A Protocol for Space Charge Measurements in Full-size HVDC Extruded Cables

This position paper, prepared by the IEEE DEIS HVDC Cable Systems Technical Committee, illustrates a protocol recommended for the measurement of space charges in full-size HVDC extruded cables during load cycle qualification tests (either prequalification load cycles or type test load cycles). The protocol accounts for the experimental practices of space charge measurements in the thick insulation of coaxial cables in terms of poling time, depolarization time, heating and cooling of specimens, as well as for the experience gained very recently from such kind of measurements performed in the framework of qualification tests relevant to ongoing HVDC cable system projects. The goal of the protocol is not checking the compliance with any maximum acceptable limit of either space charge or electric field. Rather, this protocol aims at assessing the variation of the electric field profile in the cable insulation wall during poling time at the beginning and at the end of load cycle qualification tests for full-size HVDC extruded cables. Indeed, in the design stage the electric field distributions are determined by the cable geometry and by temperature gradient in the insulation. Thus, the design is based on macroscopic parameters conductivity and permittivity and how they depend upon temperature. Any disturbance of the electric field due to space charge accumulation will only be revealed during space charge measurements either in as-manufactured state or in the aged state after load cycle qualification tests

The Insulation of HVDC Extruded Cable System Joints. Part 1: Review of Materials, Design and Testing Procedures

This position paper by the DEIS HVDC Cable Systems Technical Committee provides a review of existing diagnostic electrical and dielectric techniques for testing the insulation of polymeric extruded HVDC cable joints in the present Part 1. Here, the state of the art on the insulation of HVDC extruded cable system joints is covered with reference to types, design and testing techniques. This helps to identify routine tests as the first target for the onset of new testing procedures, AC-PD measurements as the readily-available measurement from manufacturers' practices for quality control of the insulation of accessories during routine tests and VHF/UHF wireless sensors as the best tool for performing such measurements on joints in the noisy factory environment. Thereby, a novel protocol for the measurement of partial discharges using AC voltages and VHF/UHF sensors, for quality control during routine tests on such joints, is derived in the next Part 2. This protocol is the main novelty of this investigation

The Insulation of HVDC Extruded Cable System Joints. Part 2: Proposal of a New AC Voltage PD Measurement Protocol for Quality Control during Routine Tests

The review of materials, design and testing of joints for HVDC extruded cable systems provided in previous Part 1 paved the way to this Part 2 position paper by the DEIS HVDC Cable Systems Technical Committee, whose aim is to remedy the scarcity of existing standardized tests on joints. After a sound analysis, here routine tests are identified as the first practical target for the onset of new testing procedures, AC-PD measurements as the readily-available measurement from manufacturers’ experience for quality control of joints during routine tests and VHF/UHF wireless sensors as the best tool for such measurements in the noisy environment of factories. Thereby, a novel protocol for PD measurement using AC voltages and VHF/UHF electromagnetic sensors, for quality control during routine tests on HVDC extruded joints, is proposed

Impact of extra-corporeal life support (ECLS) cannulation strategy on outcome after durable mechanical circulation support system implantation on behalf of durable MCS after ECLS Study Group

Background: The literature on outcomes of patients requiring durable mechanical circulatory support (MCS) after extra-corporeal life support (ECLS) is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of preoperative ECLS cannulation on postoperative outcome after durable MCS implantation. Methods: The durable MCS after ECLS registry is a multicenter retrospective study that gathered data on consecutive patients who underwent durable MCS implantation after ECLS between January 2010 and August 2018 in eleven high volume European centers. Patients who underwent the implantation of total artificial heart, pulsatile pumps, or first-generation pumps after ECLS were excluded from the analysis. The remaining patients were divided into two groups; central ECLS group (cECLS) and peripheral ECLS group (pECLS). A 1:1 propensity score analysis was performed to identify two matched groups. The outcome of these two groups was compared. Results: A total of 531 durable MCS after ECLS were implanted during this period. The ECLS cannulation site was peripheral in 87% (n=462) and central in 13% (n=69) of the patients. After excluding pulsatile pumps and total artificial heart patients, a total of 494 patients remained (pECLS =434 patients, cECLS =60 patients). A 1:1 propensity score analysis resulted in 2 matched groups (each 55 patients) with median age of 54 years (48-60 years) in cECLS group and 54 years (43-60 years) in pECLS group. HeartWare HVAD (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN) was implanted in the majority of the patients (cECLS =71% vs. pECLS =76%, P=0.67). All postoperative morbidities were comparable between the groups. The thirty-day, one year and long-term survival was comparable between the groups (P=0.73). Conclusions: The cannulation strategy of ECLS appears to have no impact on the post-operative outcome after durable MCS implantation

Lung Function after the Minimal Invasive Pectus Excavatum Repair (Nuss Procedure)

Background The Nuss procedure was introduced at our center in 1999. The operation was mainly performed for cosmesis. Little information is available regarding the influence of this operation on lung function. Methods The aim of this study, a prospective analysis, was to analyze the effect of the Nuss procedure on lung function variables. Between 1999 and 2007 a total of 203 patients with pectus excavatum were treated with the Nuss procedure, of whom 145 (104 male, 41 female) were located at Emma Children’s Hospital. In the latter subset of consecutive patients, static lung function variables [total lung capacity (TLC), functional residual capacity (FRC), vital capacity (VC)] and dynamic lung function variables [forced expired volume in 1 s (FEV1), maximum expiratory flow (MEF50)] were performed using spirometry and body box measurements at four time points: prior to operation Some of these data were presented at the International Surgical Week

Risk Assessment After a Severe Hospital-Acquired Infection Associated With Carbapenemase-Producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa

__Importance:__ Resistance of gram-negative bacilli to carbapenems is rapidly emerging worldwide. In 2016, the World Health Organization defined the hospital-built environment as a core component of infection prevention and control programs. The hospital-built environment has recently been reported as a source for outbreaks and sporadic transmission events of carbapenemase-producing gram-negative bacilli from the environment to patients. __Objective:__ To assess risk after the identification of an unexpected, severe, and lethal hospital-acquired infection caused by carbapenemase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a carbapenemase-low endemic setting. __Design, Settings, and Participants:__ A case series study in which a risk assessment was performed on all 11 patients admitted to the combined cardiothoracic surg

2019 EACTS Expert Consensus on long-term mechanical circulatory support

Long-term mechanical circulatory support (LT-MCS) is an important treatment modality for patients with severe heart failure. Different devices are available, and many-sometimes contradictory-observations regarding patient selection, surgical techniques, perioperative management and follow-up have been published. With the growing expertise in this field, the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) recognized a need for a structured multidisciplinary consensus about the approach to patients with LT-MCS. However, the evidence published so far is insufficient to allow for generation of meaningful guidelines complying with EACTS requirements. Instead, the EACTS presents an expert opinion in the LT-MCS field. This expert opinion addresses patient evaluation and preoperative optimization as well as management of cardiac and non-cardiac comorbidities. Further, extensive operative implantation techniques are summarized and evaluated by leading experts, depending on both patient characteristics and device selection. The faculty recognized that postoperative management is multidisciplinary and includes aspects of intensive care unit stay, rehabilitation, ambulatory care, myocardial recovery and end-of-life care and mirrored this fact in this paper. Additionally, the opinions of experts on diagnosis and management of adverse events including bleeding, cerebrovascular accidents and device malfunction are presented. In this expert consensus, the evidence for the complete management from patient selection to end-of-life care is carefully reviewed with the aim of guiding clinicians in optimizing management of patients considered for or supported by an LT-MCS device

Rasiowa–Sikorski deduction systems in computer science applications

AbstractA Rasiowa-Sikorski system is a sequence-type formalization of logics. The system uses invertible decomposition rules which decompose a formula into sequences of simpler formulae whose validity is equivalent to validity of the original formula. There may also be expansion rules which close indecomposable sequences under certain properties of relations appearing in the formulae, like symmetry or transitivity. Proofs are finite decomposition trees with leaves having “fundamental”, valid labels. The author describes a general method of applying the R-S formalism to develop complete deduction systems for various brands of C.S and A.I. logic, including a logic for reasoning about relative similarity, a three-valued software specification logic with McCarthy's connectives and Kleene quantifiers, a logic for nondeterministic specifications, many-sorted FOL with possibly empty carriers of some sorts, and a three-valued logic for reasoning about concurrency