A Comparative Modeling and Analysis of Voltage Variation by Using Spectrogram

In this paper, the power quality (PQ) disturbance which is the voltage variations consist of voltage swell, sag and interruption are model and analyze. Different types of voltage variations PQ disturbances models are developed and created by using MATLAB/Simulink as well as mathematical models. The mathematical and Simulink model are used to compare in terms of time-frequency representation (TFR). The Simulink models include shutting down enormouscapacities from system to resemble voltage swell, large loads energizing and three-phase fault to simulate voltage sag as well as implementing permanent three-phase fault to simulate voltage interruption. The signals generated are analyzed by using linear time-frequency distribution (TFD). The signal parameters such as root mean square voltage (Vrms), total harmonic distortion (THD) and power value are estimated from the TFR to identify the characteristics of the voltage variation. The results of analysis on the PQ disturbance waveforms generated are identical to the actual real-time PQ signals and the models can be modified to any desired situation respectively. The PQ waveforms obtained are suitable to be further analyzed

The impact of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pandemic movement control order (MCO) on dengue cases in Peninsular Malaysia

This study has highlighted the trend of recently-reported dengue cases after the implementation of the Movement Control Orders (MCOs) caused due to COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. The researchers used the dengue surveillance data published by the Malaysian Ministry of Health during the 3 phases of MCO (which ranged between 17th March 2020 and 28th April 2020) was used for determining the cumulative number of dengue patients. Thereafter, the dengue cases were mapped using the Geographical Information System (GIS). The results indicated that during the 42 days of MCO in Peninsular Malaysia, 11,242 total cases of dengue were reported. The daily trend of the dengue cases showed a decrease from 7268 cases that occurred before the MCOs to 4662 dengue cases that occurred during the initial 14 days of the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., MCO I), to 3075 cases occurring during the MCO II and 3505 dengue cases noted during MCO III. The central peninsular region showed a maximal decrease in new dengue cases (52.62%), followed by the northern peninsular region (1.89%); eastern coastal region (1.25%) and the southern peninsular region (1.14%) during the initial MCO implementation. However, an increase in the new dengue cases was noted during the MCO III period, wherein all states showed an increase in the new dengue cases as compared during MCO II. The decrease in the pattern was not solely based on the MCO, hence, further investigation is necessary after considering different influencing factors. These results have important implication for future large-scale risk assessment, planning and hazard mitigation on dengue management

Evaluation of the protective efficacy of immunoglobulin Y (IgY- antibodies) prepared against Walterinnesia aegyptia snake venom in Saudi Arabia

Four groups of eight chickens were immunized intramuscularly with Walterinnesia aegyptia snake venoms mixed with Freund's complete adjuvant during the period from 1st October 2009 to 1st October 2011 at the Center of Excellence in Biotechnology Research, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. Three weeks later, the injections were repeated with the venoms in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. Three boosters were given with the venoms at three weeks intervals. The immunoglobulin Y (IgY)-antibodies was extracted by ammonium sulphate-caprylic acid method, the antibody titer were tested by enzyme linked immunosorbant assay and the protective efficacies of the extracted immunoglobulins were performed. IgY-preparation extracted by ammonium sulphate-caprylic acid method showed lack of low molecular weight bands (non-immunoglobulin proteins) and the bands representing IgY-antibodies, which have molecular weights ranging from 180 to 200 kDa, appeared sharp and clear. Moreover, evaluation of the protective value of the IgY - antibodies prepared revealed that, one milliliter of extracted IgY-antibodies containing 15 mg/ml anti-W. aegyptia venom specific IgY could produce 100% protection against 50 LD50 and 75% protection against 60 LD50. Laying hens could be used as an alternative source of polyclonal antibodies against W. aegyptia snake venoms due to several advantages as compared with mammals traditionally used for such purpose.Keywords: Snake venom, Walterinnesia aegyptia, immunoglobulins Y, protective efficacy, caprylic aci

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

Motives for Participation and Amount of Physical Activity among Kelantan Chinese Adolescents

This work was supported by the Universiti Sains Malaysia Short Term Grant (Grant Scheme No. 304/PPSP/61313082).Background: Engaging in regular physical activity (PA) has become a worldwide issue for the prevention of numerous chronic diseases; therefore, is important to increase students’ desires to engage in PA by triggering their motivation. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the motives for participating in PA and the amount of PA that secondary Chinese school students in Kelantan undertake. Methods: The participants consisted of 304 Chinese secondary school students (males = 165, females = 139) with a mean age of 13.55 years old (SD = 0.57) who volunteered to complete three measures, consisting of a demographic information form, the physical activity and leisure motivation scale for youth-Chinese version (PALMS-Y-C) and the Godin leisure-time exercise questionnaire-Chinese version (GLTEQ-C). Results: There were significant positive correlations between all the seven PA participation motives with amount of exercise (Enjoyment: r = 0.16, P = 0.010; Mastery: r = 0.23, P < 0.001; Competition: r = 0.21, P = 0.001; Affiliation: r = 0.22, P < 0.001; Psychological condition: r = 0.26, P < 0.001; Appearance: r = 0.20, P = 0.001; Physical condition: r = 0.20, P = 0.001). There were also significant mean differences among sweating exercise frequency categories in all the seven areas of PA participation motives (Enjoyment: P = 0.003, Mastery: P < 0.001, Competition: P = 0.001, Affiliation: P = 0.001, Psychological condition: P = 0.038, Appearance = 0.002, Physical condition: P = 0.004). Conclusion: The present study provided insight into how to promote PA in Kelantan Chinese school-aged children by specifically targeting their motives. Interventions targeting these motives could increase the amount of PA among Kelantan Chinese youths

A framework to identify and prioritise the key sustainability indicators: Assessment of heating systems in the built environment

Sustainability indicators (SIs) are important instruments to quantify, analyse, and communicate complex sustainability information, with a history of application in energy research. It is critical to identify an effective set of indicators which can holistically evaluate the energy systems encompassing the three facets of sustainability: environment, economy, and society. However, the literature has been lacking in either proportionally representing the sustainability dimensions or reflecting the stakeholders’ preferences. This paper develops a framework to identify and prioritise a set of SIs, critically reviewed to ensure reflection of a wide array of factors and conceptions of what sustainability entails. The developed framework utilises a series of methods within three phases: identification, refinement, and prioritisation. Applying the proposed framework to building heating technologies, a set of 22 SIs consisting of 4 economic, 8 environmental, and 10 social indicators were identified. According to the results, the economic indicators of Operation & Maintenance Cost and Net Present Value were found to be the most impactful factors, while environmental SIs contribute the most to the overall sustainability weight. The identified indicators apply to the assessment of heating systems and policies, and the proposed framework could more broadly support analysis of key sustainability criteria in various fields

Search for Dark Matter and Supersymmetry with a Compressed Mass Spectrum in the Vector Boson Fusion Topology in Proton-Proton Collisions at root s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe

Laparoscopy in management of appendicitis in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: a multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Differences between high- and low-income settings in the availability of laparoscopic appendectomy, alternative management choices, and outcomes are poorly described. The aim was to identify variation in surgical management and outcomes of appendicitis within low-, middle-, and high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries worldwide. METHODS: This is a multicenter, international prospective cohort study. Consecutive sampling of patients undergoing emergency appendectomy over 6 months was conducted. Follow-up lasted 30 days. RESULTS: 4546 patients from 52 countries underwent appendectomy (2499 high-, 1540 middle-, and 507 low-HDI groups). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates were higher in low-HDI (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, p = 0.005) but not middle-HDI countries (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.76-2.52, p = 0.291), compared with high-HDI countries after adjustment. A laparoscopic approach was common in high-HDI countries (1693/2499, 67.7%), but infrequent in low-HDI (41/507, 8.1%) and middle-HDI (132/1540, 8.6%) groups. After accounting for case-mix, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71, p < 0.001) and SSIs (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.33, p < 0.001). In propensity-score matched groups within low-/middle-HDI countries, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.11-0.44) and SSI (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.09-0.45). CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach is associated with better outcomes and availability appears to differ by country HDI. Despite the profound clinical, operational, and financial barriers to its widespread introduction, laparoscopy could significantly improve outcomes for patients in low-resource environments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02179112

First-principles study of CH4 and NH3 adsorption on graphene oxide epoxy and graphene oxide hydroxyl

Link to publisher's homepage at http://ijneam.unimap.edu.myChemical functionalities of graphene oxide play an important part in anchoring gas molecules and perhaps selective mechanism in gas sensor. The adsorption behavior of methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) gas molecules on graphene oxide epoxy (GO-epoxy) and graphene oxide hydroxyl (GO-hydroxyl) were investigated using first-principles calculations within density functional theory (DFT) method. The structural properties (bond length and adsorption distance), electronic properties (band structures and density of states), adsorption energy (Eads) and Mulliken charge transfer were calculated using generalized gradient approximation of Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (GGA-PBE) as implemented in DMol3 and Cambridge Serial Total Energy Package (CASTEP) computer codes. After geometrical optimization, there are slight differences in structural properties and electronic properties before and after adsorption of CH4 and NH3 on GO-epoxy and GO-hydroxyl. In comparison between CH4 and NH3 on GO-epoxy and GO-hydroxyl, highest adsorption energy was calculated for NH3 adsorbed on GO-hydroxyl (Eads = -0.775 eV) indicated higher chance of charge transfer to occur compared to others structures. The overall result shows that physisorption behavior is the main interaction between CH3 and NH4 on GO-epoxy and GO-hydroxyl for gas sensors based on GO