Commercial wind turbines modeling using single and composite cumulative probability density functions

As wind turbines more widely used with newer manufactured types and larger electrical power scales, a brief mathematical modelling for these wind turbines operating power curves is needed for optimal site matching selections. In this paper, 24 commercial wind turbines with different ratings and different manufactures are modelled using single cumulative probability density functions modelling equations. A new mean of a composite cumulative probability density function is used for better modelling accuracy. Invasive weed optimization algorithm is used to estimate different models designing parameters. The best cumulative density function model for each wind turbine is reached through comparing the RMSE of each model. Results showed that Weibull-Gamma composite is the best modelling technique for 37.5% of the reached results

Sexual behaviour of pregnant women attending antenatal care clinic at Assiut Women's Health Hospital, Egypt

Background: The aim of the current study was to describe the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behavior of pregnant women regarding sexuality during pregnancy. Study was carried out at Women’s Health Hospital, Assiut University, Egypt.Methods: A cross-sectional study included pregnant women at different gestational ages between December 2016 and Jun 2017 recruited consecutively at the antenatal outpatient clinic of women’s Health Hospital at Assiut University. We used the Arabic version of the Female Sexual Function Index (Ar-FSFI) in the interview to evaluate the sexual functions or problems during the last month. The cut-off score used to indicate sexual dysfunction was 28.1. The obtained data were analyzed by means of SPSS software (version 22.0) and p<0.05 was taken as the significant level.Results: The study included 140 pregnant women at different ages and trimesters and also at different socio-economic states. Concerning the level of knowledge, the classification in recorded a mean score =11.91±4.05 which revealed a level of knowledge below average. Regarding the extent of beliefs in relation to sexuality during pregnancy, the mean score=2.72 of the respondents’ beliefs means that the impact of the beliefs regarding sexuality during pregnancy was weak among respondents. On assessing their perceptions about sexual intercourse during pregnancy, majority of them [130 (93.1%)] felt that sex have no negative impacts on pregnancy while 10 (6.9%) opined that sex during pregnancy had negative effects. Perceived negative effects of sex during pregnancy included vaginal bleeding and miscarriage.Conclusions: The low rate of sexual activity in our study, regardless question about the taboo of sexual intercourse during pregnancy, could be related to a cultural background in which women avoid speaking about their desires and sexual needs

Frequency Control of Microgrid with Renewable Generation using PID Controller based Krill Herd

The main of this paper is to provide optimal control of a state microgrid system. The proposed configuration composes of renewable generation systems such as solar photovoltaic system and wind turbine generator with a Diesel Engine Generator and Fuel-Cell. An Aqua electrolyzer and other energy storage systems such as battery and flywheel are also used in the proposed microgrid. A standard PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) controller scheme is introduced whose its parameters are determined using different optimizations algorithm such as Algorithm Genetic, Particle Swarm Optimization, and Krill Herd algorithm for minimizing frequency and power deviations, in order to enhance the operation of this system. The PID controller gains are optimized by resolving an objective function. The simulation results are shown, and given that the Krill Herd algorithm improves the performance of the system in comparison with GA and PSO based on PID. The efficiency of the system is improved

Analgesic efficacy and safety of peri-operative pregabalin following radical cystectomy: A dose grading study

AbstractPurposeAdding novel drugs like pregabalin to analgesic regimens might reduce postoperative pain, total opioid consumption and side effects, this study compares multiple doses of pregabalin for postoperative analgesia following radical cystectomy.MethodsThis study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov at no.: NCT02724293. Sixty patients were randomized into 4 groups: Group I: control (placebo) group, Group II: received pregabalin 300mg 2h preoperatively, Group III: received pregabalin 300mg 2h preoperatively and 12h thereafter, Group IV: received pregabalin 600mg 2h preoperatively. Postoperative pain, time to first request of analgesia, and total morphine consumption were recorded.ResultsVAS was significantly reduced in groups II, III, IV in comparison with group I immediately postoperative, and after 2h (P<0.05). Sedation score was significantly higher in groups II, III, IV compared to group I immediately postoperative (P<0.05). First request of analgesia was significantly delayed in groups II, III, IV compared to control group (P=0.000). Total analgesic consumption was significantly reduced in groups II, III, IV compared to group I (P=0.000). Group IV showed a significantly higher incidence of dizziness compared to group I.ConclusionPeri-operative pregabalin at doses of 300mg and 600mg reduced postoperative opioid consumption and prolonged time to first request of analgesia in patients who underwent radical cystectomy, and a single preoperative dose of 600mg is superior in analgesia to others, without serious side effects

Polymorphism of growth hormone gene and its association with wool traits in Egyptian sheep breeds

Growth hormone (GH) gene has been described as a candidate gene for marker-assisted selection in different farm animals. The present study was designed to identify the polymorphism in GH gene and its association with variation of wool traits in Egyptian sheep breeds. Wool and blood samples were collected from 42 animals including two breeds (Barki and Rahmani) and one crossbred (Rahmani x Awase). Measurements of wool traits were analyzed and involved staple strength (Str), staple length (STL), fiber diameter (FD) and clean fleece yield (CFW). DNA was extracted from blood samples and a 365-bp fragment from exon V was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Single strand conformation polymorphisim (SSCP) analysis showed two conformational patterns. The pattern I was recorded to be more frequent (83.3, 92.86 and 90%) than pattern II (16.7, 7.14 and 10%) in Barki, Rahmani and crossbred, respectively. The sequence analysis showed one single nucleotide polymorphism (C/T). The pattern I (allele T) has been found to affect CFW and FD than pattern II (allele C). Whereas, C allele was more pronounced for Str and STL. These traits are the most important parameters determining commercial values of wool that are preferred for clothing or carpets industry. The nucleotide sequences of C and T alleles were submitted to GenBank and have the accession numbers: KT250511 and KT250512, respectively. In conclusion, the present results provide evidence that there is a single nucleotide polymorphism within GH gene in Egyptian sheep breeds. This mutation was found to have some effects on wool traits. Therefore our data show interesting prospects in future selection programs for improving wool industry.Key words: Sheep, wool, growth hormone (GH) gene, polymorphism, single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP)

Effect of Contaminant Flow-rate and Applied Voltage on the Current Density and Electric Field of Polymer Tracking Test

Electrical failure due to surface discharge on the insulation material will cause material degradation and eventually lead to system failure. The flow of leakage current (LC) on the insulator surface under wet contamination is used to determine the material degradation level. According to IEC 60587 standard, LC exceeding 60 mA for more than two seconds is considered as failure. In this study, the  electric field and current density distributions on the linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and natural rubber blend material have been analyzed using finite element method (FEM) analysis. The physical parameters used in FEM simulation were applied with voltage and contaminant flow rate, in accordance to contaminant conductivity. Tracking test condition according to IEC 60587 standard has been applied as proposed by the reference work in simulation using QuickField FEM software. The results show that the electric field and current density would become critical in higher applied voltage and contaminant flow rate. The highest average and highest maximum current density and electric field are found in both applied voltage of 6 kV and contaminant flow rate of 0.90 mlmin-1

Predictor factors of sustained virological response in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with current direct-acting antiviral drugs

Purpose: To assess the efficacy and predictors of treatment response of chronic hepatitis C genotype 4 Egyptian patients with sofosbuvir and daclatasvir, with or without ribavirin.Methods: This prospective study enrolled 200 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 4 infection who received sofosbuvir plus daclatasvir for 12 weeks, with the addition of ribavirin for treating cirrhotic patients. Immunological parameters such as natural killer (NK) cell percentage, phenotype, and serum C-X-C motif chemokine 10 (CXCL10) were evaluated prior to treatment and at the end of the treatment.Results: Overall, 92.5 % of the patients achieved sustained virological response at 12 weeks (SVR12), where the non-cirrhotic group had 96.29 % SVR12, while the cirrhotic group had 84.61 % SVR12. Nonresponders had lower pretreatment platelet count, higher CXCL10 levels, and lower baseline frequencies of NK cells and NK subgroup CD56- CD16+.Conclusion: Based on these results, the use of sofosbuvir plus daclatasvir with or without ribavirin for 12 weeks, is an effective regimen in the treatment of Egyptian patients infected with genotype 4 HCV. The predictors of non-response are advanced age, liver cirrhosis, lower pretreatment platelet count, higher level of CXCL10, lower baseline NK cells frequency and percentage of the dysfunctional subset CD56- CD16+. Keywords: Hepatitis C virus, Genotype 4, Sofosbuvir, Daclatasvir, Sustained virological respons

Joint lot sizing and scheduling of a multi-product multi-period supply chain

The joint lot sizing and scheduling problem can be considered as an evolvement of the joint economic lot size problem which has drawn researchers’ interests for decades. The objective of this paper is to find the effect of a capacitated multi-period supply chain design parameters on joint lot sizing and scheduling decisions for different holding and penalty costs. The supply chain deals with two raw materials suppliers. The production facility produces two products which are shipped to customers through distribution centers. A mathematical model is developed to determine optimum quantities of purchased raw materials, production schedule (MPS), delivered quantities and raw material and products inventory for predetermined number of periods. The model is solved to maximize total supply chain profits. Results showed that at high capacity and low holding cost, the supply chain tends to produce only one product each period, for limited capacity and high value of holding cost, the supply chain may produce the two products together each period

Laparoscopic ovarian drilling-plus: a one-stop management approach for PCO-associated infertility

Background: The current study aims to estimate additional values of laparoscopic intervention for diagnosis and treatment of concomitant pelvic pathologies among infertile women with clomiphene-resistant polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) subjected to laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) in comparison to non-PCOS infertile women subjected to diagnostic/therapeutic laparoscopy.Methods: A prospective cross sectional observational study was carried out in the Endoscopic unit of a tertiary care university hospital.  The study included 232 infertile women planned for laparoscopy were divided into a study group A (116 cases) with clomiphene-resistant PCOS and a control group B (116 cases) without PCOS. Each group was further subdivided into two subgroups according to the presence and absence of risk factors (RF) for adhesion formation. Diagnostic/operative laparoscopy was done. The main study outcome was the prevalence of any pelvic abnormalities seen during laparoscopy.Results: Both groups showed insignificant difference regarding socio-demographic history and basic data. Laparoscopy detected pelvic pathologies in 44 cases (37.9%) and 86 cases (74.1%) in both groups respectively. In group A, we diagnosed pelvic pathologies in 29 (32.6%) and 15 (55.6%) cases with and without RF respectively while in group B they were diagnosed in 76 (84.4%) and 10 (38.5%) cases with and without RF respectively. If compared to women with unexplained infertility, PCO patients without risk factors have an insignificant but higher prevalence of pelvic abnormalities. All concomitant pelvic pathologies in both groups were treated on a one-stop (see and treat) basis.Conclusions: Detection and proper management of associated pelvic pathologies at laparoscopy is a valuable additional advantage of LOD particularly in women with positive risk factors. LOD plus see and treat associated pathologies is a time saving and prompt management approach for women with PCO–associated infertility