Smart charging strategies for electric vehicle charging stations

Although the concept of transportation electrification holds enormous prospects in addressing the global environmental pollution problem, consumer concerns over the limited availability of charging stations and long charging/waiting times are major contributors to the slow uptake of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in many countries. To address the consumer concerns, many countries have undertaken projects to deploy a network of both fast and slow charging stations, commonly known as electric vehicle charging networks. While a large electric vehicle charging network will certainly be helpful in addressing PEV owners\u27 concerns, the full potential of this network cannot be realised without the implementation of smart charging strategies. For example, the charging load distribution in an EV charging network would be expected to be skewed towards stations located in hotspot areas, instigating longer queues and waiting times in these areas, particularly during afternoon peak traffic hours. This can also lead to a major challenge for the utilities in the form of an extended PEV charging load period, which could overlap with residential evening peak load hours, increasing peak demand and causing serious issues including network instability and power outages. This thesis presents a smart charging strategy for EV charging networks. The proposed smart charging strategy finds the optimum charging station for a PEV owner to ensure minimum charging time, travel time and charging cost. The problem is modelled as a multi-objective optimisation problem. A metaheuristic solution in the form of ant colony optimisation (ACO) is applied to solve the problem. Considering the influence of pricing on PEV owners\u27 behaviour, the smart charging strategy is then extended to address the charging load imbalance problem in the EV network. A coordinated dynamic pricing model is presented to reduce the load imbalance, which contributes to a reduction in overlaps between residential and charging loads. A constraint optimization problem is formulated and a heuristic solution is introduced to minimize the overlap between the PEV and residential peak load periods. In the last part of this thesis, a smart management strategy for portable charging stations (PCSs) is introduced. It is shown that when smartly managed, PCSs can play an important role in the reduction of waiting times in an EV charging network. A new strategy is proposed for dispatching/allocating PCSs during various hours of the day to reduce waiting times at public charging stations. This also helps to decrease the overlap between the total PEV demand and peak residential load

Hemodialysis Patients and Nurses’ Perspective: What Is a Qualified Nursing Care?

Background: With the high prevalence of chronic diseases such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and consequently, the increasing number of hemodialysis (HD) patients, providing high-quality care has become a health concern in many countries. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the concept of “qualified care” from HD patients’ and nurses’ points of view. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using a content analysis approach. A total of 48 patients and nurses in the HD wards were selected through purposive and snowball sampling methods. Sampling continued until data saturation. Finally, a total of 54 interviews were conducted with the participants. The interviews were recorded with the participants’ permission and analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman approach. Results: In this study, 16.7% of the nurses were male, and their mean age was 35.4 ± 7.47 years. Moreover, 50% of the HD patients were male, and their mean age was 53.1 ± 8.6 years. The results of the analysis of the interviews in response to the main question were classified into four main themes including (a) physical care, (b) psychological care, (c) ethical care, and (d) extensive skills and knowledge of the nurse. Conclusion: From the patients’ and nurses’ perspective, empathy and companionship in sessions, fulfilling daily needs, social support, and high-quality dialysis are the components of the concept of care. Therefore, these concepts should be considered in the care programs for HD patients designed by the healthcare team

Determination of Synthetic Food Colors, Caffeine, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate in Sports Drinks

Purpose: To employ high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) techniques to determine edible additives in commercial sports drinks.Methods: A total of 105 samples including 21 different brands of sports drinks were purchased from markets in Tehran, Iran. The process conditions included a C18 column, a mobile phase consisting of aqueous ammonium acetate buffer (pH = 4.2) and acetonitrile (80:20 v/v) at a flow rate of 0.8 ml min–1. The injection volume was 20 μL and the UV detector was set at 225 nm.Results: Mean recovery was between 95 and 106 %. The mean concentrations of sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate in Iranian brands (147.72 and 11.54 ppm, respectively) were significantly higher than in foreign brands (19.43 and 4.91 ppm, respectively, p < 0.05). The maximum amount of sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate was 251.50 ± 18.69 and 96.38 ± 38.56 ppm, respectively, while caffeine content was in the range of 293.48 ± 14.33 - 607.32 ± 135.33 ppm.Conclusion: HPLC permits the detection of sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate at very low concentrations. Furthermore, caffeine was detected in all the sport drinks. Only Brilliant Blue and Allura Red were detected in the drinks.Keywords: Edible additives, Sports drinks, Sodium benzoate, Potassium sorbate, Caffeine, Brilliant Blue, Allura Re

Turbulent Flow Modeling at Tunnel Spillway Concave Bends and Prediction of Pressure using Artificial Neural Network

A tunnel spillway is one of the spillway types in which a high free surface flow velocity is established. The pressure increases in concave vertical bends due to the rotational acceleration and the nature of irregularities in the turbulent flow. Physical models are the best tools to analyze this phenomenon. The number of the required physical models to cover all practical prototype condition analysis is so large that makes it impractical in terms of placement and costs. Therefore, the FLOW-3D software has been chosen to analyze and produce a database of turbulent flow in tunnels concave bends covering all possible practical alternatives. Various tunnels with different discharges and geometries have been simulated by this software. The numerical results were verified with the experimental ones of the constructed physical model of Alborz Dam tunnel spillway, and a satisfactory agreement was obtained. Dimensional analysis is used to group the involved variables of the problem into dimensionless parameters. These parameters are utilized in the artificial neural network simulation. The results showed a correlation coefficient R2=0.95 between the dimensionless parameters obtained by the Flow-3D software and those predicted by the neaural network which leads to the conclusion that the artificial neural network based on the database obtained by the turbulent flow modeling in this regard is a powerful tool for pressure prediction

Validity and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Persian Version of the Oxford Elbow Score

Oxford Elbow Score (OES) is a patient-reported questionnaire used to assess outcomes after elbow surgery. The aim of this study was to validate and adapt the OES into Persian language. After forward-backward translation of the OES into Persian, a total number of 92 patients after elbow surgeries completed the Persian OES along with the Persian DASH and SF-36. To assess test-retest reliability, 31 randomly selected patients (34%) completed the Persian OES again after three days while abstaining from all forms of therapeutic regimens. Reliability of the Persian OES was assessed by measuring intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for test-retest reliability and Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to test the construct validity. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.92 showing excellent reliability. Cronbach's alpha for function, pain, and social-psychological subscales was 0.95, 0.86, and 0.85, respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.85 for the overall questionnaire and 0.90, 0.76, and 0.75 for function, pain, and social-psychological subscales, respectively. Construct validity was confirmed as the Spearman correlation between OES and DASH was 0.80. Persian OES is a valid and reliable patient-reported outcome measure to assess postsurgical elbow status in Persian speaking population

بررسی مؤلفه‌های نگرش مذهبی و ارتباط آن با سرمایه‌ی اجتماعی در مراجعه‌کنندگان به مراکز بهداشتی درمانی شهرستان کوچصفهان

Background and Objective: The related literature shows that religious attitude has noticeable effects on all aspects of human life. This study was designed to examine the status of religious attitudes of clients attending health centers and its relationship with social capital. Method: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 160 clients of health centers in Kouchesfahan in 2014. To collect the required data, a standard 40-item questionnaire of religious attitudes and the 36-item Bullen’s questionnaire concerning social capital were used. Then, correlation test, chi- square, t- test and ANOVA were employed to analyze the data. In this study, All the ethical issues were observed. Moreover, the authors did not report conflict of interest. Results: The results demonstrated that total means score for religious attitudes was calculated 125.9 ± 28.7. Minimum and maximum means were measured for “religious belief” and “religious behavior” dimension; they were 45.3 ± 11 and 37.6 ± 11.3, respectively. Furthermore, no significant relationship between social capital and dimensions of religious attitudes was found. Conclusion: According to the findings, it is safe to conclude that the more the religious behavior, the more favorable the social capital will be. Thus, promoting religious rites and practices in society can help to improve social capital.   Please cite this article as: Rezakhani moghaddam H, Babazadeh T, Joobjar F, Aghazadeh Z, Aletaha S, Habibi A. Religious Attitudes of Health Centers Clients and Social Capital: Examining the Relationships and Contributing Factors. J Res Relig Health. 2017; 3(2): 66- 77.    سابقه و هدف: پژوهش‌های در دسترس نشان می‌دهد که نگرش مذهبی بر تمامی جنبه‌های زندگی بشر تأثیر بسیاری دارد. پژوهش حاضر‌ به‌منظور تعیین وضعیت نگرش مذهبی مراجعه‌کنندگان به مراکز بهداشتی درمانی و ارتباط آن با سرمایه‌ی اجتماعی صورت گرفته است. روش کار: این پژوهش از نوع  توصیفی- تحلیلی است که نمونه‌های آن 160 نفر از مراجعه‌کنندگان به مراکز بهداشتی درمانی شهرستان کوچصفهان در سال 1393 بودند. برای جمع‌آوری اطلاعات از پرسش‌نامه‌های مشخصات جمعیت‌شناختی، پرسش‌نامه‌ی استاندارد 40 سؤالی نگرش مذهبی خدایاری و پرسش‌نامه‌ی 36 سؤالی سرمایه‌ی اجتماعی بالن استفاده شده است. داده‌ها با بهره‌گیری از آزمون‌های توصیفی، آزمون تی و تحلیل واریانس، تجزیه و تحلیل شده است. در این پژوهش همه‌ی موارد اخلاقی رعایت شده است. علاوه‌براین، نویسندگان مقاله هیچ‌گونه تضاد منافعی گزارش نکرده‌اند. یافته‌ها: یافته‌های پژوهش نشان می‌دهد که میانگین کل نمره‌ی نگرش مذهبی 7/28 ± 9/125 بود. بالاترین و پایین‌ترین نمره‌ی به‌دست آمده برای بُعد باور دینی 11 ± 3/45 و برای بُعد رفتار مذهبی 3/11 ± 6/37 بود. از نظر آماری نیز هیچ ارتباط معنی‌داری بین ابعاد نگرش مذهبی و سرمایه‌ی اجتماعی وجود نداشت (05/0<p). نتیجه‌گیری: نتایج پژوهش گویای این است که هرچـه رفتار دینی بالاتر باشد، سرمایه‌ی اجتمـاعی نیـز مطلوب‌تر خواهـد بـود. بنابراین به نظر می­رسد ترویج و انجام اعمال و مناسک مذهبی، بتواند به بهبود سرمایه‌ی اجتماعی در جامعه کمک کند.   استناد مقاله به این صورت است: Rezakhani moghaddam H, Babazadeh T, Joobjar F, Aghazadeh Z, Aletaha S, Habibi A. Religious Attitudes of Health Centers Clients and Social Capital: Examining the Relationships and Contributing Factors. J Res Relig Health. 2017; 3(2): 66- 77

Religious Attitudes of Health Centers Clients and Social Capital: Examining the Relationships and Contributing Factors

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Background and Objective: The related literature shows that religious attitude has noticeable effects on all aspects of human life. This study was designed to examine the status of religious attitudes of clients attending health centers and its relationship with social capital.Method: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 160 clients of health centers in Kouchesfahan in 2014. To collect the required data, a standard 40-item questionnaire of religious attitudes and the 36-item Bullen’s questionnaire concerning social capital were used. Then, correlation test, chi- square, t- test and ANOVA were employed to analyze the data. In this study, All the ethical issues were observed. Moreover, the authors did not report conflict of interest.Results: The results demonstrated that total means score for religious attitudes was calculated 125.9 ± 28.7. Minimum and maximum means were measured for “religious belief” and “religious behavior” dimension; they were 45.3 ± 11 and 37.6 ± 11.3, respectively. Furthermore, no significant relationship between social capital and dimensions of religious attitudes was found.Conclusion: According to the findings, it is safe to conclude that the more the religious behavior, the more favorable the social capital will be. Thus, promoting religious rites and practices in society can help to improve social capital.For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.

Burden of tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer in North Africa and Middle East countries, 1990 to 2019: Results from the GBD study 2019

ObjectiveTo provide estimates on the regional and national burden of tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer and its attributable risk factors from 1990 to 2019 in the North Africa and Middle East (NAME) region.Methods and materialsThe Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 data were used. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), death, incidence, and prevalence rates were categorized by sex and age groups in the NAME region, in 21 countries, from 1990 to 2019. Decomposition analysis was performed to calculate the proportion of responsible factors in the emergence of new cases. Data are presented as point estimates with their 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs).ResultsIn the NAME region, TBL cancer caused 15,396 and 57,114 deaths in women and men, respectively, in 2019. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) increased by 0.7% (95% UI -20.6 to 24.1) and reached 16.8 per 100,000 (14.9 to 19.0) in 2019. All the age-standardized indices had a decreasing trend in men and an increasing trend in women from 1990 to 2019. Turkey (34.9 per 100,000 [27.6 to 43.5]) and Sudan (8.0 per 100,000 [5.2 to 12.5]) had the highest and lowest age-standardized prevalence rates (ASPRs) in 2019, respectively. The highest and lowest absolute slopes of change in ASPR, from 1990 to 2019, were seen in Bahrain (-50.0% (-63.6 to -31.7)) and the United Arab Emirates (-1.2% (-34.1 to 53.8)), respectively. The number of deaths attributable to risk factors was 58,816 (51,709 to 67,323) in 2019 and increased by 136.5%. Decomposition analysis showed that population growth and age structure change positively contributed to new incident cases. More than 80% of DALYs could be decreased by controlling risk factors, particularly tobacco use.ConclusionThe incidence, prevalence, and DALY rates of TBL cancer increased, and the death rate remained unchanged from 1990 to 2019. All the indices and contribution of risk factors decreased in men but increased in women. Tobacco is still the leading risk factor. Early diagnosis and tobacco cessation policies should be improved