Chopper-controlled discharge life cycling studies on lead-acid batteries

State-of-the-art 6 volt lead-acid golf car batteries were tested. A daily charge/discharge cycling to failure points under various chopper controlled pulsed dc and continuous current load conditions was undertaken. The cycle life and failure modes were investigated for depth of discharge, average current chopper frequency, and chopper duty cycle. It is shown that battery life is primarily and inversely related to depth of discharge and discharge current. Failure mode is characterized by a gradual capacity loss with consistent evidence of cell element aging

Torque Saturation in Bipedal Robotic Walking through Control Lyapunov Function Based Quadratic Programs

This paper presents a novel method for directly incorporating user-defined control input saturations into the calculation of a control Lyapunov function (CLF)-based walking controller for a biped robot. Previous work by the authors has demonstrated the effectiveness of CLF controllers for stabilizing periodic gaits for biped walkers, and the current work expands on those results by providing a more effective means for handling control saturations. The new approach, based on a convex optimization routine running at a 1 kHz control update rate, is useful not only for handling torque saturations but also for incorporating a whole family of user-defined constraints into the online computation of a CLF controller. The paper concludes with an experimental implementation of the main results on the bipedal robot MABEL

ESTADO E GOVERNO NO PENSAMENTO DE MARSÍLIO DE PÁDUA: RAÍZES MEDIEVAIS DE UMA TEORIA MODERNA

This study brings light to the concepts of State and Government in the thought of Marsilio de Padua pointing out to profoundly modern institutions present in the reflection of this medieval philosopher. We attempt to show that Marsilio de Padua reflects based on Aristotle´s categories, but proposes a State and Government conception different from that common place of medieval politics as he insists on the need of the popular consent as a criterion of political legitimacy. O estudo explicita os conceitos de Estado e de Governo no pensamento de Marsílio de Pádua apontando as intuições profundamente modernas presentes na reflexão desse filósofo medieval. Procuramos mostrar que Marsílio reflete com categorias aristotélicas, mas propõe uma concepção de Estado e de Governo que se distancia do lugar comum da reflexão política medieval ao insistir na necessidade do consentimento dos súditos como critério de legitimidade política

Anti-cancer Action of Metal Complexes: Electron Transfer and Oxidative Stress?

Evidence is presented in support of an electron transfer mechanism for various metal complexes possessing anti-neoplastic properties. Cyclic voltammetry was performed on several metallocenes, bis(acetato)bis(imidazole)Cu(II), and coordination compounds (Cu or Fe) of the anti-tumor agents, bipyridine, phenanthroline, hydroxyurea, diethyldithiocarbamate, and α, α1-bis(8-hydroxyquinolin-7-yl)-4-methoxytoluene. The favorable reduction potentials ranged from +0.5 to -0.5 V. Electrochemical behavior is correlated in some cases with structure and physiological activity. Relevant literature data are discussed

Temporal transport dynamics of the Amazon River Plume revealed using radium isotope analysis

The Amazon River is the largest river by discharge in the world. It carries terrestrial nutrients into the Western Tropical North Atlantic via a buoyant freshwater plume, conveying water hundreds to thousands of kilometers away and driving critical biogeochemical cycles near the coast. Factors controlling the delivery of nutrients offshore by the plume are complicated and interconnected, yet these nutrients impact the foundation of phytoplankton community structures across the entire plume ecosystem. To better understand the temporal dynamics of this massive, highly influential region, we employ naturally occurring radium isotopes (223Ra, 224Ra, 226Ra, and 228Ra) to analyze mixing and transport behaviors through two separate research cruises to the Amazon River plume during high discharge seasons in 2018 and 2019. Radium is uniquely suited for this task because it displays elevated activities at the low end of a salinity gradient and decreases offshore as a function of dilution for all isotopes and radioactive decay for only the short-lived isotopes (223Ra and 224Ra). Known half-lives of these isotopes allow us to calculate apparent radium \u27ages\u27 to assess dissolved material transport scales and rates, and presumably also represent those of dissolved nutrients as well. Our results from 224Ra/226Ra apparent ages suggest that low salinity plume waters travel at a rate of 77 - 136 cm/s and are influenced by river discharge. Transport rates across the plume boundary were found to be significantly lower, ranging between 13 and 44 cm/s. Examining the horizontal mixing in this boundary region indicates that advection is the dominant process. An estimated eddy diffusion coefficient for the core of the plume mixing vertically with ambient waters was found to be 3.9 x 10 -4 ± 1.5 x 10-4 m2/s, varying significantly with respect to salinity profiles. Determining the temporal scale of dissolved material (e.g., nutrients) movement across this region is a valuable first step in examining the foundation of planktonic food web dynamics of the Amazon River plume

The introduction, demonstration and evaluation of a new typeface identification system

Graphic communicators, including typographers, designers, and descriptive bibliographers, are often called upon to identify typefaces. Since there are thousands of typefaces available in the marketplace today, it is unlikely that any one designer, typographer or bibliographer can name them all at sight. Accordingly, there is a need tfor a typeface identification system. The purpose of this paper is to introduce, demonstrate and evaluate such a system. An identification system called TYPE-ID was developed and tested. Two principles -- the pass option and the null digit -- were introduced. A sequence of questions was written for a number of different characters. An index or database of 50 typefaces was created. The sequences and database were incorporated into a computer program. Subjects tested the systems 1000 times. Based on the results, it appears that the system works. For searches of the database based on one sequence, the system proved to be 97.8% accurate

The Trained Man of Science in the War

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Psychological distress after stroke and aphasia: the first six months

Objective: We explored the factors that predicted psychological distress in the first six months post stroke in a sample including people with aphasia. Design: Prospective longitudinal observational study. Setting and subjects: Participants with a first stroke from two acute stroke units were assessed while still in hospital (baseline) and at three and six months post stroke. Main measures: Distress was assessed with the General Health Questionnaire-12. Other measures included: NIH Stroke Scale, Barthel Index, Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test, Frenchay Activities Index, MOS Social Support Scale and social network indicators. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of distress at each stage post stroke; and to determine what baseline factors predicted distress at six months. Results: Eighty-seven participants were able to self-report on measures used, of whom 32 (37%) had aphasia. 71 (82%) were seen at six months, including 11 (16%) with aphasia. Predictors of distress were: stroke severity at baseline; low social support at three months; and loneliness and low satisfaction with social network at six months. The baseline factors that predicted distress at six months were psychological distress, loneliness and low satisfaction with social network (Nagelkerke R2 = 0.49). Aphasia was not a predictor of distress at any time point. Yet, at three months post stroke 93% of those with aphasia experienced high distress, as opposed to 50% of those without aphasia (χ2 (1) = 8.61, P<0.01). Conclusions: Factors contributing to distress after stroke vary across time. Loneliness and low satisfaction with one’s social network are particularly important and contribute to long-term psychological distress

Extended-release niacin increases anti-apolipoprotein A-I antibodies that block the antioxidant effect of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol: the EXPLORE clinical trial.

Extended-release niacin (ERN) is the most effective agent for increasing high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C). Having previously identified anti-HDL antibodies, we investigated whether ERN affected the antioxidant capacity of HDL and whether ERN was associated with the production of antibodies against HDL (aHDL) and apolipoprotein A-I (aApoA-I). METHODS: Twenty-one patients older than 18 years, with HDL-C ≤40 mg dl-1 (men) or ≤50 mg dl-1 (women) were randomly assigned to receive daily ERN (n = 10) or placebo (n = 11) for two sequential 12-week periods, with 4 weeks of wash-out before cross-over. Primary outcome was change of paraoxonase-1 (PON1) activity and secondary outcomes were changes in aHDL and aApoA-I antibodies. Clinical Trial Unique Identifier: EudraCT 2006-006889-42. RESULTS: The effect of ERN on PON1 activity was nonsignificant (coefficient estimate 20.83 U l-1 , 95% confidence interval [CI] -9.88 to 51.53; P = 0.184). ERN was associated with an increase in HDL-C levels (coefficient estimate 5.21 mg dl-1 , 95% CI 1.16 to 9.25; P = 0.012) and its subclasses HDL2 (coefficient estimate 2.46 mg dl-1 , 95% CI 0.57 to 4.34; P = 0.011) and HDL3 (coefficient estimate 2.73 mg dl-1 , 95% CI 0.47 to 4.98; P = 0.018). ERN was significantly associated with the production of aApoA-I antibodies (coefficient estimate 0.25 μg ml-1 , 95% CI 0.09-0.40; P = 0.001). aApoA-I titres at baseline were correlated with decreased PON activity. CONCLUSIONS: The rise in HDL-C achieved with ERN was not matched by improved antioxidant capacity, eventually hampered by the emergence of aApoA-I antibodies. These results may explain why Niacin and other lipid lowering agents fail to reduce cardiovascular risk.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio