Impact of the aging of a photovoltaic module on the performance of a grid-connected system

Photovoltaic systems belong to the green energy dynamics which is an ambitious program based on energy efficiency and sustainable development. In this study, the impact of the aging of a photovoltaic module is investigated on the electrical performance of a grid-connected system. A photovoltaic conversion chain with MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) control and LC (Inductor-Capacitor) filter is modeled and dimensioned according to the grid constraints. A method of hybridation detection of the MPPT coupling long-time aging evolution and short-time determination is proposed. Aging laws for the electrical and optical degradations of the photovoltaic module are introduced for the long-time evolution. Results display the lowering of the maximal power point with a rate of 1%/year and a slight augmentation of the THD over time even though it remains inferior to the IEEE standard STD 19-1992 maximum value of 5% for a usage of 20 years. Moreover, an equivalent scheme for the additional electrical resistance engendered by the aging of the photovoltaic module regarding other resistances of the photovoltaic system is given. Finally, the elevation of this resistance by 12.8% in 20 years may have non-negligible consequences on the power production of a large-scale installation. © 201

Combined transcriptome studies identify AFF3 as a mediator of the oncogenic effects of beta-catenin in adrenocortical carcinoma

Adrenocortical cancer (ACC) is a very aggressive tumor, and genomics studies demonstrate that the most frequent alterations of driver genes in these cancers activate the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. However, the adrenal-specific targets of oncogenic beta-catenin-mediating tumorigenesis have not being established. A combined transcriptomic analysis from two series of human tumors and the human ACC cell line H295R harboring a spontaneous beta-catenin activating mutation was done to identify the Wnt/beta-catenin targets. Seven genes were consistently identified in the three studies. Among these genes, we found that AFF3 mediates the oncogenic effects of beta-catenin in ACC. The Wnt response element site located at nucleotide position - 1408 of the AFF3 transcriptional start sites (TSS) mediates the regulation by the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. AFF3 silencing decreases cell proliferation and increases apoptosis in the ACC cell line H295R. AFF3 is located in nuclear speckles, which play an important role in RNA splicing. AFF3 overexpression in adrenocortical cells interferes with the organization and/or biogenesis of these nuclear speckles and alters the distribution of CDK9 and cyclin T1 such that they accumulate at the sites of AFF3/speckles. We demonstrate that AFF3 is a new target of Wnt/beta-catenin pathway involved in ACC, acting on transcription and RNA splicing

Combined transcriptome studies identify AFF3 as a mediator of the oncogenic effects of beta-catenin in adrenocortical carcinoma

Adrenocortical cancer (ACC) is a very aggressive tumor, and genomics studies demonstrate that the most frequent alterations of driver genes in these cancers activate the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. However, the adrenal-specific targets of oncogenic beta-catenin-mediating tumorigenesis have not being established. A combined transcriptomic analysis from two series of human tumors and the human ACC cell line H295R harboring a spontaneous beta-catenin activating mutation was done to identify the Wnt/beta-catenin targets. Seven genes were consistently identified in the three studies. Among these genes, we found that AFF3 mediates the oncogenic effects of beta-catenin in ACC. The Wnt response element site located at nucleotide position - 1408 of the AFF3 transcriptional start sites (TSS) mediates the regulation by the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway. AFF3 silencing decreases cell proliferation and increases apoptosis in the ACC cell line H295R. AFF3 is located in nuclear speckles, which play an important role in RNA splicing. AFF3 overexpression in adrenocortical cells interferes with the organization and/or biogenesis of these nuclear speckles and alters the distribution of CDK9 and cyclin T1 such that they accumulate at the sites of AFF3/speckles. We demonstrate that AFF3 is a new target of Wnt/beta-catenin pathway involved in ACC, acting on transcription and RNA splicing

Etude de l’auto-adaptivité du filtre actif parallèle aux variations de la charge

Cet article s’intéresse à l’amélioration des performances du filtre actif parallèle pour s’adapter d’une manière automatique aux variations de la charge. Ce filtre est un onduleur de tension à MLI destiné à éliminer les harmoniques de courant générés par un pont redresseur triphasé non commandé (charge non linéaire). Pour assurer l’auto-additivité du filtre aux variations de la charge, deux schémas de régulation à base du régulateur P sont proposés, l’un pour la tension continue et l’autre pour le courant injecté. Les résultats obtenus par simulation ont montrés une amélioration des performances de ce filtre. Le taux de distorsion harmonique (THD) calculé après filtrage est inférieur à 5% et le filtre s’adapte parfaitement aux variations de la charge. Mots clés: filtre actif parallèle; harmoniques; onduleur à MLI; taux de distorsion d’harmonique; méthode p-q. The purpose of this work is to improve shunt active filter performances to cope automatically with load changes. This filter is a PWM inverter used to reduce harmonic currents generated by uncontrolled three phase bridge rectifier (non linear load). To ensure filter auto-adaptivity, two control schemes based on P controller are proposed; one for dc voltage control and the second for the injected current (active filter current) control. The obtained results by simulation have showed effectiveness and improvement in the performances of the filter. The calculated total harmonic distortion (THD) factor is less than 5% and the filter copes with load variations.Keywords: shunt active filter; harmonics; PWM inverter; total harmonic distortion; p-q theory

The progressive expansion of the Novel A (H1N1) v epidemic in the EpiSouth region (Mediterranean and Balkans)

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International outbreak of salmonellosis in a hotel in Lloret de Mar, Spain, August 2007

On 21 August 2007, a hospital in Barcelona, Spain, informed local health authorities in Girona of the occurrence of an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness among three families who had eaten lunch at a hotel in Lloret de Mar on 14 August 2007. Only one of these three families was staying at the hotel. The lunch on 14 August at the hotel was the only meal they had shared. Samples for stool culture were collected from six of the 12 affected individuals in this outbreak and all tested positive for Salmonella spp. Local epidemiologists carried out a preliminary investigation by interviewing the 12 cases notified by the hospital in Barcelona on 21 August. Information about clients having stayed at the hotel around 14 August was obtained from the hotel manager and from the health centre that usually provides medical assistance to clients of the hotel. Affected tourists from 12 countries were detected. Most of these guests had returned to their countries by the time of the investigation. Most of the cases came from France; therefore on 26 August, the French Institut de Veille Sanitaire (InVS) and the four Spanish autonomous regions implicated were contacted to initiate an investigation coordinated by the Centro Nacional de Epidemiología in Spain. On 27 August, a European alert was sent through the Early Warning and Response System (EWRS). On 29 August, after a teleconference organised by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), all involved countries were included in the international investigation of this outbreak. The aim of the investigation was to describe the extent of the outbreak and determine the vehicle/source of infection in order to reduce risks of future outbreaks.We would like to thank all epidemiologists and their departments in the Spanish Autonomous Regions: Catalonia, the Basque Country, Aragón and Valencia. Also very special thanks to the Institut de Veille Sanitaire in France and the Ministry of the Czech Republic for their help during the investigation. Thanks to Marta Valenciano, Viviane Bremer and Alicia Barrasa for their supervision and valuable comments; to Rui Cabral and Lisanne Gerstel for their help.S

The CAPACITI decision-support tool for national immunization programs

Objectives Immunization programs in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) are faced with an ever-growing number of vaccines of public health importance recommended by the World Health Organization, while also financing a greater proportion of the program through domestic resources. More than ever, national immunization programs must be equipped to contextualize global guidance and make choices that are best suited to their setting. The CAPACITI decision-support tool has been developed in collaboration with national immunization program decision makers in LMICs to structure and document an evidence-based, context-specific process for prioritizing or selecting among multiple vaccination products, services, or strategies. Methods The CAPACITI decision-support tool is based on multi-criteria decision analysis, as a structured way to incorporate multiple sources of evidence and stakeholder perspectives. The tool has been developed iteratively in consultation with 12 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Results The tool is flexible to existing country processes and can follow any type of multi-criteria decision analysis or a hybrid approach. It is structured into 5 sections: decision question, criteria for decision making, evidence assessment, appraisal, and recommendation. The Excel-based tool guides the user through the steps and document discussions in a transparent manner, with an emphasis on stakeholder engagement and country ownership. Conclusions Pilot countries valued the CAPACITI decision-support tool as a means to consider multiple criteria and stakeholder perspectives and to evaluate trade-offs and the impact of data quality. With use, it is expected that LMICs will tailor steps to their context and streamline the tool for decision making