Optimal generic energy storage system offering in day-ahead electricity markets

This paper models the offers and bids of a generic storage system in an electricity market through stochastic mixed integer linear programming. The objective function aims at maximizing the profit from buying or selling energy for a general storage system. Some parameters such as storage system efficiency, losses of the energy stored and marginal costs are parameterized to evaluate the offers and bids. Market prices are forecasted for 24 hours using AR, MA and ARIMA time series models. The problem is tested for a case study, analyzing the behaviour of the offers and bids. Also, the results obtained are studied and relevant conclusions are presented.Es la versión aceptada del documento. Se puede consultar la versión final en el DOI 10.1109/PTC.2015.723244

Classic Bioelectrical Impedance Vector Reference Values for Assessing Body Composition in Male and Female Athletes

Bioimpedance standards are well established for the normal healthy population and in clinical settings, but they are not available for many sports categories. The aim of this study was to develop reference values for male and female athletes using classic bioimpedance vector analysis (BIVA). In this study, 1556 athletes engaged in different sports were evaluated during their off-season period. A tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance analyzer was used to determine measurements of resistance (R) and reactance (Xc). The classic BIVA procedure, which corrects bioelectrical values for body height, was applied, and fat-free mass, fat mass, and total body water were estimated. In order to verify the need for specific references, classic bioelectrical values were compared to the reference values for the general male and female populations. Additionally, athletes were divided into three groups: endurance, velocity/power, and team sports. In comparison with the general healthy male and female populations, the mean vectors of the athletes showed a shift to the left on the R-Xc graph. Considering the same set of modalities, BIVA confidence graphs showed that male and female endurance athletes presented lower body fluids, fat mass, and fat-free mass than other sets of modalities. This study provides BIVA reference values for an athletic population that can be used as a standard for assessing body composition in male and female athletes

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care of cancer patients in Spain

Background: Studies evaluating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on public healthcare systems are limited, particularly in cancer management. As no such studies have been carried out in Spain, our objective is to describe and quantify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer patients in Spanish hospitals during the first wave of the pandemic. Materials and methods: This retrospective, multicenter, nationwide study collected information from hospital departments treating oncology patients. An electronic questionnaire comparing outcomes and management of oncohematological patients for the March-June 2019 and March-June 2020 periods was used. Results: Information from 78 departments (36 tertiary hospitals) was analyzed. Forty-four departments implemented adapted protocols during March 2020. Most of these (n = 38/44; 86.4%) carried out COVID-19 triage, while 26 of 44 (59.1%) carried out onsite polymerase chain reaction tests for clinically suspected cases. A shift from in-person to telephone visits was observed in 43 of 44 (97.7%) departments. Comparing the March-June 2019 and March-June 2020 periods, the number of new patients decreased by 20.8% (from 160.2 to 126.4). Decreases were also seen in the mean number of total (2858.2 versus 1686.1) and cancer (465.5 versus 367.2) biopsies, as well as the mean number of bone marrow biopsies (30.5 versus 18.6). Concerning the number of patients visiting specific cancer care departments, a decrease from 2019 to 2020 was seen for mean number of chemotherapy treatments (712.7 versus 643.8) and radiation therapy (2169.9 versus 2139.9). Finally, a reduction from 2019 to 2020 of 12.9% (from 8.6 to 7.4) in the mean number of patients included in clinical trials was noted. Conclusions: This study provides the first comprehensive data concerning the impact of COVID-19 on cancer care in Spain. The pandemic caused a 20.8% decrease in newly diagnosed patients, which may impact future outcomes. Measures must be taken to ensure cancer management receives priority in times of healthcare emergencies

Deep Submarine Giant Scours in northern Gulf of Cadiz (offshore SW Iberia): a singular case of sedimentary and tectonic coupling?

Multi-beam swath bathymetry carried out in NW Gulf of Cadiz(offshore SW Iberia - MATESPRO campaign) revealed several intriguing morphologic features, lying at depths between -3900 and - 4700 m., in an area characterized by very shallow general slope gradients (dipping approximately 0.4 degrees). These three dimensional features are characterized by elliptical crescent shapes of kilometric length (major axis around 5 km), displaying internal escarpments up to 100 m high and slopes varying between 6 and 14 degrees.A single channel seismic profile acquired across two of these features shows that they have a sub-surface composite structure. The internal part of the crescent consists of a depression filled up with upslope prograding sedimentary units developing towards the scarp that sharply truncates the sedimentary horizons. The growth processes of these structures appears to be by retrogressive displacement of a morphological scarp and remobilization followed by deposition of the eroded material in front of the scarp, prograding towards it. This process is similar to the development of contourite bodies in which the current direction is parallel to the scarp, whilst in the present case the flow direction may be mainly perpendicular to the scarp.These units are overlain by a sub-horizontal turbidite-like sedimentary unit that partially infills the depression. A deep multi-channel seismic profile across the same structure revealed the existence of an underlying thrust, part of a major structure, the Gulf of Cadiz Accretionary Prism. These singular features are interpreted as the coupled of sedimentary and tectonic processes. It is proposed that the Deep Submarine Giant Scours formed when a local morphologic irregularity, corresponding to the bathymetric expression of movement on an underlying thrust, is enhanced by the erosional activity of turbidity and thermohaline bottom currents driven by the formation of local eddies in front of the scarp. The drift results from the re-deposition of the eroded material in the same location

Endocannabinoids and cardiovascular prevention: real progress?

The prevalence of obesity continues to increase and represents one of the principal causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. After the discovery of a specific receptor of the psychoactive principle of marijuana, the cannabinoid receptors and their endogenous ligands, several studies have demonstrated the role of this system in the control of food intake and energy balance and its overactivity in obesity. Recent studies with the CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant have demonstrated favorable effects such as a reduction in body weight and waist circumference and an improvement in metabolic factors (cholesterol, triglycerides, glycemia etc). Therefore, the antagonism of the endocannabinoid (EC) system, if recent data can be confirmed, could be a new treatment target for high risk overweight or obese patients. Obesity is a growing problem that has epidemic proportions worldwide and is associated with an increased risk of premature death (1–3). Individuals with a central deposition of fats have elevated cardiovascular morbidity and mortality (including stroke, heart failure and myocardial infarction) and, because of a growing prevalence not only in adults but also in adolescents, it was reclassified in AHA guidelines as a “major modifiable risk factor” for coronary heart disease (4, 5). Although first choice therapy in obesity is based on correcting lifestyle (diet and physical activity) in patients with abdominal obesity and high cardiovascular risk and diabetes, often it is necessary to use drugs which reduce the risks. The EC system represents a new target for weight control and the improvement of lipid and glycemic metabolism (6, 7)

Baseline radiomics features and MYC rearrangement status predict progression in aggressive B-cell lymphoma

We investigated whether the outcome prediction of patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma can be improved by combining clinical, molecular genotype, and radiomics features. MYC, BCL2, and BCL6 rearrangements were assessed using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Seventeen radiomics features were extracted from the baseline positron emission tomography–computed tomography of 323 patients, which included maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(max)), SUV(peak), SUV(mean), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), total lesion glycolysis, and 12 dissemination features pertaining to distance, differences in uptake and volume between lesions, respectively. Logistic regression with backward feature selection was used to predict progression after 2 years. The predictive value of (1) International Prognostic Index (IPI); (2) IPI plus MYC; (3) IPI, MYC, and MTV; (4) radiomics; and (5) MYC plus radiomics models were tested using the cross-validated area under the curve (CV-AUC) and positive predictive values (PPVs). IPI yielded a CV-AUC of 0.65 ± 0.07 with a PPV of 29.6%. The IPI plus MYC model yielded a CV-AUC of 0.68 ± 0.08. IPI, MYC, and MTV yielded a CV-AUC of 0.74 ± 0.08. The highest model performance of the radiomics model was observed for MTV combined with the maximum distance between the largest lesion and another lesion, the maximum difference in SUV(peak) between 2 lesions, and the sum of distances between all lesions, yielding an improved CV-AUC of 0.77 ± 0.07. The same radiomics features were retained when adding MYC (CV-AUC, 0.77 ± 0.07). PPV was highest for the MYC plus radiomics model (50.0%) and increased by 20% compared with the IPI (29.6%). Adding radiomics features improved model performance and PPV and can, therefore, aid in identifying poor prognosis patients

CP Asymmetries in B_s Decays and Spontaneous CP violation

We study possible effects of new physics in CP asymmetries in two-body $B_s$ decays in left-right models with spontaneous CP violation. Considering the contributions of new CP phases to the $B_s$ mixing as well as to the penguin dominated decay amplitudes we show that, with the present constraints, large deviations from the standard model predictions in CP asymmetries are allowed in both cases. Detection of the new physics can be done by measuring non-zero asymmetries which are predicted to vanish in the standard model or by comparing two measurements which are predicted to be equal in the standard model. In particular, we show that the measurement of the CKM angle $\gamma$ in electroweak penguin dominated processes $B_s^0\to\rho^0\eta^{(')}, \rho^0\phi$ can largely be affected by the new physics.Comment: References and discussion added, version to be published in PR