The quality of the power supplied by utilities today is effectively defined in the harmonic standards adopted by many countries or by local utility codes. This is primarily due to user demands for quality power so that user power interruptions are minimized. Presented are numerous possible solutions to address flicker and a case study for an automobile shredder from the planning stages through measurements after installation. The solution chosen for this application will be discussed and presented. Index terms: Active harmonic filter, hybrid VAR compensator, hybrid VAR compensation, flicker, power quality, total harmonic voltage distortion [THDv], VAR compensation

Visual monitoring operations underwater require both observing the objects of interest in close-proximity, and tracking the few feature-rich areas necessary for state estimation. This paper introduces the first navigation framework, called AquaVis, that produces on-line visibility-aware motion plans that enable Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) to track multiple visual objectives with an arbitrary camera configuration in real-time. Using the proposed pipeline, AUVs can efficiently move in 3D, reach their goals while avoiding obstacles safely, and maximizing the visibility of multiple objectives along the path within a specified proximity. The method is sufficiently fast to be executed in real-time and is suitable for single or multiple camera configurations. Experimental results show the significant improvement on tracking multiple automatically-extracted points of interest, with low computational overhead and fast re-planning times.Accompanying short video: https://youtu.be/JKO bbrIZyU

Mapping and monitoring underwater environments are topics of progressively increasing importance, but they also introduce several new challenges in robotics, due to the unique underwater conditions. Underwater robots operating close to underwater structures should be equipped with robust localization modules, robust navigation pipelines capable of safely navigating the underwater robot by sensing and avoiding obstacles, and collecting the necessary observations of the surroundings. Especially, tasks that require visual inspection executed by autonomous underwater robots are significantly challenging due to the visibility limitations of the underwater domain. We propose a new active perception framework for underwater robots utilizing arbitrary multi-camera configurations, which safely navigates the robot in close proximity to target structures. It also produces motions that encourage the robot to actively track multiple visual objectives, while dealing effectively with limited FOVs and sensing ranges. Our novel formulation of the active perception problem provides necessary building blocks and components for allowing the robot to track areas of interest that could interchangeably assist mapping, monitoring, or localization tasks. Although the approach is initially targeted to multi-camera systems, we show that it could be readily adapted for heterogeneous configurations with other sensors such as sonars and LIDARs. Preliminary results in simulation showing the strong potential of the proposed technique, together with applications and future extensions of the method are discussed.

This work proposes vision-only navigation strategies for an autonomous underwater robot. This approach is a step towards solving the coverage path planning problem in a 3-D environment for surveying underwater structures. Given the challenging conditions of the underwater domain, it is very complicated to obtain accurate state estimates reliably. Consequently, it is a great challenge to extend known path planning or coverage techniques developed for aerial or ground robot controls. In this work, we are investigating a navigation strategy utilizing only vision to assist in covering a complex underwater structure. We propose to use a navigation strategy akin to what a human diver will execute when circumnavigating around a region of interest, in particular when collecting data from a shipwreck. The focus of this article is a step towards enabling the autonomous operation of lightweight robots near underwater wrecks in order to collect data for creating photo-realistic maps and volumetric 3-D models while at the same time avoiding collisions. The proposed method uses convolutional neural networks to learn the control commands based on the visual input. We have demonstrated the feasibility of using a system based only on vision to learn specific strategies of navigation with 80% accuracy on the prediction of control command changes. Experimental results and a detailed overview of the proposed method are discussed.

Navigation underwater traditionally is done by keeping a safe distance from obstacles, resulting in "fly-overs" of the area of interest. Movement of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) through a cluttered space, such as a shipwreck or a decorated cave, is an extremely challenging problem that has not been addressed in the past. This paper proposes a novel navigation framework utilizing an enhanced version of Trajopt for fast 3D path-optimization planning for AUVs. A sampling-based correction procedure ensures that the planning is not constrained by local minima, enabling navigation through narrow spaces. Two different modalities are proposed: planning with a known map results in efficient trajectories through cluttered spaces; operating in an unknown environment utilizes the point cloud from the visual features detected to navigate efficiently while avoiding the detected obstacles. The proposed approach is rigorously tested, both on simulation and in-pool experiments, proven to be fast enough to enable safe real-time 3D autonomous navigation for an AUV.

This paper addresses the problem of the coverage path planning in a 3D environment for surveying underwater structures. We propose to use the navigation strategy that a human diver will execute when circumnavigating around a region of interest, in particular when collecting data from a shipwreck. In contrast to the previous methods in the literature, we are aiming to perform coverage in completely unknown environment with some initial prior information. Our proposed method uses convolutional neural networks to learn the control commands based on the visual input. Preliminary results and a detailed overview of the proposed method are discussed.

Background: Many antimicrobial-resistant infections are community-acquired, yet community carriage of microorganisms by healthy individuals is poorly characterized. We assessed microorganism carriage on the hands of Minnesota State Fair attendees and explored associated factors. Methods: Minnesota State Fair attendees (in 2014) from households with ≥2 members (≥1 member being <19 years old [a child]) were eligible to participate. Participants provided biological samples via a hand plating technique and completed a questionnaire on factors potentially related to microorganism carriage. Using presumptive taxonomic identifications and disk-diffusion-determined resistance phenotypes, hand-culture isolates were classified by microbial type; types were grouped into four broad categories based on inferred pathogenicity and consistency with the skin microbiota. Descriptive statistics, X2 tests, and generalized linear mixed-effects models were used to explore associations between survey and culture data. Results: We enrolled 206 participants from 82 households during 2 days; 50% of subjects were children. Overall, 99.5% (205/206) of hand samples yielded microorganisms. Most were non-pathogenic, whether skin microbiota (98.5% of participants) or non-skin microbiota (93.2% of participants). Only 2.4% (5/206) of samples yielded antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Children were more likely than adults to carry potentially pathogenic (OR = 3.63, 95% CI: 1.66-7.93) and presumably non-pathogenic (OR = 6.61, 95% CI: 1.67-26.15) non-skin microorganisms. Conclusions: Large community gatherings can serve as efficient sites for estimating the prevalence of microorganism carriage. A small proportion of participants carried antimicrobial-resistant pathogens on their hands; most carried non-pathogenic microorganisms, and no exposures specific to the state fair were associated with microorganism carriage.

The intestinal mucosal barrier prevents macromolecules and pathogens from entering the circulatory stream. Tight junctions in this barrier are compromised in inflammatory bowel diseases, environmental enteropathy, and enteric dysfunction. Dual sugar absorption tests are a standard method for measuring gastrointestinal integrity, however, these are not clinically amenable. Herein, we report on a dual fluorophore system and fluorescence detection instrumentation for which gastrointestinal permeability is determined in a rat small bowel disease model from the longitudinal measured transdermal fluorescence of each fluorophore. This fluorophore technology enables a specimen-free, noninvasive, point-of-care gastrointestinal permeability measurement which should be translatable to human clinical studies.

The intestinal mucosal barrier prevents macromolecules and pathogens from entering the circulatory stream in a healthy gut. Tight junctions in this barrier are compromised in many intestinal disorders including inflammatory bowel diseases (such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis), celiac disease, graft vs host disease, environmental enteropathy, and enteric dysfunction. Dual sugar absorption tests are a standard method for measuring gastrointestinal integrity in humans. The larger molecular weight sugar, lactulose, is minimally absorbed through a healthy gut. The smaller molecular weight sugar, mannitol or rhamnose, in contrast, is readily absorbed through both a healthy and inflamed gut. Thus, a higher ratio of lactulose to mannitol or rhamnose reflects increased intestinal permeability. However, several issues prevent the widespread use of the dual sugar assay including requirements for lengthy urine collection, transport of specimens under conditions free from contamination and bacterial growth, analysis by sophisticated laboratory equipment, and the associated lengthy turnaround time. In a recent publication, the feasibility of employing a dual fluorescent tracer agent assay to mimic the dual sugar absorption test without the need for specimen collection was reported. This dual fluorophore assay for GI permeability was demonstrated in an indomethacin-induced bowel disease model in rats. However, one of the fluorophores was not entirely biocompatible. Herein is reported a dual fluorophore system that is totally biocompatible, with emphasis on the transdermal detection of the fluorophores, thus enabling the use of the technology for noninvasive point-of-care gastrointestinal permeability determination.

A plethora of state estimation techniques have appeared in the last decade using visual data, and more recently with added inertial data. Datasets typically used for evaluation include indoor and urban environments, where supporting videos have shown impressive performance. However, such techniques have not been fully evaluated in challenging conditions, such as the marine domain. In this paper, we compare ten recent open-source packages to provide insights on their performance and guidelines on addressing current challenges. Specifically, we selected direct and indirect methods that fuse camera and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data together. Experiments are conducted by testing all packages on datasets collected over the years with underwater robots in our laboratory. All the datasets are made available online.

Detection, inhibition and molecular analysis of multidrug resistant aerobic Gram-negative clinical isolates from a tertiary hospital in Nigeria O. ADELUOLA 1, 3, K. S. OYEDEJI 2 , U. E. MENDIE 1 , J.R. JOHNSON3 AND J.R. PORTER3 Dept. of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos. Nigeria Dept. of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine, University of Lagos. Nigeria. Dept. Of Biological Sciences, Misher College of Arts and Science, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. USA. Corresponding author: Adebowale Olufemi Adeluola B.Pharm., PhD Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Lagos, Nigeria. Phone: +2347056004859; E-mail address: debodelu@gmail.com; aadeluola@unilag.edu.ng ABSTRACT The challenge of combating the ever emerging multi-drug resistant (MDR) clinical isolates in the face of a slow rate of discovery of new classes of antibiotics is a problem in antibiotic chemotherapy. This study was aimed at (i) linking phenotypic antibiotic drug-resistance characteristics detected in randomly-sampled clinical isolates with detectable genetic markers. (ii) screening a suspected efflux pump inhibitor (EPI) [1-(3-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl]-piperazine (TFMBP)], which could be helpful in combating this challenge. Fifty-one isolates; 28 Klebsiella pneumonia, 3 E. Coli, 1 Enterobacter cloacae, 1 E. aerogenes, 5 Proteus mirabilis, 4 Providencia rettgeri, 1 P. stuartii, 1 Serratia liquefaciens, 6 S. odorifera, and 1 Acinetobacter baumannii obtained from infections of urinary tract, upper respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, ear swab, eye swab, and blood culture were screened for (i) antibiotic-susceptibility over a range of 11 classes of antibiotics, (ii) β-lactamase production, (iii) ESBL production and (iv) Efflux pump activity (EPA) in the presence and absence of 1-[3-(trifluoromethyl) benzyl]-piperazine (TFMBP). Molecular analysis was done using DNA extraction by boiling and the randomly-amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure with 2% agarose gel electrophoresis stained with ethidium bromide at 10 µg/ml and visualized by UV trans-illumination. AmpC β-lactamase (4%) and K1 β-lactamase (5.8%) were detected with no carbapenemase producers. AcrA and AcrB marker genes were detected in 12% of the isolates while blaCTX-M (8%) and blaTEM (4%) were also detected. Antibiotic resistance due to EPA can be combated with a suitable EPI as demonstrated by TFMBP when combined with specific antibiotics. Keywords: TFMBP; Efflux Pump Activity; ESBL; MDR; Carbapenemase Running Title: Inhibition and molecular analysis of multidrug resistance with Efflux pump activity.

Purpose : To detect efflux pump activity (EPA) and screening a suspected efflux pump inhibitor (EPI) [1- (3-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl]-piperazine (TFMBP)], which could help in reducing multi-drug resistance (MDR). Methods : Eighteen isolates, viz, 14 S. aureus, 2 S. lentus, 1 S. xylosus and 1 Micrococcus species from various hospital infections of admitted patients were screened for antibiotics susceptibility to 11 classes of antibiotics including oxacillin and β-lactamase production. Efflux pump activity (EPA) was determined by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) technique in the presence and absence of TFMBP, the isolates were also screened for MDR genes. Results: All the isolates were resistant to ampicillin (10 μg) and penicillin (10 μg), but sensitive to bacitracin (10 μg). Majority of the isolates were MDR 12/18 (66.7 %), 10 (55.6 %) were inducible β- lactamase producers and 3 (16.7 %) were intrinsic β-lactamase producers. Seven (38.9 %) were resistant to oxacillin and also produced carbapenemase enzyme. Eight (66.7 %) of the 12 MDR isolates gave evidence of EPA with TFMBP. However, no MDR genes were detected. Conclusion : Staphylococcus and Micrococcus species exhibit EPA in antibiotic resistance while a suitable EPI such as TFMBP when combined with specific antibiotics could help combat this menace. Keywords : [1-(3-(Trifluoromethyl)benzyl]-piperazine, Efflux pump activity, Oxacillin resistant S. aureus , Multidrug resistant, Carbapenemase

The zoonotic potential of Escherichia coli from chicken-source food products is important to define for public health purposes. Previously, genotypic and phenotypic screening of E. coli isolates from commercial chicken meat and shell eggs identified some E. coli strains that by molecular criteria resembled human-source extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC). Here, to clarify the zoonotic risk of such chicken-source E. coli, we compared selected E. coli isolates from chicken meat and eggs, stratified by molecularly defined ExPEC status, to human-source ExPEC and to laboratory E. coli for virulence in rodent models of sepsis, meningitis and UTI, and evaluated whether specific bacterial characteristics predict experimental virulence. Multiple chicken-source E. coli resembled human-source ExPEC in their ability to cause one or multiple different ExPEC-associated infections. Swimming ability corresponded with urovirulence, K1 capsule corresponded with ability to cause neonatal meningitis, and biofilm formation in urine corresponded with ability to cause sepsis. In contrast, molecularly defined ExPEC status and individual genotypic traits were uncorrelated with ability to cause sepsis, and neither complement sensitivity nor growth in human urine corresponded with virulence in any infection model. These findings establish that chicken-derived food products contain E. coli strains that, in rodent models of multiple human-associated ExPEC infections, are able to cause disease comparably to human-source E. coli clinical isolates, which suggests that they may pose a significant food safety threat. Further study is needed to define the level of risk they pose to human health, which if appreciable would justify efforts to monitor for and reduce or eliminate them.