Enhancing time-domain performance of vehicle cruise control system by using a multi-strategy improved RUN optimizer

This paper addresses the pressing concern of traffic safety by focusing on the optimization of vehicle cruise control systems. While traditional control techniques have been widely employed, their design procedures can be time-consuming and suboptimal. To overcome these limitations, metaheuristic algorithms have been introduced as promising solutions for complex optimization problems. In this study, an improved Runge Kutta optimizer (IRUN) is developed and applied to enhance the control performance of a real PID plus second-order derivative (RPIDD2) controller for vehicle cruise control systems. The IRUN optimizer incorporates advanced strategies such as quadratic interpolation, Laplacian segment mutation, Levy flight, and information-sharing-based local search mechanisms. By integrating these strategies, the IRUN algorithm demonstrates enhanced optimization capabilities, making it well-suited for tuning the controller. The proposed approach utilizes a master–slave system, where the ideal reference model sets the desired response and the RPIDD2 controller adjusts its parameters accordingly. The integral of the square error is employed as the objective function to evaluate the control system's performance. Statistical analyses, convergence analyses, and stability evaluations and robustness analysis are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the IRUN-based RPIDD2 controller. Comparative studies are conducted against established approaches using PID, fractional-order PID (FOPID), and RPIDD2 controllers, showcasing the superiority and effectiveness of the proposed approach. Overall, this paper presents a comprehensive study on enhancing the time-domain performance and stability of vehicle cruise control systems, providing significant improvements in control accuracy and efficiency. The subsequent sections delve into the proposed approach, experimental setup, and obtained results, further emphasizing the significance and potential impact of this research

Correction: Aspergillus endocarditis: Diagnostic criteria and predictors of outcome, A retrospective cohort study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201459.]

Correction: Aspergillus endocarditis: Diagnostic criteria and predictors of outcome, A retrospective cohort study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201459.]

Aspergillus endocarditis: Diagnostic criteria and predictors of outcome, A retrospective cohort study

<div><p>Background</p><p>Fungal Endocarditis (FE), a relatively rare disease, has a high rate of mortality and is associated with multiple morbidities. <i>Aspergillus</i> endocarditis (AE) is severe form of FE. Incidence of AE has increased and is expected to rise due to an increased frequency of invasive procedures, cardiac devices and prosthetic valves together with increased use of immune system suppressors. AE lacks most of the clinical criteria used to diagnose infective endocarditis (IE), where blood culture is almost always negative, and fever may be absent. Diagnosis is usually late and in many cases is made post-mortem. Late or mistaken diagnosis of AE contribute to delayed and incorrect management of patients. In the current study we aimed to describe the clinical, laboratory and imaging characteristics of AE, to identify predictors of early diagnosis of this serious infection.</p><p>Methods</p><p>Patients with definite/possible IE, as diagnosed by the Kasr Al-Ainy IE Working Group from February 2005 through June 2016, were reviewed in this study. We compared the demographic, clinical, laboratory and imaging criteria of AE patients to non-fungal IE patients.</p><p>Results</p><p>This study included 374 patients with IE in which FE accounted for 43 cases. <i>Aspergillus</i> was the most common fungus (31 patients; 8.3%) in the patient group. Lack of fever and acute limb ischemia at presentation were significantly associated with AE (p < 0.001, p = 0.014, respectively). Health care associated endocarditis (HAE) and prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) were the only significant risk factors associated with AE (p < 0.001 for each). Mitral, non-valvular, and aortotomy site vegetations, as well as aortic abscess/pseudoaneurysm, were significantly associated with AE (p = 0.022, p = 0.004, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). Through multivariate regression analysis, HAE, PVE, aortic abscess/pseudoaneurysm, and lack of fever were strongly linked to AE. The probability of an IE patient having AE with HAE, PVE, and aortic abscess/pseudoaneurysm, but no fever, was 0.92. In contrast, the probability of an IE patient having AE with fever, native valve IE, but no health-care associated IE and no abscess/pseudoaneurysm, was 0.003. Severe sepsis and mortality in the Aspergillus group were higher as compared to the non-fungal group (p = 0.098 and 0.097, respectively). Thirteen AE patients died during hospitalization. PVE, the use of single versus dual antifungal agents, severe heart failure, and severe sepsis were significant predictors of mortality (p = 0.008, 0.012, 0.003, and 0.01, respectively).</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>To our knowledge, this is the first study to address diagnostic criteria for AE. Through multivariate regression analysis, absence of fever, HAE, PVE, and aortic abscess/pseudoaneurysm were strong predictors of AE. Use of these criteria my lead to earlier diagnoses of AE. Early treatment of AE patients with voriconazole in combination with other antifungal agents may be possible based on the previously mentioned criteria, which may facilitate better patient outcomes.</p></div

Significant multivariate predictors of <i>Aspergillus</i> versus non-fungal IE.

<p>Significant multivariate predictors of <i>Aspergillus</i> versus non-fungal IE.</p

Transthoracic echocardiography showing a metallic aortic prosthesis with an aortic root abscess complicated by a fistula to the left atrium.

<p>Transthoracic echocardiography showing a metallic aortic prosthesis with an aortic root abscess complicated by a fistula to the left atrium.</p

Multi-slice CT aortography showing an aortic pseudoaneurysm at the site of surgical coarctation repair in a 6-year old child.

<p>Multi-slice CT aortography showing an aortic pseudoaneurysm at the site of surgical coarctation repair in a 6-year old child.</p

Antifungal treatment^*.

<p>Antifungal treatment^{<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0201459#t004fn001" target="_blank">*</a>}.</p

Univariate predictors of mortality in Aspergillus IE.

<p>Univariate predictors of mortality in Aspergillus IE.</p