Purpose: Trainers and physical fitness coaches’ need a useful tool to assess training loads to avoid overtraining. However, perceived scales or questionnaires were required. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess whether a short 8-item questionnaire of fatigue could be a useful tool for monitoring changes in perceived training load and strain among elite rugby Sevens (7s) players during preparation for a major competition.Methods: Sixteen elite rugby 7s players completed an 8-week training program composed of 6-week intense training (IT) and 2-week reduced training (RT).They were tested before (T0), after the IT (T1) and after the RT (T2). The quantification of the perceived training load and strain were performed by the session-RPE (rating of perceived exertion) method and concomitantly the 8-item questionnaire of fatigue was administered.Results: Training load (TL) and strain (TS) and total score of fatigue (TSF from the 8-item questionnaire) increased during IT and decreased during RT.Simultaneously, physical performances decreased during IT and were improved after LT. The changes in TL, TS and TSF correlated significantly over the training period (r=0.63-0.83).Conclusions: These findings suggest that the short questionnaire of fatigue could be a practical and a sensitive tool for monitoring changes in training load and strain in team-sport athletes. Accordingly, the simultaneous use of the short questionnaire of fatigue along with the session-RPE method for perceived changes in training load and strain during training could provide additional information on the athletes’ status, allowing coaches to prevent eventual states of overreaching or overtraining.

Occurrence of large power deficits are the main cause of black outs in power systems. Usually, large power deficits occure as a result of large generating units or tie-lines outage. Considering the impact of electricity on economic growth of countries and daily life of people, triggering a blackout might be a goal of sabotage or military attacks.Underfrequency load shedding is commonly used to prevent blackout in case of large power defcits. In fact by curtailing part of the loads, load shedding schemes retain the power balance and keep the system stability. In this paper, an underfrequency load shedding method based on wide area monitoring system is proposed. In this load shedding scheme, the amount of load to be shed, in case of large power deficits, to preserve the stability of power system is determined based on the estimated minimum frequency. The effectiveness of the proposed method in different conditions, considering power system parameters variation, is proved using simulation studies.

The main objective of this paper is to construct a distributed environment through which the load flow solutions of multi-area power systems can be monitored and controlled. A single-server/multi-client architecture which enables the neighboring power systems to access the remote load flow server at any time, with their respective data and to get the load flow solutions from the remote server has been proposed. An RMI (Remote Method Invocation) based distributed environment has been implemented in such a way that for every specific period of time, the remote server obtains the system data simultaneously from the neighboring power systems which are the clients registered with the remote load flow server and the load flow solutions from the server have been sent back to the respective clients. The load flow server creates a new thread of control for every client’s request and hence complete distributed environment is exploited.

Environmentally sustainable metropolitan environments are characterized by their ability to effectively produce and distribute power while reducing their impact on the environment. Smart homes are essential in smart cities since they enhance sustainability and efficiency in urban settings. A key advantage of smart homes is their capacity to diminish energy use and carbon emissions. This is accomplished by optimizing energy consumption in home appliances, which is customized to fulfill the individual requirements and preferences of consumers. However, there is still a need for further academic research to investigate and improve the functioning of intelligent residential homes in microgrids. To efficiently manage microgrids, it is crucial to gather and analyze large amounts of electrical data related to power production from microgrid sources and energy consumption of the loads. This study examines the use of Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring (NILM) methods to monitor electrical parameters of different loads in microgrids. The research focuses on the application of affordable smart meters that are equipped with Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities. An empirical study showcases the possibility of collecting significant data on microgrid operation via the deployment of an operational microgrid that integrates a hybrid wind-solar power source with a variety of home appliances.

Iran, due to its geographical location, has low rainfall and is considered a dry land. As a result, different regions of the country grapple with drought. The presence of water management systems, such as aqueducts and reservoirs, in most parts of the country, along with a variety of methods for conserving water for irrigation, may contribute to this claim. Considering that drought is an inherent phenomenon in Iran's climate, people have invented and used numerous methods to combat it and store water. The aim of this study is to monitor and evaluate drought in Iran. In order to realize this goal, precipitation data from synoptic, rain gauge, and climatology stations were extracted over a 51-year period, from 1970 to 2020. The results obtained from examining drought occurrences in five ten-year periods reveal that, with the exception of the third decade (1991 to 2000), drought has prevailed in the majority of Iran's regions compared to other decades. On the other hand, in the recent decades leading to 2020, the intensity of drought occurrences, especially in the Middle Zagros, has intensified, which has consistently been among the regions with the highest rainfall in Iran after the Caspian region. This situation can cause concern in Iran, a country where its agricultural production hub is established along the Zagros mountain range. Moreover, the fluctuating behavior of Iran's droughts, with return periods of 2 to 5 years, has complicated the management strategies for these types of hazards. These conditions appear to have created numerous issues in many areas of Iran, particularly in the agricultural sector of the western provinces, due to the lack of conformity with these types of occurrences.

Extended Abstract Background: Large-scale and regional planning requires observed data on environmental variables, such as runoff and suspended sediment load from watersheds. Data is fundamental for generating information and knowledge, and scientific management of a system is impossible without a monitoring and measurement plan. Management of watershed systems and water resources is no exception to this axiom. With ongoing trends in socioeconomic development, climate change, increasing pressure on natural resources and watersheds, and, consequently, an increase in floods and sediment yield, there will be a greater need for more accurate information about sediment and runoff processes in the near future. Many tools and instruments for measuring runoff and sediment components have been produced and marketed by a number of foreign companies. However, their cost is very high in Iran, on the one hand, and a device that measures both components at once is very rare, on the other hand. To carry out simulations that are both accurate and efficient, it is essential to have access to sufficient and reliable data and information for verification and validation purposes. In the field of water resources and watershed management, data and information are considered to be crucial tools. By providing important insights into the management of water resources, the availability of data and information can help enhance the efficiency and optimization of water usage, prevent natural hazards (such as floods and droughts), manage water quality, and improve the management of water supply and demand. Therefore, this study aimed to design and construct an automated flood and sediment load-monitoring device with the ability to record the runoff height of watersheds and a planned sampling of runoff for measuring suspended sediment using cheap sensors and tools. Methods: This study presents an innovative device designed to monitor runoff discharge and suspended sediment sampling. The device has been constructed and installed at the outlet of the sub-basin under study. A regular cross-section was constructed at the outlet to facilitate the installation of the device, which enabled the monitoring of the runoff hydrograph of the sub-basin outlet and suspended sediment load sampling. In this research, analog hygrometer sensors were used to measure the height of runoff with 3 cm intervals (measurement accuracy of 3 cm). DC pumps with valves were used to collect the sediment sample, which created a vacuum in the sampling container and caused the runoff sample to be transferred into the container. To evaluate the device's capabilities in real and natural conditions, it was installed at the outlet of a sub-watershed in the eastern loess lands of Golestan province, located upstream of Qapan Oliya village in the Kalaleh district for two years to record the hydrograph of likely flood events and take runoff samples at the user-defined depths of flood (two samples at depths of 20 and 60 cm in rising limb and one sample at a depth of 20 cm in recession limb of hydrographs). The samples were stored in 0.5 liter containers, and the user was informed by sending an SMS to replace the filled containers with empty ones. It is noteworthy that the device under consideration facilitates the collection of runoff samples at any frequency and at any height for research requirements. The device boasts a remarkable advantage in the form of its SMS notification feature, which keeps the user informed about the monitoring site and equipment status, including runoff sampling, power outages, and battery status. The device incorporates a built-in battery that remains active during power outages in the electricity network to record flood events. Additionally, the user can communicate with the device via a mobile phone at any time and receive SMS updates on the device's operating status, such as power, battery, memory level, and event registration. Furthermore, to ensure accurate rainfall data recording, a WatchDog tipping bucket rain gauge has been installed within the studied sub-basin. Results: During these two years, only three rainfall events leading to runoff and flooding occurred in this sub-watershed, and the designed device successfully recorded the hydrograph of all three events and informed the user. In each of these recorded flood events, at least two runoff samples (one sample in the rising limb and one sample in the recession limb of the hydrograph) were collected and stored by the device to be transferred to the laboratory to determine the suspended load. The present study has demonstrated that the automated runoff and sediment monitoring device, which has been specifically designed to measure a range of parameters such as flow rate, water level, and suspended sediment load, represents a valuable and practical tool for those seeking to monitor runoff and sediment at the outlet of watersheds. Conclusion: Data and information play a vital role in water resources and watershed management. The availability of such data and information in the management of watersheds and water resources helps enhance water use optimization and efficiency, prevent natural disasters such as floods and droughts, manage water quality, and improve water supply and demand management. Therefore, the prototype of the designed device shows that this device has a good capability for the industrial production of an inexpensive runoff and sediment monitoring tool to scientifically manage small-scale watersheds.