802 research outputs found
Flexible active compensation based on load conformity factors applied to non-sinusoidal and asymmetrical voltage conditions
This study proposes a flexible active power filter (APF) controller operating selectively to satisfy a set of desired load performance indices defined at the source side. The definition of such indices, and of the corresponding current references, is based on the orthogonal instantaneous current decomposition and conformity factors provided by the conservative power theory. This flexible approach can be applied to single- or three-phase APFs or other grid-tied converters, as those interfacing distributed generators in smart grids. The current controller is based on a modified hybrid P-type iterative learning controller which has shown good steady-state and dynamic performances. To validate the proposed approach, a three-phase four-wire APF connected to a non-linear and unbalanced load has been considered. Experimental results have been generated under ideal and non-ideal voltage sources, showing the effectiveness of the proposed flexible compensation scheme, even for weak grid scenarios
Efficient transplacental IgG transfer in women infected with Zika virus during pregnancy
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a newly-identified infectious cause of congenital disease. Transplacental transfer of maternal IgG to the fetus plays an important role in preventing many neonatal infections. However, antibody transfer may also have negative consequences, such as mediating enhancement of flavivirus infections in early life, or trafficking of virus immune complexes to the fetal compartment. ZIKV infection produces placental pathology which could lead to impaired IgG transfer efficiency as occurs in other maternal infections, such as HIV-1 and malaria. In this study, we asked whether ZIKV infection during pregnancy impairs transplacental transfer of IgG. We enrolled pregnant women with fever or rash in a prospective cohort in Vitoria, Brazil during the recent ZIKV epidemic. ZIKV and dengue virus (DENV)-specific IgG, ZIKV and DENV neutralizing antibodies, and routine vaccine antigenspecific IgG were measured in maternal samples collected around delivery and 20 paired cord blood samples. We concluded that 8 of these mothers were infected with ZIKV during pregnancy and 12 were ZIKV-uninfected. The magnitude of flavivirus-specific IgG, neutralizing antibody, and vaccine-elicited IgG were highly correlated between maternal plasma and infant cord blood in both ZIKV-infected and -uninfected mother-infant pairs. Moreover, there was no difference in the magnitude of plasma flavivirus-specific IgG levels between mothers and infants regardless of ZIKV infection status. Our data suggests that maternal ZIKV infection during pregnancy does not impair the efficiency of placental transfer of flavivirus-specific, functional, and vaccine-elicited IgG. These findings have implications for the neonatal outomes of maternal ZIKV infection and optimal administration of antibody-based ZIKV vaccines and therapeutics
Screened Coulomb interactions in metallic alloys: II Screening beyond the single-site and atomic sphere approximations
A quantitative description of the configurational part of the total energy of
metallic alloys with substantial atomic size difference cannot be achieved in
the atomic sphere approximation: It needs to be corrected at least for the
multipole moment interactions in the Madelung part of the one-electron
potential and energy. In the case of a random alloy such interactions can be
accounted for only by lifting the atomic sphere and single-site approximations,
in order to include the polarization due to local environment effects.
Nevertheless a simple parameterization of the screened Coulomb interactions for
the ordinary single-site methods, including the generalized perturbation
method, is still possible. We obtained such a parameterization for bulk and
surface NiPt alloys, which allows one to obtain quantitatively accurate
effective interactions in this system.Comment: 24 pages, 2 figure
Onset of magnetism in B2 transition metals aluminides
Ab initio calculation results for the electronic structure of disordered bcc
Fe(x)Al(1-x) (0.4<x<0.75), Co(x)Al(1-x) and Ni(x)Al(1-x) (x=0.4; 0.5; 0.6)
alloys near the 1:1 stoichiometry, as well as of the ordered B2 (FeAl, CoAl,
NiAl) phases with point defects are presented. The calculations were performed
using the coherent potential approximation within the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker
method (KKR-CPA) for the disordered case and the tight-binding linear
muffin-tin orbital (TB-LMTO) method for the intermetallic compounds. We studied
in particular the onset of magnetism in Fe-Al and Co-Al systems as a function
of the defect structure. We found the appearance of large local magnetic
moments associated with the transition metal (TM) antisite defect in FeAl and
CoAl compounds, in agreement with the experimental findings. Moreover, we found
that any vacancies on both sublattices enhance the magnetic moments via
reducing the charge transfer to a TM atom. Disordered Fe-Al alloys are
ferromagnetically ordered for the whole range of composition studied, whereas
Co-Al becomes magnetic only for Co concentration >0.5.Comment: 11 pages with 9 embedded postscript figures, to be published in
Phys.Rev.
Ground state and elementary excitations of single and binary Bose-Einstein condensates of trapped dipolar gases
We analyze the ground-state properties and the excitation spectrum of
Bose-Einstein condensates of trapped dipolar particles. First, we consider the
case of a single-component polarized dipolar gas. For this case we discuss the
influence of the trapping geometry on the stability of the condensate as well
as the effects of the dipole-dipole interaction on the excitation spectrum. We
discuss also the ground state and excitations of a gas composed of two
antiparallel dipolar components.Comment: 12 pages, 9 eps figures, final versio
A Case of Problematic Diffusion
Sex determination techniques have diffused rapidly in India, and are being used to detect female fetuses and subsequently to abort them. This technology has spread rapidly because it imparts knowledge that is of great value within the Indian context, and because it fits in neatly with the modernization dynamic within India, which itself has enmeshed with traditional patriarchal institutions to oppress Indian women. More research needs to be done on ways to stem the adoption of problematic innovations.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68396/2/10.1177_107554709401500301.pd
Controlled release strategies for bone, cartilage, and osteochondral engineering: part I: recapitulation of native tissue healing and variables for the design of delivery systems
The potential of growth factors to stimulate tissue healing through the enhancement of cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation is undeniable. However, critical parameters on the design of adequate carriers, such as uncontrolled spatiotemporal presence of bioactive factors, inadequate release profiles, and supraphysiological dosages of growth factors, have impaired the translation of these systems onto clinical practice. This review describes the healing cascades for bone, cartilage, and osteochondral interface, highlighting the role of specific growth factors for triggering the reactions leading to tissue regeneration. Critical criteria on the design of carriersfor controlled release of bioactive factors are also reported, focusing on the need to provide a spatiotemporal control over the delivery and presentation of these molecules.The authors thank Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia for V.E.Santo's PhD grant (SFRH/BD/39486/2007). This work was carried out under the scope of the European FP7 Project Find and Bind (NMP4-SL-2009-229292) and Project MIT/ECE/0047/2009
Improved W boson mass measurement with the D0 detector
We have measured the W boson mass using the D0 detector and a data sample of
82 pb^-1 from the Tevatron collider. This measurement used W -> e nu decays,
where the electron is close to a boundary of a central electromagnetic
calorimeter module. Such 'edge' electrons have not been used in any previous D0
analysis, and represent a 14% increase in the W boson sample size. For these
electrons, new response and resolution parameters are determined, and revised
backgrounds and underlying event energy flow measurements are made. When the
current measurement is combined with previous D0 W boson mass measurements, we
obtain M_W = 80.483 +/- 0.084 GeV. The 8% improvement from the previous D0
measurement is primarily due to the improved determination of the response
parameters for non-edge electrons using the sample of Z bosons with non-edge
and edge electrons.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. D; 20 pages, 18 figures, 9 table
Evidence of Color Coherence Effects in W+jets Events from ppbar Collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV
We report the results of a study of color coherence effects in ppbar
collisions based on data collected by the D0 detector during the 1994-1995 run
of the Fermilab Tevatron Collider, at a center of mass energy sqrt(s) = 1.8
TeV. Initial-to-final state color interference effects are studied by examining
particle distribution patterns in events with a W boson and at least one jet.
The data are compared to Monte Carlo simulations with different color coherence
implementations and to an analytic modified-leading-logarithm perturbative
calculation based on the local parton-hadron duality hypothesis.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures. Submitted to Physics Letters
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