Autosolitons in trapped Bose-Einstein condensates with two- and three-body inelastic processes

The conditions for the existence of autosolitons were considered in trapped Bose-Einstein condensates with attractive atomic interactions. The expression for the parameters of the autosoliton was derived using the time-dependent variational approach for the nonconservative 3-dimensional Gross-pitaevskii equation and their stability was checked. The results were in agreement with the exact numerical calculations. It was shown that the transition from unstable to stable point solely depends on the magnitude of the parameters.

A two phase flow nonlinear parameter estimation for capillary tube-suction line heat exchanger

Here we present two-phase flow nonlinear parameter estimation for HFC's flow through capillary tube-suction line heat exchangers, commonly used as expansion devices in small refrigeration systems. The simplifying assumptions adopted are: steady state, pure refrigerant, one-dimensional flow, negligible axial heat conduction in the fluid, capillary tube and suction line walls. Additionally, it is considered that the refrigerant is free from oil and both phases are assumed to be at the same pressure, that is, surface tension effects are neglected. Metastable flow effects are also disregarded, and the vapor is assumed to be saturated at the local pressure. The so-called homogeneous model, involving three, first order, ordinary differential equations is applied to analyze the two-phase flow region. Comparison is done with experimental measurements of the mass flow rate and temperature distribution along capillary tubes working with refrigerant HFC-134a in different operating conditions.

Two Digestive Trypsins Occur in Three Species of Neotropical Anophelines

Trypsin activity increases in the midgut of Anopheles aquasalis, Anopheles albitarsis, and Anopheles darlingi after a bloodmeal. The activity returns to basal levels at the time the blood is completely digested. Affinity chromatography, reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) were used to sequentially purify the mosquito trypsins found in the midguts at 24 h after feeding. Amino-terminal sequencing of the purified trypsins showed the occurrence of two distinct trypsins in the midgut of each of the mosquitoes studied. The sequences obtained are similar to those of the trypsins of other hematophagous insects.

Reproductive ecology of the freshwater red alga Batrachospermum delicatulum (Batrachospermales, Rhodophyta) in three tropical streams

Batrachospermum delicatulum specimens from three stream segments were analyzed from a tropical region in south-eastern Brazil (20°18′- 20°49′S, 49°13′-49°46′W). Physical and chemical parameters and the spatial placement of thalli were investigated along with the reproductive characteristics of the gametophytic phase. Sequence data of the cox 2-3 spacer region was also utilized to evaluate genetic variation in individuals within and among stream segments. Gametophyte occurred under relatively diverse environmental conditions, whereas thalli abundance was weakly or not correlated to environmental variables within the stream segments. All specimens examined were dioecious. The ratio of male/female plants was relatively low (0.5 to 1.3) and male plants tended to occur as clumps (two or three plants together). High reproductive success was observed, as indicated by the occurrence of 100% fertilized (carposporophytic) female plants. This is similar to previous reports for this and other dioecious species, which is remarkable considering the relatively low proportion of male/female plants. Results support the two hypotheses to explain the high reproductive success in dioecious species. The occurrence of male plants in clumps was evidence for a strict spatial relationship (i.e. male plants located in upstream position of female plants in order to release spermatia, which would be carried by eddies through female plants). In contrast, the occurrence of male and female plants adjacent to each other allowed outcrossing among neighboring plants with intermingled male and female branches, which seemed more applicable to some situations (low turbulence habitats). The cox 2-3 spacer region from the 18 individuals sequenced was 376 bp and the DNA sequence was identical with no base pair substitutions. Likewise, a previous study of another Batrachospermum species showed that the same haplotypes were present in all stream segments from the same drainage basin, even though the stream segments were a considerable distance apart. Short distance dispersal either by small birds or waterway connectivity might explain these findings.

An overview on a nonideal system with three and a half degrees of freedom

The present paper studies a system comprised of two blocks connected by springs and dampers, and a DC motor with limited power supply fixed on a block, characterizing a non-ideal problem. This DC motor exciting the system causes interactions between the motor and the structure supporting it. Because of that, the non-ideal mathematical formulation of the problem has one and a half extra degree of freedom than the ideal one. A suitable choice of physical parameters leads to internal resonance conditions, that is, its natural frequencies are multiple of each other, by a known integer quantity. The purpose here is to study the dynamic behavior of the system using an analytical method based on perturbation techniques. The literature shows that the averaging method is the more flexible method concerning non-ideal problems. Summarizing, an steady state solution in amplitude and phase coordinates was obtained with averaging method showing the dependence of the structure amplitudes with the rotation frequency of the motor. Moreover, this solution shows that on of the amplitude coordinates has influence in the determination of the stationary rotation frequency. The analytical solution obtained shows the presence of the rotation frequency in expressions representing the oscillations of the structure, and the presence of amplitude coordinates in expressions describing the dynamic motion of the DC motor. These characteristics show the influence not only of the motor on structure but also of the response of the structure on dynamical behavior of the motor. Copyright © 2005 by ASME.

Power losses analysis and cooling system design of three topologies of multilevel inverters

This paper presents the comparison of three topologies of multilevel inverters applied to drive an induction motor of 500 kVA/4.16 kV. The multilevel inverters analyzed are: a neutral point clamped inverter, a symmetrical cascaded multilevel inverter and a hybrid asymmetrical cascaded multilevel inverter. The performance indexes used in the comparison are total harmonic distortion, first order distortion factor, semiconductors power losses distribution and heat-sink volume. The comparison is developed with the purpose of finding the efficiency and the heat-sink volume where the three systems present the same output filter. ©2008 IEEE.

Utilization of neuromuscular electrical stimulation in the acute phase of ankle immobilization at 90°: Study in rats

Objective: To evaluate the skeletal muscle glycogen content and plasmatic concentration of interleukin -6 (IL-6), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in rats submitted to electrical stimulation sessions during the first three days of ankle immobilization at the position of 90°. Methods: Albinomale Wistar rats(3-4 months) were maintained in vivarium. conditions with food and water ad libitum, Submitted to 12 h photoperiodic cycles of light/dark, and distributed into 7 experimental groups (n = 6): control(C), immobilized 1 day(I1) immobilized 1 day and electrically stimulated(IE1) immobilized 2 days(12), immobilized 2 days and electrically stimulated(IE2), immobilized 3 days(13) and immobilized 3 days and electrically stimulated(IE3). Groups I utilized an acrylic resin orthesis model and groups electrically stimulated (IE) utilized the orthesis and a session of electrotherapy by a Dualpex 961 (biphasic quadratic pulse, 10 Hz, 0.4 ms, 5.0 mA, one 20 min session a day). After the experimental period, the rats were anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium(40 mg/kg) and a blood sample was colleted to evaluate the plasmatic concentration of interleukins by means of the radioimmunoassay method. The soleus and the white portion of the gastrocnemius muscle were colleted for glycogen reserves analysis(GLY). Other groups of rats were used to apply the glucose tolerance test(GTT) and insulin tolerance test(ITT). For statistical analysis, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test followed by ANOVA and the Tukey tests were utilized, with a critical level established at 5%. Results: In ITT test, groups IE enhanced the skeletal muscle glucose uptake, but no changes were observed in GTT after the therapy session, which indicates that electrical stimulation is a sensibilizing method to augment skeletal muscle glucose uptake. The GLY reserves were reduced in I groups, which indicate that disuse altered insulin sensitivity and compromised energetic homeostasis. However. the IE groups displayed an augment in GLY content, suggesting that electrical stimulation restores the enzymatic pathways altered by immobilization. The improvement in GLY was accompanied by an elevation of the plasmatic concentration of IL-6 and TNF-α, showing the participation of these interleukins in the control of metabolic profile. Plasmatic concentrations of IL-10 were elevated only after 3 days of IE while IL-4 did not display any modifications. Conclusion: The results suggest that neuromuscular electricaf stimulation is an important toot in the maintenance of energetic, conditions of musculature submitted to immobilization, and presents multifactor mechanisms linked to interleukins action that converge to maintain the energetic equilibrium of the tissue in disuse.

Experimental infection of commercial layers using a Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum strain: Leukogram and serum acute-phase protein concentrations

The aim of the present study was to evaluate white blood cell counts and serum protein profiles of commercial layers experimentally infected with Salmonella Gallinarum (SG) in order to better understand the pathophysiology of the disease caused by this bacterium. 180 five-day-old commercial layers were divided into 3 groups (G); G1 and G2 received 0.2 mL of inoculate containing 3.3x10 8 CFU or 3.3×10 5 CFU SG resistant to nalidix acid (Nal r)/mL, respectively, directly into their crops. G3 group did not receive the inoculum. Birds were sacrificed 24 hours before (T1) and 24 hours after the infection (T2), and three (T3), five (T4), seven (T5), and ten (T6) days after the administration of the inoculum. White blood cell counts were carried out in a Neubauer hemocytometer and in blood smears. Serum protein concentrations, including acute-phase proteins, were determined using sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Data were submitted to analysis of variance, and means were compared by Tukey's test (P <0.05). G1 and G2 groups presented higher leukocyte counts on T4 and T5, respectively, due to the increase of circulating lymphocytes and heterophils, with a significant difference relative to G3. In electrophoresis, an increase in the serum levels of ceruloplasmin, haptoglobin, and hemopexin and a decrease in transferrin, which are acute-phase proteins, was verified. IgA serum levels did not change; however, IgG concentration increased during the infection. In conclusion, the results provide information for the better understanding of the pathophysiology of fowl typhoid.

Relativistic three-body model for final state interaction in D+ → K-π+π+ decay

A challenge in mesonic three-body decays of heavy mesons is to quantify the contribution of re-scattering between the final mesons. D decays have the unique feature that make them a key to light meson spectroscopy, in particular to access the Kn S-wave phase-shifts. We built a relativis-tic three-body model for the final state interaction in D+ → K -π+π+ decay based on the ladder approximation of the Bethe-Salpeter equation projected on the light-front. The decay amplitude is separated in a smooth term, given by the direct partonic decay amplitude, and a three-body fully interacting contribution, that is factorized in the standard two-meson resonant amplitude times a reduced complex amplitude that carries the effect of the three-body rescattering mechanism. The off-shell reduced amplitude is a solution of an inhomogeneous Faddeev type three-dimensional integral equation, that includes only isospin 1/2 K -π+ interaction in the S-wave channel. The elastic K-π+ scattering amplitude is parameterized according to the LASS data[1]. The integral equation is solved numerically and preliminary results are presented and compared to the experimental data from the E791 Collaboration[2, 3] and FOCUS Collaboration[4, 5].

Evaluation of integrated inverter topologies for low power PV systems

This work presents the stage integration in power electronics converters as a suitable solution for solar photovoltaic inverters. The rated voltages available in Photovoltaic (PV) modules have usually low values for applications such as regulated output voltages in stand-alone or grid-connected configurations. In these cases, a boost stage or a transformer will be necessary. Transformers have low efficiencies, heavy weights and have been used only when galvanic isolation is mandatory. Furthermore, high-frequency transformers increase the converter complexity. Therefore, the most usual topologies use a boost stage and one inverter stage cascaded. However, the complexity, size, weight, cost and lifetime might be improved considering the integration of both stages. These are the expected features to turn attractive this kind of integrated structures. Therefore, some integrated converters are analyzed and compared in this paper in order to support future evaluations and trends for low power single-phase inverters for PV systems. © 2011 IEEE.

A comparative study of MPPT strategies and a novel singlephase integrated buck-boost inverter for small wind energy conversion systems

This paper presents the analysis of some usual MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) strategies intended for small wind energy conversion (up to 1kW) based on permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSG), considering the stand-alone application for a novel buck-boost integrated inverter. Each MPPT method is analytically introduced and then it is simulated using MatLab/Simulink considering standard conditions of wind and also commercially available turbines and generators. The extracted power in each case is compared with the maximum available power, so the tracking factor is calculated for each method. Thus, the focus is on the application to improve the efficiency of stand-alone wind energy conversion systems (WECS) with battery chargers and AC load supplied by inverter. Therefore, for this purpose a novel single phase buck-boost integrated inverter is introduced. Finally, the main experimental results for the introduced inverter are presented. © 2011 IEEE.

Tri-state single-phase integrated inverters with input to output power decoupling control

Researches on control for power electronics have looked for original solutions in order to advance renewable resources feasibility, specially the photovoltaic (PV). In this context, for PV renewable energy source the usage of compact, high efficiency, low cost and reliable converters are very attractive. In this context, two improved simplified converters, namely Tri-state Boost and Tri-state Buck-Boost integrated single-phase inverters, are achieved with the presented Tri-state modulation and control schemes, which guarantees the input to output power decoupling control. This feature enhances the field of single-phase PV inverters once the energy storage is mainly inductive. The main features of the proposal are confirmed with some simulations and experimental results. © 2012 IEEE.

Micro-inverter for integrated grid-tie PV module using resonant controller

Two-stage isolated converters for photovoltaic (PV) applications commonly employ a high-frequency transformer on the DC-DC side, submitting the DC-AC inverter switches to high voltages and forcing the use of IGBTs instead of low-voltage and low-loss MOSFETs. This paper shows the modeling, control and simulation of a single-phase full-bridge inverter with high-frequency transformer (HFT) that can be used as part of a two-stage converter with transformerless DC-DC side or as a single-stage converter (simple DC-AC inverter) for grid-connected PV applications. The inverter is modeled in order to obtain a small-signal transfer function used to design the PResonant current control regulator. A high-frequency step-up transformer results in reduced voltage switches and better efficiency compared with converters in which the transformer is used on the DC-DC side. Simulations and experimental results with a 200 W prototype are shown. © 2012 IEEE.

Gas phase photocatalytic bacteria inactivation using metal modified TiO2 catalysts

The present study describes the efficiency of heterogeneous photocatalytic reactor for the inactivation of three air born bacteria, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus using metal modified TiO2 photocatalysts and blacklight irradiation. The catalysts were prepared by photodeposition of silver, palladium or iron on commercial TiO2, immobilized on glass plates. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis was applied to determine the atomic percentage and species of each metal on the TiO2 surface, showing that 85% of silver, 73% of palladium and 45% of iron were present in metallic form on TiO2 surface. The plates were positioned on the inner lateral walls of a chamber through which the contaminated air flow passed for disinfection. Irradiation of bare TiO 2 resulted in 50% inactivation of E. coli while 41% and 35% inactivation of B. subtilis and S. aureus were obtained, respectively. When metal modified TiO2 was applied, the inactivation of B. subtilis was improved to 91% using Pd-TiO2 while of S. aureus was improved to 94% with Fe-TiO2, showing in this case no significant difference when compared to Ag-TiO2 and Pd-TiO2. In contrast, inactivation of E. coli was not significantly increased when metal modified TiO2 was used, ranging from 47% to 57%. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Acute Phase Responses of Different Positions of High-Goal (Elite) Polo Ponies

The aim of this study was to investigate the acute phase response (APR) in 15 horses by quantifying physiological venous blood variables and serum acute phase proteins (APP) at 5 minutes and 6 and 12 hours after a training match of high-goal polo. The horses were divided into three experimental groups based on their team positions, including defense (n = 6), midfield (n = 5), and attack (n = 4). Serum proteinograms were obtained by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Data were evaluated using analysis of variance for repeated measures. The match represented a high-intensity stimulus for all positions. Defenders appeared to use the anaerobic pathway more than the other positions, as shown by their lower pH and greater lactatemia. Alterations in muscle membrane permeability were observed in all horses, as seen by the increase in serum creatine kinase activity without a correlation with APR. Significant elevations in total serum protein, albumin, ceruloplasmin, haptoglobin, alpha-1 antitrypsin, and 23-kDa protein were seen only during the course of the physical exertion of the match, although there were no differences in these values among positions of the team. After 6 hours of the match, the concentration of transferrin declined, whereas that of alpha-1 acid glycoprotein remained unaltered at all assessed times. These results demonstrated that the defenders required the most use of the anaerobic pathway during the match, and that equestrian polo exercise triggers an acute phase response of relatively short duration; this APR is characterized as noninflammatory, as APR appears to be a physiological alteration related to the stress inherent in physical exercise. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.