Effect of the thermal characteristics of dielectric fluids on the loading capacity of a power transformer

The use of biodegradable dielectric liquids in power transformers has several advantages, such as increased fire safety or their biodegradability in the event of a leak in the tank. However, they also have a higher viscosity that does not benefit their cooling function within these machines. Although there are many references that analyze the transformers hotspot temperature for dynamic loading, there are hardly any references that focus on the dynamic evaluation of the hotspot when the viscosity of the dielectric and cooling fluid changes, with respect to that of the oil of mineral origin. In this work, the algorithms proposed in the bibliography will be combined with the use of computational fluid dynamics software ANSYSFLUENT, which uses the finite volumes method to solve the equations that govern fluid flow. The software tool will be used to calculate the temperatures of a 100MVA transformer winding. Once these temperatures have been calculated, they can be entered into the hotspot temperature estimation algorithm when the machine's load regime is varied. This analysis will be repeated using dielectric liquids with different thermal characteristics. Transformer fleet managers may use the results of this study in order to adapt their procedures when the machines they manage do not have conventional mineral oil insidePart of the work was performed during secondments between University of Valle and the Universidad de Cantabria executed in the framework of the BIOTRAFO project “Raising knowledge and developing technology for the design and deployment of high performance power transformers immersed in biodegradable fluids”, H2020-MSCARISE-2018-823969, 2019–21. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 823969. Also, we acknowledge the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation by means of the National Research Project Asset management of biodegradable-fluid-based transformers (PID2019-107126RB-C22/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). The authors also want to thank the grant received from the Call for the Development of the 2020 Industrial Doctorate Program of the Universidad de Cantabria

Intravitreal, retinal, and central nervous system foscarnet concentrations after rapid intravenous administration to rabbits

Retinal, vitreous humor, brain, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) foscarnet levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography after administration of an intravenous dose of 120 mg/kg of body weight to 32 pigmented rabbits. A pharmacokinetic analysis was done using a two- compartment model. The penetration ratios, defined as ratios of retinal, vitreous humor, brain, and CSF areas under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 2 h were 110% ± 1%, 12.3% ± 0.7%, 118% ± 1%, and 20.2% ± 2.2%, respectively. These results suggest a good penetration of foscarnet into the retinal and brain tissues, reaching higher concentrations than those estimated from vitreous humor and CSF levels.Comisóión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología SAF97-0012Consejería de Salud Junta de Andalucía 64/9

Wavelet analysis of overnight airflow to detect obstructive sleep apnea in children

Producción CientíficaThis study focused on the automatic analysis of the airflow signal (AF) to aid in the diagnosis of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Thus, our aims were: (i) to characterize the overnight AF characteristics using discrete wavelet transform (DWT) approach, (ii) to evaluate its diagnostic utility, and (iii) to assess its complementarity with the 3% oxygen desaturation index (ODI3). In order to reach these goals, we analyzed 946 overnight pediatric AF recordings in three stages: (i) DWT-derived feature extraction, (ii) feature selection, and (iii) pattern recognition. AF recordings from OSA patients showed both lower detail coefficients and decreased activity associated with the normal breathing band. Wavelet analysis also revealed that OSA disturbed the frequency and energy distribution of the AF signal, increasing its irregularity. Moreover, the information obtained from the wavelet analysis was complementary to ODI3. In this regard, the combination of both wavelet information and ODI3 achieved high diagnostic accuracy using the common OSA-positive cutoffs: 77.97%, 81.91%, and 90.99% (AdaBoost.M2), and 81.96%, 82.14%, and 90.69% (Bayesian multi-layer perceptron) for 1, 5, and 10 apneic events/hour, respectively. Hence, these findings suggest that DWT properly characterizes OSA-related severity as embedded in nocturnal AF, and could simplify the diagnosis of pediatric OSA.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Agencia Estatal de Investigación y Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) - (Projects DPI2017-84280-R and RTC-2017-6516-1)Comisión Europea y Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) - (POCTEP 0702_MIGRAINEE_2_E)Instituto de Salud Carlos III y Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) - (CIBER-BBN)Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Agencia Estatal de Investigación y Fondo Social Europeo - (grant RYC2019- 028566-I)Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte - (grant FPU16/02938)Institutes of Health - (grants HL130984, HL140548, and AG061824

MASTOFAUNA TERRESTRE DO SUL DE SANTA CATARINA: MAMÍFEROS DE MÉDIO E GRANDE PORTE E VOADORES

Para os estados que compõem a região do Brasil, Santa Catarina é aquele que detém o menor conhecimento sobre a composição de sua mastofauna terrestre, característica esta que é ainda mais acentuada na região sul catarinense, onde poucos estudos foram desenvolvidos. O presente trabalho fornece uma lista atualizada de mamíferos terrestres de médio, grande porte e de morcegos, com ocorrência confirmada por município componente da região sul do estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil. Para o registro das taxas foram utilizados os protocolos de: amostragem em campo; registro bibliográfico da ocorrência das taxas na área de estudo teve por base artigos, dissertações e monografias, que foram obtidos em base de dados online. Um total de 10 ordens e 62 espécies foi registrado para a região, sendo Chiroptera a mais rica (n = 29 spp.), seguida por Carnívora (n = 12 spp.), Artiodactyla e Rodentia (n = 5 spp. cada). Dentre as espécies registradas, 14 estão enquadradas em pelo menos uma das categorias de ameaça. A região sul catarinense possui importância para a conservação da mastofauna abrigando espécies tanto florestais quanto de ambientes abertos, o que a caracteriza como ecótono entre os Campos de Altitude e a Planície Costeira, ao mesmo tempo em que funciona como corredor de dispersão para a mastofauna sulina

MASTOFAUNA TERRESTRE DO SUL DE SANTA CATARINA: MAMÍFEROS DE MÉDIO E GRANDE PORTE E VOADORES

Para os estados que compõem a região do Brasil, Santa Catarina é aquele que detém o menor conhecimento sobre a composição de sua mastofauna terrestre, característica esta que é ainda mais acentuada na região sul catarinense, onde poucos estudos foram desenvolvidos. O presente trabalho fornece uma lista atualizada de mamíferos terrestres de médio, grande porte e de morcegos, com ocorrência confirmada por município componente da região sul do estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil. Para o registro das taxas foram utilizados os protocolos de: amostragem em campo; registro bibliográfico da ocorrência das taxas na área de estudo teve por base artigos, dissertações e monografias, que foram obtidos em base de dados online. Um total de 10 ordens e 62 espécies foi registrado para a região, sendo Chiroptera a mais rica (n = 29 spp.), seguida por Carnívora (n = 12 spp.), Artiodactyla e Rodentia (n = 5 spp. cada). Dentre as espécies registradas, 14 estão enquadradas em pelo menos uma das categorias de ameaça. A região sul catarinense possui importância para a conservação da mastofauna abrigando espécies tanto florestais quanto de ambientes abertos, o que a caracteriza como ecótono entre os Campos de Altitude e a Planície Costeira, ao mesmo tempo em que funciona como corredor de dispersão para a mastofauna sulina

SARS-CoV-2 viral load in nasopharyngeal swabs is not an independent predictor of unfavorable outcome

The aim was to assess the ability of nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load at frst patient’s hospital evaluation to predict unfavorable outcomes. We conducted a prospective cohort study including 321 adult patients with confrmed COVID-19 through RT-PCR in nasopharyngeal swabs. Quantitative Synthetic SARS-CoV-2 RNA cycle threshold values were used to calculate the viral load in log10 copies/mL. Disease severity at the end of follow up was categorized into mild, moderate, and severe. Primary endpoint was a composite of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and/or death (n= 85, 26.4%). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load over the second quartile (≥7.35 log10 copies/mL, p = 0.003) and second tertile (≥ 8.27 log10 copies/mL, p = 0.01) were associated to unfavorable outcome in the unadjusted logistic regression analysis. However, in the fnal multivariable analysis, viral load was not independently associated with an unfavorable outcome. Five predictors were independently associated with increased odds of ICU admission and/or death: age≥ 70 years, SpO2, neutrophils > 7.5 × ­103 /µL, lactate dehydrogenase≥ 300 U/L, and C-reactive protein≥ 100 mg/L. In summary, nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load on admission is generally high in patients with COVID-19, regardless of illness severity, but it cannot be used as an independent predictor of unfavorable clinical outcome

Systèmes de contrôle de constitutionnalité par voie incidente et protection des personnes en situation de vulnérabilité

Répondant à l’appel à projets « QPC 2020 » du Conseil constitutionnel, le travail de recherche collectif – dont les résultats sont publiés dans cet ouvrage – entend évaluer l’efficacité de la question prioritaire de constitutionnalité sous l’angle particulier de la protection des personnes en situation de vulnérabilité et selon une approche de droit comparé. La recherche a ainsi eu pour ambition de dresser un bilan de la jurisprudence QPC du Conseil constitutionnel pour ce qui concerne la protection des personnes vulnérables, en la confrontant avec les procédures similaires existant dans deux pays voisins : l’Italie et l’Espagne. La protection effective des personnes qui en ont le plus besoin a semblé en effet être un point de vue particulièrement pertinent pour évaluer, de manière générale, l’efficacité du système de la QPC et pour vérifier s’il constitue un véritable progrès dans la défense des droits fondamentaux. Pour rendre compte de la manière la plus fidèle possible des résultats de cette recherche, l’ouvrage présente, dans une première partie, le rapport de synthèse adressé au Conseil constitutionnel par les porteurs du projet, dans lequel est réalisée la comparaison proprement dite ; puis, dans une seconde partie, les études nationales concernant la jurisprudence constitutionnelle des trois pays étudiés, élaborées par les chercheurs participants au projet scientifique

Seafood Consumption, Omega-3 Fatty Acids Intake, and Life-Time Prevalence of Depression in the PREDIMED-Plus Trial

Background: The aim of this analysis was to ascertain the type of relationship between fish and seafood consumption, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA) intake, and depression prevalence. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses of the PREDIMED-Plus trial. Fish and seafood consumption and ω-3 PUFA intake were assessed through a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Self-reported life-time medical diagnosis of depression or use of antidepressants was considered as outcome. Depressive symptoms were collected by the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between seafood products and ω-3 PUFA consumption and depression. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to assess the association between fish and long-chain (LC) ω-3 PUFA intake and depressive symptoms. Results: Out of 6587 participants, there were 1367 cases of depression. Total seafood consumption was not associated with depression. The odds ratios (ORs) (95% confidence intervals (CIs)) for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quintiles of consumption of fatty fish were 0.77 (0.63–0.94), 0.71 (0.58–0.87), and 0.78 (0.64–0.96), respectively, and p for trend = 0.759. Moderate intake of total LC ω-3 PUFA (approximately 0.5–1 g/day) was significantly associated with a lower prevalence of depression. Conclusion: In our study, moderate fish and LC ω-3 PUFA intake, but not high intake, was associated with lower odds of depression suggesting a U-shaped relationship