1,085 research outputs found
Experiment-based simulation of a cross-flow large-scale SOFC model
The multi-physical field full-coupling simulation of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack requires huge computational resources. Repeated iteration of highly non-linear calculation is easy to cause oscillation and lead to solution failure. At present, the simulation of SOFC stack models mainly focuses on the co-flow condition and counter-flow condition models. Most of them are simplified models that simplify the stack scale or physical field. In this paper, a SOFC decoupling model based on machine learning is established, and the full three-dimensional and multi-physical fields of the cross-flow large-scale SOFC stack are simulated. The model is divided into three parts for calculation, unit cell model, alternative mapping model, and cross-flow large-scale SOFC stack model. The alternative mapping model obtained by the BP neural network algorithm replaces the nonlinear multi-physics equations in the traditional model. Compared with the traditional method, the decoupling model can greatly reduce the computing resources and improve the stability of computing. In this paper, the experimental data of the single cell and the 30-layer stack are used to calibrate and verify the simulation results of stack. Studying the performance of the SOFC stack under different parameter conditions. Temperature, flow uniformity, gas mole fraction, and voltage distribution in the SOFC stack under different inlet flow rates and stack currents are obtained. Obtaining the output power and fuel utilization rate of the stack under different working conditions
Estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) and defects in uterine receptivity in women
Endometriosis is a disorder that affects 5% of the normal population but is present in up to 40% of women with pelvic pain and/or infertility. Recent evidence suggests that the endometrium of women with endometriosis exhibits progesterone insensitivity. One endometrial protein that fluctuates in response to progesterone is the estrogen receptor-alpha (ER alpha), being down-regulated at the time of peak progesterone secretion during the window of implantation. Here we demonstrate that the biomarker of uterine receptivity, beta 3 integrin subunit, is reduced or absent in some women with endometriosis and that such defects are accompanied by inappropriate over-expression of ER alpha during the mid-secretory phase. Using a well-differentiated endometrial cell line we showed that the beta 3 integrin protein is negatively regulated by estrogen and positively regulated by epidermal growth factor (EGF). By competing against estrogen with various selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) and estrogen receptor agonists and antagonists, inhibition of expression of the beta 3 integrin by estrogen can be mitigated. In conclusion, we hypothesize that certain types of uterine receptivity defects may be caused by the loss of appropriate ER alpha down-regulation in the mid-secretory phase, leading to defects in uterine receptivity. Such changes might be effectively treated by timely administration of the appropriate anti-estrogens to artificially block ER alpha and restore normal patterns of gene expression. Such treatments will require further clinical studies
Once more on the Witten index of 3d supersymmetric YM-CS theory
The problem of counting the vacuum states in the supersymmetric 3d
Yang-Mills-Chern-Simons theory is reconsidered. We resolve the controversy
between its original calculation by Witten at large volumes and the calculation
based on the evaluation of the effective Lagrangian in the small volume limit.
We show that the latter calculation suffers from uncertainties associated with
the singularities in the moduli space of classical vacua where the
Born-Oppenheimer approximation breaks down. We also show that these
singularities can be accurately treated in the Hamiltonian Born-Oppenheimer
method, where one has to match carefully the effective wave functions on the
Abelian valley and the wave functions of reduced non-Abelian QM theory near the
singularities. This gives the same result as original Witten's calculation.Comment: 27 page
LHC Discovery Potential for Non-Standard Higgs Bosons in the 3b Channel
In a variety of well motivated models, such as two Higgs Doublet Models
(2HDMs) and the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM), there are neutral
Higgs bosons that have significantly enhanced couplings to b-quarks and tau
leptons in comparison to those of the SM Higgs. These so called non-standard
Higgs bosons could be copiously produced at the LHC in association with b
quarks, and subsequently decay into b-quark pairs. However, this production
channel suffers from large irreducible QCD backgrounds. We propose a new search
strategy for non-standard neutral Higgs bosons at the 7 TeV LHC in the 3b's
final state topology. We perform a simulation of the signal and backgrounds,
using state of the art tools and methods for different sets of selection cuts,
and conclude that neutral Higgs bosons with couplings to b-quarks of about 0.3
or larger, and masses up to 400 GeV, could be seen with a luminosity of 30
fb^{-1}. In the case of the MSSM we also discuss the complementarity between
the 3b channel and the inclusive tau pair channel in exploring the
supersymmetric parameter space.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, 4 tables, references added, published versio
Electroweak corrections to W-boson pair production at the LHC
Vector-boson pair production ranks among the most important Standard-Model
benchmark processes at the LHC, not only in view of on-going Higgs analyses.
These processes may also help to gain a deeper understanding of the electroweak
interaction in general, and to test the validity of the Standard Model at
highest energies. In this work, the first calculation of the full one-loop
electroweak corrections to on-shell W-boson pair production at hadron colliders
is presented. We discuss the impact of the corrections on the total cross
section as well as on relevant differential distributions. We observe that
corrections due to photon-induced channels can be amazingly large at energies
accessible at the LHC, while radiation of additional massive vector bosons does
not influence the results significantly.Comment: 29 pages, 15 figures, 4 tables; some references and comments on
\gamma\gamma -> WW added; matches version published in JHE
Coupling models of cattle and farms with models of badgers for predicting the dynamics of bovine tuberculosis (TB)
Bovine TB is a major problem for the agricultural industry in several
countries. TB can be contracted and spread by species other than cattle and
this can cause a problem for disease control. In the UK and Ireland, badgers
are a recognised reservoir of infection and there has been substantial
discussion about potential control strategies. We present a coupling of
individual based models of bovine TB in badgers and cattle, which aims to
capture the key details of the natural history of the disease and of both
species at approximately county scale. The model is spatially explicit it
follows a very large number of cattle and badgers on a different grid size for
each species and includes also winter housing. We show that the model can
replicate the reported dynamics of both cattle and badger populations as well
as the increasing prevalence of the disease in cattle. Parameter space used as
input in simulations was swept out using Latin hypercube sampling and
sensitivity analysis to model outputs was conducted using mixed effect models.
By exploring a large and computationally intensive parameter space we show that
of the available control strategies it is the frequency of TB testing and
whether or not winter housing is practised that have the most significant
effects on the number of infected cattle, with the effect of winter housing
becoming stronger as farm size increases. Whether badgers were culled or not
explained about 5%, while the accuracy of the test employed to detect infected
cattle explained less than 3% of the variance in the number of infected cattle
Suicide Prevention for Older Adults in Residential Communities: Implications for Policy and Practice
Examining an often under-appreciated area, Carol Podgorski and colleagues discuss the suicide risk and opportunities for suicide prevention in seniors' residential communities
Radio Emission from Ultra-Cool Dwarfs
The 2001 discovery of radio emission from ultra-cool dwarfs (UCDs), the very
low-mass stars and brown dwarfs with spectral types of ~M7 and later, revealed
that these objects can generate and dissipate powerful magnetic fields. Radio
observations provide unparalleled insight into UCD magnetism: detections extend
to brown dwarfs with temperatures <1000 K, where no other observational probes
are effective. The data reveal that UCDs can generate strong (kG) fields,
sometimes with a stable dipolar structure; that they can produce and retain
nonthermal plasmas with electron acceleration extending to MeV energies; and
that they can drive auroral current systems resulting in significant
atmospheric energy deposition and powerful, coherent radio bursts. Still to be
understood are the underlying dynamo processes, the precise means by which
particles are accelerated around these objects, the observed diversity of
magnetic phenomenologies, and how all of these factors change as the mass of
the central object approaches that of Jupiter. The answers to these questions
are doubly important because UCDs are both potential exoplanet hosts, as in the
TRAPPIST-1 system, and analogues of extrasolar giant planets themselves.Comment: 19 pages; submitted chapter to the Handbook of Exoplanets, eds. Hans
J. Deeg and Juan Antonio Belmonte (Springer-Verlag
A multi-template multiplex PCR assay for hepatitis B virus and human β-globin
The Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is the hallmark of HBV infection. Detection of antibodies to HBs and the core (i.e. HBsAg and HBcAb) are primary serological algorithms in the laboratory diagnosis of HBV. Detection of HBsAg DNA is an important supplement to serological diagnosis especially in clinical cases. Simultaneous amplification of internal cellular controls is a good indicator of sample quality. Human P-globin is a well characterised housekeeping gene (HKG) that is often applied as internal controls (IC) in molecular diagnosis. In this study, individual plasmid clones of the human P-globin and HBs genes were constructed. These plasmid constructs have been applied to characterise a multiplex PCR assays for HBs and P-globin genes. The findings suggest detection limits of less than 10 genome copies of either template In vitro using conventional and multiplex PCR conditions. Under the multiplex conditions, co-amplification of P-globin and HBsAg DNA had a resultant effect on assay sensitivity. This study further highlights the importance of molecular diagnosis in HBV infectious individuals. If fully optimised, this assay could provide a possible diagnostic complement to serological detection in developing countries
Length of patient-physician relationship and patients' satisfaction and preventive service use in the rural south: a cross-sectional telephone study
BACKGROUND: Physicians and patients highly value continuity in health care. Continuity can be measured in several ways but few studies have examined the specific association between the duration of the patient-doctor relationship and patient outcomes. This study (1) examines characteristics of rural adults who have had longer relationships with their physicians and (2) assesses if the length of relationship is associated with patients' satisfaction and likelihood of receiving recommended preventive services. METHODS: Cross-sectional telephone survey of health care access indicators of adults in selected non-metropolitan counties of eight U.S. predominantly southern states. Analyses were restricted to adults who see a particular physician for their care and weighted for demographics and county sampling probabilities. RESULTS: Of 3176 eligible respondents, 10.8% saw the same physician for the past 12 months, 11.8% for the previous 13–24 months, 20.7% for the past 25–60 months and 56.7% for more than 60 months. Compared to persons with one year or less continuity with the same physician, respondents with over five years continuity more often were Caucasian, insured, a high school graduate, and more often reported good to excellent health and an income above $25,000. Compared to those with more than five years of continuity, participants with either less than one year or one to two years of continuity with the same physician were more often not satisfied with their overall health care (OR 2.34; OR 1.78), participants with less than one year continuity were more often not satisfied with the concern shown them by their physician (O.R. 1.90) and having their health questions answered, and those with one to two years continuity were more often not satisfied with the quality of their care (OR 2.37). No significant associations were found between physician continuity and use rates of any of the queried preventive services. CONCLUSION: Over half of this rural population has seen the same physician for more than five years. Longer continuity of care was associated with greater patient satisfaction and confidence in one's physician, but not with a greater likelihood of receiving recommended preventive services
- …