Small-signal modeling and control of the quasi-square-wave boostconverter

Sampled-data techniques are used to examine the dynamic characteristics and closed-loop performance of the quasi-square-wave boost converter. Direct duty-ratio control and current-mode control are considered. With direct duty-ratio control, the system poles remain well damped under all load conditions, and there is no zero in the control-to-output transfer function. Good closed-loop performance is therefore achieved. Under current-mode control, the requirement for a stabilizing ramp is seen to depend on load conditions, and the achievable voltage control-loop bandwidth is smaller than that using direct duty-ratio control; however, there is a significant reduction in the magnitude of the DC source to output-voltage frequency response     

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies of Silicon Carbide Polytypes

The ²⁹Si MAS NMR spectra of the 2H, 4H, 6H, and 3C polytypes of silicon carbide are presented. An attempt is made to correlate differences in the chemical shifts with local atomic environment. The results of the analysis of the spectra of pure polytypes are used as a basic for the interpretation of the spectra of mixed polytypes and a discussion of the crystallinity and impurity levels of different samples. Carbon-13 chemical shifts obtained from spectra of the same polytypes are also tabulated.     

Capacitated, finish-to-order production planning with customer ordering day assignments

We examine the production and ordering fulfillment system of a firm offering a large variety of products to time-sensitive customers. The firm wants to combine a finish-to-order strategy with an existing customer ordering system. The finish-to-order policy guarantees significant inventory savings due to the large number of end-product offerings, but it may also increase setup costs due to a short delivery commitment. The ordering system assigns periodic ordering dates to customers, encourages them to place their orders only on these dates, and promises them the same short delivery time irrespective of their geographic locations. The ordering system facilitates a smooth capacity load as well as transportation economies by allowing shipments to each location once during each ordering cycle. We propose a formulation for the combinatorial problem of choosing an ordering-day assignment and a finish-to-order production schedule that minimizes setup costs and maintains a balanced capacity load. We examine a Lagrangian relaxation of this formulation and heuristic solutions based on our relaxation. Our numerical work demonstrates that our best heuristic differs from the optimal solution by 5% on average for small problems (with up to 10 products and 10 customers). Moreover, we show that the difference between the objective value of the relaxation and that of the best heuristic decreases significantly as the problem size increases, being as low as 4% on average for problems with 30 products and 30 customers.     

Rhodopsin mutations in autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited progressive disease which is a major cause of blindness in western communities. It can be inherited as an autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or X-linked recessive disorder. In the autosomal dominant form (adRP), which comprises about 25% of total cases, approximately 30% of families have mutations in the gene encoding the rod photoreceptor-specific protein rhodopsin. This is the transmembrane protein which, when photoexcited, initiates the visual transduction cascade. So far, 41 single-base-pair (bp) substitutions, one two-bp substitution, and four deletions ranging from 3 to 42 bp have been identified in this gene. These mutations do not appear to be significantly clustered in a specific part of the protein, but occur in all three major domains, namely the intradiscal, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic regions. Different mutations appear to cause differences in the severity of the disease, though there is considerable variability in severity even within the same family, at least in certain of these mutations. Identification of all the mutations involved in rhodopsin-RP should allow accurate and early detection of affected individuals, informed genetic counselling, as well as furthering our knowledge of the disease process involved.     

German Materials Science: A self-portrait

An influential and refreshingly frank report on the state of health of non-university materials research in Germany has recently been published. National Research Centers, Max Planck Institutes, and Fraunhofer Institutes are among the organizations covered. Recommendations are made on the basis of materials type, and on the performances of the individual institutes. The conclusions of this self-portrait, painted by representatives of the organizations themselves along with participants from the universities, industry, and state, will provide food for thought for both German materials scientists and those in other European countries concerned with the future development of this crucial economic sector.