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Sample records for switching suppression technique

  1. Adaptive Active Noise Suppression Using Multiple Model Switching Strategy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Quanzhen Huang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Active noise suppression for applications where the system response varies with time is a difficult problem. The computation burden for the existing control algorithms with online identification is heavy and easy to cause control system instability. A new active noise control algorithm is proposed in this paper by employing multiple model switching strategy for secondary path varying. The computation is significantly reduced. Firstly, a noise control system modeling method is proposed for duct-like applications. Then a multiple model adaptive control algorithm is proposed with a new multiple model switching strategy based on filter-u least mean square (FULMS algorithm. Finally, the proposed algorithm was implemented on Texas Instruments digital signal processor (DSP TMS320F28335 and real time experiments were done to test the proposed algorithm and FULMS algorithm with online identification. Experimental verification tests show that the proposed algorithm is effective with good noise suppression performance.

  2. Transient-Switch-Signal Suppressor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozeman, Richard J., Jr.

    1995-01-01

    Circuit delays transmission of switch-opening or switch-closing signal until after preset suppression time. Used to prevent transmission of undesired momentary switch signal. Basic mode of operation simple. Beginning of switch signal initiates timing sequence. If switch signal persists after preset suppression time, circuit transmits switch signal to external circuitry. If switch signal no longer present after suppression time, switch signal deemed transient, and circuit does not pass signal on to external circuitry, as though no transient switch signal. Suppression time preset at value large enough to allow for damping of underlying pressure wave or other mechanical transient.

  3. Leakage Current Suppression with A Novel Six-Switch Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Inverter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wei, Baoze; Guo, Xiaoqiang; Guerrero, Josep M.

    2015-01-01

    In order to solve the problem of the leakage current in non-isolated photovoltaic (PV) systems, a novel six-switch topology and control strategy are proposed in this paper. The inductor-bypass strategy solves the common-mode voltage limitation of the conventional six-switch topology in case...... of unmatched inductances. And the stray capacitor voltage of the non-isolated photovoltaic system is free of high frequency ripples. Theoretical analysis and simulation are carried out to verify the proposed topology and its control strategy. Results indicate that the leakage current suppression can...

  4. Resolving task rule incongruence during task switching by competitor rule suppression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meiran, Nachshon; Hsieh, Shulan; Dimov, Eduard

    2010-07-01

    Task switching requires maintaining readiness to execute any task of a given set of tasks. However, when tasks switch, the readiness to execute the now-irrelevant task generates interference, as seen in the task rule incongruence effect. Overcoming such interference requires fine-tuned inhibition that impairs task readiness only minimally. In an experiment involving 2 object classification tasks and 2 location classification tasks, the authors show that irrelevant task rules that generate response conflicts are inhibited. This competitor rule suppression (CRS) is seen in response slowing in subsequent trials, when the competing rules become relevant. CRS is shown to operate on specific rules without affecting similar rules. CRS and backward inhibition, which is another inhibitory phenomenon, produced additive effects on reaction time, suggesting their mutual independence. Implications for current formal theories of task switching as well as for conflict monitoring theories are discussed. (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved

  5. Fast simulation techniques for switching converters

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Roger J.

    1987-01-01

    Techniques for simulating a switching converter are examined. The state equations for the equivalent circuits, which represent the switching converter, are presented and explained. The uses of the Newton-Raphson iteration, low ripple approximation, half-cycle symmetry, and discrete time equations to compute the interval durations are described. An example is presented in which these methods are illustrated by applying them to a parallel-loaded resonant inverter with three equivalent circuits for its continuous mode of operation.

  6. Nocturnal to Diurnal Switches with Spontaneous Suppression of Wheel-Running Behavior in a Subterranean Rodent.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patricia Tachinardi

    Full Text Available Several rodent species that are diurnal in the field become nocturnal in the lab. It has been suggested that the use of running-wheels in the lab might contribute to this timing switch. This proposition is based on studies that indicate feed-back of vigorous wheel-running on the period and phase of circadian clocks that time daily activity rhythms. Tuco-tucos (Ctenomys aff. knighti are subterranean rodents that are diurnal in the field but are robustly nocturnal in laboratory, with or without access to running wheels. We assessed their energy metabolism by continuously and simultaneously monitoring rates of oxygen consumption, body temperature, general motor and wheel running activity for several days in the presence and absence of wheels. Surprisingly, some individuals spontaneously suppressed running-wheel activity and switched to diurnality in the respirometry chamber, whereas the remaining animals continued to be nocturnal even after wheel removal. This is the first report of timing switches that occur with spontaneous wheel-running suppression and which are not replicated by removal of the wheel.

  7. Nocturnal to Diurnal Switches with Spontaneous Suppression of Wheel-Running Behavior in a Subterranean Rodent

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tachinardi, Patricia; Tøien, Øivind; Valentinuzzi, Veronica S.; Buck, C. Loren; Oda, Gisele A.

    2015-01-01

    Several rodent species that are diurnal in the field become nocturnal in the lab. It has been suggested that the use of running-wheels in the lab might contribute to this timing switch. This proposition is based on studies that indicate feed-back of vigorous wheel-running on the period and phase of circadian clocks that time daily activity rhythms. Tuco-tucos (Ctenomys aff. knighti) are subterranean rodents that are diurnal in the field but are robustly nocturnal in laboratory, with or without access to running wheels. We assessed their energy metabolism by continuously and simultaneously monitoring rates of oxygen consumption, body temperature, general motor and wheel running activity for several days in the presence and absence of wheels. Surprisingly, some individuals spontaneously suppressed running-wheel activity and switched to diurnality in the respirometry chamber, whereas the remaining animals continued to be nocturnal even after wheel removal. This is the first report of timing switches that occur with spontaneous wheel-running suppression and which are not replicated by removal of the wheel. PMID:26460828

  8. Low prepulse, high power density water dielectric switching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, D.L.; VanDevender, J.P.; Martin, T.H.

    1979-01-01

    Prepulse voltage suppression has proven difficult in high power, high voltage accelerators employing self-breakdown water dielectric switches. A novel and cost effective water switch has been developed at Sandia Laboratories which reduces prepulse voltage by reducing the capacity across the switch. This prepulse suppression switch causes energy formerly stored in the switch capacity and dissipated in the arc to be useful output energy. The switching technique also allows the pulse forming lines to be stacked in parallel and electrically isolated from the load after the line has been discharged. The switch consists of a ground plane, with several holes, inserted between the switch electrodes. The output line switch electrodes extend through the holes and face electrodes on the pulse forming line (PFL). The capacity between the PFL and the output transmission line is reduced by about 80%. The gap spacing between the output line electrode and the hole in the ground plane is adjusted so that breakdown occurs after the main pulse and provides a crow bar between the load and the source. Performance data from the Proto II, Mite and Ripple test facilities are presented

  9. Theoretical and experimental study of fundamental differences in the noise suppression of high-speed SOA-based all-optical switches

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Mads Lønstrup; Mørk, Jesper; Suzuki, R.

    2005-01-01

    We identify a fundamental difference between the ASE noise filtering properties of different all-optical SOA-based switch configurations, and divide the switches into two classes. An in-band ASE suppression ratio quantifying the difference is derived theoretically and the impact of the ASE...

  10. Continued indinavir versus switching to indinavir/ritonavir in HIV-infected patients with suppressed viral load.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arnaiz, J.A.; Mallolas, J.; Podzamczer, D.; Gerstoft, J.; Lundgren, J.D.; Cahn, P.; Fatkenheuer, G.; D'Arminio-Monforte, A.; Casiro, A.; Reiss, P.; Burger, D.M.; Stek Jr, M.; Gatell, J.M.

    2003-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To compare continued indinavir (IDV) 8-hourly (q8h) with switching to indinavir/ritonavir (IDV/RTV) 12-hourly (q12h) in HIV-positive patients having suppressed viral load with IDV q8h plus two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI). DESIGN: Multicentre, international,

  11. Continued indinavir versus switching to indinavir/ritonavir in HIV-infected patients with suppressed viral load

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arnaiz, Juan A.; Mallolas, Josep; Podzamczer, Daniel; Gerstoft, Jan; Lundgren, Jens D.; Cahn, Pedro; Fätkenheuer, Gerd; D'Arminio-Monforte, Antonella; Casiró, Arnaldo; Reiss, Peter; Burger, David M.; Stek, Michael; Gatell, José M.

    2003-01-01

    Objective: To compare continued indinavir (IDV) 8-hourly (q8h) with switching to indinavir/ritonavir (IDV/RTV) 12-hourly (q12h) in HIV-positive patients having suppressed viral load with IDV q8h plus two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI). Design: Multicentre, international,

  12. Experimental Results of Network-Assisted Interference Suppression Scheme Using Adaptive Beam-Tilt Switching

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomoki Murakami

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces a network-assisted interference suppression scheme using beam-tilt switching per frame for wireless local area network systems and its effectiveness in an actual indoor environment. In the proposed scheme, two access points simultaneously transmit to their own desired station by adjusting angle of beam-tilt including transmit power assisted from network server for the improvement of system throughput. In the conventional researches, it is widely known that beam-tilt is effective for ICI suppression in the outdoor scenario. However, the indoor effectiveness of beam-tilt for ICI suppression has not yet been indicated from the experimental evaluation. Thus, this paper indicates the effectiveness of the proposed scheme by analyzing multiple-input multiple-output channel matrices from experimental measurements in an office environment. The experimental results clearly show that the proposed scheme offers higher system throughput than the conventional scheme using just transmit power control.

  13. Switched-capacitor techniques for high-accuracy filter and ADC design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Quinn, P.J.; Roermund, van A.H.M.

    2007-01-01

    Switched capacitor (SC) techniques are well proven to be excellent candidates for implementing critical analogue functions with high accuracy, surpassing other analogue techniques when embedded in mixed-signal CMOS VLSI. Conventional SC circuits are primarily limited in accuracy by a) capacitor

  14. Clinical Outcomes of Virologically-Suppressed Patients with Pre-existing HIV-1 Drug Resistance Mutations Switching to Rilpivirine/Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate in the SPIRIT Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Porter, Danielle P; Toma, Jonathan; Tan, Yuping; Solberg, Owen; Cai, Suqin; Kulkarni, Rima; Andreatta, Kristen; Lie, Yolanda; Chuck, Susan K; Palella, Frank; Miller, Michael D; White, Kirsten L

    2016-02-01

    Antiretroviral regimen switching may be considered for HIV-1-infected, virologically-suppressed patients to enable treatment simplification or improve tolerability, but should be guided by knowledge of pre-existing drug resistance. The current study examined the impact of pre-existing drug resistance mutations on virologic outcomes among virologically-suppressed patients switching to Rilpivirine (RPV)/emtricitabine (FTC)/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). SPIRIT was a phase 3b study evaluating the safety and efficacy of switching to RPV/FTC/TDF in virologically-suppressed HIV-1-infected patients. Pre-existing drug resistance at baseline was determined by proviral DNA genotyping for 51 RPV/FTC/TDF-treated patients with known mutations by historical RNA genotype and matched controls and compared with clinical outcome at Week 48. Drug resistance mutations in protease or reverse transcriptase were detected in 62.7% of patients by historical RNA genotype and in 68.6% by proviral DNA genotyping at baseline. Proviral DNA sequencing detected 89% of occurrences of NRTI and NNRTI resistance-associated mutations reported by historical genotype. Mutations potentially affecting RPV activity, including E138A/G/K/Q, Y181C, and H221Y, were detected in isolates from 11 patients by one or both assays. None of the patients with single mutants had virologic failure through Week 48. One patient with pre-existing Y181Y/C and M184I by proviral DNA genotyping experienced virologic failure. Nineteen patients with K103N present by historical genotype were confirmed by proviral DNA sequencing and 18/19 remained virologically-suppressed. Virologic success rates were high among virologically-suppressed patients with pre-existing NRTI and NNRTI resistance-associated mutations who switched to RPV/FTC/TDF in the SPIRIT study. While plasma RNA genotyping remains preferred, proviral DNA genotyping may provide additional value in virologically-suppressed patients for whom historical resistance

  15. Stable Caloric Intake and Continued Virologic Suppression for HIV-Positive Antiretroviral Treatment-Experienced Women After Switching to a Single-Tablet Regimen of Emtricitabine, Rilpivirine, and Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menezes, Prema; Mollan, Katie; Hoffman, Erin; Xie, Zimeng; Wills, Jennifer; Marcus, Cheryl; Rublein, John; Hudgens, Michael; Eron, Joseph J

    2018-05-02

    Benefits of switching to a single-tablet regimen (STR) of emtricitabine/rilpivirine/tenofovir (FTC/RPV/TDF) in virologically suppressed antiretroviral treatment (ART) experienced HIV-positive women include pregnancy category B rating and lack of clinically significant drug interactions between RPV and oral contraceptives. Unfortunately, studies involving switching to FTC/RPV/TDF enrolled fewer than 25% women. We undertook this 48-week study to assess the ability of virologically suppressed HIV-positive women switching to RPV STR to remain virologically suppressed and comply with the caloric intake requirement. HIV-positive women on ART with viral load phone calls on randomly chosen dates. For each 3-day food diary, the daily median caloric intake and median value for each macronutrient consumed concurrent with FTC/RPV/TDF were computed. Medication adherence was measured using a visual analog scale. We enrolled 33 women, 73% of whom were African American. At week 48, virologic suppression (HIV RNA phone call. Median kcal intake (food diary) did not change significantly from baseline (684 kcal) to week 48 (820 kcal); median change 102 kcal, p = .15. Women who reported noncompliance with a ≥400 kcal meal did not experience virologic failure. Significant concordance between caloric adherence and virologic suppression was not detected. Our study demonstrated that HIV-positive women who switched to STR FTC/RPV/TDF continued to experience virologic suppression and were readily able to comply with the recommended caloric intake requirement.

  16. Joint kinetics in rearfoot versus forefoot running: implications of switching technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stearne, Sarah M; Alderson, Jacqueline A; Green, Benjamin A; Donnelly, Cyril J; Rubenson, Jonas

    2014-08-01

    To better understand the mechanical factors differentiating forefoot and rearfoot strike (RFS) running, as well as the mechanical consequences of switching techniques, we assessed lower limb joint kinetics in habitual and imposed techniques in both groups. All participants performed both RFS and forefoot strike (FFS) techniques on an instrumented treadmill at 4.5 m·s while force and kinematic data were collected. Total (sum of ankle, knee, and hip) lower limb work and average power did not differ between habitual RFS and FFS runners. However, moments, negative work and negative instantaneous and average power during stance were greater at the knee in RFS and at the ankle in FFS techniques. When habitual RFS runners switched to an imposed FFS, they were able to replicate the sagittal plane mechanics of a habitual FFS; however, the ankle internal rotation moment was increased by 33%, whereas the knee abduction moments were not reduced, remaining 48.5% higher than a habitual FFS. In addition, total positive and negative lower limb average power was increased by 17% and 9%, respectively. When habitual FFS runners switched to an imposed RFS, they were able to match the mechanics of habitual RFS runners with the exception of knee abduction moments, which remained 38% lower than a habitual RFS and, surprisingly, a reduction of total lower limb positive average power of 10.5%. There appears to be no clear overall mechanical advantage of a habitual FFS or RFS. Switching techniques may have different injury implications given the altered distribution in loading between joints but should be weighed against the overall effects on limb mechanics; adopting an imposed RFS may prove the most beneficial given the absence of any clear mechanical performance decrements.

  17. Comparative study of fat-suppression techniques for hip arthroplasty MR imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moliere, Sebastien [University Hospital of Strasbourg, Imaging Department, Strasbourg (France); Dillenseger, Jean-Philippe; Kremer, Stephane; Bierry, Guillaume [University Hospital of Strasbourg, Imaging Department, Strasbourg (France); ICube UMR 7357, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg (France); Ehlinger, Matthieu [ICube UMR 7357, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg (France); University Hospital of Strasbourg, Orthopaedic Department, Strasbourg (France)

    2017-09-15

    The goal of this study was to evaluate different fat-suppressed fluid-sensitive sequences in association with different metal artifacts reduction techniques (MARS) to determine which combination allows better fat suppression around metallic hip implants. An experimental study using an MRI fat-water phantom quantitatively evaluated contrast shift induced by metallic hip implant for different fat-suppression techniques and MARS. Then a clinical study with patients addressed to MRI unit for painful hip prosthesis compared these techniques in terms of fat suppression quality and diagnosis confidence. Among sequences without MARS, both T2 Dixon and short tau inversion recuperation (STIR) had significantly lower contrast shift (p < 0.05), Dixon offering the best fat suppression. Adding MARS (view-angle tilting or slice-encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC)) to STIR gave better results than Dixon alone, and also better than SPAIR and fat saturation with MARS (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between STIR with view-angle tilting and STIR with SEMAC in terms of fat suppression quality. STIR sequence is the preferred fluid-sensitive MR sequence in patients with metal implant. In combination with MARS (view-angle tilting or SEMAC), STIR appears to be the best option for high-quality fat suppression. (orig.)

  18. Comparative study of fat-suppression techniques for hip arthroplasty MR imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molière, Sébastien; Dillenseger, Jean-Philippe; Ehlinger, Matthieu; Kremer, Stéphane; Bierry, Guillaume

    2017-09-01

    The goal of this study was to evaluate different fat-suppressed fluid-sensitive sequences in association with different metal artifacts reduction techniques (MARS) to determine which combination allows better fat suppression around metallic hip implants. An experimental study using an MRI fat-water phantom quantitatively evaluated contrast shift induced by metallic hip implant for different fat-suppression techniques and MARS. Then a clinical study with patients addressed to MRI unit for painful hip prosthesis compared these techniques in terms of fat suppression quality and diagnosis confidence. Among sequences without MARS, both T2 Dixon and short tau inversion recuperation (STIR) had significantly lower contrast shift (p < 0.05), Dixon offering the best fat suppression. Adding MARS (view-angle tilting or slice-encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC)) to STIR gave better results than Dixon alone, and also better than SPAIR and fat saturation with MARS (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between STIR with view-angle tilting and STIR with SEMAC in terms of fat suppression quality. STIR sequence is the preferred fluid-sensitive MR sequence in patients with metal implant. In combination with MARS (view-angle tilting or SEMAC), STIR appears to be the best option for high-quality fat suppression.

  19. Comparative study of fat-suppression techniques for hip arthroplasty MR imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moliere, Sebastien; Dillenseger, Jean-Philippe; Kremer, Stephane; Bierry, Guillaume; Ehlinger, Matthieu

    2017-01-01

    The goal of this study was to evaluate different fat-suppressed fluid-sensitive sequences in association with different metal artifacts reduction techniques (MARS) to determine which combination allows better fat suppression around metallic hip implants. An experimental study using an MRI fat-water phantom quantitatively evaluated contrast shift induced by metallic hip implant for different fat-suppression techniques and MARS. Then a clinical study with patients addressed to MRI unit for painful hip prosthesis compared these techniques in terms of fat suppression quality and diagnosis confidence. Among sequences without MARS, both T2 Dixon and short tau inversion recuperation (STIR) had significantly lower contrast shift (p < 0.05), Dixon offering the best fat suppression. Adding MARS (view-angle tilting or slice-encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC)) to STIR gave better results than Dixon alone, and also better than SPAIR and fat saturation with MARS (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between STIR with view-angle tilting and STIR with SEMAC in terms of fat suppression quality. STIR sequence is the preferred fluid-sensitive MR sequence in patients with metal implant. In combination with MARS (view-angle tilting or SEMAC), STIR appears to be the best option for high-quality fat suppression. (orig.)

  20. Parametric studies on the harvested energy of piezoelectric switching techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neubauer, M; Krack, M; Wallaschek, J

    2010-01-01

    Piezoelectric energy harvesting techniques have experienced increasing research effort during the last few years. Possible applications including wireless, fully autonomous electronic devices, such as sensors, have attracted great interest. The key aspect of harvesting techniques is the amount of converted and stored energy, because the energy source and the conversion rate is limited. In particular, switching techniques offer many parameters that can be optimized. It is therefore crucial to examine the influence of these parameters in a precise manner. This paper addresses an accurate analytical modeling approach, facilitating the calculation of standard-DC and parallel SSHI-DC energy harvesting circuits. In particular the influence of the frequency ratio between the excitation and the electrical resonance of the switching LR-branch, and the voltage gaps across the rectifier diodes are studied in detail. Additionally a comparison with the SSDI damping network is performed. The relationship between energy harvesting and damping is indicated in this paper

  1. Interferometric crosstalk suppression using polarization multiplexing technique and an SOA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Fenghai; Xueyan, Zheng; Pedersen, Rune Johan Skullerud

    2000-01-01

    Interferometric crosstalk can be greatly suppressed at 10Gb/s and 20Gb/s by using a gain saturated SOA and a polarization multiplexing technique that eliminates impairments like waveform and extinction ratio degradation from the SOA.......Interferometric crosstalk can be greatly suppressed at 10Gb/s and 20Gb/s by using a gain saturated SOA and a polarization multiplexing technique that eliminates impairments like waveform and extinction ratio degradation from the SOA....

  2. Antiretroviral treatment switch strategies for lowering the costs of antiretroviral therapy in subjects with suppressed HIV-1 viremia in Spain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Llibre JM

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Josep M Llibre,1,2 Gloria Cardona,3 José R Santos,2 Angels Andreu,3 Josep O Estrada,4 Jordi Ara,4 Xavier Bonafont,3 Bonaventura Clotet1,21HIV Unit, University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain; 2Lluita contra la SIDA Foundation, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain; 3Hospital Pharmacy, University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain; 4Hospital Management, University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, SpainBackground: The current economic recession in European countries has forced governments to design emergency measures to reduce spending on drugs, including antiretroviral therapy (ART. Switching antiretroviral drugs for others that have the same efficacy and safety profile at a lower cost (cost-reduction measures, CRM could prove to be a valid means of generating savings.Methods: Descriptive study of prospective consensus-based CRM undertaken in 2011 in a Catalonian hospital HIV unit among patients with prolonged plasma HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL.Results: During the study period, we made 673 switches (87.5% more than the previous year, of which 378 (56.2% were CRM (16% of all patients treated, leading to a savings of €87,410/month. Switching tenofovir/emtricitabine for abacavir/lamivudine was the most common CRM (129, 31.3%, followed by simplification to boosted protease inhibitor monotherapy (bPImono, 102, 26%. The CRM that generated the greatest saving were switching to bPImono (38%, withdrawal or replacement of raltegravir (24%, switching tenofovir/emtricitabine for abacavir/lamivudine (13%, and switching to nevirapine (5%. Cost savings with CRM were slightly higher than those achieved with medication paid for by clinical trial sponsors (€80,333/month or through discount arrangements (€76,389/month.Conclusion: Proactively switching antiretroviral therapy in selected treated patients with sustained virological suppression can generate significant cost savings in pharmacy spending in

  3. Voltage switching technique for detecting nuclear spin polarization in a quantum dot

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, Ryo; Kono, Kimitoshi; Tarucha, Seigo; Ono, Keiji

    2010-01-01

    We have introduced a source-drain voltage switching technique for studying nuclear spins in a vertical double quantum dot. Switching the source-drain voltage between the spin-blockade state and the zero-bias Coulomb blockade state can tune the energy difference between the spin singlet and triplet, and effectively turn on/off the hyperfine interaction. Since the change in the nuclear spin state affects the source-drain current, nuclear spin properties can only be detected by transport measurement. Using this technique, we have succeeded in measuring the timescale of nuclear spin depolarization. Furthermore, combining this technique and an RF ac magnetic field, we successfully detected continuous-wave NMR signals of 75 As, 69 Ga, and 71 Ga, which are contained in a quantum dot. (author)

  4. Brand Switching Pattern Discovery by Data Mining Techniques for the Telecommunication Industry in Australia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Md Zahidul Islam

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available There is more than one mobile-phone subscription per member of the Australian population. The number of complaints against the mobile-phone-service providers is also high. Therefore, the mobile service providers are facing a huge challenge in retaining their customers. There are a number of existing models to analyse customer behaviour and switching patterns. A number of switching models may also exist within a large market. These models are often not useful due to the heterogeneous nature of the market. Therefore, in this study we use data mining techniques to let the data talk to help us discover switching patterns without requiring us to use any models and domain knowledge. We use a variety of decision tree and decision forest techniques on a real mobile-phone-usage dataset in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of data mining techniques in knowledge discovery. We report many interesting patterns, and discuss them from a brand-switching and marketing perspective, through which they are found to be very sensible and interesting.

  5. Suppressing voltage transients in high voltage power supplies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lickel, K.F.; Stonebank, R.

    1979-01-01

    A high voltage power supply for an X-ray tubes includes voltage adjusting means, a high voltage transformer, switch means connected to make and interrupt the primary current of the transformer, and over-voltage suppression means to suppress the voltage transient produced when the current is switched on. In order to reduce the power losses in the suppression means, an impedance is connected in the transformer primary circuit on operation of the switch means and is subsequently short-circuited by a switch controlled by a timer after a period which is automatically adjusted to the duration of the transient overvoltage. (U.K.)

  6. Q-switched oscillation in thulium-doped fiber lasers using preloaded dynamic microbending technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakata, H.; Takahashi, N.; Ushiro, Y.

    2018-01-01

    We demonstrate Q-switched pulse generation in thulium-doped fiber lasers by introducing piezoelectric-driven microbend with preloaded stress. We employed a pair of corrugated chips each attached on piezoelectric actuators (PAs) to clamp the fiber in a ring laser resonator. The thulium-doped fiber is pumped by a laser diode emitting at 1.63 μm and generates the Q-switched laser pulses at around 1.9 μm by switching off the PAs. The laser pulse performance is improved by optimizing the preload and switch-off period for the PAs. The Q-switched pulses with a peak power of 2.8 W and a pulsewidth of 900 ns are observed for a launched pump power of 161 mW. We expect that the in-fiber Q-switching technique will provide efficient laser systems for environmental sensing and medical applications.

  7. Stress wave techniques for determining quality of dimensional lumber from switch ties

    Science.gov (United States)

    K. C. Schad; D. E. Kretschmann; K. A. McDonald; R. J. Ross; D. W. Green

    1995-01-01

    Researchers at the Forest Products Laboratory, USDA Forest Service, have been studying nondestructive techniques for evaluating the strength of wood. This report describes the results of a pilot study on using these techniques to determine the quality of large dimensional lumber cut from switch ties. First, pulse echo and dynamic (transverse vibration) techniques were...

  8. Diagnostic performance of calcification-suppressed coronary CT angiography using rapid kilovolt-switching dual-energy CT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yunaga, Hiroto; Ohta, Yasutoshi; Kaetsu, Yasuhiro; Kitao, Shinichiro; Watanabe, Tomomi; Furuse, Yoshiyuki; Yamamoto, Kazuhiro; Ogawa, Toshihide

    2017-07-01

    Multi-detector-row computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) plays an important role in the assessment of patients with suspected coronary artery disease. However, MDCTA tends to overestimate stenosis in calcified coronary artery lesions. The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of calcification-suppressed material density (MD) images produced by using a single-detector single-source dual-energy computed tomography (ssDECT). We enrolled 67 patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease who underwent ssDECT with rapid kilovolt-switching (80 and 140 kVp). Coronary artery stenosis was evaluated on the basis of MD images and virtual monochromatic (VM) images. The diagnostic performance of the two methods for detecting coronary artery disease was compared with that of invasive coronary angiography as a reference standard. We evaluated 239 calcified segments. In all the segments, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy for detecting significant stenosis were respectively 88%, 88%, 75%, 95% and 88% for the MD images, 91%, 71%, 56%, 95% and 77% for the VM images. PPV was significantly higher on the MD images than on the VM images (P < 0.0001). Calcification-suppressed MD images improved PPV and diagnostic performance for calcified coronary artery lesions. • Computed tomography angiography tends to overestimate stenosis in calcified coronary artery. • Dual-energy CT enables us to suppress calcification of coronary artery lesions. • Calcification-suppressed material density imaging reduces false-positive diagnosis of calcified lesion.

  9. Combination of chemical suppression techniques for dual suppression of fat and silicone at diffusion-weighted MR imaging in women with breast implants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koh, Dow-Mu; Hughes, J. [Royal Marsden Hospital, Department of Radiology, Sutton (United Kingdom); Blackledge, M.; Leach, M.O.; Collins, D.J. [Institute of Cancer Research, CR UK-EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre, Sutton (United Kingdom); Burns, S. [Nuada 3T MRI Centre, London (United Kingdom); Stemmer, A.; Kiefer, B. [Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen (Germany)

    2012-12-15

    Silicone breast prostheses prove technically challenging when performing diffusion-weighted MR imaging in the breasts. We describe a combined fat and chemical suppression scheme to achieve dual suppression of fat and silicone, thereby improving the quality of diffusion-weighted images in women with breast implants. MR imaging was performed at 3.0 and 1.5 T in women with silicone breast implants using short-tau inversion recovery (STIR) fat-suppressed echo-planar (EPI) diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DWI) on its own and combined with the slice-select gradient-reversal (SSGR) technique. Imaging was performed using dedicated breast imaging coils. Complete suppression of the fat and silicone signal was possible at 3.0 T using EPI DWI with STIR and SSGR, evaluated with dedicated breast coils. However, a residual silicone signal was still perceptible at 1.5 T using this combined approach. Nevertheless, a further reduction in silicone signal at 1.5 T could be achieved by employing thinner slice partitions and the addition of the chemical-selective fat-suppression (CHESS) technique. DWI using combined STIR and SSGR chemical suppression techniques is feasible to eliminate or reduce silicone signal from prosthetic breast implants. (orig.)

  10. TU-CD-BRA-11: Application of Bone Suppression Technique to Inspiratory/expiratory Chest Radiography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tanaka, R; Sanada, S [Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa (Japan); Sakuta, K; Kawashima, H [Kanazawa University Hospital, Kanazawa, Ishikawa (Japan); Kishitani, Y [TOYO Corporation, Chuoh-ku, Tokyo (Japan)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: The bone suppression technique based on advanced image processing can suppress the conspicuity of bones on chest radiographs, creating soft tissue images normally obtained by the dual-energy subtraction technique. This study was performed to investigate the usefulness of bone suppression technique in quantitative analysis of pulmonary function in inspiratory/expiratory chest radiography. Methods: Commercial bone suppression image processing software (ClearRead; Riverain Technologies) was applied to paired inspiratory/expiratory chest radiographs of 107 patients (normal, 33; abnormal, 74) to create corresponding bone suppression images. The abnormal subjects had been diagnosed with pulmonary diseases, such as pneumothorax, pneumonia, emphysema, asthma, and lung cancer. After recognition of the lung area, the vectors of respiratory displacement were measured in all local lung areas using a cross-correlation technique. The measured displacement in each area was visualized as displacement color maps. The distribution pattern of respiratory displacement was assessed by comparison with the findings of lung scintigraphy. Results: Respiratory displacement of pulmonary markings (soft tissues) was able to be quantified separately from the rib movements on bone suppression images. The resulting displacement map showed a left-right symmetric distribution increasing from the lung apex to the bottom region of the lung in many cases. However, patients with ventilatory impairments showed a nonuniform distribution caused by decreased displacement of pulmonary markings, which were confirmed to correspond to area with ventilatory impairments found on the lung scintigrams. Conclusion: The bone suppression technique was useful for quantitative analysis of respiratory displacement of pulmonary markings without any interruption of the rib shadows. Abnormal areas could be detected as decreased displacement of pulmonary markings. Inspiratory/expiratory chest radiography combined

  11. Time-gated ballistic imaging using a large aperture switching beam.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathieu, Florian; Reddemann, Manuel A; Palmer, Johannes; Kneer, Reinhold

    2014-03-24

    Ballistic imaging commonly denotes the formation of line-of-sight shadowgraphs through turbid media by suppression of multiply scattered photons. The technique relies on a femtosecond laser acting as light source for the images and as switch for an optical Kerr gate that separates ballistic photons from multiply scattered ones. The achievable image resolution is one major limitation for the investigation of small objects. In this study, practical influences on the optical Kerr gate and image quality are discussed theoretically and experimentally applying a switching beam with large aperture (D = 19 mm). It is shown how switching pulse energy and synchronization of switching and imaging pulse in the Kerr cell influence the gate's transmission. Image quality of ballistic imaging and standard shadowgraphy is evaluated and compared, showing that the present ballistic imaging setup is advantageous for optical densities in the range of 8 ballistic imaging setup into a schlieren-type system with an optical schlieren edge.

  12. Clock-Frequency Switching Technique for Energy Saving of Microcontroller Unit (MCU-Based Sensor Node

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pumin Duangmanee

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available In this paper; a technique is proposed for reducing the energy consumption of microcontroller-based sensor nodes by switching the operating clock between low and high frequencies. The proposed concept is motivated by the fact that if the application codes of the microcontroller unit (MCU consist of no-wait state instruction sets, it consumes less energy when it operates with a higher frequency. When the application code of the MCU consists of wait instruction sets; e.g., a wait acknowledge signal, it switches to low clock frequency. The experimental results confirm that the proposed technique can reduce the MCU energy consumption up to 66.9%.

  13. A Survey on Modeling and Simulation of MEMS Switches and Its Application in Power Gating Techniques

    OpenAIRE

    Pramod Kumar M.P; A.S. Augustine Fletcher

    2014-01-01

    Large numbers of techniques have been developed to reduce the leakage power, including supply voltage scaling, varying threshold voltages, smaller logic banks, etc. Power gating is a technique which is used to reduce the static power when the sleep transistor is in off condition. Micro Electro mechanical System (MEMS) switches have properties that are very close to an ideal switch, with infinite off-resistance due to an air gap and low on-resistance due to the ohmic metal to m...

  14. Brief Report: Efficacy and Safety of Switching to Coformulated Elvitegravir, Cobicistat, Emtricitabine, and Tenofovir Alafenamide (E/C/F/TAF) in Virologically Suppressed Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodder, Sally; Squires, Kathleen; Kityo, Cissy; Hagins, Debbie; Avihingsanon, Anchalee; Kido, Anna; Jiang, Shuping; Kulkarni, Rima; Cheng, Andrew; Cao, Huyen

    2018-06-01

    The integrase inhibitor regimen [elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)] demonstrated superior efficacy when compared with a protease inhibitor regimen [ritonavir-boosted atazanavir (ATV + RTV) and FTC/TDF] in 575 treatment-naive women at week 48. We investigated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of switching to a TAF-based, single-tablet regimen containing elvitegravir, cobicistat, FTC, and tenofovir alafenamide (E/C/F/TAF) versus remaining on ATV + RTV plus FTC/TDF. After completing the initial randomized, blinded phase, virologically suppressed (HIV-1 RNA TAF versus remaining on their current regimen. The primary end point was proportion of participants with plasma HIV-1 RNA TAF and 53 to remain on ATV + RTV plus FTC/TDF. At week 48, virologic suppression was maintained in 150 (94%) of women on E/C/F/TAF and 46 (87%) on ATV + RTV plus FTC/TDF [difference 7.5% (95% confidence interval -1.2% to 19.4%)], demonstrating noninferiority of E/C/F/TAF to ATV + RTV and FTC/TDF. Incidence of AEs was similar between groups; study drug-related AEs were more common with E/C/F/TAF (11% versus 4%). Switching to E/C/F/TAF was noninferior to continuing ATV + RTV plus FTC/TDF in maintaining virologic suppression and was well tolerated at 48 weeks.

  15. An In-Rush Current Suppression Technique for the Solid-State Transfer Switch System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Po-Tai; Chen, Yu-Hsing

    More and more utility companies provide dual power feeders as a premier service of high power quality and reliability. To take advantage of this, the solid-state transfer switch (STS) is adopted to protect the sensitive load against the voltage sag. However, the fast transfer process may cause in-rush current on the load-side transformer due to the resulting DC-offset in its magnetic flux as the load-transfer is completed. The in-rush current can reach 2∼6 p.u. and it may trigger the over-current protections on the power feeder. This paper develops a flux estimation scheme and a thyristor gating scheme based on the impulse commutation bridge STS (ICBSTS) to minimize the DC-offset on the magnetic flux. By sensing the line voltages of both feeders, the flux estimator can predict the peak transient flux linkage at the moment of load-transfer and evaluate a suitable moment for the transfer to minimize the in-rush current. Laboratory test results are presented to validate the performance of the proposed system.

  16. Diagnostic performance of calcification-suppressed coronary CT angiography using rapid kilovolt-switching dual-energy CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yunaga, Hiroto; Ohta, Yasutoshi; Kitao, Shinichiro; Ogawa, Toshihide [Tottori University, Division of Radiology, Department of Pathophysiological Therapeutic Science, Faculty of Medicine, Yonago City, Tottori (Japan); Kaetsu, Yasuhiro [Kakogawa Higashi Hospital, Department of Cardiology, Kakogawa (Japan); Watanabe, Tomomi; Furuse, Yoshiyuki; Yamamoto, Kazuhiro [Tottori University, Division of Cardiology, Department of Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Yonago (Japan)

    2017-07-15

    Multi-detector-row computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) plays an important role in the assessment of patients with suspected coronary artery disease. However, MDCTA tends to overestimate stenosis in calcified coronary artery lesions. The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of calcification-suppressed material density (MD) images produced by using a single-detector single-source dual-energy computed tomography (ssDECT). We enrolled 67 patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease who underwent ssDECT with rapid kilovolt-switching (80 and 140 kVp). Coronary artery stenosis was evaluated on the basis of MD images and virtual monochromatic (VM) images. The diagnostic performance of the two methods for detecting coronary artery disease was compared with that of invasive coronary angiography as a reference standard. We evaluated 239 calcified segments. In all the segments, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy for detecting significant stenosis were respectively 88%, 88%, 75%, 95% and 88% for the MD images, 91%, 71%, 56%, 95% and 77% for the VM images. PPV was significantly higher on the MD images than on the VM images (P < 0.0001). Calcification-suppressed MD images improved PPV and diagnostic performance for calcified coronary artery lesions. (orig.)

  17. Digital switched hydraulics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Min; Plummer, Andrew

    2018-06-01

    This paper reviews recent developments in digital switched hydraulics particularly the switched inertance hydraulic systems (SIHSs). The performance of SIHSs is presented in brief with a discussion of several possible configurations and control strategies. The soft switching technology and high-speed switching valve design techniques are discussed. Challenges and recommendations are given based on the current research achievements.

  18. Control and switching synchronization of fractional order chaotic systems using active control technique

    KAUST Repository

    Radwan, A.G.; Moaddy, K.; Salama, Khaled N.; Momani, S.; Hashim, I.

    2013-01-01

    This paper discusses the continuous effect of the fractional order parameter of the Lü system where the system response starts stable, passing by chaotic behavior then reaching periodic response as the fractional-order increases. In addition, this paper presents the concept of synchronization of different fractional order chaotic systems using active control technique. Four different synchronization cases are introduced based on the switching parameters. Also, the static and dynamic synchronizations can be obtained when the switching parameters are functions of time. The nonstandard finite difference method is used for the numerical solution of the fractional order master and slave systems. Many numeric simulations are presented to validate the concept for different fractional order parameters.

  19. Control and switching synchronization of fractional order chaotic systems using active control technique

    KAUST Repository

    Radwan, A.G.

    2013-03-13

    This paper discusses the continuous effect of the fractional order parameter of the Lü system where the system response starts stable, passing by chaotic behavior then reaching periodic response as the fractional-order increases. In addition, this paper presents the concept of synchronization of different fractional order chaotic systems using active control technique. Four different synchronization cases are introduced based on the switching parameters. Also, the static and dynamic synchronizations can be obtained when the switching parameters are functions of time. The nonstandard finite difference method is used for the numerical solution of the fractional order master and slave systems. Many numeric simulations are presented to validate the concept for different fractional order parameters.

  20. New hybrid technique for impulsive noise suppression in OFDM systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mirza, A.; Zeb, A.; Sheikh, S.A.

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, a new hybrid technique employing RS (Reed Solomon) coding and adaptive filter for impulsive noise suppression in OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) systems is presented. Adaptive filter creates a more accurate estimate of the original OFDM signal after impulsive noise cancellation. The residual impulsive noise is further mitigated by RS decoder in the second stage of proposed technique. Three members of adaptive filters family i.e. NLMS (Normalized Least Mean Square) algorithm, RLS (Recursive Least Square) algorithm and Bhagyashri algorithm are tested with RS decoder in the proposed hybrid technique. Furthermore, the results in terms of steady state MSE (Mean Square Error) reduction, BER (Bit Error Rate) improvement and SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) enhancement confirm the effectiveness of the proposed dual faceted technique when compared with the recently reported techniques in literature. (author)

  1. Temperature Control of Gas Chromatograph Based on Switched Delayed System Techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiao-Liang Wang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We address the temperature control problem of the gas chromatograph. We model the temperature control system of the gas chromatograph into a switched delayed system and analyze the stability by common Lyapunov functional technique. The PI controller parameters can be given based on the proposed linear matrix inequalities (LMIs condition and the designed controller can make the temperature of gas chromatograph track the reference signal asymptotically. An experiment is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the stability criterion.

  2. Effective switching frequency multiplier inverter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Gui-Jia [Oak Ridge, TN; Peng, Fang Z [Okemos, MI

    2007-08-07

    A switching frequency multiplier inverter for low inductance machines that uses parallel connection of switches and each switch is independently controlled according to a pulse width modulation scheme. The effective switching frequency is multiplied by the number of switches connected in parallel while each individual switch operates within its limit of switching frequency. This technique can also be used for other power converters such as DC/DC, AC/DC converters.

  3. "Smart inhibition": electrophysiological evidence for the suppression of conflict-generating task rules during task switching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meiran, Nachshon; Hsieh, Shulan; Chang, Chi-Chih

    2011-09-01

    A major challenge for task switching is maintaining a balance between high task readiness and effectively ignoring irrelevant task rules. This calls for finely tuned inhibition that targets only the source of interference without adversely influencing other task-related representations. The authors show that irrelevant task rules generating response conflict are inhibited, causing their inefficient execution on the next trial (indicating the presence of competitor rule suppression[CRS];Meiran, Hsieh, & Dimov, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 36, 992-1002, 2010). To determine whether CRS influences task rules, rather than target stimuli or responses, the authors focused on the processing of the task cue before the target stimulus was presented and before the response could be chosen. As was predicted, CRS was found in the event-related potentials in two time windows during task cue processing. It was also found in three time windows after target presentation. Source localization analyses suggest the involvement of the right dorsal prefrontal cortex in all five time windows.

  4. MR imaging of the knee using fat suppression technique: a preliminary report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suh, Jin Suck; Kim, Mi Hye; Cho, Jae Hyun; Park, Chang Yun; Lee, Yeon Hee [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Yong Soo [Inje University College of Medicine, Kimhae (Korea, Republic of)

    1994-03-15

    The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of fat suppression technique for MR imaging of the knee. Twenty-eight knees of 26 patients were imaged at a 1.5 T MR system. Sagittal and coronal T2-weighted spin echo imaged (SET2) and sagittal fat suppression SET2(FSSE) were obtained in all cases. We used a chemical shift imaging method for fat suppression. We compared FSSE with SET2 in terms of the conspicuity of lesions of menisci, cruciate ligaments, cartilage, bone and soft tissue of the knee. Meniscal lesions were detected on FSSE and SET2 as well. FSSE depicted the lesion more conspicuously in 6 cases. For the depiction of ACL tear, SET2 was superior to FSSE in 5 cases. FSSE was better for the visualization of the normal structure of cartilage and it also depicted the cartilaginous lesions more conspicuously in 3 cases. Though bone bruise could be detected on both techniques, FSSE was better. FSSE could provide the improved delineation of menisci, cartilage, bone bruise and other soft tissues except the injuries of anterior cruciate ligament. Although FSSE is a reliable method, it can not replace SET2. It may be used as a complemental method in the imaging of the knee.

  5. Clocking Scheme for Switched-Capacitor Circuits

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Steensgaard-Madsen, Jesper

    1998-01-01

    A novel clocking scheme for switched-capacitor (SC) circuits is presented. It can enhance the understanding of SC circuits and the errors caused by MOSFET (MOS) switches. Charge errors, and techniques to make SC circuits less sensitive to them are discussed.......A novel clocking scheme for switched-capacitor (SC) circuits is presented. It can enhance the understanding of SC circuits and the errors caused by MOSFET (MOS) switches. Charge errors, and techniques to make SC circuits less sensitive to them are discussed....

  6. Orbit Correction for the Newly Developed Polarization-Switching Undulator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obina, Takashi; Honda, Tohru; Shioya, Tatsuro; Kobayashi, Yukinori; Tsuchiya, Kimichika; Yamamoto, Shigeru

    2007-01-01

    A new scheme of undulator magnet arrangements has been proposed and developed as a polarization-switching radiation source, and its test-stand was installed in the 2.5-GeV Photon Factory storage ring (PF ring) in order to investigate the effects on the beam orbit. The closed orbit distortion (COD) over 200 μm was produced in a vertical direction when we switched the polarization of the radiation from the test-stand. In a horizontal direction, the COD was less than 50μm. The results agreed well with the predictions from the magnetic-field measurement on the bench. In order to suppress the CODs and realize a stable operation of the ring with the polarization-switching, we developed an orbit correction system which consists of an encoder to detect motion of magnets, a pair of beam position monitors (BPMs), signal processing parts, and a pair of steering magnets. We succeeded in suppressing the CODs to the level below 3μm using the system even when we switch the polarization at a maximum frequency of 0.8 Hz.

  7. Suppression of tau propagation using an inhibitor that targets the DK-switch of nSMase2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilousova, Tina; Elias, Chris; Miyoshi, Emily; Alam, Mohammad Parvez; Zhu, Chunni; Campagna, Jesus; Vadivel, Kanagasabai; Jagodzinska, Barbara; Gylys, Karen Hoppens; John, Varghese

    2018-05-23

    Targeting of molecular pathways involved in the cell-to-cell propagation of pathological tau species is a novel approach for development of disease-modifying therapies that could block tau pathology and attenuate cognitive decline in patients with Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies. We discovered cambinol through a screening effort and show that it is an inhibitor of cell-to-cell tau propagation. Our in vitro data demonstrate that cambinol inhibits neutral sphingomyelinase 2 (nSMase2) enzyme activity in dose response fashion, and suppresses extracellular vesicle (EV) production while reducing tau seed propagation. Our in vivo testing with cambinol shows that it can reduce the nSMase2 activity in the brain after oral administration. Our molecular docking and simulation analysis reveals that cambinol can target the DK-switch in the nSMase2 active site. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Working memory and the control of action: evidence from task switching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baddeley, A; Chincotta, D; Adlam, A

    2001-12-01

    A series of 7 experiments used dual-task methodology to investigate the role of working memory in the operation of a simple action-control plan or program involving regular switching between addition and subtraction. Lists requiring switching were slower than blocked lists and showed 2 concurrent task effects. Demanding executive tasks impaired performance on both blocked and switched lists, whereas articulatory suppression impaired principally the switched condition. Implications for models of task switching and working memory and for the Vygotskian concept of verbal control of action are discussed.

  9. Electromagnetic interference modeling and suppression techniques in variable-frequency drive systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Le; Wang, Shuo; Feng, Jianghua

    2017-11-01

    Electromagnetic interference (EMI) causes electromechanical damage to the motors and degrades the reliability of variable-frequency drive (VFD) systems. Unlike fundamental frequency components in motor drive systems, high-frequency EMI noise, coupled with the parasitic parameters of the trough system, are difficult to analyze and reduce. In this article, EMI modeling techniques for different function units in a VFD system, including induction motors, motor bearings, and rectifierinverters, are reviewed and evaluated in terms of applied frequency range, model parameterization, and model accuracy. The EMI models for the motors are categorized based on modeling techniques and model topologies. Motor bearing and shaft models are also reviewed, and techniques that are used to eliminate bearing current are evaluated. Modeling techniques for conventional rectifierinverter systems are also summarized. EMI noise suppression techniques, including passive filter, Wheatstone bridge balance, active filter, and optimized modulation, are reviewed and compared based on the VFD system models.

  10. Polarization switching detection method using a ferroelectric liquid crystal for dichroic atomic vapor laser lock frequency stabilization techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dudzik, Grzegorz; Rzepka, Janusz; Abramski, Krzysztof M

    2015-04-01

    We present a concept of the polarization switching detection method implemented for frequency-stabilized lasers, called the polarization switching dichroic atomic vapor laser lock (PSDAVLL) technique. It is a combination of the well-known dichroic atomic vapor laser lock method for laser frequency stabilization with a synchronous detection system based on the surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal (SSFLC).The SSFLC is a polarization switch and quarter wave-plate component. This technique provides a 9.6 dB better dynamic range ratio (DNR) than the well-known two-photodiode detection configuration known as the balanced polarimeter. This paper describes the proposed method used practically in the VCSEL laser frequency stabilization system. The applied PSDAVLL method has allowed us to obtain a frequency stability of 2.7×10⁻⁹ and a reproducibility of 1.2×10⁻⁸, with a DNR of detected signals of around 81 dB. It has been shown that PSDAVLL might be successfully used as a method for spectra-stable laser sources.

  11. Electric field-triggered metal-insulator transition resistive switching of bilayered multiphasic VOx

    Science.gov (United States)

    Won, Seokjae; Lee, Sang Yeon; Hwang, Jungyeon; Park, Jucheol; Seo, Hyungtak

    2018-01-01

    Electric field-triggered Mott transition of VO2 for next-generation memory devices with sharp and fast resistance-switching response is considered to be ideal but the formation of single-phase VO2 by common deposition techniques is very challenging. Here, VOx films with a VO2-dominant phase for a Mott transition-based metal-insulator transition (MIT) switching device were successfully fabricated by the combined process of RF magnetron sputtering of V metal and subsequent O2 annealing to form. By performing various material characterizations, including scanning transmission electron microscopy-electron energy loss spectroscopy, the film is determined to have a bilayer structure consisting of a VO2-rich bottom layer acting as the Mott transition switching layer and a V2O5/V2O3 mixed top layer acting as a control layer that suppresses any stray leakage current and improves cyclic performance. This bilayer structure enables excellent electric field-triggered Mott transition-based resistive switching of Pt-VOx-Pt metal-insulator-metal devices with a set/reset current ratio reaching 200, set/reset voltage of less than 2.5 V, and very stable DC cyclic switching upto 120 cycles with a great set/reset current and voltage distribution less than 5% of standard deviation at room temperature, which are specifications applicable for neuromorphic or memory device applications. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  12. Theory of circuit block switch-off

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Henzler

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Switching-off unused circuit blocks is a promising approach to supress static leakage currents in ultra deep sub-micron CMOS digital systems. Basic performance parameters of Circuit Block Switch-Off (CBSO schemes are defined and their dependence on basic circuit parameters is estimated. Therefore the design trade-off between strong leakage suppression in idle mode and adequate dynamic performance in active mode can be supported by simple analytic investigations. Additionally, a guideline for the estimation of the minimum time for which a block deactivation is useful is derived.

  13. Combining SDM-Based Circuit Switching with Packet Switching in a Router for On-Chip Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angelo Kuti Lusala

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available A Hybrid router architecture for Networks-on-Chip “NoC” is presented, it combines Spatial Division Multiplexing “SDM” based circuit switching and packet switching in order to efficiently and separately handle both streaming and best-effort traffic generated in real-time applications. Furthermore the SDM technique is combined with Time Division Multiplexing “TDM” technique in the circuit switching part in order to increase path diversity, thus improving throughput while sharing communication resources among multiple connections. Combining these two techniques allows mitigating the poor resource usage inherent to circuit switching. In this way Quality of Service “QoS” is easily provided for the streaming traffic through the circuit-switched sub-router while the packet-switched sub-router handles best-effort traffic. The proposed hybrid router architectures were synthesized, placed and routed on an FPGA. Results show that a practicable Network-on-Chip “NoC” can be built using the proposed router architectures. 7 × 7 mesh NoCs were simulated in SystemC. Simulation results show that the probability of establishing paths through the NoC increases with the number of sub-channels and has its highest value when combining SDM with TDM, thereby significantly reducing contention in the NoC.

  14. Switch to Rilpivirine/Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Single-Tablet Regimen of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 RNA-Suppressed Patients, Agence Nationale de Recherches sur le SIDA et les Hépatites Virales CO3 Aquitaine Cohort, 2012-2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cazanave, Charles; Reigadas, Sandrine; Mazubert, Cyril; Bellecave, Pantxika; Hessamfar, Mojgan; Le Marec, Fabien; Lazaro, Estibaliz; Peytavin, Gilles; Bruyand, Mathias; Fleury, Hervé; Dabis, François; Neau, Didier

    2015-01-01

    Background.  The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 virologically suppressed patients who switched to rilpivirine (RPV)/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF)/emtricitabine (FTC) as a single-tablet regimen (STR). Methods.  A retrospective multicenter cohort study was performed between September 2012 and February 2014 in Bordeaux University Hospital-affiliated clinics. Patients with a plasma HIV viral load (VL) lower than 50 copies/mL and switching to STR were evaluated at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months from switch time (M3, M6, M9, M12) for VL and other biological parameters. Change from baseline in CD4 cell counts was evaluated at M6 and M12. Virological failure (VF) was defined as 2 consecutive VL >50 copies/mL. Results.  Three hundred four patients were included in the analysis. Single-tablet regimen switch was proposed to 116 patients with adverse events, mostly efavirenz (EFV)-based (n = 59), and to 224 patients for cART simplification. Thirty of 196 patients with available genotype resistance test results displayed virus with ≥1 drug resistance mutation on reverse-transcriptase gene. After 12 months of follow-up, 93.4% (95.5% confidence interval, 89.9-96.2) of patients remained virologically suppressed. There was no significant change in CD4 cell count. During the study period, 5 patients experienced VF, one of them harboring RPV resistance mutation. Clinical cART tolerability improved in 79 patients overall (29.9%) at M6, especially neurological symptoms related to EFV. Fasting serum lipid profiles improved, but a significant estimated glomerular function rate decrease (-11 mL/min/1.73 m(2); P < 10(-4)) was observed. Conclusions.  Overall, virologic suppression was maintained in patients after switching to RPV/TDF/ FTC. This STR strategy was associated with improved tolerability.

  15. Usefulness of MR angiography with fat- and water-suppression technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohta, Fumihito; Kagawa, Takato; Kawamitsu, Hideaki; Fukuma, Atsushi; Nagao, Seiichi; Takaya, Mikio; Kimura, Reishin; Yamasaki, Toshiki; Moritake, Kouzo

    1994-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to improve visualization of intracranial vessels by the use of time-of-flight MR angiography with the fat- and water-suppression technique (TOF-MRA-presat). Two groups of individuals were studied. They were 35 patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disorders (lacunar group) and 22 volunteers (control group). TOF-MRA-presat suppressed the signal of the background tissue, including fat and brain parenchyma. The contrast between background tissue and blood vessels was thus improved. The visibility of the ophthalmic artery, the posterior communicating artery, and the superior cerebellar artery in the control group increased noticeably in the TOF-MRA-presat images as compared with the TOF-MRA images. Similarly, the visibility of the insular segment of the middle cerebral artery, the posterior temporal artery, and the calcarine artery in the lacunar group was also better in TOF-MRA-presat images than in TOF-MRA-images. These results indicate that TOF-MRA-presat dose improve the visualization of intracranial vessels. (author)

  16. Saturated Switching Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Benzaouia, Abdellah

    2012-01-01

    Saturated Switching Systems treats the problem of actuator saturation, inherent in all dynamical systems by using two approaches: positive invariance in which the controller is designed to work within a region of non-saturating linear behaviour; and saturation technique which allows saturation but guarantees asymptotic stability. The results obtained are extended from the linear systems in which they were first developed to switching systems with uncertainties, 2D switching systems, switching systems with Markovian jumping and switching systems of the Takagi-Sugeno type. The text represents a thoroughly referenced distillation of results obtained in this field during the last decade. The selected tool for analysis and design of stabilizing controllers is based on multiple Lyapunov functions and linear matrix inequalities. All the results are illustrated with numerical examples and figures many of them being modelled using MATLAB®. Saturated Switching Systems will be of interest to academic researchers in con...

  17. Creation of Principally New Generation of Switching Technique Elements (Reed Switches) with Nanostructured Contact Surfaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karabanov S M; Zeltser I A; Maizels R M; Moos E N; Arushanov K A, E-mail: zeltseria@rmcip.ru [Russia, Ryazan, 390027, Novaya Str., 51B, Ryazan Metal Ceramics Instrumentation Plant JSC (Russian Federation)

    2011-04-01

    The cycle of activities of the creation of principally new generation of reed switches with nanostructured contact surfaces was implemented. Experimental justification of the opportunity of reed switches creation with modified contact surface was given (instead of precious metals-based galvanic coating). Principally new technological process of modification of magnetically operated contacts contacting surfaces was developed, based on the usage of the ion-plasma methods of nanolayers and nanostructures forming having specified contact features.

  18. Leakage Current Suppression with A Novel Six-Switch Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Inverter

    OpenAIRE

    Wei, Baoze; Guo, Xiaoqiang; Guerrero, Josep M.; Savaghebi, Mehdi

    2015-01-01

    In order to solve the problem of the leakage current in non-isolated photovoltaic (PV) systems, a novel six-switch topology and control strategy are proposed in this paper. The inductor-bypass strategy solves the common-mode voltage limitation of the conventional six-switch topology in case of unmatched inductances. And the stray capacitor voltage of the non-isolated photovoltaic system is free of high frequency ripples. Theoretical analysis and simulation are carried out to verify the propos...

  19. Bindi tattoo on forehead: success with modified R-20 technique using low fluence q-switched nd yag laser: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zawar, Vijay; Sarda, Aarti; De, Abhishek

    2014-01-01

    Bindi tattoo on the forehead, is one of the cultural practice in Indian women from rural areas. Many patients are not pleased with the appearance of their tattoo and thus seek removal. The development of quality-switched lasers has revolutionized the removal of unwanted tattoos. However, despite multiple treatment sessions, the efficacy is often found to be limited. We herein report a case of green-blue bindi tattoo which failed to clear after 8 sessions of Q-switched Nd YAG laser. The tattoo significantly cleared with R-20 method using low fluence Q-switched Nd YAG Laser. R-20 technique seems to be an effective method of tattoo removal and might be a boon for patients who are reluctant to pursue laser treatment because of fear of expenditure, side effects and uncertainty of result. We report efficacy of R-20 technique for a bindi tattoo on forehead.

  20. Role of inhibition in language switching: Evidence from event-related brain potentials in overt picture naming

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Verhoef, K.M.W.; Roelofs, A.P.A.; Chwilla, D.J.

    2009-01-01

    How are bilinguals able to switch from one language to another? The prevailing inhibition hypothesis takes larger reaction-time (RT) costs for switching to the first language (L1) than to the second language (L2) as evidence for suppression of the non-target language. Switch cost asymmetries can

  1. High intensity signal of the posterior pituitary. A study with horizontal direction of frequency-encoding and fat suppression MR techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arslan, A.

    1999-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the consistency of fat in the high intensity signals of the normal neurohypophysis and to differentiate the high signal of posterior pituitary from that of dorsum sella. Sagittal SE T1-weighted images with frequency encoding in the horizontal direction were used in order to differentiate the high signal of posterior pituitary and dorsum sella by the vertically-oriented chemical shift artifact. Material and methods: The sellae of 46 normal volunteers were imaged with a commercially available fat suppression technique and SE sequences with frequency encoding in vertical (25 cases) and horizontal (21 cases) axes. Results: The high signal intensity was absent in 9% of the normal volunteers with no predilection to any specific age group. None of the cases with posterior pituitary high intensity signals showed suppression of the signal with fat suppression technique. A fat suppression technique was helpful in documenting the hyperintensity in 7% of normal volunteers. Nineteen of the 21 (90%) cases with high signal intensity were detected by routine SE T1-weighted images, whereas 18 of the 19 (95%) cases were detected by imaging with frequency encoding in the horizontal direction. Conclusion: The high signal does not indicate the presence of fat. Fat suppression technique and a horizontal direction of frequency encoding help in differentiating the high signal of the neurohypophysis from that of dorsum sella. (orig.)

  2. Switched reluctance motor drives

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Davis RM, Ray WF, Blake RJ 1981 Inverter drive for switched reluctance: circuits and component ratings. Inst. Elec. Eng. Proc. B128: 126-136. Ehsani M. 1991 Position Sensor elimination technique for the switched reluctance motor drive. US Patent No. 5,072,166. Ehsani M, Ramani K R 1993 Direct control strategies based ...

  3. Research on IGBT solid state switch

    CERN Document Server

    Gan Kong Yin; Wang Xiao Feng; Wang Lang Ping; Wang Song Yan; Chu, P K; Wu Hong Chen

    2002-01-01

    The experiments on the IGBT solid state switch for induction accelerator was carried out with two series 1.2 kV, 75 A IGBT (GA75TS120U). The static and dynamic balancing modules were carried out with metal oxide varistors, capacities and diodes in order to suppress the over-voltage during IGBT on and off. Experimental results show that IGBT solid state switch works very stable under the different conditions. It can output peak voltage 1.8 kV, rise time 300 ns, fall time 1.64 mu s waveforms on the loads. The simulation data using OrCAD are in accord with experimental results except the rise time

  4. Research on IGBT solid state switch

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gan Kongyin; Tang Baoyin; Wang Xiaofeng; Wang Langping; Wang Songyan; Wu Hongchen

    2002-01-01

    The experiments on the IGBT solid state switch for induction accelerator was carried out with two series 1.2 kV, 75 A IGBT (GA75TS120U). The static and dynamic balancing modules were carried out with metal oxide varistors, capacities and diodes in order to suppress the over-voltage during IGBT on and off. Experimental results show that IGBT solid state switch works very stable under the different conditions. It can output peak voltage 1.8 kV, rise time 300 ns, fall time 1.64 μs waveforms on the loads. The simulation data using OrCAD are in accord with experimental results except the rise time

  5. Switched-Observer-Based Adaptive Neural Control of MIMO Switched Nonlinear Systems With Unknown Control Gains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Lijun; Zhao, Jun

    2017-07-01

    In this paper, the problem of adaptive neural output-feedback control is addressed for a class of multi-input multioutput (MIMO) switched uncertain nonlinear systems with unknown control gains. Neural networks (NNs) are used to approximate unknown nonlinear functions. In order to avoid the conservativeness caused by adoption of a common observer for all subsystems, an MIMO NN switched observer is designed to estimate unmeasurable states. A new switched observer-based adaptive neural control technique for the problem studied is then provided by exploiting the classical average dwell time (ADT) method and the backstepping method and the Nussbaum gain technique. It effectively handles the obstacle about the coexistence of multiple Nussbaum-type function terms, and improves the classical ADT method, since the exponential decline property of Lyapunov functions for individual subsystems is no longer satisfied. It is shown that the technique proposed is able to guarantee semiglobal uniformly ultimately boundedness of all the signals in the closed-loop system under a class of switching signals with ADT, and the tracking errors converge to a small neighborhood of the origin. The effectiveness of the approach proposed is illustrated by its application to a two inverted pendulum system.

  6. Proceedings of the switched power workshop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernow, R.C.

    1988-01-01

    These proceedings contain most of the presentations given at a workshop on the current state of research in techniques for switched power acceleration. The proceedings are divided, as was the workshop itself, into two parts. Part 1, contains the latest results from a number of groups active in switched power research. The major topic here is a method for switching externally supplied power onto a transmission line. Advocates for vacuum photodiode switching, solid state switching, gas switching, and synthetic pulse generation are all presented. Other important areas of research described in this section concern: external electrical and laser pulsing systems; the properties of the created electromagnetic pulse; structures used for transporting the electromagnetic pulse to the region where the electron beam is located; and possible applications. Part 2 of the proceedings considers the problem of designing a high brightness electron gun using switched power as the power source. This is an important first step in demonstrating the usefulness of switched power techniques for accelerator physics. In addition such a gun could have immediate practical importance for advanced acceleration studies since the brightness could exceed that of present sources by several orders of magnitude. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kathleen Tuohy and Patricia Tuttle for their assistance in organizing and running the workshop. Their tireless efforts contribute greatly to a very productive meeting

  7. Recent advances in column switching sample preparation in bioanalysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kataoka, Hiroyuki; Saito, Keita

    2012-04-01

    Column switching techniques, using two or more stationary phase columns, are useful for trace enrichment and online automated sample preparation. Target fractions from the first column are transferred online to a second column with different properties for further separation. Column switching techniques can be used to determine the analytes in a complex matrix by direct sample injection or by simple sample treatment. Online column switching sample preparation is usually performed in combination with HPLC or capillary electrophoresis. SPE or turbulent flow chromatography using a cartridge column and in-tube solid-phase microextraction using a capillary column have been developed for convenient column switching sample preparation. Furthermore, various micro-/nano-sample preparation devices using new polymer-coating materials have been developed to improve extraction efficiency. This review describes current developments and future trends in novel column switching sample preparation in bioanalysis, focusing on innovative column switching techniques using new extraction devices and materials.

  8. Fat suppression at 2D MR imaging of the hands: Dixon method versus CHESS technique and STIR sequence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirchgesner, Thomas; Perlepe, Vasiliki; Michoux, Nicolas; Larbi, Ahmed; Vande Berg, Bruno

    2017-04-01

    To compare the effectiveness of fat suppression and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the Dixon method with those of the CHESS (Chemical Shift-Selective) technique and STIR (Short Tau Inversion Recovery) sequence in hands of normal subjects at 2D MR imaging. 14 healthy volunteers (mean age of 29.4 years) consented to have both hands prospectively imaged with SE T1 Dixon, T1 CHESS, T2 Dixon, T2 CHESS and STIR sequences in a 1.5T MR scanner. Three radiologists scored the effectiveness of fat suppression in bone marrow (EFS BM ) and soft tissues (EFS ST ) in 20 joints per subject. One radiologist measured the SNR in 10 bones per subject. Statistical analysis used two-way ANOVA with random effects, paired t-test and observed agreement to assess differences in effectiveness of fat suppression, differences in SNR and inter-observer agreement. EFS BM was statistically significantly higher for T1 Dixon than for T1 CHESS and for T2 Dixon than for T2 CHESS (pCHESS and for T2 Dixon than for STIR (pCHESS (pCHESS technique at 2D T1-weighted MR imaging of the hands. At T2-weighted MR imaging, fat suppression is more effective with the Dixon method while SNR is higher with the CHESS technique. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. High level of viral suppression and low switch rate to second-line antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected adult patients followed over five years: retrospective analysis of the DART trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cissy Kityo

    Full Text Available In contrast to resource-rich countries, most HIV-infected patients in resource-limited countries receive treatment without virological monitoring. There are few long-term data, in this setting, on rates of viral suppression or switch to second-line antiretroviral therapy. The DART trial compared clinically driven monitoring (CDM versus routine laboratory (CD4/haematology/biochemistry and clinical monitoring (LCM in HIV-infected adults initiating therapy. There was no virological monitoring in either study group during follow-up, but viral load was measured in Ugandan participants at trial closure. Two thousand three hundred and seventeen (2317 participants from this country initiated antiretroviral therapy with zidovudine/lamivudine plus tenofovir (n = 1717, abacavir (n = 300, or nevirapine (n = 300. Of 1896 (81.8% participants who were alive and in follow-up at trial closure (median 5.1 years after therapy initiation, 1507 (79.5% were on first-line and 389 (20.5% on second-line antiretroviral therapy. The overall switch rate after the first year was 5.6 per 100 person-years; the rate was substantially higher in participants with low baseline CD4 counts (<50 cells/mm3. Among 1207 (80.1% first-line participants with viral load measured, HIV RNA was <400 copies/ml in 963 (79.8%, 400-999 copies/ml in 37 (3.1%, 1,000-9,999 copies/ml in 110 (9.1%, and ≥10,000 copies/ml in 97 (8.0%. The proportion with HIV RNA <400 copies/ml was slightly lower (difference 7.1%, 95% CI 2.5 to 11.5% in CDM (76.3% than in LCM (83.4%. Among 252 (64.8% second-line participants with viral load measured (median 2.3 years after switch, HIV RNA was <400 copies/ml in 226 (89.7%, with no difference between monitoring strategies. Low switch rates and high, sustained levels of viral suppression are achievable without viral load or CD4 count monitoring in the context of high-quality clinical care.ISRCTN13968779.

  10. Synchronization of Switched Interval Networks and Applications to Chaotic Neural Networks

    OpenAIRE

    Cao, Jinde; Alofi, Abdulaziz; Al-Mazrooei, Abdullah; Elaiw, Ahmed

    2013-01-01

    This paper investigates synchronization problem of switched delay networks with interval parameters uncertainty, based on the theories of the switched systems and drive-response technique, a mathematical model of the switched interval drive-response error system is established. Without constructing Lyapunov-Krasovskii functions, introducing matrix measure method for the first time to switched time-varying delay networks, combining Halanay inequality technique, synchroniza...

  11. A microcontroller-based compensated optical proximity detector employing the switching-mode synchronous detection technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rakshit, Anjan; Chatterjee, Amitava

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes the development of a microcontroller-based optical proximity detector that can provide a low-cost yet powerful obstacle-sensing mechanism for mobile robots. The system is developed with the switching-mode synchronous detection technique to provide satisfactory performance over a wide range of operating conditions and is developed with the facility of externally setting a threshold, for reliable operation. The system is dynamically compensated against ambient illumination variations. Experimental studies demonstrate how the minimum distance of activation can be varied with different choices of thresholds. (paper)

  12. Fast-opening vacuum switches for high-power inductive energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cooperstein, G.

    1988-01-01

    The subject of fast-opening vacuum switches for high-power inductive energy storage is emerging as an exciting new area of plasma science research. This opening switch technology, which generally involves the use of plasmas as the switching medium, is key to the development of inductive energy storage techniques for pulsed power which have a number of advantages over conventional capacitive techniques with regard to cost and size. This paper reviews the state of the art in this area with emphasis on applications to inductive storage pulsed power generators. Discussion focuses on fast-opening vacuum switches capable of operating at high power (≥10 12 W). These include plasma erosion opening switches, ion beam opening switches, plasma filled diodes, reflex diodes, plasma flow switches, and other novel vacuum opening switches

  13. Switching behavior of resistive change memory using oxide nanowires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aono, Takashige; Sugawa, Kosuke; Shimizu, Tomohiro; Shingubara, Shoso; Takase, Kouichi

    2018-06-01

    Resistive change random access memory (ReRAM), which is expected to be the next-generation nonvolatile memory, often has wide switching voltage distributions due to many kinds of conductive filaments. In this study, we have tried to suppress the distribution through the structural restriction of the filament-forming area using NiO nanowires. The capacitor with Ni metal nanowires whose surface is oxidized showed good switching behaviors with narrow distributions. The knowledge gained from our study will be very helpful in producing practical ReRAM devices.

  14. Optimization of Modulation Waveforms for Improved EMI Attenuation in Switching Frequency Modulated Power Converters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deniss Stepins

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Electromagnetic interference (EMI is one of the major problems of switching power converters. This paper is devoted to switching frequency modulation used for conducted EMI suppression in switching power converters. Comprehensive theoretical analysis of switching power converter conducted EMI spectrum and EMI attenuation due the use of traditional ramp and multislope ramp modulation waveforms is presented. Expressions to calculate EMI spectrum and attenuation are derived. Optimization procedure of the multislope ramp modulation waveform is proposed to get maximum benefits from switching frequency modulation for EMI reduction. Experimental verification is also performed to prove that the optimized multislope ramp modulation waveform is very useful solution for effective EMI reduction in switching power converters.

  15. Suppression of interferometric crosstalk and ASE noise using a polarization multiplexing technique and an SOA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zheng, Xueyan; Liu, Fenghai; Wolfson, David

    2000-01-01

    Noise suppression at 10 Gbit/s and 20 Gbit/s is demonstrated using a gain saturated semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and a polarization multiplexing technique, where no impairments like waveform distortion and extinction ratio degradation caused by the gain saturation of the SOA appear. More...

  16. Interaction of tinnitus suppression and hearing ability after cochlear implantation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qian; Li, Jia-Nan; Lei, Guan-Xiong; Chen, Dai-Shi; Wang, Wei-Ze; Chen, Ai-Ting; Mong, Meng-Di; Li, Sun; Jiao, Qing-Shan; Yang, Shi-Ming

    2017-10-01

    To study the postoperative impact of cochlear implants (CIs) on tinnitus, as well as the impact of tinnitus on speech recognition with CI switched on. Fifty-two postlingual deafened CI recipients (21 males and 31 females) were assessed using an established Tinnitus Characteristics Questionnaire and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) before and after cochlear implantation. The tinnitus loudness was investigated when CI was switched on and off in CI recipients with persistent tinnitus. The relation between tinnitus loudness and recipients' satisfaction of cochlear implantation was analyzed by the visual analogue scale (VAS) score. With CI 'OFF', 42 CI recipients experienced tinnitus postimplant ipsilaterally and 44 contralaterally. Tinnitus was totally suppressed ipsilateral to the CI with CI 'ON' in 42.9%, partially suppressed in 42.9%, unchanged in 11.9% and aggravated in 2.4%. Tinnitus was totally suppressed contralaterally with CI 'ON' in 31.8% of CI recipients, partially suppressed in 47.7%, unchanged in 20.5%. Pearson correlation analysis showed that tinnitus loudness and the results of cochlear implant patients satisfaction was negatively correlated (r = .674, p tinnitus. The tinnitus loudness may affect patients' satisfaction with the use of CI.

  17. A Comparison Study of Sinusoidal PWM and Space Vector PWM Techniques for Voltage Source Inverter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ömer Türksoy

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the methods used to control voltage source inverters which have been intensively investigated in recent years are compared. Although the most efficient result is obtained with the least number of switching elements in the inverter topologies, the method used in the switching is at least as effective as the topology. Besides, the selected switching method to control the inverter will play an effective role in suppressing harmonic components while producing the ideal output voltage. There are many derivatives of pulse width modulation techniques that are commonly used to control voltage source inverters. Some of widespread methods are sinusoidal pulse width modulation and space vector pulse width modulation techniques. These modulation techniques used for generating variable frequency and amplitude output voltage in voltage source inverters, have been simulated by using MATLAB/SIMULINK. And, the total harmonic distortions of the output voltages are compared. As a result of simulation studies, sinusoidal pulse width modulation has been found to have more total harmonic distortion in output voltages of voltage source inverters in the simulation. Space vector pulse width modulation has been shown to produce a more efficient output voltage with less total harmonic distortion.

  18. A valley-filtering switch based on strained graphene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhai, Feng; Ma, Yanling; Zhang, Ying-Tao

    2011-09-28

    We investigate valley-dependent transport through a graphene sheet modulated by both the substrate strain and the fringe field of two parallel ferromagnetic metal (FM) stripes. When the magnetizations of the two FM stripes are switched from the parallel to the antiparallel alignment, the total conductance, valley polarization and valley conductance excess change greatly over a wide range of Fermi energy, which results from the dependence of the valley-related transmission suppression on the polarity configuration of inhomogeneous magnetic fields. Thus the proposed structure exhibits the significant features of a valley-filtering switch and a magnetoresistance device.

  19. A valley-filtering switch based on strained graphene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhai Feng; Ma Yanling; Zhang Yingtao

    2011-01-01

    We investigate valley-dependent transport through a graphene sheet modulated by both the substrate strain and the fringe field of two parallel ferromagnetic metal (FM) stripes. When the magnetizations of the two FM stripes are switched from the parallel to the antiparallel alignment, the total conductance, valley polarization and valley conductance excess change greatly over a wide range of Fermi energy, which results from the dependence of the valley-related transmission suppression on the polarity configuration of inhomogeneous magnetic fields. Thus the proposed structure exhibits the significant features of a valley-filtering switch and a magnetoresistance device. (paper)

  20. Fat suppression at 2D MR imaging of the hands: Dixon method versus CHESS technique and STIR sequence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirchgesner, Thomas; Perlepe, Vasiliki; Michoux, Nicolas; Larbi, Ahmed; Vande Berg, Bruno

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Dixon yields effective fat suppression at 2D MRI of the hands. • CHESS fat suppression is less effective especially in the coronal plane. • SNR is higher with Dixon than with CHESS at T1-weighted MR imaging. • SNR is higher with CHESS than with Dixon and STIR at T2-weighted MR imaging. - Abstract: Objective: To compare the effectiveness of fat suppression and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the Dixon method with those of the CHESS (Chemical Shift-Selective) technique and STIR (Short Tau Inversion Recovery) sequence in hands of normal subjects at 2D MR imaging. Material and methods: 14 healthy volunteers (mean age of 29.4 years) consented to have both hands prospectively imaged with SE T1 Dixon, T1 CHESS, T2 Dixon, T2 CHESS and STIR sequences in a 1.5T MR scanner. Three radiologists scored the effectiveness of fat suppression in bone marrow (EFS BM ) and soft tissues (EFS ST ) in 20 joints per subject. One radiologist measured the SNR in 10 bones per subject. Statistical analysis used two-way ANOVA with random effects, paired t-test and observed agreement to assess differences in effectiveness of fat suppression, differences in SNR and inter-observer agreement. Results: EFS BM was statistically significantly higher for T1 Dixon than for T1 CHESS and for T2 Dixon than for T2 CHESS (p < 0.0001). EFS BM was significantly higher for T2 Dixon than for STIR in the coronal plane (p = 0.0020). The SNR was significantly higher for T1 Dixon than for T1 CHESS and for T2 Dixon than for STIR (p < 0.0001). The SNR was significantly lower for T2 Dixon than for T2 CHESS (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: The Dixon method yields more effective fat suppression and higher SNR than the CHESS technique at 2D T1-weighted MR imaging of the hands. At T2-weighted MR imaging, fat suppression is more effective with the Dixon method while SNR is higher with the CHESS technique.

  1. Fat suppression at 2D MR imaging of the hands: Dixon method versus CHESS technique and STIR sequence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirchgesner, Thomas, E-mail: Thomas.Kirchgesner@uclouvain.be; Perlepe, Vasiliki, E-mail: Vasiliki.Perlepe@uclouvain.be; Michoux, Nicolas, E-mail: Nicolas.Michoux@uclouvain.be; Larbi, Ahmed, E-mail: Ahmed.Larbi@chu-nimes.fr; Vande Berg, Bruno, E-mail: Bruno.VandeBerg@uclouvain.be

    2017-04-15

    Highlights: • Dixon yields effective fat suppression at 2D MRI of the hands. • CHESS fat suppression is less effective especially in the coronal plane. • SNR is higher with Dixon than with CHESS at T1-weighted MR imaging. • SNR is higher with CHESS than with Dixon and STIR at T2-weighted MR imaging. - Abstract: Objective: To compare the effectiveness of fat suppression and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the Dixon method with those of the CHESS (Chemical Shift-Selective) technique and STIR (Short Tau Inversion Recovery) sequence in hands of normal subjects at 2D MR imaging. Material and methods: 14 healthy volunteers (mean age of 29.4 years) consented to have both hands prospectively imaged with SE T1 Dixon, T1 CHESS, T2 Dixon, T2 CHESS and STIR sequences in a 1.5T MR scanner. Three radiologists scored the effectiveness of fat suppression in bone marrow (EFS{sup BM}) and soft tissues (EFS{sup ST}) in 20 joints per subject. One radiologist measured the SNR in 10 bones per subject. Statistical analysis used two-way ANOVA with random effects, paired t-test and observed agreement to assess differences in effectiveness of fat suppression, differences in SNR and inter-observer agreement. Results: EFS{sup BM} was statistically significantly higher for T1 Dixon than for T1 CHESS and for T2 Dixon than for T2 CHESS (p < 0.0001). EFS{sup BM} was significantly higher for T2 Dixon than for STIR in the coronal plane (p = 0.0020). The SNR was significantly higher for T1 Dixon than for T1 CHESS and for T2 Dixon than for STIR (p < 0.0001). The SNR was significantly lower for T2 Dixon than for T2 CHESS (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: The Dixon method yields more effective fat suppression and higher SNR than the CHESS technique at 2D T1-weighted MR imaging of the hands. At T2-weighted MR imaging, fat suppression is more effective with the Dixon method while SNR is higher with the CHESS technique.

  2. Novel Frequency Swapping Technique for Conducted Electromagnetic Interference Suppression in Power Converter Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming-Tse Kuo

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Quasi-resonant flyback (QRF converters have been widely applied as the main circuit topology in power converters because of their low cost and high efficiency. Conventional QRF converters tend to generate higher average conducted electromagnetic interference (EMI in the low-frequency domain due to the switching noise generated by power switches, resulting in the fact they can exceed the EMI standards of the European Standard 55022 Class-B emission requirements. The presented paper develops a novel frequency swapping control method that spreads spectral energy to reduce the amplitude of sub-harmonics, thereby lowering average conducted EMI in the low-frequency domain. The proposed method is implemented in a control chip, which requires no extra circuit components and adds zero cost. The proposed control method is verified using a 24 W QRF converter. Experimental results reveals that conducted EMI has been reduced by approximately 13.24 dBμV at 498 kHz compared with a control method without the novel frequency swapping technique. Thus, the proposed method can effectively improve the flyback system to easily meet the CISPR 22/EN55022 standards.

  3. Obligatory participation of macrophages in an angiopoietin 2-mediated cell death switch

    OpenAIRE

    Rao, Sujata; Lobov, Ivan B.; Vallance, Jefferson E.; Tsujikawa, Kaoru; Shiojima, Ichiro; Akunuru, Shailaja; Walsh, Kenneth; Benjamin, Laura E.; Lang, Richard A.

    2007-01-01

    Macrophages have a critical function in the recognition and engulfment of dead cells. In some settings, macrophages also actively signal programmed cell death. Here we show that during developmentally scheduled vascular regression, resident macrophages are an obligatory participant in a signaling switch that favors death over survival. This switch occurs when the signaling ligand angiopoietin 2 has the dual effect of suppressing survival signaling in vascular endothelial cells (VECs) and stim...

  4. Robust Grid-Current-Feedback Resonance Suppression Method for LCL-Type Grid-Connected Inverter Connected to Weak Grid

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhou, Xiaoping; Zhou, Leming; Chen, Yandong

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, a robust grid-current-feedback reso-nance suppression (GCFRS) method for LCL-type grid-connected inverter is proposed to enhance the system damping without introducing the switching noise and eliminate the impact of control delay on system robustness against grid-impedance variation....... It is composed of GCFRS method, the full duty-ratio and zero-beat-lag PWM method, and the lead-grid-current-feedback-resonance-suppression (LGCFRS) method. Firstly, the GCFRS is used to suppress the LCL-resonant peak well and avoid introducing the switching noise. Secondly, the proposed full duty-ratio and zero......-beat-lag PWM method is used to elimi-nate the one-beat-lag computation delay without introducing duty cycle limitations. Moreover, it can also realize the smooth switching from positive to negative half-wave of the grid current and improve the waveform quality. Thirdly, the proposed LGCFRS is used to further...

  5. Synchronization of Switched Interval Networks and Applications to Chaotic Neural Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinde Cao

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates synchronization problem of switched delay networks with interval parameters uncertainty, based on the theories of the switched systems and drive-response technique, a mathematical model of the switched interval drive-response error system is established. Without constructing Lyapunov-Krasovskii functions, introducing matrix measure method for the first time to switched time-varying delay networks, combining Halanay inequality technique, synchronization criteria are derived for switched interval networks under the arbitrary switching rule, which are easy to verify in practice. Moreover, as an application, the proposed scheme is then applied to chaotic neural networks. Finally, numerical simulations are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.

  6. Tutorial: Integrated-photonic switching structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soref, Richard

    2018-02-01

    Recent developments in waveguided 2 × 2 and N × M photonic switches are reviewed, including both broadband and narrowband resonant devices for the Si, InP, and AlN platforms. Practical actuation of switches by electro-optical and thermo-optical techniques is discussed. Present datacom-and-computing applications are reviewed, and potential applications are proposed for chip-scale photonic and optoelectronic integrated switching networks. Potential is found in the reconfigurable, programmable "mesh" switches that enable a promising group of applications in new areas beyond those in data centers and cloud servers. Many important matrix switches use gated semiconductor optical amplifiers. The family of broadband, directional-coupler 2 × 2 switches featuring two or three side-coupled waveguides deserves future experimentation, including devices that employ phase-change materials. The newer 2 × 2 resonant switches include standing-wave resonators, different from the micro-ring traveling-wave resonators. The resonant devices comprise nanobeam interferometers, complex-Bragg interferometers, and asymmetric contra-directional couplers. Although the fast, resonant devices offer ultralow switching energy, ˜1 fJ/bit, they have limitations. They require several trade-offs when deployed, but they do have practical application.

  7. A Regev-Type Fully Homomorphic Encryption Scheme Using Modulus Switching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Zhigang; Wang, Jian; Song, Xinxia

    2014-01-01

    A critical challenge in a fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) scheme is to manage noise. Modulus switching technique is currently the most efficient noise management technique. When using the modulus switching technique to design and implement a FHE scheme, how to choose concrete parameters is an important step, but to our best knowledge, this step has drawn very little attention to the existing FHE researches in the literature. The contributions of this paper are twofold. On one hand, we propose a function of the lower bound of dimension value in the switching techniques depending on the LWE specific security levels. On the other hand, as a case study, we modify the Brakerski FHE scheme (in Crypto 2012) by using the modulus switching technique. We recommend concrete parameter values of our proposed scheme and provide security analysis. Our result shows that the modified FHE scheme is more efficient than the original Brakerski scheme in the same security level. PMID:25093212

  8. Comparison of the artifacts caused by metallic implants in breast MRI using dual-echo dixon versus conventional fat-suppression techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Yuan; Kipfer, Hal D; Majidi, Shadie S; Holz, Stephanie; Lin, Chen

    2014-09-01

    The purpose of this article is to evaluate and compare the artifacts caused by metal implants in breast MR images acquired with dual-echo Dixon and two conventional fat-suppression techniques. Two types of biopsy markers were embedded into a uniform fat-water emulsion. T1-weighted gradient-echo images were acquired on a clinical 3-T MRI scanner with three different fat-suppression techniques-conventional or quick fat saturation, spectrally selective adiabatic inversion recovery (SPAIR), and dual-echo Dixon-and the 3D volumes of artifacts were measured. Among the subjects of a clinical breast MRI study using the same scanner, five patients were found to have one or more metal implants. The artifacts in Dixon and SPAIR fat-suppressed images were evaluated by three radiologists, and the results were compared with those of the phantom study. In the phantom study, the artifacts appeared as interleaved bright and dark rings on SPAIR and quick-fat-saturation images, whereas they appeared as dark regions with a thin bright rim on Dixon images. The artifacts imaged with the Dixon technique had the smallest total volume. However, the reviewers found larger artifact diameters on patient images using the Dixon sequence because only the central region was recognized as an artifact on the SPAIR images. Metal implants introduce artifacts of different types and sizes, according to the different fat-suppression techniques used. The dual-echo Dixon technique produces a larger central void, allowing the implant to be easily identified, but presents a smaller overall artifact volume by obscuring less area in the image, according to a quantitative phantom study.

  9. Switching EKF technique for rotor and stator resistance estimation in speed sensorless control of IMs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barut, Murat; Bogosyan, Seta; Gokasan, Metin

    2007-01-01

    High performance speed sensorless control of induction motors (IMs) calls for estimation and control schemes that offer solutions to parameter uncertainties as well as to difficulties involved with accurate flux/velocity estimation at very low and zero speed. In this study, a new EKF based estimation algorithm is proposed for the solution of both problems and is applied in combination with speed sensorless direct vector control (DVC). The technique is based on the consecutive execution of two EKF algorithms, by switching from one algorithm to another at every n sampling periods. The number of sampling periods, n, is determined based on the desired system performance. The switching EKF approach, thus applied, provides an accurate estimation of an increased number of parameters than would be possible with a single EKF algorithm. The simultaneous and accurate estimation of rotor, R r ' and stator, R s resistances, both in the transient and steady state, is an important challenge in speed sensorless IM control and reported studies achieving satisfactory results are few, if any. With the proposed technique in this study, the sensorless estimation of R r ' and R s is achieved in transient and steady state and in both high and low speed operation while also estimating the unknown load torque, velocity, flux and current components. The performance demonstrated by the simulation results at zero speed, as well as at low and high speed operation is very promising when compared with individual EKF algorithms performing either R r ' or R s estimation or with the few other approaches taken in past studies, which require either signal injection and/or a change of algorithms based on the speed range. The results also motivate utilization of the technique for multiple parameter estimation in a variety of control methods

  10. Experimental test of a new technique of background suppression in digital mammography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bisogni, M.G.; Bottari, S.; Ciocci, M.A.; Fantacci, M.E.; Maestro, P.; Malakhov, N.; Marrocchesi, P.S. E-mail: marrocchesi@pi.infn.it; Novelli, M.; Quattrocchi, M.; Pilo, F.; Rosso, V.; Turini, N.; Zucca, S

    2002-02-01

    A multiple-exposure technique in digital mammography has been developed to suppress the physical background in the image due to Compton scattering in the body. A pair of X-ray masks, shaped in a projective geometry and positioned upstream and downstream the patient, are coupled mechanically and moved in four steps along a square pattern in order to irradiate the full area in four consecutive short exposures. A proof-of-principle apparatus is under test with a breast phantom and a standard mammographic X-ray unit. Results are reported.

  11. Experimental test of a new technique of background suppression in digital mammography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bisogni, M.G.; Bottari, S.; Ciocci, M.A.; Fantacci, M.E.; Maestro, P.; Malakhov, N.; Marrocchesi, P.S.; Novelli, M.; Quattrocchi, M.; Pilo, F.; Rosso, V.; Turini, N.; Zucca, S.

    2002-01-01

    A multiple-exposure technique in digital mammography has been developed to suppress the physical background in the image due to Compton scattering in the body. A pair of X-ray masks, shaped in a projective geometry and positioned upstream and downstream the patient, are coupled mechanically and moved in four steps along a square pattern in order to irradiate the full area in four consecutive short exposures. A proof-of-principle apparatus is under test with a breast phantom and a standard mammographic X-ray unit. Results are reported

  12. A new Zero-Voltage-Transition PWM switching cell

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grigore, V. [Electronics and Telecommunications Faculty `Politebuica` University Bucharest (Romania); Kyyrae, J. [Helsinki University of Technology, Otaniemi (Finland): Institute of Intelligent Power Electronics

    1997-12-31

    In this paper a new Zero-Voltage-Transition (ZVT) PWM switching cell is presented. The proposed switching cell is composed of the normal hard-switched PWM cell (consisting of one active switch and one passive switch), plus an auxiliary circuit (consisting of one active switch and some reactive components). The auxiliary circuit is inactive during the ON and OFF intervals of the switches in the normal PWM switch. However, the transitions between the two states are controlled by the auxiliary circuit. Prior to turn-on, the voltage across the active switch in the PWM cell is forced to zero, thus the turn-on losses of the active switch are practically eliminated. At turn-off the auxiliary circuit behaves like a non-dissipative passive snubber reducing the turn-off losses to a great extent. Zero-Voltage-Transition switching technique almost eliminates switching losses. The active switch operates under ZVT conditions, the passive switch (diode) has a controlled reverse recovery, and the switch in the auxiliary circuit operates under Zero-Current-Switching (ZCS) conditions. (orig.) 6 refs.

  13. Suppression of parasitic oscillations in a core-doped ceramic Nd:YAG laser by Sm:YAG cladding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huss, Rafael; Wilhelm, Ralf; Kolleck, Christian; Neumann, Jörg; Kracht, Dietmar

    2010-06-07

    The onset of parasitic oscillations limits the extraction efficiency and therefore energy scaling of Q-switched lasers. A solid-state laser was end pumped with a fiber-coupled diode laser and operated in q-cw as well as in passively Q-switched operation. For Q-switched operation, we demonstrate the suppression of parasitic oscillations in a core-doped ceramic Nd:YAG laser by Sm:YAG cladding.

  14. A magnetically switched kicker for proton extraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dinkel, J.; Biggs, J.

    1989-03-01

    The application of magnetic current amplification and switching techniques to the generation of precise high current pulses for switching magnets is described. The square loop characteristic of Metglas tape wound cores at high excitation levels provides excellent switching characteristics for microsecond pulses. The rugged and passive nature of this type pulser makes it possible to locate the final stages of amplification at the load for maximum efficiency. 12 refs., 8 figs

  15. Minimizing Crosstalk in Self Oscillating Switch Mode Audio Power Amplifiers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knott, Arnold; Ploug, Rasmus Overgaard

    2012-01-01

    a method to minimize this phenomenon by improving the integrity of the various power distribution systems of the amplifier. The method is then applied to an amplifier built for this investigation. The results show that the crosstalk is suppressed with 30 dB, but is not entirely eliminated......The varying switching frequencies of self oscillating switch mode audio amplifiers have been known to cause interchannel intermodulation disturbances in multi channel configurations. This crosstalk phenomenon has a negative impact on the audio performance. The goal of this paper is to present...

  16. Interocular suppression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuna, Ana Rita; Almeida Neves Carrega, Filipa; Nunes, Amélia Fernandes

    2017-08-01

    The objective of this work is to quantify the suppressive imbalance, based on the manipulation of ocular luminance, between a group of subjects with normal binocular vision and a group of subjects with amblyopia. The result reveals that there are statistically significant differences in interocular dominance between two groups, evidencing a greater suppressive imbalance in amblyopic subjects. The technique used, proved to be a simple, easy to apply and economic method, for quantified ocular dominance. It is presented as a technique with the potential to accompany subjects with a marked dominance in one of the eyes that makes fusion difficult.

  17. IMPLEMENTATION OF A SWITCHED POWER SUPPLY FOR THE PLASMA ELECTROLYTIC OXIDATION TECHNIQUE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Gordillo-Delgado

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available A switched-mode power supply was implemented for using in the Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO technique. The electronic devices are inexpensive and ordinarily used, which facilitates the construction of the system. A MICROCHIP microcontroller was used for generating a digital signal with frequency and duty cycle control; a capacitor bank and a diode bridge were also used for rectifying the input signal from the electrical network. The management of the output voltage was made with an arrangement of MOSFET transistors in the "low side" configuration; the measurement of the current was made with a Hall Effect sensor and using the USB communication the data was sent to a computer for visualization with a LabVIEW algorithm. The power supply was tested for creating microcavities in a titanium sheet with the aim of forming nanostructures of titanium dioxide.

  18. Stateless multicast switching in software defined networks

    OpenAIRE

    Reed, Martin J.; Al-Naday, Mays; Thomos, Nikolaos; Trossen, Dirk; Petropoulos, George; Spirou, Spiros

    2016-01-01

    Multicast data delivery can significantly reduce traffic in operators' networks, but has been limited in deployment due to concerns such as the scalability of state management. This paper shows how multicast can be implemented in contemporary software defined networking (SDN) switches, with less state than existing unicast switching strategies, by utilising a Bloom Filter (BF) based switching technique. Furthermore, the proposed mechanism uses only proactive rule insertion, and thus, is not l...

  19. Noise Suppression in ECG Signals through Efficient One-Step Wavelet Processing Techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Castillo

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper illustrates the application of the discrete wavelet transform (DWT for wandering and noise suppression in electrocardiographic (ECG signals. A novel one-step implementation is presented, which allows improving the overall denoising process. In addition an exhaustive study is carried out, defining threshold limits and thresholding rules for optimal wavelet denoising using this presented technique. The system has been tested using synthetic ECG signals, which allow accurately measuring the effect of the proposed processing. Moreover, results from real abdominal ECG signals acquired from pregnant women are presented in order to validate the presented approach.

  20. Observer-Based Robust Control of Uncertain Switched Fuzzy Systems with Combined Switching Controller

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Yang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The observer-based robust control for a class of switched fuzzy (SF time-delay systems involving uncertainties and external disturbances is investigated in this paper. A switched fuzzy system, which differs from existing ones, is firstly employed to describe a nonlinear system. Next, a combined switching controller is proposed. The designed controller based on the observer instead of the state information integrates the advantages of both the switching controllers and the supplementary controllers but eliminates their disadvantages. The proposed controller provides good performance during the transient period, and the chattering effect is removed when the system state approaches the origin. Sufficient condition for the solvability of the robust control problem is given for the case that the state of system is not available. Since convex combination techniques are used to derive the delay-independent criteria, some subsystems are allowed to be unstable. Finally, various comparisons of the elaborated examples are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control design approach.

  1. Switching algorithm for maglev train double-modular redundant positioning sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Ning; Long, Zhiqiang; Xue, Song

    2012-01-01

    High-resolution positioning for maglev trains is implemented by detecting the tooth-slot structure of the long stator installed along the rail, but there are large joint gaps between long stator sections. When a positioning sensor is below a large joint gap, its positioning signal is invalidated, thus double-modular redundant positioning sensors are introduced into the system. This paper studies switching algorithms for these redundant positioning sensors. At first, adaptive prediction is applied to the sensor signals. The prediction errors are used to trigger sensor switching. In order to enhance the reliability of the switching algorithm, wavelet analysis is introduced to suppress measuring disturbances without weakening the signal characteristics reflecting the stator joint gap based on the correlation between the wavelet coefficients of adjacent scales. The time delay characteristics of the method are analyzed to guide the algorithm simplification. Finally, the effectiveness of the simplified switching algorithm is verified through experiments.

  2. Switching Algorithm for Maglev Train Double-Modular Redundant Positioning Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Song Xue

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available High-resolution positioning for maglev trains is implemented by detecting the tooth-slot structure of the long stator installed along the rail, but there are large joint gaps between long stator sections. When a positioning sensor is below a large joint gap, its positioning signal is invalidated, thus double-modular redundant positioning sensors are introduced into the system. This paper studies switching algorithms for these redundant positioning sensors. At first, adaptive prediction is applied to the sensor signals. The prediction errors are used to trigger sensor switching. In order to enhance the reliability of the switching algorithm, wavelet analysis is introduced to suppress measuring disturbances without weakening the signal characteristics reflecting the stator joint gap based on the correlation between the wavelet coefficients of adjacent scales. The time delay characteristics of the method are analyzed to guide the algorithm simplification. Finally, the effectiveness of the simplified switching algorithm is verified through experiments.

  3. An offset cancellation technique in a switched-capacitor comparator for SAR ADCs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tong Xingyuan; Zhu Zhangming; Yang Yintang

    2012-01-01

    An offset cancellation technique for a SAR (successive approximation register) ADC switched-capacitor comparator is described. The comparator is designed with a pre-amplifying and regenerative latching structure and realized in 0.18 μm CMOS. With the first stage preamplifier offset cancellation and low offset regenerative latching approach, the equivalent offset of the comparator is reduced to < 0.55 mV. By using the pre-amplifying and regenerative latching comparison mode the comparator exhibits low power dissipation. Under a 1.8 V power supply, with a 200 kS/s ADC sampling rate and 3 MHz clock frequency, a 13-bit comparison resolution is reached and less than 0.09 mW power dissipation is consumed. The superiority of this comparator is discussed and proved by the post-simulation and application to a 10 bit 200 kS/s touch screen SAR A/D converter. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

  4. Analysis of Switched-Rigid Floating Oscillator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prabhakar R. Marur

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available In explicit finite element simulations, a technique called deformable-to-rigid (D2R switching is used routinely to reduce the computation time. Using the D2R option, the deformable parts in the model can be switched to rigid and reverted back to deformable when needed during the analysis. The time of activation of D2R however influences the overall dynamics of the system being analyzed. In this paper, a theoretical basis for the selection of time of rigid switching based on system energy is established. A floating oscillator problem is investigated for this purpose and closed-form analytical expressions are derived for different phases in rigid switching. The analytical expressions are validated by comparing the theoretical results with numerical computations.

  5. Suppression of oriental fruit moth (Grapholita molesta, Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) populations using the sterile insect technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Genchev, N.

    2002-01-01

    The Oriental fruit moth (OFM) is a major insect pest of peaches in Bulgaria. Its control usually requires several insecticide treatments per season. This, however, gives rise to serious toxic residue problems. A program for suppression of OFM populations involving the use of sterile-insect technique (SIT) has been developed as an alternative to the chemical methods for OFM. Relevant information regarding laboratory rearing, radiation and basic biology are presented here. Expected effects of some release programs are modelled using appropriate mathematical simulations. Results obtained in a small field experiment showed high efficacy of a program integrating F 1 male sterility technique and classic SIT. (author)

  6. Novel approach for all-optical packet switching in wide-area networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chlamtac, Imrich; Fumagalli, Andrea F.; Wedzinga, Gosse

    1998-09-01

    All-optical Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) networks are believed to be a fundamental component in future high speed backbones. However, while wavelength routing made circuit switching in WDM feasible the reality of extant optical technology does not yet provide the necessary devices to achieve individual optical packet switching. This paper proposes to achieve all-optical packet switching in WDM Wide Area Networks (WANs) via a novel technique, called slot routing. Using slot routing, entire slots, each carrying multiple packets on distinct wavelengths, are switched transparently and individually. As a result packets can be optically transmitted and switched in the network using available fast and wavelength non-sensitive devices. The proposed routing technique leads to an optical packet switching solution, that is simple, practical, and unique as it makes it possible to build a WDM all-optical WAN with optical devices based on proven technologies.

  7. Molecular mechanism of the Syk activation switch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsang, Emily; Giannetti, Anthony M; Shaw, David; Dinh, Marie; Tse, Joyce K Y; Gandhi, Shaan; Ho, Hoangdung; Wang, Sandra; Papp, Eva; Bradshaw, J Michael

    2008-11-21

    Many immune signaling pathways require activation of the Syk tyrosine kinase to link ligation of surface receptors to changes in gene expression. Despite the central role of Syk in these pathways, the Syk activation process remains poorly understood. In this work we quantitatively characterized the molecular mechanism of Syk activation in vitro using a real time fluorescence kinase assay, mutagenesis, and other biochemical techniques. We found that dephosphorylated full-length Syk demonstrates a low initial rate of substrate phosphorylation that increases during the kinase reaction due to autophosphorylation. The initial rate of Syk activity was strongly increased by either pre-autophosphorylation or binding of phosphorylated immune tyrosine activation motif peptides, and each of these factors independently fully activated Syk. Deletion mutagenesis was used to identify regions of Syk important for regulation, and residues 340-356 of the SH2 kinase linker region were identified to be important for suppression of activity before activation. Comparison of the activation processes of Syk and Zap-70 revealed that Syk is more readily activated by autophosphorylation than Zap-70, although both kinases are rapidly activated by Src family kinases. We also studied Syk activity in B cell lysates and found endogenous Syk is also activated by phosphorylation and immune tyrosine activation motif binding. Together these experiments show that Syk functions as an "OR-gate" type of molecular switch. This mechanism of switch-like activation helps explain how Syk is both rapidly activated after receptor binding but also sustains activity over time to facilitate longer term changes in gene expression.

  8. CMOS integrated switching power converters

    CERN Document Server

    Villar-Pique, Gerard

    2011-01-01

    This book describes the structured design and optimization of efficient, energy processing integrated circuits. The approach is multidisciplinary, covering the monolithic integration of IC design techniques, power electronics and control theory. In particular, this book enables readers to conceive, synthesize, design and implement integrated circuits with high-density high-efficiency on-chip switching power regulators. Topics covered encompass the structured design of the on-chip power supply, efficiency optimization, IC-compatible power inductors and capacitors, power MOSFET switches and effi

  9. Production of fast switching power thyristors by proton irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sawko, D.C.; Bartko, J.

    1983-01-01

    There are several techniques currently employed by various manufacturers in the fabrication of fast switching power thyristors. Gold doping and irradiation by electron beams are among the more common ones. In all cases, the fast switching capability results from a reduction of the minority carrier lifetime of the host material by the introduction of carrier traps or recombination centers. However, accompanying this beneficial reduction in switching speed is a deleterious increase in forward voltage drop which also results from the introduction of carrier traps. Methods which minimize the voltage drop increase as the switching speed is reduced are highly desirable. One such method would achieve this by introducing the traps or recombination centers into well defined narrow regions where they will be more effective in reducing the switching speed than in increasing the forward voltage drop. Because the proton range-energy relationship in materials is relatively well defined and the lifetime reducing displacements occur near the end of their ranges, the lifetime in silicon can be reduced where desired by the precise control of proton energy. Dual energy proton beams from a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator were used in the experiments to determine whether proton beam irradiations offer advantages over other techniques. This was the subject of the present work. The results indicate that this is the preferred technique for reproducibly and rapidly processing fast switching thyristors with superior characteristics. The experimental procedure is discussed and comparisons are made with electron and neutron irradiated thyristors

  10. Plasma opening switch for long-pulse intense ion beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davis, H.A.; Mason, R.J.; Bartsch, R.R.; Greenly, J.B.; Rej, D.J.

    1992-01-01

    A Plasma Opening Switch (POS) is being developed at Los Alamos, as part of an intense ion beam experiment with special application to materials processing. The switch must conduct up to 100 kA for 600 ns, and open quickly to avoid premature gap closure in the ion beam diode load. Power multiplication is not a necessity, but prepulse suppression is. A positive central polarity is desirable, since with it an ion beam can be conveniently launched beyond the switch from the central anode toward a negatively charged target. Thus, otherwise by virtue of traditional scaling rules, a POS was designed with a 1.25 cm radius inner anode, and a 4.75 cm radius outer cathode. This has been constructed, and subjected to circuit, and simulational analysis. The computations are being performed with the 2D ANTHEM implicit code. Preliminary results show a marked difference in switching dynamics, when the central positive polarity is used in place of the more conventional opposite choice. Opening goes by the fast development of a central anode magnetic layer, rather than by the more conventional slow evolution of a cathode gap. With the central anode, higher fill densities are needed to achieve desired conduction times. This has suggested switch design improvements, which are discussed

  11. Plasma opening switch for long-pulse intense ion beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davis, H.A.; Mason, R.J.; Bartsch, R.R.; Greenly, J.B.; Rej, D.J.

    1993-01-01

    A Plasma Opening Switch (POS) is being developed at Los Alamos, as part of an intense ion beam experiment with special application to materials processing. The switch must conduct up to 100 kA for 400 ns, and open quicky to avoid premature gap closure in the ion beam diode load. Power multiplication is not a necessity, but prepulse suppression is. A positive central polarity is desirable, since with it an ion beam can be conveniently launched beyond the switch from the central anode toward a negatively charged target. Using traditional scaling rules, a POS was designed with a 1.25 cm radius inner anode, and a 5.0 cm radius outer cathode. This has been constructed, and subjected to circuit, and simulational analysis. The computations are being performed with the 2D ANTHEM implicit code. Preliminary results show a marked difference in switching dynamics, when the central positive polarity is used in place of the more conventional opposite choice. Opening is achieved by the fast development of a central anode magnetic layer, rather than by the more conventional slow evolution of a cathode gap. With the central anode, higher fill densities are needed to achieve desired conduction times. This has suggested switch design improvements, which are discussed

  12. Nuclear EMP: key suppression device parameters for EMP hardening

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Durgin, D.L.; Brown, R.M.

    1975-03-01

    The electrical transients induced by EMP exhibit unique characteristics which differ considerably from transients associated with other phenomena such as lightning, switching, and circuit malfunctions. The suppression techniques developed to handle more common transients, though not necessarily the same devices, can be used for EMP damage protection. The suppression devices used for circuit level EMP protection are referred to as Terminal Protection Devices (TPD). Little detailed data describing the response of TPD's to EMP-related transients have been published. While most vendors publish specifications for TPD performance, there is little standardization of parameters and TPD response models are not available. This lack of parameter standardization has resulted in a proliferation of test data that is sometimes conflicting and often not directly comparable. This paper derives and/or defines a consistent set of parameters based on EMP circuit hardening requirements and on measurable component parameters and is concerned only with use of TPD's to prevent permanent damage. Three sets of parameters pertaining to pertinent TPD functional characteristics were defined as follows: standby parameters, protection parameters, and failure parameters. These parameters are used to evaluate a representative sample of TPD's and the results are presented in matrix form to facilitate the selection of devices for specific hardening problems

  13. Nuisance alarm suppression techniques for fibre-optic intrusion detection systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahmoud, Seedahmed S.; Visagathilagar, Yuvaraja; Katsifolis, Jim

    2012-02-01

    The suppression of nuisance alarms without degrading sensitivity in fibre-optic intrusion detection systems is important for maintaining acceptable performance. Signal processing algorithms that maintain the POD and minimize nuisance alarms are crucial for achieving this. A level crossings algorithm is presented for suppressing torrential rain-induced nuisance alarms in a fibre-optic fence-based perimeter intrusion detection system. Results show that rain-induced nuisance alarms can be suppressed for rainfall rates in excess of 100 mm/hr, and intrusion events can be detected simultaneously during rain periods. The use of a level crossing based detection and novel classification algorithm is also presented demonstrating the suppression of nuisance events and discrimination of nuisance and intrusion events in a buried pipeline fibre-optic intrusion detection system. The sensor employed for both types of systems is a distributed bidirectional fibre-optic Mach Zehnder interferometer.

  14. An Improved Clutter Suppression Method for Weather Radars Using Multiple Pulse Repetition Time Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yingjie Yu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes the implementation of an improved clutter suppression method for the multiple pulse repetition time (PRT technique based on simulated radar data. The suppression method is constructed using maximum likelihood methodology in time domain and is called parametric time domain method (PTDM. The procedure relies on the assumption that precipitation and clutter signal spectra follow a Gaussian functional form. The multiple interleaved pulse repetition frequencies (PRFs that are used in this work are set to four PRFs (952, 833, 667, and 513 Hz. Based on radar simulation, it is shown that the new method can provide accurate retrieval of Doppler velocity even in the case of strong clutter contamination. The obtained velocity is nearly unbiased for all the range of Nyquist velocity interval. Also, the performance of the method is illustrated on simulated radar data for plan position indicator (PPI scan. Compared with staggered 2-PRT transmission schemes with PTDM, the proposed method presents better estimation accuracy under certain clutter situations.

  15. Magnetic elements for switching magnetization magnetic force microscopy tips

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cambel, V.; Elias, P.; Gregusova, D.; Martaus, J.; Fedor, J.; Karapetrov, G.; Novosad, V.

    2010-01-01

    Using combination of micromagnetic calculations and magnetic force microscopy (MFM) imaging we find optimal parameters for novel magnetic tips suitable for switching magnetization MFM. Switching magnetization MFM is based on two-pass scanning atomic force microscopy with reversed tip magnetization between the scans. Within the technique the sum of the scanned data with reversed tip magnetization depicts local atomic forces, while their difference maps the local magnetic forces. Here we propose the design and calculate the magnetic properties of tips suitable for this scanning probe technique. We find that for best performance the spin-polarized tips must exhibit low magnetic moment, low switching fields, and single-domain state at remanence. The switching field of such tips is calculated and optimum shape of the Permalloy elements for the tips is found. We show excellent correspondence between calculated and experimental results for Py elements.

  16. Techniques for Wireless Applications

    KAUST Repository

    Gaaloul, Fakhreddine

    2012-05-01

    Switching techniques have been first proposed as a spacial diversity techniques. These techniques have been shown to reduce considerably the processing load while letting multi-antenna systems achieve a specific target performance. In this thesis, we take a different look at the switching schemes by implementing them for different other wireless applications. More specifically, this thesis consists of three main parts, where the first part considers a multiuser environment and an adaptive scheduling algorithm based on the switching with post-selection scheme for statistically independent but non-identically distributed channel conditions. The performance of this switched based scheduler is investigated and a multitude of performance metrics are presented. In a second part, we propose and analyze the performance of three switched-based algorithms for interference reduction in the downlink of over-loaded femtocells. For instance, performance metrics are derived in closed-form and these metrics are used to compare these three proposed schemes. Finally in a third part, a switch based opportunistic channel access scheme is proposed for a cognitive radio system and its performance is analyzed in terms of two new proposed metrics namely the average cognitive radio access and the waiting time duration.

  17. Uv laser triggering of high-voltage gas switches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woodworth, J.R.; Frost, C.A.; Green, T.A.

    1982-01-01

    Two different techniques are discussed for uv laser triggering of high-voltage gas switches using a KrF laser (248 nm) to create an ionized channel through the dielectric gas in a spark gap. One technique uses an uv laser to induce breakdown in SF 6 . For this technique, we present data that demonstrate a 1-sigma jitter of +- 150 ps for a 0.5-MV switch at 80% of its self-breakdown voltage using a low-divergence KrF laser. The other scheme uses additives to the normal dielectric gas, such as tripropylamine, which are selected to undergo resonant two-step ionization in the uv laser field

  18. [Online enrichment ability of restricted-access column coupled with high performance liquid chromatography by column switching technique for benazepril hydrochloride].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiaohui; Wang, Rong; Xie, Hua; Yin, Qiang; Li, Xiaoyun; Jia, Zhengping; Wu, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Juanhong; Li, Wenbin

    2013-05-01

    The online enrichment ability of the restricted-access media (RAM) column coupled with high performance liquid chromatography by column switching technique for benazepril hydrochloride in plasma was studied. The RAM-HPLC system consisted of an RAM column as enrichment column and a C18 column as analytical column coupled via the column switching technique. The effects of the injection volume on the peak area and the systematic pressure were studied. When the injection volume was less than 100 microL, the peak area increased with the increase of the injection volume. However, when the injection volume was more than 80 microL, the pressure of whole system increased obviously. In order to protect the whole system, 80 microL was chosen as the maximum injection volume. The peak areas of ordinary injection and the large volume injection showed a good linear relationship. The enrichment ability of RAM-HPLC system was satisfactory. The system was successfully used for the separation and detection of the trace benazepril hydrochloride in rat plasma after its administration. The sensitivity of HPLC can be improved by RAM pre-enrichment. It is a simple and economic measurement method.

  19. Tag-to-Tag Interference Suppression Technique Based on Time Division for RFID

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grishma Khadka

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Radio-frequency identification (RFID is a tracking technology that enables immediate automatic object identification and rapid data sharing for a wide variety of modern applications using radio waves for data transmission from a tag to a reader. RFID is already well established in technical areas, and many companies have developed corresponding standards and measurement techniques. In the construction industry, effective monitoring of materials and equipment is an important task, and RFID helps to improve monitoring and controlling capabilities, in addition to enabling automation for construction projects. However, on construction sites, there are many tagged objects and multiple RFID tags that may interfere with each other’s communications. This reduces the reliability and efficiency of the RFID system. In this paper, we propose an anti-collision algorithm for communication between multiple tags and a reader. In order to suppress interference signals from multiple neighboring tags, the proposed algorithm employs the time-division (TD technique, where tags in the interrogation zone are assigned a specific time slot so that at every instance in time, a reader communicates with tags using the specific time slot. We present representative computer simulation examples to illustrate the performance of the proposed anti-collision technique for multiple RFID tags.

  20. Soft controller switching technique to minimize the torque and current pulsations of a SCIM during its reswitching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larik, A.S.

    2010-01-01

    The direct-on-line starting of induction motor draws heavy current and to limit this Inrush current to a safe level normally a star-delta switch is used. However, the switching over from star to delta causes over current transients and this leads to torque pulsations. Therefore, in this paper the current and torque pulsations developed during the switching process are focused and a soft-switched controller is devised to minimize the re-closure transient currents and torque pulsations during star-delta switching of induction motor. The designed system can readily handles the sensing of favorable conditions of re closure of a switched-off running induction motor and it minimizes the inrush current and hence the pulsations of torque of all types of induction motors, whether, single-phase or three phase. An investigation is made into the transient currents and pulsation torques generated due to opening the circuit of a running induction motor and the switching pattern of star-delta switching. The re-switching control scheme for the induction motor is practically tested in the laboratory with and without soft controller. (author)

  1. Switching Service Providers: Reasons, Service Types, and Sequences

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In Keaveney.s (1995) landmark study on the reasons for switching service providers, data were gathered using critical incident technique (CIT); here the original findings are tested using survey method. Keaveney.s typology of reasons for switching is supported across a range of categories but, in this new study, the reasons ...

  2. A solid-state dielectric elastomer switch for soft logic

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chau, Nixon [Biomimetics Laboratory, Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Level 6, 70 Symonds Street, Auckland 1010 (New Zealand); Slipher, Geoffrey A., E-mail: geoffrey.a.slipher.civ@mail.mil; Mrozek, Randy A. [U.S. Army Research Laboratory, 2800 Powder Mill Road, Adelphi, Maryland 20783 (United States); O' Brien, Benjamin M. [StretchSense, Ltd., 27 Walls Rd., Penrose, Auckland 1061 (New Zealand); Anderson, Iain A. [Biomimetics Laboratory, Auckland Bioengineering Institute, The University of Auckland, Level 6, 70 Symonds Street, Auckland 1010 (New Zealand); StretchSense, Ltd., 27 Walls Rd., Penrose, Auckland 1061 (New Zealand); Department of Engineering Science, School of Engineering, The University of Auckland, Level 3, 70 Symonds Street, Auckland 1010 (New Zealand)

    2016-03-07

    In this paper, we describe a stretchable solid-state electronic switching material that operates at high voltage potentials, as well as a switch material benchmarking technique that utilizes a modular dielectric elastomer (artificial muscle) ring oscillator. The solid-state switching material was integrated into our oscillator, which self-started after 16 s and performed 5 oscillations at a frequency of 1.05 Hz with 3.25 kV DC input. Our materials-by-design approach for the nickel filled polydimethylsiloxane based switch has resulted in significant improvements over previous carbon grease-based switches in four key areas, namely, sharpness of switching behavior upon applied stretch, magnitude of electrical resistance change, ease of manufacture, and production rate. Switch lifetime was demonstrated to be in the range of tens to hundreds of cycles with the current process. An interesting and potentially useful strain-based switching hysteresis behavior is also presented.

  3. A solid-state dielectric elastomer switch for soft logic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chau, Nixon; Slipher, Geoffrey A.; Mrozek, Randy A.; O'Brien, Benjamin M.; Anderson, Iain A.

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we describe a stretchable solid-state electronic switching material that operates at high voltage potentials, as well as a switch material benchmarking technique that utilizes a modular dielectric elastomer (artificial muscle) ring oscillator. The solid-state switching material was integrated into our oscillator, which self-started after 16 s and performed 5 oscillations at a frequency of 1.05 Hz with 3.25 kV DC input. Our materials-by-design approach for the nickel filled polydimethylsiloxane based switch has resulted in significant improvements over previous carbon grease-based switches in four key areas, namely, sharpness of switching behavior upon applied stretch, magnitude of electrical resistance change, ease of manufacture, and production rate. Switch lifetime was demonstrated to be in the range of tens to hundreds of cycles with the current process. An interesting and potentially useful strain-based switching hysteresis behavior is also presented.

  4. The role of suppression in amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jingrong; Thompson, Benjamin; Lam, Carly S Y; Deng, Daming; Chan, Lily Y L; Maehara, Goro; Woo, George C; Yu, Minbin; Hess, Robert F

    2011-06-13

    This study had three main goals: to assess the degree of suppression in patients with strabismic, anisometropic, and mixed amblyopia; to establish the relationship between suppression and the degree of amblyopia; and to compare the degree of suppression across the clinical subgroups within the sample. Using both standard measures of suppression (Bagolini lenses and neutral density [ND] filters, Worth 4-Dot test) and a new approach involving the measurement of dichoptic motion thresholds under conditions of variable interocular contrast, the degree of suppression in 43 amblyopic patients with strabismus, anisometropia, or a combination of both was quantified. There was good agreement between the quantitative measures of suppression made with the new dichoptic motion threshold technique and measurements made with standard clinical techniques (Bagolini lenses and ND filters, Worth 4-Dot test). The degree of suppression was found to correlate directly with the degree of amblyopia within our clinical sample, whereby stronger suppression was associated with a greater difference in interocular acuity and poorer stereoacuity. Suppression was not related to the type or angle of strabismus when this was present or the previous treatment history. These results suggest that suppression may have a primary role in the amblyopia syndrome and therefore have implications for the treatment of amblyopia.

  5. A retrospective clinical audit of general practices in Australia to determine the motivation for switch to dolutegravir/abacavir/lamivudine and clinical outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrer, Pedro E; Bloch, Mark; Roth, Norman; Finlayson, Robert; Baker, David; Koh, Ken; Orth, David; Urbaityte, Rimgaile; Brown, Dannae; Drummond, Fraser

    2018-03-01

    The most common reasons for switching HIV-1 therapy in patients with virologic suppression are treatment regimen simplification and resolving tolerability issues. Single-pill regimens that include an integrase inhibitor are recommended options. A retrospective clinical audit was performed to determine the motivations for switching to dolutegravir (DTG)/abacavir (ABC)/lamivudine (3TC) at high HIV-caseload general practice clinics in Australia. The most common reasons for switching from a prior suppressive therapy to DTG/ABC/3TC were simplification of regimen, resolving toxicity/intolerance and patient preference (73%, 13% and 12%, respectively). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the probability of patients remaining on DTG/ABC/3TC therapy at 12 months was 95.1%. Switching to DTG/ABC/3TC from a range of other regimens was associated with a discontinuation rate of 3.2%, with 2.5% of patients discontinuing due to adverse events and no patients discontinuing due to virologic failure. Switching to DTG/ABC/3TC was a viable treatment strategy in this cohort of Australian patients.

  6. New mode switching algorithm for the JPL 70-meter antenna servo controller

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nickerson, J. A.

    1988-01-01

    The design of control mode switching algorithms and logic for JPL's 70 m antenna servo controller are described. The old control mode switching logic was reviewed and perturbation problems were identified. Design approaches for mode switching are presented and the final design is described. Simulations used to compare old and new mode switching algorithms and logic show that the new mode switching techniques will significantly reduce perturbation problems.

  7. How best to assess suppression in patients with high anisometropia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jinrong; Hess, Robert F; Chan, Lily Y L; Deng, Daming; Chen, Xiang; Yu, Minbin; Thompson, Benjamin S

    2013-02-01

    We have recently described a rapid technique for measuring suppression using a dichoptic signal/noise task. Here, we report a modification of this technique that allows for accurate measurements to be made in amblyopic patients with high levels of anisometropia. This was necessary because aniseikonic image size differences between the two eyes can provide a cue for signal/noise segregation and, therefore, influence suppression measurement in these patients. Suppression was measured using our original technique and with a modified technique whereby the size of the signal and noise elements was randomized across the stimulus to eliminate size differences as a cue for task performance. Eleven patients with anisometropic amblyopia, five with more than 5 diopters (D) spherical equivalent difference (SED), six with less than 5 D SED between the eyes, and 10 control observers completed suppression measurements using both techniques. Suppression measurements in controls and patients with less than 5 D SED were constant across the two techniques; however, patients with more than 5 D SED showed significantly stronger suppression on the modified technique with randomized element size. Measurements made with the modified technique correlated with the loss of visual acuity in the amblyopic eye and were in good agreement with previous reports using detailed psychophysical measurements. The signal/noise technique for measuring suppression can be applied to patients with high levels of anisometropia and aniseikonia if element size is randomized. In addition, deeper suppression is associated with a greater loss of visual acuity in patients with anisometropic amblyopia.

  8. CONTROL OF BOUNCING IN RF MEMS SWITCHES USING DOUBLE ELECTRODE

    KAUST Repository

    Abdul Rahim, Farhan

    2014-05-01

    MEMS based mechanical switches are seen to be the likely replacements for CMOS based switches due to the several advantages that these mechanical switches have over CMOS switches. Mechanical switches can be used in systems under extreme conditions and also provide more reliability and cause less power loss. A major problem with mechanical switches is bouncing. Bouncing is an undesirable characteristic which increases the switching time and causes damage to the switch structure affecting the overall switch life. This thesis proposes a new switch design that may be used to mitigate bouncing by using two voltage sources using a double electrode configuration. The effect of many switch’s tunable parameters is also discussed and an effective tuning technique is also provided. The results are compared to the current control schemes in literature and show that the double electrode scheme is a viable control option.

  9. Speed control of an induction motor by 6-switched 3-level inverter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saygin Ali

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents speed control analysis of an induction motor by a 6-switched 3-level inverter. In the analysis of topology, the study used the field oriented control technique which is widely used in the literature, easy and stable for operating systems. The field weaking technique was used for speeds exceeding nominal speed to reduce magnetic saturation and thermal losses. At the end of the process, it was observed to increase motor torque and inverter efficiency. Instead of using 12 switches in conventional 3-level inverters, 6 switches are used in this topology. Reduced number of switches is the greatest contribution of this study.

  10. Speed control of an induction motor by 6-switched 3-level inverter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saygin, Ali; Kerem, Alper

    2017-12-01

    This paper presents speed control analysis of an induction motor by a 6-switched 3-level inverter. In the analysis of topology, the study used the field oriented control technique which is widely used in the literature, easy and stable for operating systems. The field weaking technique was used for speeds exceeding nominal speed to reduce magnetic saturation and thermal losses. At the end of the process, it was observed to increase motor torque and inverter efficiency. Instead of using 12 switches in conventional 3-level inverters, 6 switches are used in this topology. Reduced number of switches is the greatest contribution of this study.

  11. Interrupter and hybrid-switch testing for fusion devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parsons, W.M.; Warren, R.W.; Honig, E.M.; Lindsay, J.D.G.; Bellamo, P.; Cassel, R.L.

    1979-01-01

    This paper discusses recent and ongoing switch testing for fusion devices. The first part describes testing for the TFTR ohmic-heating circuit. In this set of tests, which simulated the stresses produced during a plasma initiation pulse, circuit breakers were required to interrupt a current of 24 kA with an associated recovery voltage of 25 kV. Two interrupter systems were tested for over 1000 operations each, and both appear to satisfy TFTR requirements. The second part discusses hybrid-switch development for superconducting coil protection. These switching systems must be capable of carrying large currents on a continuous basis as well as performing interruption duties. The third part presents preliminary results on an early-counterpulse technique applied to vacuum interrupters. Implementation of this technique has resulted in large increases in interruptible current as well as a marked reduction in contact erosion

  12. Smooth invariant densities for random switching on the torus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakhtin, Yuri; Hurth, Tobias; Lawley, Sean D.; Mattingly, Jonathan C.

    2018-04-01

    We consider a random dynamical system obtained by switching between the flows generated by two smooth vector fields on the 2d-torus, with the random switchings happening according to a Poisson process. Assuming that the driving vector fields are transversal to each other at all points of the torus and that each of them allows for a smooth invariant density and no periodic orbits, we prove that the switched system also has a smooth invariant density, for every switching rate. Our approach is based on an integration by parts formula inspired by techniques from Malliavin calculus.

  13. A versatile cis-acting inverter module for synthetic translational switches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Endo, Kei; Hayashi, Karin; Inoue, Tan; Saito, Hirohide

    2013-01-01

    Artificial genetic switches have been designed and tuned individually in living cells. A method to directly invert an existing OFF switch to an ON switch should be highly convenient to construct complex circuits from well-characterized modules, but developing such a technique has remained a challenge. Here we present a cis-acting RNA module to invert the function of a synthetic translational OFF switch to an ON switch in mammalian cells. This inversion maintains the property of the parental switch in response to a particular input signal. In addition, we demonstrate simultaneous and specific expression control of both the OFF and ON switches. The module fits the criteria of universality and expands the versatility of mRNA-based information processing systems developed for artificially controlling mammalian cellular behaviour.

  14. Evolutionary prisoner's dilemma games on the network with punishment and opportunistic partner switching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takesue, H.

    2018-02-01

    Punishment and partner switching are two well-studied mechanisms that support the evolution of cooperation. Observation of human behaviour suggests that the extent to which punishment is adopted depends on the usage of alternative mechanisms, including partner switching. In this study, we investigate the combined effect of punishment and partner switching in evolutionary prisoner's dilemma games conducted on a network. In the model, agents are located on the network and participate in the prisoner's dilemma games with punishment. In addition, they can opportunistically switch interaction partners to improve their payoff. Our Monte Carlo simulation showed that a large frequency of punishers is required to suppress defectors when the frequency of partner switching is low. In contrast, cooperation is the most abundant strategy when the frequency of partner switching is high regardless of the strength of punishment. Interestingly, cooperators become abundant not because they avoid the cost of inflicting punishment and earn a larger average payoff per game but rather because they have more numerous opportunities to be referred to as a role agent by defectors. Our results imply that the fluidity of social relationships has a profound effect on the adopted strategy in maintaining cooperation.

  15. Super Resolution and Interference Suppression Technique applied to SHARAD Radar Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raguso, M. C.; Mastrogiuseppe, M.; Seu, R.; Piazzo, L.

    2017-12-01

    We will present a super resolution and interference suppression technique applied to the data acquired by the SHAllow RADar (SHARAD) on board the NASA's 2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission, currently operating around Mars [1]. The algorithms allow to improve the range resolution roughly by a factor of 3 and the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) by a several decibels. Range compression algorithms usually adopt conventional Fourier transform techniques, which are limited in the resolution by the transmitted signal bandwidth, analogous to the Rayleigh's criterion in optics. In this work, we investigate a super resolution method based on autoregressive models and linear prediction techniques [2]. Starting from the estimation of the linear prediction coefficients from the spectral data, the algorithm performs the radar bandwidth extrapolation (BWE), thereby improving the range resolution of the pulse-compressed coherent radar data. Moreover, the EMIs (ElectroMagnetic Interferences) are detected and the spectra is interpolated in order to reconstruct an interference free spectrum, thereby improving the SNR. The algorithm can be applied to the single complex look image after synthetic aperture processing (SAR). We apply the proposed algorithm to simulated as well as to real radar data. We will demonstrate the effective enhancement on vertical resolution with respect to the classical spectral estimator. We will show that the imaging of the subsurface layered structures observed in radargrams is improved, allowing additional insights for the scientific community in the interpretation of the SHARAD radar data, which will help to further our understanding of the formation and evolution of known geological features on Mars. References: [1] Seu et al. 2007, Science, 2007, 317, 1715-1718 [2] K.M. Cuomo, "A Bandwidth Extrapolation Technique for Improved Range Resolution of Coherent Radar Data", Project Report CJP-60, Revision 1, MIT Lincoln Laboratory (4 Dec. 1992).

  16. Float level switch for a nuclear power plant containment vessel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Powell, J.G.

    1993-01-01

    This invention is a float level switch used to sense rise or drop in water level in a containment vessel of a nuclear power plant during a loss of coolant accident. The essential components of the device are a guide tube, a reed switch inside the guide tube, a float containing a magnetic portion that activates a reed switch, and metal-sheathed, ceramic-insulated conductors connecting the reed switch to a monitoring system outside the containment vessel. Special materials and special sealing techniques prevent failure of components and allow the float level switch to be connected to a monitoring system outside the containment vessel. 1 figures

  17. Float level switch for a nuclear power plant containment vessel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, James G.

    1993-01-01

    This invention is a float level switch used to sense rise or drop in water level in a containment vessel of a nuclear power plant during a loss of coolant accident. The essential components of the device are a guide tube, a reed switch inside the guide tube, a float containing a magnetic portion that activates a reed switch, and metal-sheathed, ceramic-insulated conductors connecting the reed switch to a monitoring system outside the containment vessel. Special materials and special sealing techniques prevent failure of components and allow the float level switch to be connected to a monitoring system outside the containment vessel.

  18. Quality of service in optical packet switched networks

    CERN Document Server

    Rahbar, Akbar G

    2015-01-01

    This book is a comprehensive study on OPS networks, its architectures, and developed techniques for improving its quality of switching and managing quality of service.  The book includes: Introduction to OPS networks, OOFDM networks, GMPLS-enabled optical networks, QoS in OPS networks Hybrid contention avoidance/resolution schemes in both long-haul and metro optical networks Hybrid optical switching schemes

  19. CMOS SPDT switch for WLAN applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhuiyan, M A S; Reaz, M B I; Rahman, L F; Minhad, K N

    2015-01-01

    WLAN has become an essential part of our today's life. The advancement of CMOS technology let the researchers contribute low power, size and cost effective WLAN devices. This paper proposes a single pole double through transmit/receive (T/R) switch for WLAN applications in 0.13 μm CMOS technology. The proposed switch exhibit 1.36 dB insertion loss, 25.3 dB isolation and 24.3 dBm power handling capacity. Moreover, it only dissipates 786.7 nW power per cycle. The switch utilizes only transistor aspect ratio optimization and resistive body floating technique to achieve such desired performance. In this design the use of bulky inductor and capacitor is avoided to evade imposition of unwanted nonlinearities to the communication signal. (paper)

  20. Cmos spdt switch for wlan applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhuiyan, M. A. S.; Reaz, M. B. I.; Rahman, L. F.; Minhad, K. N.

    2015-04-01

    WLAN has become an essential part of our today's life. The advancement of CMOS technology let the researchers contribute low power, size and cost effective WLAN devices. This paper proposes a single pole double through transmit/receive (T/R) switch for WLAN applications in 0.13 μm CMOS technology. The proposed switch exhibit 1.36 dB insertion loss, 25.3 dB isolation and 24.3 dBm power handling capacity. Moreover, it only dissipates 786.7 nW power per cycle. The switch utilizes only transistor aspect ratio optimization and resistive body floating technique to achieve such desired performance. In this design the use of bulky inductor and capacitor is avoided to evade imposition of unwanted nonlinearities to the communication signal.

  1. Nanoscale organic ferroelectric resistive switches

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Khikhlovskyi, V.; Wang, R.; Breemen, A.J.J.M. van; Gelinck, G.H.; Janssen, R.A.J.; Kemerink, M.

    2014-01-01

    Organic ferroelectric resistive switches function by grace of nanoscale phase separation in a blend of a semiconducting and a ferroelectric polymer that is sandwiched between metallic electrodes. In this work, various scanning probe techniques are combined with numerical modeling to unravel their

  2. Suppression of Adverse Effects of GIC Using Controlled Variable Grounding Resistor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abuhussein, A.; Ali, M. H.

    2016-12-01

    Geomagnetically induced current (GIC) has a harmful impact on power systems, with a large footprint. Mitigation strategies for the GIC are required to protect the integrity of the power system. To date, the adverse effects of GIC are being mitigated by either operational procedures or grounding fixed capacitors (GFCs). The operational procedures are uncertain, reduce systems' reliability, and increase energy losses. On the other hand, GFCs, incur voltage spikes, increase the transformer cost substantially, and require protection circuitry. This study investigates new possible approaches to cope with GIC, by using a controlled variable grounding resistor (CVGR), without interfering with the system's normal operation. In addition, the new techniques help suppress unsymmetrical faults in the power network. The controllability of the grounding resistor is applied using three different techniques: (1) a Parallel switch that is controlled by PI regulated duty cycle, (2) a Parallel switch that is triggered by a preset values in a look-up-table (LUT), and (3) a Mechanical resistor varied by a Fuzzy logic controller (FLC). The experimental results were obtained and validated using the MATLAB/SIMULINK software. A hypothetical power system that consists of a generator, a 765kv, 500 km long transmission lines connecting between a step-up, Δ-Yn, transformer, and a step-down, Yn-Δ, transformer, is considered. The performance of the CVGR is compared with that of the GFC under the cases of GIC event and unsymmetrical faults. From the simulation results, the following points are concluded: The CVGR effectively suppresses the GIC flowing in the system. Consequently, it protects the transformers from saturation and the rest of the system from collapsing. The CVGR also reduces the voltage and power swings associated with unsymmetrical faults and blocks the zero sequence current flowing through the neutral of the transformer. The performance of the CVGR surpasses that of the GFC in

  3. Switching Magnetism and Superconductivity with Spin-Polarized Current in Iron-Based Superconductor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Seokhwan; Choi, Hyoung Joon; Ok, Jong Mok; Lee, Yeonghoon; Jang, Won-Jun; Lee, Alex Taekyung; Kuk, Young; Lee, SungBin; Heinrich, Andreas J; Cheong, Sang-Wook; Bang, Yunkyu; Johnston, Steven; Kim, Jun Sung; Lee, Jhinhwan

    2017-12-01

    We explore a new mechanism for switching magnetism and superconductivity in a magnetically frustrated iron-based superconductor using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SPSTM). Our SPSTM study on single-crystal Sr_{2}VO_{3}FeAs shows that a spin-polarized tunneling current can switch the Fe-layer magnetism into a nontrivial C_{4} (2×2) order, which cannot be achieved by thermal excitation with an unpolarized current. Our tunneling spectroscopy study shows that the induced C_{4} (2×2) order has characteristics of plaquette antiferromagnetic order in the Fe layer and strongly suppresses superconductivity. Also, thermal agitation beyond the bulk Fe spin ordering temperature erases the C_{4} state. These results suggest a new possibility of switching local superconductivity by changing the symmetry of magnetic order with spin-polarized and unpolarized tunneling currents in iron-based superconductors.

  4. Fuzzy-Based Adaptive Hybrid Burst Assembly Technique for Optical Burst Switched Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abubakar Muhammad Umaru

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The optical burst switching (OBS paradigm is perceived as an intermediate switching technology for future all-optical networks. Burst assembly that is the first process in OBS is the focus of this paper. In this paper, an intelligent hybrid burst assembly algorithm that is based on fuzzy logic is proposed. The new algorithm is evaluated against the traditional hybrid burst assembly algorithm and the fuzzy adaptive threshold (FAT burst assembly algorithm via simulation. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the hybrid and the FAT algorithms in terms of burst end-to-end delay, packet end-to-end delay, and packet loss ratio.

  5. Plasmonic EIT-like switching in bright-dark-bright plasmon resonators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Junxue; Wang, Pei; Chen, Chuncong; Lu, Yonghua; Ming, Hai; Zhan, Qiwen

    2011-03-28

    In this paper we report the study of the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like transmission in the bright-dark-bright plasmon resonators. It is demonstrated that the interferences between the dark plasmons excited by two bright plasmon resonators can be controlled by the incident light polarization. The constructive interference strengthens the coupling between the bright and dark resonators, leading to a more prominent EIT-like transparency window of the metamaterial. In contrary, destructive interference suppresses the coupling between the bright and dark resonators, destroying the interference pathway that forms the EIT-like transmission. Based on this observation, the plasmonic EIT switching can be realized by changing the polarization of incident light. This phenomenon may find applications in optical switching and plasmon-based information processing.

  6. Time-programmable drug dosing allows the manipulation, suppression and reversal of antibiotic drug resistance in vitro

    OpenAIRE

    Yoshida, Mari; Galiñanes Reyes, Sabrina Galiñanes; Tsuda, Soichiro; Horinouchi, Takaaki; Furusawa, Chikara; Cronin, Leroy

    2017-01-01

    Multi-drug strategies have been attempted to prolong the efficacy of existing antibiotics, but with limited success. Here we show that the evolution of multi-drug-resistant Escherichia coli can be manipulated in vitro by administering pairs of antibiotics and switching between them in ON/OFF manner. Using a multiplexed cell culture system, we find that switching between certain combinations of antibiotics completely suppresses the development of resistance to one of the antibiotics. Using thi...

  7. How input fluctuations reshape the dynamics of a biological switching system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Bo; Kessler, David A.; Rappel, Wouter-Jan; Levine, Herbert

    2012-12-01

    An important task in quantitative biology is to understand the role of stochasticity in biochemical regulation. Here, as an extension of our recent work [Phys. Rev. Lett.PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.107.148101 107, 148101 (2011)], we study how input fluctuations affect the stochastic dynamics of a simple biological switch. In our model, the on transition rate of the switch is directly regulated by a noisy input signal, which is described as a non-negative mean-reverting diffusion process. This continuous process can be a good approximation of the discrete birth-death process and is much more analytically tractable. Within this setup, we apply the Feynman-Kac theorem to investigate the statistical features of the output switching dynamics. Consistent with our previous findings, the input noise is found to effectively suppress the input-dependent transitions. We show analytically that this effect becomes significant when the input signal fluctuates greatly in amplitude and reverts slowly to its mean.

  8. Sodium fire suppression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malet, J.C.

    1979-01-01

    Ignition and combustion studies have provided valuable data and guidelines for sodium fire suppression research. The primary necessity is to isolate the oxidant from the fuel, rather than to attempt to cool the sodium below its ignition temperature. Work along these lines has led to the development of smothering tank systems and a dry extinguishing powder. Based on the results obtained, the implementation of these techniques is discussed with regard to sodium fire suppression in the Super-Phenix reactor. (author)

  9. Sodium fire suppression

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Malet, J C [DSN/SESTR, Centre de Cadarache, Saint-Paul-lez-Durance (France)

    1979-03-01

    Ignition and combustion studies have provided valuable data and guidelines for sodium fire suppression research. The primary necessity is to isolate the oxidant from the fuel, rather than to attempt to cool the sodium below its ignition temperature. Work along these lines has led to the development of smothering tank systems and a dry extinguishing powder. Based on the results obtained, the implementation of these techniques is discussed with regard to sodium fire suppression in the Super-Phenix reactor. (author)

  10. Modeling novel back-pressure mechanisms for a 100 Gb/s switch

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fagertun, Anna Manolova; Ruepp, Sarah Renée

    2012-01-01

    In this work we evaluate the performance of novel back-pressure mechanisms in a Clos-based 100 Gb/s switch system via OPNET modeler simulations. The effectiveness of the mechanisms under different switch configurations, as well as under different traffic patterns, is presented. Our results indicate...... that the proposed back-pressure techniques can effectively reduce the requirements for buffer space in the different stages of the Clos switch....

  11. Switching auditory attention using spatial and non-spatial features recruits different cortical networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larson, Eric; Lee, Adrian K C

    2014-01-01

    Switching attention between different stimuli of interest based on particular task demands is important in many everyday settings. In audition in particular, switching attention between different speakers of interest that are talking concurrently is often necessary for effective communication. Recently, it has been shown by multiple studies that auditory selective attention suppresses the representation of unwanted streams in auditory cortical areas in favor of the target stream of interest. However, the neural processing that guides this selective attention process is not well understood. Here we investigated the cortical mechanisms involved in switching attention based on two different types of auditory features. By combining magneto- and electro-encephalography (M-EEG) with an anatomical MRI constraint, we examined the cortical dynamics involved in switching auditory attention based on either spatial or pitch features. We designed a paradigm where listeners were cued in the beginning of each trial to switch or maintain attention halfway through the presentation of concurrent target and masker streams. By allowing listeners time to switch during a gap in the continuous target and masker stimuli, we were able to isolate the mechanisms involved in endogenous, top-down attention switching. Our results show a double dissociation between the involvement of right temporoparietal junction (RTPJ) and the left inferior parietal supramarginal part (LIPSP) in tasks requiring listeners to switch attention based on space and pitch features, respectively, suggesting that switching attention based on these features involves at least partially separate processes or behavioral strategies. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Operation of a homeostatic sleep switch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pimentel, Diogo; Donlea, Jeffrey M; Talbot, Clifford B; Song, Seoho M; Thurston, Alexander J F; Miesenböck, Gero

    2016-08-18

    Sleep disconnects animals from the external world, at considerable risks and costs that must be offset by a vital benefit. Insight into this mysterious benefit will come from understanding sleep homeostasis: to monitor sleep need, an internal bookkeeper must track physiological changes that are linked to the core function of sleep. In Drosophila, a crucial component of the machinery for sleep homeostasis is a cluster of neurons innervating the dorsal fan-shaped body (dFB) of the central complex. Artificial activation of these cells induces sleep, whereas reductions in excitability cause insomnia. dFB neurons in sleep-deprived flies tend to be electrically active, with high input resistances and long membrane time constants, while neurons in rested flies tend to be electrically silent. Correlative evidence thus supports the simple view that homeostatic sleep control works by switching sleep-promoting neurons between active and quiescent states. Here we demonstrate state switching by dFB neurons, identify dopamine as a neuromodulator that operates the switch, and delineate the switching mechanism. Arousing dopamine caused transient hyperpolarization of dFB neurons within tens of milliseconds and lasting excitability suppression within minutes. Both effects were transduced by Dop1R2 receptors and mediated by potassium conductances. The switch to electrical silence involved the downregulation of voltage-gated A-type currents carried by Shaker and Shab, and the upregulation of voltage-independent leak currents through a two-pore-domain potassium channel that we term Sandman. Sandman is encoded by the CG8713 gene and translocates to the plasma membrane in response to dopamine. dFB-restricted interference with the expression of Shaker or Sandman decreased or increased sleep, respectively, by slowing the repetitive discharge of dFB neurons in the ON state or blocking their entry into the OFF state. Biophysical changes in a small population of neurons are thus linked to the

  13. Analysis of bi-directional piezoelectric-based converters for zero-voltage switching operation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ekhtiari, Marzieh; Zhang, Zhe; Andersen, Michael A. E.

    2016-01-01

    This paper deals with a thorough analysis of zerovoltage switching especially for bi-directional, inductorless, piezoelectric transformer-based switch-mode power supplies with a half-bridge topology. Practically, obtaining zero-voltage switching for all of the switches in a bi-directional piezoel......This paper deals with a thorough analysis of zerovoltage switching especially for bi-directional, inductorless, piezoelectric transformer-based switch-mode power supplies with a half-bridge topology. Practically, obtaining zero-voltage switching for all of the switches in a bi......-directional piezoelectric power converter is a difficult task. However, the analysis in this work will be convenient for overcoming this challenge. The analysis defines the zero-voltage region indicating the operating points whether or not soft switching can be met over the switching frequency and load range. For the first...... time, a comprehensive analysis is provided, which can be used as a design guideline for applying control techniques in order to drive switches in piezoelectric transformer-based converters. This study further conveys the proposed method to the region where all the switches can obtain soft switching...

  14. Finite Volume Method for Pricing European Call Option with Regime-switching Volatility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lista Tauryawati, Mey; Imron, Chairul; Putri, Endah RM

    2018-03-01

    In this paper, we present a finite volume method for pricing European call option using Black-Scholes equation with regime-switching volatility. In the first step, we formulate the Black-Scholes equations with regime-switching volatility. we use a finite volume method based on fitted finite volume with spatial discretization and an implicit time stepping technique for the case. We show that the regime-switching scheme can revert to the non-switching Black Scholes equation, both in theoretical evidence and numerical simulations.

  15. Population suppression in support of the sterile insect technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mangan, R.L.

    2005-01-01

    Suppression or eradication of insect pest populations by the release of sterile insects is often dependent on supplementary methods of pest reduction to levels where the target pest population can be overflooded with sterile insects. Population suppression activities take place in advance of, or coincide with, the production of sterile insects. Supplementary methods to remove breeding opportunities, or management methods that prevent access of pests to the hosts, may reduce the population or prevent damage. Insecticides have been used widely in direct applications or applied as baits, in traps, or on specific sites where the pest makes contact or reproduces. As sterile insect release does not kill the pest, adult biting pests or fertile mated females of the pests will continue to attack hosts after the release of sterile insects. Thus supplementary pest suppression programmes and quarantine measures are essential to prevent damage or the spread of disease. Eradication or effective pest management requires that the entire population of the pest be treated, or that the programme apply immigration barriers. When supplementary pest control activities benefit the human population in areas being treated, such as in mosquito or screwworm eradication programmes, these activities are usually acceptable to the public, but when the public receives no direct benefit from supplementary control activities such as in fruit fly programmes, social resistance may develop. (author)

  16. An extended dual input dual output three level Z source inverter with improved switch loss reduction technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N.B. Deshmukh

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Multilevel inverter (MLI is a proven technology used for industrial applications due to low output total harmonic distortion (THD, high power handling capability and low active device rating. Dual output inverter is a recent trend associated with inverter topologies for specialized applications. This paper deals with three phase three level dual input dual output inverter topology with minimum active device count. Reduction in switch count leads to reduction in losses and improves reliability. Both the input sources share power equally as neutral point current ripple is maintained low. For further reduction in switching losses at higher switching frequencies, the concept of “no switching zone” or discontinuous pulse width modulation (DPWM has been put forth recently. This paper proposes modification in the placement of “no switching zone” in order to optimize switching losses and output THD (output filtering requirements for low power factor load. This study also proposes novel graphical approach to analyze the loss reduction along with its effect on output THD. The sinusoidal PWM (SPWM is used which gives satisfactory switching loss reduction without complex calculations. Moreover, the proposed topology is generalized to provide dual output at higher voltage levels. It is seen that the components reduction phenomenon becomes more pronounced as number of levels goes on increasing. The proposed converter is simulated in MATLAB software environment and results are obtained.

  17. Bilateral optic neuritis in a child diagnosed with Gd-enhanced MR imaging using fat-suppression technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Okamoto, K.; Ogawa, R.; Furusawa, T.; Sakai, K. [Dept. of Radiology, Niigata Univ. School of Medicine, Niigata (Japan); Ito, J.; Tokiguchi, S. [Dept. of Radiology, Niigata University School of Dentistry (Japan); Takagi, M. [Dept. of Ophthalmology, Niigata Univ. School of Medicine (Japan)

    1999-05-01

    A 4-year-old boy developed bilateral optic neuritis. Although precise neuro-ophthalmological evaluation was difficult, the diagnosis was made with gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging using fat-suppression technique in the initial stage of the disease. Enhancement and enlargement of the intraorbital and intracanalicular optic nerve were demonstrated bilaterally as well as protrusion of the optic nerve head. The disease responded dramatically to intravenous steroid therapy. The etiologies in children usually differ from those in adolescent and adult patients. (orig.) With 1 fig., 13 refs.

  18. Dual branch transmit switch-and-stay diversity for underlay cognitive networks

    KAUST Repository

    Sayed, Mostafa M.; Abdallah, Mohamed M.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Qaraqe, Khalid A.

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, we study applying dual branch transmit switch-and-stay combining (SSC) technique for underlay cognitive radio (UCR) networks. In UCR, the secondary user is allowed to share the spectrum with the primary (licensed) user under the condition that interference at the primary receiver is below a predetermined threshold. Assuming binary phaseshift keying (BPSK) modulation and Rayleigh fading channels, we develop a closed form expression for the average bit error rate (BER) of the secondary link as a function of the switching threshold. We then find a closed form expression for the optimal switching threshold in the sense of minimizing the average BER. For the sake of comparison we derive an expression for the average BER of the dual branch transmit selection combining (SC) technique. We finally investigate the effect of correlation between secondary and interference channels on the average BER and the associated optimal switching threshold. © 2011 IEEE.

  19. Dual branch transmit switch-and-stay diversity for underlay cognitive networks

    KAUST Repository

    Sayed, Mostafa M.

    2011-05-01

    In this paper, we study applying dual branch transmit switch-and-stay combining (SSC) technique for underlay cognitive radio (UCR) networks. In UCR, the secondary user is allowed to share the spectrum with the primary (licensed) user under the condition that interference at the primary receiver is below a predetermined threshold. Assuming binary phaseshift keying (BPSK) modulation and Rayleigh fading channels, we develop a closed form expression for the average bit error rate (BER) of the secondary link as a function of the switching threshold. We then find a closed form expression for the optimal switching threshold in the sense of minimizing the average BER. For the sake of comparison we derive an expression for the average BER of the dual branch transmit selection combining (SC) technique. We finally investigate the effect of correlation between secondary and interference channels on the average BER and the associated optimal switching threshold. © 2011 IEEE.

  20. Ikaros controls isotype selection during immunoglobulin class switch recombination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sellars, MacLean; Reina-San-Martin, Bernardo; Kastner, Philippe; Chan, Susan

    2009-05-11

    Class switch recombination (CSR) allows the humoral immune response to exploit different effector pathways through specific secondary antibody isotypes. However, the molecular mechanisms and factors that control immunoglobulin (Ig) isotype choice for CSR are unclear. We report that deficiency for the Ikaros transcription factor results in increased and ectopic CSR to IgG(2b) and IgG(2a), and reduced CSR to all other isotypes, regardless of stimulation. Ikaros suppresses active chromatin marks, transcription, and activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) accessibility at the gamma2b and gamma2a genes to inhibit class switching to these isotypes. Further, Ikaros directly regulates isotype gene transcription as it directly binds the Igh 3' enhancer and interacts with isotype gene promoters. Finally, Ikaros-mediated repression of gamma2b and gamma2a transcription promotes switching to other isotype genes by allowing them to compete for AID-mediated recombination at the single-cell level. Thus, our results reveal transcriptional competition between constant region genes in individual cells to be a critical and general mechanism for isotype specification during CSR. We show that Ikaros is a master regulator of this competition.

  1. Soft-switching PWM full-bridge converters topologies, control, and design

    CERN Document Server

    Ruan, Xinbo

    2014-01-01

    Soft-switching PWM full-bridge converters have been widely used in medium-to-high power dc-dc conversions for topological simplicity, easy control and high efficiency. Early works on soft-switching PWM full-bridge converter by many researchers included various topologies and modulation strategies.  However, these works were scattered, and the relationship among these topologies and modulation strategies had not been revealed. This book intends to describe systematically the soft-switching techniques for pulse-width modulation (PWM) full-bridge converters, including the topologies, control and

  2. A soft-switching coupled inductor bidirectional DC-DC converter with high-conversion ratio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, Kuei-Hsiang; Jheng, Yi-Cing

    2018-01-01

    A soft-switching bidirectional DC-DC converter is presented herein as a way to improve the conversion efficiency of a photovoltaic (PV) system. Adoption of coupled inductors enables the presented converter not only to provide a high-conversion ratio but also to suppress the transient surge voltage via the release of the energy stored in leakage flux of the coupled inductors, and the cost can kept down consequently. A combined use of a switching mechanism and an auxiliary resonant branch enables the converter to successfully perform zero-voltage switching operations on the main switches and improves the efficiency accordingly. It was testified by experiments that our proposed converter works relatively efficiently in full-load working range. Additionally, the framework of the converter intended for testifying has high-conversion ratio. The results of a test, where a generating system using PV module array coupled with batteries as energy storage device was used as the low-voltage input side, and DC link was used as high-voltage side, demonstrated our proposed converter framework with high-conversion ratio on both high-voltage and low-voltage sides.

  3. Sliding mode controller gain adaptation and chattering reduction techniques for DSP-based PM DC motor drives

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dal, Mehmet; Teodorescu, Remus

    2011-01-01

    In order to achieve and maintain the prospective benefits of sliding mode control (SMC) methodology, the phenomenon known as “chattering”, the main obstacle encountered in real-time applications, has to be suppressed. In this study, two promising switching control gain adaptation and chattering...... reduction techniques are investigated, and the effectiveness of chattering suppression for current regulation of PM DC drives is tested. The sampling rate was also examined to determine how it affects the amplitude of chattering. This paper concentrates on various combinations of observer-based methods...... in order to find the best solution for chattering reduction. To find a practical solution a tunable low-pass filter (LPF) was used to average the discontinuous control term. The validity of the existing conditions for the gain adaptation methods are examined and observer gain value was determined through...

  4. A New parallel Resonant DC-Link Inverter for Soft Switched PWM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cho, J G; Kim, H S; Cho, G H [Korea Advanced Energy Research Inst., Daeduk-Danji (Korea, Republic of). Korea Nuclear Safety Center

    1993-03-01

    A novel soft switching PWM converter for high frequency AC/DC power conversion is presented by using a new parallel resonant dc-link(PRDCL) and by adopting single phase soft switching(SPSS) technique. The new PRDCL provides variable link pulse position as well as variable link pulse width, which is quite different feature from the other resonant dc-links and thus the PWM capability can be remarkably increased. The SPSS technique is also adopted for further enhancement of PWM capability. Moderate combination of two soft switching operations enables the conventional space vector PWM technique to be used. Due to distinctive advantages including true PWM capability, minimum device voltage stresses(all Vs) and reasonable additional device count(3 devices), the proposed converter can be operated in a wide power range(20-200 KW). Operational principles, analyses and the realization of a space vector PWM of the proposed converter are presented. Simulation results are also shown to verify the operational principle. (author). 15 refs., 14 figs.

  5. Azimuth Phase Coding for Range Ambiguity Suppression in SAR

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dall, Jørgen; Kusk, Anders

    2004-01-01

    A novel ambiguity suppression technique is proposed. Range ambiguities in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images are eliminated with an azimuth filter after having applied an azimuth phase modulation to the transmitted pulses and a corresponding demodulation to the received pulses. The technique...... excels by actually eliminating the ambiguities rather than just defocusing them as most other techniques do. This makes the proposed technique applicable to distributed targets. The range ambiguity suppression permits the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) to exceed the upper limit otherwise defined...... by the antenna elevation dimension. The fundamental antenna area constraint still applies, but the PRF can be chosen with more freedom. In addition to ambiguity suppression, potential applications include nadir return elimination and signal-to-noise ratio improvement....

  6. Rational Design and Tuning of Functional RNA Switch to Control an Allosteric Intermolecular Interaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Endoh, Tamaki; Sugimoto, Naoki

    2015-08-04

    Conformational transitions of biomolecules in response to specific stimuli control many biological processes. In natural functional RNA switches, often called riboswitches, a particular RNA structure that has a suppressive or facilitative effect on gene expression transitions to an alternative structure with the opposite effect upon binding of a specific metabolite to the aptamer region. Stability of RNA secondary structure (-ΔG°) can be predicted based on thermodynamic parameters and is easily tuned by changes in nucleobases. We envisioned that tuning of a functional RNA switch that causes an allosteric interaction between an RNA and a peptide would be possible based on a predicted switching energy (ΔΔG°) that corresponds to the energy difference between the RNA secondary structure before (-ΔG°before) and after (-ΔG°after) the RNA conformational transition. We first selected functional RNA switches responsive to neomycin with predicted ΔΔG° values ranging from 5.6 to 12.2 kcal mol(-1). We then demonstrated a simple strategy to rationally convert the functional RNA switch to switches responsive to natural metabolites thiamine pyrophosphate, S-adenosyl methionine, and adenine based on the predicted ΔΔG° values. The ΔΔG° values of the designed RNA switches proportionally correlated with interaction energy (ΔG°interaction) between the RNA and peptide, and we were able to tune the sensitivity of the RNA switches for the trigger molecule. The strategy demonstrated here will be generally applicable for construction of functional RNA switches and biosensors in which mechanisms are based on conformational transition of nucleic acids.

  7. Evidence for Rare Capsular Switching in Streptococcus agalactiae▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martins, Elisabete Raquel; Melo-Cristino, José; Ramirez, Mário

    2010-01-01

    The polysaccharide capsule is a major antigenic factor in Streptococcus agalactiae (Lancefield group B streptococcus [GBS]). Previous observations suggest that exchange of capsular loci is likely to occur rather frequently in GBS, even though GBS is not known to be naturally transformable. We sought to identify and characterize putative capsular switching events, by means of a combination of phenotypic and genotypic methods, including pulsed-field gel electrophoretic profiling, multilocus sequence typing, and surface protein and pilus gene profiling. We show that capsular switching by horizontal gene transfer is not as frequent as previously suggested. Serotyping errors may be the main reason behind the overestimation of capsule switching, since phenotypic techniques are prone to errors of interpretation. The identified putative capsular transformants involved the acquisition of the entire capsular locus and were not restricted to the serotype-specific central genes, the previously suggested main mechanism underlying capsular switching. Our data, while questioning the frequency of capsular switching, provide clear evidence for in vivo capsular transformation in S. agalactiae, which may be of critical importance in planning future vaccination strategies against this pathogen. PMID:20023016

  8. The Small Rho GTPases Rac1 and Rac2 Are Important for T-Cell Independent Antigen Responses and for Suppressing Switching to IgG2b in Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerasimčik, Natalija; He, Minghui; Dahlberg, Carin I M; Kuznetsov, Nikolai V; Severinson, Eva; Westerberg, Lisa S

    2017-01-01

    The Rho GTPases Cdc42, Rac1, and Rac2 coordinate receptor signaling to cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation. Deletion of Rac1 and Rac2 early during B cell development leads to failure in B cell entry into the splenic white pulp. Here, we sought to understand the role of Rac1 and Rac2 in B cell functionality and during the humoral antibody response. To circumvent the migratory deficiency of B cells lacking both Rac1 and Rac2, we took the approach to inducibly delete Rac1 in Rac2 -/- B cells in the spleen (Rac1 B Rac2 -/- B cells). Rac1 B Rac2 -/- mice had normal differentiation of splenic B cell populations, except for a reduction in marginal zone B cells. Rac1 B Rac2 -/- B cells showed normal spreading response on antibody-coated layers, while both Rac2 -/- and Rac1 B Rac2 -/- B cells had reduced homotypic adhesion and decreased proliferative response when compared to wild-type B cells. Upon challenge with the T-cell-independent antigen TNP-conjugated lipopolysaccharide, Rac1 B Rac2 -/- mice showed reduced antibody response. In contrast, in response to the T-cell-dependent antigen sheep red blood cells, Rac1 B Rac2 -/- mice had increased serum titers of IgG1 and IgG2b. During in vitro Ig class switching, Rac1 B Rac2 -/- B cells had elevated germline γ2b transcripts leading to increased Ig class switching to IgG2b. Our data suggest that Rac1 and Rac2 serve an important role in regulation of the B cell humoral immune response and in suppressing Ig class switching to IgG2b.

  9. Rf power amplification by energy storage and switching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vernon, W.

    1989-01-01

    This paper reports that during the last decade there have been several suggestions for RF storage and switching schemes. The principle behind these schemes is simply that energy from a source which is on for a long time at moderate power can be stored in a resonant cavity and dumped (switched) in a short time to yield higher power. This is also the basis of SLED which is driving the SLC, but the major difference is in the switching and the proposed power gains. In the case of SLED there is no switch only a phase agile RF source, and the maximum power gain is about a factor of 3. Proposed storage and switching schemes are often based on large ratios of charge to discharge times, say 5 μsec/50 nsec = 100 which could be the power amplification ratio. An early demonstration of the switching of a superconducting cavity was reported. It was observed that a peak power gain of 9 at low power levels with a cold cavity and a room-temperature switch. The switch was a He gas filled tube positioned in the leg of a waveguide T so that a η/2 stub turned into a η/4 stub when the gas broke down and became a good conductor. All switches encountered to date are some variant of this technique; the stubs reflects back an out-of-phase signal which cancels the one from the cavity so that no power escapes while the low-loss dielectric tube is non-conducting

  10. Energy reversible switching from amorphous metal based nanoelectromechanical switch

    KAUST Repository

    Mayet, Abdulilah M.; Smith, Casey; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

    2013-01-01

    We report observation of energy reversible switching from amorphous metal based nanoelectromechanical (NEM) switch. For ultra-low power electronics, NEM switches can be used as a complementary switching element in many nanoelectronic system applications. Its inherent zero power consumption because of mechanical detachment is an attractive feature. However, its operating voltage needs to be in the realm of 1 volt or lower. Appropriate design and lower Young's modulus can contribute achieving lower operating voltage. Therefore, we have developed amorphous metal with low Young's modulus and in this paper reporting the energy reversible switching from a laterally actuated double electrode NEM switch. © 2013 IEEE.

  11. Energy reversible switching from amorphous metal based nanoelectromechanical switch

    KAUST Repository

    Mayet, Abdulilah M.

    2013-08-01

    We report observation of energy reversible switching from amorphous metal based nanoelectromechanical (NEM) switch. For ultra-low power electronics, NEM switches can be used as a complementary switching element in many nanoelectronic system applications. Its inherent zero power consumption because of mechanical detachment is an attractive feature. However, its operating voltage needs to be in the realm of 1 volt or lower. Appropriate design and lower Young\\'s modulus can contribute achieving lower operating voltage. Therefore, we have developed amorphous metal with low Young\\'s modulus and in this paper reporting the energy reversible switching from a laterally actuated double electrode NEM switch. © 2013 IEEE.

  12. Coating possibilities for magnetic switches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharp, D.J.; Harjes, H.C.; Mann, G.A.; Morgan, F.A.

    1990-01-01

    High average power magnetic pulse compression systems are now being considered for use in several applications such as the High Power Radiation Source (HiPoRS) project. Such systems will require high reliability magnetic switches (saturable inductors) that are very efficient and have long lifetimes. One of the weakest components in magnetic switches is their interlaminar insulation. Considerations related to dielectric breakdown, thermal management of compact designs, and economical approaches for achieving these needs must be addressed. Various dielectric insulation and coating materials have been applied to Metglas foil in an attempt to solve the complex technical and practical problems associated with large magnetic switch structures. This work reports various needs, studies, results, and proposals in selecting and evaluating continuous coating approaches for magnetic foil. Techniques such as electrophoretic polymer deposition and surface chemical oxidation are discussed. We also propose continuous photofabrication processes for applying dielectric ribs or spacers to the foil which permit circulation of dielectric liquids for cooling during repetitive operation. 10 refs., 8 figs., 11 tabs

  13. Predictors of switch to and early outcomes on third-line antiretroviral therapy at a large public-sector clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, Denise; Hirasen, Kamban; Berhanu, Rebecca; Malete, Given; Ive, Prudence; Spencer, David; Badal-Faesen, Sharlaa; Sanne, Ian M; Fox, Matthew P

    2018-04-10

    While efficacy data exist, there are limited data on the outcomes of patients on third-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa in actual practice. Being able to identify predictors of switch to third-line ART will be essential for planning for future need. We identify predictors of switch to third-line ART among patients with significant viraemia on a protease inhibitor (PI)-based second-line ART regimen. Additionally, we describe characteristics of all patients on third-line at a large public sector HIV clinic and present their early outcomes. Retrospective analysis of adults (≥ 18 years) on a PI-based second-line ART regimen at Themba Lethu Clinic, Johannesburg, South Africa as of 01 August 2012, when third-line treatment became available in South Africa, with significant viraemia on second-line ART (defined as at least one viral load ≥ 1000 copies/mL on second-line ART after 01 August 2012) to identify predictors of switch to third-line (determined by genotype resistance testing). Third-line ART was defined as a regimen containing etravirine, raltegravir or ritonavir boosted darunavir, between August 2012 and January 2016. To assess predictors of switch to third-line ART we used Cox proportional hazards regression among those with significant viraemia on second-line ART after 01 August 2012. Then among all patients on third-line ART we describe viral load suppression, defined as a viral load third-line ART. Among 719 patients in care and on second-line ART as of August 2012 (with at least one viral load ≥ 1000 copies/mL after 01 August 2012), 36 (5.0% over a median time of 54 months) switched to third-line. Time on second-line therapy (≥ 96 vs. third-line ART, 78.3% (47/60) and 83.3% (35/42) of those in care and with a viral load suppressed their viral load at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Our results show that the need for third-line is low (5%), but that patients' who switch to third-line ART have good early treatment

  14. All-optical femtosecond switch using two-photon absorption

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yavuz, D. D.

    2006-01-01

    Utilizing a two-photon absorption scheme in an alkali-metal vapor cell, we suggest a technique where a strong laser beam switches off another laser beam of different wavelength in femtosecond time scales

  15. Pseudospark switches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Billault, P.; Riege, H.; Gulik, M. van; Boggasch, E.; Frank, K.

    1987-01-01

    The pseudospark discharge is bound to a geometrical structure which is particularly well suited for switching high currents and voltages at high power levels. This type of discharge offers the potential for improvement in essentially all areas of switching operation: peak current and current density, current rise, stand-off voltage, reverse current capability, cathode life, and forward drop. The first pseudospark switch was built at CERN at 1981. Since then, the basic switching characteristics of pseudospark chambers have been studied in detail. The main feature of a pseudospark switch is the confinement of the discharge plasma to the device axis. The current transition to the hollow electrodes is spread over a rather large surface area. Another essential feature is the easy and precise triggering of the pseudospark switch from the interior of the hollow electrodes, relatively far from the main discharge gap. Nanosecond delay and jitter values can be achieved with trigger energies of less than 0.1 mJ, although cathode heating is not required. Pseudospark gaps may cover a wide range of high-voltage, high-current, and high-pulse-power switching at repetition rates of many kilohertz. This report reviews the basic researh on pseudospark switches which has been going on at CERN. So far, applications have been developed in the range of thyratron-like medium-power switches at typically 20 to 40 kV and 0.5 to 10 kA. High-current pseudospark switches have been built for a high-power 20 kJ pulse generator which is being used for long-term tests of plasma lenses developed for the future CERN Antiproton Collector (ACOL). The high-current switches have operated for several hundred thousand shots, with 20 to 50 ns jitter at 16 kV charging voltage and more than 100 kA peak current amplitude. (orig.)

  16. Synchronization Between Two Different Switched Chaotic Systems By Switching Control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Du Li Ming

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper is concerned with the synchronization problem of two different switched chaotic systems, considering the general case that the master-slave switched chaotic systems have uncertainties. Two basic problems are considered: one is projective synchronization of switched chaotic systems under arbitrary switching; the other is projective synchronization of switched chaotic systems by design of switching when synchronization cannot achieved by using any subsystems alone. For the two problems, common Lyapunov function method and multiple Lyapunov function method are used respectively, an adaptive control scheme has been presented, some sufficient synchronization conditions are attainted, and the switching signal is designed. Finally, the numerical simulation is provide to show the effectiveness of our method.

  17. An approach to evaluate switching overvoltages during power system restoration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sadeghkhani Iman

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Transformer switching is one of the important stages during power system restoration. This switching can cause harmonic overvoltages that might damage some equipment and delay power system restoration. Core saturation on the energisation of a transformer with residual flux is a noticeable factor in harmonic overvoltages. This work uses artificial neural networks (ANN in order to estimate the temporary overvoltages (TOVs due to transformer energisation. In the proposed methodology, the Levenberg-Marquardt method is used to train the multilayer perceptron. The developed ANN is trained with the worst case of switching condition, and tested for typical cases. Simulated results for a partial 39-bus New England test system, show the proposed technique can accurately estimate the peak values and durations of switching overvoltages.

  18. Exciter switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mcpeak, W. L.

    1975-01-01

    A new exciter switch assembly has been installed at the three DSN 64-m deep space stations. This assembly provides for switching Block III and Block IV exciters to either the high-power or 20-kW transmitters in either dual-carrier or single-carrier mode. In the dual-carrier mode, it provides for balancing the two drive signals from a single control panel located in the transmitter local control and remote control consoles. In addition to the improved switching capabilities, extensive monitoring of both the exciter switch assembly and Transmitter Subsystem is provided by the exciter switch monitor and display assemblies.

  19. Temperature-dependent resistance switching in SrTiO{sub 3}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Jian-kun [Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Ma, Chao; Ge, Chen, E-mail: kjjin@iphy.ac.cn, E-mail: gechen@iphy.ac.cn; Gu, Lin; He, Xu; Zhou, Wen-jia; Lu, Hui-bin [Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Jin, Kui-juan, E-mail: kjjin@iphy.ac.cn, E-mail: gechen@iphy.ac.cn [Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100190 (China); Zhang, Qing-hua [School of Materials Science and Engineering, State Key Lab of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Yang, Guo-zhen [Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing 100190 (China)

    2016-06-13

    Resistance switching phenomena were studied by varying temperature in SrTiO{sub 3} single crystal. The resistance hysteresis loops appear at a certain temperature ranging from 340 K to 520 K. With the assistance of 375 nm ultraviolet continuous laser, the sample resistance is greatly reduced, leading to a stable effect than that in dark. These resistance switching phenomena only exist in samples with enough oxygen vacancies, which is confirmed by spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy measurements, demonstrating an important role played by oxygen vacancies. At temperatures above 340 K, positively charged oxygen vacancies become mobile triggered by external electric field, and the resistance switching effect emerges. Our theoretical results based on drift-diffusion model reveal that the built-in field caused by oxygen vacancies can be altered under external electric field. Therefore, two resistance states are produced under the cooperative effect of built-in field and external field. However, the increasing mobility of oxygen vacancies caused by higher temperature promotes internal electric field to reach equilibrium states quickly, and suppresses the hysteresis loops above 420 K.

  20. A framework for learning and planning against switching strategies in repeated games

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez-Leal, Pablo; Munoz de Cote, Enrique; Sucar, L. Enrique

    2014-04-01

    Intelligent agents, human or artificial, often change their behaviour as they interact with other agents. For an agent to optimise its performance when interacting with such agents, it must be capable of detecting and adapting according to such changes. This work presents an approach on how to effectively deal with non-stationary switching opponents in a repeated game context. Our main contribution is a framework for online learning and planning against opponents that switch strategies. We present how two opponent modelling techniques work within the framework and prove the usefulness of the approach experimentally in the iterated prisoner's dilemma, when the opponent is modelled as an agent that switches between different strategies (e.g. TFT, Pavlov and Bully). The results of both models were compared against each other and against a state-of-the-art non-stationary reinforcement learning technique. Results reflect that our approach obtains competitive results without needing an offline training phase, as opposed to the state-of-the-art techniques.

  1. Switching Transient Generation in Surface Interrogation Scanning Electrochemical Microscopy and Time-of-Flight Techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahn, Hyun S; Bard, Allen J

    2015-12-15

    In surface interrogation scanning electrochemical microscopy (SI-SECM), fine and accurate control of the delay time between substrate generation and tip interrogation (tdelay) is crucial because tdelay defines the decay time of the reactive intermediate. In previous applications of the SI-SECM, the resolution in the control of tdelay has been limited to several hundreds of milliseconds due to the slow switching of the bipotentiostat. In this work, we have improved the time resolution of tdelay control up to ca. 1 μs, enhancing the SI-SECM to be competitive in the time domain with the decay of many reactive intermediates. The rapid switching SI-SECM has been implemented in a substrate generation-tip collection time-of-flight (SG-TC TOF) experiment of a solution redox mediator, and the results obtained from the experiment exhibited good agreement with that obtained from digital simulation. The reaction rate constant of surface Co(IV) on oxygen-evolving catalyst film, which was inaccessible thus far due to the lack of tdelay control, has been measured by the rapid switching SI-SECM.

  2. A Switch Is Not a Switch: Syntactically-Driven Bilingual Language Control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gollan, Tamar H.; Goldrick, Matthew

    2018-01-01

    The current study investigated the possibility that language switches could be relatively automatically triggered by context. "Single-word switches," in which bilinguals switched languages on a single word in midsentence and then immediately switched back, were contrasted with more complete "whole-language switches," in which…

  3. Switching Phenomena in a System with No Switches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Preis, Tobias; Stanley, H. Eugene

    2010-02-01

    It is widely believed that switching phenomena require switches, but this is actually not true. For an intriguing variety of switching phenomena in nature, the underlying complex system abruptly changes from one state to another in a highly discontinuous fashion. For example, financial market fluctuations are characterized by many abrupt switchings creating increasing trends ("bubble formation") and decreasing trends ("financial collapse"). Such switching occurs on time scales ranging from macroscopic bubbles persisting for hundreds of days to microscopic bubbles persisting only for a few seconds. We analyze a database containing 13,991,275 German DAX Future transactions recorded with a time resolution of 10 msec. For comparison, a database providing 2,592,531 of all S&P500 daily closing prices is used. We ask whether these ubiquitous switching phenomena have quantifiable features independent of the time horizon studied. We find striking scale-free behavior of the volatility after each switching occurs. We interpret our findings as being consistent with time-dependent collective behavior of financial market participants. We test the possible universality of our result by performing a parallel analysis of fluctuations in transaction volume and time intervals between trades. We show that these financial market switching processes have properties similar to those of phase transitions. We suggest that the well-known catastrophic bubbles that occur on large time scales—such as the most recent financial crisis—are no outliers but single dramatic representatives caused by the switching between upward and downward trends on time scales varying over nine orders of magnitude from very large (≈102 days) down to very small (≈10 ms).

  4. A compact clinical instrument for quantifying suppression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Black, Joanne M; Thompson, Benjamin; Maehara, Goro; Hess, Robert F

    2011-02-01

    We describe a compact and convenient clinical apparatus for the measurement of suppression based on a previously reported laboratory-based approach. In addition, we report and validate a novel, rapid psychophysical method for measuring suppression using this apparatus, which makes the technique more applicable to clinical practice. By using a Z800 dual pro head-mounted display driven by a MAC laptop, we provide dichoptic stimulation. Global motion stimuli composed of arrays of moving dots are presented to each eye. One set of dots move in a coherent direction (termed signal) whereas another set of dots move in a random direction (termed noise). To quantify performance, we measure the signal/noise ratio corresponding to a direction-discrimination threshold. Suppression is quantified by assessing the extent to which it matters which eye sees the signal and which eye sees the noise. A space-saving, head-mounted display using current video technology offers an ideal solution for clinical practice. In addition, our optimized psychophysical method provided results that were in agreement with those produced using the original technique. We made measures of suppression on a group of nine adult amblyopic participants using this apparatus with both the original and new psychophysical paradigms. All participants had measurable suppression ranging from mild to severe. The two different psychophysical methods gave a strong correlation for the strength of suppression (rho = -0.83, p = 0.006). Combining the new apparatus and new psychophysical method creates a convenient and rapid technique for parametric measurement of interocular suppression. In addition, this apparatus constitutes the ideal platform for suppressors to combine information between their eyes in a similar way to binocularly normal people. This provides a convenient way for clinicians to implement the newly proposed binocular treatment of amblyopia that is based on antisuppression training.

  5. Quasi-Resonant Full-Wave Zero-Current Switching Buck Converter Design, Simulation and Application

    OpenAIRE

    Yanik, G.; Isen, E.

    2015-01-01

    —This paper presents a full wave quasi-resonant zerocurrent switching buck converter design, simulation and application. The converter control uses with zero-current switching (ZCS) technique to decrease the switching losses. Comparing to conventional buck converter, resonant buck converter includes a resonant tank equipped with resonant inductor and capacitor. The converter is analyzed in mathematical for each subintervals. Depending on the desired input and output electrical quantities, con...

  6. Helical EMG module with explosive current opening switches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chernyshev, V.K.; Vakhrushev, V.V.; Volkov, G.I.; Ivanov, V.A.; Fetisov, I.K.

    1990-01-01

    To carry out the experimental work to study plasma properties, electromagnetic sources with 10 6 to 10 8 J of stored energy delivered to the load in microsecond time, are required. Among the current electromagnetic storage devices, the explosive magnetic generators (EMG) are of the largest energy capacity. The disadvantages of this type of generators is relatively long time (ten of microseconds) of electromagnetic energy cumulation in the deformable circuit. To reduce the time of energy transfer to the load to a microsecond range the switching scheme is generally used, where the cumulation circuit and that of the load are separated and connected in parallel via a switching element (opening switch) providing generation of desired power. In this paper, some ways and means of designing opening switches to generate high current pulses have been investigated. The opening switches to generate high current pulses have been investigated. The opening switches which operation is based on mechanic destruction of the conductor using high explosive, have the highest and most reliable performance. The authors have explored the mechanic disruption of a thin conductor (foil), the technique based on throwing the foil at the ribbed barrier of electric insulator material. The report presents the data obtained in studying the operation of this type of opening switch having cylindrical shape, 200 mm in diameter and 200 mm long, designed for generation of 5.5 MA current pulse in the load

  7. Reduced timing Sensitivity in all-optical switching using flat-top control pulses obtained by the optical fourier transform technique

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Oxenløwe, Leif Katsuo; Galili, Michael; Mulvad, Hans Christian Hansen

    2006-01-01

    into the time domain, referred to as the optical Fourier transform technique. A 3 ps flat-top pulse derived from a 3 nm wide square filter is obtained, and used to gate an all-optical OTDM demultiplexer, yielding an error-free timing jitter tolerance of 3 ps for 80 Gb/s and 160 Gb/s data signals.......For high-speed serial data, timing tolerance is crucial for switching and regeneration. We propose a novel scheme to generate flat-top pulses, for use as gating control pulses. The scheme relies on spectral shaping by a square-shaped filter, followed by a linear transformation of the spectral shape...

  8. The measurement and treatment of suppression in amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Black, Joanna M; Hess, Robert F; Cooperstock, Jeremy R; To, Long; Thompson, Benjamin

    2012-12-14

    Amblyopia, a developmental disorder of the visual cortex, is one of the leading causes of visual dysfunction in the working age population. Current estimates put the prevalence of amblyopia at approximately 1-3%(1-3), the majority of cases being monocular(2). Amblyopia is most frequently caused by ocular misalignment (strabismus), blur induced by unequal refractive error (anisometropia), and in some cases by form deprivation. Although amblyopia is initially caused by abnormal visual input in infancy, once established, the visual deficit often remains when normal visual input has been restored using surgery and/or refractive correction. This is because amblyopia is the result of abnormal visual cortex development rather than a problem with the amblyopic eye itself(4,5) . Amblyopia is characterized by both monocular and binocular deficits(6,7) which include impaired visual acuity and poor or absent stereopsis respectively. The visual dysfunction in amblyopia is often associated with a strong suppression of the inputs from the amblyopic eye under binocular viewing conditions(8). Recent work has indicated that suppression may play a central role in both the monocular and binocular deficits associated with amblyopia(9,10) . Current clinical tests for suppression tend to verify the presence or absence of suppression rather than giving a quantitative measurement of the degree of suppression. Here we describe a technique for measuring amblyopic suppression with a compact, portable device(11,12) . The device consists of a laptop computer connected to a pair of virtual reality goggles. The novelty of the technique lies in the way we present visual stimuli to measure suppression. Stimuli are shown to the amblyopic eye at high contrast while the contrast of the stimuli shown to the non-amblyopic eye are varied. Patients perform a simple signal/noise task that allows for a precise measurement of the strength of excitatory binocular interactions. The contrast offset at which

  9. EDITORIAL: Molecular switches at surfaces Molecular switches at surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinelt, Martin; von Oppen, Felix

    2012-10-01

    In nature, molecules exploit interaction with their environment to realize complex functionalities on the nanometer length scale. Physical, chemical and/or biological specificity is frequently achieved by the switching of molecules between microscopically different states. Paradigmatic examples are the energy production in proton pumps of bacteria or the signal conversion in human vision, which rely on switching molecules between different configurations or conformations by external stimuli. The remarkable reproducibility and unparalleled fatigue resistance of these natural processes makes it highly desirable to emulate nature and develop artificial systems with molecular functionalities. A promising avenue towards this goal is to anchor the molecular switches at surfaces, offering new pathways to control their functional properties, to apply electrical contacts, or to integrate switches into larger systems. Anchoring at surfaces allows one to access the full range from individual molecular switches to self-assembled monolayers of well-defined geometry and to customize the coupling between molecules and substrate or between adsorbed molecules. Progress in this field requires both synthesis and preparation of appropriate molecular systems and control over suitable external stimuli, such as light, heat, or electrical currents. To optimize switching and generate function, it is essential to unravel the geometric structure, the electronic properties and the dynamic interactions of the molecular switches on surfaces. This special section, Molecular Switches at Surfaces, collects 17 contributions describing different aspects of this research field. They analyze elementary processes, both in single molecules and in ensembles of molecules, which involve molecular switching and concomitant changes of optical, electronic, or magnetic properties. Two topical reviews summarize the current status, including both challenges and achievements in the field of molecular switches on

  10. Switch to maraviroc with darunavir/r, both QD, in patients with suppressed HIV-1 was well tolerated but virologically inferior to standard antiretroviral therapy: 48-week results of a randomized trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara Rossetti

    Full Text Available Primary study outcome was absence of treatment failure (virological failure, VF, or treatment interruption per protocol at week 48.Patients on 3-drug ART with stable HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL and CCR5-tropic virus were randomized 1:1 to maraviroc with darunavir/ritonavir qd (study arm or continue current ART (continuation arm.In June 2015, 115 patients were evaluable for the primary outcome (56 study, 59 continuation arm. The study was discontinued due to excess of VF in the study arm (7 cases, 12.5%, vs 0 in the continuation arm, p = 0.005. The proportion free of treatment failure was 73.2% in the study and 59.3% in the continuation arm. Two participants in the study and 10 in the continuation arm discontinued therapy due to adverse events (p = 0.030. At VF, no emergent drug resistance was detected. Co-receptor tropism switched to non-R5 in one patient. Patients with VF reported lower adherence and had lower plasma drug levels. Femoral bone mineral density was significantly improved in the study arm.Switching to maraviroc with darunavir/ritonavir qd in virologically suppressed patients was associated with improved tolerability but was virologically inferior to 3-drug therapy.

  11. Fat suppression at three-dimensional T1-weighted MR imaging of the hands: Dixon method versus CHESS technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirchgesner, T; Perlepe, V; Michoux, N; Larbi, A; Vande Berg, B

    2018-01-01

    To compare the effectiveness of fat suppression and the image quality of the Dixon method with those of the chemical shift-selective (CHESS) technique in hands of normal subjects at non-enhanced three-dimensional (3D) T1-weighted MR imaging. Both hands of 14 healthy volunteers were imaged with 3D fast spoiled gradient echo (FSPGR) T1-weighted Dixon, 3D FSPGR T1-weighted CHESS and 3D T1-weighted fast spin echo (FSE) CHESS sequences in a 1.5T MR scanner. Three radiologists scored the effectiveness of fat suppression in bone marrow (EFS BM ) and soft tissues (EFS ST ) in 20 joints per subject. One radiologist measured the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in 10 bones per subject. Statistical analysis used two-way ANOVA with random effects (PCHESS sequence and the 3D FSE T1-weighted CHESS sequence (PCHESS sequence (PCHESS sequence in the axial plane (P=0.0028). Mean SNR was statistically significantly higher for 3D FSPGR T1-weighted Dixon sequence than for 3D FSPGR T1-weighted CHESS and 3D FSE T1-weighted CHESS sequences (PCHESS technique at 3D T1-weighted MR imaging of the hands. Copyright © 2017 Éditions françaises de radiologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  12. Understanding the HIV coreceptor switch from a dynamical perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kamp Christel

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The entry of HIV into its target cells is facilitated by the prior binding to the cell surface molecule CD4 and a secondary coreceptor, mostly the chemokine receptors CCR5 or CXCR4. In early infection CCR5-using viruses (R5 viruses are mostly dominant while a receptor switch towards CXCR4 occurs in about 50% of the infected individuals (X4 viruses which is associated with a progression of the disease. There are many hypotheses regarding the underlying dynamics without yet a conclusive understanding. Results While it is difficult to isolate key factors in vivo we have developed a minimal in silico model based on the approaches of Nowak and May to investigate the conditions under which the receptor switch occurs. The model allows to investigate the evolution of viral strains within a probabilistic framework along the three stages of disease from primary and latent infection to the onset of AIDS with a a sudden increase in viral load which goes along with the impairment of the immune response. The model is specifically applied to investigate the evolution of the viral quasispecies in terms of R5 and X4 viruses which directly translates into the composition of viral load and consequently the question of the coreceptor switch. Conclusion The model can explain the coreceptor switch as a result of a dynamical change in the underlying environmental conditions in the host. The emergence of X4 strains does not necessarily result in the dominance of X4 viruses in viral load which is more likely to occur in the model after some time of chronic infection. A better understanding of the conditions leading to the coreceptor switch is especially of interest as CCR5 blockers have recently been licensed as drugs which suppress R5 viruses but do not seem to necessarily induce a coreceptor switch.

  13. Low-photon-number optical switch and AND/OR logic gates based on quantum dot-bimodal cavity coupling system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Shen; Ye, Han; Yu, Zhong-Yuan; Zhang, Wen; Peng, Yi-Wei; Cheng, Xiang; Liu, Yu-Min

    2016-01-11

    We propose a new scheme based on quantum dot-bimodal cavity coupling system to realize all-optical switch and logic gates in low-photon-number regime. Suppression of mode transmission due to the destructive interference effect is theoretically demonstrated by driving the cavity with two orthogonally polarized pulsed lasers at certain pulse delay. The transmitted mode can be selected by designing laser pulse sequence. The optical switch with high on-off ratio emerges when considering one driving laser as the control. Moreover, the AND/OR logic gates based on photon polarization are achieved by cascading the coupling system. Both proposed optical switch and logic gates work well in ultra-low energy magnitude. Our work may enable various applications of all-optical computing and quantum information processing.

  14. Photographic and video techniques used in the 1/5-scale Mark I boiling water reactor pressure suppression experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dixon, D.; Lord, D.

    1978-01-01

    The report provides a description of the techniques and equipment used for the photographic and video recordings of the air test series conducted on the 1/5 scale Mark I boiling water reactor (BWR) pressure suppression experimental facility at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLL) between March 4, 1977, and May 12, 1977. Lighting and water filtering are discussed in the photographic system section and are also applicable to the video system. The appendices contain information from the photographic and video camera logs

  15. Electroluminescence Spectrum Shift with Switching Behaviour of Diamond Thin Films

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    王小平; 王丽军; 张启仁; 姚宁; 张兵临

    2003-01-01

    We report a special phenomenon on switching behaviour and the electroluminescence (EL) spectrum shift of doped diamond thin films. Nitrogen and cerium doped diamond thin films were deposited on a silicon substrate by microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapour deposition system and other special techniques. An EL device with a three-layer structure of nitrogen doped diamond/cerium doped diamond/SiO2 thin films was made. The EL device was driven by a direct-current power supply. Its EL character has been investigated, and a switching behaviour was observed. The EL light emission colour of diamond films changes from yellow (590nm) to blue (454 nm) while the switching behaviour appears.

  16. Optimal control of switching time in switched stochastic systems with multi-switching times and different costs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiaomei; Li, Shengtao; Zhang, Kanjian

    2017-08-01

    In this paper, we solve an optimal control problem for a class of time-invariant switched stochastic systems with multi-switching times, where the objective is to minimise a cost functional with different costs defined on the states. In particular, we focus on problems in which a pre-specified sequence of active subsystems is given and the switching times are the only control variables. Based on the calculus of variation, we derive the gradient of the cost functional with respect to the switching times on an especially simple form, which can be directly used in gradient descent algorithms to locate the optimal switching instants. Finally, a numerical example is given, highlighting the validity of the proposed methodology.

  17. Joint switched transmit diversity and adaptive modulation in spectrum sharing systems

    KAUST Repository

    Qaraqe, Khalid A.

    2011-01-01

    Under the scenario of an underlay cognitive radio network, we propose in this paper an adaptive scheme using switched transmit diversity and adaptive modulation in order to minimize the average number of switched branches at the secondary transmitter while increasing the capacity of the secondary link. The proposed switching efficient scheme (SES) uses the scan and wait (SWC) combining technique where a transmission occurs only when a branch with an acceptable performance is found, otherwise data is buffered. In our scheme, the modulation constellation size and the used transmit branch are determined to achieve the highest spectral efficiency with a minimum processing power, given the fading channel conditions, the required error rate performance, and a peak interference constraint to the primary receiver. Selected numerical examples show that the SES scheme minimizes the average number of switched branches for the average and the high secondary signal-to-noise ratio range. This improvement comes at the expense of a small delay introduced by the SWC technique. For reference, we also compare the performance of the SES scheme to the selection diversity scheme (SDS) where the best branch verifying the modulation mode and the interference constraint is always selected. © 2011 ICST.

  18. Turbulence suppression in discharges with off-axis ECRH on the T-10 tokamak device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shelukhin, D.A.; Vershkov, V.A.; Razumova, K.A.

    2005-01-01

    A transient steep electron temperature gradient has been observed in T-10 tokamak plasmas at ρ=0.25 immediately after off-axis electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) switch-off. The turbulence characteristics were investigated in these discharges by means of correlation reflectometry. It was found that the density fluctuation amplitude was two times lower than the ohmic level in a narrow region near ρ=0.25 after ECRH switch-off. The poloidal coherence of fluctuations is also decreased in this region. The suppression of quasi-coherent oscillations has been observed in discharges during the time when the strong temperature gradient exists. Measurements of turbulent poloidal rotation showed no velocity shear after ECRH switch-off. Analysis of the linear growth rates of instabilities shows that the ion temperature gradient (ITG) mode is unstable at ρ ∼ 0.25 during the whole discharge. A possible explanation for the observed phenomena is the rational surface density decrease near q=1 due to q profile transient flattening after off-axis ECRH switch-off. (author)

  19. Robust filtering and fault detection of switched delay systems

    CERN Document Server

    Wang, Dong; Wang, Wei

    2013-01-01

    Switched delay systems appear in a wide field of applications including networked control systems, power systems, memristive systems. Though the large amount of ideas with respect to such systems have generated, until now, it still lacks a framework to focus on filter design and fault detection issues which are relevant to life safety and property loss. Beginning with the comprehensive coverage of the new developments in the analysis and control synthesis for switched delay systems, the monograph not only provides a systematic approach to designing the filter and detecting the fault of switched delay systems, but it also covers the model reduction issues. Specific topics covered include: (1) Arbitrary switching signal where delay-independent and delay-dependent conditions are presented by proposing a linearization technique. (2) Average dwell time where a weighted Lyapunov function is come up with dealing with filter design and fault detection issues beside taking model reduction problems. The monograph is in...

  20. Thickness independent reduced forming voltage in oxygen engineered HfO{sub 2} based resistive switching memories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sharath, S. U., E-mail: sharath@oxide.tu-darmstadt.de; Kurian, J.; Komissinskiy, P.; Hildebrandt, E.; Alff, L. [Institute of Materials Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Bertaud, T.; Walczyk, C.; Calka, P. [IHP, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt Oder (Germany); Schroeder, T. [IHP, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt Oder (Germany); Brandenburgische Technische Universität, Konrad-Zuse-Strasse 1, 03046 Cottbus (Germany)

    2014-08-18

    The conducting filament forming voltage of stoichiometric hafnium oxide based resistive switching layers increases linearly with layer thickness. Using strongly reduced oxygen deficient hafnium oxide thin films grown on polycrystalline TiN/Si(001) substrates, the thickness dependence of the forming voltage is strongly suppressed. Instead, an almost constant forming voltage of about 3 V is observed up to 200 nm layer thickness. This effect suggests that filament formation and switching occurs for all samples in an oxidized HfO{sub 2} surface layer of a few nanometer thickness while the highly oxygen deficient thin film itself merely serves as a oxygen vacancy reservoir.

  1. Binocular vision in amblyopia : structure, suppression and plasticity

    OpenAIRE

    Hess, Robert F; Thompson, Benjamin; Baker, Daniel Hart

    2014-01-01

    The amblyopic visual system was once considered to be structurally monocular. However, it now evident that the capacity for binocular vision is present in many observers with amblyopia. This has led to new techniques for quantifying suppression that have provided insights into the relationship between suppression and the monocular and binocular visual deficits experienced by amblyopes. Furthermore, new treatments are emerging that directly target suppressive interactions within the visual cor...

  2. Digital control of high-frequency switched-mode power converters

    CERN Document Server

    Corradini, Luca; Mattavelli, Paolo; Zane, Regan

    This book is focused on the fundamental aspects of analysis, modeling and design of digital control loops around high-frequency switched-mode power converters in a systematic and rigorous manner Comprehensive treatment of digital control theory for power converters Verilog and VHDL sample codes are provided Enables readers to successfully analyze, model, design, and implement voltage, current, or multi-loop digital feedback loops around switched-mode power converters Practical examples are used throughout the book to illustrate applications of the techniques developed Matlab examples are also

  3. Suppression of Spiral Waves by Voltage Clamp Techniques in a Conductance-Based Cardiac Tissue Model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lian-Chun, Yu; Guo-Yong, Zhang; Yong, Chen; Jun, Ma

    2008-01-01

    A new control method is proposed to control the spatio-temporal dynamics in excitable media, which is described by the Morris–Lecar cells model. It is confirmed that successful suppression of spiral waves can be obtained by spatially clamping the membrane voltage of the excitable cells. The low voltage clamping induces breakup of spiral waves and the fragments are soon absorbed by low voltage obstacles, whereas the high voltage clamping generates travel waves that annihilate spiral waves through collision with them. However, each method has its shortcomings. Furthermore, a two-step method that combines both low and high voltage clamp techniques is then presented as a possible way of out this predicament. (cross-disciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

  4. Mitigation of Transient Overvoltages Generated Due to Switching Operations and Lightning in Gas-insulated Substation (GIS Without Extra Limiter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Tavakoli

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Gas-insulated substations (GIS have different specifications in proportion to air-insulated substations. Transformer failures related to lightning and switching are often reported in the gas insulated substation (GIS. This problem is the voltage magnifications due to reflections of switching and lightning surges at various junctions within the GIS. thereby overvoltages in GIS are more important than air-insulated substation. There are methods to suppress the stresses created by lightning and switching. However, these methods are suitable before installing the substation and during the substation design period. This paper presents feasible methods for mitigation of the overvoltage magnitude. The advantages of the proposed methods are their simplicity and low cost for implantation along with producing minimal changes in the installed GIS.

  5. Three-Dimensionally Printed Micro-electromechanical Switches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yongwoo; Han, Jungmin; Choi, Bongsik; Yoon, Jinsu; Park, Jinhee; Kim, Yeamin; Lee, Jieun; Kim, Dae Hwan; Kim, Dong Myong; Lim, Meehyun; Kang, Min-Ho; Kim, Sungho; Choi, Sung-Jin

    2018-05-09

    Three-dimensional (3D) printers have attracted considerable attention from both industry and academia and especially in recent years because of their ability to overcome the limitations of two-dimensional (2D) processes and to enable large-scale facile integration techniques. With 3D printing technologies, complex structures can be created using only a computer-aided design file as a reference; consequently, complex shapes can be manufactured in a single step with little dependence on manufacturer technologies. In this work, we provide a first demonstration of the facile and time-saving 3D printing of two-terminal micro-electromechanical (MEM) switches. Two widely used thermoplastic materials were used to form 3D-printed MEM switches; freely suspended and fixed electrodes were printed from conductive polylactic acid, and a water-soluble sacrificial layer for air-gap formation was printed from poly(vinyl alcohol). Our 3D-printed MEM switches exhibit excellent electromechanical properties, with abrupt switching characteristics and an excellent on/off current ratio value exceeding 10 6 . Therefore, we believe that our study makes an innovative contribution with implications for the development of a broader range of 3D printer applications (e.g., the manufacturing of various MEM devices and sensors), and the work highlights a uniquely attractive path toward the realization of 3D-printed electronics.

  6. Analysis of Factors Affecting Manufacturing Companies in Indonesia Performing a Switching Auditor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Atika Sukma Winata

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available This study aims at analyzing the influence of the Public Accountant Firms Size, Size of Company, Financial Distress, Audit Opinion and Management Turnover toward Auditor Switching. The population of this study is a manufacturing company listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange during the period 2011-2015 consisting of 134 companies. The sample was obtained by purposive sampling technique which resulted in the sample of 26 companies. Methods of data analysis using logistic regression and SPSS 21 using data and other information obtained from Annual Report. Results of this study shows that the Public Accountant Firms Size and Management Turnover have significant impact toward auditor switching, size of company have influence auditor switching. Financial distress and audit opinion did not effect auditor switching significantly. The value of Nagelkerke R Square is 0.283. conclusions of this study is the Public Accountant Firms Size and Management Turnover have significant impact toward auditor switching, size of company have influence auditor switching. Financial distress and audit opinion did not effect auditor switching significantly.

  7. Enhancement of resistive switching properties in Al2O3 bilayer-based atomic switches: multilevel resistive switching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vishwanath, Sujaya Kumar; Woo, Hyunsuk; Jeon, Sanghun

    2018-06-01

    Atomic switches are considered to be building blocks for future non-volatile data storage and internet of things. However, obtaining device structures capable of ultrahigh density data storage, high endurance, and long data retention, and more importantly, understanding the switching mechanisms are still a challenge for atomic switches. Here, we achieved improved resistive switching performance in a bilayer structure containing aluminum oxide, with an oxygen-deficient oxide as the top switching layer and stoichiometric oxide as the bottom switching layer, using atomic layer deposition. This bilayer device showed a high on/off ratio (105) with better endurance (∼2000 cycles) and longer data retention (104 s) than single-oxide layers. In addition, depending on the compliance current, the bilayer device could be operated in four different resistance states. Furthermore, the depth profiles of the hourglass-shaped conductive filament of the bilayer device was observed by conductive atomic force microscopy.

  8. Bistable switches control memory and plasticity in cellular differentiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lei; Walker, Brandon L.; Iannaccone, Stephen; Bhatt, Devang; Kennedy, Patrick J.; Tse, William T.

    2009-01-01

    Development of stem and progenitor cells into specialized tissues in multicellular organisms involves a series of cell fate decisions. Cellular differentiation in higher organisms is generally considered irreversible, and the idea of developmental plasticity in postnatal tissues is controversial. Here, we show that inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in a human bone marrow stromal cell-derived myogenic subclone suppresses their myogenic ability and converts them into satellite cell-like precursors that respond to osteogenic stimulation. Clonal analysis of the induced osteogenic response reveals ultrasensitivity and an “all-or-none” behavior, hallmarks of a bistable switch mechanism with stochastic noise. The response demonstrates cellular memory, which is contingent on the accumulation of an intracellular factor and can be erased by factor dilution through cell divisions or inhibition of protein synthesis. The effect of MAPK inhibition also exhibits memory and appears to be controlled by another bistable switch further upstream that determines cell fate. Once the memory associated with osteogenic differentiation is erased, the cells regain their myogenic ability. These results support a model of cell fate decision in which a network of bistable switches controls inducible production of lineage-specific differentiation factors. A competitive balance between these factors determines cell fate. Our work underscores the dynamic nature of cellular differentiation and explains mechanistically the dual properties of stability and plasticity associated with the process. PMID:19366677

  9. Regime switching model for financial data: Empirical risk analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salhi, Khaled; Deaconu, Madalina; Lejay, Antoine; Champagnat, Nicolas; Navet, Nicolas

    2016-11-01

    This paper constructs a regime switching model for the univariate Value-at-Risk estimation. Extreme value theory (EVT) and hidden Markov models (HMM) are combined to estimate a hybrid model that takes volatility clustering into account. In the first stage, HMM is used to classify data in crisis and steady periods, while in the second stage, EVT is applied to the previously classified data to rub out the delay between regime switching and their detection. This new model is applied to prices of numerous stocks exchanged on NYSE Euronext Paris over the period 2001-2011. We focus on daily returns for which calibration has to be done on a small dataset. The relative performance of the regime switching model is benchmarked against other well-known modeling techniques, such as stable, power laws and GARCH models. The empirical results show that the regime switching model increases predictive performance of financial forecasting according to the number of violations and tail-loss tests. This suggests that the regime switching model is a robust forecasting variant of power laws model while remaining practical to implement the VaR measurement.

  10. 1.114-gb/s time/space division switch system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pawelski, Robert L.; Nordin, Ronald A.; Huisman, R. F.; Kelly, S.; Payne, William A.; Veach, R. S.

    1990-10-01

    Advanced digital communication services11 such as Broadband ISDN High Definition Television (HDTV) and enhanced data networking are expected to require high bandwidth and fast reconfiguration time switching centers available in the 1990''s. Digital GaAs IC''s can allow the implementation of these switching centers providing these services efficiently and at a low cost. The low cost arises from the reduction in hardware power maintenance etc. when the switch is designed to operate at the incoming data rate instead of at a lower rate. In order to utilize the capacity of a high bandwidth data link time division multiplexing is employed. This is a technique where multiple digital signals are interleaved (bit byte or block) on one data link. Clearly it is advantageous to have a switch that not only has a large bandwidth but can reconfigure at the data rate so as to provide bit byte or block switching functions thus being compatible with many different transmission formats. We present an experimental Time/Space Division Switch System capable of operating at over 1 Gb/s. Both custom and commercial Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) devices are used in the design of the various system functional blocks. These functional blocks include a Time Slot Interchanger (TSI) Time Multiplexed Switch (TMS) TMS Controller Multiplexer and Demultiplexers. In addition to the system overview we discuss such issues as printed circuit board microwave interconnections and CAD tools for high speed

  11. Intentional preparation of auditory attention-switches: Explicit cueing and sequential switch-predictability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seibold, Julia C; Nolden, Sophie; Oberem, Josefa; Fels, Janina; Koch, Iring

    2018-06-01

    In an auditory attention-switching paradigm, participants heard two simultaneously spoken number-words, each presented to one ear, and decided whether the target number was smaller or larger than 5 by pressing a left or right key. An instructional cue in each trial indicated which feature had to be used to identify the target number (e.g., female voice). Auditory attention-switch costs were found when this feature changed compared to when it repeated in two consecutive trials. Earlier studies employing this paradigm showed mixed results when they examined whether such cued auditory attention-switches can be prepared actively during the cue-stimulus interval. This study systematically assessed which preconditions are necessary for the advance preparation of auditory attention-switches. Three experiments were conducted that controlled for cue-repetition benefits, modality switches between cue and stimuli, as well as for predictability of the switch-sequence. Only in the third experiment, in which predictability for an attention-switch was maximal due to a pre-instructed switch-sequence and predictable stimulus onsets, active switch-specific preparation was found. These results suggest that the cognitive system can prepare auditory attention-switches, and this preparation seems to be triggered primarily by the memorised switching-sequence and valid expectations about the time of target onset.

  12. Switched Broadband Services For The Home

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawyer, Don M.

    1990-01-01

    In considering the deployment of fiber optics to the residence, two critical questions arise: what are the leading services that could be offered to justify the required investment; and what is the nature of the business that would offer these services to the consumer ? This talk will address these two questions together with the related issue of how the "financial engine" of today's television distribution infrastructure - TV advertising - would be affected by an open access system based on fiber optics coupled with broadband switching. On the business side, the talk concludes that the potential for open ended capacity expansion, fair competition between service providers, and new interactive services inherent in an open access, switched broadband system are the critical items in differentiating it from existing video and TV distribution systems. On the question of broadband services, the talk will highlight several new opportunities together with some findings from recent market research conducted by BNR. The talk will show that there are variations on existing services plus many new services that could be offered and which have real consumer appeal. The postulated open access system discussed here is visualized as having ultimately 1,000 to 2,000 video channels available to the consumer. Although this may appear to hopelessly fragment the TV audience and destroy the current TV advertising infrastructure, the technology of open access, switched broadband will present many new advertising techniques, which have the potential to be far more effective than those available today. Some of these techniques will be described in this talk.

  13. A density-dependent switch drives stochastic clustering and polarization of signaling molecules.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandra Jilkine

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Positive feedback plays a key role in the ability of signaling molecules to form highly localized clusters in the membrane or cytosol of cells. Such clustering can occur in the absence of localizing mechanisms such as pre-existing spatial cues, diffusional barriers, or molecular cross-linking. What prevents positive feedback from amplifying inevitable biological noise when an un-clustered "off" state is desired? And, what limits the spread of clusters when an "on" state is desired? Here, we show that a minimal positive feedback circuit provides the general principle for both suppressing and amplifying noise: below a critical density of signaling molecules, clustering switches off; above this threshold, highly localized clusters are recurrently generated. Clustering occurs only in the stochastic regime, suggesting that finite sizes of molecular populations cannot be ignored in signal transduction networks. The emergence of a dominant cluster for finite numbers of molecules is partly a phenomenon of random sampling, analogous to the fixation or loss of neutral mutations in finite populations. We refer to our model as the "neutral drift polarity model." Regulating the density of signaling molecules provides a simple mechanism for a positive feedback circuit to robustly switch between clustered and un-clustered states. The intrinsic ability of positive feedback both to create and suppress clustering is a general mechanism that could operate within diverse biological networks to create dynamic spatial organization.

  14. Development of a switched integrator amplifier for high-accuracy optical measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mountford, John; Porrovecchio, Geiland; Smid, Marek; Smid, Radislav

    2008-01-01

    In the field of low flux optical measurements, the development and use of large area silicon detectors is becoming more frequent. The current/voltage conversion of their photocurrent presents a set of problems for traditional transimpedance amplifiers. The switched integration principle overcomes these limitations. We describe the development of a fully characterized current-voltage amplifier using the switched integrator technique. Two distinct systems have been developed in parallel at the United Kingdom's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and Czech Metrology Institute (CMI) laboratories. We present the circuit theory and best practice in the design and construction of switched integrators. In conclusion the results achieved and future developments are discussed

  15. Development of a switched integrator amplifier for high-accuracy optical measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mountford, John; Porrovecchio, Geiland; Smid, Marek; Smid, Radislav

    2008-11-01

    In the field of low flux optical measurements, the development and use of large area silicon detectors is becoming more frequent. The current/voltage conversion of their photocurrent presents a set of problems for traditional transimpedance amplifiers. The switched integration principle overcomes these limitations. We describe the development of a fully characterized current-voltage amplifier using the switched integrator technique. Two distinct systems have been developed in parallel at the United Kingdom's National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and Czech Metrology Institute (CMI) laboratories. We present the circuit theory and best practice in the design and construction of switched integrators. In conclusion the results achieved and future developments are discussed.

  16. Demonstration of Ultra-Fast Switching in Nano metallic Resistive Switching Memory Devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Y.

    2016-01-01

    Interdependency of switching voltage and time creates a dilemma/obstacle for most resistive switching memories, which indicates low switching voltage and ultra-fast switching time cannot be simultaneously achieved. In this paper, an ultra-fast (sub-100 ns) yet low switching voltage resistive switching memory device (“nano metallic ReRAM”) was demonstrated. Experimental switching voltage is found independent of pulse width (intrinsic device property) when the pulse is long but shows abrupt time dependence (“cliff”) as pulse width approaches characteristic RC time of memory device (extrinsic device property). Both experiment and simulation show that the onset of cliff behavior is dependent on physical device size and parasitic resistance, which is expected to diminish as technology nodes shrink down. We believe this study provides solid evidence that nano metallic resistive switching memory can be reliably operated at low voltage and ultra-fast regime, thus beneficial to future memory technology.

  17. Confinement and diffusion modulate bistability and stochastic switching in a reaction network with positive feedback

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mlynarczyk, Paul J.; Pullen, Robert H.; Abel, Steven M.

    2016-01-01

    Positive feedback is a common feature in signal transduction networks and can lead to phenomena such as bistability and signal propagation by domain growth. Physical features of the cellular environment, such as spatial confinement and the mobility of proteins, play important but inadequately understood roles in shaping the behavior of signaling networks. Here, we use stochastic, spatially resolved kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to explore a positive feedback network as a function of system size, system shape, and mobility of molecules. We show that these physical properties can markedly alter characteristics of bistability and stochastic switching when compared with well-mixed simulations. Notably, systems of equal volume but different shapes can exhibit qualitatively different behaviors under otherwise identical conditions. We show that stochastic switching to a state maintained by positive feedback occurs by cluster formation and growth. Additionally, the frequency at which switching occurs depends nontrivially on the diffusion coefficient, which can promote or suppress switching relative to the well-mixed limit. Taken together, the results provide a framework for understanding how confinement and protein mobility influence emergent features of the positive feedback network by modulating molecular concentrations, diffusion-influenced rate parameters, and spatiotemporal correlations between molecules

  18. Optical Time Division Switching Using Multiple Stages of Fiber Optic Delay Lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spanke, Ronald Anthony

    Optical Time Slot Interchanges (OTSIs) can be realized by guided wave LiNbO_3 optical switches performing space division switching of optical fiber delay lines. In this dissertation the problems of reducing the total length of fiber required and also of improving the SNR characteristics of this OTSI function are addressed. Several new OTSI architectures are proposed to reduce the total fiber length while still obtaining excellent SNR characteristics. These reduced fiber architectures include the Distributed Input Delay, Distributed Output Delay, the 2-Stage decomposition and the Distributed Input/Output Delay architectures. A Parallel Feedback (PFB) OTSI architecture is proposed that achieves the theoretical minimum number of delay fibers and the theoretical minimum total length of delay fiber for a given OTSI function. Broadcast OTSI architectures are proposed that enable the data in an incoming time slot to be broadcast to one or more outgoing time slots. These broadcast OTSI architectures include the Time-Dup-Time (TDT) system, Passive Splitter/Active Combiner (PS/AC) equivalents of the point -to-point reduced fiber architectures, and the broadcast PFB architecture. For each of the point-to-point and the broadcast OTSI architectures proposed, a detailed characterization of the architecture is performed including an analysis of number of fibers, total fiber length, number of optical switches and drivers, attenuation and SNR characteristics. This dissertation also proposes several new techniques for improving the system SNR and for calibration of the OTSI architectures. A cascaded noise reduction and a differential attenuation compensation technique are used to achieve a significantly higher system SNR at the output of the OTSI. In-situ calibration techniques are discussed to determine the optimum operating voltages for the LiNbO _3 switches when alternating between states every time slot. These techniques attempt to compensate for an output power drift problem

  19. DESAIN DAN IMPLEMENTSI SOFT SWITCHING BOOST KONVERTER DENGAN SIMPLE AUXILLARY RESONANT SWITCH (SARC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dimas Bagus Saputra

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Boost konverter merupakan penaik tegangan DC ke tegangan DC yang mempunyai tegangan output yang lebih tinggi dibanding inputnya. Penggunaan boost konverter diera modern semakin meningkat dan dibuat dengan dimensi yang lebih kecil, berat yang lebih ringan dan efisiensi yang lebih tinggi dibanding dengan boost konverter generasi terdahulu. Tetapi rugi-rugi periodik saat on/off meningkat. Untuk meraih kriteria tersebut, teknik hard switching boost konverter berevolusi menjadi teknik soft switching dengan menambah rangkaian simple auxiliary resonant circuit (SARC. Karena penambahan rangkaian SARC tersebut konverter bekerja pada kondisi zero-voltage switching switch (ZVS dan zero current switch (ZCS, sehingga saklar semikonduktor tidak bekerja secara hard switching lagi. Pada penelitian ini akan di desain dan diimplementaskan soft switching boost konverter dengan SARC. Kelebihan dari soft switching boost konverter dengan SARC adalah mempunyai efisiensi yang lebih tinggi dibanding dengan boost konverter konventional. Dari hasil implementasi menunjukkan konverter yang diajukan telah meraih zero voltage switch (ZVS. Sehingga boost konverter zero voltage switch (ZVS bisa diaplikasikan pada sistem power suplay yang membutuhkan efisiensi energi yang tinggi terutama pada daya yang tinggi.

  20. Neuromorphic atomic switch networks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Audrius V Avizienis

    Full Text Available Efforts to emulate the formidable information processing capabilities of the brain through neuromorphic engineering have been bolstered by recent progress in the fabrication of nonlinear, nanoscale circuit elements that exhibit synapse-like operational characteristics. However, conventional fabrication techniques are unable to efficiently generate structures with the highly complex interconnectivity found in biological neuronal networks. Here we demonstrate the physical realization of a self-assembled neuromorphic device which implements basic concepts of systems neuroscience through a hardware-based platform comprised of over a billion interconnected atomic-switch inorganic synapses embedded in a complex network of silver nanowires. Observations of network activation and passive harmonic generation demonstrate a collective response to input stimulus in agreement with recent theoretical predictions. Further, emergent behaviors unique to the complex network of atomic switches and akin to brain function are observed, namely spatially distributed memory, recurrent dynamics and the activation of feedforward subnetworks. These devices display the functional characteristics required for implementing unconventional, biologically and neurally inspired computational methodologies in a synthetic experimental system.

  1. Effectiveness, Safety, and Costs of a Treatment Switch to Dolutegravir Plus Rilpivirine Dual Therapy in Treatment-Experienced HIV Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Revuelta-Herrero, José Luis; Chamorro-de-Vega, Esther; Rodríguez-González, Carmen Guadalupe; Alonso, Roberto; Herranz-Alonso, Ana; Sanjurjo-Sáez, María

    2018-01-01

    Evidence about the use of dolutegravir (DTG) and rilpivirine (RPV) as an antiretroviral therapy (ART) in treatment-experienced patients is scarce. To explore the effectiveness, safety, and costs of switching to a DTG plus RPV regimen in this population. This observational, prospective study included all treatment-experienced patients who switched to DTG plus RPV between November 2014 and July 2016. Patients were excluded if resistance mutations to integrase inhibitors or RPV were found. The effectiveness endpoint was the proportion of patients who achieved virological suppression (viral load [VL] 90% increased from 65.6% to 93.8% ( P = 0.004). The annual per-patient ART costs dropped by €665 ( P = 0.265). Switching to DTG plus RPV seems to be an effective and safe strategy. Significant improvements in patients' adherence and costs were achieved.

  2. Ways to suppress click and pop for class D amplifiers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Haishi; Zhang Bo; Sun Jiang

    2012-01-01

    Undesirable audio click and pop may be generated in a speaker or headphone. Compared to linear (class A/B/AB) amplifiers, class D amplifiers that comprise of an input stage and a modulation stage are more prone to producing click and pop. This article analyzes sources that generate click and pop in class D amplifiers, and corresponding ways to suppress them. For a class D amplifier with a single-ended input, click and pop is likely to be due to two factors. One is from a voltage difference (V DIF ) between the voltage of an input capacitance (V CIN ) and a reference voltage (V REF ) of the input stage, and the other one is from the non-linear switching during the setting up of the bias and feedback voltages/currents (BFVC) of the modulation stage. In this article, a fast charging loop is introduced into the input stage to charge V CIN to roughly near V REF . Then a correction loop further charges or discharges V CIN , substantially equalizing it with V REF . Dummy switches are introduced into the modulation stage to provide switching signals for setting up BFVC, and the power switches are disabled until the BFVC are set up successfully. A two channel single-ended class D amplifier with the above features is fabricated with 0.5 μm Bi-CMOS process. Road test and fast Fourier transform analysis indicate that there is no noticeable click and pop. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

  3. Ways to suppress click and pop for class D amplifiers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haishi, Wang; Bo, Zhang; Jiang, Sun

    2012-08-01

    Undesirable audio click and pop may be generated in a speaker or headphone. Compared to linear (class A/B/AB) amplifiers, class D amplifiers that comprise of an input stage and a modulation stage are more prone to producing click and pop. This article analyzes sources that generate click and pop in class D amplifiers, and corresponding ways to suppress them. For a class D amplifier with a single-ended input, click and pop is likely to be due to two factors. One is from a voltage difference (VDIF) between the voltage of an input capacitance (VCIN) and a reference voltage (VREF) of the input stage, and the other one is from the non-linear switching during the setting up of the bias and feedback voltages/currents (BFVC) of the modulation stage. In this article, a fast charging loop is introduced into the input stage to charge VCIN to roughly near VREF. Then a correction loop further charges or discharges VCIN, substantially equalizing it with VREF. Dummy switches are introduced into the modulation stage to provide switching signals for setting up BFVC, and the power switches are disabled until the BFVC are set up successfully. A two channel single-ended class D amplifier with the above features is fabricated with 0.5 μm Bi-CMOS process. Road test and fast Fourier transform analysis indicate that there is no noticeable click and pop.

  4. A comparative quantitative analysis of the IDEAL (iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation) and the CHESS (chemical shift selection suppression) techniques in 3.0 T L-spine MRI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Eng-Chan; Cho, Jae-Hwan; Kim, Min-Hye; Kim, Ki-Hong; Choi, Cheon-Woong; Seok, Jong-min; Na, Kil-Ju; Han, Man-Seok

    2013-03-01

    This study was conducted on 20 patients who had undergone pedicle screw fixation between March and December 2010 to quantitatively compare a conventional fat suppression technique, CHESS (chemical shift selection suppression), and a new technique, IDEAL (iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least squares estimation). The general efficacy and usefulness of the IDEAL technique was also evaluated. Fat-suppressed transverse-relaxation-weighed images and longitudinal-relaxation-weighted images were obtained before and after contrast injection by using these two techniques with a 1.5T MR (magnetic resonance) scanner. The obtained images were analyzed for image distortion, susceptibility artifacts and homogenous fat removal in the target region. The results showed that the image distortion due to the susceptibility artifacts caused by implanted metal was lower in the images obtained using the IDEAL technique compared to those obtained using the CHESS technique. The results of a qualitative analysis also showed that compared to the CHESS technique, fewer susceptibility artifacts and more homogenous fat removal were found in the images obtained using the IDEAL technique in a comparative image evaluation of the axial plane images before and after contrast injection. In summary, compared to the CHESS technique, the IDEAL technique showed a lower occurrence of susceptibility artifacts caused by metal and lower image distortion. In addition, more homogenous fat removal was shown in the IDEAL technique.

  5. Robust Switching Control and Subspace Identification for Flutter of Flexible Wing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yizhe Wang

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Active flutter suppression and subspace identification for a flexible wing model using micro fiber composite actuator were experimentally studied in a low speed wind tunnel. NACA0006 thin airfoil model was used for the experimental object to verify the performance of identification algorithm and designed controller. The equation of the fluid, vibration, and piezoelectric coupled motion was theoretically analyzed and experimentally identified under the open-loop and closed-loop condition by subspace method for controller design. A robust pole placement algorithm in terms of linear matrix inequality that accommodates the model uncertainty caused by identification deviation and flow speed variation was utilized to stabilize the divergent aeroelastic system. For further enlarging the flutter envelope, additional controllers were designed subject to the models beyond the flutter speed. Wind speed was measured online as the decision parameter of switching between the controllers. To ensure the stability of arbitrary switching, Common Lyapunov function method was applied to design the robust pole placement controllers for different models to ensure that the closed-loop system shared a common Lyapunov function. Wind tunnel result showed that the designed controllers could stabilize the time varying aeroelastic system over a wide range under arbitrary switching.

  6. Low-profile high-voltage compact gas switch

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goerz, D.A.; Wilson, M.J.; Speer, R.D.

    1997-01-01

    This paper discusses the development and testing of a low-profile, high-voltage, spark-gap switch designed to be closely coupled with other components into an integrated high-energy pulsed-power source. The switch is designed to operate at 100 kV using SF6 gas pressurized to less than 0.7 MPa. The volume of the switch cavity region is less than 1.5 cm3, and the field stress along the gas-dielectric interface is as high as 130 kV/cm. The dielectric switch body has a low profile that is only I -cm tall at its greatest extent and nominally 2-mm thick over most of its area. This design achieves a very low inductance of less than 5 nH, but results in field stresses exceeding 500 kV/cm in the dielectric material. Field modeling was done to determine the appropriate shape for the highly stressed insulator and electrodes, and special manufacturing techniques were employed to mitigate the usual mechanisms that induce breakdown and failure in solid dielectrics. Static breakdown tests verified that the switch operates satisfactorily at 100 kV levels. The unit has been characterized with different shaped electrodes having nominal gap spacings of 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 mm. The relationship between self-break voltage and operating pressure agrees well with published data on gas properties, accounting for the field enhancements of the electrode shapes being used. Capacitor discharge tests in a low inductance test fixture exhibited peak currents up to 25 kA with characteristic frequencies of the ringdown circuit ranging from 10 to 20 MHz. The ringdown waveforms and scaling of measured parameters agree well with circuit modeling of the switch and test fixture. Repetitive operation has been demonstrated at moderate rep-rates up to 15 Hz, limited by the power supply being used. Preliminary tests to evaluate lifetime of the compact switch assembly have been encouraging. In one case, after more than 7,000 high-current ringdown tests with approximately 30 C of total charge transferred, the

  7. High-Frequency Stimulation at the Subthalamic Nucleus Suppresses Excessive Self-Grooming in Autism-Like Mouse Models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Andrew D; Berges, Victoria A; Chung, Sunho J; Fridman, Gene Y; Baraban, Jay M; Reti, Irving M

    2016-06-01

    Approximately one quarter of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display self-injurious behavior (SIB) ranging from head banging to self-directed biting and punching. Sometimes, these behaviors are extreme and unresponsive to pharmacological and behavioral therapies. We have found electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can produce life-changing results, with more than 90% suppression of SIB frequency. However, these patients typically require frequent maintenance ECT (mECT), as often as every 5 days, to sustain the improvement gained during the acute course. Long-term consequences of such frequent mECT started as early as childhood in some cases are unknown. Accordingly, there is a need for alternative forms of chronic stimulation for these patients. To explore the feasibility of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for intractable SIB seen in some patients with an ASD, we utilized two genetically distinct mouse models demonstrating excessive self-grooming, namely the Viaat-Mecp2(-/y) and Shank3B(-/-) lines, and administered high-frequency stimulation (HFS) via implanted electrodes at the subthalamic nucleus (STN-HFS). We found that STN-HFS significantly suppressed excessive self-grooming in both genetic lines. Suppression occurs both acutely when stimulation is switched on, and persists for several days after HFS is stopped. This effect was not explained by a change in locomotor activity, which was unaffected by STN-HFS. Likewise, social interaction deficits were not corrected by STN-HFS. Our data show STN-HFS suppresses excessive self-grooming in two autism-like mouse models, raising the possibility DBS might be used to treat intractable SIB associated with ASDs. Further studies are required to explore the circuitry engaged by STN-HFS, as well as other potential stimulation sites. Such studies might also yield clues about pathways, which could be modulated by non-invasive stimulatory techniques.

  8. Electronic logic to enhance switch reliability in detecting openings and closures of redundant switches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, James A.

    1986-01-01

    A logic circuit is used to enhance redundant switch reliability. Two or more switches are monitored for logical high or low output. The output for the logic circuit produces a redundant and failsafe representation of the switch outputs. When both switch outputs are high, the output is high. Similarly, when both switch outputs are low, the logic circuit's output is low. When the output states of the two switches do not agree, the circuit resolves the conflict by memorizing the last output state which both switches were simultaneously in and produces the logical complement of this output state. Thus, the logic circuit of the present invention allows the redundant switches to be treated as if they were in parallel when the switches are open and as if they were in series when the switches are closed. A failsafe system having maximum reliability is thereby produced.

  9. Switched capacitor DC-DC converter with switch conductance modulation and Pesudo-fixed frequency control

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Dennis Øland; Vinter, Martin; Jørgensen, Ivan Harald Holger

    A switched capacitor dc-dc converter with frequency-planned control is presented. By splitting the output stage switches in eight segments the output voltage can be regulated with a combination of switching frequency and switch conductance. This allows for switching at predetermined frequencies, 31...

  10. Simulation of plasma erosion opening switches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mason, R.J.; Jones, M.E.

    1988-01-01

    The plasma erosion opening switch (PEOS) has been studied with the ANTHEM and ISIS implicit simulation codes. The switch consists of plasma fill injected into a transmission line. The plasma initially shorts out the circuit, but eventually it is removed by self-electrical forces, allowing for the delivery of energy to a load. ANTHEM models the plasma by multiple fluids with electron inertia retained, or by the particle-in-cell (PIC) technique. ISIS is an optimized PIC code. Both codes determine electric and magnetic fields by the implicit moment method. This allows for the study of long time full-switch behavior with simulational zone sizes and time steps that are large compared to a Debye length and plasma period, respectively. Thus, the authors have modeled switch behavior at densities ranging from 5 x 10 11 to 5 x 10 14 electrons/cm -3 over drive pulses ranging from 5 to 250 ns. Here, the magnetic field rose linearly from zero to 0.8 or 3.0 Tesla. Switch gaps spanned from 1.0 to 8.0 cm, and inner radii ranged from 0.5 to 20.0 cm. Opening dynamics is shown to depend sensitively on the assumed electron emission thresholds at the cathode, and on the effective conductivity of the anode. The particle simulations predict broader current channels than the multi-fluid calculations - reasons for this are discussed. The effect of numerical diffusion in implicit simulations is examined. The response to realistic load impedances (10 Ohms for Sandia National Laboratory's PBFA II accelerator) of the opening characteristics is described. Advantages from plasma fill near the load are investigated. The action of preset initial magnetic fields aligned with the power flow, and of trigger magnetic fields for controlled removal of the plasma is discussed

  11. Prospects of DUV OoB suppression techniques in EUV lithography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Chang-Min; Kim, Insung; Kim, Sang-Hyun; Kim, Dong-Wan; Hwang, Myung-Soo; Kang, Soon-Nam; Park, Cheolhong; Kim, Hyun-Woo; Yeo, Jeong-Ho; Kim, Seong-Sue

    2014-04-01

    Though scaling of source power is still the biggest challenge in EUV lithography (EUVL) technology era, CD and overlay controls for transistor's requirement are also precondition of adopting EUVL in mass production. Two kinds of contributors are identified as risks for CDU and Overlay: Infrared (IR) and deep ultraviolet (DUV) out of band (OOB) radiations from laser produced plasma (LPP) EUV source. IR from plasma generating CO2 laser that causes optics heating and wafer overlay error is well suppressed by introducing grating on collector to diffract IR off the optical axis and is the effect has been confirmed by operation of pre-production tool (NXE3100). EUV and DUV OOB which are reflected from mask black boarder (BB) are root causes of EUV-specific CD error at the boundaries of exposed shots which would result in the problem of CDU out of spec unless sufficiently suppressed. Therefore, control of DUV OOB reflection from the mask BB is one of the key technologies that must be developed prior to EUV mass production. In this paper, quantitative assessment on the advantage and the disadvantage of potential OOB solutions will be discussed. EUV and DUV OOB impacts on wafer CDs are measured from NXE3100 & NXE3300 experiments. Significant increase of DUV OOB impact on CD from NXE3300 compared with NXE3100 is observed. There are three ways of technology being developed to suppress DUV OOB: spectral purity filter (SPF) as a scanner solution, multi-layer etching as a solution on mask, and resist top-coating as a process solution. PROs and CONs of on-scanner, on-mask, and on-resist solution for the mass production of EUV lithography will be discussed.

  12. Datacenter EvoSwitch saves energy. Zero-energy and CO2-neutral ICT-infrastructures; Datacenter EvoSwitch bespaart op energie. ECT-infrastructuren energieneutraal en CO2-neutraal gehuisvest

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stegeman, K. [Kinxx PR, Utrecht (Netherlands)

    2010-07-15

    EvoSwitch in Haarlem is the first ICT datacenter in the Netherlands where businesses can house their ICT infrastructures on a CO2 neutral basis, thanks to green energy and investments in CO2 compensation and innovative and energy saving techniques. [Dutch] EvoSwitch in Haarlem is het eerste ICT-datacenter in Nederland waar bedrijven hun ICT-infrastructuren CO2-neutraal kunnen huisvesten. Dankzij groene energie en investeringen in CO2-compensatie, maar ook door innovatieve en energiebesparende technieken.

  13. A rapid tattoo removal technique using a combination of pulsed Er:YAG and Q-Switched Nd:YAG in a split lesion protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sardana, Kabir; Ranjan, Rashmi; Kochhar, Atul M; Mahajan, Khushbu Goel; Garg, Vijay K

    2015-01-01

    Tattoo removal has evolved over the years and though Q-switched laser is the 'workhorse' laser, it invariably requires multiple sittings, which are dependent on numerous factors, including the skin colour, location of the tattoo, age of the tattoo, colour of pigment used, associated fibrosis and the kind of tattoo treated. Though ablative lasers, both pulsed CO2 and Er:YAG, have been used for recalcitrant tattoos, very few studies have been done comparing them with pigment-specific lasers. Our study was based on the premise that ablating the epidermis overlying the tattoo pigment with Er:YAG could help in gaining better access to the pigment which would enable the Q-switched laser to work effectively with less beam scattering. A study of rapid tattoo removal (RTR) technique using a combination of pulsed Er:YAG and Q-Switched Nd:YAG in a split lesion protocol. This prospective study was undertaken during 2010-13 at a laser Clinic in the Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi. A total of 10 patients were recruited, 5 of amateur tattoo and 5 of professional tattoo. After informed consent each tattoo was arbitrarily 'split' into two parts. One part was treated with QS Nd:YAG laser(1064 nm) and the other part with Er:YAG laser immediately followed by the QS Nd:YAG. The laser treatments were repeated at 6-week intervals until the tattoo pigment had cleared. On the combination side in subsequent sittings only the QS Nd:YAG was used, to minimize repetitive ablation. To ensure consistency in the intervention methods a trained dermatologist who was independent of the treatment delivery randomly rated 10% of the procedures. The mean improvement achieved by the Q-switched laser (2.93) was less than the combination laser (3.85) side (p = 0.001) and needed more sessions (3.8 vs. 1.6; p = 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in the improvement on the combination side till the second session. On the combination side patients required a maximum of 2 sessions

  14. Instability in time-delayed switched systems induced by fast and random switching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Yao; Lin, Wei; Chen, Yuming; Wu, Jianhong

    2017-07-01

    In this paper, we consider a switched system comprising finitely or infinitely many subsystems described by linear time-delayed differential equations and a rule that orchestrates the system switching randomly among these subsystems, where the switching times are also randomly chosen. We first construct a counterintuitive example where even though all the time-delayed subsystems are exponentially stable, the behaviors of the randomly switched system change from stable dynamics to unstable dynamics with a decrease of the dwell time. Then by using the theories of stochastic processes and delay differential equations, we present a general result on when this fast and random switching induced instability should occur and we extend this to the case of nonlinear time-delayed switched systems as well.

  15. Analysis of switch and examine combining with post-examining selection in cognitive radio

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agarwal, Rupali; Srivastava, Neelam; Katiyar, Himanshu

    2018-06-01

    To perform spectrum sensing in fading environment is one of the most challenging tasks for a CR system. Diversity combining schemes are used to combat the effect of fading and hence detection probability of CR gets improved. Among many diversity combining techniques, switched diversity offers one of the lowest complexity solutions. The receiver embedded with switched diversity looks for an acceptable diversity path (having signal to noise ratio (SNR) above the required threshold) to receive the data. In conventional switch and examine combining (SEC) scheme, when no acceptable path is found after all the paths are examined, the receiver randomly chooses an unacceptable path. Switch and examine combining with post-examining selection (SECp) is a modified version of conventional SEC. In SECp, the conventional SEC scheme is altered in a way that it selects the best path when no acceptable path is found after all paths have been examined. In this paper, formula for probability of detection ( ?) is derived using SECp and SEC diversity combining technique over Rayleigh fading channel. Also the performance of SECp is compared with SEC and no diversity case. Performance comparison is done with the help of SNR vs. ? and complementary receiver operating characteristic curves.

  16. Multilevel tracking power supply for switch-mode audio power amplifiers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iversen, Niels Elkjær; Lazarevic, Vladan; Vasic, Miroslav

    2018-01-01

    to the power supply in order to improve efficiency. A 100 W prototype system was designed. Measured results show that systems employing envelope tracking can improve system efficiency from 2% to 12%, i.e. a factor of 6. The temperature rise is strongly reduced, especially for the switching power MOSFETs where......Switch-mode technology is the common choice for high efficiency audio power amplifiers. The dynamic nature of real audio reduces efficiency as less continuous output power can be achieved. Based on methods used for RF amplifiers this paper proposes to employ envelope tracking techniques...

  17. Suppressing a Sea of Starlight : enabling technology for the direct imaging of exoplanets

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Otten, G.P.P.L.

    2016-01-01

    In this thesis we present multiple techniques to suppress starlight in order to better directly image planets around other stars. We propose a laboratory setup to test a new focal-plane wavefront sensing technique. We also show an optical device that suppresses starlight using liquid crystals (the

  18. Latching micro optical switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Ernest J; Polosky, Marc A

    2013-05-21

    An optical switch reliably maintains its on or off state even when subjected to environments where the switch is bumped or otherwise moved. In addition, the optical switch maintains its on or off state indefinitely without requiring external power. External power is used only to transition the switch from one state to the other. The optical switch is configured with a fixed optical fiber and a movable optical fiber. The movable optical fiber is guided by various actuators in conjunction with a latching mechanism that configure the switch in one position that corresponds to the on state and in another position that corresponds to the off state.

  19. Probing the liquid crystal alignment interface and switching dynamics in a slab waveguide architecture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gotjen, Henry G.; Kolacz, Jakub; Myers, Jason D.; Frantz, Jesse A.; Bekele, Robel Y.; Naciri, Jawad; Spillmann, Christopher M.

    2018-02-01

    A non-mechanical refractive laser beam steering device has been developed to provide continuous, two-dimensional steering of infrared beams. The technology implements a dielectric slab waveguide architecture with a liquid crystal (LC) cladding. With voltage control, the birefringence of the LC can be leveraged to tune the effective index of the waveguide under an electrode. With a clever prism electrode design a beam coupled into the waveguide can be deflected continuously in two dimensions as it is coupled out into free space. The optical interaction with LC in this beamsteerer is unique from typical LC applications: only the thin layer of LC (100s of nm) near the alignment interface interacts with the beam's evanescent field. Whereas most LC interactions take place over short path lengths (microns) in the bulk of the material, here we can interrogate the behavior of LC near the alignment interface over long path lengths (centimeters). In this work the beamsteerer is leveraged as a tool to study the behavior of LC near the alignment layer in contrast to the bulk material. We find that scattering is substantially decreased near the alignment interface due to the influence of the surface anchoring energy to suppress thermal fluctuations. By tracking the position of the deflected beam with a high speed camera, we measure response times of the LC near the interface in off-to-on switching ( ms) and on-to-off switching ( 100ms). Combined, this work will provide a path for improved alignment techniques, greater optical throughput, and faster response times in this unique approach to non-mechanical beamsteering.

  20. Narrowband-to-Narrowband Frequency Reconfiguration with Harmonic Suppression Using Fractal Dipole Antenna

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. A. Hamzah

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Harmonic suppressed fractal antenna with switches named TMFDB25 is developed to select desired frequency band from 400 MHz to 3.5 GHz. The radiating element length is changed to tune the operating frequency while the stub is used to eliminate the undesired harmonic frequency. The balun circuit is reduced by 75% from the original size. The antenna is built on a low loss material. It has the ability to select a single frequency out of fifteen different bands and maintain the omnidirectional radiation pattern properties. Furthermore, the antenna is designed, built, and tested. Simulation and measurement results show that the antenna operates well at the specific frequency range. Therefore, the antenna is suitable to be used for switching frequencies in the band of TV, GSM900/1800, 3G, ISM 2.4 GHz, and above.

  1. Avalanche photoconductive switching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pocha, M. D.; Druce, R. L.; Wilson, M. J.; Hofer, W. W.

    This paper describes work being done at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on the avalanche mode of operation of laser triggered photoconductive switches. We have been able to generate pulses with amplitudes of 2 kV to 35 kV and rise times of 300 to 500 ps, and with a switching gain (energy of output electrical pulse vs energy of trigger optical pulse) of 10(exp 3) to over 10(exp 5). Switches with two very different physical configurations and with two different illumination wavelengths (1.06 micrometer, 890 nm) exhibit very similar behavior. The avalanche switching behavior, therefore, appears to be related to the material parameters rather than the optical wavelength or switch geometry. Considerable further work needs to be done to fully characterize and understand this mode of operation.

  2. Avalanche photoconductive switching

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pocha, M.D.; Druce, R.L.; Wilson, M.J.; Hofer, W.W.

    1989-01-01

    This paper describes work being done at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on the avalanche mode of operation of laser triggered photoconductive switches. We have been able to generate pulses with amplitudes of 2 kV--35 kV and rise times of 300--500 ps, and with a switching gain (energy of output electrical pulse vs energy of trigger optical pulse) of 10{sup 3} to over 10{sup 5}. Switches with two very different physical configurations and with two different illumination wavelengths (1.06 {mu}m, 890 nm) exhibit very similar behavior. The avalanche switching behavior, therefore, appears to be related to the material parameters rather than the optical wavelength or switch geometry. Considerable further work needs to be done to fully characterize and understand this mode of operation. 3 refs., 6 figs.

  3. 160-Gb/s Silicon All-Optical Packet Switch for Buffer-less Optical Burst Switching

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hu, Hao; Ji, Hua; Pu, Minhao

    2015-01-01

    We experimentally demonstrate a 160-Gb/s Ethernet packet switch using an 8.6-mm-long silicon nanowire for optical burst switching, based on cross phase modulation in silicon. One of the four packets at the bit rate of 160 Gb/s is switched by an optical control signal using a silicon based 1 × 1 all......-optical packet switch. Error free performance (BER silicon packet switch based optical burst switching, which might be desirable for high-speed interconnects within a short...

  4. Consumers Attitudes towards Internet and Brick and Mortar Store Channels Switching Behavior

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdolrazagh MADAHI

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available he purpose of this study is to examine the role of consumers’ behavioral attitude and intention toward channel switching behavior in regards to Internet and brick and mortar store channels in Malaysia. The survey instrument administered to the Malaysian consumers from regions of Klang Valley and Penang. A total of 497 completed surveys were obtained. Partial least squares (PLS based structural equation modeling (SEM technique was used to analyze data. A total of 497 completed surveys were obtained. Findings showed that compatibility and complexity were significant in predicting attitude in regard to switching channel from Internet to brick and mortar store. Relative advantage and compatibility were relevant in predicting attitude in brick and mortar store channel. Attitude also significantly affected channel switching intention regarding to both channels. Our findings reveal that gender and intention significantly affect channel switching behavior.

  5. Azo biphenyl polyurethane: Preparation, characterization and application for optical waveguide switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Yan; Da, Zulin; Qiu, Fengxian; Yang, Dongya; Guan, Yijun; Cao, Guorong

    2018-01-01

    Azo waveguide polymers are of particular interest in the design of materials for applications in optical switch. The aim of this contribution was the synthesis and thermo-optic waveguide switch properties of azo biphenyl polyurethanes. A series of monomers and azo biphenyl polyurethanes (Azo BPU1 and Azo BPU2) were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy and 1H NMR. The physical and mechanical properties of thin polymer films were measured. The refractive index and thermo-optic coefficient (dn/dT) of polymer films were investigated for TE (transversal electric) polarizations by ATR technique. The transmission loss of film was measured using the Charge Coupled Device digital imaging devices. The results showed the Azo BPU2 containing chiral azobenzene chromophore had higher dn/dT and lower transmission loss. Subsequently, a 1 × 2 Y-branch and 2 × 2 Mach-Zehnder optical switches based on the prepared polymers were designed and simulated. The results showed that the power consumption of all switches was less than 1.0 mW. Compared with 1 × 2 Y-branch optical switch, the 2 × 2 Mach-Zehnder optical switches based on the same polymer have the faster response time, which were about only 1.2 and 2.0 ms, respectively.

  6. Task Uncertainty Can Account for Mixing and Switch Costs in Task-Switching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rennie, Jaime L.

    2015-01-01

    Cognitive control is required in situations that involve uncertainty or change, such as when resolving conflict, selecting responses and switching tasks. Recently, it has been suggested that cognitive control can be conceptualised as a mechanism which prioritises goal-relevant information to deal with uncertainty. This hypothesis has been supported using a paradigm that requires conflict resolution. In this study, we examine whether cognitive control during task switching is also consistent with this notion. We used information theory to quantify the level of uncertainty in different trial types during a cued task-switching paradigm. We test the hypothesis that differences in uncertainty between task repeat and task switch trials can account for typical behavioural effects in task-switching. Increasing uncertainty was associated with less efficient performance (i.e., slower and less accurate), particularly on switch trials and trials that afford little opportunity for advance preparation. Interestingly, both mixing and switch costs were associated with a common episodic control process. These results support the notion that cognitive control may be conceptualised as an information processor that serves to resolve uncertainty in the environment. PMID:26107646

  7. Controllability of multi-agent systems with periodically switching topologies and switching leaders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Lingling; Zhao, Bin; Wang, Long

    2018-05-01

    This paper considers controllability of multi-agent systems with periodically switching topologies and switching leaders. The concept of m-periodic controllability is proposed, and a criterion for m-periodic controllability is established. The effect of the duration of subsystems on controllability is analysed by utilising a property of analytic functions. In addition, the influence of switching periods on controllability is investigated, and an algorithm is proposed to search for the fewest periods to ensure controllability. A necessary condition for m-periodic controllability is obtained from the perspective of eigenvectors of the subsystems' Laplacian matrices. For a system with switching leaders, it is proved that switching-leader controllability is equivalent to multiple-leader controllability. Furthermore, both the switching order and the tenure of agents being leaders have no effect on the controllability. Some examples are provided to illustrate the theoretical results.

  8. 640 Gbit/s Optical Packet Switching using a Novel In-Band Optical Notch-Filter Labeling Scheme

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Medhin, Ashenafi Kiros; Galili, Michael; Oxenløwe, Leif Katsuo

    2014-01-01

    Optical packet switching of 640 Gbit/s data packets is reported using an in-band optical labeling technique based on notch-filtering of the data spectrum and extracting the label using a bandpass filter. BER 10􀀀9 is achieved.......Optical packet switching of 640 Gbit/s data packets is reported using an in-band optical labeling technique based on notch-filtering of the data spectrum and extracting the label using a bandpass filter. BER 10􀀀9 is achieved....

  9. Optimization of end-pumped, actively Q-switched quasi-III-level lasers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jabczynski, Jan K; Gorajek, Lukasz; Kwiatkowski, Jacek; Kaskow, Mateusz; Zendzian, Waldemar

    2011-08-15

    The new model of end-pumped quasi-III-level laser considering transient pumping processes, ground-state-depletion and up-conversion effects was developed. The model consists of two parts: pumping stage and Q-switched part, which can be separated in a case of active Q-switching regime. For pumping stage the semi-analytical model was developed, enabling the calculations for final occupation of upper laser level for given pump power and duration, spatial profile of pump beam, length and dopant level of gain medium. For quasi-stationary inversion, the optimization procedure of Q-switching regime based on Lagrange multiplier technique was developed. The new approach for optimization of CW regime of quasi-three-level lasers was developed to optimize the Q-switched lasers operating with high repetition rates. Both methods of optimizations enable calculation of optimal absorbance of gain medium and output losses for given pump rate. © 2011 Optical Society of America

  10. Automatic control of the NMB level in general anaesthesia with a switching total system mass control strategy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teixeira, Miguel; Mendonça, Teresa; Rocha, Paula; Rabiço, Rui

    2014-12-01

    This paper presents a model based switching control strategy to drive the neuromuscular blockade (NMB) level of patients undergoing general anesthesia to a predefined reference. A single-input single-output Wiener system with only two parameters is used to model the effect of two different muscle relaxants, atracurium and rocuronium, and a switching controller is designed based on a bank of total system mass control laws. Each of such laws is tuned for an individual model from a bank chosen to represent the behavior of the whole population. The control law to be applied at each instant corresponds to the model whose NMB response is closer to the patient's response. Moreover a scheme to improve the reference tracking quality based on the analysis of the patient's response, as well as, a comparison between the switching strategy and the Extended Kalman Kilter (EKF) technique are presented. The results are illustrated by means of several simulations, where switching shows to provide good results, both in theory and in practice, with a desirable reference tracking. The reference tracking improvement technique is able to produce a better reference tracking. Also, this technique showed a better performance than the (EKF). Based on these results, the switching control strategy with a bank of total system mass control laws proved to be robust enough to be used as an automatic control system for the NMB level.

  11. Modeling and Mitigation for High Frequency Switching Transients Due to Energization in Offshore Wind Farms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanli Xin

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a comprehensive investigation on high frequency (HF switching transients due to energization of vacuum circuit breakers (VCBs in offshore wind farms (OWFs. This research not only concerns the modeling of main components in collector grids of an OWF for transient analysis (including VCBs, wind turbine transformers (WTTs, submarine cables, but also compares the effectiveness between several mainstream switching overvoltage (SOV protection methods and a new mitigation method called smart choke. In order to accurately reproduce such HF switching transients considering the current chopping, dielectric strength (DS recovery capability and HF quenching capability of VCBs, three models are developed, i.e., a user–defined VCB model, a HF transformer terminal model and a three-core (TC frequency dependent model of submarine cables, which are validated through simulations and compared with measurements. Based on the above models and a real OWF configuration, a simulation model is built and several typical switching transient cases are investigated to analyze the switching transient process and phenomena. Subsequently, according to the characteristics of overvoltages, appropriate parameters of SOV mitigation methods are determined to improve their effectiveness. Simulation results indicate that the user–defined VCB model can satisfactorily simulate prestrikes and the proposed component models display HF characteristics, which are consistent with onsite measurement behaviors. Moreover, the employed protection methods can suppress induced SOVs, which have a steep front, a high oscillation frequency and a high amplitude, among which the smart choke presents a preferable HF damping effect.

  12. Optimal switching using coherent control

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Philip Trøst; Heuck, Mikkel; Mørk, Jesper

    2013-01-01

    that the switching time, in general, is not limited by the cavity lifetime. Therefore, the total energy required for switching is a more relevant figure of merit than the switching speed, and for a particular two-pulse switching scheme we use calculus of variations to optimize the switching in terms of input energy....

  13. Voltage-Driven Conformational Switching with Distinct Raman Signature in a Single-Molecule Junction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bi, Hai; Palma, Carlos-Andres; Gong, Yuxiang; Hasch, Peter; Elbing, Mark; Mayor, Marcel; Reichert, Joachim; Barth, Johannes V

    2018-04-11

    Precisely controlling well-defined, stable single-molecule junctions represents a pillar of single-molecule electronics. Early attempts to establish computing with molecular switching arrays were partly challenged by limitations in the direct chemical characterization of metal-molecule-metal junctions. While cryogenic scanning probe studies have advanced the mechanistic understanding of current- and voltage-induced conformational switching, metal-molecule-metal conformations are still largely inferred from indirect evidence. Hence, the development of robust, chemically sensitive techniques is instrumental for advancement in the field. Here we probe the conformation of a two-state molecular switch with vibrational spectroscopy, while simultaneously operating it by means of the applied voltage. Our study emphasizes measurements of single-molecule Raman spectra in a room-temperature stable single-molecule switch presenting a signal modulation of nearly 2 orders of magnitude.

  14. Switch-connected HyperX network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Dong; Heidelberger, Philip

    2018-02-13

    A network system includes a plurality of sub-network planes and global switches. The sub-network planes have a same network topology as each other. Each of the sub-network planes includes edge switches. Each of the edge switches has N ports. Each of the global switches is configured to connect a group of edge switches at a same location in the sub-network planes. In each of the sub-network planes, some of the N ports of each of the edge switches are connected to end nodes, and others of the N ports are connected to other edge switches in the same sub-network plane, other of the N ports are connected to at least one of the global switches.

  15. Photo-induced cooperative covalent-bond switching in amorphous arsenic selenide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shpotyuk, O [Lviv Scientific Research Institute of Materials of SRC ' Carat' , 202, Stryjska str., Lviv, UA-290031 (Ukraine); Balitska, V [Lviv Scientific Research Institute of Materials of SRC ' Carat' , 202, Stryjska str., Lviv, UA-290031 (Ukraine); Filipecki, J [Institute of Physics of Jan Dlugosz University, 13/15, Al. Armii Krajowej, Czestochowa, PL-42201 (Poland)

    2005-01-01

    A microstructural mechanism of photoinduced transformations in amorphous arsenic selenide films was studied with IR Fourier-spectroscopy technique in 300-100 cm{sup -1} region. It was shown that stage of irreversible photostructural changes was connected with cooperative process of coordination defect formation accompanied by homopolar chemical bonds switching in heteropolar ones. On the contrary, reversible photoinduced effects were caused by heteropolar chemical bonds switching in homopolar ones, as well as additional channel of bridge heteropolar bonds switching in short-layer ones. The both processes were associated with formation of anomalously coordinated defect pairs and accompanying atomic displacements at the level of medium-range ordering. The developed mathematical simulation procedure testified in a favour of defect-related origin of the reversible photo-thermallyinduced transformations, since their kinetics corresponded to known stretched-exponential dependence, tending to bimolecular behaviour rather then to single-exponential one.

  16. FreeSWITCH Cookbook

    CERN Document Server

    Minessale, Anthony

    2012-01-01

    This is a problem-solution approach to take your FreeSWITCH skills to the next level, where everything is explained in a practical way. If you are a system administrator, hobbyist, or someone who uses FreeSWITCH on a regular basis, this book is for you. Whether you are a FreeSWITCH expert or just getting started, this book will take your skills to the next level.

  17. Task-set switching under cue-based versus memory-based switching conditions in younger and older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kray, Jutta

    2006-08-11

    Adult age differences in task switching and advance preparation were examined by comparing cue-based and memory-based switching conditions. Task switching was assessed by determining two types of costs that occur at the general (mixing costs) and specific (switching costs) level of switching. Advance preparation was investigated by varying the time interval until the next task (short, middle, very long). Results indicated that the implementation of task sets was different for cue-based switching with random task sequences and memory-based switching with predictable task sequences. Switching costs were strongly reduced under cue-based switching conditions, indicating that task-set cues facilitate the retrieval of the next task. Age differences were found for mixing costs and for switching costs only under cue-based conditions in which older adults showed smaller switching costs than younger adults. It is suggested that older adults adopt a less extreme bias between two tasks than younger adults in situations associated with uncertainty. For cue-based switching with random task sequences, older adults are less engaged in a complete reconfiguration of task sets because of the probability of a further task change. Furthermore, the reduction of switching costs was more pronounced for cue- than memory-based switching for short preparation intervals, whereas the reduction of switch costs was more pronounced for memory- than cue-based switching for longer preparation intervals at least for older adults. Together these findings suggest that the implementation of task sets is functionally different for the two types of task-switching conditions.

  18. Task uncertainty can account for mixing and switch costs in task-switching.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrick S Cooper

    Full Text Available Cognitive control is required in situations that involve uncertainty or change, such as when resolving conflict, selecting responses and switching tasks. Recently, it has been suggested that cognitive control can be conceptualised as a mechanism which prioritises goal-relevant information to deal with uncertainty. This hypothesis has been supported using a paradigm that requires conflict resolution. In this study, we examine whether cognitive control during task switching is also consistent with this notion. We used information theory to quantify the level of uncertainty in different trial types during a cued task-switching paradigm. We test the hypothesis that differences in uncertainty between task repeat and task switch trials can account for typical behavioural effects in task-switching. Increasing uncertainty was associated with less efficient performance (i.e., slower and less accurate, particularly on switch trials and trials that afford little opportunity for advance preparation. Interestingly, both mixing and switch costs were associated with a common episodic control process. These results support the notion that cognitive control may be conceptualised as an information processor that serves to resolve uncertainty in the environment.

  19. Superconducting Switch for Fast On-Chip Routing of Quantum Microwave Fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pechal, M.; Besse, J.-C.; Mondal, M.; Oppliger, M.; Gasparinetti, S.; Wallraff, A.

    2016-08-01

    A switch capable of routing microwave signals at cryogenic temperatures is a desirable component for state-of-the-art experiments in many fields of applied physics, including but not limited to quantum-information processing, communication, and basic research in engineered quantum systems. Conventional mechanical switches provide low insertion loss but disturb operation of dilution cryostats and the associated experiments by heat dissipation. Switches based on semiconductors or microelectromechanical systems have a lower thermal budget but are not readily integrated with current superconducting circuits. Here we design and test an on-chip switch built by combining tunable transmission-line resonators with microwave beam splitters. The device is superconducting and as such dissipates a negligible amount of heat. It is compatible with current superconducting circuit fabrication techniques, operates with a bandwidth exceeding 100 MHz, is capable of handling photon fluxes on the order of 1 05 μ s-1 , equivalent to powers exceeding -90 dBm , and can be switched within approximately 6-8 ns. We successfully demonstrate operation of the device in the quantum regime by integrating it on a chip with a single-photon source and using it to route nonclassical itinerant microwave fields at the single-photon level.

  20. LCT protective dump-switch tests

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parsons, W.M.

    1981-01-01

    Each of the six coils in the Large Coil Task (LCT) has a separate power supply, dump resistor, and switching circuit. Each switching circuit contains five switches, two of which are redundant. The three remaining switches perform separate duties in an emergency dump situation. These three switches were tested to determine their ability to meet the LCT conditions

  1. Simulation and experimental tests of a real-time DPWM technique ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This control strategy is a simple and an easy technique generating the same switching ..... Inverter”, Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE ), IEEE, ... Minimize the Switching Loss”, Innovative Smart Grid Technologies (ISGT Asia), ...

  2. Overcompensation of herbivore reproduction through hyper-suppression of plant defenses in response to competition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schimmel, Bernardus C J; Ataide, Livia M S; Chafi, Rachid; Villarroel, Carlos A; Alba, Juan M; Schuurink, Robert C; Kant, Merijn R

    2017-06-01

    Spider mites are destructive arthropod pests on many crops. The generalist herbivorous mite Tetranychus urticae induces defenses in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and this constrains its fitness. By contrast, the Solanaceae-specialist Tetranychus evansi maintains a high reproductive performance by suppressing tomato defenses. Tetranychus evansi outcompetes T. urticae when infesting the same plant, but it is unknown whether this is facilitated by the defenses of the plant. We assessed the extent to which a secondary infestation by a competitor affects local plant defense responses (phytohormones and defense genes), mite gene expression and mite performance. We observed that T. evansi switches to hyper-suppression of defenses after its tomato host is also invaded by its natural competitor T. urticae. Jasmonate (JA) and salicylate (SA) defenses were suppressed more strongly, albeit only locally at the feeding site of T. evansi, upon introduction of T. urticae to the infested leaflet. The hyper-suppression of defenses coincided with increased expression of T. evansi genes coding for salivary defense-suppressing effector proteins and was paralleled by an increased reproductive performance. Together, these observations suggest that T. evansi overcompensates its reproduction through hyper-suppression of plant defenses in response to nearby competitors. We hypothesize that the competitor-induced overcompensation promotes competitive population growth of T. evansi on tomato. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

  3. Noise suppression in surface microseismic data by τ-p transform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forghani-Arani, Farnoush; Batzle, Mike; Behura, Jyoti; Willis, Mark; Haines, Seth; Davidson, Michael

    2013-01-01

    Surface passive seismic methods are receiving increased attention for monitoring changes in reservoirs during the production of unconventional oil and gas. However, in passive seismic data the strong cultural and ambient noise (mainly surface-waves) decreases the effectiveness of these techniques. Hence, suppression of surface-waves is a critical step in surface microseismic monitoring. We apply a noise suppression technique, based on the τ — p transform, to a surface passive seismic dataset recorded over a Barnett Shale reservoir undergoing a hydraulic fracturing process. This technique not only improves the signal-to-noise ratios of added synthetic microseismic events, but it also preserves the event waveforms.

  4. Spectrally efficient switched transmit diversity for spectrum sharing systems

    KAUST Repository

    Bouida, Zied; Abdallah, Mohamed M.; Qaraqe, Khalid A.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2011-01-01

    Under the scenario of an underlay cognitive radio network, we propose in this paper an adaptive scheme using switched transmit diversity and adaptive modulation in order to increase the spectral efficiency of the secondary link. The proposed bandwidth efficient scheme (BES) uses the scan and wait (SWC) combining technique where a transmission occurs only when a branch with an acceptable performance is found, otherwise data is buffered. In our scheme, the modulation constellation size and the used transmit branch are determined to achieve the highest spectral efficiency given the fading channel conditions, the required error rate performance, and a peak interference constraint to the primary receiver. Selected numerical examples show that the BES scheme increases the capacity of the secondary link when compared to an existing switching efficient scheme (SES). This spectral efficiency comes at the expense of an increased average number of switched branches and thus an increased average delay. © 2011 IEEE.

  5. Spectrally efficient switched transmit diversity for spectrum sharing systems

    KAUST Repository

    Bouida, Zied

    2011-09-01

    Under the scenario of an underlay cognitive radio network, we propose in this paper an adaptive scheme using switched transmit diversity and adaptive modulation in order to increase the spectral efficiency of the secondary link. The proposed bandwidth efficient scheme (BES) uses the scan and wait (SWC) combining technique where a transmission occurs only when a branch with an acceptable performance is found, otherwise data is buffered. In our scheme, the modulation constellation size and the used transmit branch are determined to achieve the highest spectral efficiency given the fading channel conditions, the required error rate performance, and a peak interference constraint to the primary receiver. Selected numerical examples show that the BES scheme increases the capacity of the secondary link when compared to an existing switching efficient scheme (SES). This spectral efficiency comes at the expense of an increased average number of switched branches and thus an increased average delay. © 2011 IEEE.

  6. Extrinsic versus intrinsic ferroelectric switching: experimental investigations using ultra-thin PVDF Langmuir-Blodgett films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kliem, H; Tadros-Morgane, R

    2005-01-01

    Mechanisms of extrinsic and intrinsic switching phenomena in ferroelectrics are explained and existing models are summarized. Then, criteria for an experimental distinction between both models are elaborated. Samples with thicknesses ranging from 2.7 to 63.8 nm prepared by a Langmuir-Blodgett technique were investigated with respect to these criteria. Measurements of their polarization switching behaviour, their polarization hysteresis loops, and their coercive fields were carried out. It is found that the coercive fields increase with decreasing sample thickness. Also, the switching time increases with decreasing sample thickness and it increases with decreasing field strength. The switching process turns out to be thermally activated. We find that neither intrinsic nor extrinsic models are sufficient to describe the experimental situation

  7. Switch on, switch off: stiction in nanoelectromechanical switches

    KAUST Repository

    Wagner, Till J W

    2013-06-13

    We present a theoretical investigation of stiction in nanoscale electromechanical contact switches. We develop a mathematical model to describe the deflection of a cantilever beam in response to both electrostatic and van der Waals forces. Particular focus is given to the question of whether adhesive van der Waals forces cause the cantilever to remain in the \\'ON\\' state even when the electrostatic forces are removed. In contrast to previous studies, our theory accounts for deflections with large slopes (i.e. geometrically nonlinear). We solve the resulting equations numerically to study how a cantilever beam adheres to a rigid electrode: transitions between \\'free\\', \\'pinned\\' and \\'clamped\\' states are shown to be discontinuous and to exhibit significant hysteresis. Our findings are compared to previous results from linearized models and the implications for nanoelectromechanical cantilever switch design are discussed. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  8. Improved Switching Characteristics of Fast Power MOSFETs Applying Solder Bump Technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sibylle Dieckerhoff

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available The impact of a reduced package stray inductance on the switching performance of fast power MOSFETs is discussed applying advanced 3D packaging technologies. Starting from an overview over new packaging approaches, a solder bump technology using a flexible PI substrate is exemplarily chosen for the evaluation. Measurement techniques to determine the stray inductance are discussed and compared with a numerical solution based on the PEEC method. Experimental results show the improvement of the voltage utilization while there is only a slight impact on total switching losses.

  9. Control synthesis of switched systems

    CERN Document Server

    Zhao, Xudong; Niu, Ben; Wu, Tingting

    2017-01-01

    This book offers its readers a detailed overview of the synthesis of switched systems, with a focus on switching stabilization and intelligent control. The problems investigated are not only previously unsolved theoretically but also of practical importance in many applications: voltage conversion, naval piloting and navigation and robotics, for example. The book considers general switched-system models and provides more efficient design methods to bring together theory and application more closely than was possible using classical methods. It also discusses several different classes of switched systems. For general switched linear systems and switched nonlinear systems comprising unstable subsystems, it introduces novel ideas such as invariant subspace theory and the time-scheduled Lyapunov function method of designing switching signals to stabilize the underlying systems. For some typical switched nonlinear systems affected by various complex dynamics, the book proposes novel design approaches based on inte...

  10. State-plane analysis of zero-voltage-switching resonant dc/dc power converters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kazimierczuk, Marian K.; Morse, William D.

    The state-plane analysis technique for the zero-voltage-switching resonant dc/dc power converter family of topologies, namely the buck, boost, buck-boost, and Cuk converters is established. The state plane provides a compression of information that allows the designer to uniquely examine the nonlinear dynamics of resonant converter operation. Utilizing the state plane, resonant converter modes of operation are examined and the switching frequencies are derived for the boundaries between these modes, including the boundary of energy conversion.

  11. Multichannel microwave interferometer with an antenna switching system for electron density measurement in a laboratory plasma experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kawamori, Eiichirou; Lin, Yu-Hsiang [Institute of Space and Plasma Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Mase, Atsushi [Art, Science and Technology Center for Cooperative Research, Kyushu University, Kasuga 816-8580 (Japan); Nishida, Yasushi; Cheng, C. Z. [Institute of Space and Plasma Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Plasma and Space Science Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China)

    2014-02-15

    This study presents a simple and powerful technique for multichannel measurements of the density profile in laboratory plasmas by microwave interferometry. This technique uses electromechanical microwave switches to temporally switch the connection between multiple receiver antennas and one phase-detection circuit. Using this method, the phase information detected at different positions is rearranged into a time series that can be acquired from a minimum number of data acquisition channels (e.g., two channels in the case of quadrature detection). Our successfully developed multichannel microwave interferometer that uses the antenna switching method was applied to measure the radial electron density profiles in a magnetized plasma experiment. The advantage of the proposed method is its compactness and scalability to multidimensional measurement systems at low cost.

  12. Domain switching in single-phase multiferroics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Tingting; Cheng, Zhenxiang; Zhao, Hongyang; Kimura, Hideo

    2018-06-01

    Multiferroics are a time-honoured research subject by reason for their tremendous application potential in the information industry, such as in multi-state information storage devices and new types of sensors. An outburst of studies on multiferroicity has been witnessed in the 21st century, although this field has a long research history since the 19th century. Multiferroicity has now become one of the hottest research topics in condensed matter physics and materials science. Numerous efforts have been made to investigate the cross-coupling phenomena among ferroic orders such as ferroelectricity, (anti-)ferromagnetism, and ferroelasticity, especially the coupling between electric and magnetic orderings that would account for the magnetoelectric (ME) effect in multiferroic materials. The magnetoelectric properties and coupling behavior of single phase multiferroics are dominated by their domain structures. It was also noted that, however, the multiferroic materials exhibit very complicated domain structures. Studies on domain structure characterization and domain switching are a crucial step in the exploration of approaches to the control and manipulation of magnetic (electric) properties using an electric (magnetic) field or other means. In this review, following a concise outline of our current basic knowledge on the magnetoelectric (ME) effect, we summarize some important research activities on domain switching in single-phase multiferroic materials in the form of single crystals and thin films, especially domain switching behavior involving strain and the related physics in the last decade. We also introduce recent developments in characterization techniques for domain structures of ferroelectric or multiferroic materials, which have significantly advanced our understanding of domain switching dynamics and interactions. The effects of a series of issues such as electric field, magnetic field, and stress effects on domain switching are been discussed as well. It

  13. Impact of moth suppression/eradication programmes using the sterile insect technique or inherited sterility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bloem, K.A.; Bloem, S.; Carpenter, J.E.

    2005-01-01

    Numerous lepidopteran species have been investigated as candidates for control using the sterile insect technique (SIT) or inherited sterility (IS). However to date only two programmes are operational - the pink bollworm containment programme in the San Joaquin Valley, California, USA, and the codling moth suppression programme in British Columbia, Canada. Both of these programmes have been highly successful in controlling the pest populations, reducing insecticide use, and improving interactions between growers and the general public. However, other benefits, including the positive economic impacts of these programmes, have not been fully quantified. Methods to reduce the cost of lepidopteran programmes might include combining the SIT/IS with other pest control tactics such as mating disruption or the release of natural enemies, the development of genetic sexing strains, or the application of molecular technologies to develop genetic markers and genetic sterility. In future the greatest potential for impact of lepidopteran SIT/IS programmes may be in combating key invasive threats such as the eradication of an outbreak of the painted apple moth in New Zealand. (author)

  14. Speed control with torque ripple reduction of switched reluctance motor by Hybrid Many Optimizing Liaison Gravitational Search technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nutan Saha

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a control scheme for simultaneous control of the speed of Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM and minimizing the torque ripple employing Hybrid Many Optimizing Liaison Gravitational Search Algorithm (Hybrid MOLGSA technique. The control mechanism includes two controlling loops, the outer loop is governed for speed control and a current controller for the inner loop, intelligent selection of turn on and turn off angle for a 60 KW, 3-phase 6/8 SRM. It is noticed that the torque ripple coefficient, ISE of speed & current are reduced by 12.81%, 38.60%, 16.74% respectively by Hybrid MOLGSA algorithm compared to Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA algorithm. It is also observed that the settling times for the controller using the parameter values for obtaining best values of torque ripple, Integral square error of speed and current are reduced by 51.25%, 58.04% and 59.375% by proposed Hybrid MOLGSA algorithm compared to the GSA algorithm.

  15. Low-Crosstalk Composite Optical Crosspoint Switches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Jing-Jong; Liang, Frank

    1993-01-01

    Composite optical switch includes two elementary optical switches in tandem, plus optical absorbers. Like elementary optical switches, composite optical switches assembled into switch matrix. Performance enhanced by increasing number of elementary switches. Advantage of concept: crosstalk reduced to acceptably low level at moderate cost of doubling number of elementary switches rather than at greater cost of tightening manufacturing tolerances and exerting more-precise control over operating conditions.

  16. Organization of the channel-switching process in parallel computer systems based on a matrix optical switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golomidov, Y. V.; Li, S. K.; Popov, S. A.; Smolov, V. B.

    1986-01-01

    After a classification and analysis of electronic and optoelectronic switching devices, the design principles and structure of a matrix optical switch is described. The switching and pair-exclusion operations in this type of switch are examined, and a method for the optical switching of communication channels is elaborated. Finally, attention is given to the structural organization of a parallel computer system with a matrix optical switch.

  17. A dual-stimuli-responsive fluorescent switch ultrathin film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zhixiong; Liang, Ruizheng; Liu, Wendi; Yan, Dongpeng; Wei, Min

    2015-10-01

    Stimuli-responsive fluorescent switches have shown broad applications in optical devices, biological materials and intelligent responses. Herein, we describe the design and fabrication of a dual-stimuli-responsive fluorescent switch ultrathin film (UTF) via a three-step layer-by-layer (LBL) technique: (i) encapsulation of spiropyran (SP) within an amphiphilic block copolymer (PTBEM) to give the (SP@PTBEM) micelle; (ii) the mixture of riboflavin (Rf) and poly(styrene 4-sulfonate) (PSS) to enhance the adhesion ability of small molecules; (iii) assembly of negatively charged SP@PTBEM and Rf-PSS with cationic layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoplatelets to obtain the (Rf-PSS/LDH/SP@PTBEM)n UTFs (n: bilayer number). The assembly process of the UTFs and their luminescence properties, as monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), present a uniform and ordered layered structure with stepwise growth. The resulting Rf-PSS/LDH/SP@PTBEM UTF serves as a three-state switchable multicolor (green, yellow, and red) luminescent system based on stimulation from UV/Vis light and pH, with an acceptable reversibility. Therefore, this work provides a facile way to fabricate stimuli-responsive solid-state film switches with tunable-color luminescence, which have potential applications in the areas of displays, sensors, and rewritable optical memory and fluorescent logic devices.Stimuli-responsive fluorescent switches have shown broad applications in optical devices, biological materials and intelligent responses. Herein, we describe the design and fabrication of a dual-stimuli-responsive fluorescent switch ultrathin film (UTF) via a three-step layer-by-layer (LBL) technique: (i) encapsulation of spiropyran (SP) within an amphiphilic block copolymer (PTBEM) to give the (SP@PTBEM) micelle; (ii) the mixture of riboflavin (Rf) and poly(styrene 4-sulfonate) (PSS) to enhance the adhesion ability of small molecules; (iii) assembly of negatively charged SP

  18. Mixed H∞ and passive control for linear switched systems via hybrid control approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Qunxian; Ling, Youzhu; Wei, Lisheng; Zhang, Hongbin

    2018-03-01

    This paper investigates the mixed H∞ and passive control problem for linear switched systems based on a hybrid control strategy. To solve this problem, first, a new performance index is proposed. This performance index can be viewed as the mixed weighted H∞ and passivity performance. Then, the hybrid controllers are used to stabilise the switched systems. The hybrid controllers consist of dynamic output-feedback controllers for every subsystem and state updating controllers at the switching instant. The design of state updating controllers not only depends on the pre-switching subsystem and the post-switching subsystem, but also depends on the measurable output signal. The hybrid controllers proposed in this paper can include some existing ones as special cases. Combine the multiple Lyapunov functions approach with the average dwell time technique, new sufficient conditions are obtained. Under the new conditions, the closed-loop linear switched systems are globally uniformly asymptotically stable with a mixed H∞ and passivity performance index. Moreover, the desired hybrid controllers can be constructed by solving a set of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, a numerical example and a practical example are given.

  19. Very high plasma switches. Basic plasma physics and switch technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doucet, H.J.; Roche, M.; Buzzi, J.M.

    1988-01-01

    A review of some high power switches recently developed for very high power technology is made with a special attention to the aspects of plasma physics involved in the mechanisms, which determine the limits of the possible switching parameters

  20. Unity power factor switching regulator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rippel, Wally E. (Inventor)

    1983-01-01

    A single or multiphase boost chopper regulator operating with unity power factor, for use such as to charge a battery is comprised of a power section for converting single or multiphase line energy into recharge energy including a rectifier (10), one inductor (L.sub.1) and one chopper (Q.sub.1) for each chopper phase for presenting a load (battery) with a current output, and duty cycle control means (16) for each chopper to control the average inductor current over each period of the chopper, and a sensing and control section including means (20) for sensing at least one load parameter, means (22) for producing a current command signal as a function of said parameter, means (26) for producing a feedback signal as a function of said current command signal and the average rectifier voltage output over each period of the chopper, means (28) for sensing current through said inductor, means (18) for comparing said feedback signal with said sensed current to produce, in response to a difference, a control signal applied to the duty cycle control means, whereby the average inductor current is proportionate to the average rectifier voltage output over each period of the chopper, and instantaneous line current is thereby maintained proportionate to the instantaneous line voltage, thus achieving a unity power factor. The boost chopper is comprised of a plurality of converters connected in parallel and operated in staggered phase. For optimal harmonic suppression, the duty cycles of the switching converters are evenly spaced, and by negative coupling between pairs 180.degree. out-of-phase, peak currents through the switches can be reduced while reducing the inductor size and mass.

  1. Energy Saving in Three-Phase Diode Rectifiers Using EI Technique with Adjustable Switching Frequency Scheme

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Davari, Pooya; Zare, Firuz; Yang, Yongheng

    2016-01-01

    A front-end rectifier can significantly impact a power electronics system performance and efficiency for applications such as motor drive where the system commonly operates under partial loading conditions. This paper proposes an adjustable switching frequency scheme using an electronic inductor...

  2. Error suppression and error correction in adiabatic quantum computation: non-equilibrium dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarovar, Mohan; Young, Kevin C

    2013-01-01

    While adiabatic quantum computing (AQC) has some robustness to noise and decoherence, it is widely believed that encoding, error suppression and error correction will be required to scale AQC to large problem sizes. Previous works have established at least two different techniques for error suppression in AQC. In this paper we derive a model for describing the dynamics of encoded AQC and show that previous constructions for error suppression can be unified with this dynamical model. In addition, the model clarifies the mechanisms of error suppression and allows the identification of its weaknesses. In the second half of the paper, we utilize our description of non-equilibrium dynamics in encoded AQC to construct methods for error correction in AQC by cooling local degrees of freedom (qubits). While this is shown to be possible in principle, we also identify the key challenge to this approach: the requirement of high-weight Hamiltonians. Finally, we use our dynamical model to perform a simplified thermal stability analysis of concatenated-stabilizer-code encoded many-body systems for AQC or quantum memories. This work is a companion paper to ‘Error suppression and error correction in adiabatic quantum computation: techniques and challenges (2013 Phys. Rev. X 3 041013)’, which provides a quantum information perspective on the techniques and limitations of error suppression and correction in AQC. In this paper we couch the same results within a dynamical framework, which allows for a detailed analysis of the non-equilibrium dynamics of error suppression and correction in encoded AQC. (paper)

  3. Fast Low-Current Spin-Orbit-Torque Switching of Magnetic Tunnel Junctions through Atomic Modifications of the Free-Layer Interfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Shengjie; Ou, Yongxi; Aradhya, S. V.; Ralph, D. C.; Buhrman, R. A.

    2018-01-01

    Future applications of spin-orbit torque will require new mechanisms to improve the efficiency of switching nanoscale magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs), while also controlling the magnetic dynamics to achieve fast nanosecond-scale performance with low-write-error rates. Here, we demonstrate a strategy to simultaneously enhance the interfacial magnetic anisotropy energy and suppress interfacial spin-memory loss by introducing subatomic and monatomic layers of Hf at the top and bottom interfaces of the ferromagnetic free layer of an in-plane magnetized three-terminal MTJ device. When combined with a β -W spin Hall channel that generates spin-orbit torque, the cumulative effect is a switching current density of 5.4 ×106 A /cm2 .

  4. Optical packet switched networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Peter Bukhave

    1999-01-01

    Optical packet switched networks are investigated with emphasis on the performance of the packet switch blocks. Initially, the network context of the optical packet switched network is described showing that a packet network will provide transparency, flexibility and bridge the granularity gap...... in interferometric wavelength converters is investigated showing that a 10 Gbit/s 19 4x4 swich blocks can be cascaded at a BER of 10-14. An analytical traffic model enables the calculation of the traffice performance of a WDM packet network. Hereby the importance of WDM and wavelegth conversion in the switch blocks...... is established as a flexible means to reduce the optical buffer, e.g., the number of fibre delay lines for a 16x16 switch block is reduced from 23 to 6 by going from 2 to 8 wavelength channels pr. inlet. Additionally, a component count analysis is carried out to illustrate the trade-offs in the switch block...

  5. The all-fiber cladding-pumped Yb-doped gain-switched laser

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Casper; Hansen, K. P.; Mattsson, Kent Erik

    2014-01-01

    Gain-switching is an alternative pulsing technique of fiber lasers, which is power scalable and has a low complexity. From a linear stability analysis of rate equations the relaxation oscillation period is derived and from it, the pulse duration is defined. Good agreement between the measured pulse...

  6. Dimmable electronic ballasts by variable power density modulation technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borekci, Selim; Kesler, Selami

    2014-11-01

    Dimming can be accomplished commonly by switching frequency and pulse density modulation techniques and a variable inductor. In this study, a variable power density modulation (VPDM) control technique is proposed for dimming applications. A fluorescent lamp is operated in several states to meet the desired lamp power in a modulation period. The proposed technique has the same advantages of magnetic dimming topologies have. In addition, a unique and flexible control technique can be achieved. A prototype dimmable electronic ballast is built and experiments related to it have been conducted. As a result, a 36WT8 fluorescent lamp can be driven for a desired lamp power from several alternatives without modulating the switching frequency.

  7. Explosively formed fuse opening switches for use in flux-compression generator circuits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goforth, J.H.; Marsh, S.P.

    1990-01-01

    Explosive-driven magnetic flux compression generators (explosive generators) provide for the generation of large amounts of energy compactly stored in a magnetic field. Opening switches for use in explosive generator circuits allow the energy to be used for applications requiring higher power than can be developed by the generators themselves. The authors have developed a type of opening switch that they describe as an explosively formed fuse (EEF). These switches are well suited to explosive generator circuits and provide a considerable enhancement of explosive pulsed-power capability. The authors first experiments with explosively formed fuses occurred while attempting to utilize the enhanced pressure developed in the high-pressure interaction between two detonation fronts. In these tests they attempted to use the interaction to sever conducting plates along lines perpendicular to current flow. The technique worked to some extent, and to ascertain how much advantage was gained from the high-pressure interaction, they substituted an areal detonation in place of the discrete lines required to produce lines of interaction. This paper describes the authors development effort, the state of the art, and the different manifestations of their technique

  8. Bilingual Language Switching: Production vs. Recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mosca, Michela; de Bot, Kees

    2017-01-01

    This study aims at assessing how bilinguals select words in the appropriate language in production and recognition while minimizing interference from the non-appropriate language. Two prominent models are considered which assume that when one language is in use, the other is suppressed. The Inhibitory Control (IC) model suggests that, in both production and recognition, the amount of inhibition on the non-target language is greater for the stronger compared to the weaker language. In contrast, the Bilingual Interactive Activation (BIA) model proposes that, in language recognition, the amount of inhibition on the weaker language is stronger than otherwise. To investigate whether bilingual language production and recognition can be accounted for by a single model of bilingual processing, we tested a group of native speakers of Dutch (L1), advanced speakers of English (L2) in a bilingual recognition and production task. Specifically, language switching costs were measured while participants performed a lexical decision (recognition) and a picture naming (production) task involving language switching. Results suggest that while in language recognition the amount of inhibition applied to the non-appropriate language increases along with its dominance as predicted by the IC model, in production the amount of inhibition applied to the non-relevant language is not related to language dominance, but rather it may be modulated by speakers' unconscious strategies to foster the weaker language. This difference indicates that bilingual language recognition and production might rely on different processing mechanisms and cannot be accounted within one of the existing models of bilingual language processing. PMID:28638361

  9. Autoinhibition and signaling by the switch II motif in the G-protein chaperone of a radical B12 enzyme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lofgren, Michael; Koutmos, Markos; Banerjee, Ruma

    2013-10-25

    MeaB is an accessory GTPase protein involved in the assembly, protection, and reactivation of 5'-deoxyadenosyl cobalamin-dependent methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MCM). Mutations in the human ortholog of MeaB result in methylmalonic aciduria, an inborn error of metabolism. G-proteins typically utilize conserved switch I and II motifs for signaling to effector proteins via conformational changes elicited by nucleotide binding and hydrolysis. Our recent discovery that MeaB utilizes an unusual switch III region for bidirectional signaling with MCM raised questions about the roles of the switch I and II motifs in MeaB. In this study, we addressed the functions of conserved switch II residues by performing alanine-scanning mutagenesis. Our results demonstrate that the GTPase activity of MeaB is autoinhibited by switch II and that this loop is important for coupling nucleotide-sensitive conformational changes in switch III to elicit the multiple chaperone functions of MeaB. Furthermore, we report the structure of MeaB·GDP crystallized in the presence of AlFx(-) to form the putative transition state analog, GDP·AlF4(-). The resulting crystal structure and its comparison with related G-proteins support the conclusion that the catalytic site of MeaB is incomplete in the absence of the GTPase-activating protein MCM and therefore unable to stabilize the transition state analog. Favoring an inactive conformation in the absence of the client MCM protein might represent a strategy for suppressing the intrinsic GTPase activity of MeaB in which the switch II loop plays an important role.

  10. Optical switching systems using nanostructures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stubkjær, Kristian

    2004-01-01

    High capacity multiservice optical networks require compact and efficient switches. The potential benefits of optical switch elements based on nanostructured material are reviewed considering various material systems.......High capacity multiservice optical networks require compact and efficient switches. The potential benefits of optical switch elements based on nanostructured material are reviewed considering various material systems....

  11. Spatial and Global Sensory Suppression Mapping Encompassing the Central 10° Field in Anisometropic Amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jingjing; Li, Jinrong; Chen, Zidong; Liu, Jing; Yuan, Junpeng; Cai, Xiaoxiao; Deng, Daming; Yu, Minbin

    2017-01-01

    We investigate the efficacy of a novel dichoptic mapping paradigm in evaluating visual function of anisometropic amblyopes. Using standard clinical measures of visual function (visual acuity, stereo acuity, Bagolini lenses, and neutral density filters) and a novel quantitative mapping technique, 26 patients with anisometropic amblyopia (mean age = 19.15 ± 4.42 years) were assessed. Two additional psychophysical interocular suppression measurements were tested with dichoptic global motion coherence and binocular phase combination tasks. Luminance reduction was achieved by placing neutral density filters in front of the normal eye. Our study revealed that suppression changes across the central 10° visual field by mean luminance modulation in amblyopes as well as normal controls. Using simulation and an elimination of interocular suppression, we identified a novel method to effectively reflect the distribution of suppression in anisometropic amblyopia. Additionally, the new quantitative mapping technique was in good agreement with conventional clinical measures, such as interocular acuity difference (P suppression with dichoptic mapping paradigm and the results of the other two psychophysical methods (suppression mapping versus binocular phase combination, P suppression mapping versus global motion coherence, P = 0.005). The dichoptic suppression mapping technique is an effective method to represent impaired visual function in patients with anisometropic amblyopia. It offers a potential in "micro-"antisuppression mapping tests and therapies for amblyopia.

  12. Application of a simple column-switching ion chromatography technique for removal of matrix interferences and sensitive fluorescence determination of acidic compounds (pharmaceutical drugs) in complex samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhammad, Nadeem; Subhani, Qamar; Wang, Fenglian; Guo, Dandan; Zhao, Qiming; Wu, Shuchao; Zhu, Yan

    2017-09-15

    This work illustrates the introduction of a simple, rugged and flexible column-switching ion chromatography (IC) technique for an automated on-line QuEChERS extracted samples extracts washing followed by sensitive fluorescence (FLD) determination of five acidic pharmaceutical drugs namely; clofibric acid (CLO), ibuprofen (IBU), aspirin (ASP), naproxen (NAP) and flurobrofen (FLU) in three complex samples (spinach, apple and hospital sewage sludge). An old anion exchange column IonPac ® AS11-HC was utilized as a pre-treatment column for on-line washing of inorganic and organic interferences followed by isocratic separation of five acidic drugs with another anion exchange IonPac ® AS12A analytical column by exploiting the column-switching technique. This novel method exhibited good linearity with correlation coefficients (r 2 ) for all drugs were in the range 0.976-0.996. The limit of detection and quantification of all five acidic drugs were in the range 0.024μg/kg to 8.70μg/kg and 0.082μg/kg to 0.029mg/kg, respectively, and better recoveries in the range 81.17-112.5% with percentage relative standard deviations (RSDs) less than 17.8% were obtained. This on-line sample pre-treatment method showed minimum matrix effect in the range of 0.87-1.25 except for aspirin. This simple rugged and flexible column-switching system required only 28min for maximum elimination of matrices and interferences in three complex samples extracts, isocratic separation of five acidic drugs and for the continuous regeneration of pre-treatment column prior to every subsequent analysis. Finally, this simple automated IC system was appeared so rugged and flexible, which can eliminate and wash out most of interference, impurities and matrices in complex samples, simply by adjusting the NaOH and acetonitrile concentration in washing mobile phase with maximum recoveries of acidic analytes of interest. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  13. Practical switching power supply design

    CERN Document Server

    Brown, Martin C

    1990-01-01

    Take the ""black magic"" out of switching power supplies with Practical Switching Power Supply Design! This is a comprehensive ""hands-on"" guide to the theory behind, and design of, PWM and resonant switching supplies. You'll find information on switching supply operation and selecting an appropriate topology for your application. There's extensive coverage of buck, boost, flyback, push-pull, half bridge, and full bridge regulator circuits. Special attention is given to semiconductors used in switching supplies. RFI/EMI reduction, grounding, testing, and safety standards are also deta

  14. Conceptual design of a high-speed electromagnetic switch for a modified flux-coupling-type SFCL and its application in renewable energy system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Lei; Chen, Hongkun; Yang, Jun; Shu, Zhengyu; He, Huiwen; Shu, Xin

    2016-01-01

    The modified flux-coupling-type superconducting fault current (SFCL) is a high-efficient electrical auxiliary device, whose basic function is to suppress the short-circuit current by controlling the magnetic path through a high-speed switch. In this paper, the high-speed switch is based on electromagnetic repulsion mechanism, and its conceptual design is carried out to promote the application of the modified SFCL. Regarding that the switch which is consisting of a mobile copper disc, two fixed opening and closing coils, the computational method for the electromagnetic force is discussed, and also the dynamic mathematical model including circuit equation, magnetic field equation as well as mechanical motion equation is theoretically deduced. According to the mathematical modeling and calculation of characteristic parameters, a feasible design scheme is presented, and the high-speed switch's response time can be less than 0.5 ms. For that the modified SFCL is equipped with this high-speed switch, the SFCL's application in a 10 kV micro-grid system with multiple renewable energy sources are assessed in the MATLAB software. The simulations are well able to affirm the SFCL's performance behaviors.

  15. High Performance ZVT with Bus Clamping Modulation Technique for Single Phase Full Bridge Inverters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xia, Yinglai; Ayyanar, Raja

    2016-03-20

    This paper proposes a topology based on bus clamping modulation and zero-voltage-transition (ZVT) technique to realize zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) for all the main switches of the full bridge inverters, and inherent ZVS and/or ZCS for the auxiliary switches. The advantages of the strategy include significant reduction in the turn-on loss of the ZVT auxiliary switches which typically account for a major part of the total loss in other ZVT circuits, and reduction in the voltage ratings of auxiliary switches. The modulation scheme and the commutation stages are analyzed in detail. Finally, a 1kW, 500 kHz switching frequency inverter of the proposed topology using SiC MOSFETs has been built to validate the theoretical analysis. The ZVT with bus clamping modulation technique of fixed timing and adaptive timing schemes are implemented in DSP TMS320F28335 resulting in full ZVS for the main switches in the full bridge inverter. The proposed scheme can save up to 33 % of the switching loss compared with no ZVT case.

  16. Switching Phenomena

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanley, H. E.; Buldyrev, S. V.; Franzese, G.; Havlin, S.; Mallamace, F.; Mazza, M. G.; Kumar, P.; Plerou, V.; Preis, T.; Stokely, K.; Xu, L.

    One challenge of biology, medicine, and economics is that the systems treated by these serious scientific disciplines can suddenly "switch" from one behavior to another, even though they possess no perfect metronome in time. As if by magic, out of nothing but randomness one finds remarkably fine-tuned processes in time. The past century has, philosophically, been concerned with placing aside the human tendency to see the universe as a fine-tuned machine. Here we will address the challenge of uncovering how, through randomness (albeit, as we shall see, strongly correlated randomness), one can arrive at some of the many temporal patterns in physics, economics, and medicine and even begin to characterize the switching phenomena that enable a system to pass from one state to another. We discuss some applications of correlated randomness to understanding switching phenomena in various fields. Specifically, we present evidence from experiments and from computer simulations supporting the hypothesis that water's anomalies are related to a switching point (which is not unlike the "tipping point" immortalized by Malcolm Gladwell), and that the bubbles in economic phenomena that occur on all scales are not "outliers" (another Gladwell immortalization).

  17. A retrospective 15-year review: survival advantage after switching to sirolimus in hepatitis C virus infected liver graft recipients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, M; Shankar, A; Gee, I; Nash, K; Hoare, M; Gibbs, P; Davies, S; Alexander, G J M

    2015-02-01

    The use of sirolimus-based immune suppression in liver transplantation, particularly in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected recipients, remains contentious. There is some evidence that sirolimus retards hepatic fibrosis, is renal sparing and may be of benefit in preventing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence. Sirolimus has not been adopted by many transplant centres because of persistent concerns regarding an increased risk of hepatic artery thrombosis, graft loss and death with de novo sirolimus. To review the impact of switching to sirolimus monotherapy in HCV-infected liver recipients with respect to survival, graft loss and hepatic fibrosis. A retrospective review of 190 patients from a single centre undergoing first liver transplantation for HCV over 15 years. 113 patients were switched from calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-based therapy to low-dose sirolimus monotherapy at a median of 15 months after transplantation for HCV-related fibrosis (72%), renal impairment (14%) or high-risk HCC (5%). Patients switched to sirolimus had improved survival (P diabetes (P = 0.03). These data suggest selective switching to low-dose sirolimus monotherapy in HCV-positive liver recipients improves clinical outcome. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Graphene and its derivatives: switching ON and OFF.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yu; Zhang, Bin; Liu, Gang; Zhuang, Xiaodong; Kang, En-Tang

    2012-07-07

    As the thinnest material ever known in the universe, graphene has been attracting tremendous amount of attention in both materials science and condensed-matter physics since its successful isolation a few years ago. This one-atom-thick two-dimensional pseudo-infinite nano-crystal consists of sp(2)-hybridized aromatic carbon atoms covalently packed into a continuous hexagonal lattice. Graphene exhibits a range of unique properties, viz., high three-dimensional aspect ratio and large specific surface area, superior mechanical stiffness and flexibility, remarkable optical transmittance, extraordinary thermal response and excellent electronic transport properties, promising its applications in the next generation electronics. To switch graphene and its derivatives between ON and OFF states in nanoelectronic memory devices, various techniques have been developed to manipulate the carbon atomic sheets via introducing the valence-conduction bandgap and to enhance their processability. In this article, we review the utilization of electrically, thermally and chemically modified graphene and its polymer-functionalized derivatives for switching and information storage applications. The challenges posed on the development of novel graphene materials and further enhancements of the device switching performance have also been discussed.

  19. Global pulse synchronization of chaotic oscillators through fast-switching: theory and experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porfiri, Maurizio; Fiorilli, Francesca

    2009-01-01

    We study pulse synchronization of chaotic systems in master-slave configuration. The slave system is unidirectionally coupled to the master system through an intermittent linear error feedback coupling, whose gain matrix periodically switches among a finite set of constant matrices. Using Lyapunov-stability theory, fast-switching techniques, and the concept of matrix measure, we derive sufficient conditions for global synchronization. The derived conditions are specialized to the case of Chua's circuits. An inductorless realization of coupled Chua's circuits is developed to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

  20. Complementary resistive switching in BaTiO3/NiO bilayer with opposite switching polarities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shuo; Wei, Xianhua; Lei, Yao; Yuan, Xincai; Zeng, Huizhong

    2016-12-01

    Resistive switching behaviors have been investigated in the Au/BaTiO3/NiO/Pt structure by stacking the two elements with different switching types. The conducting atomic force microscope measurements on BaTiO3 thin films and NiO thin films suggest that with the same active resistive switching region, the switching polarities in the two semiconductors are opposite to each other. It is in agreement with the bipolar hysteresis I-V curves with opposite switching polarities for single-layer devices. The bilayer devices show complementary resistive switching (CRS) without electroforming and unipolar resistive switching (URS) after electroforming. The coexistence of CRS and URS is mainly ascribed to the co-effect of electric field and Joule heating mechanisms, indicating that changeable of resistance in this device is dominated by the redistribution of oxygen vacancies in BaTiO3 and the formation, disruption, restoration of conducting filaments in NiO. CRS in bilayer with opposite switching polarities is effective to solve the sneak current without the introduction of any selector elements or an additional metal electrode.

  1. Optimization of multi-branch switched diversity systems

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Haewoon

    2009-10-01

    A performance optimization based on the optimal switching threshold(s) for a multi-branch switched diversity system is discussed in this paper. For the conventional multi-branch switched diversity system with a single switching threshold, the optimal switching threshold is a function of both the average channel SNR and the number of diversity branches, where computing the optimal switching threshold is not a simple task when the number of diversity branches is high. The newly proposed multi-branch switched diversity system is based on a sequence of switching thresholds, instead of a single switching threshold, where a different diversity branch uses a different switching threshold for signal comparison. Thanks to the fact that each switching threshold in the sequence can be optimized only based on the number of the remaining diversity branches, the proposed system makes it easy to find these switching thresholds. Furthermore, some selected numerical and simulation results show that the proposed switched diversity system with the sequence of optimal switching thresholds outperforms the conventional system with the single optimal switching threshold. © 2009 IEEE.

  2. Hybrid switch for resonant power converters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Jih-Sheng; Yu, Wensong

    2014-09-09

    A hybrid switch comprising two semiconductor switches connected in parallel but having different voltage drop characteristics as a function of current facilitates attainment of zero voltage switching and reduces conduction losses to complement reduction of switching losses achieved through zero voltage switching in power converters such as high-current inverters.

  3. Fat suppression techniques for obtaining high resolution dynamic contrast enhanced bilateral breast MR images at 7 tesla

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van der Velden, Tijl A; Schmitz, Alexander M Th; Gilhuijs, Kenneth G A

    2016-01-01

    contained 3D T1-weighted gradient echo images obtained with both WSE fat suppression, multi echo Dixon fat suppression, and without fat suppression. Images were acquired at a (0.8mm)(3) or (0.7mm)(3) isotropic resolution with equal field of view and optimized such to obtain a maximal SNR. Image quality...... was scored qualitatively on overall image quality, sharpness of anatomical details, presence of artefacts, inhomogeneous fat suppression and the presence of water-fat shift. A quantitative scoring was obtained from the signal to noise ratio and contrast to noise ratio. RESULTS: WSE scored significantly...... better in terms of overall image quality and the absence of artefacts. No significant difference in contrast to noise ratio was found between the two fat suppression methods. CONCLUSION: When maximizing temporal and spatial resolution of high resolution DCE MRI of the breast, water selective excitation...

  4. Fat-suppressed three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient-recalled echo imaging: a modified FS 3D SPGR technique for assessment of patellofemoral joint chondromalacia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, S F; Cheng, H C; Chang, C Y

    1999-01-01

    Fast fat-suppressed (FS) three-dimensional (3D) spoiled gradient-recalled echo (SPGR) imaging of 64 articular cartilage regions in 16 patellofemoral joints was evaluated to assess its feasibility in diagnosing patellofemoral chondromalacia. It demonstrated good correlation with arthroscopic reports and took about half of the examination time that FS 3D SPGR did. This modified, faster technique has the potential to diagnose patellofemoral chondromalacia with shorter examination time than FS 3D SPGR did.

  5. Power gating of VLSI circuits using MEMS switches in low power applications

    KAUST Repository

    Shobak, Hosam

    2011-12-01

    Power dissipation poses a great challenge for VLSI designers. With the intense down-scaling of technology, the total power consumption of the chip is made up primarily of leakage power dissipation. This paper proposes combining a custom-designed MEMS switch to power gate VLSI circuits, such that leakage power is efficiently reduced while accounting for performance and reliability. The designed MEMS switch is characterized by an 0.1876 ? ON resistance and requires 4.5 V to switch. As a result of implementing this novel power gating technique, a standby leakage power reduction of 99% and energy savings of 33.3% are achieved. Finally the possible effects of surge currents and ground bounce noise are studied. These findings allow longer operation times for battery-operated systems characterized by long standby periods. © 2011 IEEE.

  6. Complete achromatic and robustness electro-optic switch between two integrated optical waveguides

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Wei; Kyoseva, Elica

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we present a novel design of electro-optic modulator and optical switching device, based on current integrated optics technique. The advantages of our optical switching device are broadband of input light wavelength, robustness against varying device length and operation voltages, with reference to previous design. Conforming to our results of previous paper [Huang et al, phys. lett. a, 90, 053837], the coupling of the waveguides has a hyperbolic-secant shape. while detuning has a sign flip at maximum coupling, we called it as with a sign flip of phase mismatch model. The a sign flip of phase mismatch model can produce complete robust population transfer. In this paper, we enhance this device to switch light intensity controllable, by tuning external electric field based on electro-optic effect.

  7. Resistivity switching properties of Li-doped ZnO films deposited on LaB_6 electrode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Igityan, A.; Kafadaryan, Y.; Aghamalyan, N.; Petrosyan, S.; Badalyan, G.; Vardanyan, V.; Nersisyan, M.; Hovsepyan, R.; Palagushkin, A.; Kryzhanovsky, B.

    2015-01-01

    Current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of Al/p-ZnO:Li/LaB_6 device, measured in voltage sweep mode, show unipolar resistive switching and monostable threshold switching (URS and MTS) for different bias voltage polarities. URS could be transformed to MTS by application of reverse bias voltage. With increasing number of cycles, URS is converted to bipolar resistive switching mode which is lost after certain number of cycles, and device turns into an ordinary resistor. Analysis of linear fitting I–V curves suggests that ohmic and space charge limited current laws are responsible for conductivity mechanism of Al/p-ZnO:Li/LaB_6 device. - Highlights: • Al/p-ZnO:Li/LaB_6 memristive device is fabricated using an e-beam evaporation technique. • Current–voltage (I–V) characteristics are studied. • Type of resistive switching mode depends on the bias voltage polarity and number of switching cycles. • Resistive switching in Al/ZnO:Li/LaB_6 has an interfacial effect. • Ohmic and SCLC laws are responsible for conductivity mechanism of resistive states.

  8. An injection seeded single frequency Nd:YAG Q-switched laser with precisely controllable laser pulse firing time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Frank F.; Khizhnyak, Anatoliy; Markov, Vladimir

    2010-02-01

    We have realized a single frequency Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with precisely controllable lasing time and thus enabled synchronization of multi-laser systems. The use of injection seeding to the slave ring oscillator results in unidirectional Q-switched laser oscillation with suppression of bidirectional Q-switched oscillation that otherwise would be initiated from spontaneous emission if the seeding laser is not present. Under normal condition, the cavity is high in loss during the pumping period; then a Pockels cell opens the cavity to form the pulse build up, with a second Pockels cell to perform cavity dumping, generating the Q-switched pulse output with optimized characteristics. The two Pockels cells can be replaced by a single unit if an adjustable gated electrical pulse is applied to the Pockels cell in which the pulse front is used to open the cavity and the falling edge to dump the laser pulse. Proper selection of the pump parameters and Pockels-cell gating enables operation of the system in a mode in which the Q-switched pulse can be formed only under the seeding condition. The advantage of the realized regime is in stable laser operation with no need in adjustment of the seeded light wavelength and the mode of the cavity. It is found that the frequency of the Q-switched laser radiation matches well to the injected seeded laser mode. By using two-stage amplifiers, an output energy better than 300 mJ has been achieved in MOPA configuration without active control of the cavity length and with pulse width adjustability from several nanoseconds to 20 ns. The Q-switched oscillator operates not only at precisely controlled firing time but also can be tuned over wide range. This will enable multi-laser systems synchronization and frequency locking down each other if necessary.

  9. Performance Evaluation of Eleven-Phase Induction Machine with Different PWM Techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.I. Masoud

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Multiphase induction machines are used extensively in low and medium voltage (MV drives. In MV drives, power switches have a limitation associated with switching frequency. This paper is a comparative study of the eleven-phase induction machine’s performance when used as a prototype and fed sinusoidal pulse-width-modulation (SPWM with a low switching frequency, selective harmonic elimination (SHE, and single pulse modulation (SPM techniques. The comparison depends on voltage/frequency controls for the same phase of voltage applied on the machine terminals for all previous techniques. The comparative study covers torque ripple, stator and harmonic currents, and motor efficiency.

  10. Compensation techniques for non-linearities in H-bridge inverters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Zammit

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents compensation techniques for component non-linearities in H-bridge inverters as those used in grid-connected photovoltaic (PV inverters. Novel compensation techniques depending on the switching device current were formulated to compensate for the non-linearities in inverter circuits caused by the voltage drops on the switching devices. Both simulation and experimental results will be presented. Testing was carried out on a PV inverter which was designed and constructed for this research. Very satisfactory results were obtained from all the compensation techniques presented, however the exact compensation method was the most effective, providing the highest reduction in harmonics.

  11. Generalized Multi-Cell Switched-Inductor and Switched-Capacitor Z-source Inverters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Ding; Chiang Loh, Poh; Zhu, Miao

    2013-01-01

    . Their boosting gains are, therefore, limited in practice. To overcome these shortcomings, the generalized switched-inductor and switched-capacitor Z-source inverters are proposed, whose extra boosting abilities and other advantages have already been verified in simulation and experiment....

  12. A novel technique for active vibration control, based on optimal

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    In the last few decades, researchers have proposed many control techniques to suppress unwanted vibrations in a structure. In this work, a novel and simple technique is proposed for the active vibration control. In this technique, an optimal tracking control is employed to suppress vibrations in a structure by simultaneously ...

  13. Complementary resistive switching in BaTiO{sub 3}/NiO bilayer with opposite switching polarities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Shuo [State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for Nonmetal Composites and Functional Materials, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010 (China); Institut d’Electronique de Micro-électronique et de Nanotechnologie (IEMN), CNRS, Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, avenue Poincaré, BP 60069, 59652, Villeneuve d’Ascq cedex (France); Wei, Xianhua, E-mail: weixianhua@swust.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for Nonmetal Composites and Functional Materials, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010 (China); Lei, Yao [State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronics Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054 (China); Yuan, Xincai [State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for Nonmetal Composites and Functional Materials, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010 (China); Zeng, Huizhong [State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, University of Electronics Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054 (China)

    2016-12-15

    Graphical abstract: Au/BaTiO{sub 3}/NiO/Pt bilayer device shows complementary resistive switching (CRS) without electroforming which is mainly ascribed to anti-serial stack of two RRAM cells with bipolar behaviors. - Highlights: • Complementary resistive switching (CRS) has been investigated in Au/BaTiO{sub 3}/NiO/Pt by stacking the two elements with different switching types. • The realization of complementary resistive switching (CRS) is mainly ascribed to the anti-serial stack of two RRAM cells with bipolar behaviors. • Complementary resistive switching (CRS) in bilayer is effective to solve the sneak current problem briefly and economically. - Abstract: Resistive switching behaviors have been investigated in the Au/BaTiO{sub 3}/NiO/Pt structure by stacking the two elements with different switching types. The conducting atomic force microscope measurements on BaTiO{sub 3} thin films and NiO thin films suggest that with the same active resistive switching region, the switching polarities in the two semiconductors are opposite to each other. It is in agreement with the bipolar hysteresis I–V curves with opposite switching polarities for single-layer devices. The bilayer devices show complementary resistive switching (CRS) without electroforming and unipolar resistive switching (URS) after electroforming. The coexistence of CRS and URS is mainly ascribed to the co-effect of electric field and Joule heating mechanisms, indicating that changeable of resistance in this device is dominated by the redistribution of oxygen vacancies in BaTiO{sub 3} and the formation, disruption, restoration of conducting filaments in NiO. CRS in bilayer with opposite switching polarities is effective to solve the sneak current without the introduction of any selector elements or an additional metal electrode.

  14. Switch on the competition. Causes, consequences and policy implications of consumer switching costs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pomp, M.; Shestalova, V.; Rangel, L.

    2005-09-01

    The success or failure of reforms aimed at liberalising markets depends to an important degree on consumer behaviour. If consumers do not base their choices on differences in prices and quality, competition between firms may be weak and the benefits of liberalisation to consumers may be small. One possible reason why consumers may respond only weakly to differences in price and quality is high costs of switching to another firm. This report presents a framework for analysing markets with switching costs and applies the framework in two empirical case studies. The first case study analyses the residential energy market, the second focuses on the market for social health insurance. In both markets, there are indications that switching costs are substantial. The report discusses policy options for reducing switching costs and for alleviating the consequences of switching costs

  15. Switch on the competition. Causes, consequences and policy implications of consumer switching costs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pomp, M.; Shestalova, V.; Rangel, L.

    2005-09-15

    The success or failure of reforms aimed at liberalising markets depends to an important degree on consumer behaviour. If consumers do not base their choices on differences in prices and quality, competition between firms may be weak and the benefits of liberalisation to consumers may be small. One possible reason why consumers may respond only weakly to differences in price and quality is high costs of switching to another firm. This report presents a framework for analysing markets with switching costs and applies the framework in two empirical case studies. The first case study analyses the residential energy market, the second focuses on the market for social health insurance. In both markets, there are indications that switching costs are substantial. The report discusses policy options for reducing switching costs and for alleviating the consequences of switching costs.

  16. Interocular suppression in children with deprivation amblyopia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamm, Lisa; Chen, Zidong; Li, Jinrong; Black, Joanna; Dai, Shuan; Yuan, Junpeng; Yu, Minbin; Thompson, Benjamin

    2017-04-01

    In patients with anisometropic or strabismic amblyopia, interocular suppression can be minimized by presenting high contrast stimulus elements to the amblyopic eye and lower contrast elements to the fellow eye. This suggests a structurally intact binocular visual system that is functionally suppressed. We investigated whether suppression can also be overcome by contrast balancing in children with deprivation amblyopia due to childhood cataracts. To quantify interocular contrast balance, contrast interference thresholds were measured using an established dichoptic global motion technique for 21 children with deprivation amblyopia, 14 with anisometropic or mixed strabismic/anisometropic amblyopia and 10 visually normal children (mean age mean=9.9years, range 5-16years). We found that interocular suppression could be overcome by contrast balancing in most children with deprivation amblyopia, at least intermittently, and all children with anisometropic or mixed anisometropic/strabismic amblyopia. However, children with deprivation amblyopia due to early unilateral or bilateral cataracts could tolerate only very low contrast levels to the stronger eye indicating strong suppression. Our results suggest that treatment options reliant on contrast balanced dichoptic presentation could be attempted in a subset of children with deprivation amblyopia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Simulation and optimization of a polymer directional coupler electro-optic switch with push pull electrodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Chuan-Tao; Ma, Chun-Sheng; Yan, Xin; Wang, Xian-Yin; Zhang, Da-Ming

    2008-07-01

    Structural model and design technique are proposed for a polymer directional coupler electro-optic switch with rib waveguides and push-pull electrodes, of which the electric field distribution is analyzed by the conformal transforming method and image method. In order to get the minimum mode loss and the minimum switching voltage, the parameters of the waveguide and electrode are optimized, such as the core with, core thickness, buffer layer between the core and the electrode, coupling gap between the waveguides, electrode thickness, electrode width and electrode gap. Switching Characteristics are analyzed, which include the output power, insertion loss, and crosstalk. To realize normal switching function, the fabrication error, spectrum shift, and coupling loss between a single mode fiber (SMF) and the waveguide are discussed. Simulation results show that the coupling length is 3082 μm, push-pull switching voltage is 2.14 V, insertion loss is less than 1.17 dB, and crosstalk is less than -30 dB for the designed device.

  18. Optically triggered high voltage switch network and method for switching a high voltage

    Science.gov (United States)

    El-Sharkawi, Mohamed A.; Andexler, George; Silberkleit, Lee I.

    1993-01-19

    An optically triggered solid state switch and method for switching a high voltage electrical current. A plurality of solid state switches (350) are connected in series for controlling electrical current flow between a compensation capacitor (112) and ground in a reactive power compensator (50, 50') that monitors the voltage and current flowing through each of three distribution lines (52a, 52b and 52c), which are supplying three-phase power to one or more inductive loads. An optical transmitter (100) controlled by the reactive power compensation system produces light pulses that are conveyed over optical fibers (102) to a switch driver (110') that includes a plurality of series connected optical triger circuits (288). Each of the optical trigger circuits controls a pair of the solid state switches and includes a plurality of series connected resistors (294, 326, 330, and 334) that equalize or balance the potential across the plurality of trigger circuits. The trigger circuits are connected to one of the distribution lines through a trigger capacitor (340). In each switch driver, the light signals activate a phototransistor (300) so that an electrical current flows from one of the energy reservoir capacitors through a pulse transformer (306) in the trigger circuit, producing gate signals that turn on the pair of serially connected solid state switches (350).

  19. Optically triggered high voltage switch network and method for switching a high voltage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    El-Sharkawi, Mohamed A. (Renton, WA); Andexler, George (Everett, WA); Silberkleit, Lee I. (Mountlake Terrace, WA)

    1993-01-19

    An optically triggered solid state switch and method for switching a high voltage electrical current. A plurality of solid state switches (350) are connected in series for controlling electrical current flow between a compensation capacitor (112) and ground in a reactive power compensator (50, 50') that monitors the voltage and current flowing through each of three distribution lines (52a, 52b and 52c), which are supplying three-phase power to one or more inductive loads. An optical transmitter (100) controlled by the reactive power compensation system produces light pulses that are conveyed over optical fibers (102) to a switch driver (110') that includes a plurality of series connected optical triger circuits (288). Each of the optical trigger circuits controls a pair of the solid state switches and includes a plurality of series connected resistors (294, 326, 330, and 334) that equalize or balance the potential across the plurality of trigger circuits. The trigger circuits are connected to one of the distribution lines through a trigger capacitor (340). In each switch driver, the light signals activate a phototransistor (300) so that an electrical current flows from one of the energy reservoir capacitors through a pulse transformer (306) in the trigger circuit, producing gate signals that turn on the pair of serially connected solid state switches (350).

  20. Software Defined Networking (SDN) controlled all optical switching networks with multi-dimensional switching architecture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yongli; Ji, Yuefeng; Zhang, Jie; Li, Hui; Xiong, Qianjin; Qiu, Shaofeng

    2014-08-01

    Ultrahigh throughout capacity requirement is challenging the current optical switching nodes with the fast development of data center networks. Pbit/s level all optical switching networks need to be deployed soon, which will cause the high complexity of node architecture. How to control the future network and node equipment together will become a new problem. An enhanced Software Defined Networking (eSDN) control architecture is proposed in the paper, which consists of Provider NOX (P-NOX) and Node NOX (N-NOX). With the cooperation of P-NOX and N-NOX, the flexible control of the entire network can be achieved. All optical switching network testbed has been experimentally demonstrated with efficient control of enhanced Software Defined Networking (eSDN). Pbit/s level all optical switching nodes in the testbed are implemented based on multi-dimensional switching architecture, i.e. multi-level and multi-planar. Due to the space and cost limitation, each optical switching node is only equipped with four input line boxes and four output line boxes respectively. Experimental results are given to verify the performance of our proposed control and switching architecture.

  1. Characterization of a High-Power, High-Frequency, Soft-Switching Power Converter for EMC Considerations

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Li, S

    2001-01-01

    This report presents the setup, experimental techniques, and results of the radiated emissions tests on the PCM-3 soft-switching power converter using the Gigahertz Transverse Electromagnetic (GTEM) facility...

  2. Magnetic resonance imaging of lipoma and liposarcoma: potential of short tau inversion recovery as a technique of fat suppression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pang, A.K.K.; Hughes, T.

    2000-01-01

    The present limited retrospective study was performed to assess MR imaging of lipomatous tumours of the musculoskeletal system and to evaluate the potential of the T2 short tau inversion-recovery (STIR) technique for differentiating lipomas from liposarcomas. Magnetic resonance imaging of 12 patients with lipomatous tumours of the musculoskeletal system (eight benign lipomas, three well differentiated liposarcomas and one myxoid liposarcoma) were reviewed. Benign lipomas were usually superficial and showed homogeneity on T1- and T2-weighted spin echo sequences. Full suppression at T2-STIR was readily demonstrated. In contrast the liposarcomas in the present series were all deep-seated. Two well-differentiated liposarcomas showed homogeneity at long and short relaxation time (TR) but failed to show complete suppression at T2-STIR. One case of well-differentiated liposarcoma (dedifferentiated liposarcoma) and one of myxoid liposarcoma showed mild and moderate heterogeneity at T1 and T2, respectively and posed no difficulty in being diagnosed correctly. In conclusion, short and long TR in combination with T2 STIR show promise in differentiating benign from malignant lipomatous tumours of the musculoskeletal system, when taken in combination with the position of the tumour. Copyright (1999) Blackwell Science Pty Ltd

  3. Electromechanical magnetization switching

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chudnovsky, Eugene M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Lehman College and Graduate School, The City University of New York, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Bronx, New York 10468-1589 (United States); Jaafar, Reem [Department of Mathematics, Engineering and Computer Science, LaGuardia Community College, The City University of New York, 31-10 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City, New York 11101 (United States)

    2015-03-14

    We show that the magnetization of a torsional oscillator that, in addition to the magnetic moment also possesses an electrical polarization, can be switched by the electric field that ignites mechanical oscillations at the frequency comparable to the frequency of the ferromagnetic resonance. The 180° switching arises from the spin-rotation coupling and is not prohibited by the different symmetry of the magnetic moment and the electric field as in the case of a stationary magnet. Analytical equations describing the system have been derived and investigated numerically. Phase diagrams showing the range of parameters required for the switching have been obtained.

  4. Electromechanical magnetization switching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chudnovsky, Eugene M.; Jaafar, Reem

    2015-01-01

    We show that the magnetization of a torsional oscillator that, in addition to the magnetic moment also possesses an electrical polarization, can be switched by the electric field that ignites mechanical oscillations at the frequency comparable to the frequency of the ferromagnetic resonance. The 180° switching arises from the spin-rotation coupling and is not prohibited by the different symmetry of the magnetic moment and the electric field as in the case of a stationary magnet. Analytical equations describing the system have been derived and investigated numerically. Phase diagrams showing the range of parameters required for the switching have been obtained

  5. JUNOS Enterprise Switching

    CERN Document Server

    Reynolds, Harry

    2009-01-01

    JUNOS Enterprise Switching is the only detailed technical book on Juniper Networks' new Ethernet-switching EX product platform. With this book, you'll learn all about the hardware and ASIC design prowess of the EX platform, as well as the JUNOS Software that powers it. Not only is this extremely practical book a useful, hands-on manual to the EX platform, it also makes an excellent study guide for certification exams in the JNTCP enterprise tracks. The authors have based JUNOS Enterprise Switching on their own Juniper training practices and programs, as well as the configuration, maintenanc

  6. Laser-tissue interaction in tattoo removal by q-switched lasers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barua, Shyamanta

    2015-01-01

    Q-switched (QS) lasers are widely considered the gold standard for tattoo removal, with excellent clinical results, impressive predictability, and a good safety profile. The generation of giant pulses by the method of Q-switching is responsible for the unique laser-tissue interaction that is seen in tattoo removal by QS lasers. The QS lasers work by impaction and dissolution of the tattoo pigments. Mechanical fragmentation of the tattoo pigments encased in intracellular lamellated organelles followed by their phagocytosis by macrophages is thought to be the major event in the clearance of pigments by QS lasers. A few novel techniques have been tried in recent times to hasten the clearance of tattoo pigments.

  7. A System for English Vocabulary Acquisition Based on Code-Switching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazur, Michal; Karolczak, Krzysztof; Rzepka, Rafal; Araki, Kenji

    2016-01-01

    Vocabulary plays an important part in second language learning and there are many existing techniques to facilitate word acquisition. One of these methods is code-switching, or mixing the vocabulary of two languages in one sentence. In this paper the authors propose an experimental system for computer-assisted English vocabulary learning in…

  8. CMOS single-stage input-powered bridge rectifier with boost switch and duty cycle control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radzuan, Roskhatijah; Mohd Salleh, Mohd Khairul; Hamzah, Mustafar Kamal; Ab Wahab, Norfishah

    2017-06-01

    This paper presents a single-stage input-powered bridge rectifier with boost switch for wireless-powered devices such as biomedical implants and wireless sensor nodes. Realised using CMOS process technology, it employs a duty cycle switch control to achieve high output voltage using boost technique, leading to a high output power conversion. It has only six external connections with the boost inductance. The input frequency of the bridge rectifier is set at 50 Hz, while the switching frequency is 100 kHz. The proposed circuit is fabricated on a single 0.18-micron CMOS die with a space area of 0.024 mm2. The simulated and measured results show good agreement.

  9. Quantitative measurement of interocular suppression in anisometropic amblyopia: a case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jinrong; Hess, Robert F; Chan, Lily Y L; Deng, Daming; Yang, Xiao; Chen, Xiang; Yu, Minbin; Thompson, Benjamin

    2013-08-01

    The aims of this study were to assess (1) the relationship between interocular suppression and visual function in patients with anisometropic amblyopia, (2) whether suppression can be simulated in matched controls using monocular defocus or neutral density filters, (3) the effects of spectacle or rigid gas-permeable contact lens correction on suppression in patients with anisometropic amblyopia, and (4) the relationship between interocular suppression and outcomes of occlusion therapy. Case-control study (aims 1-3) and cohort study (aim 4). Forty-five participants with anisometropic amblyopia and 45 matched controls (mean age, 8.8 years for both groups). Interocular suppression was assessed using Bagolini striated lenses, neutral density filters, and an objective psychophysical technique that measures the amount of contrast imbalance between the 2 eyes that is required to overcome suppression (dichoptic motion coherence thresholds). Visual acuity was assessed using a logarithm minimum angle of resolution tumbling E chart and stereopsis using the Randot preschool test. Interocular suppression assessed using dichoptic motion coherence thresholds. Patients exhibited significantly stronger suppression than controls, and stronger suppression was correlated significantly with poorer visual acuity in amblyopic eyes. Reducing monocular acuity in controls to match that of cases using neutral density filters (luminance reduction) resulted in levels of interocular suppression comparable with that in patients. This was not the case for monocular defocus (optical blur). Rigid gas-permeable contact lens correction resulted in less suppression than spectacle correction, and stronger suppression was associated with poorer outcomes after occlusion therapy. Interocular suppression plays a key role in the visual deficits associated with anisometropic amblyopia and can be simulated in controls by inducing a luminance difference between the eyes. Accurate quantification of suppression

  10. Comparative evaluation of soft-switching, bidirectional, isolated AC/DC converter topologies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Everts, J.; Krismer, F.; Van den Keybus, J.; Driesen, Johan; Kolar, J.W.

    2012-01-01

    For realizing bidirectional and isolated AC/DC converters, soft-switching techniques/topologies seem to be a favourable choice as they enable a further loss and volume reduction of the system. Contrary to the traditional dual-stage approach, using a power factor corrector (PFC) stage in series with

  11. Comparison of switching control algorithms effective in restricting the switching in the neighborhood of the origin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joung, JinWook; Chung, Lan; Smyth, Andrew W

    2010-01-01

    The active interaction control (AIC) system consisting of a primary structure, an auxiliary structure and an interaction element was proposed to protect the primary structure against earthquakes and winds. The objective of the AIC system in reducing the responses of the primary structure is fulfilled by activating or deactivating the switching between the engagement and the disengagement of the primary and auxiliary structures through the interaction element. The status of the interaction element is controlled by switching control algorithms. The previously developed switching control algorithms require an excessive amount of switching, which is inefficient. In this paper, the excessive amount of switching is restricted by imposing an appropriately designed switching boundary region, where switching is prohibited, on pre-designed engagement–disengagement conditions. Two different approaches are used in designing the newly proposed AID-off and AID-off 2 algorithms. The AID-off 2 algorithm is designed to affect deactivated switching regions explicitly, unlike the AID-off algorithm, which follows the same procedure of designing the engagement–disengagement conditions of the previously developed algorithms, by using the current status of the AIC system. Both algorithms are shown to be effective in reducing the amount of switching times triggered from the previously developed AID algorithm under an appropriately selected control sampling period for different earthquakes, but the AID-off 2 algorithm outperforms the AID-off algorithm in reducing the number of switching times

  12. Low current beam techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saint, A.; Laird, J.S.; Bardos, R.A.; Legge, G.J.F. [Melbourne Univ., Parkville, VIC (Australia). School of Physics; Nishijima, T.; Sekiguchi, H. [Electrotechnical Laboratory, Tsukuba (Japan).

    1993-12-31

    Since the development of Scanning Transmission Microscopy (STIM) imaging in 1983 many low current beam techniques have been developed for the scanning (ion) microprobe. These include STIM tomography, Ion Beam Induced Current, Ion Beam Micromachining and Microlithography and Ionoluminense. Most of these techniques utilise beam currents of 10{sup -15} A down to single ions controlled by beam switching techniques This paper will discuss some of the low beam current techniques mentioned above, and indicate, some of their recent applications at MARC. A new STIM technique will be introduced that can be used to obtain Z-contrast with STIM resolution. 4 refs., 3 figs.

  13. Low current beam techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saint, A; Laird, J S; Bardos, R A; Legge, G J.F. [Melbourne Univ., Parkville, VIC (Australia). School of Physics; Nishijima, T; Sekiguchi, H [Electrotechnical Laboratory, Tsukuba (Japan).

    1994-12-31

    Since the development of Scanning Transmission Microscopy (STIM) imaging in 1983 many low current beam techniques have been developed for the scanning (ion) microprobe. These include STIM tomography, Ion Beam Induced Current, Ion Beam Micromachining and Microlithography and Ionoluminense. Most of these techniques utilise beam currents of 10{sup -15} A down to single ions controlled by beam switching techniques This paper will discuss some of the low beam current techniques mentioned above, and indicate, some of their recent applications at MARC. A new STIM technique will be introduced that can be used to obtain Z-contrast with STIM resolution. 4 refs., 3 figs.

  14. Elements of magnetic switching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aaland, K.

    1983-01-01

    This chapter describes magnetic switching as a method of connecting a capacitor bank (source) to a load; reviews several successful applications of magnetic switching, and discusses switching transformers, limitations and future possibilities. Some of the inflexibility and especially the high cost of magnetic materials may be overcome with the availability of the new splash cooled ribbons (Metglas). Experience has shown that magnetics works despite shock, radiation or noise interferences

  15. Know-How on design of switching regulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-08-01

    This book introduces switching regulator from base to application, which deals with fundamentals of switching regulator such as the reason of boom about switching regulator, understanding simple circuit without electric transformer and decision of circuit type with input voltage and output voltage, configuration and characteristic of switching regulator, a concrete design of switching regulator, pulse width control circuit and protection circuit, concrete circuit examples of switching power and the point of switching regulator.

  16. Disease Suppressive Soils: New Insights from the Soil Microbiome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlatter, Daniel; Kinkel, Linda; Thomashow, Linda; Weller, David; Paulitz, Timothy

    2017-11-01

    Soils suppressive to soilborne pathogens have been identified worldwide for almost 60 years and attributed mainly to suppressive or antagonistic microorganisms. Rather than identifying, testing and applying potential biocontrol agents in an inundative fashion, research into suppressive soils has attempted to understand how indigenous microbiomes can reduce disease, even in the presence of the pathogen, susceptible host, and favorable environment. Recent advances in next-generation sequencing of microbiomes have provided new tools to reexamine and further characterize the nature of these soils. Two general types of suppression have been described: specific and general suppression, and theories have been developed around these two models. In this review, we will present three examples of currently-studied model systems with features representative of specific and general suppressiveness: suppression to take-all (Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici), Rhizoctonia bare patch of wheat (Rhizoctonia solani AG-8), and Streptomyces. To compare and contrast the two models of general versus specific suppression, we propose a number of hypotheses about the nature and ecology of microbial populations and communities of suppressive soils. We outline the potential and limitations of new molecular techniques that can provide novel ways of testing these hypotheses. Finally, we consider how this greater understanding of the phytobiome can facilitate sustainable disease management in agriculture by harnessing the potential of indigenous soil microbes.

  17. MENGAPA PERUSAHAAN MELAKUKAN AUDITOR SWITCH?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kadek Sumadi

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The existence of a large number of accounting firms allowsprovides companies choices whether to stay with current firm or switchto another accounting firm. Decision of Minister of FinanceNo.423/KMK.06/2002 states that a company must switch auditor afterfive years of consecutive assignment. This is mandatory. The questionrises when a company voluntarily switches its auditor. Why does thishappen?One of the reasons is that management does not satisfy withauditor opinion, except for unqualified opinion. New management teamwould directly or indirectly encourage auditor switch to align accountingand reporting policies. Moreover an expanding company expects positivereaction when it does auditor switch. Profitability is also one reason fora company to switch auditor, for example, when a company earns moreprofit it tends to hire more credible auditor. On the other hand, when thecompany faces a financial distress, it probably would switch auditor aswell.

  18. Comparison of Ion Beam opening switch and plasma opening switch performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greenly, J.R.; Rondeau, G.D.; Sheldon, H.T.; Dreike, P.L.

    1986-01-01

    The Ion Beam opening switch (IBOS) experiment has shown that an intense charge-neutralized ion beam can carry current across a vacuum magnetically-insulated transmission line and then transfer that current to a downstream load quickly. In the IBOS experiment, a 10 cm wide parallel plate transmission line was fed up to 100 kA peak current by a 4Ω, 100 ns pulser. An ion beam of up to 100 A/cm/sup 2/, 100-300 keV protons or carbon was injected through the anode of the line in a 10 cm x 10 cm region. The line terminated in either a 15 nH short circuit or an electron diode with variable gap. The ion beam switch was able to carry up to 70 kA of line current before load current began to flow. This model is also quantitatively consistent with the observation that switch conduction current is not linear with either injected ion beam current or switch area

  19. Efficient capture of magnetic microbeads by sequentially switched electroosmotic flow—an experimental study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Das, Debarun; Al-Rjoub, Marwan F; Banerjee, Rupak K; Heineman, William R

    2016-01-01

    Magnetophoretic separation is a commonly used immunoassay technique in microfluidic platforms where magnetic microbeads (mMBs) coated with specific epitopes (antibodies) entrap target pathogens by antigen-antibody kinetics. The mMB-cell complexes are then separated from the continuous flow using an external magnetic field. The goal of this study was to design and test a microfluidic device for efficient separation of fluorescence-tagged mMBs driven by electroosmotic flow (EOF) under steady (time invariant) and switched (time varying) electric field conditions. The EOF was driven at electric fields of 100–180 V cm −1 . The mMBs were captured by a neodymium (NdFeB) permanent earth magnet. The capture efficiency ( η c ) of these mMBs was improved by sequential switching of the applied electric field driven-EOF. The fluorescent images of the captured mMBs, obtained using an inverted epifluorescence microscope, were quantified using image processing tools. In steady EOF, induced by constant electric field, the number of captured mMBs decreased by 72.3% when the electric field was increased from 100 V cm −1 to 180 V cm −1 . However, alternating the direction of flow through sequential switching of EOF increased the η c by bringing the escaped mMBs back to the capture zone and increasing their residence time in the area of higher magnetic fields. The average increase in η c was 54.3% for an mMB concentration of 1  ×  10 6 beads ml −1 ( C 1 ) and 41.6% for a concentration of 2  ×  10 6 beads ml −1 ( C 2 ). These improvements were particularly significant at higher electric fields where the η c with switching was, on average, ∼70% more compared to flow without switching. The technique of sequential switching demonstrates an efficient method for capture of mMBs for application in magnetophoretic immunoassay. (paper)

  20. Efficient capture of magnetic microbeads by sequentially switched electroosmotic flow—an experimental study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Debarun; Al-Rjoub, Marwan F.; Heineman, William R.; Banerjee, Rupak K.

    2016-05-01

    Magnetophoretic separation is a commonly used immunoassay technique in microfluidic platforms where magnetic microbeads (mMBs) coated with specific epitopes (antibodies) entrap target pathogens by antigen-antibody kinetics. The mMB-cell complexes are then separated from the continuous flow using an external magnetic field. The goal of this study was to design and test a microfluidic device for efficient separation of fluorescence-tagged mMBs driven by electroosmotic flow (EOF) under steady (time invariant) and switched (time varying) electric field conditions. The EOF was driven at electric fields of 100-180 V cm-1. The mMBs were captured by a neodymium (NdFeB) permanent earth magnet. The capture efficiency (η c) of these mMBs was improved by sequential switching of the applied electric field driven-EOF. The fluorescent images of the captured mMBs, obtained using an inverted epifluorescence microscope, were quantified using image processing tools. In steady EOF, induced by constant electric field, the number of captured mMBs decreased by 72.3% when the electric field was increased from 100 V cm-1 to 180 V cm-1. However, alternating the direction of flow through sequential switching of EOF increased the η c by bringing the escaped mMBs back to the capture zone and increasing their residence time in the area of higher magnetic fields. The average increase in η c was 54.3% for an mMB concentration of 1  ×  106 beads ml-1 (C 1) and 41.6% for a concentration of 2  ×  106 beads ml-1 (C 2). These improvements were particularly significant at higher electric fields where the η c with switching was, on average, ~70% more compared to flow without switching. The technique of sequential switching demonstrates an efficient method for capture of mMBs for application in magnetophoretic immunoassay.

  1. Analytical Performance Evaluation of Different Switch Solutions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Sans

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The virtualization of the network access layer has opened new doors in how we perceive networks. With this virtualization of the network, it is possible to transform a regular PC with several network interface cards into a switch. PC-based switches are becoming an alternative to off-the-shelf switches, since they are cheaper. For this reason, it is important to evaluate the performance of PC-based switches. In this paper, we present a performance evaluation of two PC-based switches, using Open vSwitch and LiSA, and compare their performance with an off-the-shelf Cisco switch. The RTT, throughput, and fairness for UDP are measured for both Ethernet and Fast Ethernet technologies. From this research, we can conclude that the Cisco switch presents the best performance, and both PC-based switches have similar performance. Between Open vSwitch and LiSA, Open vSwitch represents a better choice since it has more features and is currently actively developed.

  2. Principles of broadband switching and networking

    CERN Document Server

    Liew, Soung C

    2010-01-01

    An authoritative introduction to the roles of switching and transmission in broadband integrated services networks Principles of Broadband Switching and Networking explains the design and analysis of switch architectures suitable for broadband integrated services networks, emphasizing packet-switched interconnection networks with distributed routing algorithms. The text examines the mathematical properties of these networks, rather than specific implementation technologies. Although the pedagogical explanations in this book are in the context of switches, many of the fundamenta

  3. Error rate degradation due to switch crosstalk in large modular switched optical networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Saxtoft, Christian; Chidgey, P.

    1993-01-01

    A theoretical model of an optical network incorporating wavelength selective elements, amplifiers, couplers and switches is presented. The model is used to evaluate a large modular switch optical network that provides the capability of adapting easily to changes in network traffic requirements. T....... The network dimensions are shown to be limited by the optical crosstalk in the switch matrices and by the polarization dependent loss in the optical components...

  4. A high voltage DC switching power supply of corona discharge for ozone tube

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ketkaew, Siseerot

    2007-08-01

    Full text: This paper presents a study of design and construction of a high voltage DC switching power supply for corona generating of ozone gas generating. This supply uses fly back converter at 3 k Vdc 30 khz and controls its operation using PWM techniques. I C TL494 is controlled of the switching. The testing of supply by putting high voltage to ozone gas tube at one-hour, the oxygen quantity 21 % of air, which ozone tube model enables ozone gas generating capacity of 95.2 mgO3/hr

  5. Pemodelan Markov Switching Autoregressive

    OpenAIRE

    Ariyani, Fiqria Devi; Warsito, Budi; Yasin, Hasbi

    2014-01-01

    Transition from depreciation to appreciation of exchange rate is one of regime switching that ignored by classic time series model, such as ARIMA, ARCH, or GARCH. Therefore, economic variables are modeled by Markov Switching Autoregressive (MSAR) which consider the regime switching. MLE is not applicable to parameters estimation because regime is an unobservable variable. So that filtering and smoothing process are applied to see the regime probabilities of observation. Using this model, tran...

  6. Energy losses in switches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, T.H.; Seamen, J.F.; Jobe, D.O.

    1993-01-01

    The authors experiments show energy losses between 2 and 10 times that of the resistive time predictions. The experiments used hydrogen, helium, air, nitrogen, SF 6 polyethylene, and water for the switching dielectric. Previously underestimated switch losses have caused over predicting the accelerator outputs. Accurate estimation of these losses is now necessary for new high-efficiency pulsed power devices where the switching losses constitute the major portion of the total energy loss. They found that the switch energy losses scale as (V peak I peak ) 1.1846 . When using this scaling, the energy losses in any of the tested dielectrics are almost the same. This relationship is valid for several orders of magnitude and suggested a theoretical basis for these results. Currents up to .65 MA, with voltages to 3 MV were applied to various gaps during these experiments. The authors data and the developed theory indicates that the switch power loss continues for a much longer time than the resistive time, with peak power loss generally occurring at peak current in a ranging discharge instead of the early current time. All of the experiments were circuit code modeled after developing a new switch loss version based on the theory. The circuit code predicts switch energy loss and peak currents as a function of time. During analysis of the data they noticed slight constant offsets between the theory and data that depended on the dielectric. They modified the plasma conductivity for each tested dielectric to lessen this offset

  7. Software Switching for Data Acquisition

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva; Malone, David

    2016-01-01

    In this talk we discuss the feasibility of replacing telecom-class routers with a topology of commodity servers acting as software switches in data acquisition. We extend the popular software switch, Open vSwitch, with a dedicated, throughput-oriented buffering mechanism. We compare the performance under heavy many-to-one congestion to typical Ethernet switches and evaluate the scalability when building larger topologies, exploiting the integration with software-defined networking technologies. Please note that David Malone will speak on behalf of Grzegorz Jereczek.

  8. Low-Voltage Switched-Capacitor Circuits

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bidari, E.; Keskin, M.; Maloberti, F.

    1999-01-01

    Switched-capacitor stages are described which can function with very low (typically 1 V) supply voltages, without using voltage boosting or switched op-amps. Simulations indicate that high performance may be achieved using these circuits in filter or data converter applications.......Switched-capacitor stages are described which can function with very low (typically 1 V) supply voltages, without using voltage boosting or switched op-amps. Simulations indicate that high performance may be achieved using these circuits in filter or data converter applications....

  9. Intentional switching in auditory selective attention: Exploring age-related effects in a spatial setup requiring speech perception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oberem, Josefa; Koch, Iring; Fels, Janina

    2017-06-01

    Using a binaural-listening paradigm, age-related differences in the ability to intentionally switch auditory selective attention between two speakers, defined by their spatial location, were examined. Therefore 40 normal-hearing participants (20 young, Ø 24.8years; 20 older Ø 67.8years) were tested. The spatial reproduction of stimuli was provided by headphones using head-related-transfer-functions of an artificial head. Spoken number words of two speakers were presented simultaneously to participants from two out of eight locations on the horizontal plane. Guided by a visual cue indicating the spatial location of the target speaker, the participants were asked to categorize the target's number word into smaller vs. greater than five while ignoring the distractor's speech. Results showed significantly higher reaction times and error rates for older participants. The relative influence of the spatial switch of the target-speaker (switch or repetition of speaker's direction in space) was identical across age groups. Congruency effects (stimuli spoken by target and distractor may evoke the same answer or different answers) were increased for older participants and depend on the target's position. Results suggest that the ability to intentionally switch auditory attention to a new cued location was unimpaired whereas it was generally harder for older participants to suppress processing the distractor's speech. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Pseudospark switches (PSS) for pulsed power applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heine, F; Prucker, U; Frank, K; Goertler, A; Schwandner, A; Tkotz, R; Hoffmann, D H.H.; Christiansen, J [Univ. of Erlangen (Germany). Physics Dept. I

    1997-12-31

    Based on the pseudospark discharge, a low pressure gas discharge in a special geometry, fast closing switches for different pulsed power applications have been designed. Medium power PSS ({<=} 30 kA peak current) were used in laser circuits whereas high current PSS are tested successfully in high current pulsed power applications ({<=} 200 kA). For currents of a few kA the discharge is supported by cathode spots on the cold cathode surface. For higher currents, anode activity is observed too. Inserting semiconductor material seems not only to suppress high erosive spot formation but to support diffuse large-area electrode emission. A different approach to solving the problem of lowering the erosion rate is the multichannel PSS (MUPS). In order to distribute the discharge current to more than one single channel, three or more discharge channels are radial or coaxial arranged. With regard to high voltage applications the maximum hold-off voltage was increased by adding an intermediate electrode. (author). 1 figs., 12 refs.

  11. Multiphase soft switched DC/DC converter and active control technique for fuel cell ripple current elimination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Jih-Sheng; Liu, Changrong; Ridenour, Amy

    2009-04-14

    DC/DC converter has a transformer having primary coils connected to an input side and secondary coils connected to an output side. Each primary coil connects a full-bridge circuit comprising two switches on two legs, the primary coil being connected between the switches on each leg, each full-bridge circuit being connected in parallel wherein each leg is disposed parallel to one another, and the secondary coils connected to a rectifying circuit. An outer loop control circuit that reduces ripple in a voltage reference has a first resistor connected in series with a second resistor connected in series with a first capacitor which are connected in parallel with a second capacitor. An inner loop control circuit that reduces ripple in a current reference has a third resistor connected in series with a fourth resistor connected in series with a third capacitor which are connected in parallel with a fourth capacitor.

  12. Noise tolerance in wavelength-selective switching of optical differential quadrature-phase-shift-keying pulse train by collinear acousto-optic devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goto, Nobuo; Miyazaki, Yasumitsu

    2014-06-01

    Optical switching of high-bit-rate quadrature-phase-shift-keying (QPSK) pulse trains using collinear acousto-optic (AO) devices is theoretically discussed. Since the collinear AO devices have wavelength selectivity, the switched optical pulse trains suffer from distortion when the bandwidth of the pulse train is comparable to the pass bandwidth of the AO device. As the AO device, a sidelobe-suppressed device with a tapered surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) waveguide and a Butterworth-type filter device with a lossy SAW directional coupler are considered. Phase distortion of optical pulse trains at 40 to 100  Gsymbols/s in QPSK format is numerically analyzed. Bit-error-rate performance with additive Gaussian noise is also evaluated by the Monte Carlo method.

  13. Bootstrapped Low-Voltage Analog Switches

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Steensgaard-Madsen, Jesper

    1999-01-01

    Novel low-voltage constant-impedance analog switch circuits are proposed. The switch element is a single MOSFET, and constant-impedance operation is obtained using simple circuits to adjust the gate and bulk voltages relative to the switched signal. Low-voltage (1-volt) operation is made feasible...

  14. A STUDY OF SOLID STATE LASER PASSIVE OPTICAL Q-SWITCHING OPERATION REGIME (Part 1

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ion LĂNCRĂNJAN

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper is the first of a four series treating, theoretically with experimental comparison, the issue of solid state laser passive optical Q-switching regime. In this first paper the technique of solid state lasers passive optical Q-switching is numerically investigated considering the case of longitudinally and transversally uniform photon, population inversion and absorption centres densities. The coupled differential equations defining photon, population inversion and absorption centres densities are numerically solved being the basis of passively optical Q-switched laser functional simulation. The numerical simulations are performed using the several software packages, mostly SCILAB programs. The developed SCILAB programs can be used for a large range of saturable absorption centre and active media parameters, mainly the initial (low signal optical transmittance of the passive optical Q-switch. The developed FORTRAN and SCILAB programs can be applied for passively Q-switched solid state lasers of several types emitting at several NIR wavelengths, in domain 1 ÷ 2 μm. For validating the numerical simulation results are compared with The results of the numerical simulation are compared with experimentally obtained ones, in the case of a LiF:F2- passively Q-switched Nd:YAG. A good agreement between the two kinds of results is observed.

  15. Characteristics of magnetic switch used as main switch of solid-state accelerator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Song; Qian Baoliang; Yang Hanwu; Meng Zhipeng; Yang Shi

    2012-01-01

    In order to improve the performance of solid-state accelerator, the characteristics of magnetic switch used as the main switch of the accelerator have been investigated. The volume of magnetic core, the loss, and saturated inductance of the magnetic switch have been derived. The results show that the spacing factor of the magnetic switch reaches the peak when the height of the magnetic materials is 0.05 m for selected magnetic cores. The saturated inductance of the windings changes slowly when the average magnetic path length of the core is greater than 1 m. The physical process of saturation in the cores was analyzed by using saturation-wave theory. The rise-time factor of the output pulse was derived. The thickness, resistivity and magnetic path length difference of the magnetic core are shown to be key parameters affecting the rise-time factor. (authors)

  16. Practical computer analysis of switch mode power supplies

    CERN Document Server

    Bennett, Johnny C

    2006-01-01

    When designing switch-mode power supplies (SMPSs), engineers need much more than simple "recipes" for analysis. Such plug-and-go instructions are not at all helpful for simulating larger and more complex circuits and systems. Offering more than merely a "cookbook," Practical Computer Analysis of Switch Mode Power Supplies provides a thorough understanding of the essential requirements for analyzing SMPS performance characteristics. It demonstrates the power of the circuit averaging technique when used with powerful computer circuit simulation programs. The book begins with SMPS fundamentals and the basics of circuit averaging models, reviewing most basic topologies and explaining all of their various modes of operation and control. The author then discusses the general analysis requirements of power supplies and how to develop the general types of SMPS models, demonstrating the use of SPICE for analysis. He examines the basic first-order analyses generally associated with SMPS performance along with more pra...

  17. Action of Molecular Switches in GPCRs - Theoretical and Experimental Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trzaskowski, B; Latek, D; Yuan, S; Ghoshdastider, U; Debinski, A; Filipek, S

    2012-01-01

    G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), also called 7TM receptors, form a huge superfamily of membrane proteins that, upon activation by extracellular agonists, pass the signal to the cell interior. Ligands can bind either to extracellular N-terminus and loops (e.g. glutamate receptors) or to the binding site within transmembrane helices (Rhodopsin-like family). They are all activated by agonists although a spontaneous auto-activation of an empty receptor can also be observed. Biochemical and crystallographic methods together with molecular dynamics simulations and other theoretical techniques provided models of the receptor activation based on the action of so-called “molecular switches” buried in the receptor structure. They are changed by agonists but also by inverse agonists evoking an ensemble of activation states leading toward different activation pathways. Switches discovered so far include the ionic lock switch, the 3-7 lock switch, the tyrosine toggle switch linked with the nPxxy motif in TM7, and the transmission switch. The latter one was proposed instead of the tryptophan rotamer toggle switch because no change of the rotamer was observed in structures of activated receptors. The global toggle switch suggested earlier consisting of a vertical rigid motion of TM6, seems also to be implausible based on the recent crystal structures of GPCRs with agonists. Theoretical and experimental methods (crystallography, NMR, specific spectroscopic methods like FRET/BRET but also single-molecule-force-spectroscopy) are currently used to study the effect of ligands on the receptor structure, location of stable structural segments/domains of GPCRs, and to answer the still open question on how ligands are binding: either via ensemble of conformational receptor states or rather via induced fit mechanisms. On the other hand the structural investigations of homo- and heterodimers and higher oligomers revealed the mechanism of allosteric signal transmission and receptor

  18. Fat suppression failure artifacts at the susceptibility interface on frequency selective fat suppression MR imaging in the head and neck

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anzai, Yoshimi; Minoshima, Satoshi; Uno, Kimiichi; Arimizu, Noboru; Lufkin, R.B.; Ishihara, Makiko; Yui, Nobuharu.

    1994-01-01

    Fat suppression MR imaging is a valuable technique mainly used for the orbit, head and neck, and spine, where the high signal from fat can often obscure adjacent pathology. Fat suppression failure artifact manifested as a high signal area without geographic disortion. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency and common location of these artifacts in clinical MR imaging and to caution against their misinterpretation. Fat suppression MR imaging of the head and neck was performed in 30 consecutive patients. The artifact was found in the orbital floor (57%), the skull base (10%), and subcutaneous fat (10%), where the air-fat interface is parallel to the static magnetic field direction. The fat signal in the air-fat interface perpendicular to the static magnetic field was well suppressed. This artifact was independent of the duration of TE, frequency/phase encoding direction, and the strength of gradient amplitude, and appeared to be related to the amount of surrounding air. This may simulate pathology if fat suppression is only performed following Gd-DTPA administration. The radiologist should be aware of the presence of artifact by considering the geographic relation to the static magnetic field. (author)

  19. Recent developments in switching theory

    CERN Document Server

    Mukhopadhyay, Amar

    2013-01-01

    Electrical Science Series: Recent Developments in Switching Theory covers the progress in the study of the switching theory. The book discusses the simplified proof of Post's theorem on completeness of logic primitives; the role of feedback in combinational switching circuits; and the systematic procedure for the design of Lupanov decoding networks. The text also describes the classical results on counting theorems and their application to the classification of switching functions under different notions of equivalence, including linear and affine equivalences. The development of abstract har

  20. Amorphous metal based nanoelectromechanical switch

    KAUST Repository

    Mayet, Abdulilah M.; Smith, Casey; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

    2013-01-01

    Nanoelectromechanical (NEM) switch is an interesting ultra-low power option which can operate in the harsh environment and can be a complementary element in complex digital circuitry. Although significant advancement is happening in this field, report on ultra-low voltage (pull-in) switch which offers high switching speed and area efficiency is yet to be made. One key challenge to achieve such characteristics is to fabricate nano-scale switches with amorphous metal so the shape and dimensional integrity are maintained to achieve the desired performance. Therefore, we report a tungsten alloy based amorphous metal with fabrication process development of laterally actuated dual gated NEM switches with 100 nm width and 200 nm air-gap to result in <5 volts of actuation voltage (Vpull-in). © 2013 IEEE.

  1. Switched-capacitor isolated LED driver

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanders, Seth R.; Kline, Mitchell

    2016-03-22

    A switched-capacitor voltage converter which is particularly well-suited for receiving a line voltage from which to drive current through a series of light emitting diodes (LEDs). Input voltage is rectified in a multi-level rectifier network having switched capacitors in an ascending-bank configuration for passing voltages in uniform steps between zero volts up to full received voltage V.sub.DC. A regulator section, operating on V.sub.DC, comprises switched-capacitor stages of H-bridge switching and flying capacitors. A current controlled oscillator drives the states of the switched-capacitor stages and changes its frequency to maintain a constant current to the load. Embodiments are described for isolating the load from the mains, utilizing an LC tank circuit or a multi-primary-winding transformer.

  2. Amorphous metal based nanoelectromechanical switch

    KAUST Repository

    Mayet, Abdulilah M.

    2013-04-01

    Nanoelectromechanical (NEM) switch is an interesting ultra-low power option which can operate in the harsh environment and can be a complementary element in complex digital circuitry. Although significant advancement is happening in this field, report on ultra-low voltage (pull-in) switch which offers high switching speed and area efficiency is yet to be made. One key challenge to achieve such characteristics is to fabricate nano-scale switches with amorphous metal so the shape and dimensional integrity are maintained to achieve the desired performance. Therefore, we report a tungsten alloy based amorphous metal with fabrication process development of laterally actuated dual gated NEM switches with 100 nm width and 200 nm air-gap to result in <5 volts of actuation voltage (Vpull-in). © 2013 IEEE.

  3. Fat suppression MR imaging of sellar and parasellar lesions. The usefulness of the fat-saturation (FATSAT) technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Isoda, Haruo; Masui, Takayuki; Mochizuki, Takao; Ushimi, Takashi; Takahashi, Motoichiro; Kaneko, Masao; Ohta, Atsuko; Shirakawa, Toyomi; Takizawa, Osamu.

    1994-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of fat suppression T 1 -weighted MR images using a frequency-selective presaturation pulse when evaluating the pituitary gland and parasellar lesions. Conventional spin echo T 1 weighted images and fat suppression spin echo T 1 -weighted images were obtained in twenty-three patients with clinically suspected pituitary gland diseases or parasellar lesions using a 1.5T superconductive MR imager with a head coil. Both conventional T 1 -weighted images and fat suppression T 1 -weighted images of the pituitary anterior lobe, posterior lobe, pituitary stalk and pituitary tumors were compared by two radiologists. The visibility of the anterior lobe, posterior lobe, pituitary stalk and pituitary tumors on fat suppression T 1 -weighted images was equal to or better than that on conventional T 1 -weighted images. After the intravenous administration of Gd-DTPA, both imaging methods showed little difference in the visibility of the posterior lobe and pituitary stalk. In conclusion, fat suppression T 1 -weighted images using a frequency-selective presaturation pulse can be useful in evaluating the pituitary gland and parasellar lesions. (author)

  4. Improved MR imaging of head and neck tumors with use of fat suppression with and without Gd-DTPA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tien, R.D.; Hesselink, J.R.; Szumowski, J.; Robbins, K.T.

    1990-01-01

    This paper determines the feasibility of using MR fat-suppression techniques for tumors and lymphadenopathies of the head and neck. To date, 28 patients with various tumors and lymphadenopathies have been evaluated. All patients were studied with standard spin-echo T1-weighted images (T1WI) and T2-weighted images (T2WI), with and without fat-suppression technique. T1WI with Gd-DTPA and fat suppression was performed in 17 patients. Conventional and paired fat-suppression MR images were compared by means of a grading system. The post-Gd-DTPA fat-suppression T1WI and fat-suppression T2WI were found to be most useful. Fat-suppression T2WI were generally even better than post-Gd-DTPA fat-suppression T1WI in cases of squamous cell carcinoma, due to its medium contrast enhancement. Post-Gd-DTPA fat-suppression T1WI were more useful than fat-suppression T2WI in a case of plexiform neurofibroma, due to its fibrous component and lack of protons

  5. A new Zero-Current-Transition PWM switching cell

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grigore, V. [Electronics and Telecommunications Faculty, `Politechnica` University Bucharest (Romania); Kyyrae, J. [Helsinki University of Technology, Otaniemi (Finland): Institute of Intelligent Power Electronics

    1997-12-31

    In this paper a new Zero-Current-Transition (ZCT) PWM switching cell is presented. The proposed switching cell is composed of the normal hard-switched PWM cell (consisting of one active switch and one passive switch), plus as auxiliary circuit. The auxiliary circuit is inactive during the ON ad OFF intervals of the switches in the normal PWM switch. The transitions between the two states are controlled by the auxiliary circuit. Prior to turn-off, the current through the active switch in the PWM cell is forced to zero, thus the turn-off losses of the active switch are practically eliminated. At turn-on the auxiliary circuit slows down the growing rate of the current through the main switch. Thus, turn-on losses are also very much reduced. The active switch operates under ZCT conditions, the passive switch (diode) has a controlled reverse recovery, while the switch in the auxiliary circuit operates under Zero-Current-Switching (ZCS) conditions. (orig.) 3 refs.

  6. Weighted H∞ Filtering for a Class of Switched Linear Systems with Additive Time-Varying Delays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li-li Li

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper is concerned with the problem of weighted H∞ filtering for a class of switched linear systems with two additive time-varying delays, which represent a general class of switched time-delay systems with strong practical background. Combining average dwell time (ADT technique with piecewise Lyapunov functionals, sufficient conditions are established to guarantee the exponential stability and weighted H∞ performance for the filtering error systems. The parameters of the designed switched filters are obtained by solving linear matrix inequalities (LMIs. A modification of Jensen integral inequality is exploited to derive results with less theoretical conservatism and computational complexity. Finally, two examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  7. Call for Papers: Photonics in Switching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wosinska, Lena; Glick, Madeleine

    2006-04-01

    Call for Papers: Photonics in Switching Guest Editors: Lena Wosinska, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) / ICT Sweden Madeleine Glick, Intel Research, Cambridge, UK Technologies based on DWDM systems allow data transmission with bit rates of Tbit/s on a single fiber. To facilitate this enormous transmission volume, high-capacity and high-speed network nodes become inevitable in the optical network. Wideband switching, WDM switching, optical burst switching (OBS), and optical packet switching (OPS) are promising technologies for harnessing the bandwidth of WDM optical fiber networks in a highly flexible and efficient manner. As a number of key optical component technologies approach maturity, photonics in switching is becoming an increasingly attractive and practical solution for the next-generation of optical networks. The scope of this special issue is focused on the technology and architecture of optical switching nodes, including the architectural and algorithmic aspects of high-speed optical networks. Scope of Submission The scope of the papers includes, but is not limited to, the following topics: WDM node architectures Novel device technologies enabling photonics in switching, such as optical switch fabrics, optical memory, and wavelength conversion Routing protocols WDM switching and routing Quality of service Performance measurement and evaluation Next-generation optical networks: architecture, signaling, and control Traffic measurement and field trials Optical burst and packet switching OBS/OPS node architectures Burst/Packet scheduling and routing algorithms Contention resolution/avoidance strategies Services and applications for OBS/OPS (e.g., grid networks, storage-area networks, etc.) Burst assembly and ingress traffic shaping Hybrid OBS/TDM or OBS/wavelength routing Manuscript Submission To submit to this special issue, follow the normal procedure for submission to JON and select ``Photonics in Switching' in the features indicator of the online

  8. Homogeneous Stabilizer by State Feedback for Switched Nonlinear Systems Using Multiple Lyapunov Functions’ Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui Ye

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the problem of global stabilization for a class of switched nonlinear systems using multiple Lyapunov functions (MLFs. The restrictions on nonlinearities are neither linear growth condition nor Lipschitz condition with respect to system states. Based on adding a power integrator technique, we design homogeneous state feedback controllers of all subsystems and a switching law to guarantee that the closed-loop system is globally asymptotically stable. Finally, an example is given to illustrate the validity of the proposed control scheme.

  9. Parasitic resistive switching uncovered from complementary resistive switching in single active-layer oxide memory device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Lisha; Hu, Wei; Gao, Chao; Guo, Yongcai

    2017-12-01

    This paper reports the reversible transition processes between the bipolar and complementary resistive switching (CRS) characteristics on the binary metal-oxide resistive memory devices of Pt/HfO x /TiN and Pt/TaO x /TiN by applying the appropriate bias voltages. More interestingly, by controlling the amplitude of the negative bias, the parasitic resistive switching effect exhibiting repeatable switching behavior is uncovered from the CRS behavior. The electrical observation of the parasitic resistive switching effect can be explained by the controlled size of the conductive filament. This work confirms the transformation and interrelationship among the bipolar, parasitic, and CRS effects, and thus provides new insight into the understanding of the physical mechanism of the binary metal-oxide resistive switching memory devices.

  10. Soft switching buck-boost converter for photovoltaic power generation; Taiyoko hatsuden no tame no soft switching shokoatsu converter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, H. [Kyungnam University (Korea, Republic of)

    1996-10-27

    A soft switching method with small switching loss was proposed for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of a DC-DC boost converter which converted a DC current generated by solar cells to a variable DC current. Existing current converters are supplemented by using a snubber circuit around the switch so as to protect the switch by a hard switching action. However, with an increase of the output current, snubber loss is increased, reducing the efficiency. In order to solve this problem, the partial resonant switch method was applied to the converter; with this method of partially forming a resonant circuit only at the time of turning on/off of the switch, the switching loss was reduced through the soft switching, thereby making the proposed converter operate with high efficiency. Moreover, the resonant element of the partial resonant circuit using a snubber condenser, the energy accumulated in the condenser was regenerated on the power supply side without loss of snubber. With the regenerated energy, the proposed converter was provided with a smaller ratio of switching to use than the conventional converter. 4 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab.

  11. A Sub-µW Tuneable Switched-Capacitor Amplifier-Filter for Neural Recording Using a Class-C Inverter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A Ghorbani-Nejad

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available A two stage sub-µW Inverter-based switched-capacitor amplifier-filter is presented which is capable of amplifying both spikes and local field potentials (LFP signals. Here we employ a switched capacitor technique for frequency tuning and reducing of 1/f noise of two stages. The reduction of power consumption is very necessary for neural recording devices however, in switched capacitor (SC circuits OTA is a major building block that consumes most of the power. Therefore an OTA-less technique utilizing a class-C inverter is employed that significantly reduces the power consumption. A detailed analysis of noise performance for the inverter-based SC circuits is presented. A mathematical model useful for analysis of such SC integrators is derived and a good comparison is obtained between simulation and analytical technique. With a supply voltage of 0.7V and using 0.18 µm CMOS technology, this design can achieves a power consumption of about 538 nW. The designed amplifier-filter has the gains 18.6 dB and 28.2 dB for low pass only and cascaded filter, respectively. By applying different sampling frequencies, the filter attains a reconfigurable bandwidth.

  12. Simulation and experimental tests of a real-time DPWM technique ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This control strategy is a simple and an easy technique generating the same switching pattern as space vector modulation with less switching losses and reduced total harmonic distortion. The main motivation of the present paper is that the DPWM is not largely and deeply investigated and can present a serious alternative ...

  13. Non-fragile switched H∞ control for morphing aircraft with asynchronous switching

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haoyu CHENG

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with the problem of non-fragile linear parameter-varying (LPV H∞ control for morphing aircraft with asynchronous switching. The switched LPV model of morphing aircraft is established by Jacobian linearization approach according to the nonlinear model. The data missing is taken into account in the link from sensors to controllers and the link from controllers to actuators, which satisfies Bernoulli distribution. The non-fragile switched LPV controllers are constructed with consideration of the uncertainties of controllers and asynchronous switching phenomenon. The parameter-dependent Lyapunov functional method and mode-dependent average dwell time (MDADT method are combined to guarantee the stability and prescribed performance of the system. The sufficient conditions on the solvability of the problem are derived in the form of linear matrix inequalities (LMI. In order to achieve higher efficiency of the designing process, an algorithm is applied to divide the whole set into subsets automatically. Simulation results are provided to verify the effectiveness and superiority of the method in the paper.

  14. Resistive switching mechanism in the one diode-one resistor memory based on p+-Si/n-ZnO heterostructure revealed by in-situ TEM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Lei; Zhu, Liang; Li, Xiaomei; Xu, Zhi; Wang, Wenlong; Bai, Xuedong

    2017-03-01

    One diode-one resistor (1D1R) memory is an effective architecture to suppress the crosstalk interference, realizing the crossbar network integration of resistive random access memory (RRAM). Herein, we designed a p+-Si/n-ZnO heterostructure with 1D1R function. Compared with the conventional multilayer 1D1R devices, the structure and fabrication technique can be largely simplified. The real-time imaging of formation/rupture process of conductive filament (CF) process demonstrated the RS mechanism by in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Meanwhile, we observed that the formed CF is only confined to the outside of depletion region of Si/ZnO pn junction, and the formation of CF does not degrade the diode performance, which allows the coexistence of RS and rectifying behaviors, revealing the 1D1R switching model. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that the CF is consisting of the oxygen vacancy by in-situ TEM characterization.

  15. Resistive switching mechanism in the one diode-one resistor memory based on p+-Si/n-ZnO heterostructure revealed by in-situ TEM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Lei; Zhu, Liang; Li, Xiaomei; Xu, Zhi; Wang, Wenlong; Bai, Xuedong

    2017-03-21

    One diode-one resistor (1D1R) memory is an effective architecture to suppress the crosstalk interference, realizing the crossbar network integration of resistive random access memory (RRAM). Herein, we designed a p + -Si/n-ZnO heterostructure with 1D1R function. Compared with the conventional multilayer 1D1R devices, the structure and fabrication technique can be largely simplified. The real-time imaging of formation/rupture process of conductive filament (CF) process demonstrated the RS mechanism by in-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Meanwhile, we observed that the formed CF is only confined to the outside of depletion region of Si/ZnO pn junction, and the formation of CF does not degrade the diode performance, which allows the coexistence of RS and rectifying behaviors, revealing the 1D1R switching model. Furthermore, it has been confirmed that the CF is consisting of the oxygen vacancy by in-situ TEM characterization.

  16. Streamer model for high voltage water switches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sazama, F.J.; Kenyon, V.L. III

    1979-01-01

    An electrical switch model for high voltage water switches has been developed which predicts streamer-switching effects that correlate well with water-switch data from Casino over the past four years and with switch data from recent Aurora/AMP experiments. Preclosure rounding and postclosure resistive damping of pulseforming line voltage waveforms are explained in terms of spatially-extensive, capacitive-coupling of the conducting streamers as they propagate across the gap and in terms of time-dependent streamer resistance and inductance. The arc resistance of the Casino water switch and of a gas switch under test on Casino was determined by computer fit to be 0.5 +- 0.1 ohms and 0.3 +- 0.06 ohms respectively, during the time of peak current in the power pulse. Energy lost in the water switch during the first pulse is 18% of that stored in the pulseforming line while similar energy lost in the gas switch is 11%. The model is described, computer transient analyses are compared with observed water and gas switch data and the results - switch resistance, inductance and energy loss during the primary power pulse - are presented

  17. Switching dynamics of TaOx-based threshold switching devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodwill, Jonathan M.; Gala, Darshil K.; Bain, James A.; Skowronski, Marek

    2018-03-01

    Bi-stable volatile switching devices are being used as access devices in solid-state memory arrays and as the active part of compact oscillators. Such structures exhibit two stable states of resistance and switch between them at a critical value of voltage or current. A typical resistance transient under a constant amplitude voltage pulse starts with a slow decrease followed by a rapid drop and leveling off at a low steady state value. This behavior prompted the interpretation of initial delay and fast transition as due to two different processes. Here, we show that the entire transient including incubation time, transition time, and the final resistance values in TaOx-based switching can be explained by one process, namely, Joule heating with the rapid transition due to the thermal runaway. The time, which is required for the device in the conducting state to relax back to the stable high resistance one, is also consistent with the proposed mechanism.

  18. Efficient all-optical switching using slow light within a hollow fiber

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bajcsy, Michal; Hofferberth, S.; Balic, Vlatko

    2009-01-01

    We demonstrate a fiber-optical switch that is activated at tiny energies corresponding to a few hundred optical photons per pulse. This is achieved by simultaneously confining both photons and a small laser-cooled ensemble of atoms inside the microscopic hollow core of a single-mode photonic-crys......-crystal fiber and using quantum optical techniques for generating slow light propagation and large nonlinear interaction between light beams.......We demonstrate a fiber-optical switch that is activated at tiny energies corresponding to a few hundred optical photons per pulse. This is achieved by simultaneously confining both photons and a small laser-cooled ensemble of atoms inside the microscopic hollow core of a single-mode photonic...

  19. Global Robust Stability of Switched Interval Neural Networks with Discrete and Distributed Time-Varying Delays of Neural Type

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huaiqin Wu

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available By combing the theories of the switched systems and the interval neural networks, the mathematics model of the switched interval neural networks with discrete and distributed time-varying delays of neural type is presented. A set of the interval parameter uncertainty neural networks with discrete and distributed time-varying delays of neural type are used as the individual subsystem, and an arbitrary switching rule is assumed to coordinate the switching between these networks. By applying the augmented Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional approach and linear matrix inequality (LMI techniques, a delay-dependent criterion is achieved to ensure to such switched interval neural networks to be globally asymptotically robustly stable in terms of LMIs. The unknown gain matrix is determined by solving this delay-dependent LMIs. Finally, an illustrative example is given to demonstrate the validity of the theoretical results.

  20. Energy Conversion Loops for Flux-Switching PM Machine Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Ilhan

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Induction and synchronous machines have traditionally been the first choice of automotive manufacturers for electric/hybrid vehicles. However, these conventional machines are not able anymore to meet the increasing demands for a higher energy density due to space limitation in cars. Flux-switching PM (FSPM machines with their high energy density are very suitable to answer this demand. In this paper, the energy conversion loop technique is implemented on FSPM for the first time. The energy conversion technique is a powerful tool for the visualization of machine characteristics, both linear and nonlinear. Further, the technique provides insight into the torque production mechanism. A stepwise explanation is given on how to create these loops for FSPM along with the machine operation.

  1. Development of the switching components for ZT-40

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Melton, J.G.; Dike, R.S.; Hanks, K.W.; Nunnally, W.C.

    1977-01-01

    Switching of the main capacitor banks for ZT-40 will be accomplished by spark gap switches. Initially, there will be 576 start switches and 288 crowbar switches. A development program is under way to develop three switches; (1) a versatile start switch, which can be used for both the I/sub z/ and the I/sub theta/ capacitor banks, with a wide operating voltage range, (2) a crowbar switch which is capable of crowbarring the circuit without the power crowbar bank, and (3) a power crowbar switch, which can handle 50 to 100 coulombs, so that a large number of crowbar switches will not be required when the power crowbar circuit is added. The problems with the start switches and the first crowbar switch have been solved, or alleviated. The development of a power crowbar switch has just begun

  2. Switch mode power supply

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hui Jun

    1993-06-01

    This book concentrates on switch mode power supply. It has four parts, which are introduction of switch mode power supply with DC-DC converter such as Buck converter boost converter, Buck-boost converter and PWM control circuit, explanation for SMPS with DC-DC converter modeling and power mode control, resonance converter like resonance switch, converter, multi resonance converter and series resonance and parallel resonance converters, basic test of SMPS with PWM control circuit, Buck converter, Boost converter, flyback converter, forward converter and IC for control circuit.

  3. Suppression of hydrogenated carbon film deposition by scavenger techniques and their application to the tritium inventory control of fusion devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tabares, F.L.; Tafalla, D.; Tanarro, I.; Herrero, V.J.; Islyaikin, A.; Maffiotte, C.

    2002-01-01

    The well-known radical and ion scavenger techniques of application in amorphous hydrogenated carbon film deposition studies are investigated in relation to the mechanism of tritium and deuterium co-deposition in carbon-dominated fusion devices. A particularly successful scheme results from the injection of nitrogen into methane/hydrogen plasmas for conditions close to those prevailing in the divertor region of present fusion devices. A complete suppression of the a-C : H film deposition has been achieved for N 2 /CH 4 ratios close to one in methane (5%)/hydrogen DC plasma. The implications of these findings in the tritium retention control in future fusion reactors are addressed. (author). Letter-to-the-editor

  4. Control strategy based on SPWM switching patterns for grid connected photovoltaic inverter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassaine, L.; Mraoui, A.

    2017-02-01

    Generally, for lower installation of photovoltaic systems connected to the grid, pulse width modulation (PWM) is a widely used technique for controlling the voltage source inverters injects currents into the grid. The current injected must be sinusoidal with reduced harmonic distortion. In this paper, a digital implementation of a control strategy based on PWM switching patterns for an inverter for photovoltaic system connected to the grid is presented. This strategy synchronize a sinusoidal inverter output current with a grid voltage The digital implementation of the proposed PWM switching pattern when is compared with the conventional one exhibit the advantage: Simplicity, reduction of the memory requirements and power calculation for the control

  5. Chromatic interocular-switch rivalry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christiansen, Jens H; D'Antona, Anthony D; Shevell, Steven K

    2017-05-01

    Interocular-switch rivalry (also known as stimulus rivalry) is a kind of binocular rivalry in which two rivalrous images are swapped between the eyes several times a second. The result is stable periods of one image and then the other, with stable intervals that span many eye swaps (Logothetis, Leopold, & Sheinberg, 1996). Previous work used this close kin of binocular rivalry with rivalrous forms. Experiments here test whether chromatic interocular-switch rivalry, in which the swapped stimuli differ in only chromaticity, results in slow alternation between two colors. Swapping equiluminant rivalrous chromaticities at 3.75 Hz resulted in slow perceptual color alternation, with one or the other color often continuously visible for two seconds or longer (during which there were 15+ eye swaps). A well-known theory for sustained percepts from interocular-switch rivalry with form is inhibitory competition between binocular neurons driven by monocular neurons with matched orientation tuning in each eye; such binocular neurons would produce a stable response when a given orientation is swapped between the eyes. A similar model can account for the percepts here from chromatic interocular-switch rivalry and is underpinned by the neurophysiological finding that color-preferring binocular neurons are driven by monocular neurons from each eye with well-matched chromatic selectivity (Peirce, Solomon, Forte, & Lennie, 2008). In contrast to chromatic interocular-switch rivalry, luminance interocular-switch rivalry with swapped stimuli that differ in only luminance did not result in slowly alternating percepts of different brightnesses.

  6. Thin TiOx layer as a voltage divider layer located at the quasi-Ohmic junction in the Pt/Ta2O5/Ta resistance switching memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiang Yuan; Shao, Xing Long; Wang, Yi Chuan; Jiang, Hao; Hwang, Cheol Seong; Zhao, Jin Shi

    2017-02-09

    Ta 2 O 5 has been an appealing contender for the resistance switching random access memory (ReRAM). The resistance switching (RS) in this material is induced by the repeated formation and rupture of the conducting filaments (CFs) in the oxide layer, which are accompanied by the almost inevitable randomness of the switching parameters. In this work, a 1 to 2 nm-thick Ti layer was deposited on the 10 nm-thick Ta 2 O 5 RS layer, which greatly improved the RS performances, including the much-improved switching uniformity. The Ti metal layer was naturally oxidized to TiO x (x resistance value was comparable to the on-state resistance of the Ta 2 O 5 RS layer. The series resistor TiO x efficiently suppressed the adverse effects of the voltage (or current) overshooting at the moment of switching by the appropriate voltage partake effect, which increased the controllability of the CF formation and rupture. The switching cycle endurance was increased by two orders of magnitude even during the severe current-voltage sweep tests compared with the samples without the thin TiO x layer. The Ti deposition did not induce any significant overhead to the fabrication process, making the process highly promising for the mass production of a reliable ReRAM.

  7. Optimization of multi-branch switched diversity systems

    KAUST Repository

    Nam, Haewoon; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2009-01-01

    A performance optimization based on the optimal switching threshold(s) for a multi-branch switched diversity system is discussed in this paper. For the conventional multi-branch switched diversity system with a single switching threshold

  8. A low-latency optical switch architecture using integrated μm SOI-based contention resolution and switching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mourgias-Alexandris, G.; Moralis-Pegios, M.; Terzenidis, N.; Cherchi, M.; Harjanne, M.; Aalto, T.; Vyrsokinos, K.; Pleros, N.

    2018-02-01

    The urgent need for high-bandwidth and high-port connectivity in Data Centers has boosted the deployment of optoelectronic packet switches towards bringing high data-rate optics closer to the ASIC, realizing optical transceiver functions directly at the ASIC package for high-rate, low-energy and low-latency interconnects. Even though optics can offer a broad range of low-energy integrated switch fabrics for replacing electronic switches and seamlessly interface with the optical I/Os, the use of energy- and latency-consuming electronic SerDes continues to be a necessity, mainly dictated by the absence of integrated and reliable optical buffering solutions. SerDes undertakes the role of optimally synergizing the lower-speed electronic buffers with the incoming and outgoing optical streams, suggesting that a SerDes-released chip-scale optical switch fabric can be only realized in case all necessary functions including contention resolution and switching can be implemented on a common photonic integration platform. In this paper, we demonstrate experimentally a hybrid Broadcast-and-Select (BS) / wavelength routed optical switch that performs both the optical buffering and switching functions with μm-scale Silicon-integrated building blocks. Optical buffering is carried out in a silicon-integrated variable delay line bank with a record-high on-chip delay/footprint efficiency of 2.6ns/mm2 and up to 17.2 nsec delay capability, while switching is executed via a BS design and a silicon-integrated echelle grating, assisted by SOA-MZI wavelength conversion stages and controlled by a FPGA header processing module. The switch has been experimentally validated in a 3x3 arrangement with 10Gb/s NRZ optical data packets, demonstrating error-free switching operation with a power penalty of <5dB.

  9. Untriggered water switching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Devender, J.P.; Martin, T.H.

    Recent experiments indicate that synchronous untriggered multichannel switching in water will permit the development of relatively simple, ultra-low impedance, short pulse, relativistic electron beam (REB) accelerators. These experiments resulted in the delivery of a 1.5 MV, 0.75 MA, 15 ns pulse into a two-ohm line with a current risetime of 2 x 10 14 A/sec. The apparatus consisted of a 3 MV Marx generator and a series of three 112 cm wide strip water lines separated by two edge-plane water-gap switches. The Marx generator charged the first line in less than 400 ns. The first switch then formed five or more channels. The second line was charged in 60 ns and broke down with 10 to 25 channels at a mean field of 1.6 MV/cm. The closure time of each spark channel along both switches was measured with a streak camera and showed low jitter. The resulting fast pulse line construction is simpler and should provide considerable costs savings from previous designs. Multiples of these low impedance lines in parallel can be employed to obtain power levels in the 10 14 W range for REB fusion studies. (U.S.)

  10. Switching characteristics in Cu:SiO2 by chemical soak methods for resistive random access memory (ReRAM)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chin, Fun-Tat; Lin, Yu-Hsien; Yang, Wen-Luh; Liao, Chin-Hsuan; Lin, Li-Min; Hsiao, Yu-Ping; Chao, Tien-Sheng

    2015-01-01

    A limited copper (Cu)-source Cu:SiO2 switching layer composed of various Cu concentrations was fabricated using a chemical soaking (CS) technique. The switching layer was then studied for developing applications in resistive random access memory (ReRAM) devices. Observing the resistive switching mechanism exhibited by all the samples suggested that Cu conductive filaments formed and ruptured during the set/reset process. The experimental results indicated that the endurance property failure that occurred was related to the joule heating effect. Moreover, the endurance switching cycle increased as the Cu concentration decreased. In high-temperature tests, the samples demonstrated that the operating (set/reset) voltages decreased as the temperature increased, and an Arrhenius plot was used to calculate the activation energy of the set/reset process. In addition, the samples demonstrated stable data retention properties when baked at 85 °C, but the samples with low Cu concentrations exhibited short retention times in the low-resistance state (LRS) during 125 °C tests. Therefore, Cu concentration is a crucial factor in the trade-off between the endurance and retention properties; furthermore, the Cu concentration can be easily modulated using this CS technique.

  11. Switching Reinforcement Learning for Continuous Action Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagayoshi, Masato; Murao, Hajime; Tamaki, Hisashi

    Reinforcement Learning (RL) attracts much attention as a technique of realizing computational intelligence such as adaptive and autonomous decentralized systems. In general, however, it is not easy to put RL into practical use. This difficulty includes a problem of designing a suitable action space of an agent, i.e., satisfying two requirements in trade-off: (i) to keep the characteristics (or structure) of an original search space as much as possible in order to seek strategies that lie close to the optimal, and (ii) to reduce the search space as much as possible in order to expedite the learning process. In order to design a suitable action space adaptively, we propose switching RL model to mimic a process of an infant's motor development in which gross motor skills develop before fine motor skills. Then, a method for switching controllers is constructed by introducing and referring to the “entropy”. Further, through computational experiments by using robot navigation problems with one and two-dimensional continuous action space, the validity of the proposed method has been confirmed.

  12. Energy storage, compression, and switching. Vol. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nardi, V.; Bostick, W.H.; Sahlin, H.

    1983-01-01

    This book is a compilation of papers presented at the Second International Conference on Energy Storage, Compression, and Switching, which was held in order to assemble active researchers with a major interest in plasma physics, electron beams, electric and magnetic energy storage systems, high voltage and high current switches, free-electron lasers, and pellet implosion plasma focus. Topics covered include: Slow systems: 50-60 Hz machinery, homopolar generators, slow capacitors, inductors, and solid state switches; Intermediate systems: fast capacitor banks; superconducting storage and switching; gas, vacuum, and dielectric switching; nonlinear (magnetic) switching; imploding liners capacitors; explosive generators; and fuses; and Fast systems: Marx, Blumlein, oil, water, and pressurized water dielectrics; switches; magnetic insulation; electron beams; and plasmas

  13. A level switch with a sound tube

    OpenAIRE

    赤池, 誠規

    2017-01-01

    Level switches are sensor with an electrical contact output at a specific liquid, powder or bulk level. Most of traditional level switches are not suitable for harsh environments. The level switch in this study connects a loudspeaker on top end of the sound tube. When liquid, powder or bulk closes bottom end of the sound tube, the level switch turns on. The level switch is suitable for harsh environments and easy to install. The aim of this study is to propose a level switch with a sound tube...

  14. Bipolar resistive switching of single gold-in-Ga2O3 nanowire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Chia-Wei; Chou, Li-Jen

    2012-08-08

    We have fabricated single nanowire chips on gold-in-Ga(2)O(3) core-shell nanowires using the electron-beam lithography techniques and realized bipolar resistive switching characteristics having invariable set and reset voltages. We attribute the unique property of invariance to the built-in conduction path of gold core. This invariance allows us to fabricate many resistive switching cells with the same operating voltage by simple depositing repetitive metal electrodes along a single nanowire. Other characteristics of these core-shell resistive switching nanowires include comparable driving electric field with other thin film and nanowire devices and a remarkable on/off ratio more than 3 orders of magnitude at a low driving voltage of 2 V. A smaller but still impressive on/off ratio of 10 can be obtained at an even lower bias of 0.2 V. These characteristics of gold-in-Ga(2)O(3) core-shell nanowires make fabrication of future high-density resistive memory devices possible.

  15. Comparaison de la souche 7784 hypovirulente de Mycoplasma agalactiae à la souche type virulente PG2 par la technique d'hybridation soustractive suppressive

    OpenAIRE

    Bonnefin, Nathalie

    2003-01-01

    Mycoplasma agalactiae est l'agent principal responsable de l'agalactie contagieuse des ovins et caprins, un syndrome largement répandu dans le monde et regroupant des atteintes mammaires, articulaires et oculaires. Afin de rechercher les bases moléculaires du pouvoir pathogène de M. agalactiae, la technique d'hybridation soustractive suppressive, qui permet l'identification de séquences présentes dans un génome mais absentes d'un autre, a été utilisée. Deux souches de M. agalactiae ont été co...

  16. Superconductivity, energy storage and switching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laquer, H.L.

    1974-01-01

    The phenomenon of superconductivity can contribute to the technology of energy storage and switching in two distinct ways. On one hand the zero resistivity of the superconductor can produce essentially infinite time constants so that an inductive storage system can be charged from very low power sources. On the other hand, the recovery of finite resistivity in a normal-going superconducting switch can take place in extremely short times, so that a system can be made to deliver energy at a very high power level. Topics reviewed include: physics of superconductivity, limits to switching speed of superconductors, physical and engineering properties of superconducting materials and assemblies, switching methods, load impedance considerations, refrigeration economics, limitations imposed by present day and near term technology, performance of existing and planned energy storage systems, and a comparison with some alternative methods of storing and switching energy. (U.S.)

  17. Superior Efficacy and Improved Renal and Bone Safety After Switching from a Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate- to a Tenofovir Alafenamide-Based Regimen Through 96 Weeks of Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeJesus, Edwin; Haas, Bernard; Segal-Maurer, Sorana; Ramgopal, Moti N; Mills, Anthony; Margot, Nicolas; Liu, Ya-Pei; Makadzange, Tariro; McCallister, Scott

    2018-04-01

    We previously demonstrated superior efficacy and safety advantages in HIV-infected, virologically suppressed adults switched to a regimen containing tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) as compared with those remaining on a tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) regimen through week 48. We now report long-term data through week 96. In this randomized, active-controlled, multicenter, open-label, noninferiority trial (ClinicalTrials.gov No. NCT01815736), we randomized virologically suppressed (HIV-1 RNA TAF group or to continue one of four TDF-containing regimens (TDF group) for 96 weeks. We evaluated efficacy (HIV-1 RNA TAF n = 959, TDF n = 477). At week 96, TAF was superior to TDF in virologic efficacy, with 93% on TAF and 89% on TDF having HIV-1 RNA TAF versus TDF continued through week 96 (p TAF group versus TDF through week 96 (p TAF group as compared with one case in the TDF group. Switching to EVG/COBI/FTC/TAF (E/C/F/TAF) was associated with statistically significant efficacy and safety advantages over remaining on a standard-of-care TDF-based regimen.

  18. Impact of switched dose-rate irradiation on the response of the LM124 operational amplifier to pulsed X-rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roche, N.J.H.; Dusseau, L.; Mekki, J.; Perez, S.; Gonzalez Velo, Y.; Boch, J.; Saigne, F.; Vaille, J.R.; Vaille, J.R.; Marec, R.; Calvel, P.; Bezerra, F.; Auriel, G.; Azais, B.; Buchner, S.P.

    2011-01-01

    The Synergistic effect between TID and ATREEs (Analog Transient Radiation Effects on Electronics) in an operational amplifier (opamp) (LM124) is investigated for three different bias configurations. An accelerated irradiation technique is used to study these synergistic effects. The impact of TID on ATREEs is found to be identical regardless of whether the irradiation is performed at low dose rate or whether the dose rate is switched from high to low using the Dose Rate Switching (DRS) technique. The correlation between the deviations of the opamp's electrical parameters and the changes of ATREE widths is clearly established. (authors)

  19. Fat-suppressed MRI of musculoskeletal infection: fast T2-weighted techniques versus gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, T.T.; Randolph, D.A. Jr.; Staron, R.B.; Feldman, F.; Cushin, S.

    1997-01-01

    Purpose. To investigate gadolinium's role in imaging musculoskeletal infection by comparing the conspicuity and extent of inflammatory changes demonstrated on gadolinium-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted images versus fat-suppressed fast T2-weighted sequences. Design. Eighteen patients with infection were imaged in a 1.5-T unit, using frequency-selective and/or inversion recovery fat-suppressed fast T2-weighted images (T2WI) and gadolinium-enhanced frequency-selective fat-suppressed T1-weighted images (T1WI). Thirty-four imaging planes with both a fat-suppressed gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted sequence and a fat-suppressed T2-weighted sequence were obtained. Comparison of the extent and conspicuity of signal intensity changes was made for both bone and soft tissue in each plane. Results. In bone, inflammatory change was equal in extent and conspicuity on fat-suppressed T2WI and fat-suppressed T1WI with gadolinium in 19 planes, more extensive or conspicuous on T2WI in three planes, and less so on T2WI in two planes. Marrow was normal on all three sequences in 10 cases. In soft tissue, inflammatory change was seen equally well in 20 instances, more extensively or conspicuously on the T2WI in 11 instances, and less so on T2WI in 2 instances. One case had no soft tissue involvement on any of the sequences. Five abscesses and three joint effusions were present, all more conspicuously delineated from surrounding inflammatory change on the fat-saturated T1WI with gadolinium. The average imaging time for the fat-saturated T1WI with gadolinium was 6.75 min, while that of the T2-weighted sequences was 5.75 min. Conclusion. Routine use of gadolinium is not warranted. Instead, gadolinium should be reserved for clinically suspected infection in or around a joint, and in cases refractory to medical or surgical treatment due to possible abscess formation. (orig.)

  20. Earth's field NMR detection of oil under arctic ice-water suppression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conradi, Mark S.; Altobelli, Stephen A.; Sowko, Nicholas J.; Conradi, Susan H.; Fukushima, Eiichi

    2018-03-01

    Earth's field NMR has been developed to detect oil trapped under or in Arctic sea-ice. A large challenge, addressed here, is the suppression of the water signal that dominates the oil signal. Selective suppression of water is based on relaxation time T1 because of the negligible chemical shifts in the weak earth's magnetic field, making all proton signals overlap spectroscopically. The first approach is inversion-null recovery, modified for use with pre-polarization. The requirements for efficient inversion over a wide range of B1 and subsequent adiabatic reorientation of the magnetization to align with the static field are stressed. The second method acquires FIDs at two durations of pre-polarization and cancels the water component of the signal after the data are acquired. While less elegant, this technique imposes no stringent requirements. Similar water suppression is found in simulations for the two methods. Oil detection in the presence of water is demonstrated experimentally with both techniques.

  1. Optical Multidimensional Switching for Data Center Networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kamchevska, Valerija

    2017-01-01

    . Software controlled switching using an on-chip integrated fiber switch is demonstrated and enabling of additional network functionalities such as multicast and optical grooming is experimentally confirmed. Altogether this work demonstrates the potential of optical switching technologies...... for the purpose of deploying optical switching within the network. First, the Hi-Ring data center architecture is proposed. It is based on optical multidimensional switching nodes that provide switching in hierarchically layered space, wavelength and time domain. The performance of the Hi-Ring architecture...... is evaluated experimentally and successful switching of both high capacity wavelength connections and time-shared subwavelengthconnections is demonstrated. Error-free performance is also achieved when transmitting 7 Tbit/s using multicore fiber, confirming the ability to scale the network. Moreover...

  2. Pinning Synchronization of Switched Complex Dynamical Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liming Du

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Network topology and node dynamics play a key role in forming synchronization of complex networks. Unfortunately there is no effective synchronization criterion for pinning synchronization of complex dynamical networks with switching topology. In this paper, pinning synchronization of complex dynamical networks with switching topology is studied. Two basic problems are considered: one is pinning synchronization of switched complex networks under arbitrary switching; the other is pinning synchronization of switched complex networks by design of switching when synchronization cannot achieved by using any individual connection topology alone. For the two problems, common Lyapunov function method and single Lyapunov function method are used respectively, some global synchronization criteria are proposed and the designed switching law is given. Finally, simulation results verify the validity of the results.

  3. No-touch radiofrequency ablation: A comparison of switching bipolar and switching monopolar ablation in Ex Vivo bovine liver

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Won; Lee, Jeong Min; Lee, Sang Min; Hank, Joon Koo

    2017-01-01

    To evaluate the feasibility, efficiency, and safety of no-touch switching bipolar (SB) and switching monopolar (SM) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) using ex vivo bovine livers. A pork loin cube was inserted as a tumor mimicker in the bovine liver block; RFA was performed using the no-touch technique in the SM (group A1; 10 minutes, n = 10, group A2; 15 minutes, n = 10) and SB (group B; 10 minutes, n = 10) modes. The groups were compared based on the creation of confluent necrosis with sufficient safety margins, the dimensions, and distance between the electrode and ablation zone margin (DEM). To evaluate safety, small bowel loops were placed above the liver surface and 30 additional ablations were performed in the same groups. Confluent necroses with sufficient safety margins were created in all specimens. SM RFA created significantly larger volumes of ablation compared to SB RFA (all p < 0.001). The DEM of group B was significantly lower than those of groups A1 and A2 (all p < 0.001). Although thermal injury to the small bowel was noted in 90%, 100%, and 30% of the cases in groups A1, A2, and B, respectively, full depth injury was noted only in 60% of group A2 cases. The no-touch RFA technique is feasible in both the SB and SM modes; however, SB RFA appears to be more advantageous compared to SM RFA in the creation of an ablation zone while avoiding the unnecessary creation of an adjacent parenchymal ablation zone or adjacent small bowel injuries

  4. No-touch radiofrequency ablation: A comparison of switching bipolar and switching monopolar ablation in Ex Vivo bovine liver

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang, Won; Lee, Jeong Min; Lee, Sang Min; Hank, Joon Koo [Dept. of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-04-15

    To evaluate the feasibility, efficiency, and safety of no-touch switching bipolar (SB) and switching monopolar (SM) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) using ex vivo bovine livers. A pork loin cube was inserted as a tumor mimicker in the bovine liver block; RFA was performed using the no-touch technique in the SM (group A1; 10 minutes, n = 10, group A2; 15 minutes, n = 10) and SB (group B; 10 minutes, n = 10) modes. The groups were compared based on the creation of confluent necrosis with sufficient safety margins, the dimensions, and distance between the electrode and ablation zone margin (DEM). To evaluate safety, small bowel loops were placed above the liver surface and 30 additional ablations were performed in the same groups. Confluent necroses with sufficient safety margins were created in all specimens. SM RFA created significantly larger volumes of ablation compared to SB RFA (all p < 0.001). The DEM of group B was significantly lower than those of groups A1 and A2 (all p < 0.001). Although thermal injury to the small bowel was noted in 90%, 100%, and 30% of the cases in groups A1, A2, and B, respectively, full depth injury was noted only in 60% of group A2 cases. The no-touch RFA technique is feasible in both the SB and SM modes; however, SB RFA appears to be more advantageous compared to SM RFA in the creation of an ablation zone while avoiding the unnecessary creation of an adjacent parenchymal ablation zone or adjacent small bowel injuries.

  5. Extreme nonlinear terahertz electro-optics in diamond for ultrafast pulse switching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shalaby, Mostafa; Vicario, Carlo; Hauri, Christoph P.

    2017-03-01

    Polarization switching of picosecond laser pulses is a fundamental concept in signal processing [C. Chen and G. Liu, Annu. Rev. Mater. Sci. 16, 203 (1986); V. R. Almeida et al., Nature 431, 1081 (2004); and A. A. P. Pohl et al., Photonics Sens. 3, 1 (2013)]. Conventional switching devices rely on the electro-optical Pockels effect and work at radio frequencies. The ensuing gating time of several nanoseconds is a bottleneck for faster switches which is set by the performance of state-of-the-art high-voltage electronics. Here we show that by substituting the electric field of several kV/cm provided by modern electronics by the MV/cm field of a single-cycle THz laser pulse, the electro-optical gating process can be driven orders of magnitude faster, at THz frequencies. In this context, we introduce diamond as an exceptional electro-optical material and demonstrate a pulse gating time as fast as 100 fs using sub-cycle THz-induced Kerr nonlinearity. We show that THz-induced switching in the insulator diamond is fully governed by the THz pulse shape. The presented THz-based electro-optical approach overcomes the bandwidth and switching speed limits of conventional MHz/GHz electronics and establishes the ultrafast electro-optical gating technology for the first time in the THz frequency range. We finally show that the presented THz polarization gating technique is applicable for advanced beam diagnostics. As a first example, we demonstrate tomographic reconstruction of a THz pulse in three dimensions.

  6. A plasma switch synchronous closing operations in high-voltage networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mourente, P.

    1984-01-01

    Overvoltages and overcurrent arising in energizing or in fast reclosing operations are a concerning problem in high-voltage networks. Reduction of overvoltages and overcurrents is possible using the synchronous closing technique. Some attempts have been done to perform the synchronous closing with conventional circuit-breakers. But since the requirements to synchronous closing and to current interruption are very contradictory this technique is not yet a common practice. Three simple cases may be used as examples to show the benefits of synchronous closing; energizaton of grounded star capacitor bank; back-to-back switching of large capacitor banks; and fast reclosing on transmission lines

  7. Temperature control of fimbriation circuit switch in uropathogenic Escherichia coli: quantitative analysis via automated model abstraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuwahara, Hiroyuki; Myers, Chris J; Samoilov, Michael S

    2010-03-26

    Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) represent the predominant cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs). A key UPEC molecular virulence mechanism is type 1 fimbriae, whose expression is controlled by the orientation of an invertible chromosomal DNA element-the fim switch. Temperature has been shown to act as a major regulator of fim switching behavior and is overall an important indicator as well as functional feature of many urologic diseases, including UPEC host-pathogen interaction dynamics. Given this panoptic physiological role of temperature during UTI progression and notable empirical challenges to its direct in vivo studies, in silico modeling of corresponding biochemical and biophysical mechanisms essential to UPEC pathogenicity may significantly aid our understanding of the underlying disease processes. However, rigorous computational analysis of biological systems, such as fim switch temperature control circuit, has hereto presented a notoriously demanding problem due to both the substantial complexity of the gene regulatory networks involved as well as their often characteristically discrete and stochastic dynamics. To address these issues, we have developed an approach that enables automated multiscale abstraction of biological system descriptions based on reaction kinetics. Implemented as a computational tool, this method has allowed us to efficiently analyze the modular organization and behavior of the E. coli fimbriation switch circuit at different temperature settings, thus facilitating new insights into this mode of UPEC molecular virulence regulation. In particular, our results suggest that, with respect to its role in shutting down fimbriae expression, the primary function of FimB recombinase may be to effect a controlled down-regulation (rather than increase) of the ON-to-OFF fim switching rate via temperature-dependent suppression of competing dynamics mediated by recombinase FimE. Our computational analysis further implies that this down

  8. Binocular vision in amblyopia: structure, suppression and plasticity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hess, Robert F; Thompson, Benjamin; Baker, Daniel H

    2014-03-01

    The amblyopic visual system was once considered to be structurally monocular. However, it now evident that the capacity for binocular vision is present in many observers with amblyopia. This has led to new techniques for quantifying suppression that have provided insights into the relationship between suppression and the monocular and binocular visual deficits experienced by amblyopes. Furthermore, new treatments are emerging that directly target suppressive interactions within the visual cortex and, on the basis of initial data, appear to improve both binocular and monocular visual function, even in adults with amblyopia. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of recent studies that have investigated the structure, measurement and treatment of binocular vision in observers with strabismic, anisometropic and mixed amblyopia. © 2014 The Authors Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics © 2014 The College of Optometrists.

  9. Customer Satisfaction and Switching Cost Toward Trust in the Brand and Customer Retention of Simpati in Jember

    OpenAIRE

    Mohamad Dimyati

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this research was to examine the effects of customer satisfaction towards trust in the brand, switching cost towards trust in the brand, customer satisfaction towards customer retention, switching cost towards customer retention and trust in the brand towards customer retention. A total sample of 120 respondents living in the town of Jember was collected through purposive sampling technique. The model analysis applied was Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The resul...

  10. Improved olefinic fat suppression in skeletal muscle DTI using a magnitude-based dixon method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burakiewicz, Jedrzej; Hooijmans, Melissa T; Webb, Andrew G; Verschuuren, Jan J G M; Niks, Erik H; Kan, Hermien E

    2018-01-01

    To develop a method of suppressing the multi-resonance fat signal in diffusion-weighted imaging of skeletal muscle. This is particularly important when imaging patients with muscular dystrophies, a group of diseases which cause gradual replacement of muscle tissue by fat. The signal from the olefinic fat peak at 5.3 ppm can significantly confound diffusion-tensor imaging measurements. Dixon olefinic fat suppression (DOFS), a magnitude-based chemical-shift-based method of suppressing the olefinic peak, is proposed. It is verified in vivo by performing diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based quantification in the lower leg of seven healthy volunteers, and compared to two previously described fat-suppression techniques in regions with and without fat contamination. In the region without fat contamination, DOFS produces similar results to existing techniques, whereas in muscle contaminated by subcutaneous fat signal moved due to the chemical shift artefact, it consistently showed significantly higher (P = 0.018) mean diffusivity (MD). Because fat presence lowers MD, this suggests improved fat suppression. DOFS offers superior fat suppression and enhances quantitative measurements in the muscle in the presence of fat. DOFS is an alternative to spectral olefinic fat suppression. Magn Reson Med 79:152-159, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

  11. Nonlinear Deadbeat Current Control of a Switched Reluctance Motor

    OpenAIRE

    Rudolph, Benjamin

    2009-01-01

    High performance current control is critical to the success of the switched reluctance motor (SRM). Yet high motor phase nonlinearities in the SRM place extra burden on the current controller, rendering it the weakest link in SRM control. In contrast to linear motor control techniques that respond to current error, the deadbeat controller calculates the control voltage by the current command, phase current, rotor position and applied phase voltage. The deadbeat controller has demonstrated sup...

  12. Modified Dual Three-Pulse Modulation technique for single-phase inverter topology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sree Harsha, N. R.; Anitha, G. S.; Sreedevi, A.

    2016-01-01

    In a recent paper, a new modulation technique called Dual Three Pulse Modulation (DTPM) was proposed to improve the efficiency of the power converters of the Electric/Hybrid/Fuel-cell vehicles. It was simulated in PSIM 9.0.4 and uses analog multiplexers to generate the modulating signals for the DC/DC converter and inverter. The circuit used is complex and many other simulation softwares do not support the analog multiplexers as well. Also, the DTPM technique produces modulating signals for the converter, which are essentially needed to produce the modulating signals for the inverter. Hence, it cannot be used efficiently to switch the valves of a stand-alone inverter. We propose a new method to generate the modulating signals to switch MOSFETs of a single phase Dual-Three pulse Modulation based stand-alone inverter. The circuits proposed are simulated in Multisim 12.0. We also show an alternate way to switch a DC/DC converter in a way depicted by DTPM technique both in simulation (MATLAB/Simulink) and hardware. The circuitry is relatively simple and can be used for the further investigations of DTPM technique.

  13. Novel flat datacenter network architecture based on scalable and flow-controlled optical switch system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miao, Wang; Luo, Jun; Di Lucente, Stefano; Dorren, Harm; Calabretta, Nicola

    2014-02-10

    We propose and demonstrate an optical flat datacenter network based on scalable optical switch system with optical flow control. Modular structure with distributed control results in port-count independent optical switch reconfiguration time. RF tone in-band labeling technique allowing parallel processing of the label bits ensures the low latency operation regardless of the switch port-count. Hardware flow control is conducted at optical level by re-using the label wavelength without occupying extra bandwidth, space, and network resources which further improves the performance of latency within a simple structure. Dynamic switching including multicasting operation is validated for a 4 x 4 system. Error free operation of 40 Gb/s data packets has been achieved with only 1 dB penalty. The system could handle an input load up to 0.5 providing a packet loss lower that 10(-5) and an average latency less that 500 ns when a buffer size of 16 packets is employed. Investigation on scalability also indicates that the proposed system could potentially scale up to large port count with limited power penalty.

  14. Mechanisms of current conduction in Pt/BaTiO3/Pt resistive switching cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, R.K.; Zhang, T.J.; Wang, J.Y.; Wang, J.Z.; Wang, D.F.; Duan, M.G.

    2012-01-01

    The 80-nm-thickness BaTiO 3 (BT) thin film was prepared on the Pt/Ti/SiO 2 /Si substrate by the RF magnetron sputtering technique. The Pt/BT/Pt/Ti/SiO 2 /Si structure was investigated using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The current–voltage characteristic measurements were performed. The bipolar resistive switching behavior was found in the Pt/BT/Pt cell. The current–voltage curves were well fitted in different voltage regions at the high resistance state (HRS) and the low resistance state (LRS), respectively. The conduction mechanisms are concluded to be Ohmic conduction and Schottky emission at the LRS, while space-charge-limited conduction and Poole–Frenkel emission at the HRS. The electroforming and switching processes were explained in terms of the valence change mechanism, in which oxygen vacancies play a key role in forming conducting paths. - Highlights: ►Pt/BaTiO 3 /Pt cell shows the bipolar resistive switching behavior. ►The current–voltage curves were well fitted for different conduction mechanisms. ►The electroforming and switching processes were explained.

  15. Generation of Q-Switched Mode-Locked Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser Operating in Dark Regime

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tiu, Zian Cheak; Zarei, Arman; Ahmad, Harith; Harun, Sulaiman Wadi

    2016-01-01

    We demonstrate a stable Q-switched mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) operating in dark regime based on the nonlinear polarization rotation technique. The EDFL produces a pulse train where the Q-switching envelope is formed by multiple dark pulses. The repetition rate of the Q-switched envelope can be increased from 0.96 kHz to 3.26 kHz, whereas the pulse width reduces from 211 μs to 86 μs. The highest pulse of 479 nJ is obtained at the pump power of 55 mW. It is also observed that the dark pulses inside the Q-switching envelope consist of two parts: square and trailing dark pulses. The shortest pulse width of the dark square pulse is obtained at 40.5 μs when the pump power is fixed at 145 mW. The repetition rate of trailing dark pulses can be increased from 27.62 kHz to 50 kHz as the pump power increases from 55 mW to 145 mW. (paper)

  16. Wide Bandgap Extrinsic Photoconductive Switches

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sullivan, James S. [State Univ. of New York (SUNY), Plattsburgh, NY (United States); Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)

    2012-01-20

    Photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS) have been investigated since the late 1970s. Some devices have been developed that withstand tens of kilovolts and others that switch hundreds of amperes. However, no single device has been developed that can reliably withstand both high voltage and switch high current. Yet, photoconductive switches still hold the promise of reliable high voltage and high current operation with subnanosecond risetimes. Particularly since good quality, bulk, single crystal, wide bandgap semiconductor materials have recently become available. In this chapter we will review the basic operation of PCSS devices, status of PCSS devices and properties of the wide bandgap semiconductors 4H-SiC, 6H-SiC and 2H-GaN.

  17. Electron collisions in gas switches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Christophorou, L.G.

    1989-01-01

    Many technologies rely on the conduction/insulation properties of gaseous matter for their successful operation. Many others (e.g., pulsed power technologies) rely on the rapid change (switching or modulation) of the properties of gaseous matter from an insulator to a conductor and vice versa. Studies of electron collision processes in gases aided the development of pulsed power gas switches, and in this paper we shall briefly illustrate the kind of knowledge on electron collision processes which is needed to optimize the performance of such switching devices. To this end, we shall refer to three types of gas switches: spark gap closing, self-sustained diffuse discharge closing, and externally-sustained diffuse discharge opening. 24 refs., 15 figs., 2 tabs

  18. X-ray CT high-density artefact suppression in cryosurgery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei Jikun; Sandison, George A; Chen Laigao; Liang Yun; Xu, Lisa X

    2002-01-01

    Advantages of x-ray CT for imaging guidance of cryosurgery include 3D visualization of frozen and unfrozen tissue and calibration of temperature in the tissue water-ice interface (0-10 deg. C) to Hounsfield units. However, use of x-ray CT images and their thermal calibration can be compromised by the cryoprobes generating high-density streak artefacts. A new subtraction technique for artefact suppression is proposed and tested in prostate cryosurgery simulations. By subtracting the measured CT x-ray projection profile without cryoprobes from the profile with cryoprobes plus iceballs, one obtains the combined profile of the cryoprobes and a low value background. Polynomial interpolation to obtain the background profile allows its addition to the original profile without probes. The result may then be fed to a conventional filtered back-projection routine to reconstruct the probe-free image. Finally the cryoprobe pixels in the originally constructed image with probes and iceballs are added back to the probe-free image to get the final artefact-suppressed image. The major advantage of this subtraction technique is that it can successfully suppress the high-density artefacts in bone-abundant body regions such as the pelvis. X-ray CT images of cryoprobe arrays in a homogeneous gelatin phantom and the pelvic region of an anthropomorphic Rando phantom containing a human skeleton were generated. After suppression, cryoprobe metal artefact streaks are reduced and visualization of the positions and dimensions of the cryoprobes are well preserved. (note)

  19. Techniques for Clutter Suppression in the Presence of Body Movements during the Detection of Respiratory Activity through UWB Radars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Lazaro

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses on the feasibility of tracking the chest wall movement of a human subject during respiration from the waveforms recorded using an impulse-radio (IR ultra-wideband radar. The paper describes the signal processing to estimate sleep apnea detection and breathing rate. Some techniques to solve several problems in these types of measurements, such as the clutter suppression, body movement and body orientation detection are described. Clutter suppression is achieved using a moving averaging filter to dynamically estimate it. The artifacts caused by body movements are removed using a threshold method before analyzing the breathing signal. The motion is detected using the time delay that maximizes the received signal after a clutter removing algorithm is applied. The periods in which the standard deviations of the time delay exceed a threshold are considered macro-movements and they are neglected. The sleep apnea intervals are detected when the breathing signal is below a threshold. The breathing rate is determined from the robust spectrum estimation based on Lomb periodogram algorithm. On the other hand the breathing signal amplitude depends on the body orientation respect to the antennas, and this could be a problem. In this case, in order to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio, multiple sensors are proposed to ensure that the backscattered signal can be detected by at least one sensor, regardless of the direction the human subject is facing. The feasibility of the system is compared with signals recorded by a microphone.

  20. 47 CFR 69.106 - Local switching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... foreign services that use local exchange switching facilities. (c) If end users of an interstate or... local exchange carriers shall establish rate elements for local switching as follows: (1) Price cap... use local exchange switching facilities for the provision of interstate or foreign services. The...

  1. Resistance switching memory in perovskite oxides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Z.B.; Liu, J.-M.

    2015-01-01

    The resistance switching behavior has recently attracted great attentions for its application as resistive random access memories (RRAMs) due to a variety of advantages such as simple structure, high-density, high-speed and low-power. As a leading storage media, the transition metal perovskite oxide owns the strong correlation of electrons and the stable crystal structure, which brings out multifunctionality such as ferroelectric, multiferroic, superconductor, and colossal magnetoresistance/electroresistance effect, etc. The existence of rich electronic phases, metal–insulator transition and the nonstoichiometric oxygen in perovskite oxide provides good platforms to insight into the resistive switching mechanisms. In this review, we first introduce the general characteristics of the resistance switching effects, the operation methods and the storage media. Then, the experimental evidences of conductive filaments, the transport and switching mechanisms, and the memory performances and enhancing methods of perovskite oxide based filamentary RRAM cells have been summarized and discussed. Subsequently, the switching mechanisms and the performances of the uniform RRAM cells associating with the carrier trapping/detrapping and the ferroelectric polarization switching have been discussed. Finally, the advices and outlook for further investigating the resistance switching and enhancing the memory performances are given

  2. Quinonoid metal complexes: toward molecular switches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dei, Andrea; Gatteschi, Dante; Sangregorio, Claudio; Sorace, Lorenzo

    2004-11-01

    The peculiar redox-active character of quinonoid metal complexes makes them extremely appealing to design materials of potential technological interest. We show here how the tuning of the properties of these systems can be pursued by using appropriate molecular synthetic techniques. In particular, we focus our attention on metal polyoxolene complexes exhibiting intramolecular electron transfer processes involving either the ligand and the metal ion or the two dioxolene moieties of a properly designed ligand thus inducing electronic bistability. The transition between the two metastable electronic states can be induced by different external stimuli such as temperature, pressure, light, or pH suggesting the use of these systems for molecular switches.

  3. Manually operated coded switch

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barnette, J.H.

    1978-01-01

    The disclosure related to a manually operated recodable coded switch in which a code may be inserted, tried and used to actuate a lever controlling an external device. After attempting a code, the switch's code wheels must be returned to their zero positions before another try is made

  4. A Q-Switched Erbium-Doped Fiber Laser with a Carbon Nanotube Based Saturable Absorber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harun, S. W.; Ismail, M. A.; Ahmad, F.; Ismail, M. F.; Nor, R. M.; Zulkepely, N. R.; Ahmad, H.

    2012-01-01

    We demonstrate a simple, compact and low cost Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) using single-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a saturable absorber for possible applications in metrology, sensing, and medical diagnostics. The EDFL operates at around 1560 nm with repetition rates of 16.1 kHz and 6.4 kHz with saturable absorbers SA1 and SA2 at a pump power of 120 mW. The absorbers are constructed by optically driven deposition and normal deposition techniques. It is observed that the optical deposition method produces a Q-switched EDFL with a lower threshold of 70 mW and better Q-switching performance compared to that of the normal deposition method. The EDFL also has pulse energy of 90.3 nJ and pulse width of 11.6 μs at 120 mW pump power

  5. Manufacture of Radio Frequency Micromachined Switches with Annealing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng-Yang Lin

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The fabrication and characterization of a radio frequency (RF micromachined switch with annealing were presented. The structure of the RF switch consists of a membrane, coplanar waveguide (CPW lines, and eight springs. The RF switch is manufactured using the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS process. The switch requires a post-process to release the membrane and springs. The post-process uses a wet etching to remove the sacrificial silicon dioxide layer, and to obtain the suspended structures of the switch. In order to improve the residual stress of the switch, an annealing process is applied to the switch, and the membrane obtains an excellent flatness. The finite element method (FEM software CoventorWare is utilized to simulate the stress and displacement of the RF switch. Experimental results show that the RF switch has an insertion loss of 0.9 dB at 35 GHz and an isolation of 21 dB at 39 GHz. The actuation voltage of the switch is 14 V.

  6. Manufacture of radio frequency micromachined switches with annealing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Cheng-Yang; Dai, Ching-Liang

    2014-01-17

    The fabrication and characterization of a radio frequency (RF) micromachined switch with annealing were presented. The structure of the RF switch consists of a membrane, coplanar waveguide (CPW) lines, and eight springs. The RF switch is manufactured using the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process. The switch requires a post-process to release the membrane and springs. The post-process uses a wet etching to remove the sacrificial silicon dioxide layer, and to obtain the suspended structures of the switch. In order to improve the residual stress of the switch, an annealing process is applied to the switch, and the membrane obtains an excellent flatness. The finite element method (FEM) software CoventorWare is utilized to simulate the stress and displacement of the RF switch. Experimental results show that the RF switch has an insertion loss of 0.9 dB at 35 GHz and an isolation of 21 dB at 39 GHz. The actuation voltage of the switch is 14 V.

  7. Synchronization in complex networks with switching topology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Lei; Wang, Qing-guo

    2011-01-01

    This Letter investigates synchronization issues of complex dynamical networks with switching topology. By constructing a common Lyapunov function, we show that local and global synchronization for a linearly coupled network with switching topology can be evaluated by the time average of second smallest eigenvalues corresponding to the Laplacians of switching topology. This result is quite powerful and can be further used to explore various switching cases for complex dynamical networks. Numerical simulations illustrate the effectiveness of the obtained results in the end. -- Highlights: → Synchronization of complex networks with switching topology is investigated. → A common Lyapunov function is established for synchronization of switching network. → The common Lyapunov function is not necessary to monotonically decrease with time. → Synchronization is determined by the second smallest eigenvalue of its Laplacian. → Synchronization criterion can be used to investigate various switching cases.

  8. Research and embedded implementation of Layer 3 switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Jin; Cheng, Zijing

    2009-12-01

    In the internetworking world, switches and routers have been deployed for workgroup and enterprise connectivity. In the past, switches mainly operated at Layer 2 (they were extensions of bridges), while routers were clearly Layer3 devices. Recently, the line has blurred and switches operating at Layer 3 are becoming more popular. This paper explains the Linux Bridge, Layer 2 Switches, Virtual LAN (VLAN) and Layer 3 Switches. The flow chart of Layer 3 switches and working routine related to Layer 3 switch technology were investigated in detail. This paper presents a new method to implement layer 3 switching that is entirely accomplished in software and is embedded implemented by code transplanting based on PowerPC 460GT platform.

  9. Off-resonance suppression for multispectral MR imaging near metallic implants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    den Harder, J Chiel; van Yperen, Gert H; Blume, Ulrike A; Bos, Clemens

    2015-01-01

    Metal artifact reduction in MRI within clinically feasible scan-times without through-plane aliasing. Existing metal artifact reduction techniques include view angle tilting (VAT), which resolves in-plane distortions, and multispectral imaging (MSI) techniques, such as slice encoding for metal artifact correction (SEMAC) and multi-acquisition with variable resonances image combination (MAVRIC), that further reduce image distortions, but significantly increase scan-time. Scan-time depends on anatomy size and anticipated total spectral content of the signal. Signals outside the anticipated spatial region may cause through-plane back-folding. Off-resonance suppression (ORS), using different gradient amplitudes for excitation and refocusing, is proposed to provide well-defined spatial-spectral selectivity in MSI to allow scan-time reduction and flexibility of scan-orientation. Comparisons of MSI techniques with and without ORS were made in phantom and volunteer experiments. Off-resonance suppressed SEMAC (ORS-SEMAC) and outer-region suppressed MAVRIC (ORS-MAVRIC) required limited through-plane phase encoding steps compared with original MSI. Whereas SEMAC (scan time: 5'46") and MAVRIC (4'12") suffered from through-plane aliasing, ORS-SEMAC and ORS-MAVRIC allowed alias-free imaging in the same scan-times. ORS can be used in MSI to limit the selected spatial-spectral region and contribute to metal artifact reduction in clinically feasible scan-times while avoiding slice aliasing. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Fat suppression applied to MR imaging of the pathologic orbit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simon, J.H.; Kido, D.K.; Ekholm, S.E.; Totterman, S.; Szumowski, J.; Manzione, J.V. Jr.; Joy, S.E.

    1987-01-01

    Previous MR studies of the normal orbit have shown that fat suppression sequences applied at the proper T1-T2 weighting will decrease artifacts from chemical shift, and can be used to enhance contrast in selected anatomic regions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical application of fat suppression to studies of the pathologic orbit. The studies included conventional imaging sequences and comparative fat suppression sequences through a range of T1-T2 weighting (repetition time [TR] 400 msec, echo time [TE]20 msec, to TR 2,000 msec, TE 90 msec), using the chopper fat suppression technique developed by J. Szumowski and D. Plewes, which requires no postprocessing and no increased scan time to achieve relatively linear fat suppression. Fat suppression was advantageous in determining tumor margins (extension through sclera); increasing diagnostic specificity (fat vs. water content); detailing anatomic relationships along bony margins (particularly in the orbital apex); and for demonstrating true thickness of optic nerve separate from adjacent cerebrospinal fluid and fibrous sheath. Disadvantages included susceptibility to motion artifact and a perception of lower quality due to lower overall orbital signal

  11. On The Snubber Influence To The Switching And Conduction Losses In A Converter Using Switched Capacitor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Viorel DUGAN

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals to design and to compute the snubber parameters influence on the switching and conduction losses of the transistors (IGBT used as bidirectional switches in a converter with switched capacitor. The converter was modelled with difference equations, and the transistors during turn-on and turn-off processes were simulated by dynamically varying resistance models. The energy loss per switching, commutation time, the variation of the transistor voltage etc. and the influence of snubber parameters in each of these cases are shown in the context of a converter used as a 50Hz reactive power controller unit

  12. High-voltage high-current triggering vacuum switch

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alferov, D.F.; Bunin, R.A.; Evsin, D.V.; Sidorov, V.A.

    2012-01-01

    Experimental investigations of switching and breaking capacities of the new high current triggered vacuum switch (TVS) are carried out at various parameters of discharge current. It has been shown that the high current triggered vacuum switch TVS can switch repeatedly a current from units up to ten kiloampers with duration up to ten millisecond [ru

  13. Comparison of analysis and flight test data for a drone aircraft with active flutter suppression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newsom, J. R.; Pototzky, A. S.

    1981-01-01

    A drone aircraft equipped with an active flutter suppression system is considered with emphasis on the comparison of modal dampings and frequencies as a function of Mach number. Results are presented for both symmetric and antisymmetric motion with flutter suppression off. Only symmetric results are given for flutter suppression on. Frequency response functions of the vehicle are presented from both flight test data and analysis. The analysis correlation is improved by using an empirical aerodynamic correction factor which is proportional to the ratio of experimental to analytical steady-state lift curve slope. The mathematical models are included and existing analytical techniques are described as well as an alternative analytical technique for obtaining closed-loop results.

  14. Focused Role of an Organic Small-Molecule PBD on Performance of the Bistable Resistive Switching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Lei; Sun, Yanmei; Ai, Chunpeng; Lu, Junguo; Wen, Dianzhong; Bai, Xuduo

    2015-12-01

    An undoped organic small-molecule 2-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-5-(4-biphenylyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (PBD) and a kind of nanocomposite blending poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) into PBD are employed to implement bistable resistive switching. For the bistable resistive switching indium tin oxide (ITO)/PBD/Al, its ON/OFF current ratio can touch 6. What is more, the ON/OFF current ratio, approaching to 10(4), is available due to the storage layer PBD:PMMA with the chemical composition 1:1 in the bistable resistive switching ITO/PBD:PMMA/Al. The capacity, data retention of more than 1 year and endurance performance (>10(4) cycles) of ITO/PBD:PMMA(1:1)/Al, exhibits better stability and reliability of the samples, which underpins the technique and application of organic nonvolatile memory.

  15. Fabrication of Nano-Crossbar Resistive Switching Memory Based on the Copper-Tantalum Pentoxide-Platinum Device Structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olga Gneri, Paula; Jardim, Marcos

    Resistive switching memory has been of interest lately not only for its simple metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure but also for its promising ease of scalability an integration into current CMOS technologies like the Field Programmable Gate Arrays and other non-volatile memory applications. There are several resistive switching MIM combinations but under this scope of research, attention will be paid to the bipolar resistive switching characteristics and fabrication of Tantalum Pentaoxide sandwiched between platinum and copper. By changing the polarity of the voltage bias, this metal-insulator-metal (MIM) device can be switched between a high resistive state (OFF) and low resistive state (ON). The change in states is induced by an electrochemical metallization process, which causes a formation or dissolution of Cu metal filamentary paths in the Tantalum Pentaoxide insulator. There is very little thorough experimental information about the Cu-Ta 2O5-Pt switching characteristics when scaled to nanometer dimensions. In this light, the MIM structure was fabricated in a two-dimensional crossbar format. Also, with the limited available resources, a multi-spacer technique was formulated to localize the active device area in this MIM configuration to less than 20nm. This step is important in understanding the switching characteristics and reliability of this structure when scaled to nanometer dimensions.

  16. Sequential Effects in Deduction: Cost of Inference Switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milan, Emilio G.; Moreno-Rios, Sergio; Espino, Orlando; Santamaria, Carlos; Gonzalez-Hernandez, Antonio

    2010-01-01

    The task-switch paradigm has helped psychologists gain insight into the processes involved in changing from one activity to another. The literature has yielded consistent results about switch cost reconfiguration (abrupt offset in regular task-switch vs. gradual reduction in random task-switch; endogenous and exogenous components of switch cost;…

  17. Aurora oil switch upgrade program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Warren, T.

    1989-03-01

    This report describes the short pulse synchronization requirements, the original Aurora trigger scheme, and the PI/SNLA approach to improving the synchronization. It also describes the oil switching design study undertaken as the first phase of the program. A discussion of oil-switch closure analysis and the conceptual design motivated by this analysis are presented. This paper also describes the oil-switch trigger pulser tests required to validate the concept. This includes the design of the testing facility, a description of the test goals, and a discussion of the results. This paper finally describes oil-switch trigger pulser testing on one of the four Aurora Blumlein modules, which includes the hardware design and operation, the testing goals, hardware installation, and test results. 9 refs., 26 figs

  18. Switch junction sequences in PMS2-deficient mice reveal a microhomology-mediated mechanism of Ig class switch recombination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehrenstein, Michael R.; Rada, Cristina; Jones, Anne-Marie; Milstein, César; Neuberger, Michael S.

    2001-01-01

    Isotype switching involves a region-specific, nonhomologous recombinational deletion that has been suggested to occur by nonhomologous joining of broken DNA ends. Here, we find increased donor/acceptor homology at switch junctions from PMS2-deficient mice and propose that class switching can occur by microhomology-mediated end-joining. Interestingly, although isotype switching and somatic hypermutation show many parallels, we confirm that PMS2 deficiency has no major effect on the pattern of nucleotide substitutions generated during somatic hypermutation. This finding is in contrast to MSH2 deficiency. With MSH2, the altered pattern of switch recombination and hypermutation suggests parallels in the mechanics of the two processes, whereas the fact that PMS2 deficiency affects only switch recombination may reflect differences in the pathways of break resolution. PMID:11717399

  19. Ultra High-Speed Radio Frequency Switch Based on Photonics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Jia; Fok, Mable P

    2015-11-26

    Microwave switches, or Radio Frequency (RF) switches have been intensively used in microwave systems for signal routing. Compared with the fast development of microwave and wireless systems, RF switches have been underdeveloped particularly in terms of switching speed and operating bandwidth. In this paper, we propose a photonics based RF switch that is capable of switching at tens of picoseconds speed, which is hundreds of times faster than any existing RF switch technologies. The high-speed switching property is achieved with the use of a rapidly tunable microwave photonic filter with tens of gigahertz frequency tuning speed, where the tuning mechanism is based on the ultra-fast electro-optics Pockels effect. The RF switch has a wide operation bandwidth of 12 GHz and can go up to 40 GHz, depending on the bandwidth of the modulator used in the scheme. The proposed RF switch can either work as an ON/OFF switch or a two-channel switch, tens of picoseconds switching speed is experimentally observed for both type of switches.

  20. Compound semiconductor optical waveguide switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spahn, Olga B.; Sullivan, Charles T.; Garcia, Ernest J.

    2003-06-10

    An optical waveguide switch is disclosed which is formed from III-V compound semiconductors and which has a moveable optical waveguide with a cantilevered portion that can be bent laterally by an integral electrostatic actuator to route an optical signal (i.e. light) between the moveable optical waveguide and one of a plurality of fixed optical waveguides. A plurality of optical waveguide switches can be formed on a common substrate and interconnected to form an optical switching network.

  1. Isolated converter with synchronized switching leg

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    2003-01-01

    An amplification device is disclosed providing a way of integrating a switch mode power supply and a class D amplifier (switch mode amplifier). This results in the usage of basically one magnetic component (1), one major energy storage element (4) and switches (20, 30) that are controlled in such a

  2. Wireless Nanoionic-Based Radio Frequency Switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nessel, James A. (Inventor); Miranda, Felix A (Inventor)

    2017-01-01

    A nanoionic switch connected to one or more rectenna modules is disclosed. The rectenna module is configured to receive a wireless signal and apply a first bias to change a state of the nanoionic switch from a first state to a second state. The rectenna module can receive a second wireless signal and apply a second bias to change the nanoionic switch from the second state back to the first state. The first bias is generally opposite of the first bias. The rectenna module accordingly permits operation of the nanoionic switch without onboard power.

  3. Simplified design of switching power supplies

    CERN Document Server

    Lenk, John

    1995-01-01

    * Describes the operation of each circuit in detail * Examines a wide selection of external components that modify the IC package characteristics * Provides hands-on, essential information for designing a switching power supply Simplified Design of Switching Power Supplies is an all-inclusive, one-stop guide to switching power-supply design. Step-by-step instructions and diagrams render this book essential for the student and the experimenter, as well as the design professional. Simplified Design of Switching Power Supplies concentrates on the use of IC regulators. All popular forms of swit

  4. Jasmonate inhibits COP1 activity to suppress hypocotyl elongation and promote cotyledon opening in etiolated Arabidopsis seedlings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Yuyu; Cui, Xuefei; Su, Liang; Fang, Shuang; Chu, Jinfang; Gong, Qingqiu; Yang, Jianping; Zhu, Ziqiang

    2017-06-01

    A germinating seedling undergoes skotomorphogenesis to emerge from the soil and reach for light. During this phase, the cotyledons are closed, and the hypocotyl elongates. Upon exposure to light, the seedling rapidly switches to photomorphogenesis by opening its cotyledons and suppressing hypocotyl elongation. The E3 ubiquitin ligase CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1 (COP1) is critical for maintaining skotomorphogenesis. Here, we report that jasmonate (JA) suppresses hypocotyl elongation and stimulates cotyledon opening in etiolated seedlings, partially phenocopying cop1 mutants in the dark. We also find that JA stabilizes several COP1-targeted transcription factors in a COP1-dependent manner. RNA-seq analysis further defines a JA-light co-modulated and cop1-dependent transcriptome, which is enriched for auxin-responsive genes and genes participating in cell wall modification. JA suppresses COP1 activity through at least two distinct mechanisms: decreasing COP1 protein accumulation in the nucleus; and reducing the physical interaction between COP1 and its activator, SUPPRESSOR OF PHYTOCHROME A-105 1 (SPA1). Our work reveals that JA suppresses COP1 activity to stabilize COP1 targets, thereby inhibiting hypocotyl elongation and stimulating cotyledon unfolding in etiolated Arabidopsis seedlings. © 2017 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Fuzzy combination of fuzzy and switching state-feedback controllers for nonlinear systems subject to parameter uncertainties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, H K; Leung, Frank H F

    2005-04-01

    This paper presents a fuzzy controller, which involves a fuzzy combination of local fuzzy and global switching state-feedback controllers, for nonlinear systems subject to parameter uncertainties with known bounds. The nonlinear system is represented by a fuzzy combined Takagi-Sugeno-Kang model, which is a fuzzy combination of the global and local fuzzy plant models. By combining the local fuzzy and global switching state-feedback controllers using fuzzy logic techniques, the advantages of both controllers can be retained and the undesirable chattering effect introduced by the global switching state-feedback controller can be eliminated. The steady-state error introduced by the global switching state-feedback controller when a saturation function is used can also be removed. Stability conditions, which are related to the system matrices of the local and global closed-loop systems, are derived to guarantee the closed-loop system stability. An application example will be given to demonstrate the merits of the proposed approach.

  6. Design of switched-capacitor filter circuits using low gain amplifiers

    CERN Document Server

    Serra, Hugo Alexandre de Andrade

    2015-01-01

    This book describes the design of switched-capacitor filter circuits using low gain amplifiers and demonstrates some techniques that can minimize the effects of parasitic capacitances during the design phase. Focus is given in the design of low-pass and band-pass SC filters, and how higher order filters can be achieved using cascaded biquadratic filter sections. The authors also describe a low voltage implementation of a low-pass SC filter.

  7. Validation Techniques of network harmonic models based on switching of a series linear component and measuring resultant harmonic increments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wiechowski, Wojciech Tomasz; Lykkegaard, Jan; Bak, Claus Leth

    2007-01-01

    In this paper two methods of validation of transmission network harmonic models are introduced. The methods were developed as a result of the work presented in [1]. The first method allows calculating the transfer harmonic impedance between two nodes of a network. Switching a linear, series network......, as for example a transmission line. Both methods require that harmonic measurements performed at two ends of the disconnected element are precisely synchronized....... are used for calculation of the transfer harmonic impedance between the nodes. The determined transfer harmonic impedance can be used to validate a computer model of the network. The second method is an extension of the fist one. It allows switching a series element that contains a shunt branch...

  8. Seismic switch for strong motion measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harben, P.E.; Rodgers, P.W.; Ewert, D.W.

    1995-05-30

    A seismic switching device is described that has an input signal from an existing microseismic station seismometer and a signal from a strong motion measuring instrument. The seismic switch monitors the signal level of the strong motion instrument and passes the seismometer signal to the station data telemetry and recording systems. When the strong motion instrument signal level exceeds a user set threshold level, the seismometer signal is switched out and the strong motion signal is passed to the telemetry system. The amount of time the strong motion signal is passed before switching back to the seismometer signal is user controlled between 1 and 15 seconds. If the threshold level is exceeded during a switch time period, the length of time is extended from that instant by one user set time period. 11 figs.

  9. Bone-suppressed radiography using machine learning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Jun Beom; Kim, Dae Cheon; Kim, Ho Kyung [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-05-15

    The single-shot dual-energy imaging suffers from reduced contrast-to-noise ratio performance due to poor spectral separation. Tomosynthesis requires more complex motion equipment and may require higher patient dose. An alternative tissue-specific imaging technique was introduced. This alternative technique usually possesses a filter to generate bone-only images for given digital radiographs. Therefore, it provides soft-tissue-enhanced images from the subtraction of given radiographs and filtered bone-only images. Only bone-suppressed imaging capability is a limitation of the method. The filter can be obtained from a machine-learning algorithm, e.g. artificial neural network (ANN), with the dual-energy bone-only images (called 'teaching' images). We suspect the robustness of the filter may be dependent upon the number of teaching images and the number of patients from whose radiographs we obtain the teaching images. In this study, we design an ANN to obtain a bone-extracting filter from a radiograph, and investigate the filter properties with respect to various ANN parameters. Preliminary results are summarized in Fig. 3. We extracted 5,000 subregions in a 21x21 pixel format from the lung region in the bone-enhanced dual-energy image and we used them for teaching images during training the ANN. The resultant bone-enhanced image from the ANN nonlinear filter is shown in Fig. 3 (a). From the weighted logarithmic subtraction between Fig. 2 (a) and Fig. 3 (a), we could obtain the bone-suppressed image as shown in Fig. 3 (b). The quality of the bone-suppressed image is comparable to the ground truth Fig. 2 (c).

  10. Bone-suppressed radiography using machine learning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jun Beom; Kim, Dae Cheon; Kim, Ho Kyung

    2016-01-01

    The single-shot dual-energy imaging suffers from reduced contrast-to-noise ratio performance due to poor spectral separation. Tomosynthesis requires more complex motion equipment and may require higher patient dose. An alternative tissue-specific imaging technique was introduced. This alternative technique usually possesses a filter to generate bone-only images for given digital radiographs. Therefore, it provides soft-tissue-enhanced images from the subtraction of given radiographs and filtered bone-only images. Only bone-suppressed imaging capability is a limitation of the method. The filter can be obtained from a machine-learning algorithm, e.g. artificial neural network (ANN), with the dual-energy bone-only images (called 'teaching' images). We suspect the robustness of the filter may be dependent upon the number of teaching images and the number of patients from whose radiographs we obtain the teaching images. In this study, we design an ANN to obtain a bone-extracting filter from a radiograph, and investigate the filter properties with respect to various ANN parameters. Preliminary results are summarized in Fig. 3. We extracted 5,000 subregions in a 21x21 pixel format from the lung region in the bone-enhanced dual-energy image and we used them for teaching images during training the ANN. The resultant bone-enhanced image from the ANN nonlinear filter is shown in Fig. 3 (a). From the weighted logarithmic subtraction between Fig. 2 (a) and Fig. 3 (a), we could obtain the bone-suppressed image as shown in Fig. 3 (b). The quality of the bone-suppressed image is comparable to the ground truth Fig. 2 (c).

  11. Pseudo-spark switch (PSS) characteristics under different operation conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hamad, B. H., E-mail: dr.bassmahussain@gmail.com; Ahmad, A. K., E-mail: ahmad.kamal@sc.nahrainuniv.edu.iq [College of Science, Al Nahrain University, Jadria, Baghdad (Iraq); Lateef, K. H., E-mail: kamalhlatif@yahoo.com [Ministry of Science and Technology, Jadria, Baghdad (Iraq)

    2016-08-15

    The present paper concentrates on the characteristics of the pseudospark switch (PSS) designed in a previous work. The special characteristics of PSS make it a replacement for other high voltage switches such as thyratrons and ordinary high-pressure spark gaps. PSS is characterized by short rise time and small jitter time. The pseudo park chamber consists of two hollow cylindrical electrodes made of a stainless steel material (type 306L) separated by an insulator. The insulator used in our design is a glazed ceramic 70 mm in diameter and 3.5 mm in thickness. A PSS with an anode voltage of 29.2 kV, and a current of 3.6 kA and 11 ns rise time was achieved and used successfully at a repetition rate of about 2.2 kHz. A simple trigger circuit designed, built, and used effectively reaching more than 1.56 kV trigger pulse which is sufficient to ignite the argon gas inside the cathode to cause a breakdown. A non-inductive dummy load is designed to be a new technique to find the accurate value of the PSS inductance. A jitter time of ±10 ns pulses is observed to occur in a reliable manner for more than 6 h of continuous operation. In this research, the important parameters of this switch like rise time, peak current, and anode voltage were studied at various values of charging capacitance. The lifetime of this system is depending on the kind of the electrode material and on the type of insulation material in the main gap of the pseudospark switch.

  12. Subnanosecond photoconductive switching in GaAs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Druce, R.L.; Pocha, M.D.; Griffin, K.L.

    1991-04-01

    We are conducting research in photoconductive switching for the purpose of generating microwave pulses with amplitudes up to 50 kV. This technology has direct application to impulse radar and HPM sources. We are exploiting the very fast recombination rates of Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) to explore the potential of GaAs as an on-off switch when operating in the linear mode (the linear mode is defined such that one carrier pair is generated for each photon absorbed). In addition, we are exploring the potential GaAs to act as a closing switch in ``avalanche`` mode at high fields. We have observed switch closing times of less than 200 psec with a 100 psec duration laser pulse and opening times of less than 400 psec with neutron irradiated GaAs at fields of tens of kV/cm. If the field is increased and the laser energy decreased, the laser can be used to trigger photoconductive switches into ``avalanche`` mode of operation in which carrier multiplication occurs. This mode of operation is quite promising since the switches close in less than 1 nsec while realizing significant energy gain (ratio of electrical energy in the pulse to optical trigger energy). We are currently investigating both large area (1 sq cm) and small area (< 1 sq mm) switches illuminated by GaAlAs laser diodes at 900 nm and Nd:YAG lasers at 1.06 micrometers. Preliminary results indicate that the closing time of the avalanche switches depends primarily on the material properties of the devices with closing times of 300--1300 psec at voltages of 6--35 kV. We will present experimental results for linear, lock on and avalanche mode operation of GaAs photoconductive switches and how these pulses may be applied to microwave generation. 3 refs.

  13. Subnanosecond photoconductive switching in GaAs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Druce, R.L.; Pocha, M.D.; Griffin, K.L.

    1991-04-01

    We are conducting research in photoconductive switching for the purpose of generating microwave pulses with amplitudes up to 50 kV. This technology has direct application to impulse radar and HPM sources. We are exploiting the very fast recombination rates of Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) to explore the potential of GaAs as an on-off switch when operating in the linear mode (the linear mode is defined such that one carrier pair is generated for each photon absorbed). In addition, we are exploring the potential GaAs to act as a closing switch in avalanche'' mode at high fields. We have observed switch closing times of less than 200 psec with a 100 psec duration laser pulse and opening times of less than 400 psec with neutron irradiated GaAs at fields of tens of kV/cm. If the field is increased and the laser energy decreased, the laser can be used to trigger photoconductive switches into avalanche'' mode of operation in which carrier multiplication occurs. This mode of operation is quite promising since the switches close in less than 1 nsec while realizing significant energy gain (ratio of electrical energy in the pulse to optical trigger energy). We are currently investigating both large area (1 sq cm) and small area (< 1 sq mm) switches illuminated by GaAlAs laser diodes at 900 nm and Nd:YAG lasers at 1.06 micrometers. Preliminary results indicate that the closing time of the avalanche switches depends primarily on the material properties of the devices with closing times of 300--1300 psec at voltages of 6--35 kV. We will present experimental results for linear, lock on and avalanche mode operation of GaAs photoconductive switches and how these pulses may be applied to microwave generation. 3 refs.

  14. Subnanosecond photoconductive switching in GaAs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Druce, R.L.; Pocha, M.D.; Griffin, K.L.

    1990-01-01

    We are conducting research in photoconductive switching for the purpose of generating microwave pulses with amplitudes up to 50 kV. This technology has direct application to impulse radar and HPM sources. We are exploiting the very fast recombination rates of Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) to explore the potential of GaAs as an on-off switch when operating in the linear mode (the linear mode is defined such that one carrier pair is generated for each photon absorbed). In addition, we are exploring the potential of GaAs to act as a closing switch in avalanche'' mode at high fields. We have observed switch closing times of less than 200 psec with 100 psec duration laser pulse and opening times of less than 400 psec with neutron irradiated GaAs at fields of tens of kV/cm. If the field is increased and the laser energy decreased, the laser can be used to trigger photoconductive switches into an avalanche'' mode of operation in which carrier multiplication occurs. This mode of operation is quite promising since the switches close in less than 1 nsec while realizing significant energy gain (ratio of electrical energy in the pulse to optical trigger energy). We are currently investigating both large are (1 sq cm) and small area (<1 sq mm) switches illuminated by GaAlAs laser diodes at 900 nm and Nd:YAG lasers at 1.06 micrometers. Preliminary results indicate that the closing time of the avalanche switches depends primarily on the material properties of the devices with closing times of 300--1300 psec at voltages of 6-35 kV. We will present experimental results for linear, lock on and avalanche mode operation of GaAs photoconductive switches and how these pulses may be applied to microwave generation. 3 refs., 11 figs.

  15. Subnanosecond photoconductive switching in GaAs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Druce, R. L.; Pocha, M. D.; Griffin, K. L.

    1991-04-01

    We are conducting research in photoconductive switching for the purpose of generating microwave pulses with amplitudes up to 50 kV. This technology has direct application to impulse radar and HPM sources. We are exploiting the very fast recombination rates of Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) to explore the potential of GaAs as an on-off switch when operating in the linear mode (the linear mode is defined such that one carrier pair is generated for each photon absorbed). In addition, we are exploring the potential GaAs to act as a closing switch in 'avalanche' mode at high fields. We have observed switch closing times of less than 200 psec with a 100 psec duration laser pulse and opening times of less than 400 psec with neutron irradiated GaAs at fields of tens of kV/cm. If the field is increased and the laser energy decreased, the laser can be used to trigger photoconductive switches into 'avalanche' mode of operation in which carrier multiplication occurs. This mode of operation is quite promising since the switches close in less than 1 nsec while realizing significant energy gain (ratio of electrical energy in the pulse to optical trigger energy). We are currently investigating both large area (1 sq cm) and small area (less than 1 sq mm) switches illuminated by GaAlAs laser diodes at 900 nm and Nd:YAG lasers at 1.06 micrometers. Preliminary results indicate that the closing time of the avalanche switches depends primarily on the material properties of the devices with closing times of 300-1300 psec at voltages of 6-35 kV. We will present experimental results for linear, lock on, and avalanche mode operation of GaAs photoconductive switches and how these pulses may be applied to microwave generation.

  16. Optical computer switching network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clymer, B.; Collins, S. A., Jr.

    1985-01-01

    The design for an optical switching system for minicomputers that uses an optical spatial light modulator such as a Hughes liquid crystal light valve is presented. The switching system is designed to connect 80 minicomputers coupled to the switching system by optical fibers. The system has two major parts: the connection system that connects the data lines by which the computers communicate via a two-dimensional optical matrix array and the control system that controls which computers are connected. The basic system, the matrix-based connecting system, and some of the optical components to be used are described. Finally, the details of the control system are given and illustrated with a discussion of timing.

  17. The allosteric switching mechanism in bacteriophage MS2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perkett, Matthew R.; Mirijanian, Dina T.; Hagan, Michael F., E-mail: hagan@brandeis.edu [Martin Fisher School of Physics, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02474 (United States)

    2016-07-21

    We use all-atom simulations to elucidate the mechanisms underlying conformational switching and allostery within the coat protein of the bacteriophage MS2. Assembly of most icosahedral virus capsids requires that the capsid protein adopts different conformations at precise locations within the capsid. It has been shown that a 19 nucleotide stem loop (TR) from the MS2 genome acts as an allosteric effector, guiding conformational switching of the coat protein during capsid assembly. Since the principal conformational changes occur far from the TR binding site, it is important to understand the molecular mechanism underlying this allosteric communication. To this end, we use all-atom simulations with explicit water combined with a path sampling technique to sample the MS2 coat protein conformational transition, in the presence and absence of TR-binding. The calculations find that TR binding strongly alters the transition free energy profile, leading to a switch in the favored conformation. We discuss changes in molecular interactions responsible for this shift. We then identify networks of amino acids with correlated motions to reveal the mechanism by which effects of TR binding span the protein. We find that TR binding strongly affects residues located at the 5-fold and quasi-sixfold interfaces in the assembled capsid, suggesting a mechanism by which the TR binding could direct formation of the native capsid geometry. The analysis predicts amino acids whose substitution by mutagenesis could alter populations of the conformational substates or their transition rates.

  18. Microwave pulse generation by photoconductive switching

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pocha, M.D.; Druce, R.L.

    1989-03-14

    Laser activated photoconductive semiconductor switching shows significant potential for application in high power microwave generation. Primary advantages of this concept are: small size, light weight, ruggedness, precise timing and phasing by optical control, and the potential for high peak power in short pulses. Several concepts have been suggested for microwave generation using this technology. They generally fall into two categories (1) the frozen wave generator or (2) tuned cavity modulation, both of which require only fast closing switches. We have been exploring a third possibility requiring fast closing and opening switches, that is the direct modulation of the switch at microwave frequencies. Switches have been fabricated at LLNL using neutron irradiated Gallium Arsenide which exhibit response times as short as 50 ps at low voltages. We are in the process of performing high voltage tests. So far, we have been able to generate 2.4 kV pulses with approximately 340 ps response time (FWHM) using approximately a 200..mu..J optical pulse. Experiments are continuing to increase the voltage and improve the switching efficiency. 3 refs., 6 figs.

  19. Microwave pulse generation by photoconductive switching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pocha, M. D.; Druce, R. L.

    1989-03-01

    Laser activated photoconductive semiconductor switching shows significant potential for application in high power microwave generation. Primary advantages of this concept are: small size, light weight, ruggedness, precise timing and phasing by optical control, and the potential for high peak power in short pulses. Several concepts have been suggested for microwave generation using this technology. They generally fall into two categories: (1) the frozen wave generator, or (2) tuned cavity modulation, both of which require only fast closing switches. We have been exploring a third possibility requiring fast closing and opening switches, that is the direct modulation of the switch at microwave frequencies. Switches have been fabricated at LLNL using neutron irradiated Gallium Arsenide which exhibit response times as short as 50 ps at low voltages. We are in the process of performing high voltage tests. So far, we have been able to generate 2.4 kV pulses with approximately 340 ps response time (FWHM) using approximately a 200 microJ optical pulse. Experiments are continuing to increase the voltage and improve the switching efficiency.

  20. Fat suppression with short inversion time inversion-recovery and chemical-shift selective saturation: a dual STIR-CHESS combination prepulse for turbo spin echo pulse sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanabe, Koji; Nishikawa, Keiichi; Sano, Tsukasa; Sakai, Osamu; Jara, Hernán

    2010-05-01

    To test a newly developed fat suppression magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prepulse that synergistically uses the principles of fat suppression via inversion recovery (STIR) and spectral fat saturation (CHESS), relative to pure CHESS and STIR. This new technique is termed dual fat suppression (Dual-FS). To determine if Dual-FS could be chemically specific for fat, the phantom consisted of the fat-mimicking NiCl(2) aqueous solution, porcine fat, porcine muscle, and water was imaged with the three fat-suppression techniques. For Dual-FS and STIR, several inversion times were used. Signal intensities of each image obtained with each technique were compared. To determine if Dual-FS could be robust to magnetic field inhomogeneities, the phantom consisting of different NiCl(2) aqueous solutions, porcine fat, porcine muscle, and water was imaged with Dual-FS and CHESS at the several off-resonance frequencies. To compare fat suppression efficiency in vivo, 10 volunteer subjects were also imaged with the three fat-suppression techniques. Dual-FS could suppress fat sufficiently within the inversion time of 110-140 msec, thus enabling differentiation between fat and fat-mimicking aqueous structures. Dual-FS was as robust to magnetic field inhomogeneities as STIR and less vulnerable than CHESS. The same results for fat suppression were obtained in volunteers. The Dual-FS-STIR-CHESS is an alternative and promising fat suppression technique for turbo spin echo MRI. Copyright 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  1. Analysis on the Motivations of Code–Switching%Analysis on the Motivations of Code– Switching

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    孔祥曼

    2015-01-01

    Code-switching is a common phenomenon in language contact. It reflects the speaker's psychological state and his attitude towards a certain language or a language variety. This paper briefly analyzes the social and psychological motivations of the speakers when they use code-switching.

  2. Edge enhancement and noise suppression for infrared image based on feature analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Meng

    2018-06-01

    Infrared images are often suffering from background noise, blurred edges, few details and low signal-to-noise ratios. To improve infrared image quality, it is essential to suppress noise and enhance edges simultaneously. To realize it in this paper, we propose a novel algorithm based on feature analysis in shearlet domain. Firstly, as one of multi-scale geometric analysis (MGA), we introduce the theory and superiority of shearlet transform. Secondly, after analyzing the defects of traditional thresholding technique to suppress noise, we propose a novel feature extraction distinguishing image structures from noise well and use it to improve the traditional thresholding technique. Thirdly, with computing the correlations between neighboring shearlet coefficients, the feature attribute maps identifying the weak detail and strong edges are completed to improve the generalized unsharped masking (GUM). At last, experiment results with infrared images captured in different scenes demonstrate that the proposed algorithm suppresses noise efficiently and enhances image edges adaptively.

  3. Processing techniques for data from the GKSS pressure suppression experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holman, G.S.; McCauley, E.W.

    1980-01-01

    This report describes techniques developed at LLNL for processing data from large-scale steam condensation experiments being performed by the GKSS Research Center in the Federal Republic of Germany. In particular, the computer code GKPLOT, a special evaluation program for generating time-history plots and numerical output files of GKSS data, will be discussed together with tape handling techniques to unblock the data to a form compatible with the LLNL octopus computer network. Using these data processing techniques, we have provided a convenient means of independently examining and analyzing a very extensive data base for steam condenstaion phenomena. In addition, the techniques developed for handling the GKSS data are applicable to the treatment of similar, but perhaps differently structured, experiment data sets

  4. High-speed 2 × 2 silicon-based electro-optic switch with nanosecond switch time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue-Jun, Xu; Shao-Wu, Chen; Hai-Hua, Xu; Yang, Sun; Yu-De, Yu; Jin-Zhong, Yu; Qi-Ming, Wang

    2009-01-01

    A 2 × 2 electro-optic switch is experimentally demonstrated using the optical structure of a Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based on a submicron rib waveguide and the electrical structure of a PIN diode on silicon-on-insulator (SOI). The switch behaviour is achieved through the plasma dispersion effect of silicon. The device has a modulation arm of 1 mm in length and cross-section of 400 nm×340 nm. The measurement results show that the switch has a V π L π figure of merit of 0.145 V·cm and the extinction ratios of two output ports and cross talk are 40 dB, 28 dB and −28 dB, respectively. A 3 dB modulation bandwidth of 90 MHz and a switch time of 6.8 ns for the rise edge and 2.7 ns for the fall edge are also demonstrated

  5. Improved switch-resistor packaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Redmerski, R. E.

    1980-01-01

    Packaging approach makes resistors more accessible and easily identified with specific switches. Failures are repaired more quickly because of improved accessibility. Typical board includes one resistor that acts as circuit breaker, and others are positioned so that their values can be easily measured when switch is operated. Approach saves weight by using less wire and saves valuable panel space.

  6. A gain-coefficient switched Alexandrite laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Chris J; Van der Slot, Peter J M; Boller, Klaus-J

    2013-01-01

    We report on a gain-coefficient switched Alexandrite laser. An electro-optic modulator is used to switch between high and low gain states by making use of the polarization dependent gain of Alexandrite. In gain-coefficient switched mode, the laser produces 85 ns pulses with a pulse energy of 240 mJ at a repetition rate of 5 Hz.

  7. Secure videoconferencing equipment switching system and method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, Michael E [Livermore, CA

    2009-01-13

    A switching system and method are provided to facilitate use of videoconference facilities over a plurality of security levels. The system includes a switch coupled to a plurality of codecs and communication networks. Audio/Visual peripheral components are connected to the switch. The switch couples control and data signals between the Audio/Visual peripheral components and one but nor both of the plurality of codecs. The switch additionally couples communication networks of the appropriate security level to each of the codecs. In this manner, a videoconferencing facility is provided for use on both secure and non-secure networks.

  8. Stochastic multistep polarization switching in ferroelectrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Genenko, Y. A.; Khachaturyan, R.; Schultheiß, J.; Ossipov, A.; Daniels, J. E.; Koruza, J.

    2018-04-01

    Consecutive stochastic 90° polarization switching events, clearly resolved in recent experiments, are described by a nucleation and growth multistep model. It extends the classical Kolmogorov-Avrami-Ishibashi approach and includes possible consecutive 90°- and parallel 180° switching events. The model predicts the results of simultaneous time-resolved macroscopic measurements of polarization and strain, performed on a tetragonal Pb (Zr ,Ti ) O3 ceramic in a wide range of electric fields over a time domain of seven orders of magnitude. It allows the determination of the fractions of individual switching processes, their characteristic switching times, activation fields, and respective Avrami indices.

  9. The increased importance of sector switching

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frederiksen, Anders; Hansen, Jesper Rosenberg

    2017-01-01

    Sector switching is an important phenomenon that casts light on public–private differences. Yet our knowledge about its prevalence and trends is limited. We study sector switching using unique Danish register-based employer–employee data covering more than 25 years. We find that sector switching...... constitutes 18.5% of all job-to-job mobility, and the trend is increasing both from public to private and from private to public. Sector switching is also generally increasing for middle managers, but for administrative professionals only the flows from private to public increase and for top managers only...... the flows from public to private increase....

  10. Data on sulforaphane treatment mediated suppression of autoreactive, inflammatory M1 macrophages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanjima Pal

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Any chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disease (e.g. arthritis associated pathogenesis directs uncontrolled accumulation of both soluble forms of collagens in the synovial fluids and M1 macrophages around inflamed tissues. Despite of few studies demonstrating efficiency of Sulforaphane (SFN in suppressing arthritis associated collagen restricted T cells or fibroblasts, its effects on macrophage polarity and plasticity are less understood. Recently, we reported regulation of phenotypic and functional switching by SFN in induced and spontaneously differentiating human monocytes [1]. Here, flow cytometry, western blot and ELISA derived data demonstrated that SFN inhibited in vitro inflammatory responses developed by soluble human collagens (I–IV induced auto-reactive M1 type monocyte/macrophage model.

  11. Suppression of HIV replication by CD8+regulatory T-cells in elite controllers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei eLu

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available We previously demonstrated in the Chinese macaque model that an oral vaccine made of inactivated SIV and lactobacillus plantarum induced CD8+regulatory T-cells which suppressed the activation of SIV+CD4+T-cells, prevented SIV replication and protected macaques from SIV challenges.Here ,we sought whether a similar population of CD8+T-regs would induce the suppression of HIV replication in elite controllers (ECs, a small population (3‰ of HIV-infected patients with undetectable HIV replication. For that purpose, we investigated the in vitro antiviral activity of fresh CD8+T-cells on HIV-infected CD4+T-cells taken from 10 ECs. The 10 ECs had a classical genomic profile: all of them carried the KIR3DL1 gene and nine carried at least one allele of HLA-B:Bw4-80Ile ( i.e. with an isoleucine residue at position 80. In the nine HLA-B:Bw4-80Ile positive patients, we demonstrated a strong viral suppression byKIR3DL1-expressing CD8+T-cells that required cell-to-cell contact to switch off the activation signals in infected CD4+T-cells. KIR3DL1-expressing CD8+T-cells withdrawal and KIR3DL1 neutralization by a specific anti-KIR antibody inhibited the suppression of viral replication. Our findings provide the first evidence for an instrumental role of KIR-expressing CD8+ regulatory T- cells in the natural control of HIV-1 infection.

  12. Potential energy landscape and robustness of a gene regulatory network: toggle switch.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keun-Young Kim

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available Finding a multidimensional potential landscape is the key for addressing important global issues, such as the robustness of cellular networks. We have uncovered the underlying potential energy landscape of a simple gene regulatory network: a toggle switch. This was realized by explicitly constructing the steady state probability of the gene switch in the protein concentration space in the presence of the intrinsic statistical fluctuations due to the small number of proteins in the cell. We explored the global phase space for the system. We found that the protein synthesis rate and the unbinding rate of proteins to the gene were small relative to the protein degradation rate; the gene switch is monostable with only one stable basin of attraction. When both the protein synthesis rate and the unbinding rate of proteins to the gene are large compared with the protein degradation rate, two global basins of attraction emerge for a toggle switch. These basins correspond to the biologically stable functional states. The potential energy barrier between the two basins determines the time scale of conversion from one to the other. We found as the protein synthesis rate and protein unbinding rate to the gene relative to the protein degradation rate became larger, the potential energy barrier became larger. This also corresponded to systems with less noise or the fluctuations on the protein numbers. It leads to the robustness of the biological basins of the gene switches. The technique used here is general and can be applied to explore the potential energy landscape of the gene networks.

  13. Optimization of a Compton-suppression system by escape-peak ratio

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niu, H.; Chao, J.H.; Wu, S.-C.

    1996-01-01

    A Compton-suppression system consisting of an HPGe central detector surrounded by eight BGO scintillators in an annular geometry was assembled. This system is dedicated to in-beam γ-ray measurements. The ratios of full-energy to single-escape peak and full-energy of double-escape peak, at γ-rays of 2754, 4443 and 6130 keV, were used to derive associated suppression factors in order to optimize detection conditions of the system. The suppression factors derived both from the escape peak ratios and the corresponding peak-to-Compton ratios of the γ-ray spectra are compared and discussed. This optimization technique may be of great significance for analyzing complicated spectra, where high-energy γ-rays are considered for analytical use. (Author)

  14. A method for determining the actual rate of orientation switching of DNA self-assembled monolayers using optical and electrochemical frequency response analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casanova-Moreno, J; Bizzotto, D

    2015-02-17

    Electrostatic control of the orientation of fluorophore-labeled DNA strands immobilized on an electrode surface has been shown to be an effective bioanalytical tool. Modulation techniques and later time-resolved measurements were used to evaluate the kinetics of the switching between lying and standing DNA conformations. These measurements, however, are the result of a convolution between the DNA "switching" response time and the other frequency limited responses in the measurement. In this work, a method for analyzing the response of a potential driven DNA sensor is presented by calculating the potential effectively dropped across the electrode interface (using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) as opposed to the potential applied to the electrochemical cell. This effectively deconvolutes the effect of the charging time on the observed frequency response. The corrected response shows that DNA is able to switch conformation faster than previously reported using modulation techniques. This approach will ensure accurate measurements independent of the electrochemical system, removing the uncertainty in the analysis of the switching response, enabling comparison between samples and measurement systems.

  15. Voltage control of metal-insulator transition and non-volatile ferroelastic switching of resistance in VOx/PMN-PT heterostructures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nan, Tianxiang; Liu, Ming; Ren, Wei; Ye, Zuo-Guang; Sun, Nian X

    2014-08-04

    The central challenge in realizing electronics based on strongly correlated electronic states, or 'Mottronics', lies in finding an energy efficient way to switch between the distinct collective phases with a control voltage in a reversible and reproducible manner. In this work, we demonstrate that a voltage-impulse-induced ferroelastic domain switching in the (011)-oriented 0.71Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.29PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) substrates allows a robust non-volatile tuning of the metal-insulator transition in the VOx films deposited onto them. In such a VOx/PMN-PT heterostructure, the unique two-step electric polarization switching covers up to 90% of the entire poled area and contributes to a homogeneous in-plane anisotropic biaxial strain, which, in turn, enables the lattice changes and results in the suppression of metal-insulator transition in the mechanically coupled VOx films by 6 K with a resistance change up to 40% over a broad range of temperature. These findings provide a framework for realizing in situ and non-volatile tuning of strain-sensitive order parameters in strongly correlated materials, and demonstrate great potentials in delivering reconfigurable, compactable, and energy-efficient electronic devices.

  16. Resistive switching characteristics of polymer non-volatile memory devices in a scalable via-hole structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Tae-Wook; Choi, Hyejung; Oh, Seung-Hwan; Jo, Minseok; Wang, Gunuk; Cho, Byungjin; Kim, Dong-Yu; Hwang, Hyunsang; Lee, Takhee

    2009-01-01

    The resistive switching characteristics of polyfluorene-derivative polymer material in a sub-micron scale via-hole device structure were investigated. The scalable via-hole sub-microstructure was fabricated using an e-beam lithographic technique. The polymer non-volatile memory devices varied in size from 40 x 40 μm 2 to 200 x 200 nm 2 . From the scaling of junction size, the memory mechanism can be attributed to the space-charge-limited current with filamentary conduction. Sub-micron scale polymer memory devices showed excellent resistive switching behaviours such as a large ON/OFF ratio (I ON /I OFF ∼10 4 ), excellent device-to-device switching uniformity, good sweep endurance, and good retention times (more than 10 000 s). The successful operation of sub-micron scale memory devices of our polyfluorene-derivative polymer shows promise to fabricate high-density polymer memory devices.

  17. A non-unity torque sharing function for torque ripple minimization of switched reluctance generators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Park, Kiwoo; Liu, Xiao; Chen, Zhe

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a new torque ripple minimization technique for a Switched Reluctance Generator (SRG). Although the SRG has many advantageous characteristics as a generator, it has not been widely employed in the industry. One of the most notorious disadvantages of the SRG is its high torque...

  18. DETERMINANT OF DOWNWARD AUDITOR SWITCHING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Totok Budisantoso

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: Determinant of Downward Auditor Switching. This study examines the factors that influence downward auditor switching in five ASEAN countries. Fixed effect logistic regression was used as analytical method. This study found that opinion shopping occurred in ASEAN, especially in distress companies. Companies with complex businesses will retain the Big Four auditors to reduce complexity and audit costs. Audit and public committees serve as guardians of auditor quality. On the other hand, shareholders failed to maintain audit quality. It indicates that there is entrenchment effect in auditor switching.

  19. Development of Digital Hysteresis Current Control with PLL Loop Gain Compensation Strategy for PWM Inverters with Constant Switching Frequency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Belhaouchet

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Hysteresis current control is one of the simplest techniques used to control the magnitude and phase angle of motor current for motor drives systems. However, this technique presents several disadvantages such as operation at variable switching frequency which can reveal problems of filtering, interference between the phases in the case of the three-phase systems with insulated neutral connection or delta connection, and irregularity of the modulation pulses which especially causes an acoustic noise on the level of the machine for the high power drive. In this paper, a new technique is proposed for a variable-hysteresis-band controller based on dead beat control applied to three phase voltage source PWM inverters feeding AC motors. Its main aim is firstly ensure a constant switching frequency and secondly the synchronization of modulation pulses using the phase-locked-loop with loop gain compensation in order to ensure a better stability. The behavior of the proposed technique is verified by simulation.

  20. Contraceptive method switching in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grady, William R; Billy, John O G; Klepinger, Daniel H

    2002-01-01

    Switching among contraceptive method types is the primary determinant of the prevalence of use of specific contraceptive methods, and it has direct implications for women's ability to avoid unintended pregnancies. Yet, method switching among U.S. women has received little attention from researchers. Data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth were used to construct multiple-decrement life tables to explore the gross switching rates of married and unmarried women. Within each group, discrete-time hazard models were estimated to determine how women's characteristics affect their switching behavior. Overall rates of method switching are high among both married and unmarried women (40% and 61%, respectively). Married women's two-year switching rates vary from 30% among women who use the implant, injectable, IUD or other reversible methods to 43% among nonusers, while unmarried women's rates vary from 33% among women who use the implant, injectable or IUD to 70% among nonusers. Multivariate analyses of method switching according to women's characteristics indicate that among married women, women without children are less likely than other women to adopt sterilization or a long-term reversible contraceptive (the implant, injectable or IUD). Older married women have a higher rate than their younger counterparts of switching to sterilization, but are also more likely to continue using no method. Among unmarried women, younger and more highly educated women have high rates of switching to the condom and to dual methods. Women's method switching decisions may be driven primarily by concerns related to level and duration of contraceptive effectiveness, health risks associated with contraceptive use and, among single women, sexually transmitted disease prevention.

  1. Environment and the sterile insect technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagel, P.; Peveling, R.

    2005-01-01

    The sterile insect technique (SIT) is an exceptionally promising pest control method in terms of efficacy and environmental compatibility. Assessments of environmental risks vary according to the status and origin of the target pests. The suppression or eradication of exotic pest populations with the SIT raises few environmental concerns, and these are related mainly to pre-release suppression techniques. However, the elimination of native species, or at least populations of native species, requires more detailed and complex assessments of ecological effects and consequences for biodiversity conservation. Eradication programmes provide opportunities to study these topics within the scope of both environmental impact assessments and operational monitoring programmes. (author)

  2. A Novel Silicon-based Wideband RF Nano Switch Matrix Cell and the Fabrication of RF Nano Switch Structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi Xiu YANG

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the concept of RF nano switch matrix cell and the fabrication of RF nano switch. The nano switch matrix cell can be implemented into complex switch matrix for signal routing. RF nano switch is the decision unit for the matrix cell; in this research, it is fabricated on a tri-layer high-resistivity-silicon substrate using surface micromachining approach. Electron beam lithography is introduced to define the pattern and IC compatible deposition process is used to construct the metal layers. Silicon-based nano switch fabricated by IC compatible process can lead to a high potential of system integration to perform a cost effective system-on-a-chip solution. In this paper, simulation results of the designed matrix cell are presented; followed by the details of the nano structure fabrication and fabrication challenges optimizations; finally, measurements of the fabricated nano structure along with analytical discussions are also discussed.

  3. Performance analysis of joint multi-branch switched diversity and adaptive modulation schemes for spectrum sharing systems

    KAUST Repository

    Bouida, Zied; Qaraqe, Khalid A.; Abdallah, Mohamed M.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2012-01-01

    desired performance for the primary link. The proposed switching efficient scheme (SES) and bandwidth efficient scheme (BES) use the scan and wait combining technique (SWC) where a transmission occurs only when a branch with an acceptable performance

  4. Gas adsorption/absorption heat switch, phase 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chan, C. K.

    1987-01-01

    The service life and/or reliability of far-infrared sensors on surveillance satellites is presently limited by the cryocooler. The life and/or reliability, however, can be extended by using redundant cryocoolers. To reduce parasitic heat leak, each stage of the inactive redundant cryocooler must be thermally isolated from the optical system, while each stage of the active cryocooler must be thermally connected to the system. The thermal break or the thermal contact can be controlled by heat switches. Among different physical mechanisms for heat switching, mechanically activated heat switches tend to have low reliability and, furthermore, require a large contact force. Magnetoresistive heat switches are, except at very low temperatures, of very low efficiency. Heat switches operated by the heat pipe principle usually require a long response time. A sealed gas gap heat switch operated by an adsorption pump has no mechanical motion and should provide the reliability and long lifetime required in long-term space missions. Another potential application of a heat switch is the thermal isolation of the optical plane during decontamination.

  5. Reluctance motor employing superconducting magnetic flux switches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spyker, R.L.; Ruckstadter, E.J.

    1992-01-01

    This paper reports that superconducting flux switches controlling the magnetic flux in the poles of a motor will enable the implementation of a reluctance motor using one central single phase winding. A superconducting flux switch consists of a ring of superconducting material surrounding a ferromagnetic pole of the motor. When in the superconducting state the switch will block all magnetic flux attempting to flow in the ferromagnetic core. When switched to the normal state the superconducting switch will allow the magnetic flux to flow freely in that pole. By using one high turns-count coil as a flux generator, and selectively channeling flux among the various poles using the superconducting flux switch, 3-phase operation can be emulated with a single-hase central AC source. The motor will also operate when the flux generating coil is driven by a DC current, provided the magnetic flux switches see a continuously varying magnetic flux. Rotor rotation provides this varying flux due to the change in stator pole inductance it produces

  6. Usefulness of fat suppression MR imagings for head and neck cancers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitagawa, Yoshimasa; Ishii, Yasuo; Morihiro, Hironori; Ogasawara, Toshiyuki

    1996-01-01

    Large amounts of fat and complex anatomy make the head and neck region one of the more challenging areas for MR imagings. The high signal intensity of fat on T1 weighted images (T1W1) has limited the utility of Gd-DTPA in imaging of head and neck lesions. The contrast enhanced lesions may have T1W1 signal intensity similar to fat, which results in diagnostic difficulty. A fat suppression technique used in conjunction with Gd-DTPA ensures that enhancing lesions will not be obscured by high signal from the surrounding fat or by chemical shift artifact. We evaluated the role or chemical shift imagings for fat suppression in the depiction of 15 patients with head and neck cancers. Gd-DTPA-enhanced fat suppression T1W1 were compared with conventional pre and postcontrast T1- and T2W1 using a four-point grading system (Grade 0-3) in detecting and defining the extent of primary lesions and lymphnodes. Gd-DTPA-enhanced fat suppression T1W1 (average score 2.93) which had a score of 3 in 14 patients, were superior to conventional T1W1 (0.73), postcontrast T1W1 (1.80) and T2W1 (1.67). Gd-DTPA enhanced fat suppression T1W1 were particularly beneficial in the detection of central necrosis or extracapsular invasion of neck lymphnodes as well as in defining the extent of tumor invasion to fat-containing areas such as bone marrow or cheek. Our data suggested that fat suppression technique was extremely useful to delineate the primary tumors and regional lymphnodes without increasing scan time or image postprocessing. (author)

  7. High voltage disconnect switch position monitoring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Crampton, S W

    1983-08-01

    Unreliable position indication on high-voltage (HV) disconnect switches can result in equipment damage worth many times the cost of a disconnect switch. The benefits and limitations of a number of possible methods of reliably monitoring HV disconnect switches are assessed. Several methods of powering active devices at HV are noted. It is concluded that the most reliable way of monitoring switch position at reasonable cost would use a passive hermetically-sealed blade-position sensor located at HV, with a fibre-optic link between HV and ground. Separate sensors would be used for open and closed position indication. For maximum reliability the fibre-optic link would continue into the relay building. A passive magnetically actuated fibre-optic sensor has been built which demonstrates the feasibility of the concept. The sensor monitors blade position relative to the jaws in three dimensions with high resolution. A design for an improved passive magneto-optic sensor has significantly lower optical losses, allowing a single fibre-optic loop and 3 sensors to monitor closure of all phases of a disconnect switch. A similar loop would monitor switch opening. The improved sensor has a solid copper housing to provide greater immunity to fault currents, and to protect it from the environment and from physical damage. Two methods of providing a protected path for fibre-optics passing from HV to ground are proposed, one using a hollow porcelain switch-support insulator and the other using an additional small-diameter polymer insulator with optical fibres imbedded in its fibreglass core. A number of improvements are recommended which can be made to existing switches to increase their reliability. 16 refs., 13 figs., 1 tab.

  8. Pulsed laser triggered high speed microfluidic switch

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Ting-Hsiang; Gao, Lanyu; Chen, Yue; Wei, Kenneth; Chiou, Pei-Yu

    2008-10-01

    We report a high-speed microfluidic switch capable of achieving a switching time of 10 μs. The switching mechanism is realized by exciting dynamic vapor bubbles with focused laser pulses in a microfluidic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) channel. The bubble expansion deforms the elastic PDMS channel wall and squeezes the adjacent sample channel to control its fluid and particle flows as captured by the time-resolved imaging system. A switching of polystyrene microspheres in a Y-shaped channel has also been demonstrated. This ultrafast laser triggered switching mechanism has the potential to advance the sorting speed of state-of-the-art microscale fluorescence activated cell sorting devices.

  9. Self-noise suppression schemes in blind image steganography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramkumar, Mahalingam; Akansu, Ali N.

    1999-11-01

    Blind or oblivious data hiding, can be considered as a signaling method where the origin of the signal constellation is not known. The origin however, can be estimated, by means of self-noise suppression techniques. In this paper, we propose such a technique, and present both theoretical and numerical evaluations of its performance in an additive noise scenario. The problem of optimal choice of the parameters of the proposed technique is also explored, and solutions are presented. Though the cover object is assumed to be an image for purposes of illustration, the proposed method is equally applicable for other types of multimedia data, like video, speech or music.

  10. Transmission line transformer for reliable and low-jitter triggering of a railgap switch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verma, Rishi; Mishra, Ekansh; Sagar, Karuna; Meena, Manraj; Shyam, Anurag

    2014-09-01

    The performance of railgap switch critically relies upon multichannel breakdown between the extended electrodes (rails) in order to ensure distributed current transfer along electrode length and to minimize the switch inductance. The initiation of several simultaneous arc channels along the switch length depends on the gap triggering technique and on the rate at which the electric field changes within the gap. This paper presents design, construction, and output characteristics of a coaxial cable based three-stage transmission line transformer (TLT) that is capable of initiating multichannel breakdown in a high voltage, low inductance railgap switch. In each stage three identical lengths of URM67 coaxial cables have been used in parallel and they have been wounded in separate cassettes to enhance the isolation of the output of transformer from the input. The cascaded output impedance of TLT is ~50 Ω. Along with multi-channel formation over the complete length of electrode rails, significant reduction in jitter (≤2 ns) and conduction delay (≤60 ns) has been observed by the realization of large amplitude (~80 kV), high dV/dt (~6 kV/ns) pulse produced by the indigenously developed TLT based trigger generator. The superior performance of TLT over conventional pulse transformer for railgap triggering application has been compared and demonstrated experimentally.

  11. Study of the Switching Errors in an RSFQ Switch by Using a Computerized Test Setup

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Se Hoon; Baek, Seung Hun; Yang, Jung Kuk; Kim, Jun Ho; Kang, Joon Hee

    2005-01-01

    The problem of fluctuation-induced digital errors in a rapid single flux quantum (RSFQ) circuit has been a very important issue. In this work, we calculated the bit error rate of an RSFQ switch used in superconductive arithmetic logic unit (ALU). RSFQ switch should have a very low error rate in the optimal bias. Theoretical estimates of the RSFQ error rate are on the order of 10 -50 per bit operation. In this experiment, we prepared two identical circuits placed in parallel. Each circuit was composed of 10 Josephson transmission lines (JTLs) connected in series with an RSFQ switch placed in the middle of the 10 JTLs. We used a splitter to feed the same input signal to both circuits. The outputs of the two circuits were compared with an RSFQ exclusive OR (XOR) to measure the bit error rate of the RSFQ switch. By using a computerized bit-error-rate test setup, we measured the bit error rate of 2.18 x 10 -12 when the bias to the RSFQ switch was 0.398 mA that was quite off from the optimum bias of 0.6 mA.

  12. Stochastic Switching Dynamics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Simonsen, Maria

    This thesis treats stochastic systems with switching dynamics. Models with these characteristics are studied from several perspectives. Initially in a simple framework given in the form of stochastic differential equations and, later, in an extended form which fits into the framework of sliding...... mode control. It is investigated how to understand and interpret solutions to models of switched systems, which are exposed to discontinuous dynamics and uncertainties (primarily) in the form of white noise. The goal is to gain knowledge about the performance of the system by interpreting the solution...

  13. Monitoring Mellanox Infiniband SX6036 switches

    CERN Document Server

    Agapiou, Marinos

    2017-01-01

    The SX6036 switches addressed by my project, are part of a fully non-blocking fat-tree cluster consisting of 72 servers and 6 Mellanox SX6036 Infiniband switches. My project is about retrieving the appropriate metrics from the Infiniband switch cluster, ingesting the data to Collectd and after my data are being transfered to CERN Database, they are being visualized via Grafana Dashboards.

  14. Optical switches based on surface plasmons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Cong; Wang Pei; Yuan Guanghui; Wang Xiaolei; Min Changjun; Deng Yan; Lu Yonghua; Ming Hai

    2008-01-01

    Great attention is being paid to surface plasmons (SPs) because of their potential applications in sensors, data storage and bio-photonics. Recently, more and more optical switches based on surface plasmon effects have been demonstrated either by simulation or experimentally. This article describes the principles, advantages and disadvantages of various types of optical switches based on SPs, in particular the all-optical switches. (authors)

  15. A new switched power linac structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Villa, F.

    1989-03-01

    A new pulse power structure has been described that utilizes an easily accessible rectilinear switch. The new structure is more ''forgiving'' (as far as risetime is concerned) than the radial line transformer, and contains fewer switching structures/unit length. The combination of the new structure with the switch proposed seems to offer interesting possibilities for a future linear collider. 13 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs

  16. Hybrid Multiple Soft-Sensor Models of Grinding Granularity Based on Cuckoo Searching Algorithm and Hysteresis Switching Strategy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jie-Sheng Wang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available According to the characteristics of grinding process and accuracy requirements of technical indicators, a hybrid multiple soft-sensor modeling method of grinding granularity is proposed based on cuckoo searching (CS algorithm and hysteresis switching (HS strategy. Firstly, a mechanism soft-sensor model of grinding granularity is deduced based on the technique characteristics and a lot of experimental data of grinding process. Meanwhile, the BP neural network soft-sensor model and wavelet neural network (WNN soft-sensor model are set up. Then, the hybrid multiple soft-sensor model based on the hysteresis switching strategy is realized. That is to say, the optimum model is selected as the current predictive model according to the switching performance index at each sampling instant. Finally the cuckoo searching algorithm is adopted to optimize the performance parameters of hysteresis switching strategy. Simulation results show that the proposed model has better generalization results and prediction precision, which can satisfy the real-time control requirements of grinding classification process.

  17. Waves of visibility: probing the depth of inter-ocular suppression with transient and sustained targets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisandro eKaunitz

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available In order to study non-conscious visual processing, researchers render otherwise consciously perceived images into invisible stimuli. Through the years, several psychophysical techniques have been developed for this purpose. Yet the comparison of experimental results across techniques remains a difficult task as the depth of suppression depends on the interactions between the type of stimuli and the suppression methods employed. This poses a limit to the inferences that researchers make about the extent of non-conscious processes. We investigated the mechanisms underlying inter-ocular suppression during continuous flash suppression (CFS and dichoptic visual masking using a transient onset target stimulus and a variety of stimulus / mask temporal manipulations. We show that target duration, timing of target onset, and mask frequency are key aspects of inter-ocular suppression during CFS with transient targets. The differences between our results and sustained target CFS studies suggest that two distinct mechanisms are involved in the detection of transient and prolonged target stimuli during CFS. Our results provide insight into the dynamics of CFS together with evidence for similarities between transient target CFS and dichoptic visual masking.

  18. Photo-stimulated resistive switching of ZnO nanorods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jinjoo; Lee, Seunghyup; Yong, Kijung

    2012-01-01

    Resistive switching memory devices are promising candidates for emerging memory technologies because they yield outstanding device performance. Storage mechanisms for achieving high-density memory applications have been developed; however, so far many of them exhibit typical resistive switching behavior from the limited controlling conditions. In this study, we introduce photons as an unconventional stimulus for activating resistive switching behaviors. First, we compare the resistive switching behavior in light and dark conditions to describe how resistive switching memories can benefit from photons. Second, we drive the switching of resistance not by the electrical stimulus but only by the modulation of photon. ZnO nanorods were employed as a model system to demonstrate photo-stimulated resistive switching in high-surface-area nanomaterials, in which photo-driven surface states strongly affect their photoconductivity and resistance states. (paper)

  19. The Transistor as Low Level Switch

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lyden, Anders

    1963-10-15

    The common collector transistor switch has in the on state with open emitter a certain offset voltage U{sub EK} {approx_equal} -kT/qB{sub N}. This expression is derived in a new, more physical way. It is further shown at which emitter current the current amplification factor B{sub N} should be measured to get a correct value for the above expression. The collector current I at zero collector voltage I{sub K} = I{sub 0}(exp(qU{sub E}/kT) - 1) extremely well. Substitution of I{sub EBO} and I{sub KBO} by I{sub 0} in Eber's and Moll's relations consequently improves these equations and the characteristics of the transistor switch can be better determined. At switching on and off transients appear across the switch. The influence of the 'spike' at switching off can be described by an current I{sub SPIKE} which is easy to calculate. I{sub SPIKE} is approximately dependent only on the base - emitter depletion layer capacitance and the chopper frequency f{sub 0}. Some compensated switches have lower drift than the drift in U{sub EK}. They may, for example, have a temperature drift < 0.2 {mu}V/deg C and a long time drift < 2 {mu}V/week. Some compensated switches also have I{sub SPIKE} < 10{sup -12} f{sub 0}A. The static offset current in the off state can easily be made < 10{sup -12} A.

  20. Proton-Controlled Organic Microlaser Switch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Zhenhua; Zhang, Wei; Yan, Yongli; Yi, Jun; Dong, Haiyun; Wang, Kang; Yao, Jiannian; Zhao, Yong Sheng

    2018-05-25

    Microscale laser switches have been playing irreplaceable roles in the development of photonic devices with high integration levels. However, it remains a challenge to switch the lasing wavelengths across a wide range due to relatively fixed energy bands in traditional semiconductors. Here, we report a strategy to switch the lasing wavelengths among multiple states based on a proton-controlled intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) process in organic dye-doped flexible microsphere resonant cavities. The protonic acids can effectively bind onto the ICT molecules, which thus enhance the ICT strength of the dyes and lead to a red-shifted gain behavior. On this basis, the gain region was effectively modulated by using acids with different proton-donating ability, and as a result, laser switching among multiple wavelengths was achieved. The results will provide guidance for the rational design of miniaturized lasers with performances based on the characteristic of organic optoelectronic materials.