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The intermittent nature of DERs like wind and solar designates them as random variables. As a result, their sizing problem may result in an unrealistic microgrid. In this paper, authors have proposed the use of probabilistic models to deal with this intermittency. An algorithm has been developed to estimate a DER resource-data matrix by fitting a time-series into a probability distribution both horizontally and vertically. The DER sizing has been modeled as a multi-objective optimization problem to simultaneously minimize the total net present cost of DERs and treatment cost of environmental emissions. Two types of resource-data matrices have been estimated based on forced and best fitting of time-series. Simulations have been performed by using HOMER Legacy. The multiple objectives have been converted to a single objective by using a judgment matrix and a comparison has been made among deterministic, probabilistic best-fit and probabilistic forced-fit resource-data matrices' based microgrid models.

This paper presents results of different propagation mechanisms that occurs when radio waves propagates under different atmospheric conditions with changing temperature, pressure etc. The simulated results were investigated in terms of the refractivity profiles to conclude impact of the interference on signal strength and hence to optimize Opex and Capex in next generation communication networks. The dramatic effect occurring on radio wave propagation due to these variations in atmospheric parameters is resulting refraction which is now-a-days a major concern for the designers/operators of 5G and others terrestrial communications and radar systems. Different atmospheric refractivity profiles are fed into the model of parabolic equation method to estimate simulated transmitted field. The modelled results are validated by the real world experimental results. In order to avail the target set in this research, different propagation mechanisms were investigated. The significance of these propagation mechanisms were very much clear during certain period of time where the signal completely missed its target. The occurrence of complete communication breakdown is not viable during this period and hence these results may be very helpful for the designers/operations of next generation networks.

Wireless Sensor nodes are power-constrained devices and the lifetime of the nodes is significantly influenced by the deployment of the nodes. In the appropriate deployment of the nodes leads to inefficient network energy utilization which results in a minimized network lifetime. To enhance the network lifetime within the limited battery power, hierarchical heterogeneous routing has been proposed by various researchers and have significantly prolonged the network lifetime. In heterogeneous wireless sensor networks, the researchers have addressed mainly energy efficiency of the network but node deployment has been rarely addressed. Node deployment is a critical issue in heterogeneous wireless sensor networks since the nodes in these networks are energized with different energy levels. The simulation results obtained proved that the appropriate deployment of nodes can lead to a substantial amount of energy conservation.

Present framework is established to deal with the refractivity variations normally affected the radio waves propagation at different frequencies, ranges and different environments. To deal such kind of effects, many researchers proposed several methodologies. One method is to use the parameters from meteorology to investigate these effects of variations in refractivity on propagation. These variations are region specific and we have selected a region of one kilometer height over the English Channel. We have constructed different modified refractivity profiles based on the local meteorological data. We have recorded more than 48 million received signal strength from a communication links of 50 km operating at 2015 MHz in the Ultra High Frequency band giving path loss between transmitting and receiving stations of the experimental setup. We have used parabolic wave equation method to simulate an hourly value of signal strength and compared the obtained simulated loss to the experimental loss. The analysis is made to compute refractivity distribution of standard (STD) and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) refractivity profiles for various evaporation ducts. It is found that a standard refractivity profile is better than the ITU refractivity profiles for the region at 2015 MHz. Further, it is inferred from the analysis of results that 10 m evaporation duct height is the dominant among all evaporation duct heights considered in the research. Keywords: Refractive index, Refractivity, Parabolic wave equation, Propagation, UHF, Antennas

This paper introduces a novel 9-shaped multiband frequency reconfigurable monopole antenna for wireless applications, using 1.6 mm thicker FR4 substrate and a truncated metallic ground surface. The designed antenna performs in single and dual frequency modes depending on switching states. The antenna works in a single band (WiMAX at 3.5 GHz) when the switch is in the OFF state. The dual band frequency mode (Wi-Fi at 2.45 GHz and WLAN at 5.2 GHz) is obtained when the switch is turned ON. The directivities are: 2.13 dBi, 2.77 dBi and 3.99 dBi and efficiencies: 86%, 93.5% and 84.4% are attained at frequencies 2.45 GHz, 3.5 GHz and 5.2 GHz respectively. The proposed antenna has VSWR< 1.5 for all the three frequencies. The scattering and far-field parameters of the designed antenna are analyzed using computer simulation technology CST 2014. The performance of the proposed antenna is analyzed on the basis of VSWR, efficiency, gain, radiation pattern and return loss.

Present study was designed to record variation in the web parameters (mesh size, capture thread length, capture area, symmetry, and height) of adults and young Neoscona theisi constructed in natural conditions. Relationships of studied web parameters with several body measures (carapace width, IV leg length, and body mass) were also assessed. Data showed that webs constructed by adult spiders have larger capture area, capture thread length (CTL), and mesh size. Body mass was the important body measures to describe variations in capture area, CTL, and mesh size. Carapace width also influenced CTL and asymmetry of the web. However, studied body measures were not the predictors of web height above ground. From this study, it was concluded that variations in web design of N. theisi is affected by body mass and carapace width of the spider which may be helpful to estimate their biological control potential in different agroecosystems.

The electrical power system is becoming more and more complex with the increasing demand of the electricity across the world, as the world is becoming the global village. The electrical power system must be reliable and safe enough to fulfil the energy requirements with the continuous supply of energy. The chances of power system's blackouts and outages are increasing with its increased complexity. So, there is a need of an efficient control system to make the power system more safe, efficient and reliable. Wide Area Monitoring, Protection and Control system (WAMPAC) is becoming an emerging technology for an efficient monitoring, protection and control of power system. Phasor measurement unit (PMU) is an integrated part of wide area monitoring, protection and control (WAMPAC) system, which can be used for monitoring, protection and control of complex electrical power systems. PMU gives the synchronized phasor measurements of voltage and current and can easily monitor and control even small disturbances in power system to protect the power system from any blackouts and outages before any fault occurs. In the proposed paper a PMU model is designed in MATLAB/Simulink and then PMU is used for power system protection and the comparative analysis are done with the conventional protection technique for an interconnected two-area network power system.

In modern world intelligent control has become a priority, although the services for providing energy are still being controlled with conventional methods. The conventional method is expensive and time consuming as well as it requires man power for monitoring and data collection of the consumers which may also lead to human errors. The proposed GSM based system integrates digital energy meters installed at consumer unit with an electric supply companies to monitor, profile and control energy flow with the help of Graphical User Interface (GUI). In this two-way communication system, the GSM network is utilized to profile the energy flow with the help of SMS to the energy supplier and showing it on the monitor of the energy supplier using the GUI and can also communicate with the user via SMS. Relay circuit and LCD display is provided to update information like Voltage, Current, Units and billing or sudden power cut to the energy supplier company and is displayed on GUI. Nowadays the main problem in energy supply is that of power theft being done on various scales. Our system can also send an alert to the energy supplier in case of any power theft at the consumer side and cutoff the supply automatically until the power theft is not being cleared. This research highlights the general theory of energy metering system and focuses on our user friendly low power energy metering system design, implementation, power theft control and results.

The next generation remote systems, for example, fourth-cell (5G) cellular networks are focused on supporting different applications, e.g. voice, information and interactive media on interchanged packet systems. In these systems, individual-to-individual correspondence can be enhanced with high quality images and video, and access to data and services in public and private systems will be enhanced by higher information rates, quality of service, security efforts, productivity of vitality and new adaptive communication capabilities. Be that as it may, the channel continues to be a challenge more particularly in the moderate areas. In recent times, the propagation of radio-frequency in moderate regions has been the interest of many theoretical and experimental investigations. This exploration work is concerned with the factual investigations of the generation of GSM radio waves signal in the moderate zone at the confinement points of the observable pathway to decide or construct a relationship that exists between refractivity and the propagation of the radio waves signal. Therefore, this work has evaluated relationship that exists between refractivity and propagation of the GSM radio signal as - 0.98 correlation coefficient that infers opposite relation (i.e. refractivity mitigates signal quality) the greater refractivity means lower signal quality and vice versa.

The attributes of quality are that it is complex taxonomy, it cannot be weighted or measured but can be felt, discussed and judged. Early assessment and verification of functional attributes (requirements) are supported well by renowned standards while the nonfunctional attributes (requirements) are not. Agile software development methodologies are of high repute as the most popular and effective approaches to the development of software systems. Early requirements verification methodologies in Agile Software Engineering are well focused in this way and hence mainly researched have achieved in functional requirements. For early quality aspects (attributes) in order to bring quality in our design and hence development process, it is very important to consider nonfunctional requirements quality metrics (attributes). A comprehensive work is also being done to propose and validate (using iThink) different quality models which could make sure the quality of agile software products being developed, which will be though available in detail in the literature review (section II). Yet a generic and standard quality metrics model is missing in this for the agile software practices in all, which off course is further needed to make sure that the agile product being developed, will surely accomplish quality characteristics as decided by the stakeholders as well as the mentioned quality standard they are addressing. In this work we have proposed a quality metrics model that fulfills the desired quality attributes exist in ISO/IEC (Quality standards, ISO 9126, ISO 25000) in early requirements, we validated this by performing simulations in iThink technology that also ensures that the quality of item being produced to meet the described criteria.

Background The Simeprevir ObservatioNal Effectiveness across practice seTtings (SONET) study evaluated the real-world effectiveness of simeprevir-based treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Methods The SONET study was a phase 4, prospective, observational, United States–based study enrolling patients ≥18 years of age with chronic genotype 1 HCV infection. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who achieved sustained virologic response 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12), defined as HCV ribonucleic acid undetectable ≥12 weeks after the end of all HCV treatments. Results Of 315 patients (intent-to-treat [ITT] population), 275 (87.3%) completed the study. Overall, 291 were treated with simeprevir + sofosbuvir, 17 with simeprevir + sofosbuvir + ribavirin, and 7 with simeprevir + peginterferon + ribavirin. The majority of patients were male (63.2%) and white (60.6%); median age was 58 years, 71.7% had genotype/subtype 1a, and 39.4% had cirrhosis. The SVR12 was achieved by 81.2% (255 of 314) of ITT patients (analysis excluded 1 patient who completed the study but was missing SVR12 data); 2 had viral breakthrough and 18 had viral relapse. The SVR12 was achieved by 92.4% (255 of 276) of patients in the modified ITT (mITT) population, which excluded patients who discontinued treatment for nonvirologic reasons before the SVR12 time point or were missing SVR12 assessment data. Among mITT patients, higher SVR12 rates were associated with factors including age ≥65 years, non-Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, and employment status, but not genotype/subtype nor presence of cirrhosis. Simeprevir-based treatment was well tolerated; no serious adverse events were considered related to simeprevir. Conclusions In the real-world setting, simeprevir + sofosbuvir treatment was common and 92% of mITT patients achieved SVR12. Simeprevir-based treatment was effective and well tolerated in this cohort, including patients with cirrhosis.

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2010; 32: 535–542 Summary Background Poor adherence to Hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment is an important cause of treatment failure. Traditional ribavirin 200 mg (RBV) treatment is associated with a significant daily pill burden. RibaPak (RBP), available as 400 mg and 600 mg ribavirin tablets, offers simplified dosing at two pills daily. Aim To examine whether improved adherence was associated with RBP vs. RBV. Methods Accurate Dosing in Hepatitis C: Examining the RibaPak Experience (ADHERE) was a U.S., multi-centre, prospective registry capturing data on adherence with RBP vs. RBV in adults with HCV. Adherence was measured by the proportion of subjects remaining on treatment at weeks 4, 12 and 24; by pill counts; and by the proportion of subjects who took ≥80% of their prescribed dose. Results A total of 503 patients (RBP = 346, RBV = 157) from 33 sites were included. A greater proportion of RBV vs. RBP subjects prematurely discontinued treatment. At 12 and 24 weeks, a greater proportion of RBP vs. RBV subjects took ≥80% of their prescribed doses (P

This paper is using weather parameters to investigate the effect of refractivity on propagation in the first kilometer of the atmosphere over the English Channel for a long transhorizon path of 140 km. Different refractivity profiles are constructed based on meteorological data taken from the UK Meteorological Office in order to investigate the effects of refractivity on propagation. The analysis is made for the hourly experimental path loss between the transmitter and receiver obtained from the experimental setup comprised of two communication links. The frequency of operation of the first link is 2015 MHz and that of the second link is 240 MHz. Parabolic equation method is modelled to get an hourly modelled path loss corresponding to each hourly experimental path loss to be analyzed for the said communication links. The correlation between the modelled path loss and experimental path loss is computed for refractivity distribution recommended by the ITU and predicted profiles. It is inferred from the simulated and experimental results that little or no influence exists by the evaporation duct upon path loss at 2015 MHz specifically for a long path of 140 km over the sea.

This paper presents the design of multi and wide band frequency reconfigurable monopole antenna, using FR4 as a substrate with thickness of 1.6mm. The radiating element is printed on a truncated metallic ground plane. The antenna works in a single-band and two dual-band modes using two switches. The single-band (WiMAX at 3.45GHz) mode is obtained when both switches (SW1 and SW2) are in OFF state. The first Dual-band (Wi-Fi at 2.45 GHz and WLAN at 5.45 GHz) mode is achieved when one particular switch of the two switches is turned ON. When both switches are turned ON, the antenna functions in the second dual band mode(GSM at 1.8GHz and WLAN at 5.45GHz). This monopole antenna is designed using computer simulation technology 2011(CST Microwave studio). The designed antenna's performance is examined on the basis of return loss, radiation pattern, Gain,Efficiency and VSWR.

Background & Aims The interferon-free regimen of simeprevir plus sofosbuvir was recommended by professional guidelines for certain patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 infection based on the findings of a phase 2 trial. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this regimen in clinical practice settings in North America. Methods We collected demographic, clinical, and virologic data, as well as reports of adverse outcomes, from sequential participants in HCV-TARGET—a prospective observational cohort study of patients undergoing HCV treatment in routine clinical care settings. From January through October 2014, there were 836 patients with HCV genotype 1 infection who began 12 weeks of treatment with simeprevir plus sofosbuvir (treatment duration of up to 16 weeks); 169 of these patients received ribavirin. Most patients were male (61%), Caucasian (76%), or black (13%); 59% had cirrhosis. Most patients had failed prior treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin without (46%) or with telaprevir or boceprevir (12%). The primary outcome was sustained virologic response (SVR), defined as the level of HCV RNA below quantification at least 64 days after the end of treatment (beginning of week 12 after treatment—a 2-week window). Logistic regression models with inverse probability weights were constructed to adjust for baseline covariates and potential selection bias. Results The overall SVR rate was 84% (675 of 802 patients, 95% confidence interval, 81%–87%). Model-adjusted estimates indicate patients with cirrhosis, prior decompensation, and previous protease inhibitor treatments were less likely to achieve an SVR. The addition of ribavirin had no detectable effects on SVR. The most common adverse events were fatigue, headache, nausea, rash, and insomnia. Serious adverse events and treatment discontinuation occurred in only 5% and 3% of participants, respectively. Conclusions In a large prospective observational cohort study, a 12-week regimen of simeprevir plus sofosbuvir was associated with high rates of SVR and infrequent treatment discontinuation. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01474811.

Background & Aims The safety profiles of boceprevir and telaprevir in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C, administered in academic and community centres across the United States, were evaluated. Methods In 90 medical centres, patients with chronic HCV received pegylated interferon, ribavirin, and either telaprevir or boceprevir per local standard of care. Demographic, adverse event, clinical, and virological data were collected during treatment and follow-up. Results A total of 2084 patients (97% HCV genotype 1) received at least one dose of a protease inhibitor. At baseline, 38% of patients had cirrhosis, and 57% had received at least one prior treatment for hepatitis C. Serious adverse events occurred in 12% of patients receiving protease inhibitor therapy. Overall, 66% of patients experienced anaemia, leading to frequent ribavirin dose reductions (42%) and erythropoietin use (37%); 11% received blood transfusion. More than 90% of patients had adverse events that led to a prescription, treatment, or dosage change, and 39% of patients discontinued treatment early, most commonly because of adverse events (18%) or lack of efficacy (16%). Hepatic decompensation events occurred in 3% of all patients. Age, female gender, cirrhosis, HCV genotype 1 subtype, creatinine clearance, platelet levels, albumin levels and haemoglobin levels were independent predictors of anaemia. Five deaths occurred. Overall, 52% of all patients achieved a sustained virologic response. Conclusions In academic and community centres, where chronic hepatitis C patients commonly have advanced liver disease, triple therapy was associated with a high rate of adverse events and involved frequent treatment modifications and adverse event management.

We report a case of sarcoidosis with severe cholestasis and cholangiographic features of sclerosing cholangitis that responded dramatically to corticosteroid therapy. Although an association between sarcoidosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis has been suggested by previous reports, features suggestive of primary sclerosing cholangitis, including inflammatory bowel disease, hepatic histology and serum neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies, were absent in this case. Cholangiography may be useful in the evaluation of patients with cholestatic sarcoid liver disease, and intrahepatic biliary strictures should be included in the spectrum of hepatic involvement by sarcoidosis. A trial of corticosteroid therapy may be of benefit in patients with bile ductal involvement by sarcoidosis.

The on-treatment impact of interferon-based therapies on quality of life (QOL), work productivity, and medical resource utilization has not been systematically studied. We evaluated the effects of treatment with peginterferon alpha (pegIFNalpha) 2a monotherapy and the combination of interferon alpha (IFNalpha) 2b plus ribavirin (RBV) on health-related QOL, work productivity and resource utilization. A total of 412 patients with hepatitis C infection were randomized to open-label treatment with either pegIFNalpha 2a (n = 206) or IFNalpha 2b/RBV (n = 206). PegIFNalpha 2a was administered subcutaneously at a dose of 180 microg once weekly for 48 weeks; and IFNalpha 2b/RBV at doses of 3 MU thrice weekly subcutaneously and 1000-1200 mg/day orally. Outcome measures included the SF-36 Health Survey Questionnaire and additional generic and specific scales. During treatment, for all SF-36 summary and Hepatitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (HQLQ)-specific scales, the pegIFNalpha 2a group experienced less impairment than did the IFNalpha 2b/RBV patients. The between-treatment differences were significant for many of the scores particularly in the first 24 weeks of treatment. Across all measures of work functioning and productivity at each visit, patients randomized to pegIFNalpha 2a treatment showed less impairment relative to the group treated with IFNalpha 2b/RBV. Hence treatment with pegIFNalpha 2a relative to IFNalpha 2b/RBV minimizes the adverse impact of therapy on health-related QOL. Patients randomized to pegIFNalpha 2a had improved work productivity, less activity impairment, decreased need for prescription drugs to treat adverse effects, and better adherence to therapy.

Chronic liver disease is often associated with impairment of autonomic nervous system (ANS) reflexes. Baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) testing is an inexpensive, relatively noninvasive test that can be used to assess ANS tone. The aims of the present study were to determine the prevalence of ANS dysfunction in cirrhotics who are being considered for liver transplantation and to explore the potential use of BRS as a prognostic tool in identifying patients awaiting transplantation who are at increased risk for death.We studied nine cirrhotics who were awaiting liver transplantation and seven controls without liver disease. BRS (ms/mm Hg) was measured using the phenylephrine method.BRS (mean +/- SEM) (ms/mm Hg) was significantly lower in cirrhotics compared with controls (4.2 +/- 0.9 vs 21.1 +/- 3.8 ms/mm Hg; p0.05). Furthermore, BRS was lower in cirrhotics with hepatic encephalopathy compared with those without (2.6 +/- 0.9 vs 6.1 +/- 1.0 ms/mm Hg; p0.05) and there was a trend toward lower BRS values in Child-Pugh class C patients as compared with class B (3.8 +/- 1.3 vs 5.3 +/- 1.2 ms/mm Hg; p = 0.3). At follow-up (9 months), one patient had died and one underwent liver transplantation. These two patients also had the most severely impaired vagal tone (BRS = 0 and 1.2 ms/mm Hg, respectively).Vagal tone, as assessed by BRS, is markedly depressed in cirrhotic patients awaiting liver transplantation.