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BackgroundHispanic/Latino populations are a genetically admixed and heterogeneous group, with variable fractions of European, Indigenous American and African ancestries. The molecular profile of breast cancer has been widely described in non-Hispanic Whites but equivalent knowledge is lacking in Hispanic/Latinas. We have previously reported that the most prevalent breast cancer intrinsic subtype in Colombian women was Luminal B as defined by St. Gallen 2013 criteria. In this study we explored ancestry-associated differences in molecular profiles of Luminal B tumors among these highly admixed women.MethodsWe performed whole-transcriptome RNA-seq analysis in 42 Luminal tumors (21 Luminal A and 21 Luminal B) from Colombian women. Genetic ancestry was estimated from a panel of 80 ancestry-informative markers (AIM). We categorized patients according to Luminal subtype and to the proportion of European and Indigenous American ancestry and performed differential expression analysis comparing Luminal B against Luminal A tumors according to the assigned ancestry groups.ResultsWe found 5 genes potentially modulated by genetic ancestry: ERBB2 (log2FC = 2.367, padj

Transparent photovoltaic (TPV) devices have the potential to revolutionize photovoltaic (PV) technology by enabling on‐site generation while minimizing visual impact. However, a major challenge in the development of TPV, as well as for many PV technologies, is the open‐circuit voltage (Voc) deficit, which limits their efficiency. In this work, the development of wide‐bandgap inorganic‐based TPV devices is reported with a focus on low‐cost, earth‐abundant, stable, and nontoxic materials. The device structure consists of an ultrathin hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a‐Si:H) absorber and metal‐oxide layers as selective contacts. Herein, novel approach is presented to significantly improve device performance, especially in Voc, by introducing molecular dipoles in the device electron‐transport layer. By incorporating polyethyleneimine or poly(amidoamine) G1 and G2 dipoles, Voc (from 410 mV up to 638 mV) is significantly increased without sacrificing the average photopic transmittance of the device, leading to a record efficiency for this particular approach in TPV. Measurements confirm excellent long‐term stability. This approach can potentially allow tuning the work function of the selective contacts enabling the use of low‐cost, earth‐abundant materials that are not optimized for a particular absorber. Furthermore, this solution circumvents the issue of low Voc by a simple interface treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel 1:1 Yttria partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ) - aluminum borate (AB: Al11B4O33) ceramic composites were prepared and characterized by a simple direct sintering process of PSZ-mixtures. Sintering was performed below 1300°C to minimize the decomposition of borate. Phases were corroborated by XRD. SEM permitted to characterize the microstructure as interlocking needles of - rounded by PSZ grains. Porous microstructure configuration was achieved by the proposed processing route. Porosity was within 30% for samples thermally treated at 1200 and 1300°C. Mechanical behavior was evaluated by diametral compression. A fragile behavior was observed. Both strength and apparent Young modulus were evaluated being ≈30 MPa and ≈3 GPa respectively; values four times higher than the corresponding alumina-AB composite. This is more important when firing at higher temperature. The density of the obtained composites coupled with the mechanical behavior are the main characteristics of this novel composite with potential structural, insulating and filtering applications.

Breast cancer is the most frequent malignancy in women worldwide. Distinct intrinsic subtypes of breast cancer have different prognoses, and their relative prevalence varies significantly among ethnic groups. Little is known about the prevalence of breast cancer intrinsic subtypes and their association with clinicopathological data and genetic ancestry in Latin Americans. Immunohistochemistry surrogates from the 2013 St. Gallen International Expert Consensus were used to classify breast cancers in 301 patients from Colombia into intrinsic subtypes. We analyzed the distribution of subtypes by clinicopathological variables. Genetic ancestry was estimated from a panel of 80 ancestry informative markers. Luminal B breast cancer subtype was the most prevalent in our population (37.2%) followed by luminal A (26.3%), non-basal triple negative (NBTN) (11.6%), basal like (9%), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) enriched (8.6%) and unknown (7.3%). We found statistical significant differences in distribution between Colombian region (P = 0.007), age at diagnosis (P = 0.0139), grade (P < 0.001) and recurrence (P < 0.001) according to intrinsic subtype. Patients diagnosed with HER2-enriched, basal-like and NBTN breast cancer had the highest African ancestry. Future studies analyzing the molecular profiles of breast cancer in Colombian women will help us understand the molecular basis of this subtype distribution and compare the molecular characteristics of the different intrinsic subtypes in Colombian patients.

In this work, a simple milling sintering route (pressure less) to process dense zircon ceramics from fine (D50 0.8 μm) zircon powders is explored. Particularly, the milling time effect (0-120 min) and the maximum sintering temperature (1400-1600°C) were studied. The sintering grade developed microstructure and Vickers hardness (Hv) were evaluated and correlated. The dissociation of silicate into (monoclinic and tetragonal) zirconia and silica was evaluated by X-ray diffraction followed by the Rietveld method; it was found to be below 10 wt% in all the studied ranges. The sintering was enhanced by the milling pretreatment. No sintering additives were incorporated. Dense zircon (porosity below 1%) ceramics were obtained by a simple milling-sintering route of this high refractory powder at 100-200°C below the sintering temperature used with conventional processing routes to obtain equivalent final properties. The Vickers hardness reached: 9.0 GPa.