A Flexible Responsive Load Economic Model for Industrial Demands

The best pricing method for any company in a perfectly competitive market is the pricing scheme with regards to the marginal cost. In contrast to this environment, there is a market with imperfect competition. In this market, the price can be affected by some players in the generation/demand side (i.e., suppliers and/or buyers). In the economic literature, “market power” refers to a company that has the power to affect prices. In fact, market power is often defined as the ability to divert prices from competitive levels. In the electricity market, especially because of the integration of intermittent renewable energy resources (RESs) along with the inflexibility of demand, there are levels of market power on the supply side. Hence, implementation of demand response (DR) programs is necessary to increase the flexibility of the demand side to deal with the intermittency of renewable generations and at the same time tackle the market power of the supply side. This paper uses economic theories and mathematical formulations to develop a flexible responsive load economic model (FRLEM) based on real-time pricing (RTP) to show modification of the load profile and mitigation of the energy costs for an industrial zone. This model was developed based on constant elasticity of the substitution utility function, known as one of the most popular utility functions in microeconomics

Application of liquid-liquid microextraction based on deep eutectic solvent for preconcentration and spectrophotometric determination of purpurin

This research used a simple and efficient liquid-phase microextraction method based on deep eutectic solvents for preconcentration and spectrophotometric determination of purpurin (1, 2, and 4-trihydroxyanthraquinone) dye. The choline chloride-acetic acid DES with a molar ratio of 1:2 was synthesized and used with 1-Decanol as the extraction solvent. The influence of effective parameters on the extraction efficiency, including the type and volume of extracting solvents, pH of sample solution, the molar ratio of DES components, and sodium chloride salt concentration were studied, using the response surface method. The highest extraction percentage (>95%) was obtained at pH = 5.5, 550 mg/L of sodium chloride, 350 and 500 µL of DES, and 1-Decanol solvents, respectively. The effect of different ions and dyes on the extraction efficiency was examined and the results indicated that the method has an acceptable selectivity. The present process was linear in the concentration range of 5.0×10-7 to 2.0×10-5 mol/L of purpurine, with a detection limit of 2.7×10-7 mol/L, preconcentration factor of 100, and a relative standard deviation of 3.13%. Finally, to test the applicability of the proposed method, it was investigated for the uptake of purpurin from various water samples, successfully

Comparing four laboratory three-parent techniques to construct human aged non-surrounded nucleolus germinal vesicle oocytes: A case-control study

Background: The three-parent assisted reproductive technique may increase oocyte competence. Objective: In this case-control study, the suitability of germinal vesicle transfer (GVT), synchronous ooplasmic transfer (sOT), asynchronous ooplasmic transfer using cryopreserved MII oocyte (caOT), and asynchronous ooplasmic transfer using waste MII oocyte (waOT) for maturation of the human-aged non-surrounded nucleolus germinal vesicle-stage (NSN-GV) oocyte were investigated. Materials and Methods: NSN-GV oocytes were subjected to four methods: group A (GVT), B (sOT), C (caOT) D (waOT), and E (Control). The fusion rates, MI, MII, ICSI observations and cleavage at 2-cell, 4-cell, and 8-cell stages were compared in the groups. Results: In GVT, none of the oocytes fused. In sOT, all oocytes fused, 20 achieved the MI, 14 progressed to MII, 8 fertilized, 6 cleaved and 5, 4, and 3 achieved the 2- cells, 4-cells and 8-cells, respectively. In caOT, all oocytes fused and achieved the MI, 8 progressed to MII and fertilized, 6 cleaved and 6, 5, and 5 achieved the 2-cells, 4- cells, and 8-cells respectively. In waOT, all oocytes fused, 5 and 3 progressed to MI and MII, respectively, but only one fertilized, cleaved and reached a 4-cells stage. In group E, 6 and 2 oocytes progressed to MI and MII, respectively, and only one fertilized but arrested at the zygote stage. caOT had the highest survival rate when compared to sOT (p = 0.04), waOT (p = 0.002), and control (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The caOT method was beneficial over sOT, waOT, and GVT in supplementing the developmental capacity of human-aged NSN-GV oocytes. Key words: Assisted reproductive techniques, In vitro oocyte maturation techniques, Nuclear transfer techniques, Oocytes, Oocyte donation

Exploring Therapeutic Problems in Women with Multiple Sclerosis: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most important diseases of the nervous system. The incidence of this disease in women is about two to three times that of men. The main cause of this disease is not fully understood and there is no definitive treatment for it. The aim of this study was to identify the treatment problems in this group of patients. Method: In this qualitative study, content analysis method was used. Based on the purposive sampling method and theoretical saturation criterion, 23 patients with multiple sclerosis who referred to the Association for the Protection of Menthol Patients in Tehran, Iran, during the year 2014 participated in this study. Semi-structured interview method was used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis method. Results: Out of the interviews, 1100 codes were obtained in three stages of analysis. These codes fell into one category of treatment problems and five subcategories of "high cost of treatment", "lack of access to medicine", "neglecting patient's rights from doctors and medical personnel", "lack of adequate empathy from medical personnel", and "Complications of medications". Conclusion: Patients with multiple sclerosis are facing specific problems in the treatment of their illness, which require social attention and protection; they can be supported by appropriate insurance coverage and the provision of medicines, especially foreign drugs, at affordable and low-cost tariffs by the government and the community. A great contribution is needed to reduce the pain and suffering of this group of patients. Keywords: Qualitative research, Therapy, Multiple sclerosi

Shape memory polymers in osteochondral tissue engineering

Bone and cartilage injuries are significantly increasing with population aging. Tissue engineering is considered an alternative and promising approach for alleviating osteochondral tissue injuries along with available therapeutic modalities. 3D- and 4D-printing fabrication protocols have been used to facilitate the production of bone/cartilage scaffolds that are similar to bone and cartilage microenvironments. In this regard, advanced biomaterials, including smart polymers and stimuli-responsive polymers are the first essential elements for improved bone/cartilage regeneration. Shape-memory polymers, are stimuli-responsive materials and are available in permanent and temporary structures. The application of shape-memory scaffolds can lead to providing in vivo-like conditions and improve cell bioactivity and phenotype acquisition. In this review article, we tried to highlight stimuli-responsive polymers and their application in osteochondral tissue engineering

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed

Mortality of emergency abdominal surgery in high-, middle- and low-income countries

Background: Surgical mortality data are collected routinely in high-income countries, yet virtually no low- or middle-income countries have outcome surveillance in place. The aim was prospectively to collect worldwide mortality data following emergency abdominal surgery, comparing findings across countries with a low, middle or high Human Development Index (HDI). Methods: This was a prospective, multicentre, cohort study. Self-selected hospitals performing emergency surgery submitted prespecified data for consecutive patients from at least one 2-week interval during July to December 2014. Postoperative mortality was analysed by hierarchical multivariable logistic regression. Results: Data were obtained for 10 745 patients from 357 centres in 58 countries; 6538 were from high-, 2889 from middle- and 1318 from low-HDI settings. The overall mortality rate was 1⋅6 per cent at 24 h (high 1⋅1 per cent, middle 1⋅9 per cent, low 3⋅4 per cent; P < 0⋅001), increasing to 5⋅4 per cent by 30 days (high 4⋅5 per cent, middle 6⋅0 per cent, low 8⋅6 per cent; P < 0⋅001). Of the 578 patients who died, 404 (69⋅9 per cent) did so between 24 h and 30 days following surgery (high 74⋅2 per cent, middle 68⋅8 per cent, low 60⋅5 per cent). After adjustment, 30-day mortality remained higher in middle-income (odds ratio (OR) 2⋅78, 95 per cent c.i. 1⋅84 to 4⋅20) and low-income (OR 2⋅97, 1⋅84 to 4⋅81) countries. Surgical safety checklist use was less frequent in low- and middle-income countries, but when used was associated with reduced mortality at 30 days. Conclusion: Mortality is three times higher in low- compared with high-HDI countries even when adjusted for prognostic factors. Patient safety factors may have an important role. Registration number: NCT02179112 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)