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Itching is a complaint affecting especially the elderly, in whom comorbidities and polypharmacy increase the risk of adverse drug reactions. We reported the case of an 83-year-old man with a generalized itching lasting more than 3 years underwent to our attention during his enrollment in a clinical study at University Hospital of Salerno, Italy where he was planned for a thromboendoarteriectomy because of left internal carotid artery stenosis. His medical history included arterial hypertension, ischemic heart disease, chronic cerebrovasculopathy, dyslipidaemia and prostatic hyperplasia. His therapy was olmesartan medoxomil 10 mg/die, nebivolol 5 mg x 1/2/die, acetylsalicylic acid 100 mg/die, omeprazole 20 mg/die, atorvastatin 20 mg/die, supplements contain ing EPA and DHA, vitamins K2, B6, B12 and folic acid (vit B9) and silodosin 8 mg/die. The patient’s demographic clinic, laboratory data and a pharmacological anamnesis were collected. Screening of two ABCB1 polymorphisms associated to a decrease of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) activity was performed by realtime PCR. An iatrogenic cause of the itching was suspected and the Naranjo algorithm was applied, revealing possible association between such an adverse reaction and all used drugs. Because the patient reported the beginning of the itching in concomitance with the aspirin assumption, this agent was discontinued but without improvement. Then, because silodosin-atorvastatin interaction may increase the silodosin plasma concentration, this drug was switched to doxazosin and the itching disappeared. This clinical case stresses the potential misleading based on the patients’ beliefs and the importance to consider all the patients’ available information to ascertain the cause of adverse drug reactions.

International audience; We focus on the long time behavior of complex networks of reaction-diffusion systems. In a previous work, we have proved the existence of the global attractor and the L ∞-bound for these networks. Here, we discuss the synchronization phenomenon and establish the existence of a coupling strength threshold value that ensures this synchronization. Then, we apply these results to some particular networks with different structures (i.e. different topologies) and perform numerical simulations. We found out theoretical and numerical heuristic laws for the minimal coupling strength needed for synchronization with respect to the number of nodes and the network topology. We also discuss the link between spatial heterogeneity and synchronization. Our main conclusion is that some of widespread heuristic laws known for synchronization of ODE's, remain valid for networks of RD systems, i.e. networks in which each node, has its own spatial heterogeneity.

The paper presents the establishment of a Smart Electric Grid Demonstration and Training Facilities in Mindanao in order to help electric utilities and industries keep up with the emerging technologies in our current trends in power system. This will serve as a training center in smart grid technology for power industries, academe and other stakeholders in the power sector. This will provide opportunities to conduct research on how intelligently managing our electricity as one of the challenges in the power industry. In addition, this facility is not only a showcase of the academe industry collaboration but is also necessary to move research towards demonstrating the application of smart technologies in the electric power industry and illustrating on how to manage the use of electric energy efficiently.

In this paper, the dynamic mathematical model of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell is presented. Dynamic performance of a PEM fuel cell system by experimental and simulation using matlab/simulink is investigated. The V-I load characteristics of a 1.2 kW PEM fuel cell are presented. Result shows that the starting current of the PEM fuel cell operated at rated load reaches to approximately twice of its rated current in just less than 0.015 second before it reached to its steady state condition. Step change load responses of this PEM fuel cell were experimented and simulated. It was found out, from the results obtained, that PEM fuel cell had a very fast response to load changes. Moreover, results show that the experimental and the result computed by using the simulation of the model are very close to each other which validates the model. Hence, this model could be used to implement a controller design in order to come up with an optimal and efficient operation of PEM fuel cell. Based also on the results, a suitable power conditioning can be constructed and designed for safe and reliable operation of PEM fuel cell especially in integrating and connecting it to a hybrid wind/PV distributed generation system.

The stream and rain data acquisition system presented in this paper makes the mapping of hydro potentials in the region or of the country economically and practically possible. Moreover, it can also serve as a flood warning system.

The design of a bidirectional dc-dc power converter specifically for a distributed energy application is presented. The existing two different DC voltage battery bank of the distributed generation needs to interlink each other using a bi-directional dc-dc converter in order to minimize the unbalance of the output load currents of the three inverters connected to electric grid system. Through this connection, a current can flow from one system to another or vice versa depending on which systems need the current most. Thus, unbalanced currents of the grid line have been minimized and the reliability and performance of the DER grid connected system has been increased. A detailed mathematical analysis of the converter under steady state and transient condition are presented. Mathematical models for boost and buck modes are being derived and the simulink model is constructed in order to simulate the system. Moreover, the model has been validated on the actual operation of the converter, showing that the simulated results in Matlab Simulink are consistent with the experimental ones.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the surgical treatment of acute pancreatitis in Italy and to assess compliance with international guidelines. METHODS: A series of 1173 patients in 56 hospitals were prospectively enrolled and their data analysed. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients with severe pancreatitis underwent surgical intervention. Necrosectomy was performed in 26 patients, associated with postoperative lavage in 70% of cases. A feeding jejunostomy was added in 37% of cases. Mortality was 21%. Of the patients with mild pancreatitis, 714 patients with a biliary aetiology were evaluated. Prophylactic treatment of relapses was carried out in 212 patients (36%) by cholecystectomy and in 161 using a laparoscopic approach. Preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was associated with cholecystectomy in 83 patients (39%). Forty-seven patients (22%) were treated at a second admission, with a median delay of 31 days from the onset of pancreatitis. Eighteen patients with severe pancreatitis underwent cholecystectomy 37.9 days after the first admission. There were no deaths. DISCUSSION: The results indicate poor compliance with published guidelines. In severe pancreatitis, early surgical intervention is frequently performed and enteral feeding is seldom used. Only a small number of patients with mild biliary pancreatitis undergo definitive treatment (i.e. cholecystectomy) within 4 weeks of the onset of pancreatitis.

We study Mixed Mode Oscillations (MMOs) in systems of two weakly coupled slow/fast oscillators. We focus on the existence and properties of a folded singularity called FSN II that allows the emergence of MMOs in the presence of a suitable global return mechanism. As FSN II corresponds to a transcritical bifurcation for a desingularized reduced system, we prove that, under certain non-degeneracy conditions, such a transcritical bifurcation exists. We then apply this result to the case of two coupled systems of FitzHugh- Nagumo type. This leads to a non trivial condition on the coupling that enables the existence of MMOs.

A detailed electrical model of a Skystream wind turbine system equipped with a permanent magnet synchronous generator, diode rectifier, boost dc to dc converter and inverter is presented and a simulink model of the system is constructed. The model was simulated using the power system simulation tool in MatLab SIMULINK. The simulation of the system is implemented by using step change and linear change input to the wind turbine with an initial wind speed value of 4 m/s and to a final value of 15 m/s. In a step change, it is observed that the output load current increases quickly from 5.2 to 18.3 Amperes in just 0.12 second while in a linear change wind speed input, it is observed that the load output current linearly increases from 5 to 18 Amperes in 0.5 second. Its voltage output approximately remains constant at any change of wind speed. It is found out that there is a small time delay (around 0.2 second) in the response of the load current. The system current output has no unwarranted overshoot or spike even though there is a sudden increase of wind speed. This indicates that it has a stable output current even though a wind gust occurs. Hence, this shows that experimental observations validate the results of the simulation.

This survey reports primary results of classical allele frequencies on ten protein loci in a Basque population sample from northern Navarre, the less known from an anthropological and genetic point of view than the populations of the other Basque territories of Spain. Since ancient times this has been a zone of Basque population settlement, and the Basque language (Euskera) still remains deeply rooted among its autochthonous population. A total of 122 blood samples from unrelated northern Navarrese with autochthonous ascendants to the third generation were typed for GC, HP, PI, TF, ACP1, AK1, CA2, ESD, PGD and PGM1 genetic systems. Basque surnames and birthplaces were the criteria used to define family origins. Genetic structure was analyzed on different population hierarchical levels. Northern Navarre seems to be the most genetically deviated area in comparison with other Basque groups. The highest level of differentiation is observed between Navarrese and Alava Basques whereas Guipúzcoa province, the territory adjacent to northern Navarre, presents the lowest genetic distance from the study area. Northern Navarrese show some distinguishing genetic characteristics in relation to other Basque relative samples, which include high frequencies for PI*M1 and TF*C1 and low levels of PGD*C and PGM1*2 alleles. When the genetic data reported here are analyzed jointly with GM allotypes frequencies, the results significantly reinforce the relative position of Navarrese Basques as well as the topology of the Basque cluster on genetic maps. The analysis of relationships among the genetic structures of Basque population samples leads us to ask ourselves which of them fits in best with the ancient Basque population. Classical geographers placed the tribe of the Vascones in the geographical region currently known as Navarre, so extant Navarrese Basques might be considered firm candidates to denote the anthropological and genomic distinctiveness of the ancient Basques.