Application of Grey Wolf Optimizer Algorithm for Optimal Power Flow of Two-Terminal HVDC Transmission System

This paper applies a relatively new optimization method, the Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) algorithm for Optimal Power Flow (OPF) of twoterminal High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) electrical power system. The OPF problem of pure AC power systems considers the minimization of total costs under equality and inequality constraints. Hence, the OPF problem of integrated AC-DC power systems is extended to incorporate HVDC links, while taking into consideration the power transfer control characteristics using a GWO algorithm. This algorithm is inspired by the hunting behavior and social leadership of grey wolves in nature. The proposed algorithm is applied to two different case-studies: the modified 5-bus and WSCC 9-bus test systems. The validity of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated by comparing the obtained results with those reported in literature using other optimization techniques. Analysis of the obtained results show that the proposed GWO algorithm is able to achieve shorter CPU time, as well as minimized total cost when compared with already existing optimization techniques. This conclusion proves the efficiency of the GWO algorithm

Impact of Textiled-Poly Bags as Economic and Environmentally Friendly Recycled Fibers on Mechanical Features of Soil

Newly, the utilization of polypropene for packaging consumer products was populated significantly, which might make ecological problems. So, it is substantial to detect environmentally friendly techniques to recycle these waste substances without causing any environmental risks. One such technique could be the utilize poly wastes as stabilizer agents for soils. In the current investigation, textiled-poly bags (TPB) have been recycled and fabricated to be economy and environmentally-friendly fibers. The impact of utilizing different proportions and lengths of these fibers on the mechanical features of clayey soil has been evaluated. The investigation depended on four different fiber-proportions (1, 2, 3, &4)% of soil weight in two different lengths (1&2) cm. Geotechnical experimental test consequences demonstrated that the recycled fiber pieces minimize the optimum dry density (ODD) and the corresponding optimum water content (OWC) of the treated soil samples. Additionally, there was a notable increment in the uniaxial compression test results of the treated soil samples. Moreover, the consequences of California Bearing Ratio tests showed that the utilization of recycled TPB fibers in clayey soil samples enhances the resistance and deformation performance of the soils specially when utilizing 4% of recycled TPB fibers for both lengths (1 & 2) cm

Low Complexity V-BLAST MIMO-OFDM Detector by Successive Iterations Reduction

V-BLAST detection method suffers large computational complexity due to its successive detection of symbols. In this paper, we propose a modified V-BLAST algorithm to decrease the computational complexity by reducing the number of detection iterations required in MIMO communication systems. We begin by showing the existence of a maximum number of iterations, beyond which, no significant improvement is obtained. We establish a criterion for the number of maximum effective iterations. We propose a modified algorithm that uses the measured SNR to dynamically set the number of iterations to achieve an acceptable bit-error rate. Then, we replace the feedback algorithm with an approximate linear function to reduce the complexity. Simulations show that significant reduction in computational complexity is achieved compared to the ordinary V-BLAST, while maintaining a good BER performance.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables. The final publication is available at www.aece.r

Social intelligence skills of high school students at Sabah Al Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity in the state of Kuwait and its relationship to some demographic variables

The purpose of this study is to identify the degree of possession of social intelligence skills of High School students at Sabah Al Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity in the State of Kuwait. It also purposes to study the relationship between students' possession of social intelligence skills and other variables. The researcher designs a questionnaire to collect data, and the study methodology used the descriptive analytical approach. The sample consisted of 163 high school students at the Center for Giftedness and Creativity, 94 boys and 69 girls. Using statistical methods, the Finding indicated that High School students at Sabah Al Ahmad Center for Creativity and Giftedness possessed social intelligence skills at a degree between medium and slightly high, as the general average reached (3.89). The Finding showed that the students possess (social competence skills, empathy skills, with others, and communication skills with others) to a high degree, and leadership and organization skills to a degree that tends to decrease somewhat. The study did not find statistically significant differences according to the variables of gender, academic phase and number of brothers and sisters

Regioselective Synthesis of Biologically Active Pyrazolone Nucleosides and their Benzoyl Analogues

Increasing incidence of anticancer and antimicrobial resistance are the most common concerns in the medical field. Cancer is a serious disease that can affect almost every tissue lineage in the human body and poses great challenges to medicinal science. In addition, many antibiotics have a tendency to becoming resistant and are prone to severe adverse effects after long term use. Hence, there is an urgent need to discover and develop novel antitumor drug molecules which could effectively inhibit proliferative pathways with fewer side effects. Also, increasing demand to synthesize novel antimicrobial agents that are active against resistant strains. This research aimed to design, synthesis, physical studies and biochemical evaluated of some novel pyrazolones and their corresponding ribonucleoside, deoxyribonucleoside and benzoyl analogues for their in vitro antimicrobial and anticancer activities. Antimicrobial properties of the title compounds were investigated against Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial as well as fungal strains. Anticancer activity was performed against HL60 cell lines. Antimicrobial activity results revealed that the synthesized azo compound 113c, and the synthesized nucleosides compounds 116a and 118c were found to be the most effective agents with better MIC values, compared to some existing antimicrobial drugs, such as Ceftriaxone and Amphotericin B. On the other hand, the results of anticancer study indicated that the synthesized nucleosides 117a, 122a,b and 123 were found to be most potent anticancer agent against the cancerous HL60 cell line while the synthesized nucleosides 117e,f, 122a and the benzoylated compounds 124c,d,f, and 124g showed good affect against the A-549 cell line. Also, pyrazolones derivatives are more sensitive against the lung cancer. Binding affinity and selectivity of the synthesized compounds towards ct-DNA were studied at different conditions of pH and solvents; the results showed that compound 118c interact and stabilize the ct-DNA which can be anti-cancer agent. Therefore, these compounds, open new avenues for the development of antibacterial and anti-cancer therapeutic agents for the treatment of infectious and cancer diseases. Also, these results give an insight into the structure-activity relationships, which are tremendously important for the design of further new antimicrobial and anticancer agents

EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DIESEL EXHAUST PARTICLES ON GASTRIC STEM CELLS

I would like to express my special thanks to the General Secretariat of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi Emirate and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) for their input and support. Last, but certainly not least, these acknowledgments would be incomplete without expressing my deepest appreciation to my family. Special acknowledgment of this achievement goes to my parents, who not only showed me unconditional love, acceptance, and respect for the person that I am throughout my life, they also showed me the strength of character which has brought me to where I am today. To my wife, for her love and the tremendous amount of support, which she gave me, both of which were vital ingredients in the completion of this study. To my lovely children, Mariam, Khaled, Maha, and Abdulla, for Even though stem cells have attracted many scientists because of their unique properties and therapeutic applications, it is not known how the environmental toxic factors could affect their features and functions. This study is focusing on the interaction between environmental diesel exhaust particles (DEP) and the stomach stem cells. In the stomach, the stem cells are responsible for generating and maintaining different types of cells which are organized to form numerous tubular glands. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of DEP on mouse gastric stem cells. The hypothesis is that DEP could have deleterious effects on the properties of mouse gastric stem cells such as their viability and migration. An immortalized mouse gastric stem cell line was used to develop a simple in vitro model to test the effects of exposure to various concentrations of DEP. Stem cells were cultured using routine tissue culture protocols. The DEP was added to the culture media at different concentrations: 1, 10, and 100 μg/ml for different timepoint up to 72 hours. Then, stem cells were analyzed using: cell viability assay, wound healing or migration assay, oxidative stress analysis by measurement of reduced glutathione, lipid peroxidation, and nitric oxide, expression analysis of genes specific for cell proliferation, cell death, and oxidative stress using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and expression of stem cell-specific proteins using western blotting. While DEP induced a reduction in the growth rate of gastric stem cells only at high concentration, no significant effects were found on cell migration, cell death-related genes/proteins. Only minor changes were observed in oxidative stress parameters. However, these findings were interestingly associated with the downregulation of Notch 1, 2, and 3 proteins. Since Notch signaling pathways play an important role in the development and differentiation of stem cells, it will be interesting to determine which mechanisms and target genes are involved in an animal model of DEP exposure. In conclusion, this study establishes an in vitro model system to investigate the biological feature of gastric stem cells when exposed to environmental pollutants. In addition, demonstrating the effects of DEP on adult stem cells will help in raising public awareness about environmental hazardous agents.r patience, understanding, and support. Without them, my DBA could have been an extremely lonely trip

Faculty of Nursing, Kafrelsheikh University

Context: Health and well-being before marriage help to maintain the health of future children. Therefore, healthcare should begin before marriage through premarital care as it can recognize and modify health risk factors well-known to have adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes.Aim: The current research carried out to examine the effect of pre-marital care educational program on the knowledge and attitude of female university students. Methods: A quasi-experimental design (Pre-test/Post-test) was adopted to achieve the stated aim. A stratified sample of one thousand female students was recruited. The research was conducted at the Nursing and Commerce Faculties at Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt. Two tools were constructed by the researchers: A self-administered questionnaire and Pre-marital care attitude assessment scale.Results: The research findings revealed that 32.30% of nursing students have a high level of knowledge pre-program compared to 54.00% post-program, while 21.00% of commerce students have a high level of knowledge pre-program compared to 41.00% post-program. Moreover, there was a statistically significant difference between mean knowledge scores pre and post-program (p< 0.001). Concerning students’ attitudes, it was observed that positive attitudes expanded from 54.700% to 66.00 % among nursing students and from 49.00% to 57.500% among commerce students. As well, there was a statistically significant difference between pre-program and post-program attitude levels (p< 0.001). Conclusion: the research hypotheses were accepted as the knowledge and attitude of students were improved after receiving the program suggesting its effectiveness. The study recommended that university students should be equipped with adequate in-depth health information related to pre-marital care to expand the general population's mindfulness and impact their attitude toward pre-marital care

Analyzing the Relationship between Market Orientation and Corporate Entrepreneurship

This study aims to analyze the relationship between market orientation (MO) and corporate entrepreneurship (CE). A total of 450 questionnaires were distributed among the three main mobile organizations in the telecommunication sector in Egypt within Cairo governorate geographic zone. The research findings show that market orientation dimensions have a strong significant and positive relationship with corporate entrepreneurship dimensions. And that the corporate entrepreneurship activities practiced by mobile companies in Egypt, has been significantly affected by the market orientation of these organizations. It indicates that market orientation creates an environment that can foster corporate entrepreneurship among middle and top management to satisfy the changing needs and wants of customers. The research findings suggest that organizations need to increase the responsiveness to the changes that occur in the customers ‘needs and wants. The managers of organizations should believe in the importance of the corporate entrepreneurship and communicate this belief to their employees. They need to offer support to entrepreneurial activities within the organization by building a reward/reinforcement system that will encourage employees to innovate. This research contributes to the existing corporate entrepreneurship literature through in-depth analysis of the corporate entrepreneurship and the market orientation sub-dimensions. It also provides an insight on the telecom market in Egypt which is one of the promising sectors of the Egyptian economy. Keywords: corporate entrepreneurship, market orientation, intrapreneurship, telecommunication secto

The Family Role in Adolescents Protection: Evidence from Pre and Amid Covid-19 in Qatar

Evidence from different regions confirms that parents are playing a larger role in protecting their children from behavioral deviations. The family unit, when functioning well, represents a responsible and healthy environment for child development. Despite the importance given to this relational nexus, evidence from the MENA region remains limited in this regard, especially among the adolescent age group. Through quantitative evidence collected from adolescents themselves, this article explores the role that parents play in adolescent protection, investigating the risk and protective factors before and during Covid-19 in Qatar. Periodical comparative analysis is meant to provide scientific measurement on how Covid-19 positively and negatively impacted parental functions and adolescents’ attitudes. Results confirm enhanced quality parenting, reduced domestic violence, better relational ties and parental emotional support, yet evidence raises concern on digital addiction and fatherhood engagement

Fault Location Effect on Short-Circuit Calculations of a TCVR Compensated Line in Algeria

This research work investigated the effect of fault location on short-circuit calculations for a high voltage transmission line equipped with a novel FACTS device, namely Thyristor Controlled Voltage Regulator (TCVR). This main function of this device was to control the voltage and active power of the line. The paper considered a study case for a 220 kV transmission line, in the Algerian transmission power network, which was subjected to a phase to earth fault in the presence of a fixed fault resistance. The paper presented theoretical analysis of the short-circuit calculations which was confirmed by the illustrated simulation results. Simulation results showed the impact of the fault location on the symmetrical current and voltage components of the line, and transmission line phase currents and voltages; before using TCVR and in the presence of TCVR for both cases of positive and negative TCVR controlled voltage