New challenges in solar energy resource and forecasting in Greece

Aerosols and clouds are the most important constituents in the atmosphere that affect the incoming solar radiation, either directly through absorbing and scattering processes or indirectly by changing the optical properties and lifetime of clouds. Under clear skies, aerosols become the dominant factor that affect the intensity of solar irradiance reaching the ground. Under cloudy skies, the high temporal and spatial variability of cloudiness is the key factor for the estimation of solar irradiance. In this study, recent research activities related to the climatology and the prediction of solar energy in Greece are presented with emphasis on new challenges in the climatology of global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and direct normal irradiance (DNI), the changes of DNI due to the decreasing aerosol optical depth and the short-term (15–240 min) forecasts of solar irradiance with the collaborative use of neural networks and satellite images

Unilateral ex vivo gene therapy by GDNF in epileptic rats

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common type of epilepsy in adults. This neurological disorder is characterized by focal seizures originating in the temporal lobe, often with secondary generalization. A variety of pharmacological treatments exist for patients suffering from focal seizures, but systemically administered drugs offer only symptomatic relief and frequently cause unwanted side effects. Moreover, available drugs are ineffective in one third of the epilepsy patients. Thus, developing more targeted and effective treatment strategies for focal seizures, originating from, e.g., the temporal lobe, is highly warranted. In order to deliver potential anti-epileptic agents directly into the seizure focus we used encapsulated cell biodelivery (ECB), a specific type of ex vivo gene therapy. Specifically, we asked whether unilateral delivery of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), exclusively into the epileptic focus, would suppress already established spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS) in rats. Our results show that GDNF delivered by ECB devices unilaterally into the seizure focus in the hippocampus effectively decreases the number of SRS in epileptic rats. Thus, our study demonstrates that focal unilateral delivery of neurotrophic factors, such as GDNF, using ex vivo gene therapy based on ECB devices could be an effective anti-epileptic strategy providing a bases for the development of a novel, alternative, treatment for focal epilepsies

Cell Therapy for Epilepsy

This volume provides a comprehensive, state-of-the art review of the field of cell therapy. The volume begins with an overview of the breadth of the field and then turns to overviews of imaging technologies that can aid in both safety and efficacy evaluations. The book then turns to numerous contributions detailing the rapidly growing field of stem cell therapies. These sections cover our understanding of the natural roles of stem cells in biology and human disease and then touches on several of the more prominent areas where stem cells are moving rapidly into clinical evaluation including neurodegenerative diseases, muscular dystrophy, cardiac repair, and diabetes. The volume concludes with contributions from experts in oncology, ophthalmology, stem cells, 3-D printing, and biomaterials where the convergence of expertise is leading to unprecedented insights into how to minutely control the in vivo fate and function of transplanted and/or endogeneously mobilized cells. Finally, the book provides insights into the pivotal relationship between academic and industrial partnerships. This volume is designed to touch on the major areas where the field will make its greatest and most immediate clinical impacts. This text will provide a useful resource for physicians and researchers interested in the rapidly changing filed of cell therapy