CONSUMERS’ WILLINGNESS-TO-PAY FOR LOCAL SOURCING IN ALTERNATIVE RESTAURANT FORMATS

This dissertation consists of three essays that contribute to the research on local food purchase and consumers’ preferences and willingness-to-pay. Essay I examines whether there are differences in consumers’ willingness-to-pay for local food across alternative restaurant formats and provides a justification for using a system to legitimate local sourcing in restaurants. Essay II studies consumers’ preferences for local sourcing in restaurants in rural and urban communities and elaborates on where there is a significant willingness-to-pay for local food in rural communities. Lastly, essay III examines consumers’ purchase frequency of local food across direct and intermediated markets and provides results on differences between consumers’ local sourcing from these channels

Frequency and voltage partitioning in presence of renewable energy resources for power system (example: North Chile power network)

This paper investigates techniques for frequency and voltage partitioning of power network based on the graph-theory. These methods divide the power system into distinguished regions to avoid the spread of disturbances and to minimize the interaction between these regions for frequency and voltage control of power system. In case of required active and reactive power for improving the performance of the power system, control can be performed regionally instead of a centralized controller. In this paper, renewable energy sources are connected to the power network to verify the effect of these sources on the power systems partitioning and performance. The number of regions is found based on the frequency sensitivity for frequency partitioning and bus voltage for voltage partitioning to disturbances being applied to loads in each region. The methodology is applied to the north part of Chile power network. The results show the performance and ability of graph frequency and voltage partitioning algorithm to divide large scale power systems to smaller regions for applying decentralized controllers.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Bone-marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Wound Healing

Abstract Skin is the largest organ in the human and animal body and serves as the first line of defense against the external environment. The present study aimed to summarize the mechanisms underlying the effect of MSCs on wound healing and describe the latest strategies to enhance their therapeutic efficacy. Wounds caused by cuts, abrasions, or burns can disrupt the skin integrity, leading to severe consequences, such as infections, scarring, and reduced mobility. Therefore, effective wound healing therapies are essential to reduce the risk of complications and improve the quality of life for patients. In recent years, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as promising therapy for wound healing due to their unique properties. The MSCs are found in various tissues, including the bone marrow, and can differentiate into multiple cell types, including skin cells. Additionally, MSCs can secrete substances with anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, and pro-angiogenic properties, which play a critical role in the wound healing process. The MSCs can release these substances as soluble molecules, such as growth factors and cytokines, or enclosed within membrane vesicles like microparticles and exosomes. By releasing these substances, MSCs can reduce inflammation, prevent excessive scarring, and promote the growth of new blood vessels, which are crucial for effective wound healing. The MSC-based therapies have indicated promising results for wound healing. However, the optimal dosage, route of administration, and timing of MSC-based treatments for wound healing applications are yet to be determined. Despite the great potential of bone marrow-derived MSCs to improve the healing process of damaged skin caused by wounds and burns, more research is needed to fully understand how MSCs enhance wound healing and optimize their use in clinical settings. https://jlar.rovedar.com/index.php/JLAR/article/view/

Behavior analysis of factors affecting safety management to reduce incidents in the pelletizing industry using the system dynamics approach

The purpose of this study was to analyze the behavior of effective factors on safety management to reduce incidents in the pelletizing industry using the system dynamics approach. Risk assessment for the Sechahon pelletizing plant was performed using the FMEA method. A total of 625 risks were identified in this complex of which 286 are high risk RPNs and need to be scrutinized. These risks were categorized according to their nature and consequences in five physical categories, exposure to dust, ergonomics, emergencies and psychosocial risks, so that they can be reviewed in detail. The results showed that decreasing the number of incidents in the risk reduction scenario would reduce the incidence earlier, and is initially more than other policies. The scenario of risk reduction is the best scenario in the short term. The technology improvement scenario shows an incremental growth trend, but the scenario of the current situation can better decrease the number of incidents. The human resource management and safety management scenario will initially be on an upward trend and will continue to decline. The human resource management and safety management scenario is a good way to reduce disasters in the long run. Keywords: safety management, system dynamics, incident reduction, pelletizing industry. DOI: 10.7176/IEL/10-1-06 Publication date: February 29th 202

Isoflavones Potentials for the Treatment of Osteoporosis: An Update on In-vivo Studies

Abstract In plant-derived compounds, phytoestrogens are biologically active substances that exhibit various estrogenic and antiestrogenic effects. With the increasing prevalence of osteoporosis among older women caused by estrogen deficiency, identifying natural substances that can potentially treat the disease is of utmost significance. This review study aimed to explore how phytoestrogen metabolites mimic mammalian estrogens and prevent bone loss following menopause. Phytoestrogens derived from plants have gained considerable attention due to their similarity to mammalian estrogens and lower impact on sensitive tissues, such as the uterus and breasts. One well-established approach to simulate postmenopausal conditions is by using ovariectomized rats or mice (OVX). The administration of phytoestrogens in the OVX murine model has inhibited osteoclast differentiation, activation, and Pyridinoline secretion. Furthermore, these compounds have been shown to enhance bone formation and increase bone mineral density and the expression levels of various osteoblast markers, such as alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, osteopontin, and alpha-1 collagen. Several natural phytoestrogen compounds in plants possess a chemical structure akin to 17 beta-estradiol, a steroid hormone. In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen, can potentially treat the disease by binding to estrogen receptors on the surface of target cells. Mechanistic investigations have demonstrated that phytoestrogens can retard bone resorption and promote bone formation. Novel approaches in phytoestrogen research could involve investigating the synergistic effects of combining different phytoestrogen compounds, exploring their interactions with other signaling pathways, or assessing their effects on various bone types. Furthermore, identifying novel sources of phytoestrogens could lead to the discovery of new compounds with potent osteoprotective effects. https://jlar.rovedar.com/index.php/JLAR/article/view/1

Dynamic and multi-stage capacity expansion planning in microgrid integrated with electric vehicle charging station

This paper investigates the long-term dynamic capacity expansion planning in the microgrids. The microgrid is supplied by various capacity resources including wind, solar, micro gas turbine, and energy storage system. The microgrid also supplies an electric vehicle charging station. The electric vehicles in the charging station work as vehicle-to-grid and they are able to send energy to the microgrid or regulate their charging time and rate. As a result, the charging station may appear as a flexible load or generating unit. The capacity expansion planning in the microgrid is performed to expand the capacity of micro turbine, solar panels, wind turbine, and battery energy storage system. This capacity expansion is performed for six-years planning horizon through long term plan. The short-term plan is simultaneously conducted to optimize the hourly operation of micro turbine, energy storage system, and electric vehicle charging station. Short-term operation of dispatchable resources reduces the planning cost to 28% and properly contributions to the long-term plan for minimizing the costs. The largest expansion is performed on wind system by 200% expansion that covers about 53% of the expansion cost. The model also needs further resources when facing the uncertainties and such reinforcement increases the cost by about 58%. 2020 Elsevier LtdScopus2-s2.0-8508157939

Numerical Modeling of Soil-Pile-Interaction with Near and Far Field Earthquake's Effects

This paper studies Near and Far Field effects of the response of a column-pile to earthquakes considering Dynamic-Soil-Structure-Interaction (DSSI) effects in soft clay (Vs<180 m/s ) and stiff clay (180<Vs<375 m/s). Opensees software that can simulate the dynamic time history analysis is used. Both kinematic and inertial interactions are considered and Finite Element Method (FEM) is used to solve DSSI. The direct method applies to 3D modeling of the layered soil and column-pile. A Pressure Independ Multi Yield Surface Plasticity Model is used to simulate different kinds of clay behavior.  Time history seismic analyses provide for the mass and stiffness matrices to evaluate dynamic structural response with and without directivity effects for Near and Far Field earthquakes. Results show that the Multi-Yield-Surface-Kinematic-Plasticity-Model can be used instead of bilinear springs between piles and clay soil, for both Near Field and Far Field earthquakes. In addition, comparing Near and Far Field analyses, acceleration response spectrum at the top of the structure in the Far Field increases with the softness of the soil more than that in the Near field

Resilience improvement with zero load curtailment by multi-microgrid based on system of systems

This article studies the resilience and energy management in multi-microgrid system. In the proposed model, the microgrid is formed by four sub-microgrids. Based on the system of systems (SOS), these sub-microgrids pool their resources and capacities together to form a new and more complex microgrid that provides further functionality than the basic separated microgrids. One of the sub-microgrids is connected to the external grid. The tie-line connections are between all sub-microgrids. Some connections are normally-open and the rest are normally-closed. The status of normally-open connections is changed to close when the resilience or economic criteria dictate. The sub-microgrids are integrated with solar panels, wind turbines, battery energy storage (BES) and loads. All sub-microgrids are also equipped with diesel generator as emergency resource. Under normal operating condition, the proposed model optimally utilizes the resources of all sub-microgrids to minimize the cost, pools the extra resources of sub-microgrids, and optimizes the operation of batteries and diesel generators. Under faulty operating condition when some or all sub-microgrids are islanded, the model supplies the loads with zero load curtailment and minimizes the costs. In the faulty condition, the model may change the status of connections from normally-open to close when required. The simulation results on a given test system verify that the recommended model confirms optimal operation of the microgrid. Furthermore, all sub-microgrids, improves resilience, minimizes operating cost, handles the events and achieves zero load curtailment under both faulty and healthy conditions. 2020 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.. All rights reserved.This work was supported by the Qatar National Library.Scopus2-s2.0-8510281990