Optimization of Experimental Model Parameter Identification for Energy Storage Systems

The smart grid approach is envisioned to take advantage of all available modern technologies in transforming the current power system to provide benefits to all stakeholders in the fields of efficient energy utilisation and of wide integration of renewable sources. Energy storage systems could help to solve some issues that stem from renewable energy usage in terms of stabilizing the intermittent energy production, power quality and power peak mitigation. With the integration of energy storage systems into the smart grids, their accurate modeling becomes a necessity, in order to gain robust real-time control on the network, in terms of stability and energy supply forecasting. In this framework, this paper proposes a procedure to identify the values of the battery model parameters in order to best fit experimental data and integrate it, along with models of energy sources and electrical loads, in a complete framework which represents a real time smart grid management system. The proposed method is based on a hybrid optimisation technique, which makes combined use of a stochastic and a deterministic algorithm, with low computational burden and can therefore be repeated over time in order to account for parameter variations due to the battery's age and usage

Museo de Artes Visuales del siglo XX en el distrito de San Borja

El proyecto que se presenta a través de este trabajo de tesis, tiene como objetivo contribuir a la diversificación de la oferta cultural del distrito de San Borja en Lima Metropolitana, proponiendo el diseño de un Museo de Artes Visuales del Siglo XX (MAVXX). Considera la infraestructura requerida para exhibir en forma permanente a la colección del Instituto de Arte Contemporáneo (IAC) que actualmente se encuentra en el depósito del Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Lima (MAC). El proyecto se dispone de manera longitudinal en dirección norte-sur dejando los cuatro frentes libres y propone el uso de un 50% de área libre para espacios verdes y un atrio en la fachada principal del edificio. Es un volumen puro, lineal y ortogonal de cinco pisos de altura que se relaciona armoniosamente con el perfil urbano local. El programa arquitectónico está organizado según cuatro zonas: a) una zona pública de no colección, b) una zona pública de colección, c) una zona privada de colección y d) una zona privada de no colección. El MAVXX enfatiza el concepto del movimiento continuo en donde se destaca la ausencia de la separación física entre espacios de uso y de paso, dándole dinamismo al interior. También se aplicaron otros elementos de diseño, como la planta libre, el espacio contenedor y la superficie continua. El MAVXX permite testimoniar la prolífica producción de las artes visuales del Siglo XX y, al mismo tiempo, cumplir con las funciones fundamentales del museo: adquirir, conservar, investigar, comunicar y exponer.The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the diversity of the cultural heritage of the San Borja district in Lima, through the design proposal of the Museum of the 20th Century of Visual Arts (MAVXX). The required infrastructure to permanently exhibit the Institute’s Collection of Contemporary Art (IAC), currently located in the deposits of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Lima (MAC), has been considered in the development of this project. The project is oriented in accordance with a north-south direction, leaving open ground to the four faces, whilst also proposing half of the total area to green spaces, and an atrium in the front façade of the building. It is a five-story, lineal and orthogonal, pure architectural volume that smoothly blends into the surrounding urban profile. The architectural program is organized in four specific areas: a) public area of no collection, b) public area of collection, c) private area of collection and d) private area of no collection. The MAVXX emphasizes the concept of continuous movement, highlighting the absence of physical boundaries between spaces of transit and common-use, and in turn, providing spatial interior dynamism. Several other design elements were taken into consideration such as, the open floor plan, the container space and the continuous surface. The MAVXX provides an open window into the prolific 20th century visual arts legacy and, at the same time, fulfills the fundamental functions of a museum: to acquire, conserve, investigate, communicate and exhibit.Tesi

Trans-papillary bilio-pancreatic stenting: When how and which stent

Nowadays, stenting malignant biliary stenosis (extrahepatic or hilar), benign biliary stenosis, and pancreatic duct stenosis in chronic pancreatitis as well as stenting for prophylaxis of post- endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis and for failed extraction of biliary stones or endoscopic papillectomy are the many common challenges for a bilio-pancreatic endoscopist. The purpose of this review is to provide a practical approach to bilio-pancreatic stenting indications and techniques. Having a thorough understanding of stenting indications and techniques, for a bilio-pancreatic endoscopist means being able to develop a tailored approach for each clinical scenario depending on the type of stent used. Biliary stents, in fact, vary in diameter, length, and composition, making it possible to give each patient personalized treatment

Structure and Biological Properties of Ribosome-Inactivating Proteins and Lectins from Elder (Sambucus nigra L.) Leaves

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are a group of proteins with rRNA N-glycosylase activity that catalyze the removal of a specific adenine located in the sarcin-ricin loop of the large ribosomal RNA, which leads to the irreversible inhibition of protein synthesis and, consequently, cell death. The case of elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) is unique, since more than 20 RIPs and related lectins have been isolated and characterized from the flowers, seeds, fruits, and bark of this plant. However, these kinds of proteins have never been isolated from elderberry leaves. In this work, we have purified RIPs and lectins from the leaves of this shrub, studying their main physicochemical characteristics, sequences, and biological properties. In elderberry leaves, we found one type 2 RIP and two related lectins that are specific for galactose, four type 2 RIPs that fail to agglutinate erythrocytes, and one type 1 RIP. Several of these proteins are homologous to others found elsewhere in the plant. The diversity of RIPs and lectins in the different elderberry tissues, and the different biological activities of these proteins, which have a high degree of homology with each other, constitute an excellent source of proteins that are of great interest in diagnostics, experimental therapy, and agriculture

The impact of tumor edema on T2-weighted 3T-MRI invasive breast cancer histological characterization: a pilot radiomics study

Background: to evaluate the contribution of edema associated with histological features to the prediction of breast cancer (BC) prognosis using T2-weighted MRI radiomics. Methods: 160 patients who underwent staging 3T-MRI from January 2015 to January 2019, with 164 histologically proven invasive BC lesions, were retrospectively reviewed. Patient data (age, menopausal status, family history, hormone therapy), tumor MRI-features (location, margins, enhancement) and histological features (histological type, grading, ER, PgR, HER2, Ki-67 index) were collected. Of the 160 MRI exams, 120 were considered eligible, corresponding to 127 lesions. T2-MRI were used to identify edema, which was classified in four groups: peritumoral, pre-pectoral, subcutaneous, or diffuse. A semi-automatic segmentation of the edema was performed for each lesion, using 3D Slicer open-source software. Main radiomics features were extracted and selected using a wrapper selection method. A Random Forest type classifier was trained to measure the performance of predicting histological factors using semantic features (patient data and MRI features) alone and semantic features associated with edema radiomics features. Results: edema was absent in 37 lesions and present in 127 (62 peritumoral, 26 pre-pectoral, 16 subcutaneous, 23 diffuse). The AUC-classifier obtained by associating edema radiomics with semantic features was always higher compared to the AUC-classifier obtained from semantic features alone, for all five histological classes prediction (0.645 vs. 0.520 for histological type, 0.789 vs. 0.590 for grading, 0.487 vs. 0.466 for ER, 0.659 vs. 0.546 for PgR, and 0.62 vs. 0.573 for Ki67). Conclusions: radiomic features extracted from tumor edema contribute significantly to predicting tumor histology, increasing the accuracy obtained from the combination of patient clinical characteristics and breast imaging data

Percepciones sobre el protocolo mexicano de reprobación en Educación Primaria

This study investigates a current and controversial problem in Mexican elementary school classrooms: the protocol of grade reproval or revocation implemented by the Ministry of Public Education. With a mixed design using techniques from both approaches, the perception that 15 teachers have on the subject is explored and described through a specially elaborated questionnaire. Their beliefs, opinions and feelings are reflected in the results, revealing the feeling that their authority has been undermined by the doubt of who really has the power to fail an elementary school student.Este estudio indaga en una problemática tan actual como controversial que se vive en las aulas de la educación primaria mexicana: el protocolo de reprobación o revocación de grado implementado por la Secretaría de Educación Pública. Con un diseño mixto en donde se usan técnicas de ambos enfoques, a través de un cuestionario elaborado exprofeso se explora y describe las percepciones que 15 profesores/as tienen al respecto. Sus creencias, opiniones y sensaciones quedaron plasmadas en los resultados, dejando de manifiesto el sentir de que su autoridad se ha visto socavada ante la duda de quien realmente tiene el poder de reprobar a un/a estudiante de primaria

Trehalose Treatment in Zebrafish Model of Lafora Disease

Mutations in the EPM2A gene encoding laforin cause Lafora disease (LD), a progressive myoclonic epilepsy characterized by drug-resistant seizures and progressive neurological impairment. To date, rodents are the only available models for studying LD; however, their use for drug screening is limited by regulatory restrictions and high breeding costs. To investigate the role of laforin loss of function in early neurodevelopment, and to screen for possible new compounds for treating the disorder, we developed a zebrafish model of LD. Our results showed the epm2a−/− zebrafish to be a faithful model of LD, exhibiting the main disease features, namely motor impairment and neuronal hyperexcitability with spontaneous seizures. The model also showed increased inflammatory response and apoptotic death, as well as an altered autophagy pathway that occurs early in development and likely contributes to the disease progression. Early administration of trehalose was found to be effective for rescuing motor impairment and neuronal hyperexcitability associated with seizures. Our study adds a new tool for investigating LD and might help to identify new treatment opportunities

The biological action and structural characterization of eryngitin 3 and 4, ribotoxin-like proteins from Pleurotus eryngii fruiting bodies

Producción CientíficaRibotoxin-like proteins (RL-Ps) are specific ribonucleases found in mushrooms that are able to cleave a single phosphodiester bond located in the sarcin–ricin loop (SRL) of the large rRNA. The cleaved SRL interacts differently with some ribosomal proteins (P-stalk). This action blocks protein synthesis because the damaged ribosomes are unable to interact with elongation factors. Here, the amino acid sequences of eryngitin 3 and 4, RL-Ps isolated from Pleurotus eryngii fruiting bodies, were determined to (i) obtain structural information on this specific ribonuclease family from edible mushrooms and (ii) explore the structural determinants which justify their different biological and antipathogenic activities. Indeed, eryngitin 3 exhibited higher toxicity with respect to eryngitin 4 against tumoral cell lines and model fungi. Structurally, eryngitin 3 and 4 consist of 132 amino acids, most of them identical and exhibiting a single free cysteinyl residue. The amino acidic differences between the two toxins are (i) an additional phenylalanyl residue at the N-terminus of eryngitin 3, not retrieved in eryngitin 4, and (ii) an additional arginyl residue at the C-terminus of eryngitin 4, not retrieved in eryngitin 3. The 3D models of eryngitins show slight differences at the N- and C-terminal regions. In particular, the positive electrostatic surface at the C-terminal of eryngitin 4 is due to the additional arginyl residue not retrieved in eryngitin 3. This additional positive charge could interfere with the binding to the SRL (substrate) or with some ribosomal proteins (P-stalk structure) during substrate recognition.Unión Europea NextGenerationEU - (Project IR0000009)Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca (MUR), Prin 2022 PNRR - (project P2022YERKR)Junta de Castilla y León, Consejería de Educación - (Grant VA033G19

Pediatric Gastrointestinal Endoscopy: European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) and European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) Guidelines

ABSTRACT: This Guideline refers to infants, children and adolescents aged 0–18 years. The areas covered include: indications for diagnostic and therapeutic esophagogastroduodenoscopy and ileo-colonoscopy; endoscopy for foreign body ingestion; corrosive ingestion and stricture/stenosis endoscopic management; upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding; endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography and endoscopic ultrasonography. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy and endoscopy specific to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been dealt with in other Guidelines [1–3] and are therefore not mentioned in this Guideline. Training and ongoing skill maintenance are to be dealt with in an imminent sister publication to this