Hanna Meretoja. The Narrative Turn in Fiction and Theory: The Crisis and Return of Storytelling from Robbe-Grillet to Tournier. Palgrave Studies in Modern European Literature. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. xviii + 282 pp.

Review of Hanna Meretoja. The Narrative Turn in Fiction and Theory: The Crisis and Return of Storytelling from Robbe-Grillet to Tournier. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. xviii + 282 pp

The Nature of Collusion Facilitating and Collusion Breaking Power of Simultaneous Ascending Price and Simultaneous Descending Price Auctions

This paper demonstrates that a robust, tacit collusion evolves quickly in a collusion incubator environment, but is destroyed by the simultaneous, descending price auction. Theories of collusion-producing behavior, along with the detail of the states on which strategies are conditioned, lead to a deeper understanding of how tacit collusion evolves and its necessary conditions. These theories explain how the descending price auction destroys the collusion. The experiments proceed by conducting simultaneous ascending price auctions in the collusion incubator. Then, once the tacit collusion developed, changing to the descending auction. The change moved prices from collusive levels to near competitive levels

Design of microfabricated inductors for microprocessor power delivery

Abstract — Microfabricated inductor designs are proposed for converters for microprocessor power delivery. The fabrication process uses anisotropic silicon etching to form V-grooves; granular metal/insulator nanoscale composite magnetic materials; and copper conductors. An application specific calculation procedure results in an inductor design with predicted power density over 200 W/cm at 95 % efficiency for an 8 MHz, 3.6 V to 1.1 V converter. I

Identity Reconfiguration and the Core Needs Framework: Exit Narratives among Former Far-Right Extremists

This empirical study examines intensive interview data collected from eight (N=8) former members of white supremacist organizations in order to understand the meanings of exit – that is, disengagement and deradicalization – from the extremist’s perspective.  Using a thematic analysis approach, our findings build on the distinction in the existing exit literature between push and pull factors and the process of role exit identified by Ebaugh (1988).  These push and pull factors as well as social identity, we argue, are subsumed within a complex exit process, which includes disengagement, identity deconstruction, and transgressive and transitional relationships. For some, this process culminated in an accomplished identity reconstruction and deradicalization.  Most importantly, our findings suggest that exit is linked to entry by a developmental drive that we call the participant’s core need.  The core need was the background motivator of entry, disengagement, exit, and ultimately deradicalization.  We think that this identity reconfiguration and core needs framework may help make heterogenous exit trajectories that have remained puzzling for researchers more understandable

Evaluation of Magnetic Materials for Very High Frequency Power Applications

This paper investigates the loss characteristics of RF magnetic materials for power conversion applications in the 10 to 100 MHz range. A measurement method is proposed that provides a direct measurement of an inductor quality factor QL as a function of inductor current at RF frequencies, and enables indirect calculation of core loss as a function of flux density. Possible sources of error in measurement and calculation are evaluated and addressed. The proposed method is used to identify loss characteristics of several commercial RF magnetic-core materials. The loss characteristics of these materials, which have not previously been available, are illustrated and compared in tables and figures. The use of the method and data is demonstrated in the design of a magnetic-core inductor, which is applied in a 30-MHz inverter. The results of this paper are thus useful for the design of magnetic components for very high frequency applications.Sheila and Emanuel Landsman FoundationInterconnect Focus Center (United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Semiconductor Research Corporation

Realistic litz wire characterization using fast numerical simulations

The losses of realistic litz wires are characterized while explicitly accounting for their construction, using a procedure that computes the current-driven and magnetic-field-driven copper losses using fast numerical simulations. We present a case study that examines loss variation in one- and two-level litz wires as a function of twisting pitch, over a wide range of values and in small increments. Experimental confirmation is presented for predictions made by numerical simulations. Results confirm the capability and efficiency of numerical methods to provide valuable insights into the realistic construction of litz wire.MIT Energy InitiativeSingapore-MIT Allianc

Measurements and Performance Factor Comparisons of Magnetic Materials at High Frequency

The design of power magnetic components for operation at high frequency (HF, 3–30MHz) has been hindered by a lack of performance data and by the limited design theory in that frequency range. To address these deficiencies, we have measured and present core loss data for a variety of commercially available magnetic materials in the HF range. In addition, we extend the theory of performance factor for appropriate use in HF design. Since magnetic materials suitable for HF applications tend to have low permeability, we also consider the impact of low permeability on design. We conclude that, with appropriate material selection and design, increased frequencies can continue to yield improved power density well into the HF regime.MIT Energy Initiative (Lockheed Martin)Texas Instruments Incorporate

A Systematic Approach to Modeling Impedances and Current Distribution in Planar Magnetics

Planar magnetic components using printed-circuit-board windings are attractive due to their high repeatability, good thermal performance and usefulness for realizing intricate winding patterns. To enable higher system integration at high switching frequency, more sophisticated methods that can rapidly and accurately model planar magnetics are needed. This paper develops a lumped circuit model that captures the impact of skin and proximity effects on current distribution and electromagnetic fields in planar magnetics. This enables accurate predictions of impedances, losses, stored reactive energy and current sharing among parallel windings. This lumped model is also a circuit domain representation of electromagnetic interactions. It can be used to simulate circuits incorporating planar magnetics, to visualize the electromagnetic fields, and to extract parameters for magnetic models by simulations. The modeling results match with previous theories and finite-element-modeling results. A group of planar magnetic devices, including transformers and inductors with various winding patterns, are prototyped and measured to validate the proposed approach.Texas Instruments IncorporatedMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Center for Integrated Circuits and System

NASA Crew Launch Vehicle Flight Test Options

Options for development flight testing (DFT) of the Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) are discussed. The Ares-I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV) is being developed by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to launch the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) into low Earth Orbit (LEO). The Ares-I implements one of the components of the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), providing crew and cargo access to the International Space Station (ISS) after retirement of the Space Shuttle and, eventually, forming part of the launch capability needed for lunar exploration. The role of development flight testing is to demonstrate key sub-systems, address key technical risks, and provide flight data to validate engineering models in representative flight environments. This is distinguished from certification flight testing, which is designed to formally validate system functionality and achieve flight readiness. Lessons learned from Saturn V, Space Shuttle, and other flight programs are examined along with key Ares-I technical risks in order to provide insight into possible development flight test strategies. A strategy for the first test flight of the Ares I, known as Ares I-1, is presented