Clinical Trial Demonstrates Efficacy of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Improving Pain Management from Post-Laminectomy Syndrome

Chronic pain, a multidimensional experience affecting individuals’ sensory, cognitive, and emotional aspects, significantly impacts their quality of life. Post-laminectomy syndrome, a condition characterized by persistent back pain following spinal surgery, often leads to disability and increased healthcare utilization. Methods: This randomized, controlled, blind clinical trial aimed to investigate the efficacy of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in managing pain from post-laminectomy syndrome in patients. Twenty-four participants were assigned to three groups: sham stimulation, active stimulation over primary motor cortex (M1), or stimulation over dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Stimulation was administered for five consecutive days, 20 minutes per session, using a current of 1.5 mA through 25 cm2 electrodes. Pain intensity was assessed using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) before, during, and after intervention. Results: An ANOVA model demonstrates significant reduction in pain intensity compared to baseline in VAS, (F(7, 285) = 12.292;p 0.001;Power = 1.000;η2p = 0.534), in tDCS applied to M1, after five days of intervention. After stimulation, a significant improvement was observed in WHOQoL-Bref Quality of life item 1 (p = 0.04), considering statistical significant difference p 0.05. Correlation between the variables: quality of life, depression, anxiety and pain also demonstrates reduction in depression and anxiety according to Beck’s Depression and Anxiety Inventories (BDI and BAI), p 0.05. This effect was not observed in DLPFC stimulation group. Patients who believed they received active stimulation, in sham group, demonstrated potential for effective blinding. Conclusion: The tDCS applied to primary motor cortex effectively improved pain management and psychiatry symptoms in post-laminectomy syndrome patients. The technique’s low cost, ease of use, and high tolerability make it a promising adjuvant therapy for chronic pain conditions like post-laminectomy syndrome.

Fluid-chemical modeling of the near-cathode sheath formation process in a high current broken in DC air circuit breaker

When the contacts of a medium-voltage DC air circuit breaker(DCCB) are separated, the energy distribution of the arc is determined by the formation process of the near-electrode sheath. Therefore, the voltage drop through the near-electrode sheath is an important means to build up the arc voltage, which directly determines the current-limiting performance of the DCCB. A numerical model to describe the near-electrode sheath formation process can provide insight into the physical mechanism of the arc formation, and thus provide a method for arc energy regulation. In this work, we establish a two-dimensional axisymmetric time-varying model of a medium-voltage DCCB arc when interrupted by high current based on a fluid-chemical model involving 16 kinds of species and 46 collision reactions. The transient distributions of electron number density, positive and negative ion number density, net space charge density, axial electric field, axial potential between electrodes, and near-cathode sheath are obtained from the numerical model. The computational results show that the electron density in the arc column increases, then decreases, and then stabilizes during the near-cathode sheath formation process, and the arc column's diameter gradually becomes wider. The 11.14 V–12.33 V drops along the17 μm space charge layer away from the cathode(65.5 k V/m–72.5 k V/m) when the current varies from 20 k A–80 k A.The homogeneous external magnetic field has little effect on the distribution of particles in the near-cathode sheath core,but the electron number density at the near-cathode sheath periphery can increase as the magnetic field increases and the homogeneous external magnetic field will lead to arc diffusion. The validity of the numerical model can be proven by comparison with the experiment.

Transcranial direct current stimulation efficacy in trigeminal neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia is a severe,disabling pain and its deafferentation remains a challenge for health providers.Transcranial direct current stimulation is a non-invasive stimulation technique which finds new utility in managing pain.There-fore,the introduction of alternative,non-invasive,safe,and effective methods should be considered in treating patients with trigeminal neuralgia unresponsive to conventional treatment.

The Effects of the Geometry of a Current Collector with an Equal Open Ratio on Output Power of a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell

The open ratio of a current collector has a great impact on direct methanol fuel cell(DMFC)performance.Although a number of studies have investigated the influence of the open ratio of DMFC current collectors,far too little attention has been given to how geometry(including the shape and feature size of the flow field)affects a current collector with an equal open ratio.In this paper,perforated and parallel current collectors with an equal open ratio of 50%and different feature sizes are designed,and the corresponding experimental results are shown to explain the geometry effects on the output power of the DMFC.The results indicate that the optimal feature sizes are between 2 and 2.5 mm for both perforated and parallel flow field in the current collectors with an equal open ratio of 50%.This means that for passive methanol fuel cells,to achieve the highest output power,the optimal feature size of the flow field in both anode and cathode current collectors is between 2 and 2.5 mm under the operating mode of this experiment.The effects of rib and channel position are also investigated,and the results indicate that the optimum pattern depends on the feature sizes of the flow field.

Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on supernumerary phantom limb pain in spinal cord injured patient:A case report

BACKGROUND Supernumerary phantom limb(SPL)sensation is the experience of additional limbs,either single or a pair of limbs.Unique to traumatic spinal cord injuries,we report effect of transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS)on SPL pain in a patient with cervical cord injury.CASE SUMMARY The subject was a 57-year-old man who was diagnosed with complete spinal cord injury(C6/C5,motor level;C5/C5,sensory level;AIS-A)approximately three months ago.After a period of 2 wk,we administered anodal tDCS over the motor cortex for 15 minutes at an intensity of 1.5 mA.Following that treatment,the patient experienced a decrease of SPL pain intensity and frequency,which lasted for 1 week after the end of treatment.CONCLUSION Targeting the motor cortex through neuromodulation appears to be a promising option for the management of SPL pain.

Transcranial direct current stimulation as early augmentation in adolescent obsessive compulsive disorder:A pilot proof-of-concept randomized control trial

BACKGROUND Transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS)is proven to be safe in treating various neurological conditions in children and adolescents.It is also an effective method in the treatment of OCD in adults.AIM To assess the safety and efficacy of tDCS as an add-on therapy in drug-naive adolescents with OCD.METHODS We studied drug-naïve adolescents with OCD,using a Children’s Yale-Brown obsessive-compulsive scale(CY-BOCS)scale to assess their condition.Both active and sham groups were given fluoxetine,and we applied cathode and anode over the supplementary motor area and deltoid for 20 min in 10 sessions.Reassessment occurred at 2,6,and 12 wk using CY-BOCS.RESULTS Eighteen adolescents completed the study(10-active,8-sham group).CY-BOCS scores from baseline to 12 wk reduced significantly in both groups but change at baseline to 2 wk was significant in the active group only.The mean change at 2 wk was more in the active group(11.8±7.77 vs 5.25±2.22,P=0.056).Adverse effects between the groups were comparable.CONCLUSION tDCS is safe and well tolerated for the treatment of OCD in adolescents.However,there is a need for further studies with a larger sample population to confirm the effectiveness of tDCS as early augmentation in OCD in this population.

Harvesting Environment Mechanical Energy by Direct Current Triboelectric Nanogenerators

As hundreds of millions of distributed devices appear in every corner of our lives for information collection and transmission in big data era,the biggest challenge is the energy supply for these devices and the signal transmission of sensors.Triboelectric nanogenerator(TENG)as a new energy technology meets the increasing demand of today’s distributed energy supply due to its ability to convert the ambient mechanical energy into electric energy.Meanwhile,TENG can also be used as a sensing system.Direct current triboelectric nanogenerator(DC-TENG)can directly supply power to electronic devices without additional rectification.It has been one of the most important developments of TENG in recent years.Herein,we review recent progress in the novel structure designs,working mechanism and corresponding method to improve the output performance for DC-TENGs from the aspect of mechanical rectifier,tribovoltaic effect,phase control,mechanical delay switch and air-discharge.The basic theory of each mode,key merits and potential development are discussed in detail.At last,we provide a guideline for future challenges of DC-TENGs,and a strategy for improving the output performance for commercial applications.

Clay Minerals Channels Identification in the Tindikala-Boutou Area (Eastern-Cameroon) along the Kadey River Using Direct Current (DC) Method

To achieve the current study, geoelectrical surveys along six (06) profiles of 4 km long in a 100 m × 200 m grid defined according to the triangulation principle in the Tindikala-Boutou (Eastern-Cameroon) area along the Kadey River have been made through electrical sounding and profiling following Schlumberger array. The instrument is the resistive meter Syscal Junior 48 (IRIS Instrument). The data have been processed and modelled with Res2Dinv and Winsev softwares, and then interpolated with Surfer software. Investigation method used is the Direct Current (DC) method. Interpretations and analyses of results from the investigation method highlight weak zones or conductive discontinuities. The latter has been identified as shear zones within granitic structures of the Precambrian basement, according to the geologic and tectonic background of the area. The structural trend of these shear zones is E-W approximately. The mineralization characterized by conductive zones proves the presence of clay minerals disseminated in weathered quartz vein, which cross the shear zones. The intense activities of gold washers encountered in the studied area are able to attest the presence of clay minerals concentrations.

Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of Motor Cortex versus Insula Cortex on Chronic Post-Mastectomy Pain: Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial

Background: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) across cortical brain areas appears to improve various forms of pain, yet evidence of tDCS efficiency and ideal stimulation target is lacking. This study aimed to compare the add-on analgesic efficacy of concentric electrode transcranial direct current stimulation (CE-tDCS) stimulation over the primary motor cortex versus the insular cortex on the management of chronic postmastectomy pain. Method: Prospective randomized double-blind sham-controlled study enrolled eighty patients with chronic postmastectomy pain that were randomly assigned to four groups: active motor (AM), sham motor (SM), active insula (AI) and sham insula (SI) group, each received 5 sessions for 20-minute duration with 2 mA tDCS over the targeted area of the contralateral side of pain. Our primary outcome was VAS score, the secondary outcomes were VDS score, LANSS score and depression symptoms by HAM-D scores, assessment was done at 4 time points (prestimulation, after 5th session, 15th day and one month after the last session). Results: Both active tDCS groups (motor and insula) showed reduction of VAS (P Conclusion: Active tDCS stimulation either targeting the primary motor cortex or the insula cortex has add-on analgesic effect for controlling neuropathic chronic post mastectomy pain and the maximum effect was at 15 days after the last session.

固态变压器中隔离双向DC/DC变换器扩展移相下虚拟电流控制策略

该文以固态变压器后级隔离双向DC/DC变换器为重点研究对象,提出一种扩展移相下虚拟电流控制策略。通过分析后级变换器在扩展移相传输功率下相移量关系以获得最小电流应力最优解来提高变换器的传输效率,减少器件损耗。同时通过虚拟电流控制思想在线估算传输功率来提高系统动态响应性能,减少电流传感器使用。最后,对该文所提出的扩展移相下虚拟电流控制与扩展移相控制进行实验对比分析,验证了扩展移相下虚拟电流控制策略具有降低电流应力,显著提高变换器的动态响应的优点。

一种交叉倍压型高增益DC/DC变换器

针对光伏发电、燃料电池发电等领域对高增益直流变换器的需求,以两相交错并联升压变换器为研究对象,由2个含有电感的倍压单元组合设计出实现电压提升的交叉倍压结构,据此提出了一种新颖的交叉倍压型高增益DC/DC变换器。该变换器可实现(3n+4)/(1-d)倍的高电压增益(1∶n为耦合电感匝数比,d为变换器占空比),且具有电路器件的低电压应力特性。对于漏感引起的开关管电压尖峰问题,引入了钳位电容构成释放漏感能量通道,同时提升了输出电压。介绍了新型交叉倍压型高增益变换器的拓扑结构,分析了变换器各模态的工作过程,推导了电压增益、输入电流纹波及各器件电压应力等稳态特性,并搭建样机进行实验研究,验证了该直流变换技术方案的可行性和先进性。

单级三相谐波电流注入可升降压AC/DC变换器

为适应电动车充电电压宽范围变化需求,本文针对传统充电桩前级整流器拓扑开展研究,提出一种新式单级三相AC/DC变换器。该变换器集成了三相桥式不控整流电路与Cuk模块,为降低输入侧电流谐波分量,选用双向开关管构建谐波电流回馈通路,整体构造成单级式拓扑结构。文章阐述了变换器的电路结构及工作模态,通过建立变换器的等效模型推导出电压增益。变换器通过简单的控制逻辑即可实现正弦输入电流并拥有高功率因数。最后通过搭建变换器数字控制实验平台验证了所提变换器的可行性。

基于MPC的耦合电感飞跨电容双向DC/DC变换器功率均衡解耦控制策略

耦合电感功率变换器因耦合电感阻抗、电感值等参数差异易导致功率不均衡。针对耦合电感飞跨电容双向DC/DC变换器,提出一种基于模型预测控制(MPC)的功率均衡解耦控制策略。通过对变换器原理进行分析,建立基于电感电流解耦的数学模型,得到包括电感电流和飞跨电容电压等6个控制变量的解耦控制方法。在此基础上,提出基于MPC的功率均衡解耦控制策略。同时,为降低MPC算法的运算负荷,根据解耦控制模型重构模型预测价值函数,实现各控制变量独立动态寻优,使系统能在稳定控制输出电压及飞跨电容电压的同时,实现两相耦合电感的功率均衡控制。最后,通过理论分析及实验对所提策略进行有效验证。

模块化高压大容量DC/DC变换器综述

随着新能源发电占比增加和电网规模的不断扩大,直流输电系统的容量不断提升,含有不同电压等级的直流电网是未来发展的必然趋势。在此背景下,DC/DC变换器作为直流电网关键设备,在多电压等级互联场景中发挥着重要作用。文中首先对已有的模块化高压大容量DC/DC变换器进行归纳、分类和比较,然后阐述了目前模块化高压大容量DC/DC变换器的拓扑结构、工作原理与特点,并针对其特点提出了不同变换器的适用场景,最后对未来的研究方向提出了建议。

电机控制器直流侧前置双有源桥DC-DC变换器的模型预测与应力优化混合控制

将双有源桥DC-DC变换器置于电动汽车动力电池与电机逆变器之间,可以根据电机实时转速动态调节系统直流母线电压,提升电机驱动系统的能量变换效率。然而,直流母线电压的大范围变化会带来双有源桥DC-DC变换器电流应力剧增的挑战。为此,该文分析直流母线电压动态变化条件下双有源桥DC-DC变换器的电流应力变化规律及优化方法,在此基础上提出一种模型预测与应力优化混合控制策略,将电流应力优化控制嵌入到模型预测控制中,在降低电流应力的同时还能提高系统的稳态和动态性能。另外,为了抑制模型参数失配对模型预测控制的不利影响,提出一种基于输出反馈的误差校正方法,以提高模型预测控制的参数鲁棒性。原型样机实验结果验证了所提控制策略的正确性和有效性,为直流侧前置双有源桥DC-DC变换器的电机控制器设计与控制提供了理论依据。

HVDC送端系统振荡引发受端换相失败的机理分析

高压直流输电系统送、受端存在电气耦合及两端的控制配合,因此,送端振荡可通过系统控制逻辑、电气量及控制量变化等影响受端系统的运行状态,增加了受端换相失败的风险。现有工作主要研究了送端大扰动引发受端换相失败的现象与机理,通过对标准直流系统进行小信号分析,发现直流系统中存在低频频段的固有振荡频率,一旦交流系统发生相近频段的振荡,将可能诱发直流系统共振。在此基础上,首先分析共振引起系统电气量以及控制量的波动对换相失败的影响,通过HVDC的准稳态方程分析共振后直流电流上升导致关断角下降,进而引发首次换相失败的机理;然后从两端的控制系统出发,研究逆变侧控制切换引发后续换相失败的机理;最后对CIGRE直流输电标准测试系统进行验证,并结合换相失败发生机理对换相失败的抑制策略进行了初步讨论。

基于MMC主动限流的VSC-HVDC双极短路故障控保协同策略

直流故障保护是柔性直流输电系统发展面临的主要挑战之一,利用模块化多电平换流器(MMC)的灵活控制实现限流已成为当前研究的热点。MMC的主动限流降低了故障电流变化率和故障电流幅值,易引起故障判断以及保护选择困难。文中以对称单极接线的柔性直流系统为研究对象,采用控保协同思想,将主动限流控制与故障识别相结合,提出了基于主动限流因子的故障区域识别与区分方法实现双极短路故障的区域识别与切除。首先,通过在MMC电流内环控制器中附加故障电流目标预设控制器,在故障发生后可快速跟踪故障电流的变化,自适应地调整MMC输出的直流电压将故障电流控制在预设目标参考值附近;其次,根据不同故障位置时故障电流目标预设控制器输出的限流因子快速确定故障区域。最后,在PSCAD/EMTDC中对四端柔性直流输电系统的不同故障场景进行了仿真分析,验证了所提控保协同策略的可行性和有效性。

基于母线电流重构的空心杯BLDCM无位置传感器换相误差闭环补偿方法

为精确补偿无刷直流电机无位置传感器的换相误差,分析了换相误差与重构母线电流积分的相关性,设计了母线电流重构及滤波电路,得到了双重构母线电流在每个换相周期的积分值,并以电流积分差值作为换相误差表征量建立了闭环补偿控制系统,利用控制器输出量补偿换相误差,实现了换相信号相位的高精度闭环校正。相比传统方法,所提出的硬件电路可精确构建母线电流积分,准确表征电机换相误差,提高无刷直流电机的运行效率。最后通过搭建磁悬浮飞轮系统验证了所提方法的有效性。