The Development of Electromechanical Batteries for Power System Support and for Short-term Standby Power

The slow move from a fossil-fuel powered society to a renewable-energy powered society is creating and will continue to create a demand for good energy storage techniques. The electromechanical battery (EMB), comprising a flywheel energy storage system with electrical input and output, is one of the many candidate technologies. Two different EMB types are evaluated in this present project. The first is a ring (or annular) flywheel to be constructed using fibre composite materials and to rotate at high speed in a vacuum. Energy is to be imported and exported electromagnetically based on linear electrical machine principles. Confinement of the annulus is to be performed electrodynamically using superconductors. The basic mechanical and electr4omagnetic considerations are summarised and the prospects of this composite annular flywheel are considered for different applications. The second EMB evaluated is a more conventional system and is aimed at the standby power supply market. This EMB principally comprises the following off-the-shelf components- an induction machine, capacitors and a fly-wheel. The system is permanently connected on line, with the induction machine operating in its motoring mode so as to overcome rotational losses. In the event of a mains failure, the induction machine reverts to being a self excited induction generator and extracts energy from the flywheel to power the load. Obviously, the extraction of energy from the flywheel causes deceleration and frequency and voltage reduction. These effects are examined in detail, and implications for this particular EMB are assessed

TARGETS\u27 PRACTICES: HOW PEOPLE ALLOCATE THEIR ATTENTION AMONG MULTIPLE STREAMS OF INCOMING INFORMATION

The communication environment within organizations provides multiple opportunities for informational retrieval throughout the day. While previous research has explored media choice from a sender\u27s perspective, little research has explored the choices receiver or targets make in attending to messages and information streams. This paper explores the process that targets use to evaluate messages by introducing a model of target attention allocation. This model builds on theories of media choice, uses and gratifications, and social exchange to identify a rational choice model based on the assessment of the need to reduce uncertainty, the interactivity offered by the media employed, and the social norms guiding media choices. In doing so, it provides a means for measuring satisfaction with a given information stream and, therefore, the likelihood that the target will switch to another information stream

Eight issues to consider when developing animated videos for the assessment of complex constructs

As part of the growing interest in the measurement of complex constructs in recent years, a body of research examining the extent to which videos are a useful alternative to written text in tests and assessments has emerged. Early attempts to replace written text with videos featured actors, but lately, animated videos have become more popular. However, the few studies that have examined the use of videos (animated or acted) in assessment have focused purely on reporting the results of these endeavors, with little to no information provided about the process of transforming a test from text to video format. With this in mind, the aim of this paper is to outline the key issues that need to be considered when developing animated videos in an assessment context. Various decisions that need to be made are discussed and suggestions for overcoming challenges that may be encountered are offered. These considerations are intended to help anyone interested in the use of animated videos to enhance the validity of decisions made on the basis of assessments, including, but not limited to, educators, certification and licensure test developers, and those involved in personnel selection

Definition of a Security: Risk Capital and Investment Contracts in Washington

The addition of the risk capital definition to Washington\u27s securities law will expand regulation to many transactions that in the past were excluded. Although its full application is unforeseeable, the risk capital definition should apply to financing arrangements in the formation of clubs, associations, and cooperatives. Practitioners must be keenly aware that ventures not traditionally defined within Washington\u27s securities regulations many now fall under the risk capital definition of a security

Potential Interactions Between Metal-Based Phenanthroline Drugs and the Unfolded Protein Response Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Pathway

The unfolded protein response has recently been implicated as a mechanism by which 1,10-phenanthrolinecontaining coordination compounds trigger cell death. We explored the interaction of two such compounds —one containing copper and one containing manganese—with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Pretreatment with anisomycin significantly enhanced the cytotoxic activity of both metal-based compounds in A2780, but only the copper-based compound in A549 cells. The effects of pretreatment with tunicamycin were dependent on the nature of the metal center in the compounds. In A2780 cells, the cytotoxic action of the copper compound was reduced by tunicamycin only at high concentration. In contrast, in A549 cells the efficacy of the manganese compound cells was reduced at all tested concentrations. Intriguingly, some impact of free 1,10-phenanthroline was also observed in A549 cells. These results are discussed in the context of the emerging evidence that the ER plays a role in the cytotoxic action of 1,10-phenanthroline-based compounds

Animal models of rheumatoid pain: experimental systems and insights.

Severe chronic pain is one of the hallmarks and most debilitating manifestations of inflammatory arthritis. It represents a significant problem in the clinical management of patients with common chronic inflammatory joint conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and spondyloarthropathies. The functional links between peripheral inflammatory signals and the establishment of the neuroadaptive mechanisms acting in nociceptors and in the central nervous system in the establishment of chronic and neuropathic pain are still poorly understood, representing an area of intense study and translational priority. Several well-established inducible and spontaneous animal models are available to study the onset, progression and chronicization of inflammatory joint disease, and have been instrumental in elucidating its immunopathogenesis. However, quantitative assessment of pain in animal models is technically and conceptually challenging, and it is only in recent years that inflammatory arthritis models have begun to be utilized systematically in experimental pain studies using behavioral and neurophysiological approaches to characterize acute and chronic pain stages. This article aims primarily to provide clinical and experimental rheumatologists with an overview of current animal models of arthritis pain, and to summarize emerging findings, challenges and unanswered questions in the field

How Many Teams Should We Manage at Once? The Effect of Multiple Team Membership, Collaborative Technologies, and Polychronicity on Team Performance

We explore the relationship between multiple team membership (the extent to which team members are engaged in more than one team and switch between different teams in a work day) and team performance. We argue that the number of MTMs has an inverted U-shaped relationship with team performance while the team average daily MTM is negatively related to performance. We propose that the use of collaborative technologies moderates the above relationships: when MTM is low technology use helps teams attain higher performance, when MTM is high collaborative technology use reduces performance. Conversely, variance in perceptions of technologies’ usefulness negatively moderates the above relationships. Finally, we expect teams whose members are more polychronic to perform better when MTM is high, but teams whose members are very diverse in terms of polychronicity to experience reduced performance. We are exploring these issues through a mixed-methods field study conducted in an IT consulting firm

Dysregulation of Kv3.4 channels in dorsal root ganglia following spinal cord injury.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) patients develop chronic pain involving poorly understood central and peripheral mechanisms. Because dysregulation of the voltage-gated Kv3.4 channel has been implicated in the hyperexcitable state of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons following direct injury of sensory nerves, we asked whether such a dysregulation also plays a role in SCI. Kv3.4 channels are expressed in DRG neurons, where they help regulate action potential (AP) repolarization in a manner that depends on the modulation of inactivation by protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent phosphorylation of the channel\u27s inactivation domain. Here, we report that, 2 weeks after cervical hemicontusion SCI, injured rats exhibit contralateral hypersensitivity to stimuli accompanied by accentuated repetitive spiking in putative DRG nociceptors. Also in these neurons at 1 week after laminectomy and SCI, Kv3.4 channel inactivation is impaired compared with naive nonsurgical controls. At 2-6 weeks after laminectomy, however, Kv3.4 channel inactivation returns to naive levels. Conversely, Kv3.4 currents at 2-6 weeks post-SCI are downregulated and remain slow-inactivating. Immunohistochemistry indicated that downregulation mainly resulted from decreased surface expression of the Kv3.4 channel, as whole-DRG-protein and single-cell mRNA transcript levels did not change. Furthermore, consistent with Kv3.4 channel dysregulation, PKC activation failed to shorten the AP duration of small-diameter DRG neurons. Finally, re-expressing synthetic Kv3.4 currents under dynamic clamp conditions dampened repetitive spiking in the neurons from SCI rats. These results suggest a novel peripheral mechanism of post-SCI pain sensitization implicating Kv3.4 channel dysregulation and potential Kv3.4-based therapeutic interventions

Generic medicines and generic substitution: contrasting perspectives of stakeholders in Ireland.

BACKGROUND: The Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 passed into law in July 2013 and legislated for generic substitution in Ireland. The aim of the study was to ascertain the knowledge and perceptions of stakeholders i.e. patients, pharmacists and prescribers, of generic medicines and to generic substitution with the passing of legislation. METHODS: Three stakeholder specific questionnaires were developed to assess knowledge of and perceptions to generic medicines and generic substitution. Purposive samples of patients, prescribers and pharmacists were analysed. Descriptive quantitative and qualitative analyses were undertaken. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A total of 762 healthcare professionals and 353 patients were recruited. The study highlighted that over 84 % of patients were familiar with generic medicines and are supportive of the concept of generic substitution. Approximately 74 % of prescribers and 84 % of pharmacists were supportive of generic substitution in most cases. The main areas of concern highlighted by the healthcare professionals that might impact on the successful implementation of the policy, were the issue of bioequivalence with generic medicines, the computer software systems used at present in general practitioner (GP) surgeries and the availability of branded generics. The findings from this study identify a high baseline rate of acceptance to generic medicines and generic substitution among patients, prescribers and pharmacists in the Irish setting. The concerns of the main stakeholders provide a valuable insight into the potential difficulties that may arise in its implementation, and the need for on-going reassurance and proactive dissemination of the impact of the generic substitution policy. CONCLUSION: The existing positive attitude to generic medicines and generic substitution among key stakeholders in Ireland to generic substitution, combined with appropriate support and collaboration should result in the desired increase in rates of prescribing, dispensing and use of generic medicines

Strengths of the Social Safety Net in the Great Recession: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance and Unemployment Insurance

The contributors in this book use administrative data from six states from before, during, and after the Great Recession to gauge the degree to which Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) and Unemployment Insurance (UI) interacted. They also recommend ways that the program policies could be altered to better serve those suffering hardship as a result of future economic downturns.https://research.upjohn.org/up_press/1276/thumbnail.jp