Climate change and the rapid expansion of the built environment have intensified heat stress worldwide. Due to environmental changes and urbanization, some studies show evidence of spatial and ...temporal changes in heat stress. The objective of this study is to apply spatial analysis to explore temporal and spatial changes in heat stress and to conduct a comparative analysis of land surface temperature (LST) and land use. The results show a significant expansion of the areas where the LST is over 35 °C or between 30 °C and 35 °C. A comparative analysis between the expansion of areas with high LSTs and changing land use types shows that LSTs were indeed higher in 2014 than the values in 2008 and that LSTs remained relatively high in areas where the LST was over 35 °C or between 30 °C and 35 °C. The temperature variation is not significant between urban and rural areas, indicating that heat stress has been extended toward particular rural areas. The cooling effect provided by open space is not significant, so city planners should exert more effort to mitigate extreme heat stress. As a whole, heat stress does change temporally and spatially, and the results of the comparative analysis could be further referenced in future efforts to improve the ability of areas to adapt to heat stress based on various land use patterns.
•Climate change and the rapid expansion of the built environment have intensified heat stress worldwide.•The similar heat pattern among urban and rural areas indicating the heat stress has been extended outward.•The temporal and geographical variation of heat stress could be help for improving adaptation ability in particular areas.
Obesity is a potential risk factor for cognitive deficits in the elder humans. Using a high-fat diet (HFD)–induced obese mouse model, we investigated the impacts of HFD on obesity, metabolic and ...stress hormones, learning performance, and hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Both male and female C57BL/6J mice fed with HFD (3 weeks to 9–12 months) gained significantly more weights than the sex-specific control groups. Compared with the obese female mice, the obese males had similar energy intake but developed more weight gains. The obese male mice developed hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, hypercholesterolemia, and hyperleptinemia, but not hypertriglyceridemia. The obese females had less hyperinsulinemia and hypercholesterolemia than the obese males, and no hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia. In the contextual fear conditioning and step-down passive avoidance tasks, the obese male, but not female, mice showed poorer learning performance than their normal counterparts. These learning deficits were not due to sensorimotor impairment as verified by the open-field and hot-plate tests. Although, basal synaptic transmission characteristics (input–output transfer and paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) ratio) were not significantly different between normal and HFD groups, the magnitudes of synaptic plasticity (long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD)) were lower at the Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapses of the hippocampal slices isolated from the obese male, but not female, mice, as compared with their sex-specific controls. Our results suggest that male mice are more vulnerable than the females to the impacts of HFD on weight gains, metabolic alterations and deficits of learning, and hippocampal synaptic plasticity.
Extrachromosomal telomere repeat (ECTR) DNA is unique to cancer cells that maintain telomeres through the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway, but the role of ECTRs in ALT development ...remains elusive. We found that induction of ECTRs in normal human fibroblasts activated the cGAS-STING-TBK1-IRF3 signaling axis to trigger IFNβ production and a type I interferon response, resulting in cell-proliferation defects. In contrast, ALT cancer cells are commonly defective in sensing cytosolic DNA. We found that STING expression was inhibited in ALT cancer cell lines and transformed ALT cells. Notably, the ALT suppressors histone H3.3 and the ATRX-Daxx histone chaperone complex were also required to activate the DNA-sensing pathway. Collectively, our data suggest that the loss of the cGAS-STING pathway may be required to evade ECTR-induced anti-proliferation effects and permit ALT development, and this requirement may be exploited for treatments specific to cancers utilizing the ALT pathway.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs of approximately 22 nucleotides, which negatively regulate the gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. This study describes an update of the ...miRTarBase (http://miRTarBase.mbc.nctu.edu.tw/) that provides information about experimentally validated miRNA-target interactions (MTIs). The latest update of the miRTarBase expanded it to identify systematically Argonaute-miRNA-RNA interactions from 138 crosslinking and immunoprecipitation sequencing (CLIP-seq) data sets that were generated by 21 independent studies. The database contains 4966 articles, 7439 strongly validated MTIs (using reporter assays or western blots) and 348 007 MTIs from CLIP-seq. The number of MTIs in the miRTarBase has increased around 7-fold since the 2014 miRTarBase update. The miRNA and gene expression profiles from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) are integrated to provide an effective overview of this exponential growth in the miRNA experimental data. These improvements make the miRTarBase one of the more comprehensively annotated, experimentally validated miRNA-target interactions databases and motivate additional miRNA research efforts.
This study demonstrates asymmetric relationships between El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and tropical cyclones (TCs) affecting the Philippines during October–December. In El Niño or La Niña ...years, the number of TCs impacting the Philippines may increase or decrease. These variations result in four ENSO–TC variability types all of which exhibit strong sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies across the equatorial eastern Pacific. The major difference between the active and inactive types in terms of El Niño or La Niña years is related to the magnitude of SST anomalies in the tropical western Pacific (TWP) over the 120°–150°E region. During El Niño years, moderate cold SST anomalies in this TWP region cause an anomalous divergent centre around the 120°–130°E zone to evoke an anomalous cyclone east of the Philippines. In the western North Pacific (WNP), this anomalous cyclone causes more TCs to form and move toward the Philippines, resulting in active TC activity. For the inactive TC type during El Niño years, very weak cold SST anomalies in the aforementioned TWP region correspond with a northeastward‐extended anomalous divergent centre over the 120°–140°E, 10°S–20°N zone and an anomalous anticyclone across the Philippines and its eastern side. Decreases in the formation of the WNP TC and movement toward the Philippines lead to inactive TC activity. The large‐scale anomalies and regulating processes are mainly opposite between the active TC type during El Niño years and the inactive TC type during La Niña years. These two types are influenced by interdecadal variability of the Pacific decadal oscillation. Opposite anomalies and regulating processes also occur between the inactive TC type during El Niño years and the active TC type during La Niña years. The former type is jointly modulated by the positive Indian Ocean Dipole mode and central‐Pacific El Niño.
Asymmetric ENSO–TC relationships exist in the Philippines during October–December. TC activity tends to be active (inactive) during El Niño (La Niña) years in association with moderate cold (warm) SST anomalies in the tropical western Pacific. When SST anomalies over the tropical western Pacific are very weak or indiscernible, TC activity affecting the Philippines tends to be inactive (active) during El Niño (La Niña) years.
Precise temporal control of gene expression or deletion is critical for elucidating gene function in biological systems. However, the establishment of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) lines with ...inducible gene knockout (iKO) remains challenging. We explored building iKO hPSC lines by combining CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing with the Flp/FRT and Cre/LoxP system. We found that “dual-sgRNA targeting” is essential for biallelic knockin of FRT sequences to flank the exon. We further developed a strategy to simultaneously insert an activity-controllable recombinase-expressing cassette and remove the drug-resistance gene, thus speeding up the generation of iKO hPSC lines. This two-step strategy was used to establish human embryonic stem cell (hESC) and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines with iKO of SOX2, PAX6, OTX2, and AGO2, genes that exhibit diverse structural layout and temporal expression patterns. The availability of iKO hPSC lines will substantially transform the way we examine gene function in human cells.
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•Efficient strategy outlined for engineering clonal inducible gene knockout hPSC lines•Dual-sgRNA targeting is essential for precise biallelic knockin of FRT•Inducible gene knockout can occur in all cells at any differentiation stages•Multiple genes can be targeted for inducible knockout
By combining CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing with the Flp/FRT and Cre/LoxP system, Chen et al. developed an efficient two-step strategy to generate inducible gene knockout hPSC lines with predictable gene mutations upon tamoxifen treatment at any stages of differentiation. The iKO hPSC lines will enable the elucidation of gene functions throughout differentiation.
Major earthquakes in a given location are unpredictable, infrequent, and often fatal. Using data from a previous earthquake disaster, this study explores the relationship between certain ...characteristics of the physical environment and the type and extent of building damage by using spatial statistical analyses and principal component analysis. The results show that a specified set of physical environmental features, including landslide-prone areas and proximity to a fault, are associated with greater degrees of building damage. The results also show, as evidenced by cases in which buildings constructed according to standards of earthquake-resistant design still collapsed, a sole concern with buildings is insufficient for community safety. Policy implications include that although building design, quality construction, and governmental inspection of new developments are important as adaptation measures to earthquakes, they may be of secondary importance compared to prohibiting future development in earthquake-prone areas possessing the physical features identified herein.
Climatologically, tropical cyclone (TC) genesis in the South China Sea (SCS; 108°–120°E, 8°–22°N) and westernmost North Pacific (WmNP; 122°–140°E, 8°–22°N) exhibit different seasonal variability. ...Maximum TC genesis occurs in July over the WmNP, but in September over the SCS. Based upon genesis potential index (GPI) analysis for the period 1979–2018, the dominant cause of increased TC genesis in the SCS from July to September is a reduction of vertical wind shear of total winds (VWS), while decreased 600‐hPa relative humidity (RH600) acts to suppress TC genesis. Reduced VWS in the SCS is associated with weakening of southwesterly flows and cross‐equatorial southerly flows at 850 hPa and the Tibetan high at 200 hPa. In the WmNP, decreased TC genesis from July to September results from a minor increase in its northern section (north of 15°N) and a major decrease in its southern section (south of 15°N). Decreased TC genesis in the southern section is primarily affected by reduced RH600 and secondly by enhanced VWS. Reduced RH600 is associated with a decrease in total humidity and an increase in 600‐hPa temperature from July to September. Enhanced VWS is mainly caused by intensified entrances of 850‐hPa westerly/southwesterly flows from the SCS and cross‐equatorial flows from tropical oceans in company with weakening of the Pacific subtropical high. The effects of 850‐hPa absolute vorticity and potential intensity associated with the possible maximum wind speed on seasonal variability of TC genesis are insignificant and minor.
Maximum TC genesis occurs in July over the WmNP, but in September over the SCS. From July to September, the dominant cause of increased TC genesis in the SCS is a reduction of vertical wind shear (VWS) associated with weakening of southwesterly flows and cross‐equatorial southerly flows at 850 hPa and the Tibetan high at 200 hPa. In the WmNP, decreased TC genesis in its southern section is primarily affected by reduced mid‐level relative humidity and secondly by enhanced VWS.
This study examines the effects of technology-enhanced interventions in hospitality curricula using an overarching research hypothesis - Does a course that features multi-model inputs, web-based ...learning opportunities and interactive communications prepare students well for their internships? Through an exploration of various influences within blended learning, this study unpacks students' responses to the pedagogical design, technology-enhanced interactions and in turn, assess for their intercultural competencies. The theoretical framework informing this study confirms the hypothesis that these multifaceted classroom activities demonstrated pedagogical effectiveness for knowledge retention. The findings showed that students' intercultural competences were significantly promoted. Students' learning interactions also improved due to the processes of video-making, sharing and discussions in the classroom. Moreover, these classroom activities significantly raised students' intercultural awareness. With regards to the effectiveness of the course for internship preparation, students showed moderate levels of satisfaction. Theoretical and practical contributions to the embedding of ICT within hospitality courses are provided.
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the oral cavity and the fourth leading malignancy and cause of cancer-related death in the male population of Taiwan. Most ...cases are detected at advanced stages, resulting in poor prognosis. Therefore, improved detection of early oral health disorders is indispensable. The involvement of oral bacteria in inflammation and their association with OSCC progression provide a feasible target for diagnosis. Due to the nature of oral neoplasms, the diagnosis of epithelial precursor lesions is relatively easy compared with that of other types of cancer. However, the transition from an epithelial precursor lesion to cancer is slow and requires further and continuous follow-up. In this study, we investigated microbiota differences between normal individuals, epithelial precursor lesion patients, and cancer patients with different lifestyle habits, such as betel chewing and smoking, using next-generation sequencing. Overall, the oral microbiome compositions of five genera, Bacillus, Enterococcus, Parvimonas, Peptostreptococcus, and Slackia, revealed significant differences between epithelial precursor lesion and cancer patients and correlated with their classification into two clusters. These composition changes might have the potential to constitute a biomarker to help in monitoring the oral carcinogenesis transition from epithelial precursor lesion to cancer.
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