Data-driven modelling ofAC losses in high-temperature superconducting coils

Predicting the loss in superconductive power devices is of utmost importance when designing such devices. This is because the cooling system needs to be designed accordingly. The current methods for predicting AC Loss are either inaccurate or very time consuming. These conventional methods for predicting loss are of two types in which one is faster but inaccurate, while the other is very accurate but also very time consuming. While currently they are both employed in different stages of the design process, there is an interest in a faster, but still accurate, form of predicting AC Loss. Studies have time and time again shown that Artificial Neural Networks are capable of taking on complex tasks and handling them faster than regular computing. Because of this, in this work, an Artificial Neural Network based approach is proposed as to predict AC Loss in various configurations of HTS coils. This approach aims to replicate the accuracy of standard numerical models while being much faster than said models. This results in a final framework comprised of two distinct sequential Neural Networks that are capable of predicting the AC Loss for different configurations of HTS coils nearly instantaneously while still being very accurate and reliable in their predictions.A capacidade de previsão de perdas em dispositivos de potência supercondutores é um assunto de alta importância aquando do desenho dos mesmos. Isto deve-se ao facto de o sistema de arrefecimento necissitar de ser desenhado de acordo com as mesmas. Os métodos atuais de previsão de perdas AC são ou pouco fiávies, ou bastante demorados. Estes métodos atuais de previsão de perdas são de dois tipos em que um é mais rápido mas pouco preciso, enquanto o outro é bastante preciso mas, no entanto,muito demorado. Embora atualmente sejam ambos empregados em fases diferentes do processo de desenho, continua a existir interesse numa forma rápida e precisa de prever perdas AC. Estudos têm vindo a provar que as Redes Neuronais são capazes de enfrentar tarefas complexas e lidar com elas de forma mais rápida que a computação tradicional. Dado isto, neste trabalho propõe-se uma abordagem baseada em Redes Neuronais para prever perdas AC em várias configurações de bobinas HTS. Esta abordagem visa a replicar a fiabilidade de métodos numéricos sendo, no entanto, bastante mais rápida. Isto resulta numa framework final composta por duas Redes Neuronais distintas sequenciais que é capaz the prever perdas AC em diversas configurações de bobinas de forma quase instantânea sendo, no entanto, bastante correta e confiável nas suas previsões

Performance of popcorn maize populations in South American Avatí Pichingá using diallel analysis

Abstract The Avatí Pichingá population contains genes for resistance to the fungal species that cause ear rot. This study aimed to develop populations of interest. For this purpose, the diallel analysis was carried out and combining ability associated with of grain yield (GY), popping expansion (PE), plant height (PH), ear height (EH) and days to silking (FF) were assessed from seven South American varieties of the maize race Avatí Pichingá. Performance for those populations was evaluated in a completely randomized block designs at four locations in Paraguay and one location in Brazil. The statistical approach was based on the individual and joint analysis of variance and diallel analysis (Gardner and Eberhart's and Griffing's methods). The results showed that varieties and heterosis effects were significant for all the studied traits. Highly significant differences were also detected for the interactions between heterosis and locations for all traits, in contrast to variety and location that were significant for GY only. Differences were significant for average, variety, and specific heterosis with 68% of variation from the varieties and 32% from the total heterosis for GY. Differences among locations, varieties, heterotic effects, interaction between variety and locations were highly significant for PE, PH, EH, and FF. However, specific heterosis was significant for PE only. Estimates of combining ability and heterosis showed that ´PAZM 2065` and ´PAZM 0131` are superior varieties for GY, and ´PAZM 7130` for PE, ´PAZM 6070` for PH and EH, and ´PAZM 7139` for early flowering, respectively

Os custos da aterosclerose em Portugal

Copyright © 2020 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.© 2020 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier Espa ̃na, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Introduction and objectives: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Portugal and atherosclerosis is the most common underlying pathophysiological process. The aim of this study was to quantify the economic impact of atherosclerosis in Portugal by estimating disease-related costs. Methods: Costs were estimated based on a prevalence approach and following a societal perspective. Three national epidemiological sources were used to estimate the prevalence of the main clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis. The annual costs of atherosclerosis included both direct costs (resource consumption) and indirect costs (impact on population productivity). These costs were estimated for 2016, based on data from the Hospital Morbidity Database, the health care database (SIARS) of the Regional Health Administration of Lisbon and Tagus Valley including real-world data from primary care, the 2014 National Health Interview Survey, and expert opinion. Results: The total cost of atherosclerosis in 2016 reached 1.9 billion euros (58% and 42% of which was direct and indirect costs, respectively). Most of the direct costs were associated with primary care (55%), followed by hospital outpatient care (27%) and hospitalizations (18%). Indirect costs were mainly driven by early exit from the labor force (91%). Conclusions: Atherosclerosis has a major economic impact, being responsible for health expenditure equivalent to 1% of Portuguese gross domestic product and 11% of current health expenditure in 2016.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Origem fitogeográfica de feijões da Madeira com base em perfis de faseolina

The objective of this work was to determine the geographic origin of the Madeiran common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) gene pool. Phaseolin patterns of 50 accessions representing the diversity of common bean collected in Madeira, Portugal, and conserved in the ISOPlexis Germplasm Bank, were analysed using the Experion automated electrophoresis system, based on lab-on-a-chip technology. Five common bean standard varieties with typical phaseolin patterns were used to determine the phytogeographical origin of the Madeiran common bean accessions. Ninety two percent of the accessions exhibited a phaseolin pattern consistent with the one of common bean types belonging to the Andean gene pool, while the origin of the remaining 8% of the accessions was indistinguishable. The application of a similarity coefficient of 85%, based on Pearson correlations, increases the number of accessions with uncertain pattern. The analytical approach used permitted the determination of the origin of the common bean gene pool, which is Andean in 98% of the cases, and clustering of the observed variability among the Madeiran common beans.O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a origem geográfica do "pool" genético do feijoeiro-comum (Phaseolus vulgaris) da ilha da Madeira, Portugal. Os perfis de faseolinas de 50 acessos que representam a diversidade do feijoeiro-comum coletados na ilha da Madeira, conservados no banco de germoplasma ISOPlexis, foram analisados por meio do sistema de eletroforese automática Experion, baseado na tecnologia "lab-on-a-chip". Cinco variedades padrão de feijoeiro, com perfis típicos de faseolina, foram usadas para determinar a origem fitogeográfica dos acessos de feijoeiro-comum da ilha da Madeira. Noventa e dois por cento dos acessos exibiram um perfil consistente com o dos tipos pertencentes ao "pool" genético Andino, enquanto não foi possível determinar a origem de 8% dos acessos restantes. A aplicação de um coeficiente de similaridade de 85%, com base em correlações de Pearson, aumentou o número de acessos com perfil incerto. A abordagem analítica utilizada permitiu determinar a origem andina do "pool" genético em 98% dos casos, e o agrupamento da variabilidade observada entre os feijões da Madeira

ADUCANUMAB NO TRATAMENTO DA DOENÇA DE ALZHEIMER

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic pathology, characterized by progressive cognitive impairment and neurobehavioral changes. Common treatments for Alzheimer's disease are symptomatic in focus and have modest benefits. On June 7, 2021, the US regulatory agency Food And Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of the drug Aducanumab. Objectives: to analyze the main studies about Aducanumab and its effectiveness in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Materials and methods: This is an integrative review, in which the guiding question was "How effective is Aducanumab in the treatment of Alzheimer's?". The search for articles was carried out in the main databases (PubMed and Scielo) using the terms “Aducanumab”, “treatment” and “Alzheimer's”, combined by Boolean operators. Results and Discussion: Over the past 25 years, several Aβ-targeted drugs have failed to demonstrate clinical efficacy in trials, including five anti-Aβ antibodies: bapineuzumab, solanezumab, crenezumab, ponezumab, and gantenerumab. Aducanumab is part of a new generation of anti-Aβ monoclonal antibodies that specifically target Aβ aggregates. Monoclonal antibodies against Aβ as a class statistically improved cognition by a small effect size and strongly decreased brain amyloid burden and p181-tau in cerebrospinal fluid suggesting some degree of disease modification, at the expense of increased risk of imaging abnormalities related to amyloid. Aducanumab has produced promising clinical and biomarker results. Conclusion: Despite the controversy, it is clear that Aducanumab significantly reduces Aβ in the brain, one of the hallmarks of AD. Furthermore, the results also showed that Aducanumab decreases brain levels of tau.Introducción: La enfermedad de Alzheimer (EA) es una patología crónica, caracterizada por deterioro cognitivo progresivo y cambios neuroconductuales. Los tratamientos comunes para la enfermedad de Alzheimer tienen un enfoque sintomático y tienen beneficios modestos. El 7 de junio de 2021, la agencia reguladora estadounidense Food And Drug Administration (FDA) aprobó el uso del fármaco Aducanumab. Objetivos: analizar los principales estudios sobre Aducanumab y su efectividad en el tratamiento de la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Materiales y métodos: Se trata de una revisión integradora, en la que la pregunta orientadora fue "¿Qué tan efectivo es Aducanumab en el tratamiento del Alzheimer?". La búsqueda de artículos se realizó en las principales bases de datos (PubMed y Scielo) utilizando los términos “Aducanumab”, “tratamiento” y “Alzheimer's”, combinados por operadores booleanos. Resultados y discusión: En los últimos 25 años, varios medicamentos dirigidos contra Aβ no lograron demostrar eficacia clínica en ensayos, incluidos cinco anticuerpos anti-Aβ: bapineuzumab, solanezumab, crenezumab, ponezumab y gantenerumab. Aducanumab es parte de una nueva generación de anticuerpos monoclonales anti-Aβ que se dirigen específicamente a los agregados de Aβ. Los anticuerpos monoclonales contra Aβ como clase mejoraron estadísticamente la cognición por un tamaño de efecto pequeño y disminuyeron fuertemente la carga de amiloide cerebral y p181-tau en el líquido cefalorraquídeo, lo que sugiere cierto grado de modificación de la enfermedad, a expensas de un mayor riesgo de anomalías en las imágenes relacionadas con el amiloide. Aducanumab ha producido resultados clínicos y de biomarcadores prometedores.Introdução: A doença de Alzheimer (DA) é uma patologia crônica, caracterizada por comprometimento cognitivo progressivo e alterações neurocomportamentais. Os tratamentos comuns contra a doença de Alzheimer possuem foco sintomático e apresentam benefícios modestos. Em 7 de junho de 2021, a agência reguladora norte-americana Food And Drug Administration (FDA) aprovou o uso do medicamento Aducanumab. Objetivos: analisar a eficácia do medicamento Aducanumab no tratamento do Alzheimer. Materiais e métodos: Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa, a questão norteadora foi “Qual a eficácia do Aducanumab no tratamento de Alzheimer?”. A busca pelos artigos ocorreu nas principais bases de dados a partir dos termos “Aducanumab”, “treatment” e “Alzheimer”, combinados entre si por operadores booleanos. Resultados e discussão: Nos últimos 25 anos, vários medicamentos direcionados ao Aβ não demonstraram eficácia clínica em ensaios, incluindo cinco anticorpos anti-Aβ: bapineuzumabe, solanezumabe, crenezumabe, ponezumabe e gantenerumabe. O aducanumab faz parte de uma nova geração de anticorpos monoclonais anti-Aβ que visam especificamente os agregados Aβ. Os anticorpos monoclonais contra Aβ como uma classe melhoraram estatisticamente a cognição por um tamanho de efeito pequeno e diminuíram fortemente a carga amiloide cerebral e p181-tau no líquido cefalorraquidiano sugerindo algum grau de modificação da doença, às custas de aumentar o risco de anormalidades de imagem relacionadas à amiloide. O Aducanumab produziu os resultados clínicos e biomarcadores promissores. Conclusão: Apesar da controvérsia, está claro que o Aducanumab reduz significativamente a Aβ no cérebro, uma das características da DA. Além disso, os resultados também mostraram que o Aducanumab diminui os níveis cerebrais de tau.Introdução: A doença de Alzheimer (DA) é uma patologia crônica, caracterizada por comprometimento cognitivo progressivo e alterações neurocomportamentais. Os tratamentos comuns contra a doença de Alzheimer possuem foco sintomático e apresentam benefícios modestos. Em 7 de junho de 2021, a agência reguladora norte-americana Food And Drug Administration (FDA) aprovou o uso do medicamento Aducanumab. Objetivos: analisar a eficácia do medicamento Aducanumab no tratamento do Alzheimer. Materiais e métodos: Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa, a questão norteadora foi “Qual a eficácia do Aducanumab no tratamento de Alzheimer?”. A busca pelos artigos ocorreu nas principais bases de dados a partir dos termos “Aducanumab”, “treatment” e “Alzheimer”, combinados entre si por operadores booleanos. Resultados e discussão: Nos últimos 25 anos, vários medicamentos direcionados ao Aβ não demonstraram eficácia clínica em ensaios, incluindo cinco anticorpos anti-Aβ: bapineuzumabe, solanezumabe, crenezumabe, ponezumabe e gantenerumabe. O aducanumab faz parte de uma nova geração de anticorpos monoclonais anti-Aβ que visam especificamente os agregados Aβ. Os anticorpos monoclonais contra Aβ como uma classe melhoraram estatisticamente a cognição por um tamanho de efeito pequeno e diminuíram fortemente a carga amiloide cerebral e p181-tau no líquido cefalorraquidiano sugerindo algum grau de modificação da doença, às custas de aumentar o risco de anormalidades de imagem relacionadas à amiloide. O Aducanumab produziu os resultados clínicos e biomarcadores promissores. Conclusão: Apesar da controvérsia, está claro que o Aducanumab reduz significativamente a Aβ no cérebro, uma das características da DA. Além disso, os resultados também mostraram que o Aducanumab diminui os níveis cerebrais de tau

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men