Pre-feasibility study of a biogas plant for peyrelevade community

This work presents a technical and financial pre-feasibility assessment for heat generation from biogas for a retirement home in the community of Peyrelevade, France. The heat demand of the retirement home currently relies on fuel oil boiler and electric heaters. The biogas is to be produced mainly from grass silage. As result of the feedstock abundance in the community, electricity can be also generated in an 80kWe CHP unit operating in full power capacity. The electricity produced can be then sold to the national electricity utility in France. The financial analysis was carried out using RETScreenTM. An efficiency of 62.9% is achievable in this CHP (Combined heat and power) biogas plant, with a total life cycle saving/income of 0.05€ for each MJ of heat supplied to the retirement home. A company set-up has also been proposed for the development of a community based compan

Effects of a brief action and coping planning intervention on completion of preventive exercises prescribed by a physiotherapist among people with knee pain

Objectives: The present study aimed to test the efficacy of action and coping planning in promoting engagement with preventive exercises among a sample of people with knee pain. Design: Experimental trial. Methods: Individuals who presented to a physiotherapist with knee pain (N = 373, 57% female; M age = 31.54, SD = 10.06, age range = 18-69 years) completed two assessments separated by 14 days. At baseline, participants completed measures of severity of problems associated with the knee (e.g., pain, symptoms) and past behavior. Subsequently, participants were randomly assigned to an action and coping planning or control group. Two weeks later, participants retrospectively reported their preventive exercise behavior over the past 14 days. Analyses revealed that the experimental group reported a higher number of preventive exercise sessions over the 14. day period when compared with the control group. Results: Participants who planned action and coping strategies reported a greater frequency of completed preventive exercises over a 2-week period than people who did not. Conclusions: The results of this study underscore the importance of action and coping planning for the enactment of preventive exercises that are designed to manage or prevent knee pain

Pre-feasibility study of a biogas plant for peyrelevade community

This work presents a technical and financial pre-feasibility assessment for heat generation from biogas for a retirement home in the community of Peyrelevade, France. The heat demand of the retirement home currently relies on fuel oil boiler and electric heaters. The biogas is to be produced mainly from grass silage. As result of the feedstock abundance in the community, electricity can be also generated in an 80kWe CHP unit operating in full power capacity. The electricity produced can be then sold to the national electricity utility in France. The financial analysis was carried out using RETScreenTM. An efficiency of 62.9% is achievable in this CHP (Combined heat and power) biogas plant, with a total life cycle saving/income of 0.05€ for each MJ of heat supplied to the retirement home. A company set-up has also been proposed for the development of a community based compan

Fused in sarcoma silences HIV gene transcription and maintains viral latency through suppressing AFF4 gene activation

Background: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cell reservoir is currently a main obstacle towards complete eradication of the virus. This infected pool is refractory to anti-viral therapy and harbors integrated proviruses that are transcriptionally repressed but replication competent. As transcription silencing is key for establishing the HIV reservoir, significant efforts have been made to understand the mechanism that regulate HIV gene transcription, and the role of the elongation machinery in promoting this step. However, while the role of the super elongation complex (SEC) in enhancing transcription activation of HIV is well established, the function of SEC in modulating viral latency is less defined and its cell partners are yet to be identified. Results: In this study we identify fused in sarcoma (FUS) as a partner of AFF4 in cells. FUS inhibits the activation of HIV transcription by AFF4 and ELL2, and silences overall HIV gene transcription. Concordantly, depletion of FUS elevates the occupancy of AFF4 and Cdk9 on the viral promoter and activates HIV gene transcription. Live cell imaging demonstrates that FUS co-localizes with AFF4 within nuclear punctuated condensates, which are disrupted upon treating cells with aliphatic alcohol. In HIV infected cells, knockout of FUS delays the gradual entry of HIV into latency, and similarly promotes viral activation in a T cell latency model that is treated with JQ1. Finally, effects of FUS on HIV gene transcription are also exhibited genome wide, where FUS mainly occupies gene promoters at transcription starting sites, while its knockdown leads to an increase in AFF4 and Cdk9 occupancy on gene promoters of FUS affected genes. Conclusions: Towards eliminating the HIV infected reservoir, understanding the mechanisms by which the virus persists in the face of therapy is important. Our observations show that FUS regulates both HIV and global gene transcription and modulates viral latency, thus can potentially serve as a target for future therapy that sets to reactivate HIV from its latent state.Israel Science Foundation [755/17]; Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel; National Institute of Health [NS082376]; Office of the Director of the NIH [S10OD013237]; NIH [R21AI127274]Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

The Abandoned Radical Hysterectomy for Cervical Cancer: Clinical Predictors and Outcomes

Objective. Cervical cancer patients who had an abandoned radical hysterectomy were evaluated for preoperative clinical predictors, complication rates, and outcomes. Study Design. IRB approval was obtained for this retrospective analysis and chart review was performed. Results. From 268 women with early-stage (IA2 to IIA) cervical cancer, 19 (7%) had an abandoned hysterectomy for finding grossly positive lymph nodes (84%) or pelvic spread of tumor (16%). No clinical characteristics clearly identified women preoperatively at risk of having an abandoned hysterectomy. In the abandoned group, 26% suffered major morbidities, compared to 34% in the completed group (OR 0.69, [CI 0.16–2.57], P = .789). Thirty-seven percent recurred in the abandoned group, compared to 18% in the completed group (P = .168). Overall survival in the abandoned group was 73% versus 80% in the completed group (P = .772). Conclusion. The practice of abandoning a planned radical hysterectomy for unexpected metastatic disease may not worsen the outcome

Directional takeoff, aerial righting, and adhesion landing of semiaquatic springtails

Springtails (Collembola) have been traditionally portrayed as explosive jumpers with incipient directional takeoff and uncontrolled landing. However, for these collembolans who live near the water, such skills are crucial for evading a host of voracious aquatic and terrestrial predators. We discover that semiaquatic springtails Isotomurus retardatus can perform directional jumps, rapid aerial righting, and near-perfect landing on the water surface. They achieve these locomotive controls by adjusting their body attitude and impulse during takeoff, deforming their body in mid-air, and exploiting the hydrophilicity of their ventral tube, known as collophore. Experiments and mathematical modeling indicate that directional-impulse control during takeoff is driven by the collophores adhesion force, the body angle, and the stroke duration produced by their jumping organ, the furcula. In mid-air, springtails curve their bodies to form a U-shape pose, which leverages aerodynamic forces to right themselves in less than 20 ms, the fastest ever measured in animals. A stable equilibrium is facilitated by the water adhered to the collophore. Aerial righting was confirmed by placing springtails in a vertical wind tunnel and through physical models. Due to these aerial responses, springtails land on their ventral side 85% of the time while anchoring via the collophore on the water surface to avoid bouncing. We validated the springtail biophysical principles in a bioinspired jumping robot that reduces in-flight rotation and lands upright 75% of the time. Thus, contrary to common belief, these wingless hexapods can jump, skydive and land with outstanding control that can be fundamental for survival.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure