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A novel voltage-doubling circuit with parallel-resonant dc–dc converter is proposed. The converter consists of full-bridge inverter, resonant tank, high-frequency high-voltage transformer, and voltage-doubling circuit. In the high-voltage applications, low-output voltage ripple has been given much attention. The output voltage step-up ratio is increased by two parts. One is a high-frequency high-voltage transformer and the other is a voltage-doubling circuit. The novel voltage-doubling circuit can not only reach a higher output voltage but also reduce output ripple to a lower level than the conventional one. Therefore, while maintaining the same output voltage, the transformer's turn ratio can be reduced compared with the conventional voltage-doubling circuit. The output power can be adjusted by the phase-shift control technique. In addition, combining this technique with the parallel resonant tank can make all the switches achieve zero voltage turn on (ZVS). The operating principles, steady-state analysis, and the parameter designs are discussed in this paper. Finally, a prototype circuit with 400-V input voltage, 40-kV output voltage, and 300-W output power is developed in the laboratory to verify the performance of the proposed converter. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models have become powerful tools because they better simulate the in vivo pathophysiological microenvironment than traditional two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cultures. Tumor cells cultured in a 3D system as multicellular cancer aggregates (MCAs) recapitulate several critical in vivo characteristics that enable the study of biological functions and drug discovery. The microwell, in particular, has emerged as a revolutionary technology in the generation of MCAs as it provides geometrically defined microstructures for culturing size-controlled MCAs amenable for various downstream functional assays. This paper presents a simple and economical microwell fabrication methodology that can be conveniently incorporated into a conventional laboratory setting and used for the discovery of therapeutic interventions for liver cancer. The microwells were 400–700 µm in diameter, and hepatic MCAs (Huh-7 cells) were cultured in them for up to 5 days, over which time they grew to 250–520 µm with good viability and shape. The integrability of the microwell fabrication with a high-throughput workflow was demonstrated using a standard 96-well plate for proof-of-concept drug screening. The IC50 of doxorubicin was determined to be 9.3 µM under 2D conditions and 42.8 µM under 3D conditions. The application of photothermal treatment was demonstrated by optimizing concanavalin A-FITC conjugated silica-carbon hollow spheres (SCHSs) at a concentration of 500:200 µg/mL after a 2 h incubation to best bind with MCAs. Based on this concentration, which was appropriate for further photothermal treatment, the relative cell viability was assessed through exposure to a 3 W/cm2 near-infrared laser for 20 min. The relative fluorescence intensity showed an eight-fold reduction in cell viability, confirming the feasibility of using photothermal treatment as a potential therapeutic intervention. The proposed microwell integration is envisioned to serve as a simple in-house technique for the generation of MCAs useful for discovering therapeutic modalities for liver cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]