DNA damage triggers the cellular adaptive response to arrest proliferation and repair DNA damage; when damage is too severe to be repaired, apoptosis is initiated to prevent the spread of genomic insults. However, how cells endure DNA damage to maintain cell function remains largely unexplored. By using C. elegans as a model, we report that DNA damage elicits cell maintenance programs including the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) unfolded protein response (UPRER). Mechanistically, sublethal DNA damage unexpectedly suppresses apoptotic genes in C. elegans, which in turn increases the activity of the IRE-1/XBP-1 branch of the UPRER by elevating unsaturated phosphatidylcholine (PC). In addition, UPRER activation requires silencing of the lipid regulator SKN-1. DNA damage suppresses SKN-1 activity to increase unsaturated PC and activate UPRER. These findings reveal the UPRER activation as an organismal adaptive response that is important to maintain cell function during DNA damage.

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As an application technology of renewable energy resource, water source heat pump (WSHP) has been paid more attention on. WSHP have been practiced especially for saving building energy consumption in Chongqing of China since there is abound water resources. However, it was found that some systems were not operated very well without achieving expected energy efficiency. Taking three real projects which use WSHP for heating and cooling of buildings in Chongqing city to test in field, key parameters were measured and operation performances were analyzed. The influences of water temperature and partial load ratio on system energy efficiency were studied. Based on existing problems, strategies for improving system energy performance are suggested from aspects of design and operating. Dynamic load hourly simulation plays a key role to determine appropriately the size and the form of system. More efforts have to be put on water pumps arrangement to save energy consumed for water transportation which accounts for large part of system energy. The temperature difference and water quality of water source should be controlled according actual operating conditions. The integrated systems and operation strategies under partial load are also beneficial for efficiency improvement.

In the face of increasingly severe pressure on water resources, the theory of virtual water and virtual water trade provides feasible solutions for improving the efficiency of global water use for agricultural products and alleviating the pressure on water resources in water scarce countries or regions. Optimizing the domestic inter-regional trade of virtual water trade of agricultural products can provide information to help for the formulation of China’s water policy. In this study, we will establish scenarios from the two aspects of economy and water resources allocation and utilization, to study the impact of virtual water trade on water saving of agricultural products trade between regions in China. One scenario does not consider water conservation, only economic revenue - net social revenue maximization scenario. Another way to consider water saving is to maximize water saving. With the maximization of net social revenue, 9.6 billion m3 of virtual water had been exported to other regions in the severe drought regions, saving 18.6 billion m3 of water in China. The net social revenue is 9.1 billion RMB. In the scheme of water-saving maximization, virtual water is exported to water rich regions in severe, moderate and mild drought areas, and China had saved 21.5 billion m3 of water. China’s net social revenue is 4 billion RMB. The results show that the optimization of agriculture products domestic inter-regional trade can have a favorable impact on the allocation and utilization of water resources.

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