Stand-alone Module Research Articles

Temperature-dependent energy gain of bifacial PV farms: A global perspective

Bifacial solar panels are perceived to be the technology of choice for next-generation solar farms for their increased energy yield at a marginally increased cost. As the bifacial farms proliferate around the world, it is important to investigate the role of temperature-dependent energy-yield and the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of bifacial solar farms relative to monofacial farms, stand-alone bifacial modules, and various competing bifacial technologies. In this work, we integrate existing irradiance and light collection models with experimentally validated physics-based temperature-dependent efficiency models to compare the energy yield and LCOE of various bifacial technologies across the world. We find that temperature-dependent efficiency changes the energy yield and LCOE by approximately -10to15%. Indeed, the results differ significantly depending on the location of the farm (defines the illumination and ambient temperature), the elevation of the module (increases light collection), as well as the temperature-coefficients of various bifacial technologies. The analysis presented in this paper will allow us to realistically assess location-specific relative advantage and economic viability of the next generation bifacial solar farms.

Joint Europa Mission (JEM): a multi-scale study of Europa to characterize its habitability and search for extant life

Europa is the closest and probably the most promising target to search for extant life in the Solar System, based on complementary evidence that it may fulfil the key criteria for habitability: the Galileo discovery of a sub-surface ocean; the many indications that the ice shell is active and may be partly permeable to transfer of chemical species, biomolecules and elementary forms of life; the identification of candidate thermal and chemical energy sources necessary to drive a metabolic activity near the ocean floor.In this article we are proposing that ESA collaborates with NASA to design and fly jointly an ambitious and exciting planetary mission, which we call the Joint Europa Mission (JEM), to reach two objectives: perform a full characterization of Europa’s habitability with the capabilities of a Europa orbiter, and search for bio-signatures in the environment of Europa (surface, subsurface and exosphere) by the combination of an orbiter and a lander. JEM can build on the advanced understanding of this system which the missions preceding JEM will provide: Juno, JUICE and Europa Clipper, and on the Europa lander concept currently designed by NASA (Maize, report to OPAG, 2019).We propose the following overarching goals for our Joint Europa Mission (JEM): Understand Europa as a complex system responding to Jupiter system forcing, characterize the habitability of its potential biosphere, and search for life at its surface and in its sub-surface and exosphere. We address these goals by a combination of five Priority Scientific Objectives, each with focused measurement objectives providing detailed constraints on the science payloads and on the platforms used by the mission. The JEM observation strategy will combine three types of scientific measurement sequences: measurements on a high-latitude, low-altitude Europan orbit; in-situ measurements to be performed at the surface, using a soft lander; and measurements during the final descent to Europa’s surface.The implementation of these three observation sequences will rest on the combination of two science platforms: a soft lander to perform all scientific measurements at the surface and sub-surface at a selected landing site, and an orbiter to perform the orbital survey and descent sequences. We describe a science payload for the lander and orbiter that will meet our science objectives.We propose an innovative distribution of roles for NASA and ESA; while NASA would provide an SLS launcher, the lander stack and most of the mission operations, ESA would provide the carrier-orbiter-relay platform and a stand-alone astrobiology module for the characterization of life at Europa’s surface: the Astrobiology Wet Laboratory (AWL). Following this approach, JEM will be a major exciting joint venture to the outer Solar System of NASA and ESA, working together toward one of the most exciting scientific endeavours of the 21st century: to search for life beyond our own planet.

A 180-GHz Super-Regenerative Oscillator With up to 58 dB Gain for Efficient Phase and Amplitude Recovery

A 180-GHz super-regenerative oscillator capable of 58 dB gain and fast switching at a rate up to 10 GHz is implemented in a 130nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. It is the fastest reported super-regenerative circuit in terms of data-rate and the first one to be packaged in a standalone mm-wave waveguide module. The oscillator has a tuning range of 6.5%, an output power of 0.5 dBm, and occupies an area of 0.72 mm2. When operated with a periodic quench signal, the circuit requires a minimum input power of −58 dBm for a phase coherent output. The circuit has a dc power consumption of 8.8 mW. QPSK and 8-phase shift keying (PSK) modulations with data rates up to 3 Gbit/s are demonstrated. The circuit is also integrated into a waveguide module and used to recover a wireless stream of 16QAM data at 16 Gbit/s, which is the highest reported in a super-regenerative circuit to date.

Design, modeling and testing of a compact variable stiffness mechanism for exoskeletons

In this paper, the mechanical design of a novel variable stiffness mechanism (VSM) with reconfigurability is presented. The design of VSM is based on a zero-length base link four-bar linkage, integrated with a linear spring. The VSM is able to achieve variable stiffness in adjustable ranges, due to its reconfigurable design. Compared with other similar designs, the new VSM is compact and light weight, and can be used as a standalone module, or integrated with electric motor to build variable stiffness actuator which can be further applied in wearable exoskeletons. In the paper, mathematical models are developed for VSM to reveal the stiffness/torque performance limits. The mathematical models are validated experimentally with a prototype in both static and dynamic tests. The proposed VSM is finally integrated in a wearable elbow exoskeleton.

Design and Development of Fast Protection and Fast Monitoring Module Compatible With NI Compact RIO System for ITER-India Gyrotron Test Facility

The ITER electron cyclotron (EC) system will have gyrotron sources used for plasma heating and current drive applications. During gyrotron operation, different faults may be encountered and in the case of critical faults, the High Voltage Power Supplies (HVPS) should be switched off in $ time scale, which otherwise could damage the internal components of a gyrotron tube. Also during the operation, the main operating parameters need to be acquired on fast time scales (~5 Msps) to know the gyrotron output characteristics. A solution is required catering to both the requirements, which should be cost-effective, and also comply with recommended hardware and software framework. In this context, a custom prototype module compatible with NI-CompactRIO (NI-cRIO) system is under development for ITER-India Gyrotron Test Facility (IIGTF). The module has protection and monitoring functions both in parallel in a single unit. It has a transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) card connected optically to complete the link. The TX has fast sampling analog-to-digital converter (ADC), fast comparator, field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and an optical transmitter. The TX sends monitoring and trip information optically to the RX. The RX card has an optical receiver, FPGA, and digital-to-analog converter (DAC), which generates back the original signals. The heart of the module is FPGA logic, which performs encoding and decoding (as per 8b10b standard) of ADC serial data, thereby eliminating the use of any serial converter ICs. The module can be plugged into the cRIO chassis and also can be used as a standalone module. This article discusses the concept, design, development, and test results of fast protection and fast signal monitoring module

A Mixed-Signal Adaptive Ripple Canceler for Switching Regulators Providing 18 dB-24 dB of Ripple Rejection up to 1 MHz

A mixed-signal adaptive ripple canceller for reducing switching noise and spurious emissions in switching regulators is presented. The proposed mixed-signal ripple suppression technique tracks and cancels the switching noise by utilizing two schemes: A primary mixed-signal adaptive ripple canceller that provides large signal ripple cancellation up to 20 dB, and an auxiliary linear amplifier-based ripple canceller that minimizes the residual ripple content, achieving a combined ripple rejection of 24 dB. Proposed approach operates without the need for external components, reducing overall printed circuit board area without loss of efficiency. The adaptive ripple canceller is designed and fabricated in a 250 nm CMOS process with four levels of metal. The ripple-canceller is integrated with an on-chip buck regulator to characterize its rejection effectiveness. The ripple canceller can also be utilized as a stand-alone ripple cleaner module with an external commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) switching regulator. The proposed ripple canceller can track and cancel power supply ripple up to 1 MHz with 24 dB rejection and reduces ripple content up to fourth harmonic by at least 20 dB while supporting dc loads up to 1 A and ripple currents up to 350 mApk-pk. The proposed approach achieves 30% lower quiescent current than using a linear low-dropout regulator without the need for any external components.

E-Learning to Improve Suicide Prevention Practice Skills Among Undergraduate Psychology Students: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundDespite increasing evidence of the effectiveness of digital learning solutions in higher vocational education, including the training of allied health professionals, the impact of Web-based training on the development of practical skills in psychiatry and psychology, in general, and in suicide prevention, specifically, remains largely understudied.ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the effectiveness of an electronic learning (e-learning) module on the adherence to suicide prevention guidelines, knowledge of practical skills, and provider’s confidence to have a conversation about suicidal behavior with undergraduate psychology students.MethodsThe e-learning module, comprising video recordings of therapist-patient interactions, was designed with the aim of transferring knowledge about suicide prevention guideline recommendations. The program’s effects on guideline adherence, self-evaluated knowledge, and provider’s confidence were assessed using online questionnaires before the program (baseline and at 1 month [T1] and 3 months after baseline). The eligible third- and fourth-year undergraduate psychology students were randomly allocated to the e-learning (n=211) or to a waitlist control condition (n=187), with access to the intervention after T1.ResultsOverall, the students evaluated e-learning in a fairly positive manner. The intention-to-treat analysis showed that the students in the intervention condition (n=211) reported higher levels of self-evaluated knowledge, provider’s confidence, and guideline adherence than those in the waitlist control condition (n=187) after receiving the e-learning module (all P values<.001). When comparing the scores at the 1- and 3-month follow-up, after both groups had received access to the e-learning module, the completers-only analysis showed that the levels of knowledge, guideline adherence, and confidence remained constant (all P values>.05) within the intervention group, whereas a significant improvement was observed in the waitlist control group (all P values<.05).ConclusionsAn e-learning intervention on suicide prevention could be an effective first step toward improved knowledge of clinical skills. The learning outcomes of a stand-alone module were found to be similar to those of a training that combined e-learning with a face-to-face training, with the advantages of flexibility and low costs.

Feasibility research on a double-covered hybrid photo-thermal and radiative sky cooling module

As an entirely passive cooling strategy, radiative cooling (RC) is an appealing approach to draw heat from the terrestrial surface to outer space. RC can be easily and effectively realized during the nighttime with the absence of sunlight, which coincidently mismatches the operation time of solar collectors. Therefore, it is of possibility and significance to unite the RC device and solar collector to extend the working period and function. In the present work, a novel combined photo-thermal and radiative cooling (PT-RC) module was proposed, experimentally and numerically investigated. By applying separated heating and cooling components, the PT-RC module demonstrated a daytime stagnation temperature of 159.8 °C and a nighttime one of 0.6 °C through a consecutive 24 h experimental duration. By contrast, a conventional photo-thermal (PT) module as a reference showed the highest panel temperature of 153.5 °C during the daytime and the lowest panel temperature of 7.9 °C in the nighttime. Further modeling was conducted to evaluate the thermal performance of the proposed PT-RC module compared with stand-alone PT module and spectrally coupled PT-RC module under different working conditions. This dual-function collector may contribute a potential solution for sustainable energy technology in Zero Energy Building applications.

Medical Curricula on Intimate Partner Violence in Mozambique.

The aim of the study described in this paper is to screen medical curricula in relation to the attention paid to intimatepartner violence, by applying a framework derived from the international literature. We screened curricula of five Mozambican medical schools based on a state-of-the-art intimate partner violence curriculum framework. The latter framework was based on a review of the literature. Few medical schools of Mozambique could be identified addressing intimate partner violence in their curriculum. When tackled, intimate partner violence content is mostly dealt within the context of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Community Health and ForensicMedicine rotations. Intimate partner violence contents are integrated as stand-alone modules in some specific subjects. In none of theschools, specific teachers teaching intimate partner violence could be identified. No time allocation was specified to address the topic;no teaching and learning strategies could be identified invoking awareness or supporting basic knowledge acquisition; additionally,hardly any information about related assessment methods was found. Only in one medical school was the subject part of the formalcurriculum. Intimate partner violence content is hardly and inconsistently addressed. The limited intimate partner violence contenttracked in the Mozambican medical schools' curricula, mainly addresses violence in general, for instance as identified in Orthopaedicsor Surgery contexts and sexual violence in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. The inclusion of elements of intimate partner violence in thecurriculum remains restricted, questioning the impact of medical education of future practitioners' competencies. Critical changes are needed in medical curricula to match the current epidemiology of intimate partner violence in Mozambique.

IStable 2.0: Predicting protein thermal stability changes by integrating various characteristic modules

Protein mutations can lead to structural changes that affect protein function and result in disease occurrence. In protein engineering, drug design or and optimization industries, mutations are often used to improve protein stability or to change protein properties while maintaining stability. To provide possible candidates for novel protein design, several computational tools for predicting protein stability changes have been developed. Although many prediction tools are available, each tool employs different algorithms and features. This can produce conflicting prediction results that make it difficult for users to decide upon the correct protein design. Therefore, this study proposes an integrated prediction tool, iStable 2.0, which integrates 11 sequence-based and structure-based prediction tools by machine learning and adds protein sequence information as features. Three coding modules are designed for the system, an Online Server Module, a Stand-alone Module and a Sequence Coding Module, to improve the prediction performance of the previous version of the system. The final integrated structure-based classification model has a higher Matthews correlation coefficient than that of the single prediction tool (0.708 vs 0.547, respectively), and the Pearson correlation coefficient of the regression model likewise improves from 0.669 to 0.714. The sequence-based model not only successfully integrates off-the-shelf predictors but also improves the Matthews correlation coefficient of the best single prediction tool by at least 0.161, which is better than the individual structure-based prediction tools. In addition, both the Sequence Coding Module and the Stand-alone Module maintain performance with only a 5% decrease of the Matthews correlation coefficient when the integrated online tools are unavailable. iStable 2.0 is available at http://ncblab.nchu.edu.tw/iStable2.

Accuracy of simulated data for bifacial systems with varying tilt angles and share of diffuse radiation

Potential investors in bifacial PV systems are still deterred by the uncertainty of energy yield predictions. Validation of the prediction methods and establishing an accuracy range is therefore a central prerequisite concerning the bankability of the bifacial technology.Because of the sensitivity on multiple additional factors compared to standard monofacial installations, the yield simulation of a bifacial PV array is far more complicated. The available simulation tools for bifacial systems still have to prove their reliability, also for predicting the effect of varying ambient and installation conditions. Moreover, bifacial devices enable new types of applications, such as vertical installations.In this work, we compare the results of simulation tools developed at ISC Konstanz and ECN.TNO, as well as the output of the commercial PVsyst simulation software, to measured data. The measured data is obtained by a test rig that carries out a continuous and automated variation of the tilt angle. The test rig is not a single stand-alone module but an array in order to include shading effects of real extended systems. In addition, the measurements focus on a central module, which represents the conditions of a typical device in an array. Days with differing light intensity and share of diffuse radiation were chosen to determine the impact of the insolation conditions on the simulation accuracy. General trends with regard to the sensitivity to tilt and insolation conditions are analyzed in order to evaluate the quality of state-of-the-art bifacial energy yield simulations.

Sustainable and Aware Mobility Explained to Children

Mobility represents a key sector to face climate change and pollution issues. In a broad context of initiatives aimed at making mobility as sustainable as possible, meaningful actions can be oriented to educate people and to encourage their choices towards greener habits. This paper presents an educational package for primary school children to make them aware of sustainable mobility. It is also intended to help stakeholders (researchers, teachers, educators) to increase the sensitivity of children for sustainable mobility. This should support children in adopting more sustainable behaviors. Thus, a detailed description of the educational package, intended as a formative stand-alone module, is provided. This is made up of a brief theoretical explanation and a series of transition educational games. The theoretical part is designed for a young audience and with references to their local context, to make it simple and understandable. The educational games want to make children experience the concepts explained, in a funny way. This educational package was performed three times, involving more than 300 children. The outcomes recorded after each use, with positive feedback from both students and teachers, led to its final configuration. The qualitative results of the three performed experiences are presented here. The educational package is going to be repeated and structured within a wider learning process designed by Politecnico di Milano for primary school children.

Teaching BPS to architects: A closer look at the building performance simulation ‘consumer’ and ‘performer’ training paradigms

This contribution builds upon a previous study, in which three university-level BPS training paradigms were identified. Using a critical literature review, we focus on two of these; training the ‘consumer’ and ‘performer’ architect, exploring similarities and differences between teaching approaches of these two paradigms. Divergences are found in the location of BPS teaching content within the wider scope of architectural program delivery. The ‘consumer’ paradigm is generally followed in undergraduate architectural education, tends to be taught as an elective module and is almost always linked to a design studio component. The ‘performer’ paradigm is linked to both undergraduate and postgraduate architectural education, is mostly affixed to stand-alone core technical modules and is sometimes attached to the design studio. Similar BPS performance domains are taught across both paradigms, but the rationale underlying BPS tool selection differs. Visualization capabilities and ease-of-learning tend to be the criteria used to justify selection of BPS tools used in articles describing the ‘performer’ paradigm. On the other hand, assignment of BPS tasks to an ‘expert’ under the ‘consumer’ paradigm allows for software with more complex analytical functions to be selected. To conclude, the findings demonstrate how moving beyond descriptions of individualized teaching experimentations in BPS research, toward cross-paradigmatic studies of BPS education, many contribute to the construction of a much-needed foundation to support BPS teaching in the future.

A Novel DCT-Based Compression Scheme for 5G Vehicular Networks

Next-generation (5G) vehicular networks will support various network applications, leading to specific requirements and challenges for wireless access technologies. This trend has motivated the development of the long-term evolution-vehicle (LTE-V) network, a 5G cellular-based vehicular technology. Due to the limited bandwidth for vehicular communications, it is important to efficiently utilize slim spectrum resources in vehicular networks. In this paper, we introduce a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)-based vehicular network architecture, named C-VRAN, which facilitates efficient management and centralized processing of vehicular networks. Furthermore, we propose a discrete cosine transform (DCT)-based data compression scheme for C-VRAN to enhance the effective data rate of the fronthaul network. This scheme first uses DCT to perform time-frequency conversion of LTE-V I/Q data and then utilizes the Lloyd-Max algorithm to quantify data in the frequency domain before finally selecting an appropriate coding scheme to achieve better performance. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can achieve 3 times compression ratio within 1% error vector amplitude distortion, and it also has strong independence and versatility, allowing it to be used as a standalone module for the current LTE-V system.

Dfemtoolz: An open-source C++ framework for efficient imposition of material and boundary conditions in finite element biomedical simulations

We propose a novel C++ open-source package dfemtoolz that enables highly efficient: (1) discretization of a triangular surface mesh into volumetric tetrahedral elements (by using the Tetgen); (2) splitting of prism or tetrahedral meshes into hexahedral meshes; and (3) application of boundary conditions for modeling various physical phenomena (i.e. fluid flow, structural analysis, heat transfer, mass transport, etc.). The novelty of the proposed library is two-fold: (1) it avoids computationally expensive merging by performing a more efficient search of neighboring nodes; and (2) it enables highly efficient manipulation of nodes’ BCs in the bitwise manner. The framework is initially proposed and validated for biomedical simulations; however, it could have wide-scale applications. Program summaryProgram Title: dfemtoolzProgram Files doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/9xy4x3ggch.1Licensing provisions: GNU General Public License 3Programming language: C++Nature of the problem: In silico trials assume reproducing medical phenomena on computers with the aim to reduce harms, costs and time required for performing traditional clinical trials. A typical in silico workflow consists of the following six steps: (1) Segmentation of medical scans; (2) Reconstruction of the segmented region; (3) Meshing of the obtained volume; (4) Application of appropriate materials and boundary conditions (BCs); (5) Solving governing equations that describe how the considered phenomena will behave under the specified conditions and (6) Visualization of the obtained results. At the moment, there are available mature open-source frameworks for solving the following tasks: segmentation (i.e. ITK, ImageJ), meshing (i.e. Tetgen, Triangle), simulation (i.e. OpenFOAM, Elmer, FEniCS) and visualization (i.e. VTK, OpenGL). However, the step 4 (application of materials and boundary conditions) remains an open question in terms of open-source packages. To the best of our knowledge, there is no robust and publically available framework for these purposes – which inspired us to propose the dfemtoolz with the aim to improve compatibility and ease integration of the overall six in silico trials steps.Solution method: The dfemtoolz is provided as both stand-alone executable modules and C++ library that could be integrated into an existing software package. The dfemtoolz supports two use-case scenarios: (1) a user has a surface geometry of the FEM model that needs to be discretized before further application of boundary conditions; and (2) a user has an existing FE mesh and only needs to prescribe BCs. Since it is generic, the dfemtoolz is capable of processing any FEM model represented as a list of nodes (defined with coordinates in an arbitrary dimension) and a list of elements (of an arbitrary type).Additional comments: The source code, working examples and benchmarks are available for download at the URL: https://github.com/dmilashinovic/dfemtoolz and are tested to work under Linux and Windows OS. The library was developed using the Code::Blocks IDE and the g++ compiler.

The Development of an Online Standalone Cognitive Hazard Training for Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Feasibility Study

In the UK, surgical training is under pressure due to reductions in training time and training opportunities, which pose patient safety risks. Cognitive, nontechnical, training has been suggested as a possible solution inspired by the identified benefits in aviation industry. A recent review article highlighted the need for such training despite its high cost and the need for expert trainers. This study aimed to design and test the feasibility of an online standalone module to address the current gap in cognitive surgical training. An online standalone, Cognitive Hazard Training module for laparoscopic cholecystectomy was created. It combined multiple choice questions, extended matching items, and single-line free text questions. It contained relevant sketch images and real life hazards video clips, highlighting potential mistakes to enhance: Safety knowledge, reduce bias, and improve self-limitation awareness. Two experts were invited to validate the prototype before testing its feasibility in one English Deanery training environment. In total 93 candidates signed up to review the training. However only 47 (50%) later participated and 33 completed the Module. Those included 3 juniors, 20 higher trainees, and 10 consultants. Candidates' answers were quantitatively analysed. Qualitative feedback was also collected from 27 candidates, via semi-structured interviews. The overall feedback from the feasibility study was positive. Results supported this online resource value in enhancing knowledge and awareness. Interview data also suggested the module's potential to change trainees' practice by being more cautious and adhering to the safety steps of dissection. This new training module overcomes some of the previously reported problems in surgical cognitive training. It is a stand-alone online resource with low running cost and does not require expert trainers. The feasibility study supported the aim to enhance hazard awareness and create an attitude shift towards adherence to safety steps during the procedure.

Study to improve the efficiency of c-Si material in photovoltaic power plant

In the present communication, comparison between performance of photovoltaic module with and without duct has been carried out. Different input parameters (namely, ambient air temperature, solar radiation wind speed etc.) have been considered for IIT, Delhi campus. Further, thermal modelling has been derived for the c-Si photovoltaic (PV) module alone and PV module with duct. Different parameters like outlet air temperature from duct and cell temperature have been calculated through MATLAB coding. Due to integration of duct, 3.89% and 125.74% increase in electrical output and equivalent thermal energy have been found in comparison to stand-alone PV module.

Development of advanced automated test equipment for digital system by using FPGA

One of the fundamental devices in electronics, Integrated Circuit (IC), is usually applied in more complex devices. Before the IC is used, it has to pass some tests to guarantee that its function is in accordance with the specifications. Automated Test Equipment (ATE) is used to test many electronics devices, including ICs. Nowadays, with the rapid advance in electronics technology, the industry will need more advanced ATE to fulfill customers demand. One of the applicative solutions is improvement and integration of a standalone module in commercial ATE owned by the company. ASL 1000 Test System is one of the ATE that is still widely used in industry. ASL 1000 has one limitation in one of its module, Digital Driver and Detector (DDD). The limitation is how much vector pattern that can be saved in the memory. Based on the observation in DDD instrument, a standalone module that has similar specifications as DDD can be designed using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) as its base component. In the standalone module plan, supporting circuits are used, these are interface circuit between FPGA and PC using RS-232 and ASIC as ATE drivers or comparators to connect FPGA and device under test (DUT). The result of the study shows that the designed module can receive and send 8-bit data at 19.200 baud rate. It can write and read 16-bit data from and to SDR SDRAM within 90 ns and 80 ns for one cycle. It can control DAC type AD5308 in standalone operation and DAC type AD5676 in daisy chain operation to generate specific voltage in specific channel. In behavioral simulation, main controller module has already worked in accordance with the desired specifications.

Modular imaging system: Rapid scan EPR at 800 MHz.

An electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) imaging system has been custom built for use in pre-clinical and, potentially, clinical studies. Commercial standalone modules have been used in the design that are MATLAB-controlled. The imaging system combines digital and analog technologies. It was designed to achieve maximum flexibility and versatility and to perform standard and novel user-defined experiments. This design goal is achieved by frequency mixing of an arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) output at the intermediate frequency (IF) with a constant source frequency (SF). Low noise SF at 250, 750, and 1000 MHz are available in the system. A wide range of frequencies from near-baseband to L-band can be generated as a result. Two-stage downconversion at the signal detection side is implemented that enables multi-frequency EPR capability. In the first stage, the signal frequency is converted to IF. A novel AWG-enabled digital auto-frequency control method that operates at IF is described that is used for automatic resonator tuning. Quadrature baseband EPR signal is generated in the second downconversion step. The semi-digital approach of mixing low-noise frequency sources with an AWG permits generation of arbitrary excitation patterns that include but are not limited to frequency sweeps for resonator tuning and matching, continuous-wave, and pulse sequences. Presented in this paper is the demonstration of rapid scan (RS) EPR imaging implemented at 800 MHz. Generation of stable magnetic scan waveforms is critical for the RS method. A digital automatic scan control (DASC) system was developed for sinusoidal magnetic field scans. DASC permits tight control of both amplitude and phase of the scans. A surface loop resonator was developed using 3D printing technology. RS EPR imaging system was validated using sample phantoms. In vivo imaging of a breast cancer mouse model is demonstrated.

A communications module to reinforce motivational interviewing concepts

Background and purposeMotivational interviewing (MI) is a patient-centered method of communicating that can be used to improve medication adherence. However, it can be difficult to teach and learn. This paper describes the creation of a stand-alone introductory MI module for second-year pharmacy students and its transformation to a module intended to reinforce content after the addition of a new MI-based course in the first year. It compares student competence in MI skills between the two modules (introductory versus reinforcement). Educational activity and settingIn 2012 and 2013, an introductory MI module was delivered to second year pharmacy students. In 2014, a course grounded in MI principles was introduced in the first year of the curriculum, with the module in the second year modified to reinforce those principles. All second-year students' MI skills were assessed with an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) case. Overall case scores and individual item scores were compared before and after the addition of the course using assessment data from two years before and after the change. FindingsOverall case scores (81.9% vs. 86.9%, p = 0.001) significantly improved after the introduction of the new course. Items related to MI skills also improved significantly. Scores for general communication items were not different. SummaryAfter the introduction of the new MI-based first-year course, students performed better on items specifically related to MI in an OSCE case. This model can serve as a useful example of how to introduce MI skills and reinforce these skills later in the curriculum.