An Analysis on Promoting Prefabrication Implementation in Construction Industry towards Sustainability

As a game-changing technology with significant environmental, economic, and social benefits, prefabricated technology has attracted attention and has been increasingly adopted in the construction industry. Although multitudinous studies have investigated various aspects of prefabrication in construction, a thorough review of its current development state that synthesized environmental, economic, and social sustainability dimensions remains overdue. Therefore, this study aims to fill this research gap by constructing a systematic framework, analyzing the research status quos, and providing recommendations for future research. This study first conducted a holistic review of 768 references with NVivo. A research foci framework that represented the body of knowledge in prefabrication in construction was developed with five levels, which were advantages, hindrances, stakeholders, promotion policies, and strategy spectrum. Following the framework, the in-depth analyses from the perspectives of environmental, economic, social sustainability, technologies development, and promotion strategies were performed. The current research domains were further linked with potential research directions for promoting prefabricated construction towards sustainability. The study is of value in both offering references for policy formulation and stakeholder practice and providing recommendations for future research

Abnormal expression of an ADAR2 alternative splicing variant in gliomas downregulates adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing

BACKGROUND: RNA editing is catalyzed by adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs). ADAR2 is the main enzyme responsible for recoding editing in humans. Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing at the Q/R site is reported to be decreased in gliomas; however, the expression of ADAR2 mRNA was not greatly affected. METHODS: We determined ADAR2 mRNA expression in human glioblastoma cell lines and in normal human glial cells by real-time RT-PCR. We also determined ADAR2 mRNA expression in 44 glioma tissues and normal white matter. After identifying an alternative splicing variant (ASV) of ADAR2 in gliomas, we performed sequencing. We then classified glioblastomas based on the presence (+) or absence (–) of the ASV to determine the correlations between ASV + and malignant features of glioblastomas, such as invasion, peritumoral brain edema, and survival time. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in ADAR2 mRNA expression among human glioblastoma cell lines or in gliomas compared with normal white matter (all p > 0.05). The ASV, which contained a 47-nucleotide insertion in the ADAR2 mRNA transcript, was detected in the U251 and BT325 cell lines, and in some glioma tissues. The expression rate of ASV differed among gliomas of different grades. ASV + glioblastomas were more malignant than ASV – glioblastomas. CONCLUSIONS: ADAR2 is a family of enzymes in which ASVs result in differences in enzymatic activity. The ADAR2 ASV may be correlated with the invasiveness of gliomas. Identification of the mechanistic characterization of ADAR2 ASV may have future potential for individualized molecular targeted-therapy for glioma

Soil properties and the growth of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) in response to reed (phragmites communis) biochar use in a salt-affected soil in the Yellow River Delta

Soil salinity and its associated soil compaction and low fertility is a big problem for land management in the arid region or coastal zone. Here, a low-cost and potassium (K)-rich biochar of reed (phragmites communis) was demonstrated effective in alleviating the problem in wheat-maize rotation in the Yellow River Delta region. Adding the biochar at 0, 3, 6, and 12 t ha(-1) to a soil with a 2.8 parts per thousand salt content via rotary tillage with straw returning, with or without fertilizers, reduced soil bulk density (BD) and increased saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). At 12 t ha(-1) dose and by wheat and maize harvests, respectively, biochar lowered soil BD by 9.1% and 14.5%, increased Ks by 82.7% and 91.2%, and reduced sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) by 64.9% and 92.8% in comparison with the control (CK). Further, in comparison with conventional fertilization (CF: 375 kg ha(-1) for each crop), biochar use (6 and 12 t ha(-1)), together with 75% of CF, enhanced the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by 20.5%-31.4% for wheat and 15.9%-30.9% for maize. It raised the yields of wheat by 11.3%-17.1% and maize by 9.7%-14.8%. By reducing BD, increasing Ks, and decreasing SAR, biochar alleviated soil compaction and salt stress and increased NUE and crop yields. This outcome suggests that the conversion of local bio-waste into biochar as a soil amendment is of agronomic and environmental benefits

Typology in Vernacular Architecture—Qianmo Tower Post Station in Mingyue Village

The acceleration of the modernization process has promoted the improvement of rural residential construction technology and efficiency, but the rural buildings have not inherited and developed the regional traditional characteristics on this basis, instead, there has been a blind trend of urban architectural styles in different regions, resulting in a phenomenon of the homogenization of development. The design of qianmota post station uses the typological analysis method to excavate and inherit the characteristics of the local traditional buildings in Mingyue village, then combines the characteristics with new technologies and materials to restore the local architecture in the hearts of the villagers in Mingyue village. It is restored in two aspects: the architectural appearance of the traditional houses in Western Sichuan and the spiritual symbol of the church

Conversion of Oyster Shell Waste to Amendment for Immobilising Cadmium and Arsenic in Agricultural Soil

A bulky waste, oyster shell (OS), was calcinated at 400-800 degrees C to produce Ca-rich products (OS400-OS800) to reduce the human health risk of soil cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As). Thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and BET method were used to characterize OS and its calcined products. OS and OS400-OS(700)removed little Cd and As from water, whereas OS(800)removed 1508 mg Cd or 514 mg As per kg of OS(800)from solutions of 1032 mg Cd/L or 257 mg As/L via adsorption and precipitation. Adding OS(800)at a 2% dose to a Cd- and As-contaminated soil lowered its exchangeable Cd from 60% to 27%, and reduced Cd content in the edible part of vegetable Bok Choy from 2.80 to 0.048 mg/kg and As from 1.73 to 0.47 mg/kg. Converting OS to soil amendment has the dual benefits to soil remediation and sustainable oyster aquaculture

The Status of STAT3 and STAT5 in Human Breast Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia.

Signal Transducer and Activation of Transcription factors (STAT3 and STAT5) play important roles in breast epithelial cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. They have been investigated extensively in established breast cancer, but their activation status in precancerous lesions has not been reported. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival tissues from 59 cases of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) and 31 cases of normal human breast tissue as well as 21 cases of usual ductal hyperplasias (UDH) were obtained from the First Hospital of Jilin University, China, and stained for pSTAT3 and pSTAT5 by immunohistochemistry. The median percentage of pSTAT5+ cells in ADH was 12%, not significantly deviant from that in normal breast. The median percentage of pSTAT3+ cells in ADH was 30%, significantly higher than that of normal breast. pSTAT3 and pSTAT5 were exclusive of each other--they were detected in different ADHs or in different cells within the same ADHs. In addition, both pSTAT3 and pSTAT5 were produced in similar percentages of cells in ADHs from cancer-free patients vs. ADHs that were adjacent to an invasive cancer. Our finding of a complementary expression pattern of pSTAT3 and pSTAT5 in ADH suggests that these two transcription factors may have feedback inhibitory effects on each other during early stages of breast cancer evolution, and that disruption of this inverse relationship may be important in the progression from early lesions to cancer, which exhibits positive association between pSTAT3 and pSTAT5

Coupled effects of biochar use and farming practice on physical properties of a salt-affected soil with wheat-maize rotation

Purpose Being carbon-rich and porous, biochar has the potential to improve soil physical properties, so does conventional farming practice. Here, a field trial was conducted to investigate the combined effects of biochar use and farming practice on the physical properties of a salt-affected compact soil for wheat-maize rotation in the Yellow River Delta region. Materials and methods Salix fragilis L. was used as feedstock to produce biochar in the field via aerobic carbonization at an average temperature of 502 degrees C, terminated by a water mist spray, for use as a soil amendment at 0, 1, 2, and 4 g kg(-1) doses (CK, T1, T2, and T3, respectively). Farming practices included rotary tillage/straw returning for wheat sowing, spring irrigation, no-tillage seeding of maize, and autumn irrigation. Both cutting ring and composite samples of the soil were collected at four stages of wheat-maize rotation (22, 238, 321, and 382 d after the benchmark date of land preparation for wheat sowing) for the determination of soil properties by established methods. Results and discussion Rotary tillage/straw returning reduced soil bulk density (BD) from 1.48 to 1.27 g cm(-3) (CK) and 1.14 g cm(-3) (T3) and increased saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) from 0.05 x 10(-5) to 0.75 x 10(-5) cm s(-1) (CK) and 1.25 x 10(-5) cm s(-1) (T3). This tillage effect on BD and Ks gradually disappeared due to the disturbance from the subsequent farming practice. Biochar use lessened the disturbance. At maize harvest, BD was 1.47 (CK) vs. 1.34 g cm(-3) (T3), and Ks was 0.06 x 10(-5) (CK) vs. 0.28 x 10(-5) cm s(-1)(T3); in comparison with CK, T3 increased Na+ leaching by 65%, Cl- leaching by 98%, organic carbon content by 40.3%, and water-stable aggregates (0.25-2 mm) by 38%, indicating an improvement in soil properties. Conclusions Biochar use and rotary tillage improved soil physical properties (BD, Ks) and favored soil aeration, water filtration, and salt leaching, which further helped the accumulation of soil organic carbon, the formation of water-stable aggregates, and the amelioration of salt-affected compact soil