Strategic implementation of infrastructure priority projects: case study in Palestine

A strategy was developed for implementation and management of multisector urban infrastructure projects. The strategy includes risk-based analytical hierarchy process (AHP) for project prioritization that is based on project deliverables and project life-cycle and implementation guidelines. The expert-opinion elicitation process used for this study consists of a variation of the Delphi technique, scenario analysis, civil works, and nuclear industry recommendations. The AHP methodology utilizes a multicriteria decision-making technique that allows the consideration of both objective and subjective factors in obtaining cardinal priority ranking of infrastructure projects. The methodology, which deals with different fields of infrastructure, can incorporate uncertainty in the process and can be implemented using simple spreadsheet format. The methodology was developed for a group of players (methodology implementers

An Introduction to Reactive Power Compensation for Wind Farms

The paper summarises the refereed contributions of seven articles reviewed for publication in the IJETP Special Issue on "Reactive compensation for wind farms". The main goal of the special issue is to provide a forum to exchange information on the reactive power compensation requirements for wind farms and introducing possible price mechanisms for today's deregulated power industry. Uncompensated reactive power causes stress on the hosting utility grid as well as added expenses, which create in difficulties for power purchasing agreements from independent wind energy producers. Wind power producers need to comply with the hosting utility grid interconnection standards, e.g., voltage and frequency, as well as to provide controllable active and reactive sources of power. Active power supply is mainly dependent on the potential of wind power produced and the turbine design. Reactive power demand on the other hand depends on the conversion devices and the recovered power quantity fed to the grid. Static Var Compensators (SVC), Unified Power Quality Conditioners (UPQC), Unified Power Flow Controllers (UPFC), and the Distributed Static Synchronous Compensators (DSTATCOM) are all new emerging devices aimed at regulating the reactive power requirements. The excellent controllability of these devices has paved the way to flexible and dynamic controllers that are capable of regulating the flow of active and reactive power components. These devices are now suggested for the control of the reactive power requirement of wind generators. Studies have demonstrated acceptable voltage stabilisation results. This has increased the penetration level of wind power into existing distribution networks in many countries

An Introduction to Reactive Power Compensation for Wind Farms

The paper summarises the refereed contributions of seven articles reviewed for publication in the IJETP Special Issue on "Reactive compensation for wind farms". The main goal of the special issue is to provide a forum to exchange information on the reactive power compensation requirements for wind farms and introducing possible price mechanisms for today's deregulated power industry. Uncompensated reactive power causes stress on the hosting utility grid as well as added expenses, which create in difficulties for power purchasing agreements from independent wind energy producers. Wind power producers need to comply with the hosting utility grid interconnection standards, e.g., voltage and frequency, as well as to provide controllable active and reactive sources of power. Active power supply is mainly dependent on the potential of wind power produced and the turbine design. Reactive power demand on the other hand depends on the conversion devices and the recovered power quantity fed to the grid. Static Var Compensators (SVC), Unified Power Quality Conditioners (UPQC), Unified Power Flow Controllers (UPFC), and the Distributed Static Synchronous Compensators (DSTATCOM) are all new emerging devices aimed at regulating the reactive power requirements. The excellent controllability of these devices has paved the way to flexible and dynamic controllers that are capable of regulating the flow of active and reactive power components. These devices are now suggested for the control of the reactive power requirement of wind generators. Studies have demonstrated acceptable voltage stabilisation results. This has increased the penetration level of wind power into existing distribution networks in many countries

AS1411-Induced Growth Inhibition of Glioma Cells by Up-Regulation of p53 and Down-Regulation of Bcl-2 and Akt1 via Nucleolin

AS1411 binds nucleolin (NCL) and is the first oligodeoxynucleotide aptamer to reach phase I and II clinical trials for the treatment of several cancers. However, the mechanisms by which AS1411 targets and kills glioma cells and tissues remain unclear. Here we report that AS1411 induces cell apoptosis and cycle arrest, and inhibits cell viability by up-regulation of p53 and down-regulation of Bcl-2 and Akt1 in human glioma cells. NCL was overexpressed in both nucleus and cytoplasm in human glioma U87, U251 and SHG44 cells compared to normal human astrocytes (NHA). AS1411 bound NCL and inhibited the proliferation of glioma cells but not NHA, which was accompanied with up-regulation of p53 and down-regulation of Bcl-2 and Akt1. Moreover, AS1411 treatment resulted in the G2/M cell cycle arrest in glioma cells, which was however abolished by overexpression of NCL. Further, AS1411 induced cell apoptosis, which was prevented by silencing of p53 and overexpression of Bcl-2. In addition, AS1411 inhibited the migration and invasion of glioma cells in an Akt1-dependent manner. Importantly, AS1411 inhibited the growth of glioma xenograft and prolonged the survival time of glioma tumor-bearing mice. These results revealed a promising treatment of glioma by oligodeoxynucleotide aptamer

The integration of social concerns into electricity power planning : a combined delphi and AHP approach

The increasing acceptance of the principle of sustainable development has been a major driving force towards new approaches to energy planning. This is a complex process involving multiple and conflicting objectives, in which many agents were able to influence decisions. The integration of environmental, social and economic issues in decision making, although fundamental, is not an easy task, and tradeoffsmust be made. The increasing importance of social aspects adds additional complexity to the traditional models that must now deal with variables recognizably difficult to measure in a quantitative scale. This study explores the issue of the social impact, as a fundamental aspect of the electricity planning process, aiming to give a measurable interpretation of the expected social impact of future electricity scenarios. A structured methodology, based on a combination of the Analytic Hierarchy Process and Delphi process, is proposed. The methodology is applied for the social evaluation of future electricity scenarios in Portugal, resulting in the elicitation and assignment of average social impact values for these scenarios. The proposed tool offers guidance to decision makers and presents a clear path to explicitl

Computational modelling of thermofluid flashing in MSF desalination

Phase change inside a desalination flashing chamber arises from the surface evaporation with self-boiling of liquid brine flow due to a reduction of pressure. Flashing flow is the key to desalination of the feed water in every flashing chamber in multi-stage flash (MSF) desalination systems. The flashing process in the evaporation zone of a flashing chamber is investigated. A new classification of the flashing process as ideal, infinite and finite is proposed. A computational field model for the flashing process in the evaporation zone inside a flashing chamber is developed around a two-phase volume of fluid (VOF) formulation. Two different phase-change mechanisms are allowed for, based on the saturation temperature and on the vapour pressure, respectively, that enable the model to compute the phase change regions, also the level and the shape of the free surface. The commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code Fluent is used. The model is validated using data for an existing flashing chamber by solving for steady, two-dimensional, multiphase flow inside a flashing chamber without a baffle. The model is then applied to investigate the effects of variations in the inlet brine flow rate and inlet brine temperature, for both finite and infinite flashing process classifications. Thermo-fluid behaviour and flow details are predicted, and performance results are presented in terms of flow patterns and distributions of gauge pressure, temperature, vapour volume fraction and mass transfer inside the flashing chamber. The predictions are analysed to estimate MSF design factors such as the non-equilibrium temperature difference and flashing efficiency. It is found that the chamber evaporation zone behaves differently for finite and infinite flashing processes. As has been observed experimentally, the flashing performance and vapour production are improved when the brine flow rate and its temperature are increased

Paleoproductivity of Late Holocene Lake Huron

The paleolimnology of North America’s Lake Huron is described using lead-210 dating, mineralogy, magnetic susceptibility, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), carbon:nitrogen (C/N) ratio, grain size, and the δ13COM and δ15NTN of organic matter. Sediment cores from Lake Huron’s 6 depositional basins and Georgian Bay span the Medieval Warm Period, Little Ice Age, and Canadian-European settlement. The main organic matter source is lacustrine algae, as indicated by δ13COM, δ15NTN and C/N. Prior to the 19th century, primary production changes are reflected only by small variations in TOC and TN. A gradual increase in δ15NTN (~1.1 ‰) suggests an increase in primary production since the start of the Industrial Revolution, likely due to warming and rising nutrient input. Deforestation, primarily during the 19th century, contributed to a rise in TOC in the Huron basin. Further land clearance likely caused a prominent increase in magnetic susceptibility during the early- to mid-20th century

Glioblastoma and meningioma biology:targeted therapy and oncolytic virus therapy

In my PhD research I tackled a number of projects and this included: a new glioblastoma model with palisading necrosis, hypervascularity, and hypoxia, and treatment with HIF-1a inhibitor digoxin; a patient-derived malignant meningioma model that is tumorigenic in immune-deficient mice treated with oncolytic herpes simplex virus; targeting high grade meningioma with a b1 integrin antagonizing antibody; studied TGF-beta pathway in a multiple glioblastoma models and combined antagonists of TGF-beta pathway with oncolytic herpes simplex virus; and studied AS1411, the first oligodeoxynucleotide aptamer to reach clinical trials in many cancers, and found the mechanism by which it inhibits the growth of glioma cells and improve survival of mice bearing glioblastoma. Finally, I bridged all of my experimental work with introduction, discussion and conclusion as well as a review on novel therapies for meningiomas