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Presented at: 21st International Conference on Renewable Energies and Power Quality (ICREPQ’23) In the study of wind turbines, one of the most relevant and useful indicators is the power curve. It has been shown to be of paramount importance in evaluating turbine performance and therefore reducing operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. Various techniques can be applied to model and obtain the shape of this curve, which relates the electrical power generated by a turbine to the wind speed. Statistical copulas are used in this paper, a tool used in other fields such as econometrics, and whose potential lies in its ability to capture the complex dependency between the variables involved. In particular, the Frank copula is applied to obtain a probabilistic model of the power curve of a wind turbine. This model is compared with the Gaussian Mixture Model, a technique widely used to obtain parametric probabilistic models. As a result of this comparison, it is observed that the Frank copula model fits the power curve of the wind turbine with greater precision and reliability, which would allow its use for prediction and fault detection.

Despite the extensive research on molecular pathways controlling the process of regeneration in planarians and other regeneration models, little is known about the actual initiation signals necessary to induce regeneration. Previously the involvement of ROS, EGFR and MAPK/ERK has been demonstrated during planarian regeneration, however the exact interplay has not been yet described. By selectively interfering with major mediators in all three key parts (ROS, EGFR & MAPK/ERK), we were able to identify amputation/wound-induced ROS, and H2O2specifically, as upstream cue in activating regeneration-initiation. In addition, our results demonstrate new relationships between regeneration related ROS production and MAPK/ERK activation at early regeneration stages, as well as the involvement of the EGFR-signaling pathway. In summary, our results suggest a new and more extensive signaling model with ROS, and H2O2, highlighted as upstream initiation-factor and its important functions in the downstream EGFR-MAPK/ERK pathway during planarian regeneration.

The disinfection of a continuous flow of an effluent from an advanced primary treatment (coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation) with or without posterior filtration, using either peracetic acid (PAA) or ultraviolet (UV) radiation was studied. We aimed to obtain bacteriological quality to comply with the microbiological standard established in the Mexican regulations for treated wastewater reuse (NOM-003-SEMARNAT-1997), i.e., less than 240 MPN (most probable number) FC/100 mL. The concentrations of PAA were 10, 15, and 20 mg/L, with contact times of 10, and 15 min. Fecal coliforms (FC) inactivation ranged from 0.93 up to 6.4 log units, and in all cases it reached the limits set by the mentioned regulation. Water quality influenced the PAA disinfection effectiveness. An efficiency of 91% was achieved for the unfiltered effluent, as compared to 99% when wastewater was filtered. UV radiation was applied to wastewater flows of 21, 30 and 39 L/min, with dosages from 1 to 6 mJ/cm2. This treatment did not achieve the bacteriological quality required for treated wastewater reuse, since the best inactivation of FC was 1.62 log units, for a flow of 21 L/min of filtered wastewater and a UV dosage of 5.6 mJ/cm2.

Background Asthma is the most prevalent chronic disease of childhood. Recently, we identified a critical window early in the life of both mice and Canadian infants during which gut microbial changes (dysbiosis) affect asthma development. Given geographic differences in human gut microbiota worldwide, we studied the effects of gut microbial dysbiosis on atopic wheeze in a population living in a distinct developing world environment. Objective We sought to determine whether microbial alterations in early infancy are associated with the development of atopic wheeze in a nonindustrialized setting. Methods We conducted a case-control study nested within a birth cohort from rural Ecuador in which we identified 27 children with atopic wheeze and 70 healthy control subjects at 5 years of age. We analyzed bacterial and eukaryotic gut microbiota in stool samples collected at 3 months of age using 16S and 18S sequencing. Bacterial metagenomes were predicted from 16S rRNA data by using Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States and categorized by function with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes ontology. Concentrations of fecal short-chain fatty acids were determined by using gas chromatography. Results As previously observed in Canadian infants, microbial dysbiosis at 3 months of age was associated with later development of atopic wheeze. However, the dysbiosis in Ecuadorian babies involved different bacterial taxa, was more pronounced, and also involved several fungal taxa. Predicted metagenomic analysis emphasized significant dysbiosis-associated differences in genes involved in carbohydrate and taurine metabolism. Levels of the fecal short-chain fatty acids acetate and caproate were reduced and increased, respectively, in the 3-month stool samples of children who went on to have atopic wheeze. Conclusions Our findings support the importance of fungal and bacterial microbiota during the first 100 days of life on the development of atopic wheeze and provide additional support for considering modulation of the gut microbiome as a primary asthma prevention strategy., Graphical abstract

BACKGROUND: Although norovirus is the most common cause of gastroenteritis, there are few data on the community incidence of infection/disease or the patterns of acquired immunity or innate resistance to norovirus. METHODS: We followed a community-based birth cohort of 194 children in Ecuador with the aim to estimate (1) the incidence of norovirus gastroenteritis from birth to age 3 years, (2) the protective effect of norovirus infection against subsequent infection/disease, and (3) the association of infection and disease with FUT2 secretor status. RESULTS: Over the 3-year period, we detected a mean of 2.26 diarrheal episodes per child (range, 0-12 episodes). Norovirus was detected in 260 samples (18%) but was not found more frequently in diarrheal samples (79 of 438 [18%]), compared with diarrhea-free samples (181 of 1016 [18%]; P = .919). A total of 66% of children had at least 1 norovirus infection during the first 3 years of life, and 40% of children had 2 infections. Previous norovirus infections were not associated with the risk of subsequent infection. All genogroup II, genotype 4 (GII.4) infections were among secretor-positive children (P < .001), but higher rates of non-GII.4 infections were found in secretor-negative children (relative risk, 0.56; P = .029). CONCLUSIONS: GII.4 infections were uniquely detected in secretor-positive children, while non-GII.4 infections were more often found in secretor-negative children.

BACKGROUND: The association between atopy and asthma is attenuated in non-affluent populations, an effect that may be explained by childhood infections such as geohelminths. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between atopy and wheeze in schoolchildren living in urban and rural areas of Ecuador and examine the effects of geohelminths on this association. METHODS: We performed nested case-control studies among comparable populations of schoolchildren living in rural communities and urban neighbourhoods in the Province of Esmeraldas, Ecuador. We detected geohelminths in stool samples, measured recent wheeze and environmental exposures by parental questionnaire, and atopy by specific IgE (sIgE) and skin prick test (SPT) reactivity to aeroallergens. RESULTS: Atopy, particularly sIgE to house dust mite (HDM), was more strongly associated with recent wheeze in urban than rural schoolchildren: (urban, adj. OR 5.19, 95% CI 3.37-8.00, P < 0.0001; rural, adj. OR 1.81, 95%CI 1.09-2.99, P = 0.02; interaction, P < 0.001). The population fractions of wheeze attributable to atopy were approximately two-fold greater in urban schoolchildren: SPT to any allergen (urban 23.5% vs. rural 10.1%), SPT to HDM (urban 18.5% vs. rural 9.6%), and anti-HDM IgE (urban 26.5% vs. rural 10.5%), while anti-Ascaris IgE was related to wheeze in a high proportion of rural (49.7%) and urban (35.4%) children. The association between atopy and recent wheeze was attenuated by markers of geohelminth infections. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that urban residence modifies the association between HDM atopy and recent wheeze, and this effect is explained partly by geohelminth infections.

Eighty-eight samples of Quercus rotundifolia acorns were analyzed during three consecutive years (2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08) to determine variations in their morphology, sanitary condition, and nutritional composition throughout the same period of montanera (free-range swine-raising system of SW Iberia) and between different years of study. Results showed that morphological characteristics remained constant throughout montanera season. Fungal damage increased, and Curculio sp. and Cydia sp. pests decreased over the course of the montanera season. Dry matter content decreased in both kernel and pericarp (P < 0.001), while the crude fiber and protein contents were not modified. The ash, nitrogen-free extract, and fat contents, however, were also affected by sampling date within a montanera season. With respect to the interannual variability, variations (P < 0.05) were observed in all the variables studied. It is therefore confirmed that there is variability in the sanitary condition and nutritional composition of acorns within the same montanera season and between different years of study. These could explain the differences in the chemical characteristics of Iberian pig tissues from animals raised in different montanera seasons, and even during the same montanera season., Ochenta y ocho muestras de bellotas de Quercus rotundifolia fueron analizadas durante tres años consecutivos (2005/06, 2006/07 y 2007/08), para determinar variaciones en la morfología, estado sanitario y composición nutritiva de las mismas durante un mismo periodo de montanera y entre diferentes años de estudio. Los resultados mostraron que las características morfológicas permanecen constantes durante la montanera. El ataque debido a la presencia de hongos aumentó, mientras que el de los insectos Curculio sp. y Cydia sp. disminuyó durante la montanera. El contenido en materia seca, tanto de la semilla como del pericarpio, también disminuyó (P < 0,001), mientras que el contenido en fibra bruta y en proteína no sufrió modificaciones. Sin embargo, el contenido en cenizas, sustancias extractivas libres de nitrógeno y grasa también se vio afectado por la fecha de muestreo dentro de una montanera. Con respecto a la variabilidad interanual, se observaron variaciones (P < 0,05) en todas las variables estudiadas. Por tanto, se puede afirmar que existe variabilidad en el estado sanitario y la composición nutritiva de bellotas dentro de una misma montanera y entre diferentes años de estudio. Esto podría explicar las variaciones en las características químicas de los tejidos de cerdo ibéricos de animales criados en diferentes periodos de montanera, e incluso en una misma campaña.