University of Saskatchewan

About: University of Saskatchewan is a education organization based out in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 25021 authors who have published 52579 publications receiving 1483049 citations. The organization is also known as: USask.

A simplified wind power generation model for reliability evaluation

Abstract: Renewable energy sources, especially wind turbine generators, are considered as important generation alternatives in electric power systems due to their nonexhausted nature and benign environmental effects. The fact that wind power penetration continues to increase has motivated a need to develop more widely applicable methodologies for evaluating the actual benefits of adding wind turbines to conventional generating systems. Reliability evaluation of generating systems with wind energy sources is a complex process. It requires an accurate wind speed forecasting technique for the wind farm site. The method requires historical wind speed data collected over many years for the wind farm location to determine the necessary parameters of the wind speed models for the particular site. The evaluation process should also accurately model the intermittent nature of power output from the wind farm. A sequential Monte Carlo simulation or a multistate wind farm representation approach is often used. This paper presents a simplified method for reliability evaluation of power systems with wind power. The development of a common wind speed model applicable to multiple wind farm locations is presented and illustrated with an example. The method is further simplified by determining the minimum multistate representation for a wind farm generation model in reliability evaluation. The paper presents a six-step common wind speed model applicable to multiple geographic locations and adequate for reliability evaluation of power systems containing significant wind penetration. Case studies on a test system are presented using wind data from Canadian geographic locations.

Significance of HbA1c Test in Diagnosis and Prognosis of Diabetic Patients

Abstract: Diabetes is a global endemic with rapidly increasing prevalence in both developing and developed countries. The American Diabetes Association has recommended glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) as a possible substitute to fasting blood glucose for diagnosis of diabetes. HbA1c is an important indicator of long-term glycemic control with the ability to reflect the cumulative glycemic history of the preceding two to three months. HbA1c not only provides a reliable measure of chronic hyperglycemia but also correlates well with the risk of long-term diabetes complications. Elevated HbA1c has also been regarded as an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke in subjects with or without diabetes. The valuable information provided by a single HbA1c test has rendered it as a reliable biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of diabetes. This review highlights the role of HbA1c in diagnosis and prognosis of diabetes patients.

Persistence of serum and saliva antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 spike antigens in COVID-19 patients.

Abstract: While the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 has been extensively studied in blood, relatively little is known about the antibody response in saliva and its relationship to systemic antibody levels. Here, we profiled by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) IgG, IgA and IgM responses to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (full length trimer) and its receptor-binding domain (RBD) in serum and saliva of acute and convalescent patients with laboratory-diagnosed COVID-19 ranging from 3-115 days post-symptom onset (PSO), compared to negative controls. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses were readily detected in serum and saliva, with peak IgG levels attained by 16-30 days PSO. Longitudinal analysis revealed that anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgM antibodies rapidly decayed, while IgG antibodies remained relatively stable up to 105 days PSO in both biofluids. Lastly, IgG, IgM and to a lesser extent IgA responses to spike and RBD in the serum positively correlated with matched saliva samples. This study confirms that serum and saliva IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 are maintained in the majority of COVID-19 patients for at least 3 months PSO. IgG responses in saliva may serve as a surrogate measure of systemic immunity to SARS-CoV-2 based on their correlation with serum IgG responses.

Analytical Methods Validation: Bioavailability, Bioequivalence, and Pharmacokinetic Studies

Abstract: 0 This is a summary report of the conference on "Analytical Methods Validation: Bioavailability, Bioequivalence and Pharmacokinetic Studies." The conference was held from December 3 to 5,1990, in the Washington, D.C., area and was sponsored by the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, the US. Food and Drug Administration, Federation International Pharmaceutique, Health Protection Branch (Canada), and the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. The report presents our assessment of the major agreements and issues discussed at the conference. The report is also intended to provide guiding principles for validation of analytical methods used in bioavailability, bioequivalence, and pharmacokinetics studies in humans and animals. The objectives of the conference were as follows: (1) to reach a consensus on what should be required in analytical methods validation and the procedures to establish validation; (2) to determine processes of application of the validation procedures in bioavailability, bioequivalence, and pharmacokinetics studies; and (3) to develop a report on analytical methods validation that may be referred to in developing future formal guidelines. Acceptable standards for documenting and validating analytical methods with regard to processes, parameters, or data treatments are discussed because of their importance in assessing pharmacokinetic, bioavailability, and bioequivalence studies. Other topics that were considered essential in the conduct of pharmacokinetic studies or in establishing bioequivalency criteria, including measurement of drug metabolites and stereoselective determinations, are also discussed. ___ -. ~. ~ _ _ Analytical methods that are used for the quantitative determination of drugs and their metabolites in biological samples play a significant role in evaluation and interpretation of bioavailability, bioequivalence, and pharmacokinetic data. It is essential to use well-characterized and fully validated analytical methods to yield reliable results that can be satisfactorily interpreted. Analytical methods and techniques are constantly being changed and improved; in many instances, these methods are at the cutting edge of the technology. It is also important to emphasize that each analytical technique has its own characteristics, which will vary from drug to drug. Moreover, the appropriateness of the technique may be influenced by the ultimate objective of the study. Specific validation criteria are needed for methods intended for analysis of each analyte (drug and/or metabolite). Although validation of each method will be independent of those of other methods, there may be situations in which comparison of the methods will be necessary (e.g., when more than one method has been used in a long-term study). When sample analysis is conducted at more than one site, it is necessary to validate the analytical methodb) at each site and provide appropriate validation information for different sites to establish interlaboratory reliability. Unless a method is used on a regular basis, providing confidence in its continued validity, it is essential to document that the method is still valid before analysis of samples in the study. Adequate validation for methods not used on a regular basis often consists of running a standard curve with new quality-control samples to show that the responses, relationship, and general characteristics of the method are similar to previous valida-