scholarly journals Aggregated Technical Commercial and Collection Loss Mitigation Through a Smart Metering Application Strategy

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Odje ◽  
Roland Uhunmwangho ◽  
Kenneth E. Okedu
Keyword(s):  
Smart Metering ◽  
Loss Reduction ◽  
Loss Mitigation ◽  
Burn Out ◽  
Distribution Company ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Regulatory Commission ◽  
Energy Theft ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The privatization exercise that led to the creation of 11 distribution companies (Discos) is yet to yield the result of meeting the electricity supply needs of Nigeria. It is in realization of this fact that the Federal Government of Nigeria recently made different proposals and regulations to increase efficiency, availability, and competitiveness within the power industry. This article establishes a technical gain ratio to measure the impact of scaling up smart metering on the aggregated technical commercial and collection (ATC&C) losses. The ATC&C loss is the difference between the amount of electricity received by a distribution company from the transmission company and the amount of electricity for which it invoices its customers plus the adjusted collections loss. To achieve this objective, reviews of historical data of the Discos ATC&C losses and customers’ metering records as published by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020 were carried out. In addition, efforts were made to mathematically model the relationship between % metering and % ATC&C losses as this was the framework to help carry out effective forecasts and analyses of the study in order to show the impact level of the strategy employed. One of the salient technical contributions of this article was that it established that for every 1% increase in metering installation, there is a proportionate 0.8% decrease in ATC&C losses, provided all other factors responsible for technical and commercial losses remain constant. Consequently, improved ATC&C loss reduction would be achieved if Discos adopt a combination of other strategies that would ensure reduction in technical and commercial losses in addition to aggressive deployment of meter assets. However, in practice, factors causing technical and commercial losses are never constant as system components depreciate/burn out with time, energy theft, and pilferage, and meter tamper/bypass is on the increase daily; meter deployment is not aggressive enough to match utility customers’ growth. Hence, the adoption of combined modern strategies in addition to aggressive metering in tandem with customers’ growth has to be employed by Discos in a deliberate attempt to reduce ATC&C losses.

scholarly journals The role of L/W in the solar radiation for Saharian cities

2019 ◽  
Vol 91 ◽  
pp. 05006
Author(s):  
Rami Qaoud ◽  
Alkama Djamal
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Energy Levels ◽  
Direct Solar Radiation ◽  
Test Field ◽  
Natural Lighting ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The urban fabric of the desert cities is based on the principle of reducing the impact of urban canyons on direct solar radiation. Here comes this research, which is based on a comparative study of the periods of direct solarisation and values of the solar energy of urban canyons via two urban fabrics that have different building densities, where the ratio between L/W is different. In order to obtain the real values of the solar energy (thermal, lighting), the test field was examined every two hours, each three consecutive days. The measurement stations are positioned by the three types of the relationship between L/W, (L≥2w, L=w, L≤0.5w). According to the results, we noticed and recorded the difference in the periods of direct solarization between the types of urban engineering canyons, reaching 6 hours a day, the difference in thermal values of air, reaching 4 °C, and the difference in periods of direct natural lighting, reaching 6 hours. It should be noted that the role of the relationship between L/W is to protect the urban canyons by reducing the impact of direct solar radiation on urban canyons, providing longer hours of shading, and reducing solar energy levels (thermal, lighting) at the urban canyons. This research is classified under the research axis (the studies of external spaces in the urban environment according to the bioclimatic approach and geographic approach). But this research aims to focus on the tracking and studying the distribution of the solar radiation - thermal radiation and lighting radiation - in different types of street canyons by comparing the study of the direct solarization periods of each type and the quantity of solar energy collected during the solarization periods.

Abstract 279: The Impact of Heart Failure on Depression and Quality of Life is Greater in Men than Women

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rory Hachamovitch ◽  
Brian Griffin ◽  
Alan Klein ◽  
Benjamin Nutter ◽  
Irene Katzan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Heart Failure ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Cardiovascular Assessment ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Background. Patients (pts) diagnosed with congestive heart failure (HF) have been reported to have more frequent depression and worsened health related quality of life (HRQOL). Although depression is more common in women than men in this condition, the impact of HF on depression and HRQOL in men versus women is unclear. We sought to examine the relationship between pt sex, HF diagnosis, and pt-perceived depression and HRQOL. Methods. Depression (PHQ-9) and HRQOL (EQ5D) data were collected using tablet computers from pts presenting for routine outpatient cardiovascular assessment at our institution between November, 2010 and December, 2011. Demographic, clinical, and historical data was collected as per routine. We examined the association of pt sex and clinical diagnosis of HF with instrument results after adjusting for potential confounding information using mutliple linear regression. Results. Of 3046 pts (age 61±15), 39% were female and 8.7% were diagnosed with HF. Overall, PHQ-9 was greater, and minor or major depression (PHQ-9≥10) was more frequent, in women than men (4.6±4.6 vs. 3.3±4.4; 14.0% vs. 8.9%, both p<0.05) and in HF pts than pts without HF (5.9±5.6 vs. 3.6±4.3, 22.0% versus 9.6%; both p<0.05). Similarly, HRQOL was worse in women than men (EQ-5D 0.80±0.18 vs. 0.87±0.16; p<0.01) and in HF pts than no HF (EQ-5D 0.76±0.18 vs. 0.85±0.17; p<0.01). However, the difference in PHQ-9 between pts with versus without HF was greater in men (6.23±6.06 vs. 3.02±4.06, p<0.01) than women (5.43±4.85 vs. 4.55±4.58, p=0.09). After adjusting for cardiovascular diagnoses, comorbidities, clinical and demographic data, multivariable modeling of PHQ-9 revealed a significant interaction between pt sex and HF diagnosis (p=0.001; see Figure) such that women had greater PHQ-9 scores compared to men without HF, but in the setting of HF, mens' PHQ-9 scores were greater. Modeling of EQ-5D also revealed that after risk-adjustment an interaction between HF diagnosis and sex was present with a similar pattern of findings. Conclusion. Although depression is more frequent and severe in women compared to men, and in pts with versus without HF, HF appears to impact depression severity more in men compared to women.

scholarly journals Family Climate Patterns and Its Relationship with Self-Concept among Students at the University of Islamic Sciences in light of the Variables of Gender and Age

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 145
Author(s):  
Fatima Mohammad Rashed Al Talahin ◽  
Hana Khaled Al –Raqqad ◽  
Eman Saeed Al- Bourini ◽  
Bilal Adel Al-Kateeb
Keyword(s):  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Family Climate ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
Climate Patterns ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The aim of this study is to clarify the relationship between self-concept and patterns of family climate among students at the University of Islamic Sciences, and also aimed to investigate the effect of gender and age on this relationship.The sample of the study consisted of a group of students were selected randomly, totaling (139) students; (58) male and (81) female students.Two questionnaires were distributed on 139 students. The first questionnaire was on the impact of patterns of family climate on self-concept and the second one about self-concept. Then the researcher analyzed the results of each item in the questionnaire using appropriated statistical methods, calculated the correlation between self-concept and patterns of family climate using the Pearson correlation coefficient, and G-test to find the difference between correlation coefficients.The results showed a positive statistical significance relationship between family climate patterns on one hand and between self-concept in all its dimensions on the other hand.

Prevalence of ADHD in children born by mothers consuming Frankincense during pregnancy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alimohammad Ranjbar ◽  
Elahe Kamali Ardakani ◽  
Rahele Zareshahi
Keyword(s):  
Data Gathering ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Case Group ◽  
Dsm V ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Positive Effect

Aims: In Iranian culture, due to some narratives from the prophet Mohammad about the use of frankincense during pregnancy for increasing IQ in children, some women consume frankincense during expectancy. This study's goal is to evaluate the relationship between frankincense used during pregnancy and the incidence of ADHD. Methods: In this study, the case group comprised children 4-17 years old referring to Shahid Chamran Pharmacy in Yazd from summer to winter 2018 for receiving Methylphenidate, those with whom a psychologist had identified ADHD based on DSM-V factors.  The control group included children of the same age group but without ADHD. For data gathering, a checklist was used with some questions on smoking, family history of ADHD, presence/absence of a specific disease during pregnancy, frankincense used during pregnancy, and a chemical medication consumed during pregnancy. Results: The main result demonstrated that the children whose mothers used frankincense during pregnancy were 0.67 times less likely to be affected by ADHD than those whose mothers did not use this substance. However, the difference failed to be statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: Some studies report that frankincense can bear a positive effect on the development of the brain and possibly adequate formation of dendrites trees, axons and induce proper communication between them, so the impact of frankincense on the brain may be justified by its protective effect against the hyperactive child.

Effects of CSR Messages on Apparel Consumers’ Word-of-Mouth: Perceived Corporate Hypocrisy as a Mediator

2021 ◽  
pp. 0887302X2110559
Author(s):  
Gargi Bhaduri ◽  
Sojin Jung ◽  
Jung E. Ha-Brookshire
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Negative Word ◽  
Injunctive Norm ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

This study focused on understanding how (mis)match between a company's corporate social responsibility claims as indicated in their mission and the activities it actually undertakes to meet its CSR goals leads to consumers’ corporate hypocrisy and how consumers’ CSR-CA beliefs moderate the relationship between the two. Using the Moral Responsibility Theory of Corporate Sustainability as a framework, this research analyzed the difference in corporate hypocrisy between consumers with high versus low CSR-CA tradeoff beliefs. In addition, we examined the impact of consumers’ corporate hypocrisy on their negative word-of-mouth intention and how participants’ injunctive norm impacts the relationship between the two. A sample of 538 adult US consumers were recruited for an online experimental study. The study extends the findings of MCRS and also provides implications for apparel businesses.

scholarly journals A májfunkció romlásának rizikófaktorai sikeres vesetranszplantációt követően

2019 ◽  
Vol 160 (5) ◽  
pp. 186-190
Author(s):  
Bernadett Borda ◽  
Attila Nemes ◽  
Csaba Lengyel ◽  
Tamás Várkonyi ◽  
Ferenc Rárosi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liver Function ◽  
Immunosuppressive Therapy ◽  
Liver Enzymes ◽  
Graft Loss ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Allograft Function ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract: Introduction: Increase of liver function is one of the most common complications after kidney transplantation due to the use of immunosuppressive therapy and hyperlipidemia in addition to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Method: Following the selection criteria (n = 59), the study is based on applied immunosuppressive therapy, baseline data of patients, further correlation between HCV and liver function deterioration. Patients were subjected to fasting laboratory examination to monitor serum electrolytes, uric acid and albumin levels. We looked at the effects of immunosuppressive therapy on the lipids (TG, TC, HDL, LDL) and liver enzymes (GOT, GPT, ALP, GGT). The analysis of the relationship between lipids and liver enzymes was also included in our study. Results: The data basics were not significantly different between the tacrolimus and the cyclosporine groups. In the laboratory results, Mg levels were significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.044). The impact of HCV on the liver function was significantly different on GGT (p = 0.008). We examed the lipids and liver function level between the tacrolimus and the patients receiving cyclosporine-based immunosuppression and the total cholesterol (p = 0.005) and GOT (p = 0.05) were significantly different between the two groups. Hyperlipidemia was associated with 26% of patients taking tacrolimus-based immunosuppression, and 89% of those receiving cyclosporine; the difference was significant (p = 0.002). Regarding the effect of hyperlipidemia on liver enzymes, ALP (p = 0.006) and GGT (p = 0.0001) were significantly higher. Conclusion: Increases in hepatic enzymes, ALT and GGT indicate the damage to hepatocytes. Beside the increase of liver function, which is the main risk factor in hepatitis on HCV soil, the applied immunosuppressive therapy and hyperlipidemia lead to degradation of allograft function and long-term graft loss. Orv hetil. 2019; 160(5): 186–190.

scholarly journals DO RISK, BUSINESS CYCLE, AND COMPETITION AFFECT CAPITAL BUFFER? AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON ISLAMIC BANKING IN ASEAN AND MENA

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Novita Kusuma Maharani ◽  
Bowo Setiyono
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycle ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Banking Supervision ◽  
Minimum Capital ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Conventional Banks ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Unbalanced Panel Data

Basel III guidelines were released in 2010 by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) as a revision of the previous Basel guidelines with the aim of strengthening the bank's capital and liquidity of banks. BCBS formulate a new policy that is the capital buffer. Capital Buffer is the difference between the minimum capital required by regulators with its overall capital and is considered a "cushion" against the shocks of the financial crisis. This study examine the impact of risk, business cycle, and competition on banks’ capital buffer. This paper used the sample of Islamic banks and conventional banks in ASEAN and MENA in the period 2011-2015 with unbalanced panel data. Using System GMM method to test the characteristics of Islamic banks in managing its capital. The finding indicates that the degree of capital buffer in islamic banks tend to adjust its risk. The result also shows that capital buffer decrease during economic expansion where banks act aggressively by extending their lending activities. The relationship between capital buffer and competition is positive in that the high level of competition to motivate banks to have higher capital.

scholarly journals The Impact of Aortic Valvular Calcium on Transcatheter Heart Valve Distortion

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Akihiro Nakajima ◽  
Toru Naganuma ◽  
Haruhito Yuki ◽  
Hirokazu Onishi ◽  
Tatsuya Amano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Aortic Valve ◽  
Heart Valve ◽  
Severe Aortic Stenosis ◽  
Calcium Score ◽  
Paravalvular Leak ◽  
Transcatheter Heart Valve ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Objectives. To investigate the relationship between the eccentric calcification of aortic valve and transcatheter heart valve (THV) distortion and the impact of THV distortion on echo parameters and clinical outcomes. Background. The effects of eccentric calcification of the aortic valve on the THV distortion and the relationship between THV distortion and clinical impact were not fully understood. Methods. Patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis who were undergoing THV implantation were enrolled. Patients underwent preprocedural, postprocedural multislice computed tomography (MSCT), and follow-up transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). Delta calcium score (ΔCS) is defined as the difference between the maximum and minimal calcium scores of the three cusps, while valve distortion score (VDS) is defined as the difference between the longest and shortest stent frame, as obtained using MSCT. Patients were divided into two groups according to ΔCS: “noneccentric calcification group” and “eccentric calcification group.” Results. A total of 118 patients were enrolled (59 patients in noneccentric and 59 in eccentric calcification groups). VDS was significantly lower in the noneccentric calcification group than in the eccentric calcification group (1.31 ± 0.82 mm vs. 1.73 ± 0.76 mm, p = 0.004 ). VDS was not associated with the degree of paravalvular leak (PVL) and aortic valvular mean pressure gradient (AVPG) at 30-day and 1-year follow-up TTE and the cumulative rates of all-cause death and rehospitalization at 2-year clinical follow-up. Conclusions. Eccentric valvular calcification was associated with longitudinal THV distortion. However, THV distortion was not associated with PVL, AVPG, and adverse clinical events during midterm follow-up.

scholarly journals The Impact of Gait Disability on the Calibration of Accelerometer Output in Adults with Multiple Sclerosis

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 170-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madeline Weikert ◽  
Deirdre Dlugonski ◽  
Yoojin Suh ◽  
Bo Fernhall ◽  
Robert W. Motl
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Overground Walking ◽  
Cut Point ◽  
Linear Relationships ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Metabolic Unit ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Accelerometer activity counts have been correlated with energy expenditure during treadmill walking among ambulatory adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). This study examined the effects of gait disability on 1) the association between rates of energy expenditure and accelerometer output in overground walking and 2) the calibration of accelerometer output for quantifying time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in people with MS. The sample consisted of 24 individuals with MS, of whom 10 reported gait disability based on Patient-Determined Disease Steps (PDDS) scores. The participants undertook three 6-minute periods of overground walking while wearing an accelerometer and a portable metabolic unit (K4b2, Cosmed, Rome, Italy). In the first period of walking, the participants walked at a self-selected, comfortable speed. In the two subsequent walking periods, participants walked at speeds above and below (±0.5 mph) the comfortable walking speed, respectively. Strong linear relationships were observed between rates of accelerometer activity counts and energy expenditure during walking in the overall sample (R2 = 0.90) and subsamples with (R2 = 0.88) and without gait disability (R2 = 0.91). The slope of the relationship was significantly steeper in the subsample with gait disability (β= 0.0049) than in the subsample without gait disability (β= 0.0026). The difference in slopes resulted in a significantly lower cut-point for MVPA (1886 vs. 2717 counts/min) in those with gait disability. These findings provide a metabolic cut-point for quantifying time spent in MVPA in people with MS, both with and without gait disability.

The impact of pain on the course of ADL functioning in patients with dementia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annelore H van Dalen-Kok ◽  
Marjoleine J C Pieper ◽  
Margot W M de Waal ◽  
Jenny T van der Steen ◽  
Erik J A Scherder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pain Management ◽  
Pain Score ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Dutch Version ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Item Scores ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Understanding if and how pain influences activities of daily living (ADL) in dementia is essential to improving pain management and ADL functioning. This study examined the relationship between the course of pain and change in ADL functioning, both generally and regarding specific ADL functions. Methods Participants were Dutch nursing home residents (n = 229) with advanced dementia. ADL functioning was assessed with the Katz ADL scale, and pain with the Dutch version of the Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate (PACSLAC-D). Changes of PACSLAC-D and Katz ADL scores were computed based on the difference in scores between baseline, 3-month and 6-month follow-up. Multivariate linear regression models were used to assess the relationships between change in pain score, change in total ADL score and specific ADL item scores during follow-up. Results At baseline, residents had a median ADL score of 18 (interquartile range 13–22, range 6–24) and 48% of the residents were in pain (PACSLAC-D ≥ 4). Residents with pain were more ADL dependent than residents without pain. A change in pain score within the first 3 months was a significant predictor for a decline in ADL functioning over the 6-month follow-up (B = 0.10, SE = 0.05, P = 0.045), and specifically, a decline on the items ‘transferring’ over the 6-month follow-up and ‘feeding’ during the first 3 months of follow-up. Conclusions Pain is associated with ADL functioning cross-sectionally, and a change in pain score predicts a decline in ADL functioning, independent of dementia severity. Awareness of (changes in) ADL activities is clearly important and might result in both improved recognition of pain and improved pain management.

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