Fault management in an i.c. engine piezoelectric fuel injection system

A piezoelectric injection system 15, eg for a diesel engine, comprises a VDCpower supply 24 for supplying a power circuit 17 provided with a DC-DC converter having high-side and low-side drivers 20, 21 connected at a switching node 22, the drivers being electrically connected to at least a piezoelectric injector 16. The value of an electric parameter representative of the operation the injection system is monitored and compared with a predetermined reference parameter value, and emergency means 32 are activated when the monitored parameter value exceeds the respective reference value. The electric parameter may be the current flowing through the piezoelectric actuator 19 and/or the low-side driver 21, sensed by current sensor 30, or the voltage across the piezoelectric actuator. The emergency means 32 may interrupt the operation of the drivers 20, 21, discharge the piezoelectric injector or disconnect the injector form the power circuit 17

Fault management in an i.c. engine piezoelectric fuel injection system

A piezoelectric injection system 15, eg for a diesel engine, comprises a VDCpower supply 24 for supplying a power circuit 17 provided with a DC-DC converter having high-side and low-side drivers 20, 21 connected at a switching node 22, the drivers being electrically connected to at least a piezoelectric injector 16. The value of an electric parameter representative of the operation the injection system is monitored and compared with a predetermined reference parameter value, and emergency means 32 are activated when the monitored parameter value exceeds the respective reference value. The electric parameter may be the current flowing through the piezoelectric actuator 19 and/or the low-side driver 21, sensed by current sensor 30, or the voltage across the piezoelectric actuator. The emergency means 32 may interrupt the operation of the drivers 20, 21, discharge the piezoelectric injector or disconnect the injector form the power circuit 1

The Importance of Cooperation and Relative's Involvement in Combined Treatment for Eating Disorders: a Case Report

Introduction: The importance of combined treatment of EDs is widely acknowledged. We describe the good outcome of a combined treatment in a 43 year old woman, affected by severe Anorexia Nervosa \u2013 Binge Purging (BMI 9.1), since early adolescence. She sought treatment only after giving birth to her second-born when she became aware of her illness. Despite intensive treatment (as an inpatient in hospitals and specialized rehabilitation centres, and in Day Hospital facilities), her condition gradually worsened, and her personal, social, working and family functioning was severely compromised (Global Assessment of Functioning Scale 35), Methods: A multidisciplinary team including psychiatrist, psychotherapist, family psychotherapist, nutritionist, dietician, nurses was involved in treatment, working together to a common treatment strategy. The Psychiatrists role (psicopharmacology, therapeutic process, helping acknowledging and avoiding manipulation) and the nurses role (establishing a therapeutic relationship with the patient, assisting her during meals and supporting the overall therapeutic process), are discussed. Results: A gradual psychopathologic and somatic improvement occurred across a 12-months period: she spent two months in a Psychiatry ward, four more months in a rehab centre and six months in an ED therapeutic community. She gained weight (BMI 21.4) and regained an excellent personal, social and family functioning. She returned to her husband (they previously separated), and the relationship with her daughters, who previously rejected her, improved (GAF 90). Conclusions: The cooperation of the multidisciplinary equipe and the involvement of the patient\u2019s relatives succeeded in reducing anxiety, depression, dysmorphophobia and interrupting the manipulating attitudes typical of the illness

EPIdemiology of Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) : Study protocol for a multicentre, observational trial

More than 300 million surgical procedures are performed each year. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after major surgery and is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. However, there is a large variation in the incidence of reported AKI rates. The establishment of an accurate epidemiology of surgery-associated AKI is important for healthcare policy, quality initiatives, clinical trials, as well as for improving guidelines. The objective of the Epidemiology of Surgery-associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) trial is to prospectively evaluate the epidemiology of AKI after major surgery using the latest Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) consensus definition of AKI. EPIS-AKI is an international prospective, observational, multicentre cohort study including 10 000 patients undergoing major surgery who are subsequently admitted to the ICU or a similar high dependency unit. The primary endpoint is the incidence of AKI within 72 hours after surgery according to the KDIGO criteria. Secondary endpoints include use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality during ICU and hospital stay, length of ICU and hospital stay and major adverse kidney events (combined endpoint consisting of persistent renal dysfunction, RRT and mortality) at day 90. Further, we will evaluate preoperative and intraoperative risk factors affecting the incidence of postoperative AKI. In an add-on analysis, we will assess urinary biomarkers for early detection of AKI. EPIS-AKI has been approved by the leading Ethics Committee of the Medical Council North Rhine-Westphalia, of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University Münster and the corresponding Ethics Committee at each participating site. Results will be disseminated widely and published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences and used to design further AKI-related trials. Trial registration number NCT04165369

A Novel Mixed Planar litz Transformer for high frequency active clamp flyback converters

This paper proposes an innovative transformer for high frequency flyback converters, especially suited for GaN-based active clamp flyback converters. The proposed construction uses both planar litz and traditional windings to minimize the total losses of the transformer considering the current and the magnetic field present in each winding section. A 60 W active-clamp flyback wallcharger for the USB-C specification is designed and tested with the proposed method. Experimental results demonstrate the validity of the new technique by the comparison with a traditional planar solution applied to the same converter

Debating the Indo-Pacific Regional Construct

BOOK REVIE

EPIdemiology of Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI): Study protocol for a multicentre, observational trial

Introduction More than 300 million surgical procedures are performed each year. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after major surgery and is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. However, there is a large variation in the incidence of reported AKI rates. The establishment of an accurate epidemiology of surgery-associated AKI is important for healthcare policy, quality initiatives, clinical trials, as well as for improving guidelines. The objective of the Epidemiology of Surgery-associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) trial is to prospectively evaluate the epidemiology of AKI after major surgery using the latest Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) consensus definition of AKI. Methods and analysis EPIS-AKI is an international prospective, observational, multicentre cohort study including 10 000 patients undergoing major surgery who are subsequently admitted to the ICU or a similar high dependency unit. The primary endpoint is the incidence of AKI within 72 hours after surgery according to the KDIGO criteria. Secondary endpoints include use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality during ICU and hospital stay, length of ICU and hospital stay and major adverse kidney events (combined endpoint consisting of persistent renal dysfunction, RRT and mortality) at day 90. Further, we will evaluate preoperative and intraoperative risk factors affecting the incidence of postoperative AKI. In an add-on analysis, we will assess urinary biomarkers for early detection of AKI. Ethics and dissemination EPIS-AKI has been approved by the leading Ethics Committee of the Medical Council North Rhine-Westphalia, of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University Münster and the corresponding Ethics Committee at each participating site. Results will be disseminated widely and published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences and used to design further AKI-related trials. Trial registration number NCT04165369.