El ciclismo

This essay is about cycling. Many people, especially in cities, use bikes to get around. However, biking also has a calming effect on riders and is a hobby instead of a necessity. Everybody has their own reason for getting on a bike

Creep in Photovoltaic Modules: Examining the Stability of Polymeric Materials and Components

Interest in renewable energy has motivated the implementation of new polymeric materials in photovoltaic modules. Some of these are non-cross-linked thermoplastics, in which there is a potential for new behaviors to occur, including phase transformation and visco-elastic flow. Differential scanning calorimetry and rheometry data were obtained and then combined with existing site-specific time-temperature information in a theoretical analysis to estimate the displacement expected to occur during module service life. The analysis identified that, depending on the installation location, module configuration and/or mounting configuration, some of the thermoplastics are expected to undergo unacceptable physical displacement. While the examples here focus on encapsulation materials, the concerns apply equally to the frame, junction-box, and mounting-adhesive technologies

Prevalence and Genotype Distribution of HPV in Cytology Specimens Containing Atypical Glandular Cells: A Case Control Study

Introduction: Although the incidence of squamous cell cervical cancers in the U.S. has markedly declined over time with the introduction of the Papanicolaou (Pap) test, the incidence of glandular cell cancers has increased. The sensitivity of detecting lesions containing abnormal glandular cells is much lower than that for lesions containing abnormal squamous cells. While AGC-grade cytology results represent \u3c1% of all Pap test results reported annually in the U.S., up to 40% of them represent a corresponding high-grade lesion on the followup biopsy. Guidelines for managing AGC-grade cytology released in 2006 by the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology include HPV testing. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and genotype distribution of HPV in AGC-grade liquid-based cytology (LBC) specimens compared to control specimens negative for intraepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM). Methods: Quest Diagnostics provided de-identified case and control LBC specimens. Cases were women with AGC-grade LBC specimens collected between 2007- 2012. Controls were a sample of women with NILM-grade LBC specimens collected between 2011-2012. DNA was extracted from LBC specimens using the QIAamp MinElute Media Kit (Qiagen Inc.) and amplified by PCR using the Linear Array HPV Genotyping Kit (Roche Molecular Inc.). To compare HPV prevalence and genotype distribution between AGC-grade cases and NILM controls, we used multivariate logistic regression to generate age-adjusted odds ratios (ORadj) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Fifty-three AGC-grade LBC specimens (mean age; 57 yrs, age range; 18-95 yrs) and 338 NILM LBC specimens (mean age; 45 yrs, age range; 20-91 yrs) were screened for 37 types of HPV DNA: 13 high-risk (HR) HPV types and 24 low-risk (LR) HPV types. Any HR-HPV was present in 34% of AGC-grade specimens and 7.4% of NILM specimens (ORadj=9.11; 95% CI: 4.08-20.33, p-value\u3c0.001). When limited to HPV 16/18, at least one was present in 20.1% of AGC-grade specimens and 1.2% of NILM specimens (ORadj=40.10, 95% CI: 10.73- 149.88, p-value\u3c0.001). In contrast, prevalence of low-risk (LR) HPV was similar between the two groups: 15% of AGC-grade specimens and 17.2% of NILM specimens (ORadj=0.91; 95% CI: 0.35-2.31, p-value=0.834). Conclusion: AGC-grade specimens were found to contain a significantly higher rate of HR-HPV, especially HPV types 16 or 18 when compared to NILM specimens. These findings support the earlier recommendation that HPV testing should be performed on LBC specimens with AGC-grade diagnosis and suggests that genotyping may be a useful addition to the follow up testing being performed

Rationale and Design of a Panel Study Investigating Six Health Effects of Airborne Pollen: The EPOCHAL Study

Background: While airborne pollen is widely recognized as a seasonal cause of sneezing and itchy eyes, its effects on pulmonary function, cardiovascular health, sleep quality, and cognitive performance are less well-established. It is likely that the public health impact of pollen may increase in the future due to a higher population prevalence of pollen sensitization as well as earlier, longer, and more intense pollen seasons, trends attributed to climate change. The effects of pollen on health outcomes have previously been studied through cross-sectional design or at two time points, namely preceding and within the period of pollen exposure. We are not aware of any observational study in adults that has analyzed the dose-response relationship between daily ambient pollen concentration and cardiovascular, pulmonary, cognitive, sleep, or quality of life outcomes. Many studies have relied on self-reported pollen allergy status rather than objectively confirming pollen sensitization. In addition, many studies lacked statistical power due to small sample sizes or were highly restrictive with their inclusion criteria, making the findings less transferable to the “real world.”Methods: The EPOCHAL study is an observational panel study which aims to relate ambient pollen concentration to six specific health domains: (1) pulmonary function and inflammation; (2) cardiovascular outcomes (blood pressure and heart rate variability); (3) cognitive performance; (4) sleep; (5) health-related quality of life (HRQoL); and (6) allergic rhinitis symptom severity. Our goal is to enroll 400 individuals with diverse allergen sensitization profiles. The six health domains will be assessed while ambient exposure to pollen of different plants naturally varies. Health data will be collected through six home nurse visits (at approximately weekly intervals) as well as 10 days of independent tracking of blood pressure, sleep, cognitive performance, HRQoL, and symptom severity by participants. Through repeated health assessments, we aim to uncover and characterize dose-response relationships between exposure to different species of pollen and numerous acute health effects, considering (non-)linearity, thresholds, plateaus and slopes.Conclusion: A gain of knowledge in pollen-health outcome relationships is critical to inform future public health policies and will ultimately lead toward better symptom forecasts and improved personalized prevention and treatment

Feasibility of pre-operative mTOR inhibitor Sirolimus in children and young adults with desmoid tumor

Background: • Desmoid tumor represents an intermediate grade neoplasm with a striking predilection for locally invasive growth and recurrence following resection • More effective, well-tolerated non-surgical treatment options are needed • Current approaches • If feasible, watchful waiting is the preferred approach • 20-30% spontaneous regression • In situations where treatment is indicated, the following approaches are utilized • Surgery is the primary approach if minimal morbidity is anticipated • Medical therapies • Cytotoxic drugs • Tyrosine kinase inhibitors • Hydroxyurea • Gamma secretase inhibitors • mTOR Inhibitor Rationale • Desmoid tumor is well-known to be associated with deregulation of the APC/β-catenin pathway • Deregulation of the mTOR cell proliferation/survival pathway may play an important role in tumor biology when the APC/βcatenin pathway is disrupted • The mTOR inhibitor sirolimus is attractive as a potential targeted therapy for desmoid tumor • Well-tolerated in children and young adults • Can be given orally in tablet or liquid formulatio

Diet and food strategies in a southern al-Andalusian urban environment during Caliphal period, ecija, Sevilla

The Iberian medieval period is unique in European history due to the widespread socio-cultural changes that took place after the arrival of Arabs, Berbers and Islam in 711 AD. Recently, isotopic research has been insightful on dietary shifts, status, resource availability and the impact of environment. However, there is no published isotopic research exploring these factors in southern Iberian populations, and as the history of this area differs to the northern regions, this leaves a significant lacuna in our knowledge. This research fills this gap via isotopic analysis of human (n = 66) and faunal (n = 13) samples from the 9th to the 13th century Écija, a town renowned for high temperatures and salinity. Stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes were assessed from rib collagen, while carbon (δ13C) values were derived from enamel apatite. Human diet is consistent with C3 plant consumption with a very minor contribution of C4 plants, an interesting feature considering the suitability of Écija to C4 cereal production. δ15N values vary among adults, which may suggest variable animal protein consumption or isotopic variation within animal species due to differences in foddering. Consideration of δ13C collagen and apatite values together may indicate sugarcane consumption, while moderate δ15N values do not suggest a strong aridity or salinity effect. Comparison with other Iberian groups shows similarities relating to time and location rather than by religion, although more multi-isotopic studies combined with zooarchaeology and botany may reveal subtle differences unobservable in carbon and nitrogen collagen studies alone.OLC is funded by Plan Galego I2C mod.B (ED481D 2017/014). The research was partially funded by the projects “Galician Paleodiet” and by Consiliencia network (ED 431D2017/08) Xunta de GaliciaS

Nitazoxanide Stimulates Autophagy and Inhibits mTORC1 Signaling and Intracellular Proliferation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the world today. M. tuberculosis hijacks the phagosome-lysosome trafficking pathway to escape clearance from infected macrophages. There is increasing evidence that manipulation of autophagy, a regulated catabolic trafficking pathway, can enhance killing of M. tuberculosis. Therefore, pharmacological agents that induce autophagy could be important in combating tuberculosis. We report that the antiprotozoal drug nitazoxanide and its active metabolite tizoxanide strongly stimulate autophagy and inhibit signaling by mTORC1, a major negative regulator of autophagy. Analysis of 16 nitazoxanide analogues reveals similar strict structural requirements for activity in autophagosome induction, EGFP-LC3 processing and mTORC1 inhibition. Nitazoxanide can inhibit M. tuberculosis proliferation in vitro. Here we show that it inhibits M. tuberculosis proliferation more potently in infected human THP-1 cells and peripheral monocytes. We identify the human quinone oxidoreductase NQO1 as a nitazoxanide target and propose, based on experiments with cells expressing NQO1 or not, that NQO1 inhibition is partly responsible for mTORC1 inhibition and enhanced autophagy. The dual action of nitazoxanide on both the bacterium and the host cell response to infection may lead to improved tuberculosis treatment

Quantum-centric supercomputing for materials science: A perspective on challenges and future directions

Computational models are an essential tool for the design, characterization, and discovery of novel materials. Computationally hard tasks in materials science stretch the limits of existing high-performance supercomputing centers, consuming much of their resources for simulation, analysis, and data processing. Quantum computing, on the other hand, is an emerging technology with the potential to accelerate many of the computational tasks needed for materials science. In order to do that, the quantum technology must interact with conventional high-performance computing in several ways: approximate results validation, identification of hard problems, and synergies in quantum-centric supercomputing. In this paper, we provide a perspective on how quantum-centric supercomputing can help address critical computational problems in materials science, the challenges to face in order to solve representative use cases, and new suggested directions

The effect of genetic background and dose on non-targeted effects of radiation

Purpose: This work investigates the hypothesis that genetic background plays a significant role in the signalling mechanisms underlying induction and perpetuation of genomic instability following radiation exposure. Materials and methods: Bone marrow from two strains of mice (CBA and C57) were exposed to a range of X-ray doses (0, 0.01, 0.1, 1 and 3 Gy). Different cellular signalling endpoints: Apoptosis, cytokine levels and calcium flux, were evaluated at 2 h, 24 h and 7 d post-irradiation to assess immediate and delayed effects. Results: In CBA (radiosensitive) elevated apoptosis levels were observed at 24 h post X-irradiation, and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) levels which increased with time and dose. C57 showed a higher background level of apoptosis, and sustained apoptotic levels 7 days after radiation exposure. Levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α were increased in C57 at day 7 for higher X-ray doses. TGF-β levels were higher in CBA, whilst C57 exhibited a greater TNF-α response. Calcium flux was induced in reporter cells on exposure to conditioned media from both strains. Conclusions: These results show genetic and dose specific differences in radiation-induced signalling in the initiation and perpetuation of the instability process, which have potential implications on evaluation of non-targeted effects in radiation risk assessment