Wind Energy Forecasting at Different Time Horizons with Individual and Global Models

This paper has been presented at: 14th IFIP International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Applications and InnovationsIn this work two different machine learning approaches have been studied to predict wind power for different time horizons: individual and global models. The individual approach constructs a model for each horizon while the global approach obtains a single model that can be used for all horizons. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. Each individual model is trained with data pertaining to a single horizon, thus it can be specific for that horizon, but can use fewer data for training than the global model, which is constructed with data belonging to all horizons. Support Vector Machines have been used for constructing the individual and global models. This study has been tested on energy production data obtained from the Sotavento wind farm and meteorological data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, for a 5 × 5 grid around Sotavento. Also, given the large amount of variables involved, a feature selection algorithm (Sequential Forward Selection) has been used in order to improve the performance of the models. Experimental results show that the global model is more accurate than the individual ones, specially when feature selection is used.The authors acknowledge financial support granted by the Spanish Ministry of Science under contract ENE2014-56126-C2-2-R

Evaluation of the Human IgG Antibody Response to Aedes albopictus Saliva as a New Specific Biomarker of Exposure to Vector Bites

Aedes-borne viruses like dengue and chikungunya are a major problem in Reunion Island. Assessing exposure to Aedes bites is crucial to estimating the risk of pathogen transmission. Currently, the exposure of populations to Aedes albopictus bites is mainly evaluated by entomological methods which are indirect and difficult to apply on a large scale. Recent findings suggest that evaluation of human antibody responses against arthropod salivary proteins could be useful in assessing exposure to mosquito bites. The results indicate that 88% of the studied population produce IgG to Ae. albopictus saliva antigens in Reunion Island and show that this biomarker can detect different levels of individual exposure. In addition, little cross-reactivity is observed with Aedes aegypti saliva, suggesting that this could be a specific marker for exposure to Aedes albopictus bites. Taken together, these results suggest that antibody responses to saliva could constitute a powerful immuno-epidemiological tool for evaluating exposure to Aedes albopictus and therefore the risk of arbovirus infection

Correction: A Seroepidemiological Study of Serogroup A Meningococcal Infection in the African Meningitis Belt.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147928.]

Campagnes Rodriguez 1 et 2: Le point triple de Rodriguez et les dorsales de l'ocean Indien

The first Rodriguez Cruise started on 14 January 1984 from Colombo and ended at Reunion Island on 16 February 1984. The second cruise left Reunion Island on 3 April 1984 and was completed in Singapore on 7 May 1984. The program included a detailed Seabeam, gravimetric and magnetic survey of the Rodriguez Triple Junction over an area of 7,200 km super(2) and similar surveys of an axial segment of each of the 3 associated spreading ridges. The 2 cruises together total 27,000 km of profiles. The scientific objectives of the Rodriguez cruises based upon detailed bathymetric, gravimetric and magnetic mapping of the surveyed areas are summarized

Substantial asymptomatic submicroscopic Plasmodium carriage during dry season in low transmission areas in Senegal : implications for malaria control and elimination

Background In the progress towards malaria elimination, the accurate diagnosis of low-density asymptomatic infections is critical. Low-density asymptomatic submicroscopic malaria infections may act as silent reservoirs that maintain low-level residual malaria transmission in the community. Light microscopy, the gold standard in malaria diagnosis lacks the sensitivity to detect low-level parasitaemia. In this study, the presence and prevalence of submicroscopic Plasmodium carriage were investigated to estimate the parasites reservoir among asymptomatic individuals living in low transmission areas in Dielmo and Ndiop, Senegal during the dry season. Methods A total of 2,037 blood samples were collected during cross-sectional surveys prior the malaria transmission season in July 2013 (N = 612), June 2014 (N = 723) and June 2015 (N = 702) from asymptomatic individuals living in Dielmo and Ndiop, Senegal. Samples were used to determine the prevalence of submicroscopic Plasmodium carriage by real time PCR (qPCR) in comparison to microscopy considered as gold standard. Results The prevalence of submicroscopic Plasmodium carriage was 3.75% (23/612), 12.44% (90/723) and 6.41% (45/702) in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. No Plasmodium carriage was detected by microscopy in 2013 while microscopy-based prevalence of Plasmodium carriage accounted for only 0.27% (2/723) and 0.14% (1/702) in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Plasmodium falciparum accounted for the majority of submicroscopic infections and represented 86.95% (20/23), 81.11% (73/90) and 95.55 (43/45) of infections in 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively. Conclusion Low-density submicroscopic asymptomatic Plasmodium carriage is common in the study areas during the dry season indicating that traditional measures are insufficient to assess the scale of parasite reservoir when transmission reaches very low level. Control and elimination strategies may wish to consider using molecular methods to identify parasites carriers to guide Mass screening and Treatment strategies

First attempt to validate the gSG6-P1 salivary peptide as an immuno-epidemiological tool for evaluating human exposure to Anopheles funestus bites

OBJECTIVE The development of a biomarker of exposure based on the evaluation of the human antibody response specific to Anopheles salivary proteins seems promising in improving malaria control. The IgG response specific to the gSG6-P1 peptide has already been validated as a biomarker of An. gambiae exposure. This study represents a first attempt to validate the gSG6-P1 peptide as an epidemiological tool evaluating exposure to An. funestus bites, the second main malaria vector in subSaharan Africa. METHODS A multi-disciplinary survey was performed in a Senegalese village where An. funestus represents the principal anopheline species. The IgG antibody level specific to gSG6-P1 was evaluated and compared in the same children before, at the peak and after the rainy season. RESULTS Two-thirds of the children developed a specific IgG response to gSG6-P1 during the study period and - more interestingly - before the rainy season, when An. funestus was the only anopheline species reported. The specific IgG response increased during the An. funestus exposure season, and a positive association between the IgG level and the level of exposure to An. funestus bites was observed. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that the evaluation of the IgG response specific to gSG6-P1 in children could also represent a biomarker of exposure to An. funestus bites. The availability of such a biomarker evaluating the exposure to both main Plasmodium falciparum vectors in Africa could be particularly relevant as a direct criterion for the evaluation of the efficacy of vector control strategies

Dramatic Changes in Malaria Population Genetic Complexity in Dielmo and Ndiop, Senegal, Revealed Using Genomic Surveillance

International audienceDramatic changes in transmission intensity can impact Plasmodium population diversity. Using samples from 2 distant time-points in the Dielmo/Ndiop longitudinal cohorts from Senegal, we applied a molecular barcode tool to detect changes in parasite genotypes and complexity of infection that corresponded to changes in transmission intensity. We observed a striking statistically significant difference in genetic diversity between the 2 parasite populations. Furthermore, we identified a genotype in Dielmo and Ndiop previously observed in Thies, potentially implicating imported malaria. This genetic surveillance study validates the molecular barcode as a tool to assess parasite population diversity changes and track parasite genotypes