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This article deals with a single-phase inverter topology evaluation for a non-axisymmetric in-vessel coil system in a tokamak. An IGBT-based power converter topology is investigated to supply the magnetic system composed of several independent coils. The dc-ac converter topology used for a single coil consists of a single-phase inverter with an interleaved leg and unfolding switching strategy. The converter operation and control investigation are carried out with a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) approach. In the paper, the main control design requests and the issues of this application are explored. Then, the effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated by the HIL. Furthermore, the selection criteria for the power switches are discussed.

Food security is one of the biggest challenges for the next few decades, especially with the accelerated population growth rates. Therefore, achieving a better nutrient use efficiency is crucial to enhance crop yields and productivity, which depend directly on how macronutrients are supplied. It is notably complex because fertilizers are often applied as granules instead of more soluble powdered forms. Here, we propose a new model for an all-in-one NPK fertilizer production, which allows quickly adjustable compositions in multi-nutrient granules. Thus, thermoplastic starch has been used as a biodegradable matrix binder mixed with the fertilizers in a continuous process by extrusion. Urea and KCl were considered as N and K sources, respectively. P sources with different solubilities (triple superphosphate (TSP) and Bayovar and Patos phosphate rocks) have been tested and compared. The greenhouse experiment revealed that the TSP composite promoted superior biomass production than the standard application, in addition to an overall better nutrient uptake. While Bayovar did not benefit from the all-in-one granule, Patos results were improved in this system, revealing a boost in its solubilization.

In the present work, a reduced order model (ROM) for aeroelastic analysis linearized around non-linear steady solutions has been assessed and implemented to perform high-fidelity predictions, in particular for transonic flow. The ROM has been specifically adopted for identifying the unsteady aerodynamics by means of a modal-based approach. This goal has been achieved by performing a series of prescribed modal-transient boundary conditions on a Euler-based computational fluid-dynamics code and then post-processing the input/output data in the frequency domain. A fast and efficient morphing code based on the use of radial basis functions has been introduced at this phase of the procedure to reach a wide range of applicability for significant cases with complex geometries as in the case of aeronautical and space vehicles. Flutter boundaries have been investigated by capturing the so-called transonic dip phenomenon, mainly due to compressibility and evidenced in the literature also by wind tunnel tests. Comparisons of the present results with linear lower fidelity approaches, based on potential flows, have demonstrated the capabilities of the proposed ROM. Finally, in order to show the general-purpose applicability of the proposed approach, the method has been applied to the aeroelastic analysis of a launch vehicle. For this application no commercial codes for linear aeroelastic analysis are available for comparisons.

Abstract.The current study investigated individual differences in the flexibility of peripersonalspace (i.e., representational space near the body), specifically in relation to trait claustrophobic fear (i.e., fear of suffocating or being physically restricted). Participants completed a line bisection task with either a laser pointer (Laser condition), allowing for a baseline measure of the size of one’s peripersonal space, or a stick (Stick condition), which produces expansion of one’s peripersonal space. Our results revealed that individuals high in claustrophobic fear had larger peripersonal spaces than those lower in claustrophobic fear, replicating previous research. We also found that, whereas individuals low in claustrophobic fear demonstrated the expected expansion of peripersonal space in the Stick condition, individuals high in claustrophobic fear showed less expansion, suggesting decreased flexibility. We discuss these findings in relation to the defensive function of peripersonal space and reduced attentional flexibility associated with trait anxieties.

Despite general agreement that number and other magnitudes share analog format, there is disagreement about the extent to which representations of numerical and non-numerical magnitude recruit common cognitive and neural resources. Cross-dimensional interactions between number and other magnitudes on Stroop-like tasks have been taken as evidence for integration across magnitudes, but such effects are subject to alternative interpretations that allow for differentiated representations. Here we use a subliminal priming paradigm to test for interactions between different magnitudes (number and area) when one magnitude is not consciously detectable. Across two experiments, we first provide evidence for the feasibility of this paradigm by demonstrating that transfer occurs within the dimension of number; that is, symbolic numerals (Arabic digits) that were subliminally primed affected judgments of non-symbolic numerosities in target displays. Crucially, we also found transfer across magnitudes—from subliminally primed numerals to target displays of cumulative surface area whether participants made an ordinal judgment (i.e., “which array is larger in area?”) or judged whether two arrays were the same or different in area. These findings suggest that representations of number and area are not fully differentiated. Moreover, they provide unique support for a general magnitude system that includes direct connections, or overlap, between the neural codes for numerical and non-numerical magnitudes.

Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease characterized by keratinocyte proliferation and inflammatory cell infiltration induced by IL-17. However, the molecular mechanism through which IL-17 signaling in keratinocytes triggers skin inflammation remains not fully understood. Pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), a glycolytic enzyme, has been shown to have non-metabolic functions. Here, we report that PKM2 mediates IL-17A signaling in keratinocytes triggering skin psoriatic inflammation. We find high expression of PKM2 in the epidermis of psoriatic patients and mice undergoing psoriasis models. Specific depletion of PKM2 in keratinocytes attenuates the development of experimental psoriasis by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory mediators. Mechanistically, PKM2 forms a complex with Act1 and TRAF6 regulating NF-κB transcriptional signaling downstream of the IL-17 receptor. As IL-17 also induces PKM2 expression in keratinocytes, our findings reveal a sustained signaling circuit critical for the psoriasis-driving effects of IL-17A, suggesting that PKM2 is a potential therapeutic target for psoriasis.

Spatial cognition plays an essential role in everyday functioning and provides a foundation for successful performance in scientific and technological fields. Reasoning about space involves processing information about distance, angles, and direction. Starting from infancy, children display sensitivity to these spatial properties, although their initial skills are quite limited. Subsequent development during early childhood and through the elementary school years involves gradual improvement in the use of individual frames of reference (i.e., egocentricand allocentric), as well as in the ability to flexibly combine different types of spatial information. Similarly, there is a relatively long progression from the starting points, when infants and young children display sensitivity to distance and form simple spatial categories, to more mature spatial competence when older children and adults integrate distance and categorical information hierarchically. Such developments are associated with both the maturation of specific brain regions and accumulating experience, including interactions with the physical world and the acquisition of cultural tools. In particular, the mastery of symbolic spatial representations, such as maps and models, significantly augments basic spatial capabilities. While growing evidence implicates both biological and experiential factors in the development of spatial cognition, a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the developmental process requires further investigation of how such factors interact to produce organisms that function competently in their environments. WIREs Cogn Sci2012, 3:349–362. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1171

Regional skin hypoplasia has been described in several genetic syndromes, including focal dermal hypoplasia (FDH), microphthalmia with linear skin defects (MLS), oculocerebrocutaneous syndrome (OCCS), and terminal osseous dysplasia and pigmentary defects (TODP). All but OCCS have been reported to follow an X-linked inheritance pattern. We describe a 14-year-old girl with clinical features overlapping with these disorders. She had mild mental retardation, macrocephaly, microphthalmia, right-sided morning glory optic disc anomaly, palmar and lip pits, and polysyndactyly. A swirling pattern of skin hypopigmentation, papular hypopigmented and herniated skin lesions reminiscent of FDH most prominent over her face, head, hands, and feet was evident. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed polymicrogyria (most severely in the perisylvian and mesial frontal regions), enlarged left lateral ventricle, partial agenesis of the corpus callosum, and optic nerve tumor on the right. Dermatopathologic examination of the skin lesions was consistent with basaloid follicular hamartomas. The skin and digit anomalies observed overlap with FDH, but polymicrogyria, basaloid follicular hamartomas, optic nerve tumor, and morning glory anomaly have not previously been described in FDH. Skin defects in MLS are linear and the eyes typically have sclerocornea. Polymicrogyria has been described in OCCS, but not in any of the other three syndromes. The limb anomalies in TODP are reductions rather than polysyndactyly. Skin defects are localized to the face, and digital fibromas usually occur. While significant overlap exists between all four of the syndromes discussed, we believe that the constellation of anomalies observed in this girl most likely comprises a newly recognized syndrome. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The activity of CGP 31608 for 53 strains of Staphylococcus aureus and 48 strains of S. epidermidis, both methicillin susceptible and resistant, was compared with that of vancomycin, nafcillin, cefamandole, and imipenem. Microdilution MICs were determined in Mueller-Hinton broth with or without 2.5% NaCl at an inoculum of 3 x 10(5) CFU/ml with a 20-h, 37 degrees C incubation. The MICs of imipenem and CGP 31608 for methicillin-resistant strains were lower than the MICs of nafcillin or cefamandole for these strains; these differences diminished in the presence of 2.5% NaCl. Subpopulations were detected in strains of methicillin-resistant S. aureus and S. epidermidis that were resistant to all the beta-lactam antibiotics tested at 5 micrograms/ml. This resistant subpopulation produced progeny that were uniformly resistant to high concentrations of each of the beta-lactams.

The fluid dynamic and thermal fields in a two-dimensional annulus between horizontally eccentric cylinders ( Ro/ Rin = 2.36) are numerically studied in laminar steady conditions. The Navier-Stokes equations with Boussinesq approximation are solved for a typical fluid with Pr = 0.71, 0.53 X 104 ≤ RaL ≤ 8.27 X 104, and a wide eccentricity range ( 0 ≤ e < 1 ). The governing equations are written in primitive variable form to avoid the enforcement of the additional integral condition for the pressure single valuedness. The horizontal eccentricity of the inner cylinder gives, in contrast with known numerical results, a nonzero azimuthal flow rate in the channel between the two cylinders and substantially alters the thermal field and the geometry of the plume. Comparisons with available numerical and experimental results for concentric and horizontally eccentric configurations are presented and discussed.

The problem of combined buoyancy and thermocapillary convection in an upright cube with a stop free surface is solved numerically. All other walls are considered to be solid and impermeable. The side walls are at uniform but different temperatures, while all other surfaces are adiabatic. The top surface deformation and interactions with the gaseous phase above are neglected. The Navier-Stokes, continuity, and energy equations are cast in the velocity-vorticity formulation and are discretized by using finite difference approximations. The solution procedure is of a three-level alternating direction implicit scheme. In order to save on computational cost, the equations were marched in time using the false transient technique. A typical 81 × 81 × 61 uniform staggered mesh has been used in the numerical computations, which were performed in double precision on a workstation. Results will be presented for a typical fluid with a low Prandtl number (Pr = 0.01). The effects of positive and negative Marangoni numbers on the three-dimensional convection at different Grashof numbers will be considered and discussed.

A numerical study of solidification of gallium in a closed cavity is presented and the influence of natural convection on phase change is investigated.The mathematical formulation is based on the enthalpy-porosity method, while the equations are discretized on a fixed grid by means of a finite volume technique. Advancing in time is obtained using the SIMPLE algorithm, while the solution of the elliptic equation for pressure correction is obtained by means of a preconditioned BI-CGStab method.As a test case a square cavity with Ra ranging from 4.68 × 103 to 9.36 × 105 is adopted. Results will be presented in terms of streamlines, isotherms, solid-liquid interface position and Nu and compared, when possible with available data.

In this paper an improved formulation of the equilibrium equation for the free surface is presented which eliminates the need to evaluate the constant pressure effect. This has then been used in conjunction with a vorticity-velocity formulation discretized using a curvilinear coordinate system in two dimensions. The system of non-linear equations resulting from the discretization of field equations, the free surface displacement, and mesh description are solved simultaneously using Newton's method. This method has been validated using a number of previously reported test cases. The techniques presented have been used to study the effects of free surface deformation and fluid/solid contact angle on combined buoyancy and thermocapillary convection in a steel container filled with water.

In this paper the authors investigate how the autonomous agents methodology can be used for modeling and simulation of urban traffic systems. The proposed approach allows to directly include subjective measures for characterizing drivers’ behavior throgh a specific information set, different goals and different strategies. A description of the basic agent models as: driver, traffic-light and toll is reported. An object oriented modeling and simulation environment has been implemented in JAVA in order to allow the system to run on different platforms. Moreover JAVA, through is multithread structure is particular well suited to the representation of a multiagent population.

A fully implicit method for the solution of time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations written in terms of vorticity and velocity is presented. The field equations are discretized using second-order finite-difference technique and cast into a large sparse linear system. The numerical solution of the algebraic problem generated is obtained using a preconditioned Bi-CGSTAB method. The numerical method, developed mainly for the solution of true transient problems, also shows good stability behavior at high Rayleigh numbers. Sample results are presented for the window cavity at 104 ≤ Ra ≤ 108 and an oscillatory flow in liquid metal.

A new method for the numerical solution of the 3D Navier-Stokes equations written in terms of vorticity-velocity is presented. The advantages of this formulation with respect to primitive variables and vorticity-vector-potential ones are discussed in view of physical as well as engineering applications. A suitable form of the continuum equations, the most appropriate discretization scheme, and variable location in order to guarantee the solenoidality of the velocity and vorticity fields are introduced and justified. A 3D lid driven cavity problem for 400  Re  3200 is chosen as a test case for comparison and validation purposes. A parallel implementation of the method as been performed on a shared memory architecture mainframe. Speedup results and efficiency considerations are given and discussed. Copyright 1993, 1999 Academic Press

Several letters to the editor are presented related to pair of cowboy boots, coaching of girls track and field team, and job in orange juice factory, published in a previous issue of 2016.

Findings from diverse fields of study, including neuroscience, psychology, zoology, and sociology, demonstrate that human and non‐human primates maintain a representation of the space immediately surrounding the body, known as peripersonal space (PPS). However, progress in this field has been hampered by the lack of an agreed upon definition of PPS. Since the beginning of its formal study, scientists have argued that PPS plays a crucial role in both defensive and non‐defensive actions. Yet consensus is lacking about the cognitive and neural instantiation of these functions. In particular, researchers have begun to ask whether a single, unified system of spatial‐attentional resources supports both the defensive and non‐defensive functions of PPS or, rather, whether there are multiple, independent systems. Moreover, there are open questions about the specificity of PPS. For example: Does PPS dissociate from other well‐known phenomena such as personal space and the body schema? Finally, emerging research has brought attention to important questions about individual differences in the flexibility of PPS and the distribution of PPS in front compared to behind the body. In this advanced review, we shed light on questions about the nature of PPS, offering answers when the research permits or providing recommendations for achieving answers in future research. In so doing, we lay the groundwork for a comprehensive definition of PPS. This article is categorized under: Cognitive Biology > Evolutionary Roots of CognitionPsychology > AttentionPsychology > Perception and PsychophysicsNeuroscience > Plasticity

Background. The stomach is the most frequent site of intestinal lymphomas. However, few data are available on the clinical-endoscopic presentation of gastric lymphoma as well as on possible differences in clinical pattern and endoscopic features between low-grade (LG) and high-grade (HG) lymphomas. In this study, we evaluated such aspects on consecutive primary gastric lymphoma patients observed in the last 12 years (1993–2004) in four Italian Hospitals (1 North, 2 Centre, 2 South). Methods. Clinical, histological, and endocospic records of consecutive patients diagnosed with LG or HG gastric lymphoma were retrieved and accurately evaluated. Symptoms were categorized as “alarm” (anaemia/melaena/heamorrage, persistent vomiting, weight loss) or “no alarm” (epigastric/abdominal pain, heartburn, dyspepsia/bloating). The endoscopic findings were classified as “normal” (no macroscopic lesions) or “abnormal” (ulcer, erosions, nodular pattern, hypertrophic folds, polypoid mass). Statistical analysis was carried out by using the Chi squared test. Results. During the study period, 143 patients with primary gastric lymphoma were detected. Overall, 61 patients were observed in the first 6 years and 82 in the last 6 years. The main results of the study are summarized in the table 1. Conclusions. The incidence of primary gastric lymphoma seems to be increasing. The overall prevalence of alarm symptoms is quite low, and they may be absent in near 75% of LG lymphoma patients. Moreover, contrarily to HG, LG lymphoma may present as a normal endoscopic finding and it is more frequently associated with H. pylori infection. At diagnosis, HG lymphoma is more frequently detected in an advanced stage as compared to LG lymphoma. Overall (143 patients) LG lymphoma (73 patients) HG lymphoma (70 patients) P value Age (mean ± SD) yrs 59.5 ± 14.2 59.4 ± 13.3 59.7 ± 15.1 0.4 Sex (M /F) 83/60 44/29 39/31 0.6 Alarm symptoms 57 (40%) 19 (26%) 38 (54%) 0.0009 Normal endoscopy 15 (10%) 15 (20%) 0 (0%) 0.0004 H. pylori infection 66 (73%) 47 (86%) 27 (39%) <0.0001 Stage (IA />IA) 78/65 58/15 20/50 <0.0001