Testing solar panels for small-size satellites: the UPMSAT-2 mission

At present, the development of small-size satellites by universities, companies and research institutions have become a usual practice, which is spread rapidly. In this kind of projects the cost play a significant role. One of the main points are the Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) plans, which carries out an associated cost for simulating the environmental conditions. For instance, in the power subsystems test and, in particular in the solar panels testing, the irradiance and temperature conditions might be the optimum so the performances of the system are next to real operational conditions.
 To reproduce the environmental conditions in terms of irradiance, solar simulators are usually used, which carries an associated increase of cost for testing equipments. The aim of this paper is to present an alternative and unexpenssive way to perform the AIT plans on spacecraft power subsystems, from a testing campaign performed using outdoor clean-sky conditions and an isolation system to protect the panels. A post-process of the measured data is therefore needed, taking into account the conditions in which the test has been accomplished. The I-V characteristics obtained are compared with a theorical 1-diode/2-resistor equivalent electric circuit, achieving enough precision based solely in the manufacturer data

Healthcare workers hospitalized due to COVID-19 have no higher risk of death than general population. Data from the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 Registry

Aim To determine whether healthcare workers (HCW) hospitalized in Spain due to COVID-19 have a worse prognosis than non-healthcare workers (NHCW). Methods Observational cohort study based on the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry, a nationwide registry that collects sociodemographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Spain. Patients aged 20-65 years were selected. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to identify factors associated with mortality. Results As of 22 May 2020, 4393 patients were included, of whom 419 (9.5%) were HCW. Median (interquartile range) age of HCW was 52 (15) years and 62.4% were women. Prevalence of comorbidities and severe radiological findings upon admission were less frequent in HCW. There were no difference in need of respiratory support and admission to intensive care unit, but occurrence of sepsis and in-hospital mortality was lower in HCW (1.7% vs. 3.9%; p = 0.024 and 0.7% vs. 4.8%; p<0.001 respectively). Age, male sex and comorbidity, were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality and healthcare working with lower mortality (OR 0.211, 95%CI 0.067-0.667, p = 0.008). 30-days survival was higher in HCW (0.968 vs. 0.851 p<0.001). Conclusions Hospitalized COVID-19 HCW had fewer comorbidities and a better prognosis than NHCW. Our results suggest that professional exposure to COVID-19 in HCW does not carry more clinical severity nor mortality

Burden of refractory and unexplained chronic cough on patients’ lives: a cohort study

Background Chronic cough (cough lasting for ≥8 weeks) can lead to significant impairment in quality of life (QoL). Using patient-reported outcomes, this cohort study assessed the perceived impact of chronic cough on QoL and everyday life in patients from outpatient hospital clinics with refractory chronic cough (RCC) or unexplained chronic cough (UCC). Methods This was a multicentre, non-interventional survey study. Cough severity was assessed on a 0−100 mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Frequency, intensity and disruptiveness of cough were assessed using an adaptation of the Cough Severity Diary. The impact of cough on QoL was assessed using the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ). The physical impact of cough and associated impact on everyday life activities were explored using purpose-designed questions. Results 191 patients responded to the survey; 121 (63.4%) had RCC and 149 were women (78.0%). Mean score on the cough severity VAS was 62.9 mm. Mean LCQ total score of 11.9 indicated reduced QoL. Cough impaired patients’ everyday life, including the inability to speak fluently (58.0% of patients) and feeling tired/drained (46.6%). Women perceived poorer chronic cough-related QoL than men, as reflected by lower LCQ scores, and greater impairment of physical health, including cough-related stress urinary incontinence, and psychological health. Conclusions Patients with RCC/UCC experience a significant burden in their everyday life, including impaired QoL, and perceive a negative impact on physical and psychological health and everyday activities, affecting work, relationships and leisure activities. The impact appears to be greater in women than men for several of the aspects studied

Targeting HER2-AXL heterodimerization to overcome resistance to HER2 blockade in breast cancer

Anti-HER2 therapies have markedly improved prognosis of HER2-positive breast cancer. However, different mechanisms play a role in treatment resistance. Here, we identified AXL overexpression as an essential mechanism of trastuzumab resistance. AXL orchestrates epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and heterodimerizes with HER2, leading to activation of PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways in a ligand-independent manner. Genetic depletion and pharmacological inhibition of AXL restored trastuzumab response in vitro and in vivo. AXL inhibitor plus trastuzumab achieved complete regression in trastuzumab-resistant patient-derived xenograft models. Moreover, AXL expression in HER2-positive primary tumors was able to predict prognosis. Data from the PAMELA trial showed a change in AXL expression during neoadjuvant dual HER2 blockade, supporting its role in resistance. Therefore, our study highlights the importance of targeting AXL in combination with anti-HER2 drugs across HER2-amplified breast cancer patients with high AXL expression. Furthermore, it unveils the potential value of AXL as a druggable prognostic biomarker in HER2-positive breast cancer. AXL is a prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target to restore trastuzumab response in HER2 + breast cancer