360 research outputs found

    Consumers’ preferences regarding energy efficiency: a qualitative analysis based on the household and services sectors in Spain

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    Informational failures frequently lead consumers to make non-optimal energy-efficient purchasing decisions. Energy efficiency labels seek to influence consumer behaviour at the point of sale by reducing informational failures regarding energy efficiency. However, several informational and behavioural factors contribute to the energy efficiency gap and could render label-oriented policies useless. The purchasing decision model of Allcott and Greenstone (The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 26, 3 28, 2012) is used here to explore the different factors that influence purchasing decisions and understand (i) the importance of energy consumption compared to other attributes; (ii) how consumers weight energy savings and (iii) what other benefits and costs influence the purchase of energy-efficient goods. The analysis reported here is based on qualitative research methods and is conducted in the household and service sectors (the accommodation sector and private service companies), for appliances, heating and cooling systems and cars in Spain. Results show that (i) there is still an informational gap regarding energy labels and (ii) bounded rationality and end-user behaviour are important limiting factors for the purchase of energy-efficient goods in Spain. © 2020, The Author(s).This work was undertaken as a part of the CONSumer Energy Efficiency Decision making (CONSEED) project, an EU-funded H2020 research project under grant agreement number 723741. This research is also supported by the Spanish State Research Agency through María de Maeztu Excellence Unit accreditation 2018-2022 (Ref. MDM-2017-0714). Amaia de Ayala would like to thank the financial support of Fundación Ramón Areces under the project entitled “La toma de decisiones de los hogares en eficiencia energética: determinantes y diseño de políticas”

    Association between television viewing and obesity in Peruvian women

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    OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between frequency of television viewing, overweight and obesity in a nationally representative sample of Peruvian women. METHODS: Secondary analysis of the Demographic and Health Survey 2008 including women aged from 15 to 49 years old. The outcome variables were obesity (body mass index >30 kg/m²) and overweight (body mass index >25 butOBJETIVO: Evaluar la asociación entre frecuencia de ver televisión, sobrepeso y obesidad en una muestra representativa de mujeres peruanas a nivel nacional. MÉTODOS: Análisis secundario de la Encuesta Nacional Demográfica y de Salud Familiar incluyendo mujeres de 15 a 49 años. Las variables resultados fueron obesidad (índice de masa corporal >30 kg/m²) y sobrepeso (>25 pesoOBJETIVO: Analisar a associação entre frequência de assistir televisão com sobrepeso e obesidade em uma amostra representativa de mulheres peruanas em nível nacional. MÉTODOS: Análise secundária da Pesquisa Nacional Demográfica e de Saúde Familiar incluindo 27.712 mulheres de 15 a 49 anos em 2008. As variáveis-desfecho foram obesidade (índice de massa corporal >; 30 kg/m2) e sobrepeso (entre 25 e 30 kg/m2); a variável de exposição foi a frequência de assistir televisão (nunca, ocasionalmente, quase todos os dias). Foi utilizada regressão logística para amostras complexas, ajustada por potenciais confundidores. Os resultados foram apresentados como odds ratios ajustados (ORa) com seus respectivos intervalos de 95% de confiança. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de sobrepeso foi de 34,7% (IC95% 33,8;35,7) e de obesidade, 14,3% (IC95% 13,6;5,1). Mulheres que assistiam televisão ocasionalmente e quase todos os dias tiveram maior probabilidade de ter obesidade em comparação às que não assistiam: ORa = 1,7 (IC95% 1,3;2,3) e ORa 2,6 (IC95% 2,0;3,5), respectivamente. A magnitude da associação foi menor para o sobrepeso: ORa 1,2 (IC95% 1,3;2,3) e ORa 1,6 (IC95% 1,1;1,4), respectivamente. A associação foi mais forte na área urbana. CONCLUSÕES: A frequência de assistir televisão esteve associada à apresentar obesidade e sobrepeso entre mulheres peruanas, e a força da associação variou de acordo com a área de residência. Estes achados podem auxiliar estratégias de prevenção da obesidade no contexto peruano

    Prevalence, intensity and extent of Oral Impacts on Daily Performances associated with self-perceived malocclusion in 11-12-year-old children

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    BACKGROUND: To determine the prevalence, intensity and extent of the Oral Impacts on Daily Performances associated with self-perceived malocclusion among Peruvian schoolchildren. METHODS: Eight hundred and five children aged 11 to 12 years attending 4 of 7 randomly selected schools linked to a Health Centre in Lima, Peru, participated in the study. The Spanish (Peru)Child-OIDP was used to assess the prevalence, intensity and extent of oral impacts on 8 daily performances (eating, speaking, teeth cleaning, sleeping, smiling, studying, emotion and social contact). Self-perceived malocclusion included complaints about position of teeth, spacing of teeth and deformity of mouth or face. The prevalence of oral impacts was compared by covariables using the Chi-square test, whereas the intensity and extent of oral impacts were compared by covariables through the Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: Only 15.5% of children reported impacts associated with self-perceived malocclusion during the last 3 months. Of them, 18.4% reported impacts of severe or very severe intensity and 76.0% reported impacts on only one daily performance. Psychosocial activities such as smiling, emotion and social contact were the most frequently and severely impacted everyday activities. CONCLUSION: Impacts of self-perceived malocclusion primarily affected psychological and social everyday activities. These findings provide further evidence to support the importance of psychological and social components of oral health on children's lives

    The OTELO survey. A case study of [O III]4959,5007 emitters at <z> = 0.83

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    The OTELO survey is a very deep, blind exploration of a selected region of the Extended Groth Strip and is designed for finding emission-line sources (ELSs). The survey design, observations, data reduction, astrometry, and photometry, as well as the correlation with ancillary data used to obtain a final catalogue, including photo-z estimates and a preliminary selection of ELS, were described in a previous contribution. Here, we aim to determine the main properties and luminosity function (LF) of the [O III] ELS sample of OTELO as a scientific demonstration of its capabilities, advantages, and complementarity with respect to other surveys. The selection and analysis procedures of ELS candidates obtained using tunable filter (TF) pseudo-spectra are described. We performed simulations in the parameter space of the survey to obtain emission-line detection probabilities. Relevant characteristics of [O III] emitters and the LF([O III]), including the main selection biases and uncertainties, are presented. A total of 184 sources were confirmed as [O III] emitters at a mean redshift z=0.83. The minimum detectable line flux and equivalent width (EW) in this ELS sample are \sim5 ×\times 1019^{-19} erg s1^{-1} cm2^{2} and \sim6 \AA, respectively. We are able to constrain the faint-end slope (α=1.03±0.08\alpha = -1.03\pm0.08) of the observed LF([O III]) at z=0.83. This LF reaches values that are approximately ten times lower than those from other surveys. The vast majority (84\%) of the morphologically classified [O III] ELSs are disc-like sources, and 87\% of this sample is comprised of galaxies with stellar masses of M_\star << 1010^{10} M_{\odot}.Comment: v1: 16 pages, 6 figures. Accepted in Astronomy \& Astrophysics. v2: Author added in metadat

    MALL, a membrane-tetra-spanning proteolipid overexpressed in cancer, is present in membraneless nuclear biomolecular condensates

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    Proteolipids are proteins with unusual lipid-like properties. It has long been established that PLP and plasmolipin, which are two unrelated membrane-tetra-spanning myelin proteolipids, can be converted in vitro into a water-soluble form with a distinct conformation, raising the question of whether these, or other similar proteolipids, can adopt two different conformations in the cell to adapt their structure to distinct environments. Here, we show that MALL, another proteolipid with a membrane-tetra-spanning structure, distributes in membranes outside the nucleus and, within the nucleus, in membrane-less, liquid-like PML body biomolecular condensates. Detection of MALL in one or other environment was strictly dependent on the method of cell fixation used, suggesting that MALL adopts different conformations depending on its physical environment —lipidic or aqueous— in the cell. The acquisition of the condensate-compatible conformation requires PML expression. Excess MALL perturbed the distribution of the inner nuclear membrane proteins emerin and LAP2β, and that of the DNA-binding protein BAF, leading to the formation of aberrant nuclei. This effect, which is consistent with studies identifying overexpressed MALL as an unfavorable prognostic factor in cancer, could contribute to cell malignancy. Our study establishes a link between proteolipids, membranes and biomolecular condensates, with potential biomedical implication

    The GB4.0 Platform, an All-In-One Tool for CRISPR/Cas-Based Multiplex Genome Engineering in Plants

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    CRISPR/Cas ability to target several loci simultaneously (multiplexing) is a game-changer in plant breeding. Multiplexing not only accelerates trait pyramiding but also can unveil traits hidden by functional redundancy. Furthermore, multiplexing enhances dCas-based programmable gene expression and enables cascade-like gene regulation. However, the design and assembly of multiplex constructs comprising tandemly arrayed guide RNAs (gRNAs) requires scarless cloning and is still troublesome due to the presence of repetitive sequences, thus hampering a more widespread use. Here we present a comprehensive extension of the software-assisted cloning platform GoldenBraid (GB), in which, on top of its multigene cloning software, we integrate new tools for the Type IIS-based easy and rapid assembly of up to six tandemly-arrayed gRNAs with both Cas9 and Cas12a, using the gRNA-tRNA-spaced and the crRNA unspaced approaches, respectively. As stress tests for the new tools, we assembled and used for Agrobacterium-mediated stable transformation a 17 Cas9-gRNAs construct targeting a subset of the Squamosa-Promoter Binding Protein-Like (SPL) gene family in Nicotiana tabacum. The 14 selected genes are targets of miR156, thus potentially playing an important role in juvenile-to-adult and vegetative-to-reproductive phase transitions. With the 17 gRNAs construct we generated a collection of Cas9-free SPL edited T plants harboring up to 9 biallelic mutations and showing leaf juvenility and more branching. The functionality of GB-assembled dCas9 and dCas12a-based CRISPR/Cas activators and repressors using single and multiplexing gRNAs was validated using a Luciferase reporter with the Solanum lycopersicum Mtb promoter or the Agrobacterium tumefaciens nopaline synthase promoter in transient expression in Nicotiana benthamiana. With the incorporation of the new web-based tools and the accompanying collection of DNA parts, the GB4.0 genome edition turns an all-in-one open platform for plant genome engineering

    Metronomic oral vinorelbine in previously untreated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients unfit for platinum-based chemotherapy: results of the randomized phase II Tempo Lung trial

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    [Background] To assess the efficacy and safety of a metronomic schedule of oral vinorelbine (mVNR) in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients unfit for platinum-based combination chemotherapy.[Patients and methods] This was a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label phase II study in treatment-naive patients with TNM stage IIIB/IV NSCLC. Patients received mVNR at a fixed dose of 50 mg × 3 or standard schedule 60-80 mg/m2 weekly until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) without grade 4 toxicity (G4PFS; NCI-CTC v4). Main secondary objectives were safety, disease control rate (DCR) without grade 4 toxicity (G4DCR), DCR, PFS, overall survival (OS) and quality of life (QoL).[Results] A total of 167 patients were included, 83 and 84 patients in the mVNR and standard arms, respectively. The median G4PFS was 4.0 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.6-4.3] and 2.2 months (95% CI: 1.5-2.9), hazard ration (HR) = 0.63 (95% CI: 0.45-0.88), P = 0.0068 in favor of metronomic arm; G4DCR was 45.8% and 26.8% in the mVNR and standard arms, respectively. Grade 3-4 treatment-related adverse events were less frequent in the mVNR arm (25.3% versus 54.4%) mainly owing to a reduction in all grades (15.7% versus 51.9%) and grade 3-4 neutropenia (10.8% versus 42%). PFS was 4.3 (95% CI: 3.3-5.1) and 3.9 months (95% CI: 2.8-5.2) in mVNR and standard arms, respectively. No difference in median OS was observed. QoL was comparable between arms.[Conclusions] Metronomic oral vinorelbine significantly prolonged median G4PFS in advanced NSCLC patients unfit for platinum combinations as first-line treatment. It was associated with a clear reduction in toxicity and may be considered as an important option in this challenging population.Pierre Fabre Médicament was the Sponsor of the study. The study was funded by Pierre Fabre Médicament. Conduct of the study: Pierre Fabre Médicament with the support of Clinipace clinical research organization (CRO) for the monitoring, of C-Med (CRO) for the data management and statistical analyses.Peer reviewe

    Datos químico-oceanográficos de la Ría de Pontevedra en invierno. Parte I

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    Se presentan datos de salinidad, fracción de agua dulce, temperatura, densidad, estabilidad, oxígeno disuelto, porcentaje de saturación de oxígeno, consumo aparente de oxígeno y de nutrientes (nitritos, nitratos y fosfatos) de la Ría de Pontevedra, correspondientes al invierno de 1980. Se efectúa un avance de interpretación simplista de los resultados.Data of temperature, salinity, density, stability, dissolved oxygen, % oxygen saturation, apparent oxygen consumation, nutrients (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate) parameters taken in winter 1980 in the Ría de Pontevedra (NW Spain) are presented. Also a brief interpretation of results are included.Versión del editor0,000

    Impact of smoking status on the relative efficacy of the EGFR TKI/angiogenesis inhibitor combination therapy in advanced NSCLC-a systematic review and meta-analysis.

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    BACKGROUND The ETOP 10-16 BOOSTER trial failed to demonstrate a progression-free survival (PFS) benefit for adding bevacizumab to osimertinib in second line. An exploratory subgroup analysis, however, suggested a PFS benefit of the combination in patients with a smoking history and prompted us to do this study. METHODS A systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the differential effect of smoking status on the benefit of adding an angiogenesis inhibitor to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy was carried out. All relevant randomized controlled trials appearing in main oncology congresses or in PubMed as of 1 November 2021 were used according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses statement. Primarily PFS according to smoking status, and secondarily overall survival (OS) were of interest. Pooled and interaction hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated by fixed or random effects models, depending on the detected degree of heterogeneity. Bias was assessed using the revised Cochrane tool for randomized controlled trials (RoB 2). RESULTS Information by smoking was available for 1291 patients for PFS (seven studies) and 678 patients for OS (four studies). The risk of bias was low for all studies. Combination treatment significantly prolonged PFS for smokers [n = 502, HR = 0.55, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.44-0.69] but not for nonsmokers (n = 789, HR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.66-1.27; treatment-by-smoking interaction P = 0.02). Similarly, a significant OS benefit was found for smokers (n = 271, HR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.47-0.93) but not for nonsmokers (n = 407, HR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.82-1.42; treatment-by-smoking interaction P = 0.03). CONCLUSION In advanced EGFR-non-small-cell lung cancer patients, the addition of an angiogenesis inhibitor to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy provides a statistically significant PFS and OS benefit in smokers, but not in non-smokers. The biological basis for this observation should be pursued and could determine whether this might be due to a specific co-mutational pattern produced by tobacco exposure
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