On the potential contribution of rooftop PV to a sustainable electricity mix: the case of Spain

This work evaluates the potential contribution of rooftop PV to the future electricity mix. Several sustainable scenarios are considered, each comprising different shares of centralized renewables, rooftop PV and storage. For each generation scenario, the storage capacity that balances the net hourly demand is determined, and the portfolio combination that minimizes the cost of supplying electricity is obtained. The analysis is applied to mainland Spain, using public information and detailed granular models, both in time (hourly resolution) and space (municipal level). For the Spanish case, when the flexibility of hydro and biomass generation is taken into account, the least-cost portfolio involves rather modest storage capacities, in the order of daily rather than seasonal values. This shows that a sustainable, almost emissions-free electricity system for Spain is possible, at a cost that can be even lower than current wholesale market prices.Comment: 7 tables & 11 figures in the main body (24 pages), and 13 pages for the supplementary material, wit

Robustness of electricity systems with nearly 100% share of renewables: a worst-case study

Several research studies have shown that future sustainable electricity systems, mostly based on renewable generation and storage, are feasible with current technologies and costs. However, recent episodes of extreme weather conditions, probably associated with climate change, cast shades of doubt on whether the resulting generation portfolios are sufficiently robust to assure, at all times, a suitable balance between generation and demand, when adverse conditions are faced. To address this issue, this work elaborates a methodology intended to determine a sustainable electricity system that can endure extreme weather conditions, which are likely to occur. First, using hourly production and demand data from the last decade, along with estimates of new uses of electricity, a worst-case scenario is constructed, including the storage capacity and additional photovoltaic power which are needed to serve the demand on an hourly basis. Next, several key parameters which may have a significant influence on the LCOE are considered, and a sensitivity analysis is carried out to determine their real impact, significance and potential trends. The proposed methodology is then applied to the Spanish system. The results show that, under the hypotheses and conditions considered in this paper, it is possible to design a decarbonized electricity system that, taking advantage of existing sustainable assets, satisfies the long-term needs by providing a reliable supply at an average cost significantly lower than current market prices.Comment: 33 pages, 13 figures, 10 table

The Fibrillar Collagen Family

Collagens, or more precisely collagen-based extracellular matrices, are often considered as a metazoan hallmark. Among the collagens, fibrillar collagens are present from sponges to humans, and are involved in the formation of the well-known striated fibrils. In this review we discuss the different steps in the evolution of this protein family, from the formation of an ancestral fibrillar collagen gene to the formation of different clades. Genomic data from the choanoflagellate (sister group of Metazoa) Monosiga brevicollis, and from diploblast animals, have suggested that the formation of an ancestral α chain occurred before the metazoan radiation. Phylogenetic studies have suggested an early emergence of the three clades that were first described in mammals. Hence the duplication events leading to the formation of the A, B and C clades occurred before the eumetazoan radiation. Another important event has been the two rounds of “whole genome duplication” leading to the amplification of fibrillar collagen gene numbers, and the importance of this diversification in developmental processes. We will also discuss some other aspects of fibrillar collagen evolution such as the development of the molecular mechanisms involved in the formation of procollagen molecules and of striated fibrils

Speech/music discrimination using a Warped LPC-based feature and a fuzzy expert system for intelligent audio coding

Publication in the conference proceedings of EUSIPCO, Florence, Italy, 200

Manager gender, entrepreneurial orientation and SMEs export and import propensities: evidence for Spanish businesses

This paper investigates the role of manager gender in SMEs’ decisions to get involved in exporting and importing activities, using a sample of 1,405 Spanish SMEs. We borrow insights from international entrepreneurship theories and feminist theories to set testable hypotheses regarding how managerial gender and entrepreneurial orientation (proactiveness, risk-taking and innovativeness) may influence SMEs export and import propensities. Using a bivariate probit model and controlling for other managerial and business characteristics, results reveal that there are not significant disparities in exporting propensities between men- and women-run businesses. However, female-led SMEs show a lower importing propensity, in comparison to male-led counterparts. In addition, the three entrepreneurial orientation dimensions (proactiveness, risk-taking and innovativeness) are important drivers for participating in overseas markets, and do not depend upon the manager gender. This work provides new empirical evidence on the comparison between men- and women-run SMEs as regards export/import behavior and thus, it contributes to improve our knowledge on the role of gender in SMEs internationalization. The role of manager’s gender in SMEs import propensity has not been investigated so far, and this is the main novelty of our research.We acknowledge fnancial support from Grant ECO2017-86793-R funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”; from Generalitat Valenciana (project PROMETEU/2019/095); from Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (ECO2014-55745-R) and from Instituto de Estudios Fiscales del Ministerio de Hacienda (Spanish Treasury Ministry). Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA

Entrectinib—A SARS-CoV-2 Inhibitor in Human Lung Tissue (HLT) Cells

COVID-19; Drug repurposing; Viral cell entry assaysCOVID-19; Reutilización de medicamentos; Ensayos de entrada de células viralesCOVID-19; Reutilització de medicaments; Assajos d'entrada de cèl·lules viralsSince the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, pharmaceutical companies and research groups have focused on the development of vaccines and antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2. Here, we apply a drug repurposing strategy to identify drug candidates that are able to block the entrance of the virus into human cells. By combining virtual screening with in vitro pseudovirus assays and antiviral assays in Human Lung Tissue (HLT) cells, we identify entrectinib as a potential antiviral drug.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (FPU16/01209 to M.T.-F.); the Health department of the Government of Catalonia (DGRIS 3_9 to A.P.G. and J.S. and DGRIS 1_5 to M.J.B. and M.G.)

Dynein-dependent transport of spindle assembly checkpoint proteins off kinetochores toward spindle poles

A predominant mechanism of spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) silencing is dynein-mediated transport of certain kinetochore proteins along microtubules. There are still conflicting data as to which SAC proteins are dynein cargoes. Using two ATP reduction assays, we found that the core SAC proteins Mad1, Mad2, Bub1, BubR1, and Bub3 redistributed from attached kinetochores to spindle poles, in a dynein-dependent manner. This redistribution still occurred in metaphase-arrested cells, at a time when the SAC should be satisfied and silenced. Unexpectedly, we found that a pool of Hec1 and Mis12 also relocalizes to spindle poles, suggesting KMN components as additional dynein cargoes. The potential significance of these results for SAC silencing is discussed. (C) 2014 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.CESPU [02-GCQF-CICS-2011N]; national Portuguese funding through FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia FCT [POCTI/BIA/PRO/60337/2004, PTDC/SAU-OBD/105234/2008]; FCT [PEst-OE/ EQB/LA0023/2013, SFRH/BD/90744/2012]; [EXPL/BEX-BCM/1104/2013

Hydroxychloroquine is associated with a lower risk of polyautoimmunity: data from the RELESSER Registry

OBJECTIVES: This article estimates the frequency of polyautoimmunity and associated factors in a large retrospective cohort of patients with SLE. METHODS: RELESSER (Spanish Society of Rheumatology Lupus Registry) is a nationwide multicentre, hospital-based registry of SLE patients. This is a cross-sectional study. The main variable was polyautoimmunity, which was defined as the co-occurrence of SLE and another autoimmune disease, such as autoimmune thyroiditis, RA, scleroderma, inflammatory myopathy and MCTD. We also recorded the presence of multiple autoimmune syndrome, secondary SS, secondary APS and a family history of autoimmune disease. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate possible risk factors for polyautoimmunity. RESULTS: Of the 3679 patients who fulfilled the criteria for SLE, 502 (13.6%) had polyautoimmunity. The most frequent types were autoimmune thyroiditis (7.9%), other systemic autoimmune diseases (6.2%), secondary SS (14.1%) and secondary APS (13.7%). Multiple autoimmune syndrome accounted for 10.2% of all cases of polyautoimmunity. A family history was recorded in 11.8%. According to the multivariate analysis, the factors associated with polyautoimmunity were female sex [odds ratio (95% CI), 1.72 (1.07, 2.72)], RP [1.63 (1.29, 2.05)], interstitial lung disease [3.35 (1.84, 6.01)], Jaccoud arthropathy [1.92 (1.40, 2.63)], anti-Ro/SSA and/or anti-La/SSB autoantibodies [2.03 (1.55, 2.67)], anti-RNP antibodies [1.48 (1.16, 1.90)], MTX [1.67 (1.26, 2.18)] and antimalarial drugs [0.50 (0.38, 0.67)]. CONCLUSION: Patients with SLE frequently present polyautoimmunity. We observed clinical and analytical characteristics associated with polyautoimmunity. Our finding that antimalarial drugs protected against polyautoimmunity should be verified in future studies

Flagellin from Marinobacter algicola and Vibrio vulnificus activates the innate immune response of gilthead seabream

Adjuvants emerge as the better tool to enhance the efficacy of vaccination. Traditional adjuvants used in aquaculture cause adverse alterations in fish. Thus, it is necessary the development of new adjuvants able to stimulate the immune system and generate high protection against infectious pathogens with minimal undesirable effects. To this end, flagellin emerges as an attractive candidate due to its potency to stimulate the immune response of fish. In the current study, we have evaluated the ability of recombinant flagellin from Marinobacter algicola (MA) and Vibrio vulnificus (Vvul), a non-pathogenic and a pathogenic bacteria, respectively, to stimulate the innate immune system of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) in comparison with the classical flagellin from Salmonella enterica serovar Thyphimurium (Salmonella Thyphimurium, STF). Intraperitoneal injection of MA and Vvul resulted in a strong inflammatory response characterized by increased reactive oxygen species production and the infiltration of acidophilic granulocytes at the injection site. Interestingly, however, only flagellin from MA consistently induced the expression of the gene encoding pro-inflammatory interleukin-1. These effects were further confirmed in vitro, where a dose-dependent activation of macrophages and acidophilic granulocytes by MA and Vvul flagellins was observed. In contrast, STF flagellin was found to be less potent in either in vivo or in vitro experiments. Our results suggest the potential use of MA and Vvul flagellins as immunostimulants and adjuvants for fish vaccination.Postprin