Hanan Hassan Fouad

Converting from a complete fossil fuel energy system to a decarbonized one is crucial to mitigating climate
change and protecting human health. Hybrid energy sources are better than producing energy from a single
technology. The combination of renewable energy and fuel generators allows users to cover seasonal fluctuations of resources and protects them from the unpredictability of fuel prices and supply. Nonetheless, the large-scale industrial demand presents a real challenge due to its consistency throughout the day and the intermittent nature of renewable sources. This research proposes a novel approach for optimal hybrid energy decarbonization for any demand type in general and industrial demand in particular. The proposed framework is developed by integrating the Hybrid Optimization of Multiple Energy Resources (HOMER) for the simulations of Hybrid Configurations (HCs), the Electrical Transient Analysis Program (ETAP) for the stability studies, and the Potentially All Pairwise RanKings of all possible Alternatives (PAPRIKA) method to rank the resulting configurations.
An industrial oil and gas complex with high wind and solar resource availability is adopted as a study case. It is
located in Abu Rudeis, Egypt, and currently utilizes only 11 Gas Turbine Generators (GTGs) to generate electricity. Five different HCs are investigated, including PV and wind systems. The proposed approach considers technical, environmental, economic, and socio-political criteria, with a total of 21 sub-criteria, and reveals that incorporating a wind farm of nine 2-MW wind turbines with the GTGs is the Optimal Hybrid Configuration (OHC).

PURPOSE: This randomized controlled clinical trial compared soft tissue changes following a novel vestibular atraumatic extraction technique (test group) versus the conventional incisal atraumatic extraction approach (control group) while implementing the vestibular socket therapy for immediate implant placement.

METHODS: Thirty patients with hopeless maxillary anterior teeth requiring atraumatic extraction were randomly assigned into two equal groups to receive either test or control. Vertical soft tissue alterations in mm were measured at baseline and 12 months post-restoration using intraoral digital scans at three reference points, distal papilla, mid-facial gingival margin, and mesial papilla, as well as pink esthetic scores (PESs) after 12 months.

RESULTS: Vestibular extraction technique showed significant soft tissue improvement and creeping when compared to incisal extraction (P < 0.05). The test group showed soft tissue measurements with a mean (± SD) of 0.26 (± 0.58), 0.39 (± 0.64), and 0.05 (± 0.37) mm for the mesial papilla, mid-facial gingival margin, and distal papilla respectively. While the incisal extraction technique demonstrated gingival recession at the distal papilla, mid-facial gingival margin, and mesial papilla of - 0.37 (± 0.54) mm, - 0.32 (± 0.68) mm, and - 0.39 (± 0.59) mm respectively. The overall PESs after 12 months were 12.67 (± 1.59) in vestibular extraction group, while incisal extraction group was 11.40 (± 1.40), with significant difference between them (P = 0.03).

CONCLUSION: This investigation suggests that both studied techniques were successful in the atraumatic extraction of hopeless severely damaged teeth. The novel vestibular extraction technique might be considered an alternative reliable atraumatic extraction approach compared to the conventional incisal extraction when performing the vestibular socket protocol for immediate implant placement with soft tissue enhancement.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The prognosis of sarcoidosis is challenging and largely depends on the persistence of disease activity and the degree of organ dysfunction. Various biomarkers have been evaluated for diagnosis, disease activity assessment, and prognosis. This study aimed to determine if the ratios of monocytes to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MHR), platelets to lymphocytes (PLR), neutrophils to lymphocytes (NLR), and lymphocytes to monocytes ratio (LMR) could be used as novel sarcoidosis activity markers.

METHODS: In a case-control study, 54 patients with biopsy-confirmed sarcoidosis were divided into two groups; group 1: consisted of 27 patients with active sarcoidosis who were newly diagnosed and treatment-naive, and group 2: consisted of 27 patients with inactive sarcoidosis who had been on treatment for at least 6 months. All patients were subjected to a comprehensive history, physical examination, laboratory tests, chest imaging, spirometry, and screening for extrapulmonary organ involvement by means of electrocardiogram and eye examination.

RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 44 ± 11 years (79.6% were females & 20.4% were males). MHR, NLR, and LMR were significantly higher in patients with active sarcoidosis than in an inactive disease with a cut-off value of 8.6, a sensitivity of 81.5%, and a specificity of 70.4% (P-value < 0.001), a cut-off value of 1.95, sensitivity of 74% and specificity of 66.7% (P-value 0.007) and a cut-off value of < 4, a sensitivity of 81.5%, and a  specificity of 85.2% (P-value < 0.001), respectively. In contrast, PLR was not statistically significant between active and inactive sarcoidosis patients.

CONCLUSIONS: The lymphocytes monocytes ratio is a highly sensitive and specific biomarker that could be used to assess the disease activity in sarcoidosis patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The prognosis of sarcoidosis is challenging and largely depends on the persistence of disease activity and the degree of organ dysfunction. Various biomarkers have been evaluated for diagnosis, disease activity assessment, and prognosis. This study aimed to determine if the ratios of monocytes to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MHR), platelets to lymphocytes (PLR), neutrophils to lymphocytes (NLR), and lymphocytes to monocytes ratio (LMR) could be used as novel sarcoidosis activity markers.

METHODS: In a case-control study, 54 patients with biopsy-confirmed sarcoidosis were divided into two groups; group 1: consisted of 27 patients with active sarcoidosis who were newly diagnosed and treatment-naive, and group 2: consisted of 27 patients with inactive sarcoidosis who had been on treatment for at least 6 months. All patients were subjected to a comprehensive history, physical examination, laboratory tests, chest imaging, spirometry, and screening for extrapulmonary organ involvement by means of electrocardiogram and eye examination.

RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 44 ± 11 years (79.6% were females & 20.4% were males). MHR, NLR, and LMR were significantly higher in patients with active sarcoidosis than in an inactive disease with a cut-off value of 8.6, a sensitivity of 81.5%, and a specificity of 70.4% (P-value < 0.001), a cut-off value of 1.95, sensitivity of 74% and specificity of 66.7% (P-value 0.007) and a cut-off value of < 4, a sensitivity of 81.5%, and a  specificity of 85.2% (P-value < 0.001), respectively. In contrast, PLR was not statistically significant between active and inactive sarcoidosis patients.

CONCLUSIONS: The lymphocytes monocytes ratio is a highly sensitive and specific biomarker that could be used to assess the disease activity in sarcoidosis patients.

In fast-growing isolated microgrids (IMGs), load frequency control (LFC) ensures optimal power quality for end users. Stochastic grids, notably with renewable energy resources (RESs), require robust and intelligently designed LFC schemes. Thus, this research presents a novel cascade-loop controller combining a fractional order-proportional derivative with a filter and a fractional order-proportional tilt integral derivative (FPDN-FPTID) to improve LFC for single and multi-area IMGs. Recent dandelion optimization adjusts FPDN-FPTID controller settings. Anti-windup keeps the controller out of the non-linear zone for low inertia IMGs. It concerns various sources' maximum generating rates. The two-area IMG model shows its potential and scalability. Extensive MATLAB/Simulink simulations show that the FPDN-FPTID controller outperforms numerous published controllers, either single or cascade-loop, in minimum error criteria, undershoots/ overshoots/settling times, frequency, and tie-line power deviation following load and RES variations. Finally, the sensitivity study indicates the suggested controller stabilizes the system despite ±25 % parameter changes.

BACKGROUND: Surgeons can preoperatively assess bone quality using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry or computed tomography; however, this is not feasible for all patients. Recently, a MRI-based scoring system was used to evaluate the lumbar spine's vertebral bone quality.

OBJECTIVE: To create a similar MRI-based scoring system for the cervical spine (C-VBQ), correlate C-VBQ scores with computed tomography-Hounsfield units (HU), and evaluate the utility of this scoring system to independently predict cage subsidence after single-level anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion (ACDF).

METHODS: Demographic, procedure-related, and radiographic data were collected for patients. Pearson correlation test was used to determine the correlation between C-VBQ and HU. Cage subsidence was defined as ≥3 mm loss of fusion segmental height. A multivariate logistic regression model was built to determine the correlation between potential risk factors for subsidence.

RESULTS: Of 59 patients who underwent single-level ACDF, subsidence was found in 17 (28.8%). Mean C-VBQ scores were 2.22 ± 0.36 for no subsidence levels and 2.83 ± 0.38 ( P < .001) for subsidence levels. On multivariate analysis, a higher C-VBQ score was significantly associated with subsidence (odds ratio = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.39-2.46, P < .001) and was the only significant independent predictor of subsidence after ACDF. There was a significant negative correlation between HU and C-VBQ (r 2 = -0.49, P < .001).

CONCLUSION: We found that a higher C-VBQ score was significantly associated with cage subsidence after ACDF. Furthermore, there was a significant negative correlation between C-VBQ and HU. The C-VBQ score may be a valuable tool for assessing preoperative bone quality and independently predicting cage subsidence after ACDF.