Bayesian Estimation of the Parameters of Two-Component Mixture of Rayleigh Distribution under Doubly Censoring

Recently, the Bayesian analysis of the two-component mixture of lifetime models under singly type I censored samples was discussed. The Bayes estimation of the parameters of mixture of two Rayleigh distributions (MTRD) is developed under doubly censoring. Different informative priors, under squared error loss function and k-loss function, have been assumed for the posterior estimation. The performance of different estimators has been compared in terms of posterior risks by analyzing the simulated and real life data sets

Machine learning for identifying demand patterns of home energy management systems with dynamic electricity pricing

Energy management plays a crucial role in providing necessary system flexibility to deal with the ongoing integration of volatile and intermittent energy sources. Demand Response (DR) programs enhance demand flexibility by communicating energy market price volatility to the end-consumer. In such environments, home energy management systems assist the use of flexible end-appliances, based upon the individual consumer's personal preferences and beliefs. However, with the latter heterogeneously distributed, not all dynamic pricing schemes are equally adequate for the individual needs of households. We conduct one of the first large scale natural experiments, with multiple dynamic pricing schemes for end consumers, allowing us to analyze different demand behavior in relation with household attri

Biomarkers of Oxidative stress in essential hypertension

Introduction There is a increasing amount of verification supporting the view that oxidative stress is involved and plays a important role in the pathophysiology of primary hypertension. Objective: This research examines the association of blood pressure with blood oxidative stress-related parameters in normotensive and hypertensive subjects. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional design was applied to 32 hypertensive patients and 33 healthy normotensive subjects. All subjects were men between the ages of 35 and 60 years. Cases of dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, obesity, smoking and those taking medication were excluded from the study. In erythrocyte lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde) and reduced/ oxidized glutathione ratio (GSH/GSSG) were determined. Parameters measured in the plasma of test subjects were plasma antioxidant status, plasma vitamin C, vitamin E, lipid peroxidation (8-isoprostane), blood pressure modulators renin, aldosterone, endothelin-1, and homocysteine. Results: Daytime systolic and diastolic blood pressures of hypertensives were negatively correlated with plasma antioxidant capacity (r=–0.54, p=0.001 and r=–0.60, p<0.001), plasma vitamin C levels (r=–0.47, p=0.006 and r=–0.43, p=0.01), erythrocyte activity of antioxidant enzymes, and erythrocyte GSH/GSSG ratio, with hypertensives showing higher levels of oxidative stress. Conclusion: Blood pressures showed a positive correlation with both plasma and urine 8-isoprostane. These results show a strong association between blood pressure and some oxidative stress-related parameters and propose a probable role of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of essential hypertensio

Congress of neurological surgeons systematic review and evidence-based guidelines update on the role of chemotherapeutic management and antiangiogenic treatment of newly diagnosed glioblastoma in adults

QUESTION: What is the role of temozolomide in the management of adult patients (aged 65 and under) with newly diagnosed glioblastoma? TARGET POPULATION: These recommendations apply to adult patients diagnosed with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. RECOMMENDATION: Level I: Concurrent and post-irradiation Temozolomide (TMZ) in combination with radiotherapy and post-radiotherapy as described by Stupp et al. is recommended to improve both PFS and OS in adult patients with newly diagnosed GBM. There is no evidence that alterations in the dosing regimen have additional beneficial effect. QUESTION: Is there benefit to adjuvant temozolomide treatment in elderly patients (\u3e 65 years old?). TARGET POPULATION: These recommendations apply to adult patients diagnosed with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. RECOMMENDATION: Level III: Adjuvant TMZ treatment is suggested as a treatment option to improve PFS and OS in adult patients (over 70 years of age) with newly diagnosed GBM. QUESTION: What is the role of local regional chemotherapy with BCNU biodegradable polymeric wafers in adult patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma? TARGET POPULATION: These recommendations apply to adult patients diagnosed with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. RECOMMENDATION: Level III: There is insufficient evidence for the use of BCNU wafers following resection in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma who undergo the Stupp protocol after surgery. Further studies of higher quality are suggested to understand the role of BCNU wafer and other locoregional therapy in the setting of Stupp Protocol. QUESTION: What is the role of bevacizumab in the adult patient with newly diagnosed glioblastoma? TARGET POPULATION: These recommendations apply to adult patients diagnosed with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. RECOMMENDATION: Level I: Bevacizumab in general is not recommended in the initial treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed GBM. It continues to be strongly recommended that patients with newly diagnosed GBM be enrolled in properly designed clinical trials to assess the benefit of novel chemotherapeutic agents compared to standard therapy

DC Fault Current Analyzing, Limiting, and Clearing in DC Microgrid Clusters

A new DC fault current limiter (FCL)-based circuit breaker (CB) for DC microgrid (MG) clusters is proposed in this paper. The analytical expressions of the DC fault current of a bidirectional interlink DC/DC converter in the interconnection line of two nearby DC MGs are analyzed in detail. Meanwhile, a DC fault clearing solution (based on using a DC FCL in series with a DC circuit breaker) is proposed. This structure offers low complexity, cost, and power losses. To assess the performance of the proposed method, time-domain simulation studies are carried out on a test DC MG cluster in a MATLAB/Simulink environment. The results of the proposed analytical expressions are compared with simulation results. The obtained results verify the analytical expression of the fault current and prove the effectiveness of the proposed DC fault current limiting and clearing strategy

Serum concentration of selected trace elements and Gammaglutamyltransferase in alcoholic liver disease

Introduction: In South East Asia, India has turn out to be one of the major producers of alcohol. Hepatic manifestation of alcohol includes fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis and chronic hepatitis with hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis. Objective: The main aim of our study was to determine the concentrations of some important physiological metal ions and liver enzyme activity in chronic alcoholics. Materials & Methods: This was a case control study. The study involved 30 male patients of Alcoholic liver diseases (ALDs) from outpatient and inpatients department of Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Karimnagar as cases and 30 age-matched healthy male relatives of patients with no chronic illness as control group. AST, ALT, bilirubin, gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) and serum zinc, magnesium and copper of cases and controls were estimated compared. Results: In the current study we found that serum bilirubin levels, serum AST, ALT, GGT rose significantly in cases (P<0.001) when compared to controls. The cases have significantly lower level of serum Zinc and Magnesium when compared to healthy normal controls (P<0.0001). There is a significant elevation of serum copper levels in cases when compared to the healthy controls (P<0.001). Conclusion: Except copper both serum zinc and magnesium levels significantly reduced in ALD patients. The liver enzymes elevated in the chronic alcoholics denoting hepatic impairment in the cases. The estimation of the enzymes and cations helps in early diagnosis and also as prognostic marker for treatment in ALD patient

Mechanistic lessons learned from studies of planktonic bacteria with metallic nanomaterials: implications for interactions between nanomaterials and biofilm bacteria

Metal and metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are used in numerous applications and have high likelihood of entering engineered and natural environmental systems. Careful assessment of the interaction of these NPs with bacteria, particularly biofilm bacteria, is necessary. This perspective discusses mechanisms of NP interaction with bacteria and identifies challenges in understanding NP-biofilm interaction, considering fundamental material attributes and inherent complexities of biofilm structure. The current literature is reviewed, both for planktonic bacteria and biofilms; future challenges and complexities are identified, both in light of the literature and a dataset on the toxicity of silver NPs toward planktonic and biofilm bacteria. This perspective aims to highlight the complexities in such studies and emphasizes the needs for systematic evaluation of NP-biofilm interaction