Estimation Strategies for the Condition Monitoring of a Battery Systemin a Hybrid Electric Vehicle

This paper discusses the application of condition monitoring to a battery system used in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). Battery condition management systems (BCMSs) are employed to ensure the safe, efficient, and reliable operation of a battery, ultimately to guarantee the availability of electric power. This is critical for the case of the HEV to ensure greater overall energy efficiency and the availability of reliable electrical supply. This paper considers the use of state and parameter estimation techniques for the condition monitoring of batteries. A comparative study is presented in which the Kalman and the extended Kalman filters (KF/EKF), the particle filter (PF), the quadrature Kalman filter (QKF), and the smooth variable structure filter (SVSF) are used for battery condition monitoring. These comparisons are made based on estimation error, robustness, sensitivity to noise, and computational time.Comment: 18 pages, 16 figures, ISRN Signal Processing, 201

Antibiotic resistance, virulence and genetic diversity of Klebsiella pneumoniae in community- and hospital-acquired urinary tract infections in Iran

Klebsiella pneumoniae is among the most important causes of urinary tract infection (UTI). The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and correlation of antibiotic resistance with virulence characteristics and genetic diversity in K. pneumoniae isolated from UTIs in Iran. Phenotypic tests and antibiotic susceptibility were carried out on the isolates. Detection of the virulence and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes was performed by polymerase chain reaction. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used for exploring the genomic relatedness. Hemolysin, biofilm, and hypermucoviscosity formation were observed in 87.1%, 86.4%, and 12.1% of isolates, respectively. The antibiotic resistance rate of K. pneumoniae isolates ranged from 12.1% for meropenem to 100% for amoxicillin. The prevalence of virulence genes ranged from 1.4% for cnf-1 to 100% for mrkD, fimH, kpn, and entB genes. In this study, 91.7%, 33.3%, and 4.2% of phenotypically ESBL-producers were positive for blaCTX-M, blaTEM, and blaSHV genes, respectively. An association was observed between the presence of traT, fyuA, or cnf-1 genes with antibiotic resistance. Two clone types were obtained by PFGE that indicate different K. pneumoniae clones in community- and hospital-acquired UTIs. The findings of this study are valuable in development of treatment strategies against UTIs in Iran

The effect of kenaf core and bast mixing on soda pulping and paper strengths

Paper industry has been experiencing growing shortage of cellulosic material over the last decades. As a fast-growing plant, kenaf has good potential to compensate wood shortages taking into account its long historical record of cultivation in Iran. Kenaf variety of 432 was collected from Varamin research station. Kenaf stalk yield was determined roughly as 10.5 air-dried metric tonnes (ADMT) per hectare for a single crop rotation. Soda pulping of core, bast and their mixture were carried out at three weight percent ratios of 50:50, 40:60 and 30:70. H-factor for the delignification process was adjusted about 800 using cooking treatment combination of 175 °C, 30 min, 18% sodium hydroxide, and 5:1 liquor to raw material ratio. Under similar cooking condition, yield and kappa no. of soda pulp prepared from the mixture of  kenaf core and bast showed highest yield and kappa number. Kappa no. decreased with increasing bast fiber percent from 50% to 70%, and required increased PFI revolution to achieve certain freeness. Handsheet properties including thickness, breaking length, burst and specially tear index increased at higher bast fiber content

Usability testing of bed information management system: A think-Aloud method

Not considering the usability in designing clinical information systems causes problems in human-computer interaction and patient dissatisfaction. Therefore, in this study, the usability of the bed information management system (BIMS) was examined by think-Aloud method. This cross-sectional study was conducted on the BIMS in 50 noneducational hospitals. Participants consisted of three groups including users, facilitators, and technical support. To carry out the study, a scenario consisting of four tasks was designed. Three researchers analyzed the recorded files to identify the usability problems and their severity. The mean time of the evaluation process was 20:33 ± 4:47 s. The total number of the problems identifies by users was 80 cases. Data entry and layout problems with 38 (48%) and 33 (41%) cases were the most frequently found problems, respectively. About 61% and 55% of the data entry and layout problems had a minor severity (Severity 2), respectively. Furthermore, 43 (54%) cases of the problems were resolved by the users and 32 (40%) cases by the facilitator assistance. This study showed that a large number of the problems were due to the system poor design. Furthermore, by increasing the users' level of knowledge about the system, it is possible to enhance user-system interaction. It is recommended that before designing and implementing a system, the system should be evaluated for usability, and the users should be educated in clinical information systems

A telemonitoring system to support CPAP therapy in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a participatory approach in analysis, design, and evaluation

Background: Continues positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is a gold standard treatment for moderate to severe cases of OSA (obstructive sleep apnea). The present research aimed to describe the analysis, design, and evaluation of a telemonitoring system to improve CPAP adherence in patients afflicted with OSA. Methods: The telemonitoring system was developed in five phases. In the exploratory phase, the body of related literature was reviewed. Then a need analysis was conducted through a focus group discussion with sleep medicine specialists and sales company representatives and an interview with patients. The third phase involved data integration. Then the content and system development were done based on the previous phases. Finally, usability and functionality tests were used to evaluate the system. Results: The exploratory phase and the needs analysis were conducted by four sleep medicine specialists, two medical informatics specialists, six key figures of the sales companies, two system developers, and 46 patients in different phases. Based on the results obtained from the data integration phase, the telemonitoring system involved three main parts: a patient’s application, a doctor’s portal, a selling companies’ portal (operator’s portal) along with facilitating software for patients to send the CPAP data. Usability and functionality tests were given to 7 and 10 patients, respectively. The total number of usability issues reported by users in the evaluation process was 18, with an average of 2.5 issues per user. The installation problems, disrupted links and improper playing of videos were the main functionalities problems that were solved. Conclusion: The telemonitoring system, as a means of communication between patients, doctors, and selling companies, can be used to support patients clinically and technically. It has the potential to improve CPAP adherence in patients with OSA

Effect of Permittivity on the Electric-Field-Driven Rotation Dynamics in a Liquid Film

Applying a constant electric field on a suspended film of liquid that carries an electric current, either by the transport of ions or surface charges, induces a rotation in the film. This system is known as “liquid film motor”. So far, the effect of permittivity of the liquid on its rotation has been ignored. We showed that the permittivity of the liquid can significantly affect the dynamics of rotation. Using an experimental approach, we studied the liquid film rotation for a broad range of pure liquids with diverse permittivities and surface tensions. We observed two different regimes of rotation depending on the permittivity of the liquids. We also found that there is no correlation between the surface tension of the liquid and the angular velocity of the rotation. We considered a theoretical framework and suggested scenarios to explain our experimental observations. These results help in better understanding the physics of liquid film motors and suggest opportunities for new flow manipulation techniques at small scales

Effect of Permittivity on the Electric-Field-Driven Rotation Dynamics in a Liquid Film

Applying a constant electric field on a suspended film of liquid that carries an electric current, either by the transport of ions or surface charges, induces a rotation in the film. This system is known as “liquid film motor”. So far, the effect of permittivity of the liquid on its rotation has been ignored. We showed that the permittivity of the liquid can significantly affect the dynamics of rotation. Using an experimental approach, we studied the liquid film rotation for a broad range of pure liquids with diverse permittivities and surface tensions. We observed two different regimes of rotation depending on the permittivity of the liquids. We also found that there is no correlation between the surface tension of the liquid and the angular velocity of the rotation. We considered a theoretical framework and suggested scenarios to explain our experimental observations. These results help in better understanding the physics of liquid film motors and suggest opportunities for new flow manipulation techniques at small scales

Assessing unsafe behaviors and their relationship with work-related factors among EMS staff in Iran: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Emergency Medical Services (EMS) staff often encounter various safety incidents. Work-related factors can lead to unsafe behaviors and safety incidents. This study assessed unsafe behaviors and their relationship with work-related factors among EMS staff. Methods This descriptive-correlational study used census sampling method to select 284 EMS staff in Ardabil Province, northwest of Iran, from April to June 2023. The data collection tools were demographic and occupational information form, Mearns Unsafe Behavior Scale, Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, Michielsen Fatigue Scale, and Patterson Teamwork Scale. The data were analyzed using the SPSSv-16, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. Results The mean of unsafe behavior, fatigue, perceived stress, non-conflict of teamwork, and conflict of teamwork were 15.80 (± 4.77), 20.57 (± 6.20), 16.10 (± 6.13), 117.89 (± 17.24), and 40.60 (± 9.59), respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that “partner trust and shared mental models (PTSMM),” “physical fatigue,” “age,” “type of shift,” “employment status,” and “overtime hours per month” were predictors of general unsafe behavior (P < 0.001) and “mild task conflict (MTC),” “employment status,” “partner trust and shared mental models (PTSMM)” were predictors of unsafe behavior under incentives EMS staff (P < 0.001). Conclusion The present study showed that some work-related factors were predictors of unsafe behaviors. The negative consequences of unsafe behaviors should be considered, and long-term planning should be done to reduce them. Developing specific guidelines for addressing unsafe behaviors, implementing measures to reduce fatigue, managing overtime hours in the workplace, and Establishing a system where novice staff work with experienced staff during their first year can be beneficial in reducing these behaviors among EMS staff

Effect of an Online Appointment Scheduling System on Evaluation Metrics of Outpatient Scheduling System: a before-after MulticenterStudy

Online appointment scheduling systems have been designed in response to the problems of the traditional ones. In Iran, most outpatient clinics and our study population suffer from high patient’ no-show rate and long waiting times because of not using online appointment scheduling system. In this study, the effect of an online appointment scheduling system was investigated by comparing the evaluation metrics of appointment scheduling before and after the intervention. This before-after pilot study was conducted on ten outpatient clinics with different specializations. Five clinics were selected as the intervention group and five clinics as the control group. A checklist was designed to evaluate appointment scheduling metrics. These checklists were completed from April to July 2017 in the pre-implementation phase and from September to December 2017 in the post-implementation phase. The evaluation metrics were evaluated before and after the implementation of the online appointment scheduling system. A total of 470 checklists containing 9034 patients’ information and 460 checklists containing 9130 patients’ information were completed at the pre- and post-implementation phases, respectively. There were significant positive effect on the improvement of the three metrics means, including Patient waiting time (38.2 min before vs. 23.8 min after the intervention), No-show rate (25% before vs. 11% after the intervention), and Physician punctuality (−30 min before vs. -14.2 min after the intervention). The use of an online appointment scheduling system was successful in improving several evaluation metrics in our target population and resulted in continued usage in intervention group clinics

Effect of an Online Appointment Scheduling System on Evaluation Metrics of Outpatient Scheduling System: a before-after MulticenterStudy

Online appointment scheduling systems have been designed in response to the problems of the traditional ones. In Iran, most outpatient clinics and our study population suffer from high patient’ no-show rate and long waiting times because of not using online appointment scheduling system. In this study, the effect of an online appointment scheduling system was investigated by comparing the evaluation metrics of appointment scheduling before and after the intervention. This before-after pilot study was conducted on ten outpatient clinics with different specializations. Five clinics were selected as the intervention group and five clinics as the control group. A checklist was designed to evaluate appointment scheduling metrics. These checklists were completed from April to July 2017 in the pre-implementation phase and from September to December 2017 in the post-implementation phase. The evaluation metrics were evaluated before and after the implementation of the online appointment scheduling system. A total of 470 checklists containing 9034 patients’ information and 460 checklists containing 9130 patients’ information were completed at the pre- and post-implementation phases, respectively. There were significant positive effect on the improvement of the three metrics means, including Patient waiting time (38.2 min before vs. 23.8 min after the intervention), No-show rate (25% before vs. 11% after the intervention), and Physician punctuality (−30 min before vs. -14.2 min after the intervention). The use of an online appointment scheduling system was successful in improving several evaluation metrics in our target population and resulted in continued usage in intervention group clinics