Rural electrification in central america and east africa, two case studies of sustainable microgrids

This paper deals with the electrification of rural villages in developing countries using Sustainable Energy Systems. The rural electrification feasibility study is done using Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable PRO (HOMER PRO). The HOMER PRO energy modelling software is an optimization software improved by U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It helps in designing, comparing and optimizing the design of power generation technologies. In this paper, two rural electrification case studies are modelled and analysed using HOMER PRO. Technical and economic evaluation criteria are applied to study the feasibility of a micro-hydro plant in El Díptamo (Honduras), and a hybrid plant composed of photovoltaic module arrays, Diesel generators, and flow batteries, in a small island on Victoria Lake. For both cases, we show the results of the studies of the daily and yearly loads, of the resources available in the area and the economic evaluation of the chosen plants configuration

Scenario-based model predictive control of water reservoir systems

The optimal operation of water reservoir systems is a challenging task involving multiple conflicting objectives. The main source of complexity is the presence of the water inflow, which acts as an exogenous, highly uncertain disturbance on the system. When model predictive control (MPC) is employed, the optimal water release is usually computed based on the (predicted) trajectory of the inflow. This choice may jeopardize the closed-loop performance when the actual inflow differs from its forecast. In this work, we consider - for the first time - a stochastic MPC approach for water reservoirs, in which the control is optimized based on a set of plausible future inflows directly generated from past data. Such a scenario-based MPC strategy allows the controller to be more cautious, counteracting droughty periods (e.g., the lake level going below the dry limit) while at the same time guaranteeing that the agricultural water demand is satisfied. The method's effectiveness is validated through extensive Monte Carlo tests using actual inflow data from Lake Como, Italy.Comment: Modeling, Estimation and Control Conference, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA, October 2-5 202

Effects of lack of microRNA-34 on the neural circuitry underlying the stress response and anxiety

Stress-related psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, are complex diseases that have genetic, and environmental causes. Stressful experiences increase the release of prefrontal amygdala neurotransmitters, a response that is relevant to cognitive, emotional, and behavioral coping. Moreover, exposure to stress elicits anxiety-like behavior and dendritic remodeling in the amygdala. Members of the miR-34 family have been suggested to regulate synaptic plasticity and neurotransmission processes, which mediate stress-related disorders. Using mice that harbored targeted deletions of all 3 members of the miR-34-family (miR-34-TKO), we evaluated acute stress-induced basolateral amygdala (BLA)-GABAergic and medial prefrontal cortex (mpFC) aminergic outflow by intracerebral in vivo microdialysis. Moreover, we also examined fear conditioning/extinction, stress-induced anxiety, and dendritic remodeling in the BLA of stress-exposed TKO mice. We found that TKO mice showed resilience to stress-induced anxiety and facilitation in fear extinction. Accordingly, no significant increase was evident in aminergic prefrontal or amygdala GABA release, and no significant acute stress-induced amygdalar dendritic remodeling was observed in TKO mice. Differential GRM7, 5-HT2C, and CRFR1 mRNA expressionwas noted in the mpFC and BLA between TKO andWT mice. Our data demonstrate that the miR-34 has a critical function in regulating the behavioral and neurochemical response to acute stress and in inducing stress-related amygdala neuroplasticity

PERFIL DOS ESCOLARES E CONCEPÇÕES SOBRE AS ARBOVIROSES NA ABORDAGEM ECOSSISTÊMICA DA SAÚDE

O controle e a prevenção das arboviroses Dengue, Zika e Chikungunya transmitidas pelo vetor Aedes aegypti são um grave problema de saúde pública no Brasil. Este estudo tem como objetivo caracterizar a sociodemografia e o conhecimento prévio sobre o Aedes aegypti e as estratégias de controle/prevenção dos participantes de um estudo realizado em 2018 com 55 alunos regularmente matriculados em duas escolas municipais de ensino fundamental de Fortaleza, Ceará, Brasil. Para a coleta de dados foi aplicado um questionário semiestruturado com questões abertas e fechadas. Os dados foram organizados em tabelas e analisados descritivamente. Os resultados indicaram maior participação das meninas (29; 52,7%) de 10 a 16 anos (43; 79,1%). Os alunos tinham um conhecimento geral de arboviroses, e 48 (87,3%) conheciam o modo de transmissão do vírus. Conclui-se que os escolares eram primariamente do sexo feminino e conheciam as arboviroses e seus efeitos sobre a saúde.El control y la prevención de los arbovírus Dengue, Zika y Chikunguña, transmitidos por el vector Aedes aegypti, es un grave problema de salud pública en Brasil. El objetivo de este estudio es caracterizar la sociodemografía y los conocimientos previos sobre Aedes aegypti y las estrategias de control/prevención de los participantes de un estudio que se llevó a cabo en 2018 en dos escuelas primarias municipales en Fortaleza, Ceará, Brasil, con 55 estudiantes inscritos regularmente en la escuela primaria. Se aplicó un cuestionario semiestructurado, con preguntas abiertas y cerradas en la recolección de datos. Los datos se organizaron en tablas y se analizaron de forma descriptiva. Los resultados indicaron una mayor participación de las niñas (29; 52,7%) y de 10 a 16 años (43; 79,1%). Los estudiantes tenían conocimientos previos generales sobre los arbovírus y 48 (87,3%) también conocían el modo de transmisión de los virus. Se concluye que los estudiantes eran en su mayoría mujeres y conocían los arbovírus y sus efectos en la salud.The control and prevention of the Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya arboviruses transmitted by the Aedes aegypti vector is a severe public health problem in Brazil. This study aims to characterize sociodemography and prior knowledge about Aedes aegypti and control/prevention strategies of the participants of a study conducted in 2018 with 55 students regularly enrolled in two municipal elementary schools in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. A semi-structured questionnaire with open-ended and closed-ended questions was applied to collect data. Data were organized in tables and analyzed descriptively. The results indicated greater participation of girls (29; 52.7%) aged 10-16 years (43; 79.1%). Students had a general knowledge of arboviruses, and 48 (87.3%) knew the virus transmission mode. We conclude that the students were primarily female and knew about arboviruses and their effects on health.O controle e a prevenção das arboviroses Dengue, Zika e Chikungunya transmitidas pelo vetor Aedes aegypti são um grave problema de saúde pública no Brasil. Este estudo tem como objetivo caracterizar a sociodemografia e o conhecimento prévio sobre o Aedes aegypti e as estratégias de controle/prevenção dos participantes de um estudo realizado em 2018 com 55 alunos regularmente matriculados em duas escolas municipais de ensino fundamental de Fortaleza, Ceará, Brasil. Para a coleta de dados foi aplicado um questionário semiestruturado com questões abertas e fechadas. Os dados foram organizados em tabelas e analisados descritivamente. Os resultados indicaram maior participação das meninas (29; 52,7%) de 10 a 16 anos (43; 79,1%). Os alunos tinham um conhecimento geral de arboviroses, e 48 (87,3%) conheciam o modo de transmissão do vírus. Conclui-se que os escolares eram primariamente do sexo feminino e conheciam as arboviroses e seus efeitos sobre a saúde

Bacterial cellulose-based hydrogel for wound healing: characterization and in vitro evaluation

Bacterial cellulose (BC) has been considered a promising biopolymer with applications in several areas of knowledge, including medicine, mainly due to its ability to assist in the treatment of dermal lesions. Many groups and companies have been making efforts to develop new BC-based materials in order to add new characteristics and therapeutic possibilities. Recently, Seven Indústria de Produtos Biotecnológicos Ltda company developed a BC-based hydrogel aiming to verify the interaction among the formulation components, its potential for wound healing and biocompatibility studies. BC-based hydrogel was characterized and compared with pristine BC film. Physicochemical characterization includes rheological measurements, thermal analyses, field emission gun - scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and in vitro cell migration. BC-based hydrogel showed adequate interaction among the components of the formulation, which may positively influence its stability. In addition, the BC-based hydrogel accelerated the healing processes demonstrating its potential in dermal lesion treatment

Rural Electrification in Central America and East Africa, two case studies of sustainable microgrids

This paper deals with the electrification of rural villages in developing countries using Sustainable Energy Systems. The rural electrification feasibility study is done using Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable PRO (HOMER PRO). The HOMER PRO energy modelling software is an optimization software improved by U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It helps in designing, comparing and optimizing the design of power generation technologies. In this paper, two rural electrification case studies are modelled and analysed using HOMER PRO. Technical and economic evaluation criteria are applied to study the feasibility of a micro-hydro plant in El Díptamo (Honduras), and a hybrid plant composed of photovoltaic module arrays, Diesel generators, and flow batteries, in a small island on Victoria Lake. For both cases, we show the results of the studies of the daily and yearly loads, of the resources available in the area and the economic evaluation of the chosen plants configuration

The cross-talk between myeloid and mesenchymal stem cells of human bone marrow represents a biomarker of aging that regulates immune response and bone reabsorption

One of the mechanisms that characterizes the aging process of different organs is the accumulation of fat. Different authors have demonstrated that adipose tissue replaces the loss of other cell types, deriving from mesenchymal cells. During aging, there is substitution or trans-differentiation of mesenchymal cells with other cells having the same embryological origin. Newly formed adipocytes were also observed in the trabecular matrix of elderly people's bones, associated with myeloid cells. In this study, we have investigated the relationship between immature myeloid-derived suppressor cells (I-MDSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in bone marrow (BM) samples harvested from 57 patients subjected to different orthopedic surgeries. Patients aged from 18 to 92 years were considered in order to compare the cellular composition of bone marrow of young and elderly people, considered a biomarker of immunity, inflammation, and bone preservation. The I-MDSC percentage was stable during aging, but in elderly people, it was possible to observe a strong basal immunosuppression of autologous and heterologous T cells' proliferation. We hypothesized that this pattern observed in elders depends on the progressive accumulation in the BM of activating stimuli, including cell-cell contact, or the production of different cytokines and proteins that induce the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in adipocytes. The collected data provided underline the importance of specific biomarkers of aging that promote a reduction in immune response and incremented inflammatory pathways, leading to bone reabsorption in elderly people

Measuring discrepancies between simple medullary and synchronous medullary/papillary thyroid carcinomas: a comparative cross-sectional study

ObjectiveTo study the clinicopathological characteristics of patients with synchronous medullary and papillary thyroid carcinomas.MethodsThe clinical data of patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) operated in our hospital (Department of Thyroid Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University) from February 2009 to February 2023 were evaluated using an analytical review approach. They were divided into an observation group (patients with synchronous MTC and papillary thyroid carcinoma PTC) and a control group (simple MTC) according to whether the clinical data were associated with MTC, in order to compare the clinical features, pathological types, stage characteristics and molecular biology characteristics of the two groups and to investigate the follow-up of the two groups.ResultsThe study included 122 MTC, 30 with synchronous MTC/PTC and 92 simple MTC. When the data were compared, the sex ratio, preoperative calcitonin level, preoperative CEA level, presence of calcifications in the MTC lesions, surgical methods, number of MTC lesions, presence of nodular goitre and presence of thyroiditis were higher in the observation group than in the control group. There was a significant difference between the groups when the MTC lesion diameter was ≤1cm in terms of preoperative CEA value (P<0.05); when the MTC lesion diameter was >1cm, there was a statistical difference between the two groups in terms of preoperative Ctn value (P<0.05). Type III was significantly different from the simple group, while type IV was more similar to the simple group. The preoperative serum Ctn value was positively correlated with maximum tumour diameter in both groups, although the correlation was stronger in the easy group. Preoperative CEA was positively correlated with maximum tumour diameter in both groups, with a stronger correlation in the combination group. Preoperative Ctn and CEA were positively correlated with lymph node metastasis in the simple group, whereas there was no apparent correlation with lymph node metastasis in the combination group. The cut-off value of preoperative serum Ctn for cervical lymph node metastases in the simple group was 39.2pg/ml and for lateral cervical lymph node metastases 195.5pg/ml. The cut-off value of preoperative serum Ctn for cervical lymph node metastases in the combination group was 60.79pg/ml and for lateral cervical lymph node metastases 152.6pg/ml. In the simple group, prognosis was significantly worse in the progression group (P<0.001), with no statistical difference between the remission and stable groups. In the combination group, the prognosis of the progression and stable groups was significantly worse than that of the remission group (P<0.001), with no statistical difference between the progression and stable groups.ConclusionIn patients with synchronous medullary and papillary thyroid carcinomas, preoperative Ctn and CEA levels, calcifications, solitary lesions, combined goitre or thyroiditis differ significantly from simple MTC. Therefore, clinical management should pay attention to the above factors and early risk screening should be performed to improve prognosis as much as possible

ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest

Epiphytes are hyper-diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non-vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer-reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non-vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non-vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ

Integrated real-time control of water reservoirs with deterministic and probabilistic multi-timescale forecasts: Application to the Lake Como

Hydro-meteorological forecasts are more and more easily available with improving skill over longer timescales and with higher spatiotemporal resolutions. Their uncertainties are commonly represented by ensemble prediction systems which are now dominant at the global and continental scale, while short-term deterministic forecasts are still used, especially in some local contexts. For effective water resources management, it is critical to understand how to use the wealth of information provided by different forecast systems over multiple timescales to help meet the water demand of key competing socio-economic sectors, while reducing short-term impacts and bringing the controlled systems to desirable states in the long term. Real-time control schemes of water reservoirs like Model Predictive Control (MPC) can help meet these goals, by providing a flexible framework to use forecasts proactively and satisfy multiple competing objectives while respecting operational constraints. In this study, we propose a new nested multi-stage stochastic MPC framework integrating the use of both deterministic and ensemble hydrological forecasts over multiple timescales from short-term (60 hours) to seasonal (7 months ahead). We demonstrate the performance of this real-time controller for the Lake Como system, located in the Italian Alps, where a large lake is regulated mainly for irrigation supply and flood control. First, seasonal ensemble forecasts are used to solve a Tree-Based MPC (TB-MPC) problem optimising the reservoir management over several months, by adopting a tree structure to summarise the ensemble information including the resolution of uncertainty in time. Second, the decisions identified so far are used to condition daily operations over a month using sub-seasonal probabilistic forecasts (up to 46 days) under the same TB-MPC approach. Third, the decisions for the first few days are then further adapted to optimize operations three days ahead using deterministic short-term forecasts with MPC. The sub-seasonal and seasonal ensemble (re-)forecasts used are those produced by the European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) from the Copernicus Emergency Management Service which uses ensemble meteorological forecasts from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). While EFAS is uncalibrated for the study area, we apply bias-correction techniques to improve the agreement of forecasts with local observations and allow their use for resolving the water-balance within MPC. The short-term 60-h forecasts come from a locally calibrated hydrological model (TOPKAPI) using deterministic weather forecasts from the COSMO (Consortium for Small Scale Modelling) model. The skill of all these forecasts is assessed, as well as the ensemble spread–error relationship for EFAS at different lead times. To evaluate the value of the forecasts we compare the performance of the real-time MPC controller with different benchmarks including perfect forecasts, climatology, and persistence. Finally, we investigate the link between forecast skill and value for reservoir operation, and we compare the performance of the nested MPC framework integrating multi-timescale forecasts with the MPC using single forecasts