Two-leg three-phase inverter control for STATCOM and SSSC applications

Flexible ac transmission systems (FACTS) devices are attracting an increasing interest both in power system academic research and in electric utilities for their capabilities to improve steady-state performance as well as system stability. Several converter topologies for FACTS applications have been proposed in the recent literature, even if those based upon voltage source inverters (VSI) seem to be more attractive due to their intrinsic capability to rapidly respond to network changes such as perturbations subsequent to a fault and their property of being immune to resonance problem. In this paper, a new topology for inverter-based FACTS is proposed. This configuration, employing a two-leg three-phase inverter is employed for both series and parallel-connected reactive power compensators. The converter utilizes a modular topology for allowing a satisfaction of electronic components rating. A control strategy based on variable structure control technique with sliding mode is employed to track appropriate reference quantities. Design and control, as well as good tracking performances, are also verified through numerical simulations

SnO₂ nanoparticles in silica: nanosized tools for femtosecond-laser machining of refractive index patterns

We show that SnO2 nanoclusters in silica interact with ultrashort infrared laser pulses focused inside the material generating a hydrostatic compression and photoelastic response of the surrounding glass. This effect, together with the laser-induced nanocluster amorphization, gives rise to positive or negative refractive-index changes, up to 10–2, depending on the beam-power density. This result points out a wide tuning of the refractive index patterns obtainable in silica-based optical technology

Flow Pressure Behavior Downstream of Ski Jumps

Ski jump spillways are frequently implemented to dissipate energy from high-speed flows. The general feature of this structure is to transform the spillway flow into a free jet up to a location where the impact of the jet creates a plunge pool, representing an area for potential erosion phenomena. In the present investigation, several tests with di erent ski jump bucket angles are executed numerically by means of the OpenFOAM® digital library, taking advantage of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations (RANS) approach. The results are compared to those obtained experimentally by other authors as related to the jet length and shape, obtaining physical insights into the jet characteristics. Particular attention is given to the maximum pressure head at the tailwater. Simple equations are proposed to predict the maximum dynamic pressure head acting on the tailwater, as dependent upon the Froude number, and the maximum pressure head on the bucket. Results of this study provide useful suggestions for the design of ski jump spillways in dam construction

Tolerating diabetes: an alternative therapeutic approach for diabetic neuropathy

It is becoming apparent that a number of pathogenic mechanisms contribute to diabetic neuropathy, so that therapeutic interventions that target one particular mechanism may have limited success. A recently published preclinical study has adopted an alternative approach by using a novel small molecule to induce heat-shock protein 70. This confers upon neurons, and perhaps other cells of the nervous system, the ability to better tolerate the diverse stresses associated with diabetes rather than intervening in their production

Quinoline-based molecules targeting c-Met, EGF, and VEGF receptors and the proteins involved in related carcinogenic pathways

The quinoline ring system has long been known as a versatile nucleus in the design and synthesis of biologically active compounds. Currently, more than one hundred quinoline compounds have been approved in therapy as antimicrobial, local anaesthetic, antipsychotic, and anticancer drugs. In drug discovery, indeed, over the last few years, an increase in the publication of papers and patents about quinoline derivatives possessing antiproliferative properties has been observed. This trend can be justified by the versatility and accessibility of the quinoline scaffold, from which new derivatives can be easily designed and synthesized. Within the numerous quinoline small molecules developed as antiproliferative drugs, this review is focused on compounds effective on c-Met, VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), and EGF (epidermal growth factor) receptors, pivotal targets for the activation of important carcinogenic pathways (Ras/Raf/MEK and PI3K/AkT/mTOR). These signalling cascades are closely connected and regulate the survival processes in the cell, such as proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and angiogenesis. The antiproliferative biological data of remarkable quinoline compounds have been analysed, confirming the pivotal importance of this ring system in the efficacy of several approved drugs. Furthermore, in view of an SAR (structure-activity relationship) study, the most recurrent ligand–protein interactions of the reviewed molecules are summarized

Discharge coefficients for sluice gates set in weirs at different ustream wall inclination

Laboratory experiments and numerical simulations are performed to measure discharge coecients in the case of a gate located on the upstream wall of a weir for flood storage. The eect of the gate slope and the side contraction have been taken into account. The study was first performed experimentally, when three series of tests were carried out with (and without) a broad crested weir located under the gate, at dierent values of the inclination angle of the weir upstream wall, and at dierent values of the shape ratio and the relative opening. In order to provide useful suggestions for those involved in sluice gate construction and management, three equations were obtained based on multiple regression, relating the discharge coecient to dierent parameters that characterize the phenomenon at hand, separating the case when the broad-crested weir was present. Then numerical simulations were executed by means of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations with the k-" turbulence closure model and in conjunction with the volume of fluid (VOF) method, to validate the numerical results against the experimental and to possibly investigate phenomena not caught by the experimental measurements. Simulated discharges were very close to the observed ones showing that the proposed three-dimensional numerical procedure is a favorable option to correctly reproduce the phenomenon