Explore the vast range of titles available.

One of the important research directions in the field of photovoltaics is integration with construction. The integration of solar cell systems with a building can reduce installation costs and help optimize the used space. Among the few literature reports on photovoltaic roof tiles, solutions with silicon and thin film solar cells dominate. An interesting solution may be the application of dye-sensitized solar cells. In addition to their interesting properties, they also have aesthetic value. In the classic arrangement, they are constructed using glass with a transparent conductive layer (TCL). This article describes replacing a classic glass counter electrode with an electrode based on a ceramic tile and nickel foil. First, a continuous and homogeneous fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin film was developed so that the above-mentioned substrate could be applied. The atomization method was used for this purpose. Then, nanocolloidal platinum paste was deposited as a catalytic material using the screen printing method. The electrical parameters of the manufactured DSSCs with and without a counter electrode tile were characterized by measuring their current–voltage characteristics under standard AM 1.5 radiation. A dye-sensitized solar cell integrated with ceramic tiles and nickel foil was produced and displayed an efficiency of over 4%. This solution makes it possible to expand their construction applications. The advantage of this solution is full integration with construction, while simultaneously generating electricity. A dye-sensitized solar cell was built layer-by-layer on a ceramic tile and nickel foil.

The current gold standard in device therapy for advanced heart failure (HF), which has been firmly established in HF management for more than 25 years, is classical biventricular pacing (BiV-CRT). In the last decade, a new pacing modality called conduction system pacing (CSP) has emerged as a variant for advanced cardiac device therapy. It provides pacing with preserved intrinsic cardiac activation by direct stimulation of the specific cardiac conduction system. The term CSP integrates the modalities of HIS bundle pacing (HBP) and left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP), both of which have provided convincing data in smaller randomized and big non-randomized studies for the prevention of pacemaker-induced cardiomyopathy and for providing effective cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with classical CRT-indication (primary approach or after failed CRT). Recent American guidelines proposed the term “cardiac physiological pacing” (CPP), which summarizes CSP including left ventricular septal pacing (LVSP), a technical variant of LBBAP together with classical BiV-CRT. The terms HOT-CRT (HIS-optimized CRT) and LOT-CRT (LBBP-optimized CRT) describe hybrid technologies that combine CSP with an additional coronary-sinus electrode, which is sometimes useful in patients with advanced HF and diffuse interventricular conduction delay. If CSP continues providing promising data that can be confirmed in big, randomized trials, it is likely to become the new gold standard for patients with an expected high percentage of pacing (>20%), possibly also for cardiac resynchronization therapy. CSP is a sophisticated new treatment option that has the potential to raise the term “cardiac resynchronization therapy” to a new level. The aim of this review is to provide basic technical, anatomical, and functional knowledge of these new pacemaker techniques in order to facilitate the understanding of the different modalities, as well as to provide an up-to-date overview of the existing randomized and non-randomized evidence, particularly in direct comparison to right ventricular and classical biventricular pacing.

Lentiviruses have a number of molecular features in common, starting with the ability to integrate their genetic material into the genome of non-dividing infected cells. A peculiar property of non-primate lentiviruses consists in their incapability to infect and induce diseases in humans, thus providing the main rationale for deriving biologically safe lentiviral vectors for gene therapy applications. In this review, we first give an overview of non-primate lentiviruses, highlighting their common and distinctive molecular characteristics together with key concepts in the molecular biology of lentiviruses. We next examine the bioengineering strategies leading to the conversion of lentiviruses into recombinant lentiviral vectors, discussing their potential clinical applications in ophthalmological research. Finally, we highlight the invaluable role of animal organisms, including the emerging zebrafish model, in ocular gene therapy based on non-primate lentiviral vectors and in ophthalmology research and vision science in general.

Bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) is found worldwide in cattle under natural conditions. However, the effect of BIV infection on immune functions has not been fully characterised. Transcriptome analysis of BoMac cells after infection with BIV was performed using BLOPlus bovine microarrays. Genes identified as differentially expressed were subjected to functional analysis with the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software (IPA). Out of 1,743 genes with altered expression, 1,315 were mapped as unique molecules. In total, 718 genes were identified as upregulated and 597 genes as downregulated. Differentially expressed genes were involved in 16 pathways related to immune response. The most enriched canonical pathway was leukocyte extravasation signalling. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) production was indicated as the most activated pathway and the 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 4 (PFKFB4) signalling pathway was the most inhibited one. In addition, the study showed that the inflammatory response was decreased during BIV infection. This is the first report to describe the microarray analysis of changes in gene expression upon BIV infection of bovine macrophages. Our data indicated how BIV influences the expression of genes and signalling pathways engaged in the immune response.

Background Bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) is a member of the Retroviridae family causing a progressive lifelong infection in cattle and buffaloes. Objective Despite the worldwide distribution of the virus, the studies concerning the prevalence of BIV in buffalo populations have not been conducted in Iran as yet. Methods The BIV proviral DNA was surveyed in 120 whole blood samples of water buffaloes in southwestern Iran. Nested PCR was employed to amplify a 298‐bp fragment of the pol gene. The BIV Pol sequence was detected in 9.1% of the samples. Among PCR‐positive samples, two amplified fragments were confirmed by nucleotide sequencing. Results and conclusions The studied sequences were completely identical to each other and had more than 98%–99% nucleotide homology to R‐29 and HXB3 sequences previously deposited in GenBank. Some point mutations that caused coding substitutions were observed in the studied isolates, compared to other strains. A phylogenetic tree was generated based on the BIV Pol nucleotide sequences reported from other countries. All the BIV strains originated from a unique main cluster and then separated from each other over time. This is the first report on the molecular detection of BIV infections in water buffalo populations in Iran. The wide distribution of BIV in different countries including Iran indicates the importance of the infection as it relates to animal health. Although buffaloes show greater resistance to diseases, they should be considered a health risk to cattle. Furthermore, BIV has negative effects on buffalo milk production and can predispose them to secondary infections. Hence, the findings of this study can advance our understanding of the occurrence of BIV infection in Iran, which can play an important role in the distribution of the disease worldwide. In the present study, the BIV proviral DNA was detected in whole blood samples of water buffaloes in southwestern Iran for the first time using nested‐PCR. Some positive samples were then confirmed by nucleotide sequencing and subjected to subsequent phylogenetic analyses. The studied sequences were completely identical to each other and had more than 98–99% nucleotide homology to R‐29 and HXB3 sequences previously deposited in GenBank.

The cardueae are a common species in the Mediterranean area where they grow spontaneously and are traditionally employed as food and for health purposes. In this work, five Cardueae, including two sub-endemic species (four Carduus and three Ptilostemon casabonae (L.) Greuter samples from different locations) were collected from Sardinia and the Corse islands. All the considered plants are characteristic of the area, in particular the sub-endemic species C. cephalanthus and P. casabonae. This work aims to obtain, for the first time, the amino compounds profile (primary metabolites) of these little-studied species to detect for any similarities and differences among the different samples using statistical analyses. A recently developed method was employed, where diethyl ethoxymethylenemalonate (DEEMM) derivatives are detected in a neutral loss scan mode using high performance liquid chromatography in tandem with a mass spectrometry technique. In total, 42 amino compounds were detected, of which 33 were fully identified and semi-quantified. Overall, the results show that DEEMM-derivatized amino compounds are qualitatively similar among the considered samples. Nonetheless, a discrimination at the genus level is possible. This work adds more information regarding the phytochemical composition regarding the primary metabolites of the considered samples, their discriminations and the search for compounds with potential health benefits.

A sensible epistemologist may not see how she could know that she is not a brain in a vat (BIV); but she doesn't panic. She sticks with her empirical beliefs, and as that requires, believes that she is not a BIV. (She does not inferentially base her belief that she is not a BIV on her empirical knowledge—she rejects that 'Moorean' response to skepticism.) Drawing on the psychological literature on metacognition, I describe a mechanism that's plausibly responsible for a sensible epistemologist coming to believe she is not a BIV. I propose she thereby knows that she is not a BIV. The particular belief-forming mechanism employed explains why she overlooks this account of how she knows she is not a BIV, making it seem that there is no way for her to know it. I argue this proposal satisfactorily resolves the skeptical puzzle.

Background Human BST2 (hBST2, also called Tetherin) is a host restriction factor that blocks the release of various enveloped viruses. BST2s from different mammals also possess antiviral activity. Bovine BST2s (bBST2s), bBST2A1 and bBST2A2, reduce production of cell-free bovine leukemia virus (BLV) and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). However, the effect of bBST2 on other retroviruses remains unstudied. Results Here, we studied the antiviral activity of wildtype and mutant bBST2A1 proteins on retroviruses including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), prototypic foamy virus (PFV), bovine foamy virus (BFV) and bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV). The results showed that wildtype bBST2A1 suppressed the release of HIV-1, PFV and BFV. We also generated bBST2A1 mutants, and found that GPI anchor and dimerization, but not glycosylation, are essential for antiviral activity of bBST2A1. Moreover, unlike hBST2, bBST2A1 displayed no inhibitory effect on cell-to-cell transmission of PFV, BFV and BIV. Conclusions Our data suggested that bBST2A1 inhibited retrovirus release, however, had no effect on cell-to-cell transmission of retroviruses.

In recent years, BiVO 4 has drawn much attention as a novel photocatalyst given its excellent ability to absorb visible light. This work reports the development of Ag-modified BiV 1-x Mo x O 4 composites through a facile hydrothermal synthesis with the subsequent photoinduced reduction of Ag + at almost neutral pH conditions. Metallic Ag nanoparticles were deposited on the (040) facet of Mo-doped BiVO 4 powders. The crystal structure and morphology of the as-prepared samples were studied by XRD and SEM analyses. Moreover, the photocatalytic performance of BiVO 4 , Ag/BiVO 4 , and Ag-modified BiV 1-x Mo x O 4 were evaluated by the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). The Ag/BiV 0.9925 Mo 0.0075 O 4 composite exhibited the most efficient photocatalytic performance. The present work provides greater insight into the application of BiVO 4 in the field of photocatalysis.

Background All lentiviruses except equine infectious anemia virus (EIVA) antagonize antiviral family APOBEC3 (A3) proteins of the host through viral Vif proteins. The mechanism by which Vif of human, simian or feline immunodeficiency viruses (HIV/SIV/FIV) suppresses the corresponding host A3s has been studied extensively. Results Here, we determined that bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) and maedi-visna virus (MVV) Vif proteins utilize the Cullin (Cul)-ElonginB (EloB)-ElonginC (EloC) complex (BIV Vif recruits Cul2, while MVV Vif recruits Cul5) to degrade Bos taurus (bt)A3Z2-Z3 and Ovis aries (oa)A3Z2-Z3, respectively, via a proteasome-dependent but a CBF-β-independent pathway. Mutation of the BC box in BIV and MVV Vif, C-terminal hydrophilic replacement of btEloC and oaEloC and dominant-negative mutants of btCul2 and oaCul5 could disrupt the activity of BIV and MVV Vif, respectively. While the membrane-permeable zinc chelator TPEN could block BIV Vif-mediated degradation of btA3Z2-Z3, it had minimal effects on oaA3Z2-Z3 degradation induced by MVV Vif, indicating that Zn is important for the activity of BIV Vif but not MVV Vif. Furthermore, we identified a previously unreported zinc binding loop [C-x 1 -C-x 1 -H-x 19 -C] in the BIV Vif upstream BC box which is critical for its degradation activity. Conclusions A novel zinc binding loop was identified in the BIV Vif protein that is important for the E3 ubiquination activity, suggesting that the degradation of btA3Z2-Z3 by BIV and that of oaA3Z2-Z3 by MVV Vif may need host factors other than CBF-β.