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Network human operators’ decision-making during grid outages requires significant attention and the ability to perceive real-time feedback from multiple information sources to minimize the number of control actions required to restore service, while maintaining the system and people safety. Data-driven event and alarm management have the potential to reduce human operator cognitive burden. However, the high complexity of events, the data semantics, and the large variety of equipment and technologies are key barriers for the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to raw SCADA data. In this context, this paper proposes a methodology to convert a large volume of alarm events into data mining terminology, creating the conditions for the application of modern AI techniques to alarm data. Moreover, this work also proposes two novel data-driven applications based on SCADA data: (i) identification of anomalous behaviors regarding the performance of the protection relays of primary substations, during circuit breaker tripping alarms in High Voltage (HV) and Medium Voltage (MV) lines; (ii) unsupervised learning to cluster similar events in HV line panels, classify new event logs based on the obtained clusters and membership grade with a control parameter that helps to identify rare events. Important aspects associated with data handling and pre-processing are also covered. The results for real data from a Distribution System Operator (DSO) showed: (i) that the proposed method can detect unexpected relay pickup events, e.g., one substation with nearly 41% of the circuit breaker alarms had an ‘atypical’ event in their context (revealed an overlooked problem on the electrification of a protection relay); (ii) capability to automatically detect and group issues into specific clusters, e.g., SF6 low-pressure alarms and blocks with abnormal profiles caused by event time-delay problems.

Abstract Background Immigrants from culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse countries face many challenges during the resettlement phase, which influence their access to healthcare services and health outcomes. The “Healthy Immigrant Effect” or the health advantage that immigrants arrive with is observed to deteriorate with increased length of stay in the host country. Methods An exploratory qualitative design, following a community-based research approach, was employed. The research team consisted of health researchers, clinicians, and community members. The objective was to explore the barriers to healthcare access among immigrants with limited English language proficiency. Three focus groups were carried out with 29 women and nine men attending English language classes at a settlement agency in a mid-sized city. Additionally, 17 individual interviews were carried out with healthcare providers and administrative staff caring for immigrants and refugees. Results A thematic analysis was carried out with transcribed focus groups and healthcare provider interview data. Both the healthcare providers and immigrants indicated that limited language proficiency often delayed access to available healthcare services and interfered with the development of a therapeutic relationship between the client and the healthcare provider. Language barriers also impeded effective communication between healthcare providers and clients, leading to suboptimal care and dissatisfaction with the care received. Language barriers interfered with treatment adherence and the use of preventative and screening services, further delaying access to timely care, causing poor chronic disease management, and ultimately resulting in poor health outcomes. Involving untrained interpreters, family members, or others from the ethnic community was problematic due to misinterpretation and confidentiality issues. Conclusions The study emphasises the need to provide language assistance during medical consultations to address language barriers among immigrants. The development of guidelines for recruitment, training, and effective engagement of language interpreters during medical consultation is recommended to ensure high quality, equitable and client-centered care.

Non-biodegradable metals such as mercury accumulate in living organisms during life (bioaccumulation) and also within trophic webs (biomagnification) and may reach high concentrations in humans. The contamination of humans by mercury in drinking water and food may be common, in particular in riverside communities that have a diet rich in fish. In vitro studies of human cell lines exposed to the cytotoxic and mutagenic effects of methylmercury have shown that prolactin has potential cytoprotective properties and may act as a co-mitogenic factor and inhibitor of apoptosis. The present in vivo study investigated the protective potential of prolactin against the toxic effects of methylmercury in the mammal Mus musculus. Histological and biochemical analyses, together with biomarker of genotoxicity, were used to verify the protective potential of prolactin in mice exposed to methylmercury. The reduction in kidney and liver tissue damage was not significant. However, results of biochemical and genotoxic analyses were excellent. After prolactin treatment, a significant reduction was observed in biochemical parameters and mutagenic effects of methylmercury. The study results therefore indicated that prolactin has protective effects against the toxicity of methylmercury and allowed us to suggest the continuation of research to propose prolactin in the future, as an alternative to prevent the damage caused by mercury, especially in populations that are more exposed.

Understanding phytoplankton dynamics is critical across a range of topics, spanning from fishery management to climate change mitigation. It is particularly interesting in the East Australian Current (EAC) system, as the region's eddy field strongly conditions nutrient availability and therefore phytoplankton growth. Numerical models provide unparalleled insight into these biogeochemical dynamics. Yet, to date, modelling efforts off southeastern Australia have either targeted case studies (small spatial and temporal scales) or encompassed the whole EAC system but focused on climate change effects at the mesoscale (with a spatial resolution of 1/10∘). Here we couple a model of the pelagic nitrogen cycle (bio_Fennel) to a 10-year high-resolution (2.5–5 km horizontal) three-dimensional ocean model (ROMS) to resolve both regional and finer-scale biogeochemical processes occurring in the EAC system. We use several statistical metrics to compare the simulated surface chlorophyll to an ocean colour dataset (Copernicus-GlobColour) for the 2003–2011 period and show that the model can reproduce the observed phytoplankton surface patterns with a domain-wide RMSE of approximately 0.2 mg Chl a m−3 and a correlation coefficient of 0.76. This coupled configuration will provide a much-needed framework to examine phytoplankton variability in the EAC system providing insight into important ecosystem dynamics such as regional nutrient supply mechanisms and biogeochemical cycling occurring in EAC eddies.

Introduction Intergenerational programs involving children and the elderly promote intergenerational interactions and can positively affect physical and mental health, and the quality of life of the elderly. Objectives To test the effects of an intergenerational intervention in social isolation, depressive symptoms and quality of life of the elderly. Methods This study employed a pretest-posttest design. Measures: Portuguese versions of Geriatric Depression Scale, Lubben Social Networks Scale and WHOQOL-OLD. Participants: 12 elderly, 75% females, with mean age of 80.8 years (sd=8.8) and 20 kindergarten children (65% female) with mean age of 4,1 years (sd=0.79). The intervention ran for 6 weeks, with 11 intergenerational group sessions, each range between 30 and 120 minutes. A nonparametric paired samples tests was conducted to evaluate the impact of the intervention. Results After the intervention, when comparing elderly with and without depressive symptoms, results showed significant differences in the total value of quality of life (p=.048) and in the facets: 1) Sensory functioning, 2) Autonomy, 3) Past, present and future activities (p=.003; p=.018; p=.030, respectively). 12,5% of de elderly with depressive symptoms before the intervention no longer have depressive symptoms after the intervention. Regarding social networks, there were no significant differences (p=.576) between the mean values of the two assessments. Conclusions The implemented intergenerational program was effective in promoting quality of live and minimized depressive symptoms. After the intervention, the number of the elderly without depressive symptoms have increased and these presented a higher quality of life. Finally, longitudinal studies with a large sample are needed to consolidate results.

Natural radioactive tracer-based assessments of basin-scale submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) are well developed. However, SGD takes place in different modes and the flow and discharge mechanisms involved occur over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Quantifying SGD while discriminating its source functions therefore remains a major challenge. However, correctly identifying both the fluid source and composition is critical. When multiple sources of the tracer of interest are present, failure to adequately discriminate between them leads to inaccurate attribution and the resulting uncertainties will affect the reliability of SGD solute loading estimates. This lack of reliability then extends to the closure of local biogeochemical budgets, confusing measures aiming to mitigate pollution.Here, we report a multi-tracer study to identify the sources of SGD, distinguish its component parts and elucidate the mechanisms of their dispersion throughout the Ria Formosa – a seasonally hypersaline lagoon in Portugal. We combine radon budgets that determine the total SGD (meteoric + recirculated seawater) in the system with stable isotopes in water (δ2H, δ18O), to specifically identify SGD source functions and characterize active hydrological pathways in the catchment. Using this approach, SGD in the Ria Formosa could be separated into two modes, a net meteoric water input and another involving no net water transfer, i.e., originating in lagoon water re-circulated through permeable sediments. The former SGD mode is present occasionally on a multi-annual timescale, while the latter is a dominant feature of the system. In the absence of meteoric SGD inputs, seawater recirculation through beach sediments occurs at a rate of ∼ 1.4 × 106 m3 day−1. This implies that the entire tidal-averaged volume of the lagoon is filtered through local sandy sediments within 100 days ( ∼ 3.5 times a year), driving an estimated nitrogen (N) load of ∼ 350 Ton N yr−1 into the system as NO3−. Land-borne SGD could add a further ∼ 61 Ton N yr−1 to the lagoon. The former source is autochthonous, continuous and responsible for a large fraction (59 %) of the estimated total N inputs into the system via non-point sources, while the latter is an occasional allochthonous source capable of driving new production in the system.

Background: The advent of Remicade® biosimilars, Remsima®, Inflectra® and, more recently, Flixabi®, has brought along the potential to decrease the costs associated with this therapy, therefore increasing its access to a larger group of patients. However, and in order to assure a soft transition, one must make sure the assays and algorithms previously developed and optimized for Remicade perform equally well with its biosimilars. This study aimed to: (a) validate the utilization of Remicade-optimized therapeutic drug monitoring assays for the quantification of Flixabi; and (b) determine the existence of Remicade, Remsima and Flixabi cross-immunogenicity. Methods: Healthy donors’ sera spiked with Remicade, Remsima and Flixabi were quantified using three different Remicade-quantification assays, and the reactivity of anti-Remicade and anti-Remsima sera to Remicade and to its biosimilars was assessed. Results: The results show that all tested Remicade-infliximab-optimized assays measure Flixabi as accurately as they measure Remicade and Remsima: the intraclass correlation coefficients between theoretical and measured concentrations varied from 0.920 to 0.990. Moreover, the interassay agreement values for the same compounds were high (intraclass correlation coefficients varied from 0.936 to 0.995). Finally, the anti-Remicade and anti-Remsima sera reacted to the different drugs in a similar fashion. Conclusions: The tested assays can be used to monitor Flixabi levels. Moreover, Remicade, Remsima and Flixabi were shown to have a high cross-immunogenicity, which supports their high similarity but prevents their switching in nonresponders with antidrug antibodies.

Tarut Bay contains some of the most important mangrove forests in the Arabian Gulf countries, which are facing significant anthropogenic pressures. A multidisciplinary approach based on remote sensing, fieldwork, and chemical analysis was adopted in order to identify the pressures facing the mangrove communities in Tarut Bay and subsequently evaluate its current environmental condition. The analysis focused on the 2011 to 2014 timeframe in particular. The results indicate that the mangrove communities in Tarut Bay cover currently around 11.32 square km. Two major mangrove cover changes were identified in the area during the studied period, with a net loss of around 0.675 square km happening in the interim. The analysis adopted the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to evaluate the temporal change in vegetation concentration. Moreover, the study evaluated the overall pollution condition of 19 mangrove communities in Tarut Bay to be medium based on the Pollution Load Index (PLI). Nevertheless, some of the mangrove communities in Tarut Bay are very healthy while others are very polluted and require immediate action to improve their pollution status. The findings of this work led to recommending mangrove improvement measures to address further deterioration and disappearance of mangrove communities, including the re-opening of natural inlets and avoiding residential developments on the mangrove coast.

Forced oscillation technique (FOT) is a simple method used to measure the mechanical impedance of the respiratory system.It can be a valuable test in poorly cooperative patients (pts) and in severe COPD.Little information exists concerning its value on hyperinflation in COPD pts.The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation (corr) between data obtained by FOT with data by body plethys-mography (P) in pts with COPD.No bronchodilator response analysis was done.

Natural transformation is the only mechanism of genetic exchange controlled by the recipient bacteria. We quantified its rates in 786 clinical strains of the human pathogens Legionella pneumophila (Lp) and 496 clinical and environmental strains of Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab). The analysis of transformation rates in the light of phylogeny revealed they evolve by a mixture of frequent small changes and a few large quick jumps across 6 orders of magnitude. In standard conditions close to half of the strains of Lp and a more than a third in Ab are below the detection limit and thus presumably non-transformable. Ab environmental strains tend to have higher transformation rates than the clinical ones. Transitions to non-transformability were frequent and usually recent, suggesting that they are deleterious and subsequently purged by natural selection. Accordingly, we find that transformation decreases genetic linkage in both species, which might accelerate adaptation. Intragenomic conflicts with chromosomal mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and plasmids could explain these transitions and a GWAS confirmed systematic negative associations between transformation and MGEs: plasmids and other conjugative elements in Lp, prophages in Ab, and transposable elements in both. In accordance with the hypothesis of modulation of transformation rates by genetic conflicts, transformable strains have fewer MGEs in both species and some MGEs inactivate genes implicated in the transformation with heterologous DNA (in Ab). Innate defense systems against MGEs are associated with lower transformation rates, especially restriction-modification systems. In contrast, CRISPR-Cas systems are associated with higher transformation rates suggesting that adaptive defense systems may facilitate cell protection from MGEs while preserving genetic exchanges by natural transformation. Ab and Lp have different lifestyles, gene repertoires, and population structure. Nevertheless, they exhibit similar trends in terms of variation of transformation rates and its determinants, suggesting that genetic conflicts could drive the evolution of natural transformation in many bacteria. Bacterial species exhibit large variations in their transformation rates. This study of Legionella pneumophila and Acinetobacter baumannii shows that their transformation rates evolve by sudden quick changes, likely caused by intragenomic conflicts between mobile genetic elements and the host bacterium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]