Reduced Reference Frame Transform: Deconstructing Three-Phase Four-Wire Systems

This paper proposes a new reference frame, namely Reduced Reference Frame (RRF), specially suited for unbalanced three–phase four–wire systems which improves the performance of the classical Fortescue, Clarke and Park transformations. The RRF transfomation allows to represent any unbalanced three–phase sinusoidal magnitude with just two components even if the zero–sequence component is present. For doing so, the RRF transformation takes into account that the abc space–vector trajectory of the transformed three–phase sinusoidal magnitude is always within a plane. The geometric properties of this trajectory are considered for outlining a general classification of the transformation depending on the input voltages and an adequate reference frame within the plane. Then, a step–by–step procedure for computing the transformation matrix is detailed. Once the voltages and currents are transformed into the RRF, it is proposed a power theory which allows to compute the instantaneous active and reactive powers. The paper includes two simulations and an experimental validation through a real–time application to highlight the benefits of the proposal. The paper closes with the main conclusions and some future research lines where this transformation can be applied.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness ENE2017-84813-R EASY-RES 76409

Experimental Assessment of a Centralised Controller for High-RES Active Distribution Networks

This paper assesses the behaviour of active distribution networks with high penetration of renewable energy sources when the control is performed in a centralised manner. The control assets are the on-load tap changers of transformers at the primary substation, the reactive power injections of the renewable energy sources, and the active and reactive power exchanged between adjacent feeders when they are interconnected through a DC link. A scaled-down distribution network is used as the testbed to emulate the behaviour of an active distribution system with massive penetration of renewable energy resources. The laboratory testbed involves hardware devices, real-time control, and communication infrastructure. Several key performance indices are adopted to assess the effects of the different control actions on the system’s operation. The experimental results demonstrate that the combination of control actions enables the optimal integration of a massive penetration of renewable energy.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad ENE2015-69597-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad PCIN-2015-043Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad ENE2017-84813-

Ensayos a cortante de vigas de hormigón estructural autocompactable

En el presente trabajo se presenta una serie de ensayos realizados en el Laboratorio de Tecnología de Estructuras de la Escuela de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos de Barcelona (Departamento de Ingeniería de la Construcción) de la Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña. La campaña de ensayos incluía una serie de vigas de sección “doble T” de hormigón autocompactable de resistencia media (HAC-RM) y una serie paralela realizada con hormigón convencional (HC) de la misma resistencia mecánica. Se verificó el comportamiento estructural frente al esfuerzo cortante de vigas de hormigón armado y pretensado con armadura pretesa y postesa, y tanto estructuras continuas como isostáticas. Los resultados muestran una menor resistencia a cortante en las vigas con HAC y armadura pasiva y activa. Para las vigas pretensadas con HAC y HC los valores de resistencia a cortante fueron similares.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Ensayos a cortante de vigas de hormigón estructural autocompactable

En el presente trabajo se presenta una serie de ensayos realizados en el Laboratorio de Tecnología de Estructuras de la Escuela de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos de Barcelona (Departamento de Ingeniería de la Construcción) de la Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña. La campaña de ensayos incluía una serie de vigas de sección “doble T” de hormigón autocompactable de resistencia media (HAC-RM) y una serie paralela realizada con hormigón convencional (HC) de la misma resistencia mecánica. Se verificó el comportamiento estructural frente al esfuerzo cortante de vigas de hormigón armado y pretensado con armadura pretesa y postesa, y tanto estructuras continuas como isostáticas. Los resultados muestran una menor resistencia a cortante en las vigas con HAC y armadura pasiva y activa. Para las vigas pretensadas con HAC y HC los valores de resistencia a cortante fueron similares

The Mutational Landscape of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Predicts Responses and Outcomes in Elderly Patients from the PETHEMA-FLUGAZA Phase 3 Clinical Trial

This article belongs to the Collection The Biomarkers for the Diagnosis and Prognosis in Cancer.[Simple Summary] Mutational profiling using a custom 43-gene next-generation sequencing panel revealed that patients with mutated DNMT3A or EZH2, or an increase in TET2 VAF and lower TP53 VAF showed a higher overall response. NRAS and TP53 variants were associated with shorter overall survival (OS), whereas only mutated BCOR was associated with a shorter relapse-free survival (RFS). Subgroup analyses of OS according to biological and genomic characteristics showed that patients with low–intermediate cytogenetic risk and mutated NRAS benefited from azacytidine therapy and patients with mutated TP53 showed a better RFS in the azacytidine arm. In conclusion, differential mutational profiling might anticipate the outcomes of first-line treatment choices (AZA or FLUGA) in older patients with AML.[Abstract] We sought to predict treatment responses and outcomes in older patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) from our FLUGAZA phase III clinical trial (PETHEMA group) based on mutational status, comparing azacytidine (AZA) with fludarabine plus low-dose cytarabine (FLUGA). Mutational profiling using a custom 43-gene next-generation sequencing panel revealed differences in profiles between older and younger patients, and several prognostic markers that were useful in young patients were ineffective in older patients. We examined the associations between variables and overall responses at the end of the third cycle. Patients with mutated DNMT3A or EZH2 were shown to benefit from azacytidine in the treatment-adjusted subgroup analysis. An analysis of the associations with tumor burden using variant allele frequency (VAF) quantification showed that a higher overall response was associated with an increase in TET2 VAF (odds ratio (OR), 1.014; p = 0.030) and lower TP53 VAF (OR, 0.981; p = 0.003). In the treatment-adjusted multivariate survival analyses, only the NRAS (hazard ratio (HR), 1.9, p = 0.005) and TP53 (HR, 2.6, p = 9.8 × 10−7) variants were associated with shorter overall survival (OS), whereas only mutated BCOR (HR, 3.6, p = 0.0003) was associated with a shorter relapse-free survival (RFS). Subgroup analyses of OS according to biological and genomic characteristics showed that patients with low–intermediate cytogenetic risk (HR, 1.51, p = 0.045) and mutated NRAS (HR, 3.66, p = 0.047) benefited from azacytidine therapy. In the subgroup analyses, patients with mutated TP53 (HR, 4.71, p = 0.009) showed a better RFS in the azacytidine arm. In conclusion, differential mutational profiling might anticipate the outcomes of first-line treatment choices (AZA or FLUGA) in older patients with AML. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT02319135.This study was supported by the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red—Área de Oncología–del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERONC; CB16/12/00369) and the Subdirección General de Investigación Sanitaria (Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain) grants PI16/01530, PI16/01661, PI19/01518, and PI19/00730, the CRIS against Cancer foundation, grant 2018/001, and by the Instituto de Investigación Hospital 12 de Octubre (IMAS12) (co-financed by FEDER funds). The study was supported internationally by Cancer Research UK, FCAECC and AIRC under the Accelerator Award Program

The Mutational Landscape of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Predicts Responses and Outcomes in Elderly Patients from the PETHEMA-FLUGAZA Phase 3 Clinical Trial

Mutational profiling using a custom 43-gene next-generation sequencing panel revealed that patients with mutated DNMT3A or EZH2, or an increase in TET2 VAF and lower TP53 VAF showed a higher overall response. NRAS and TP53 variants were associated with shorter overall survival (OS), whereas only mutated BCOR was associated with a shorter relapse-free survival (RFS). Subgroup analyses of OS according to biological and genomic characteristics showed that patients with low-intermediate cytogenetic risk and mutated NRAS benefited from azacytidine therapy and patients with mutated TP53 showed a better RFS in the azacytidine arm. In conclusion, differential mutational profiling might anticipate the outcomes of first-line treatment choices (AZA or FLUGA) in older patients with AML. We sought to predict treatment responses and outcomes in older patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) from our FLUGAZA phase III clinical trial (PETHEMA group) based on mutational status, comparing azacytidine (AZA) with fludarabine plus low-dose cytarabine (FLUGA). Mutational profiling using a custom 43-gene next-generation sequencing panel revealed differences in profiles between older and younger patients, and several prognostic markers that were useful in young patients were ineffective in older patients. We examined the associations between variables and overall responses at the end of the third cycle. Patients with mutated DNMT3A or EZH2 were shown to benefit from azacytidine in the treatment-adjusted subgroup analysis. An analysis of the associations with tumor burden using variant allele frequency (VAF) quantification showed that a higher overall response was associated with an increase in TET2 VAF (odds ratio (OR), 1.014; p = 0.030) and lower TP53 VAF (OR, 0.981; p = 0.003). In the treatment-adjusted multivariate survival analyses, only the NRAS (hazard ratio (HR), 1.9, p = 0.005) and TP53 (HR, 2.6, p = 9.8 × 10 −7) variants were associated with shorter overall survival (OS), whereas only mutated BCOR (HR, 3.6, p = 0.0003) was associated with a shorter relapse-free survival (RFS). Subgroup analyses of OS according to biological and genomic characteristics showed that patients with low-intermediate cytogenetic risk (HR, 1.51, p = 0.045) and mutated NRAS (HR, 3.66, p = 0.047) benefited from azacytidine therapy. In the subgroup analyses, patients with mutated TP53 (HR, 4.71, p = 0.009) showed a better RFS in the azacytidine arm. In conclusion, differential mutational profiling might anticipate the outcomes of first-line treatment choices (AZA or FLUGA) in older patients with AML. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT0231913

A phase 3 trial of azacitidine versus a semi-intensive fludarabine and cytarabine schedule in older patients with untreated acute myeloid leukemia

PETHEMA Group.[Background] Options to treat elderly patients (≥65 years old) newly diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) include intensive and attenuated chemotherapy, hypomethylating agents with or without venetoclax, and supportive care. This multicenter, randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of a fludarabine, cytarabine, and filgrastim (FLUGA) regimen in comparison with azacitidine (AZA).[Methods] Patients (n = 283) were randomized 1:1 to FLUGA (n = 141) or AZA (n = 142). Response was evaluated after cycles 1, 3, 6, and 9. Measurable residual disease (MRD) was assessed after cycle 9. When MRD was ≥0.01%, patients continued with the treatment until relapse or progressive disease. Patients with MRD < 0.01% suspended treatment to enter the follow-up phase. [Results] The complete remission (CR) rate after 3 cycles was significantly better in the FLUGA arm (18% vs 9%; P = .04), but the CR/CR with incomplete recovery rate at 9 months was similar (33% vs 29%; P = .41). There were no significant differences between arms in early mortality at 30 or 60 days. Hematologic toxicities were more frequent with FLUGA, especially during induction. The 1-year overall survival (OS) rate and the median OS were superior with AZA versus FLUGA: 47% versus 27% and 9.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.6-14 months) versus 4.1 months (95% CI, 2.7-5.5 months; P = .005), respectively. The median event-free survival was 4.9 months (95% CI, 2.8-7 months) with AZA and 3 months (95% CI, 2.5-3.5 months) with FLUGA (P = .001). [Conclusions] FLUGA achieved more remissions after 3 cycles, but the 1-year OS rate was superior with AZA. However, long-term outcomes were disappointing in both arms (3-year OS rate, 10% vs 5%). This study supports the use of an AZA backbone for future combinations in elderly patients with AML.This study was supported by the Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Cancer of the Carlos III Health Institute (CB16/12/00369) and by the Carlos III Health Institute/Subdirectorate General for Health Research (FIS No. PI16/01661). Celgene provided the azacitidine and financial support for this study

Fungal diversity associated to the olive moth, prays oleae Bernard : a survey for potential entomopathogenic fungi

Olive production is one of the main agricultural activities in Portugal. In the region of Trás-os-Montes this crop has been considerably affected by Prays oleae. In order to evaluate the diversity of fungi on P. oleae population of Trás-os-Montes olive orchards, larvae and pupae of the three annual generations (phyllophagous, antophagous and carpophagous) were collected and evaluated for fungal growth on their surface. From the 3828 larvae and pupae, a high percentage of individuals exhibited growth of a fungal agent (40.6%), particularly those from the phyllophagous generation. From all the moth generations, a total of 43 species from 24 genera were identified, but the diversity and abundance of fungal species differed between the three generations. Higher diversity was found in the carpophagous generation, followed by the antophagous and phyllophagous generations. The presence of fungi displaying entomopathogenic features was highest in the phyllophagous larvae and pupae, being B. bassiana the most abundant taxa. The first report of B. bassiana presence on P. oleae could open new strategies for the biocontrol of this major pest in olive groves, since the use of an already adapted species increases the guarantee of success of a biocontrol approach. The identification of antagonistic fungi able to control agents that cause major olive diseases, such as Verticillium dahliae, will benefit future biological control approaches for limiting this increasingly spreading pathogen.This work was supported by Science and Technology Foundation (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia – FCT) project PTDC/AGR-AAM/102600/2008 “Entomopathogenic fungi associated to olive pests: isolation, characterization and selection for biological control”. The first author is grateful to the Science and Technology Foundation for the PhD grant SFRH/BD/44265/2008

Relationship between olive oil consumption and ankle-brachial pressure index in a population at high cardiovascular risk

Background and aims: The aim of this study was to ascertain the association between the consumption of different categories of edible olive oils (virgin olive oils and olive oil) and olive pomace oil and ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) in participants in the PREDIMED-Plus study, a trial of lifestyle modification for weight and cardiovascular event reduction in individuals with overweight/obesity harboring the metabolic syndrome. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the PREDIMED-Plus trial. Consumption of any category of olive oil and olive pomace oil was assessed through a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression models were fitted to assess associations between olive oil consumption and ABI. Additionally, ABI ≤1 was considered as the outcome in logistic models with different categories of olive oil and olive pomace oil as exposure. Results: Among 4330 participants, the highest quintile of total olive oil consumption (sum of all categories of olive oil and olive pomace oil) was associated with higher mean values of ABI (beta coefficient: 0.014, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.002, 0.027) (p for trend = 0.010). Logistic models comparing the consumption of different categories of olive oils, olive pomace oil and ABI ≤1 values revealed an inverse association between virgin olive oils consumption and the likelihood of a low ABI (odds ratio [OR] 0.73, 95% CI [0.56, 0.97]), while consumption of olive pomace oil was positively associated with a low ABI (OR 1.22 95% CI [1.00, 1.48]). Conclusions: In a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk, total olive oil consumption was associated with a higher mean ABI. These results suggest that olive oil consumption may be beneficial for peripheral artery disease prevention, but longitudinal studies are needed