Experimental Results of a Wind Energy Conversion System with STATCOM Using Fuzzy Logic Controller

This paper describes a complete implementation of the experimental voltage regulation of a wind energy conversion system using STATCOM. Firstly conventional control technique is used which is proportional plus integral controller. The control technique is performed using a PC computer through a suitable interfacing and opt-isolating facilities. Secondly fuzzy logic controller is facilitated in this scheme to improve the performance of the experimental setup. Several efforts are done to choose the suitable gains of the fuzzy controller to achieve superior performance of the wind system. Experimental results of the system show the effectiveness of the proposed technique in regulating the output voltage. Thanks to the operation of the STATCOM in controlling the reactive power of the system to fix the output voltage at the desired value regardless of the wind speed

Experimental Results of a Wind Energy Conversion System with STATCOM Using Fuzzy Logic Controller

This paper describes a complete implementation of the experimental voltage regulation of a wind energy conversion system using STATCOM. Firstly conventional control technique is used which is proportional plus integral controller. The control technique is performed using a PC computer through a suitable interfacing and opt-isolating facilities. Secondly fuzzy logic controller is facilitated in this scheme to improve the performance of the experimental setup. Several efforts are done to choose the suitable gains of the fuzzy controller to achieve superior performance of the wind system. Experimental results of the system show the effectiveness of the proposed technique in regulating the output voltage. Thanks to the operation of the STATCOM in controlling the reactive power of the system to fix the output voltage at the desired value regardless of the wind speed

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis as a cause of bronchial asthma in children

Background: Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) occurs in patients with asthma and cystic fibrosis. When aspergillus fumigatus spores are inhaled they grow in bronchial mucous as hyphae. It occurs in non immunocompromised patients and belongs to the hypersensitivity disorders induced by Aspergillus. Objective: To diagnose cases of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis among asthmatic children and define the association between the clinical and laboratory findings of aspergillus fumigatus (AF) and bronchial asthma. Methods: Eighty asthmatic children were recruited in this study and divided into 50 atopic and 30 non-atopic children. The following were done: skin prick test for aspergillus fumigatus and other allergens, measurement of serum total IgE, specific serum aspergillus fumigatus antibody titer IgG and IgE (AF specific IgG and IgE) and absolute eosinophilic count. Results: ABPA occurred only in atopic asthmatics, it was more prevalent with decreased forced expiratory volume at the first second (FEV1). Prolonged duration of asthma and steroid dependency were associated with ABPA. AF specific IgE and IgG were higher in the atopic group, they were higher in Aspergillus fumigatus skin prick test positive children than negative ones .Wheal diameter of skin prick test had a significant relation to the level of AF IgE titer. Skin prick test positive cases for aspergillus fumigatus was observed in 32% of atopic asthmatic children. Conclusion: ABPA occurs in 1/3 of atopic asthmatic children and is related to the duration and severity of asthma.Keywords: Aspergillosis, bronchial asthma, childrenEgypt J Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2012;10(2):95-10

Effects of bisphenol A and DDT on mRNA expression of vitellogenin II in liver of quail embryos

Summary This study was conducted to reveal the estrogenic effects of bisphenol A and o, p'-DDT on quail embryos. Thirteen fertilized eggs were used as control (injected with 20 µl corn oil), 15 eggs were injected with estradiol 17β (0.04 mg dissolved in 20 µl corn oil), 20 eggs were injected with BPA (2 mg dissolved in 20 µl corn oil) and 20 eggs were injected with o, p'-DDT (2 mg dissolved in 20 µl corn oil) at day 13 of incubation. Two days later the livers of the embryos were collected. The DNA was extracted from the liver for molecular sexing, while total RNA was extracted for vitellogenin II (VTGII) mRNA expression in embryos. In female embryos, BPA and o, p'-DDT induced variable levels of VTGII mRNA expression, while in male embryos, o, p'-DDT induced a slightly VTGII mRNA expression. In contrast, there was no expression of VTGII after BPA injection. In conclusion, the estrogenicity of BPA was lower than o, p'-DDT and both of them were lower than the estradiol 17β

Efficacy and safety of blood transfusion in obstetric patients: systematic review of the literature

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of blood transfusion compared to no intervention in obstetric patients. Material and methods: A systematic review was performed with Cochrane Database of Clinical Trials, PubMed, EMBASE and LILACS databases searched as of September, 2016. Two authors independently selected relevant clinical trials, assessed their methodological quality and extracted data, using the GRADE approach. Results: Five studies within a total of 6,297 met the inclusion criteria, with women generally aged 20–40 years. Three included studies allocated women to receive blood transfusion or no intervention. Two other studies allocated women with either restricted or full blood supplies. The major issue regarding risk of bias was the extent of concealment of randomization and blinding. There was no statistically significant difference between blood transfusion versus no transfusion or restricted blood supply on mortality (relative risk 0.82 [95% confidential interval 0.32 to 2.09], p = 0.68; two studies; I2 = not applicable). Conclusions: Very low-quality evidence suggests no significant difference between blood transfusion and no intervention in obstetric patients, underlining the need for more robust clinical trials evaluating this area

Seroprevalence of camel brucellosis in Qatar

Brucellosis is a significant zoonotic disease and one of the most common neglected diseases worldwide. It can infect a wide range of domestic and wild animal species. Infected animals are usually culled, causing substantial economic losses to animal owners and the country’s economy in general. The disease is endemic among cattle, sheep, and goats in many countries around the Middle East and prevalent in most Gulf Cooperation Council countries, comprising a significant public health risk in the region. This study investigated the seroprevalence of brucellosis among camels in Qatar. Two hundred and forty-eight samples were collected from dromedary camels from 28 farms across the entire country. Each sample was tested for Brucella antibodies with both Rose Bengal and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Only samples that tested positive by both tests were considered seropositive for brucellosis. The overall prevalence was (20.6%, 95% CI, 15.7–26.1). The association between sex and seropositivity was slightly significant (Χ2 = 4.32, P = 0.04), with higher seroprevalence in females. Camels below breeding age (i.e., < 4 years old) showed decreased seropositivity (3.4%, 95% CI, 0.1–17.8), compared to (22.8%, 95% CI, 17.4–29.0) seropositivity in camels ≥ 4 years of age, with a significant association between age groups and seropositivity (P = 0.02). Our results indicate that the seroprevalence of brucellosis in Qatar’s camels is alarming, mandating more efforts to control the disease. The findings of this study will aid in selecting better effective measures to control camel brucellosis in Qatar. Further studies need to be conducted on Brucella infection among camels to determine the predisposing risk factors and the steps that should be followed to control brucellosis.Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library. This work was supported by Qatar University grant number QUCG-BRC-20/21–2 and high potential projects program QPH3P-BRC-2021–604 to Nahla O. Eltai

Plasma treatment in textile industry

Plasma technology applied to textiles is a dry, environmentally- and worker-friendly method to achieve surface alteration without modifying the bulk properties of different materials. In particular, atmospheric non-thermal plasmas are suited because most textile materials are heat sensitive polymers and applicable in a continuous processes. In the last years plasma technology has become a very active, high growth research field, assuming a great importance among all available material surface modifications in textile industry. The main objective of this review is to provide a critical update on the current state of art relating plasma technologies applied to textile industryFernando Oliveira (SFRH/BD/65254/2009) acknowledges Fundacao para a Cioncia e Tecnologia, Portugal, for its doctoral grant financial support. Andrea Zille (C2011-UMINHO-2C2T-01) acknowledges funding from Programa Compromisso para a Cioncia 2008, Portugal

Effects of Long Term o, p&rsquo;-DDT Administration on Reproductive Parameters and Liver Histology in Adult Male Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica)

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of low oral doses of o, p&rsquo;-DDT on the reproductive parameters and liver histology in adult male Japanese quail over a long period (120 days). The quail were classified into two groups ; the first group (n=20) was orally given 20&mu;g o, p&rsquo;-DDT in 10&mu;l corn oil daily for 120 days, while the second group (n=16) received only 10&mu;l corn oil in a gelatin capsule and kept as a control. A number of quail, ranging between 4 to 7 birds, were killed at Days 30, 60, 90 and 120 of the experiment and the testicular weights of the control and treated males were recorded. In addition, the liver and testes of the control and treated males were also collected and fixed in 10% buffered formaldehyde for histological examination. Semen from each killed male was collected for evaluation of sperm concentration and motility. The gonado-somatic index, sperm concentration and the diameter of the seminiferous tubules were decreased in treated males when compared with the control ones at different periods of the experiment. On histological examination, lipid infiltration in the liver of some treated male quail was observed at Days 30, 60 and 90 of the experiment. At Day 120 of o, p&rsquo;-DDT treatment, the liver was highly infiltrated with lipids and the hepatocytes showed intracytoplasmic vacuolation in comparison with the control bird that showed normal liver histology. In conclusion, administration of low doses of o, p&rsquo;-DDT orally for a long period of time might affect the reproductive parameters and liver histology in adult male Japanese quail

Potential of Hemianax ephippiger (Odonata-Aeshnidae) nymph as predator of Fasciola intermediate host, Lymnaea natalensis

Objective: To evaluate the predatory capacity of the Odonata, Hemianax ephippiger nymph as a biocontrol agent for the freshwater snail Lymnaea natalensis, intermediate host of Fasciola gigantica. Methods: Observations on the searching, attacking and devouring of the snails with a series of laboratory-based predation experiments, whose aims were to determine daily predation rate, differential predation on small-, medium- and large-sized snails were carried out. Results: Laboratory evaluation revealed that, the Odonata nymph could kill and consume all three sizes of snails. Searching and handling time of the predator differed depending on snail size and predator vulnerability. The predation rate varied also with respect to snail size and density. Conclusions: Our observations suggested that the predator Hemianax ephippiger may be a suitable bio-control agent of Lymnaea natalensis snail population