Horizons: nuclear astrophysics in the 2020s and beyond

Nuclear astrophysics is a field at the intersection of nuclear physics and astrophysics, which seeks to understand the nuclear engines of astronomical objects and the origin of the chemical elements. This white paper summarizes progress and status of the field, the new open questions that have emerged, and the tremendous scientific opportunities that have opened up with major advances in capabilities across an ever growing number of disciplines and subfields that need to be integrated. We take a holistic view of the field discussing the unique challenges and opportunities in nuclear astrophysics in regards to science, diversity, education, and the interdisciplinarity and breadth of the field. Clearly nuclear astrophysics is a dynamic field with a bright future that is entering a new era of discovery opportunities

Horizons: nuclear astrophysics in the 2020s and beyond

Nuclear astrophysics is a field at the intersection of nuclear physics and astrophysics, which seeks to understand the nuclear engines of astronomical objects and the origin of the chemical elements. This white paper summarizes progress and status of the field, the new open questions that have emerged, and the tremendous scientific opportunities that have opened up with major advances in capabilities across an ever growing number of disciplines and subfields that need to be integrated. We take a holistic view of the field discussing the unique challenges and opportunities in nuclear astrophysics in regards to science, diversity, education, and the interdisciplinarity and breadth of the field. Clearly nuclear astrophysics is a dynamic field with a bright future that is entering a new era of discovery opportunities

Horizons: Nuclear Astrophysics in the 2020s and Beyond

Nuclear Astrophysics is a field at the intersection of nuclear physics and astrophysics, which seeks to understand the nuclear engines of astronomical objects and the origin of the chemical elements. This white paper summarizes progress and status of the field, the new open questions that have emerged, and the tremendous scientific opportunities that have opened up with major advances in capabilities across an ever growing number of disciplines and subfields that need to be integrated. We take a holistic view of the field discussing the unique challenges and opportunities in nuclear astrophysics in regards to science, diversity, education, and the interdisciplinarity and breadth of the field. Clearly nuclear astrophysics is a dynamic field with a bright future that is entering a new era of discovery opportunities.Comment: 96 pages. Submitted to Journal of Physics

Evaluation of zero voltage switching SEPIC converter for module integrated distributed maximum power point tracking applications

10th International Conference on Electrical and Electronics Engineering, ELECO 2017 -- 29 November 2017 through 2 December 2017 -- 134351In this paper, the quasi-resonant SEPIC converter topology is evaluated for module integrated distributed maximum power point trackers (DMPPTs) which may increase energy capture from the photovoltaic modules operating with non-uniform irradiation conditions. Operating principals of the proposed module integrated converter is analyzed in steady-state condition and verified by simulation. The maximum converter efficiency is obtained as 94.7%. The advantages, difficulties and zero voltage switching regions of proposed converter are also presented. In addition, DMPPT performance of the proposed converter is evaluated via simulations and the results are presented. © 2017 EMO (Turkish Chamber of Electrical Enginners)

Analysis and design of a secondary-side controlled active rectifier for wireless battery charging application

10th International Conference on Electrical and Electronics Engineering, ELECO 2017 -- 29 November 2017 through 2 December 2017 -- -- 1343512-s2.0-85046267852In this paper, analysis and design of a current controlled active rectifier on the secondary side of an inductive power transfer (IPT) system is presented. The secondary side controlled rectifier is designed to adjust the battery dc charge current by varying the effective load resistance seen at the secondary coil terminals. Steady-state performance of the IPT system is evaluated based on fundamental harmonic analysis. The current control and gate signal generation schemes of the whole system are built in a simulation model. Theoretical and simulation results of investigated control scheme are shown. Finally, the theoretical results are validated by experimental results obtained from the implemented laboratory prototype. © 2017 EMO (Turkish Chamber of Electrical Enginners).Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştirma Kurumu, TÜBITAK: 115E116This study has been carried out as a part of the project “Design and Optimization of a Contactless Charging System for Electric Vehicles” supported by “The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜB TAK)” under project grant number 115E116

The advantage of total thyroidectomy to avoid reoperation for incidental thyroid cancer in multinodular goiter

Hypothesis: To investigate the impact of total thyroidectomy on the rate of completion thyroidectomy for incidentall

Clodronic acid in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Background: Clodronic acid, a first-generation bisphosphonate, has been successfully used in the treatment of high bone turnover states, Paget's disease and osteolytic bone metastases. However, controversies remain over its optimal dosage and method of administration in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. In this study we aimed to evaluate the effect of clodronic acid treatment for 3 years on bone mineral density (BMD) in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Methods: This was a prospective, open-label, randomised, controlled study that was conducted in an outpatient clinic at the Bone Metabolism Unit of a tertiary referral centre university hospital. Thirty postmenopausal women (age range 48-73 years) with osteoporosis and a control group of 49 osteoporotic women (age range 47-74 years) received randomised therapy. The clodronic acid group of participants received oral doses of clodronic acid 800mg plus elemental calcium 500mg and 400IU of vitamin D daily, while the control group was treated with calcium and vitamin D only. BMD was measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry at yearly intervals. Biochemical markers of bone turnover were also measured. Results: In this clinical study of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, 36 months of clodronic acid treatment significantly increased average femoral neck BMD by 3.2 ± 2.9%, trochanter BMD by 2.2 ± 2.9% and lumbar spine BMD by 3.1 ± 3%. In the control group, femoral neck, trochanter and lumbar spine BMD decreased by -6 ± 2.7%, -7.3 ± 2.5% and -5.4 ± 2%, respectively (p < 0.01, p < 0.05 and p < 0.05 for clodronic acid vs control, respectively). There was a significant decrease in urinary hydroxyproline (-38.3%) over 3 years in the clodronic acid group compared with baseline (p < 0.05), while no significant change occurred in the control group. Clodronic acid was well tolerated and compliance was good. There were no clinically meaningful differences in the incidence of individual adverse events between the groups. Conclusion: These results indicate that daily oral administration of clodronic acid 800mg provides benefits to skeletal bone density in osteoporotic postmenopausal women. Calcium and vitamin D supplementation alone did not prevent further bone loss. © 2007 Adis Data Information BV. All rights reserved

Fas Ligand (FasL, Apo-1L/CD95L) Expression and Clinical Outcome in Papillary Microcarcinoma and Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas with Diameter Smaller than 1.5 Centimeters

Context: The presence and the importance of FasL (FasL, APO-1L/CD95L) in papillary microcarcinoma lesions which are smaller than 1.5 cm of the thyroid is unclear