General Electric (Qatar)

We have used the well-accepted and easily available 2-[(18)F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose ([(18)F]FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) tracer as a prosthetic group for synthesis of (18)F-labeled peptides. We herein report the synthesis of [(18)F]FDG-RGD ((18)F labeled linear RGD) and [(18)F]FDG-cyclo(RGD(D)YK) ((18)F labeled cyclic RGD) as examples of the use of [(18)F]FDG. We have successfully prepared [(18)F]FDG-RGD and [(18)F]FDG-cyclo(RGD(D)YK) in 27.5% and 41% radiochemical yields (decay corrected) respectively. The receptor binding affinity study of FDG-cyclo(RGD(D)YK) for integrin alpha(v)beta(3), using alpha(v)beta(3) positive U87MG cells confirmed a competitive displacement with (125)I-echistatin as a radioligand. The IC(50) value for FDG-cyclo(RGD(D)YK) was determined to be 0.67 +/- 0.19 muM. High-contrast small animal PET images with relatively moderate tumor uptake were observed for [(18)F]FDG-RGD and [(18)F]FDG-cyclo(RGD(D)YK) as PET probes in xenograft models expressing alpha(v)beta(3) integrin. In conclusion, we have successfully used [(18)F]FDG as a prosthetic group to prepare (18)F]FDG-RGD and [(18)F]FDG-cyclic[RGD(D)YK] based on a simple one-step radiosynthesis. The one-step radiosynthesis methodology consists of chemoselective oxime formation between an aminooxy-functionalized peptide and [(18)F]FDG. The results have implications for radiolabeling of other macromolecules and would lead to a very simple strategy for routine preclinical and clinical use.

The refraction of acoustic duct waveguide modes emitted from the open end of a semi-infinite rectangular duct by a jet-like exhaust flow is studied theoretically. The problem is formulated as a Wiener-Hopf problem and is ultimately solved by an approximate method due to Carrier and Koiter. Continuity of transverse acoustic particle displacement and of acoustic pressure is assumed at the jet/still-air interface. The solution exhibits several features of the acoustics of moving media such as a source convection effect, zones of relative silence, simple refraction, etc. Plots of far-field directivity patterns are presented for several cases and show refraction effects to be important even at modest exhaust Mach numbers of order 0.3. Only subsonic exhaust Mach numbers are considered. In view of the problem’s technological interest, the solution for the far-field directivity is written out in full detail in the appendices. In the low-frequency limit when only one duct waveguide mode (the plane wave mode) propagates, we also examine the reflection coefficient. It is found that this reflection coefficient, in general, considerably exceeds either the no-flow value or the value for the case with uniform flow both inside and outside the waveguide (i.e., in the whole space). Apparently the acoustic medium mismatch enhances the geometric mismatch in the jet flow case, thus producing a higher reflection coefficient.

Fatigue damage is one of the major distress modes that have a critical impact on the performance and serviceability of asphalt pavements. High variability in testing results poses a challenge for predicting the fatigue life of asphalt mixtures using conventional deterministic modeling approaches. This study examined the efficacy of using a probabilistic approach for the analysis of the viscoelastic continuum damage (VECD) and fatigue life of fine aggregate mixtures (FAM) that were prepared using one hot-mix asphalt (HMA) and three types of warm-mix asphalt (WMA). The FAM mixtures were subjected to oscillating stress-controlled fatigue tests. The results highlighted the differences between the probabilistic and deterministic VECD approaches in representing and predicting fatigue life. In addition, the results demonstrated the advantage of the probabilistic VECD approach in providing more reliable predictions of fatigue life that account for uncertainty in determining the model parameters. The probabilistic analysis results showed that the WMA mixtures tested in this study had less variability but shorter fatigue life than the control HMA mixture.

Voltage stability is an important factor that needs to be taken into consideration during the planning and operation of power systems in order to avoid voltage collapse and subsequently partial or full system blackout. This paper presents singular value decomposition (SVD) technique to assess voltage stability of Qatar power transmission system. A MATLAB program has been developed for SVD technique. The voltage stability of the system has been analyzed during the peak load condition of summer 2007. The SVD results obtained by the developed MATLAB programs confirm that the Qatar power transmission system is ldquovoltage stablerdquo. The critical load buses that could lead the system to voltage instability have been identified and the computer results have shown that there are critical load buses in the system. These critical load buses are located in an industrial area feeding from Qatar power system. The results of the critical load buses obtained by SVD have been verified by Q-V sensitivity.

This research presents a novel framework for improving fault detection and grid resilience in modern power systems by leveraging edge computing, optimized infrastructure placement, and advanced signal processing. At the core of the approach is an innovative time-frequency analysis method that enhances fault discrimination, even in noisy environments. By strategically positioning smart meters and Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations, the framework improves fault detection efficiency and overall system reliability. The Adaptive SBCT index dynamically fine-tunes fault identification, ensuring a more responsive power grid. Additionally, Kernel Principal Component Analysis (KPCA) streamlines data processing without compromising critical information, enhancing real-time performance. Extensive simulations and case studies validate the framework’s effectiveness across diverse low-voltage networks, demonstrating its potential to minimize power outages, reduce maintenance costs, and strengthen grid reliability. Future directions include large-scale real-world deployment and integration with renewable energy sources to further enhance system sustainability and scalability.

We present a new tracksite with multiple dinosaur tracks from the lowermost Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) of the Cape Espichel (Sesimbra, Portugal). The tracks are localized on three beds on the top carbonate beds of the Areia do Mastro Formation. Those bioclastic, nodular limestones were deposited in a very shallow subtidal-intertidal, restricted lagoon environment. The track surfaces are very dinoturbated, with a substantial number of tracks. Several tracks assign to sauropods, ornithopods and theropods dinosaurs were recorded. Due to heavy bioturbation and the preservation conditions, it is not possible to define trackways; some preliminary work done on the tracks could disclose some behaviours of their producers. Several species of carnivore and herbivore dinosaurs crossed that large area at different times. Herbivores may have used the lagoon margin as passage between feeding spots, while carnivores frequented the area to hunt in groups or individually.

Qatar has serious water resource problems, following rapid socioeconomic development and massive population increase. Municipal water provision depends on costly and unsustainable desalination. There is little regulation. Native Qataris do not pay a water tariff and migrants pay a subsidized price--approximately one third of the cost of production--so there is little awareness of the true cost of water and use is profligate. This paper discusses trends in water use and identifies issues underlying sustainable water use in Qatar. A questionnaire of respondents chosen to represent Qatari social groups measured awareness and attitudes to water. The results show that previous efforts to control water demand in Qatar, using awareness campaigns, legal restrictions and tariffs, have been ineffectual. The questionnaire evaluated reactions to possible measures to limit uses by raising awareness, using legal restrictions and raising tariffs. From this, a number of policy changes can be suggested, to bring Qatar's water industry towards sustainability.

An exact statistical test is given for testing for equality of the availabilities of two types of repairable units under the assumption that times to failure and times to repair are independent and exponentially distributed.

Functional analysis has focused mainly on the study of lithic instruments and to a lesser extent instruments made on animal materials. Using functional analysis we identified ten shell tools from the archaeological sites of Campo de Hockey and SET Parralejos, located in the Atlantic coast of Cádiz (southern Spain). Both sites date to the IV-V millennium BC. The interpretation of use wear present on the surface of the shells has enabled us to establish hypotheses about their use in different productive activities related to processing animal and vegetable materials. The results of this research will help establish a relationship between shell instrument use and a more efficient use of tools in subsistence strategies, as well as increase our knowledge about the mains of production of these tribal communal societies.

An exact statistical test is given for testing for equality of the availabilities of two types of repairable units under the assumption that times to failure and times to repair are independent and exponentially distributed.

Introduction: Periodic paralysis is a condition that causes recurrent episodes of flaccid paralysis, and it can be primary or secondary. Hypokalemic periodic paralysis is the most common type of primary periodic paralysis, and it is inherited through autosomal dominant gene transmission. Males are affected three times more often than females, and the paralysis attacks usually occur at night after a period of vigorous exercise. It is crucial to exclude other diagnostic entities based on the nature of presentation, physical examination, and paraclinical studies. Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis is more prevalent in Asian or Hispanic males with thyrotoxicosis, where up to 10% of thyrotoxic patients may experience periodic paralysis. Case Presentations: Here, we present 6 cases of patients who came to our care with varying degrees of muscle weakness, each showing interesting and diverse laboratory results. Conclusion: In patient assessment, it is crucial to consider social and family history. Even without this information, awareness of potential diagnoses is vital. The cause should be carefully considered for possible simple treatments. Failing to recognize and address this condition promptly could lead to severe outcomes. Timely identification and intervention are essential for effective disease management and patient welfare.

Straw burning has emerged as a persistent and multifaceted challenge within global agricultural systems, particularly across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This review reframes straw burning not as an isolated behavioral issue, but as the outcome of interlinked structural, technological, and socio-cultural constraints embedded in modern agricultural transitions. Drawing on a synthesis of recent empirical studies, we identify four conceptual turning points that reshape the understanding of straw burning: the structural consequences of mechanization, the trade-offs between high- and low-tech solutions, the cultural legitimacy of burning practices, and the need for systems-based, climate-aligned management paradigms. The analysis reveals that interventions focusing solely on technical innovation often overlook the deeper institutional and cultural factors that sustain burning as a rational choice under constrained conditions. We advocate for hybrid, place-based strategies that combine accessible agronomic practices with long-term investments in infrastructure, policy alignment, and community engagement. Moving beyond fragmented solutions and adopting an integrated systems lens enables the study to contribute a forward-looking framework for sustainable straw management that is environmentally just, socially legitimate, and economically viable.

Patterns of 5-μm-wide grooves on 25-μm centers were partially etched in the easy and/or hard directions in uniaxial Permalloy films; 20-μm-diameter circles or 25-μm centers were also etched. The easy direction grooves modified the anisotropy of the films to produce an NDRO behavior, while the hard direction grooves resulted in biaxial symmetry. Coercive force of the easy direction grooved films increased as a result of the lower energy of 180° walls in the thinner grooved regions. Pairs of crossties and the Bloch lines between them were confined to grooves in the hard direction. Creep sensitivity was markedly decreased in hard direction grooved films. This creep control probably results from the limitation of Bloch-line motion by the hard direction grooves, in agreement with several recent suggestions concerning the mechanism of creep in crosstie walls.

This paper presents an automated aerodynamic optimization procedure for the preliminary design of centrifugal compressors. The proposed procedure interfaces a well-validated prediction tool with a GE in-house developed optimization code (PEZ). In GE Oil & Gas this tool is used to predict the performance of a single centrifugal compressor stage the outline of which requires more than thirty geometric parameters to be set. In the early phase of a new stage design, the designer manually varies all related parameters in the framework of a trial-and-error approach. The optimization procedure eliminates the inconvenience of a vast amount of manually launched simulations required by variations of the large number of design variables. Additionally, this procedure can perform trade-off studies and sensitivity analysis. In this case the optimization plan consists of a differential evolution (DE) genetic algorithm followed by a simplex-based optimization method (AMOEBA). The procedure was challenged with several existing designs by setting different objective/constraints combinations. The optimizer was often able to improve the predicted performance, as for an old 2D design where it was possible to increase the peak efficiency of approximately 2.6%. Also, the algorithm proved able to maximize the polytropic head (+12% with respect to baseline), while keeping unaltered both surge and choke limits. The computational time was about 40 hours per case on a Windows workstation (3.20 GHz, 3.5 GB RAM).

The Eni operated Muara Bakau (Jangkrik) Production Sharing Contract Block is situated on the East Kalimantan shelf edge and the west slope of the Makassar straits, Indonesia. Water depths vary from 70m on the shelf to 1000m at the east edge of the block. The steep shelf edge leads into a generally eroded and canyonized slope. Seafloor stability is an issue as evidenced by seabed slumping. Debris flows originating at the shelf edge may also pose a risk. In addition, shallow gas accumulations are present. A study was undertaken to better understand the regional seabed morphology with respect to potential geohazards to field development. The methodology used provides a low cost alternative to dedicated Multi-beam Echo Sounder surveys and significant advantages over 2D High Resolution surveys for mapping the true areal extent of geo-hazards. Short offset data from a conventional 3D exploration seismic survey was reprocessed through two independent flows to yield high spatial and vertical resolution data suitable for accurate seabed mapping and near surface geohazard studies. The first customized reprocessing flow was designed to accurately image the seabed with high spatial resolution. Sun-illuminated 3D visualizations applied to the data aid analysis and interpretation of the seabed morphology. The second reprocessing flow was focused on the near surface section and includes generating data attributes of amplitude, coherency, and angle-versus-offset diagnostics for identifying shallow gas. This methodology proved to be a powerful tool not only for investigating site-specific drilling hazards, but also for future field development planning. It consistently helped Eni to better select the location of subsea facilities and define the layouts of the development concept, to be further analyzed during the Concept Selection, which was presented with the submission of the Plan of Development in July 2011 and approved in November 2011.

Preliminary results from an investigation on the application of dynamic power flow controllers to a stretch of the Qatar Transmission System (QTS) along the western coast of Qatar. The main objective of applying the power flow controller is to maintain balance of power flow between the networks or lines that supply to this weaker region of the QTS, and in turn support network security should the demand in this region grows. The paper will investigate the impact on steady-state power flow control using a Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC), and the potential application of a Generalized Power Flow Controller (GUPFC), in the QTS to check if these controllers provide a viable solution looking into the future. In controlling of the power flow controller, this paper looks into the possibility of using phasor measurement units (PMUs) and synchrophasor based control. An assessment on the existing infrastructure of the QTS and necessary improvement needed to support implementation of the power flow controller and its control will be included in this paper along with a preliminary cost analysis. The modeling work and preliminary studies in this paper were conducted with PSS/E.

Abstract The nervous system maintains physiological homeostasis through reflex pathways that modulate organ function. This process begins when changes in the internal milieu (e.g. blood pressure, temperature, or pH) activate visceral sensory neurons that transmit action potentials along the vagus nerve to the brain stem. IL-1β and TNF, inflammatory cytokines produced by immune cells during infection and injury, and other inflammatory mediators have been implicated in activating sensory action potentials in the vagus nerve. However, it remains unclear whether neural responses encode cytokine-specific information. Here we develop methods to isolate and decode specific neural signals to discriminate between two different cytokines. Nerve impulses recorded from the vagus nerve of mice exposed to IL-1β and TNF were sorted into groups based on their shape and amplitude and their respective firing rates were computed. This revealed sensory neural groups responding specifically to TNF and IL-1β. These cytokine-mediated responses were subsequently decoded using a Naïve Bayes algorithm that discriminated between no exposure and exposures to IL-1β and TNF (mean successful identification rate 82.9±17.8%, chance level 33%). Recordings obtained in IL-1 receptor knockout mice were devoid of IL-1β related signals, but retained their responses to TNF. Genetic ablation of TRPV1 neurons attenuated the vagus neural signals mediated by IL-1β and distal lidocaine nerve block attenuated all vagus neural signals recorded. Using a novel methodological framework, the results obtained in this study suggest cytokine-specific information is present in sensory neural signals within the vagus nerve.

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Urban greening in arid environments faces competing pressures such as the need to enhance thermal comfort and ecological performance under severe water scarcity constraints. This study evaluates the effectiveness of vegetation interventions in Qatar by analyzing multi-spectral remote sensing data from 2016 to 2025 to assess whether municipal greening initiatives translate into measurable improvements in vegetation condition, surface moisture availability, and outdoor thermal comfort (OTC). Using Sentinel-2 A imagery and gloUTCI-M, we computed four vegetation indices: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI) and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) across eight municipalities with particular focus on Doha. Among vegetation indices, SAVI demonstrated robust performance under arid soil-dominated conditions, effectively accounting for soil reflectance where NDVI and EVI showed limitations. NDMI results revealed localized zones of moderate surface moisture, associated with irrigated and coastal urban areas, indicating management-dependent moisture retention rather than widespread hydrological improvement. Despite expanded greening and localized moisture availability, no statistically significant relationship between vegetation indices and UTCI was detected at municipal scale, a finding attributed to the dominance of non-vegetative thermal drivers and the detectability threshold of gloUTCI-M at 1 km resolution for patch-scale greening interventions. These results highlight the importance of distinguishing between greening extent and vegetation persistence, and of integrating vegetation strategies with urban form, shading, and microclimate-responsive design to improve thermal resilience in arid cities.

Birth weight is a key public health indicator that needs to be monitored regularly. However, in the United Arab and worldwide, there is currently no systematic procedure for monitoring shifts or trends in the mean and variability of birth weight at a national level. For this purpose, it is proposed to use statistical process control charts (SPC). This is illustrated through developing SPC charts for monitoring the birth weight of UAE nationals. The developed control charts indicated that the birth weight of UAE nationals is in statistical control. The national mean birth weight, standard deviation of birth weights, percentage of low birth weight, and percentage of high birth weight were estimated to be 3.208 kg, 0.445 kg, 5.59%, and 0.19%, respectively.