Dimensionat de bateries d’un parc fotovoltaic per a la reducció de costos en els errors de predicció

En aquest projecte es discuteix la viabilitat econòmica de la implementació d’un sistema de bateries com a eina per a la reducció dels costos en els errors de predicció comesos per part del productor fotovoltaic. En una primera part del projecte s’estudia el sistema elèctric a Europa i més detalladament a Espanya, país que resulta ser l’escollit per fer l’estudi. Seguidament, s’analitza en detall la situació actual de l’energia fotovoltaica a Espanya. Posteriorment, s’analitzen les dues possibles estratègies a seguir en el mercat de producció al comptat. D’una banda, s’estudia detalladament la participació única al mercat diari i per altra banda, s’estudia la participació al mercat diari i intradiari. Un cop analitzades ambdues estratègies, es realitza una breu anàlisi dels models de predicció fotovoltaics existents per a, seguidament, efectuar amb Matlab® un mètode probabilístic de predicció que resulti en dos vectors d’energia previstos, un pel mercat diari i un altre pel mercat intradiari. A continuació, es realitza una modelització tecno-econòmica d’un sistema de bateries secundàries eligibles juntament amb el funcionament de les dues estratègies de mercat estudiades. Es simula el model mitjançant Gams® i seguidament, s’avaluen els resultats de l’optimització per ambdues estratègies. Finalment, es fa una última avaluació econòmica per a determinar l’escenari més favorable pel productor fotovoltaic

Repopulation of decellularized retinas with hiPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelial and ocular progenitor cells shows cell engraftment, organization and differentiation

The retinal extracellular matrix (ECM) provides architectural support, adhesion and signal guidance that controls retinal development. Decellularization of the ECM affords great potential to tissue engineering; however, how structural retinal ECM affects in vitro development, differentiation and maturation of ocular cells remains to be elucidated. Here, mouse and porcine retinas were decellularized and the protein profile analyzed. Acellular retinal ECM (arECM) scaffolds were then repopulated with human iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells or ocular progenitor cells (OPC) to assess their integration, proliferation and organization. 3837 and 2612 unique proteins were identified in mouse and porcine arECM, respectively, of which 93 and 116 proteins belong to the matrisome. GO analysis shows that matrisome-related proteins were associated with the extracellular region and cell junction and KEGG pathways related to signalling transduction, nervous and endocrine systems and cell junctions were enriched. Interestingly, mouse and porcine arECMs were successfully repopulated with both RPE and OPC, the latter exhibiting cell lineage-specific clusters. Retinal cells organized into different layers containing well-defined areas with pigmented cells, photoreceptors, Müller glia, astrocytes, and ganglion cells, whereas in other areas, conjunctival/limbal, corneal and lens cells re-arranged in cell-specific self-organized areas. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that decellularization of both mouse and porcine retinas retains common native ECM components that upon cell repopulation could guide similar ocular cell adhesion, migration and organization

Proteomics Analysis of Extracellular Matrix Remodeling During Zebrafish Heart Regeneration

Adult zebrafish, in contrast to mammals, are able to regenerate their hearts in response to injury or experimental amputation. Our understanding of the cellular and molecular bases that underlie this process, although fragmentary, has increased significantly over the last years. However, the role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) during zebrafish heart regeneration has been comparatively rarely explored. Here, we set out to characterize the ECM protein composition in adult zebrafish hearts, and whether it changed during the regenerative response. For this purpose, we first established a decellularization protocol of adult zebrafish ventricles that significantly enriched the yield of ECM proteins. We then performed proteomic analyses of decellularized control hearts and at different times of regeneration. Our results show a dynamic change in ECM protein composition, most evident at the earliest (7 days postamputation) time point analyzed. Regeneration associated with sharp increases in specific ECM proteins, and with an overall decrease in collagens and cytoskeletal proteins. We finally tested by atomic force microscopy that the changes in ECM composition translated to decreased ECM stiffness. Our cumulative results identify changes in the protein composition and mechanical properties of the zebrafish heart ECM during regeneration

Higher order assortativity in complex networks

Assortativity was first introduced by Newman and has been extensively studied and applied to many real world networked systems since then. Assortativity is a graph metrics and describes the tendency of high degree nodes to be directly connected to high degree nodes and low degree nodes to low degree nodes. It can be interpreted as a first order measure of the connection between nodes, i.e. the first autocorrelation of the degree-degree vector. Even though assortativity has been used so extensively, to the author's knowledge, no attempt has been made to extend it theoretically. This is the scope of our paper. We will introduce higher order assortativity by extending the Newman index based on a suitable choice of the matrix driving the connections. Higher order assortativity will be defined for paths, shortest paths, random walks of a given time length, connecting any couple of nodes. The Newman assortativity is achieved for each of these measures when the matrix is the adjacency matrix, or, in other words, the correlation is of order 1. Our higher order assortativity indexes can be used for describing a variety of real networks, help discriminating networks having the same Newman index and may reveal new topological network features.Comment: 24 pages, 16 figure

Resistance Training Safety during and after the SARS-Cov-2 Outbreak: Practical Recommendations

In December of 2019, there was an outbreak of a severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by the coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) in China. The virus rapidly spread into the whole world causing an unprecedented pandemic and forcing governments to impose a global quarantine, entering an extreme unknown situation. The organizational consequences of quarantine/isolation are absence of organized training and competition, lack of communication among athletes and coaches, inability to move freely, lack of adequate sunlight exposure, and inappropriate training conditions. The reduction of mobility imposed to contain the advance of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic can negatively affect the physical condition and health of individuals leading to muscle atrophy, progressive loss of muscle strength, and reductions in neuromuscular and mechanical capacities. Resistance training (RT) might be an effective tool to counteract these adverse consequences. RT is considered an essential part of an exercise program due to its numerous health and athletic benefits. However, in the face of the SARS-Cov-2 outbreak, many people might be concerned with safety issues regarding its practice, especially in indoor exercise facilities, such as gyms and fitness centers. These concerns might be associated with RT impact in the immune system, respiratory changes, and contamination due to equipment sharing and agglomeration. In this current opinion article, we provide insights to address these issues to facilitate the return of RT practices under the new logistical and health challenges. We understand that RT can be adapted to allow its performance with measures adopted to control coronavirus outbreak such that the benefits would largely overcome the potential risks. The article provides some practical information to help on its implementation

Searching for a technology-driven acute rheumatic fever test: The START study protocol

Introduction: The absence of a diagnostic test for acute rheumatic fever (ARF) is a major impediment in managing this serious childhood condition. ARF is an autoimmune condition triggered by infection with group A Streptococcus. It is the precursor to rheumatic heart disease (RHD), a leading cause of health inequity and premature mortality for Indigenous peoples of Australia, New Zealand and internationally. Methods and analysis: Searching for a Technology-Driven Acute Rheumatic Fever Test\u27 (START) is a biomarker discovery study that aims to detect and test a biomarker signature that distinguishes ARF cases from non-ARF, and use systems biology and serology to better understand ARF pathogenesis. Eligible participants with ARF diagnosed by an expert clinical panel according to the 2015 Revised Jones Criteria, aged 5-30 years, will be recruited from three hospitals in Australia and New Zealand. Age, sex and ethnicity-matched individuals who are healthy or have non-ARF acute diagnoses or RHD, will be recruited as controls. In the discovery cohort, blood samples collected at baseline, and during convalescence in a subset, will be interrogated by comprehensive profiling to generate possible diagnostic biomarker signatures. A biomarker validation cohort will subsequently be used to test promising combinations of biomarkers. By defining the first biomarker signatures able to discriminate between ARF and other clinical conditions, the START study has the potential to transform the approach to ARF diagnosis and RHD prevention. Ethics and dissemination: The study has approval from the Northern Territory Department of Health and Menzies School of Health Research ethics committee and the New Zealand Health and Disability Ethics Committee. It will be conducted according to ethical standards for research involving Indigenous Australians and New Zealand Mā ori and Pacific Peoples. Indigenous investigators and governance groups will provide oversight of study processes and advise on cultural matters

Fine Mapping of 10q and 18q for Familial Alzheimer's Disease in Caribbean Hispanics

Familial Alzheimer's disease (AD [MIM 104300]) has been a focus of intense investigation, primarily in Caucasian families from Europe and North America families. Although the late-onset form of familial AD, beginning after age 65 years, has been linked to regions on chromosomes 10q and 12p, the specific genetic variants have not yet been consistently identified. Using a unique cohort of families of Caribbean Hispanics ancestry, we screened the genome using 340 markers on 490 family members from 96 families with predominantly late-onset AD. We observed the strongest support for linkage on 18q (LOD=3.14). However, 17 additional markers (chromosomes 1-6, 8, 10, 12, and 14) exceeded a two-point LOD score of 1.0 under the affecteds-only autosomal dominant model or affected sibpair model. As we previously reported the fine-mapping effort on 12p showing modest evidence of linkage, we focused our fine-mapping efforts on two other candidate regions in the current report, namely 10q and 18q. We added 31 family members and eight additional Caribbean Hispanic families to fine map 10q and 18q. With additional microsatellite markers, the evidence for linkage for 18q strengthened near 112 cM, where the two-point LOD score for D18S541 was 3.37 and the highest NPL score in that region was 3.65 (P=0.000177). This narrow region contains a small number of genes expressed in the brain. However, at 10q (134-138 cM), the NPL score decreased from 3.15 (P=0.000486) to 2.1 (P=0.0218), but two broad peaks remained overlapping with previously reported peaks. Our results provide modest support for linkage on 10q and 12p in this cohort of Caribbean Hispanic families with familial Alzheimer's disease, and strong evidence for a new locus on 18

Chemokines and galectins form heterodimers to modulate inflammation

Chemokines and galectins are simultaneously upregulated and mediate leukocyte recruitment during inflammation. Until now, these effector molecules have been considered to function independently. Here, we tested the hypothesis that they form molecular hybrids. By systematically screening chemokines for their ability to bind galectin‐1 and galectin‐3, we identified several interacting pairs, such as CXCL12 and galectin‐3. Based on NMR and MD studies of the CXCL12/galectin‐3 heterodimer, we identified contact sites between CXCL12 β‐strand 1 and Gal‐3 F‐face residues. Mutagenesis of galectin‐3 residues involved in heterodimer formation resulted in reduced binding to CXCL12, enabling testing of functional activity comparatively. Galectin‐3, but not its mutants, inhibited CXCL12‐induced chemotaxis of leukocytes and their recruitment into the mouse peritoneum. Moreover, galectin‐3 attenuated CXCL12‐stimulated signaling via its receptor CXCR4 in a ternary complex with the chemokine and receptor, consistent with our structural model. This first report of heterodimerization between chemokines and galectins reveals a new type of interaction between inflammatory mediators that can underlie a novel immunoregulatory mechanism in inflammation. Thus, further exploration of the chemokine/galectin interactome is warranted

Guideline for reporting systematic reviews of outcome measurement instruments (OMIs):PRISMA-COSMIN for OMIs 2024

PurposeAlthough comprehensive and widespread guidelines on how to conduct systematic reviews of outcome measurement instruments (OMIs) exist, for example from the COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measure- ment INstruments) initiative, key information is often missing in published reports. This article describes the development of an extension of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guideline: PRISMA-COSMIN for OMIs 2024.MethodsThe development process followed the Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research (EQUATOR) guidelines and included a literature search, expert consultations, a Delphi study, a hybrid workgroup meeting, pilot testing, and an end-of-project meeting, with integrated patient/public involvement.ResultsFrom the literature and expert consultation, 49 potentially relevant reporting items were identified. Round 1 of the Delphi study was completed by 103 panelists, whereas round 2 and 3 were completed by 78 panelists. After 3 rounds, agreement (≥ 67%) on inclusion and wording was reached for 44 items. Eleven items without consensus for inclusion and/or wording were discussed at a workgroup meeting attended by 24 participants. Agreement was reached for the inclusion and wording of 10 items, and the deletion of 1 item. Pilot testing with 65 authors of OMI systematic reviews further improved the guideline through minor changes in wording and structure, finalized during the end-of-project meeting. The final check- list to facilitate the reporting of full systematic review reports contains 54 (sub)items addressing the review’s title, abstract, plain language summary, open science, introduction, methods, results, and discussion. Thirteen items pertaining to the title and abstract are also included in a separate abstract checklist, guiding authors in reporting for example conference abstracts.ConclusionPRISMA-COSMIN for OMIs 2024 consists of two checklists (full reports; abstracts), their corresponding expla- nation and elaboration documents detailing the rationale and examples for each item, and a data flow diagram. PRISMA- COSMIN for OMIs 2024 can improve the reporting of systematic reviews of OMIs, fostering their reproducibility and allowing end-users to appraise the quality of OMIs and select the most appropriate OMI for a specific application