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Due to the successive switching actions in a power electronic system, considerable conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI) is generated. This has been a major concern in designing power converters, which requires additional EMI filtering efforts. Passive EMI filters are the most common solutions to EMI reduction but usually consume a large portion of the volume as well as weight in power converters. Active EMI filters (AEFs) or hybrid EMI filters (HEFs) are considered best candidates over traditional passive EMI filters to achieve higher power density in power converters. The utilization of current transformer to sense or to compensate the EMI noise can increase the volume of an AEF. In this article, a transformer-less AEF, sprung from the concept of virtual impedance enhancement, is proposed. The proposed design features feedforward control with current-sensing-voltage-compensating. The operation principle of the proposed AEF is thoroughly introduced, and its performance is evaluated through simulations and experiments. Experimental results with an ac–dc power converter and a dc–ac inverter show that the proposed AEF can be generally applied to reduce conducted EMI on either ac or dc power lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power electronics (PE) and high-frequency switching circuits are key to superior performance of electric vehicles. It is vital to monitor the condition of the PE components in real-time for safety and reliability. In this article, we propose two anomaly detection methods based on a combination of data preprocessing to suppress noise and outliers, multivariate regression models to predict signals of interest under nominal operation, and sequential analysis of residuals. In particular, the methods utilize median filtering to extract on-state medians in each switching cycle in nonlinear autoregressive exogenous neural network models or filtered on-state data in partial least squares-based models to represent the nominal circuit behavior. Optimal and approximate dynamic programming-based feature selection methods are developed to select the most informative signals or their transformations. Predictions from the learned models are used to generate the residuals for anomaly detection by Page’s cumulative sum test. The proposed models and anomaly detection methods are validated on three accelerated aging experimental datasets, comprised of 60 power mosfet devices with low-frequency and high-frequency switching under disparate operating conditions. Due to the simplicity and efficiency of the data-driven anomaly detection schemes, the proposed methods can potentially be embedded in real-time digital platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The molecular epidemiology of resistance of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are important in the study of multidrug-resistant bacteria. We evaluate the prevalence of the different mechanisms of CRE in a hospital in Saudi Arabia. Methods Carbapenem non-susceptible isolates of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were tested by real-time PCR for the detection of genes responsible for beta-lactam resistance. Results There were a total of 200 isolates with carbapenem non-susceptibility and these were Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=96, 48%), Escherichia coli (n=51, 25.5%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=45, 22.5%). The detected carbapenemases were oxacillinase-48 (OXA-48) (n=83, 41.5%), New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM) (n=19, 2.5%) and both NDM and OXA-48 (n=5, 2.5%). The other carbapenemases were imipenemase (n=1, 0.5%), Verona integrin encoded metallo-β-lactamase (n=6, 3%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (n=1, 0.5%), but none were detected in 86 isolates (43%). Conclusion The most common carbapenemases were OXA-48 and a significant percentage had no detectable genes. These data will help in the selection of new antimicrobial therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the major issues with pulsewidth modulation (PWM) is that considerable conducted emissions will be generated from power electronics converters. Random modulations are considered one of the viable solutions to reduce conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI) without adding bulky passive filtering components. Literature that investigates the application of such techniques in active front end (AFE) drives is limited. In this article, a novel random switching frequency PWM (RSF-PWM) is proposed for a grid-tied AFE drive to suppress conducted emissions. The statistical behavior of switching frequency is based on uniform distribution. Simulation and experiments are carried out on a 10-hp AFE drive. Results demonstrate that the proposed RSF-PWM can effectively reduce conducted EMI by approximately 20 dB within low-frequency range, compared with conventional constant switching frequency PWM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The overall positivity rate of CDAD was 5.2% of 10,995 tested stool samples. • The annual positivity rate was 0.9%-11.8%. • Of all CDAD cases, 230 (39.9%) were community onset-CDAD, 105 (18.2%) community onset-healthcare facility associated (CO-HCFAD), and 242 (42%) healthcare facility onset healthcare facility-associated disease. • There was a trend of increasing percentage of CO-HCFAD from 17% in 2001 to 20% in 2018. • Overall recurrence rate was 16.4%. Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI) is an important health care-associated infection with variable incidence and prevalence across the globe. There are limited data from Saudi Arabia on the epidemiology of C. difficile -associated diarrhea (CDAD). In this study, we present the epidemiology and incidence of CDAD in a hospital in Saudi Arabia. This study included all stool samples from 2001 to 2018 that were tested for C. difficile. C. difficile toxins were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 2001-2012 and the diagnosis was based on PCR testing (2013-2018). There was a total of 577 distinctive episodes of CDAD representing 5.2% of 10,995 tested stool samples with an annual positivity rate of 0.9%-11.8%. Of all CDAD cases, there were 230 (39.9%) community associated-CDAD, 105 (18.2%) community onset-health care facility associated disease, and 242 (42%) health care facility onset health care facility-associated disease (HCFO-HCFAD). There was a trend of increasing percentage of community onset-health care facility associated disease cases from 17% in 2001 to 20% in 2018 of all cases, and a trend towards less cases of community associated-CDAD from 85% to 50% over time. However, the percentages of HCFO-HCFAD percentages remained relatively stable. The rate of HCFO-HCFAD per 1,000 patient-days increased from 0.009 to 0.22 from 2001 to 2018, respectively. The rate of CDAD was 5.15% among all tested samples and that there is a large proportion of community associated-CDAD. The findings parallel the data from developed countries and deserve further studies in the risk factors for community-associated CDAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes an unsupervised learning approach for fault prognosis of silicon carbide (SiC) mosfets. The proposed approach utilizes the changing trend of a device's voltage, current, temperature, and other device characteristics with its degradation. The failure modes of semiconductors are reviewed along with existing methods for fault prognosis. The proposed approach is the first to address prognostics of SiC devices, and it can avoid the effects from system noise and data errors. It is not limited to offline analysis and is targeted at online implementation. It is easy to implement on standard digital platforms, and has fast computational speed. Offline data analysis is performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, and a processor-in-the-loop system is used to verify its ability to perform online fault prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A smooth fault-tolerant control (FTC) of induction motor drives with sensor failures is presented in this paper. The drive uses concurrently active direct torque control (DTC), indirect field-oriented control (IFOC), and volts-per-hertz (V/f) controllers as replacements of each other in the case of sensor failure or recovery. Speed encoder, current, and voltage sensors are considered. The DTC and IFOC controllers are properly modified and integrated with the V/f controller in synchronous frame, which allows switching between dc-type voltage commands of different controllers. Therefore, difficult synchronization of different controllers is avoided, and a simple rate limiter is able to achieve smooth handoff transition of different controllers. Details of the DTC, IFOC, and V/f controllers, as well as their integration are presented. Simulation and experimental verification of the proposed FTC are given, where normal abc-frame switching and the proposed synchronous-frame switching of controllers are compared with different switching schemes and at different machine operation conditions. Simulation and experimental results show significantly smoother handoff transients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an optimal efficiency control scheme for a wind system with doubly fed induction generator (DFIG). The suggested control scheme combines loss minimization (LM) in the DFIG and maximum power point tracking (MPPT) in the wind turbine and therefore maximum electrical energy generation, by the same wind energy potential, is achieved. Moreover, since the cut-in wind speed is reduced, extension of the exploitable wind speed range toward the lower speed region is attained. The LM is achieved by properly controlling the flux-linkage of the DFIG with respect to the stator current and the MPPT is accomplished by regulating the rotor speed through the rotor current. The parameters of the LM and MPPT controllers can be determined experimentally, and thus, the knowledge of the wind energy conversion system (WECS) model is not required. For the implementation of the proposed control strategy, a new structure of the WECS has been adopted. However, the hardware requirements of the WECS and considerably the cost have not been considerably affected compared to the conventional configuration. Selective simulation and experimental results are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy and demonstrate the operational improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fusarium infections in solid-organ transplant recipients are rare and carry high mortality. We report a case of a kidney transplant recipient who developed infection with Fusarium species. The patient received treatment with oral voriconazole for five months with good response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analytical three-phase induction machine model is proposed, derived, and validated in this paper. This model is capable for arbitrary qd0-frame analysis and core loss estimation at both line-fed and inverter-fed situations. Detailed model-based machine copper and core loss estimations are presented. A simulation verification of the model consistency is given under a changing load profile in MATLAB/Simulink. Then, the model is verified comprehensively using three induction machines (1.5 HP, 3 HP, and 10 HP), where the model is proved to be scalable, and to provide excellent machine loss estimation in line-fed situation and inverter-fed situation with machine input line filters, as well as in the flux-weakening region. Finally, a series of sensitivity tests of the model parameters are performed and the effects of the parameters on the machine losses are discussed. It is believed that the proposed model will be beneficial for various qd0-frame model-based research works of three-phase induction machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents generalized logic-based methods for intelligent fault diagnosis in power electronic converters based on correlation between faults and basic measurements. Fault recovery is then applied based on this correlation by using necessary signals and quantities from existing measurements. The main purpose of the proposed fault diagnosis methods is for power electronic systems to survive from fault conditions that could occur in various components, to cope with the notion of a smart grid and extend their lifetime. The proposed methods are online, i.e., real-time or near-real-time, and can be applied to any power electronic system. Existing intelligent control of power electronic systems along with various short- and open-circuit faults in major power electronic components are reviewed. Two methods are established to diagnose faults and engage redundancy for fault recovery with one method using combinational logic and another using fuzzy logic. In both methods, two quantities are observed for each of the measured signals: 1) the signal's average value and 2) the signal's RMS value. Total harmonic distortion is also used in some simulations but is not required in experimental implementation. A systematic methodology to reduce the number of measured quantities while maintaining effective diagnosis is introduced. A solar PV microinverter in standalone mode is used as an example testing platform for the proposed methods. A simulation model is experimentally validated and the effect of each fault on different voltage and current measurements are observed, then both methods are tested in simulation and hardware. Results show the ability of both methods to diagnose several faults in the inverter's power stage along with their ability to engage redundancy for fault recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a time-efficient modeling and simulation strategy for aggregated microinverters in large-scale photovoltaic systems. As photovoltaic microinverter systems are typically comprised of multiple power electronic converters, a suitable modeling and simulation strategy that can be used for rapid prototyping is required. Dynamic models incorporating switching action may induce significant computational burdens and long simulation durations. This paper introduces a single-matrix-form approach using the average model of a basic microinverter with two power stages consisting of a dc-dc and dc-ac converter. The proposed methodology using a common or intermediate source between two average models of cascaded converters to find the overall average model is introduced and is applicable to many other converter topologies and combinations. It provides better flexibility and simplicity when investigating various power topologies in system-level studies of microinverter and other power electronic systems. A 200 W prototype microinverter is tested to verify the proposed average and dynamic models. Furthermore, MATLAB/Simulink (2010a, Mathworks, Natick, MA, USA) is used to show the improved simulation speed and maintained accuracy of the multiple microinverter configurations when the derived average model is compared to a dynamic switching simulation model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, power loss and cost models of power electronic converters based on converter ratings and datasheet information are presented. These models aid in creating rapid prototypes which facilitate the component selection process. Through rapid prototyping, users can estimate power loss and cost which are essential in design decisions. The proposed approach treats main power electronic components of a converter as building blocks that can be arranged to obtain multiple topologies to facilitate rapid prototyping. In order to get system-level power loss and cost models, two processes are implemented. The first process automatically provides minimum power loss or cost estimates and identifies components for specific applications and ratings; the second process estimates power losses and costs of each component of interest as well as the whole system. Two examples are used to illustrate the proposed approaches—boost and buck converters in continuous conduction mode. Achieved cost and loss estimates are over 93% accurate when compared to measured losses and real cost data. This research presents derivations of the proposed models, experimental validation of the models and demonstration of a user friendly interface that integrates all the models. Tools presented in this paper are expected to be very useful for practicing engineers, designers, and researchers, and are flexible and adaptable with changing or new technologies and varying component prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a combinational-logic-based approach for identifying faults that could occur in the drivetrain of an electric vehicle (EV). A real-time simulation model of an EV is used to study the behavior of available sensor signals and control commands, with specific measured quantities, during vehicle operation. Those quantities could be, but are not limited to, mean values of the phase currents, DC bus current, traction motor speed (if available), in addition to control command quantities. Focus is given to these quantities which are abundant in vehicle inverters and controllers for no added sensing costs. Those quantities carry information of offsets and disturbances that could occur under faulty operating conditions compared to nominal operation, and are thus observed and studied under these conditions. Using such information, a method is developed using simple combinational logic and thresholds to diagnose a fault occurring at any time during a vehicle drive cycle. By combining features of measured quantities that behave similarly irrespective of when the fault occurs during a driving cycle, the proposed method is fault-time-insensitive. The proposed method is presented and validated by real-time simulations to capture over 20 different faults injected at different drive cycle times and in different drivetrain components—electric machine, inverter, transmission, and sensors. Results show that the proposed method is able to robustly and successfully diagnose different faults irrespective of when would they occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper links the theory of ripple correlation control (RCC) and extremum seeking control (ESC) with emphasis on application in a solar photovoltaic (PV) system. ESC has been well-established in the automatic control literature to find the extremum of an objective function. The RCC theory and applications have been developed in the power electronics literature for real-time optimization. Both ESC and RCC are reviewed and discussed. RCC is formulated in a similar approach to ESC, but distinct based on the source of perturbations—mainly external perturbations with ESC and inherent ripple with RCC. While some recent ESC implementations utilize inherent perturbations, RCC uses high-frequency perturbations in power electronics systems not currently utilized by ESC. The formulation and equivalencies presented here are intended for future research in both methods which can benefit from existing research for further development in theory and applications. Shared aspects that include stability and convergence characteristics are discussed. RCC formulation from an ESC perspective is then applied for maximum power point tracking of a solar PV panel, using high-frequency inherent ripple in power electronics. This RCC formulation is confirmed to have high tracking effectiveness and fast convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparative study of induction machines (IMs) and interior permanent-magnet synchronous machines (IPMSMs) in traction applications. Machines are chosen to have similar ratings to operate in the same vector-controlled drive system and to achieve a fair comparison. Due to the dynamic nature of traction applications, static efficiency maps are not used. Instead, energy consumption is evaluated for both IMs and IPMSMs during typical drive cycles. Machine efficiency is also evaluated during the drive cycle to account for steady-state and transient conditions. The results of these comparisons show that the IPMSM can have higher efficiencies for most conditions. After comparing IMs and IPMSMs, loss minimization is integrated into the IM drive. Optimal flux commands are dynamically set, and then, energy and efficiency are compared with those of the IPMSM. Results show that IMs can achieve efficiencies comparable to the IPMSMs when loss minimization is applied. The efficiency gap between the IM and IPMSM is thus reduced, and these results are verified in both a hybrid electric vehicle simulator and a hardware-in-the-loop experimental setup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vector-controlled induction motor drives include several design and control variables that affect power losses. Flux may be weakened to reduce machine losses; switching and conduction losses in the inverter are affected by the flux ripple and current hysteresis bands. This paper combines the machine and inverter to investigate the effects of various control variables on the total system power loss. Both indirect field-oriented control and direct torque control are evaluated. Power losses considered include semiconductor switching and conduction losses and machine core and copper losses. Magnetic saturation is taken into account. A 1.5-hp system is simulated and experimentally tested to find minimum-loss operating points for various control variable combinations. Experimental results show that the operating point for minimum system-level power loss is slightly different from that for minimum machine power loss, but both can yield significant energy savings. The results presented here suggest that, for efficient system operation, control aspects should be utilized and integrated into motor drive designs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents an efficient, low-cost, and versatile LED-based solar simulator intended to produce a well-characterized spectrum for tests of solar cells and other photosensitive devices. Three major design aspects are addressed: LED spectra, power converters for LED drive, and control. The visible light of a standard solar spectrum is simulated using six LED colors. The number of LEDs and their placement for uniformity are addressed. Boost converters under current-mode control are used to achieve reproducible LED brightness through adjustable currents, or equivalent radiant-flux commands. The independent control of the six colors can simulate a range of different light sources and solar spectra. Uniformity tests verify that the system achieves standard spectral uniformity requirements over an area of 100 mm \times 100 mm in simulations and 100 mm \times 50 mm in experiments. LEDs in the proposed simulator consume less power and reduce the simulator size compared to the available state of the art. The user-friendly interface also allows active control of the simulated spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights key contributions in extremum seeking (ES) control and ripple correlation control (RCC). Maximum power point tracking (MPPT) utilizing the 120-Hz inherent inverter ripple is shown to be developed in the early 1980s. Even though that specific MPPT development did not explicitly mention ES control, the analysis presented there shows otherwise. RCC stability and operating properties are also addressed where the fundamental difference between RCC and popular ES control methods is the perturbation source. Since RCC utilizes inherent switching ripple in power electronics, the high ripple frequency leads to fast RCC convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to gauge the reasons for accepting or declining influenza vaccine in healthcare staff in Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire was administered to healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia. In all, 633 respondents who provided gender, nationality and profession were included. Reasons for vaccine uptake or refusal were assessed according to profession and educational level. Uptake of vaccine was lower in the period from 2010 to 2014 (3-13.3%) compared to pre-2010 figures (20.7%), rising to 44.1% in 2015. Comparing data for 'never having been vaccinated' to 'being vaccinated in 2015', there was no significant difference in distribution between nurses (9.27% v 38.8%), physicians (13.9% v 56.0%) and laboratory technicians (15.9% v 33.5%) (p= 0.08). The top reason for vaccination was protection of self and family, while the top reason for refusal was not considering the vaccine to be necessary. Education level had no significant effect on the likelihood of being vaccinated. Improvement of healthcare worker vaccination levels in Saudi Arabia might be achieved by addressing staff concerns on vaccine safety and efficacy, emphasizing the potential dangers of influenza and capitalizing on the staff's focus on protecting themselves and their families.

An increasing number of infections due to Elisabethkingia spp. have been observed and reported in recent years. Here we report the microbiological aspects of 13 cases with positive cultures for Elizabethkingia spp. from 1998 to 2017. Elizabethkingia isolates were identified using the Vitek 2 Compact 60 (AES software) Gram-Negative Identification test (GNI) card (bioMerieux. Marcy-l'Etoile, France). The MICs were determined using Vitek 2 and interpreted according to CLSI guidelines based on the interpretive MIC breakpoints for Acinetobacter spp. Vitek 2 susceptibility results were confirmed using the manual E-test and the colistin result was confirmed using the broth dilution method. Twelve cases were observed between 2010 and 2017 with four cases in 2017. Of the 2017 samples, three out of four isolates were obtained outside the intensive care units compared to one out of eight samples between 2010 and 2016. There was variable susceptibility to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (58.3%), ciprofloxacin (41.7%), piperacillin/tazobactam and gentamicin (16.6% each), and all were resistant to colistin. There is a high rate of drug resistance and further studies to identify the source of the infection are needed to build up a profile of Elizabethkingia spp. to inform public health policy in this context.

Studies have shown a correlation between a cleaner patient environment and lower infection rates and reduced risk of transmission. Privacy curtains are potentially important sites of bacterial contamination in hospitals. Privacy curtains integrated with antimicrobial properties have been shown to increase the time to first contamination compared with standard privacy curtains. In this study, we examined the difference in bacterial colonization of different curtains. We experimentally contaminated antibacterial Fantex protective curtains and compared the bacterial counts to natural contamination of privacy curtains. There was a significant reduction in the CFU/cm2 on antibacterial Fantex protective privacy curtains after 24 hours of experimental contamination with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or extended-spectrum-producing organisms (Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae), compared to standard privacy curtains. Levels of environmental contamination with S. epidermis, Streptococcus viridians, E. coli, S. haemolyticus, S. aureus, S. capitis, non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria, and Bacillus species were also significantly less on the Fantex curtains after two months hanging in the emergency department. Healthcare facilities may find that addressing surfaces, including use of antibacterial privacy curtains, is an effective horizontal strategy for addressing healthcare-associated infections across the board.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and financial burdens. Phenotyping methods are used to classify MRSA as either health care MRSA (HA-MRSA) or community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA). Recent studies suggested the phenotyping methods are not always reliable, based on a lack of concordance with genotyping results., Objective: In this study, concordance of classification methods based on clinical characteristics or antibiotic susceptibility compared to the gold standard genotyping was assessed in the classification of MRSA., Methods: We compared the genotypes and phenotypes of MRSA in 133 samples taken from patients in Saudi Arabia. Statistical analyses included concordance, specificity and sensitivity, and logistic regression modeling., Results: There was fair a definite agreement between the health care risk and infection type methods ( p < .001), but no statistically significant agreement between the susceptibility pattern and health care risk methods ( p = 243), and between susceptibility pattern and infection type methods ( p = .919). Reduced multiple regression modelling suggested the potential of a phenotyping-based method of antibiotic susceptibility pattern (OR = 15.47, p < .001) in conjunction with hospital admission profile(OR = 2.87, p = .008) to accurately identify MRSA as HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA., Conclusion: The use of a standardized phenotyping technique, using susceptibility pattern and hospital admission profiles to classify MRSA infections as either HA-MRSA or CA-MRSA, would facilitate diagnosis, infection control efforts, prevention, and assignment of appropriate therapies. The ability to use phenotyping in the classification of these strains would improve efforts to contend with this adept and evolving bacterial organism.