DC-Voltage-Ratio Control Strategy for Multilevel Cascaded Converters Fed With a Single DC Source

Recently, a multilevel cascaded converter fed with a single DC source has been presented. An analysis of the steady-state working limits of this type of converter is presented in this paper. Limits of the maximum output voltage and the minimum and maximum loading conditions for stable operation of the converter are addressed. In this paper, a way to achieve any DC voltage ratio (inside the stable operation area of the converter) between the H-bridges of the single-DC-source cascaded H-bridge converter is presented. The proposed DC-voltage-ratio control is based on a time-domain modulation strategy that avoids the use of inappropriate states to achieve the DC-voltage-ratio control. The proposed technique is a feedforward-modulation technique which takes into account the actual DC voltage of each H-bridge of the converter, leading to output waveforms with low distortion. In this way, the dc voltage of the floating H-bridge can be controlled while the output voltage has low distortion independently of the desired DC voltage ratio. Experimental results from a two-cell cascaded converter are presented in order to validate the proposed DC-voltage-ratio control strategy and the introduced concepts.Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología TEC2006-03863Junta de Andalucía EXC/2005/TIC-117

Validation of the Satisfaction Scale of Basic Psychological Needs in Physical Education with the Incorporation of the Novelty in the Spanish Context

The purpose of the study was to validate to the physical education context, the Spanish version of the Scale of the Satisfaction of Psychological Needs toward the Physical Education classes of Menéndez and Fernández-Rio, with the incorporation of the novelty, since they contemplated its inclusion. In this study, 1444 students participated (mean = 15.34, standard deviation = 1.12) from several schools in Almeria. To analyze the psychometric properties of the scale, several analyses were carried out. The results offered support for both the four-factor structure and the higher-order model called satisfaction. The analysis of invariance with respect to gender showed that the factor structure of the questionnaire was invariant. The Cronbach alpha values were higher than 0.70 in the subscales. The results of this study demonstrated the reliability and validity of the Scale of the Satisfaction of Psychological Needs, with the incorporation of novelty in the Spanish context of Physical Education

Selective Harmonic Mitigation Technique for Cascaded H-Bridge Converters With Nonequal DC Link Voltages

Multilevel converters have received increased interest recently as a result of their ability to generate high quality output waveforms with a low switching frequency. This makes them very attractive for high power applications. A Cascaded HBridge converter is a multilevel topology which is formed from the series connection of H-Bridge cells. Optimized pulse width modulation techniques such as Selective Harmonic Elimination (SHE-PWM) or Selective Harmonic Mitigation (SHM-PWM) are capable of pre-programming the harmonic profile of the output waveform over a range of modulation indices. Such modulation methods may however not perform optimally if the DC links of the Cascaded H-Bridge Converter are not balanced. This paper presents a new SHM-PWM control strategy which is capable of meeting grid codes even under non-equal DC link voltages. The method is based on the interpolation of different sets of angles obtained for specific situations of imbalance. Both simulation and experimental results are presented to validate the proposed control method

Recovery of betulinic acid from plane tree (Platanus acerifolia L.)

Betulinic acid (3β, hydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid) is a bioactive triterpenic acid which was identified in various botanical sources and in considerable amounts in the bark of plane tree (Platanus acerifolia L.). In this work, the recovery of betulinic acid from plane tree bark was studied using different liquid solvent based extraction methods, namely solid-liquid extraction (SLE), ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). Furthermore, preliminary studies of the supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of plane tree bark are also reported. The liquid solvent based extraction techniques (SLE, UAE and PLE) were carried out using ethanol and ethyl acetate, and produced a recovery of betulinic acid in the range 10-15 mg/g of bark, with concentrations around 25-35% mass. A betulinic acid enrichment in the ethanolic extracts was possible by means of a simple precipitation step adding water. The precipitate contained 42-46% mass of betulinic acid and high recovery (>95%). Increasing the extraction temperature, by means of the PLE assays, has not resulted in an improvement of betulinic acid recovery. The preliminary SFE assays produced lower recoveries of betulinic acid (0.5-8 mg/g) with respect to liquid extraction. The addition of ethanol as cosolvent produced a significant improvement of both betulinic acid recovery and concentration in the SFE extract.This work has been supported by project ALIBIRD-S2009/AGR-1469 from Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid. López-Padilla A. thanks to COLCIENCIAS (568–2012) and Medellin Mayor's Office (Sapiencia/Enlaza Mundos Program, 2013) for the Ph.D. fellowship.Peer Reviewe

Microrna-21 and colorectal cancer

Introducción. Los microRNAs son estructuras moleculares con actividad post-transcripcional que están implicados en la regulación de la expresión genética. Diversos estudios ponen de manifiesto la participación de los microRNAs con distintas funciones fisiológicas, así como con el proceso de la oncogénesis. La expresión de los microRNAs puede verse alterada en las neoplasias por su interacción bien con los genes supresores de tumores, bien con los oncogenes. Discusión. Llevamos a cabo una revisión de la literatura sobre el microRNA-21, poniendo de manifiesto la evidencia existente entre el microRNA-21 y la enfermedad neoplásica, de forma especial con el cáncer colorrectal. Conclusiones. El estado actual de los microRNAs hace necesario continuar con la investigación existente entre la etiopatogenia de las neoplasias y los microRNAs. El conocimiento de la verdadera implicación de los microRNAs en la fisiopatología de la enfermedad neoplásica, permitirá ampliar las supuestas aplicaciones clínicas del miR-21 no sólo a la determinación del pronóstico del cáncer colorrectal, sino también desde el punto de vista diagnóstico al poder diferenciar las lesiones de la mucosa colónicaIntroduction. MicroRNAs are molecular structures with post-transcriptional activity, involved in the gene expression regulation. Several studies have demonstrated the involvement of microRNAs in different physiological functions, as well as in the oncogenesis process. The expression of microRNAs may be altered in the tumors by either interaction with tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes. Discussion. A review of the medical literature on microRNA-21 has been conducted, showing the evidence between microRNA-21 and neoplastic disease, specially with colorectal cancer. Conclusion. The current status of microRNAs makes necessary to continue the investigation of the pathogenesis of cancer and microRNAs. The knowledge of the involvement of microRNAs in the pathophysiology of neoplastic disease, will allow to extend the supposed clinical applications of miR-21 not only to the determination of the prognosis of colorectal cancer, but also for the differential diagnosis of processes of colonic mucosa

Diseño de filtros de canal elípticos y autoEcualizados en banda Ka implementados en guía rectangular plano H

En esta comunicación se presenta un proceso sistemático de diseño de filtros de canal elípticos y autoecualizados en guía de onda rectangular y configuración plano-H en banda Ka. Se pretende desarrollar una alternativa a la configuración clásica dual-mode en guía de onda circular, con el objetivo de abaratar el coste y simplificar el proceso de producción. Para validar la metodología presentada se ha diseñado, fabricado y medido un filtro de orden seis con dos ceros de transmisión a frecuencias finitas para mejorar el rechazo y dos ceros de ecualización para el retardo de grupo. Los resultados experimentales validan el método propuesto

The diagnosis of hereditary angioedema: family caregivers’ experiences

The aim of this study was to understand the experiences of family caregivers in the process of diagnosing hereditary angioedema. An interpretive and qualitative research methodology based on Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics was carried out. Data collection took place between May 2015 and August 2016 and included a focus group and in-depth interviews with 16 family caregivers. Two themes define the experiences of family caregivers: “Family life focuses on identifying the problem” and “Discovering and coping with a complex diagnosis.” The process of diagnosis generates fear, anxiety, uncertainty, and incomprehension. Family caregivers are the main support for patients diagnosed with hereditary angioedema. As they share in the patients’ suffering, they need a diagnosis to be established to be able to cope with the disease and offer support. Family health nurses can contribute to improving the coping process in this phase of the disease

Design and Analysis of Cognitive Interviews for Comparative Multinational Testing

This article summarizes the work of the Comparative Cognitive Testing Workgroup, an international coalition of survey methodologists interested in developing an evidence-based methodology for examining the comparability of survey questions within cross-cultural or multinational contexts. To meet this objective, it was necessary to ensure that the cognitive interviewing (CI) method itself did not introduce method bias. Therefore, the workgroup first identified specific characteristics inherent in CI methodology that could undermine the comparability of CI evidence. The group then developed and implemented a protocol addressing those issues. In total, 135 cognitive interviews were conducted by participating countries. Through the process, the group identified various interpretive patterns resulting from sociocultural and language-related differences among countries as well as other patterns of error that would impede comparability of survey data

Fuzzy PD+I Embedded Control System for a Multi-Phase DC-DC Bidirectional Converter

[EN] In this work is presented the design of a Fuzzy PD+I control system applied to the voltage control of a multi-phase DC-DC power electronic converter. The fuzzy controller has two inputs. The first input, named Error, is the difference between the desired voltage value in the output of the converter and the measured voltage at this particular point; the second input is defined by the changes in the measured voltage of the converter. The control system is embedded in the NI myRIO-1900 development kit, using LabVIEW as programming software employing the embedded system for experimental tests with a prototype of the converter. This control system allows the stabilization of the converter in the buck and boost operation modes, showing an appropriate behavior at the startup and under resistive load changes, presenting acceptable times for DC microgrids future applications while connecting the DC bus with supercapacitors or a battery bank.[ES] En este trabajo se presenta el diseño de un sistema de control difuso PD+I embebido aplicado en el control de voltaje de un convertidor electrónico de potencia bidireccional multi-fase CD-CD. El controlador difuso cuenta con dos entradas, la primera se le denomina Error y es la diferencia entre el valor de voltaje deseado en la salida del convertidor y el voltaje medido en la salida del mismo; la segunda entrada es definida por las variaciones en el voltaje medido. La salida del controlador difuso define las variaciones en el ciclo de trabajo de los interruptores de potencia que controlan el convertidor. El sistema de control difuso se embebió en la tarjeta de desarrollo NI myRIO-1900 utilizando como software de programación LabVIEW, empleando el sistema embebido para realizar pruebas experimentales con el prototipo del convertidor. Con este sistema de control de voltaje se logra estabilizar el convertidor en los modos de operación reductor y elevador, demostrando un adecuado comportamiento del convertidor en el arranque y ante cambios de carga resistiva, manteniendo tiempos aceptables para aplicaciones futuras en micro-redes de CD conectando el bus de CD con un banco de super-capacitores o un banco de baterías.Martínez Nolasco, JJ.; Rodríguez, E.; Rodríguez, H.; Morfin, J.; Padilla, A. (2018). Fuzzy PD+I Embedded Control System for a Multi-Phase DC-DC Bidirectional Converter. Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática industrial. 15(4):457-466. https://doi.org/10.4995/riai.2018.8721OJS457466154Baek J. B., Choi, W. I., Cho, B. H., 2013. 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