System identification and fault reconstruction in solar plants via extended Kalman filter-based training of recurrent neural networks.

This article proposes using the extended Kalman filter (EKF) for recurrent neural network (RNN) training and fault estimation within a parabolic-trough solar plant. The initial step involves employing an RNN to model the system. Given the challenge of fault discernibility in the collectors, parallel EKFs are employed to reconstruct the parameters of the faults.

Immunologic Abnormalities Associated With Health Status of Heart Recipients Long Term After Transplantation.

Background: With improvements in survival rates, health-related quality of life is an important outcome parameter to evaluate the effectiveness of transplantation. We aimed to identify potential immunologic abnormalities as factors associated with poorer health-related quality of life at distinct scales of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey in heart transplant recipients long term after transplantation.

Methods: One hundred heart transplant recipients were evaluated in a single center.

Semi-quantitative determination of ash element content for freeze-dried, defatted, sulfated and pyrolysed biomass of sp.

Background: Energy demand by mankind has become one of the most important aspects of our society. A promising technology that seeks to provide part of the energy demand and to obtain high-value products is the thermochemical conversion of microalgae biomass. Inorganic species presented in microalgae biomass may act as catalysts for thermochemical reactions and are responsible for notorious ash-related issues during thermochemical decomposition.

Evaluation of two different alternatives of energy recovery from municipal solid waste in Brazil.

Brazil has a large population with a high waste generation. The municipal solid waste (MSW) generated is deposited mainly in landfills. However, a considerable fraction of the waste is still improperly disposed of in dumpsters.

Electricity production from municipal solid waste in Brazil.

Brazil has an increasing production of municipal solid waste that, allied to the current waste management system, makes the search for alternatives of energy recovery essential. Thus, this work aims to study the incineration of municipal solid waste and the electricity production through steam cycles evaluating the influence of municipal solid waste composition. Several scenarios were studied, in which it was assumed that some fractions of municipal solid waste were removed previously.

Peripheral blood T- and B-cell immunophenotypic abnormalities in selected women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage.

We aimed to investigate if women with recurrent miscarriage disclosed abnormalities in the maturation and activation status of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets. In a case control study, 24 women with recurrent miscarriage, 37 women with children but no history of miscarriage and 39 women without previous pregnancies were evaluated. Lymphocyte subsets were evaluated using three-colour flow-cytometry.

CD8+DR+ T-Cells and C3 Complement Serum Concentration as Potential Biomarkers in Thrombotic Antiphospholipid Syndrome.

Purpose. To assess complement factors and T lymphocyte activation subset abnormalities in patients with thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) as potential biomarkers for development of clinical complications. Methods.

Alterations of naïve and memory B-cell subsets are associated with risk of rejection and infection in heart recipients.

Rejection and infection are relevant causes of mortality in heart recipients. We evaluated the kinetics of the maturation status of B lymphocytes and its relationship with acute cellular rejection and severe infection in heart recipients. We analyzed B-cell subsets using 4-color flow cytometry in a prospective follow-up study of 46 heart recipients.

Simultaneous monitoring of cytomegalovirus-specific antibody and T-cell levels in seropositive heart transplant recipients.

Purpose: Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) active infection (CMV infection) poses serious risks to CMV-seropositive heart transplant recipients. We evaluated the usefulness of simultaneous assessment of CMV-specific values for parameters of the humoral (antibodies) and cellular (CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells) immune responses in the identification of heart recipients at risk of developing CMV infection after transplantation.

Methods: We prospectively studied 38 CMV-seropositive heart recipients.

Immunological risk factors for infection after immunosuppressive and biologic therapies.

Immunosuppressive and biologic therapies are costly and can involve a considerable risk of infection. Noninvasive diagnostic tools for early prediction of infection before and after administration of these therapies are of major interest. Serial longitudinal immune monitoring would provide data on immunocompetence and complement clinical follow-up protocols.

Peripheral blood CD8+DR+ T-cell count: a potential new immunologic marker of unexplained recurrent abortion.

A case-control study was performed to assess whether T-cell activation profile of CD8+ T-cells is associated with unexplained recurrent abortion. Women with abortion had significantly higher percentages (32 +/- 11 vs. 24 +/- 13%) and absolute numbers (160 +/- 78 vs.

Quantitative abnormalities of peripheral blood distinct T, B, and natural killer cell subsets and clinical findings in obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome.

Objective: Few studies have assessed immunophenotypic abnormalities on lymphocyte subsets in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). We performed an extended immunological study to define alterations of distinct T, B, and natural killer (NK) cell subsets in obstetric patients with APS and their relationship with APS-associated complications.

Patients And Controls: 36 women with APS [Sydney criteria, Group A1 without thrombosis (n=26), Group A2 with thrombosis (n=10)]; and 36 age matched women with recurrent abortion without antiphospholipid antibodies (disease controls; Group B), 36 healthy parous women (healthy controls; Group C), and 36 healthy nonparous women (healthy controls; Group D).

Immune monitoring of anti cytomegalovirus antibodies and risk of cytomegalovirus disease in heart transplantation.

We sought to determine whether quantitative assessment of anti-cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibodies could be useful to identify patients at risk of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease after heart transplantation (HT). 75 patients who underwent HT at a single health care center were prospectively studied. Induction therapy included 2 doses of daclizumab and maintenance tacrolimus (n=42) or cyclosporine (n=29), mycophenolate mofetil and prednisone.

Immune monitoring to predict the development of infections after immunosuppression for solid organ transplantation and autoimmune diseases.

Infections are relevant complications that cause morbidity in solid organ transplantation and autoimmune diseases. Infection represents a leading single cause of death in these patients. Identification of patients at risk for development of infections and specific intervention to decrease infection risk might lead to better outcomes, though one needs first to evaluate the presence of risk factors for infection.