Optimal Penetration Research Articles

Narrow Band Gap Ternary Absorber Layer for Solar Cell for Small Business Enterprises in Equatorial Africa

According to recent studies, on the Daily nation newspaper, in Kenya of 6 th January 2017 featured the story, the number of people doing the same thing in surrounding villages was so high that many of them had to leave their phones behind at the charging centre (for up to three days) before returning to pick them. To fight darkness, up to 80 percent of Africans depend on personal generators, candles and kerosene (paraffin) lamps to provide basic lighting. Let’s not even talk about all the other things we desperately need electricity for – iron clothes, pump water, charge mobile phones etc. In this article, we shall focus on the types of solar cell materials that can be used to fabricate solar cell to be installed on roof tops to generate electricity used by individuals and households. Photovoltaic devices are used to convert solar radiation energy into electrical forms of energy for various uses. Current research is geared towards using thin films with wide band gaps to allow optimum penetration of radiation within the VIS - NIR region. Inorganic wide band gap, Cd x Zn 1- x S thin films and narrow band gap, PbS thin films were optimized through chemical solution technique in this study. Wide band gap thin films of Cd x Zn 1- x S were grown at about 82 0 C while those of narrow band gap thin films of PbS were grown at room temperature utilizing aqueous conditions. Their optical constants were investigated and found to be suitable for solar cells applications.

High-resolution 3D imaging of whole organ after clearing: taking a new look at the zebrafish testis

Zebrafish testis has become a powerful model for reproductive biology of teleostean fishes and other vertebrates and encompasses multiple applications in applied and basic research. Many studies have focused on 2D images, which is time consuming and implies extrapolation of results. Three-dimensional imaging of whole organs recently became an important challenge to better understand their architecture and allow cell enumeration. Several protocols have thus been developed to enhance sample transparency, a limiting step for imaging large biological samples. However, none of these methods has been applied to the zebrafish testis. We tested five clearing protocols to determine if some of them could be applied with only small modifications to the testis. We compared clearing efficiency at both macroscopic and microscopic levels. CUBIC and PACT were suitable for an efficient transparency, an optimal optical penetration, the GFP fluorescence preservation and avoiding meaningful tissue deformation. Finally, we succeeded in whole testis 3D capture at a cellular resolution with both CUBIC and PACT, which will be valuable in a standard workflow to investigate the 3D architecture of the testis and its cellular content. This paves the way for further development of high content phenotyping studies in several fields including development, genetic or toxicology.

Teleworking and Congestion: A Dynamic Bottleneck Analysis

We analyze the welfare effects of part-day teleworking on road traffic congestion in the context of Vickrey's dynamic bottleneck model. Endogenous decisions to become equipped with a teleworking-enabling technology change the scheduling of arrival times at work for equipped drivers and, due to congestion externalities, affects travel costs of all drivers. We show that even costless teleworking might be marginally welfare reducing, after reaching the optimal penetration level, as an equipped driver imposes a higher travel externality on other equipped drivers than unequipped drivers do. We study various possible market configurations for the supply of the technology, and find that private monopolistic supply of the technology might yield a higher social welfare than perfectly competitive supply.

The Tubular Penetration Depth and Adaption of Four Sealers: A Scanning Electron Microscopic Study.

Background. The tubular penetration and adaptation of the sealer are important factors for successful root canal filling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the tubular penetration depth of four different sealers in the coronal, middle, and apical third of root canals as well as the adaptation of these sealers to root canal walls. Materials and Methods. 50 single-rooted teeth were prepared in this study. Forty-eight of them were filled with different sealers (Cortisomol, iRoot SP, AH-Plus, and RealSeal SE) and respective core filling materials. Then the specimens were sectioned and scanning electron microscopy was employed to assess the tubular penetration and adaptation of the sealers. Results. Our results demonstrated that the maximum penetration was exhibited by RealSeal SE, followed by AH-Plus, iRoot SP, and Cortisomol. As regards the adaptation property to root canal walls, AH-Plus has best adaptation capacity followed by iRoot SP, RealSeal SE, and Cortisomol. Conclusion. The tubular penetration and adaptation vary with the different sealers investigated. RealSeal SE showed the most optimal tubular penetration, whereas AH-Plus presented the best adaptation to the root canal walls.

Narrow Band Gap Ternary Absorber Layer for Solar Cell for Small Business Enterprises in Equatorial Africa

According to recent studies, on the Daily nation newspaper, in Kenya of 6th January 2017 featured the story, the number of people doing the same thing in surrounding villages was so high that many of them had to leave their phones behind at the charging centre (for up to three days) before returning to pick them. To fight darkness, up to 80 percent of Africans depend on personal generators, candles and kerosene (paraffin) lamps to provide basic lighting. Let’s not even talk about all the other things we desperately need electricity for – iron clothes, pump water, charge mobile phones etc. In this article, we shall focus on the types of solar cell materials that can be used to fabricate solar cell to be installed on roof tops to generate electricity used by individuals and households. Photovoltaic devices are used to convert solar radiation energy into electrical forms of energy for various uses. Current research is geared towards using thin films with wide band gaps to allow optimum penetration of radiation within the VIS - NIR region. Inorganic wide band gap, CdxZn1-xS thin films and narrow band gap, PbS thin films were optimized through chemical solution technique in this study. Wide band gap thin films of CdxZn1-xS were grown at about 82°C while those of narrow band gap thin films of PbS were grown at room temperature utilizing aqueous conditions. Their optical constants were investigated and found to be suitable for solar cells applications.

The Effect of Connected Vehicle Environment on Global Travel Efficiency and Its Optimal Penetration Rate

The effect of connected vehicle environment on the transportation systems and the relationship between the penetration rate of connected vehicle and its efficiency are investigated in this study. An example based on the classical two-route network is adopted in this study, in which the drivers consist of two types: informed and uninformed. The advantages and disadvantages of the connected vehicle environment are analyzed, and the concentration phenomenon is proposed and found to be mitigated when only a fraction of drivers are informed. The simulation tool embodying the characteristics of the connected vehicle environment is developed using the multiagent technology. Finally, different scenarios are simulated, such as the zero-information environment, the full-information environment, and the connected vehicle environment with various penetration rates. Moreover, simulation results of the global performance of the transportation system are compared. The results show that the connected vehicle environment can efficiently improve the performance of the transportation system, while the adverse effects due to concentration rise out from the excessive informed drivers. An optimal penetration rate of the connected vehicles is found to characterize the best performance of the system. These findings can aid in understanding the effect of the connected vehicle environment on the transportation system.

The impact of wind farm location and control strategy on wind generation penetration and market prices

Wind energy has become one of the most cost-effective renewable sources nowadays. However, the stochastic nature associated with wind-energy production represents a great challenge for power-system operations. Therefore, probabilistic techniques are necessary to evaluate the performance of power systems with substantial amounts of wind generation. This paper presents a probabilistic based bi-level optimization approach for evaluating the impact of wind farm location and control strategy on the penetration level of wind farms and electricity market prices. The bi-level optimization model is formulated as mathematical program with equilibrium constraints (MPEC) and solved by means of the NLPEC solver in the General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) environment. Several cases studies are presented in this paper to determine to the optimal wind generation penetration and market prices with different locations and control strategies for wind farms. Moreover, some scenarios are discussed in regards to the practical allocation of wind farms.

Study of motion of optimal bodies in the soil of grid method

The paper presents a method of calculating the optimum forms in axisymmetric numerical method based on the Godunov and models elastoplastic soil vedium Grigoryan. Solved two problems in a certain definition of generetrix rotation of the body of a given length and radius of the base, having a minimum impedance and maximum penetration depth. Numerical calculations are carried out by a modified method of local variations, which allows to significantly reduce the number of operations at different representations of generetrix. Significantly simplify the process of searching for optimal body allows the use of a quadratic model of local interaction for preliminary assessments. It is noted the qualitative similarity of the process of convergence of numerical calculations for solving the optimization problem based on local interaction model and within the of continuum mechanics. A comparison of the optimal bodies with absolutely optimal bodies possessing the minimum resistance of penetration below which is impossible to achieve under given constraints on the geometry. It is shown that the conical striker with a variable vertex angle, which equal to the angle of the solution is absolutely optimal body of minimum resistance of penetration for each value of the velocity of implementation will have a final depth of penetration is only 12% more than the traditional body absolutely optimal maximum depth penetration.

Tumor stroma-containing 3D spheroid arrays: A tool to study nanoparticle penetration

Nanoparticle penetration through tumor tissue after extravasation is considered as a key issue for tumor distribution and therapeutic effects. Most tumors possess abundant stroma, a fibrotic tissue composed of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and extracellular matrix (ECM), which acts as a barrier for nanoparticle penetration. There is however a lack of suitable in vitro systems to study the tumor stroma penetration of nanoparticles. In the present study, we developed and thoroughly characterized a 3D co-culture spheroidal array to mimic tumor stroma and investigated the penetration of silica and PLGA nanoparticles in these spheroids. First, we examined human breast tumor patient biopsies to characterize the content and organization of stroma and found a high expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA; 40% positive area) and collagen-1 (50% positive area). Next, we prepared homospheroids of 4T1 mouse breast cancer cells or 3T3 mouse fibroblasts alone as well as heterospheroids combining 3T3 and 4T1 cells in different ratios (1:1 and 5:1) using a microwell array platform. Confocal live imaging revealed that fibroblasts distributed and reorganized within 48h in heterospheroids. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining and gene expression analysis showed a proportional increase of α-SMA and collagen in heterospheroids with higher fibroblast ratios attaining 35% and 45% positive area at 5:1 (3T3:4T1) ratio, in a good match with the clinical breast tumor stroma. Subsequently, we studied the penetration of high and low negatively charged fluorescent silica nanoparticles (30nm; red and 100 or 70nm; green; zeta potential: −40mV and −20mV) and as well as Cy5-conjugated pegylated PLGA nanoparticles (200nm, −7mV) in both homo- and heterospheroid models. Fluorescent microscopy on spheroid cryosections after incubation with silica nanoparticles showed that 4T1 homospheroids allowed a high penetration of about 75–80% within 24h, with higher penetration in case of the 30nm nanoparticles. In contrast, spheroids with increasing fibroblast amounts significantly inhibited NP penetration. Silica nanoparticles with a less negative zeta potential exhibited lesser penetration compared to highly negative charged nanoparticles. Subsequently, similar experiments were conducted using Cy5-conjugated pegylated PLGA nanoparticles and confocal laser scanning microscopy; an increased nanoparticle penetration was found in 4T1 homospheroids until 48h, but significantly lower penetration in heterospheroids. Furthermore, we also developed human homospheroids (MDA-MB-231 or Panc-1 tumor cells) and heterospheroids (MDA-MB-231/BJ-hTert and Panc-1/pancreatic stellate cells) and performed silica nanoparticle (30 and 100nm) penetration studies. As a result, heterospheroids had significantly a lesser penetration of the nanoparticles compared to homospheroids. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that tumor stroma acts as a strong barrier for nanoparticle penetration. The 30-nm nanoparticles with low zeta potential favor deeper penetration. Furthermore, the herein proposed 3D co-culture platform that mimics the tumor stroma, is ideally suited to systematically investigate the factors influencing the penetration characteristics of newly developed nanomedicines to allow the design of nanoparticles with optimal penetration characteristics.

Determination of Maximum Wind Power Penetration in an Isolated Island System by Considering Spinning Reserve

The abundant wind resources in the Penghu area, where the capacity factor of wind turbines can reach 45%, have inspired authorities to build more wind turbines in a diesel-based power system. However, because the wind turbine output is unstable, high wind power penetration in the system may relatively affect the power quality (voltage and frequency) and reliability of the system. Previous studies have suggested that the optimal penetration level for wind power generation under the present dispatching criteria in Penghu is 26.3%. The present study suggests that the criteria for current unit scheduling should be modified; in particular, the spinning reserve (SR) capacity of the diesel engines should be increased without affecting the reliability and power quality of the power system. Such an increase could help avoid the construction of high-cost energy storage systems.

Endothelin research and the discovery of macitentan for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Endothelin receptor antagonists (ERAs) are used for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Macitentan, a dual (ETA+ETB) ERA approved for the long-term treatment of PAH, was discovered through a tailored research program aimed at improving efficacy and safety over the existing ERAs. The goal of improved efficacy was based on the understanding that not only the ETA receptor but also the ETB receptor contributed to the hemodynamic and structural changes induced by endothelin-1 (ET-1) in pathological conditions and on the predefined requirements for optimal tissue penetration and binding kinetics of the antagonist. The goal of improved safety was based on the discovery of the role of ETB receptors in vascular permeability and vasopressin release and on the elucidation of the mechanism by which bosentan (the first approved oral dual ETA/ETB ERA) caused liver enzyme changes. Our intention was to design a molecule that would block ETA and ETB receptors optimally and would not interfere with bile salt elimination. This review takes us through the drug discovery journey that led to the discovery, development, and registration of macitentan.

Two-layer optimization methodology for wind distributed generation planning considering plug-in electric vehicles uncertainty: A flexible active-reactive power approach

With increasing the penetration of wind power, the voltage regulation becomes a more important problem in active distribution networks. In addition, as an uncertain load Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) will introduce a new concern in voltage adjustment of future distribution networks. Hence, this paper presents a flexible active-reactive power based Wind Distributed Generation (WDG) planning procedure to address the mentioned challenges. The uncertainties related to WDGs, load demand as well as PEVs load have been handled using the Point Estimate Method (PEM). The distribution network under study is equipped to on-load tap-changer and, as a conventional voltage control component, the Capacitor Banks (CBs) will be planned simultaneously with WDGs. The planning procedure has been considered as a two-loop optimization problem that is solved using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Tabu Search (TS) algorithms. The tap position and power factor of WDGs are taken into account as stochastic variables with practical limitations. The proposed methodology is applied to a typical distribution network and several scenarios are considered and analyzed. Simulation results show that the standard deviation of power factor depends on PEVs penetration that highlights the capability curve of WDGs. The optimal penetration of wind power increases nonlinearly versus increasing of PEVs connected to the distribution network, however the fixed CBs are required to increase the optimal penetration of WDGs. The proposed Modified PSO (MPSO) is compared with the conventional PSO in numerical studies that show MPSO is more efficient than the conventional algorithm for this analysis.

Optimal configuration for isolated hybrid renewable energy systems

The configuration of hybrid energy systems has a great influence on the cost of generated energy from the system. This paper introduces a design, simulation, assessment, and selection of optimum autonomous hybrid renewable energy configuration out of three different configurations. The proposed hybrid system contains photovoltaic (PV), wind, diesel, and battery energy systems. A new computer program has been designed to simulate different configurations of hybrid energy systems. A genetics optimization smart technique using a genetic algorithm has been used to calculate the optimum sizing for each component at different configurations of the hybrid system for minimum cost and highest reliability. The optimum penetration ratio of renewable energy systems (PV and wind) will be selected according to the lowest price. Actual data for one remote site in Saudi Arabia has been used in the input data of this computer program. Sensitivity analysis has been carried out to show the conditions for selecting any configuration under study. The results obtained from this study can help researchers, designers, and decision makers to answer many open questions regarding the design and installations of hybrid renewable energy systems.

The optimal tariff structure and foreign penetration

This study investigates tariff policies as a means of improving economic welfare. The government sets the tariff so as to maximize domestic welfare against foreign penetration. We examine the relationship between the optimal tariff structure and the degree of penetration. We find that the optimal tariff rate is non-monotonically related with the degree of penetration (inverse U-shape). We also show that intermediate degrees of foreign penetration are harmful for economic welfare.

Towards Stochastic Optimization-Based Electric Vehicle Penetration in a Novel Archipelago Microgrid.

Due to the advantage of avoiding upstream disturbance and voltage fluctuation from a power transmission system, Islanded Micro-Grids (IMG) have attracted much attention. In this paper, we first propose a novel self-sufficient Cyber-Physical System (CPS) supported by Internet of Things (IoT) techniques, namely “archipelago micro-grid (MG)”, which integrates the power grid and sensor networks to make the grid operation effective and is comprised of multiple MGs while disconnected with the utility grid. The Electric Vehicles (EVs) are used to replace a portion of Conventional Vehicles (CVs) to reduce CO emission and operation cost. Nonetheless, the intermittent nature and uncertainty of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) remain a challenging issue in managing energy resources in the system. To address these issues, we formalize the optimal EV penetration problem as a two-stage Stochastic Optimal Penetration (SOP) model, which aims to minimize the emission and operation cost in the system. Uncertainties coming from RESs (e.g., wind, solar, and load demand) are considered in the stochastic model and random parameters to represent those uncertainties are captured by the Monte Carlo-based method. To enable the reasonable deployment of EVs in each MGs, we develop two scheduling schemes, namely Unlimited Coordinated Scheme (UCS) and Limited Coordinated Scheme (LCS), respectively. An extensive simulation study based on a modified 9 bus system with three MGs has been carried out to show the effectiveness of our proposed schemes. The evaluation data indicates that our proposed strategy can reduce both the environmental pollution created by CO emissions and operation costs in UCS and LCS.

The safety profile of a selective EGFR TKI epitinib (HMPL-813) in patients with advanced solid tumors and preliminary clinical efficacy in EGFRm+ NSCLC patients with brain metastasis.

e20502Background: Epitinib is a selective EGFR-TKI designed for optimal brain penetration. In preclinical species, epitinib demonstrated favorable drug exposures in the brain and is warranted clini...

GROUND PENETRATING RADAR DATA ANALYSIS BY USING MODELLING WITH FINITE DIFFERENCE METHOD: CASE STUDY IN BELAWAN PORT

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is one of non destructive geophysics methods which is appropriate used to identify subsurface object with depth penetration less than 70 meter. High data resolution as well as relatively unprolonged and manageable data acquisition make this method becoming convenient supporting method to increase near surface data for other geophysics methods. The depth penetration of GPR varies with the frequency of antenna. Getting optimum depth penetration before field acquisition data some numerical simulation should be accomplished in order to perceive antenna frequency and processing technique that used, so the depth of target zone can be achieved. The Finite Difference (FD) is one one of numerical anaysis technique that mostly used to determine differential equation. By using FD method, the solution of electromagnetic waves equation can be obtained and the image of numerical simulation can be displayed. In line with this radar image from numerical simulation, the relationship of frequency and depth penetration on the media used is acquired. Media used in this simulation are sand, clay, sandy clay, clayey sand and concrete. Through numerical simulation from this research, we conclude that GPR method able to distinguish boundary layer among each medium. Processing technique is accomplished to comprehend suitable processing stages for high resolution radar image that can be interpreted. Data acquisition and processing technique from simulation have been implemented in field experiment and very helpful to apprehend GPR characteristic signal in subsurface map in Belawan port.

Ballistic impact analyses of triangular corrugated plates filled with foam core

The usage of sandwich structure is extensively increasing in lightweight protective structures due to its low density and other useful properties. Sandwich panels made of metal sheets with unfilled cellular cores are found to exhibit lower deflections by comparing to an equivalent monolithic plate of same metal and similar mass per unit density. However, the process of localized impact on solid structures involving plastic deformation, high strain rates, temperature effect, material erosion, etc. does not hold effectively as that of monolithic plate. In present work, the applications of the sandwich plate with corrugated core have been extended to develop optimized lightweight armour using foam as medium of its core by explicit finite element analysis (FEA). The mechanisms of hardened steel projectile penetration of aluminum corrugated sandwich panels filled with foams have been numerically investigated by finite element analysis (FEA). A comparative study is done for the triangular corrugated sandwich plate filled with polymeric foam and metallic foam with different densities in order to achieve the optimum penetration resistance to ballistic impact. Corrugated sandwich plates filled with metallic foams are found to be superior when compared to the polymeric one. The optimized results are then compared with that of equivalent solid and unfilled cores structure to observe the effectiveness of foam-filled corrugated sandwich plate which provides an effective resistance to ballistic response. The novel structure can be the alternative to solid aluminum plate in the applications of light weight protection system.

Optimal wind energy penetration in power systems: An approach based on spatial distribution of wind speed

Contributing in power system expansions, the present study establishes an efficient scheme for optimal integration of wind energy resources. The proposed approach highly concerns the spatial distribution of wind speed at different points of a wind farm. In mathematical statements, a suitable probability distribution function (PDF) is well-designed for representing such uncertainties. In such conditions, it is likely to have dissimilar output powers for individual and identical wind turbines. Thus, the overall aggregated PDF of a wind farm remarkably influences the critical parameters including the expected power and energy, capacity factor, and the reliability metrics such as loss of load expectation (LOLE) and expected energy not supplied (EENS). Furthermore, the proposed approach is deployed for optimal allocation of wind energy in bulk power systems. Hence, two typical test systems are numerically analyzed to interrogate the performance of the proposed approach. The conducted survey discloses an over/underestimation of harvestable wind energy in the case of overlooking spatial distributions. Thus, inaccurate amounts of wind farm’s capacity factor, output power, energy and reliability indices might be estimated. Meanwhile, the number of wind turbines may be misjudged to be installed. However, the proposed approach yields in a fair judgment regarding the overall performance of the wind farm. Consequently, a reliable penetration level of wind energy to the power system is assured. Extra discussions are provided to deeply assess the promising merits of the founded approach.

What Is the Optimal Minimum Penetration Depth for “All-Inside” Meniscal Repairs?

To identify desired minimum depth setting for safe, effective placement of the all-inside meniscal suture anchors. Using 16 cadaveric knees and standard arthroscopic techniques, 3-dimensional surfaces of the meniscocapsular junction and posterior capsule were digitized. Using standard anteromedial and anterolateral portals, thedistance from the meniscocapsular junction to the posterior capsule outer wall was measured for 3 locations along the posterior half of medial and lateral menisci. Multiple all-inside meniscal repairs were performed on 7 knees to determine an alternate measure of capsular thickness (X2) and compared with the digitized results. In the digitized group, the distance (X1) from the capsular junction to the posterior capsular wall was averaged in both menisci for 3 regions using anteromedial and anterolateral portals. Mean distances of 6.4 to 8.8mm were found for the lateral meniscus and 6.5 to 9.1mm for the medial meniscus. The actual penetration depth was determined in the repair group and labeled X2. It showed a similar pattern to the variation seen in X1 by region, although it exceeded predicted distances an average 1.7mm in the medial and 1.5mm in the lateral meniscus owing to visible deformation of the capsule as it pierced. Capsular thickness during arthroscopic repair measures approximately 6 to 9mm (X1), with 1.5 to 2mm additional depth needed to ensure penetration rather than bulging of the posterior capsule (X2), resulting in 8 to 10mm minimum penetration depth range. Surgeons can add desired distance away from the meniscocapsular junction (L) at device implantation, finding optimal minimal setting for penetration depth (X2+ L), which for most repairable tears may be as short as 8mm and not likely to be greater than 16mm. Minimum depth setting for optimal placement of all-inside meniscal suture anchors when performing all-inside repair of the medial or lateral meniscus reduces risk of harming adjacent structures secondary to overpenetration and underpenetration of the posterior capsule.