Overview of fast on-board integrated battery chargers for electric vehicles based on multiphase machines and power electronics

The study provides an extensive overview of on-board integrated chargers for electric vehicles that are based on multiphase (more than three phases) machines and power electronics. A common attribute of all discussed topologies is that they do not require a charger as a separate device since its role is transferred to the already existing drivetrain elements, predominantly a multiphase machine and an inverter. The study demonstrates how additional degrees of freedom that exist in multiphase systems can be conveniently utilised to achieve torque-free charging operation. Therefore, although three-phase (or multiphase) currents flow through machines' stator windings, they do not generate any torque; thus the machines do not have to be mechanically locked. Cost and weight saving is achieved in this way, while the available space is increased. For each topology operating principles are explained, and its control elaborated in detail for both charging and vehicle-to-grid mode. Finally, the validity of theoretical considerations and control algorithms of some of the existing charging solutions is experimentally verified and experimental performance of all discussed topologies is compared

The influence of gibberellic acid and paclobutrazol on induction of somatic embryogenesis in wild type and hairy root cultures of Centaurium erythraea Gillib.

The effects of exogenous gibberellic acid (GA3) and paclobutrazol on induction of somatic embryos in wild type and hairy root culture of Centaurium erythraea Gillib. were investigated. Both compoundswere incorperated into 1/2 MS medium at 6 concentrations (0.01, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 1.0 and 3.0 ìM). Wild type root and hairy root explants cultured in the presence of GA3 at all tested concentrations under 16-h photoperiod or in the darkness decreased the number of somatic embryos that were produced. Paclobutrazol (0.3 mM) induced the largest number (19.7, 16.5) of somatic embryos in wild type and hairy root cultures, respectively. Rooting of plants derived from somatic embryos as achieved on ½MSmedium. These results indicate that paclobutrazol is beneficial for somatic embryo induction and formation in wild type and hairy root culture

Reaction and proton-removal cross sections of 6^6Li, 7^7Be, 10^{10}B, 9,10,11^{9,10,11}C, ^{12N, 13,15^{13,15}O and 17^{17}Ne on Si at 15 to 53 MeV/nucleon

Excitation functions for total reaction cross sections, $\sigma_R$, were measured for the light, mainly proton-rich nuclei $^6$Li, $^7$Be, $^{10}$B, $^{9,10,11}$C, $^{12}$N, $^{13,15}$O, and $^{17}$Ne incident on a Si telescope at energies between 15 and 53 MeV/nucleon. The telescope served as target, energy degrader and detector. Proton-removal cross sections, $\sigma_{2p}$ for $^{17}$Ne and $\sigma_p$ for most of the other projectiles, were also measured. The strong absorption model reproduces the $A$-dependence of $\sigma_R$, but not the detailed structure. Glauber multiple scattering theory and the JLM folding model provided improved descriptions of the measured $\sigma_R$ values. $rms$ radii, extracted from the measured $\sigma_R$ using the optical limit of Glauber theory, are in good agreement with those obtained from high energy data. One-proton removal reactions are described using an extended Glauber model, incorporating second order noneikonal corrections, realistic single particle densities, and spectroscopic factors from shell model calculations.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure

Femtosecond laser generation of bimetallic oxide nanoparticles with potential X-ray absorbing and magnetic functionalities for medical imaging applications

Bimetallic nanoparticles have gained vivid attention due to their unique and synergistic properties. They can be used in fields such as solar cells, optics, sensing, as well as medicine. The generation of bimetallic nanoparticles, containing oxide phases of both magnetic and X-ray attenuating metals for bioimaging applications has been challenging with traditional chemical synthesis methods. An alternative is the generation of nanoparticles from binary oxide ceramics by laser ablation in liquid. However, the applicability of this technique for production of hybrid nanoparticles consisting of magnetic and X-ray absorbing elements has not been demonstrated yet. In this work, novel ceramics composed of bimetallic oxide phases of iron-tantalum, iron-tungsten, and ironbismuth were produced by a reaction-sintering method. The bulk samples were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffractometry. Nanoparticles were produced in aqueous and ethanol solutions by employing a femtosecond laser and characterized with transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that the production of binary oxide bulk ceramics and their subsequent laser ablation in liquids leads to the successful generation of bimetallic oxide nanoparticles, without a core-shell morphology. In addition, it was found that the ablation threshold fluence of bulk samples as well as the crystallinity of the synthesized nanoparticles is governed by both the nature of the metallic oxide ceramics and the employed liquid. The results pave the way for a single step generation of well-defined bimetallic nanoparticles by laser ablation that could potentially exhibit X-ray and magnetic absorption properties suitable for multimodal imaging applications.This research has been partially funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion through the research project MAT2015-67354R (MINECO-FEDER). Funding through a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (MSCA-IF 2014, 656908-NIMBLIS-ESR) of the Horizon 2020 program, and the Project PI-0030-2017 of the Junta de Andalucia in the framework of the integrated territorial initiative 20142020 for research and innovation in biomedicine and health sciences in the province of Cadiz is also greatly appreciated. The authors acknowledge support for scanning electron microscopy by Dr. Stephan Puchegger and the faculty center for nanostructure research at the University of Vienna

New gas-filled mode of the large-acceptance spectrometer VAMOS

Spectromètre VAMOSA new gas-filled operation mode of the large-acceptance spectrometer VAMOS at GANIL is reported. A beam rejection factor greater than 1010 is obtained for the 40Ca+150Sm system at 196 MeV. The unprecedented transmission efficiency for the evaporation residues produced in this reaction is estimated to be around 80% for ®xn channels and above 95% for xnyp channels. A detailed study of the performance of the gasfilled VAMOS and future developments are discussed. This new operation mode opens avenues to explore the potential of fusion reactions in various kinematics

Search for the Production of Element 112 in the 48Ca + 238U Reaction

We have searched for the production of element 112 in the reaction of 231 MeV 48Ca with 238U. We have not observed any events with a "one event" upper limit cross section of 1.6 pb for EVR-fission events and 1.8 pb for EVR-alpha events.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Evaluation of a prostate cancer e-health-tutorial

Hintergrund: Angesichts verschiedener Behandlungsoptionen ist die Information und Therapieentscheidung beim lokalisierten Prostatakarzinom eine Herausforderung. Die digitale Informationstechnologie bietet im Vergleich zu gedruckten Informationen mehr Möglichkeiten, die Information und die Patientenkommunikation bedarfsgerecht zu gestalten. Ziele: Zur Unterstützung der Therapieentscheidung und der Kommunikation mit Patienten ist in der deutschsprachigen Schweiz ein Online-Tutorial in einem systematischen Prozess entwickelt und in einer Pilotstudie getestet worden. In der Evaluation interessierten die Nutzerzufriedenheit, die Erfüllung der Informationsbedürfnisse, die Vorbereitung auf die Therapieentscheidung und deren subjektive Qualität. Material und Methoden: Die Plattform wurde in einem iterativen Prozess mittels Fokusgruppen mit Ärzten und Patienten auf der Grundlage von Informationen aus bestehenden Broschüren entwickelt. Für den Test der Plattform wurden in 8 urologischen Kliniken 87 Patienten zur Teilnahme eingeladen. Die 56 Nutzer wurden 4 Wochen nach dem Login und 3 Monate nach dem Therapieentscheid online befragt, 48 Nutzer füllten beide Befragungen aus. Eingesetzte Instrumente waren die Preparation for Decision Making Scale (PDMS), die Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) und die Decisional Regret Scale (DRS). Ergebnisse und Diskussion: Die Nutzenden sind mit der Plattform sehr zufrieden und finden ihre Informationsbedürfnisse gut erfüllt. Sie zeigen 3 Monate nach dem Entscheid eine gute Vorbereitung auf die Entscheidung (MW PDMS 75, SD 23) und berichten über niedrigen Entscheidungskonflikt (MW DCS 9.6, SD 11) und kaum Bedauern über die Entscheidung (MW DRS 6.4, SD 9.6). Basierend auf diesen Erkenntnissen kann die Plattform zur weiteren Nutzung empfohlen werden.Background: Due to the multitude of therapy options the treatment decision after diagnosis of a localised prostate cancer is challenging. Compared to printed booklets, web based information technology offers more possibilities to tailor information to patients’ individual needs. Objectives: To support the decision making process as well as the communication with patients we developed an online tutorial in a systematic process in the German speaking part of Switzerland and then tested it in a pilot study. The study investigated users’ satisfaction, the coverage of information needs, the preparation for decision making and the subjective quality of the decision. Materials and methods: Based on already existing information material the online tutorial was developed in an iterative process using focus groups with patients and urologists. For the following evaluation in eight clinics a total of 87 patients were invited to access the platform and participate in the study. From these patients 56 used the tutorial and 48 answered both surveys (the first one 4 weeks after the first login and the second one 3 months after treatment decision). The surveys used the Preparation for Decision Making Scale (PDMS), the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS), and the Decisional Regret Scale (DRS). Results and Conclusion: Satisfaction with the tutorial is very high among patients with newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer. Users find their information needs sufficiently covered. Three months after the decision they felt that they were well prepared for the decision making (Mean PDMS 75, SD 23), they had low decisional conflict (Mean DCS 9.6, SD 11) and almost no decisional regret (Mean DRS 6.4, SD 9.6). Based on these findings the further use of the tutorial can be recommended

Delivery of non-viral naked DNA vectors to liver in small weaned pigs by hydrodynamic retrograde intrabiliary injection

Hepatic gene therapy by delivering non-integrating therapeutic vectors in newborns remains challenging due to the risk of dilution and loss of efficacy in the growing liver. Previously we reported on hepatocyte transfection in piglets by intraportal injection of naked DNA vectors. Here, we established delivery of naked DNA vectors to target periportal hepatocytes in weaned pigs by hydrodynamic retrograde intrabiliary injection (HRII). The surgical procedure involved laparotomy and transient isolation of the liver. For vector delivery, a catheter was placed within the common bile duct by enterotomy. Under optimal conditions, no histological abnormalities were observed in liver tissue upon pressurized injections. The transfection of hepatocytes in all tested liver samples was observed with vectors expressing luciferase from a liver-specific promoter. However, vector copy number and luciferase expression were low compared to hydrodynamic intraportal injection. A 10-fold higher number of vector genomes and luciferase expression was observed in pigs using a non-integrating naked DNA vector with the potential for replication. In summary, the HRII application was less efficient (i.e., lower luciferase activity and vector copy numbers) than the intraportal delivery method but was significantly less distressful for the piglets and has the potential for injection (or re-injection) of vector DNA by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

Spectroscopy of 18^{18}Na: Bridging the two-proton radioactivity of 19^{19}Mg

The unbound nucleus $^{18}$Na, the intermediate nucleus in the two-proton radioactivity of $^{19}$Mg, was studied by the measurement of the resonant elastic scattering reaction $^{17}$Ne(p,$^{17}$Ne)p performed at 4 A.MeV. Spectroscopic properties of the low-lying states were obtained in a R-matrix analysis of the excitation function. Using these new results, we show that the lifetime of the $^{19}$Mg radioactivity can be understood assuming a sequential emission of two protons via low energy tails of $^{18}$Na resonances