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The increasing demand for continuous, comprehensive physiological information captured by skin-interfaced wireless sensors is hindered by their relatively high-power consumption and the associated patient discomfort that can follow from the use of high capacity batteries. This paper presents an adaptive electronics platform and a tri-modal energy harvesting approach to reduce the need for battery power. Specifically, the schemes focus on sensors that involve light in their operation, through use of (i) photometric methods, where ambient light contributes directly to the measurement process, (ii) multijunction photovoltaic cells, where ambient light powers operation and/or charges an integrated battery, and (iii) photoluminescent packaging, where ambient light activates light-emitting species to enhance the first two schemes. Additional features of interest are in (i) in-sensor computational approaches that decrease the bandwidth and thus the energy consumption in wireless data communication and (ii) radio frequency power transfer for battery charging. These ideas have utility across broad other classes of wearable devices as well as small, portable electronic gadgetry. Wearable sensors typically require innovative methods of energy harvesting for low-power electronics. Here, the authors present an adaptive power management system with a trimodal energy harvesting approach.

Rapid industrialization and the influx of human resources have led to the establishment of industrial complexes near urban areas, exposing residents to various air pollutants. This has led to a decline in air quality, impacting neighboring residential areas adversely, which highlights the urgent need to monitor air pollution in these areas. Recent advancements in technology, such as Solar Occultation Flux (SOF) and Sky Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (SkyDOAS) used as remote sensing techniques and mobile extraction Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry (MeFTIR) used as an in situ technique, now offer enhanced precision in estimating the pollutant emission flux and identifying primary sources. In a comprehensive study conducted in 2020 in the Sinpyeong Jangrim Industrial Complex in Busan City, South Korea, a mobile laboratory equipped with SOF, SkyDOAS, and MeFTIR technologies was employed to approximate the emission flux of total alkanes, sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), formaldehyde (HCHO), and methane (CH4). Using the HYbrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) diffusion model, pollutant dispersion to residential areas was simulated. The highest average daily emission flux was observed for total alkanes, with values of 69.9 ± 71.6 kg/h and 84.1 ± 85.8 kg/h in zones S1 and S2 of the Sinpyeong Jangrim Industrial Complex, respectively. This is primarily due to the prevalence of metal manufacturing and mechanical equipment industries in the area. The HYSPLIT diffusion model confirmed elevated pollution levels in residential areas located southeast of the industrial complex, underscoring the influence of the dominant northwesterly wind direction and wind speed on pollutant dispersion. This highlights the urgent need for targeted interventions to address and mitigate air pollution in downwind residential areas. The total annual emission fluxes were estimated at 399,984 kg/yr and 398,944 kg/yr for zones S1 and S2, respectively. A comparison with the Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs) survey system revealed that the total annual emission fluxes in this study were approximately 24.3 and 4.9 times higher than those reported by PRTRs. This indicates a significant underestimation of the impact of small businesses on local air quality, which was not accounted for in the PRTR survey system.

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays crucial roles in various physiological processes, including responses to abiotic stresses, in plants. Recently, multiple ABA transporters were identified. The loss-of-function and gain-of-function mutants of these transporters show altered ABA sensitivity and stomata regulation, highlighting the importance of ABA transporters in ABA-mediated processes. However, how the activity of these transporters is regulated remains elusive. Here, we show that spatial regulation of ATP BINDING CASETTE G25 (ABCG25), an ABA exporter, is an important mechanism controlling its activity. ABCG25, as a soluble green fluorescent protein (sGFP) fusion, was subject to posttranslational regulation via clathrin-dependent and adaptor protein complex-2-dependent endocytosis followed by trafficking to the vacuole. The levels of sGFP:ABCG25 at the plasma membrane (PM) were regulated by abiotic stresses and exogenously applied ABA; PM-localized sGFP:ABCG25 decreased under abiotic stress conditions via activation of endocytosis in an ABA-independent manner, but increased upon application of exogenous ABA via activation of recycling from early endosomes in an ABA-dependent manner. Based on these findings, we propose that the spatial regulation of ABCG25 is an important component of the mechanism by which plants fine-tune cellular ABA levels according to cellular and environmental conditions.

Black carbon (BC) absorption aerosol optical depth (AAODBC) defines the contribution of BC in light absorption and is retrievable using sun/sky radiometer measurements provided by Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) inversion products. In this study, we utilized AERONET-retrieved depolarization ratio (DPR, δp), single scattering albedo (SSA, ω), and Ångström Exponent (AE, å) of version 3 level 2.0 products as indicators to estimate the contribution of BC to the absorbing fractions of AOD. We applied our methodology to the AERONET sites, including North and South America, Europe, East Asia, Africa, India, and the Middle East, during 2000–2018. The long-term AAODBC showed a downward tendency over Sao Paulo (−0.001 year−1), Thessaloniki (−0.0004 year−1), Beijing (−0.001 year−1), Seoul (−0.0015 year−1), and Cape Verde (−0.0009 year−1) with the highest values over the populous sites. This declining tendency in AAODBC can be attributable to the successful emission control policies over these sites, particularly in Europe, America, and China. The AAODBC at the Beijing, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, and the Indian sites showed a clear seasonality indicating the notable role of residential heating in BC emissions over these sites during winter. We found a higher correlation between AAODBC and fine mode AOD at 440 nm at all sites except for Beijing. High pollution episodes, BC emission from different sources, and aggregation properties seem to be the main drivers of higher AAODBC correlation with coarse particles over Beijing.

Plants need to respond to various environmental stresses such as abiotic stress for proper development and growth. The responses to abiotic stress can be biochemically demanding, resulting in a trade-off that negatively affects plant growth and development. Thus, plant stress responses must be fine-tuned depending on the stress severity and duration. Abscisic acid, a phytohormone, plays a key role in responses to abiotic stress. Here, we investigated time-dependent physiological and molecular responses to long-term ABA treatment in Arabidopsis as an approach to gain insight into the plant responses to long-term abiotic stress. Upon ABA treatment, the amount of cellular ABA increased to higher levels, reaching to a peak at 24 h after treatment (HAT), and then gradually decreased with time whereas ABA-GE was maintained at lower levels until 24 HAT and then abruptly increased to higher levels at 48 HAT followed by a gradual decline at later time points. Many genes involved in dehydration stress responses, ABA metabolism, chloroplast biogenesis, and chlorophyll degradation were strongly expressed at early time points with a peak at 24 or 48 HAT followed by gradual decreases in induction fold or even suppression at later time points. At the physiological level, long-term ABA treatment caused leaf yellowing, reduced chlorophyll levels, and inhibited chloroplast division in addition to the growth suppression whereas short-term ABA treatment did not affect chlorophyll levels. Our results indicate that the duration of ABA treatment is a crucial factor in determining the mode of ABA-mediated signaling and plant responses: active mobilization of cellular resources at early time points and suppressive responses at later time points.

Fine particulate matter (PM) release is regulated by environmental policies in most countries. This study investigated long–term trends in the mass extinction efficiency (Qe) of aerosols in Northeast Asia. For this purpose, the Qe was calculated using visibility, PM2.5 recorded between 2015 and 2020, and PM10 recorded between 2001 and 2020 at eight Korean sites. The Qe of PM10 (Qe,10) showed an increasing trend with 0.06~0.22 (m2/g)/yr in seven cities except for Jeju. The Qe of PM2.5 (Qe,2.5) also showed an increasing trend with 0.28–2.47 (m2/g)/yr in all cities. In this study, PM10 and PM2.5, were divided into low, moderate, and high concentrations, and the Qe value change by year was examined. Qe,10 showed a tendency to decrease at low concentrations (19–21 μg/m3). However, at moderate (69–71 μg/m3) and high concentrations (139–141 μg/m3), Qe,10 increased in most regions. Qe,2.5 showed an increasing trend at low concentration (9–11 μg/m3), moderate concentration (29–31 μg/m3), and high concentration (69–71 μg/m3), except for Suwon and Pohang, where data were insufficient for analysis. Both Qe,10 and Qe,2.5 showed an increasing trend. The increase in Qe indicated that the visibility-impairing effect of PM can increase even if the same concentration of PM is present. The visibility-impairing effects of PM vary based on the composition, size and other characteristics of the particles in the atmosphere at a given point in time and not simply the quantity of particles. This means that reducing the quantity of particles does not reliably produce a proportionate improvement in visibility. Air quality policies must take the variable nature of PM particles and their effect on visibility into account so that more consistent improvements in air quality can be achieved.

Hygroscopic growth of aerosols significantly affects radiative forcing and visibility, yet remains challenging due to the interplay among size, composition, and humidity. This study integrates in-situ PM and lidar data to address discrepancies between dry mass concentrations and wet optical measurements. Using machine learning inversion (XGBoost, R 2  = 0.98), dry-state size distributions were retrieved from PM data. Mie theory was applied to derive the dry extinction coefficient, and the lidar-based wet extinction coefficient yielded the hygroscopic growth. Aerosol types were classified using Random Forest (accuracy 83.4%), revealing dominance of coarse hygroscopic aerosols in this coastal urban region. Optical response varied with hygroscopicity: wet extinction coefficient increased with RH for hydrophilic types but remained low for hydrophobic aerosols. Notably, clean conditions occasionally showed a sharp increase in wet extinction coefficient despite low PM, highlighting limitations of mass-only assessments. This approach suggests improved aerosol characterization algorithms considering size and hygroscopicity, supporting advanced air quality and climate modeling studies.

Collagen is a prominent target of nonenzymatic glycation, which is a hallmark of aging and causes functional alteration of the matrix. Here, we uncover glycation‐mediated structural and functional changes in the collagen‐enriched meningeal membrane of the human and mouse brain. Using an in vitro culture platform mimicking the meningeal membrane composed of fibrillar collagen, we showed that the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the collagen membrane is responsible for glycation‐mediated matrix remodeling. These changes influence fibroblast‐matrix interactions, inducing cell‐mediated ECM remodeling. The adherence of meningeal fibroblasts to the glycated collagen membrane was mediated by the discoidin domain‐containing receptor 2 (DDR2), whereas integrin‐mediated adhesion was inhibited. A‐kinase anchoring protein 12 (AKAP12)‐positive meningeal fibroblasts in the meningeal membrane of aged mice exhibited substantially increased expression of DDR2 and depletion of integrin beta‐1 (ITGB1). In the glycated collagen membrane, meningeal fibroblasts increased the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 14 (MMP14) and less tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase‐1 (TIMP1). In contrast, the cells exhibited decreased expression of type I collagen (COL1A1). These results suggest that glycation modification by meningeal fibroblasts is intimately linked to aging‐related structural and functional alterations in the meningeal membrane. Using the in vitro model of AGE‐modified fibrous collagen membrane, we found the changes in adherence and matrix remodeling function of meningeal fibroblast cells on the glycated membrane. The matrix adhesion of meningeal fibroblasts to the glycated collagen membrane is mediated by the discoidin domain‐containing receptor 2 (DDR2), whereas integrin‐mediated adhesion is inhibited. Also, the glycation‐mediated modification of collagen disrupts the collagen membrane at the brain barrier.

To identify the long-term trend of particle size variation, we analyzed aerosol optical depth (AOD, τ) separated as dust (τD) and coarse-(τPC) and fine-pollution particles (τPF) depending on emission sources and size. Ångström exponent values are also identified separately as total and fine-mode particles (αT and αPF). We checked these trends in various ways; (1) first-order linear regression analysis of the annual average values, (2) percent variation using the slope of linear regression method, and (3) a reliability analysis using the Mann–Kendall (MK) test. We selected 17 AERONET sun/sky radiometer sites classified into six regions, i.e., Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia. Although there were regional differences, τ decreased in Europe and Asian regions and increased in the Middle East, India, and North Africa. Values of τPC and τPF, show that aerosol loading caused by non-dust aerosols decreased in Europe and Asia and increased in India. In particular, τPF considerably decreased in Europe and Northeast Asia (95% confidential levels in MK-test), and τPC decreased in Northeast Asia (Z-values for Seoul and Osaka are −2.955 and −2.306, respectively, statistically significant if |z| ≥ 1.96). The decrease in τPC seems to be because of the reduction of primary and anthropogenic emissions from regulation by air quality policies. The meaningful result in this paper is that the particle size became smaller, as seen by values of αT that decreased by −3.30 to −30.47% in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East because αT provides information on the particle size. Particle size on average became smaller over India and Asian regions considered in our study due to the decrease in coarse particles. In particular, an increase of αPF in most areas shows the probability that the average particle size of fine-mode aerosols became smaller in recent years. We presumed the cause of the increase in αT is because relatively large-sized fine-mode particles were eliminated due to air quality policies.