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This paper proposes an optimal controller and estimator for energy dispatch to balance the power supply and demand considering communication delays. The proposed algorithm involves modeling an autonomous nanogrid (ANG) consisting of distributed energy resources, energy storage systems, loads, an $H_{\infty }$ controller with a reference power modulation technique, and a state estimator. The ANG was developed to express the dynamic supply-demand energy balance of a nanogird system. Reference power modulation was designed to generate the desired ESS power based on the imbalanced energy. Random communication delays were modeled using a stochastic variable satisfying the Bernoulli random binary distribution. The optimal $H_{\infty }$ controller and estimator were developed using a linear matrix inequality approach to exponentially stabilize the closed-loop system. Simulations were performed using real daily demand forecasts obtained from the Korea Meteorological Administration to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed real-time optimization algorithm.

The increase in ${R} _{DUT}$ , the on-state resistance of power semiconductor devices, is used to estimate the remaining useful life (RUL) of the devices. Conventional online measurement of $R_{DUT}$ involves on-state voltage measurement of the on-state device, which is easily polluted by switching noise to limit the measurement accuracy. This paper proposes a new noise-robust method to measure the increment of $R_{DUT}$ by inductor current and input/output DC voltage of DC-DC converters. The proposed method features higher accuracy in predicting RUL than the conventional one because the inductor current is immune to switching noise. The aging of MOSFET is emulated in this paper by adding a series resistor $R_{ext}$ . Experiments showed that the resistance increment measured by the proposed method is up to 99.2% accurate to value of $R_{ext}$ .

This paper proposes a gradient-descent-based learning (GL) gain for backstepping controller and disturbance observer (DOB) of nonlinear system. The proposed method consists of the GL gain update law, controller, and DOB. The GL gain update law is proposed to adapt the control gain and DOB gain according to the direction that minimizes the cost function. The mathematical analysis reveals that the GL gain always has a positive sign and upper bound. The controller is designed via a backstepping procedure to track the desired output with GL control gain. The DOB is designed to estimate the unknown external disturbance with the GL DOB gain. Because the control and DOB gains are simultaneously tuned to achieve improved performance, the time consumption for tuning can be reduced. In addition, the peaking phenomenon can be avoided initially by a small initial value of GL gains. The stability of the closed-loop system is guaranteed using the input-to-state stability property. The performance of the proposed method was validated via simulations and experiments using a DC motor.

IntroductionThis review compares the efficacy of video laryngoscopy (VL) with direct laryngoscopy (DL) for successful tracheal intubation in critically ill or emergency-care patients.MethodsWe searched the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared one or more video laryngoscopes to DL. Sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis, and network meta-analysis were used to investigate factors potentially influencing the efficacy of VL. The primary outcome was the success rate of first-attempt intubation.ResultsThis meta-analysis included 4244 patients from 22 RCTs. After sensitivity analysis, the pooled analysis revealed no significant difference in the success rate between VL and DL (VL vs. DL, 77.3% vs. 75.3%, respectively; OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 0.84–2.20; I2 = 80%; low-quality evidence). However, based on a moderate certainty of evidence, VL outperformed DL in the subgroup analyses of intubation associated with difficult airways, inexperienced practitioners, or in-hospital settings. In the network meta-analysis comparing VL blade types, nonchanneled angular VL provided the best outcomes. The nonchanneled Macintosh video laryngoscope ranked second, and DL ranked third. Channeled VL was associated with the worst treatment outcomes.DiscussionThis pooled analysis found, with a low certainty of evidence, that VL does not improve intubation success relative to DL. Channeled VL had low efficacy in terms of intubation success compared with nonchanneled VL and DL.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=285702, identifier: CRD42021285702.

Objective This study aimed to analyze the association between the culprit artery and the diagnostic accuracy of automatic electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods This single-centered, retrospective cohort study included adult patients with STEMI who visited the emergency department between January 2017 and December 2020. The primary endpoint was the association between the culprit artery occlusion and the misinterpretation of ECG, evaluated by the chi-square test or Fisher exact test. Results The rate of misinterpretation of the automated ECG for patients with STEMI was 26.5% (31/117 patients). There was no significant correlation between the ST segment change in the four involved leads (anteroseptal, lateral, inferior, and aVR) and the misinterpretation of ECG (all P > 0.05). Single culprit artery occlusion significantly affected the misinterpretation of ECG compared with multiple culprit artery occlusion (single vs. multiple, 27/86 [31.3%] vs. 4/31 [12.9%], P = 0.045). There was no association between culprit artery and the misinterpretation of ECG (P = 0.132). Conclusion Single culprit artery occlusion might increase misinterpretation of ECG compared with multiple culprit artery occlusions in the automatic interpretation of STEMI.

Abstract Reducing the time to diagnose COVID-19 helps to manage insufficient isolation-bed resources and adequately accommodate critically ill patients. There is currently no alternative method to real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), which requires 40 cycles to diagnose COVID-19. We propose a deep learning (DL) model to improve the speed of COVID-19 RT-PCR diagnosis. We developed and tested a DL model using the long short-term memory method with a dataset of fluorescence values measured in each cycle of 5810 RT-PCR tests. Among the DL models developed here, the diagnostic performance of the 21st model showed an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC), sensitivity, and specificity of 84.55%, 93.33%, and 75.72%, respectively. The diagnostic performance of the 24th model showed an AUROC, sensitivity, and specificity of 91.27%, 90.00%, and 92.54%, respectively.

Trajectory prediction is gaining attention as a form of situational awareness because it is an essential component of the support system of autonomous driving, particularly in urban areas. A promising application is cooperative driving automation, where the traffic scene is monitored by roadside sensors with undisrupted views. A critical problem is that these sensors are adversely affected by inclement weather, including drenching rain or large amounts of snow, in which case the reliability of the prediction results can be significantly compromised. To address these problems, this study proposes a framework for robust vehicle-trajectory predictions based on the Chebyshev transform. In the proposed framework, the original trajectory snippets (partial trajectories) are Chebyshev-transformed, and the resulting coefficients form new snippets. The LSTM (long-short term memory) encoder-decoder structure was trained and tested using these new coefficient snippets, which were extracted from a public vehicle trajectory dataset. The performance and robustness of the proposed framework were verified by emulating sensor data that were incomplete as a result of environmental factors. The proposed framework provides stable and accurate long-term trajectory prediction because the Chebyshev transform is robust to incomplete sensor data by virtue of its uniform nature.

IntroductionThe transcranial approach (TCA) has historically been used to remove craniopharyngiomas. Although the extended endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) to these tumors has been more commonly accepted in the recent two decades, there is debate over whether this approach leads to better outcomes. The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to more comprehensively understand the benefits and limitations of these two approaches in craniopharyngioma resection based on comparative studies.MethodsWe conducted a systematic literature search in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses recommendations using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. A total of 448 articles were screened. Data were extracted and analyzed using proportional meta-analysis. Eight comparative studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. The extent of resection, visual outcomes, and postoperative complications such as endocrine dysfunction and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage were compared.Results and discussionEight studies, involving 376 patients, were included. Resection by EEA led to a greater rate of gross total resection (GTR) (odds ratio [OR], 2.42; p = 0.02; seven studies) with an incidence of 61.3% vs. 50.5% and a higher likelihood of visual improvement (OR, 3.22; p < 0.0001; six studies). However, TCA resulted in a higher likelihood of visual deterioration (OR, 3.68; p = 0.002; seven studies), and was related, though not significantly, to panhypopituitarism (OR, 1.39; p = 0.34; eight studies) and diabetes insipidus (OR, 1.14; p = 0.58; seven studies). Although TCA showed significantly lower likelihoods of CSF leakage (OR, 0.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.10–0.71; p = 0.008; eight studies) compared to EEA, there was no significant difference in meningitis (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.20–4.25; p = 0.91; six studies) between the two approaches. When both approaches can completely resect the tumor, EEA outperforms TCA in terms of GTR rate and visual outcomes, with favorable results in complications other than CSF leakage, such as panhypopituitarism and diabetes insipidus. Although knowledge of and competence in traditional microsurgery and endoscopic surgery are essential in surgical decision-making for craniopharyngioma treatment, when both approaches are feasible, EEA is associated with favorable surgical outcomes.Systematic review registrationhttp://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42021234801.

This paper proposes a cascaded backstepping control method with an augmented observer for the lateral control of an autonomous vehicle. The proposed cascaded backstepping control structure consists of an inner-loop electric power steering (EPS) system and an outer-loop lane-keeping system (LKS). The outer-loop controller for LKS calculates and provides the desired steering angle to the inner-loop EPS system for maintaining the vehicle at the center of the lane. Subsequently, the inner-loop controller for the EPS system generates steering torque to track the desired steering angle from the outer loop. The proposed method can guarantee the stability of the vehicle considering both inner-loop and outer-loop dynamics. In addition, an augmented observer affords robustness against unknown model parameters and external disturbances. The stability of the closed loop of the overall system, including the lateral dynamics and the EPS system, is proven using the input-to-state stable property. Controller design with consideration of the overall system can improve the lateral control performance.

As the motion of pedestrians is largely unpredictable, situational awareness presents a challenge for safe autonomous driving in urban areas. In particular, conventional sensor information about the dynamic states involved in determining and predicting pedestrian motion, including the walking speed, is significantly affected by latency when pedestrians suddenly increase their pace. In this paper, we propose a framework for predicting the steady-state walking speed of sudden pedestrian movement at the early stage of walking after heel-off. Based on the analysis that some motion cues during gait initiation are related to the steady-state walking speed, a fuzzy inference framework for predicting the steady-state walking speed, where the related motion cues are input to the inference model, is developed. The proposed framework can accurately predict the steady-state walking speed, even at the end of the first gait cycle. Moreover, the future trajectory of the pedestrian can be predicted using the piecewise linear speed model. Using the proposed framework, installed on the edge server of the cooperative-intelligent transportation system (C-ITS), this study aims to ensure the safety of autonomous vehicles by enabling them to successfully navigate the danger caused by sudden pedestrian movement. Experimental results obtained from testing the system at a real urban intersection verify the value offered by the proposed framework.

Low-voltage ride-through (LVRT) is important for the grid integration of wind power systems (WPSs). Each grid operator defines a grid code, including the LVRT requirement, considering their power system characteristics. During grid faults, LVRT is needed for the protection of WPS because the over current can induce damage to the power converter system. An important issue in the LVRT method of WPS is the energy capacity because sufficient reserve energy capacities of wind turbine inertia and an energy storage system (ESS) are needed for a successful LVRT operation. Although ESS can store excess energy of the WPS during a grid fault, it is physically limited considering its energy capacity. Moreover, WPS has a low reserve energy capacity, especially when the WPS operates in high wind speed conditions. Thus, we propose the deloaded operation of WPS for the preparation of LVRT by reducing the power generation of WPS. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by modeling a WT and an ESS topologically and performing simulations using the MATLAB/Simulink SimPowerSystems toolbox.

Abstract This study aimed to compare the accuracy of novel lipid indices, including the visceral adiposity index (VAI), lipid accumulation product (LAP), triglycerides and glucose (TyG) index, TyG-body mass index (TyG-BMI), and TyG-waist circumference (TyG-WC), in identifying insulin resistance and establish valid cutoff values. This cross-sectional study used the data of 11,378 adults, derived from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999–2016). Insulin resistance was defined as a homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance value above the 75th percentile for each sex and race/ethnicities. The area under the curves (AUCs) were as follows: VAI, 0.735; LAP, 0.796; TyG index, 0.723; TyG-BMI, 0.823, and; TyG-WC, 0.822. The AUCs for TyG-BMI and TyG-WC were significantly higher than those for VAI, LAP, and TyG index (vs. TyG-BMI, p

This paper proposes a super twisting-based nonlinear gain sliding mode controller (STNGSMC) to achieve the position control of permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs). Nonlinear gain is developed to improve the position tracking performance of a super twisting sliding mode controller (STSMC). The inclusion of nonlinear gain in the STSMC reduces chattering, and the stability of the closed loop is mathematically proven using the Lyapunov theorem considering load torque. In the proposed method, chattering is analyzed using the describing function method under unmodeled dynamics, such as that corresponding to the quantization effect of the digital sensor, sensor resolution, and pulse-width modulation (PWM) switching noise, in PMSM position control systems. Consequently, the STNGSMC can improve the position tracking performance in steady-state responses. The performance of the proposed method is verified using simulations. The experimental results demonstrate that chattering can be reduced by the STNGSMC, consequently improving the position tracking performance.

Objective To evaluate the prognostic factors associated with the sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival to hospital discharge in traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (TOHCA) patients without prehospital ROSC. Methods We analyzed Korean nationwide data from the Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Surveillance, and included adult TOHCA patients without prehospital ROSC from January 2012 to December 2016. The primary outcome was sustained ROSC (>20 minutes). The secondary outcome was survival to discharge. Multivariate analysis was performed to investigate factors associated with the outcomes of TOHCA patients. Results Among 142,905 cases of OHCA, 8,326 TOHCA patients were investigated. In multivariate analysis, male sex (odds ratio [OR], 1.326; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.103–1.594; P=0.003), and an initial shockable rhythm (OR, 1.956; 95% CI, 1.113–3.439; P=0.020) were significantly associated with sustained ROSC. Compared with traffic crash, collision (OR, 1.448; 95% CI, 1.086–1.930; P=0.012) was associated with sustained ROSC. Fall (OR, 0.723; 95% CI, 0.589–0.888; P=0.002) was inversely associated with sustained ROSC. Male sex (OR, 1.457; 95% CI, 1.026–2.069; P=0.035) and an initial shockable rhythm (OR, 4.724; 95% CI, 2.451–9.106; P

The pharmacological potential of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) has been widely studied. However, the majority of studies have focused on cannabidiol, isolated from the inflorescence and leaf of the plant. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-diabetic potential of hemp root water (HWE) and ethanol extracts (HEE) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced insulin-deficient diabetic mice. The administration of HWE and HEE ameliorated hyperglycemia and improved glucose homeostasis and islet function in STZ-treated mice (p < 0.05). HWE and HEE suppressed β-cell apoptosis and cytokine-induced inflammatory signaling in the pancreas (p < 0.05). Moreover, HWE and HEE normalized insulin-signaling defects in skeletal muscles and apoptotic response in the liver and kidney induced by STZ (p < 0.05). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of HWE and HEE showed possible active compounds which might be responsible for the observed anti-diabetic potential. These findings indicate the possible mechanisms by which hemp root extracts protect mice against insulin-deficient diabetes, and support the need for further studies geared towards the application of hemp root as a novel bioactive material.

(1) Background: Rapid and accurate negative discrimination enables efficient management of scarce isolated bed resources and adequate patient accommodation in the majority of areas experiencing an explosion of confirmed cases due to Omicron mutations. Until now, methods for artificial intelligence or deep learning to replace time-consuming RT-PCR have relied on CXR, chest CT, blood test results, or clinical information. (2) Methods: We proposed and compared five different types of deep learning algorithms (RNN, LSTM, Bi-LSTM, GRU, and transformer) for reducing the time required for RT-PCR diagnosis by learning the change in fluorescence value derived over time during the RT-PCR process. (3) Results: Among the five deep learning algorithms capable of training time series data, Bi-LSTM and GRU were shown to be able to decrease the time required for RT–PCR diagnosis by half or by 25% without significantly impairing the diagnostic performance of the COVID-19 RT–PCR test. (4) Conclusions: The diagnostic performance of the model developed in this study when 40 cycles of RT–PCR are used for diagnosis shows the possibility of nearly halving the time required for RT–PCR diagnosis.

In this study, a velocity control method is proposed for minimizing velocity ripples in permanent-magnet synchronous motors with low-performance current sensing. The proposed method involves the use of desired currents, peak estimation, and a proposed tracking controller. The desired currents are used to achieve velocity control with only the current sensing. Peak estimation is performed to estimate the peak of the measured distorted current that occurs due to low-performance sensing. The proposed tracking controller is developed based on a proportional-integral controller using the estimated peak obtained from the measured currents. The proposed method aids in reducing velocity ripples and improving velocity tracking performance of permanent-magnet synchronous motors. The primary contribution of this method is the improvement of velocity-control performance with low-performance current sensing. The stability of the closed loop is proven by employing the input-to-state stable property. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, we performed simulations and experiments with different three cases.

We propose an extended-state-observer (ESO)-based robust position tracking control method using nonlinear damping gain to improve the control performance under external disturbances and parameter uncertainties for quadrotors. The proposed method consists of an ESO and a nonlinear damping controller (NDC). The ESO is designed to estimate full state and disturbance. The external disturbance, velocity dynamics, and the uncertainty of the input parameter are lumped in the disturbance. The NDC is developed via backstepping procedure to suppress the output tracking error according to the disturbance estimation error. The proposed method is simple and robust against external disturbance and parameter uncertainties. In addition, only the nominal value of the input gain parameters are required. The closed-loop stability is proven by using the input-to-state stability property. The position tracking performance of proposed method was verified by performing hardware-in-the-loop simulations using a quadrotor platform.

Coordinated control methods involving a wind turbine (WT) and an energy storage system (ESS) have been proposed to meet several objectives, such as smoothing wind power (WP) fluctuations, shaving peaks, enabling power scheduling, and allowing low-voltage ride-through (LVRT). LVRT requirement is defined by grid operators, and it should be satisfied whenever grid faults occur. Several methodologies have been proposed for the LVRT both with or without the use of an ESS. Furthermore, using an ESS is more advantageous for several WP applications. By using an ESS, WTs can be operated in a more economic and reliable way. However, the installation cost of an ESS is high and it has operation range constraints for charging and discharging. Moreover, the WT operation condition and ESS state-of-charge (SoC) can be different when a grid fault occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to coordinate both units, WT and ESS, for reliable and economic operation during a grid fault. Thus, we propose a coordinated fuzzy-based LVRT method that considers the different operation conditions of a WT and an ESS. From the proposed method, the effective reference powers of a WT and an ESS are evaluated by considering the rotor speed and SoC in the fuzzy control algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by considering two case studies on ESS SoC and WT rotor speed violations.

Low-voltage ride-through (LVRT) requirements are defined by grid operators, and they vary based on power system characteristics. Coordinated LVRT control methods have been proposed for wind turbines (WTs) and energy storage systems (ESSs). ESSs can successfully help achieve LVRT by regulating DC-link voltage during a grid fault. During LVRT, WTs cannot transfer power to a grid because of their low voltage and current limit. Moreover, as grid operators typically require reactive power support during a grid fault, active power cannot be properly transferred to the grid. This results in fluctuation in the DC-link voltage in wind power generators and it can induce significant damage in the systems. ESS have been used for achieving better LVRT response to protect WT systems and meet LVRT grid requirements. Previous coordinated control methods have mainly focused on DC-link voltage regulation based on ESS charging and discharging control. As ESSs have high installation cost and limited charging capacity, it is better to coordinate the LVRT response properly considering the state of charge of ESSs and the rotor speed and pitch angle of WTs. In this work, an enhanced coordinated LVRT control method is proposed based on a fuzzy-logic algorithm. Fixed torque of the rotor control and a fixed ramp rate of the pitch control are employed for power analysis which is used in formulating fuzzy-logic controller. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated by modeling a WT and an ESS topologically and performing simulations using the MATLAB/Simulink SimPowerSystems toolbox.

An adaptive nonlinear output tracking control method is proposed to reject unmatched biased sinusoidal disturbances for nonlinear systems that are in the strict feedback form. The proposed method consists of a disturbance observer (DOB) and an adaptive nonlinear controller. The DOB is in the form of a high-pass filter, and it estimates biased sinusoidal disturbances with unknown frequencies. The performance of the DOB is investigated in the time and frequency domains. As the DOB cannot accurately estimate biased sinusoidal disturbances with unknown frequencies, an adaptive nonlinear controller is designed to compensate for the disturbance estimation errors and ensure output tracking. The adaptive nonlinear controller is developed via the backstepping procedure. Thus, matching conditions are not significant in this design. The discontinuous “sgn” function is applied to the controller to compensate for the disturbance estimation errors. An update law of the control gain of the discontinuous “sgn” function is proposed to suppress the disturbance estimation errors without the knowledge of their upper bounds. Low-pass filters are embedded in the controller to smooth the derivative of the discontinuous “sgn” function. Consequently, multiple unmatched biased sinusoidal disturbances are compensated by the proposed method without any knowledge of the disturbances. The proposed method can reject multiple biased sinusoidal disturbances while it guarantees the constraint of the tracking error in steady-state response. Furthermore, the proposed method can reject multiple biased sinusoidal disturbances.

Grewia tomentosa Juss. is a deciduous shrub that mainly grows in Asia. Despite studies of other Grewia species for treatment of various diseases, Grewia tomentosa Juss. has not been studied as a medicinal herb. This study evaluates the anti-allergic and anti-topic dermatitis activity of Grewia tomentosa Juss. ethanol extract (Gt-EE). The results show that Gt-EE suppressed IgE–antigen-induced β-hexosaminidase release. The mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13, TNF-α, MCP-1, and TSLP, which are involved in allergic responses, was inhibited by Gt-EE in IgE-stimulated RBL-2H3 cells. In addition, the phosphorylation of Syk, PLCγ1, PKCδ, PI3K, AKT, NF-κB p65, NF-κB p50, p38, JNK, and ERK1/2 was decreased by Gt-EE in these cells. Gt-EE also showed anti-inflammatory effects in in vivo mouse models. In passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA), a commonly used mouse model, Gt-EE decreased the allergic response, infiltration of mast cells, and mRNA level of IL-4. Furthermore, Gt-EE ameliorated symptoms of DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis (AD). In DNCB-induced AD, Gt-EE suppressed the increase in mast cells, serum IgE level, expression of allergic mediators (IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, TNF-α), and phosphorylation of proteins (IκBα, NF-κB p65, NF-κB p50, p38, JNK, and ERK1/2) implicated in allergic reactions

We determined the complete chloroplast genome sequence of the peatmoss Sphagnum subsecundum Nees from Mt. Halla in Korea. The total size of the chloroplast genome was 140,136 bp, and it consisted of a large single-copy region (LSC) of 98,064 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 21,388 bp, and two copies of inverted repeat (IRa and IRb) regions of 10,342 bp each. The genome encoded a set of 130 genes, comprising 85 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. This species formed a monophyletic clade with S. orientale and S. lenese as the result of ML phylogenetic analysis based on whole gemone sequence of 15 species including one outgroup species.

As a part of phylogenomic study of graminids, we report the complete plastome sequence of Flagellaria indica L. (Flagellariaceae) (NCBI No. MZ504969). This is the first reported complete plastome sequence from the Flagellariaceae. This plastome shows typical quadripartite structure. The plastome size is 161,643 bp, which consists of 88,714 bp large single copy (LSC), 19,065 bp small single-copy (SSC), and 26,932 bp inverted repeat (IR) regions. However, we detected F. indica plastome has a 288 bp small inversion between ycf3 and trnS-GGA. The palindromic repeats of 10 bp (TTCCAATTTC/GAAATTGGAA) were located on the two break points of inversion. F. indica plastome contains 113 genes, including 79 protein-coding, 30 tRNA, and four rRNA genes. Unlike other families of graminids, the functional ycf1 and ycf2 genes exist. Sixteen genes contain one intron and two genes (clpP and ycf3) have two introns. Sixty-two simple sequence repeat (SSR) loci are scattered in the plastome, respectively. The phylogenetic tree shows that Flagellariaceae are the basal sister lineage of other graminid families.

Background and objectives: This study aims to evaluate the usefulness of the quantitative pupillary light reflex as a prognostic tool for neurological outcomes in post-cardiac arrest patients treated with targeted temperature management (TTM). Material and Methods: We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library (search date: 9 July 2021) for studies on post-cardiac arrest patients treated with TTM that had measured the percent constriction of pupillary light reflex (%PLR) with quantitative pupillometry as well as assessed the neurological outcome. For an assessment of the methodological quality of the included studies, two authors utilized the prognosis study tool independently. Results: A total of 618 patients from four studies were included in this study. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were calculated to compare patients with good or poor neurological outcomes. A higher %PLR measured at 0–24 h after hospital admission was related to good neurological outcomes at 3 months in post-cardiac arrest patients treated with TTM (SMD 0.87; 95% confidence interval 0.70–1.05; I2 = 0%). A higher %PLR amplitude measured at 24–48 h after hospital admission was also associated with a good neurological outcome at 3 months in post-cardiac arrest patients treated with TTM, but with high heterogeneity (standardized mean difference 0.86; 95% confidence interval 0.40–1.32; I2 = 70%). The evidence supporting these findings was of poor quality. For poor neurological outcome, the prognosis accuracy of %PLR was 9.19 (pooled diagnostic odds ratio, I2 = 0%) and 0.75 (area under the curve). Conclusions: The present meta-analysis could not reveal that change of %PLR was an effective tool in predicting neurological outcomes for post-cardiac arrest patients treated with TTM owing to a paucity of included studies and the poor quality of the evidence.

In general, it is not easy work to design controllers and observers for high-order nonlinear systems. Planar motors that are applied to semiconductor wafer-stage processes have 14th-order nonlinear dynamics and require high resolution for position tracking. Thus, many sensors are required to achieve enhanced tracking performance because there are many state variables. To handle these problems, we developed a Lyapunov-based controller to improve the position tracking performance. Consequently, a nonlinear observer (NOB) was also developed to estimate all of the state variables including the position, the velocity, and the phase current using only position feedback. The closed-loop stability is proved through Lyapunov theory and the input-to-state stability (ISS) property. The proposed method was evaluated based on the simulation results and compared with the conventional proportional–integral–derivative (PID) control method to show the improvement in the position tracking performance.

BackgroundThis study aimed to assess the prognostic value of the changes in cardiac arrest rhythms from the prehospital stage to the ED (emergency department) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients without prehospital returns of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).MethodsThis retrospective analysis was performed using nationwide population-based OHCA data from South Korea between 2012 and 2016. Patients with OHCA with medical causes and without prehospital ROSC were included and divided into four groups according to the nature of their cardiac arrest rhythms (shockable or non-shockable) in the prehospital stage and in the ED: (1) the shockable and shockable (Shock-Shock) group, (2) the shockable and non-shockable (Shock-NShock) group, (3) the non-shockable and shockable (NShock-Shock) group, and (4) the non-shockable and non-shockable (NShock-NShock) group. The presence of a shockable rhythm was confirmed based on the delivery of an electrical shock. Propensity score matching and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the effect of changes in the cardiac rhythms on patient outcomes. The primary outcome was sustained ROSC in the ED; the secondary outcomes were survival to hospital discharge and good neurological outcomes at hospital discharge.ResultsAfter applying the exclusion criteria, 51,060 eligible patients were included in the study (Shock-Shock, 4223; Shock-NShock, 3060; NShock-Shock, 11,509; NShock-NShock, 32,268). The propensity score-matched data were extracted from the six comparative subgroups. For sustained ROSC in the ED, Shock-Shock showed a higher likelihood than Shock-NShock (P ConclusionSustained ROSC in the ED may be expected for patients with shockable rhythms in the ED compared with those with non-shockable rhythms in the ED. For the clinical outcomes, survival to hospital discharge and neurological outcomes, patients with Shock-Shock showed the best outcome, whereas patients with NShock-NShock showed the poorest outcome and Shock-NShock showed a higher likelihood of achieving survival to hospital discharge with no significant differences in the neurological outcomes compared with NShock-Shock.

The diagnostic usefulness of ischemia-modified albumin in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has been questioned. The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to see how accurate ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) was in diagnosing ACS in patients admitted to emergency departments (EDs). We searched for relevant literature in databases such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. Primary studies that reliably reported on patients with symptoms suggestive of ACS and evaluated IMA on admission to emergency departments were included. The QUADAS-2 tool was used to assess the risk of bias in the included research. A total of 4,761 patients from 19 studies were included in this systematic review. The sensitivity and specificity were 0.74 and 0.40, respectively, when the data were pooled. The area under the curve value for IMA for the diagnosis of ACS was 0.75, and the pooled diagnostic odds ratio value was 3.72. Furthermore, ACS patients with unstable angina had greater serum IMA levels than those with non-ischemic chest pain. In contrast to prior meta-analyses, our findings suggest that determining whether serum IMA levels are effective for diagnosing ACS in the emergency department is difficult. However, the accuracy of these findings cannot be ascertained due to high heterogeneity between studies.

Background and Objectives: This study assessed the prognostic value of underlying chronic kidney disease (CKD) and renal replacement therapy (RRT) on the clinical outcomes from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted utilizing the population-based OHCA data of South Korea between 2008 and 2018. Adult (>18 years) OHCA patients with a medical cause of cardiac arrest were included and classified into three categories based on the underlying CKD and RRT: (1) non-CKD group; (2) CKD without RRT group; and (3) CKD with RRT group. A total of 13,682 eligible patients were included (non-CKD, 9863; CKD without RRT, 1778; CKD with RRT, 2041). From the three comparison subgroups, data with propensity score matching were extracted. The influence of CKD and RRT on patient outcomes was assessed using propensity score matching and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The primary outcome was survival at hospital discharge and the secondary outcome was a good neurological outcome at hospital discharge. Results: The two CKD groups (CKD without RRT and CKD with RRT) showed no significant difference in survival at hospital discharge compared with the non-CKD group (CKD without RRT vs. non-CKD, p > 0.05; CKD with RRT vs. non-CKD, p > 0.05). The non-CKD group had a higher chance of having good neurological outcomes than the CKD groups (non-CKD vs. CKD without RRT, p < 0.05; non-CKD vs. CKD with RRT, p < 0.05) whereas there was no significant difference between the two CKD groups (CKD without RRT vs. CKD with RRT, p > 0.05). Conclusions: Compared with patients without CKD, the underlying cause of CKD—regardless of RRT—may be linked to poor neurological outcomes. Underlying CKD and RRT had no effect on the survival at hospital discharge.

In this study, we present an innovative approach to risk assessment for rear-end collision avoidance using a cooperation concept for an autonomous lane change system. A Kalman filter is designed to estimate the longitudinal acceleration and predict the relative longitudinal position, velocity, and acceleration. Risk assessment is performed using the predicted motion of the object vehicle in the target lane. The cooperation concept is proposed to improve the flexibility of the lane change. If the risk assessment for the lane change indicates collision risk, the cooperativeness of the driver of the object vehicle is determined. If the driver of the object vehicle is regarded as a cooperative driver, within the original lane, the ego vehicle moves toward the target lane in preparation for the lane change. Subsequently, as soon as the risk assessment indicates that there is no collision risk, the lane change is performed. Thus, unlike conventional methods, the autonomous lane change using the proposed risk assessment can be initiated. Furthermore, the proposed risk assessment using cooperation concept is more flexible compared with previous methods for autonomous lane change in cluttered traffic.

Background and Objectives: This study analyzed the prognostic impact of mechanical cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) devices in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients, in comparison to manual CPR. Materials and Methods: This study was a nationwide population-based observational study in South Korea. Data were retrospectively collected from 142,905 OHCA patients using the South Korean Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Surveillance database. We included adult OHCA patients who received manual or mechanical CPR in the emergency room. The primary outcome was survival at discharge and the secondary outcome was sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Statistical analysis included propensity score matching and multivariate logistic regression. Results: A total of 19,045 manual CPR and 1125 mechanical CPR cases (671 AutoPulseTM vs. 305 ThumperTM vs. 149 LUCASTM) were included. In the matched multivariate analyses, all mechanical CPR devices were associated with a lower ROSC than that of manual CPR. AutoPulseTM was associated with lower survival in the multivariate analysis after matching (aOR with 95% CI: 0.57 (0.33–0.96)), but the other mechanical CPR devices were associated with similar survival to discharge as that of manual CPR. Witnessed arrest was commonly associated with high ROSC, but the use of mechanical CPR devices and cardiac origin arrest were associated with low ROSC. Only target temperature management was the common predictor for high survival. Conclusions: The mechanical CPR devices largely led to similar survival to discharge as that of manual CPR in OHCA patients; however, the in-hospital use of the AutoPulseTM device for mechanical CPR may significantly lower survival compared to manual CPR.

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of i-gel blind intubation (IGI) as a rescue device for definitive airway management in ground intubation for pre-hospital trauma patients. Methods A prospective randomized crossover study was conducted with 18 paramedics to examine intubation performance of two blind intubation techniques through a supraglottic airway devices (IGI and laryngeal mask airway Fastrach), compared with use of a Macintosh laryngoscope (MCL). Each intubation was conducted at two levels of patient positions (ground- and stretcher-level). Primary outcomes were the intubation time and the success rate for intubation. Results The intubation time (sec) of each intubation technique was not significantly different between the two positions. In both patient positions, the intubation time of IGI was shortest among the three intubation techniques (17.9±5.2 at the ground-level and 16.9±3.8 at the stretcher-level). In the analysis of cumulative success rate and intubation time, IGI was the fastest to reach 100% success among the three intubation techniques regardless of patient position (all P

Abstract Background β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the production of amyloid beta (Aβ), the toxic peptide that accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. Our previous studies have shown that the clathrin adaptor Golgi-localized γ-ear-containing ARF binding protein 3 (GGA3) plays a key role in the trafficking of BACE1 to lysosomes, where it is normally degraded. GGA3 depletion results in BACE1 stabilization both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, levels of GGA3 are reduced and inversely related to BACE1 levels in post-mortem brains of AD patients. Method In order to assess the effect of GGA3 deletion on AD-like phenotypes, we crossed GGA3 −/− mice with 5XFAD mice. BACE1-mediated processing of APP and the cell adhesion molecule L1 like protein (CHL1) was measured as well as levels of Aβ42 and amyloid burden. Results In 5XFAD mice, we found that hippocampal and cortical levels of GGA3 decreased while BACE1 levels increased with age, similar to what is observed in human AD brains. GGA3 deletion prevented age-dependent elevation of BACE1 in GGA3KO;5XFAD mice. We also found that GGA3 deletion resulted in increased hippocampal levels of Aβ42 and amyloid burden in 5XFAD mice at 12 months of age. While levels of BACE1 did not change with age and gender in GGAKO;5XFAD mice, amyloid precursor protein (APP) levels increased with age and were higher in female mice. Moreover, elevation of APP was associated with a decreased BACE1-mediated processing of CHL1 not only in 12 months old 5XFAD mice but also in human brains from subjects affected by Down syndrome, most likely due to substrate competition. Conclusion This study demonstrates that GGA3 depletion is a leading candidate mechanism underlying elevation of BACE1 in AD. Furthermore, our findings suggest that BACE1 inhibition could exacerbate mechanism-based side effects in conditions associated with APP elevation (e.g. Down syndrome) owing to impairment of BACE1-mediated processing of CHL1. Therefore, therapeutic approaches aimed to restore GGA3 function and to prevent the down stream effects of its depletion (e.g. BACE1 elevation) represent an attractive alternative to BACE inhibition for the prevention/treatment of AD.

A cascade proportional integral control method with back-electro motive force compensation has been widely used for permanent magnet synchronous motors. In the permanent magnet synchronous motor control, it is important to accurately know the back-electro motive force constant for torque generation as well as back-electro motive force compensation. In this study, a real-time back-electro motive force constant estimation algorithm is developed to improve the velocity tracking control performance. The proposed method consists of a proportional integral controller and a back-electro motive force constant estimator. The proportional integral controller is designed to reduce the velocity tracking error. The back-electro motive force constant estimator is designed to estimate the back-electro motive force constant. It was verified that the estimated back-electro motive force constant converges to the actual back-electro motive force constant. The estimated back-electro motive force constant is applied to the cascade proportional integral controller. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, the performance of the proposed method is validated experimentally.

This study presents LPV H∞ control with an augmented nonlinear observer (ANOB) to improve both the position and yaw tracking errors for Sawyer motors. The proposed control method consists of the forces and torque modulation scheme, an ANOB, and a Lyapunov-based current controller with the LPV H∞ state feedback controller to guarantee the stability of tracking error dynamics. The ANOB is designed to estimate all the state variables including the position, velocity, current, and disturbance using only position feedback. We propose a vertex expansion technique to solve the influence of the convex interpolation parameters in the LPV system on the tracking error performance. To be robust against disturbance, a state feedback controller with the LPV gain scheduling is determined by applying the H∞ control in the linear-matrix-inequality (LMI) technique. The closed-loop stability is proved through the Lyapunov theory. The effectiveness of the proposed control method is evaluated through simulation results and compared with the conventional proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control method to verify both the improved tracking error performance and a suitable disturbance rejection.

In this paper, position control using both a nonlinear position controller and a current controller with an augmented observer is proposed for a Brushless DC motor. The nonlinear position controller is designed to improve the position tracking performance based on the tracking error dynamics. The current controller is developed to track the desired currents generated from the desired torque, which is calculated based on the nonlinear position controller. The augmented observer is designed to obtain the knowledge of both state variables and disturbance. Closed-loop stability is proven through the Lyapunov theorem. Simulations were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

This paper proposes a robust tracking control method for swing-up and stabilization of a rotational inverted pendulum system by applying equivalent input disturbance (EID) rejection. The mathematical model of the system was developed by using a Lagrangian equation. Then, the EID, including external disturbances and parameter uncertainties, was defined; and the EID observer was designed to estimate EID using the state observer dynamics and a low-pass filter. For robustness, the linear-quadratic regulator method is used with EID rejection. The closed-loop stability is proven herein using the Lyapunov theory and input-to-state stability. The performance of the proposed method is validated and verified via experimental results.

In the existing literature, studies on position controller design using only position feedback, considering the disturbances for single-rod electro-hydrostatic actuators (EHAs), have not been reported. Herein, we propose a robust nonlinear position control with an extended state observer (ESO) for single-rod EHAs. A new EHA model that consists of position, velocity, and acceleration with an internal state variable is developed. Instead of the separated port pressure dynamics, the acceleration dynamics were defined. The external disturbance, model, and input function uncertainties were lumped into a disturbance. An ESO is developed to estimate the disturbance, as well as the position, velocity, and acceleration. In practice, it is difficult to accurately estimate the disturbance because it includes the external disturbance, system dynamics, and input function uncertainty. The poor estimation performance may degrade the position tracking performance, but a high gain cannot be used to suppress the estimation error because of the measurement noise amplification. To resolve this problem, a robust nonlinear position controller is developed via a backstepping procedure. In the controller, a nonlinear gain is implemented to sufficiently suppress position tracking without the use of a high gain. The stability of the closed-loop system is mathematically proven using the input-to-state stability. The proposed method is simple and suitable for real-time control.

In this paper, a nonlinear differential braking control method is developed to avoid collision during lane change under driver torque. The lateral dynamics consist of lateral offset error and yaw error dynamics and can be interpreted as a semi-strict feedback form. In the differential braking control problem under the driver torque, a matching condition does not satisfy, and the system is not in the form of, the strict feedback form. Thus, a general backstepping control method cannot be applied. To overcome this problem, the proposed method is designed via the combination of the sliding mode control and backstepping. Two sliding surfaces are designed for differential braking control. One of the surfaces is designed considering the lateral offset error, and the other sliding surface is designed using the combination of the yaw and yaw rate errors as the virtual input of the lateral offset error dynamics. A brake steer force input is developed to regulate the two sliding surfaces using a backstepping procedure under the driver torque. Integral action and a super twisting algorithm are used in the lateral controller to ensure the robustness of the system. The proposed method, which is designed via the combination of the sliding mode control and backstepping, can improve the lateral control performance using differential braking. The proposed method is validated through simulations.

In this paper, a current-error-based iterative learning controller (ILC) with a nonlinear controller is proposed to improve the position-tracking performance in permanent-magnet (PM) stepper motors. Our proposed method comprises a current-error-based ILC for mechanical dynamics and a nonlinear controller for current dynamics. A nonlinear controller using a variable structure is designed to obtain the field-oriented control. This nonlinear controller can cause the PM stepper motor become a single-input single-output linear system after finite time. The add-on-type ILC with proportional–integral control is designed to improve the position-tracking performance as the systems repeatedly perform the same operation. To increase the rate of error convergence, the current-error-based ILC is designed using the plant inversion method. The condition that the error converges to zero is mathematically derived. Thus, the proposed method can reduce the position-tracking error as the systems repeatedly perform the same operation. Furthermore, the proposed method can be easily plugged into the pre-designed controller. The performance of our proposed method was evaluated via simulations. In simulations, it is observed that the proposed method reduces the position-tracking error compared to the previous methods.

We propose a nonlinear position control using a differential flatness concept with a load torque observer to compensate for the sinusoidal load torque in electro-hydraulic actuators (EHAs) EHAs. In an EHA with a rotational joint, the load torque is a sinusoidal disturbance, whose magnitude can be estimated via a load torque observer. In the proposed load torque observer, the load torque can be estimated without requiring its maximum frequency to be known. The position controller tracks position and comprises an inner-loop load pressure controller and an outer-loop position controller. The former tracks the desired pressure via near input–output linearization. The desired pressure is developed using the differential flatness of the mechanical system in the EHA. The feedback plus feedforward outer-loop position controller is designed to track the desired position and to compensate for the load torque. The stability of the closed-loop system is mathematically proven using the input-to-state stability property.

In this paper, a stability-driven optimal disturbance observer (DO) is proposed. The proposed method does not require any plant inverse dynamics to detect introduced disturbances or a stabilizing Q filter. It does not require additional compensators to resolve causality problems, due to the relative degree, or filters to solve instability problems of non-minimum phase plants. Using this method enables wideband and narrowband disturbances to be attenuated by simply multiplying the corresponding peak filters by the baseline weight function. Furthermore, the proposed DO guarantees the stability of closed-loop systems because the already designed outer-loop systems are considered as a target plant to be stabilized and because of the Lyapunov stability-based H∞ control. In the application example, it was confirmed that the proposed method is effective, and the position error signals were improved by 20.9% in commercial hard disk drives and 36.6% in optical image stabilization systems.

We consider the indefinite, linear-quadratic, mean-field-type stochastic zero-sum differential game for jump-diffusion models (I-LQ-MF-SZSDG-JD). Specifically, there are two players in the I-LQ-MF-SZSDG-JD, where Player 1 minimizes the objective functional, while Player 2 maximizes the same objective functional. In the I-LQ-MF-SZSDG-JD, the jump-diffusion-type state dynamics controlled by the two players and the objective functional include the mean-field variables, i.e., the expected values of state and control variables, and the parameters of the objective functional do not need to be (positive) definite matrices. These general settings of the I-LQ-MF-SZSDG-JD make the problem challenging, compared with the existing literature. By considering the interaction between two players and using the completion of the squares approach, we obtain the explicit feedback Nash equilibrium, which is linear in state and its expected value, and expressed as the coupled integro-Riccati differential equations (CIRDEs). Note that the interaction between the players is analyzed via a class of nonanticipative strategies and the “ordered interchangeability” property of multiple Nash equilibria in zero-sum games. We obtain explicit conditions to obtain the Nash equilibrium in terms of the CIRDEs. We also discuss the different solvability conditions of the CIRDEs, which lead to characterization of the Nash equilibrium for the I-LQ-MF-SZSDG-JD. Finally, our results are applied to the mean-field-type stochastic mean-variance differential game, for which the explicit Nash equilibrium is obtained and the simulation results are provided.

In existing methods, full-state feedback is required for the position tracking of single-rod Electro Hydrostatic Actuators (EHAs). Measuring a full state is not always possible because of cost and space limitations. Furthermore, measurement noise from pressure sensors may degrade the control performance. We propose an observer-based nonlinear position control with nonlinear coordinate transformation while only using position measurement to improve the position tracking of single-rod EHAs. The proposed method comprises a position controller and an observer. We propose a nonlinear coordinate transform for the controller design. The desired force is designed for the position tracking and boundedness of the internal state. The position controller is designed to track the desired state variables for the EHAs. Meanwhile, a nonlinear observer is proposed in order to estimate a full state using only the position measurement. The stability of the closed-loop system is investigated via an input-to-state stability property. The performance of the proposed method is validated via both simulations and experiments.

In this paper, we propose a nonlinear position control using only position feedback to guarantee the tolerances for position tracking errors and yaw. In the proposed method, both mechanical and electrical dynamics are considered. The proposed method consists of the nonlinear position controller and nonlinear observer. The nonlinear position controller is designed by a backstepping procedure using the barrier Lyapunov function to satisfy the constraints of position error and yaw. The nonlinear observer is developed to estimate full state using only position feedback. The stability of the closed-loop system is proven using Lyapunov and input-to-state stabilities. Consequently, the proposed method satisfies the constraints of position error and yaw using only position feedback for the planar motor.

For several decades, disturbance observers (DOs) have been widely utilized to enhance tracking performance by reducing external disturbances in different industrial applications. However, although a DO is a verified control structure, a conventional DO does not guarantee stability. This paper proposes a stability-guaranteed design method, while maintaining the DO structure. The proposed design method uses a linear matrix inequality (LMI)-based H∞ control because the LMI-based control guarantees the stability of closed loop systems. However, applying the DO design to the LMI framework is not trivial because there are two control targets, whereas the standard LMI stabilizes a single control target. In this study, the problem is first resolved by building a single fictitious model because the two models are serial and can be considered as a single model from the Q-filter point of view. Using the proposed design framework, all-stabilizing Q filters are calculated. In addition, for the stability and robustness of the DO, two metrics are proposed to quantify the stability and robustness and combined into a single unified index to satisfy both metrics. Based on an application example, it is verified that the proposed method is effective, with a performance improvement of 10.8%.

Purpose. This study aimed to compare intubation performances among i-gel blind intubation (IGI), i-gel bronchoscopic intubation (IBRI), and intubation using Macintosh laryngoscope (MCL) applying two kinds of endotracheal tube during chest compressions. We hypothesized that IGI using wire-reinforced silicone (WRS) tube could achieve endotracheal intubation most rapidly and successfully. Methods. In 23 emergency physicians, a prospective randomized crossover manikin study was conducted to examine the three intubation techniques using two kinds of endotracheal tubes. The primary outcome was the intubation time. The secondary outcome was the cumulative success rate for each intubation technique. A significant difference was considered when identifying p

A nonlinear backstepping control is proposed for the coupled normal form of nonlinear systems. The proposed method is designed by combining the sliding-mode control and backstepping control with a disturbance observer (DOB). The key idea behind the proposed method is that the linear terms of state variables of the second subsystem are lumped into the virtual input in the first subsystem. A DOB is developed to estimate the external disturbances. Auxiliary state variables are used to avoid amplification of the measurement noise in the DOB. For output tracking and unmatched disturbance cancellation in the first subsystem, the desired virtual input is derived via the backstepping procedure. The actual input in the second subsystem is developed to guarantee the convergence of the virtual input to the desired virtual input by using a sliding-mode control. The stability of the closed-loop is verified by using the input-to-state stable (ISS) property. The performance of the proposed method is validated via numerical simulations and an application to a vehicle system based on CarSim platform.

Introduction. Capnometer can be readily malfunctioned by fluid exposure during treatment of critically ill patients. This study aimed to determine whether placing capnometer distant from the endotracheal tube by connecting direct connect catheter mount (DCCM) is effective in yielding reliable end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) by reducing capnometer malfunctioning caused by water exposure. Methods. In 25 healthy adults, a prospective, open label, crossover study was conducted to examine the effect of DCCM in mainstream and microstream capnometers under water exposing conditions. The primary endpoint was the comparison of ETCO2 between proximal DCCM (pDCCM) and distal DCCM (dDCCM). Results. For mainstream capnometers, mean ETCO2 was significantly (p < 0.001) higher in dDCCM compared to pDCCM under water exposing conditions (29.5 vs. 19.0 with 5 ml; 33.8 vs. 21.2 with 10 ml; mmHg). Likewise, for microstream capnometers, ETCO2 was greatly higher (p < 0.001) in dDCCM compared to pDCCM (30.5 vs. 13.9 with 5 ml; 29.9 vs.11.4 with 10 mL; mmHg). ETCO2 measured by dDCCM was reliable in microstream settings, whereas it was unreliable in mainstream (correlation coefficient 0.88 vs. 0.27). Conclusions. Application of DCCM onto the capnometer setting seems to be effective in reducing capnometer malfunctioning under fluid exposing conditions, which is obvious in microstream capnometer by producing more reliable ETCO2.

This study introduces a coordinated low-voltage ride through (LVRT) control method for permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) wind turbines (WT) interconnected with an energy storage system (ESS). In the proposed method, both the WT pitch and power converters are controlled to enhance the LVRT response. Moreover, the ESS helps in regulating the dc link voltage during a grid fault. Previous LVRT methods can be categorized into strategies with or without an additional device for the LVRT. The latter scheme is advantageous from the perspective of no additional installation cost; in this case, pitch and converter controllers are used. Meanwhile, the former method uses an additional device for LVRT operation and hence, involves additional expense. However, it can effectively enhance the LVRT response by reducing the LVRT burden on the WT. Moreover, the additional device can be used for various WT power control applications and it is common that the ESS is interconnected to the WT for multiple objectives. Previous studies focused on these two aspects separately; hence, a method of coordinated control for an ESS and a WT is needed as more ESSs are required to connect to WTs for flexible wind power operation. The proposed method introduces a control method with different LVRT modes considering the ESS state of charge (SoC). When the WT does not have a sufficient inertial response operation range, the ESS reserve energy capacity is required for LVRT operation. This coordinated LVRT method employs both the WT and ESS controls when it is hard to handle the LVRT using the WT control alone at high wind speeds. In this case, power curve analysis is used to obtain the appropriate power reference during the fault period. In addition, a power reference is also used to ensure a safe operation. Using the proposed method, an ESS can be operated in a manner that is appropriate for WT operation, especially at high wind speeds. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we considered two case studies. One study compares the LVRT response between the WT itself and the proposed method. The other research work compares the response of the conventional LVRT method that uses a WT and an ESS and with that of the proposed method. From these case studies, we concluded that the proposed method achieved a better performance while operating within the constraints of the WT rotor speed and ESS SoC limits.