High Air Humidity Research Articles

Influence of geographical location and outdoor meteorological parameters on indoor humidity environment in rural residential buildings during the Plum Rains Season in the hot summer and cold winter region.

Plum Rains Season (PRS) has the typical characteristics of outdoor air temperature dramatic changes and high air humidity in the hot summer and cold winter region in China. When the outdoor temperature rises rapidly during PRS, the building envelope surface temperature is probably lower than the indoor air dew point temperature, resulting in moisture condensation. This paper evaluates the influence of geographical location and outdoor meteorological parameters on the indoor humidity environment. The effects of critical parameters such as altitude, average temperature, relative humidity, total precipitation, total precipitation days, atmospheric pressure, and wind speed on the building envelope moisture condensation in nine typical cities in the hot summer and cold winter region were simulated and analyzed. The results show that the Condensation Frequency (CFn) in the western, central, and eastern regions reached the highest in April, May, and June, respectively. Among the nine typical cities, Changsha has the highest Condensation Risk (CR). In addition, the altitude, total precipitation, and atmospheric pressure have little effect on the indoor humidity environment, and it is not directly related to CR; The average temperature and total precipitation days were not related to CR in the western and eastern regions and positively correlated with CR in the central region; The wind speed was positively correlated with CR in the western and central regions and negatively correlated in the eastern region; The relative humidity can affect the indoor humidity environment and moisture condensation on the inner surface of walls, when the relative humidity increases, the CR increases.

Use of vitamin-amino acid complex in the treatment of bronchopneumonia in calves

In Russia today, bronchopneumonia of calves is one of the most common diseases in young cattle. This is a polyetiological disease associated with the influence of various factors, such as low air temperature, high air humidity, air pollution, etc. Their pathogenic effect is manifested by a decrease in the body's resistance, a violation of the integrity of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and the presence of inflammatory exudate in the bronchioles and alveoli. Bronchopneumonia of calves is registered on livestock farms in the cold and damp seasons as a seasonal disease. In this regard, developing effective treatment regimens for this pathology is an urgent task. The study aims to study the effectiveness of the replacement therapy drug Vitam in treating bronchopneumonia in calves. The study was carried out at Michurinets LLC in the village. Altai, Altai Territory in the autumn. According to the principle of analogues, two groups of calves of 5 heads each were formed for the experiment. Calves were selected according to birth and disease onset. They were under the same feeding and housing conditions. During the investigation, clinical signs and morphological blood analysis were assessed. During a clinical study of calves, elevated body temperature, wheezing, cough, areas of dullness in the lungs in the anterior and posterior lobes, lethargy, nasal discharge, and loss of appetite were noted. On the 7th day of treatment, animals in the experimental group showed recovery. Bronchopneumonia in calves is accompanied by changes in blood composition: erythropenia, leukocytosis, increased ESR, neutrophilic leukocytosis with a nuclear shift to the left, and monocytopenia. Using a vitamin-amino acid complex in complex therapy of bronchopneumonia in calves reduces the duration and severity of the disease.

Rootzone cooling, water productivity and economics of intensified vertical grown red butterhead lettuce (Lactuca sativa Linn)

To alleviate the effects of high temperatures and high air humidity to lowland tropical crop production, resulting to poor quality marketable produce, rootzone cooling systems were applied to vertical recirculating hydroponic–drip irrigated towers for lettuce production. Two treatments, ground heat exchanger (GHE) and water chiller cooling systems, were installed to lower the temperature of the nutrient solution supplied to the towers. Harvest periods were 20, 25 and 30 days after transplant (DAT). Data gathered were analyzed using combined analysis for the strip plot design and Tukey Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) test for the comparison among means. For 30-DAT, using the GHE and chiller rootzone cooling systems, the average daily electrical conductivity was 2.10 dS/m and 2.14 dS/m, the pH levels were 6.14 and 6.27; and dissolved oxygen were 5.28 mg/L and 6.06 mg/L, respectively. Lettuce harvested at 30DAT using the water chiller rootzone cooling method had the highest water consumption of 2.13L/plant while those lettuce harvested at 20DAT using the ground heat exchanger rootzone cooling method had the least water consumption of 1.16L/plant. The highest water productivity using the ground heat exchanger rootzone cooling method was 31.18 g/L at 25 DAT while using the water chiller rootzone cooling method the highest water productivity was 33.45 g/L at 20 DAT. The lettuce harvested at 30DAT planted at the top level of the towers had the highest yield (89.42 g), the most number of leaves (with a mean of 59.50), and the widest leaves (73.58 mm). Chiller rootzone cooling method at 30DAT and planted at the middle level of the hydroponic tower had the longest leaf with 129.17 mm. Economic analysis showed that the GHE rootzone cooled nutrient solution at 25DAT is most feasible with benefit to cost ratio of 1.73, average net income Php166,963.48, return on investment of 23.39%, and payback period of 0.81 years

High air humidity dampens salicylic acid pathway and NPR1 function to promote plant disease.

The occurrence of plant disease is determined by interactions among host, pathogen, and environment. Air humidity shapes various aspects of plant physiology and high humidity has long been known to promote numerous phyllosphere diseases. However, the molecular basis of how high humidity interferes with plant immunity to favor disease has remained elusive. Here we show that high humidity is associated with an "immuno-compromised" status in Arabidopsis plants. Furthermore, accumulation and signaling of salicylic acid (SA), an important defense hormone, are significantly inhibited under high humidity. NPR1, an SA receptor and central transcriptional co-activator of SA-responsive genes, is less ubiquitinated and displays a lower promoter binding affinity under high humidity. The cellular ubiquitination machinery, particularly the Cullin 3-based E3 ubiquitin ligase mediating NPR1 protein ubiquitination, is downregulated under high humidity. Importantly, under low humidity the Cullin 3a/b mutant plants phenocopy the low SA gene expression and disease susceptibility that is normally observed under high humidity. Our study uncovers a mechanism by which high humidity dampens a major plant defense pathway and provides new insights into the long-observed air humidity influence on diseases.

Highly Stable Protonic Ceramic Electrolysis Cells Based on Air Electrodes with Finger-Like Pores Current Collection Layers Running in High-Steam-Content Air.

The steam content in the air electrode is one of the major factors determining the efficiency and stability of protonic ceramic electrolysis cells (PCECs). In this work, the La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ (LSCF) current collection layer (CCL) film with unique finger-like pores was successfully prepared by the phase-inversion tape-casting technique (PT), which promoted the gas diffusion inside the electrode and effectively improved the stability of the single cell in high-humidity air. A screen-printed LSCF-BaCe0.7Zr0.1Y0.1Yb0.1O3 catalytic active layer (CAL) was also applied to match the thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) values and improve the interface combination. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and distribution of relaxation time (DRT) studies of the symmetric cells showed that when the film was used to match different CALs as an air electrode, the gas diffusion inside the electrode was no longer restricted by the increasing steam content in air. The single cell exhibited a high electrolysis current density of 1 A cm-2 (1.25 V) at 650 °C; furthermore, no performance degradation was observed in this high current density when electrolyzed in air with 40 and 60% humidity for more than 250 h. These results present a simplified and economical scheme to develop air electrodes with high stability in wet air with a high steam content.

Transparent polymer nanoheterostructure films for flexible low-power organic transistors with high mobility, decent photostability, and ultralong-term air stability

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are promising candidates for flexible electronic devices, but their instability remains a huge challenge that should be solved for practical applications. It is very difficult to achieve high-performance energy-efficient OFETs with good photostability and ultralong-term air stability. Here, a novel type of transparent and stable polymer films comprising p-type nanofibrous semiconductor and insulating polystyrene is developed, forming the nanoscale cross-interconnected heterostructures. The nanoheterostructure films as channel layers enable flexible low-power OFETs to achieve highly improved mobilities up to 6.78 cm2 V−1 s−1 at a low-operating voltage of −0.5 V despite the small semiconductor content, and the substantial amount of inert insulators can effectively prevent external factors such as light, moisture, and oxygen from interfering with the semiconductor layer. As results, the flexible OFETs using these nanoheterostructure films show slight performance changes under different light illuminations even by three laser beams, and their unencapsulated devices retain excellent performance even after over 450 days of ultralong-term and high-humidity air exposure. These findings demonstrate that nanoscale heterostructure films of polymer semiconductors and insulators constitute a simple yet efficient strategy for improving the OFET stability, which holds great promise for developing high-performance durable and energy-saving devices in flexible and transparent electronics.

Water assisted chlorination enables ambient air fabrication of mixed halide perovskite films for blue light emitting diodes

Blue perovskite light emitting diodes (LEDs) have attracted remarkable attention in recent years owing to their potential in full-color display and lighting applications. However, blue-emitting perovskite films usually require to be fabricated in inert condition, which increases the fabrication complexity and cost of perovskite LEDs, being unfavorable for practical applications. Herein, we report a strategy to fabricate blue perovskite films in ambient air with high humidity for LED applications. Diphenylphosphinic chloride (DPPOCl) is introduced into perovskite film, which can react with the water in air and release chlorine ion, thus leading to the chlorination of perovskite and the consequent blueshifted luminescence. Meanwhile, the PO groups can passivate the perovskite film and suppress nonradiative recombination. Based on the ambient air fabricated blue-emitting perovskite films, perovskite LEDs are constructed, which exhibit bright and spectrally stable electroluminescence (EL). The emission wavelength of the LEDs can be effectively tuned from cyan to pure blue by varying the concentration of DPPOCl. Our work demonstrates a feasible approach to fabricate blue perovskite films in high humidity air, which could contribute to lowering down the fabrication cost of blue perovskite LEDs and further boosting their applications in display and lighting.

Exergy destruction comparison of facial area ratio on dehumidification performance of the rotary desiccant wheel system under conventional and deep dehumidification

The rotary desiccant wheel has been extensively applied for humidity control in air conditioning systems, and it is also capable of deep dehumidification processes in various areas. The differences in the exergy destruction characteristics of the desiccant wheel between deep dehumidification and conventional dehumidification were still unclear. This study conducted numerical investigations to illustrate the impact of operating parameters, especially the facial area ratio, on the transfer exergy destruction and the mixing exergy destruction of the desiccant wheel components. The results revealed that the desiccant wheel with a facial area ratio of 1 has a higher exergy efficiency in conventional dehumidification due to low transfer and mixing exergy destruction. However, it shows a lower exergy efficiency than that of 3 under the deep dehumidification depth when operated at a high regeneration air humidity ratio. In the deep dehumidification process, the mixing exergy destruction caused by the distribution inhomogeneity of temperature and humidity ratio becomes a prominent factor to influence the exergy efficiency along with the transfer exergy destruction. It is concluded that the efficient design of the desiccant wheel dehumidification system highly depends on the dehumidification depth, the operating parameters, and the proper facial area ratio.

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF INVASIVE PLANTS IN BANDUNG, WEST JAVA, INDONESIA

The urban area is a source of invasive plants that enter through human activities such as agriculture and land-use conversion. Studying the invasive plant in urban areas is essential to understanding the city’s ecosystem health condition. Therefore, this study aims to inventory invasive plants, map their distribution, and explain the relationship between land use with the community diversity and species richness of invasive plants in Bandung. The vegetation analysis was performed using line-transect in 22 study sites distributed using a systematic random sampling method in Bandung to observe the plant species composition. The study plots were placed based on the land-use type. The species name, individual number, frequency, and sampling site locations were noted and analyzed to calculate the important value index (IVI) and the invasive species distribution pattern using the principal component analysis (PCA). The dominant invasive species was spatially mapped. Six types of land use were used in this study, i.e., settlements, street green lanes, gardens, paddy fields, urban parks, and urban forests. There were 187 species found in Bandung, which can be categorized into alien invasive species (39%), invasive native plants (25%), non-invasive alien species (18%), non-invasive native species (15%), and unidentified plants (3%). The most common invasive plants found were Eleusine indica (IVI=10.50%), Trimezia martinicensis (IVI=7.22%), and Cyperus rotundus (IVI=6.74%). Based on the plant community similarity index, the study area with the highest similarities were paddy fields with gardens (50.5%), settlements with road lanes (44.4%), urban parks with road lanes (26.2%), and urban forests with road lane (17.5%). PCA showed Swietenia macrophylla as the most common invasive plant found in urban forests, urban parks, and road lanes, with air humidity as the most influencing environmental factor. Trimezia martinicensis is the most common species in the settlement area affected by high air humidity. Bidens pilosa is an invasive plant commonly found on paddy fields, gardens, settlements, road lanes, and urban park edges. This species can easily and rapidly reproduce with a high survival rate. The many invasive plants found in Bandung must be managed to maintain the urban ecosystem’s health.

MAIN PERIODS OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF F1 CUCUMBER HYBRIDS AND THEIR YIELDS DEPENDING ON WEATHER

Purpose. To evaluate effects of weather on growth and development of cucumber plants, lengths of the main interphase periods, and cucumber yield the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine; to select breedingvaluable genotypes for heterosis breeding under climatic changes. Methods. Field, analytical, measuring, statistical. Results. The study was conducted outdoors at the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of NAAS in 2019–2020. The weather in the study years varied significantly, allowing us to assess its influence on phenological processes of growth and development of cucumber plants. Summarizing the results, we established that sufficiently high average daily air temperature (25.3–25.8 °С), a large amount of unevenly distributed precipitation (0–104 mm), with little or no precipitation during certain phases of cucumber development, significantly affected the growing period length and yield of the cucumber hybrids under investigation. We found that the onset of mass anthesis of female flowers did not vary significantly across the years, averaging 33–36 days. (35 days in the check accession). Fructification started on day 37–40 in 2019 and on day 42–45 in 2020, which was 4–6 days later. Fructification lasted 32–40 days in 2019 and 20–24 days in 2020, which was 12–16 days longer. Analysis of the cucumber yield dynamics over the study years showed that the weather in 2019 was more favorable for the growth and development of cucumber plants. Thus, in 2019, the total yields of hybrids ranged 20.8 t/ha to 64.9 t/ha. In 2020, at high temperatures and low air humidity, the total yield was 12.7–26.9 t/ha, which was significantly lower (by 41.4–61.0 %). Conclusions. The weather in the study years reflected the climate instability in the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. The lengths the main periods of the growth and development of cucumber hybrid plants and their yields were revealed to vary significantly under variable growing conditions. We selected hybrids with annual parameters that would be valuable for further breeding: by early ripeness – F1 ‘BD 96-18’ / ‘Tsezar’, F1 ‘RD 96 2-95’/ ‘Dzherelo’, F1 ‘RD 96 2-95’ / ‘Heim’ and F1 ‘Mah-62’ / ‘Toma-18’ (42 days); by fructification length – F1 ‘RD 96 2-95’/‘Dzherelo’ (35 days), F1 ‘Mah-62’ / ‘Toma-18’, F1 ‘BD 96-18’/ ‘Heim’ and F1 ‘RD 96 2-95/‘Heim’ (32 days); by yield capacity – F1 ‘Mah-62’ / ‘Toma-18’ (45,9 t/ha), F1 ‘BD 96-18’/ ‘Toma-18’ (39,3 t/ha), F1 ‘Krak’ / ‘RD-96 2-95’ (36,8 t/ha), F1 ‘RD 96 2-95’/ ‘Heim’ (35,8 t/ha), F1 ‘BD 96-18’/ ‘Heim’ (34,6 t/ha), and F1 ‘RD 96 2-95’/ ‘Dzherelo’ (34.2 t/ha). The selected hybrids yielded significantly more than the check F1 hybrid ‘Ajax’ (by 80-142 % or by 19.0 t/ha).

Fabrication of Highly Luminescent Quasi Two-Dimensional CsPbBr3 Perovskite Films in High Humidity Air for Light-Emitting Diodes.

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have attracted extensive attention in recent years due to their outstanding performance and promise in lighting and display applications. However, the fabrication of perovskite LEDs usually requires a low-humidity atmosphere, which is unfavorable for industrial production. Herein, we report an effective strategy to fabricate highly luminescent quasi two-dimensional CsPbBr3 perovskite films in an ambient atmosphere with a humidity up to 60%. We reveal that the hole transport layer (HTL) plays a significant role in the morphology and optical properties of the perovskite films. Using hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer materials as HTLs can remarkably improve the quality of the perovskite films processed in high humidity air. The resultant perovskite LEDs show reduced leakage current and significantly enhanced performance. Furthermore, surface treatment is conducted to prevent water invasion and promote radiative recombination in perovskite films and LEDs. Eventually, the perovskite LEDs exhibit bright green emission with an external quantum efficiency of 4.87%. The present work provides a feasible pathway to overcome the humidity limitation for obtaining bright perovskite films and LEDs, which would contribute to further reducing the fabrication cost of perovskite LEDs and promoting their applications.

Effects of weather conditions on endovascular treatment case volume for patients with ischemic stroke

BackgroundWeather conditions have been shown to influence the occurrence of cardiovascular events. We tested the hypothesis that weather parameters may be associated with variations of case volume of endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke. MethodsIndividual data from the ETIS (Endovascular Treatment in Ischemic Stroke) French national registry were matched to local weather stations. Meteorological parameters (rainfall, humidity, atmospheric pressure, air temperature) were gathered from national online resources. Weather readings and EVT case volumes were annually standardized per weather station and EVT center, and their associations tested with non-parametric univariable and generalized linear statistical models. ResultsBetween 2015 and 2021, 9913 EVT procedures addressed by 135 primary stroke units were matched to weather conditions. The mean daily case volume per center was 0.41 [StDev 0.33], and there was a median of 0.84 procedures daily linked to a weather station [StDev 0.47]. We found lower atmospheric pressure (β estimate -0.04; 95%CI[-0.07;-0.03], p<0.001), higher humidity (β estimate 0.07; 95%CI [0.05;0.09], p<0.001) and lower temperatures (β estimate -0.08; 95%CI[-0.10;-0.06], p<0.001) to be associated with higher standardized EVT daily case volumes. These associations were stable when testing them across strata of binned EVT standardized case volumes. ConclusionsOur study suggests that lower ambient temperature, lower atmospheric pressure, and higher air humidity are associated with significantly more daily EVT cases in a European temperate country. These results may provide insight into both system of care optimization at times of climate change and intracranial LVO pathophysiology. Registration-URLhttps://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03776877

Heterogeneous swelling of couscous particles exposed to a high relative humidity air, as revealed by TD-NMR and X-ray tomography

The mechanical behaviour of hygroscopic granular materials is highly influenced by water. The strong dependence of individual particle properties on moisture content affects the response of their packings, which can agglomerate and eventually lead to loss of product functionality. Despite the frequent occurrence of this problem in industry, only few studies tried to explore the underlying phenomena and investigate the fundamental connection between particle and packing behaviour. This work presents an experimental study that aims to link the water uptake to the microstructural changes in assemblies of couscous, a material selected to be representative of hygroscopic granular materials. In the experiments, the samples are exposed to high relative humidity (RH), and the moisture content increase is quantified with TD-NMR, along with the shift in molecular mobility. An analogous test is performed, during which x-ray tomographies are acquired continuously. We analyse the volumetric response of the sample and of thousands of particles. Despite the oversupply of water molecules available to saturate the system, the formation of a swelling heterogeneity is observed, which we attribute to the pressure gradient affecting locally the adsorption kinetics. Combining the results obtained from the two techniques, water uptake and particle swelling are found to be linearly correlated.

Inhibitory Test Of Citronella Essential Oil (Cymbopogon Nardus L. Rendle) Againts Aspergillus Flavus Growth

Background: Indonesia is the one of tropical climate country with high air humidity. It becomes the main factor of fungal infection, that is called otomycosis, which is caused by Aspergillus flavus. The treatment of otomycosis is usually done by giving an azole antifungal drugs that can give the beneficial and adverse effects. Treatment of otomycosis can be done with various kinds of herbs. One of herbs that is used, it is citronella. Citronella contains essential oil 0,4% and in citronella essential oil contains citronellal 32-45% and geraniol 12-15% has ability as an antifungal. The aim of this study is to determine the inhibitory of citronella essential oil against Aspergillus flavus growth. Methods: The type of this research is laboratory experiments with posttest only with control group design. 24-hour Aspergillus flavus is used as the research subjects which had been inoculated on SDA media and given essential oils in various concentrations of 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0 %. The observation of citronella essential oil inhibitory as an antifungal by measuring the diameter of inhibitory zone, it uses a caliper. Results: The measuring from average diameter of Aspergillus flavus fungal growth zone in each concentration, they are 0.5% ;1.0%; 1.5%; 2.0% is 9.11 mm; 12.03 mm; 13.62 mm; 16.81 mm. The higher concentration of essential oil, it makes the wider diameter of the inhibition zone. The level of sensitivity is intermediate, sensitive, sensitive, sensitive. The level of effectiveness is less effective, effective enough, effective, very effective. The results of statistical analysis showed that citronella essential oil has the inhibitory against Aspergillus flavus growth. Conclusion: this study was various concentration of citronella essential oil have a significanteffect on the growth of inhibitory Aspergillus flavus.

Storage of brown rice and its physicochemical properties under high temperature and humidity negative air ions environment

Brown rice is susceptible to oxidation of lipids during storage, resulting in the deterioration of cooking quality and the loss of nutrients. The negative oxygen ions (NAIs) have the functions of high permeability, antioxidation, and sterilization, but the application of NAIs for the storage of brown rice is less. In this study, brown rice is stored in a high temperature and humidity (temperature of 42 °C, humidity of 75%) NAIs environment, and its storage and physicochemical properties are investigated. After 12 d of storage in the NAIs environment (NAIs concentration of 2 × 104 ions/cm3), the fatty acid value, catalase activity, and viability of brown rice are 10.51 mg KOH/100 g, 0.94 U/mg, and 72%, respectively, which are better than that in high temperature and humidity air environment, showing good storage performance. The internal structure, crystalline shape, and relative crystallinity of brown rice are insignificant broken, and the steaming quality does not change significantly with the extension of storage time. The results show that the NAIs environment has potential to extend the storage time and maintain the eating quality and nutrition of brown rice in storage, which can be used as a green and low-cost storage strategy for crops.

A Review on the Roofs’ Design Influencing the Physical Environment in the Naturally Ventilated of Mosque Buildings

The modern pitch and domed roofs design of the Malaysian mosques was created as a symbolic of Muslim place of worship besides functioning as a filter to the outdoor climate. Malaysia is a country that is famous for the high air temperature and relative humidity and inconsistent air movement of local climate which can influence the indoor environment. The different roof designs of Malaysian mosques also give impact to the believers in conducting prayers and other activities inside the mosques. Therefore, this study is to investigate the difference of roof design that influenced the thermal comfort and believers’ convenience in the mosque's building. It was found that the traditional roof design of mosques in Malaysia was the pitched roof with two and three-stacked mosques whereas most of the modern roof design was the domed roof. Both the pitched and domed roof of the mosque's design had the ability to control the indoor air distribution inside the mosque building. The pitch roof had the ability to control the circulation of the indoor air movement to achieve the equilibrium state whereas the domed roof could stratify the outdoor cool air to replace the hot indoor air inside the mosque building. Therefore, the future researcher could focus more strategies in order to improve the roof design of mosque for better indoor air inside the mosque building.

CURLY LEAF modulates apoplast liquid water status in Arabidopsis leaves.

The apoplast of plant leaves, the intercellular space between mesophyll cells, is normally largely filled with air with a minimal amount of liquid water in it, which is essential for key physiological processes such as gas exchange to occur. Phytopathogens exploit virulence factors to induce a water-rich environment, or "water-soaked" area, in the apoplast of the infected leaf tissue to promote disease. We propose that plants evolved a "water soaking" pathway, which normally keeps a nonflooded leaf apoplast for plant growth but is disturbed by microbial pathogens to facilitate infection. Investigation of the "water soaking" pathway and leaf water control mechanisms is a fundamental, yet previously overlooked, aspect of plant physiology. To identify key components in the "water soaking" pathway, we performed a genetic screen to isolate Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) severe water soaking (sws) mutants that show liquid water overaccumulation in the leaf under high air humidity, a condition required for visible water soaking. Here, we report the sws1 mutant, which displays rapid water soaking upon high humidity treatment due to a loss-of-function mutation in CURLY LEAF (CLF), encoding a histone methyltransferase in the POLYCOMB REPRESSIVE COMPLEX 2 (PRC2). We found that the sws1 (clf) mutant exhibits enhanced abscisic acid (ABA) levels and stomatal closure, which are indispensable for its water soaking phenotype and mediated by CLF's epigenetic regulation of a group of ABA-associated NAM, ATAF, and CUC (NAC) transcription factor genes, NAC019/055/072. The clf mutant showed weakened immunity, which likely also contributes to the water soaking phenotype. In addition, the clf plant supports a substantially higher level of Pseudomonas syringae pathogen-induced water soaking and bacterial multiplication, in an ABA pathway and NAC019/055/072-dependent manner. Collectively, our study sheds light on an important question in plant biology and demonstrates CLF as a key modulator of leaf liquid water status via epigenetic regulation of the ABA pathway and stomatal movement.

A free base porphyrin as an effective modifier of the cathode interlayer for organic solar cells

Herein, we demonstrate the co-optimization of power conversion efficiency (PCE) and air stability of the organic solar cells (OSCs) by free porphyrin-based buffer of zinc oxide (ZnO) cathode. By combining first-principle calculations and experimental measurements, we investigated the adsorption behaviors and working mechanism of free base porphyrin (TPP) and zinc porphyrin (ZnTPP) on ZnO cathode. The N atoms of TPP are capable of forming Zn—N coordination with the Zn atom of ZnO substrate, thereby generating interfacial dipoles and reducing the work function of ITO/ZnO cathode, which is beneficial for the charge transfer in the OSCs. More importantly, the large adsorption energy between ZnO and TPP, as well as the good compatibility between TPP and the organic layer, enables TPP to act as a “molecular glue” between the inorganic interface and the organic active layers, which improves not only the PCE but also the stability of the devices under high humidity air environment. In contrast, the already coordinated porphyrin ZnTPP has no such positive effects on the device performance when used as ZnO buffer. The results are of great significance for the study of the working mechanism of interlayer buffers in OSCs, and are also of guidance for designing the buffer molecules.

128 Contribution of a Multi-Exposure Measurement Strategy on the Documentation of Cheese Workers' Exposures to Biological and Chemical Agents

Abstract A large-scale measurement campaign (9 days, more than 400 measurements) was conducted to characterise the exposure of cheese workers involved in maturing and packaging. Airborne microbial and chemical agents were measured in a company producing different types of cheeses. Several air pollutants were investigated (culturable microorganisms, total particles, carbon dioxide, ammonia, VOCs etc.) by mean of ambient and personal measurements. A massive emission of particles into the air was found for tasks involving the brushing of a category of cheeses, with significant personal exposures to culturable fungi (up to 108 CFU/m3_filter cassettes_2L/min). Dominant fungi belonged to Penicillium species with allergenic potential. Ripening rooms can contain high concentrations of carbon dioxide and several tasks performed in them have shown high individual exposures levels (instantaneous concentration up to 10 000 ppmv_ToxiRAE Pro CO2 portable detector). High relative air humidity (&amp;gt; 95%) was also found in the ripening rooms. Real-time measurement of airborne particles (FIDAS Frog particle counter) and gases (FTIR Gasmet™ gas analyser) allowed the identification of events (ventilation, door opening, etc.) that could affect pollutant concentrations and flows. The observed exposure of cheese worker to funig represents an immuno-allergic risk and their exposure to carbon dioxide appeals attention. The multiple nature of exposure raises questions about the technical and organisational mitigation strategies to implement. The multi-exposure measurement strategy deployed in the company proved to be relevant and allowed for a more comprehensive risk assessment. It provided valuable information for formulating prevention recommendations appropriate to the situation. A study including several cheese companies is in course.

Diversity and assembly of lichens and bryophytes on tree trunks along a temperate to boreal elevation gradient.

Based on hypotheses related to environmental filtering vs. stochastic community assembly, we tested taxon-specific predictions regarding the relationships of alpha diversity, beta diversity and species composition of epiphytic macrolichens and bryophytes with elevation and the lateral gradient on trees (the different sides of the tree bole related to aspect and trunk inclination) at Parc national du Mont-Mégantic in Southeastern Québec, Canada. For lichens on firs, increasing elevation was associated with increasing alpha diversity, and a marked shift in community composition, at the scale of whole trees. In contrast, for bryophytes on maples, tree inclination and the lateral gradient had the strongest effects: more inclined trees had greater whole-tree alpha diversity and stronger within-tree contrasts in composition between the upper and lower bole surfaces. For lichens on maples, whole-tree alpha diversity showed a weak, negative relationship with inclination, and beta diversity increased slightly with elevation. Our results are consistent with theories predicting greater alpha diversity in more favorable environments (for lichens: high elevation with high relative air humidity and lower temperatures; for bryophytes: upper surfaces of tree boles with liquid water available), but support was weak for the prediction of greater beta diversity in more favorable environments. Overall, the important predictors of epiphytic cryptogam diversity vary more among the species of tree host (maple vs. fir) than focal taxa (lichens vs. bryophytes), with patterns likely related to different effects of water, temperature, and competition between lichens and bryophytes.