Impedance estimation of photovoltaic modules for inverter start-up analysis

Starting-up of photovoltaic (PV) inverters involves pre-charging of the input dc bus capacitance. Ideally, direct pre-charging of this capacitance from the PV modules is possible as the PV modules are current limited. Practically, the parasitic elements of the system such as the PV module capacitance, effective wire inductance and resistance determine the start-up transient. The start-up transient is also affected by the contactor connecting the PV modules to the inverter input dc bus. In this work, the start-up current and voltages are measured experimentally for different parallel and series connections of the PV modules. These measurements are used to estimate the stray elements, namely the PV module capacitance, effective inductance and resistance. The estimation is based on a linear small-signal model of the start-up conditions. The effect of different connections of the PV modules and the effect of varying irradiation on the scaling of the values of the stray elements are quantified. The System model is further refined by inclusion of connecting cable capacitance and contactor resistance. Dynamics of the resulting fifth-order model are seen to be consistent with those of the simplified third-order model. The analysis of this paper can be used to estimate the expected peak inrush current in PV inverters. It can also be used to arrive at a detailed modelling of PV modules to evaluate the transient behaviour.     

Effect of a Hydrophilic PEO–PPO–PEO Copolymer on Cetyltrimethyl Ammonium Tosylate Solutions in Water

Cetyltrimethyl ammonium tosylate (CTAT) in water forms long flexible wormlike micelles at concentrations above 10 mM, leading to highly viscous solutions and viscoelastic stiff gels above 100 mM. In the presence of a nonmicellar hydrophilic PEO–PPO–PEO triblock copolymer F87 (TBC-F87, Total mol.wt. = 7,700, EO = 70%) these wormlike micelles RE transformed into smaller structures, as evident from a sharp decrease in viscosity and increase in specific conductance. These results are quantified by small angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements. The PPO middle block of TBC-F87 gets inserted in the CTAT micelle, the size and total aggregation number of CTAT/TBC-F87 mixed micelles decreased but the number of TBC-F87 molecules in the mixed micelles increased with an increase in [TBC-F87]. Two break points in the typical specific conductance versus CTAT concentration plot at various [TBC-F87] amounts represent interactions between CTAT and TBC-F87. The penetration of PPO of TBC-F87 inside CTAT micelles decreases hydrophobicity of the core while the presence of PEO end blocks enhances hydrophilicity each favoring smaller micelles.     

Molecularly Targeted Agents as Radiosensitizers in Cancer Therapy—Focus on Prostate Cancer

As our understanding of the molecular pathways driving tumorigenesis improves and more druggable targets are identified, we have witnessed a concomitant increase in the development and production of novel molecularly targeted agents. Radiotherapy is commonly used in the treatment of various malignancies with a prominent role in the care of prostate cancer patients, and efforts to improve the therapeutic ratio of radiation by technologic and pharmacologic means have led to important advances in cancer care. One promising approach is to combine molecularly targeted systemic agents with radiotherapy to improve tumor response rates and likelihood of durable control. This review first explores the limitations of preclinical studies as well as barriers to successful implementation of clinical trials with radiosensitizers. Special considerations related to and recommendations for the design of preclinical studies and clinical trials involving molecularly targeted agents combined with radiotherapy are provided. We then apply these concepts by reviewing a representative set of targeted therapies that show promise as radiosensitizers in the treatment of prostate cancer.     

Protective CVD Mullite Coatings on Single-Crystal Silicon Substrates

Silicon has long been the primary material of choice for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and integrated circuit (IC) applications. However, it is prone to degradation under severe conditions such as high humidity, high temperature, and corrosive environments. To overcome such extreme conditions and help silicon perform with stability and extended lifetimes, a protection layer is proposed. Mullite (3Al₂O₃·2SiO₂) is a known environmental barrier coating (EBC) material and has been shown to be effective on other Si-based ceramic materials. In this work, dense, high-purity crystalline mullite coatings were deposited onto single-crystal silicon substrates via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The microstructure, orientation preference, and adhesion of these coatings were investigated. Substrate integrity in relation to the substrate/coating interface by chemical etching and coating stability in a simulated severe environment under corrosive alkali salts were investigated.     

Differential cross section calculations of positron and electron impact ionization of Ar (3p)

We report the distorted wave Born approximation results of triple differential cross section of Ar (3p) by positron and electron impact. We compare the results of our calculations with the recent available experimental and theoretical results. We also provide a comparison of our positron impact ionization results with the electron impact ionization results to understand the effect of projectile charge on the projectile-target interaction.     

The Impact of Infostation Density on Vehicular Data Dissemination

Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Roadside communications are going to become an indispensable part of the modern day automotive experience. For people on the move, vehicular networks can provide critical network connectivity and access to real-time information. Infostations play a vital role in these networks by acting as gateways to the Internet and by extending network connectivity. In this context, an important question is “What is the minimum number of infostations that need to be deployed in an area in order to support vehicular applications?” Optimizing infostation density is vital to understanding and reducing the cost of deployment and management. In this paper, we examine the required infostation density in a highway scenario using different data dissemination models. We start from a simple analysis that captures the required density under idealized assumptions. These models are validated by an event-driven simulator. We then run detailed QualNet simulations on both controlled and realistic vehicular traces to observe the information density trends in practical environments, and consequently propose techniques to improve dissemination performance and reduce the required infostation density.     

Chemical composition and antifungal activity of essential oils from three Himalayan Erigeron species

Three Himalayan Erigeron (Asteraceae) species viz Erigeron mucronatus, Erigeron annuus and Erigeron karwinskianus growing in sub-alpine region revealed occurrence of isomeric polyacetylenic constituents viz., matricaria and lachnophyllum esters which accounted for 83.3%, 69.3% and 30.1% of the essential oils from these species, respectively, in addition to mono- and sesquiterpenoids as minor constituents. The antifungal activity tested by poisoned food (PF) techniques against Fusarium oxysporum, Helminthosporium maydis, Rhizoctonia solani, Alternaria solani and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum demonstrated significant inhibition of the mycelial growth of all strains (p < 0.05). The oils (500 μg/mL) showed significant antifungal effect against tested fungi in the growth inhibition range of 37.6–85.5% with respective IC₅₀ values ranging from 88.8 to 660.0 μg/mL as compared to standard fungicides (100% inhibition) with IC₅₀ value in the range of 32.2–129.4 μg/mL. Significant inhibition of spore germination was noticed for F. oxysporum, Curvularia lunata and Albugo candida which were highly susceptible to E. annuus oil with their IC₅₀ values 120.7, 253.5 and 300.4 μg/mL, respectively. Thus, the results obtained in this study demonstrate the potential of essential oils from Himalayan Erigeron species as non-toxic, eco-friendly and biodegradable natural fungicides.     

印度印刷业概况

在过去的15年内，印度印刷业发生了天翻地覆的变化。1990年，印度发起了一场破除贸易壁垒，实现经济自由化的改革。为了使印度经济与全球经济更好地融合，印度加快了推进私人化的进程。在这场改革中，许多印度印刷企业开始引进最新的技术和设备，这也为印度印刷业打开了通向现代化的大门。在过去的15年中，印度的年平均综合增长速度超过了12％，而包装行业目前更是达到超过16％的增长速度。     

Effect of silicate adsorption on the double layer capacitance and exchange current density of the Pb/PbSO4 electrode reaction

Galvanostatic transients in the linear polarization domain have been used to analyse the variation of double layer capacitance and exchange current densities of the Pb/PbSO₄ electrode reaction at various states-of-charge (SOC) values. From these data, the potential-dependence of double layer capacitance has been evaluated as a function of SOC. Interesting changes have been observed in the double-layer capacitance and exchange current densities as a result of immobilization of the electrolyte.     

Fabrication of low defect density 3C-SiC on SiO2 structures using wafer bonding techniques

This paper reports on a process to fabricate single-crystal 3C-SiC on SiO₂ structures using a wafer bonding technique. The process uses the bonding of two polished polysilicon surfaces as a means to transfer a heteroepitaxial 3C-SiC film grown on a Si wafer to a thermally oxidized Si wafer. Transfer yields of up to 80% for 4 inch diameter 3C-SiC films have been achieved. Homoepitaxial 3C-SiC films grown on the 3C-SiC on SiO₂ structures have a much lower defect density than conventional 3C-SiC on Si films.