How practitioners say they answer the questions of patients about ultraviolet protection

Patients should be able to rely on optometrists and optical dispensers to provide evidence-based answers to their questions on eye protection, including against ultraviolet radiation. Surveys indicate that there is public concern about the need for protection against ultraviolet radiation, particularly in sunlight. This investigation aimed to evaluate the quality of information provided by practitioners in response to typical questions to which they might reasonably be expected to have ready answers. A cross-sectional study was conducted of on-site responses from attendees of a 3 day optical fair, in Sydney, Australia, in 2017. Subjects were not forewarned about the study. The portion of the questionnaire reported here comprised open answers to four questions intended to represent typical enquiries of patients. The questions were about recommendations for ultraviolet protection in the context of 1) computer use, 2) outdoor use, 3) driving and 4) under office lighting. Eighty-three participants returned completed questionnaires out of 140 issued (61% response). The open-answer question responses were grouped into appropriate, borderline (mostly appropriate but mixed with non-UVR related recommendations) and others (mostly non-UVR related recommendations) and by job title. The proportion of appropriate answers to the four questions were 20%, 30%, 12% and 15%, respectively, which did not differ by job title. A significantly higher proportion of optical dispensers than optometrists selected ‘Don’t know/no answer’ for all questions except office use. Eyecare professionals need to be educated on eye protection against UV radiation to improve the quality of information to be given to the public

A review of solar driven absorption cooling with photovoltaic thermal systems

The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the recent advances in the field of solar absorption cooling systems from the viewpoint of solar collector types. A review in the area of photovoltaic thermal (PVT) absorption cooling systems is conducted. This review includes experimental and computational work focusing on collector types and their efficiencies and performance indicators. Compared to vapour compression air conditioning systems, 50% of primary energy was saved by using solar absorption cooling systems and 10–35% maximum electrical efficiency of PVT was achieved. This review shows that Coefficient of Performance (COP) for solar cooling systems is in the range of 0.1–0.91 while the thermal collector efficiencies are in the range of 0.06–0.64. The average area to produce cooling for single effect absorption chillers for experimental and computational projects is 4.95 m2/kWc and 5.61 m2/kWc respectively. The specific area for flat plat collector (FPC) is in the range of 2.18–9.4 m2/kWc, while for evacuated tube collector (ETC) is in the range of 1.27–12.5 m2/kWc. For concentrated photovoltaic thermal collector (CPVT) and PVT, the average area to produce cooling for solar absorption chillers are 2.72 m2/kWc and 3.1 m2/kWc respectively

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone signaling: An information theoretic approach

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a peptide hormone that mediates central control of reproduction, acting via G-protein coupled receptors that are primarily Gq coupled and mediate GnRH effects on the synthesis and secretion of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. A great deal is known about the GnRH receptor signaling network but GnRH is secreted in short pulses and much less is known about how gonadotropes decode this pulsatile signal. Similarly, single cell measures reveal considerable cell-cell heterogeneity in responses to GnRH but the impact of this variability on signaling is largely unknown. Ordinary differential equation-based mathematical models have been used to explore the decoding of pulse dynamics and information theory-derived statistical measures are increasingly used to address the influence of cell-cell variability on the amount of information transferred by signaling pathways. Here, we describe both approaches for GnRH signaling, with emphasis on novel insights gained from the information theoretic approach and on the fundamental question of why GnRH is secreted in pulses.This work was funded Project Grants from MRC (93447) and the BBSRC (J014699). KTA and MV gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the EPSRC via grant EP/N014391/1 and an MRC Biomedical Informatics Fellowship (MR/K021826/1), respectively

Improving thermal and electrical efficiency in photovoltaic thermal systems for sustainable cooling system integration

Research into photovoltaic thermal systems is important in solar technologies as photovoltaic thermal systems are designed to produce both electrical and thermal energy, this can lead to improved performance of the overall system. The performance of photovoltaic thermal systems is based on several factors that include photovoltaic thermal materials, design, ambient temperature, inlet and outlet fluid temperature and photovoltaic cell temperature. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of photovoltaic thermal outlet water temperatures and solar cell temperature on both electrical and thermal efficiency for different range of inlet water temperature. To achieve this, a mathematical model of a photovoltaic thermal system was developed to calculate the anticipated system performance. The factors that affect the efficiency of photovoltaic thermal collectors were discussed and the outlet fluid temperature from the photovoltaic thermal is investigated in order to reach the highest overall efficiency for the solar cooling system. An average thermal and electrical efficiency of 65% and 13.7%, respectively, was achieved and the photovoltaic thermal mathematical model was validated with experimental data from literature

Information Transfer via Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptors to ERK and NFAT: Sensing GnRH and Sensing Dynamics

This is the final version of the article. Available from Oxford University Press via the DOI in this record.Information theoretic approaches can be used to quantify information transfer via cell signaling networks. In this study, we do so for gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) in large numbers of individual fixed LβT2 and HeLa cells. Information transfer, measured by mutual information between GnRH and ERK or NFAT, was <1 bit (despite 3-bit system inputs). It was increased by sensing both ERK and NFAT, but the increase was <50%. In live cells, information transfer via GnRH receptors to NFAT was also <1 bit and was increased by consideration of response trajectory, but the increase was <10%. GnRH secretion is pulsatile, so we explored information gained by sensing a second pulse, developing a model of GnRH signaling to NFAT with variability introduced by allowing effectors to fluctuate. Simulations revealed that when cell–cell variability reflects rapidly fluctuating effector levels, additional information is gained by sensing two GnRH pulses, but where it is due to slowly fluctuating effectors, responses in one pulse are predictive of those in another, so little information is gained from sensing both. Wet laboratory experiments revealed that the latter scenario holds true for GnRH signaling; within the timescale of our experiments (1 to 2 hours), cell–cell variability in the NFAT pathway remains relatively constant, so trajectories are reproducible from pulse to pulse. Accordingly, joint sensing, sensing of response trajectories, and sensing of repeated pulses can all increase information transfer via GnRH receptors, but in each case the increase is small.This work was supported by Biochemical and Biophysical Science Research Council Grant BBSRC BB/J014699/1 (to C.A.M. and K.T.-A.). M.V. acknowledges the support of the Medical Research Council (a strategic skills development fellowship in biomedical informatics) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council via Grant EP/N014391/1

Developing immune-regulatory materials using immobilized monosaccharides with immune-instructive properties

New strategies for immune modulation have shown real promise in regenerative medicine as well as the fight against autoimmune diseases, allergies and cancer. Dendritic cells (DCs) are gatekeepers of the immune system and their ability in shaping the adaptive immune responses makes DCs ideal targets for immune modulation. Carbohydrates are abundant in different biological systems and are known to modulate DC phenotype and function. However, how simple monosaccharides instruct DC function is less well understood. In this study we used a combinatorial array of immobilized monosaccharides to investigate how they modulate DC phenotype and function, and crucially the impact of such changes on downstream adaptive immune responses. Our data show a selection of monosaccharides significantly suppress lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced DC activation as evidenced by reduction in CD40 expression, IL-12 production and 2,3 indoleamine dioxygenase activity, while inducing a significant increase in IL-10 production. These changes are indicative of induction of an anti-inflammatory or regulatory phenotype in DCs which was further confirmed in DC-T cell co-cultures where DCs cultured on the ‘regulatory’ monosaccharaide coated surfaces were shown to induce naïve T cell polarization towards regulatory phenotype. Our data also highlighted a selection of monosaccharides that are able to promote mixed Treg and Th17 cell differentiation, a T cell phenotype expected to be highly immune suppressive. These data show the potential immunomodulatory effects of immobilized monosaccharides in priming DCs and skewing T cell differentiation towards an immune-regulatory phenotype. The ability to fine tune immune responses using these simple carbohydrate combinations (e.g. as coatings for existing materials) can be utilized as novel tools for immune modulation with potential applications in regenerative medicine, implantable medical devices and wound healing where reduction of inflammatory responses and maintaining immune homeostasis are desirable

Investigating the Role of Acacia Nilotica Nanoparticles on Promoting Apoptosis in Human Breast Cancer Cell Line (MDA-MB-231)

MDA-MB-231 is a model of a human breast cancer cell line. It represents a suitable cell line for breast cancer research worldwide, including anti-cancer studies. Natural products are rich in phytochemicals that have anti-cancer, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to characterize the Acacia nilotica nanoparticles (AN-NPs) from the extract of Acacia nilotica (AN) using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), zeta sizer, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). Cytotoxic activity was assessed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The morphological changes of the cells were examined using an inverted microscope. The results showed that at serial concentrations (5, 10, 20, 50 and 70 µg/ml) of AN extract and AN-NPs, a cytotoxic effect and morphological degeneration and damage of the cells were observed. The effect varied depending on the exposure time and AN extract and/or AN-NP concentration on MDA-MB-231. The results showed cytotoxic effects, morphological degeneration, damage and more efficacy against breast cancer cells. We can conclude that AN extract and AN-NP are an effective choice for the development of pharmacological treatments against cancer

Reducing sitting time in type 1 diabetes: considerations and implications

Sedentary behaviours are ubiquitous in modern society with western populations spending approximately ~50% of their waking hours expending low levels of energy expenditure. This behaviour is associated with cardiometabolic derangements and increased morbidity and mortality. In individuals living with, or at risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), ‘breaking up’ sedentariness, by interrupting prolonged periods of sitting has been shown to acutely improve glucose control and cardiometabolic risk factors related to diabetes complications. As such, current guidelines recommend interrupting prolonged periods of sitting with short, frequent activity breaks. However, the evidence underpinning these recommendations remain preliminary and are focused on those with or at risk of developing T2D, with little information regarding whether and how reducing sedentariness may be effective and safe in those living with type 1 diabetes (T1D). In this review, we discuss the potential application of interventions that target prolonged sitting time in T2D within the context of T1D