Evaluating prediction models for electricity consumption

This paper presents a system for visualizing electricity consumptiondata along with the implementation of a pattern recognition approach for peakprediction. Various classification algorithms and machine learning techniques aretested and discussed; in particular, Support Vector Machine (SVM), GaussianMixture Model (GMM) and hierarchical classifiers. Most notably, the bestalgorithms are able to detect 70% of the peaks occurring within the next 24 hours.Also, various ways of correlating energy consumption are considered in the presentcontext. Finally, a few directions for future work are discussed

Exercise and obstructive sleep apnoea: a 24-week follow-up study

publishedVersio

En vaksine til besvær - infeksjon eller immunmediert medikamentreaksjon? En kvalitetssikringsstudie for klinisk håndtering av pasienter ved infeksjonsmedisinsk avdeling UNN Tromsø

Formålet med oppgaven er å kartlegge forekomsten av bivirkninger etter vaksinasjon med 23-valent pneumokokkpolysakkaridvaksine og risikofaktorer for å utvikle disse. Oppgaven vil også beskrive fem pasientcaser fra infeksjonsmedisinsk avdeling UNN Tromsø og drøfte årsaksforholdet. Metode: Det ble gjennomført et systematisk litteratursøk i PubMed-database, og valgt artikler i henhold til forhåndsdefinerte inklusjons- og eksklusjonskriterier. 41 studier ble inkludert. Relevante data ble hentet ut fra 23 eksperimentelle- og kohortstudier, og undersøkt med binær logistisk regresjonsanalyse i no events/no trial versjon. Resultat fra analysene er presentert i form av tabeller og tekst. Det presenteres også funn fra inkluderte metaanalyser/oversiktsartikler, regiseterstudier og case-serier/-rapporter som ble omfattet av litteratursøket. Data fra pasientcaser ble hentet fra elektronisk pasientjournal (DIPS) etter oppgitte metoder og kriterier. Disse presenteres i tabell- og tekstform i oppgaven. Resultat: Studien finner at forekomsten av lokale bivirkninger etter PPV23 er 65,2%. Av de lokale er smerte hyppigst (35,3%), etterfulgt av redusert armbevegelighet (21,4%), erytem (9,9%) og hevelse (9,4%). Systemiske bivirkninger forekommer hos 38,3%. Av de systemiske er fatigue/utmattelse hyppigst (16,7%), etterfulgt av nyoppståtte muskelsmerter (15,1%), frostrier (12,8%), hodepine (10,7%) og feber (8,1%). Revaksinasjon med PPV23 øker signifikant risikoen for lokale og systemiske bivirkninger. Bruk av dagbok/rapporteringskort for registrering av bivirkninger sammenlignet med andre metoder påvirker forekomsten av ulike bivirkninger. Konklusjon: Vaksinasjon med 23-valent pneumokokkpolysakkaridvaksine er en relativt hyppig årsak til meldte vaksinerelaterte bivirkninger sammenlignet med andre vaksiner. Revaksinasjon er assosiert med høyere forekomst av, og mer omfattende bivirkninger. Smerte er den hyppigste lokale bivirkningen, mens utmattelse er den vanligste systemiske bivirkningen. Kjennskap til vaksinerelaterte immunologiske ikke-infeksiøse bivirkninger er viktig for å kunne gjøre en adekvat klinisk vurdering og starte riktig behandling basert på opplysninger i anamnese og klinikk

Inhibition of the Nuclear Factor-κB Pathway Prevents Beta Cell Failure and Diet Induced Diabetes in Psammomys obesus

BACKGROUND: High doses of anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and salicylates, improve glucose metabolism in insulin resistant and type 2 diabetic patients. It has also been shown that the glucose lowering effect is related to the unspecific ability of these drugs to inhibit inhibitor kinaseβ (IKKβ). In this study we have investigated the effect of a selective IKKβ-inhibitor on beta cell survival and the prevention of diet induced type 2 diabetes in the gerbil Psammomys obesus (P. obesus). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: P. obesus were fed a diabetes inducing high energy diet for one month in the absence or presence of the IKKβ-inhibitor. Body mass, blood glucose, HbA(1C), insulin production and pancreatic insulin stores were measured. The effects on beta cell survival were also studied in INS-1 cells and primary islets. The cells were exposed to IL-1β and subsequently reactive oxygen species, insulin release and cell death were measured in the absence or presence of the IKKβ-inhibitor. In primary islets and beta cells, IL-1β induced the production of reactive oxygen species, reduced insulin production and increased beta cell death, which were all reversed by pre-treatment with the IKKβ-inhibitor. In P. obesus the IKKβ-inhibitor prevented the development of hyperglycaemia and hyperinsulinaemia, and maintained pancreatic insulin stores with no effect on body weight. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Inhibition of IKKβ activity prevents diet-induced diabetes in P. obesus and inhibits IL-1β induced reactive oxygen species, loss of insulin production and beta cell death in vitro

Krigen mot Irak - noen perspektiver på bruken av luftmakt

publishedVersio

Characterization of mitochondrial mRNAs in codfish reveals unique features compared to mammals

Expression and processing of mitochondrial gene transcripts are fundamental to mitochondrial function, but information from early vertebrates like teleost fishes is essentially lacking. We have analyzed mitogenome sequences of ten codfishes (family Gadidae), and provide complete sequences from three new species (Saithe, Pollack and Blue whiting). Characterization of the mitochondrial mRNAs in Saithe and Atlantic cod identified a set of ten poly(A) transcripts, and six UAA stop codons are generated by posttranscriptional polyadenylation. Structural assessment of poly(A) sites is consistent with an RNaseP cleavage activity 5′ of tRNA acceptor-like stems. COI, ND5 and ND6 mRNAs were found to harbor 3′ UTRs with antisense potential extending into neighboring gene regions. While the 3′ UTR of COI mRNA is complementary to the tRNASer (UCN) and highly similar to that detected in human mitochondria, the ND5 and ND6 3′ UTRs appear more heterogenic. Deep sequencing confirms expression of all mitochondrial mRNAs and rRNAs, and provides information about the precise 5′ ends in mature transcripts. Our study supports an overall evolutionary conservation in mitochondrial RNA processing events among vertebrates, but reveals some unique 5′ and 3′ end characteristics in codfish mRNAs with implications to antisense regulation of gene expression

Factors influencing the prevalence of resistance-associated substitutions in NS5A protein in treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis C

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) revolutionized treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) present at the baseline impair response to DAA due to rapid selection of resistant HCV strains. NS5A is indispensable target of the current DAA treatment regimens. We evaluated prevalence of RASs in NS5A in DAA-naïve patients infected with HCV 1a (n = 19), 1b (n = 93), and 3a (n = 90) before systematic DAA application in the territory of the Russian Federation. Total proportion of strains carrying at least one RAS constituted 35.1% (71/202). In HCV 1a we detected only M28V (57.9%) attributed to a founder effect. Common RASs in HCV 1b were R30Q (7.5%), L31M (5.4%), P58S (4.4%), and Y93H (5.4%); in HCV 3a, A30S (31.0%), A30K (5.7%), S62L (8.9%), and Y93H (2.2%). Prevalence of RASs in NS5A of HCV 1b and 3a was similar to that worldwide, including countries practicing massive DAA application, i.e., it was not related to treatment. NS5A with and without RASs exhibited different co-variance networks, which could be attributed to the necessity to preserve viral fitness. Majority of RASs were localized in polymorphic regions subjected to immune pressure, with selected substitutions allowing immune escape. Altogether, this explains high prevalence of RAS in NS5A and low barrier for their appearance in DAA-inexperienced population.Fil: Kyuregyan, Karen K.. Russian Academy Of Sciences; Rusia. Russian Medical Academy Of Continuous Professional Education; Rusia. I. I. Mechnikov Research Institute For Vaccines And Sera; RusiaFil: Kichatova, Vera S.. Russian Medical Academy Of Continuous Professional Education; Rusia. Russian Academy Of Sciences; Rusia. I. I. Mechnikov Research Institute For Vaccines And Sera; RusiaFil: Karlsen, Anastasiya A.. I. I. Mechnikov Research Institute For Vaccines And Sera; Rusia. Russian Medical Academy Of Continuous Professional Education; Rusia. Russian Academy Of Sciences; RusiaFil: Isaeva, Olga V.. I. I. Mechnikov Research Institute For Vaccines And Sera; Rusia. Russian Medical Academy Of Continuous Professional Education; RusiaFil: Solonin, Sergei A.. N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute for Emergency Medicine; RusiaFil: Petkov, Stefan. Karolinska Huddinge Hospital. Karolinska Institutet; SueciaFil: Nielsen, Morten. Technical University of Denmark; Dinamarca. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; ArgentinaFil: Isaguliants, Maria G.. Russian Academy Of Sciences; Rusia. Karolinska Huddinge Hospital. Karolinska Institutet; SueciaFil: Mikhailov, Mikhail I.. Russian Medical Academy Of Continuous Professional Education; Rusia. I. I. Mechnikov Research Institute For Vaccines And Sera; Rusi

Combined prompt gamma activation and neutron diffraction analyses of historic metal objects and limestone samples

Two non-destructive neutron techniques have been used for the analysis of archaeological objects, among them English monumental brass plates, Dutch tin-lead spoons, a Roman leaded bronze fibula and several limestone samples. Prompt Gamma Activation Analysis (PGAA) is a non-destructive method for determination of the major and trace element compositions of various archaeological materials. Time-Of-Flight Neutron Diffraction (TOF-ND), on the other hand, is a non-invasive diagnostic tool for obtaining structural information from ceramic and metal objects. The element information (PGAA) holds the key information for addressing questions of provenance and authentication, whereas the structure information (TOF-ND) addresses questions of ancient materials and making techniques. Here we present data from those two complementary neutron methods, applied to different types of materials and artefacts, in order to highlight commonalities and differences

Comprehensive assessment of ECM turnover using serum biomarkers establishes PBC as a high-turnover autoimmune liver disease

Background & Aims: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) are phenotypically distinct autoimmune liver diseases that progress to cirrhosis and liver failure; however, their histological fibrosis distribution differs. We investigated the extracellular matrix (ECM) profiles of patients with PSC, PBC, and AIH to establish whether the diseases display differential patterns of ECM turnover. Methods: Serum samples were retrospectively collected from the UK (test cohort; PSC n = 78; PBC n = 74; AIH n = 58) and Norway (validation cohort; PSC n = 138; PBC n = 28; AIH n = 27). Patients with ulcerative colitis without liver disease (n = 194) served as controls. We assessed specific serological biomarkers of ECM turnover: type III and V collagen formation (PRO-C3, PRO-C5), degradation of type III and IV collagen (C3M, C4M), biglycan (BGM) and citrullinated vimentin (VICM). Results: Most of the ECM markers showed elevated serum levels in PBC compared with PSC or AIH (p <0.01). PRO-C3 correlated well with liver stiffness and showed the most striking differences between advanced and non-advanced liver disease; several of the other ECM markers were also associated with stage. PRO-C3 and other ECM markers were inversely associated with ursodeoxycholic acid treatment response in PBC and remission in AIH. All ECM remodelling markers were significantly elevated (p <0.05) in patients with PSC, PBC, or AIH compared with ulcerative colitis. Conclusions: In this first study comparing ECM turnover in autoimmune liver diseases, we found increased ECM turnover in PBC compared with either PSC or AIH. The study indicates that ECM remodelling is different in PSC, PBC, and AIH, suggesting differing opportunities for therapeutic intervention.publishedVersio