Present and future methodology for the implementation of decision support systems for traffic management

Real-time predictions are an indispensable requirement for traffic management in order to be able to evaluate the effects of different available strategies or policies. The combination of predicting the state of the network and the evaluation of different traffic management strategies in the short term future allows system managers to anticipate the effects of traffic control strategies ahead of time in order to mitigate the effect of congestion. This paper presents the current framework of decision support systems for traffic management based on short and medium-term predictions and includes some reflections on their likely evolution, based on current scientific research and the evolution of the availability of new types of data and their associated methodologies

Envelliment i VIH: una interacció convergent; PISCIS cohort 1998-2017

Envelliment; VIH; Tractament antiretroviral; CohortEnvejecimiento; VIH; Tratamiento antiretroviral; CohorteAging; HIV; Antiretroviral treatment; CohortL’objectiu d’aquesta anàlisi és descriure la tendència d’envelliment en persones infectades pel VIH de més de 15 anys, entre el 1998 i el 2016, a Catalunya i les Illes Balears, i comparar les característiques clinicoepidemiològiques entre pacients <50 i ≥50 anys el 2017 i al reclutament en la cohort

Circulating non-esterified fatty acids as biomarkers for fat content and composition in pigs

Circulating non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) can reflect the composition of dietary fat or adipose tissues depending on the fasting conditions. Therefore, circulating NEFA may be valuable as biomarkers for meat quality traits, such as intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition in finishing pigs. Genetic variants that regulate lipid metabolism can also modulate the circulating NEFA. We conducted an experiment with 150 heavy Duroc pigs to evaluate fluctuations in the circulating NEFA composition due to age, fasting duration and two genetic polymorphisms, one in the leptin receptor (LEPR; rs709596309) and one in the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD; rs80912566) gene. Circulating NEFA were more saturated and less monounsaturated than the subcutaneous and intramuscular adipose tissues. Absolute circulating NEFA content was more influenced by fasting duration than age. The SCD polymorphism did not impact NEFA content or composition. The LEPR polymorphism affected the content but not the fatty acid composition. Circulating oleic acid NEFA content after a short fasting was positively correlated with intramuscular fat content and, after a long fasting, with intramuscular oleic acid content. We conclude that circulating NEFA reflect environmental and genetic metabolic changes but are of limited value as biomarkers for intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition.This Research was founded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Union Regional Development Funds (grants AGL2012-33529, AGL2015-65846-R, and RTI2018-101346-B-I00)

El Solsonès en època d'Anníbal : el poblament ibèric a la zona durant el segle III aC (300-180 aC)

En els darrers 25 anys el Centre d'Estudis Lacetans està desenvolupant un projecte de recerca programada sobre l'estructura del poblament ibèric a la comarca del Solsonès. Això ha permès caracteritzar la seva evolució des de la primera edat del ferro fins al període ibèric tardà. Es constata que el segle III aC constitueix un moment àlgid, amb un elevat nivell de densitat i complexitat organitzativa. Tot apunta que en el territori lacetà es dóna un panorama de forta fragmentació política, amb diverses entitats territorials que s'organitzen al voltant de nuclis de primer ordre, com els de Sorba, Castellvell o el Cogulló, sense evidències clares d'una centralització similar a la dels territoris costaners.For the last 25 years, the Centre d'Estudis Lacetans has been developing a research project on the structure of the Iberian population in the Solsonès region. This has allowed to characterize its evolution from the first Iron Age to the late Iberian period. The work revealed that this area in the third century BC experienced a moment of maximum development, with a high level of density and organizational complexity. Evidence shows a strong political fragmentation, with several territorial entities that are organized around first order settlements, such as those of Sorba, Castellvell or Cogulló, not similar to the centralization that occurred in the coastal territories

Estimating the HIV undiagnosed population in Catalonia, Spain: descriptive and comparative data analysis to identify differences in MSM stratified by migrant and Spanish-born population

OBJECTIVE: Undiagnosed HIV continues to be a hindrance to efforts aimed at reducing incidence of HIV. The objective of this study was to provide an estimate of the HIV undiagnosed population in Catalonia and compare the HIV care cascade with this step included between high-risk populations. METHODS: To estimate HIV incidence, time between infection and diagnosis and the undiagnosed population stratified by CD4 count, we used the ECDC HIV Modelling Tool V.1.2.2. This model uses data on new HIV and AIDS diagnoses from the Catalan HIV/AIDS surveillance system from 2001 to 2013. Data used to estimate the proportion of people enrolled, on ART and virally suppressed in the HIV care cascade were derived from the PISCIS cohort. RESULTS: The total number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Catalonia in 2013 was 34 729 (32 740 to 36 827), with 12.3% (11.8 to 18.1) of whom were undiagnosed. By 2013, there were 8458 (8101 to 9079) Spanish-born men who have sex with men (MSM) and 2538 (2334 to 2918) migrant MSM living with HIV in Catalonia. A greater proportion of migrant MSM than local MSM was undiagnosed (32% vs 22%). In the subsequent steps of the HIV care cascade, migrants MSM experience greater losses than the Spanish-born MSM: in retention in care (74% vs 55%), in the proportion on combination antiretroviral treatment (70% vs 50%) and virally suppressed (65% vs 46%). CONCLUSIONS: By the end of 2013, there were an estimated 34 729 PLHIV in Catalonia, of whom 4271 were still undiagnosed. This study shows that the Catalan epidemic of HIV has continued to expand with the key group sustaining HIV transmission being MSM living with undiagnosed HIV

Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Hepatits C Virus Coinfection in Spain: Elimination Is Feasible, but the Burden of Residual Cirrhosis Will Be Significant

Background: We assessed the prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis C virus (HCV-Abs) and active HCV infection in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Spain in 2016 and compared the results with those of similar studies performed in 2002, 2009, and 2015. Methods: The study was performed in 43 centers during October-November 2016. The sample was estimated for an accuracy of 2% and selected by proportional allocation and simple random sampling. During 2016, criteria for therapy based on direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA) were at least significant liver fibrosis, severe extrahepatic manifestations of HCV, and high risk of HCV transmissibility. Results: The reference population and the sample size were 38904 and 1588 patients, respectively. The prevalence of HCV-Abs in 2002, 2009, 2015, and 2016 was 60.8%, 50.2%, 37.7%, and 34.6%, respectively (P trend <.001, from 2002 to 2015). The prevalence of active HCV in 2002, 2009, 2015, and 2016 was 54.0%, 34.0%, 22.1%, and 11.7%, respectively (P trend <.001). The anti-HCV treatment uptake in 2002, 2009, 2015, and 2016 was 23.0%, 48.0%, 59.3%, and 74.7%, respectively (P trend <.001). In 2016, HCV-related cirrhosis was present in 7.6% of all HIV-infected individuals, 15.0% of patients with active HCV, and 31.5% of patients who cleared HCV after anti-HCV therapy. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that with universal access to DAA-based therapy and continued efforts in prevention and screening, it will be possible to eliminate active HCV among HIV-infected individuals in Spain in the short term. However, the burden of HCV-related cirrhosis will continue to be significant among HIV-infected individuals.This work was funded by grant Ref. no. GLD14-00279 from the GILEAD Fellowship Programme (Spain) and by the Spanish AIDS Research Network (RD16/0025/0017, RD16/0025/0018) that is included in the Spanish I+D+I Plan and is co-financed by ISCIII-Subdirección General de Evaluacion and European Funding for Regional Development (FEDER).S