Occupant productivity and office indoor environment quality : a review of the literature

The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature to draw an understanding of the relationship between indoor environmental quality and occupant productivity in an office environment. The study reviews over 300 papers from 67 journals, conference articles and books focusing on indoor environment, occupant comfort, productivity and green buildings. It limits its focus to the physical aspects of an office environment. The literature outlines eight Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) factors that influence occupant productivity in an office environment. It also discusses different physical parameters under each of the IEQ factors. It proposes a conceptual model of different factors affecting occupant productivity. The study also presents a review of the data collection methods utilised by the research studies that aim to investigate the relationship between IEQ and occupant productivity. The study presents a comprehensive discussion and analysis of different IEQ factors that affect occupant productivity. The paper provides a concise starting point for future researchers interested in the area of indoor environmental quality

Crystal structure of human NADK2 reveals a dimeric organization and active site occlusion by lysine acetylation

Submitted documentInternational audienceNAD+ kinases (NADKs) are metabolite kinases that phosphorylate NAD+ molecules to make NADP+, a limiting substrate for the generation of reducing power NADPH. NADK2 sustains mitochondrial NADPH production that enables proline biosynthesis and antioxidant defense. However, its molecular architecture and mechanistic regulation remain undescribed. Here, we report the crystal structure of human NADK2, revealing a new substrate-driven mode of activation. We find that NADK2 presents an unexpected dimeric organization instead of the typical tetrameric assemblage observed for other NADKs. A specific extended segment (aa 325-365) is crucial for NADK2 dimerization and activity. Moreover, we find that NADK2 is decorated with numerous acetylation events, including those on Lys76 and Lys304, which reside near the active site and are critical for mitochondrial NADP(H) production, proline synthesis, and cell growth. These findings reveal new molecular insight into the structure and regulation of a vital enzyme in mitochondrial NADPH and proline metabolism

Pulmonary Involvement in Neuromuscular Diseases: A review

Neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) affect muscle function directly or indirectly by affecting nerves or neuromuscular junctions. One of the leading causes of death in patients with NMD is respiratory muscleweakness (RMW). Respiratory involvement in patients with NMD can manifest widely, from mild failure that may initially affect only sleep to severe failure that can be life-threatening. Care approaches include arranged and precise clinical follow-ups of signs of sleep-disordered breathing, daytime hypoventilation, coughing, and swallowing disturbances. This manuscript will review the mechanisms and abnormalities of respiratory function in patients with NMD and help optimize NMD management

Low-carbon innovation in non-domestic buildings: the importance of supply chain integration

Construction must play a major role in meeting climate change targets, but this will require major changes in industry practice. The sector will need to adopt innovative low-carbon technologies, integrate these within novel building designs and ensure these designs are constructed, implemented and optimised successfully. A likely precondition for this is greater levels of integration within the construction supply chain. While there is evidence that supply chain integration (SCI) can improve project performance and enable innovation, the literature rarely differentiates between different types of innovation and has paid little attention to low-carbon innovation. This paper synthesises insights from three different bodies of literature – construction innovation, low carbon buildings and SCI – to create a typology of low-carbon innovations in non-domestic buildings and to identify conditions and strategies for their successful implementation. It proposes that low-carbon innovations are ‘building-enhancing’ ‘integral’ and/or ‘user-dependent’ and their effective implementation requires collaboration, championing and user-involvement. The paper uses two case studies to illustrate the diversity of mechanisms through which these conditions can be realised. It concludes with some reflections on the methodological challenges of studying this topic, together with the wider implications of the proposed framework for industrial practice and public policy