Mitigation of Lightning Hazards at the More Sensitive Points in Wind Farms Using Ant-Colony Optimization Technique

The lightning energy can be very harmfull to the wind turbine farm components. This paper attempts to evaluate the overvoltages at the sensitive points in wind farm, using ATP-EMTP package program. Four cases were performed; a) the transient voltage distribution in the insulating layer of the control line, b) the transient voltage on the control equipment, c) the coupling voltage between the tower and the control, and, d) the transient voltage distribution in the wind turbine WT generator, boast transformers and grid. These cases were performed under different lightning current conditions and at conventional design and proper design of grounding system. The results show that the ground potential rise (GPR) is reduced with using the proper design of wind turbine ground system, but the induced voltage at the control system will not affected. This work determines the optimum location of wind turbine at the areas of maximum lightning incidence. Ant colony optimization (ACO) technique is implemented to find the optimum wind farm location. This work enhances the protection strategy of the wind farms against lightning stroke

Mitigation of Lightning Hazards at the More Sensitive Points in Wind Farms Using Ant-Colony Optimization Technique

The lightning energy can be very harmfull to the wind turbine farm components. This paper attempts to evaluate the overvoltages at the sensitive points in wind farm, using ATP-EMTP package program. Four cases were performed; a) the transient voltage distribution in the insulating layer of the control line, b) the transient voltage on the control equipment, c) the coupling voltage between the tower and the control, and, d) the transient voltage distribution in the wind turbine WT generator, boast transformers and grid. These cases were performed under different lightning current conditions and at conventional design and proper design of grounding system. The results show that the ground potential rise (GPR) is reduced with using the proper design of wind turbine ground system, but the induced voltage at the control system will not affected. This work determines the optimum location of wind turbine at the areas of maximum lightning incidence. Ant colony optimization (ACO) technique is implemented to find the optimum wind farm location. This work enhances the protection strategy of the wind farms against lightning stroke

Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Receptor Polymorphism in Infertile Palestinian Men

Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) is necessary for normal reproduction. Follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) signaling stimulates proliferation of Sertoli cells and maintains spermatogenesis. This work aimed toinvestigate FSHR polymorphism in infertile Palestinian men. 56 males grouped into 24 normozoospermic controls, and 32 infertile males. Infertile males were grouped into 11 azoospermic males, and 21 oligozoospermic males. Semen analysis, FSH, Luteinizing hormone (LH) and Total testosterone were determined. Allelic variant of FSHR gene was determined by PCR-RFLP. Sperm count was significantly decreased in oligospermia and azoospermia compared to control. Sperm motility showed significant differences between the different groups of men.LH and FSH were significantly increased in azoospermia compared to controls and compared to oligospermia. The T testosterone was significantly decreased in oligospermia and azoospermia compared to controls. The SNPs of FSHR allele showed no significant difference in the prevalence of FSHR among the three groups. Sperm count was significantly decreased in mutant (Ser/Ser) FSHR allele compared to wild (Asn/Asn) FSHR allele. On the other hand, sperm motility showed no significant differences among various groups. LH was significantly increased in mutant FSHR allele compared to wildFSHR allele, whereas the T testosterone was significantly decreased in mutant FSHR allele compared to wildFSHR allele. However, there was no significant difference in FSH among various groups. It is conclude that the presence of mutant (Ser/Ser) FSHR allele is observed to be a cause for a decreased in a sperm count and T testosterone and increased of LH level

Comparison between the Outcomes of Using Biodegradable-Polymer Drug-Eluting Stents and Those of Using Durable-Polymer Drug-Eluting Stents in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BACKGROUND: Many randomised control studies showed that percutaneous coronary interventions using biodegradable-polymer drug-eluting stents (DES) offer a safe and effective alternative to durable-polymer DES. However, not many studies have discussed its use in the setting of acute coronary syndromes. AIM: We aim to compare the biodegradable-polymer DES with durable-polymer DES when it comes to reducing the incidence of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTEACS) associated with adverse events. METHODS: We enrolled 205 patients presenting with NSTEACS and a TIMI risk score ≥ 3 in this study and divided them into two groups, group A and group B. Biodegradable-polymer DESs were exclusively used in group A, while durable-polymer DESs were used in group B. Major adverse events were reported in both groups during the hospital stay and patients were followed-up for 1 year. RESULTS: In our patients, we intervened on 390 diseased segments in a total of 360 vessels. After intervention, TIMI 0 was achieved in 0.97%, TIMI 1 in 1.46%, TIMI 2 in 2.45%, and TIMI 3 in 95.12% of the treated segments (P-value= 0.677). We implanted 121 biodegradable-polymer DESs and 146 durable-polymer DESs. Clinical success was achieved in 95.12% of our cases. We had 55 patients who needed repeated coronary angiography within 1 year (15 patients treated with biodegradable-polymer DES and 24 patients treated with durable-polymer DES). Eighteen patients experienced angina pains (8 patients treated with biodegradable-polymer DES and 10 patients treated with durable-polymer DES). Only 5 patients needed TLR (2 patients treated with biodegradable-polymer DES and 3 patients treated with durable -polymer DES) (P-value = 0.591), three of them had a myocardial infarction with documented angiographic evidence of significant in-stent restenosis (1 patient treated with biodegradable-polymer DES and 2 patients treated with durable-polymer DESs). CONCLUSION: Biodegradable-polymer DES represents a comparable alternative to durable-polymer DES in the setting of acute coronary syndromes

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017) includes a comprehensive assessment of incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 354 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017. Previous GBD studies have shown how the decline of mortality rates from 1990 to 2016 has led to an increase in life expectancy, an ageing global population, and an expansion of the non-fatal burden of disease and injury. These studies have also shown how a substantial portion of the world's population experiences non-fatal health loss with considerable heterogeneity among different causes, locations, ages, and sexes. Ongoing objectives of the GBD study include increasing the level of estimation detail, improving analytical strategies, and increasing the amount of high-quality data. Methods We estimated incidence and prevalence for 354 diseases and injuries and 3484 sequelae. We used an updated and extensive body of literature studies, survey data, surveillance data, inpatient admission records, outpatient visit records, and health insurance claims, and additionally used results from cause of death models to inform estimates using a total of 68 781 data sources. Newly available clinical data from India, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Nepal, China, Brazil, Norway, and Italy were incorporated, as well as updated claims data from the USA and new claims data from Taiwan (province of China) and Singapore. We used DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool, as the main method of estimation, ensuring consistency between rates of incidence, prevalence, remission, and cause of death for each condition. YLDs were estimated as the product of a prevalence estimate and a disability weight for health states of each mutually exclusive sequela, adjusted for comorbidity. We updated the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary development indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and total fertility rate. Additionally, we calculated differences between male and female YLDs to identify divergent trends across sexes. GBD 2017 complies with the Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting. Findings Globally, for females, the causes with the greatest age-standardised prevalence were oral disorders, headache disorders, and haemoglobinopathies and haemolytic anaemias in both 1990 and 2017. For males, the causes with the greatest age-standardised prevalence were oral disorders, headache disorders, and tuberculosis including latent tuberculosis infection in both 1990 and 2017. In terms of YLDs, low back pain, headache disorders, and dietary iron deficiency were the leading Level 3 causes of YLD counts in 1990, whereas low back pain, headache disorders, and depressive disorders were the leading causes in 2017 for both sexes combined. All-cause age-standardised YLD rates decreased by 3·9% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 3·1–4·6) from 1990 to 2017; however, the all-age YLD rate increased by 7·2% (6·0–8·4) while the total sum of global YLDs increased from 562 million (421–723) to 853 million (642–1100). The increases for males and females were similar, with increases in all-age YLD rates of 7·9% (6·6–9·2) for males and 6·5% (5·4–7·7) for females. We found significant differences between males and females in terms of age-standardised prevalence estimates for multiple causes. The causes with the greatest relative differences between sexes in 2017 included substance use disorders (3018 cases [95% UI 2782–3252] per 100 000 in males vs s1400 [1279–1524] per 100 000 in females), transport injuries (3322 [3082–3583] vs 2336 [2154–2535]), and self-harm and interpersonal violence (3265 [2943–3630] vs 5643 [5057–6302]). Interpretation Global all-cause age-standardised YLD rates have improved only slightly over a period spanning nearly three decades. However, the magnitude of the non-fatal disease burden has expanded globally, with increasing numbers of people who have a wide spectrum of conditions. A subset of conditions has remained globally pervasive since 1990, whereas other conditions have displayed more dynamic trends, with different ages, sexes, and geographies across the globe experiencing varying burdens and trends of health loss. This study emphasises how global improvements in premature mortality for select conditions have led to older populations with complex and potentially expensive diseases, yet also highlights global achievements in certain domains of disease and injury. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Flow analysis from multiparticle azimuthal correlations

We present a new method for analyzing directed and elliptic flow in heavy ion collisions. Unlike standard methods, it separates the contribution of flow to azimuthal correlations from contributions due to other effects. The separation relies on a cumulant expansion of multiparticle azimuthal correlations, and includes corrections for detector inefficiencies. This new method allows the measurement of the flow of identified particles in narrow phase-space regions, and can be used in every regime, from intermediate to ultrarelativistic energies.Comment: 31 pages, revtex. Published version (references added

Characterization of Actinomycetes Antagonist Fusariumoxysporum f.sp.passiflora Isolated from Rhizosphere Soil ofPurple Passion Fruit Plants, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

To survey rhizosphere actinomycetes as potential biocontrol against fungal diseaseof passion fruits, rhizosphere soil of the plant were used as an isolation sources. Twenty fivestrains were assigned to Streptomyces-like strain based on morphological properties of sporechain. Four strain with distinguishing characteristic based on the macroscopic appearance ofcolonies on different media, were recovery from rhizosphere soil of passion fruits plantsuggesting that various Streptomyces spp. grow surrounding of plant roots. On an agarmedium, four strains (11.43%) commonly formed a clear growth-inhibition zone against fungal pathogen of passion fruits, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. radicalix passiflori (FORP), indicatingthat this strains can produce antifungal substances. The present results indicate that four strainare a suitable candidate for the biocontrol of fusarium wilt. Keywords: Actinomycetes, AntifungalFusarium oxysporum f.sp.passiflora Rhizosphere, Purple Passion Fruit Plants, South Sulawesi, Indonesi

Genetics of grain yield and its components in wheat under heat stress

Heat stress is a matter of a great concern for the wheat crop. Heat stress usually either hastens crop development or shortens the grain filling duration, which severely reduces grain yield. Being a complex trait, understanding the genetics and gene interactions of stress tolerance are the two primary requirements for improving yield levels. Genetic analysis through generation mean analysis helps to find out the nature of gene actions involved in a concerned trait by providing an estimate of main gene effects (additive and dominance) along with their digenic interactions (additive × additive, additive × dominance, and dominance × dominance). In the present investigation, we elucidated the inheritance pattern of different yield contributing traits under heat stress using different cross combinations which could be helpful for selecting a suitable breeding strategy. Thus six generations of five crosses were sown normal (non-stress, TS) and late (heat stress, LS) in a randomized block design with three replications during two crop seasons. The model was not adequate for late sown conditions indicating the expression of epistatic genes under stress conditions. The traits i.e. Days to heading (DH), Days to anthesis (DA), Days to maturity (DM), Grain filling duration (GFD), Grain yield (GY), Thousand grain weight (TGW), Grain weight per spike (GWS) and Heat susceptibility index (HSI) under heat stress conditions were found under the control of additive gene action with dominance × dominance interaction, additive gene action with additive × dominance epistatic effect, dominance gene action with additive × additive interaction effect, additive and dominance gene action with dominance × dominance interaction effect, additive gene action with additive × dominance epistatic effect, additive gene action with additive × additive interaction effect and dominance gene action with additive × additive interaction effect, respectively

Stroke in Africa: Profile, progress, prospects and priorities

Funding text 1 R.O.A. is supported by the UK Royal Society/African Academy of Sciences FLAIR Grants FLR/R1/191813 and FCG/R1/ 201034, and a GCRF Networking Grant from the UK Academy of Medical Sciences. R.O.A., M.O.O., B.O. and F.S.S. are also supported by grants U54HG007479 and U01HG010273 from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the H3Africa Consortium. M.O.O., B.O., R.O.A. and F.S.S. are further supported by NIH grant R01NS107900. R.N.K.’s research on elderly survivors of stroke has been supported by the Medical Research Council, RCUK Newcastle Centre for Brain Ageing and Vitality (MRC G0500247), Alzheimer’s Research UK, the Dunhill Medical Trust, UK, and the Newcastle National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre in Ageing and Age-Related Diseases, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust. Funding text 2 funds provided by the Wellcome Trust and the NIH. The NIH-funded SIREN study is exploring the genetic architecture of stroke among Indigenous Africans. More than 4,000 case–control pairs have already been recruited to the study and several publications on stroke phenom-ics and preliminary candidate gene analyses have been generated. The SIREN study has also undertaken the first-ever GWAS to unravel the genetic architecture of stroke in Indigenous Africans and the results are eagerly awaited. Stroke neurobanking resources consisting of blood fractions, extracted DNA, neuroimages and databases of clinical information are also being built in Africa and could facilitate data science-driven trans-omics research (including epigenomics, tran-scriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics) as well as the development of precision medicine products such as Afrocentric risk calculators, polygenic risk scores, biomarkers and drug targets23–25,227,307,308. The SIREN neurobiobank comprises a group of constantly monitored ultra-low-temperature (–86 °C) freezers located in Ibadan, Nigeria, constantly powered –20 °C chest freezers located in Ibadan and other recruitment sites, barcode scanners and printers, a laboratory information management system, a secure multi-terabyte server,Stroke is a leading cause of disability, dementia, and death worldwide. Approximately 70% of deaths from stroke and 87% of stroke-related disabilities occur in low-income and middle-income countries. At the turn of the century, the most common diseases in Africa were communicable diseases, whereas non-communicable diseases, including stroke, were considered rare, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. However, evidence indicates that today, Africa could have up to 2–3-fold greater rates of stroke incidence and higher stroke prevalence than western Europe and the USA. In Africa, data published within the past decade show that stroke has an annual incidence rate of up to 316 per 100,000, a prevalence of up to 1,460 per 100,000, and a 3-year fatality rate greater than 80%. Moreover, many Africans have a stroke within the fourth to sixth decades of life, with serious implications for the individual, their family, and society. This age profile is particularly important as strokes in younger people tend to result in a greater loss of self-worth and socioeconomic productivity than in older individuals. Emerging insights from research into stroke epidemiology, genetics, prevention, care, and outcomes offer great prospects for tackling the growing burden of stroke on the continent. In this article, we review the unique profile of stroke in Africa and summarize current knowledge on stroke epidemiology, genetics, prevention, acute care, rehabilitation, outcomes, cost of care, and awareness. We also discuss knowledge gaps, emerging priorities, and future directions of stroke medicine for the more than 1 billion people who live in Africa. © 2021, Springer Nature Limited.Newcastle National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre in Ageing and Age-Related Diseases Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust RCUK Newcastle Centre for Brain Ageing and Vitality Royal Society/African Academy of Sciences: FCG/R1/ 201034,FLR/R1/191813 National Institutes of Health (NIH): R01NS107900 Wellcome Trust (WT) Medical Research Council (MRC): G0500247 Dunhill Medical Trust (DMT) Academy of Medical Sciences: U01HG010273,U54HG007479 Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 Diseases and Injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

This online publication has been corrected. The corrected version first appeared at thelancet.com on June 20, 2019BACKGROUND:The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017) includes a comprehensive assessment of incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 354 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017. Previous GBD studies have shown how the decline of mortality rates from 1990 to 2016 has led to an increase in life expectancy, an ageing global population, and an expansion of the non-fatal burden of disease and injury. These studies have also shown how a substantial portion of the world's population experiences non-fatal health loss with considerable heterogeneity among different causes, locations, ages, and sexes. Ongoing objectives of the GBD study include increasing the level of estimation detail, improving analytical strategies, and increasing the amount of high-quality data. METHODS:We estimated incidence and prevalence for 354 diseases and injuries and 3484 sequelae. We used an updated and extensive body of literature studies, survey data, surveillance data, inpatient admission records, outpatient visit records, and health insurance claims, and additionally used results from cause of death models to inform estimates using a total of 68 781 data sources. Newly available clinical data from India, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Nepal, China, Brazil, Norway, and Italy were incorporated, as well as updated claims data from the USA and new claims data from Taiwan (province of China) and Singapore. We used DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool, as the main method of estimation, ensuring consistency between rates of incidence, prevalence, remission, and cause of death for each condition. YLDs were estimated as the product of a prevalence estimate and a disability weight for health states of each mutually exclusive sequela, adjusted for comorbidity. We updated the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary development indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and total fertility rate. Additionally, we calculated differences between male and female YLDs to identify divergent trends across sexes. GBD 2017 complies with the Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting. FINDINGS:Globally, for females, the causes with the greatest age-standardised prevalence were oral disorders, headache disorders, and haemoglobinopathies and haemolytic anaemias in both 1990 and 2017. For males, the causes with the greatest age-standardised prevalence were oral disorders, headache disorders, and tuberculosis including latent tuberculosis infection in both 1990 and 2017. In terms of YLDs, low back pain, headache disorders, and dietary iron deficiency were the leading Level 3 causes of YLD counts in 1990, whereas low back pain, headache disorders, and depressive disorders were the leading causes in 2017 for both sexes combined. All-cause age-standardised YLD rates decreased by 3·9% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 3·1-4·6) from 1990 to 2017; however, the all-age YLD rate increased by 7·2% (6·0-8·4) while the total sum of global YLDs increased from 562 million (421-723) to 853 million (642-1100). The increases for males and females were similar, with increases in all-age YLD rates of 7·9% (6·6-9·2) for males and 6·5% (5·4-7·7) for females. We found significant differences between males and females in terms of age-standardised prevalence estimates for multiple causes. The causes with the greatest relative differences between sexes in 2017 included substance use disorders (3018 cases [95% UI 2782-3252] per 100 000 in males vs s1400 [1279-1524] per 100 000 in females), transport injuries (3322 [3082-3583] vs 2336 [2154-2535]), and self-harm and interpersonal violence (3265 [2943-3630] vs 5643 [5057-6302]). INTERPRETATION:Global all-cause age-standardised YLD rates have improved only slightly over a period spanning nearly three decades. However, the magnitude of the non-fatal disease burden has expanded globally, with increasing numbers of people who have a wide spectrum of conditions. A subset of conditions has remained globally pervasive since 1990, whereas other conditions have displayed more dynamic trends, with different ages, sexes, and geographies across the globe experiencing varying burdens and trends of health loss. This study emphasises how global improvements in premature mortality for select conditions have led to older populations with complex and potentially expensive diseases, yet also highlights global achievements in certain domains of disease and injury. FUNDING:Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.Spencer L James ... Azmeraw T Amare ... Peter S Azzopardi ... Bernhard T Baune ... Liliana G Ciobanu ... Garumma Tolu Feyissa ... Tiffany K Gill ... Ratilal Lalloo ... Jean Jacques Noubiap ... Andrew T Olagunju ... Engida Yisma ... et al. (GBD 2017 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators