The Influence of Climate Parameters on Maintenance of Wind Farms-A Galician Case Study.

There are different monitoring procedures in wind farms with two main objectives: (i) to improve energy production by the capability of the national electrical network and (ii) to reduce the stooped hours due to preventive and or corrective maintenance activities. In this sense, different sensors are employed to sample in real-time the working conditions of equipment, the electrical production and the weather conditions. Despite this, just the anemometer measurement can be related to the more important errors of interruption of power regulation and anemometer errors. Both errors are related to gusty winds and contribute to more than 33% of the cost of a wind farm. The present paper reports some mathematical relations between weather and maintenance but there are no extreme values of each variable that let us predict a near failure and its corresponding loss of working hours. To achieve this, statistical analysis identifies the relation between weather variables and errors and different models are obtained. What is more, due to the difficulty and economic implications involving the implementation of complex algorithms and techniques of artificial intelligence, it is still a challenge to optimize this process. Finally, the obtained results show a particular case study that can be extrapolated to other wind farms after different case studies to adjust the model to different weather regions, and serve as a useful tool for weather maintenance.

Human Papillomavirus Serologic Profiles of Selected Filipinos with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The low prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA and mRNA in biopsy samples of Filipinos with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been reported previously. Here, the HPV serologic profiles of HNSCC cases were analyzed and associated with life-style and sexual practices. METHODS: Serum samples were collected between May 2012 and September 2013 from HNSCC patients (n = 22) in the northwest region of the Philippines, and age- and sex-matched clinically healthy controls. Antibodies to capsid and early oncoproteins of HPV16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, 58, 6, and 11 were analyzed using multiplex serology. RESULTS: Most of the cases were males with tumors of the oral cavity or larynx. Two of the cases tested positive for at least one of the early oncoproteins (E6, E7, E1, and/or E2) of HPV16, and 11 did not display reactivity to any HPV early or late oncoproteins. Of the controls, four tested positive for at least one of the HPV16 early oncoproteins, and 10 were non-reactive to all HPV types. Titers to HPV16 E6 or E7 of the seropositive cases and controls were considerably lower than those typically observed in economically developed countries. CONCLUSIONS: The low HPV titers seen here are consistent with the results of molecular analyses for this population. Hence, the seropositivity of some of the HNSCC cases is likely an indication of prior exposure to the virus and not the presence of HPV-driven tumors.

Analysis and Comparison of Spatial-Temporal Entropy Variability of Tehran City Microclimate Based on Climate Change Scenarios.

Urban microclimate patterns can play a great role for the allocation and management of cooling and heating energy sources, urban design and architecture, and urban heat island control. Therefore, the present study intends to investigate the variability of spatial and temporal entropy of the Effective Temperature index (ET) for the two basic periods (1971-2010) and the future (2011-2050) in Tehran to determine how the variability degree of the entropy values of the abovementioned bioclimatic would be, based on global warming and future climate change. ArcGIS software and geostatistical methods were used to show the Spatial and Temporal variations of the microclimate pattern in Tehran. However, due to global warming the temperature difference between the different areas of the study has declined, which is believed to reduce the abnormalities and more orderly between the data spatially and over time. It is observed that the lowest values of the Shannon entropy occurred in the last two decades, from 2030 to 2040, and the other in 2040-2050. Because, based on global warming, dominant areas have increased temperature, and the difference in temperature is reduced daily and the temperature difference between the zones of different areas is lower. The results of this study show a decrease in the coefficient of the Shannon entropy of effective temperature for future decades in Tehran. This can be due to the reduction of temperature differences between different regions. However, based on the urban-climate perspective, there is no positive view of this process. Because reducing the urban temperature difference means reducing the local pressure difference as well as reducing local winds. This is a factor that can effective, though limited, in the movement of stagnant urban air and reduction of thermal budget and thermal stress of the city.

Low prevalence of human papillomavirus in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in the northwest region of the Philippines.

BACKGROUND: Geographic heterogeneity of human papillomavirus (HPV) involvement in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been observed over the last few years. This trend has not been evaluated in the Philippines. Hence, this study aims to provide for the first time a data on the prevalence of HPV in HNSCC in the northwestern region of the Philippines. METHODS: Two hundred one (201) biopsy samples (179 formalin fixed paraffin embedded and 22 fresh frozen) from 163 Filipino HNSCC cases (oral cavity = 88; larynx = 60; oropharynx = 15) diagnosed between 2003 to 2013 were initially included in this study. HPV DNA was detected by two methods: (1) BSGP5+/6+-PCR/ multiplex human papillomavirus genotyping and (2) TaqMan probes-based real-time qPCR. Presence of HPV type-specific transcripts were also analyzed by reverse transcription-PCR with subsequent hybridization to oligonucleotide probes coupled to Luminex beads. Co-amplification of the ß-globin and ubiquitin C genes served as internal positive controls for DNA and RNA analyses, respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Of the 163, 82 (50.3%) cases had at least one tissue sample that was valid for molecular analysis. Only two of the DNA valid cases (2.4%) were HPV DNA-positive (HPV11 and HPV33). All HPV mRNA assays rendered negative results except for HPV11 transcripts. Results of this study may indicate that there is probably very low prevalence of HPV-associated HNSCC among Filipino adults living in a rural region of the Philippines. This study could serve as a benchmark for designing follow-up studies that would assess possible changes in trends of HNSCC among Filipinos in different ethnic regions of the country, especially urban areas in which the population is expected to adapt Western style sexual behavior. A prospective sampling of fresh frozen tissue is also highly recommended to ensure better molecular analyses.

Effect of climate change on outdoor thermal comfort in humid climates.

BACKGROUND: Galicia, in northwest Spain, experiences warm summers and winters. However, the higher relative humidity that prevails the whole year through and the location of the summer hot points are related to real weather heat stroke in the hottest season. However, Planet Global Heating was recently analyzed for the climate in Galicia. Climate change was found to be able to trigger effects that involve a new situation with new potential regions of risk. In this paper, 50 weather stations were selected to sample the weather conditions in this humid region, over the last 10 years. From these results, new regions with a potential for heat stroke risk in the next 20 years were identified using the humidex index. RESULTS: Results reveal that during the last 10 years, the winter season presents more comfortable conditions, whereas the summer season presents the highest humidex value. Further, the higher relative humidity throughout the whole year reveals that the humidex index clearly depends upon the outdoor temperature. CONCLUSIONS: Global Planet Heating shows a definite effect on the outdoor comfort conditions reaching unbearable degrees in the really hottest zones. Therefore, this effect will clearly influence tourism and risk prevention strategies in these areas.

A new procedure to analyze the effect of air changes in building energy consumption.

BACKGROUND: Today, the International Energy Agency is working under good practice guides that integrate appropriate and cost effective technologies. In this paper a new procedure to define building energy consumption in accordance with the ISO 13790 standard was performed and tested based on real data from a Spanish region. RESULTS: Results showed that the effect of air changes on building energy consumption can be defined using the Weibull peak function model. Furthermore, the effect of climate change on building energy consumption under several different air changes was nearly nil during the summer season. CONCLUSIONS: The procedure obtained could be the much sought-after solution to the problem stated by researchers in the past and future research works relating to this new methodology could help us define the optimal improvement in real buildings to reduce energy consumption, and its related carbon dioxide emissions, at minimal economical cost.

Climate change effect on outdoor ambiences in Iranian cities.

In present research work the effect of climate change over the humidex in Iran is analyzed. From this research, we can conclude that the PDIAQ index showed a special sensibility to changes in temperature and relative humidity, hence, it can be an interesting tool, may be even better than the humidex to show the expected effect of climate change in perception of air quality. Thus, it was found that the humidex expected in the future will be more elevated than that in the preceding period and, on the other hand, the PDWRC has clearly reached a lower value than in the preceding period. The same effects, other than those using the earlier indexes in a more detailed manner, were observed with the PDIAQ. This index showed a higher sensitivity to variations in temperature and relative humidity, than the humidex. Finally, the main results obtained must be considered at the time of design and during construction of future buildings, since buildings that are being constructed today will be occupied in the future years of the 2100s.

Overall survival of Filipino patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a single-institution experience.

This paper is the first to present the incidence and overall survival of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) from the extreme northern part of the Philippines. We retrospectively retrieved the records of patients with histologically-confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center, Ilocos Norte, Philippines, from 2003 to 2012 and analysed prognostic factors associated with survival. Of the 150 cases, only 80 (53.3%) were still living when the study was terminated. Median age at initial diagnosis was 61.5 years and the male to female ratio was 7:3. The majority of the cases had tumours in the oral cavity (50.7%), followed by the larynx (36.7%). Sex (log rank=1.94, p value/α=0.16), tumor site (log rank=0.02, p value/α=0.90), tumor grade (log rank=1.74, p value/α=0.42), and node stage (log rank=0.07, p value/α=0.80) were not shown to be associated with the survival of our cases. Only 45 (30.0%) had no regional lymph node involvement (N0) at presentation and 12 (8.0%) had already developed distant metastases. Among the 150 patients, 71 (47.3%) were not able to receive treatment of any kind. Oddly, treatment (log rank=1.65, p value/α=0.20) was also shown to be not associated with survival. The survival rate of those who underwent surgery, radiotherapy, or both was not statistically different from those who did not receive any treatment. Only the tumor stage (log rank=4.51, p value/α=0.03) was associated with patient survival. The overall mean survival was 49.3 months, with survival rate diminishing from 88.3% during the 1st year to 1.80% by end of the study. This relatively low survival rate of our cases only reflects their poor access to quality diagnostic and treatment facilities.

Observation of an amalgam-bonded tooth through a scanning electron microscope.

Bonding dental amalgam to tooth reduces the occurrence of marginal leakage, fracture and sensitivity. However, most studies of amalgam bonding have made use of resin cements and the conventional three-bottle bonding agents. In this study, a newer, single-bottle bonding agent was used to bond amalgam both to dentin and enamel. Interfaces of bonded amalgam and unbonded amalgam were observed under the scanning electron microscope.