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Abstract Vehicle platooning is seen as an enabler to improve driving safety, traffic congestion and stress‐free driving. A platoon is a highly non‐linear system and fuzzy control is able to deal with those systems. This paper presents a pioneering solution to the complex problem of vehicle platooning. Our adaptive controller seamlessly integrates fuzzy logic with conventional PID control technology, thereby ensuring safe and efficient travel for vehicles within a platoon. The key objectives of this controller encompass the maintenance of a consistent inter‐vehicle time gap and the consideration of time‐varying parameter uncertainties and communication delays between vehicles. It provides mathematical proof of the stability of the platoon formation using the Routh–Hurwitz theorem and a set of equations that describe the platoon's overall performance. Simulation results show that the proposed controller is effective in controlling vehicle platoons, even in the presence of random communication delays, resulting in improved driving safety and reduced traffic congestion.

Objective: Older patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) are at high risk for frailty and geriatric syndromes (GSs), which modulate their individual prognosis and are therefore relevant for further management. Because few studies have evaluated the geriatric profile of older AF patients, this secondary analysis aims to further characterize the patterns of GSs and geriatric resources (GRs) in AF patients and their association with anticoagulation use. Methods: Data from 362 hospitalized patients aged 65 years and older with AF (n = 181, 77.8 ± 5.8 years, 38% female) and without AF (non-AF [NAF]; n = 181, 77.5 ± 5.9 years, 40% female) admitted to an internal medicine and nephrology ward of a large university hospital in Germany were included. All patients underwent usual care plus a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) including calculation of the Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI) and collection of 17 GSs and 10 GRs. Patients were followed up by telephone 6 and 12 months after discharge to collect data on their health status. Results: The mean MPI score of 0.47 indicated an average risk of poor outcome, and patients with AF had a significantly higher MPI than those without AF (p = 0.040). After adjustment for chronological age, biological sex, Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS) for relevant chronic diagnoses and MPI as a proxy for biological age, AF patients had significantly more mnestic resources (63.5% vs. 33.1%, p < 0.001), a tendency for less age-appropriate living conditions (56.4% vs. 72.9%, p = 0.051) and more sensory impairment (78.5% vs. 52.5%, p < 0.001) than NAF patients. They also had a higher number of GSs (p = 0.046). AF patients on oral anticoagulants (OACs, n = 91) had less age-appropriate living conditions (48.4% vs. 64.4%, p < 0.05) and mnestic resources (36.3% vs. 54.4%, p < 0.01), but more emotional resources (80.2% vs. 65.6%, p < 0.05) and chronic pain (56% vs. 40%, p < 0.05) than patients without OACs (n = 90). Overall, mortality at 1 year was increased in patients with a higher MPI (p < 0.009, adjusted for age, sex and CIRS), with a diagnosis of AF (p = 0.007, adjusted for age, sex, CIRS and MPI), with of male sex (p = 0.008, adjusted for age, CIRS and MPI) and those with AF and treated with hemodialysis (p = 0.022, compared to AF patients without dialysis treatment). Conclusions: Patients with AF and patients with AF and OACs show differences in their multidimensional frailty degree as well as GR and GS profiles compared to patients without AF or with AF not treated with OACs. Mortality after 1 year is increased in AF patients with a higher MPI and dialysis, independently from OAC use and overall burden of chronic disease as assessed per CIRS. GRs and GSs, especially age-appropriate living conditions, emotional resources, sensory impairment and chronic pain, can be considered as factors that may modify the individual impact of frailty, underscoring the relevance of these parameters in the management of older patients.

High expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF1R) and RTK mutations are associated with high-risk/worse prognosis in multiple myeloma (MM). Combining the pIGF1R/pINSR inhibitor linsitinib with the proteasome inhibitor (PI) bortezomib seemed promising in a clinical trial, but IGF1R expression was not associated with therapy response. Because the oncogenic impact of IGF1R mutations is so far unknown, we investigated the functional impact of IGF1R mutations on survival signaling, viability/proliferation and survival response to therapy. We transfected four human myeloma cell lines (HMCLs) with IGF1RWT, IGF1RD1146N and IGF1RN1129S (Sleeping Beauty), generated CRISPR-Cas9 IGF1R knockouts in the HMCLs U-266 (IGF1RWT) and L-363 (IGF1RD1146N) and tested the anti-MM activity of linsitinib alone and in combination with the second-generation PI carfilzomib in seven HMCLs. IGF1R knockout entailed reduced proliferation. Upon IGF1R overexpression, survival signaling was moderately increased in all HCMLs and slightly affected by IGF1RN1129S in one HMCL, whereby the viability remained unaffected. Expression of IGF1RD1146N reduced pIGF1R-Y1135, especially under serum reduction, but did not impact downstream signaling. Linsitinib and carfilzomib showed enhanced anti-myeloma activity in six out of seven HMCL irrespective of the IGF1R mutation status. In conclusion, IGF1R mutations can impact IGF1R activation and/or downstream signaling, and a combination of linsitinib with carfilzomib might be a suitable therapeutic approach for MM patients potentially responsive to IGF1R blockade.

Monitoring battery aging is crucial for maintaining reliability and performance. This study investigates Frequency Domain Reflectometry (FDR) as a tool for monitoring lithium-ion battery State-of-Health (SoH). While FDR has been applied in battery research, the existing literature fails to address SoH assessment and lacks studies on larger battery samples to provide more meaningful results. In this work, nineteen cells initially underwent Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) to assess their degradation levels during cyclic aging. This work evaluates FDR’s effectiveness in monitoring battery health indicators, such as capacity and equivalent series resistance (ESR), by correlating these with FDR-measured impedance between 300 kHz and 1 GHz. Analytical comparison between impedance measured before and after de-embedding processes were presented. The results show FDR reactance within 300 kHz–40 MHz correlates with EIS-measured ESR, suggesting its potential as a SoH indicator. However, reduced sensitivity and accuracy, particularly after de-embedding, may limit practical applicability. Additionally, resonance-based analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between changes in circuit resonance and cell dielectric permittivity. Despite having the lowest sensitivity, the method showed that the resonance frequencies of cells remain relatively constant, mirroring behaviours associated with changes in resistive properties. Overall, this study provides insights into FDR’s potential for battery diagnostics while highlighting avenues for future research to enhance effectiveness in real-world scenarios.

Abstract Vehicle platoon systems are widely recognized as key enablers to address mass‐transport. Vehicle‐to‐vehicle (V2V) and vehicle‐to‐infrastructure (V2I) are two technologies that drive platooning. The inter‐vehicle spacing and collaboration velocity in the platoon are important parameters that must be controlled. A new mass‐transport system called the Tracked Electric Vehicles (TEV) has been proposed which has reduced the inter‐vehicular spacing to only a quarter of the regular car length. This enables mass transport at uniform speed for cars with speed of 200km/h. However, conventional radar based adaptive cruise control (ACC) system fail to control each vehicle in these scenarios. Lately, sliding mode control (SMC) has been applied to control platoons with communication technology but with low speed and without delay. This paper proposes a novel SMC design for TEV using global dynamic information with the communication delay. Also, graph theory has been employed to investigate different V2V communication topology structures. To address issues of node vehicle stability and string stability, Lyapunov candidate function is chosen and developed. Additionally, this paper uses first‐order vehicle models with different acceleration/deceleration parameters for simulation validations under communication delay. The results show that this SMC has a significant tolerance ability and meets the design requirements of TEV.

Background: Western lifestyle has been associated with an increase in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In mice, dietary wheat amylase–trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) activate intestinal myeloid cells and augment T cell-mediated systemic inflammation. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether a wheat- and thus ATI-reduced diet might exert beneficial effects in RRMS patients with modest disease activity. Methods: In this 6-month, crossover, open-label, bicentric proof-of-concept trial, 16 RRMS patients with stable disease course were randomized to either 3 months of a standard wheat-containing diet with consecutive switch to a > 90% wheat-reduced diet, or vice versa. Results: The primary endpoint was negative, as the frequency of circulating pro-inflammatory T cells did not decrease during the ATI-reduced diet. We did, however, observe decreased frequencies of CD14 + CD16 ++ monocytes and a concomitant increase in CD14 ++ CD16 − monocytes during the wheat-reduced diet interval. This was accompanied by an improvement in pain-related quality of life in health-related quality of life assessed (SF-36). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the wheat- and thus ATI-reduced diet was associated with changes in monocyte subsets and improved pain-related quality of life in RRMS patients. Thus, a wheat (ATI)-reduced diet might be a complementary approach accompanying immunotherapy for some patients. Registration: German Clinical Trial Register (No. DRKS00027967).

The integration of electric vehicles (EVs) as an environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional fossil fuel cars faces a range of technological obstacles, including battery technology, charging infrastructure, and standardization. Dynamic conductive road charging (DCRC) of EVs at high speed has the potential to overcome the technical limitations of existing static charging methods. An intelligent motorway system for EVs called tracked electric vehicle (TEV) was proposed to incorporate the latest technologies of dynamic road charging, autonomous driving, and smart city data into transport infrastructure. This paper presents the operation and control of an active bipolar power collection unit (PCU) for the TEV system. The PCU is seamlessly integrated within the wheel structure of an EV using the concept of a stationary-hub wheel, enabling conductive power transfer from roadside conduction rails while the vehicle is in motion. The PCU is equipped with various features designed to maintain the contact force (CF) with the conduction rails, effectively handle instances of wheel bouncing and vibrations, and ensure a consistently smooth dynamic power transfer. This paper presents the experimental validations of the active PCU controls, including the operation sequence of the PCU, CF control, and PCU interaction with wheel bouncing.

Abstract Electric vehicles (EVs) require an onboard battery charger unit and a battery management system (BMS) unit that balances the voltage levels for each battery cell. So far, both units are two completely autarkic power electronics systems. The circuit presented here operates as a battery charger when the EV is connected to the grid and as a voltage balancer when the EV is driving. Thus, the proposed circuit utilises two functions in one and therefore eliminates the need of having two autarkic units reducing complexity and reduction in component count. The proposed circuit operates as a flyback converter and achieves power factor correction during battery charging. The constant‐current constant‐voltage (CC–CV) charging method is employed to charge the batteries. However, to limit the number of sensors that will be employed as a result of varying cells during charging, the battery current is estimated using a single current transducer and embedding a converter model in the controller. The operation of the circuit is presented in detail and is supported by simulation results. A laboratory prototype is built to verify the effectiveness of the proposed topology. Experiment results show that the proposed method provides an integrated solution of on‐board charging and voltage equalisation.

Research on geriatric conditions and atypical disease presentation in poorly studied patients’ groups is becoming increasingly important. Aim of the present investigation was addressing prevalence and prognostic significance of aortic valve stenosis (AVS) in older residents of long-term care facilities (LTCF). For the planned recruitment of 500 LTCF guests of a German metropolitan area, study investigators were trained and in the performance of a cardiologic examination and of the comprehensive geriatric assessment- based multidimensional prognostic index (MPI). After five attempts to obtain permission to conduct the study in 30 institutions, patients’ recruitment was stopped with 22 participants included from one institution. AVS was suspected in two patients, in agreement with the reported prevalence data. The MPI value correlated with social support (P=0.002) and geriatric syndromes (P=0.004). This structured attempt at investigating presence and prognostic signature of AVS in older LTCF guests was challenged by logistic obstacles strongly hindering diagnosis of potentially treatable conditions which, if undisclosed, negatively impact on survival and quality of life.

This paper proposes an LCL-L compensation circuit for high power capacitive power transfer (CPT) aiming at minimizing number of resonant components and improving system performance. The proposed topology adopts only four external resonant components at both sides of the capacitive coupler. The output power is proportional to the capacitive coupling coefficient, therefore, it simplifies the design procedure and abolishes protection circuit requirements under coupler's misalignment. Moreover, optimizing efficiency at full-load conditions of compensation network can be easily achieved in this system by designing resonant components at the highest value of the mutual capacitance. Theoretical analysis of the proposed system is conducted alongside comparison to lasted CPT compensation circuits. Simulation and experimental results of a 1.5-kW CPT prototype with an air gap distance of 150 mm are provided to verify the feasibility and the effectiveness of the proposed system. System performances under different coupler's misalignment conditions and output power levels are also examined and discussed as well.

Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFET has undergone a rapid development and commercialization in recent years due to its superior features. However, the mainstream commercial SiC MOFESTs are often fitted to packages that are previously designed for silicon-based devices, which brings oscillation issues at faster switching speed. This paper investigates the gate oscillation based on the parasitic parameter analysis of equivalent SiC MOSFET circuit, where the influences of di/dt and dv/dt are discussed and compared. Moreover, the paper recommends a guideline for the acceptable gate oscillation for SiC MOSFET based on the data from manufacturers and carries out detailed comparisons of the conventional gate driver tuning methods. It is found that the external gate-source capacitor provides better switching performance and gate oscillation suppression than the tuning of gate resistor. The analysis and the switching performance are verified from the experimental results based on Cree CAS300M12BM2 SiC MOSFET Module.

Older persons often loose independence during hospitalization. This analysis aimed at retrospectively evaluating the effects of a pilot individualized multidimensional intervention (IMI) on the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA)-based prognosis of older multimorbid patients in an acute internal medicine setting. Records from 72 patients aged 65 years and above who received the IMI were compared to those from 403 patients who received standard of care (SOC). All patients had undergone the CGA-based Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI) calculation on admission and at discharge. Patients were divided into three risk groups according to MPI score: Low-risk (MPI-1, 0-0.33), medium-risk (MPI-2, 0.34-0.66) and high-risk (MPI-3, 0.67-1). From admission to discharge, IMI patients showed significant improvements in their MPI score (P=0.014) and subdomains compared to SOC. This was particularly evident in MPI-2 and MPI-3 as well as in patients with poorer functions on MPI admission subdomains. An early geriatric intervention during hospitalization for disease-specific treatments in internal medicine settings improves overall individual prognosis in older multimorbid patients. Prospective randomized studies are needed to confirm these preliminary retrospective observations.

The negative impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on health status and quality of life in older patients has been well documented. However, data on frailty trajectories and long-term outcomes of older CKD patients undergoing structured Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) with multidimensional frailty evaluation are sparse. Here, we analysed records from 375 CKD patients admitted to our university hospital (mean age 77.5 (SD 6.1) years, 36% female) who had undergone a CGA-based calculation of the frailty score with the multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) as well as follow-up evaluations at 3, 6 and 12 months after discharge. Based on the MPI score at admission, 21% of the patients were frail and 56% were prefrail. MPI values were significantly associated with KDIGO CKD stages (p = 0.003) and rehospitalisation after 6 months (p = 0.027) and mortality at 3, 6 and 12 months (p = 0.001), independent of chronological age. Kidney transplant recipients (KTR) showed a significantly lower frailty compared to patients with renal replacement therapy (RRT, p = 0.028). The association between frailty and mortality after 12 months appeared particularly strong for KTR (mean MPI 0.43 KTR vs. 0.52 RRT, p < 0.001) and for patients with hypoalbuminemia (p < 0.001). Interestingly, RRT was per se not significantly associated with mortality during follow up. However, compared to patients on RRT those with KTR had a significantly lower grade of care (p = 0.031) and lower rehospitalisation rates at 12 months (p = 0.010). The present analysis shows that the large majority of older CKD inpatients are prefrail or frail and that the risk for CKD-related adverse outcomes on the long term can be accurately stratified by CGA-based instruments. Further studies are needed to explore the prognostic and frailty-related signature of laboratory biomarkers in CKD.

Many researchers used expensive 3D laser scanning techniques to derive indoor models. Few papers describe the derivation of indoor models based on sparse data such as footprints. They assume that floorplans and rooms are rather rectangular and that information on functional use is given. This paper addresses the automatic learning of a classifier which predicts the functional use of housing rooms. The classification is based on features which are widely available such as room areas and orientation. These features are extracted from an extensive database of annotated rooms. A Bayesian classifier is applied which delivers probabilities of competing class hypotheses. In a second step, functional uses are used to predict the shape of the rooms in a further classification.

Purpose. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate and compare the clinical efficacy of horizontal alveolar ridge augmentation techniques described by Khoury and Urban. Methods. A systematic electronic search in the MEDLINE databases, SCOPUS, WOS, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) as well as a manual search, were conducted independently by two reviewers up to July 2021. Results. Six studies met the pre-established inclusion criteria and were included in the descriptive analysis. Due to the heterogeneity found across the included studies, meta-analysis could not be performed. Horizontal bone gain was between 3.93 ± 0.9 mm and 5.02 ± 0.8 mm with the Khoury technique and between 3.9 ± 0.9 mm and 5.68 ± 1.42 mm with the Urban technique. Similar complication rates were reported in both groups: infection (7%), in the Khoury technique, and membrane exposure (3.2–13.6%), in the Urban technique, being the most frequent events. Conclusions. Both techniques were found to be effective, in terms of clinical bone gain, for horizontal alveolar ridge gain. Nevertheless, available literature is limited, and there is a lack of comparative studies to better evaluate the results.

Silicon carbide devices have become increasingly popular in electric vehicles, predominantly due to their fast-switching speeds, which allow for the construction of smaller power converters. Temperature sensitive electrical parameters (TSEPs) can be used to determine the junction temperature, just like silicon-based power switches. This paper presents a new technique to estimate the junction temperature of a single-chip silicon carbide (SiC) metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). During off-state operation, high-frequency chirp signals below the resonance frequency of the gate-source impedance are injected into the gate of a discrete SiC device. The gate-source voltage frequency response is captured and then processed using the fast Fourier transform. The data is then accumulated and displayed over the chirp frequency spectrum. Results show a linear relationship between the processed gate-source voltage and the junction temperature. The effectiveness of the proposed TSEPs is demonstrated in a laboratory scenario, where chirp signals are injected in a stand-alone biased discrete SiC module, and in an in-field scenario, where the TSEP concept is applied to a MOSFET operating in a DC/DC converter.

Wave Energy Converters (WECs) generally use a Mechanical Power-Take-Off (MPTO) involving hydraulics or gearing to optimise the extraction of energy from the incoming waves before converting it into electrical energy via a high speed rotating generator. This simplifies the design of the Electrical Power Conversion System (EPCS). Further, it facilitates the use of mechanical energy storage such as hydraulic accumulators to reduce the peaky nature of the power flow and allows the WEC resonant frequency to be tuned for maximum energy capture. This work compares two power electronic converter topologies for an Electrical PTO (EPTO). This EPTO is intended to replace the aforementioned MPTO and generator with a Permanent Magnet Linear Machine (PMLM) directly coupled to the WEC. The compared topologies comprise either a Current Source Converter (CSC) or a Voltage Source Converter (VSC) as the generator interface working in combination with a DC-DC converter and an Energy Storage System (ESS). The principle differences between the two topologies are explored and losses are evaluated in a modular EPCS working with a WEC. Wide-bandgap power electronic switches are assumed for both topologies over a range of switching frequencies. The evaluation concludes that the CSC topology is advantageous at higher switching frequencies.

Lichen planus (LP) is a common, chronic relapsing inflammatory disorder of the skin and mucous membranes which often poses a major therapeutic challenge due to its refractory course. Novel pathogenesis-based therapies are urgently needed. As several studies have shown that IL-17 may contribute to LP pathogenesis, we investigated whether therapeutic targeting of IL-17+ T cells leads to clinical improvement of mucosal and cutaneous LP lesions. A total of five patients with lichen planus were treated in a compassionate use trial with either secukinumab (anti-IL-17; 3 patients with acute and chronic recalcitrant muco-cutaneous LP), ustekinumab (anti-IL-12/IL-23; 1 patient with recalcitrant oral LP) or guselkumab (anti-IL-23; 1 patient with recalcitrant oral LP). The clinical course of the patients was assessed by the Autoimmune Bullous Skin Disorder Intensity Score (ABSIS) reflecting both extent and severity of disease and functional sequelae of oral involvement for at least 12 weeks. The inflammatory infiltrate in lesional and post-lesional skin was analyzed by immunohistochemistry before and after treatment. Furthermore, the cytokine profile of peripheral blood T cells from the treated patients was assessed by flow cytometry and/or ELISpot assay. Treatment with secukinumab induced rapid and prolonged clinical amelioration of muco-cutaneous LP. Clinical improvement was accompanied by a strong reduction of the Th1 and Th17/Tc17 cellular mucosal and cutaneous infiltrate. Moreover, long-term treatment of one patient with recalcitrant oral LP with ustekinumab led to healing of the ulcerative oral lesions and a reduction of peripheral blood and lesional IL-17+ T cells. Finally, treatment with guselkumab led to a marked clinical improvement in a patient with recalcitrant erosive oral LP. These findings show for the first time that therapeutic targeting of Th17/Tc17 cells leads to a pronounced clinical amelioration of mucosal and cutaneous LP and strongly suggests that IL-17-producing T cells are central to disease pathogenesis. Thus, therapeutic targeting of Th17/Tc17 cells opens new therapeutic avenues in the treatment of recalcitrant LP.

Introduction: Paraneoplastic autoimmune multi-organ syndrome (PAMS) is a rare clinical condition characterized by variable and heterogeneous clinical phenotypes in the presence of neoplasias which largely depend on the activation of humoral and cellular immune responses. Clinically, these patients present with a spectrum of antibody-driven pemphigus-like lesions to graft-vs.-host-disease-like exanthemas with a lichenoid inflammatory infiltrate in the skin. PAMS is occasionally associated with thymoma, in which altered immune surveillance eventually leads to multiorgan autoimmunity which often includes variable cutaneous symptoms. This disorder is associated with a profound disturbance of peripheral immune tolerance against human autoantigens.Objectives: We here present a patient with relapsing thymoma who developed PAMS with several cutaneous and extracutaneous autoimmune disorders.Materials: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), sera, and lesional skin biopsies were obtained at different clinical disease stages. Peripheral T cell subsets were characterized phenotypically and the cytokine profile of the peripheral blood T cellular response against distinct epidermal and dermal autoantigens of the skin was analyzed by ELISpot assay. Serological screening was performed by ELISA and immunoblot analysis. Skin biopsies were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis of distinct T cell subsets. Thymoma tissue was analyzed for the presence of T regulatory cells and compared with adult thymus and indolent thymoma.Results and Conclusions: In the present case, thymoma was the cause of the observed multi-organ autoimmune syndromes as its recurrence and surgical removal was associated with the relapse and regression of the cutaneous symptoms, respectively. Initially, the patient presented with two autoimmune disorders with Th2/Th1 imbalance, myasthenia gravis (MG) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF), which regressed upon immunosuppressive treatment. Months later, the patient developed a lichenoid exanthema with a Th1-dominated skin infiltrate. Further clinical evaluation revealed the recurrence of the thymoma and the lichenoid exanthema gradually regressed upon thymectomy. Our contention that T cell recognition against distinct cutaneous autoantigens, such as desmoglein 1 (Dsg1), shifted from a Th2 to a Th1-dominated immune response could not be fully substantiated as the patient was on a stringent immunosuppressive treatment regimen. We could only observe a decrease of the initially present serum IgG autoantibodies against Dsg1. Phenotypic analysis of the associated thymoma showed a lower number of T regulatory cells compared to adult thymus and indolent thymoma, suggesting that impaired thymus-derived immune surveillance had a direct impact on the outcome of the observed cutaneous autoimmune disorders.

The TC48 drive is a low-cost, low-voltage integrated motor-drive solution suitable for mild hybrid electric vehicles, off-highway traction, and any application where a compact, highly torque-dense machine is required. Low-voltage solutions for electric vehicles are attractive to manufacturers due to lower insulation requirements, and hence lower cost. The package is based on a six-phase switched reluctance machine, which uses a novel stator topology and unique winding design to achieve high torque density. The power electronics converter hardware is integrated into the motor housing, giving a physically, electrically, and thermally optimised solution. The complete package has been designed to be suitable for manufacturing in high volumes. This study describes the electromagnetic design of the motor, the mechanical innovations used to physically realise this design, and the cooling system which makes the high power density possible. The integration of the power electronics and their control is also discussed. The project is the result of collaboration between Newcastle and Loughbosrough Universities, RDM Ltd., Productiv, Infineon, Tata Steel, and Libralato.

Wave energy converters (WECs) generally use a mechanical solution such as hydraulics or gearing to optimise the extraction of energy from the incoming waves prior to converting it into electrical energy via a high-speed rotating generator. This simplifies the electrical power conversion system (EPCS) design and facilitates the use of mechanical energy storage such as springs, compressed air, or hydraulic accumulators. The naturally peaky nature of the WEC power can thus be reduced and there is potential to tune the resonant frequency of the WEC. The potential design of a current source converter (CSC) for an integrated low-speed direct-drive power take-off (PTO) for a WEC is described here. Silicon carbide (SiC) devices which enable high switching frequencies with a beneficial reduction in passive component dimensions are considered. Issues such as fault tolerance, protection, and parasitic inductance are investigated leading to an improved layout proposal.

A comprehensive library of Fuzzy Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers for power electronic systems has recently presented in the literature. In this library, the authors derived a 27 Fuzzy PID structures and many hybrid Fuzzy PID controllers. This paper is an extended research for the aforementioned work. Here and as a study case, a switched mode power converter (SMPC) application is considered showing the procedure for selecting the applicable structure from the derived FPID library. Such systems require robust, and highly dynamic performance, control schemes to facilitate optimum and high efficiency performance, often under a wide and challenging range of operating conditions. Here, a fuzzy PD + I (FPD + I) structure is directly selected from the derived FPID library. Simulation analysis and experimental validation on a DSP (TMS-320F28335) controlled prototype synchronous DC-DC buck converter demonstrate the superior dynamic performance and voltage regulation of the selected FPID structure compared to the conventional CPID control scheme.

This paper proposes a solution to complement the insufficient voltage gain and voltage stress distribution of classical interleaved boost converter in high step-up application. An interleaved converter integrating coupled inductor and voltage multiplier cell, which provides an additional voltage gain is proposed. By stacking the secondary side of the interleaved coupled inductor to its primary side, a high step-up voltage gain and distributed voltage stress are realised. Low-voltage rated devices ultimately reduce the conduction losses. The principle of operation and the performance characteristic of the converter are presented and verified by an experimental prototype of 140 W, 12 V input, and 120 V output.