AbstractThe problem of moving target localization from range and velocity difference measurements has attracted considerable attention in recent years. In this article, a novel weighted ...multidimensional scaling (MDS) algorithm is proposed to estimate the position and velocity of a moving target by utilizing the time difference of arrival (TDOA) and frequency difference of arrival (FDOA) measurements with sensor position and velocity errors. The proposed estimator is based on the optimization of a cost function related to the scalar product matrix in classical MDS. The estimator is accurate and closed form. The algorithm has a small mean square error compared with the 2-step weighted least squares (LS) algorithm in a moderate and high noise power level.
•Analysis of two options of renewable sources for reverse osmosis desalination unit.•Optimizing the hybrid system using HOMER software for the proposed two options.•Economical study for the optimal ...case from the two option with COE and LCOW.•The levelised cost of water was calculated as 0.56 $/m3 for hybrid system.•Calculate emissions from each case studied and the impact on the environment.
Renewable energy sources are economical systems suitable for seawater treatment systems wherever there is no electrical grid. This research focuses on finding the best performance of several combinations of these resources (off-grid). The performance compares two alternatives; the first consists of a photovoltaic solar panel, wind turbine, diesel generator, and battery. The second alternative consists of a photovoltaic solar panel, hydrokinetic turbine, diesel generator, and battery. All alternatives are used to drive a small desalination unit with a capacity of 1 m3/h. HOMER software is used to optimize the hybrid renewable energy system and perform techno-economic analyses. The optimum case from the first alternative combinations consists of a wind turbine with a rated power of 10 kW, diesel generator with a rated power of 4.90 kW, and 20 kW photovoltaic solar panel. This case achieves the minimum electrical power cost of 0.2252 $/kWh and the corresponding minimum water cost of 1.10$/m3. The optimum case from the second alternative combinations consists of a hydrokinetic turbine with a maximum power of 5 kW, diesel generator with a rated power of 4.90 kW, and 2.82 kW photovoltaic solar panel. This case achieves the minimum electrical power cost of 0.1216 $/kWh and the corresponding minimum water cost of 0.56 $/m3.
Background
Azoospermia affects about 15% of childless males. The differential diagnosis between subtypes of azoospermia is the initial step in its management.
Objectives
To investigate the role of ...diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in distinguishing obstructive azoospermia from non‐obstructive azoospermia and predicting sperm retrieval together with histological alterations in men with non‐obstructive azoospermia.
Materials and methods
This prospective comparative study involved 60 men with obstructive azoospermia (group A) and 60 men with non‐obstructive azoospermia (group B). Scrotal proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging were conducted for all participants to respectively evaluate testicular metabolites and normalized apparent diffusion coefficient 1 week before sperm retrieval.
Results
Apparent diffusion coefficient was significantly higher in group B as compared to group A (0.47 ± 0.11 vs. 0.29 ± 0.05; and 0.46 ± 0.14 vs. 0.28 ± 0.02) for the right and left testis, respectively. Conversely, testicular choline and lipids were significantly higher in group A as compared to group B. Normalized apparent diffusion coefficient, choline, and lipids at cut‐off levels of 0.353, 0.31, and 0.725 could differentiate between obstructive azoospermia and non‐obstructive azoospermia (area under the curve = 0.963; confidence interval = 0.939–0.986, area under the curve = 0.985; confidence interval = 0.974–0.997, and area under the curve = 0.970; confidence interval = 0.940–0.999, respectively). Regarding the prediction of sperm retrieval in the non‐obstructive azoospermia group, choline levels had the highest area under the curve (0.923), and its cut‐off level was 0.195. The normalized apparent diffusion coefficient was significantly lower in men with positive sperm retrieval as compared to men with unsuccessful retrieval. Finally, it was revealed that all magnetic resonance imaging parameters except creatine could independently predict testicular histology in men with non‐obstructive azoospermia. The highest prediction was 95% in normal spermatogenesis, and the least prediction was 40% in spermatid arrest. Regression analysis was used to detect final predictors and extrapolate an equation that could be used to predict testicular pathology
Conclusions
Normalized apparent diffusion coefficient and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy are helpful in differentiating obstructive azoospermia from non‐obstructive azoospermia and predicting sperm retrieval and related histological alterations in men with non‐obstructive azoospermia.
Summary
Solid‐state Marx generators (SSMGs) are capable of generating high‐voltage pulses, with certain repetition frequency, and have a multitude of applications. Published research work targets ...more elaborate SSMG circuits without the existence of a specific design procedure. In this paper, basic circuit parameters (stage capacitance, duty cycle and voltage droop) of generic resistive‐loaded SSMG—producing a single/burst of pulses—are precisely modeled. Accordingly, a generalized, closed‐form analytic design algorithm suitable for any resistive‐loaded SSMG is presented; the proposed algorithm guides designers throughout the SSMG design phase and furthermore, produces parametric design curves that provide designers with an in‐depth vision of the individual effect of each design parameter on the circuit performance. To quantify the robustness of the proposed algorithm, it is used to design a simple conventional, load‐dependent SSMG architecture fulfilling specific application requirements (frequency of 10 KHz, peak output voltage of 1.2 KV, and 510‐W average power per burst). Based on the obtained design and using the derived equations, the average power per burst is calculated for different number of pulses in the range of 1–10 pulses for the simulation and the implementation. The resulting relative error between the simulation and the measurement results is found to be in the range of 0.14%–0.37%. Afterward, the proposed algorithm is used to validate the published results of a complex SSMG. The relative error between the published results and those obtained using the proposed algorithm does not exceed 2.5%; this validates the modeling behind the proposed design technique and renders it as a solution approach for any resistive‐loaded SSMG topology irrespective of its complexity.
In this article, the circuit parameters (stage capacitance, duty cycle, and voltage droop) of a generic resistive‐loaded solid‐state Marx generator (SSMG) that produces a single/burst of pulses are precisely modeled. A closed‐form analytic design algorithm is proposed to provide an in‐depth vision of the individual effect of the SSMG's design parameters on the circuit performance.
Background
The negative effect of over-reliance on the use of synthetic pesticides have led to the search for natural alternatives to pest control. This study was designed to evaluate the toxicity ...effect of the crude plant extracts of Jatropha (
Jatropha curcas
Linn.) seeds in comparison with methomyl on some histopathological changes of the terrestrial snail species
Monacha obstructa
(Pfeiffer, 1842). The toxicity effect of methomyl and crude extracts of ethanol and acetone extracts of
Jatropha curcas
seeds were determined on some histological changes of the land snail,
Monacha obstructa
at four concentrations using the contact technique under laboratory conditions.
Results
The results revealed that the crude extracts of Jatropha exhibited obvious adequate effects compared with methomyl against
M. obstructa
land snails. The highest toxicity effects were obtained by methomyl followed by the ethanolic extract of Jatropha and hexane extract of Jatropha. The histopathological effect of LC
50
of Jatropha crude extract and methomyl on the digestive gland and foot tissues were examined in the land snails
M. obstructa
. The treated snails showed several histological changes in the digestive gland and foot compared with the control group snails. The histological examinations of the digestive tubules included destroyed and detached in the outer layer covering digestive tubules. In addition, marked increase in the width most of the digestive tubules lumen. The intertubular connective tissue between the digestive tubules showed great destruction, while the foot of treated snails showed rupture of the epithelium covering the foot and desquamation of the epithelium. We also observed the presence of areas of connective tissue necrosis and destruction of the muscular tissue.
Conclusions
It has been found that extracts of Jatropha seeds have a toxic activity that caused histopathological damage that led to the death of land snails, and thus it can be recommended as a source for the development of molluscicides.
Graphical Abstract
Introduction
The use of ozonized water is gaining importance in medicine due to its effects on hyperglycemia and wound healing mechanisms.
Methods
This experiment was conducted to assess the impacts ...of intradermal administration of ozonated water on acute skin wound healing in a diabetic rat model. Sixty-four adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: an ozonated water group (O3W) and a control group (CG). Experimental diabetes was chemically induced in the rats by the intraperitoneal administration of 60 mg/kg streptozotocin. One week later, full-thickness skin surgical wounds (1 cm
2
) were created between the two shoulders of the rats under general anesthesia. The wounds were then daily irrigated with normal saline (CG) or intradermally injected with 1 mL of ozonated water at 10 mg/L O3W. Wound healing was evaluated through macroscopic analysis, measuring wound size, diameter, and percentage of contraction rate before wounding and at 3, 7, 9, 12, 14, 18, 21, 24, and 28 days post-wounding. On days 7, 14, 21, and 28 after induction of the wounds, the body weights and blood glucose levels of rats (8 per group) were measured before the rats were euthanized. Moreover, the morphological structure of the tissue, vascular endothelial and transforming growth factor (VEGF and TGF) affinity and gene expression were examined.
Results
The O3W group had significantly lower blood glucose levels and wound size and gained body weight. Additionally, epithelial vascularization, stromal edema, TGF, and VEGF gene expression significantly improved in the O3W group.
Discussion
Therefore, ozonated water has the potential to enhance and promote cutaneous wound healing in diabetic rats.
Application of novel trend comprising antioxidant phytogenics is aiming to minimize the stress related factors and associated diseases in intensive fish culturing. Today, the concept of exploiting ...and protecting natural antioxidants represents a paradigm shift for the aqua feed industry. Therefore, our principal goal targeting liposome as a novel nanocarrier for curcumin is directed to attain superior performance, fillet antioxidant stability and bacterial resistance in Nile tilapia. A total of 500 Nile tilapia fingerlings (average body weight, 10.27 ± 0.10 g) assigned into five experimental groups in 25 glass aquaria of 120 L capacity at the density 20 fish/aquaria. The experimental groups were supplemented with varying doses of liposomal curcumin-NPs, LipoCur-NPs (0, 5, 15, 25 and 35 mg/kg diet) were reared for 12 weeks and later Streptococcus agalactiae (S. agalactiae) challenged model was performed. Inclusion of LipoCur-NPs (25 and 35 mg/kg diet) had the most prominent impact on Nile tilapia growth rate and feed conversion ratio. The immune boosting outcomes post supplementing 35 mg/kg diet of LipoCur-NPs were evidenced by higher myeloperoxidase, lysozyme and total immunoglobulin levels. Even after 4 weeks frozen storage, LipoCur-NPs at the dose of 35 mg/kg diet prominently increased (P < 0.05) the fillet scavenging capability for free radicals (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) with an inverse reduction in lipid peroxidation biomarker (malondialdehyde). Notably, upregulation of GSH-Px, CAT, and SOD genes in fillet of 35 mg/kg LipoCur-NPs fed fish coordinated with higher T-AOC and lower oxidative markers (ROS and H2O2). Post S. agalactiae challenge, higher supplementation levels of LipoCur-NPs (35 mg/kg diet) greatly attenuated the expression of its vital virulence genes (cfb, fbsA and cpsA) with higher expression of Igm, CXC-chemokine and MHC genes. Concordantly, downregulation of inflammatory markers (IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-8) and upregulation of anti-inflammatory ones (IL-10 and TGF-β) were remarkably documented. Based on these findings, the innovative curcumin loaded liposome was considered a novel multitargeting alternative not only playing an imperative role in Nile tilapia growth promotion and fillet stability upon storage, but also protecting efficiently against S. agalactiae.
•Curcumin Loaded Liposome (LipoCur-NPs) at levels of 35 mg/kg boosted growth performance of Nile tilapia.•Dietary LipoCur-NPs played an imperative role in immune and antioxidant modulation of Nile tilapia.•LipoCur-NPs attenuated the expression of vital virulence genes of Streptococcus agalactiae.
This article presents a novel, compact, battery-operated solid-state Marx generator (SSMG) architecture for handheld applications. The presented architecture is based on a cascaded modular structure ...of different SSMGs with each SSMG acting as a capacitive load to its predecessor. With a battery used as the input charging dc source, the proposed architecture is capable of producing the same output voltage as a conventional SSMG but with a far smaller number of stages. Based on the intended load, such architecture can be used either to produce an initial high dc charging voltage ≥900 V for a capacitive load (SSMG) or to generate large amplitude pulses in case a resistive/inductive load is used. A detailed mathematical model for the proposed architecture is presented; it calculates the instantaneous circuit output voltage and the required number of pulses/pulsewidth required to reach the target output level. As a proof of concept, a cascade of two seven-stage SSMGs-with different topologies-is constructed. The cascaded structure, driven by a 24-V source, is simulated using LTspice and found to produce output pulses with amplitude in excess of 920 V across a 100-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\Omega </tex-math></inline-formula> resistive load with about 12-ns rise time and 2-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">\mu </tex-math></inline-formula>s full-width half-magnitude (FWHM). The circuit is implemented, and the measured output closely matches the simulation results. The herein proposed architecture has the potential to provide the required dc voltage/pulses for portable pulsed electric field (PEF) applications.
Prospective studies have documented an increased likelihood of sudden cardiac death and unrecognized myocardial infarction in patients with diabetes.
To study silent myocardial ischemia using ...exercise stress test among diabetic and non-diabetic patients with angiographically documented coronary artery disease.
Patients with contra-indications to exercise test were excluded.
All patients were subjected to treadmill test using modified Bruce protocol & were considered to have silent ischemia if ECG shows ischemic changes without chest pain.
Data were collected & analyzed statistically.
The study included 80 patients with CAD (40 diabetics & 40 non-diabetics).
Their mean age was 58years old, including males (73.8%).
According to stress test patients were classified:
1-Group 1: 28 patients (35%), showed no ST depression no chest pain during exercise test, 10 patients of them (35.7%) were diabetic.2-Group 2: two patients (2.5%) who were diabetic showed chest pain without stress induced ST depression (only pain).3-Group 3: 26 patients (32.5%) showed stress ST depression without chest pain (silent ischemia), 18 patients of them (69.2%) were diabetic.4-Group 4: 24 patients (30%) showed ST depression and chest pain during exercise test (symptomatic ischemia), 10 patients of them (41.7%) were diabetic.
All patients underwent coronary angiography (100%) and all of them had significant coronary artery disease (more than 50% stenosis).
Diabetics with coronary artery disease have a higher prevalence of silent myocardial ischemia than non-diabetics.
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