Aluminum foil interconnects for solar cell panels

Commercially available sonic welding system and a specially-designed tip bonds aluminum foil interconnects to titanium-silver solar cell contacts

A piezoelectrically actuated ball valve

Bimorph strip composed of two layers of poled piezoelectric ceramic material closes and opens valve. Strip performs like capacitator, allowing initial inrush of current when valve is energized and then only small leakage current flows as valve remains energized

In-flight calibration of the Herschel-SPIRE instrument

SPIRE, the Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver, is the Herschel Space Observatory's submillimetre camera and spectrometer. It contains a three-band imaging photometer operating at 250, 350 and 500 μm, and an imaging Fourier-transform spectrometer (FTS) covering 194–671 μm (447-1550 GHz). In this paper we describe the initial approach taken to the absolute calibration of the SPIRE instrument using a combination of the emission from the Herschel telescope itself and the modelled continuum emission from solar system objects and other astronomical targets. We present the photometric, spectroscopic and spatial accuracy that is obtainable in data processed through the “standard” pipelines. The overall photometric accuracy at this stage of the mission is estimated as 15% for the photometer and between 15 and 50% for the spectrometer. However, there remain issues with the photometric accuracy of the spectra of low flux sources in the longest wavelength part of the SPIRE spectrometer band. The spectrometer wavelength accuracy is determined to be better than 1/10th of the line FWHM. The astrometric accuracy in SPIRE maps is found to be 2 arcsec when the latest calibration data are used. The photometric calibration of the SPIRE instrument is currently determined by a combination of uncertainties in the model spectra of the astronomical standards and the data processing methods employed for map and spectrum calibration. Improvements in processing techniques and a better understanding of the instrument performance will lead to the final calibration accuracy of SPIRE being determined only by uncertainties in the models of astronomical standards

Random field Ising systems on a general hierarchical lattice: Rigorous inequalities

Random Ising systems on a general hierarchical lattice with both, random fields and random bonds, are considered. Rigorous inequalities between eigenvalues of the Jacobian renormalization matrix at the pure fixed point are obtained. These inequalities lead to upper bounds on the crossover exponents $\{\phi_i\}$.Comment: LaTeX, 13 pages, figs. 1a,1b,2. To be published in PR

Statistical multi-moment bifurcations in random delay coupled swarms

We study the effects of discrete, randomly distributed time delays on the dynamics of a coupled system of self-propelling particles. Bifurcation analysis on a mean field approximation of the system reveals that the system possesses patterns with certain universal characteristics that depend on distinguished moments of the time delay distribution. Specifically, we show both theoretically and numerically that although bifurcations of simple patterns, such as translations, change stability only as a function of the first moment of the time delay distribution, more complex patterns arising from Hopf bifurcations depend on all of the moments

Anaesthesia with dexmedetomidine and remifentanil in a child with mitochondrial myopathy

Patients with mitochondrial disorders have complex physiological issues which create a challenging scenario with regard to the safe provision of anaesthetic care. Within the spectrum of mitochondrial disorders, patients can be susceptible to multiple adverse effects and drug reactions from medications used during general anaesthesia. Although recent evidence suggests that inhalational anaesthetic agents may be used in patients with mitochondrial disorders, there is still a preference among some anaesthesia providers to use total intravenous anaesthesia (TIVA). In most scenarios, when TIVA is chosen, propofol is a major component. However, as a result of using propofol, patients with mitochondrial disorders may be susceptible to an acute metabolic crisis. It has been postulated that propofol, especially when given in large dosages, or when infused for prolonged periods of time, can adversely affect the function of the abnormal mitochondria that are present in patients with mitochondrial disorders. We present our experience with the use of dexmedetomidine as the primary component of a general anaesthetic regimen in a 10-year-old girl with a mitochondrial disorder and dystonia, who required anaesthetic care during a urological procedure. Previous reports on the use of dexmedetomidine as part of TIVA in patients susceptible to malignant hyperthermia are reviewed, and its benefits in patients with mitochondrial disorders, discussed. Additional concerns regarding the perioperative care of patients with mitochondrial disorders are deliberated.Keywords: dexmedetomidine, malignant hyperthermia, mitochondrial myopath

Standards of Proof in Civil Litigation: An Experiment from Patent Law

Standards of proof are widely assumed to matter in litigation. They operate to allocate the risk of error between litigants, as well as to indicate the relative importance attached to the ultimate decision. But despite their perceived importance, there have been relatively few empirical studies testing jurors’ comprehension and application of standards of proof, particularly in civil litigation. Patent law recently presented an opportunity to assess the potential impact of varying the standard of proof in civil cases. In Microsoft Corp. v. i4i Limited Partnership, the Supreme Court held that a patent’s presumption of validity can only be overcome by clear and convincing evidence. However, it also explained that the jury should be instructed that it may be easier to satisfy this standard when the party challenging the patent’s validity offered evidence that was not previously been considered by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. In this project, we conducted an experimental study to test the impact of standards of proof in patent invalidity challenges. We found that delivering the jury instruction directed by the i4i decision resulted in mock jurors finding a patent invalid at rates statistically indistinguishable from the preponderance of the evidence standard explicitly rejected by the Court in that case. This surprising result suggests that Microsoft may have actually achieved its desired outcome in i4i by making it easier for juries to invalidate questionable patents, even though it lost the case

Integrable Deformations of Algebraic Curves

A general scheme for determining and studying integrable deformations of algebraic curves, based on the use of Lenard relations, is presented. We emphasize the use of several types of dynamical variables : branches, power sums and potentials.Comment: 10 Pages, Proceedings Workshop-Nonlinear Physics: Theory and Experiment, Gallipoli 200