The Effect of Atmospheric Pollution on Building Materials in the Urban Environment

Nowadays atmospheric pollution affects not only the urban environment in general, but building materials, which leads to their corrosion, in particular. The article discusses the regularities of the adhesion process of particulate matter (dust) on the vertical surfaces of buildings and structures, which are made of various building materials. On the basis of experimental studies, regression dependences of the adhesion of urban dust on different vertical surfaces from random determining factors were obtained. Thus, by studying the regularities of pollution of urban environment objects, made of various building materials, it is possible to achieve their preservation, since they demonstrate the architectural and design features of various historical periods of the country's development

The research of contamination regularities of historical buildings and architectural monuments by methods of computer modeling

Due to the active step of urbanization and rapid development of industry the external appearance of buildings and architectural monuments of urban environment from visual ecology position requires special attention. Dust deposition by polluted atmospheric air is one of the key aspects of degradation of the facades of buildings. With the help of modern computer modeling methods it is possible to evaluate the impact of polluted atmospheric air on the external facades of the buildings in order to save them

The research of contamination regularities of historical buildings and architectural monuments by methods of computer modeling

Due to the active step of urbanization and rapid development of industry the external appearance of buildings and architectural monuments of urban environment from visual ecology position requires special attention. Dust deposition by polluted atmospheric air is one of the key aspects of degradation of the facades of buildings. With the help of modern computer modeling methods it is possible to evaluate the impact of polluted atmospheric air on the external facades of the buildings in order to save them

Sox2 Acts through Sox21 to Regulate Transcription in Pluripotent and Differentiated Cells

SummarySox2 is an important transcriptional regulator in embryonic and adult stem cells [1–4]. Recently, Sox2 was identified as an oncogene in many endodermal cancers, including colon cancer [5–8]. There is great interest in how Sox2 cooperates with other transcription factors to regulate stem cell renewal, differentiation, and reprogramming [9]. However, we still lack a general understanding of Sox2 transcriptional action. To determine transcriptional partners of Sox2 in adult cells, we generated mice where gene expression could be induced by an externally applied stimulus. We analyzed the consequences in the intestine where cell turnover is rapid. Sox2 expression, but not Oct4, specifically increased the numbers of stem cells and repressed Cdx2, a master regulator of endodermal identity. In vivo studies demonstrated that Sox21, another member of the SoxB gene family, was a specific, immediate, and cell-autonomous target of Sox2 in intestinal stem cells. In vitro experiments showed that Sox21 was sufficient to repress Cdx2 in colon cancer cells and in pluripotent stem cells. Sox21 was also specifically induced by Sox2 in fibroblasts and inhibition of Sox21 blocked reprogramming to the pluripotent state. These results show that transcriptional induction of Sox21 is a rapid and general mediator of the effects of Sox2 on cell identity in a wide range of cell types

Recommendations of the Alzheimer's Disease–Related Dementias Conference

The National Alzheimer's Project Act, signed into law in 2011, mandates a National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease that is updated annually. In the Plan, the term Alzheimer disease includes not only Alzheimer disease (AD) proper, but also several specified related dementias, namely, frontotemporal, Lewy body, vascular, and mixed dementia. In response to a specific action item in the 2012 National Plan, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, in collaboration with the National Institute on Aging, convened panels of experts and conducted a 2-day public conference to develop research priorities and timelines for addressing Alzheimer disease-related dementias (ADRD) in 5 topic areas: multiple etiology dementias, health disparities, Lewy body dementias including dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson disease dementia, frontotemporal dementia and related tauopathies, and vascular contributions to ADRD. By design, the product was up to 8 prioritized research recommendations in each topic area including estimated timelines from when work on a recommendation is started to completion or to full implementation of an ongoing activity, and recognition of shared research themes across recommendations. These included increased education and training of both researchers and health care professionals, addressing health disparities, fundamental neurobiology research, advanced diagnostics, collaborative biosample repositories, and a focus on developing effective interventions to prevent or treat ADRD by the year 2025 as targeted by the National Plan