Measurements and Correlations of MTBE and BETX in Traffic Tunnels

ABSTRACT In this study, the concentrations of five volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including BTEX and methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE), were investigated in five different traffic tunnels (including Liangshan, Yueguangshan, Zoying, Guogang and Zhongliao tunnels) in southern Taiwan. Results showed that Guogang Tunnel was the most polluted with the highest average levels of both MTBE and BTEX while ethylbenzene had the lowest levels. The range of measured concentration of toluene in Liangshan, Yueguangshan, Zoying, Guogang and Zhongliao tunnels were from 5.6 to 6.2 (mean = 1.6), from 0.0 to 62.3 (mean = 17.6), from 2.7 to 26.7 (mean = 13.1), from 15.2 to 125.5 (mean = 57.5), and from 43.7 to 197.1 (mean = 115.8) g/m 3 , respectively. In Guogang Tunnel, the average MTBE-BTEX ratios at two peak rush periods were (5.0:1, 5:3, 4:1, 0:1, 5:1.1) and (5.7:1, 3:3, 2:1, 0:1, 4:1.1). From morning till night, the ratios at different sampling periods in the five different tunnels suggest the existence of both different traffic flow and variations in traffic fleet type in different tunnels. T/B ratio ranged from 0 to 2.3, from 0 to 1.9, from 0.6 to 2.5, from 0.9 to 2.6 and from 0 to 10.5 in Liangshan, Yueguangshan, Zoying, Guogang and Zhongliao tunnels, respectively. We also observed a wide range of (m+p+o)-xylenes/ethylbenzene ( X/E) or m,p-X/E ratio in all five tunnels. The m,p-xylene/ethylbenzene ratio ranged from 2.2 to 5.7, from 1.4 to 3.3, from 2.0 to 7.7, from 1.4 to 1.5 and from 5.5 to 8.1 in Liangshan, Yueguangshan, Zoying, Guogang and Zhongliao Tunnels, respectively. Notably, those high X/E ratios in all tunnels reflect a fresh air parcel in the tunnels due to the enclosed/half-enclosed environment. Nevertheless, it is important that the characteristics of X/E in different traffic tunnels are explored

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) induces cell proliferation, fusion, and chemokine expression in swine monocytic cells in vitro

Granulomatous lymphadenitis is one of the pathognomonic lesions in post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS)-affected pigs. This unique lesion has not been reported in direct association with viral infection in pigs. The objective of the present study was to evaluate whether porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) alone is able to induce functional modulation in porcine monocytic cells in vitro to elucidate its possible role in the development of granulomatous inflammation. It was found that the proliferation activity of blood monocytes (Mo) and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) was significantly enhanced by PCV2. During monocyte-macrophage differentiation, the PCV2 antigen-containing rate and formation of multinucleated giant cells (MGC) were significantly increased in MDM when compared to those in Mo. The MDM-derived MGC displayed a significantly higher PCV2 antigen-containing rate than did the mono-nucleated MDM. Supernatants from PCV2-inoculated MDM at 24 h post-inoculation induced an increased tendency of chemotactic activity for blood Mo. At the same inoculation time period, levels of mRNA expression of the monocytic chemokines, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and macrophage inflammatory protein-1, also significantly increased in PCV2-inoculated MDM. The results suggest that PCV2 alone may induce cell proliferation, fusion, and chemokine expression in swine monocytic cells. Thus, PCV2 itself may play a significant role in the induction of granulomatous inflammation in PMWS-affected pigs

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field