Adaptive Protection and Control in Power System for Wide-Area Blackout Prevention

This paper presents a new approach in adaptive outof-step (OOS) protection settings in power system in real-time. The proposed method uses extended equal area criterion (EEAC) to determine the critical clearing time (CCT) and critical clearing angle (CCA) of the system, which are vital information for OOS protection setting calculation. The dynamic model parameters and the coherency groups of the system for EEAC analysis are determined in real time to ensure that the newly calculated settings suit with the prevalent system operating condition. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated in a simulated data from 16-machine 68-bus system model

Structure Selection of Polynomial NARX Models using Two Dimensional (2D) Particle Swarms

The present study applies a novel two-dimensional learning framework (2D-UPSO) based on particle swarms for structure selection of polynomial nonlinear auto-regressive with exogenous inputs (NARX) models. This learning approach explicitly incorporates the information about the cardinality (i.e., the number of terms) into the structure selection process. Initially, the effectiveness of the proposed approach was compared against the classical genetic algorithm (GA) based approach and it was demonstrated that the 2D-UPSO is superior. Further, since the performance of any meta-heuristic search algorithm is critically dependent on the choice of the fitness function, the efficacy of the proposed approach was investigated using two distinct information theoretic criteria such as Akaike and Bayesian information criterion. The robustness of this approach against various levels of measurement noise is also studied. Simulation results on various nonlinear systems demonstrate that the proposed algorithm could accurately determine the structure of the polynomial NARX model even under the influence of measurement noise

Tem and Cathodoluminescence investigations of CdS grown by different techniques

This work presents the results of an investigation of cadmium sulphide with various characterisation techniques such as TEM- Cathodoluminescence, SEM, XRD, PL and optical transmittance. A model based on a convolution method is proposed to predict CL signal emission. It was assumed that the CL can originate from electron and X-ray sources. Measurement of CL signal and noise over a wide range of magnifications showed that signal-to-noise is too low when STEM is operating at higher magnifications than 3000 times. This may lead to some extent to some CL imaging limitations. The origin of this phenomenon is discussed. A study of the suitability of a combined transmission electron microscope (ТЕМ) / Cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging and spectroscopy apparatus for investigations of CdS is presented. Photoluminescence (PL) was used to evaluate the effect of the Ar+ and I+ ion beam thinning used in ТЕМ specimen preparation of CdS: a minor increase in yellow emission (594 nm) resulted. However, excitation of luminescence spectra m the ТЕМ had a quenching effect on red luminescence (734 nm), this being considered due to the high excitation density compared to that in PL. Significant electron beam damage to the CdS single crystal could be avoided by using scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) illumination in preference to the conventional ТЕМ mode. Dislocation images were correlated with contrast in the STEM-CL imaging mode. The potential of the apparatus to make further direct correlations of CL images with diffraction contrast ТЕМ imaging was assessed using the Rose visibility criterion. Finally, optical and structural properties of thin films CdS grown by chemical bath deposition and metal organic chemical deposition were investigated. For both growth methods, ТЕМ diffraction pattern confirm that the crystallographic structure of CdS was hexagonal, with a strong selected (002) orientation. It was found that either air annealing or CdCI(_2) treatment on CBD CdS increased modestly the grain size of 6 nm. While for MOCVD CdS, the growth temperature and the II/VI play an important role in obtaining large grain. Hence, sample grown at 330 c with a II/VI of 0.78 revealed a better crystalline quality due to the presence of the excitonic bound centred around 2.55 eV and exhibited the largest grains of about 97 nm

커피 찌꺼기와 우드칩 바이오차가 토양 개량제로서 작물 재배에 미치는 영향

학위논문(박사) -- 서울대학교대학원 : 공과대학 건설환경공학부, 2021.8. KIM, JAE YOUNG.Application of Coffee Ground and Woodchip Biochars as a Soil Amendment for Crop Cultivation Crop wastes and biomass from feedstocks cause significant environmental problems and have negative consequences for humans. If used correctly, biomass residues contain a great deal of energy potential. Most crop wastes, particularly agricultural leftovers, may be transformed to biochar utilizing thermodynamic technologies such as a muffle furnace. The derivation of wastes for useful materials as well as biochars is the key tool to helps in controlling and handling of biomass in the area or sites. Generally, the operator at temperature at 400 ˚C to make biochar with fixed carbon contents ranging 52.45, and 78% respectively. Biochar conductions into soil amendment for improving the physicochemical and biological properties of the soil owing to biochar's high organic carbon content, which increases the amount of nutrients in the soil and activates it as a carbon sequestration agent over time. Biochar, in and of itself, is a nutrient source that may affect soil nutrient stores and bioavailability, as well as the microbial community and the environment. The majority of nitrogen (N) in the agricultural system is absorbed by plants through ammonium (NH4+) or nitrate (NO3‒). Ammonium is released through mineralization process while NO3‒ is a product of nitrification process through NH4+ oxidation. This method has two parts: (i) NH4+ was transformed to nitrate (NO2-) through ammonia-oxidizing bacteria; (ii) NO2 was changed to NO3 via nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. Increased nitrate (NO3) leakage into waterbodies has made nitrogen losses from fertilizer techniques a significant environmental problem across the world in recent years. Nutrient leaching is a concern not just for soil function and plant uptake, but it may also lead to nutrient enrichment and eutrophication in water, both of which are harmful to human health. Human absorption of excess NO3, for example, can cause newborn methemoglobinemia and a variety of malignancies. As a result, eliminating excess inorganic N from soil solutions or waterbodies has major ecological and societal consequences. Much further, various physical, chemical, and biological techniques for regulating inorganic nitrogen in the aqueous phase have been presented, with adsorption utilizing biochar being one of the most popular. The primary objective of this research was to demonstrate the application of biochar and the effect of long-term exposure to coffee grounds and wood chips biochar on Pak Choi cultivation in sandy loam soil: (1) to investigate the effects of biochar on adsorption (Park M. H. et al., 2019) and desorption of macronutrients (i.e., N) in the aqueous phase; (2) to study the effect of biochar (biochar-soil mixture) on inorganic nitrogen (N) and plant growth production under plot conditions in the soil phase. (3) to investigate the properties of biochars under long-term exposure or aging in soil environment and (4) to verify biochar effects on crop growth and yield in plot experiment. It is also necessary to study the effect of biochar production on NH4+-N and NO3--N adsorption and desorption to quantitatively explain the relative effect of aging biochar (NH4+-N and NO3--N) on Pak Choi Yields. Furthermore, the kinetics model experiment was important in determining the releasing properties after equilibrium, as well as the long-term exposure characteristics of nitrogen were obtained. The initial pH of soil (6.55) is in a proper range for plant nutrient uptake whereas the initial pH of coffee grounds biochar (CBC), and woodchips biochar (WBC) varied from moderately alkaline to alkaline. CBC and WBC produced similar yields which varied from about 32.49% to 33.93% by weigh, respectively. The percentage of ash content in CBC (2.9%) was lower than ash content in WBC (11.6%), however, its ash contents were in the average ranges. C/N ratio, ranging from about 52 for CBC and 312 for WCB, respectively. CBC and WBC had O/C and H/C ratios close to the recommendation thresholds, indicating well-pyrolysed ranges, enrichment of aromatic structures, and prone to degradation. The CEC of biochars were similar and were in the average ranges while CEC of the initial soil was in suitable for soil to hold and exchange cations in the soil solution, however, main elements in CBC, WBC, and the initial soil were exchangeable Ca, K, Mg, and Na, respectively. The similar strong peaks decreased at ~1,350 cm‒1 and ~1,600 cm‒1 of C=C and ‒COOH for both CBC and WBC were due to carbon condensation. BET specific surface area of biochars of CBC and WBC were large, this showed that SEM of WBC has more chance to enhance exposure of inorganic minerals as it increased in the pore structure comparing to CBC. The Langmuir isotherm model suited the ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) adsorption to both CBC and WBC biocahrs better than the Freundlich isotherm model, with higher r2 values. In comparison to CBC, WBC emitted more nitrogen from the surface. The pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order kinetic models fit better NH4+-N and NO3--N adsorption, respectively. As a result, we concluded that both biochar products can be used in situations where NH4+-N adsorption is a problem, while CBC can be used in situations where NO3--N desorption is a problem. However, more study on using biochars to reduce NO3--N pollution is required.Chapter 1.Introduction 1 1.1. General Overview 1 1.2. Research Objectives 5 1.3. Dissertation structure 7 References 8 Chapter 2.Literature review 12 2.1. Introduction 12 2.2. Biomass for pyrolysis 13 2.3. Pyrolysis 14 2.3.1 Slow pyrolysis 15 2.3.2. Fast pyrolysis 16 2.4. Biochar Manufacturer’s Physicochemical properties 17 2.4.1. Biochar s Chemical composition 18 2.4.1. Biochar’s Surface chemical 20 2.4.2. Spectroscopic analysis of biochar 21 2.5. Biochar application 22 2.5.1. Adsorption and desorption of Inorganic N 22 2.5.2. Total soil organic carbon and total nitrogen 25 2.5.3. Leaching Inorganic of N 26 2.6. Knowledge of gaps 27 References 29 Chapter 3.Prediction of the potential advantages of biochars when surplus Nitrogen fertilizer is applied 33 3.1. Introduction 33 3.2. Materials and methods 36 3.2.1. Biochar production 36 3.2.2. Physiochemical properties of CBC, and WBC 36 3.2.3. Physiochemical properties of Initial soil 37 3.2.4. Extractable cations of CBC, WBC, and initial soil 38 3.2.5. FTIR and BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method) 38 3.2.6. Adsorption and desorption of NH4+-N, and NO3--N 38 3.2.6.1. Adsorption isotherm 38 3.2.7. Adsorption and desorption kinetics of NH4+‒N and NO3‒‒N 39 3.2.7.1 Adsorption kinetics 39 3.2.7.2. Desorption kinetics 40 3.2.7.3. Repetitive NH4+-N, and NO3--N extraction 41 3.2.8. Analytical methods 41 3.3. Results and discussion 42 3.3.1. Physiochemical properties of CBC, and WBC 42 3.3.2. Physiochemical properties of initial soil 46 3.3.3. Extractable cations of the initial soil, CBC, and WBC 47 3.3.4. Electrical conductivity of soil salinity 48 3.3.5. FTIR and Scanning Electron Image (SEM) analysis and BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method 50 3.3.5.1. FTIR -Analysis 50 3.3.5.2. Surface area and pore volume of biochar. 51 3.3.5.3. Scanning Electron Image (SEM) analysis 51 3.3.6. Adsorption and desorption NH4+-N, and NO3--N on CBC, WBC, and initial soil 52 3.3.6.1 Adsorption isotherm of NH4-N, and NO3-N 52 3.3.6.2 Adsorption kinetics of NH4+-N and NO3‒-N onto CBC, WBC and initial Soils 55 3.3.6.3 Desorption kinetics of NH4+-N and NO3‒-N onto CBC, WBC and initial Soils 58 Summary 59 Conference 61 Chapter 4. Investigation of the aged biochars on inorganic Nitrogen (N) and plant growth production under plot conditions in the soil phase 67 4.1. Introduction 67 4.2. Materials and methods 71 4.2.1. Plot design and plant growth experimental process 71 4.2.2. Aged biochar production for one, two, and three years 71 4.2.3. Measurement of main elements 72 4.2.3.1. pH of CBC, WBC, and soils 72 4.2.3.2 Soil sampling and measurement of soil organic carbon and total Nitrogen 71 4.2.4. Adsorption and desorption isotherm 73 4.2.5. Adsorption and desorption kinetics 74 4.2.5.1. Adsorption kinetics 74 4.2.5.2 Desorption kinetics 75 4.2.5.3. RepetitiveNH4+-N and NO3+-N extraction 75 4.2.6. Effects of aged CBC and aged WBC on crop yields 75 4.2.7. Analytical methods 76 4.3. Results and discussion 76 4.3.1. Plot design and plant growth experimental process 76 4.3.1.1. Experimental design plot 76 4.3.1.2. Plant material and cultivation 77 4.3.2. pH of aged CBC, aged WBC, and soils application 80 4.3.3. Extractable cations of Ca, K, Mg, and Na in soils on seasonal crop 80 4.3.4. Adsorption isotherms and kinetics 84 4.3.4.1. NOH4+-N Adsorption isotherms on CBC, WBC 84 4.3.4.2. NO3+-N Adsorption isotherm on CBC and WBC 88 4.3.4.3. NH4+-N and NO3+-N adsorption kinetics on aged CBC, WBC soils 88 4.3.4.4. NH4+-N adsorption kinetics on aged CBC 89 4.3.4.5. NH4+-N and NO3+-N adsorption kinetics on aged CBC and WBC 91 4.3.4.6. NH4+-N adsorption kinetics on aged CBC 93 4.3.4.7. NO3+-N adsorption kinetics on aged CBC 95 4.3.4.8. NH4+-N and NO3+-N Adsorption Kinetics onto three years of soil applications 95 4.3.4.9. NH4+-N and NO3+-N Desorption Kinetics onto aged biochars of CBC and WBC 4.3.4.9.1 NH4+-N and NO3+-N desorption kinetics on aged CBC and WBC 103 4.3.5. Effect of aged biochars on Pak Choi Growth 104 Summary 106 References 107 Chapter 5.Investigation of the property change of biochars and microbiology under long-term exposure in the soil environment 110 5.1. Introduction 110 5.2. Materials and methods 112 5.2.1. Experimental design and sampling 112 5.2.2. Biochar production and propertis 112 5.2.3. Physiochemical properties of CBC, WBC 112 5.2.4. Soil anlysis 113 5.2.5. Extraction of genomic DNA and mRNA (or DNA extraction and sequencing) 114 5.2.6. Analytical methods 114 5.3. Results and discussion 115 5.3.1. Effects of coffee ground and woodchip biochar on soil organic carbon (SOC) conten, total nitrogen(TN), and C:N ratio 116 5.3.2. Soil organic carbon (SO) 116 5.3.3. Total Nitrogen (TN) 118 5.3.4. Soil carbon/Nitrogen (C/N) ratio 119 5.4. Biochar production 121 5.4.1. Physiochemical properties of CBC and WBC 121 5.4.2. Biochar surface area and pore volume 125 5.4.3. Bacteria and Fungal Sequencing Data 1206 5.4.4. Composition, riches and diversity of bacterial community 127 References 130 Chapter 6 Conclusion 132 Appendix A 135 Appendix B 143 Appendix C 149박

Does an antenatal educational programme decrease adverse pregnancy outcomes among obese pregnant women? A feasibility study in Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Maternal obesity is associated with a wide range of health risks for the mother and new- born (Poston et al, 2011). Investigations and research about the incidence of obesity during pregnancy and its outcomes has not previously been investigated in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The aim of this study was to explore the appropriateness of an educational programme for obese women and its influence on pregnancy outcomes with a view to undertaking a larger randomised controlled trial and obese women‘s perceived benefits of the programme. Ethical approval to conduct the study was obtained from De Montfort University Research Ethics Committee and local health care and education provider institutions. 293 pregnant women agreed to take part in the study from three health centres in a large city in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Obese women (BMI 30 or above) were randomised to one of two groups; 96 women agreed to take part in an antenatal education programme (intervention group), 98 did not take part in the intervention (control group) and 99 women were of normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.99) and did not take part in any education programme (baseline group). Quantitative and qualitative data was collected The key findings showed that there was no statistically significant difference among the groups regarding; pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH), gestational age at onset of labour (GA), labour outcomes and neonatal outcomes. In relation to Gestational Diabetes Mellitus GDM, findings indicated that the prevalence of GDM was reduced among those obese women who received the educational programme compared to the control and baseline groups. In addition, obese women (intervention) had gained lower weight gain than women in control group but it was not statistically significant. . However, the common themes which emerged in qualitative arm related to; antenatal educational strategies; problems of transferring an educational programme from one country to another, the socio-cultural context of health education programmes, weight management, and medicalization of birth in Kurdistan region. This research found that the antenatal education programme appeared to make only a small difference to pregnancy outcomes. One factor which may have affected the results of this study was the diminishing attendance rate among women who were part of the education programme; less than 10% of women attending all six sessions and the majority of women attending 2-3 sessions. The reasons for the diminishing attendance are discussed in the thesis and highlight the importance of developing future maternity health education programmes that are culturally appropriate to the society they are part of; taking account of the perceived role of pregnant women in that culture, the style and format of health education and the place of the health professional in that society. A larger RCT comparing intervention group of obese pregnant women with non-intervention group is feasible, acceptable and recommended. However, prior to progressing to a large scale study, a thorough planning stage is necessary which considers cultural practices and educational strategies. The understandings gained from this research will be transferable to other research within similar settingsKurdistan regional Governmen

Chronic hyperplastic candidosis/candidiasis (candidal leukoplakia)

Chronic hyperplastic candidosis/candidiasis (CHC; syn. candidal leukoplakia) is a variant of oral candidosis that typically presents as a white patch on the commissures of the oral mucosa. The major etiologic agent of the disease is the oral fungal pathogen Candida predominantly belonging to Candida albicans, although other systemic co-factors, such as vitamin deficiency and generalized immune suppression, may play a contributory role. Clinically, the lesions are symptomless and regress after appropriate antifungal therapy and correction of underlying nutritional or other deficiencies. If the lesions are untreated, a minor proportion may demonstrate dysplasia and develop into carcinomas. This review outlines the demographic features, etiopathogenesis, immunological features, histopathology, and the role of Candida in the disease process. In the final part of the review, newer molecular biological aspects of the disease are considered together with the management protocols that are currently available, and directions for future research.published_or_final_versio

Helicobacter Pylori –Infected Patients

Background: The role of Helicobacter pylori on gastric carcinogenesis is still unclear but it is considered to predispose carriers to gastric cancer.Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the extent of DNA damage of normal gastric epithelial cells and H. Pylori positive & negative gastritis according to the histological diagnosis.Methods: We compared the percentage of cometed cells on the surface of gastric epithelial cells to the cells beneath gastric mucosal cells by the process of serial incubations times. DNA damage was evaluated by the alkaline single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay) for 52 cases ,compared 19 normal individuals with 19 patients of H.Pylori positive & negative gastritis and further 14 mixed cases with different histology grading were tested by comet procedure for detection of the relationship of histological diagnosis with DNA damage (comet percentage).Results: There was a relationship between the comet percentage and the histological diagnosis. Comet percentages in specimens from case with normal histology were significantly higher than comet percentages in specimen from case with H. pylori positive gastritis.Conclusion: There was a significant increase in the percentage of cometed cells on the surface of gastric epithelial cells in both normal and infected H. pylori cells compared to the same specimen in the subsequent gastric cell layers

A profile of current pharmacy education in the Sudan

The first pharmacy college affiliated to University of Khartoum was established in (1963) with intake of only twenty students per year. This policy of admission continued with no substantial annual increase in the number of students enrolled in the college of pharmacy. However, after therevolution of higher education in the (1990) (s), the number of governmental and national pharmacy colleges has multiplied enormously.Today there are about thirteen pharmacy colleges with possibly more in the pipeline. It is true that expansion in higher education is a requirement for national development, albeit, a clear strategy should be envisaged whereby quality of the university graduate matters mare than number.Pharmacy graduates of the last ten years or so labored in an environment of severe shortages of qualified teaching staff and facilities. These graduates are understandably of low standards and consequently their contribution in health care will be poor