European Research Policy and Techno-scientific Networks: the solar energy technologies case study

Η έρευνά μας εξετάζει τα προγράμματα έρευνας και ανάπτυξης (Ε&Α) της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης (ΕΕ) για τεχνολογίες ανανεώσιμων πηγών ενέργειας (ΑΠΕ), με έμφαση στα φωτοβολταϊκά (ΦΒ). Σε αυτό το πλαίσιο, εξετάζουμε τις χρηματοδοτικές ροές των προγραμμάτων Ε&Α της ΕΕ για την περίοδο από το 1975 έως το 2020. Με βάση την ανάλυσή μας, δείχνουμε πώς η χρηματοδότηση της ΕΕ για Ε&Α διαμόρφωσε τις υλικές διαστάσεις του ενεργειακού συστήματος και πώς αυτές οι υλικές διαστάσεις ταυτόχρονα επέτρεπαν διαφορετικές επιλογές (ενσωμάτωσης) ενώ έθεταν προκλήσεις ως προς το ποιος συμμετέχει, με ποιους όρους κ.λπ. Η ανάλυση βασίζεται στη διάκριση δύο περιόδων. Η πρώτη περίοδος ξεκινά το 1975 και τελειώνει το 1998, ενώ η δεύτερη περίοδος αρχίζει το 1999 και συνεχίζεται ακόμη. Το κριτήριο για αυτήν την περιοδολόγηση είναι η σχέση μεταξύ της ερευνητικής, ενεργειακής και βιομηχανικής πολιτικής της ΕΕ, και πώς οι αλλαγές στη σχέση μεταξύ αυτών των πολιτικών της ΕΕ επηρέασαν τον χαρακτήρα και το περιεχόμενο των ερευνητικών δραστηριοτήτων και οδήγησαν στον επαναπροσανατολισμό των ερευνητικών προτεραιοτήτων. Η διατριβή έχει τρεις στόχους. Πρώτον, στοχεύει να εξετάσει τις συνθήκες υπό τις οποίες η ενεργειακή και ερευνητική πολιτική της ΕΕ συμπαρήχθηκαν κατά την εξετασθείσα περίοδο, με έμφαση στο πώς η μεταβαλλόμενη σχέση μεταξύ των δύο έχει ανακατευθύνει τις ερευνητικές προτεραιότητες για τα ΦΒ (και τον τομέα των ΑΠΕ ). Παράλληλα, εξετάζονται οι συνθήκες υπό τις οποίες έχουν διαμορφωθεί οι ερευνητικές πολιτικές και προτεραιότητες της ΕΕ για τις ΑΠΕ. Τέλος, η έρευνα στοχεύει να ανακατασκευάσει τα τεχνοεπιστημονικά ερευνητικά δίκτυα των ΦΒ, όπως αυτά έχουν διαμορφωθεί (και αναδιαμορφωθεί) ιστορικά, στο πλαίσιο εθνικών και διεθνικών διαγωνισμών (για διαφορετικές τεχνολογίες) και στο πλαίσιο της μεταβαλλόμενης πολιτικής οικονομίας της ΕΕ για την έρευνα. Για το σκοπό αυτό θέτουμε τα ακόλουθα ερευνητικά ερωτήματα: Πώς έχει αλλάξει η ερευνητική πολιτική της ΕΕ για τις ΑΠΕ, κατά την εξετασθείσα περίοδο; Ποιος είναι ο χαρακτήρας των τεχνοεπιστημονικών ερευνητικών δικτύων των, τα οποία προκύπτουν από τις συνεργασίες που προωθεί η ερευνητική πολιτική της ΕΕ; Πώς έχει αλλάξει ο τομέας των ΑΠΕ σε επίπεδο τεχνολογιών και πρώτων υλών; Η διατριβή χωρίζεται σε οκτώ κεφάλαια. Στο Κεφάλαιο 1 παρουσιάζεται το θέμα μας και η πρωτοτυπία του, η μεθοδολογία, το αναλυτικό πλαίσιο, η συμβολή και η δομή της διατριβής. Τα κύρια ορόσημα στην ιστορία της έρευνας και της ενεργειακής πολιτικής της ΕΕ εξετάζονται στα κεφάλαια 2-3. Τα κεφάλαια 4-7 είναι τα εμπειρικά κεφάλαια. Στα κεφάλαια 4-6 αναλύουμε τις περιπτωσιολογικές μελέτες (c-Si, a-Si και CPV). Στο κεφάλαιο 7 επεκτείνουμε την ανάλυση σε παγκόσμιες αλυσίδες εφοδιασμού και ροές υλικών για ΦΒ και στο κεφάλαιο 8 συνοψίζουμε τα κύρια ευρήματά μας, παραθέτουμε τα συμπεράσματά μας και κλείνουμε με προτάσεις για μελλοντική έρευνα.Our research examines the European Union’s (EU) research and development (R&D) programmes for renewable energy technologies (RES), with a focus on photovoltaics (PV). In this context, we examine the funding flows of EU R&D programmes for the period from 1975 to 2020. Based on our analysis, we show how EU funding for R&D shaped the material dimension(s) of the energy system, and how these material dimensions simultaneously enabled different (integration) options while posing challenges in terms of who participates, on what terms, etc. The analysis is based on the distinction of two periods. The first period starts in 1975 and ends in 1998, while the second period begins in 1999 and is still ongoing. The criterion for this periodization is the relationship between EU research policy and energy and industrial policy, and how changes in the relationship between these EU policy areas affected the character and content of research activities and led to a reorientation of research priorities. The dissertation has three aims. First, it aims to examine the conditions under which EU energy policy and research policy had been co-produced during the period under study, with a focus on how the changing relationship between the two has redirected research priorities for PV (and the RES field/sector). Concurrently, the conditions under which EU RES research policies and priorities have been shaped are examined. Finally, the research aims to reconstruct the historical configuration (and reconfiguration) of technoscientific research networks for PV, as they have formed in the context of national and transnational competitions (for different technologies) and the changing EU political economy for/of research. Towards this end we pose the following research questions: How has EU research policy for RES changed over time? What is the character of the PV technoscientific research networks that emerge from collaborations (supported and) promoted by EU research policy? How has the field of RES changed in terms of technology and raw material selection? The dissertation is divided into eight chapters. Chapter 1 presents our topic and its originality, methodology, analytical framework, contribution and structure of the dissertation. The main landmarks in the history of EU research and energy policy are examined in chapters 2-3. Chapters 4-7 are the empirical chapters. In chapters 4-6 we analyse our case studies (c-Si, a-Si and CPV). In chapter 7 we extend the analysis to global supply chains and material flows for PV and in chapter 8 we summarize our main findings, draw our conclusions and make suggestions for future research

WNT1 (wingless-type MMTV integration site family, member 1)

Review on WNT1, with data on DNA/RNA, on the protein encoded and where the gene is implicated

The experience of First Sexual Intercourse: an Exploratory Study in Greek Women

Background: A young person's first sexual intercourse is often a remarkable and memorable experience.However, little information exists regarding contextual factors of this first experience and the possible effects ontheir subsequent sexual lifeObjective: This study explored the conditions of and women’s emotional reactions to first sexual intercourse(FSI), as well as FSI’s impact on their future sexual experiences.Methodology: Participants were 899 women aged 19 to 40 yrs, registered in 23 arbitrarily selected GPs privatepractices. They completed a 30-item questionnaire regarding their first sexual intercourse experience.Results: It was found that information sources for sexual issues (family vs media) significantly influence both theadoption of responsible sexual behaviours and the formation of feelings preceding sexual initiation (p<0.05). Thestudy also demonstrated that even when FSI is perceived as voluntary other correlates (e.g. woman’s and /orpartner’s age, contraceptive use etc.) affect women’s emotional reaction to first coital experience and theirresponse to future sexual encounters.Conclusions: The findings of this study provide initial data to suggest that the first sexual intercourse experiencesignificantly impacts women’s sexual life. Health professionals should be aware of this information in thedevelopment of programs focusing on the promotion of sexual health for adolescents or parents; education

The evolving role of oestrogen receptor beta in clinical breast cancer

Controversy surrounds the potential clinical importance of oestrogen receptor (ER)β in breast cancer, and three recent papers have sought to resolve this. In the present issue of Breast Cancer Research Novelli and colleagues explored the significance of ERβ1 expression in 936 breast cancer patients, and they showed diverse relationships according to lymph node status. A second paper examined 442 breast cancers in which ERβ1 was an independent predictor of recurrence, disease-free survival and overall survival. Finally a third paper showed that ERβ2 was a powerful prognostic indicator in 757 breast cancers but this was dependent on cellular location, with nuclear ERβ2 expression predicting good survival whilst cytoplasmic expression predicted worse outcome. These papers point to a clinical role for ERβ in breast cancer and shall be discussed

An exploratory study of sunitinib plus paclitaxel as first-line treatment for patients with advanced breast cancer

Background: Sunitinib has shown single-agent activity in patients with previously treated metastatic breast cancer (MBC). We investigated the safety of the combination of sunitinib and paclitaxel in an exploratory study of patients with locally advanced or MBC

The influence of thermo-chemotherapy on bladder tumours: an immunohistochemical analysis

To study the influence of microwave induced thermo-chemotherapy on high-grade urothelial cell carcinomas. Five groups of each three patients were formed of whom initial biopsies and cystectomy samples were collected. Patients were treated 2 days prior to cystectomy with mitomycin-C (group 1), hyperthermia (group 2) or thermo-chemotherapy (group 3). Group 4 patients had been treated with a cycle of six thermo-chemotherapy treatments prior to cystectomy and group 5 patients served as control (no treatment). Tumour samples were stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin, monoclonal antibody Ki-67 and the monoclonal antibody p53. In six out of the nine patients treated with hyperthermia a decrease in proliferation activity in the tumour was found. Seven out of nine patients treated with hyperthermia showed a decrease in p53 activity. A decrease in proliferation activity and p53 activity illustrate the potential role of thermo-chemotherapy as a promising intravesical treatment

Prognostic Significance of High Expression of ER-beta in Surgically Treated ER-Positive Breast Cancer Following Endocrine Therapy

Purpose: This study evaluated estrogen receptor (ER)-beta mRNA and ER-beta protein expression and its prognostic implications in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Methods: Paraffin sections from 139 hormone receptor-positive breast cancer cases were prepared. The expression of ER-beta mRNA and protein were analyzed by branched-chain assay and immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. Results: The Allred score of ER-beta IHC was correlated with smaller tumor size (p=0.043), the Allred score of ER-alpha IHC (p&lt;0.001), and the Allred score of progesterone receptor (PR) IHC (p=0.022) but not with the HER2 IHC score. ER-beta mRNA level was correlated with PR mRNA levels (p&lt;0.001) but not with the Allred score of ER-beta IHC, ER-alpha IHC, and PR IHC, nor with the HER2 IHC score and ER-alpha mRNA level. In survival analysis, high expression of ER-beta mRNA was associated with worse disease-free survival along with poor differentiation, lymph node metastasis and absence of PR protein expression in univariate analysis (p = 0.040, p = 0.002, p = 0.018, and p = 0.007, respectively) and multivariate analysis (p = 0.044, p = 0.002, p = 0.035, and p = 0.007, respectively). Conclusion: High expression of ER-beta mRNA is an independent predictor of disease recurrence in hormone-receptorpositive breast cancer