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The modular construction industry struggles to implement the modularization strategy appropriately due to a poor understanding of the differences between stick-built and modular construction methods and unique modular challenges. Among many modular challenges, transporting prefinished volumetric modules is one of the underinvestigated key challenges—the conventional methods for module transportation [e.g., truck, self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT), and so on), although fitting for projects comprising multiple modules, are not ideal for projects with fewer modules and limited jobsite space. This study investigates hydraulic jacks and trailer bogie as the potential alternative transporting and module lifting/offloading methods by examining how the prefinished volumetric housing module is affected during the lifting, transporting (on-road and jobsite), and offloading phases of transportation. A sensor was installed on the volumetric housing module to record transportation-induced shocks in front-to-back tilt and left-to-right roll, deformation, and impact. The peaks and lows recorded for tilt and roll during each transportation phase were 42, 57, 1, and 0, and 346, 70, 6, and 14, respectively. The results indicated that impacts to the module were more directly associated with left-to-right rolls than front-to-back tilt, because high rolls primarily reflected the module making wide turns, whereas no deformation or impact was recorded. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by highlighting the hydraulic jack and trailer bogie as potential alternatives to the conventional crane and truck under certain conditions through the assessment of the transportation-induced impact on the prefinished volumetric housing module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Solid pseudopapillary neoplasms (SPNs) are rare and mainly originate from the pancreas. SPNs originating from the ovary (SPN-O) are extremely rare, and only 13 cases have been reported in the English literature since 2010. Case: We report a 31-year-old woman with SPN-O accompanied by multiple metastases in the abdominal cavity. The patient underwent staging surgery and cytoreduction. Furthermore, the multidisciplinary board decided on adjuvant chemotherapy with an FP regimen (fluorouracil plus cisplatin) because a microscopic metastasis was discovered in the peritoneum near the appendix. Next-generation sequencing showed some pathologic mutations of oncogenes/cancer-associated genes, including CTNNB1 and TP53. This is the fourteenth case of SPN-O and the first one to demonstrate the TP53 pathogenic mutant variant in SPN-O. The patient showed 8 months of disease-free survival until February 2024. Conclusion: The combination of R0 cytoreduction with FOLFIRI chemotherapy appears to be an effective and feasible treatment option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempted to implement the pulse power supply and ignition circuits of a xenon flash lamp in intense pulsed light (IPL) systems used in electronic printing. Owing to the unique load characteristics of the xenon flash lamp, a special power supply design is essential to drive it. Specifically, the pulse power supply integrates the LCC resonant converter-based charging unit, designed to achieve high efficiency and high-power density charging, and a discharging unit, comprising the discharging IGBT and RDC snubber circuits, to realize stable pulse transfer to the load. For the ignition process, the high-voltage output trigger was designed based on the Cockcroft–Walton voltage multiplier. Meanwhile, the simmer was adopted as the step-down LCC resonant converter with the characteristics of both voltage and current sources to maintain the xenon flash lamp ignition. An auxiliary ignition circuit based on a boost-type resonant circuit was also added to stabilize the simmer output during ignition. In this study, we analyzed the sequence of operating the xenon lamp for ignition and light sintering by designing and developing appropriate parameters for each specification. Finally, the implemented power supply was verified through simulated load, and the xenon flash lamp was confirmed to be turned on normally through experiments. Additionally, the reliability was verified by applying the proposed device to the IPL system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a frequency regulation is proposed that adjusts the release of rotational kinetic energy to ensure that a wind turbine remains near the maximum power point in the event of persistent under-frequency. The proposed scheme calculates wind turbine power by multiplying the frequency deviation with the variable control gain and then adding the resulting value to the torque controller power. Considering the operational characteristics of the wind turbine, separate control gains are applied in both the over-frequency section (OFS) and the under-frequency section (UFS). When the rotor speed approaches the maximum power point (MPP), the UFS control gain decreases, causing the wind turbine to gradually transition to maximum power point tracking (MPPT). This overcomes the limitations of conventional frequency regulation, enhancing both the power output of the wind turbine and the average grid frequency. To validate the proposed scheme, an IEEE 14 bus system, including a wind power plant and a photovoltaic plant, was simulated using the EMTP-RV simulator. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme effectively performs frequency regulation in the power grid regardless of the wind penetration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a groundbreaking power distribution technique that focuses on the loss rate of individual wind turbines. Distinct from conventional methods, our strategy prioritizes seamless integration and adaptability within wind farm management systems. By evaluating power losses in specific branches of a wind farm, our approach enhances overall performance by strategically allocating reactive power to reduce cumulative losses. When compared to traditional uniform distribution and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) methods, our innovative approach stands out for its superior efficiency and adaptability. Comprehensive simulations underline the strengths and weaknesses of prevailing methods and underscore the superior efficacy of our proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a 3-kW simmer and 30-kV dc trigger power supply system for driving xenon flash lamps in large-area processes. Simmer power supply is designed to output maximum of 3 kV for maintaining the lighting state of the lamp after having triggered and to supply low ripple current continuously for maintaining the ignited state. It is designed based on an LCC resonant converter and design and implementation of the high-voltage transformer and output rectifier are presented. For igniting xenon lamps, dc trigger is designed to output a maximum of 30 kV auxiliary trigger voltage. The system that both power supplies is operated by one main inverter is presented. Through the resistive-load test, it is verified that the simmer outputs 600 V, 5 A under rated-load condition and 120 V, 1 A under light-load conditions. It is also verified that the simmer outputs 3 kV and the dc trigger outputs 30 kV under the no-load condition.Finally, the simmer and dc trigger power supply system is applied to lighting various xenon lamps from single lamp (306 mm, 8Φ) to three series lamps (400 mm, 26Φ). Required output voltages for stable driving various types of xenon lamps in the lighting mode are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underground or submarine cables have a higher capacitance component than overhead lines, and they inject a large amount of capacitive reactive power into the system. A separate reactive power compensation device is required in order for a wind power plant (WPP) connected to the public network with a cable to meet the reactive power requirements required by the grid code. In this paper, a reactive power control using a variable shunt reactor (VSR) was proposed to satisfy the reactive power requirement required by the grid code for a WPP connected to the grid through a cable. The proposed reactive power control method compensates for the capacitive reactive power of the cable by using a VSR, and it follows the reactive power command through the reactive power control of a WPP. In the section where it is difficult to follow the WPP reactive power command only with the reactive power capacity of a WPP due to cable losses or a cable reactive power compensation error of the VSR, the reactive power control is additionally supported through the hysteresis control of the VSR. The proposed method satisfies the grid codes, and it enables fast and accurate reactive power control. The performance of the proposed method was verified through simulation using MATLAB/Simulink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The impact of Fermi level pinning on energy level alignment in PbS quantum dot is examined. • UPS analyses indicate that energetic position of PbS QD's gap-state to be c.a. 4.0 eV. • The pinning factors (S) for PbS QD-EDT and PbS-TBAI are empirically determined by UPS and LEIPES. • Higher S for PbS-EDT indicate the TBAI more effectively passivates the gap-state of PbS QD. PbS quantum dots capped by ethanedithiol (PbS QD-EDT) and tetrabutylammonium iodide (PbS QD-TBAI) and supported by different substrates were examined in terms of Fermi level pinning (FLP), gap states, and electron and hole barriers (Φ e and Φ h , respectively) using ultraviolet and low-energy inverse photoemission spectroscopy. The former analysis showed that TBAI and EDT differed in their ability to induce gap-state passivation, with the corresponding energy difference determined as 4.0 eV. Two FLP regimes were identified: at substrate work function (Ф sub) < 4.0 eV, both ligands showed perfect FLP (S ≈ 0 for holes and electrons), whereas at Ф sub > 4.0 eV, the pinning strength of PbS QD-EDT (S of Ф b,h and Ф b,e = 0.19 and 0.24, respectively) exceeded that of PbS QD-TBAI (S of Ф b,h and Ф b,e = 0.53 and 0.57, respectively). Thus, the gap states were more effectively passivated in the case of PbS QD-TBAI. Our results indicate the importance of considering FLP strength when working with high-work-function substrates for the design of optimized QD-based devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to evaluate whether a short distal resection margin (< 1 cm) was associated with local recurrence in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who underwent preoperative chemoradiotherapy. Patients with rectal cancer who underwent preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by curative surgery were divided into two groups based on the distal resection margin (≥ 1 cm and < 1 cm). In total, 507 patients were analyzed. The median follow-up duration was 48.9 months. The 3-year local recurrence rates were 2% and 8% in the ≥ 1 cm and < 1 cm groups, respectively (P < 0.001). Multivariable analysis revealed that a distal resection margin of < 1 cm was a significant risk factor for local recurrence (P = 0.008). Subgroup analysis revealed that a distal resection margin of < 1 cm was not an independent risk factor for local recurrence in the ypT0–1 group. However, among patients with tumor stages ypT2–4, the cumulative 3-year incidences of local recurrence were 2.3% and 9.8% in the ≥ 1 cm and < 1 cm groups, respectively (P = 0.01). A distal resection margin of < 1 cm might influence local recurrence rates in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer undergoing preoperative chemoradiotherapy, especially in patients with tumor stages ypT2–4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a bipolar pulse power modulator for high-efficiency production of plasma activated water (PAW). The proposed modulator is designed based on a power cell structure that has structural advantages of a power loop and control loop. Full-bridge based power cells are designed and 12 cells are connected in series. A power loop transformer is designed to deliver isolated power to all cells simultaneously without additional charging switches. A bipolar control loop structure is designed to supply the isolated power and signals required for 48 discharge switches through a pair of high voltage cables. The specifications of the modulator based on the proposed design produces a maximum output voltage and current of 10 kV/100 A, a pulsed width ranging from 0.6 to 10 μs, a maximum repetition rate of 3 kHz, and an average power of 2 kW. The bipolar modulator is tested under resistive and plasma reactor load conditions. In addition, a comparative experiment on the production efficiency of PAW between the proposed modulator and the existing modulator is performed under the same output power condition. Finally, the nitrate generation efficiency is 3.03 g/kWh, which is 1.7 times higher than the existing modulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When designing solid-state Marx modulators (SSMMs) with fast-rising nanosecond pulses, the gate-driving scheme for pulse discharge switches is one of the most important aspects to be considered. In this article, we propose a nanosecond current-loop gate-driving circuit for a synchronized fast gate drive of pulse discharge switches. The proposed circuit comprises an inverter, a current-loop cable, and discharge switch drivers. The inverter generates bipolar pulses that simultaneously provide driving power and fast triggering signals to all discharge switch drivers through the cable. The triggered discharge switch drivers rapidly turn on/off all discharge switches with accurate synchronization. In the inverter and discharge switch drivers, the fast gate-driving methods were used to overcome parasitic inductances and realize nanosecond operation. The concept and operational principles of the proposed gate-driving scheme are presented. To validate the performance and reliability of the SSMM using the proposed current-loop gate-driving circuit, a laboratory test on a 10-kV–70-A–50-kHz SSMM prototype was conducted, and the results were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We analyzed the safety and feasibility of preoperative short-course radiotherapy (SCRT) followed by consolidation chemotherapy for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Methods: From April 2018 to May 2019, 19 patients with LARC were treated with SCRT followed by three cycles of consolidation chemotherapy with leucovorin, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX6) before surgery. Adjuvant chemotherapy relied on oxaliplatin. Tumor response, patient compliance, and toxicities were analyzed. Results: The median age was 60 years (range 44–71), and 16 of the patients were male. The median tumor height was 5 cm (range 0–9) from anal verge. All patients received a total dose of 25 Gy in five fractions. The number of cycles of FOLFOX6 before surgery was three in 17, four in one, five in one. Five patients required dose reductions in consolidation chemotherapy. The median interval between initiation of SCRT and surgery was 10.6 weeks (range 8.6–16.4). A pathologic complete response was seen in two patients (11%). Grade III toxicities to the preoperative treatment were seen in five patients (26%): diarrhea in two, a decreased white blood cell count in one, and anemia in two. Postoperative complications arising within 30 days developed in five patients (26%). During the median follow-up period of 20.4 months, there was no tumor recurrence. Conclusion: Preoperative SCRT followed by oxaliplatin-based consolidation chemotherapy showed acceptable toxicity and feasibility in patients with LARC. Prospective randomized trials are warranted to verify the efficacy and safety of this treatment strategy compared with conventional long-course concurrent chemoradiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a modification and an experiment conducted on a solid-state pulsed power modulator (SSPPM) for medical linear particle accelerator (LINAC) applications. Depending on the operating condition of the magnetron, an existing design of an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)-based modulator is modified, from a positive pulse generator to a negative pulse generator. The design of the gate driver circuit of the pulse discharging IGBTs is also slightly changed to secure reliability against the arc condition. The developed modulator has the following maximum output—pulse voltage of −40 kV, pulse current of −100 A, pulsewidth of 5 μs, and pulse repetition rate of 250 Hz. By adapting the proposed design to the pulsed power modulator for driving the magnetron, high peak and average power densities of 43 kW/L and 48.9 W/L, respectively, can be achieved. The experimental results from various tests conducted using a resistor load, including a rated operation and an arc protection, verify the robustness and utility of the developed SSPPM for medical LINAC applications. An experiment using a 9.3-GHz 1.7-MW X-band magnetron is also conducted. The developed modulator achieved a successful arc protection operation for the arc generated in the waveguide during the magnetron drive test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a study on the high-voltage compact solid-state pulsed-power modulator for parallel reactor operation. The current capacity of the pulsed modulator has been improved to drive multiple reactors in parallel. The pulse discharge switch uses the IXYK120N120C3 (1200 V/120 A) insulated-gate bipolar transistor for a high current output. The gate driver has been improved according to the characteristics of the replaced switch. The output specifications of the modified pulsed-power modulator are a maximum output voltage of 40 kV, a maximum output current of 300 A, a pulsewidth ranging from 1.5 to $5~\mu \text{s}$ , a maximum repetition rate of 3 kHz, and an average power of 13 kW. The modulator has the dimensions of $450 \times 475 \times 600$ mm3, a maximum peak power of 12 MW, and a maximum power density of 93 kW/L. A resistive load experiment and a plasma reactor parallel drive test were performed. Four parallel reactors were driven using one modulator. In addition, a 50% reduction in the concentration of toluene was obtained through the experiment of the toluene gas treatment using only parallel plasma reactors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the design of a solid-state bipolar pulsed-power modulator based on a series of stacked power cells that realize a simple and robust structure. Each cell is charged in parallel by an LCC resonant converter independently of the discharging loop. A passive cell-balancing design is implemented. The power cell using insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) can operate in bypass mode without an additional component, and the circuit operation was analyzed. A simple gate driving method, which provides synchronized gate signals without an extra power source of each gate driver using two control loops and isolation transformers, is implemented for the proposed bipolar pulsed-power modulator based on stacked cells. Moreover, an unexpected gate turn-on problem was solved by an additional off signal. To validate the proposed structure and the gate driving scheme, a three-cell, 1.2-kV, 110-A, 1.5- to 4- $\mu \text{s}$ , 3-kHz laboratory experimental prototype test was conducted. The results proved the reliability of the proposed solid-state bipolar pulsed-power modulator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a 2.5-kW (500 V/5 A) simmer circuit for a xenon flash lamp driver. The simmer circuit is based on an LCC resonant converter to take advantage of minimal arc energy from the current source characteristic. The output under no load condition was analyzed. The converter minimizes filter size with high switching frequency through the use of zero-voltage switching and SiC power devices. A gate driver with variable dead time to assist soft switching was designed. The design criteria of variable dead time implemented through a simple RC circuit are presented. A PSpice simulation was performed to verify the parameter design. The simmer circuit was implemented based on the designed LCC converter. The circuit was tested at a resistive load under rated conditions (500 V/5 A) and open condition (1400 V/0 A). The Xenon flash lamp driver was implemented using the developed simmer circuit and trigger circuit. The prototype was tested to maintain the lamp under various simmering current conditions. The influence of the arc energy on the reliability of the triggering operation was proven by comparing the waveform for filter capacitor values. The experimental results verify that the designed circuit can be effectively used for simmering xenon flash lamps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an investigation of trigger circuits for xenon flash lamp drivers from the viewpoint of breakdown voltage, high-voltage isolation, and reliability. A comparative study of pulse trigger and DC trigger circuits is provided, focusing particularly on the circuit structure of each driver for high voltage isolation. Two kinds of trigger circuits for xenon flash lamp drivers are developed with a 2.5 kW (500 V/5 A) simmer circuit for maintaining the xenon lamp ionization. The structure of each trigger circuit is the series trigger type to obtain the advantages of the isolation structure. The outputs of the pulse and DC trigger circuits are measured as 21 kV 1.8 μs half-sine wave pulse and above 10 kV DC, respectively. The tests of xenon lamp ignition and the results of the comparison are discussed. The results prove that the both developed trigger circuits can be effectively used as xenon flash lamp drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional power supply systems for xenon lamps have only limited applicability in sintering, because sintering needs to drive the lamp itself as well as enable instantaneous and strong discharge of voltage and current for generating intense light. This implies that, for sintering applications, a method should be developed that would enable instantaneous and strong discharge of energy. In this paper, we propose a new xenon lamp sintering system with an additional capacitor charger and bank. The proposed system features three power supplies. Two power supplies, called the trigger and the simmer, ionize gaseous xenon using a 23-kV trigger pulse output and sustain the ionized xenon gas using a 2.5-kW simmer power supply. The used trigger is also specially designed to conduct high current through its transformer, and it makes the proposed system an outstanding high voltage blocking capability. Another 36-kW power supply charges a 130-mF capacitor bank with a high-efficiency resonant converter. In addition, some components such as the simmer blocking diode and the trigger output capacitor are introduced, because combining different power supplies causes operational problems. These components are analyzed with some circuits that show its features, and finally, the validity of the suggested system was confirmed in two steps. First, the simmer power supply and the capacitor charger were tested for the rated operating performance by using a resistive load condition. As a result, the rated operation of the simmer power supply was confirmed under the 2.5-kW output condition, and the efficiency of the capacitor charger was found to be greater than 96% at the rated 36-kW rated load condition. In addition, a pulse discharge current of 900 A was also observed with the equivalent resistor load through a pulsed discharge experiment of the capacitor bank, which was charged at 1500 V. The trigger power supply, whose equivalent resistive load was difficult to realize, was experimented directly using the real xenon lamp to check the stable trigger operation of the xenon lamp at its 23-kV output pulse voltage. After the verification using the resistive load condition, the real operation and performance of the combined xenon lamp power supply system that includes three kinds of power supplies were finally tested and verified by using the actual xenon lamp as a total system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design and implementation of novel trigger circuit (23 kV, $1.7~\mu \text{s}$ , and 0.66 J/pulse) for xenon flash lamp driver. The design is based on a modified flyback circuit in the discontinuous conduction mode to take advantage of both generating the high voltage from the resonance with output capacitor and connecting the series with main pulse circuit using the flyback transformer which can carry the full current of several kiloampere at high-voltage side. This design eliminates the requirement for additional high-voltage protection devices in a xenon flash lamp driver. In addition, the unique high-voltage flyback transformer is designed with high turn ratio and low leakage inductance. The detailed design procedure for the resonant circuit at the output side of the flyback circuit with the permissible range of the parasitic component of the transformer is described on the basis of simplified analysis of resonant circuit. To verify the proposed design, computer simulation based on PSpice software and experiments for the proposed triggering circuit with a main pulse circuit was performed. For the experiment, the trigger circuit is developed with the specification of maximum 23-kV, 0.66-J/pulse output and tested with a xenon flash lamp (Heraeus P4101) driver consisting of a 1.5-kV, 36-kJ/s main pulse circuit and a 2.5-kW (500 V, 5 A) simmer circuit. The experiment is performed in both triggering without the simmer mode and combining the simmer mode. From the simulation and experimental results, it is verified that the triggering circuit can be used effectively, as it exhibits reliable ignition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ship building companies are exposed to increasingly strict regulations on exhaust air from painting facilities, which current exhaust air treatment methods cannot adequately meet. We propose the use of a plasma system using a pulsed-power supply, which we constructed and tested at the painting facility of a ship building factory. Through gas chromatography and facility efficiency analysis, we found flexibility in design of the plasma system. We demonstrate the efficiency and safety of our plasma system, and emphasize the importance of posttreatment facilities for the secondary pollutant treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the design and experimental results of the 36-kW pulsed-power supply for the xenon flash lamp. The continuous conduction mode series-parallel resonant converter is modified. This means that not only the few hundred kilohertz of high switching frequency is introduced to replace the resonant inductor with the leakage inductor of transformer but also the high output current is accomplished by using three-phase delta-connected transformers. In addition, the snubber capacitor of the inverter switches and the power factor correction module is both omitted in the compact structure. Although these main components have changed, the efficiency and power factor of the rated dummy load reach 96% and 0.96%, respectively. Within 36-kW average power, the proposed pulsed-power supply can generate as versatile combination of output pulse. For example, it can generate 20-ms pulse with 1-Hz repetition rate or generate 1-ms pulse with 20-Hz repetition rate. The used insulated gate bipolar transistor is protected from the turn-OFF peak voltage by the snubber circuit, and the effect of the snubber circuit is shown at the actual load condition. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

High‐performance chiroptical synaptic phototransistors are successfully demonstrated using heterojunctions composed of a self‐assembled nanohelix of a π‐conjugated molecule and a metal oxide semiconductor. To impart strong chiroptical activity to the device, a diketopyrrolopyrrole‐based π‐conjugated molecule decorated with chiral glutamic acid is newly synthesized; this molecule is capable of supramolecular self‐assembly through noncovalent intermolecular interactions. In particular, nanohelix formed by intertwinded fibers with strong and stable chiroptical activity in a solid‐film state are obtained through hydrogen‐bonding‐driven, gelation‐assisted self‐assembly. Phototransistors based on interfacial charge transfer at the heterojunction from the chiroptical nanohelix to the metal oxide semiconductor show excellent chiroptical detection with a high photocurrent dissymmetry factor of 1.97 and a high photoresponsivity of 218 A W−1. The chiroptical phototransistor demonstrates photonic synapse‐like, time‐dependent photocurrent generation, along with persistent photoconductivity, which is attributed to the interfacial charge trapping. Through the advantage of synaptic functionality, a trained convolutional neural network successfully recognizes noise‐reduced circularly polarized images of handwritten alphabetic characters with better than 89.7% accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a novel SRAM circuit technique for simultaneously enhancing the cell operating margin and improving the circuit speed in low-voltage operation. During each access, the wordline and cell power node of selected SRAM cells are internally boosted into two different voltage levels. This technique with optimized boosting levels expands the read margin and the write margin to a sufficient amount without an increase of cell size. It also improves the SRAM circuit speed owing to an increase of the cell read-out current. A 256Kbit SRAM test chip with the proposed technique has been fabricated in a 0.18μm CMOS logic process. For 0.8V supply voltage, the design scheme increases the cell read margin by 76%, the cell write margin by 54% and the cell read-out current by three times at the expense of 14.6% additional active power. Silicon measurement eventually confirms that the proposed SRAM achieves nearly 1.2 orders of magnitude reduction in a die bit-error count while operating with 26% faster speed compared with those of conventional SRAM. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Fiber metal laminates as one of new hybrid materials with the bonded structure of thin metal sheets and fiber/epoxy layers have been developed for the last three decades. These kinds of materials can provide the characteristics of the excellent fatigue, impact and damage tolerance with a relatively low density. Because metal sheets and fiber/epoxy layers are bonded each other, the bonding between two materials is critical. In this study, the bonding strength is investigated experimentally with respect to surface roughness of metal sheets. The equivalent material properties of carbon reinforced aluminum laminates as the input data in the numerical simulation are also investigated and compared with the experimental result. The application of the equivalent material property to the numerical simulation can provide the high degree of efficiency in the build-up of the finite element model and the numerical simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high penetration of distributed generators, such as solar and wind power generators in low voltage network systems, impose voltage rise problems. Reactive power control of distributed generators can contribute to mitigating the voltage rise. In the existing reactive power control, reactive power was controlled using only one local variable, such as voltage at point of connection or the active power output of distributed generator. In case of PF(P) method, which provides certain power factors, depending on the active power of distributed generator, the voltage regulation ability is strong, but network losses are large. Q(V) method, which provides a certain amount of reactive power depending on the local voltage, has few network losses, but the voltage regulation ability is weak. In this paper, a reactive power control method that combines the PF(P) method and Q(V) method was proposed. The proposed method determines the reactive power output by using the active power of the distributed generator and local voltage variables together. The proposed method improves the voltage regulation ability of the reactive power control, while reducing the network losses, as compared to the existing method. The low voltage network system was modeled and simulated to evaluate the performance of the proposed method, in terms of voltage regulation ability and network losses, and the performance of the proposed method and the existing method were compared and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of gas and water for environmental applications requires a high-voltage, fast-rising pulse to act on the plasma gas or water treating reactor, but the existing stacked high-voltage pulse generator is arduous to use owing to its large size, high cost, and relatively slow pulse rise time. In this study, we propose a low-cost, small-volume pulsed power modulator that can significantly reduce the cost and volume of the device and shorten the pulse rise time to meet the requirements of gas and water treatment. The proposed pulsed power modulator is based on a discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) flyback converter, and it generates a high-voltage pulse through the resonance of the flyback transformer secondary side inductance and the parallel capacitor. A straightforward spark gap sharpens the generated high-voltage pulse. Finally, a fast-rising, high-voltage pulse with a narrow pulsewidth run on the load is generated. Through PSIM simulation and actual experiments, we validated the feasibility of the proposed pulse generator and obtained 23 kV, 500-Hz pulses with a width of 0.5- $\mu \text{s}$ width and rise time of 5 ns in actual experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated full-bridge inverter circuit with fewer components and lower volume is proposed. The conventional light sintering system uses several independent power supplies, each having an input voltage source and inverting component. However, the structure of the proposed circuit comprises only one full-bridge inverter with two separated transformers for applying independent dc trigger and simmer output voltages. The separated transformers are considered to have the same operation switching frequency because of the integrated inverter part. When designing the system, we considered not only matching the switching frequency but also turning-on of the xenon flash lamp. Some of the considerations are as follows: no-load characteristic of the lamp at the initial moment, voltage-boosting effect of the parasitic inductance and capacitance, additional simmer output current path for continuous conduction, and dc trigger turn-off moment when the 15-kV trigger output voltage changes the lamp impedance. Here, the successful results of the aforementioned considerations for applying the light sintering technology are presented. The simulation and no-load experiment waveforms are consistent with the analysis of the effects of the parasitic inductance and capacitance. In addition, the waveforms show 15- and 1.0-kV stable output voltages for the dc trigger and simmer power supplies, respectively. Finally, the xenon flash lamp load is tested, and the integrated system is observed to be functional for single or series-connected lamps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The lateral pelvic sidewall is a major site of local recurrence after radical resection of rectal cancer. Salvage lateral pelvic node dissection (LPND) may be the only way to eliminate recurrent lateral pelvic nodes (LPNs). This study aimed to describe the technical details of robotic and laparoscopic salvage LPND and assess the short-term clinical and oncological outcomes in patients with recurrent LPNs who underwent salvage LPND by a minimally invasive approach for curative intent. Methods: Between September 2010 and 2019, 36 patients who underwent salvage surgery for LPN recurrence were retrospectively analyzed from a prospectively maintained database. Patients' characteristics, index operation, MRI findings, and perioperative and pathological outcomes were analyzed. Results: Eleven and 14 patients underwent robotic and laparoscopic salvage LPND, respectively. Eight patients (32.0%) underwent a combined salvage operation for resectable extra-pelvic sidewall metastases. There were four cases of open-conversion during the laparoscopic approach due to uncontrolled bleeding of iliac vessels. In these patients, metastatic LPNs were suspected of iliac vessel invasion and were found to be larger in size (median 15 mm; range 12–20) than that in patients who underwent successful LPND using the minimally invasive approach (median 10 mm; range 5–20). The median number of metastatic LPNs and harvested LPNs was 1 (range 0–3) and 6 (range 1–16), respectively. Six patients (24.0%) experienced postoperative complications including lymphoceles and voiding difficulties. During the follow-up (median 44.6 months; range 24.0–87.7), eight patients developed recurrences, mainly the lung and para-aortic lymph nodes, and one patient developed pelvic sidewall recurrence after laparoscopic salvage LPND. The 3-year disease-free survival and overall survival after salvage LPND were 66.4% and 79.2%, respectively. Conclusions: Robotic and laparoscopic salvage LPND for recurrent LPNs are safe and feasible with favorable short-term surgical outcomes. However, the surgical approach should be carefully chosen in patients with large-sized and invasive recurrent LPNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jeju Island power system consists of two-unidirectional high voltage direct current transmission systems (HVDC), thermal power plants, and renewable energy sources. The local government's policy states that a 100 MW offshore wind farm should be constructed in the future. Due to the small size and sensitivity of the Jeju Island power system, power system analysis must be carried out before the installation of the new facility. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the Jeju Island power system with a new wind farm applied to uncontrolled diode rectifier HVDC. Although there are many studies about the grid connection method of offshore wind farms, its small grid connection analysis has been rarely investigated, especially in the diode rectifier HVDC method. Diode rectifier HVDC is a new grid connection method for offshore wind farms, which reduces the costs and increases the reliability of the offshore platform. To verify the accuracy and effectiveness of simulation models, steady and transient state scenarios were conducted using the PSCAD/EMTDC program. First, the model of the Jeju Island power system without a new wind farm was compared with measured power system data. Second, its power system connected with a diode rectifier HVDC was simulated in a steady state. Finally, disconnection and single line ground fault occurred at the offshore wind farm, respectively. From the simulation results, the grid stability of the Jeju Island power system was confirmed considering a new facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The introduction of complete mesocolic excision (CME) with central vascular ligation (CVL) for right-sided colon cancer has improved the oncologic outcomes. Recently, we have introduced a modified CME (mCME) procedure that keeps the same principles as the originally described CME but with a more tailored approach. Some retrospective studies have reported the favourable oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic mCME for right-sided colon cancer; however, no prospective multicentre study has yet been conducted.Methods: This study is a multi-institutional, prospective, single-arm study evaluating the oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic mCME for adenocarcinoma arising from the right side of the colon. A total of 250 patients will be recruited from five tertiary referral centres in South Korea. The primary outcome of this study is 3-year disease-free survival. Secondary outcome measures include 3-year overall survival, incidence of surgical complications, completeness of mCME, and distribution of metastatic lymph nodes. The quality of laparoscopic mCME will be assessed on the basis of photographs of the surgical specimen and the operation field after the completion of lymph node dissection.Discussion: This is a prospective multicentre study to evaluate the oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic mCME for right-sided colon cancer. To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first study to prospectively and objectively assess the quality of laparoscopic mCME. The results will provide more evidence about oncologic outcomes with respect to the quality of laparoscopic mCME in right-sided colon cancer.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03992599 (June 20, 2019). The posted information will be updated as needed to reflect protocol amendments and study progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a temporary frequency-support scheme of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) that can improve the frequency nadir while ensuring rapid frequency stabilization, particularly for high wind power penetration levels (WPPLs). Upon detecting a disturbance, the power reference is increased by the incremental power and maintained for a preset period. The proposed incremental power varies with the rotor speed and WPPL. Then, to force the rotor speed to converge to a stable operating range, the reference decreases with the rotor speed. During the deceleration period, the proposed scheme releases less kinetic energy, which helps in the rapid recovery of the rotor speed. During the acceleration period, to accelerate the rotor speed recovery, the reference smoothly decreases with time and rotor speed until it reaches the maximum power point tracking curve. The test results, which are based on the IEEE 14-bus system, demonstrate that even though less kinetic energy is released, the proposed scheme can improve the frequency nadir while rapidly recovering the rotor speed under various wind conditions and penetration levels, but it is particularly effective for higher penetration levels. The scheme helps providing a promising solution to the ancillary services of a DFIG in a power system with high WPPLs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes a high-frequency pulsed-power generator for various industrial applications such as water treatment, food and medical apparatus for sterilization, or polluted gas treatment. The system is made of silicon-controlled rectifier as a main trigger switch, capacitors, two-stage magnetic pulse compression stages, and a linear transformer to generate a maximum of 120-kV, 5-kA pulse. The parameters obtained through the development are: output voltage: 120 kV (maximum), pulse repetition ration: 300 pulse per second, pulsewidth: 0.25~\mu \texts , and mean power: 30 kW. The designed pulsed-power generator is confirmed to be used effectively for many high-voltage pulsed-power applications related to environmental industry by simulation and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm for variable-speed wind turbine systems, which takes advantage of the rotor inertia power. In this method, a proportional controller is added to the power control to effectively reduce the moment of inertia of the wind turbines, which can improve the fast performance of the MPPT control. The PSIM simulation and experimental results for a doubly-fed induction generator wind turbine system have proved the validity of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Here, we propose the device platform of energy domain transfer using a magnetoelectric microcantilever. By incorporating Tb0.3Dy0.7Fe1.9 (Terfenol-D) magnetostrictive materials onto a Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 (PZT) piezoelectric microcantilever, we demonstrated energy conversion from the magnetic to the electric domain. By measuring the charge signal from a PZT layer under variable dc magnetic field at constant 60 Hz AC magnetic field, we acquired the magnetoelectric coefficient of 24.4 V/cm·Oe. The proposed magnetoelectric microcantilever enables the generation of a minimum detectable DC magnetic field up to 1 × 10-12 T at off-resonance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the resonant frequency of a microcantilever has been reported to be changed by surface stress and/or flexural rigidity, the reasons still remained unclear. Here, we present an observation of anomalous resonant frequency change with positive values at 3.25 Å thickness of Au, where it represents the monolayer formation of Au films. This result illustrates the surface stress-dependence of the resonant frequency. The thickness at where the resonant frequency shift would become zero through the compensation of the mass, and the surface stress is expected to be approximately three monolayers (9.7 Å). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]