Inception 1D-convolutional neural network for accurate prediction of electrical insulator leakage current from environmental data during its normal operation using long-term recording

[EN] Contamination flashover remains one of the biggest challenges for power grid designers and maintenance engineers. Insulator leakage current contains relevant information about their state so that continuous monitoring is considered the most effective way to prevent contamination flashover. In this work, we attempted to accurately predict insulator leakage current in real time during normal operations based on environmental data using long-term recordings. We first confirmed that the history of environmental data also contained relevant information to predict leakage current by conditional Granger analysis and determined that 20 was the optimal previous samples number for this purpose. We then compared the performance of typical regression models and convolutional neural network (CNN), when using both current and the last 21 samples as input features. We confirmed that the model with the last 21 samples might perform significantly better. Input features pre-processing by cascaded inception architecture was fundamental to capture the complex dynamic interaction between environmental data and leakage current and significantly improved the model performance. CNN based on inception architecture performed much better, achieving an average R2 of 0.94 ±0.03. The proposed model could be used to predict leakage current in both porcelain insulators with or without coatings and silicone composite insulators. Our results pave the way for creating an on-line pre-warning system adapted to individual installations, can anticipate the negative consequences of weather and/or pollution deposits and is useful for designing a strategic high-voltage electrical insulator preventive maintenance plan for preventing contamination flashover and thus increase power grid reliability and resilience.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain, the European Regional Development Fund (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE RTI2018-094449-A-I00-AR) .Bueno Barrachina, JM.; Ye Lin, Y.; Nieto Del-Amor, F.; Fuster Roig, VL. (2023). Inception 1D-convolutional neural network for accurate prediction of electrical insulator leakage current from environmental data during its normal operation using long-term recording. Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence. 119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engappai.2022.10579911

Aprendizaje de estrategias de investigación científica en temas de biología fundamental y biomedicina

Memoria ID-0178. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2017-2018

Cysteamine (Cystagon®) adherence in patients with cystinosis in Spain: successful in children and a challenge in adolescents and adults.

Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't;BACKGROUND Cysteamine has improved survival and prognosis in cystinosis. Increasing numbers of patients reach adulthood and face new challenges such as compliance that wanes over time. The aim of this study was to evaluate adherence to cysteamine treatment in a group of cystinotic patients in Spain in an attempt to identify potential therapy pitfalls and improve the overall care of affected individuals. Despite the impact of cysteamine on prognosis, there is a paucity of data regarding adherence. METHOD Thirty-four cystinotic patients (21 male) 38% ≥18 years were enrolled in a voluntary, anonymous survey. Replies were obtained from patients (15/34), mothers (11/34), fathers (4/34) and both parents (4/34). RESULTS Patient age (median and interquartile range) at diagnosis was 1 year (0.57-1), and patient age at Cystagon® initiation was also 1 year (0.8-1.8). Sixteen (47%) were kidney transplant (KTx) recipients; six were retransplanted. Age at first KTx 10 years (8.7-13.7). Patient understanding of multiorgan involvement in cystinosis: 4.1 organs reported; eye 97% and kidney 91%. Cysteamine was given by mother (100%) and father (83%) in <11 year olds, or self-administered (94%) in ≥11 year olds. Four daily doses in 89% versus 56% in <11 year olds or ≥11 year olds, with fixed schedule in 94% versus 50% in <11 or ≥11 year olds and progressive loss of reminders over time. Furthermore, 44% complained of unpleasant smell. Motivation for treatment compliance was 100% versus 40% in <11 versus ≥11 year olds, respectively. Disease impact in patients <18 years is as follows: school (29%), social (14%), 'feeling different' (10%); in patients ≥18 years: 'feeling different' (62%), professional (39%) and job absenteeism (31%). Referring physician: paediatric nephrologist (94%) and nephrologist (63%) in <11 versus ≥11 year olds. Ophthalmological follow-up: 83% versus 38% in <11 versus ≥11 year olds. Patient opinion of physician expertise: paediatric nephrologist (94%) and nephrologist (44%). New treatment options (65%) and better information (42%) were demanded to improve adherence. CONCLUSION Treatment with Cystagon is effective in young patients. However, adherence diminishes over time in adolescents and adults despite disease impact. Strategies such as better information on the disease, patient self-care promotion and facilitated transition to adult healthcare services are required to improve compliance and the clinical management of cystinosis.This study has been supported by A.C. Nielsen Company S.L.and Orphan Europe S.L.UYe

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

Contributions of mean and shape of blood pressure distribution to worldwide trends and variations in raised blood pressure: A pooled analysis of 1018 population-based measurement studies with 88.6 million participants

© The Author(s) 2018. Background: Change in the prevalence of raised blood pressure could be due to both shifts in the entire distribution of blood pressure (representing the combined effects of public health interventions and secular trends) and changes in its high-blood-pressure tail (representing successful clinical interventions to control blood pressure in the hypertensive population). Our aim was to quantify the contributions of these two phenomena to the worldwide trends in the prevalence of raised blood pressure. Methods: We pooled 1018 population-based studies with blood pressure measurements on 88.6 million participants from 1985 to 2016. We first calculated mean systolic blood pressure (SBP), mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and prevalence of raised blood pressure by sex and 10-year age group from 20-29 years to 70-79 years in each study, taking into account complex survey design and survey sample weights, where relevant. We used a linear mixed effect model to quantify the association between (probittransformed) prevalence of raised blood pressure and age-group- and sex-specific mean blood pressure. We calculated the contributions of change in mean SBP and DBP, and of change in the prevalence-mean association, to the change in prevalence of raised blood pressure. Results: In 2005-16, at the same level of population mean SBP and DBP, men and women in South Asia and in Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa would have the highest prevalence of raised blood pressure, and men and women in the highincome Asia Pacific and high-income Western regions would have the lowest. In most region-sex-age groups where the prevalence of raised blood pressure declined, one half or more of the decline was due to the decline in mean blood pressure. Where prevalence of raised blood pressure has increased, the change was entirely driven by increasing mean blood pressure, offset partly by the change in the prevalence-mean association. Conclusions: Change in mean blood pressure is the main driver of the worldwide change in the prevalence of raised blood pressure, but change in the high-blood-pressure tail of the distribution has also contributed to the change in prevalence, especially in older age groups

Worldwide trends in hypertension prevalence and progress in treatment and control from 1990 to 2019: a pooled analysis of 1201 population-representative studies with 104 million participants

Background Hypertension can be detected at the primary health-care level and low-cost treatments can effectively control hypertension. We aimed to measure the prevalence of hypertension and progress in its detection, treatment, and control from 1990 to 2019 for 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 1990 to 2019 on people aged 30–79 years from population-representative studies with measurement of blood pressure and data on blood pressure treatment. We defined hypertension as having systolic blood pressure 140 mm Hg or greater, diastolic blood pressure 90 mm Hg or greater, or taking medication for hypertension. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate the prevalence of hypertension and the proportion of people with hypertension who had a previous diagnosis (detection), who were taking medication for hypertension (treatment), and whose hypertension was controlled to below 140/90 mm Hg (control). The model allowed for trends over time to be non-linear and to vary by age. Findings The number of people aged 30–79 years with hypertension doubled from 1990 to 2019, from 331 (95% credible interval 306–359) million women and 317 (292–344) million men in 1990 to 626 (584–668) million women and 652 (604–698) million men in 2019, despite stable global age-standardised prevalence. In 2019, age-standardised hypertension prevalence was lowest in Canada and Peru for both men and women; in Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and some countries in western Europe including Switzerland, Spain, and the UK for women; and in several low-income and middle-income countries such as Eritrea, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Solomon Islands for men. Hypertension prevalence surpassed 50% for women in two countries and men in nine countries, in central and eastern Europe, central Asia, Oceania, and Latin America. Globally, 59% (55–62) of women and 49% (46–52) of men with hypertension reported a previous diagnosis of hypertension in 2019, and 47% (43–51) of women and 38% (35–41) of men were treated. Control rates among people with hypertension in 2019 were 23% (20–27) for women and 18% (16–21) for men. In 2019, treatment and control rates were highest in South Korea, Canada, and Iceland (treatment >70%; control >50%), followed by the USA, Costa Rica, Germany, Portugal, and Taiwan. Treatment rates were less than 25% for women and less than 20% for men in Nepal, Indonesia, and some countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Control rates were below 10% for women and men in these countries and for men in some countries in north Africa, central and south Asia, and eastern Europe. Treatment and control rates have improved in most countries since 1990, but we found little change in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Improvements were largest in high-income countries, central Europe, and some upper-middle-income and recently high-income countries including Costa Rica, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Brazil, Chile, Turkey, and Iran. Interpretation Improvements in the detection, treatment, and control of hypertension have varied substantially across countries, with some middle-income countries now outperforming most high-income nations. The dual approach of reducing hypertension prevalence through primary prevention and enhancing its treatment and control is achievable not only in high-income countries but also in low-income and middle-income settings

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

Mecanismos de adaptación al ejercicio físico : papel de los sistemas de transducción de señales extracelulares

El estudio de los mecanismos adaptativos al ejercicio físico intenso y regular se ha centrado fundamentalmente, hasta el momento, en los aspectos metabólicos y fisiológicos, prestando menos atención a los mecanismos bioquímicos de transduccion de señales a través de membrana, que en ultima instancia constituyen la base de su regulación. En este trabajo se han estudiado los mecanismos de adaptación al ejercicio físico intenso y regular en el sistema beta-adrenergico-adenilato ciclasa de transduccion de información a través de membrana plasmática, incidiendo a diferentes niveles (receptor, efector y receptor/efector) en tres tejidos de ratas entrenadas sobre un tapiz rodante: cardiaco, hepático y adiposo. Los resultados indican que el sistema de adenilato ciclasa se desensibiliza en corazón puesto que disminuye la densidad de receptores beta-adrenergicos, los niveles de proteína alfas y la actividad enzimática de adenilato ciclasa estimulada via receptor beta-adrenergico, proteína gs o subunidad catalítica. En hígado, el sistema de adenilato ciclasa se hipersensibiliza con el ejercicio físico, como lo atestigua el aumento observado en los niveles de proteína alfas, y en la actividad de adenilato ciclasa estimulada via receptor beta-adrenergico, proteína gs, o subunidad catalítica. En: tejido adiposo también se observa una hipersensibilizacion del sistema con el ejercicio físico, pero diferente a la de hígado, puesto que la densidad de receptores beta-adrenergicos aumenta, así como los niveles de alfas y la actividad de adenilato ciclasa estimulada vía receptor o vía subunidad catalític