D.Ing. / Alternating current systems employing single-frequency sinusoidal waveforms render optimal service when the currents in that system are also sinusoidal and have a fixed phase relationship to the voltages that drive them. Under unity- power factor conditions, the currents are in phase with the voltages and optimal net-energy transfer takes place under minimum loading conditions, i.e. with the lowest effective values of current and voltage in the system. The above conditions were realised in the earlier years, because supply authorities generated 50 Hz sinusoidal voltages and consumers drew 50 Hz sinusoidal currents with fixed phase relationships to these voltages. Static and rotating electrical equipment like transformers, motors, heating and lighting equipment were equally compatible with this requirement and well-behaved AC networks were more the rule than the exception. The fact that three-phase systems conveyed the bulk of the power from one topographical location to the next did not constrain the utilisation of that concept at all, even though poly-phase transmission systems were necessary to increase the economy of transmission and to furnish non-pulsating power transfer. Also, additional theory had to be developed to handle unbalanced conditions in these multi-phase systems and to take care of complex network analysis and fault conditions. Difficulties begin to manifest themselves when equipment not meeting these requirements is connected to the network and when the currents it draws are not sinusoidal. An increasing number of applications demand DC-voltage supplies from which DC-currents are to be drawn. Because power transmission is carried out by means of AC networks, the DC is furnished by converting or rectifying the AC-supply. Power-electronic circuits, of which the R 2P2 power supplies the AEC employs are no exception, employ line-commutated AC/DC converters in their front-ends, and fall into that category. Although these line-commutated, phase-controlled AC/DC converters are capable of handling giga-watt power levels, line-frequency commutation causes the currents they draw on the AC-side to be distorted, even though still to be periodic. These non-sinusoidal currents, drawn from the source, along the transmission lines and through other distribution system immittances, also give rise to non-sinusoidal voltage drops between the source and the load, which results in distorted voltage waveforms at other nodes and at the load. Harmonic penetration studies are essential to evaluate the performance of transmission systems in the presence of current distortion sources. These sources do not only bring about voltage distortion within the confines of their own borders, but extend their influence outside into those of other consumers as well. Supplyutilities are wary of the distortion introduced into their networks by consumers and initial recommendations have now given way to rigid standards for curbing harmonic pollution by consumers Because conventional steady-state alternating current circuit theory fails in the presence of distortion there are only two ways in which harmonic penetration studies can be carried out. Numerical integration methods are mandatory in the study of transient performance of electrical networks during switching and similar occurrences, but become cumbersome when the networks contain more than just a few nodes and are impossible to use when several tens or hundreds of nodes are encountered. Fortunately, harmonic penetration studies can be confined to steady-state operating conditions in a network in which voltages and currents are distorted but remain periodic and are therefore Fourier transformable. When viewed in the frequency-domain, non-sinusoidal but periodic current and voltage waveforms can be represented by discrete frequency spectra. Frequency-domain analysis offers a number of advantages. From the frequency-domain point of view, distortion can be quantified in terms of complex phasor values of voltages and currents at discrete harmonic frequencies that individually lend themselves to conventional circuit theory, permitting calculations to be carried out in extensive networks. Solutions that apply to these individual harmonic frequencies can then be summated across the spectrum to furnish aggregate or joint parameters of currents, voltages and powers and can also be transformed back into the time-domain for the reconstruction of the relevant time-dependent waveforms. Both the frequency and time-domain waveforms, of voltage and current, constructed in the above manner are concise and convey the same numerical information. When attempting, however, to quantify the circuit behaviour in terms of the classical definitions of active, reactive and apparent power, it is soon discovered that different definitions are possible. The different definitions, unfortunately, lead to divergent results and it is impossible to assess the utility of each different theory on a general basis. Only by applying the different theories in dedicated measurements, can their relative worth be established in terms of specific circumstances. That is the main theme of this dissertation.

Background: While pain is essential for physiological functioning, chronic or pathologic pain is responsible for a major burden of disease in society. Novel approaches to treating acute and chronic pain have employed neuromodulatory tools to target the central and peripheral neural structures that mediate pain. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), for example, is a safe, non-invasive brain stimulation technique that has been shown in preliminary studies to reduce chronic pain when applied to the primary motor cortex. In contrast to this exogenous neuromodulatory approach, diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC) refers to endogenous pain regulatory mechanisms that decrease pain following introduction of heterotopic noxious stimuli. This thesis explores whether combining these exogenous and endogenous pain modulation approaches synergistically increases the threshold at which pain is perceived. Methods: We conducted a double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with a crossover design to investigate the effects of tDCS and DNIC on pain thresholds in 15 healthy human subjects. Pain thresholds were assessed prior to and following administration of active tDCS, sham tDCS, cold-water-induced DNIC, and combined active tDCS and DNIC. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we examined whether baseline concentrations of brain metabolites such as N-acetylaspartate in pain-related regions of interest were associated with responses to the varying neuromodulatory conditions. Results: Pain thresholds significantly increased following both active tDCS and the DNIC paradigm. These modulatory approaches appeared to have additive effects when combined. Pain threshold increases after active tDCS were positively correlated with baseline levels of N-acetylaspartate, a marker of good neural function, in the anterior cingulate cortex and negatively correlated with baseline levels of glutamine in the thalamus. Conclusions: Combining endogenous pain regulatory mechanisms with exogenous stimulation of the motor cortex can more effectively increase pain thresholds in healthy humans. Future studies should examine whether existing pain therapies may be enhanced with noninvasive brain stimulation and activation of DNIC. They should also assess whether brain metabolite levels can be utilized to predict clinical response to therapeutic interventions.

No description available.

M.Ing.

The following technical report describes the development and testing of an arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) for DC circuits operating primarily at 48 volts. We have identified an effective method for determining when arcing is occurring. Our method is primarily based on comparing the frequency spectrum of current flowing through the circuit during an arcing event to a known characteristic spectrum. Once an arc has been identified, our interrupter is capable of responding adequately to eliminate the arc. Hardware tests show the AFCI developed in this thesis responded, in all test cases, within 2 seconds of an arc fault occurrence. Commercialization and adoption of our interrupter will increase the safety of DC circuits operating at 80 volts or less.

Les projets de mise en place dans les prochaines décennies de « super réseaux intelligents », qui prévoient la construction de centrales de production à des milliers de kms des centres de consommation, nécessite le développement à large échelle du transport de très fortes puissances par câbles à courant continu. Les principaux verrous à ce développement se situent au niveau du câble et des appareillages adéquats, qui doivent être conçus sur des critères spécifiques et comporter des matériaux isolants ayant des propriétés particulières. Outre la variation de la résistivité qui dépend fortement du champ électrique et de la température, il est établi que des charges sont injectées dans la matière isolante, donnant lieu à une charge d'espace modifiant la répartition du champ électrique. Dans le cas d'un renforcement du champ électrique, la présence de charges d'espace peut conduire à une accélération du vieillissement électrique et, par suite, à un phénomène auto-accélérant pour la rupture diélectrique. Le comportement de ces matériaux sous fortes contraintes continues et en particulier leur vieillissement reste aujourd'hui mal connu.Ce travail de thèse concerne ainsi l'étude du comportement diélectrique de résines époxydes chargées d'alumine utilisées comme supports isolants dans les disjoncteurs à isolation gazeuse en vue d'évaluer leur aptitude à être utilisées dans des appareillages de coupure haute tension continue. Les différentes propriétés diélectriques de ce matériau à l'état initial (facteur de pertes, résistivité volumique, seuils et coefficients de non linéarité, résistivité surfacique, rigidité diélectrique, évolution des charges d'espace) sont déterminées et étudiées sous contrainte électrique continue et à différentes températures.Afin de mieux évaluer l'effet à long terme de la charge d'espace sur le matériau et d'en tirer des informations approfondies pour la conception des futurs composants pour la haute tension à courant continu, une étude de vieillissement accéléré sous contraintes électriques (champs continus) et thermiques (différentes températures) est réalisée. En plus de la charge d'espace, les autres paramètres analysés (permittivité, pertes diélectriques) constituent également des marqueurs potentiels du vieillissement du matériau. L'analyse de l'évolution de ces marqueurs constitue une phase nécessaire dans la compréhension du comportement du matériau pour une utilisation en haute tension à courant continu. / The development of high voltage dc equipment requires design according to specific criteria and including materials with appropriate properties. Indeed, while in ac the dielectric behaviour is mainly determined by permittivity, which varies little for the used materials with field and temperature at power frequency, the dc behavior is determined by highly non-linear volume and surface conductivity-related phenomena. Thus, it is well known that, in dc conditions, electric charge is injected and trapped in the bulk and on the surface, affecting the distribution of the electric field. Space charge accumulation is able to increase significantly the values of the field, thus accelerating ageing and increasing the risk of breakdown. The electrode nature, the field and temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity of the insulating material are key factors involved in the high dc field phenomena.Epoxy resins form an important category of polymeric insulating materials used in a wide range of electric power installations and equipment. In particular, they have been used especially as insulating supports for ac Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS), because of their electrical and mechanical properties. However, the behaviour of these materials under high dc stress is less known and needs thorough investigation in view of dc applications.The purpose of this thesis is to investigate dielectric behavior of epoxy resins in order to assess their suitability for use in high DC voltage switchgear and define actions and criteria support for the design of such devices.We start by presenting the most important chemical thermal and dielectric properties of polymers as well as the various properties of the epoxy resin.Dielectric properties of the material at initial state with continuous temperature and electrical stress (loss factor, volume resistivity, thresholds and nonlinearity coefficients, surface resistivity, breakdown, evolution of space charge) are determined and investigated under dc fields at different temperatures.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / This work proposes a low-cost hybrid hardware and software system that, through a set of methods and nested while loop fitting algorithms, allows to automatically identify the electrical and mechanical parameters of a brushed direct current motor. The aim is to facilitate a tool that contributes to the development of motion control projects in which this type of actuator is used, automating and speeding up the identification process of the motor system aiming to reach 98% accuracy, in order to guarantee a good electrical and mechanical parameter estimates for the brushed direct current motor. To achieve the objective, a platform was developed consisting of a main interface programmed in Matlab and a data acquisition hardware based on a single-phase incremental optical encoder, an H-bridge, an optocoupler circuit, and a C language-programmed DSPIC30F2010. Both parts of the platform are interconnected through the authors' own serial communication protocol.

The transthoracic application of synchronized direct current cardioversion (DCC) is widely used to terminate atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and other supraventricular tachyarrhythmia. DCC is a highly effective method for acute restoration of sinus rhythm. Although DCC is a relatively safe and frequently performed procedure, data on potential side effects are very rarely reported in the literature. The most serious complications associated with DCC are thromboembolism and intracranial hemorrhage. The true incidence of postcardioversion pulmonary edema is not known, but it is estimated to occur in 1%to 3% of patients, particularly those with coexistent heart disease. We report on a patient with a structurally normal heart who developed acute pulmonary edema after undergoing DCC. The patient had no evidence of myocardial injury according to an electrocardiogram and cardiac biomarkers. The patient was treated with intravenous diuretics. After 4 days, the pulmonary edema resolved.

Schizophrenia is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, behavioral symptoms, and cognitive deficits. Roughly, 70%-80% of schizophrenia patients experience auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs), with 25%-30% demonstrating resistance to conventional antipsychotic medications. Studies suggest a promising role for add-on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the treatment of medication-refractory AVHs. The mechanisms through which tDCS could be therapeutic in such cases are unclear, but possibly involve neuroplastic effects. In recent years, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has been used successfully to study tDCS-induced neuroplastic changes. In a double-blind, sham-controlled design, we applied fNIRS to measure task-dependent cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes as a surrogate outcome of single session tDCS-induced effects on neuroplasticity in a schizophrenia patient with persistent auditory hallucinations. The observations are discussed in this case report.

No description available.