Reproductive performance of Karakul ewes following different oestrous synchronisation treatments outside the natural breeding season

This study was designed to evaluate the efficiency of five different hormonal treatments of oestrous synchronization in Karakul ewes reared in southern Iran. During mid- to late spring, (outside the natural breeding season), 180 Karakul ewes were stratified based on age and body weight and then randomly allocated to six groups (n = 30/group). The oestrous cycles of the ewes in each group were synchronized using one of the following hormonal treatments: T1 - intramuscular (im) administration of 20 mg progesterone acetate in oil every second day for a 12-day period and an im administration of 500 IU equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) on day 12; T2 - insertion of a controlled intravaginal drug releasing device (CIDR) containing 0.3 g progesterone for 12 days; T3 - administrating an intravaginal sponge containing 60 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate (MAP) for 12 days; T4 - a double injection (im) of 10 mg prostaglandin F2α nine days apart; T5 - a double injection (im) of 10 mg prostaglandin F2α nine days apart plus an im injection of 500 IU eCG on the day of the second prostaglandin F2α administration; T6 - control group. The ewes in Treatments 2 and 3 were intramuscularly injected with a 500 IU eCG at CIDR or sponge withdraw. Twenty-four hours after the last hormonal treatment, three fertile Karakul rams were introduced to the ewes in each experimental group and remained there for five days for oestrous detection and mating. Significant differences in oestrous response, number of ewes that lambed within the 152 ± 7 day period, fecundity and fertility rate were recorded between treatment groups. The oestrous response was comparable in Treatments 2 (93%) and 3 (100%), and significantly higher than the other treatments (T1 = 80; T4 = 37; T5 = 30 and T6 = 20%). The highest and the lowest number of ewes that lambed within 152 ± 7 days were 27 (90%) in Treatments 3 and 4 and 13% in Treatments 4 and 5, respectively. The highest recorded fecundity rate was 133% in Treatment 3 and the lowest, 75% in Treatment 4. Furthermore, the fertility rate was 90% in Treatment 3 that was significantly higher than in Treatments 4 (36%) and 5 (44%). The results of the present study indicated that oestrous synchronisation with progestagens plus eCG induced a synchronized oestrus in a higher percentage of Iranian fat-tailed Karakul ewes than prostaglandin F2α (with or without eCG) outside the breeding season. Furthermore, the administration of an impregnated intravaginal sponge for a 12-day period plus a dose of 500 IU eCG resulted in higher fertility, fecundity and lambing rates compared to the other hormonal treatments considered. Keywords: Karakul ewes, oestrous synchronization, reproductive performance South African Journal of Animal Science Vol. 36 (4) 2006: pp. 229-23

An Approach for the Direct Inclusion of Weather Information in the Power Flow

While it is widely recognized that weather impacts the power flow, historically weather information has only been implicitly included. This paper presents an approach for the direct inclusion of weather information in the power flow. Key issues addressed by the paper include the availability of weather information, the mapping of weather information to electric grid components, a flexible and extensible modeling approach for relating weather values to the power flow models, and the visualization of the weather impacts. The approach is demonstrated on several electric grids ranging in size from 7000 to 82,000 buses using weather data over several different years

Coalitional Game Theory based Value Sharing in Energy Communities

This paper presents a coalitional game for value sharing in energy communities (ECs). It is proved that the game is super-additive, and the grand coalition effectively increases the global payoff. It is also proved that the model is balanced and thus, it has a nonempty core. This means there always exists at least one value sharing mechanism that makes the grand coalition stable. Therefore, prosumers will always achieve lower bills if they join to form larger ECs. A counterexample is presented to demonstrate that the game is not convex and value sharing based on Shapley values does not necessarily ensure the stability of the coalition. To find a stabilizing value sharing mechanism that belongs to the core of the game, the worst-case excess minimization concept is applied. In this concept, however, size of the optimization problem increases exponentially with respect to the number of members in EC. To make the problem computationally tractable, the idea of clustering members based on their generation/load profiles and considering the same profile and share for members in the same cluster is proposed here. K-means algorithm is used for clustering prosumers’ profiles. This way, the problem would have several redundant constraints that can be removed. The redundant constraints are identified and removed via the generalized Llewellyn’s rules. Finally, value sharing in an apartment building in the southern part of Finland in the metropolitan area is studied to demonstrate effectiveness of the method

The epidemiological investigation of traumatic corneal laceration in the Resalat Hospital, Shahrekord

Lacerating injury of the cornea is an important cause of ocular morbidity and children are the main victims of this disorder. In order to evaluate corneal rupture prevalence and promote its prevention, this study was carried out. This survey was performed on the patients undertaken operation for corneal perforation from Oct 1994 to Oct 1996 in the Resalat Hospital of Shahrekord. Investigated parameters were age, sex, causative agent and complications. The age range was 1-75 years, and 66 out of 90 patients (73.3%) were males and 24 (26.7%) were females. The number of patients was significantly higher in the pediatric group (74.4%) than the adult group (25.6%). Penetrating trauma was the most common cause of corneal perforation and trauma by woods was the most prevalent one. Iris prolaps (43.3%) and cataract (38.9) were the most common complications. Compared to other reports and test books, corneal perforations in our patients occurred in younger age groups and had different causes. Previous investigations reported that corneal perforation occurred mostly in young adults and the major causes were air gun bullets, car accidents, and assaults, but in our study woods and other sharp instruments were the most common causes of the corneal perforation in children’s eyes

Relationship between demographic characteristics, spinal impairment, and interventional strategies in the clinical outcome of spinal cord injury patients

Background and aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate the main causes of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI), along with the relationship between SCI patients’ demographic characteristics and related treatments. Methods: In general, 608 patients suffering from TSCI and referring to Ayatollah Kashani hospital, Shahrekord in 2016-2017 were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Patients’ demographic characteristics, level of injury, the severity of the injury, injury cause, and duration of hospitalization (DOH) were obtained according to their files and medical records. Several months after discharge, the patients were examined by a neurosurgeon, and the treatment outcome was recorded in specific checklists. Results: The mean age of the injured individuals was 34.2±16.9 years and the majority of the injured (70.2%) were males. ASIA grades E and D were also reported in 50.3% and 25% of the injured at admission, respectively. Further, grade E injury was observed in 77.1% of the injured at discharge. Medicinal, non-surgical, and surgical treatments were used for 53.8%, 25.8%, and 20.4% of patients, respectively. The levels of injury, treatment strategy, and clinical outcomes were significantly different based on the ASIA grades at admission (P<0.001, for all items). There was a significant difference among DOH (day) in terms of the level of injury, ASIA grades during admission, treatment strategy, and treatment outcomes in different individuals (P<0.001, for all items). Conclusion: Regarding the relationship between the treatment strategy, the ASIA grade, and the outcome of the treatment, it seems necessary to perform surgical or rehabilitative interventions for each person in accordance with demographic characteristics. Keywords: Injuries, Spinal cord injuries, Rehabilitation, ASIA scal

Is there any association between adenoid biofilm and upper airway infections in pediatric patients?

Aim: To evaluate the association of the presence and extent of adenoid biofilms and the frequency of upper airway infections in children with upper airway obstruction. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2014 to December 2015 on pediatric patients who were candidates for adenoidectomy due to obstructive sleep apnea. After removal of the adenoid tissue and fixation in 2.5 glutaraldehyde, the samples were sent to the electron microscopy unit. The extent of biofilm formation was examined using environmental scanning electron microscopy. These results were then confirmed using image analysis software. Results: Fifty-seven children with a mean age of 7.31 (±2.65) years were included in the study. Forty-three (75.4) were male and 14 (24.6) were female. The average number of upper airway infections during the last 12 months before adenoidectomy was 10.01 (±5.38). Biofilm structures were detected in all (100) samples. As the main outcome, the extent of biofilm grading exhibited a statistically significant correlation with the frequency of upper airway infections (p<0.001). There was no significant correlation between sex and adenoid size with the biofilm extent. Conclusion: The present study showed that the extent of adenoid biofilm had a significant relationship with the frequency of upper airway infection rate. It seems that the presence of a biofilm on the adenoid surface as a reservoir for microorganisms could cause chronic inflammation. © 2018 by Turkish Pediatric Association

Evaluating the effect of Matricaria chamomilla and Melissa officinalis on pain intensity and satisfaction with pain management in patients after orthopedic surgery

Introduction: The most important compliant of post-operative orthopedic patients is severe and intolerable pain. This pain has negative impacts on patient's satisfaction with pain management and bone healing after surgery. This study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the effects of Melissa officinalis (Melissa) tea and Matricaria chamomilla (Chamomile) tea on pain intensity and satisfaction with pain management in patients after lower limb orthopedic surgery. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial conducted on 96 patients after lower limb orthopedic surgery in Ayatollah Kashani hospital of Shahrekord city, Iran. Patients were randomized to M. officinalis, Chamomile and control groups with blocking randomization method. For M. officinalis group, 1 g of Melissa tea, for Chamomile group 1 g chamomile tea and for control group black tea was prescribed 3 times a day. Study variables were evaluated before and 30 min after each stage of intervention and then the mean changes of pain intensity and satisfaction before interventions and after each step of intervention were compared between groups. Significance level was considered as P< 0.05. Results: Before intervention, the mean scores of pain intensity and satisfaction with pain management had no significance difference between groups. The mean changes of pain intensity and satisfaction with pain management (after first 3 steps of intervention) in M. officinalis and M. chamomilla groups were significantly greater than the ones in control group (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Prescription of M. officinalis tea or Chamomile tea might be used as effective remedy for reducing pain and increasing satisfaction with pain management after orthopedic surgery