Short Term Load Forecasting Using Recurrent and Feedforward Neural Networks

Accurate load forecasting greatly influences energy production planning. If the demand forecast is inaccurate this could lead to blackouts or waste of precious energy. This paper compares many innovative networks on the basis of accuracy. The first is a feedforward neural network (FFNN). Next we look at different models of Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) specifically long short term Memory (LSTM). Finally we explore combining the two approaches into a hybrid network. We will be predicting load with an hourly granularity also known as short term load forecasting (STLF). We will be applying these approaches to real world data sets from www.eia.gov over a period of about 4 years. Our approach will focus on the integration of historical time features from the last hour, day, month, etc. with the inclusion of RNN methods. We show that the included time features reduce the overall error and increase generalizability. We combine this with features such as weather, cyclical time features, cloud cover, and the day of the year to further reduce the error. We will then compare the approaches to reveal that the correct handling of time features significantly improves the model by learning hidden features

Enhancement of cutaneous wound healing by Dsg2 augmentation of uPAR secretion

In addition to playing a role in adhesion, desmoglein 2 (Dsg2) is an important regulator of growth and survival signaling pathways, cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and oncogenesis. While low-level Dsg2 expression is observed in basal keratinocytes and is downregulated in non-healing venous ulcers, overexpression has been observed in both melanomas and non-melanoma malignancies. Here, we show that transgenic mice overexpressing Dsg2 in basal keratinocytes primed the activation of mitogenic pathways, but did not induce dramatic epidermal changes or susceptibility to chemical-induced tumor development. Interestingly, acceleration of full-thickness wound closure and increased wound-adjacent keratinocyte proliferation was observed in these mice. As epidermal cytokines and their receptors play critical roles in wound healing, Dsg2-induced secretome alterations were assessed with an antibody profiler array and revealed increased release and proteolytic processing of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR). Dsg2 induced uPAR expression in the skin of transgenic compared to wild-type mice. Wound healing further enhanced uPAR in both epidermis and dermis with concomitant increase in the pro-healing laminin-332, a major component of the basement membrane zone, in transgenic mice. This study demonstrates that Dsg2 induces epidermal activation of various signaling cascades and accelerates cutaneous wound healing, in part, through uPAR-related signaling cascades

Effect of remote ischaemic conditioning on clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI): a single-blind randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Remote ischaemic conditioning with transient ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm has been shown to reduce myocardial infarct size in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). We investigated whether remote ischaemic conditioning could reduce the incidence of cardiac death and hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months. METHODS: We did an international investigator-initiated, prospective, single-blind, randomised controlled trial (CONDI-2/ERIC-PPCI) at 33 centres across the UK, Denmark, Spain, and Serbia. Patients (age >18 years) with suspected STEMI and who were eligible for PPCI were randomly allocated (1:1, stratified by centre with a permuted block method) to receive standard treatment (including a sham simulated remote ischaemic conditioning intervention at UK sites only) or remote ischaemic conditioning treatment (intermittent ischaemia and reperfusion applied to the arm through four cycles of 5-min inflation and 5-min deflation of an automated cuff device) before PPCI. Investigators responsible for data collection and outcome assessment were masked to treatment allocation. The primary combined endpoint was cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure at 12 months in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02342522) and is completed. FINDINGS: Between Nov 6, 2013, and March 31, 2018, 5401 patients were randomly allocated to either the control group (n=2701) or the remote ischaemic conditioning group (n=2700). After exclusion of patients upon hospital arrival or loss to follow-up, 2569 patients in the control group and 2546 in the intervention group were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. At 12 months post-PPCI, the Kaplan-Meier-estimated frequencies of cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure (the primary endpoint) were 220 (8·6%) patients in the control group and 239 (9·4%) in the remote ischaemic conditioning group (hazard ratio 1·10 [95% CI 0·91-1·32], p=0·32 for intervention versus control). No important unexpected adverse events or side effects of remote ischaemic conditioning were observed. INTERPRETATION: Remote ischaemic conditioning does not improve clinical outcomes (cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure) at 12 months in patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI. FUNDING: British Heart Foundation, University College London Hospitals/University College London Biomedical Research Centre, Danish Innovation Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, TrygFonden

Constitutive Endocytic Recycling and Protein Kinase C-mediated Lysosomal Degradation Control KATP Channel Surface Density*

Pancreatic ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels control insulin secretion by coupling the excitability of the pancreatic β-cell to glucose metabolism. Little is currently known about how the plasma membrane density of these channels is regulated. We therefore set out to examine in detail the endocytosis and recycling of these channels and how these processes are regulated. To achieve this goal, we expressed KATP channels bearing an extracellular hemagglutinin epitope in human embryonic kidney cells and followed their fate along the endocytic pathway. Our results show that KATP channels undergo multiple rounds of endocytosis and recycling. Further, activation of protein kinase C (PKC) with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate significantly decreases KATP channel surface density by reducing channel recycling and diverting the channel to lysosomal degradation. These findings were recapitulated in the model pancreatic β-cell line INS1e, where activation of PKC leads to a decrease in the surface density of native KATP channels. Because sorting of internalized channels between lysosomal and recycling pathways could have opposite effects on the excitability of pancreatic β-cells, we propose that PKC-regulated KATP channel trafficking may play a role in the regulation of insulin secretion

Reproducible Evidence: Practices to Enhance and Achieve Transparency (REPEAT)

Studies that generate real-world evidence (RWE) through analysis of routinely collected healthcare data provide key insights for regulators, payers, and other healthcare decision-makers. In this project, we evaluated clarity of methodology reporting for 250 RWE studies and attempted to reproduce 150 studies using the same data sources and methods reported by the original investigators

Hemorroidectomia híbrida: uma nova abordagem no tratamento das hemorróidas mistas Hybrid hemorrhoidectomy: a new approach in the treatment of hemorrhoids

Este trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar uma nova abordagem mini-invasiva das Hemorróidas Mistas, a Hemorroidectomia Híbrida, que consiste na associação da Ligadura Elástica (LE) das Hemorróidas Internas com a ressecção complementar dos Plicomas Externos sob anestesia local. Num universo de 326 cirurgias orificiais realizadas na Proctoclínica num período de 4 anos, 300 (92%) foram submetidos a procedimentos mini-invasivos, 223 (68,40%) foram submetidos a LE como tratamento exclusivo e 77 (23,60%) à Hemoirroidectomia Híbrida) e 26 (8%) foram submetidos a outros procedimentos cirúrgicos (Hemorroidectomias a Milligan-Morgan, Fistulectomias etc. A abordagem proposta permite absenteísmo mínimo ao trabalho, mini-invasividade e baixa morbidade pós-operatória, ressaltando-se ainda a realização ambulatorial, excelente tolerabilidade e baixos custos.<br>The goal of this work is to present a new mini-invasive approach of the Internal and External Hemorrhoids Treatment, the Hybrid Hemorrhoidectomy, that consists of an association of the Rubber Band Ligation (RBL) of the Internal Hemorrhoids with complementary withdraw of the External Piles under local anesthesia. In a universe of 326 anal surgeries carried through in Proctoclínica in a period of 4 years, a number of 300 patients (92%) had been submitted to mini-invasive procedures (223 (68,40%) had been submitted to RBL as exclusive treatment and 77 (23,60%) to Hybrid Hemorrhoidectomy) and 26 patients (8%) had been submitted to other surgical procedures (Hemorrhoidectomy Milligan-Morgan, Fistulectomy, etc.) The proposal approach allows minimum absenteism to the work, mini-invasivity and low pos-operative morbidity with the advantage of office and outpatient procedures, excellent tolerability and low costs