Design and Hybrid Simulation of a Larceny Deterrent Energy Evaluation System

The unreliability of the energy system to provide a proper account of energy utilized by consumers has been a huge burden on the distribution system network. Different metering methods and designs to detect and prevent fraud, employed in the past have proven fruitless, thus signalling the need for a much smarter energy metering system. The most frequent problem is electricity larceny, this has incurred a major economic loss in the energy distribution system. To this end, this paper presents the distinctive design and hybrid simulation of a larceny deterrent energy evaluation system, capable of detecting different methods of energy theft within power consumer premises. The method employed comprises of deep understudy of previous work in this field, a model is proposed and is simulated under good working conditions and several theft situations using MATLAB while the hardware is simulated using Proteus 8.1 and Arduino software. In conclusion, the efficiency of the proposed system is evaluated by employing different electric theft algorithms, with the results indicating significant energy cost savings in the distribution network

Occurrence and Dynamics of Arthropod Predators Associated with Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Maize in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

The Fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda JE Smith recently introduced in Nigeria, is a destructive pest of maize. Safer and more economically beneficial management outcomes have involved biological control constituting the use of predators, parasitoids and pathogens. There is limited information on predators of FAW in Nigeria. A study was therefore carried out in the Benin City, Edo state during the early and late maize cropping seasons of 2019 to identify arthropod predators of FAW on maize, assess their abundance and the relationship between their population and FAW abundance. Sampling was done weekly from the early whorl stage to the reproductive stage of maize plants. Insects collected were preserved using 70% ethanol and identified using morphological keys. Data were subjected to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and significant means separated using Duncan Multiple Range test (DMRT). T-test was used to compare predator abundance in both cropping seasons. Predator abundance was correlated with larval abundance using Pearson correlation analysis. The predators recorded in this study included species in the family Formicidae, Forficulidae, Blattellidae, Pentatomidae, and Araneae. Species in the family Formicidae were the most abundant in the early (55.85%) and late (95.67%) cropping seasons. Predator abundance was significantly different (p ˂ 0.001) across the sampling weeks. There was a significant negative correlation between larval abundance and predator abundance in the early season and a significant positive correlation in the late season. This study has provided base line data on some locally existing predators of FAW in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

Combination Therapy Is Superior to Sequential Monotherapy for the Initial Treatment of Hypertension:A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Guidelines for hypertension vary in their preference for initial combination therapy or initial monotherapy, stratified by patient profile; therefore, we compared the efficacy and tolerability of these approaches. Methods and Results: We performed a 1‐year, double‐blind, randomized controlled trial in 605 untreated patients aged 18 to 79 years with systolic blood pressure (BP) ≥150 mm Hg or diastolic BP ≥95 mm Hg. In phase 1 (weeks 0–16), patients were randomly assigned to initial monotherapy (losartan 50–100 mg or hydrochlorothiazide 12.5–25 mg crossing over at 8 weeks), or initial combination (losartan 50–100 mg plus hydrochlorothiazide 12.5–25 mg). In phase 2 (weeks 17–32), all patients received losartan 100 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 to 25 mg. In phase 3 (weeks 33–52), amlodipine with or without doxazosin could be added to achieve target BP. Hierarchical primary outcomes were the difference from baseline in home systolic BP, averaged over phases 1 and 2 and, if significant, at 32 weeks. Secondary outcomes included adverse events, and difference in home systolic BP responses between tertiles of plasma renin. Home systolic BP after initial monotherapy fell 4.9 mm Hg (range: 3.7–6.0 mm Hg) less over 32 weeks (P<0.001) than after initial combination but caught up at 32 weeks (difference 1.2 mm Hg [range: −0.4 to 2.8 mm Hg], P=0.13). In phase 1, home systolic BP response to each monotherapy differed substantially between renin tertiles, whereas response to combination therapy was uniform and at least 5 mm Hg more than to monotherapy. There were no differences in withdrawals due to adverse events. Conclusions: Initial combination therapy can be recommended for patients with BP >150/95 mm Hg. Clinical Trial Registration URL: http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00994617