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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Conference Proceedings 3rd International Scientific Conference On “Energy Systems With It” At Alvsjö Fair In Association With Energitinget March 16-17 2010, Dr. Erik Dahlquist, Dr. Jenny Palm Mar 2010

Conference Proceedings 3rd International Scientific Conference On “Energy Systems With It” At Alvsjö Fair In Association With Energitinget March 16-17 2010, Dr. Erik Dahlquist, Dr. Jenny Palm

Dr. Erik Dahlquist

2010 “The Energiting” is performed for the 12th time. The International Scientific conference is arranged for the 3rd time. The organisers are Swedish Energy Agency, Mälardalen University and the Research School for Energy Systems with LiU, KTH, UU and CTH. The first topic will be “Energy systems” covering use of renewable energy sources, energy conversion and process efficiency improvement with new technologies, as well as societal aspects of the introduction of new technologies. The second topic is “Energy and IT”. This covers energy and load management, interaction between production, distribution and “consumption”, usage of data for decision support and control, …


Selective Recursive Kernel Learning For Online Identification Of Nonlinear Systems With Narx Form, Yi Liu, Haiqing Wang, Jiang Yu, Ping Li Feb 2010

Selective Recursive Kernel Learning For Online Identification Of Nonlinear Systems With Narx Form, Yi Liu, Haiqing Wang, Jiang Yu, Ping Li

Dr. Yi Liu

Online identification of nonlinear systems is still an important while difficult task in practice. A general and simple online identification method, namely Selective Recursive Kernel Learning (SRKL), is proposed for multi-input–multi-output (MIMO) systems with the nonlinear autoregressive with exogenous input form. A two-stage RKL online identification framework is first formulated, where the information contained by a sample (i.e., the new arriving or old useless one) can be introduced into and/or deleted from the model, recursively. Then, a sparsification strategy to restrict the model complexity is developed to guarantee all the output channels of the MIMO model accurate simultaneously. Specially, a …


Enterprise Development Policies And Capacity-Building In Science, Technology And Innovation (Sti)-Response To The Issue Note, Deogratias Harorimana Jan 2010

Enterprise Development Policies And Capacity-Building In Science, Technology And Innovation (Sti)-Response To The Issue Note, Deogratias Harorimana

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

Enterprise Development, Investment and Business Climate are all important for economic growth. But what policies, strategies are needed to make economic growth a reality. The author has followed one of the World's fastest reformer and emerging nation in the Heart of Africa-Rwanda. The paper shares lessons and practical aspects related to building an entrepreneurial population, and building a government which is a facilitator of business climate


On The Radiation-Induced Soft Error Performance Of Hardened Sequential Elements In Advanced Bulk Cmos Technologies, Norbert Seifert, Vinod Ambrose, B Gill, Q Shi, R Allmon, Charles H. Recchia, S Mukherjee, N Nassif, J Krause, J Pickholtz, A Balasubramanian Jan 2010

On The Radiation-Induced Soft Error Performance Of Hardened Sequential Elements In Advanced Bulk Cmos Technologies, Norbert Seifert, Vinod Ambrose, B Gill, Q Shi, R Allmon, Charles H. Recchia, S Mukherjee, N Nassif, J Krause, J Pickholtz, A Balasubramanian

Charles H Recchia

No abstract provided.


Adaptive Target Detection With Application To Through-The-Wall Radar Imaging, Christian Debes, Jesper Riedler, Abdelhak M. Zoubir, Moeness G. Amin Jan 2010

Adaptive Target Detection With Application To Through-The-Wall Radar Imaging, Christian Debes, Jesper Riedler, Abdelhak M. Zoubir, Moeness G. Amin

Christian Debes

An adaptive detection scheme is proposed for radar imaging. The proposed detector is a postprocessing scheme derived for one-, two-, and three-dimensional data, and applied to through- the-wall imaging using synthetic aperture radar. The target image statistics depend on the target three-dimensional orientation and position. The statistics can also vary with the standoff distance of the imaging system because of the change in the corresponding scene image resolution. We propose an iterative target detection scheme for the cases in which no or partial a priori knowledge of the target image statistics is available. Properties of the proposed scheme, such as …


Custom Power Devices For Voltage Sags Mitigation: A Techno-Economic Analysis, Tarek Ibrahim Elshennawy Dr., Amr Yehia Abou-Ghazala A. Prof., Mahmoud El-Gammal Prof. Jan 2010

Custom Power Devices For Voltage Sags Mitigation: A Techno-Economic Analysis, Tarek Ibrahim Elshennawy Dr., Amr Yehia Abou-Ghazala A. Prof., Mahmoud El-Gammal Prof.

Tarek Ibrahim ElShennawy

The increased concern about the financial losses due to voltage sags and interruptions plus the advancements in power electronics technology have led to the innovation of very fast acting intervening equipment that can mitigate such disturbances. However, the high cost of these custom power devices can offset their technical benefits. In this paper, a procedure is proposed to find a compromised solution that makes technical and financial sense. A case study of an oil refinery in Alexandria, Egypt is considered to illustrate the proposed procedure.


1.05-Ghz Cmos Oscillator Based On Lateral-Field-Excited Piezoelectric Aln Contour-Mode Mems Resonators, Chengjie Zuo, Jan Van Der Spiegel, Gianluca Piazza Jan 2010

1.05-Ghz Cmos Oscillator Based On Lateral-Field-Excited Piezoelectric Aln Contour-Mode Mems Resonators, Chengjie Zuo, Jan Van Der Spiegel, Gianluca Piazza

Chengjie Zuo

This paper reports on the first demonstration of a 1.05-GHz microelectromechanical (MEMS) oscillator based on lateral-field-excited (LFE) piezoelectric AlN contour-mode resonators. The oscillator shows a phase noise level of −81 dBc/Hz at 1-kHz offset frequency and a phase noise floor of −146 dBc/Hz, which satisfies the global system for mobile communications (GSM) requirements for ultra-high frequency (UHF) local oscillators (LO). The circuit was fabricated in the AMI semiconductor (AMIS) 0.5-μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process, with the oscillator core consuming only 3.5 mW DC power. The device overall performance has the best figure-of-merit (FoM) when compared with other gigahertz oscillators that …


Novel Electrode Configurations In Dual-Layer Stacked And Switchable Aln Contour-Mode Resonators For Low Impedance Filter Termination And Reduced Insertion Loss, Chengjie Zuo, Nipun Sinha, Gianluca Piazza Jan 2010

Novel Electrode Configurations In Dual-Layer Stacked And Switchable Aln Contour-Mode Resonators For Low Impedance Filter Termination And Reduced Insertion Loss, Chengjie Zuo, Nipun Sinha, Gianluca Piazza

Chengjie Zuo

This paper reports, for the first time, on the design and demonstration of two novel electrode configurations in dual-layer stacked Aluminum Nitride (AlN) piezoelectric contour-mode resonators to obtain low filter termination resistance (down to 300 Ω, which also results in better filter out-of-band rejection) and reduced insertion loss (IL as low as 1.6 dB) in multi-frequency (100 MHz – 1 GHz) AlN MEMS filters. The microfabrication process is fully compatible with the previously demonstrated AlN RF MEMS switches, which makes it possible to design and integrate multi-frequency switchable filter banks on a single chip.


Ss-Dna Functionalized Ultra-Thin-Film Aln Contour-Mode Resonators With Self-Sustained Oscillator For Volatile Organic Chemical Detection, Matteo Rinaldi, Brandon Duick, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza Jan 2010

Ss-Dna Functionalized Ultra-Thin-Film Aln Contour-Mode Resonators With Self-Sustained Oscillator For Volatile Organic Chemical Detection, Matteo Rinaldi, Brandon Duick, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza

Chengjie Zuo

This paper reports on the design and experimental verification of a new class of nanoscale gravimetric sensors based on ultra-thin-film AlN Contour-Mode Resonant Sensor (CMR-S) functionalized with ss-DNA and connected to a chip-based self-sustaining oscillator loop (fabricated in the ON Semiconductor 0.5 μm CMOS process) for direct frequency read-out. The 220 MHz oscillator based on the ultra-thin AlN CMR-S exhibits an Allan Variance of ∼20 Hz for 100 ms gate time. The sensor affinity for the adsorption of volatile organic chemicals such as 2,6 dinitroluene (DNT, a simulant for explosive vapors) is enhanced by functionalizing the top gold electrode of …


Super-High-Frequency Two-Port Aln Contour-Mode Resonators For Rf Applications, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza Jan 2010

Super-High-Frequency Two-Port Aln Contour-Mode Resonators For Rf Applications, Matteo Rinaldi, Chiara Zuniga, Chengjie Zuo, Gianluca Piazza

Chengjie Zuo

This paper reports on the design and experimental verification of a new class of thin-film (250 nm) super-high-frequency laterally-vibrating piezoelectric microelectromechanical (MEMS) resonators suitable for the fabrication of narrow-band MEMS filters operating at frequencies above 3 GHz. The device dimensions have been opportunely scaled both in the lateral and vertical dimensions to excite a contour-extensional mode of vibration in nanofeatures of an ultra-thin (250 nm) AlN film. In this first demonstration, 2-port resonators vibrating up to 4.5 GHz have been fabricated on the same die and attained electromechanical coupling, kt2, in excess of 1.5%. These devices are employed to synthesize …


Model Omnibus Privacy Statute, Sam S. Han Ph.D. Jan 2010

Model Omnibus Privacy Statute, Sam S. Han Ph.D.

Sam Han

One of today’s major concerns is how easily digital information can be copied and disseminated. Thus, when one’s private information becomes publicly available in digital format, that information can be readily duplicated and distributed across the globe within seconds. If the disseminated information includes credit card numbers or Social Security numbers, then there is a heightened exposure to identity theft and a host of other privacy-related crimes.

Given the existence of such a digital landmine, laws have been promulgated for various sectors (e.g., financial, healthcare, government, etc.) to protect personally-identifiable information. However, due to differing needs of the various sectors, …


Automated Fault Location In A Power System With Distributed Generations Using Radial Basis Function Neural Networks, Hadi Zayandehroodi, Azah Mohamed, Hussain Shareef, Marjan Mohammadjafari Jan 2010

Automated Fault Location In A Power System With Distributed Generations Using Radial Basis Function Neural Networks, Hadi Zayandehroodi, Azah Mohamed, Hussain Shareef, Marjan Mohammadjafari

Dr. Marjan Mohammadjafari

High penetration of Distributed Generation (DG) units will have unfavorable impacts on the traditional fault location methods because the distribution system is no longer radial in nature and is not supplied by a single main power source. This study presents an automated fault location method using Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) for a distribution system with DG units. In the proposed method, the fault type is determined first by normalizing the fault currents of the main source. Then to determine the fault location, two RBFNNs have been developed for various fault types. The first RBFNN is used for detraining …


Automated Fault Location In A Power System With Distributed Generations Using Radial Basis Function Neural Networks, Hadi Zayandehroodi, Azah Mohamed, Hussain Shareef, Marjan Mohammadjafari Jan 2010

Automated Fault Location In A Power System With Distributed Generations Using Radial Basis Function Neural Networks, Hadi Zayandehroodi, Azah Mohamed, Hussain Shareef, Marjan Mohammadjafari

Dr. Hadi Zayandehroodi

High penetration of Distributed Generation (DG) units will have unfavorable impacts on the traditional fault location methods because the distribution system is no longer radial in nature and is not supplied by a single main power source. This study presents an automated fault location method using Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) for a distribution system with DG units. In the proposed method, the fault type is determined first by normalizing the fault currents of the main source. Then to determine the fault location, two RBFNNs have been developed for various fault types. The first RBFNN is used for detraining …


Advanced Wide-Area Angle Stability And Voltage Control, Arturo Roman Messina, Ramon Jimenez, Rafael Castellanos Jan 2010

Advanced Wide-Area Angle Stability And Voltage Control, Arturo Roman Messina, Ramon Jimenez, Rafael Castellanos

A. R. Messina

No abstract provided.


Survey Report On Training And Spending On Customer Care Services, Deogratias Harorimana Sr Jan 2010

Survey Report On Training And Spending On Customer Care Services, Deogratias Harorimana Sr

Dr Deogratias Harorimana

In a bid to promote and develop good customer care service in various sectors of Rwandan economy, a survey was conducted to assess progress and trends on customer service capacity building. Although shortcomings are there, there have been efforts and registered trends across the country on service delivery front. Investment in Capacity Building IS happening in certain sectors but this is unevenly distributed. In 2008 companies had started recognizing the significance of good service and cultivate a good working environment and training. From 2009, there was a decline in investment in capacity building in front office and key service delivery …


Ultrathin, Ultrasmooth And Low-Loss Silver Films Via Wetting And Annealing, Weiqiang Chen, Kuo-Ping Chen, Mark Daniel Thoreson, Alexander Kildishev, Vladimir M. Shalaev Jan 2010

Ultrathin, Ultrasmooth And Low-Loss Silver Films Via Wetting And Annealing, Weiqiang Chen, Kuo-Ping Chen, Mark Daniel Thoreson, Alexander Kildishev, Vladimir M. Shalaev

Weiqiang Chen

We have demonstrated that a thermal annealing treatment can reduce the optical losses in ultrathin, ultrasmooth, silver films deposited on a Ge wetting layer to values as low as the bulk material value and at the same time maintain an ultrasmooth surface. The annealing effect is sensitive to the annealing temperature and time, both of which should be carefully controlled. This annealing treatment is also effective for Ag–SiO2 multilayer composite films.


Toward Superlensing With Metal-Dielectric Composites And Multilayers, Rasmus Bundgaard Nielsen, Mark Thoreson, Weiqiang Chen, Anders Kristensen, Jørn Hvam, Vladimir M. Shalaev, Alexandra Boltasseva Jan 2010

Toward Superlensing With Metal-Dielectric Composites And Multilayers, Rasmus Bundgaard Nielsen, Mark Thoreson, Weiqiang Chen, Anders Kristensen, Jørn Hvam, Vladimir M. Shalaev, Alexandra Boltasseva

Weiqiang Chen

We report on the fabrication of two types of adjustable, near-field superlens designs: metal–dielectric composites and metal–dielectric multilayer films. We fabricated a variety of films with different materials, thicknesses and compositions. These samples were characterized physically and optically to determine their film composition, quality, and optical responses. Our results on metal–dielectric composites indicate that although the real part of the effective permittivity generally follows effective medium theory predictions, the imaginary part does not and substantially higher losses are observed. Going forward, it appears that multilayer metal–dielectric designs are more suitable for sub-diffraction imaging applications because they could provide both tunability …


Fabrication And Optical Characterizations Of Smooth Silver-Silica Nanocomposite Films, Weiqiang Chen, Mark Daniel Thoreson, Alexander V. Kildishev, Vladimir Shalaev Jan 2010

Fabrication And Optical Characterizations Of Smooth Silver-Silica Nanocomposite Films, Weiqiang Chen, Mark Daniel Thoreson, Alexander V. Kildishev, Vladimir Shalaev

Weiqiang Chen

We have studied the surface-smoothing effect of an ultrathin germanium (Ge) layer on silver (Ag)-silica (SiO2) nanocomposite films for superlensing applications. Our experimental results indicate that inserting a thin Ge layer below the silver-silica composite films can reduce the final surface root-mean-squared (RMS) roughness to under 1 nm. Additionally, the metal nanostructure plays a role in both the smoothing effect and the optical properties of the nanocomposite films. Our experimental results show that the Bruggeman effective medium theory (EMT) is not sufficiently accurate to describe some properties of our nanocomposite films. In addition to the constituent materials and their filling …


Effects Of A Static Synchronous Series Compensator (Sssc) Based On A Soft Switching 48-Pulse Pwm Inverter On The Power Demand From The Grid, Saad Mekhilef Jan 2010

Effects Of A Static Synchronous Series Compensator (Sssc) Based On A Soft Switching 48-Pulse Pwm Inverter On The Power Demand From The Grid, Saad Mekhilef

Saad Mekhilef

In this paper the effects of a Static Synchronous Series Compensator, which is constructed with a 48-pulse inverter, on the power demand from the grid are studied. Extensive simulation studies were carried out in the MATLAB simulation environment to observe the compensation achieved by the SSSC and its effects on the line voltage, line current, phase angle and real/reactive power. The designed device is simulated in a power system which is comprised of a three phase power source, a transmission line, line inductance and load. The system parameters such as line voltage, line current, reactive power Q and real power …


Dual Vector Control Strategy For A Three-Stage Hybrid Cascaded Multilevel Inverter, Saad Mekhilef Jan 2010

Dual Vector Control Strategy For A Three-Stage Hybrid Cascaded Multilevel Inverter, Saad Mekhilef

Saad Mekhilef

This paper presents a voltage control algorithm for a hybrid multilevel inverter based on a staged-perception of the inverter voltage vector diagram. The algorithm is applied to control a three-stage eighteen-level hybrid inverter, which has been designed with a maximum number of symmetrical levels. The inverter has a two-level main stage built using a conventional six-switch inverter and medium- and low- voltage three-level stages constructed using cascaded H-bridge cells. The distinctive feature of the proposed algorithm is its ability to avoid the undesirable high switching frequency for high- and medium- voltage stages despite the fact that the inverter's dc sources …


Application Of Electromagnetic Waves As A Solution To Some Agricultural Problems, B. M. Ida Idayu, Maryam Ashayer Soltani, Amin Enayati, H. Aliakbarian, Hossein Ameri Mahabadi, M. Moghawemi Jan 2010

Application Of Electromagnetic Waves As A Solution To Some Agricultural Problems, B. M. Ida Idayu, Maryam Ashayer Soltani, Amin Enayati, H. Aliakbarian, Hossein Ameri Mahabadi, M. Moghawemi

Hossein Ameri Mahabadi

A review of some applications of electromagnetic waves in agriculture is presented. There are many applications in the literature which are categorized in two sections of post-harvest indoor and pre-harvest outdoor applications. Taking a look at the applications suggested, there are still works to be done to industrialize the method. However, the proposed method is promising in special cases when the cost and hazards of other methods are high.


Adaptive Pid Control Based On Rbf Network Approximating The Satellite Clock Thermal Model, Bin Xu Jan 2010

Adaptive Pid Control Based On Rbf Network Approximating The Satellite Clock Thermal Model, Bin Xu

Bin Xu

The accuracy o f t ime information prov ided by sate llite clock g reat ly depends on its frequency stab ili􀀁 ty, w hich is up to the stability o f the co re tempera ture. Th is paper introduces an adaptive PID control for the sate llite c lock system whose mode l is approx imated based on RBF neural netw orks. Simu lation resu lts demonstrate the va lid ity o f the proposed contro.l