IV loop (current-voltage loop): Tecnica di controllo di un DC/DC converter step-down con sense sul nodo di phase

A generalized model of elastic foundation based on long-range interactions: Integral and fractional model

The common models of elastic foundations are provided by supposing that they are composed by elastic columns with some interactions between them, such as contact forces that yield a differential equation involving gradients of the displacement field. In this paper, a new model of elastic foundation is proposed introducing into the constitutive equation of the foundation body forces depending on the relative vertical displacements and on a distance-decaying function ruling the amount of interactions. Different choices of the distance-decaying function correspond to different kind of interactions and foundation behavior. The use of an exponential distance-decaying function yields an integro-d…

Consensus statement of the Italian society of colorectal surgery (SICCR): management and treatment of hemorrhoidal disease

AbstractHemorrhoidal disease (HD) is the most common proctological disease in the Western countries. However, its real prevalence is underestimated due to the frequent self-medication.The aim of this consensus statement is to provide evidence-based data to allow an individualized and appropriate management and treatment of HD. The strategy used to search for evidence was based on application of electronic sources such as MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Review Library, CINAHL, and EMBASE.These guidelines are inclusive and not prescriptive.The recommendations were defined and graded based on the current levels of evidence and in accordance with the criteria adopted by American College of Chest Phys…

An innovative PWM loop control for VRMs

Linear Non Linear Digital control for DC/DC Converters with fast transient response PARTE II

This article presents a digital control that improves the stability of the system, solves the problem of the limit cycle, shortens the recovery time and limits the overcoming of the rectified output voltage. The digital linear-nonlinear control function for DC / DC converters is described. The simulation model in the mixed environment of matlab-simulink / active -hdl is described. Preliminary results of the preliminary hardware test on a step-down-phase converter are presented and simulation and experimental results are also presented.

A novel linear-non-linear digital control for DC/DC converters

In this paper, a digitally controlled multi-module DC-DC converter with fast transient response, based on a linear-non-linear control is presented. The proposed digital control improves the stability of the system, cuts off the effects of limit-cycle and reduces the recovery time, by making the "effective" bandwidth of the system independent of the bandwidth of the linear control loop and limits, at the same time, output voltage variations. The novel digital control is AVP-compatible and halves the recovery time. Preliminary hardware tests on a single phase step-down converter are reported. The experimental results match simulation ones, obtained by modelling system with Matlab/Aldec mixed …

The impact of conversion on the risk of major complication following laparoscopic colonic surgery: an international, multicentre prospective audit.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopy has now been implemented as a standard of care for elective colonic resection around the world. During the adoption period, studies showed that conversion may be detrimental to patients, with poorer outcomes than both laparoscopic completed or planned open surgery. The primary aim of this study was to determine whether laparoscopic conversion was associated with a higher major complication rate than planned open surgery in contemporary, international practice.METHODS: Combined analysis of the European Society of Coloproctology 2017 and 2015 audits. Patients were included if they underwent elective resection of a colonic segment from the caecum to the rectosigmoid jun…

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study

Abstract Background Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could support safer elective surgery. Vaccine numbers are limited so this study aimed to inform their prioritization by modelling. Methods The primary outcome was the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one COVID-19-related death in 1 year. NNVs were based on postoperative SARS-CoV-2 rates and mortality in an international cohort study (surgical patients), and community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and case fatality data (general population). NNV estimates were stratified by age (18–49, 50–69, 70 or more years) and type of surgery. Best- and worst-case scenarios were used to describe uncertainty. Results NNVs were more favourable in su…

WING FLUTTER SUPPRESSION ENHANCEMENT USING A WELL-SUITED ACTIVE CONTROL MODEL

State-space theory is employed here to model a new active wing flutter suppression control. In this paper, the design of a flutter suppression control law, for the NASA Benchmark Active Control Technology wing, is proposed through a single input-single output controller and unsteady aerodynamics is modelled using the Theodorsen's theory. Wing dynamic model is obtained by combining the aeroelastic equations of motion with the actuator model presented. Open-loop dynamic behaviour is examined for a single feedback variable that combines pitch and plunge accelerations. Here, a new formulation of control law, based on classical control techniques and featuring two feedback closed-loops, is succ…

Stochastic analysis of motorcycle dynamics

Off-road and racing motorcycles require a particular setup of the suspensions to improve the comfort and the safety of the rider, maintaining a continuous contact between the road and the motorcycle (by means of the tires). Further, because of the ground roughness, in the case of offroad motorcycle, suspensions usually experience extreme and erratic excursions (suspension stroke) in performing their function. In this regard, the adoption of nonlinear devices can, perhaps, limit both the acceleration experienced by the sprung mass and the excursions of the suspensions. This leads to the consideration of asymmetric nonlinearly-behaving suspensions. This option, however, induces the difficulty…

Dedicated anlog-to-digital converter for digital VRM

A steady-state and dynamic fuel cell model for power electronics design

Active controller for wing flutter suppression enhancement

On the derivation of the Fokker-Plank equation by using of Fractional calculus

In this paper, fractional calculus has been used to find the spectral counterpart of the Fokker- Planck equations for non-linear systems driven by Lévy white noise processes. In particular it is shown that one can obtain the equation ruling the characteristic function of the response to a non-linear system, without using the Itô formula. Indeed, it is possible to reproduce the well-known results, already known in literature, by means of the characteristic function representation in terms of complex moments, recently proposed by the first two authors. The case of a-stable Lévy driven stochastic differential equation is also treated introducing an associated process constructed from the stabl…

Surgeons' fear of getting infected by COVID19: A global survey

During the last three months, COVID- 19 pandemic had led to a serious backlog of operations globally, and plans for restarting operation are imperative. Recommendations for surgical activities were studied, aiming to protect the surgical staff from being infected. In the meantime, it is also important to give attention to the surgeon’s personal feeling during work. We conducted a survey to investigate global surgi- cal practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the surgeon’s personal feeling was also investigated in the sur- vey. In this special letter, we performed multivariate analysis to explore factors that associated with surgeon’s fear of getting infected by COVID-19.

Evaluating the incidence of pathological complete response in current international rectal cancer practice: the barriers to widespread safe deferral of surgery

INTRODUCTION: The mainstay of management for locally advanced rectal cancer is chemoradiotherapy followed by surgical resection. Following chemoradiotherapy, a complete response may be detected clinically and radiologically (cCR) prior to surgery or pathologically after surgery (pCR). We aim to report the overall complete pathological response (pCR) rate and the reliability of detecting a cCR by conventional pre-operative imaging.METHODS: A pre-planned analysis of the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) 2017 audit was performed. Patients treated by elective rectal resection were included. A pCR was defined as a ypT0 N0 EMVI negative primary tumour; a partial response represented any r…

An international multicentre prospective audit of elective rectal cancer surgery; operative approach versus outcome, including transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME)

Introduction: Transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) has rapidly emerged as a novel approach for rectal cancer surgery. Safety profiles are still emerging and more comparative data is urgently needed. This study aimed to compare indications and short-term outcomes of TaTME, open, laparoscopic, and robotic TME internationally. Methods: A pre-planned analysis of the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP) 2017 audit was performed. Patients undergoing elective total mesorectal excision (TME) for malignancy between 1 January 2017 and 15 March 2017 by any operative approach were included. The primary outcome measure was anastomotic leak. Results: Of 2579 included patients, 76.2% (1966/257…

PWM DC/DC converter based on an innovative current sensing technique

Low stiffness variation in structural systems: identification and localization

When a very low damage occurs, the undamaged structural response totally overlaps the damaged one either in time domain or in frequency domain; on the other hand, by considering some characteristics of the analytical signal, such as the phase, it has been possible to develop a damage identification procedure that allows the identification and localization of damage even if the structure experiences multiple damages at the same time. This procedure is also robust with respect to the presence of measuring noise. In order to assess the validity of the proposed damage identification procedure, numerical applications on single degree of freedom and 2 DOF and 4 DOF are presented using data record…

A novel digital control technique for DC/DC converters to improve steady-state performances

Erratum to: Evaluation and management of hemorrhoids: Italian society of colorectal surgery (SICCR) consensus statement (Tech Coloproctol, (2015), 19, (567–575), 10.1007/s10151-015-1371-9)

Surgery Gastroenterology

Ruolo del linfonodo sentinella nel trattamento chirurgico delle neoplasie colo-rettali

Impact of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients in global surgical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has changed the global surgical care. Patients infected with COVID-19 may present without typical symptoms, and such asymptomatic patients may potentially trigger in-hospital outbreaks by transmitting the disease to health care providers and other hospitalized patients. Further, asymptomatic COVID-19 patients have worse postop- erative outcomes with an unexpectedly high morbidity and mortality, reaching 20⋅5 per cent deaths. However, we do not have objective global data on this issue. In an attempt to clarify the current global surgical practice under the COVID-19 pandemic particularly focusing on the preoperative screening of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, we …

Computer active control of damping fluid of a racing superbike suspension scheme for road safety improvement spin-off

This paper describes in detail a computational investigation of a newly-conceived scheme of hydraulic active racing motorcycle suspension and its design application based on a computer-aided control of damping fluid. Through ad hoc tests on a full-scale model setup and the theoretical approach of a non linear 8th-order suspension scheme, this study gives enhancement of the damping fluid active control on the feedback branch of the entire control system for significant improvement of the suspension response to typical road inputs. Briefly, the fluid flow in suspension dampers - generated through well-suited high-pressure hydraulic circuit - shall be conveniently controlled in direction and m…

Non-Linear Digital Control for DC-DC Power Converter

Experimental test on a fuel cell-supercapacitor hybrid power supply for a digital still camera