Aboul Ella Hassanien (Abo)

n/a

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of two different EMG normalization techniques. The first technique which is the most widely used for normalization is the maximum isometric voluntary contraction (MIVC). The second technique is the starting position before the activity and is referred to as the zero position. Twenty normal male subjects volunteered to participate in this study. The task required from each subject was to push a cupboard containing 30% of the subject weight with the trunk inclined 40 degrees from the vertical plane. During this task the EMG activity was recorded from the right and left erector spinae and the right and left rectus abdominis muscles. For normalization, the EMG was recorded from the specified muscles during standing with the trunk in the erect position and was referred to as "zero position" for normalization. The second normalization method was obtained by recording the EMG from the specified muscles while the subject was performing his MIVC. All EMG data were full wave rectified, integrated and then the amplitude was recorded in volts and then the data were referred as percentage from the MIVC and from the zero position. The results of this study revealed that there was a low correlation between the "zero position" normalization technique and the "MIVC" technique. It is concluded that the "zero position" technique for normalization is not preferred during studying the kinesiological surface EMG. The preferred method and previously recommended is the MIVC technique. Keywords: Normalization technique, Electromyography, MIVC, non-MIVC technique, Back Muscles, Abdominal Muscles.

A novel Wavelet-based Travelling Wave cable fault locator scheme is presented in this paper. Using the theory of wavelet singularity detection as a powerful signal processing tool, the initial arrival of the voltage travelling waves at both sides of the power cable and the second arrival of the travelling waves at the first side can be identified reliably without the need for detection the sign of these waves. The developed wavelet
processing is applied on the modal coordinated instead of the phase coordinates. The proposed scheme has the ability to eliminate the effect of the change in the propagation velocity of the travelling waves. This will help solving the problem of cable changing parameters especially the changing of the relative permittivity of the cable over its age. Cable changing parameters causes a large error in all fault location techniques, which use the value of velocity of propagation in calculations. Characteristics of the proposed protection algorithm are analyzed by extensive simulation studies using ATP/EMTP. The obtained results
indicate an accepted degree of accuracy for the suggested fault locator. In addition, the results prove that the proposed wavelet based scheme solves the problem of aging cables with changing parameters over the age of the power cable.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of different doses of eCG administered subcu- taneously (0, 50 and 200 IU) and the hormonal induction of ovulation (GnRH or hCG) on embryo recovery and in vitro development of embryos post-vitrification in two selected lines of rabbit does. The two selected lines were line V (selected for the litter size at weaning) and line R (selected for growth rate). Administration of 200 IU of eCG significantly increased ovulation rate (19.2±1.2 ver- sus 15.5±1.1 and 12.2±1.3, and the number of haemorrhagic follicles (13.8±1.6 versus 3.8±1.4 and 3.8±1.7), but significantly decreased recovery rate (28.8±6.3 versus 47.7±5.7 and 48.7±6.7, 200 IU versus 50 IU and 0 IU eCG, respectively), the number of normal embryos recovered per doe with at least one embryo (5.8±0.9 versus 8.2±0.9, 200 IU versus 50 IU eCG doses) and the in vitro development of embryos post-vitrification (51.9% versus 66.1%, 200 IU versus 50 IU eCG doses, re- spectively). Inducing ovulation with hCG significantly increased ovulation rate when compared with GnRH (17.3±0.8 versus 13.8±1.4), but no significant differences in embryo recovery and embryo development post-vitrification were observed between the two treatments. No significant differences were observed between the two selected lines in ovulation and recovery rates, the number of haem- orrhagic follicles and the number of recovered embryos per doe. However, the post-vitrification in vitro rate of development was 59.7% for line R and 51.9% for line V (p<0.05). It was concluded that the use of 50 IU of eCG subcutaneous with hCG or GnRH prior to embryo cryopreservation programmes in rabbits achieves the best results for embryo recovery, with the best development of recovered embryos post-vitrification.