Impact of socio-ecological variability on the transmission of malaria in Yunnan Province, China

This thesis is a population-based epidemiological study to explore the spatial and temporal pattern of malaria, and to assess the relationship between socio-ecological factors and malaria in Yunnan, China. Geospatial and temporal approaches were applied; the high risk areas of the disease were identified; and socio-ecological drivers of malaria were assessed. These findings will provide important evidence for the control and prevention of malaria in China and other countries with a similar situation of endemic malaria.

The impact of the clean development mechanism (CDM) on the cost price of wind power electricity : a China study

As a renewable energy source, wind power is playing an increasingly important role in China’s electricity supply. Meanwhile, China is also the world’s largest market for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) wind power projects. Based on the data of 27 wind power projects of Inner Mongolia registered with the Executive Board of the United Nations (EB) in 2010, this paper constructs a financial model of Net Present Value (NPV) to analyze the cost of wind power electricity. A sensitivity analysis is then conducted to examine the impact of different variables with and without Certified Emission Reduction (CER) income brought about by the CDM. It is concluded that the CDM, along with static investment and annual wind electricity production, is one of the most significant factors in promoting the development of wind power in China. Additionally, wind power is envisaged as a practical proposition for competing with thermal power if the appropriate actions identified in the paper are made.

Measuring the burden of disease in Shandong province : an adoption of the disability-adjusted life year [应用伤残调整寿命年测量山东省居民疾病负担]

Objective To estimate the burden of diseases in Shandong province by the means of DALY (Disability- adjusted life year) thus to investigate the key public health problems referencing for health policy making. Methods DALYs were calculated following the procedures developed for the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study to ensure comparability. We measured YLLs using the mortality data of 19 Disease Surveillance Points (DSPs) in Shandong Province during 2000 and 2005. YLDs were estimated based on data for WPRO in the 2002 GBD study published by WHO. Results During this period, the average DALYs loss by all causes for the residents of DSPs in Shandong was 149.74 per thousand persons each year. Noncommunicable diseases accounted for 76.63% of the disability adjusted life years, communicable diseases and other disorders represented 14.13%, and injuries 9.24%. Nearly half of the DALYs (45%) happened among the elderly (60+). Malignant neoplasm was the number one cause of DALYs loss in the male, followed by neuropsychiatric disorder, injury, cerebrovascular disease, heart disease，etc. However, neuropsychiatric disorder possessed the largest single contributor to DALY in the female and followed by heart disease, malignant neoplasm, cerebrovascular disease and respiratory disease. Conclusion Non-communicable diseases such as circulatory diseases, neuropsychiatric disorders and malignant neoplasms were the main causes of disease burden in Shandong province. The importance of neuropsychiatric disorders was more striking and should be recognized properly. The lack of morbidity data is the main limitation of this study. Abstract in Chinese 目的 应用伤残调整寿命年测量山东省居民疾病负担,提出该地区主要卫生问题,为卫生决策提供科学依据. 方法 以山东省2000-2005年19个疾病监测点的死因监测资料为基础,利用世界卫生组织(WHO)提供的方法计算不同疾病在不同性别年龄人群所造成的伤残调整寿命年(DALYs),其中,YIJDs根据WHO公布的亚太区2002年疾病负担数据进行估算. 结果 2000-2005年山东省疾病监测系统居民因为早死和残疾年平均损失149.74个DALYs/千人,其中,76.6%的DALYs损失因慢性非传染性疾病所致,14.1%由传染性疾病等引起,9.2%因为意外伤害造成;接近1/2(45%)的DALYs损失发生在60岁以上人群;恶性肿瘤为造成男性居民DALYs损失的首位原因,其次为精神行为疾患、意外伤害、脑血管病和心脏病等,女性居民则以精神行为疾患为DALYs首位原因,其次为心脏病、恶性肿瘤、脑血管病和呼吸系统疾病. 结论 以循环系统疾病、精神行为疾惠和恶性肿瘤为首的慢性非传染性疾病为造成山东省疾病负担DALYs损失的主要原因.对于精神行为疾患的重要性的认识有待于进一步提高,研究的主要局限性在于发病率资料的缺乏.

Estimating the Burden of Malignant Neoplasm in Shandong Province [山东省恶性肿瘤疾病负担研究]

Objective To make a comprehensive estimation of the burden of malignant neoplasm in Shandong province by the means of disability- adjusted life year (DALY) for the first time. Methods DALYs were calculated following the procedures developed for the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study to ensure comparability. We measured YLLs using the cancer mortality data of 19 Disease Surveillance Points (DSPs) in Shandong Province during 2000 and 2005. YLDs were estimated based on the cancer morbidity data of 6 Cancer Incidence Surveillance Points in Shandong Province in 2005. Results All cancers were responsible for 20.60 DALYs for every thousand population in Shandong Province (25.30 for men and 15.74 for women) . 94.3% of the losses were due to premature death and 5.7% to disability. 31.9% of the DALYs happened among 45~59 age group. The top 10 cancers for DALYs were lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, oesophagus cancer, colon/rectum cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, brain cancer, pancreas cancer and cervix uteri cancer in turn. The burden of major cancers such as lung cancer and liver cancer in Shandong were heavier than the global and national level. Conclusions he burden of disease of malignant neoplasm is mainly because of premature death. Lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer and oesophagus cancer are the major cancers in Shandong Province and should be paid more attention to their prevention and control. Abstract in Chinese 目的 首次应用伤残调整寿命年(DALY)对山东省居民恶性肿瘤疾病负担进行综合评价. 方法 以2000-2005年山东省疾病监测系统的恶性肿瘤死亡资料和2005年山东省恶性肿瘤发病监测系统的发病资料为基础,利用世界卫生组织提供的专门公式,计算恶性肿瘤的YLLs、YLDs和DALYs,以此评价恶性肿瘤的疾病负担. 结果 山东省每千人每年因恶性肿瘤造成20.60个DALYs损失(男性25.30,女性15.74),其中,9413%为早死所致,5.7%因残疾所致:恶性肿瘤主要导致45～59岁人群的DALYs损失,占31.93%;恶性肿瘤疾病负担前10位依次为肺癌、肝癌、胃癌、食道癌、肠癌、乳腺癌、白血病、脑癌、胰腺癌和宫颈癌;山东省肺癌、肝癌等主要癌症疾病负担高于全球和全国水平. 结论 恶性肿瘤疾病负担主要由早死所致,肺癌、肝癌、胃癌和食道癌等主要癌症的防制地位十分突出.

Estimation of the burden of malignant neoplasms by DALYs in Shandong Province [应用伤残调整寿命年测量山东省恶性肿瘤疾病负担的研究]

Objective: To evaluate the burden of malignant neoplasms in Shandong Province in order to provide scientific evidence for policy-making. Methods: The main data for this study were from Shandong third cause of death sampling survey in 2006 and Shandong 2007 cancer prevalence survey. YLLs, YLDs, DALYs and disability weights of each type of cancers were calculated according to the global burdens of disease （GBD） methodology. The direct method was used to estimate YLDs. The uncertainty analysis was conducted following the methodology in GBD study. Results: The total cancers burden in Shandong population was 1 383 thousands DALYs. Lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer and esophagus cancer were the top four cancers with the highest health burden. The burden of the four major cancers together accounted for 71.45% of the total burden of all cancers. 95% of the total burden of malignant tumors was caused by premature death, and only 5.26% of the total cancer burden was due to disability. The uncertainty of total burden estimate was around±11%， the uncertainty of YLDs was bigger than that of YLLs. Conclusion: The health burden due to cancers in Shandong population is heavier than that of the national average level. Liver cancer, lung cancer and stomach cancer should be the major cancers for disease control and prevention in Shandong.

Investigation of the effects of various types of wind turbine generators on power-system stability

It has become more and more demanding to investigate the impacts of wind farms on power system operation as ever-increasing penetration levels of wind power have the potential to bring about a series of dynamic stability problems for power systems. This paper undertakes such an investigation through investigating the small signal and transient stabilities of power systems that are separately integrated with three types of wind turbine generators (WTGs), namely the squirrel cage induction generator (SCIG), the doubly fed induction generator (DFIG), and the permanent magnet generator (PMG). To examine the effects of these WTGs on a power system with regard to its stability under different operating conditions, a selected synchronous generator (SG) of the well-known Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC three-unit nine-bus system and an eight-unit 24-bus system is replaced in turn by each type of WTG with the same capacity. The performances of the power system in response to the disturbances are then systematically compared. Specifically, the following comparisons are undertaken: (1) performances of the power system before and after the integration of the WTGs; and (2) performances of the power system and the associated consequences when the SCIG, DFIG, or PMG are separately connected to the system. These stability case studies utilize both eigenvalue analysis and dynamic time-domain simulation methods.

A new approach for evaluating the benefits of smart grid development

In this paper, the inherent mechanism of benefits associated with smart grid development is examined based on the Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model from resource economics. The emerging types of technology brought up by smart grid development are taken as pressures. The improvements of the performance and efficiency of power system operation are taken as states. The effects of smart grid development on society are taken as responses. Then, a novel method for evaluating social benefits in energy saving and CO2 emission reduction from smart grid development is presented. Finally, the benefits in a province in northwest China is carried out by employing the developed evaluation system, and reasonable evaluation results are attained.

Control, operation and power sharing among parallel converter-interfaced DERs in a microgrid in the presence of unbalanced and harmonic loads

This paper demonstrates power management and control of DERs in an autonomous MG. The paper focuses on the control and performance of converter-interfaced DERs in voltage controlled mode. Several case studies are considered for a MG based on the different types of loads supplied by the MG (i.e. balanced three-phase, unbalanced, single-phase and harmonic loads). DERs are controlled by adjusting the voltage magnitude and angle in their converter output through droop control, in a decentralized concept. Based on this control method, DERs can successfully share the total demand of the MG in the presence of any type of loads. This includes proper total power sharing, unbalanced power sharing as well as harmonic power sharing, depending on the load types. The efficacy of the proposed power control, sharing and management among DERs in a microgrid is validated through extensive simulation studies using PSCAD/EMTDC.

The idea of women : representations of power in the work of Charles Bukowski

This thesis is a comparative textual analysis of Charles Bukowski's representations of power in relation to the idea of women. The exegesis explores Bukowski's idea of women and power as exemplified by the representational differences between his short stories for Hustler Magazine and his novel Women. The creative piece, a novel, "Many a Broken Hearted Woman" informed and was informed by this research.

The role of laboratory exercises in modern power engineering education at the University of Queensland

The University of Queensland (UQ) has extensive laboratory facilities associated with each course in the undergraduate electrical engineering program. The laboratories include machines and drives, power systems simulation, power electronics and intelligent equipment diagnostics. A number of postgraduate coursework programs are available at UQ and the courses associated with these programs also use laboratories. The machine laboratory is currently being renovated with i-lab style web based experimental facilities, which could be remotely accessed. Senior level courses use independent projects using laboratory facilities and this is found to be very useful to improve students' learning skill. Laboratory experiments are always an integral part of a course. Most of the experiments are conducted in a group of 2-3 students and thesis projects in BE and major projects in ME are always individual works. Assessment is done in-class for the performance and also for the report and analysis.

Assessing capacity in the context of testamentary, enduring power of attorney, and advance care directive documents in Australia

Balancing the competing interests of autonomy and protection of individuals is an escalating challenge confronting an ageing Australian population. Legal and medical professionals are increasingly being asked to determine whether individuals are legally capable to make their own testamentary, financial and/or personal/health care decisions. Diseases such as dementia impact upon cognition which necessitates collaboration between the legal and medical professions to satisfactorily assess the effect of such mentally disabling conditions upon legal competency. Terminological and methodological differences exist between the two professions when assessing capacity in this context which subsequently create miscommunication and misunderstanding. Consequently, it is not necessarily a simple solution for a legal professional to seek the opinion of a medical practitioner. Exacerbating the situation is the fact that no consistent and transparent capacity assessment paradigm currently exists in Australia. Assessments are instead being undertaken on an ad hoc basis dependent upon the skill set of the legal and/or medical professionals involved. A qualitative study seeking the views of legal and medical professionals who practise in this area has been conducted. This incorporated a review of the relevant literature and surveys which informed the semi-structured interviews conducted with 10 legal and 20 medical practitioners. Practitioners were asked whether there is a standard approach to assessment and whether national guidelines would assist. The general consensus was that uniform guidelines would be advantageous. The research also canvassed practitioner views as to the state of the relationship between the professions when assessing capacity. Three promising practices have emerged from this research: first, is the need for the development of national guidelines and supporting principles to satisfactorily assess capacity; second, is the possibility of strengthening the relationship between legal and medical professionals to assist in the satisfactory assessment of legal capacity; and third, the need for increased community education.

Applications of Spreadsheets in Education : The Amazing Power of a Simple Tool

This e-book is devoted to the use of spreadsheets in the service of education in a broad spectrum of disciplines: science, mathematics, engineering, business, and general education. The effort is aimed at collecting the works of prominent researchers and educators that make use of spreadsheets as a means to communicate concepts with high educational value. The e-book brings some of the most recent applications of spreadsheets in education and research to the fore. To offer the reader a broad overview of the diversity of applications, carefully chosen articles from engineering (power systems and control), mathematics (calculus, differential equations, and probability), science (physics and chemistry), and education are provided. Some of these applications make use of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), a versatile computer language that further expands the functionality of spreadsheets. The material included in this e-book should inspire readers to devise their own applications and enhance their teaching and/or learning experience.

An analysis on the possibility of using capacitors of a three-level capacitor clamped inverter as power smoothing elements for wind power systems

This paper presents a new direct integration scheme for supercapacitors that are used to mitigate short term power fluctuations in wind power systems. The idea is to replace ordinary capacitors of a 3-level flying capacitor inverter by supercapacitors and operate them under variable voltage conditions. This approach eliminates the need of interfacing dc-dc converters for supercapacitor integration and thus considerably improves the overall efficiency. However, the major problem of this unique system is the change of supercapacitor voltages. An analysis on the effects of these voltage variations are presented. A space vector modulation method, built from the scratch, is proposed to generate undistorted current even in the presence of dynamic changes in supercapacitor voltages. A supercapacitor voltage equalisation algorithm is also proposed. Furthermore, resistive behavior of supercapacitors at high frequencies and the need for a low pass filter are highlighted. Simulation results are presented to verify the efficacy of the proposed system in suppressing short term wind power fluctuations.

A large proportion of asymptomatic Plasmodium infections with low and sub-microscopic parasite densities in the low transmission setting of Temotu Province, Solomon Islands : challenges for malaria diagnostics in an elimination setting

Background Many countries are scaling up malaria interventions towards elimination. This transition changes demands on malaria diagnostics from diagnosing ill patients to detecting parasites in all carriers including asymptomatic infections and infections with low parasite densities. Detection methods suitable to local malaria epidemiology must be selected prior to transitioning a malaria control programme to elimination. A baseline malaria survey conducted in Temotu Province, Solomon Islands in late 2008, as the first step in a provincial malaria elimination programme, provided malaria epidemiology data and an opportunity to assess how well different diagnostic methods performed in this setting. Methods During the survey, 9,491 blood samples were collected and examined by microscopy for Plasmodium species and density, with a subset also examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). The performances of these diagnostic methods were compared. Results A total of 256 samples were positive by microscopy, giving a point prevalence of 2.7%. The species distribution was 17.5% Plasmodium falciparum and 82.4% Plasmodium vivax. In this low transmission setting, only 17.8% of the P. falciparum and 2.9% of P. vivax infected subjects were febrile (≥38°C) at the time of the survey. A significant proportion of infections detected by microscopy, 40% and 65.6% for P. falciparum and P. vivax respectively, had parasite density below 100/μL. There was an age correlation for the proportion of parasite density below 100/μL for P. vivax infections, but not for P. falciparum infections. PCR detected substantially more infections than microscopy (point prevalence of 8.71%), indicating a large number of subjects had sub-microscopic parasitemia. The concordance between PCR and microscopy in detecting single species was greater for P. vivax (135/162) compared to P. falciparum (36/118). The malaria RDT detected the 12 microscopy and PCR positive P. falciparum, but failed to detect 12/13 microscopy and PCR positive P. vivax infections. Conclusion Asymptomatic malaria infections and infections with low and sub-microscopic parasite densities are highly prevalent in Temotu province where malaria transmission is low. This presents a challenge for elimination since the large proportion of the parasite reservoir will not be detected by standard active and passive case detection. Therefore effective mass screening and treatment campaigns will most likely need more sensitive assays such as a field deployable molecular based assay.

A Battery Energy Storage interface for wind power systems with the use of grid side inverter

This paper presents a novel concept of Energy Storage System (ESS) interfacing with the grid side inverter in wind energy conversion systems. The inverter system used here is formed by cascading a 2-level inverter and a three level inverter through a coupling transformer. The constituent inverters are named as the “main inverter” and the “auxiliary inverter” respectively. The main inverter is connected with the rectified output of the wind generator while the auxiliary inverter is attached to a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). The BESS ensures constant power dispatch to the grid irrespective of change in wind condition. Furthermore, this unique combination of BESS and inverter eliminates the need of additional dc-dc converters. Novel modulation and control techniques are proposed to address the problem of non-integer, dynamically-changing dc-link voltage ratio, which is due to random wind changes. Strategies used to handle auxiliary inverter dc-link voltage imbalances and controllers used to charge batteries at different rates are explained in detail. Simulation results are presented to verify the efficacy of the proposed modulation and control techniques in suppressing random wind power fluctuations.