Solar Resources Measurements in Houston, TX -- Equipment Only: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-06-204

Loaning Texas Southern University equipment in order to perform site-specific, long-term, continuous, and high-resolution measurements of solar irradiance is important for developing renewable resource data. These data are used for several research and development activities consistent with the NREL mission: (1) establish a national 30-year climatological database of measured solar irradiances; (2) provide high quality ground-truth data for satellite remote sensing validation; (3) support development of radiative transfer models for estimating solar irradiance from available meteorological observations; (4) provide solar resource information needed for technology deployment and operations. Data acquired under this agreement will be available to the public through NREL's Measurement & Instrumentation Data Center - MIDC (http://www.nrel.gov/midc) Or the Renewable Resource Data Center - RReDC (http://rredc.nrel.gov). The MIDC offers a variety of standard data display, access, and analysis tools designed to address the needs of a wide user audience (e.g., industry, academia, and government interests)

Equipment Only - Solar Resources Measurements at the University of Texas at Austin, TX: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-07-222

Faculty and staff at the University of Texas at Austin collected solar resource measurements at their campus using equipment on loan from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The equipment was used to train students on the operation and maintenance of solar radiometers and was returned to NREL's Solar Radiation Research Laboratory upon completion of the CRADA. The resulting data augment the solar resource climatology information required for solar resource characterizations in the U.S. The cooperative agreement was also consistent with NREL's goal of developing an educated workforce to advance renewable energy technologies

Solar Resource Measurements in Humboldt State University, Arcata, California: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-08-262

Site-specific, long-term, continuous, and high-resolution measurements of solar irradiance are important for developing renewable resource data. These data are used for several research and development activities consistent with the NREL mission: establish a national 30-year climatological database of measured solar irradiances; provide high quality ground-truth data for satellite remote sensing validation; support development of radiative transfer models for estimating solar irradiance from available meteorological observations; provide solar resource information needed for technology deployment and operations. Data acquired under this agreement will be available to the public through NREL's Measurement & Instrumentation Data Center - MIDC (www.nrel.gov/midc) or the Renewable Resource Data Center - RReDC (http://rredc.nrel.gov). The MIDC offers a variety of standard data display, access, and analysis tools designed to address the needs of a wide user audience (e.g., industry, academia, and government interests)

miR-375 gene dosage in pancreatic β-cells: implications for regulation of β-cell mass and biomarker development

MicroRNAs play a crucial role in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation. Mice with genetic deletion of miR-375 exhibit impaired glycemic control due to decreased β-cell and increased α-cell mass and function. The relative importance of these processes for the overall phenotype of miR-375KO mice is unknown. Here, we show that mice overexpressing miR-375 exhibit normal β-cell mass and function. Selective re-expression of miR-375 in β-cells of miR-375KO mice normalizes both, α- and β-cell phenotypes as well as glucose metabolism. Using this model, we also analyzed the contribution of β-cells to the total plasma miR-375 levels. Only a small proportion (≈1 %) of circulating miR-375 originates from β-cells. Furthermore, acute and profound β-cell destruction is sufficient to detect elevations of miR-375 levels in the blood. These findings are supported by higher miR-375 levels in the circulation of type 1 diabetes (T1D) subjects but not mature onset diabetes of the young (MODY) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. Together, our data support an essential role for miR-375 in the maintenance of β-cell mass and provide in vivo evidence for release of miRNAs from pancreatic β-cells. The small contribution of β-cells to total plasma miR-375 levels make this miRNA an unlikely biomarker for β-cell function but suggests a utility for the detection of acute β-cell death for autoimmune diabetes

Equipment Loan: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-07-250

Site-specific, long-term, continuous, and high-resolution measurements of solar irradiance are important for developing renewable resource data. These data are used for several research and development activities consistent with the NREL mission: establish a national 30-year climatological database of measured solar irradiances; provide high quality ground-truth data for satellite remote sensing validation; support development of radiative transfer models for estimating solar irradiance from available meteorological observations; provide solar resource information needed for technology deployment and operations

Pneumococcal vaccination among adult risk patient with axial spondyloarthritis in Switzerland: Data from the survey of the ankylosing spondylitis association of Switzerland (SVMB)

While in Switzerland, pneumococcal vaccination is recommended for adult patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) treated with biological drugs, since 2014, little is known about the vaccination status of this specific patient population. This study assessed their vaccination status as part of a larger online survey by the ankylosing spondylitis association of Switzerland (SVMB). Out of 1560 who participated in the survey, 834 (53.5%) were eligible for the analysis. Vaccine coverage was low at 32.5% (271/834). Women and patients who got a flu shot every year were more likely to be covered. Age was negatively associated with being vaccinated. Most (54.2%; 147/271) were vaccinated by their general practitioner. Almost two-thirds of those who had not received the vaccine stated that it had not been offered to them (64.1%; 302/471). In summary, the vaccination coverage is low, but might be increased if the vaccine was offered systematically by general practitioners and specialists

Solar Resource Measurements in Cocoa, Florida (FSEC) - Equipment Loaned to NREL: Cooperative Research and Development Final Report, CRADA Number CRD-08-318

Site-specific measurements of global and diffuse solar irradiance components, passively separated by alternate shading and unshading of a pyranometer mounted under a shading band with alternating opaque and open panels (for a site other than NREL) are needed to verify the underlying theory and mathematical techniques for developing direct, global and diffuse renewable resource data from such a system. These data are used for several research and development activities consistent with the NREL mission: Establish a national 30-year climatological database of measured solar irradiances; Support development of radiative transfer models for estimating solar irradiance from available meteorological observations; Provide solar resource information needed for technology deployment and operations. NREL will provide the supporting equipment (Shadow Bank Stand) for the specially designed shading band. FSEC will provide the calibrated pyranometer and perform data acquisition of the radiometer signal. Data acquired under this agreement will be shared with the NREL Principle Investigator for the purposes of validating techniques for estimating direct radiation from global and diffuse components measured with the ZEBRA system

Introducing an Absolute Cavity Pyrgeometer (ACP) for Improving the Atmospheric Longwave Irradiance Measurement (Poster)

Advancing climate change research requires accurate and traceable measurement of the atmospheric longwave irradiance. Current measurement capabilities are limited to an estimated uncertainty of larger than +/- 4 W/m2 using the interim World Infrared Standard Group (WISG). WISG is traceable to the Systeme international d'unites (SI) through blackbody calibrations. An Absolute Cavity Pyrgeometer (ACP) is being developed to measure absolute outdoor longwave irradiance with traceability to SI using the temperature scale (ITS-90) and the sky as the reference source, instead of a blackbody. The ACP was designed by NREL and optically characterized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Under clear-sky and stable conditions, the responsivity of the ACP is determined by lowering the temperature of the cavity and calculating the rate of change of the thermopile output voltage versus the changing net irradiance. The absolute atmospheric longwave irradiance is then calculated with an uncertainty of +/- 3.96 W/m2 with traceability to SI. The measured irradiance by the ACP was compared with the irradiance measured by two pyrgeometers calibrated by the World Radiation Center with traceability to the WISG

NREL Pyrheliometer Comparisons: 22 September - 3 October 2008

NREL Pyrheliometer Comparisons (NPCs) are held annually at the Solar Radiation Research Laboratory (SRRL) in Golden, Colorado. Open to all pyrheliometer owner/operators, the NPC provides an opportunity to determine the unique WRR transfer factor for each participating pyrheliometer. This paper reports on the results of NPC-2008, which was scheduled from September 22 to October 3, 2008