Search

This paper presents the first comprehensive study of a groundbreaking Vertically Mounted Bifacial Photovoltaic (VBPV) system, marking a significant innovation in solar energy technology. The VBPV system, characterized by its vertical orientation and the use of high-efficiency Heterojunction cells, introduces a novel concept diverging from traditional solar panel installations. Our empirical research, conducted over a full year at the University of York, UK, offers an inaugural assessment of this pioneering technology. The study reveals that the VBPV system significantly outperforms both a vertically mounted monofacial PV (VMPV) system and a conventional tilted monofacial PV (TMPV) system in energy output. Key findings include a daily power output increase of 7.12% and 10.12% over the VMPV system and an impressive 26.91% and 22.88% enhancement over the TMPV system during early morning and late afternoon hours, respectively. Seasonal analysis shows average power gains of 11.42% in spring, 8.13% in summer, 10.94% in autumn, and 12.45% in winter compared to the VMPV system. Against the TMPV system, these gains are even more substantial, peaking at 24.52% in winter. These results underscore the VBPV system's exceptional efficiency in harnessing solar energy across varied environmental conditions, establishing it as a promising and sustainable solution in solar energy technology., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

(1) Background: Macrophagic myofasciitis (MMF) is an inflammatory histopathological lesion demonstrating long-term biopersistence of vaccine-derived aluminum adjuvants within muscular phagocytic cells. Affected patients suffer from widespread myalgia and severe fatigue consistent with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a poorly understood disorder suspected to result from chronic immune stimulation by infectious and inorganic particles. (2) Methods: In this study we determined the immuno-metabolic properties of MMF phagocytic cells compared to controls, at rest and upon exposure to aluminum oxyhydroxide adjuvant, with or without adsorbed antigens, using protein quantification and an oxygen consumption assay. (3) Results: MMF and control cells similarly internalized the adjuvant and vaccine but MMF cells specifically expressed Rubicon and Nox2, two molecules unique to the LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP) machinery, a non-canonical autophagic pathway able to downregulate canonical autophagy. MMF cells exhibited an altered inflammatory secretome, producing more pain-inducing CXC chemokines and less TNF-α than controls, consistent with chronic myalgia and exhaustion of the immune system previously documented in ME/CFS. MMF cells exhibited mitochondrial metabolism dysfunction, with exacerbated reaction to adjuvanted vaccine, contrasting with limited spare respiratory capacity and marked proton leak weakening energy production. (4) Conclusions: MMF phagocytes seemingly use LAP to handle aluminum oxyhydroxide vaccine particles, secrete pain-inducing molecules, and exhibit exacerbated metabolic reaction to the vaccine with limited capacity to respond to ongoing energetic requests.

Background: Aluminum-based adjuvants (ABAs) enhance the immune response following vaccine injection. Their mechanisms of action are not fully understood, and their bio-persistency have been described associated with long-term adverse effects., Methods: We evaluated and compared the cellular effects of the two main ABAs and whole vaccines on ATP production, ROS generation and cytokines production (IL-6 and IL-10), using THP-1 cells., Results: ABAs altered the cell energy metabolism by increasing ROS production after 24 h and reducing ATP production after 48 h. In addition, both ABAs and whole vaccines induced different kinetics of IL-6 production, whereas only ABAs induced IL-10 secretion., Conclusion: This study showed clearly, for a first time, a difference in cellular response to the ABAs and whole vaccines which should be taken into consideration in future studies focusing on the effect of ABA in vaccines. Future studies on ABAs should also pay attention to mitochondrial function alterations following exposure to ABA-containing vaccines., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

Photovoltaic (PV) systems can be affected by different types of defects, faults, and mismatching conditions. A severe problem in PV systems has arisen in the last couple of years, known as potential-induced degradation (PID). During the early installation stage of the PV system, the PID may not be noticed because it appears over time (months or years). As time passes, it becomes more apparent since the output power may drop dramatically. We studied PV modules over the course of three years that were affected by PID. An electroluminescent and thermal imaging technique helped discover the PID. PID appeared in PV modules after being in different fields for 4-8 months, resulting in a 27-39% drop in power. An anti-PID box was fitted during the second year of the PV operation to recover the PID. Accordingly, it has stabilized the power degradation, but it could not restore the performance of the affected PID modules as compared with healthy/non-PID modules., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Aluminum salts have been used as adjuvants in human vaccines since 1932. The most used adjuvants are Al oxyhydroxide (AlOOH) and Al hydroxyphosphate (AlOHPO 4 ). Al adjuvants have different physico-chemical properties. The differences in these properties are not well documented and not considered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), though they can largely influence biological effects of the adjuvants which are particulate components. In this study, different physico-chemical properties including the shape, size and charge of particles have been evaluated under different conditions in three Al adjuvants containing-vaccines and two corresponding commercial adjuvants suspensions. The results showed that the two Al adjuvants have different shapes, sizes and charges but both form aggregates. In addition, a clear effect of dilution on the size of the aggregates was observed. Moreover, different sizes of Al particles were measured for both Al oxyhydroxide adjuvant alone or in the vaccine, at identical concentrations, displaying the impact of adsorbed proteins on the size of aggregates in the case of the vaccine. Taken together, this paper suggests the importance to evaluate, before any biological and especially toxicological impact study, the whole physico-chemical properties of Al particle without restricting to the sole evaluation of the injected concentration. Furthermore, any modification of these mentioned parameters during manipulation, before animal or cell exposure, should be considered. In a more global way, the fixed "safe dose" of Al adjuvants should be specific for each type of Al adjuvant independently or for a mix of the two compounds, due to their different properties., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

New toxicological research is still urgently needed to improve the current knowledge about the induction of some underlying mechanisms of toxicity by the different chemical fractions of ambient particulate matter (PM). This in vitro study sought also to better evaluate and compare the respective toxicities of fine particles (PM 2.5-0.3 ) and their inorganic and organic chemical fractions, and the respective toxicities of the organic chemical fractions of PM 2.5-0.3 and quasi-ultrafine particles (PM 0.3 ). Human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells were also exposed for 6-48 h to relatively low doses of PM 2.5-0.3 and their organic extractable (OEM 2.5-0.3 ) and non-extractable (NEM 2.5-0.3 ) fractions, and the organic extractable fraction (OEM 0.3 ) of PM 0.3 . We reported that not only PM 2.5-0.3 , but also, to a lesser extent, its inorganic chemical fraction, NEM 2.5-0.3 , and organic chemical fraction, OEM 2.5-0.3 , were able to significantly induce ROS overproduction and oxidative damage notwithstanding the early activation of NRF2 signaling pathway. Moreover, for any exposure, inflammatory and apoptotic events were noticed. Similar results were observed in BEAS-2B cells exposed to OEM 0.3 , rich of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their nitrated and oxygenated derivatives. In BEAS-2B cells exposed for 24 and 48 h to OEM 2.5-0.3 and OEM 0.3 , to a higher extent, there was an alteration of the levels of some critical proteins even though crucial for the autophagy rather than a real reduction of autophagy. It is noteworthy that the toxicological effects were equal or mostly higher in BEAS-2B cells exposed for 6 and/or 24 h to PM 2.5-0.3 from those exposed to NEM 2.5-0.3 or OEM 2.5-0.3 , and in BEAS-2B cells exposed for 6 and/or mostly 24 h to OEM 0.3 from those exposed to OEM 2.5-0.3 . Taken together, these results revealed the higher potentials for toxicity, closely linked to their respective physical and chemical characteristics, of PM 2.5-0.3 vs NEM 2.5-0.3 and/or OEM 2.5-0.3 , and OEM 0.3 vs OEM 2.5-0.3 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To date no study has been able to clearly attribute the observed toxicological effects of atmospheric particles (PM) to a specific class of components. The toxicity of both the organic extractable matter (OEM 2.5-0.3 ) and non-extractable matter (NEM 2.5-0.3 ) of fine particles (PM 2.5-0.3 ) was compared to that of PM 2.5-0.3 in its entirety on normal human epithelial bronchial BEAS-2B cells in culture. The specific effect of the quasi-ultrafine fraction (PM 0.3 ) was assessed, by comparing the responses of cells exposed to the PM 2.5-0.3 and PM 0.3 organic extractable matter, OEM 2.5-0.3 and OEM 0.3 respectively. Chemically, PAH, O-PAH, and N-PAH were respectively 43, 17, and 4 times more concentrated in PM 0.3 than in PM 2.5-0.3 , suggesting thereby a predominant influence of anthropogenic activities and combustion sources. BEAS-2B cells exposed to PM 2.5-0.3 , NEM 2.5-0.3 , EOM 2.5-0.3 and OEM 0.3 lead to different profiles of expression of selected genes and proteins involved in the metabolic activation of PAH, O-PAH, and N-PAH, and in the genotoxicity pathways. Specifically, OEM 0.3 was the most inducer for phase I and phase II enzymes implicated in the metabolic activation of PAH (AHR, AHRR, ARNT, CYP1A1, CYP1B1, EPHX-1, GSTA-4) thereby producing the highest DNA damage, felt by ATR and, thereafter, a cascade of protein phosphorylation (CHK1/CHK2/MDM2) closely related to the cell cycle arrest (P21 and P53 induction). This study underlined the crucial role played by the organic chemicals present in PM 0.3 . These results should be considered in any future study looking for the main chemical determinants responsible for the toxicity of ambient fine PM., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A particular attention has been devoted to the type of toxicological responses induced by particulate matter (PM), since their knowledge is greatly complicated by the fact that it is a heterogeneous and often poorly described pollutant. However, despite intensive research effort, there is still a lack of knowledge about the specific chemical fraction of PM, which could be mainly responsible of its adverse health effects. We sought also to better investigate the toxicological effects of organic extractable matter (OEM) in normal human bronchial epithelial lung BEAS-2B cells. The wide variety of chemicals, including PAH and other related-chemicals, found in OEM, has been rather associated with early oxidative events, as supported by the early activation of the sensible NRF-2 signaling pathway. For the most harmful conditions, the activation of this signaling pathway could not totally counteract the ROS overproduction, thereby leading to critical oxidative damage to macromolecules (lipid peroxidation, oxidative DNA adducts). While NRF-2 is an anti-inflammatory, OEM exposure did not trigger any significant change in the secretion of inflammatory cytokines (i.e., TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, and IFNγ). According to the high concentrations of PAH and other related organic chemicals found in this OEM, CYP1A1 and 1B1 genes exhibited high transcription levels in BEAS-2B cells, thereby supporting both the activation of the critical AhR signaling pathway and the formation of highly reactive ultimate metabolites. As a consequence, genotoxic events occurred in BEAS-2B cells exposed to this OEM together with cell survival events, with possible harmful cell cycle deregulation. However, more studies are required to implement these observations and to contribute to better decipher the critical role of the organic fraction of air pollution-derived PM 2.5 in the activation of some sensitive signaling pathways closely associated with G1/S and intra-S checkpoint blockage, on the one hand, and cell survival, on the other hand., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To determine if there is a correlation between the numbers of evaluations submitted by faculty and the perception of the quality of feedback reported by trainees on a yearly survey., Method: 147 ACGME-accredited training programs sponsored by a single medical school were included in the analysis. Eighty-seven programs (49 core residency programs and 38 advanced training programs) with 4 or more trainees received ACGME survey summary data for academic year 2013-2014. Resident ratings of satisfaction with feedback were analyzed against the number of evaluations completed per resident during the same period. R-squared correlation analysis was calculated using a Pearson correlation coefficient., Results: 177,096 evaluations were distributed to the 87 programs, of which 117,452 were completed (66%). On average, faculty submitted 33.9 evaluations per resident. Core residency programs had a greater number of evaluations per resident than fellowship programs (39.2 vs. 27.1, respectively, p = 0.15). The average score for the "satisfied with feedback after assignment" survey questions was 4.2 (range 2.2-5.0). There was no overall correlation between the number of evaluations per resident and the residents' perception of feedback from faculty based on medical, surgical or hospital-based programs., Conclusions: Resident perception of feedback is not correlated with number of faculty evaluations. An emphasis on faculty summative evaluation of resident performance is important but appears to miss the mark as a replacement for on-going, data-driven, structured resident feedback. Understanding the difference between evaluation and feedback is a global concept that is important for all medical educators and learners.