3,597 research outputs found

    Hybrid Generators-based AC Microgrid Performance Assessment in Island Mode

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    Achieving an accurate steady-state averaged active power sharing between parallel inverters in islanded AC microgrids could be realized by a traditional droop control. For identical inverters having the same droop gains, it is assumed that the transient average power responses will be similar, and no circulating current will flow between the units. However, different line impedances could influence the instantaneous power significantly and thus circulating power flows among the inverters particularly during sudden disturbances such as load changes. This power, if absorbed by an inverter, will lead the DC link voltage to rise abruptly and trip the inverter, thus, degrading the performance of the whole microgrid. The problem becomes worse when hybrid generators are serving as unidirectional power source. This paper assesses the performance of hybrid generators within an islanded microgrid against the mismatch in line impedances. Two schemes to stabilize the microgrid are proposed. In addition, a participation factor analysis is developed to select the most effective controller scheme to bound the DC link voltage and minimize the circulating power. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the analysis and the capability of the proposed controller

    MYOD-1 in normal colonic mucosa : role as a putative biomarker?

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    Background DNA methylation of promoter-associated CpG islands of certain genes may play a role in the development of colorectal cancer. The MYOD-1 gene which is a muscle differentiation gene has been showed to be significantly methylated in colorectal cancer which, is an age related event. However the role of this gene in the colonic mucosa is not understood and whether methylation occurs in subjects without colon cancer. In this study, we have determined the frequency of methylation of the MYOD-1 gene in normal colonic mucosa and investigated to see if this is associated with established colorectal cancer risk factors primarily ageing. Results We analysed colonic mucosal biopsies in 218 normal individuals and demonstrated that in most individuals promoter hypermethylation was not quantified for MYOD-1. However, promoter hypermethylation increased significantly with age (p < 0.001 using regression analysis) and this was gender independent. We also showed that gene promoter methylation increased positively with an increase in waist to hip (WHR) ratio – the latter is also a known risk factor for colon cancer development. Conclusions Our study suggests that promoter gene hypermethylation of the MYOD-1 gene increases significantly with age in normal individuals and thus may offer potential as a putative biomarker for colorectal cancer

    2D adaptive FEM simulation of failures in high-speed impacts

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    The simulation of high-speed impacts needs the use of advanced constitutive equations required for the accurate prediction of the different thermomechanical fields and their mutual interactions (temperature, large strains, hardening, damage, friction …). Since these fields localize inside intense shear bands (ISB), ductile micro-cracks initiate inside these ISB leading to the initiation of macroscopic crack and its fast propagation until the final fracture occurs. Accordingly, these advanced constitutive equations should take into account not only the strong thermomechanical coupling but also the ductile damage and its strong effect (coupling) on the other thermomechanical fields. In this work a complete set of advanced and fully coupled thermo-elasto-viscoplastic-damage constitutive equations accounting for mixed nonlinear isotropic and kinematic hardening fully coupled with the ductile isotropic damage and the thermal softening for time dependent finite plasticity is presented. Related numerical aspects in the framework of a fully adaptive 2D finite element strategy are developed and briefly discussed. This adaptive procedure is applied to the simulation of simple high velocity impact of thick sheets with dynamic ductile fracture occurrence. Attention is paid to the localization of the main thermomechanical fields inside the ISB as well as to the macroscopic cracks initiation and growth under high velocity impact

    The menin inhibitor revumenib in KMT2A-rearranged or NPM1-mutant leukaemia

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    Targeting critical epigenetic regulators reverses aberrant transcription in cancer, thereby restoring normal tissue functio

    Pinwheel stabilization by ocular dominance segregation

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    We present an analytical approach for studying the coupled development of ocular dominance and orientation preference columns. Using this approach we demonstrate that ocular dominance segregation can induce the stabilization and even the production of pinwheels by their crystallization in two types of periodic lattices. Pinwheel crystallization depends on the overall dominance of one eye over the other, a condition that is fulfilled during early cortical development. Increasing the strength of inter-map coupling induces a transition from pinwheel-free stripe solutions to intermediate and high pinwheel density states.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

    Microbiotic soil crusts in the Sahel of Western Niger and their influence on Soil POROSITY and water dynamics

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    International audienceMicrobiotic soil crusts are common features of the surface of fallow land in Western Niger. We investigated the interaction between these microbial covers and the porosity and water dynamics of soils at the surface of a Sahelian landscape. The soil pore system was examined by microscopic observations and mercury porosimetry. The soil water retention capacity was measured using a Richard pressure membrane apparatus. Runoff measurements were performed in situ at a one m2 scale under natural rainfall. Samples with dense cyanobacterial cover had microbially-originated pores ranging from 0.04 and 50 μm in size. These samples also showed higher total soil porosity and retained two to four times more water than samples with thin microbial cover. These properties are closely related to the hydrophobic nature of cyanobacterial components. Final runoff values obtained on densely covered surfaces were significantly higher compared to those measured on surfaces with thin microbial cover due to the geometry of the microbially-originated pore system and its functioning

    A Reduced Nonlinear Model for the Simulation of Two Phase Flow in a Horizontal Pipe.

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    In the last 10 years many 3D numerical schemes have been developed for the study the flow of a mixture of liquid and gas in a pipeline (Frank, Numerical simulation of slug flow regime for an air-water two-phase flow in horizontal pipes. In: The 11th international topical meeting on nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulics (NURETH-11), Avignon, 2005; Vallée et al., Nucl Eng Des 238(3):637–646, 2008; Höhne, Experiments and numerical simulations of horizontal two-phase flow regimes. In: Proceeding of the seventh international conference on CFD in the minerals and process industries, Melbourne, 2009; Bartosiewicz et al., Nucl Eng Des 240(9):2375–2381, 2010) but although they offer a very good accuracy, they are rarely fit for modelling a long pipe, due to the high computational costs. Then one is usually led to consider 1D models, see e.g. the works of Issa and his group (Issa and Kempf, Int J Multiphase Flow 29(1):69–95, 2003). Such models offer much faster simulations than 3D schemes, on the other hand they almost completely miss the dynamics in the transversal direction. Here we present a model able of representing the full 3D dynamics, but with the computational cost typical of 1D simulation. The main feature of our model consists in describing the dynamical variables in the direction transversal to the pipe by means of a family of functions depending on a set of parameters. The model is then solved by a standard finite volume scheme

    Adrenal lesions found incidentally: how to improve clinical and cost-effectiveness

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    Introduction Adrenal incidentalomas are lesions that are incidentally identified while scanning for other conditions. While most are benign and hormonally non-functional, around 20% are malignant and/or hormonally active, requiring prompt intervention. Malignant lesions can be aggressive and life-threatening, while hormonally active tumours cause various endocrine disorders, with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite this, management of patients with adrenal incidentalomas is variable, with no robust evidence base. This project aimed to establish more effective and timely management of these patients. Methods We developed a web-based, electronic Adrenal Incidentaloma Management System (eAIMS), which incorporated the evidence-based and National Health Service–aligned 2016 European guidelines. The system captures key clinical, biochemical and radiological information necessary for adrenal incidentaloma patient management and generates a pre-populated outcome letter, saving clinical and administrative time while ensuring timely management plans with enhanced safety. Furthermore, we developed a prioritisation strategy, with members of the multidisciplinary team, which prioritised high-risk individuals for detailed discussion and management. Patient focus groups informed process-mapping and multidisciplinary team process re-design and patient information leaflet development. The project was partnered by University Hospital of South Manchester to maximise generalisability. Results Implementation of eAIMS, along with improvements in the prioritisation strategy, resulted in a 49% reduction in staff hands-on time, as well as a 78% reduction in the time from adrenal incidentaloma identification to multidisciplinary team decision. A health economic analysis identified a 28% reduction in costs. Conclusions The system’s in-built data validation and the automatic generation of the multidisciplinary team outcome letter improved patient safety through a reduction in transcription errors. We are currently developing the next stage of the programme to proactively identify all new adrenal incidentaloma cases

    Usabilidad Web

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    Este documento presenta distintos argumentos acerca de la importancia decontar con Sitios Web que cumplan con requisitos de Usabilidad, métricaimportante para garantizar el éxito de un sitio en la Red Internet. También seexplican los conceptos importantes relacionados a esta métrica y las mejoresprácticas y herramientas disponibles en la actualidad
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