Geodesic vulnerability approach for identification of critical buses in power systems

One of the most critical issues in the evaluation of power systems is the identification of critical buses. For this purpose, this paper proposes a new methodology that evaluates the substitution of the power flow technique by the geodesic vulnerability index to identify critical nodes in power grids. Both methods are applied comparatively to demonstrate the scope of the proposed approach. The applicability of the methodology is illustrated using the IEEE 118-bus test system as a case study. To identify the critical components, a node is initially disconnected, and the performance of the resulting topology is evaluated in the face of simulations for multiple cascading faults. Cascading events are simulated by randomly removing assets on a system that continually changes its structure with the elimination of each component. Thus, the classification of the critical nodes is determined by evaluating the resulting performance of 118 different topologies and calculating the damage area for each of the disintegration curves of cascading failures. In summary, the feasibility and suitability of complex network theory are justified to identify critical nodes in power systems

An eBPF-XDP hardware-based network slicing architecture for future 6G front- to back-haul networks

The heterogeneous requirements imposed by different vertical businesses have motivated a networking paradigm shift in the next generation of mobile networks (beyond 5G and 6G), leading to critical operation competitiveness of improved productivity, performance and efficiency. Furthermore, with the global digital revolution, such as Industry 4.0, and a connected world, network virtualisation together with high reliability and high performance communications have become crucial elements for mobile network operators. To minimise the negative effects that could affect critical services, network slicing is widely recognised as a key technology with the objective of meeting the Service-Level Agreements (SLAs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in future 6G networks. In this context, it is essential to introduce a programmable data plane able to enforce flexible Quality of Service (QoS) commitments, while providing high-performance packet processing and real-time monitoring capabilities. To this end, this paper is focused on designing, prototyping and evaluating a novel framework that leverages a set of hardware-based technologies including eXpress Data Path (XDP), extended Barkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) and Smart Network Interface Cards (SmartNICs) to offload network functionality with the objective of providing high-performance pre-6G front-, mid-and back-haul network communications and thus, decreasing the overhead incurs by the Linux Kernel. The proposed solution is implemented based on bypassing the Linux Kernel and accelerating the communication, while providing network slice control and real-time monitoring capabilities. The main aim of this framework is to ensure network communications in forthcoming 6G infrastructures by guaranteeing 6G KPIs and avoiding system overload. The empirical validation of this solution for Industry 4.0 services as an example use case demonstrates key performance improvements in terms of packet processing as high as about 25Gbps, 20M pa..

A Deep Learning-Based Multimodal Architecture to predict Signs of Dementia

This paper proposes a multimodal deep learning architecture combining text and audio information to predict dementia, a disease which affects around 55 million people all over the world and makes them in some cases dependent people. The system was evaluated on the DementiaBank Pitt Corpus dataset, which includes audio recordings as well as their transcriptions for healthy people and people with dementia. Different models have been used and tested, including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) for audio classification, Transformers for text classification, and a combination of both in a multimodal ensemble. These models have been evaluated on a test set, obtaining the best results by using the text modality, achieving 90.36% accuracy on the task of detecting dementia. Additionally, an analysis of the corpus has been conducted for the sake of explainability, aiming to obtain more information about how the models generate their predictions and identify patterns in the data.We would like to thank “A way of making Europe” European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 for supporting this work under the MoDeaAS project (grant PID2019-104818RB-I00) and AICARE project (grant SPID202200X139779IV0). Furthermore, we would like to thank Nvidia for their generous hardware donation that made these experiments possible

A Polyextreme Hydrothermal System Controlled by Iron: The Case of Dallol at the Afar Triangle

One of the latest volcanic features of the Erta Ale range at the Afar Triangle (NE Ethiopia) has created a polyextreme hydrothermal system located at the Danakil depression on top of a protovolcano known as the dome of Dallol. The interaction of the underlying basaltic magma with the evaporitic salts of the Danakil depression has generated a unique, high-temperature (108 °C), hypersaline (NaCl supersaturated), hyperacidic (pH values from 0.1 to −1.7), oxygen-free hydrothermal site containing up to 150 g/L of iron. We find that the colorful brine pools and mineral patterns of Dallol derive from the slow oxygen diffusion and progressive oxidation of the dissolved ferrous iron, the iron-chlorine/-sulfate complexation, and the evaporation. These inorganic processes induce the precipitation of nanoscale jarosite-group minerals and iron(III)- oxyhydroxides over a vast deposition of halite displaying complex architectures. Our results suggest that life, if present under such conditions, does not play a dominant role in the geochemical cycling and mineral precipitation at Dallol as opposed to other hydrothermal sites. Dallol, a hydrothermal system controlled by iron, is a present-day laboratory for studying the precipitation and progressive oxidation of iron minerals, relevant for geochemical processes occurring at early Earth and Martian environmentsThis work received funding from the European Research Council under the Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC Grant Agreement 340863 (Prometheus) and from MINECO, ref CGL2016-78971-P, AEI/FEDER, UE”

Circulating concentrations of free triiodothyronine are associated with central adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors in young euthyroid adults

Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBUA. This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness via the Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI13/01393), by the Retos de la Sociedad program (DEP2016-79512-R), European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU13/04365), the Fundacion Iberoamericana de Nutricion (FINUT), the Redes Tematicas de Investigacion Cooperativa RETIC (Red SAMID RD16/0022), the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation, the University of Granada Plan Propio de Investigacion 2016-Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES)-and Plan Propio de Investigacion 2018-the Programa Contratos-Puente and Contratos Perfeccionamiento de Doctores, the Junta de Andalucia, Consejeria de Conocimiento, Investigacion y Universidades (ERDF; ref. SOMM17/6107/UGR), and the Fundacion Alfonso Martin Escudero (grant awarded to GSD).Thyroid dysfunction is associated with classic cardiometabolic risk factors in humans. However, this relationship remains unclear in young euthyroid adults. The present work examines the associations of circulating thyroid hormones (THs) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations with body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors in young euthyroid adults. A total of 106 sedentary, euthyroid adults (72 women; 22 ± 2 years old) participated in this cross-sectional study. THs and TSH serum concentrations were determined in fasting conditions (6 h). Body composition (fat mass (FM), lean mass (LM), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT)) was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, anthropometric parameters (weight, height, and waist circumference) were measured, and neck adipose tissue mass was quantified through computed tomography (CT) scanning. Cardiometabolic risk factors including fasting glucose and lipid metabolism markers, hepatic phosphatase and transaminases, and blood pressure were also assessed. Free triiodothyronine (FT3) concentration was positively associated with body mass index, LM, VAT, and waist circumference (all P ≤ 0.038). FT3 was also associated with glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, fatty liver index, and blood pressure (all P < 0.024). All the associations were attenuated when adjusting for sex. In contrast, we found no associations of TSH or free thyroxine with any body composition parameter or cardiometabolic risk factors. In conclusion, FT3 is associated with central adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors including insulin resistance, fatty liver index, and mean, systolic and diastolic blood pressure in young euthyroid adults. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02365129.Universidad de Granada/CBUASpanish Government PI13/01393Retos de la Sociedad program DEP2016-79512-REuropean CommissionSpanish Government FPU13/04365Fundacion Iberoamericana de Nutricion (FINUT)Redes Tematicas de Investigacion Cooperativa RETIC Red SAMID RD16/0022AstraZenecaUniversity of Granada Plan Propio de Investigacion 2016-Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES)Plan Propio de Investigacion 2018-the Programa Contratos-PuenteContratos Perfeccionamiento de DoctoresJunta de AndaluciaConsejeria de Conocimiento, Investigacion y Universidades (ERDF) SOMM17/6107/UGRFundacion Alfonso Martin Escuder

Subclinical Atherosclerosis Burden by 3D Ultrasound in Mid-Life: The PESA Study

BACKGROUND: Detection of subclinical atherosclerosis improves risk prediction beyond cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and risk scores, but quantification of plaque burden may improve it further. Novel 3-dimensional vascular ultrasound (3DVUS) provides accurate volumetric quantification of plaque burden. OBJECTIVES: The authors evaluated associations between 3DVUS-based plaque burden and CVRFs and explored potential added value over simple plaque detection. METHODS: The authors included 3,860 (92.2%) PESA (Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis) study participants (age 45.8 ± 4.3 years; 63% men). Bilateral carotid and femoral territories were explored by 3DVUS to determine the number of plaques and territories affected, and to quantify global plaque burden defined as the sum of all plaque volumes. Linear regression and proportional odds models were used to evaluate associations of plaque burden with CVRFs and estimated 10-year cardiovascular risk. RESULTS: Plaque burden was higher in men (63.4 mm3 [interquartile range (IQR): 23.8 to 144.8 mm3] vs. 25.7 mm3 [IQR: 11.5 to 61.6 mm3] in women; p < 0.001), in the femoral territory (64 mm3 [IQR: 27.6 to 140.5 mm3] vs. 23.1 mm3 [IQR: 9.9 to 48.7 mm3] in the carotid territory; p < 0.001), and with increasing age (p < 0.001). Age, sex, smoking, and dyslipidemia were more strongly associated with femoral than with carotid disease burden, whereas hypertension and diabetes showed no territorial differences. Plaque burden was directly associated with estimated cardiovascular risk independently of the number of plaques or territories affected (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: 3DVUS quantifies higher plaque burden in men, in the femoral territory, and with increasing age during midlife. Plaque burden correlates strongly with CVRFs, especially at the femoral level, and reflects estimated cardiovascular risk more closely than plaque detection alone. (Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis [PESA] Study; NCT01410318).The PESA study is cofunded equally by the Fundacion Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), Madrid, Spain, and Banco Santander, Madrid, Spain. The study also receives funding from the Institute of Health Carlos III (PI15/02019) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The CNIC is supported by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO) and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (MINECO award SEV-2015-0505). Dr. Sanchez-Gonzalez is an employee of Philips Healthcare. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose. Stephen J. Nicholls, MD, served as Guest Editor for this paperS

The Impact of Body Mass Index on Functional Rehabilitation Outcomes of Working-age Inpatients with Stroke

BACKGROUND: Stroke is the most relevant cause of acquired persistent disability in adulthood. The relationship between patient’s weight during rehabilitation and stroke functional outcome is controversial, previous research reported positive, negative and no effects, with scarce studies specifically addressing working-age patients.AIM: To evaluate the association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and the functional progress of adult (\u3c65 \u3eyears) patients with stroke admitted to a rehabilitation hospital.DESIGN: Retrospective observational cohort study.SETTING: Inpatient rehabilitation center.POPULATION: 178 stroke patients (ischemic or hemorrhagic).METHODS: Point-biserial and Spearman’s correlations, multivariate linear regressions and analysis of covariance were used to describe differences in functional outcomes after adjusting for age, sex, severity, dysphagia, depression and BMI category. Functional Independence Measure (FIM), FIM gain, efficiency and effectiveness were assessed.RESULTS: Participants were separated in 3 BMI categories: normal weight (47%), overweight (33%) and obese (20%). There were no significant differences between BMI categories in any functional outcome (total FIM (TFIM), cognitive (CFIM), motor (MFIM)) at discharge, admission, gain, efficiency or effectiveness. In regression models BMI (as continuous variable) was not significant predictor of TFIM at discharge after adjusting for age, sex, severity, dysphagia, depression and ataxia (R2=0.4813), significant predictors were TFIM at admission (β = 0.528) and NIHSS (β=-0.208). MFIM efficiency did not significantly differ by BMI subgroups, neither did CFIM efficiency. Length of stay (LOS) and TFIM effectiveness were associated for normal (r=0.33) and overweight (r=0.43), but not for obese. LOS and TFIM efficiency were strongly negatively associated only for obese (r=-0.50).CONCLUSIONS: FIM outcomes were not associated to BMI, nevertheless each BMI category when individually considered (normal weight, overweight or obese) was characterized by different associations involving FIM outcomes and clinical factors. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: In sub-acute post-stroke working-age patients undergoing rehabilitation, BMI was not associated to FIM outcomes (no obesity paradox was reported in this sample). Distinctive significant associations emerged within each BMI category, (supporting their characterization) such as length of stay and TFIM effectiveness were associated for normal weight and overweight, but not for obese. Length of stay and TFIM efficiency were strongly negatively associated only for obese

Does Socioeconomic Status Influence the Risk of Subclinical Atherosclerosis?: A Mediation Model

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic status (SES)-education, income level, and occupation-is associated with cardiovascular risk. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the association between SES and subclinical atherosclerosis and the potential mechanisms involved. METHODS: SES, lifestyle habits (smoking, dietary patterns, physical activity, and hours of sleep), traditional risk factors, and subclinical atherosclerosis extent were prospectively assessed in 4,025 individuals aged 40 to 54 years without known cardiovascular disease enrolled in the PESA (Progression of Early Subclinical Atherosclerosis) study. After factors associated with atherosclerosis were identified, a multiple mediation model was created to quantify the effect of SES on subclinical atherosclerosis as explained by lifestyle behaviors. RESULTS: Although education level was significantly associated with the presence of atherosclerosis, no differences were found according to income level in this population. Participants with lower education presented with a higher risk of generalized atherosclerosis than those with higher education (odds ratio: 1.46; 95% confidence interval: 1.15 to 1.85; p = 0.002). Lifestyle behaviors associated with both education level and atherosclerosis extent were: smoking status, number of cigarettes/day, and dietary pattern, which explained 70.5% of the effect of SES on atherosclerosis. Of these, tobacco habit (smoking status 35% and number of cigarettes/day 32%) accounted for most of the explained differences between groups, whereas dietary pattern did not remain a significant mediator in the multiple mediation model. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the relative economic homogeneity of the cohort, lower education level is associated with increased subclinical atherosclerosis, mainly mediated by the higher and more frequent tobacco consumption. Smoking cessation programs are still needed, particularly in populations with lower education level.The PESA study is cofunded equally by the Fundación Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), Madrid, Spain; and Banco Santander, Madrid, Spain. The study also receives funding from the Institute of Health Carlos III (PI15/02019) and the European Regional Development Fund. The CNIC is supported by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505). This work is part of a project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No707642; and from the American Heart Association under grantnumber14SFRN20490315. Dr. Bueno has received research funding from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PIE16/00021), AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, and Novartis; has received consulting fees from Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb-Pfizer, and Novartis; and has received speaking fees or support for attending scientific meetings from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb-Pfizer, Ferrer, Novartis, Servier, and MEDSCAPE-the heart.org.S

〈初期軍記〉における戦闘被害の表現-女の描かれ方をめぐって-

軍記・語り物研究会第374回例会(平成19年7月22日・於:法政大学)共同討議「初期軍記」研究の検証と展開-新たな「状況」と「変容」を探る-における基調報

Immunoanalytical Approach for Detecting and Identifying Ancestral Peptide Biomarkers in Early Earth Analogue Environments

Several mass spectrometry and spectroscopic techniques have been used in the search for molecular biomarkers on Mars. A major constraint is their capability to detect and identify large and complex compounds such as peptides or other biopolymers. Multiplex immunoassays can detect these com-pounds, but antibodies must be produced for a large number of sequence-dependent molecular targets. Ancestral Sequence Re-construction (ASR) followed by protein "resurrection" in the lab can help to narrow the selection of targets. Herein, we propose an immunoanalytical method to identify ancient and universally conserved protein/peptide sequences as targets for identifying ancestral biomarkers in nature. We have developed, tested, and validated this approach by producing antibodies to eight previously described ancestral resurrected proteins (three beta-lactamases, three thioredoxins, one Elongation Factor Tu, and one RuBisCO, all of them theoretically dated as Precambrian), and used them as a proxy to search for any potential feature of them that could be present in current natural environments. By fluorescent sandwich microarray immunoassays (FSMI), we have detected positive immunoreactions with antibodies to the oldest beta-lactamase and thioredoxin proteins (ca. 4 Ga) in samples from a hydrothermal environment. Fine epitope mapping and inhibitory immunoassays allowed the identification of well-conserved epitope peptide sequences that resulted from ASR and were present in the sample. We corroborated these results by metagenomic sequencing and found several genes encoding analogue proteins with significant matches to the peptide epitopes identified with the antibodies. The results demonstrated that peptides inferred from ASR studies have true counterpart analogues in Nature, which validates and strengthens the well-known ASR/protein resurrection technique and our immunoanalytical approach for investigating ancient environments and metabolisms on Earth and elsewhere