An enhanced consensus-based distributed secondary control for voltage regulation and proper current sharing in a DC islanded microgrid

A centralized secondary control is utilized in a DC islanded microgrid to fine-tune voltage levels following the implementation of droop control. This is done to avoid conflicts between current allocation and voltage adjustments. However, because it introduces a single point of failure, a distributed secondary control is preferred. This paper introduces a consensus-based secondary distributed control approach to restore critical bus voltages to their nominal values and properly distribute current among converters. The critical bus takes the lead in voltage adjustments, with only connected energy resources contributing to regulation. The microgrid is represented as an undirected graph to facilitate consensus building. Two adjustment terms, δv and δi, are generated to assist in returning voltage to its nominal level and correctly allocating current among energy resources. To enhance consistency and improve controller performance compared to those reported in existing literature, all buses are connected to a leader node. In the event of the failure of all converters except one, voltage can still be effectively restored. MATLAB-Simulink simulations are conducted on two medium-voltage DC (MVDC) microgrids to validate the efficiency of the proposed control method. The results confirmed that the proposed control method can effectively maintain voltage stability and enhance the precise distribution of current among agents by 8%

Modifying the design of pond production systems can improve the health and welfare of farmed Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

Infected fish have been known to recover from mild illness when they are able to locate to warmer water. This study aimed to replicate this 'behavioural fever' effect in an aquaculture setting by artificially heating a section of a fish pond (thereby introducing a thermal gradient) and effectively modifying pond design. This was achieved through the construction of a 'greenhouse' type structure above a section of the pond. Over the length of the production cycle at three typical Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) farms, the study collected data on water quality and fish growth and at the end of the cycle, blood samples were taken and total production was recorded. At each farm, fish were divided into two identical ponds, one with a greenhouse covering 3% of the pond surface area and one without. Results showed that greenhouse was effective in warming the surface of the water immediately below it. Oxygen levels were also higher under the greenhouse than outside of it and higher than in the control pond. Fish reared in the greenhouse ponds tended to be larger than the control ponds and had improved physiological and immune status (i.e., better liver and kidney function, higher antioxidant activity and lysozyme count; p < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that low-cost interventions that introduce thermal gradients in aquaculture systems may hold promise for improving health and welfare status of farmed fish in developing countries

Modifying the design of pond production systems can improve the health and welfare of farmed Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

Infected fish have been known to recover from mild illness when they are able to locate to warmer water. This study aimed to replicate this 'behavioural fever' effect in an aquaculture setting by artificially heating a section of a fish pond (thereby introducing a thermal gradient) and effectively modifying pond design. This was achieved through the construction of a 'greenhouse' type structure above a section of the pond. Over the length of the production cycle at three typical Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) farms, the study collected data on water quality and fish growth and at the end of the cycle, blood samples were taken and total production was recorded. At each farm, fish were divided into two identical ponds, one with a greenhouse covering 3% of the pond surface area and one without. Results showed that greenhouse was effective in warming the surface of the water immediately below it. Oxygen levels were also higher under the greenhouse than outside of it and higher than in the control pond. Fish reared in the greenhouse ponds tended to be larger than the control ponds and had improved physiological and immune status (i.e., better liver and kidney function, higher antioxidant activity and lysozyme count; p < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that low-cost interventions that introduce thermal gradients in aquaculture systems may hold promise for improving health and welfare status of farmed fish in developing countries.Article Information Received 26 September 2022 Revised 05 November 2022 Accepted 28 November 2022; O n l i n e F i r s t A r t i c l

The Effects of Wheat Flour and Barley Flour on the Quality and Properties of Biscuits Colored with Synthetic and Natural Colorants

Biscuit is one of the most popular processed ready to eat snacks that have possesses several attractive features including wide consumer base, relatively less expensive, more convenient with long shelf-life and have ability to serve as vehicles for important nutrients. It’s usually available in different sizes, tastes and shapes.  It can also be enriched or fortified with other ingredients in order to meet specific nutritional or therapeutic needs of consumers. In recent years, numerous studies have shown the potential of utilizing natural plant such as green leafy vegetable in cookies and biscuit production; the potential of amaranthus leaves used as a source of iron and β-carotene inpakora, vada, namakpal, kurmure, biscuit and cake. The present research was carried out to throw the light on the effect of wheat flour and barley flour with natural and synthetic colors to improve chemical composition, the nutritional value and quality characteristics of producing biscuits. The results indicate that that treatment 100% barley flour 72% with turmeric and cocoa as a natural colors recorded a significant increase in the content of protein, ash, minerals such as iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium and some physical analysis like weight, volume, density as well as sensory evaluation. As compared with wheat flour 72% and synthetic color tartrazine ADI 7.5 mg/kg.bw and chocolate brown ADI 0.15 mg/kg.bw. In conclusion, results showed that barley flour improved nutritional quality, physical characteristics and sensory characteristics of produce biscuit with mixture natural and natural color

Homozygous missense WIPI2 variants cause a congenital disorder of autophagy with neurodevelopmental impairments of variable clinical severity and disease course.

WIPI2 is a member of the human WIPI protein family (seven-bladed b-propeller proteins binding phosphatidylinositols, PROPPINs), which play a pivotal role in autophagy and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurological conditions. The homozygous WIPI2 variant c.745G>A; p.(Val249Met) (NM_015610.4) has recently been associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder in a single family. Using exome sequencing and Sanger segregation analysis, here, two novel homozygous WIPI2 variants [c.551T>G; p.(Val184Gly) and c.724C>T; p.(Arg242Trp) (NM_015610.4)] were identified in four individuals of two consanguineous families. Additionally, follow-up clinical data were sought from the previously reported family. Three non-ambulant affected siblings of the first family harbouring the p.(Val184Gly) missense variant presented with microcephaly, profound global developmental delay/intellectual disability, refractory infantile/childhood-onset epilepsy, progressive tetraplegia with joint contractures and dyskinesia. In contrast, the proband of the second family carrying the p.(Arg242Trp) missense variant, similar to the initially reported WIPI2 cases, presented with a milder phenotype, encompassing moderate intellectual disability, speech and visual impairment, autistic features, and an ataxic gait. Brain MR imaging in five patients showed prominent white matter involvement with a global reduction in volume, posterior corpus callosum hypoplasia, abnormal dentate nuclei and hypoplasia of the inferior cerebellar vermis. To investigate the functional impact of these novel WIPI2 variants, we overexpressed both in WIPI2-knockout HEK293A cells. In comparison to wildtype, expression of the Val166Gly WIPI2b mutant resulted in a deficient rescue of LC3 lipidation whereas Arg224Trp mutant increased LC3 lipidation, in line with the previously reported Val231Met variant. These findings support a dysregulation of the early steps of the autophagy pathway. Collectively, our findings provide evidence that biallelic WIPI2 variants cause a neurodevelopmental disorder of variable severity and disease course. Our report expands the clinical spectrum and establishes WIPI2-related disorder as a congenital disorders of autophagy

Coupled Fluid-Structure Simulation for Turbomachinery Blade Rows

A numerical method for the computation of aeroelasticity is presented. Although the emphasis here is on turbomachinery, the method is applicable to a wide variety of problems. A ow solver is coupled to a structural solver by use of a uid-structure interface method. The integration of the three-dimensional unsteady Navier-Stokes equations is performed in the time domain, simultaneously to the integration of a modal three-dimensional struc-tural model. The ow solution is accelerated by using a multigrid method and a parallel multiblock approach. Fluid-structure coupling is achieved by subiteration. The code is formulated to allow application to general, three-dimensional congurations with multi-ple independent structures. The capability of the code to handle rotating blade rows is demonstrated by an application to a transonic fan. I

Rhamnolipids: diversity of structures, microbial origins and roles

Rhamnolipids are glycolipidic biosurfactants produced by various bacterial species. They were initially found as exoproducts of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa and described as a mixture of four congeners: α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-β-hydroxydecanoyl-β-hydroxydecanoate (Rha-Rha-C10-C10), α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-β-hydroxydecanoate (Rha-Rha-C10), as well as their mono-rhamnolipid congeners Rha-C10-C10 and Rha-C10. The development of more sensitive analytical techniques has lead to the further discovery of a wide diversity of rhamnolipid congeners and homologues (about 60) that are produced at different concentrations by various Pseudomonas species and by bacteria belonging to other families, classes, or even phyla. For example, various Burkholderia species have been shown to produce rhamnolipids that have longer alkyl chains than those produced by P. aeruginosa. In P. aeruginosa, three genes, carried on two distinct operons, code for the enzymes responsible for the final steps of rhamnolipid synthesis: one operon carries the rhlAB genes and the other rhlC. Genes highly similar to rhlA, rhlB, and rhlC have also been found in various Burkholderia species but grouped within one putative operon, and they have been shown to be required for rhamnolipid production as well. The exact physiological function of these secondary metabolites is still unclear. Most identified activities are derived from the surface activity, wetting ability, detergency, and other amphipathic-related properties of these molecules. Indeed, rhamnolipids promote the uptake and biodegradation of poorly soluble substrates, act as immune modulators and virulence factors, have antimicrobial activities, and are involved in surface motility and in bacterial biofilm development

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p&lt;0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p&lt;0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Human and mouse essentiality screens as a resource for disease gene discovery

The identification of causal variants in sequencing studies remains a considerable challenge that can be partially addressed by new gene-specific knowledge. Here, we integrate measures of how essential a gene is to supporting life, as inferred from viability and phenotyping screens performed on knockout mice by the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium and essentiality screens carried out on human cell lines. We propose a cross-species gene classification across the Full Spectrum of Intolerance to Loss-of-function (FUSIL) and demonstrate that genes in five mutually exclusive FUSIL categories have differing biological properties. Most notably, Mendelian disease genes, particularly those associated with developmental disorders, are highly overrepresented among genes non-essential for cell survival but required for organism development. After screening developmental disorder cases from three independent disease sequencing consortia, we identify potentially pathogenic variants in genes not previously associated with rare diseases. We therefore propose FUSIL as an efficient approach for disease gene discovery. Discovery of causal variants for monogenic disorders has been facilitated by whole exome and genome sequencing, but does not provide a diagnosis for all patients. Here, the authors propose a Full Spectrum of Intolerance to Loss-of-Function (FUSIL) categorization that integrates gene essentiality information to aid disease gene discovery