Electronic load interface for improving PV dual-converter system operational margin

An electronic load interface (ELI) for improving the operational margin of a photovoltaic (PV) dual-converter system under dynamic conditions is presented. The ELI - based on a modified buck-boost converter - interfaces the output of the converters and the load system. It improves the operational margin of the PV dual-converter system by extending the conditions under which the dual-converter system operates at the maximum power point. The ELI is activated as and when needed, so as minimise system losses. By employing the ELI, utilisation and efficiency of a PV dual-converter system increases. In general, the concept of the ELI can be applied to multi-converter PV systems - such as multi-converter inverters, and multi-converter DC-DC converter systems - for performance and efficiency improvement. © 2013 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Broadband terahertz time-domain spectroscopy of drugs-of-abuse and the use of principal component analysis

EPSRC, the European Community IST FP6 Integrated, etc

DELINEATION OF DEFECTS IN SIMOX STRUCTURES USING A CHEMICAL ETCHING TECHNIQUE

Residual defects in the overlayer of fully annealed SIMOX material have been studied by means of a chemical etching technique. The etching procedure has been calibrated and an optimum recipe is reported. Observations using optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy have been used to quantify the defect densities and good agreement between the two techniques has been established, confirming that the optimised chemical etching process can be used with confidence to determine the dislocation density for values < 10(7) cm-2.

一种无需ADC的变步长反馈DC-DC转换器数控方式

数控DC-DC变换器由于其自身的特点，易于与数字系统进行单片集成。DC-DC的数字控制算法有很多种，其中比较复杂的算法（如PID）需要在片内集成ADC，增加了设计难度。较为简单的控制方案只使用单一的比较器作为反馈输入部件，但动态性能较差。本文在已有的单比较器恒定步长反馈数控Buck转换器的基础上，提出了一类变步长反馈的方案。由于仍使用单比较器或窗口比较器，它的结构简单且易于集成。它借鉴了对分搜索的思路，能根据输出电压反馈的结果动态地改变占空比的变化步长，从而明显地提高了原有恒定步长反馈数控变换器的动态性能。

H桥斩波电源的小信号数学模型及其数字化控制器的实现

概括了加速器H桥非隔离式电源的运行原理与特点,在简化运行方式基础上建立了理想状态下电源连续工作模式的数学模型,并给出了仿真分析结果,介绍了基于TMS320F2808MCU实现的数字化电源控制器结构。

Columnar aerosol optical properties at AERONET sites in central eastern Asia and aerosol transport to the tropical mid-Pacific

IEECAS SKLLQG

基于新技术的超导电源及失超保护装置研究与设计

超导磁铁以其能实现极高的磁场强度和较低的能量损耗的优势，正在迅速成为现代加速器系统中普遍采用的一项技术。为超导磁体提供励磁的超导电源也就成为了必需研究的课题。此外，与之相似的低压大电流电源也大量的应用于加速器系统中，服务于核物理研究工作。针对这类电源在加速器中的应用，本课题的主要挑战在于如何实现一种高效率和低纹波输出特性的电源。为此，本论文的作者采用了一种完全不同的拓扑结构“多路多相同步整流BUCK变换器”，来达到高效率和低纹波的目标。并尝试使用数字技术来实现控制单元。本论文首先详细介绍了“多路多相同步整流BUCK变换器”的拓扑，通过计算和推导介绍了这种拓扑是如何提高效率和减少纹波电流输出的。然后介绍了这种拓扑结构所必需解决的均流问题、其产生原因和解决办法：一种几乎无损的单路电流的测量方法，以及这种测量方法的原理和实现方法。之后介绍了整个电源的参数计算和PCB板设计的一些细节。最后详细介绍了用MCU实现的控制器的设计细节。作为超导电源必配的失超保护装置，它担负着在失超故障状态，将超导磁体内存储的能量在尽量短的时间内消耗在外部负载上，以用于实现保护超导磁体的功能。因此超导磁铁失超保护装置 的设计原则是：可靠性和经济性。本论文最后一部分详细介绍了按照这个目标设计的超导磁铁失超保护装置及其设计细节

高稳定度高压开关电源设计

本文分析了国内外开关电源的发展和现状，研究了高压开关电源的基本原理以及开关电源在电力直流操作电源系统中的应用。根据兰州重离子加速器的要求，设计了一种高稳定度高压开关电源。该系统在借鉴国外和已有的类似电源的基础上，通过采用新的元器件和新的电力电子技术设计而成。该系统以工GBT作为功率开关器件，构成BUCK开关变换器，采用脉宽调制（PWM）技术来控制输出电压的变化。系统中采用TL494、UC3637、ML57962等一系列集成电路，以实现实时采样电压反馈信号、PWM信号以及工GBT所需要的功率驱动信号。电路中采用斩波调压和逆变分开，各司其职的结构，保证了电路可靠、线性的调节；采用前馈电路进行补偿，确保系统能很好的抑制电网的中频扰动。通过MATLAB的计算仿真证明，这些措施都对对系统的性能起到了很好的作用。为了系统的安全可靠，还设计了软启动和过流保护电路。通过实验证明该系统能安全、可靠运行，达到了设计要求。

Wavelength division multiplexing at 2μm

This paper shows, for the first time, the implementation of a WDM subsystem at the 2μm wavelength window with mixed formats. Three wavelength channels were directly modulated withBPSK Fast-OFDM at 5Gbit/s per channel, with a fourth channel NRZ-OOK externally modulated at8.5Gbit/s giving a total capacity in excess of 20 Gbit/s.

Targeting aberrant kinase activity in myeloid leukaemias

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is the most common form of acute leukaemia in adults. Its treatment has remained largely unchanged for the past 30 years. Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) represents a tremendous success story in the era of targeted therapy but significant challenges remain including the development of drug resistance and disease persistence due to presence of CML stem cells. The Aurora family of kinases is essential for cell cycle regulation and their aberrant expression in cancer prompted the development of small molecules that selectively inhibit their activity. Chapter 2 of this thesis outlines the efficacy and mechanism of action of alisertib, a novel inhibitor of Aurora A kinase, in preclinical models of CML. Alisertib possessed equipotent activity against CML cells expressing unmutated and mutated forms of BCR-ABL. Notably, this agent retained high activity against the T315I and E255K BCR-ABL mutations, which confer the greatest degree of resistance to standard CML therapy. Chapter 3 explores the activity of alisertib in preclinical models of AML. Alisertib disrupted cell viability, diminished clonogenic survival, induced expression of the forkhead box O3 (FOXO3a) targets p27 and BCL-2 interacting mediator (BIM), and triggered apoptosis. A link between Aurora A expression and sensitivity to ara-C was established. Chapter 4 outlines the role of the proto-oncogene serine/threonine-protein (PIM) kinases in resistance to ara-C in AML. We report that the novel small molecule PIM kinase inhibitor SGI-1776 disrupted cell viability and induced apoptosis in AML. We establish a link between ara-C resistance and PIM over-expression. Finally, chapter 5 explores how the preclinical work outlined in this thesis may be translated into clinical studies that may lead to novel therapeutic approaches for patients with refractory myeloid leukaemia.

Bonds between fibronectin and fibronectin-binding proteins on Staphylococcus aureus and Lactococcus lactis.

Bacterial cell-wall-associated fibronectin binding proteins A and B (FnBPA and FnBPB) form bonds with host fibronectin. This binding reaction is often the initial step in prosthetic device infections. Atomic force microscopy was used to evaluate binding interactions between a fibronectin-coated probe and laboratory-derived Staphylococcus aureus that are (i) defective in both FnBPA and FnBPB (fnbA fnbB double mutant, DU5883), (ii) capable of expressing only FnBPA (fnbA fnbB double mutant complemented with pFNBA4), or (iii) capable of expressing only FnBPB (fnbA fnbB double mutant complemented with pFNBB4). These experiments were repeated using Lactococcus lactis constructs expressing fnbA and fnbB genes from S. aureus. A distinct force signature was observed for those bacteria that expressed FnBPA or FnBPB. Analysis of this force signature with the biomechanical wormlike chain model suggests that parallel bonds form between fibronectin and FnBPs on a bacterium. The strength and covalence of bonds were evaluated via nonlinear regression of force profiles. Binding events were more frequent (p < 0.01) for S. aureus expressing FnBPA or FnBPB than for the S. aureus double mutant. The binding force, frequency, and profile were similar between the FnBPA and FnBPB expressing strains of S. aureus. The absence of both FnBPs from the surface of S. aureus removed its ability to form a detectable bond with fibronectin. By contrast, ectopic expression of FnBPA or FnBPB on the surface of L. lactis conferred fibronectin binding characteristics similar to those of S. aureus. These measurements demonstrate that fibronectin-binding adhesins FnBPA and FnBPB are necessary and sufficient for the binding of S. aureus to prosthetic devices that are coated with host fibronectin.

Newly resolved relationships in an early land plant lineage: Bryophyta class Sphagnopsida (peat mosses).

UNLABELLED: PREMISE OF THE STUDY: The Sphagnopsida, an early-diverging lineage of mosses (phylum Bryophyta), are morphologically and ecologically unique and have profound impacts on global climate. The Sphagnopsida are currently classified in two genera, Sphagnum (peat mosses) with some 350-500 species and Ambuchanania with one species. An analysis of phylogenetic relationships among species and genera in the Sphagnopsida were conducted to resolve major lineages and relationships among species within the Sphagnopsida. • METHODS: Phylogenetic analyses of nucleotide sequences from the nuclear, plastid, and mitochondrial genomes (11 704 nucleotides total) were conducted and analyzed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference employing seven different substitution models of varying complexity. • KEY RESULTS: Phylogenetic analyses resolved three lineages within the Sphagnopsida: (1) Sphagnum sericeum, (2) S. inretortum plus Ambuchanania leucobryoides, and (3) all remaining species of Sphagnum. Sister group relationships among these three clades could not be resolved, but the phylogenetic results indicate that the highly divergent morphology of A. leucobryoides is derived within the Sphagnopsida rather than plesiomorphic. A new classification is proposed for class Sphagnopsida, with one order (Sphagnales), three families, and four genera. • CONCLUSIONS: The Sphagnopsida are an old lineage within the phylum Bryophyta, but the extant species of Sphagnum represent a relatively recent radiation. It is likely that additional species critical to understanding the evolution of peat mosses await discovery, especially in the southern hemisphere.

PIANO AS A PARTNER IN TWENTIETH­ CENTURY ART SONG REPERTOIRE: A RECORDING PROJECT

The piano's role in art song repertoire has evolved from a modest one during its formative years to the versatility, complexity and creativity found in the twentieth-century. The art song repertoire of the twentieth century is vast and has secured the reputation for being the most diverse, innovative, illustrative, atmospheric and colorful in all of art song literature. Within this time period, there are compositions that reach back to the romantic works of nineteenth century, others which combine old and new traditions, and finally those which adopt new means and new ends. In choosing the material for this project, I have focused on compositions with uniquely challenging and unusual piano accompaniments in order to achieve a balance between well- known and rarely performed works, as well as those pieces that combine various languages and styles. Selections range from Claude Debussy, Richard Strauss, Sergey Rachmaninoff, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Roger Quilter, Francis Poulenc, Fernando Obradors, and Joaquin Rodrigo to composers such as Samuel Barber, Marc Blitzstein, Dominick Argento, William Bolcom, and John Duke, including arrangements of traditional spirituals by Harry T. Burleigh and Florence B. Price, all of which helped to establish the American Art Song. My objective is to trace the development of the twentieth-century art song from the late Romantic Period through nationalistitrends to works which show the influences of jazz and folk elements. The two CD's for this dissertation recording project are available on compact discs which can be found in the Digital Repository at the University of Maryland (DRUM). The performers were Daniel Armstrong, baritone, Giles Herman, baritone, Thomas Glenn, tenor, Valerie Yinzant, soprano, Aaron Odom, tenor, Jennifer Royal, soprano, Kenneth Harmon, tenor, Karen Sorenson, soprano and Maxim Ivanov, baritone.

Safety and efficacy of drisapersen for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DEMAND II): an exploratory, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 2 study.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by dystrophin deficiency and muscle deterioration and preferentially affects boys. Antisense-oligonucleotide-induced exon skipping allows synthesis of partially functional dystrophin. We investigated the efficacy and safety of drisapersen, a 2'-O-methyl-phosphorothioate antisense oligonucleotide, given for 48 weeks.

Momento de ocurrencia, magnitud y reiteración de lluvias como determinante del lavado del grano de trigo y su efecto en la calidad comercial e industrial

p.45-53