IDENTIFICATION OF LINEAR SYSTEMS IN THE PRESENCE OF NONLINEAR DISTORTIONS

A method is presented to measure and identify a linear system in the presence of nonlinear distortions. The method is based on a two-step approach. In the first step the influence of nonlinear systems up to degree 4 is eliminated. In the second step the remaining linear system is identified using a weighted least squares method. The kernel of the proposed technique is the excitation of the system with a pure sinusoid. Special attention is paid to the elimination of higher harmonics in the excitation signal which are due to the nonlinear load of the generator

Fast identification of Wiener-Hammerstein systems using discrete optimisation

A fast identification algorithm for Wiener-Hammerstein systems is proposed. The computational cost of separating the front and the back linear time-invariant (LTI) block dynamics is significantly improved by using discrete optimisation. The discrete optimisation is implemented as a genetic algorithm. Numerical results confirm the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed approach

Candidatus Bartonella mayotimonensis and Endocarditis

We describe a new Bartonella species for which we propose the name Candidatus Bartonella mayotimonensis. It was isolated from native aortic valve tissue of a person with infective endocarditis. The new species was identified by using PCR amplification and sequencing of 5 genes (16S rRNA gene, ftsZ, rpoB, gltA, and internal transcribed spacer region)

Carbapenem Resistance and Acinetobacter baumannii in Senegal: The Paradigm of a Common Phenomenon in Natural Reservoirs

Incidence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is rising in several parts of the world. In Africa, data concerning this species and its resistance to carbapenems are limited. The objective of the present study was to identify the presence of A. baumannii carbapenem-resistant encoding genes in natural reservoirs in Senegal, where antibiotic pressure is believed to be low. From October 2010 to January 2011, 354 human head lice, 717 human fecal samples and 118 animal fecal samples were screened for the presence of A. baumannii by real time PCR targeting blaOXA51-like gene. For all samples positive for A. baumannii, the carbapenemase-hydrolysing oxacillinases blaOXA23-like and blaOXA24-like were searched for and sequenced, and the isolates harbouring an oxacillinase were genotyped using PCR amplification and sequencing of recA gene. The presence of A. baumannii was detected in 4.0% of the head lice, in 5.4% of the human stool samples and in 5.1% of the animal stool samples tested. No blaOXA24 gene was detected but six fecal samples and three lice were positive for blaOXA23-like gene. The blaOXA23-like gene isolated in lice was likely a new oxacillinase sequence. Finally, the A. baumannii detected in stools were all of recA genotype 3 and those detected in lice, of recA genotype 4. This study shows for the first time a reservoir of blaOXA23-like-positive gene in human head lice and stool samples in Senegal

Molecular Basis of NDM-1, a New Antibiotic Resistance Determinant

The New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase (NDM-1) was first reported in 2009 in a Swedish patient. A recent study reported that Klebsiella pneumonia NDM-1 positive strain or Escherichia coli NDM-1 positive strain was highly resistant to all antibiotics tested except tigecycline and colistin. These can no longer be relied on to treat infections and therefore, NDM-1 now becomes potentially a major global health threat

A Call for Action: The Application of the International Health Regulations to the Global Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance

Stephen Harbarth and colleagues argue that the International Health Regulations (IHR) should be applied to the global health threat of antimicrobial resistance