Caracterização de módulos fotovoltáicos orgânicos (P3HT:PCBM) com radiação solar

Los principales parámetros que influyen en la eficiencia de módulo solar orgánico de capa activa P3HT:PCBM, se analizan en este trabajo en condiciones reales de la radiación solar. Los experimentos se llevaron a cabo en la Universidad Federal de Pernambuco en Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil. Por medio del análisis de los resultados se puede observar el comportamiento de los parámetros eléctricos de un módulo orgánico en función de la irradiación y, por tanto, entender cómo funcionaría un sistema que utiliza la electricidad generada a partir de paneles orgánicos.The main parameters that influence the efficiency of organic solar module active layer P3HT:PCBM, are analyzed in this work in real conditions of solar radiation. The experiments were conducted at the Federal University of Pernambuco in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Through analysis of the results, it is possible to observe the behavior of the electrical parameters of an organic module depending on the irradiance and thus, better understand how it would work in a system using electricity generated from organic panels.Tema 4: Energía solar, conversión fotovoltaica.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

Caracterização de módulos fotovoltáicos orgânicos (P3HT:PCBM) com radiação solar

Los principales parámetros que influyen en la eficiencia de módulo solar orgánico de capa activa P3HT:PCBM, se analizan en este trabajo en condiciones reales de la radiación solar. Los experimentos se llevaron a cabo en la Universidad Federal de Pernambuco en Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil. Por medio del análisis de los resultados se puede observar el comportamiento de los parámetros eléctricos de un módulo orgánico en función de la irradiación y, por tanto, entender cómo funcionaría un sistema que utiliza la electricidad generada a partir de paneles orgánicos.The main parameters that influence the efficiency of organic solar module active layer P3HT:PCBM, are analyzed in this work in real conditions of solar radiation. The experiments were conducted at the Federal University of Pernambuco in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Through analysis of the results, it is possible to observe the behavior of the electrical parameters of an organic module depending on the irradiance and thus, better understand how it would work in a system using electricity generated from organic panels.Tema 4: Energía solar, conversión fotovoltaica.Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanism

Caracterização de módulos fotovoltáicos orgânicos (P3HT:PCBM) com radiação solar

Los principales parámetros que influyen en la eficiencia de módulo solar orgánico de capa activa P3HT:PCBM, se analizan en este trabajo en condiciones reales de la radiación solar. Los experimentos se llevaron a cabo en la Universidad Federal de Pernambuco en Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil. Por medio del análisis de los resultados se puede observar el comportamiento de los parámetros eléctricos de un módulo orgánico en función de la irradiación y, por tanto, entender cómo funcionaría un sistema que utiliza la electricidad generada a partir de paneles orgánicos.The main parameters that influence the efficiency of organic solar module active layer P3HT:PCBM, are analyzed in this work in real conditions of solar radiation. The experiments were conducted at the Federal University of Pernambuco in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. Through analysis of the results, it is possible to observe the behavior of the electrical parameters of an organic module depending on the irradiance and thus, better understand how it would work in a system using electricity generated from organic panels.Asociación Argentina de Energías Renovables y Medio Ambiente (ASADES

Tuna labels matter in Europe: Mislabelling rates in different tuna products

Tuna fisheries and processing represent economic activities of paramount importance around the world. Most of these products are traded for human consumption and in general are highly demanded commodities. However, not all tuna products achieve the same market price, some consumers are willing to pay a huge amount of money for certain species (i.e. Japanese market for Bluefin tuna) while other species are rather affordable (i.e. Skipjack tuna), therefore mislabelling has been observed frequently. We collected and analysed 545 tuna samples in six European countries, including fresh, frozen and canned products, and we have investigated whether or not these products were correctly labelled under European and national legislations. We found an overall mislabelling rate of 6.79%; in particular, 6.70% of the fresh and frozen tuna products and 7.84% of canned tuna were mislabelled, and only in the case of fresh and frozen tuna samples significant differences among countries were found. Mislabelling rates for Atlantic Bluefin tuna labelled products were very high, ranging from 50 up to 100%. In general, mislabelling was higher when specific names were included in the labels. The “tuna” umbrella term is a very popular one with consumers, but also one that remains vulnerable to ambiguity, hampering efforts towards market transparency and with potential negative consequences to the adequate management of tuna species stocks

Utilization of a deoxynucleoside diphosphate substrate by HIV reverse transcriptase

Background: Deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) are the normal substrates for DNA sysnthesis is catalyzed by polymerases such as HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT). However, substantial amounts of deoxynucleoside diphosphates (dNDPs) are also present in the cell. Use of dNDPs in HIV-1 DNA sysnthesis could have significant implications for the efficacy of nucleoside RT inhibitors such as AZT which are first line therapeutics fro treatment of HIV infection. Our earlier work on HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) suggested that the interaction between the γ phosphate of the incoming dNTP and RT residue K65 in the active site is not essential for dNTP insertion, implying that this polymerase may be able to insert dNPs in addition to dNTPs. Methodology/Principal Findings: We examined the ability of recombinant wild type (wt) and mutant RTs with substitutions at residue K65 to utilize a dNDP substrate in primer extension reactions. We found that wild type HIV-1 RT indeed catalyzes incorporation of dNDP substrates whereas RT with mutations of residue K645 were unable to catalyze this reaction. Wild type HIV-1 RT also catalyzed the reverse reaction, inorganic phosphate-dependent phosphorolysis. Nucleotide-mediated phosphorolytic removal of chain-terminating 3′-terminal nucleoside inhibitors such as AZT forms the basis of HIV-1 resistance to such drugs, and this removal is enhanced by thymidine analog mutations (TAMs). We found that both wt and TAM-containing RTs were able to catalyze Pi-mediated phosphorolysis of 3′-terminal AZT at physiological levels of Pi with an efficacy similar to that for ATP-dependent AZT-excision. Conclusion: We have identified two new catalytic function of HIV-1 RT, the use of dNDPs as substrates for DNA synthesis, and the use of Pi as substrate for phosphorolytic removal of primer 3′-terminal nucleotides. The ability to insert dNDPs has been documented for only one other DNA polymerase The RB69 DNA polymerase and the reverse reaction employing inorganic phosphate has not been documented for any DNA polymerase. Importantly, our results show that Pi-mediated phosphorolysis can contribute to AZT resistance and indicates that factors that influence HIV resistance to AZT are more complex than previously appreciated. © 2008 Garforth et al

Aquatic food security:insights into challenges and solutions from an analysis of interactions between fisheries, aquaculture, food safety, human health, fish and human welfare, economy and environment

Fisheries and aquaculture production, imports, exports and equitability of distribution determine the supply of aquatic food to people. Aquatic food security is achieved when a food supply is sufficient, safe, sustainable, shockproof and sound: sufficient, to meet needs and preferences of people; safe, to provide nutritional benefit while posing minimal health risks; sustainable, to provide food now and for future generations; shock-proof, to provide resilience to shocks in production systems and supply chains; and sound, to meet legal and ethical standards for welfare of animals, people and environment. Here, we present an integrated assessment of these elements of the aquatic food system in the United Kingdom, a system linked to dynamic global networks of producers, processors and markets. Our assessment addresses sufficiency of supply from aquaculture, fisheries and trade; safety of supply given biological, chemical and radiation hazards; social, economic and environmental sustainability of production systems and supply chains; system resilience to social, economic and environmental shocks; welfare of fish, people and environment; and the authenticity of food. Conventionally, these aspects of the food system are not assessed collectively, so information supporting our assessment is widely dispersed. Our assessment reveals trade-offs and challenges in the food system that are easily overlooked in sectoral analyses of fisheries, aquaculture, health, medicine, human and fish welfare, safety and environment. We highlight potential benefits of an integrated, systematic and ongoing process to assess security of the aquatic food system and to predict impacts of social, economic and environmental change on food supply and demand

Parathyroidectomy and survival in a cohort of Italian dialysis patients: results of a multicenter, observational, prospective study

Background: Severe secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is associated with mortality in end stage kidney disease (ESKD). Parathyroidectomy (PTX) becomes necessary when medical therapy fails, thus highlighting the interest to compare biochemical and clinical outcomes of patients receiving either medical treatment or surgery. Methods: We aimed to compare overall survival and biochemical control of hemodialysis patients with severe hyperparathyroidism, treated by surgery or medical therapy followed-up for 36 months. Inclusion criteria were age older than 18 years, renal failure requiring dialysis treatment (hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis) and ability to sign the consent form. A control group of 418 patients treated in the same centers, who did not undergo parathyroidectomy was selected after matching for age, sex, and dialysis vintage. Results: From 82 Dialysis units in Italy, we prospectively collected data of 257 prevalent patients who underwent parathyroidectomy (age 58.2 ± 12.8 years; M/F: 44%/56%, dialysis vintage: 15.5 ± 8.4 years) and of 418 control patients who did not undergo parathyroidectomy (age 60.3 ± 14.4 years; M/F 44%/56%; dialysis vintage 11.2 ± 7.6 y). The survival rate was higher in the group that underwent parathyroidectomy (Kaplan–Meier log rank test = 0.002). Univariable analysis (HR 0.556, CI: 0.387–0.800, p = 0.002) and multivariable analysis (HR 0.671, CI:0.465–0.970, p = 0.034), identified parathyroidectomy as a protective factor of overall survival. The prevalence of patients at KDOQI targets for PTH was lower in patients who underwent parathyroidectomy compared to controls (PTX vs non-PTX: PTH < 150 pg/ml: 59% vs 21%, p = 0.001; PTH at target: 18% vs 37% p = 0.001; PTH > 300 pg/ml 23% vs 42% p = 0.001). The control group received more intensive medical treatment with higher prevalence of vitamin D (65% vs 41%, p = 0.0001), calcimimetics (34% vs 14%, p = 0.0001) and phosphate binders (77% vs 66%, p = 0.002). Conclusions: Our data suggest that parathyroidectomy is associated with survival rate at 36 months, independently of biochemical control. Lower exposure to high PTH levels could represent an advantage in the long term. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Visual field loss and vision-related quality of life in the Italian Primary Open Angle Glaucoma Study

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between visual field (VF) loss, vision-related quality of life (QoL) and glaucoma-related symptoms in a large cohort of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) patients. POAG patients with or without VF defects or "glaucoma suspect" patients were considered eligible. QoL was assessed using the validated versions of the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) and glaucoma-related symptoms were assessed using the Glaucoma Symptom Scale (GSS). Patients were classified as having VF damage in one eye (VFD-1), both eyes (VFD-2), or neither eye (VFD-0). 3227 patients were enrolled and 2940 were eligible for the analysis. 13.4% of patients were classified in the VFD-0, 23.7% in the VFD-1, and 62.9% in the VFD-2 group. GSS visual symptoms domain (Func-4) and GSS non-visual symptoms domain (Symp-6) scores were similar for the VFD-0 and VFD-1 groups (p = 0.133 and p = 0.834 for Func-4 and Symp-6, respectively). VFD-0 group had higher scores than VFD-2 both in Func-4 (p < 0.001) and Symp-6 domains (p = 0.035). Regarding the NEI-VFQ-25, our data demonstrated that bilateral VF defects are associated with vision-related QoL deterioration, irrespective of visual acuity

An Efficient Vector System to Modify Cells Genetically

The transfer of foreign genes into mammalian cells has been essential for understanding the functions of genes and mechanisms of genetic diseases, for the production of coding proteins and for gene therapy applications. Currently, the identification and selection of cells that have received transferred genetic material can be accomplished by methods, including drug selection, reporter enzyme detection and GFP imaging. These methods may confer antibiotic resistance, or be disruptive, or require special equipment. In this study, we labeled genetically modified cells with a cell surface biotinylation tag by co-transfecting cells with BirA, a biotin ligase. The modified cells can be quickly isolated for downstream applications using a simple streptavidin bead method. This system can also be used to screen cells expressing two sets of genes from separate vectors

Vision-related quality of life and symptom perception change over time in newly-diagnosed primary open angle glaucoma patients.

To evaluate the change over time of vision-related quality of life (QoL) and glaucoma symptoms in a population of newly-diagnosed primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) patients. Multicenter, prospective study. Consecutive newly-diagnosed POAG patients were enrolled and followed-up for one year. Follow-up visits were scheduled at 6 and 12 months from baseline. At each visit, vision-related QoL and glaucoma-related symptoms were assessed by the means of the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) and the Glaucoma Symptom Scale (GSS), respectively. Trends over time for NEI-VFQ-25 and GSS scores were evaluated with longitudinal linear mixed models. One-hundred seventy-eight patients were included in the analysis. At baseline, early to moderate glaucoma stages were associated with higher scores for most GSS and NEI-VFQ-25 items, while lower best-corrected visual acuity was associated with lower scores for 4 of the 12 NEI-VFQ-25 items. During the follow-up, all the GSS scores, the NEI-VFQ-25 total score, and 7 of the 12 NEI-VFQ-25 scores significantly improved (p &lt; 0.05). In multivariate model, higher increases of most GSS and NEI-VFQ-25 scores were modeled in patients with low scores at baseline. Vision-related QoL and glaucoma-related symptom perception significantly improved during the one-year follow-up in this population of newly diagnosed POAG patients