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Background Neurological COVID-19 disease has been reported widely, but published studies often lack information on neurological outcomes and prognostic risk factors. We aimed to describe the spectrum of neurological disease in hospitalised COVID-19 patients; characterise clinical outcomes; and investigate factors associated with a poor outcome. Methods We conducted an individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis of hospitalised patients with neurological COVID-19 disease, using standard case definitions. We invited authors of studies from the first pandemic wave, plus clinicians in the Global COVID-Neuro Network with unpublished data, to contribute. We analysed features associated with poor outcome (moderate to severe disability or death, 3 to 6 on the modified Rankin Scale) using multivariable models. Results We included 83 studies (31 unpublished) providing IPD for 1979 patients with COVID-19 and acute new-onset neurological disease. Encephalopathy (978 [49%] patients) and cerebrovascular events (506 [26%]) were the most common diagnoses. Respiratory and systemic symptoms preceded neurological features in 93% of patients; one third developed neurological disease after hospital admission. A poor outcome was more common in patients with cerebrovascular events (76% [95% CI 67–82]), than encephalopathy (54% [42–65]). Intensive care use was high (38% [35–41]) overall, and also greater in the cerebrovascular patients. In the cerebrovascular, but not encephalopathic patients, risk factors for poor outcome included breathlessness on admission and elevated D-dimer. Overall, 30-day mortality was 30% [27–32]. The hazard of death was comparatively lower for patients in the WHO European region. Interpretation Neurological COVID-19 disease poses a considerable burden in terms of disease outcomes and use of hospital resources from prolonged intensive care and inpatient admission; preliminary data suggest these may differ according to WHO regions and country income levels. The dif

African economies are home to grand societal and environmental challenges, and social enterprises in these contexts typically play a key role to address UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. In fact, social enterprises in African countries are actively involved in the achievement of SDGs by combining in the same organizations social, environmental, and economic missions and processes. Recently, scholars acknowledged the relevance of Circular Economy (CE) practices for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, this chapter focuses on East African countries (meaning Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda). In these countries, the highest levels of ruralto- urban shift of any continent in the world, together with context-related challenges such as weak institutions, lack of financial support, low access to technology, and a lack of education and technical skills, give rise to severe social and environmental problems. Gathering the extant but fragmented knowledge on circular economy in East African social enterprises, this chapter aims at illustrating the tensions and barriers that jeopardize social enterprises’ ability to implement circular strategies. Further, the chapter reveals the enabling factors of social enterprises adopting circular strategies recognizing a leading role of local community, business incubators, and informal sector. Finally, this chapter examines the outcomes of circular strategies, in the form of an active contribution toward sustainable development as well as negative tensions which are generated between social enterprises and stakeholders.

The Global Consortium for the Classification of Fungi and fungus-like taxa is an international initiative of more than 550 mycologists to develop an electronic structure for the classification of these organisms. The members of the Consortium originate from 55 countries/regions worldwide, from a wide range of disciplines, and include senior, mid-career and early-career mycologists and plant pathologists. The Consortium will publish a biannual update of the Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa, to act as an international scheme for other scientists. Notes on all newly published taxa at or above the level of species will be prepared and published online on the Outline of Fungi website (https://www.outlineoffungi.org/), and these will be finally published in the biannual edition of the Outline of Fungi and fungus-like taxa. Comments on recent important taxonomic opinions on controversial topics will be included in the biannual outline. For example, 'to promote a more stable taxonomy in Fusarium given the divergences over its generic delimitation', or 'are there too many genera in the Boletales?' and even more importantly, 'what should be done with the tremendously diverse 'dark fungal taxa?' There are undeniable differences in mycologists' perceptions and opinions regarding species classification as well as the establishment of new species. Given the pluralistic nature of fungal taxonomy and its implications for species concepts and the nature of species, this consortium aims to provide a platform to better refine and stabilise fungal classification, taking into consideration views from different parties. In the future, a confidential voting system will be set up to gauge the opinions of all mycologists in the Consortium on important topics. The results of such surveys will be presented to the International Commission on the Taxonomy of Fungi (ICTF) and the Nomenclature Committee

This paper investigates the secrecy performance of a power splitting-based simultaneous wireless information and power transfer cooperative relay network in the presence of an eavesdropper. The relay is considered to operate in full-duplex (FD) mode to perform both energy harvesting and information decoding simultaneously. To accomplish that, the relay is assumed to employ two rechargeable batteries, which switch between power supplying mode and charging mode at each transmission block. We also assume that the self-interference inherent of the FD mode is not completely suppressed. Therefore, it is assumed that, after some stages of passive and active self-interference cancellation, there is still a residual self-interference (RSI). A portion of this RSI (remaining after passive cancellation) is recycled for energy harvesting. In order to improve the system secrecy performance, it is considered that the relay can split its transmit power to send the information signal and to emit a jamming signal to degrade the eavesdropper’s channel. The secrecy performance is evaluated in terms of the secrecy outage probability and the optimal secrecy throughput. Tight-approximate and asymptotic expressions are obtained for the secrecy outage probability, and the particle swarm optimization method is employed for addressing the secrecy throughput optimization problem. From numerical results, we show that the secrecy performance can be increased depending on the self-energy recycling channel condition. Finally, our derived expressions are validated via Monte Carlo simulations.

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This paper evaluates the effective capacity and maximum average arrival rate of a hybrid radio frequency (RF) and visible light communication (VLC) network in the presence of an eavesdropper. It is assumed that the data is first stored in a buffer prior to transmission. Thus, it is considered that the source operates under constraints of buffer overflow probabilities. We also consider that the data is transmitted over the RF and VLC links following a proposed multiplex scheme in which the buffer service rate is described in terms of the secrecy capacity and split with a certain allocation ratio. Moreover, the legitimate and eavesdropper users are assumed to have multi-homing capabilities so that are able to receive data from both access points simultaneously. We formulate an integral-form and asymptotic expressions for the effective capacity and validate them via Monte Carlo simulations. From the numerical results, we show that combining RF and VLC and splitting the data among them can enhance the performance in terms of the buffer quality of service (QoS) constraints and secrecy requirements.

This paper investigates the outage performance of a cooperative relaying network, where the relay node is considered to be an energy-constrained device so that a power splitting-based simultaneous wireless information and power transfer scheme is employed. The relay is considered to operate in full-duplex (FD) mode so that both energy recycling and information decoding can be performed. For this purpose, the relay is assumed to be provided with two batteries which switch between the power supplying mode and charging mode at each transmission block. In particular, we assume that the self-interference inherent to FD mode is not completely suppressed; it is subject only to passive interference cancellation for self-energy recycling, while it is subject to both passive and active cancellation for information decoding. We derive a tight closed-form approximation to the outage probability for the considered FD mode-based scheme, as well as for the HD mode-based counterpart. We validate the obtained expressions via Monte Carlo simulations. The impact of self-energy recycling in FD mode on the system performance is assessed.

Dimensionality reduction methods are an essential tool for multidimensional data analysis, and many interesting processes can be studied as time-dependent multivariate datasets. There are, however, few studies and proposals that leverage on the concise power of expression of projections in the context of dynamic/temporal data. In this paper, we aim at providing an approach to assess projection techniques for dynamic data and understand the relationship between visual quality and stability. Our approach relies on an experimental setup that consists of existing techniques designed for time-dependent data and new variations of static methods. To support the evaluation of these techniques, we provide a collection of datasets that has a wide variety of traits that encode dynamic patterns, as well as a set of spatial and temporal stability metrics that assess the quality of the layouts. We present an evaluation of 11 methods, 10 datasets, and 12 quality metrics, and elect the best-suited methods for projecting time-dependent multivariate data, exploring the design choices and characteristics of each method. All our results are documented and made available in a public repository to allow reproducibility of results.

A mini review on the study concerning water stability of coordination polymers (CPs) is presented. Next, following the procedure proposed recently by Gelfand and Shimizu (Dalton Trans 45:3668-3678, 2016) the stability of three cysteine (Cys)containing CPs is investigated. The stability of studied CPs decreases in the order: Zn(Cys)(2)>Mg(Cys)(2)>Ca(Cys)(2) H2O. For the latternever reported before, the structure is additionally determined and it is proved that water is located in the first coordination sphere. It is shown that for nonporous CPs, in contrast to the porous ones, the immersion in water at 20 degrees C is more drastic for studied solids than the harsh humid conditions (80 degrees C at 90% R.H.). Finally all materials are assigned to the hydrolytic stability groups and it is concluded that the stability of studied CPs correlates well with the standard reduction potentials. This leads to the conclusion that the application of more inert metal as a node causes larger stability of studied CPs.

A mini review on the study concerning water stability of coordination polymers (CPs) is presented. Next, following the procedure proposed recently by Gelfand and Shimizu (Dalton Trans 45:3668-3678, 2016) the stability of three cysteine (Cys)containing CPs is investigated. The stability of studied CPs decreases in the order: Zn(Cys)(2)>Mg(Cys)(2)>Ca(Cys)(2) H2O. For the latternever reported before, the structure is additionally determined and it is proved that water is located in the first coordination sphere. It is shown that for nonporous CPs, in contrast to the porous ones, the immersion in water at 20 degrees C is more drastic for studied solids than the harsh humid conditions (80 degrees C at 90% R.H.). Finally all materials are assigned to the hydrolytic stability groups and it is concluded that the stability of studied CPs correlates well with the standard reduction potentials. This leads to the conclusion that the application of more inert metal as a node causes larger stability of studied CPs.

PURPOSE: BRAF V600E and V600K melanomas have distinct clinicopathologic features, and V600K appear to be less responsive to BRAFi±MEKi. We investigated mechanisms for this and explored whether genotype affects response to immunotherapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Pretreatment formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumors from patients treated with BRAFi±MEKi underwent gene expression profiling and DNA sequencing. Molecular results were validated using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data. An independent cohort of V600E/K patients treated with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy was examined. RESULTS: Baseline tissue and clinical outcome with BRAFi±MEKi were studied in 93 patients (78 V600E, 15 V600K). V600K patients had numerically less tumor regression (median, -31% vs. -52%, P = 0.154) and shorter progression-free survival (PFS; median, 5.7 vs. 7.1 months, P = 0.15) compared with V600E. V600K melanomas had lower expression of the ERK pathway feedback regulator dual-specificity phosphatase 6, confirmed with TCGA data (116 V600E, 17 V600K). Pathway analysis showed V600K had lower expression of ERK and higher expression of PI3K-AKT genes than V600E. Higher mutational load was observed in V600K, with a higher proportion of mutations in PIK3R1 and tumor-suppressor genes. In patients treated with anti-PD-1, V600K (n = 19) had superior outcomes than V600E (n = 84), including response rate (53% vs. 29%, P = 0.059), PFS (median, 19 vs. 2.7 months, P = 0.049), and overall survival (20.4 vs. 11.7 months, P = 0.081). CONCLUSIONS: BRAF V600K melanomas appear to benefit less from BRAFi±MEKi than V600E, potentially due to less reliance on ERK pathway activation and greater use of alternative pathways. In contrast, these melanomas have higher mutational load and respond better to immunotherapy.

PURPOSE: BRAF V600E and V600K melanomas have distinct clinicopathologic features, and V600K appear to be less responsive to BRAFi±MEKi. We investigated mechanisms for this and explored whether genotype affects response to immunotherapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Pretreatment formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumors from patients treated with BRAFi±MEKi underwent gene expression profiling and DNA sequencing. Molecular results were validated using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data. An independent cohort of V600E/K patients treated with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy was examined. RESULTS: Baseline tissue and clinical outcome with BRAFi±MEKi were studied in 93 patients (78 V600E, 15 V600K). V600K patients had numerically less tumor regression (median, -31% vs. -52%, P = 0.154) and shorter progression-free survival (PFS; median, 5.7 vs. 7.1 months, P = 0.15) compared with V600E. V600K melanomas had lower expression of the ERK pathway feedback regulator dual-specificity phosphatase 6, confirmed with TCGA data (116 V600E, 17 V600K). Pathway analysis showed V600K had lower expression of ERK and higher expression of PI3K-AKT genes than V600E. Higher mutational load was observed in V600K, with a higher proportion of mutations in PIK3R1 and tumor-suppressor genes. In patients treated with anti-PD-1, V600K (n = 19) had superior outcomes than V600E (n = 84), including response rate (53% vs. 29%, P = 0.059), PFS (median, 19 vs. 2.7 months, P = 0.049), and overall survival (20.4 vs. 11.7 months, P = 0.081). CONCLUSIONS: BRAF V600K melanomas appear to benefit less from BRAFi±MEKi than V600E, potentially due to less reliance on ERK pathway activation and greater use of alternative pathways. In contrast, these melanomas have higher mutational load and respond better to immunotherapy.

It is well established that self-cleaning can be related to the hydrophobic or hydrophilic nature of a surface. Using adsorption chromatography, molecular simulations and wetting dynamics measurements, the self-cleaning properties of a new, strongly water resistant and hydrophilic cystine-containing coordination polymer (CP) were tested. Adsorption isotherms of n-octane and methanol were determined in the range of 313–343 K. Next the isosteric enthalpy of adsorption and the change in adsorption entropy were calculated to explain higher adsorption of methanol than n-butane. Performed chromatographic tests, molecular dynamics simulations and wetting dynamics experiments additionally prove that the Zn(Cys)2 CP is a promising material for the application in the preperation of self-cleaning surfaces or coatings.

The Tutuala region in far eastern Timor-Leste is one of the richest regions of rock art in island South East Asia. More than 30 sites of rock art on cave walls include hundreds of painted images, estimated to be at least 2000-3000 years old. Traditional life is strong in this isolated region of the small island nation of Timor- Leste. Villagers enjoy cultural practices that have spanned generations, connecting the Fataluku people to their ancestors and stories of creation. Findings of this small research project indicate that cultural elements reflecting motifs of the rock art are still in regular use. Tais, traditional weavings used for ceremonial and practical functions, include the largest number of motifs. Images of the cloud, eagle mouth, horse, three boats and poria leaves regularly appear in tais woven in the area. Stories shared by elders connect the rock art with the images in the tais, as well as sacred objects and items not able to be depicted. A song in the vaihoho style, of unaccompanied call and response, is still sung about the rock art, although this is sacred (lulik) and is unable to be documented for public information. Villagers alsoknow a voton, an ancient singing prayer, in which sailors call for safe passage. While they report that this song does not relate directly to the rock art, its themes connect contemporary villagers with ancestors who came from over the sea and depicted their journeys in drawings in the caves.

Povu Timor-Leste hasoru dezafiu polítiku, ekonómiku, sosiál no kulturál durante tinan atus ba atus, maibé liu-liu durante dékada tolu okupasaun Indonesia ne'ebé violentu, no transformasaun ikus ne'e ba nasaun independente. Timor-oan nia jerasaun foun sai boot iha tempu ne'ebé diferente loos husi sira-nia inan-aman no avó. Sira boot iha demokrasia ho sirkunstánsia di'ak liu no bainhira iha mudansa boot ho ligasaun ba mundu li'ur. Iha potensiál boot atu kompriende-sala no hetan dezligasaun entre ema husi esperiénsia moris diferente, no iha posibilidade atu fratura relasaun sosiál no sosiedade jerál. Artigu ida-ne'e hato'o revee literatura kona-ba programa ne'ebé dezenvolve atu hadi'ak komunikasaun no kompriensaun entre ema husi jerasaun diferente. Artigu ne'e mós introdús pratika entre-jerasaun no dokumenta programa entre-jerasaun ne'ebé hala'o iha Timor-Leste nia li'ur, hamutuk mós ho rezultadu ne'ebé programa sira-ne'e kontribui no prosesu saida mak kauza mudansa ne'e. Autór tau foku partikulár ba programa ne'ebé uza arte partisipativu no kriatividade atu aumenta ligasaun pozitivu entre juventude no sira-nia avó. Posibilidade ne'ebé programa hanesan ne'e oferese povu Timor-Leste bainhira iha transformasaun sosiál no kulturál lalais mak ezamina. Posibilidade sira-ne'e inklui konsiderasaun ba oinsá mak programa sira-ne'e bele kria abordagem iguál no inklusivu, oinsá mak sira bele haforsa ligasaun família no komunidade, no oinsá mak bele suporta transferénsia koñesimentu no aprendizajen foun.

It is well established that self-cleaning can be related to the hydrophobic or hydrophilic nature of a surface. Using adsorption chromatography, molecular simulations and wetting dynamics measurements, the self-cleaning properties of a new, strongly water resistant and hydrophilic cystine-containing coordination polymer (CP) were tested. Adsorption isotherms of n-octane and methanol were determined in the range of 313–343 K. Next the isosteric enthalpy of adsorption and the change in adsorption entropy were calculated to explain higher adsorption of methanol than n-butane. Performed chromatographic tests, molecular dynamics simulations and wetting dynamics experiments additionally prove that the Zn(Cys)2 CP is a promising material for the application in the preperation of self-cleaning surfaces or coatings.

The protection and celebration of cultural practices are vital for all people, but particularly those whose ways of life have been damaged by colonization, as has occurred in Timor‐Leste for five centuries. This article introduces an e‐inventory of forms of cultural expression of the Fataluku people of eastern Timor‐Leste which are considered by their protagonists to be critically endangered. These 30 elements from across UNESCO's five domains of cultural expression are documented and available online in video, photo and text. Statistics offered by YouTube indicate pleasingly large numbers of people accessing this material, from within and outside Timor. The potential of new technology to contribute to transmission and distribution of cultural information is evident.

The long-chain members of the lead(II) alkanoate series or soaps, from octanoate to octadecanoate, have been thoroughly characterized by means of XRD, PDF analysis, DSC, FTIR, ssNMR and other techniques, in all their phases and mesophases. The crystal structures at room temperature of all of the members of the series are now solved, showing the existence of two polymorphic forms in the room temperature crystal phase, different to short and long-chain members. Only nonanoate and decanoate present both forms, and this polymorphism is proven to be monotropic. At higher temperature, these compounds present a solid mesophase, defined as rotator, a liquid crystal phase and a liquid phase, all of which have a similar local arrangement. Since some lead(II) soaps appear as degradation compounds in oil paintings, the solved crystal structures of lead(II) soaps can now be used as fingerprints for their detection using X-ray diffraction. Pair distribution function analysis on these compounds is very similar in the same phases and mesophases for the different members, showing the same short range order. This observation suggests that this technique could also be used in the detection of these compounds in disordered phases or in the initial stages of formation in paintings

This web resource documents 30 elements of endangered forms of cultural expression of the Fatakuku people of far eastern Timor Leste, identified through a research project undertaken by Many Hands International. The site includes articles and reports on this topic too.

In this work, we investigate the structure of argon adsorbed on pure-silica MEL at liquid nitrogen temperature. Our goal is to provide a microscopic interpretation for the appearance of a substep in the adsorption isotherm at intermediate loadings before saturation. For that purpose, we first perform time-of-flight neutron diffraction experiments of the loaded zeolite, before and after the substep. The measured spectra reveal that, after the substep, a considerable ordering of the adsorbate builds up, but there is also evidence of a zeolite structural change. These experimental data were then used in conjunction with Reverse Monte Carlo simulations to obtain theoretical structural models of the adsorbate/adsorbent system. Interestingly, the spatial distribution of the adsorbate predicted by Reverse Monte Carlo is considerably different from that obtained from grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations, even at half loading. We ascribe these discrepancies to deficiencies in the argon-zeolite interatomic potential. Besides, at high loading, we observe a different distribution of atoms along the channels parallel to the x-axis and those parallel to the y-axis. This might be attributed to a zeolite structural change distorting the tetragonal symmetry of MEL.

Introduction Since 2005, we produce, at academic scale in Orleans, 211At for needs of chemistry and physicians teams of Nantes in research project of alpha immunotherapy. Between 2005 and 2014, several modifications were been made on preparation of target, targetry and radiation to protect personnel. Material and Methods The first target was a molten Bi metal onto a Cu support pre-treated with acid attack. The wished thickness (up to 100 µm) was obtained by mechanical treatment of target. The target is irradiated at 32MeV alpha particle beam for around 2 hours and then delivered by road transport to users. Only a measure of radiation dose was made to evaluate target activity. The second target we have used since 2010 is a electrodeposition of Bi (thickness of around 30 µm) onto AlN backing. We used a beam of 30.5 MeV for reaction 207Bi(α,n)211At (2 h with a current intensity of 2µA). Activity has measured with a detector Ge at 687 keV (γ-branching fraction = 0.26 %) before to be delivered. For all targets, beam energy on target was around 28.7 Mev in order not to produce too much 210At. Results and Conclusion 138 productions with the first target were delivered with an estimated activity of less than 100 MBq. Difficulties with wet extraction1, low yield of radiolabelling (metallic impurities and activation of copper resulting in 66Ga and 67Ga) made necessary to change process of extraction. With support of AlN, dry extraction was used with good yield (75–80 %) and without activation of support. Until today, 46 batchs were delivered with activity of 44 ± 12 MBq/µAh. Yield activity of 211At has been almost doubled compared to first target (25MBq/µAh). The dose burden to personnel was decreased with modification of targetry (outside of blockhouse of cyclotron, in a specific line beam to radionuclide production, cf. FIG. 1). In the case of 211At production, energy of reaction is of major impact. With our versatile accelerator (range of energy in alpha between 10 and 50

Introduction Since 2005, we produce, at academic scale in Orleans, 211At for needs of chemistry and physicians teams of Nantes in research project of alpha immunotherapy. Between 2005 and 2014, several modifications were been made on preparation of target, targetry and radiation to protect personnel. Material and Methods The first target was a molten Bi metal onto a Cu support pre-treated with acid attack. The wished thickness (up to 100 µm) was obtained by mechanical treatment of target. The target is irradiated at 32MeV alpha particle beam for around 2 hours and then delivered by road transport to users. Only a measure of radiation dose was made to evaluate target activity. The second target we have used since 2010 is a electrodeposition of Bi (thickness of around 30 µm) onto AlN backing. We used a beam of 30.5 MeV for reaction 207Bi(α,n)211At (2 h with a current intensity of 2µA). Activity has measured with a detector Ge at 687 keV (γ-branching fraction = 0.26 %) before to be delivered. For all targets, beam energy on target was around 28.7 Mev in order not to produce too much 210At. Results and Conclusion 138 productions with the first target were delivered with an estimated activity of less than 100 MBq. Difficulties with wet extraction1, low yield of radiolabelling (metallic impurities and activation of copper resulting in 66Ga and 67Ga) made necessary to change process of extraction. With support of AlN, dry extraction was used with good yield (75–80 %) and without activation of support. Until today, 46 batchs were delivered with activity of 44 ± 12 MBq/µAh. Yield activity of 211At has been almost doubled compared to first target (25MBq/µAh). The dose burden to personnel was decreased with modification of targetry (outside of blockhouse of cyclotron, in a specific line beam to radionuclide production, cf. FIG. 1). In the case of 211At production, energy of reaction is of major impact. With our versatile accelerator (range of energy in alpha between 10 and 50

Sea bream scales were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis with Esperase, and a peptide fraction with a molecular mass <3 kDa (F3) was isolated by ultrafiltration. F3 was encapsulated in nanoliposomes made of partially purified phosphatidylcholine (PC). Concentrations of 3.1% and 1 mg/ml for PC and F3, respectively, were established as the best entrapment protocol by response surface methodology. The liposomes entrapment efficiency and zeta potential were 74.6 ± 0.9% and -40.8 ± 0.67 mV, respectively. The liposome size ranged from 66.2 to 214 nm, with a mean diameter of 90.3 nm and a polydispersity index of 0.25. The antioxidant activity and ACE inhibitory activity of the encapsulated peptide fraction (L-F3) remained constant after 8 days at 4 C. Encapsulation preserved the biological activities of F3, and could therefore be an alternative to improve the stability of these compounds when applied to a food product. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The use of the ground as the current return path often presents planning and operational challenges in power distribution networks. This study presents optimization-based models for the optimal selection of conductor sizes in Single Wire Earth Return (SWER) power distribution networks. By using mixed integer non-linear programming (MINLP), models are developed for both branch-wise and primary-lateral feeder selections from a discrete set of overhead conductor sizes. The models are based on a mathematical formulation of the SWER line, where the objective function is to minimize fixed and variable costs subject to constraints specific to SWER power flow. Load growth over different time periods is considered. The practical application is tested using a case study extracted from an existing SWER distribution line in Namibia. The results were consistent for different network operating scenarios., QC 20140626

Wood gasification systems have the potential to contribute to the rural electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper presents an operational and economic analysis of two wood-based gasification systems (250 and 10 kW) installed in Uganda in 2007. Both systems proved their potential to compete economically with diesel generated electricity when operating close to the rated capacity. At an output of 150 kW running for ∼12 h/day and 8 kW running for ∼8h/day, the systems produced electricity at US$ 0.18 and 0.34/kWh, respectively. A stable electricity demand close to the rated capacity proved to be a challenge for both systems. Fuelwood costs accounted for ∼US$0.03/kWh for both systems. Recovery of even a small fraction of the excess heat (22%) already resulted in substantial profitability gains for the 250 kW system. Results indicate that replicating successful wood gasification systems stipulates integration of sustainable fuelwood supply and viable business models., QC 20120807

Wood gasification systems have the potential to contribute to rural electrification in sub-Saharan Africa. This paper presents an operational and economic analysis of two wood-based gasification systems (250 kW and 10 kW) installed in Uganda in 2007. Both systems proved their potential to compete economically with diesel-generated electricity when operating close to the rated capacity. At an output of 150 kW running for approximately 12 h/day and 8 kW running for approximately 8 h/day, the systems produced electricity at USδ0.18 and 0.34/kWh, respectively. A stable electricity demand close to the rated capacity proved to be a challenge for both systems. Fuelwood costs accounted for approximately USδ0.03 kWh for both systems. Recovery of even a small fraction of the excess heat (22%) already resulted in substantial profitability gains for the 250 kW system. Results indicate that replicating successful wood gasification systems stipulates the integration of sustainable fuelwood supply and viable business models., QC 20130116

Objective¦Joint hypermobility (JH) and Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS) are often underdiagnosed¦and were never specifically assessed in a selected population of chronic low back pain¦(LBP). This study aimed to assess JH and JHS among a population with chronic LBP using the¦Beighton and the Brigthon criteria.¦Methods¦We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study based on a prospective data base¦among 143 patients with non-specific chronic LBP. Patients were seen by the same rheumatologist,¦who looked for JH and JHS and took their medical history. Data were analysed using logistic¦regression.¦Results¦We found a JH prevalence of 33,3% (CI 95% 22.0-44.6) among women and 21,4% (11.7-¦31.2) among men, and for JHS, of 37,9% (26.0-49.8) among women and 30,9% (19.7-42.0) among¦men. JH was less frequent among people older than fifty (P < 0.02). JHS was more prevalent among¦Swiss individuals (P < 0.01) and among individuals having a non-manual job (P<0.03) compared to¦there opposites. Patients having an important limitation for daily living activities were four times¦more likely to have JHS. Degenerative spinal disorders were negatively associated with JH (OR¦0.31 (0.13-0.73) and JHS (OR 0.31 (0.14-0.68).¦Conclusion¦A high prevalence of joint hypermobility was found in our population. JHS should be¦part of differential diagnosis in individuals with chronic non-specific LBP.

Understanding the way customers respond to price changes is vital for any business. The price sensitivity measurement (PSM) analysis is widely used by marketers and researchers to assess customers' price sensitivity. This paper applies the concept of PSM analysis to assess electricity consumers' tariff perceptions, attitude to tariff changes and generally acceptance of tariffs. The method is tested using field survey data obtained from low demand consumers (households and small businesses) in urban and rural areas of Uganda after tariff increase. The results indicate that the new tariff approved by the regulator is within the range of tariffs possibly expected and likely to be accepted by consumers, but higher than the tariffs which consumers consider to be worthy. Also it is realized from the results that in Uganda, tariff expectations of rural consumers are different from the urban counterparts, the former expect lower tariffs with high degree of price sensitivity. Households show a higher degree of price sensitivity than commercial consumers. Conclusively, the information obtained from PSM can be used by utilities to make a preliminary assessment of consumers' expectations and/or acceptance levels of a certain range of tariffs during tariff review., QC 20110718

This paper presents a methodology using Monte Carlo Simulation for analysing and compare the impact of two types of monopolistic rural power system operators (altruistic and profit maximising operators) on the probability distribution of tariff levels and reliability of the system. The market has price sensitive consumers. The developed model has been demonstrated on two power systems: only diesel genset and a wind-diesel hybrid system showing the impact of the generation costs and capacity of generation from wind on the tariff levels, expected profit and reliability., © 2007 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.QC 20110718

This paper presents a methodology using Monte Carlo Simulation for analysing and compare the impact of two types of monopolistic rural power system operators (altruistic and profit maximising operators) on the probability distribution of tariff levels and reliability of the system. The market has price sensitive consumers. The developed model has been demonstrated on two power systems: only diesel genset and a wind-diesel hybrid system showing the impact of the generation costs and capacity of generation from wind on the tariff levels, expected profit and reliability., © 2007 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.QC 20110718

This paper presents a methodology using Monte Carlo Simulation for analysing and compare the impact of two types of monopolistic rural power system operators (altruistic and profit maximising operators) on the probability distribution of tariff levels and reliability of the system. The market has price sensitive consumers. The developed model has been demonstrated on two power systems: only diesel genset and a wind-diesel hybrid system showing the impact of the generation costs and capacity of generation from wind on the tariff levels, expected profit and reliability., © 2007 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.QC 20110718

This paper presents a methodology using Monte Carlo Simulation for analysing and compare the impact of two types of monopolistic rural power system operators (altruistic and profit maximising operators) on the probability distribution of tariff levels and reliability of the system. The market has price sensitive consumers. The developed model has been demonstrated on two power systems: only diesel genset and a wind-diesel hybrid system showing the impact of the generation costs and capacity of generation from wind on the tariff levels, expected profit and reliability., © 2007 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.QC 20110718

This paper presents a methodology using Monte Carlo Simulation for analysing and compare the impact of two types of monopolistic rural power system operators (altruistic and profit maximising operators) on the probability distribution of tariff levels and reliability of the system. The market has price sensitive consumers. The developed model has been demonstrated on two power systems: only diesel genset and a wind-diesel hybrid system showing the impact of the generation costs and capacity of generation from wind on the tariff levels, expected profit and reliability., © 2007 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.QC 20110718

Uncertainties in demand and supply are among the challenging aspects when planning isolated power systems as well as one of the reasons why plans are not as optimal as expected. Most consumers in these areas are price sensitive and their sensitivity may change over time. To be able to estimate the outcome of certain investments in such markets with uncertainties, it is important to have a realistic modelling of the market. The modelling of markets can be performed using probability methods. This paper presents a methodology using Monte Carlo simulation to analyse the impact of price sensitivity of consumers on the probability distribution of tariff as a basis for making decision during planning. The stochastic nature of the market due to uncertainties in sensitivity, demand and supply has been modelled explicitly by random variables of given distributions. The developed model has been demonstrated on a small test system. The results include probability distributions showing the impact on the tariff levels for various system configurations., QC 20110718