Advanced control methods on three-phase inverters in distributed energy resources

“This research is an endeavor to apply new and well-established control methodologies to improve transient response, stability and reliability of three-phase inverters in grid-connected and isolated mode of operation. In the course of studying the effect of these methodologies, model-based control is introduced and is extensively applied which is relatively a new approach. In addition, the application of this concept has been studied on developing “grid-forming” controls to allow wind and solar inverters to support voltage and frequency levels like traditional generators. This research encloses the details of three major works of this research and their possible contributions on improving the performance of three-phase inverters in gridconnected and isolated mode of operation. The first one employs the concept of adaptive control using multiple models and a hierarchical control approach to smoothly switch between isolated and grid-connected modes of operation. In the second work, the features of the first research work have been applied and more nourished to control a grid-forming unit. The interactions of this grid-supporting converter with a grid- forming unit is the main subject of discussion in this work. The last work applies the concept of internal-model control to introduce a new control methodology in power-synchronization method. This approach has tackled the non-minimum phase issue attributed to power-synchronization methodology and offers a robust solution. Furthermore, in this research, detailed stability analysis of all the proposed control structures have been presented. Along with all simulation verification, FPGA-Based Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) has been utilized to verify the performance of the discrete control structure. The details of plant modeling, controller design, HIL and experimental results are presented for all of the proposed schemes in each section”--Abstract, page iv

Levofloxacin Resistance in Blood and Urine Culture Samples in Khalij Fars Hospital of Bushehr

Background: Due to the broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of Levofloxacin, it has been used widely around the world. Recently, levofloxacin-resistance reports have been published. In this study, we investigated resistance to levofloxacin in positive urine and blood culture samples in Persian Gulf hospital in Bushehr, Iran, during 2015-16. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the selection criteria included all positive urine or blood culture samples in which the amount of the isolated pathogen colony counts were more than 105 . Culture samples were divided into three groups including sensitive, intermediate and resistant; based on bacterial growth around the discs. SPSS version 18.0 was used as the statistical analysis software, and a pvalue of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Culture samples consisted of samples of150 patients including 61 (%40.7) male and 89 (%59.3) female. Mean age of participants was 42.98 ± 29.25. Culture samples consisted of urine (% 50.7) and blood cultures (% 49.3). E.coli was the most common pathogen (% 46) and Klebsiella (% 16.7) was the second common pathogen in all cultures. Regarding the sensitivity to levofloxacin, 119 (% 79.3) samples were sensitive, 22 (% 14.7) cultures had intermediate sensitivity and 9 (%6) samples were resistant to levofloxacin. The only resistant pathogen was E.coli. Conclusion: This study showed that Levofloxacin has a reasonably high efficiency against most of the bacterial pathogens except for the E.coli that showed some resistance. Hence, this antibiotic can still be a considered as a good choice in the treatment of most infections except E.col

The psychological consequences of COVID-19 on children’s world

Dear Editor-in-ChiefThe world’s countries are presently shaken by a novel member of the coronavirus family. Apparently, a very tiny creature has been commissioned to carry out a large mission. This issue causes us to experience a universal life-threatening condition that is changing the life framework for humans. It appears that humans are showing a more real picture of themselves in the current turmoil

The Effect of 8 Weeks of Aerobic Training along with Controlled Diet on Body Composition and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Obese Men

The alteration of food consumption patterns and mechanical life induced the obesity. Therefore, the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases have been increased. The aim of this study was determined the influence of controlled diet and aerobic exercise on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factors in fat men. Forty obese men were divided randomly into four groups of ten people, includes: training (n=10), diet (n=10), training along with diet (n=10), and controls (n=10). Blood samples, height, weight and thickness of subcutaneous fat measured, before, after 4 weeks and at the end of 8 weeks. For the data analyze, the repeated measures ANOVA test was used. The significance level in all tests was (p<0.05. This research showed that, 8 weeks of regular exercise and intervention in diet separately and combinational, caused impressive decreasing in amount of weight and body fat percentage of subjects in comparison with control group. Also 8 weeks of exercise and intervention in diet separately and combinational could decrease the risk of cardiovascular factors in obese men. Overall, the research findings are significant that the aerobic trainings with intervention in diet (combinational) caused the greatest decrease in amount of weight and body fat percentage of subjects and the risk of cardiovascular factors, improved very much, in comparison with using separately

Design of double functionalized carbon nanotube for amphotericin B and genetic material delivery.

In the present work, single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) were successively functionalized with phospholipid DSPE-PEG carboxylic acid, and then, with ethylenediamine (EDA), to obtain double functionalized single wall carbon nanotube (DFSWCNT). Then, DFSWCNT was applied as a carrier for delivering amphotericin B (Amb) and EGFP plasmid. FSWCNT’s concentration obtained via UV–visible analysis was 0.99 mg/mL. The TGA analysis results provided the lost weights of DSPE-PEG-COOH, EDA, Amb and SWCNT impurities. XPS results showed that carbon atoms’ percentage decreased during the functionalization processes from 97.2% (SWCNT) to 76.4% (FSWCNT) and 69.9% (DFSWNCT). Additionally, the oxygen atoms’ percentage increased from 2.3% (SWCNT) to 21% and 22.5% for FSWCNT and DFSWCNT, respectively. New bonds such as C–N and N–C=O appeared in the synthesized nanocarrier. The IG/ID ratio in Raman analysis decreased from 7.15 (SWCNT) to 4.08 (FSWCNT). The amount of Amb released to phosphate buffer saline medium was about 33% at pH = 5.5 and 75% at pH = 7.4 after 48 h. CCK8 results confirmed that the toxicity of functionalized SWCNT had decreased. In a 2:1 ratio of DFSWCNT/EGFP plasmid, the cell viability (87%) and live transfected cells (56%) were at their maximum values. The results indicate that carbon nanotubes have the potential to be applied as drug/gene delivery systems with outstanding properties such as high loading capacity and easy penetration to cell membrane.This work was supported by the Basque Country Government (IT907-16). Additional funding was provided by the CIBER of Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), an initiative of the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII)

A Scoping Review of Components of Physician-induced Demand for Designing a Conceptual Framework

Objectives The current study presents a new conceptual framework for physician-induced demand that comprises several influential components and their interactions. Methods This framework was developed on the basis of the conceptual model proposed by Labelle. To identify the components that influenced induced demand and their interactions, a scoping review was conducted (from January 1980 to January 2017). Additionally, an expert panel was formed to formulate and expand the framework. Results The developed framework comprises 2 main sets of components. First, the supply side includes 9 components: physicians’ incentive for pecuniary profit or meeting their target income, physicians’ current income, the physician/population ratio, service price (tariff), payment method, consultation time, type of employment of physicians, observable characteristics of the physician, and type and size of the hospital. Second, the demand side includes 3 components: patients’ observable characteristics, patients’ non-clinical characteristics, and insurance coverage. Conclusions A conceptual framework that can clearly describe interactions between the components that influence induced demand is a critical step in providing a scientific basis for understanding physicians’ behavior, particularly in the field of health economics

Pulmonary Manifestations of SARS Co V 2 Infection in Mild/Severe Patients

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused viral pneumonia in Wuhan City in China in December of 2019. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) primarily targets the lungs with severe hypoxia, which usually results in death. COVID-19 is highly heterogeneous regarding severity, clinical phenotype, and more importantly, global dispersal. The respiratory system in all aspects such as respiratory airways, endothelium of pulmonary vessels, conducting airways, the alveoli, neuromuscular breathing structure, and pulmonary circulation are affected by this virus. A comprehensive concept of the source and dynamic action of the SARS-CoV-2 and the possible causes of heterogeneity in COVID-19 is required for predicting and managing the illness in acute and chronic stages of the pulmonary sign

Effectiveness of cognitive orientation to (daily) occupational performance (CO-OP) on children with cerebral palsy: A mixed design

Background. Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of physical disabilities during childhood. Therapeutic interventions mainly focus on impairment reduction to address motor-based difficulties. In contrast, Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) is a cognitive approach, providing intervention at the level of activity and participation. Aims. This study aims to determine whether the CO-OP approach improves motor skills and achievement in motor-based occupational performance goals in children with CP. Methods and procedures. In this mixed design research (i.e., a multiple baseline single case experimental design and a one-group pretest-posttest design), five children with CP participated in 12 CO-OP intervention sessions. Repeated measures of motor skills for the multiple baseline single case experimental design were taken using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP); pre- and post-measures of parent/child perception of performance and satisfaction were identified using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM); level of achievement was identified using Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS). Outcomes and results. According to the BOTMP results, all children were able to engage in the CO-OP intervention to improve motor performance. Significant differences after treatment were found in both performance and performance satisfaction ratings using the COPM as rated by parents and children. The GAS results showed progress in achievement levels for all children; all goals were achieved or exceeded. Conclusions and implications. CO-OP intervention can be helpful in improving motor skills and achieving self-identified, motor-based goals in children with CP