Search results for " Models"
showing 10 items of 4240 documents
MATLAB-based simulator of a 5 kW fuel cell for power electronics design
2013
Abstract In the last few years, renewable energies have been encouraged by worldwide governments to meet energy saving policies. Among renewable energy sources, fuel cells have attracted much interest for a wide variety of research areas. Since combined heat-power generation is allowed, household appliances are still the most promising applications. Fuel cell-based residential-scaled power supply systems take advantage by simultaneous generation of power and heat, reducing the overall fossil fuel consumption and utilities cost. Modelling is one of the most important topic concerning fuel cell use. In this paper, a measurement-based steady-state and dynamic fuel cell model is presented. The …
Acceptability of domestic violence against women in the European Union: a multilevel analysis
2006
Study objective: The acceptability of domestic violence against women (DVAW) plays an important part in shaping the social environment in which the victims are embedded, which in turn may contribute either to perpetuate or to reduce the levels of DVAW in our societies. This study analyses correlates of the acceptability of DVAW in the European Union (EU). Design: Three level ordinal logistic regression of 13 457 people nested within 212 localities (cities), nested within 15 countries of the EU. Sampling is multistage with random probability. All interviews were face to face in people’s homes. The outcome variable was acceptability of DVAW. Multiple correlates at the individual, locality, an…
Advantages and limitations of using national administrative data on obstetric blood transfusions to estimate the frequency of obstetric hemorrhages
2013
International audience; BACKGROUND: Obstetric hemorrhages are a frequent cause of maternal death all over the world, but are not routinely monitored. Health systems administrative databases could be used for this purpose, but data quality needs to be assessed. OBJECTIVES: Using blood transfusion data recorded in administrative databases to estimate the frequency of obstetric hemorrhages. Research design A population-based study. Subjects Validation sub-sample: all mothers who gave birth in a French region in 2006-07 (35 123 pregnancies). Main study: all mothers who gave birth in France in 2006-07 (1 629 537 pregnancies). METHOD: Linkage and comparison of administrative data on blood transfu…
Mboat7 down-regulation by hyper-insulinemia induces fat accumulation in hepatocytes.
2020
Background: Naturally occurring variation in Membrane-bound O-acyltransferase domain-containing 7 (MBOAT7), encoding for an enzyme involved in phosphatidylinositol acyl-chain remodelling, has been associated with fatty liver and hepatic disorders. Here, we examined the relationship between hepatic Mboat7 down-regulation and fat accumulation. Methods: Hepatic MBOAT7 expression was surveyed in 119 obese individuals and in experimental models. MBOAT7 was acutely silenced by antisense oligonucleotides in C57Bl/6 mice, and by CRISPR/Cas9 in HepG2 hepatocytes. Findings: In obese individuals, hepatic MBOAT7 mRNA decreased from normal liver to steatohepatitis, independently of diabetes, inflammatio…
Cognitive processes related to problematic pornography use (PPU): A systematic review of experimental studies
2021
Highlights • Some people experience symptoms derived from pornography viewing. • Cognitive processes may be related to the development of Problematic Pornography Use (PPU). • We performed a systematic review of 21 studies exploring cognitive processes related to PPU. • We identified 4 cognitive processes relevant for the development and maintenance of PPU.
EXPORT PERFORMANCE AND ORGANISATIONAL MODELS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS BASED ON THE RBV APPROACH
2016
Resource based view approach is proposed as theoretical framework in order to identify the existence of similar organizational models in a sample of firms operating in the Sicilian wine industry, and the key success factors for superior export success. The findings of this research show that managers’ age and wineries’ export experience in export success are the key organizational capabilities, that explain a firm’s strategic advantage over its competitors. The importance of these capabilities is further uncovered through the main characteristics of the clusters. The result informs strategy design at the firm level; wineries need to incorporate significant capabilities associated with manag…
Building a continuous multicenter infection surveillance system in the intensive care unit: findings from the initial data set of 9,493 patients from…
2008
OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology of infections in intensive care units (ICUs), whether present at admission or acquired during the stay. METHODS: Prospective data collection lasting 6 months in 71 Italian adult ICUs. Patients were screened for infections and risk factors at ICU admission and daily during their stay. MAIN RESULTS: Out of 9,493 consecutive patients admitted to the 71 ICUs, 11.6% had a community-acquired infection, 7.4% a hospital-acquired infection, and 11.4% an ICU-acquired infection. The risk curve of acquiring infection in the ICU was higher in patients who entered without infection than in those already infected (log-rank test, p < .0001; at 15 days, 44.0% vs. 34.6…
Preclinical Retinal Neurodegeneration in a Model of Multiple Sclerosis
2012
Neurodegeneration plays a major role in multiple sclerosis (MS), in which it is thought to be the main determinant of permanent disability. However, the relationship between the immune response and the onset of neurodegeneration is still a matter of debate. Moreover, recent findings in MS patients raised the question of whether primary neurodegenerative changes can occur in the retina independent of optic nerve inflammation. Using a rat model of MS that frequently leads to optic neuritis, we have investigated the interconnection between neurodegenerative and inflammatory changes in the retina and the optic nerves with special focus on preclinical disease stages. We report that, before manif…
Neuroinflammation by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes impairs retrograde axonal transport in an oligodendrocyte mutant mouse.
2012
Mice overexpressing proteolipid protein (PLP) develop a leukodystrophy-like disease involving cytotoxic, CD8+ T-lymphocytes. Here we show that these cytotoxic T-lymphocytes perturb retrograde axonal transport. Using fluorogold stereotactically injected into the colliculus superior, we found that PLP overexpression in oligodendrocytes led to significantly reduced retrograde axonal transport in retina ganglion cell axons. We also observed an accumulation of mitochondria in the juxtaparanodal axonal swellings, indicative for a disturbed axonal transport. PLP overexpression in the absence of T-lymphocytes rescued retrograde axonal transport defects and abolished axonal swellings. Bone marrow tr…
Retinal microglia are activated by systemic fungal infection
2014
Purpose: To determine whether systemic fungal infection could cause activation of retinal microglia and therefore could be potentially harmful for patients with retinal degenerative diseases. Methods: Activation of retinal microglia was measured in a model of sublethal invasive candidiasis in C57BL/6J mice by (i) confocal immunofluorescence and (ii) flow cytometry analysis, using anti-CD11b, anti-Iba1, anti-MHCII and anti-CD45 antibodies. Results: Systemic fungal infection causes activation of retinal microglia, with phenotypic changes in morphology, surface markers expression, and microglial re-location in retinal layers. Conclusions: As an excessive or prolonged microglial activation may …