manner; (2) Children's AD history was associated with higher risks of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and night pruritus; (3) For children with AD, urinary 8-OHdG levels of >75th percentile were associated with higher risk of asthma, compared with the reference group of 0-25th percentiles. In summary, this study provides better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of AD and urinary 8-OHdG by analyzing a large-scale sample survey in Taiwan.
Lead (Pb) has adverse effects on our nervous system and renal systems. Young children are more vulnerable to Pb exposure. However, the role of low-level Pb exposure in the immune system and allergic ...diseases in children is not well established. The aims of this study are to investigate the associations between Pb exposure and allergic diseases; between Pb and immunoglobulin E (IgE) as an intervening variable; and gender-based differences. We used multistage stratified random sampling to recruit kindergarten children nationwide in Taiwan. Information about allergic diseases and environmental exposures was collected by questionnaire. We compared children with and without allergic diseases for blood Pb levels measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The association between blood Pb and allergic diseases was assessed by logistic regression and those between Pb and IgE by generalized linear models. We also conducted mediation analysis to evaluate how much risk of allergic diseases related to Pb exposure is explained by IgE. A total of 930 children completed specimen collections. There was a positive association between Pb and asthma. Blood Pb were also positively linked with serum IgE (β=0.26 kU/l per ln-unit increase Pb concentration; 95% CI 0.009-0.50 kU/l), after adjusting for potential confounders. Analyses stratified by gender revealed that blood Pb correlated with IgE only in boys (β=0.40 kU/l; 95% CI 0.03-0.76 kU/l). We estimated that 38% of the total effect of Pb exposure on asthma is mediated by IgE levels. In conclusion, Pb exposure is associated with both blood IgE and asthma in boys. Moreover, the effect of Pb exposure on asthma may be mediated by IgE levels.
The purposes of this study were to elucidate the associations between exposure to particulate matter, gaseous pollutants, and road traffic noise and asthma prevalence and to determine the interaction ...between exposure to multiple pollutants and asthma in children. A total of 3,246 children were recruited from 11 kindergartens in New Taipei City, Taiwan. Land use regression (LUR) was used to establish predictive models for estimating individual exposure levels of particulate matter, gaseous pollutants, and the 24 h A-weighted equivalent sound pressure level (LAeq,24). Multiple logistic regression was performed to test the associations between exposure to these environmental factors and asthma prevalence in children. Multiple-exposure models revealed that an interquartile-range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 (1.17 μg/m3) and PM10 (10.69 μg/m3) caused a 1.34-fold (95% confidence interval CI = 1.05–1.70) and 1.17-fold (95% CI = 1.01–1.36) increase in risk of asthma prevalence in children after adjusting for LAeq,24 and NO2. Co-exposure to PM2.5, LAeq,24, and O3, SO2, or CO, as well as co-exposure to PM10, LAeq,24, and CO produced similar findings. Only exposure to one IQR of SO2 (0.15 ppb) was observed a significant association (odds ratio = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.00–1.34) with the asthma prevalence in children after adjusting for PM10 and LAeq,24. Exposure to PM2.5, PM10, and SO2 may be associated with a higher asthma prevalence in children, while other gaseous pollutants and road traffic noise did not demonstrate significant associations. The interaction of exposure to air pollutants and road traffic noise on asthma prevalence in children was not observed in this study.
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•Exposure to PM2.5 is associated with an increased prevalence of asthma in children.•PM10 exposure has a positive association with the asthma prevalence in children.•Only SO2 is one of four gaseous pollutants associated with children asthma.•Road traffic noise is not associated with the asthma prevalence in children.•Interaction between air pollutants and road traffic noise on asthma is not found.
Whether low-dose phthalate exposure triggers asthma among children, and its underlying mechanisms, remain debatable. Here, we evaluated the individual and mixed effects of low-dose phthalate exposure ...on children with asthma and five (oxidative/nitrosative stress/lipid peroxidation) mechanistic biomarkers—8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 8-nitroguanine (8-NO2Gua), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-mercapturic acid (HNE-MA), 8-isoprostaglandin F2α (8-isoPF2α), and malondialdehyde (MDA)—using a propensity score-matched case-control study (case vs. control = 41 vs. 111). The median monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) concentrations in the case group were significantly higher than those in the control group (3.94 vs. 2.52 ng/mL, p = 0.02), indicating that dust could be an important source. After adjustment for confounders, the associations of high monomethyl phthalate (MMP) (75th percentile) with 8-NO2Gua (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.66, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03–6.92) and 8-isoPF2α (aOR: 4.04, 95% CI: 1.51–10.8) and the associations of mono-iso-butyl phthalate (MiBP) with 8-isoPF2α (aOR: 2.96, 95% CI: 1.13–7.79) were observed. Weighted quantile sum regression revealed that MBzP contributed more than half of the association (56.8%), followed by MiBP (26.6%) and mono-iso-nonyl phthalate (MiNP) (8.77%). Our findings supported the adjuvant effect of phthalates in enhancing the immune system response.
Purpose
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known for their carcinogenic and teratogenic properties. However, little is known about the effect of PAH on our immune and respiratory systems. ...Hence, we investigated associations (1) between PAH exposure and IgE levels and asthma in children and (2) between PAH exposure and the oxidative stress marker 8OHdG potentially involved in disease pathogenesis stratifying by (3) sex-based differences.
Methods
A total of 453 kindergarten children were recruited and provided samples. Urine biomarker of PAH exposure (1-OHP levels) was measured by UPLC-MS/MS and a marker of oxidative stress (8OHdG) was measured by ELISA. Serum IgE were assessed and information on asthma was collected. Associations between 1-OHP levels, 8OHdG, IgE and asthma were analyzed by multivariate linear and logistic regression. A mediation analysis was conducted to evaluate whether the risk of increased IgE and asthma related to PAH exposure is explained by 8OHdG changes.
Results
Urine 1-OHP levels were positively related to 8OHdG levels (per ln-unit:
β
= 0.30kU/l,
p
= 0.002). Similar results were also found for 1-OHP levels with IgE levels (per ln-unit:
β
= 0.27 kU/l,
p
= 0.027). 1-OHP levels (per ln-unit) were significantly associated with asthma, with an OR (95% CI) of 1.42 (1.18–1.70). In addition, 1-OHP levels were associated with asthma. It is estimated that 35% of the effect of PAH exposure on asthma is mediated by 8OHdG levels.
Conclusion
Exposure to PAH may enhance oxidative stress and may induce asthma. The effect of PAH exposure on asthma may be mediated by oxidative stress.
Probiotics may facilitate the clinical management of allergic diseases. However, their effects on allergic rhinitis (AR) remain unclear. We examined the efficacy and safety of
GM-080 in a mouse model ...of airway hyper-responsiveness (AHR) and in children with perennial AR (PAR) by using a double-blind, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled design.
The production of interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-12 was measured by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. GM-080 safety was evaluated via the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of virulence genes. An ovalbumin (OVA)-induced AHR mouse model was constructed, and lung inflammation was evaluated by measuring the infiltrating leukocyte content of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. A clinical trial was conducted with 122 children with PAR who were randomized to receive different doses of GM-080 or the placebo for 3 months, and their AHR symptom severity scores, total nasal symptom scores (TNSSs), and Investigator Global Assessment Scale scores were examined.
Among the tested
strains, GM-080 induced the highest IFN-γ and IL-12 levels in mouse splenocytes. WGS analysis revealed the absence of virulence factors or antibiotic-resistance genes in GM-080. The oral administration of GM-080 at 1 × 10
colony forming units (CFU)/mouse/day for 8 weeks alleviated OVA-induced AHR and reduced airway inflammation in mice. In children with PAR, the oral consumption of GM-080 at 2 × 10
CFU/day for 3 months ameliorated sneezing and improved Investigator Global Assessment Scale scores significantly. GM-080 consumption led to a nonsignificant decrease in TNSS and also nonsignificantly reduced IgE but increased INF-γ levels.
GM-080 may be used as a nutrient supplement to alleviate airway allergic inflammation.
Bisphenol a Exposure, DNA Methylation, and Asthma in Children Yang, Chia-Feng; Karmaus, Wilfried J J; Yang, Chen-Chang ...
International journal of environmental research and public health,
2020-Jan-01, 2020-01-01, 20200101, Letnik:
17, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Epidemiological studies have reported the relationship between bisphenol A (BPA) exposure and increased prevalence of asthma, but the mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated whether BPA ...exposure and DNA methylation related to asthma in children. We collected urinary and blood samples from 228 children (Childhood Environment and Allergic Diseases Study cohort) aged 3 years. Thirty-three candidate genes potentially interacting with BPA exposure were selected from a toxicogenomics database. DNA methylation was measured in 22 blood samples with top-high and bottom-low exposures of BPA. Candidate genes with differential methylation levels were validated by qPCR and promoter associated CpG islands have been investigated. Correlations between the methylation percentage and BPA exposure and asthma were analyzed. According to our findings,
showed differential methylation and was further investigated in 228 children. Adjusting for confounders, urinary BPA glucuronide (BPAG) level inversely correlated with
promoter methylation (β = -0.539,
= 0.010). For the logistic regression analysis,
methylation status was dichotomized into higher methylated and lower methylated groups with cut off continuous variable of median of promoter methylation percentage (50%) while performing the analysis.
methylation was lower in children with asthma than in children without asthma (mean ± SD; 69.82 ± 5.88% vs. 79.82 ± 5.56%) (
= 0.001). Mediation analysis suggested that
methylation acts as a mediation variable between BPA exposure and asthma. The mechanism of BPA exposure on childhood asthma might, therefore, be through the alteration of
methylation. The mechanism of BPA exposure on childhood asthma might, therefore, be through the alteration of
methylation.
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