Energy Sharing for Multiple Sensor Nodes with Finite Buffers

We consider the problem of finding optimal energy sharing policies that maximize the network performance of a system comprising of multiple sensor nodes and a single energy harvesting (EH) source. Sensor nodes periodically sense the random field and generate data, which is stored in the corresponding data queues. The EH source harnesses energy from ambient energy sources and the generated energy is stored in an energy buffer. Sensor nodes receive energy for data transmission from the EH source. The EH source has to efficiently share the stored energy among the nodes in order to minimize the long-run average delay in data transmission. We formulate the problem of energy sharing between the nodes in the framework of average cost infinite-horizon Markov decision processes (MDPs). We develop efficient energy sharing algorithms, namely Q-learning algorithm with exploration mechanisms based on the $\epsilon$-greedy method as well as upper confidence bound (UCB). We extend these algorithms by incorporating state and action space aggregation to tackle state-action space explosion in the MDP. We also develop a cross entropy based method that incorporates policy parameterization in order to find near optimal energy sharing policies. Through simulations, we show that our algorithms yield energy sharing policies that outperform the heuristic greedy method.Comment: 38 pages, 10 figure

Effect of administering different doses of 17α-methyltestosterone in Heteropneustes fossilis

Heteropneustes fossilis were injected 0, 2·5, 5, 10, 20, 40, 60 or 80 mg 17α-methyltestosterone/kg fish. They were fed ad libitum on chopped Lepidocephalichthys thermalis and reared for 21 days. The steroid acts as an appetite stimulant and consequently both feeding and growth rates increased 2 to 3 times, when given the optimum dosage of 40mg/kg. It also doubles the growth efficiency. 17α-methyltestosterone is recognized as an appetite stimulant and an anabolic steroid

The Education of Multiple Family Members and the Life-Course Pathways to Cognitive Impairment

OBJECTIVES: This article asks how the educational attainments of multiple family members, including parents and offspring, are associated with the cognitive health of older adults in the United States. METHODS: We use panel data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (2000-2012) to examine how the education of an individual, their parent(s), and their offspring are associated with the prevalence of moderate/severe cognitive impairment and the onset of cognitive impairment among older adults using logistic regression and discrete-time event history analysis, respectively. RESULTS: We found that when combined, only the education of the individual is inversely associated with cognitive impairment at baseline. However, both the educational attainments of an individual and their offspring are negatively associated with the risk of becoming cognitively impaired, among individuals who were not already cognitively impaired. Conversely, parental education was not predictive of being cognitively impaired or the onset of impairment. Furthermore, we found that respondent gender did not moderate the relationship between a family member\u27s education and respondent cognitive health. DISCUSSION: This study adds to current research by asking how resources from earlier and subsequent generations matter for older adults\u27 cognitive health. Although we found little evidence that parental education matters at this life stage, results suggest that offspring education has a salient positive effect on later-life cognitive health. This finding underscores an overlooked source of health disparities-offspring resources-and highlights how a family perspective remains a powerful tool for understanding health inequalities in later life

Methodology for the optimal design of PEV charging systems with multiple chargers and distributed resources

Increased penetration of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) will necessitate deployment of numerous PEV chargers. Pairing these chargers with renewable distributed generation (DG) and storage can potentially alleviate negative impacts on the distribution grid and help meet renewable portfolio goals. The optimal design of such integrated charging systems depends on many factors, including geographic location and charging profiles. This paper presents an optimization methodology for designing integrated PEV charging systems with multiple chargers and distributed resources. This methodology is used to investigate optimal designs for charging systems at a retail business and on a university campus. When PEV charging can introduce a demand charge, it is shown that the optimal design depends on the time of charging and the level of existing load. When non-negligible distribution system losses exist between charger locations, it is shown that the optimal size and location of DG and storage depends on the charging profile of the different chargers and the distribution efficiency.Siemens Corporatio

Marine Fisheries Profile Tamil Nadu (in Tamil)

Marine Fisheries Profile Tamil Nad

Marine Fisheries Profile Andhra Pradesh (in Telugu)

Marine Fisheries Profile Andhra Prades

STUDY ON RISK FACTORS, CLINICAL AND THERAPEUTIC PROFILE OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE PATIENTS IN GOVERNMENT GENERAL HOSPITAL

Objective: This study mainly aims to assess and evaluate risk factors, clinical and therapeutical profile in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and promote rational drug therapy; to identify the prevalence of COPD symptoms and to assess the drugs prescribed in treating COPD patients; and to evaluate patterns of diagnosing COPD in patients and determine the severity of COPD in patients using COPD assessment test (CAT). Methods: A prospective observational study conducted in government general hospital among 220 patients for 6 months. Data were collected from patients by CAT questionnaire through interviewing each subject. Results: The majority of the patients (36%) were in the age group of 71–80 years. Males are more prone to the COPD (91%). Most common initiation interdependence of these habits are 31–40 years and 61.8% are suffering with comorbidities. A total of 145 (65%) have social habits. About 68% of the patients are suffering from occupational exposure, 78% of the patients are suffering from old pulmonary problems. Conclusion: Clinical pharmacist main provision is providing care to individual patients by patient counseling, regarding the rational usage of drug and also providing proper education regarding the usage of nebulizers and creating awareness to the patients

NCDB analysis of melanoma 2004–2015: Epidemiology and outcomes by subtype, sociodemographic factors impacting clinical presentation, and real‐world survival benefit of immunotherapy approval

Background: The incidence of invasive melanoma is rising, and approval for the first immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) to treat metastatic melanoma occurred in 2011. We aim to describe the epidemiology and outcomes in recent years, sociodemographic factors associated with the presence of metastasis at diagnosis, and the real‐world impact of ICI approval on survival based on melanoma subtype and race. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of the National Cancer Database (NCDB) from the years 2004–2015. The primary outcome was the overall survival of meta-static melanoma by subtype. Secondary outcomes included sociodemographic factors associated with the presence of metastasis at diagnosis and the impact of treatment facility type and ICI approval on the survival of metastatic melanoma. Results: Of the 419,773 invasive melanoma cases, 93.80% were cutaneous, and 4.92% were metastatic at presentation. The odds of presenting with metastatic disease were higher in African Americans (AA) compared to Caucasians (OR 2.37; 95% CI 2.11–2.66, p \u3c 0.001). Treatment of metastatic melanoma at an academic/research facility was associated with lower mortality versus community cancer programs (OR 0.75, 95 % CI 0.69–0.81, p‐ value \u3c0.001). Improvement in survival of metastatic melanoma was noted for Caucasians after the introduction of ICI (adjusted HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.78–0.83, p \u3c 0.001); however, this was not statistically significant for AA (adjusted HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.62–1.02, p‐value = 0.073) or ocular cases (HR 1.03, 95% CI 0.81–1.31, p‐value 0.797). Conclusion: Real‐world data suggest a 20% improvement in survival of metastatic melanoma since the introduction of ICI. The disproportionately high odds of metastatic disease at presentation in AA patients with melanoma suggest the need for a better understanding of the disease and improvement in care delivery