No abstract

Lancefield group C Streptococcus dysgalactiae is an emerging fish pathogen, which was first isolated in 2002 in Japan. Streptococcus dysgalactiae isolates collected from diseased fish in Japan (n=12), Taiwan (n=12), China (n=2), Malaysia (n=3), and Indonesia (n=1) were characterized using biased sinusoidal field gel electrophoresis (BSFGE), sodA gene sequence analysis, and antimicrobial susceptibility. These isolates exhibited high phenotypic homogeneity irrespective of the countries from where the strains were collected. Seventeen isolates were found to be resistant to oxytetracycline and carried the tet(M) gene, except for the strains collected in Taiwan and the PP1564 strain collected in China. The sodA gene sequence analysis revealed that 23 isolates were identical, except for one Japanese isolate (KNH07902), in which a single nucleotide differed from that of the other isolates. Based on BSFGE typing by ApaI macrorestriction, the isolates - including the Japanese, Taiwanese, and Chinese isolates - could be grouped into one main cluster at a 70% similarity level. However, the macrorestriction genotypes of some isolates were apparently distinct from those of the main cluster.

No abstract

The constant voltage (CV) for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique is considered one of the most commonly used techniques in the photovoltaic (PV) applications. This study is aimed at proposing an adaptive reference voltage-based MPPT technique (ARV) to improve the performance of the CV technique by making it adaptable to weather conditions. The RV for MPPT is adapted according to the measured radiation and temperature levels. The operating range of the radiation at a given temperature is divided into number of divisions and the corresponding RV is recorded off-line in a truth table. The difference between the reference and measured PV voltages is compensated using proportional-integral controller to generate suitable duty ratio to the boost converter. Performance assessment of the CV technique after being improved covers time response, MPPT efficiency, oscillation and stability. The results present performance improvement by fast time response to reach steady-state value, more stable operation with no oscillation and high MPPT efficiency as compared with the CV technique without the proposed improvement.