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This paper presents a novel single-phase non-isolated bidirectional buck converter topology. The proposed converter uses a basic switching cell structure with a coupled inductor and an interleaving switching scheme. This article addresses a crucial challenge in bidirectional DC-DC conversion by prioritizing reducing output current ripples and minimizing filter inductor size. The employed method includes using MOSFETs with fast recovery diodes to mitigate reverse recovery and body diode losses. Furthermore, the optimization of the switching frequency of the output inductor to be twice the actual switching frequency contributes to reducing the component size of the converter. The coupled inductor also helps to reduce stress on components by distributing currents among its legs. The experimental result demonstrates the proposed converter has a very low ripple current as compared to the conventional converter. The low current ripples and smaller filter inductor size enabled by high-frequency operation have improved the efficiency and size of the converter. A common ground between input and output terminals ensures robust performance without common mode current concerns. Overall, the proposed converter represents a significant improvement in DC-DC converters, promising enhanced efficiency, reliability, and compactness in bidirectional DC-DC conversion systems. In order to verify the performance of the proposed converter, a 460 W buck converter prototype was built and tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify different organisms from diabetic foot ulcers and their antibiotic susceptibility. Study Design: It was an institution based descriptive cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at Rehman Medical Institute, Hayatabad, Peshawar from 1 June 2017 to 31 December 2018. Materials and Methods: A total of 88 specimen have been collected from a sample of 60 diabetic patients who have clinically infected foot ulcers and 99 pathogens wereisolated. The samples includes pus, tissue and fluid under study were cultured on blood agar and McConkey plates. Anaerobic culture medium 1 (AN1) was used for isolating anaerobes. The micro-organisms were identified through gram staining, culture and analytical profile index 20E. The sensitivity to a particular antibiotic was determined by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method.Anti-microbial susceptibility testing of isolates was performed as per the guidelines recommended by the Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI). Results: The most commonly isolated organisms were Escherichia coli (36.2%), Staphylococcus aureus (80%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (13%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11.6%). Polymicrobial growth was found in 19 cultures. The ratio of gram-negative and gram-positive organisms isolated was 2.3. Gram-negative bacteria accounted for 69.7%, while gram-positive bacteria accounted for 30.3%. Staphylococcus aureus (87%) isolates were resistant to penicillin, ampicillin, levofloxacin, ceftriaxone & cefoxitin. High levels of resistance to amoxicillin/Clavulanic acid 15 (93.57%), ampicillin 20 (100%), ciprofloxacin 17 (89.47%) and co-trimoxazole 12 (85.71%) was seen in Escherichia coli. Conclusion: E. coli are the most common pathogen isolated from diabetic foot ulcers. Their antibiograms suggest that resistance is on the rise and antimicrobial therapy should be selected based on culture results and antimicrobial sensitivity patterns.

The current study investigates the impact of Leadership Styles (LS) and Emotional Intelligence (EI) on Project Success (PS) through underlying mediating mechanism of Job Satisfaction (JS) and trust. Total 160 responses were received from the team leaders (project managers, project leaders, project coordinators) of the NGOs sector of Pakistan. The findings of the research show that the relationship of LS and EI have significantly positive impact on the PS. Further, JS and Trust is positively and significantly influencing the PS and mediate the relationship of both LS and EI with PS. Within leadership styles, transactional leadership and Laissez Faire leadership styles have positive relationship with PS. However, the negative relationship of transformational leadership with PS is somewhat surprising as this relationship was expected to be positive. The findings suggest that project managers in NGOs must be aware of the impact of certain leadership behaviors and level of emotional intelligence for completing the projects successfully.

A global model is proposed to simulate the drying process of used nuclear fuel assemblies under vacuum drying conditions. The transient model consists of a coupled mass and energy conservation equation with appropriate source and sink terms. The classic Hertz-Knudsen expression is employed to resolve the evaporation rate and the associated water mass depletion in the system. Both latent heat of vaporization and residual decay heat are considered as sink and source in the energy conservation, respectively. The model is employed to simulate vacuum drying of spent nuclear fuel rod storage systems. Multistage stepwise vacuuming of the system is emulated, and several parametric studies are conducted to identify their role in the drying process. The predicted temporal profiles show that the proposed model is able to capture qualitative trends of the water removal rate, hence the dryness level of the system. The model prediction is also compared against experiments where the amount of residual water after a standard vacuum drying procedure is quantified. The predictions are found to compare favorably with the experimental measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiences of ageing and care are closely tied to structural location in terms of race, class, gender and sexuality among others. In South Africa, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people's experiences of ageing and care are profoundly influenced by the patriarchal, postapartheid context. This study, the first of its kind in South Africa, was an exploratory study of the experiences of ageing and care among LGBT elders in two provinces in South Africa. Findings indicate that LGBT elders' experiences of ageing and care are influenced by intersectionality and lack of access to care. In particular, the ageing and care experiences of black and Coloured LGBT elders, especially lesbian, bisexual and transgender women, are disproportionately impacted. Implications of these exploratory findings are that national ageing and care policies need to specifically name LGBT elders as a key group and that services be rolled out for LGBT elders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore peoples' dispositions and practices with regard to social–ecological transformations based on a sustainable welfare policy strategy in Sweden. We draw on Bourdieu's concept of habitus to highlight the relations between social positions, dispositions, and position‐takings. Using data from an own survey, we identify habitus types and place these in the space of social positions. We apply principal component analysis to a large set of questions about social, ecological, and climate change related topics and identify eight underlying eco–social dispositions. These are used for cluster analyses that find typical constellations of eco–social dispositions within the Swedish population: variants of eco–social habitus. We find seven habitus types and describe their social characteristics, political preferences, and practices. Finally, the seven habitus are plotted onto the map of social positions, the Bourdieusian social space, highlighting their relations—proximities, tensions, and contestations—to each other. We find evidence that political struggles around social–ecological transformations reproduce existing social structures but are also connected to new "eco–social" divisions that appear between groups in similar positions. In the conclusion we discuss the implications for social–ecological transformations based on sustainable welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]