Search

Dual active bridge is often considered in many dc/dc converter applications where high efficiency, input/output voltage ratio, and power level are required. Recently, a predictive control technique, named moving discretized control set model predictive control has been introduced, in order to achieve faster dynamics and stable operation throughout the power and terminal voltage ranges, considering global control parameters. However, even if this technique provides flexible multi-objective control, its large signal stability remains in questions. In this article, the proposed control design is described in detail, and its large signal stability is analyzed, considering the case of a dual active bridge converter operating in single-phase shift. The obtained results show insights into factors that stabilize or destabilize the converter operation. The proposed control and stability analysis is validated through both simulation and experimental testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article classifies, describes, and critically compares different modeling techniques and control methods for dual-active-bridge (DAB) dc–dc converters and provides explicit guidance about the DAB controller design to practicing engineers and researchers. First, available modeling methods for DAB including reduced-order model, generalized average model, and discrete-time model are classified and quantitatively compared using simulation results. Based on this comparison, recommendations for suitable DAB modeling method are given. Then, we comprehensively review the available control methods including feedback-only control, linearization control, feedforward plus feedback, disturbance-observer-based control, feedforward current control, model predictive current control, sliding mode control, and moving discretized control set model predictive control. Frequency responses of the closed-loop control-to-output and output impedance are selected as the metrics of the ability in voltage tracking and the load disturbance rejection performance. The frequency response plots of the closed-loop control-to-output transfer function and output impedance of each control method are theoretically derived or swept using simulation software PLECS and MATLAB. Based on these plots, remarks on each control method are drawn. Some practical control issues for DAB including dead-time effect, phase drift, and dc magnetic flux bias are also reviewed. This article is accompanied by PLECS simulation files of the reviewed control methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual-active-bridge (DAB) enabled dc microgrids stabilization is investigated in this article. DAB has two control objectives: load current regulation and the dc-bus voltage stabilization. In multiobjective control applications, the conventional proportional integrator (PI)-based controllers face challenges in the control loop coordination. The saturation of the loops largely deteriorate the control performance. Moreover, the system impedance has to be measured before designing the active damping control. In this article, a moving discretized control set—model predictive control (MDCS-MPC) is proposed for DAB. The proposed MDCS-MPC is inherently a good choice for multiobjective control. It provides several advantages, such as a good tradeoff between two control objectives and adaptive performance on system impedance. The evaluation and comparison of the proposed MDCS-MPC and PI are carried out. Experiments on a 270–270V, 20 kHz, 1 kW DAB converter are conducted to verify the theoretical claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triple-phase shift (TPS) is commonly utilized to enhance the efficiency of the dual-active-bridge (DAB) converters. However, the small-signal model of the circuit varies with operating mode, terminal voltage ratio, and power. In order to address this issue, a control inspired by the finite-control set model-predictive control is proposed. The proposed moving discretized control set model-predictive control (MDCS-MPC) can achieve great control flexibility and good transition performance throughout the power and terminal voltage range with global control parameters. It presents fixed switching frequency with low computational burden due to the utilization of only two prediction horizons. The operating principle of the proposed MDCS-MPC is introduced in development of a cost function that provides stiff load voltage regulation. The steady-state error in MDCS-MPC has also been analyzed and compensated. The application of MDCS-MPC in a multiobjective control scenario has been addressed. Experiments on a 300-V/300-V 20-kHz 1-kW DAB converter are carried out to verify the theoretical claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsed power loads (PPLs) are commonly incorporated in medium voltage dc microgrids on naval vessels. To mitigate their detrimental effects, dedicated energy storage systems can be installed and their converters need to have excellent disturbance rejection capability. To facilitate this objective, a moving-discretized-control-set model-predictive-control (MDCS-MPC) is proposed in this letter and applied on a dual-active-bridge converter. Fixed switching frequency is maintained, enabling easy passive components design. The proposed MDCS-MPC has a small number of calculating points in each switching period, which enables the implementation in standard commercial control platforms. The operating principle of the MDCS-MPC is introduced in development of a cost function that, on one hand, provides stiff voltage regulation; on the other hand, minimizes transformer current stress online. Theoretical claims are verified on a 20 kHz 1 kW dual active bridge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsed power loads (PPLs) are becoming prevalent in medium-voltage naval dc micro-grids. To alleviate their effects on the system, energy storages are commonly installed. For optimal performance, their interface converters need to have fast dynamics and excellent disturbance rejection capability. Moreover, these converters often need to have voltage transformation and galvanic isolation capability since common energy storage technologies such as batteries and supercaps are typically assembled with low-voltage strings. In order to address these issues, a moving discretized control set model predictive control (MDCS-MPC) is proposed in this paper and applied on a dual-active-bridge converter. Fixed switching frequency is maintained, enabling easy passive components design. The proposed MDCS-MPC has a reduced prediction horizon, which allows low computational burden. The operating principle of the MDCS-MPC is introduced in the development of a cost function, which provides stiff voltage regulation. Resonance damping and sampling noise resistance can also be achieved with the proposed cost function. An adaptive step is introduced to enable a fast transition. Assessments on the performance of the proposed MDCS-MPC are conducted. Comparisons with other control methods are also provided. Experimental validations on a 300 V/300 V 20-kHz 1-kW dual-active-bridge converter are carried out to verify the theoretical claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discussed an active-bridge-active-clamp (ABAC) topology that is suitable for highpower more-electric-aircraft applications. Though conventional modulation techniques can be applied to ABAC converters, they present drawbacks, such as increased low-voltage (LV) current ripple and limited power transfer capability. To address these problems, a phase-shift-modulation (PSM) scheme is proposed to provide clean dc terminal current at the LV side while maintaining high power transfer capability and efficiency in a wide operating range. The proposed PSM has a complete switching harmonics cancellation on the LV terminals independent of the operating conditions. This results in high quality power without any ac components, thus minimizing passive filtering. In addition, when terminal voltages vary from their nominal values, the proposed PSM can improve the maximum power transfer capability of the ABAC converter compared to the conventional approach. The theoretical claims are validated by both simulation and experimental results on a 10-kW 270-V/28-V ABAC converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modular multilevel converter (MMC), the existence of second- and other even-order harmonics in the circulating currents can have a negative impact on the operation of the converter. To mitigate the dominant second-order harmonic circulating current, the harmonic extraction method plays an important role in steady-state accuracy and dynamic performance of circulating current suppression. This article proposes a time-delayed filter-based approach to suppress the circulating current. Operating principles and filtering characteristics of the time-delayed filter are investigated. The proposed solution achieves accurate suppressing and frequency-deviation adaptation with simple implementation. Experiments from a single-phase grid-connected MMC have been conducted to validate the correctness of the proposed solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-performance power conversion equipment is currently gaining an increasing interest for aircraft applications. In particular, isolated bidirectional dc/dc converters are often proposed for modern aircraft distribution systems. A current-fed isolated dc/dc converter, named active-clamp active-bridge topology, is identified as the most promising for the proposed application, interfacing a 270-V dc network with a 28-V dc network. A comparison between the selected topology and the well-known dual-active-bridge topology has been carried out and an experimental prototype has been manufactured for the selected conversion architecture. Simulation and experimental results are provided in order to validate the tradeoff and the design of the proposed converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Accumulating data have demonstrated that seizures induced by kainate (KA) or pilocarpine activate the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and that mTOR inhibitor rapamycin can inhibit mTOR activation, which subsequently has potential antiepileptic effects. However, a preliminary study showed a paradoxical exacerbation of increased mTOR pathway activity reflected by S6 phosphorylation when rapamycin was administrated within a short period before KA injection. In the present study, we examined this paradoxical effect of rapamycin in more detail, both in normal rats and KA-injected animals. Methods: Normal rats or KA-treated rats pretreated with rapamycin at different time intervals were sacrificed at various time points (1, 3, 6, 10, 15, and 24 h) after rapamycin administration or seizure onset for western blotting analysis. Phosphorylation of mTOR signaling target of Akt, mTOR, Rictor, Raptor, S6K, and S6 were analyzed. Seizure activity was monitored behaviorally and graded according to a modified Racine scale (n = 6 for each time point). Neuronal cell death was detected by Fluoro-Jade B staining. Key Findings: In normal rats, we found that rapamycin showed the expected dose-dependent inhibition of S6 phosphorylation 3-24 h after injection, whereas a paradoxical elevation of S6 phosphorylation was observed 1 h after rapamycin. Similarly, pretreatment with rapamycin over 10 h before KA inhibited the KA seizure-induced mTOR activation. In contrast, rapamycin administered 1-6 h before KA caused a paradoxical increase in the KA seizure-induced mTOR activation. Rats pretreated with rapamycin 1 h prior to KA exhibited an increase in severity and duration of seizures and more neuronal cell death as compared to vehicle-treated groups. In contrast, rapamycin pretreated 10 h prior to KA had no effect on the seizures and decreased neuronal cell death. The paradoxical effect of rapamycin on S6 phosphorylation was correlated with upstream mTOR signaling and was reversed by pretreatment of perifosine, an Akt inhibitor. Significance: These data indicate the complexity of S6 regulation and its effect on epilepsy. Paradoxical effects of rapamycin need to be considered in clinical applications, such as for potential treatment for epilepsy and other neurologic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) regulates cell growth, cell differentiation and protein synthesis. Rapamycin, an inhibitor of mTOR, has been widely used as an immunosuppressant and anti-cancer drug. Recently, mTOR inhibitors have also been reported to be a potential anti-epileptic drug, which may be effective when used in young patients with genetic epilepsy. Thus, a suitable dose of rapamycin which can maintain the normal function of mTOR and has fewer side effects ideally should be identified. In the present study, we first detected changes in marker proteins of mTOR signaling pathway during development. Then we determined the dose of rapamycin by treating rats of 2 weeks of age with different doses of rapamycin for 3 days and detected its effect on mTOR pathway. Young rats were then treated with a suitable dose of rapamycin for 4 weeks and the effect of rapamycin on mTOR, development and immunity were investigated. We found that the expression of the marker proteins of mTOR pathway was changed during development in brain hippocampus and neocortex. After 3 days of treanent, 0.03 mg/kg rapamycin had no effect on phospho-S6, whereas 0.1, 0.3, 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg rapamycin inhibited phospho-S6 in a dose-dependent manner. However, only 1.0 mg/kg and 3.0 mg/kg rapamycin inhibited phospho-S6 after 4 weeks treatment of rapamycin. Parallel to this result, rats treated with 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg rapamycin had no obvious adverse effects, whereas rats treated with 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg rapamycin showed significant decreases in body, spleen and thymus weight. Additionally, rats treated with 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg rapamycin exhibited cognitive impairment and anxiety as evident by maze and open field experiments. Furthermore, the content of IL-1β, IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α in serum and cerebral cortex were significantly decreased in 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg rapamycin-treated rats. The expression of DCX was also significantly decreased in 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg rapamycin-treated rats. However, rats treated with 1.0 mg/ kg rapamycin exhibited fewer and milder side effects than those treated with 3.0 mg/kg. In summary, all these data suggest that there is not a rapamycin dose that can inhibit mTOR for epilepsy without causing any side effects, but 1 mg /kg may be the optimal dose for young rats for suppressing mTOR with relatively few side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of finite-control-set model predictive control (FCS-MPC) in voltage source inverters (VSIs) can make the system suffer from poor current harmonics performance, which may complicate the design of the required AC filter. To overcome this shortcoming, a carrier-based modulated model predictive control (CB-MMPC) strategy is proposed in this paper. This method enables the utilization of existing PWM modulation techniques with FCS-MPC, where a modulation waveform with zero-sequence signal injection is generated and compared to a triangular carrier wave, while optimizing the selection of the switching states. As it is shown, the studied CB-MMPC strategy not only considerably improves the current total harmonic distortion (THD) but also attains the performance of fast current dynamic response and robustness as the traditional FCS-MPC. Herein, the detailed implementation of the CB-MMPC control strategy is given, while considering its application to the current feedback control loop of a three-phase three-wire two-level VSI modulated at constant switching frequency. Finally, PLECS circuit simulation and a 3-kW VSI prototype are used to verify the superiority and the effectiveness of the presented CB-MMPC strategy. This is also benchmarked to the FCS-MPC and dead-beat based controllers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wear debris pseudotumors are a rare complication after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and have seldom been reported in the recent literature. There is no consensus on the best therapeutic method, but the high quality curative treatment, safe, low invasive treatments are required for the patients. Case presentation: In this paper, we present the case of a 74‐year‐old man with a wear debris pseudotumor after TKA with symptoms of severe pain and functional disability of his right knee. X‐ray examination showed that the medial compartment of the right knee was narrowing. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and Doppler ultrasound both revealed a polycystic mass at the posteromedial side of the patient's right knee. Considering the bad health condition and the minimally invasive surgery requirement of this senior patient, arthroscopic knee debridement and percutaneous cystic mass suction were carried out simultaneously. Video arthroscopy of the right knee showed visible inflammatory soft tissue, obvious polyethylene fragments, wear of the polyethylene prothesis, and a broken polyethylene insert. The intraarticular polyethylene wear debris was removed as much as possible, and inflammatory soft tissue was debrided and sent for pathology. Postoperative pathology showed polyethylene debris in the soft tissue with an apparent multinucleated giant cell response, which was consistent with foreign body granuloma. All clinical manifestation was improved and Lysholm scores were significantly better at one year with this treatment, increasing from 32 points to 71 points. Conclusion: After two years of follow‐up, the patient's knee joint was significantly relieved from soreness and pain, and walking was not significantly restricted. Our treatment could not address the root cause of the wear debris pseudotumor, which was due to prosthesis failure, but sometimes, such an approach is the safest, most economical, and most effective choice for patients who are intolerant to reoperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Seizures cause acute structural changes in dendrites, which may contribute to cognitive deficits that occur in epilepsy patients. Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton of dendrites likely mediates the structural changes following seizures, but the upstream signaling mechanisms activated by synchronized physiological activity to cause seizure-induced dendritic injury are not known. In this study, we test the hypothesis that the mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 ( mTORC1) pathway triggers structural changes in dendrites in response to seizures. Methods In vivo multiphoton imaging was performed in transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent protein in cortical neurons. The effect of rapamycin pre- and posttreatment was tested on kainate-induced dendritic injury and cofilin-mediated actin depolymerization. Results Kainate-induced seizures caused acute activation of mTORC1 activity, which was prevented by the mTORC1 inhibitor, rapamycin. Rapamycin pretreatment, and to a lesser degree, posttreatment attenuated acute seizure-induced dendritic injury and correspondingly decreased LIM kinase and cofilin-mediated depolymerization of actin. Interpretation The mTORC1 pathway mediates seizure-induced dendritic injury via depolymerization of actin. These findings have important mechanistic and translational applications for management of seizure-induced brain injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]