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2009

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Sensor-Based Soil Water Monitoring To More Effectively Manage Agricultural Water Resources In Coastal Plain Soils, Christopher Bellamy Dec 2009

Sensor-Based Soil Water Monitoring To More Effectively Manage Agricultural Water Resources In Coastal Plain Soils, Christopher Bellamy

All Theses

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is widely grown in the United States with 5.7 million ha grown nationally and 1.2 million ha grown in the humid southeastern states in 2005. From 1969 to 2003, agricultural irrigated farmland acreage and total water applied increased by over 40% and 11% respectively to include a total of 55.3 million acres in 2002. Combined with recent and more frequent drought periods and legal water conflicts between states, there has been an increased interest in more effective southeastern water management, thus making the need to develop improved irrigation scheduling methods and enhanced water use efficiency of …

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Analysis Of Factors Contributing To Roadside Tree Crashes In South Carolina, Vijay Bendigeri Dec 2009

Analysis Of Factors Contributing To Roadside Tree Crashes In South Carolina, Vijay Bendigeri

All Theses

The state of South Carolina has experienced a large number of fatalities and injuries resulting from run off the road tree related crashes. According to 2008 FARS data tree related fixed object fatal crashes in South Carolina (65%) are more than double that of the national (25.8%). Thus, trees are much bigger proportion of all roadside hazards in South Carolina than nationally. In order to achieve a safer roadside which is favorable to the road user, factors contributing to the tree related crashes should be critically analyzed to determine suitable safety improvements.
This research aims at qualitatively and quantitatively assessing …

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Design And Analysis Of Alternating Spoke Pair Concepts For A Non-Pneumatic Tire With Reduced Vibration At High Speed Rolling, Shashank Bezgam Dec 2009

Design And Analysis Of Alternating Spoke Pair Concepts For A Non-Pneumatic Tire With Reduced Vibration At High Speed Rolling, Shashank Bezgam

All Theses

Recently, Michelin has invented an innovative non-pneumatic tire which has potential for improved handling, grip, comfort, and less rolling resistance when compared to a traditional pneumatic tire. The non-pneumatic wheel is manufactured from a molding process with integrated shear ring and collapsible spokes designed to provide optimal uniform ground contact patch with low rolling resistance. The shear band is constructed from a polyurethane material with imbedded inextensible reinforcements. During high speed rolling in initial testing, the original prototype showed high noise levels at frequencies above 100 Hz. A possible source of noise could be due to vibration initiated from the …

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Robust Parameter Design And Finite Element Analysis For A Non-Pneumatic Tire With Low Vibration, Amarnath Proddaturi Dec 2009

Robust Parameter Design And Finite Element Analysis For A Non-Pneumatic Tire With Low Vibration, Amarnath Proddaturi

All Theses

During rolling of a non-pneumatic tire, vibration may be produced by the interaction of collapsible spokes with a shear deformable ring as they enter the contact region, buckle and then snap back into a state of tension. Other potential sources of vibration include the interaction of tire tread with the ground and ring vibration. In the present work, a systematic study of the effects of key geometric design parameters is presented using Taguchi's Robust Parameter Design Method and Orthogonal Arrays.
In the present work, a 2D planar finite element model with geometric non-linearity and explicit time-stepping is used to simulate …

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Sound Matters: Aural Rhetoric In Pharmaceutical Advertising (Toward A Theory And Method Of Auralacy), Michael Hovan Dec 2009

Sound Matters: Aural Rhetoric In Pharmaceutical Advertising (Toward A Theory And Method Of Auralacy), Michael Hovan

All Theses

As scholarly theories and explorations of visuality continue to grow in prominence within the discourse on multimodal communication, a gap remains in the literature regarding the affective qualities of sound in multimedia messages. The following study attempts to address this gap and likewise propose a theory of auralacy (aural literacy) by examining the audiovisual interactions present in three different pharmaceutical commercials.
This study begins by examining literature regarding Gestalt perceptual theory, with emphasis on its origins, historical developments, and current status in perceptual research. The literature shows that perceptual wholes may be formed visually, tactilely, aurally, or even intermodally. After …

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Performance Of Storm Water Stage And Quality Measuring Instruemtnation Of A Small Watershed Using A Remote Monitoring Station, Rebecca Crane Dec 2009

Performance Of Storm Water Stage And Quality Measuring Instruemtnation Of A Small Watershed Using A Remote Monitoring Station, Rebecca Crane

All Theses

ABSTRACT


As economic development proceeds special care must be taken to preserve and sustain our water resources. Monitoring the storm water from a watershed during a rainfall event can help quantify any changes in water quantity and quality. An accurate means of measuring flow is necessary for all watershed monitoring projects. This study was conducted to analyze the performance of stage, turbidity, and temperature measuring devices in a laboratory setting as well as on Honeycutt Creek in Clemson, South Carolina.
The stage measuring devices under study include: a radar level sensor, ultrasonic transmitter, pressure transducer, and a bubbler module. A …

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Ultracapacitor Frequency Analysis And Its Equivalent Circuit Modeling, Xiaomeng Li, Mariesa Crow Dec 2009

Ultracapacitor Frequency Analysis And Its Equivalent Circuit Modeling, Xiaomeng Li, Mariesa Crow

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Energy storage system is becoming more and more important in power electronics device. the Ultracapacitor or so-called electrochemical capacitor is one of the most popular choices for the energy storage system because of its distinct characters. in the application UCAP's transient behavior need to be studied for design purpose. Usually, these transient characters are not shown in the product data sheet. in this paper UCAP frequency analysis is performed, and based on the test data the equivalent model of the UCAP is built. the fitting result shows that using multi-level ladder circuit can perfectly fit the UCAP transient characters.

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Layered Frequency-Domain Equalization For Single Carrier Mimo Systems With Multiple Carrier Frequency Offsets, Jian Zhang, Yahong Rosa Zheng Dec 2009

Layered Frequency-Domain Equalization For Single Carrier Mimo Systems With Multiple Carrier Frequency Offsets, Jian Zhang, Yahong Rosa Zheng

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, carrier frequency offsets (CFOs) are considered in a layered frequency-domain equalization (LFDE) architecture for a single carrier (SC) broadband wireless multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system. at each layer of detection, a group of best data streams are selected to be equalized and reliably detected via removing the phase and amplitude distortion caused by the multiple CFOs. the estimated phase rotations and amplitude scalars are required to be compensated to the detected data streams in order to reconstruct the interference signals which are canceled out from the received signals. Instead of direct estimation of CFOs, our algorithm is to …

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Expanded Information Delivery Using The World Wide Web, Steven B. Johnson Dec 2009

Expanded Information Delivery Using The World Wide Web, Steven B. Johnson

Journal of Extension

Web posting of program agendas and presentations has proven successful for increasing contacts and providing timely information. Web posting of program agendas can aid clients in forward planning and encourage attendance. Web posting of conference presentations can help clients who were not able to attend the program and increase exposure to a wider audience. Software for tracking Web page activity provides data for reporting and a measure of value to clients.

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On The Many Flavors Of Capitalism Or Reflections On Schumpeter's Ghost, John Henry Schlegel Dec 2009

On The Many Flavors Of Capitalism Or Reflections On Schumpeter's Ghost, John Henry Schlegel

Journal Articles

Most legal scholars treat capitalism as a genus with one species. The appearance of several books that argue to the contrary suggests that it is sensible to revisit this assumption. Discussion begins by considering the constructed nature of markets, the importance of market systems, and the role of financings as the factor distinguishing capitalism from other forms of a market economy. Thereafter, four articulations of the varieties of capitalism are reviewed: the classic Marxist one, one by a political economist, another by a pair of comparative political scientists, and third by a trio of economists. This review leads to a …

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Reorganization Of Massive Multiagent Systems: Motl/O, Aruntej Seelam Dec 2009

Reorganization Of Massive Multiagent Systems: Motl/O, Aruntej Seelam

Theses

MOTL/O embodies the MOTL paradigm and models organizational adaptation. We report progress on developing computational tools for systematically altering organizational components. This adds a novel dimension to MOTL (Hexmoor, et.al., 2008). This extension is necessary to allow communities of agents or robots to reconfigure their organizational structure in response to changes in the environment. Traditional approach of a hierarchical command and control (C2) structure is ineffective (Alberts & Hayes, 2003). Recently, an edge organization has been proposed as a more suitable alternative Command and control structure in the current information age, due to its empowerment of the edge members, better …

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Nipomo Toys For Tots Drive Public Relations Campaign: To Gain Media Coverage For Holiday Toy Donations And The Third Annual Toys For Tots Benefit Golf Tournament, Jessa Squellati Dec 2009

Nipomo Toys For Tots Drive Public Relations Campaign: To Gain Media Coverage For Holiday Toy Donations And The Third Annual Toys For Tots Benefit Golf Tournament, Jessa Squellati

Journalism

This research and documentation is an analysis and instructive guide for conducting a public relations campaign to promote the Nipomo Toys for Tots Drive. This campaign places emphasis on the importance of publicity to successfully gain toy donations and awareness for the Toys for Tots cause. With the recent downturn of the economy, the media will be instrumental in furthering the Toys for Tots mission and purpose to collect an estimated 3,000 toy donations for Nipomo children (newborns to 16 years of age). Although the 2008 Nipomo Toys for Tots Drive was successful without the presence of media coverage, the …

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Methods For Retaining And Monetizing Local Audiences Of An Online-Only News Organization, Lauren Rabaino Dec 2009

Methods For Retaining And Monetizing Local Audiences Of An Online-Only News Organization, Lauren Rabaino

Journalism

Newspapers are at a crossroads in their existence. Traditionally, the printed giants were able to hold monopolies in their respective municipalities because the barrier to entry for printing was high and the operating costs were expensive. A study published in 1978 – a decade before the Internet came to fruition – reported that local newspaper monopolies existed in more than 97 percent of U.S. cities . But with the Web, that dynamic has vastly shifted. Widely accessible and affordable Web platforms eliminate both the barrier to entry and operating costs required to publish to a mass audience. As a result, …

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The Biogeochemical Influence Of Nitrate, Dissolved Oxygen, And Dissolved Organic Carbon On Stream Nitrate Uptake, Joseph A. Thouin, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Charles J. Vorosmarty, Jennifer M. Jacobs, William H. Mcdowell Dec 2009

The Biogeochemical Influence Of Nitrate, Dissolved Oxygen, And Dissolved Organic Carbon On Stream Nitrate Uptake, Joseph A. Thouin, Wilfred M. Wollheim, Charles J. Vorosmarty, Jennifer M. Jacobs, William H. Mcdowell

Faculty Publications

Streams are potential hotspots for retention and removal of NO3−, and understanding the mechanisms that enhance NO3− reactivity in stream systems is critical for predicting and preventing eutrophication. Both dissolved organic C (DOC) and dissolved O2 (DO) influence NO3− removal processes. Assessing the individual impacts of NO3−, DO, and DOC concentrations on stream NO3− removal is difficult because these factors covary and are coupled through the C and N cycles. We used an experimental approach to quantify the influences of NO3−, DOC, and DO on NO3− transport in headwater streams of the Ipswich and Parker River watersheds (Massachusetts, USA) with …

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Efficient Analysis Of Loaded Cylindrical Monopole Antennas, Adam Schreiber Dec 2009

Efficient Analysis Of Loaded Cylindrical Monopole Antennas, Adam Schreiber

All Dissertations

In this dissertation is presented a collection of papers focusing on enhancing the efficiency of integral equation solutions of antennas. A method of incorporating network principles into the method of moments is developed. Scattering parameters are determined for two structures: a coaxial-guide/radial-guide junction present in coaxial feeds of monopole and dipole antennas, and a folded coaxial guide junction proposed as part of an inductive load below the feed of the antenna. There is excellent agreement among the data obtained from the proposed method, independent MoM solutions not incorporating network principles, and measurements. An investigation into electrically switching a folded coaxial …

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Synthesis And Characterization Of Metallic, Core-Shell And Composite Nanoparticles, Amar Kumbhar Dec 2009

Synthesis And Characterization Of Metallic, Core-Shell And Composite Nanoparticles, Amar Kumbhar

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT
Silver nanoparticles exhibit size, shape and the surrounding dielectric medium dependent optical properties (scattering and absorption) in the visible spectral region. These optical properties can be explained in terms of the collective oscillation of the 'free conduction band electrons' or 'surface plasmons' induced by an external electromagnetic field. Dipole and Quadrupole Plasmon resonances have been observed for silver particles less than 100nm in diameter prepared using various synthetic techniques. However higher order resonances have been elusive due to lack of experimental techniques to prepare colloidal solutions of large silver nanoparticles in the size range above 100nm. Controlled hydrogen reduction …

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Hydrogel Compositions For Nonviral Gene Delivery, Eunhee Cho Dec 2009

Hydrogel Compositions For Nonviral Gene Delivery, Eunhee Cho

All Dissertations

The incorporation of nonviral vectors into biomaterial matrices has been employed to improve localization at the implant site and to protect from loss by clearance or extracellular barriers. However, several limitations such as detrimental crosslinking mechanisms, uncontrolled burst release require improved design of matrix-based gene delivery systems that provides sustained and controlled vector release as well as overcomes extracellular barriers to gene transfer in proximity to target cells. The long-term objective of this dissertation project is to provide the basis for the eventual creation of tissue engineering scaffolds that combine structural and biological activity through the creation of composite materials …

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Wide Area Monitoring And Control, Manish Patel Dec 2009

Wide Area Monitoring And Control, Manish Patel

All Dissertations

Today's interconnected power system is deregulated for wholesale power transfers. In 1996 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission provided open access of the transmission network to utilities. Since then utilities are transferring power over long distances to bring reliable and economical electric supply to their customers. As the number of wholesale power transactions taking place over an interconnected system are increasing, system operators in control areas are forced to monitor the grid on a large scale to operate it reliably. Before scheduling such a large scale power transactions, it is necessary to make sure that such transaction will not violate system operating …

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Polymeric Carbon Nanocomposites - Preparation, Characterization, And Properties, Lucia Veca Dec 2009

Polymeric Carbon Nanocomposites - Preparation, Characterization, And Properties, Lucia Veca

All Dissertations

Excellent thermal properties of carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes and newly discovered graphene make them the filler of choice for the development of thermal management materials. Graphene has been viewed as “ unrolled single-walled carbon nanotube and as a wonder material with many superlatives to its name ” thus there is an excessive interest in developing new synthetic routes towards large scale production of high quality graphene nanosheets.
In this dissertation, we report different methods that could further exfoliate the commercially available expanded graphite to nanometer sized carbon structures, “carbon nanosheets ”, for their use in highly thermal conductive …

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The Rheology, Degradation, Processing, And Characterization Of Renewable Resource Polymers, Jason Conrad Dec 2009

The Rheology, Degradation, Processing, And Characterization Of Renewable Resource Polymers, Jason Conrad

All Dissertations

Renewable resource polymers have become an increasingly popular alternative to conventional fossil fuel based polymers over the past couple decades. The push by the government as well as both industrial and consumer markets to go 'green' has provided the drive for companies to research and develop new materials that are more environmentally friendly and which are derived from renewable materials. Two polymers that are currently being produced commercially are poly-lactic acid (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) copolymers, both of which can be derived from renewable feedstocks and have shown to exhibit similar properties to conventional materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, …

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The Development Of A Mesenchymal Stem Cell Based Bone Graft System, Sarina Sinclair Dec 2009

The Development Of A Mesenchymal Stem Cell Based Bone Graft System, Sarina Sinclair

All Dissertations

Greater than 5.5 million fractures are sustained by Americans each year, accounting for more than 500,000 bone graft surgeries. Bone grafts are the second most transplanted material, surpassed only by blood. The current 'gold standard' for bone grafting involves harvesting bone material from the patient's iliac crest, due to its osteoinductive properties. Unfortunately, the surgery required to harvest material from the iliac crest causes additional pain for the patient, relies on a limited amount of available bone tissue, and results in, on average, a 30% rate of donor site morbidity. Both natural and synthetic substitutes have been developed to avoid …

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An Investigation On The Use And Flexibility Of Genetic Algorithms For Logistic Regression, Sara Yoder Dec 2009

An Investigation On The Use And Flexibility Of Genetic Algorithms For Logistic Regression, Sara Yoder

All Dissertations

Social scientists and other users of large data sets often desire a model to predict the probability that some condition exists, such as the probability that a person has diabetes or that a credit card transaction will be fraudulent. In general, this can be done by data mining techniques, which allow multiple records of data composed of numerous independent variables and one dependent variable to be examined in a statistical fashion to make a predictive model. One particular technique used is logistic regression. Logistic regression forms a predictive model based on a set of independent variables by assigning coefficients to …

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Human Error In Mining: A Multivariable Analysis Of Mining Accidents/Incidents In Queensland, Australia And The United States Of America Using The Human Factors Analysis And Classification System Framework, Jessica Patterson Dec 2009

Human Error In Mining: A Multivariable Analysis Of Mining Accidents/Incidents In Queensland, Australia And The United States Of America Using The Human Factors Analysis And Classification System Framework, Jessica Patterson

All Dissertations

Historically, mining has been viewed as an inherently high-risk industry. Nevertheless, the introduction of new technology and a heightened concern for safety has yielded marked reductions in accident and injury rates over the last several decades. In an effort to further reduce these rates, the human factors associated with incidents/accidents need to be addressed. A modified version of the Human Factors Classification and Analysis System (HFCAS-MI) was used to analyze lost time accidents and high-potential incidents from across Queensland, Australia and fatal accidents from the United States of America (USA) to identify human factor trends and system deficiencies within mining. …

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Towards A Theory On The Sustainability And Performance Of Floss Communities, Mohammad Almarzouq Dec 2009

Towards A Theory On The Sustainability And Performance Of Floss Communities, Mohammad Almarzouq

All Dissertations

With the emergence of Free/Libre and Open Source Software as a significant force that is reshaping the software industry, it becomes more important to reassess conventionally held wisdom about software development. Recent literature on the FLOSS development process suggests that our previously held knowledge about software development might be obsolete. We specifically highlight the tension between the views embodied by the Linus' Law and Brooks' Law.
Linus' Law was forwarded by Eric Raymond and suggests that the FLOSS development process benefits greatly from large numbers of developers. Brooks' Law, which is part of currently held wisdom on software development, suggests …

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A Cognitive Model For Problem Solving In Computer Science, Jennifer Parham Dec 2009

A Cognitive Model For Problem Solving In Computer Science, Jennifer Parham

All Dissertations

According to industry representatives, computer science education needs to emphasize the processes involved in solving computing problems rather than their solutions. Most of the current assessment tools used by universities and computer science departments analyze student answers to problems rather than investigating the processes involved in solving them. Approaching assessment from this perspective would reveal potential errors leading to incorrect solutions.
This dissertation proposes a model describing how people solve computational problems by storing, retrieving, and manipulating information and knowledge. It describes how metacognition interacts with schemata representing conceptual and procedural knowledge, as well as with the external sources of …

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Production And Characterization Of Novel Shaped Fibers For Fluid Sorption And Transport, Lisa Fuller Dec 2009

Production And Characterization Of Novel Shaped Fibers For Fluid Sorption And Transport, Lisa Fuller

All Dissertations

This work investigated the production and characterization of novel shaped fibers for fluid adsorption and transport. Shaped fibers such as Y, H, and octolobal, as well as conventional round fibers, were extruded using a research melt extruder. The fibers were extruded from 18 melt flow index (MFI) polypropylene (PP) and blends of 18 MFI PP and 400 MFI PP. Hydrophilic spin finish Bozzetto Favorol SF2 was applied to the surface of extruded fibers and hydrophilic polyester additive LB-100 was included in the blend of some H fibers to increase the hydrophilicity of the fiber surface. The geometric shape retention of …

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On The Testing And Estimation Of High-Dimensional Covariance Matrices, Thomas Fisher Dec 2009

On The Testing And Estimation Of High-Dimensional Covariance Matrices, Thomas Fisher

All Dissertations

Many applications of modern science involve a large number of parameters. In
many cases, the number of parameters, p, exceeds the number of observations,
N. Classical multivariate statistics are based on the assumption that the
number of parameters is fixed and the number of observations is large. Many of
the classical techniques perform poorly, or are degenerate, in high-dimensional
situations.
In this work, we discuss and develop statistical methods for inference of
data in which the number of parameters exceeds the number of observations.
Specifically we look at the problems of hypothesis testing regarding and the
estimation of the covariance …

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Synthesis And Spectroscopic Characterization Of Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials, Jason Reppert Dec 2009

Synthesis And Spectroscopic Characterization Of Nanostructured Thermoelectric Materials, Jason Reppert

All Dissertations

Bismuth in the bulk form is a semimetal with a rhombohedral structure. It has a small band overlap between the conduction and valence bands and a highly anisotropic electron effective-mass tensor. Thermoelectric materials, in which one of the three dimensions is in the nanometer regime, exhibit unique quantum confinement properties and have generated much interest in recent years. Theoretical investigations have suggested that nanowires with diameters ≤ 10 nm will possess a figure-of-merit ZT > 2. Prior to this study, it has been shown that Bi nanowires with small enough diameters (~10 nm), prepared via the pulsed laser vaporization method, undergo …

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Inter-Tube Bonding And Defects In Carbon Nanotubes And The Impact On The Transport Properties And Micro-Morphology, Keqin Yang Dec 2009

Inter-Tube Bonding And Defects In Carbon Nanotubes And The Impact On The Transport Properties And Micro-Morphology, Keqin Yang

All Dissertations

The transport properties of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are affected by the tube-tube interaction and the defects presented in the system. Inter-tube bonding, formed during spark plasma sintering (SPS) process, lowers the electrical/thermal resistivity at the tube-tube junctions and also causes new scattering mechanisms such as strong electron-phonon coupling (EPC) at low temperature. More evidences have been found by changing the SPS temperature and doping the CNTs to support the electron-phonon coupling is Kohn anomaly (KA) in as-SPSed CNTs. The phonon drag, appearing in thermoelectric power (TEP) of the as-SPSed CNTs at low temperature, can be explained in the framework …

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Real-Time Vehicle Parameter Estimation And Adaptive Stability Control, John Limroth Dec 2009

Real-Time Vehicle Parameter Estimation And Adaptive Stability Control, John Limroth

All Dissertations

This dissertation presents a novel Electronic Stability Control (ESC) strategy that is capable of adapting to changing vehicle mass, tire condition and road surface conditions. The benefits of ESC are well understood with regard to assisting drivers to maintain vehicle control during extreme handling maneuvers or when extreme road conditions such as ice are encountered. However state of the art ESC strategies rely on known and invariable vehicle parameters such as vehicle mass, yaw moment of inertia and tire cornering stiffness coefficients. Such vehicle parameters may change over time, especially in the case of heavy trucks which encounter widely varying …

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