Direct flux and current vector control for induction motor drives using model predictive control theory

The study presents the direct flux and current vector control of an induction motor (IM) drive, which is a relatively newer and promising control strategy, through the use of model predictive control (MPC) techniques. The results highlight that the fast flux control nature of direct flux control strategy is further enhanced by MPC. Predictive control is applied in two of its variants, namely the finite control set and modulated MPC, and the advantages and limitations of the two are underlined. This work also highlights, through experimental results, the importance of prioritising the flux part of the cost function which is particularly significant in the case of an IM drive. The performance of the MPC-based approach is compared with the proportional-integral controller, which also prioritises the flux control loop, under various operating regions of the drive such as in the flux-weakening regime. Simulations show the performance expected with different control strategies which is then verified through experiments

Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy is a Safe and Effective Bariatric Procedure for the Lower BMI (35.0–43.0 kg/m2) Population

# The Author(s) 2010. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Background The laparoscopic vertical sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is derived from the biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch operation (Marceau et al., Obes Surg 3:29

Male breast cancer

Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease representing less than 1% of all breast cancers (BC) and less than 1% of cancers in men. Age at presentation is mostly in the late 60s. MBC is recognized as an estrogen-driven disease, specifically related to hyperestrogenism. About 20% of MBC patients have family history for BC. Mutations in BRCA1 and, predominantly, BRCA2, account for approximately 10% of MBC cases. Because of its rarity, MBC is often compared with female BC (FBC). Based on age-frequency distribution, age-specific incidence rate patterns and prognostic factors profiles, MBC is considered similar to late-onset, postmenopausal estrogen/progesterone receptor positive (ER+/PR+) FBC. However, clinical and pathological characteristics of MBC do not exactly overlap FBC. Compared with FBC, MBC has been reported to occur later in life, present at a higher stage, and display lower histologic grade, with a higher proportion of ER+ and PR+ tumors. Although rare, MBC remains a substantial cause for morbidity and mortality in men, probably because of its occurrence in advanced age and delayed diagnosis. Diagnosis and treatment of MBC generally is similar to that of FBC. Men tend to be treated with mastectomy rather than breast-conserving surgery. The backbone of adjuvant therapy or palliative treatment for advanced disease is endocrine, mostly tamoxifen. Use of FBC-based therapy led to the observation that treatment outcomes for MBC are worse and that survival rates for MBC do not improve like FBC. These different outcomes may suggest a non-appropriate utilization of treatments and that different underlying pathogenetic mechanisms may exist between male and female BC

Developing an online predictor to predict product sulfur concentration for HDS unit

Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is an important process in refining industries. Advanced control system (e.g. model predictive controller) requires on-line measurement of the product sulfur at the reactor outlet. However, most HDS processes do not have a sulfur analyzer at the reactor outlet. In order to predict product sulfur concentration usually a data based sulfur predictor is developed. Performance of data based predictor is usually poor since some of the input parameters (e.g. feed sulfur concentration) are unknown. The objective of this thesis is to overcome these limitations of data based predictors and develop an online product sulfur predictor for HDS unit. In this thesis, a hybrid model is proposed, developed and validated (using industrial data), which could predict product sulfur concentration for online HDS system. The proposed hybrid structure is a combination of a reaction kinetics based HDS reactor model and an empirical model based on support vector regression (SVR). The mechanistic model runs in off-line mode to estimate the feed sulfur concentration while the data based model uses the estimated feed sulfur concentration and other process variables to predict the product sulfur concentration. The predicted sulfur concentration can be compared with the lab measurements or sulfur analyzer located further downstream of the process at the tankage. In case there is a large discrepancy, the predictor goes to a calibration mode and uses the mechanistic model to re-estimate the feed sulfur concentration. The detailed logic for the online prediction is also developed. Finally a Matlab based Graphical User Interface (GUI) has been developed for the hybrid sulfur predictor for easy implementation to any HDS process

A patient-driven registry on Behçet’s disease: the AIDA for patients pilot project

IntroductionThis paper describes the creation and preliminary results of a patient-driven registry for the collection of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and patient-reported experiences (PREs) in Behcet's disease (BD). MethodsThe project was coordinated by the University of Siena and the Italian patient advocacy organization SIMBA (Associazione Italiana Sindrome e Malattia di Behcet), in the context of the AIDA (AutoInflammatory Diseases Alliance) Network programme. Quality of life, fatigue, socioeconomic impact of the disease and therapeutic adherence were selected as core domains to include in the registry. ResultsRespondents were reached via SIMBA communication channels in 167 cases (83.5%) and the AIDA Network affiliated clinical centers in 33 cases (16.5%). The median value of the Behcet's Disease Quality of Life (BDQoL) score was 14 (IQR 11, range 0-30), indicating a medium quality of life, and the median Global Fatigue Index (GFI) was 38.7 (IQR 10.9, range 1-50), expressing a significant level of fatigue. The mean Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) necessity-concern differential was 0.9 & PLUSMN; 1.1 (range - 1.8-4), showing that the registry participants prioritized necessity belief over concerns to a limited extent. As for the socioeconomic impact of BD, in 104 out of 187 cases (55.6%), patients had to pay from their own pocket for medical exams required to reach the diagnosis. The low family socioeconomic status (p < 0.001), the presence of any major organ involvement (p < 0.031), the presence of gastro-intestinal (p < 0.001), neurological (p = 0.012) and musculoskeletal (p = 0.022) symptoms, recurrent fever (p = 0.002), and headache (p < 0.001) were associated to a higher number of accesses to the healthcare system. Multiple linear regression showed that the BDQoL score could significantly predict the global socioeconomic impact of BD (F = 14.519, OR 1.162 [CI 0.557-1.766], p < 0.001). DiscussionPreliminary results from the AIDA for Patients BD registry were consistent with data available in the literature, confirming that PROs and PREs could be easily provided by the patient remotely to integrate physician-driven registries with complementary and reliable information

Inhibition of RNA Recruitment and Replication of an RNA Virus by Acridine Derivatives with Known Anti-Prion Activities

Small molecule inhibitors of RNA virus replication are potent antiviral drugs and useful to dissect selected steps in the replication process. To identify antiviral compounds against Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV), a model positive stranded RNA virus, we tested acridine derivatives, such as chlorpromazine (CPZ) and quinacrine (QC), which are active against prion-based diseases.Here, we report that CPZ and QC compounds inhibited TBSV RNA accumulation in plants and in protoplasts. In vitro assays revealed that the inhibitory effects of these compounds were manifested at different steps of TBSV replication. QC was shown to have an effect on multiple steps, including: (i) inhibition of the selective binding of the p33 replication protein to the viral RNA template, which is required for recruitment of viral RNA for replication; (ii) reduction of minus-strand synthesis by the tombusvirus replicase; and (iii) inhibition of translation of the uncapped TBSV genomic RNA. In contrast, CPZ was shown to inhibit the in vitro assembly of the TBSV replicase, likely due to binding of CPZ to intracellular membranes, which are important for RNA virus replication.Since we found that CPZ was also an effective inhibitor of other plant viruses, including Tobacco mosaic virus and Turnip crinkle virus, it seems likely that CPZ has a broad range of antiviral activity. Thus, these inhibitors constitute effective tools to study similarities in replication strategies of various RNA viruses

Clinical and laboratory features associated with macrophage activation syndrome in Still’s disease: data from the international AIDA Network Still’s Disease Registry

To characterize clinical and laboratory signs of patients with Still's disease experiencing macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) and identify factors associated with MAS development. Patients with Still's disease classified according to internationally accepted criteria were enrolled in the AutoInflammatory Disease Alliance (AIDA) Still's Disease Registry. Clinical and laboratory features observed during the inflammatory attack complicated by MAS were included in univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated to MAS development. A total of 414 patients with Still's disease were included; 39 (9.4%) of them developed MAS during clinical history. At univariate analyses, the following variables were significantly associated with MAS: classification of arthritis based on the number of joints involved (p = 0.003), liver involvement (p = 0.04), hepatomegaly (p = 0.02), hepatic failure (p = 0.01), axillary lymphadenopathy (p = 0.04), pneumonia (p = 0.03), acute respiratory distress syndrome (p < 0.001), platelet abnormalities (p < 0.001), high serum ferritin levels (p = 0.009), abnormal liver function tests (p = 0.009), hypoalbuminemia (p = 0.002), increased LDH (p = 0.001), and LDH serum levels (p < 0.001). At multivariate analysis, hepatomegaly (OR 8.7, 95% CI 1.9-52.6, p = 0.007) and monoarthritis (OR 15.8, 95% CI 2.9-97.1, p = 0.001), were directly associated with MAS, while the decade of life at Still's disease onset (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4-0.9, p = 0.045), a normal platelet count (OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.01-0.8, p = 0.034) or thrombocytosis (OR 0.01, 95% CI 0.0-0.2, p = 0.008) resulted to be protective. Clinical and laboratory factors associated with MAS development have been identified in a large cohort of patients based on real-life data. © 2023, The Author(s)

Androgens and the breast

Androgens have important physiological effects in women while at the same time they may be implicated in breast cancer pathologies. However, data on the effects of androgens on mammary epithelial proliferation and/or breast cancer incidence are not in full agreement. We performed a literature review evaluating current clinical, genetic and epidemiological data regarding the role of androgens in mammary growth and neoplasia. Epidemiological studies appear to have significant methodological limitations and thus provide inconclusive results. The study of molecular defects involving androgenic pathways in breast cancer is still in its infancy. Clinical and nonhuman primate studies suggest that androgens inhibit mammary epithelial proliferation and breast growth while conventional estrogen treatment suppresses endogenous androgens. Abundant clinical evidence suggests that androgens normally inhibit mammary epithelial proliferation and breast growth. Suppression of androgens using conventional estrogen treatment may thus enhance estrogenic breast stimulation and possibly breast cancer risk. Addition of testosterone to the usual hormone therapy regimen may diminish the estrogen/progestin increase in breast cancer risk but the impact of this combined use on mammary gland homeostasis still needs evaluation

Acetate Causes Alcohol Hangover Headache in Rats

Background: The mechanism of veisalgia cephalgia or hangover headache is unknown. Despite a lack of mechanistic studies, there are a number of theories positing congeners, dehydration, or the ethanol metabolite acetaldehyde as causes of hangover headache. Methods: We used a chronic headache model to examine how pure ethanol produces increased sensitivity for nociceptive behaviors in normally hydrated rats. Results: Ethanol initially decreased sensitivity to mechanical stimuli on the face (analgesia), followed 4 to 6 hours later by inflammatory pain. Inhibiting alcohol dehydrogenase extended the analgesia whereas inhibiting aldehyde dehydrogenase decreased analgesia. Neither treatment had nociceptive effects. Direct administration of acetate increased nociceptive behaviors suggesting that acetate, not acetaldehyde, accumulation results in hangover-like hypersensitivity in our model. Since adenosine accumulation is a result of acetate formation, we administered an adenosine antagonist that blocked hypersensitivity. Discussion: Our study shows that acetate contributes to hangover headache. These findings provide insight into the mechanism of hangover headache and the mechanism of headache induction