A flexible AC distribution system device for a microgrid

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Smart distribution network device for microgrid applications

This paper focuses on the design of a smart distribution network device for improving the power quality and reliability of the overall power distribution system that the microgrid is connected to. The control design employs a newly developed Model Predictive Control algorithm which optimizes the steady-state and the transient control problems separately to achieve a faster computational time for large power systems. Kalman filters are also employed as state observers to identify the required signals needed for monitoring purposes as well as to extract the harmonic spectra of the grid voltage and the load currents. The design concept is verified through different test case scenarios to demonstrate the capability of the proposed device and the results obtained are discussed. © 2012 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Coordinated control and energy management of distributed generation inverters in a microgrid

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Population-based incidence of community-acquired pneumonia hospitalization in Hong Kong children younger than 5 years before universal conjugate pneumococcal immunization

Objectives: We sought to document the incidence of pediatric hospitalization for bacterial pneumonia before universal childhood conjugate pneumococcal vaccination using two different methods of diagnosis. Methods: By following the World Health Organization (WHO) chest radiography (CXR) protocol, two radiologists independently read the CXRs of a cohort of systematically recruited children younger than 5 years. The children had acute respiratory infections and were admitted to one of two hospitals that care for 72.5% of all pediatric admissions on Hong Kong Island. Medical records were reviewed for clinical manifestation and to identify bacterial pneumonia diagnosed by pediatricians. Results: In children younger than 5 years, the incidences of bacterial pneumonia, as diagnosed by pediatricians and by the WHO CXR standard, were 775.7 per 100,000 population [95% confidence interval (CI, 591.8-998.3)] and 439.5 per 100,000 population (95% CI, 304.6-614.5), respectively. The study period was from 2002 to 2004. Conclusion: This study provided a reliable baseline estimate of the hospitalization burden of pneumococcal pneumonia in Hong Kong children before the advent of universal conjugate pneumococcal vaccination. © 2014

Surgical wound infection

Objective. To review the risk factors for surgical would infection; the use of prophylactic antibiotics in the prevention of wound infection; and the benefits of wound surveillance programmes to reduce the rate of surgical wound infection. Data sources. Medline literature search and review of published work on surgical wound infection, and the references cited in them. Study selection. Critical studies containing supporting evidence were selected. Data extraction. Data were extracted independently by multiple observers. Data synthesis. Factors that effect the susceptibility of a wound to infection include a pre-existing illness, the duration of the operative procedure, wound contamination, three or more diagnoses at the time of discharge, and abdominal operations. Antibiotic prophylaxis can decrease postoperative morbidity, shorten hospital stay, and reduce overall costs attributable to infection; the choice of antibiotic depends on the would class. Wound surveillance can also decrease wound infection rates. Conclusion. Surgical wound infections are common and consume a considerable portion of health care finances. A reduction in the infection rate to a minimal level, however, can be achieved by the judicious use of antibiotic prophylaxis and the use of an organised system of wound surveillance and reporting.published_or_final_versio

Susceptibility of the optic nerve and the involvement of retrograde neuronal degeneration in a delayed radiation induced injury model: evidence from a diffusion tensor imaging study

Animal Models of White Matter Disease & Neurodegeneration: No. 469In the present study, we evaluated changes of multiple white matter tracts following radiation using diffusion tensor imaging. A novel finding of severe changes in FA in the contralateral optic nerve as compared to the ipsilateral optic nerve was observed, and these changes were confirmed by histological evaluation. These findings cannot be explained by difference in radiation dose and suggests, for the first time, an important role of retrograde neuronal degeneration in the underlying mechanism for radiation induced injury to the visual pathway. The results also suggest susceptibility of the optic nerve relative to the cerebral peduncle.postprin

Minimal intervention for controlling nosocomial transmission of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in resource limited setting with high endemicity

Objective: To control nosocomial transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in resource-limited healthcare setting with high endemicity. Methods: Three phases of infection control interventions were implemented in a University-affiliated hospital between 1- January-2004 and 31-December-2012. The first phase of baseline period, defined as the first 48-months of the study period, when all MRSA patients were managed with standard precautions, followed by a second phase of 24-months, when a hospital-wide hand hygiene campaign was launched. In the third phase of 36-months, contact precautions in open cubicle, use of dedicated medical items, and 2% chlorhexidine gluconate daily bathing for MRSA-positive patients were implemented while hand hygiene campaign was continued. The changes in the incidence rates of hospital-acquired MRSA-per- 1000-patient admissions, per-1000-patient-days, and per-1000-MRSA-positive-days were analyzed using segmented Poisson regression (an interrupted time series model). Usage density of broad-spectrum antibiotics was monitored. Results: During the study period, 4256 MRSA-positive patients were newly diagnosed, of which 1589 (37.3%) were hospitalacquired. The reduction of hospital-acquired MRSA per 1000-patient admissions, per 1000-patient-days, and per 1000- MRSA-positive-days from phase 1 to 2 was 36.3% (p<0.001), 30.4% (p<0.001), and 19.6% (p = 0.040), while the reduction of hospital-acquired MRSA per 1000-patient admissions, per 1000-patient-days, and per 1000-MRSA-positive-days from phase 2 to 3 was 27.4% (p<0.001), 24.1% (p<0.001), and 21.9% (p = 0.041) respectively. This reduction is sustained despite that the usage density of broad-spectrum antibiotics has increased from 132.02 (phase 1) to 168.99 per 1000 patient-days (phase 3). Conclusions: Nosocomial transmission of MRSA can be reduced with hand hygiene campaign, contact precautions in open cubicle, and 2% chlorhexidine gluconate daily bathing for MRSA-positive despite an increasing consumption of broadspectrum antibiotics. © 2014 Cheng et al.published_or_final_versio

Emergence of Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in Nursing Homes With High Background Rates of MRSA Colonization

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A novel risk factor associated with colonization by Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae: Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors in addition to Antimicrobial Treatment

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Offspring Production among the Extended Relatives of Samoan Men and Fa'afafine

Androphilia refers to sexual attraction to adult males, whereas gynephilia refers to sexual attraction to adult females. Male androphilia is an evolutionary paradox. Its development is at least partially influenced by genetic factors, yet male androphiles exhibit lower reproductive output, thus raising the question of how genetic factors underlying its development persist. The sexual antagonism hypothesis posits that the fitness costs associated with genetic factors underlying male androphilia are offset because these same factors lead to elevated reproduction on the part of the female relatives of androphilic males. Western samples drawn from low fertility populations have yielded inconsistent results when testing this hypothesis. Some studies documented elevated reproduction among the matrilineal female kin of androphilic males, whereas others found such effects in the paternal line. Samoa is a high-fertility population in which individuals reproduce closer to their maximum capacities. This study compared the reproductive output of the paternal and maternal line grandmothers, aunts, and uncles of 86 Samoan androphilic males, known locally as fa'afafine, and 86 Samoan gynephilic males. Reproductive output was elevated in the paternal and maternal line grandmothers, but not aunts or uncles, of fa'afafine. These findings are consistent with the sexual antagonism hypothesis and suggest that male androphilia is associated with elevated reproduction among extended relatives in both the maternal and paternal line. Discussion focuses on how this study, in conjunction with the broader literature, informs various models for the evolution of male androphilia via elevated reproduction on the part of female kin