Digital Commons Network^™

Doctrine And Fairness In The Law Of Contract, Andrew B.L. Phang

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This paper explores, through illustrations from the law of contract, the important centraltheme to the effect that the rules and principles, which constitute thedoctrineof the law,are not ends in themselves but are, rather, the means through which the courts arrive atsubstantively fairoutcomes in the cases before them. The paper focuses on the concept of‘radicalism’, which relates to the point at which the courts decide that it is legallypermissible to hold that a contract should come to an end because a radical or funda-mental ‘legal tipping point’ has not only been arrived at but has, in fact, been crossed. Itexplores the …

Assessment Centres: A Tale About Dimensions, Exercises, And Dancing Bears, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study reviews prior construct-related validity research in assessment centres. Special focus is placed on disentangling possible explanations for the construct-related validity findings. The conclusion is that we now have a much better picture of the reasons behind the construct-related validity findings. Careful assessment centre design and high interrater reliability among assessors seem necessary albeit insufficient conditions to establish assessment centre construct-related validity. The nature of candidate performances is another key factor. This study next discusses how these empirical findings have changed how assessment centres are conceptualized (theoretical advancements framed in the application of trait activation theory), analysed (methodological advancements), …

Modelling Situation Awareness For Context‐Aware Decision Support, Yu-Hong Feng, Teck-Hou Teng, Ah-Hwee Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Situation awareness modelling is popularly used in the command and control domain for situation assessment and decision support. However, situation models in real-world applications are typically complex and not easy to use. This paper presents a Context-aware Decision Support (CaDS) system, which consists of a situation model for shared situation awareness modelling and a group of entity agents, one for each individual user, for focused and customized decision support. By incorporating a rule-based inference engine, the entity agents provide functions including event classification, action recommendation, and proactive decision making. The implementation and the performance of the proposed system are demonstrated …

Electrodeposition Of Inorganic Materials With Tailored Shapes And Chiral Morphologies, Elizabeth A. Kulp

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation investigates the electrodeposition of metal oxide films and biomaterial deposits on polycrystalline and single crystal substrates. Paper I describes the mechanisms and the characterization of an electrodeposited polycrystalline insulator, ceria (CeO₂), on Hastelloy substrates produced by the electrochemical oxidation of Ce(III) acetate complexes. In Paper II, epitaxial films of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) and ferrihydrite (Fe₁₀O₁₄(OH)₂) are deposited on gold single crystals. Paper III reports the electrodeposition of epitaxial Fe₃O₄ and zinc ferrite (ZnFe₂O₄) periodic nanostructures known as superlattices by pulsing between two potentials. Papers IV and V describe chiral electrodeposition. In Paper IV, epitaxial, chiral orientations of cupric oxide …

Protein Responsive Synthetic Materials For Biomedical Applications, Youyou Zheng

Doctoral Dissertations

"The production of synthetic materials with molecular recognition abilities towards biomacromolecules has been widely researched because of its potential applications in separations, sensing, therapeutics, etc. While molecular imprinting has become a commercially viable method for the production of synthetic materials with molecular recognition abilities towards small molecules, little success has been recorded towards protein targets. Proteins are difficult to imprint as they present a number of epitopes for imprinting, are difficult to remove from the completed material, and are incompatible with the densely crosslinked structures required. As a result, a novel surface molecular imprinting technique was developed to synthesize polymeric …

The Role Of Friction Stir Processing On The Microstructure And Mechanical Properties Of A Cast Aluminum Alloy, Saumyadeep Jana

Doctoral Dissertations

"Al-7Si-0.6Mg is one of the most important cast aluminum alloys because of its attractive mechanical properties and high castability. Microstructurally, the alloy consists of primary aluminum dendrites with eutectic Si particles in the interdendritic region. This makes the alloy quasi-brittle in nature which affects the ductility of the alloy to a great extent. In order to improve the ductility, the eutectic Si particles need to be refined which so far has been achieved by chemical and/or thermal modification. Friction stir processing (FSP) on the other hand can achieve the same through plastic deformation, and therefore replace the cast structure with …

A Semiotic Analysis Of Unified Modeling Language Graphical Notations, Keng Siau, Yuhong Tian

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Unified modeling language (UML) is the standard modeling language for object-oriented system development. Despite its status as a standard, UML has a fuzzy formal specification and a weak theoretical foundation. Semiotics, the study of signs, provides a good theoretical foundation for UML research because graphical notations (or visual signs) of UML are subjected to the principles of signs. In our research, we use semiotics to study the effectiveness of graphical notations in UML. We hypothesized that the use of iconic signs as UML graphical notations leads to representation that is more accurately interpreted and that arouses fewer connotations than the …

A Study Of The Beneficial Role Of Thiol Antioxidant Supplementation In Various Forms Of Glutathione Deficiency, Linu Sara Abraham

Doctoral Dissertations

"Oxidative stress plays a major role in the pathology of numerous disorders afflicting humans, ranging from neurodegenerative diseases, to cancer, and heavy metal toxicity. Scientists are on the constant lookout for new and better antioxidants that have the ability to slow, if not stop the harmful degenerative effects of free radicals in oxidative stress related disorders. Both synthetic and naturally occurring compounds are being constantly screened for their antioxidant properties. This study attempted to evaluate the abilities of a thiol antioxidant, N-Acetylcysteine amide (NACA), to protect cells from the harmful effects of glutathione depletion in two different models of oxidative …

Anti Wetting Additives For Aluminosilicate Refractories In Molten Aluminum Contact Applications, Devdutt Pramod Shukla

Doctoral Dissertations

"Aluminosilicate based refractories are widely used in furnace installations for melting aluminum because they are inexpensive, readily available and generally exhibit the properties desired from a refractory material. However, they face severe corrosion and degradation issues due to the extremely reducing nature of molten aluminum alloys. Isothermal static cup testing is widely used as a tool to evaluate the performance of refractories against penetration by molten aluminum alloys. Various testing methods were reviewed and an upgraded static cup test was recommended. Commercially available aluminosilicate refractories were tested using this method and their results were studied in order to understand the …

Fundamentals Of Friction Stir Spot Welding, Harsha Badarinarayan

Doctoral Dissertations

"The recent spike in energy costs has been a major contributor to propel the use of light weight alloys in the transportation industry. In particular, the automotive industry sees benefit in using light weight alloys to increase fuel efficiency and enhance performance. In this context, light weight design by replacing steel with Al and/or Mg alloys have been considered as promising initiatives. The joining of structures made of light weight alloys is therefore very important and calls for more attention. Friction Stir Spot Welding (FSSW) is an evolving technique that offers several advantages over conventional joining processes.

The fundamentals aspects …

Modeling And Analysis Of Noise Coupling In Multilayer Power/Ground Planes, Gang Feng

Doctoral Dissertations

"The simultaneous switching noise (SSN) in a multilayer power delivery network (PDN) is a critical problem in high-speed printed circuit board (PCB) designs. Full-wave methods are not computationally efficient for analyzing PCB structures normally with a multi-scale nature. In this thesis, a model for multilayer power/ground planes is proposed using basic plane pair blocks derived from the cavity model combined with the segmentation technique. Vias and other circuit elements can further be easily integrated in the multilayer plane model. As a result, the entire PDN model is much more computationally efficient than full-wave methods. Experimental and numerical results have validated …

Quality Of Service Provisioning Through Resource Allocation And Data Aggregation In Wireless Sensor Networks, Carl Larsen

Doctoral Dissertations

"In this dissertation, improvement of quality of service (QoS) provisioning in wireless sensor networks (WSN) is examined using four different methods. The first two focus on allocation of limited resources in the face of changing network and channel conditions, and thus improving performance in terms of throughput and delay. The second two methods focus on using data aggregation to minimize the size and number of packet transmissions reducing the energy consumption and improving network lifetime.

Therefore, in the first paper a novel adaptive and distributed fair scheduling (ADFS) protocol for WSN is presented that allocates the channel bandwidth in proportion …

Advanced Control Techniques For Doubly Fed Induction Generator-Based Wind Turbine Converters To Improve Low Voltage Ride-Through During System Imbalances, Murali M. Baggu

Doctoral Dissertations

A doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) applied to wind power generation is under study for low voltage ride-through application during system disturbances. Conventional dq axis current control using voltage source converters for both the grid side and the rotor side of the DFIG are analyzed and simulated. DFIG operation is investigated under balanced and unbalanced system disturbances. A conventional d-axis and q-axis control applied to a voltage source converter (VSC) during a system imbalance exhibits oscillations in the stiff DC link voltage as well as in the real and reactive powers of the converter. Multiple advanced control methods are explored and …

Investigating The Impact Of Microbial Interactions With Geologic Media On Geophysical Properties, Caroline A. Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

"The goals of this study were to investigate the effect of: (1) microbial metabolic byproducts, microbial growth, and biofilm formation on the low frequency electrical properties of porous media, (2) biofilm formation on acoustic wave properties, and (3) the natural electrical (self-potential) signatures associated with an in-situ biological permeable reactive barrier (PRB). The results suggest: (1) increases in electrolytic conductivity are consistent with increased concentrations of organic acids and biosurfactants; (2) mineral weathering promoted by organic acids causes increases in electrolytic conductivity, concomitant with increases in major cation concentrations; (3) interfacial conductivity generally parallels microbial cell concentrations and biofilm formation; …

Integration Of Energy Storage Components With Cascaded H-Bridge Multilevel Converters, Jingsheng Liao

Doctoral Dissertations

"In recent years, multilevel converters have gained considerable attention in medium-voltage motor drive and grid applications. This popularity is owed to their reduced voltage stress on the semiconductor devices used in their structure. In addition, multilevel converters generate near sinusoidal outputs with low harmonic distortions. Other advantages of such converters include inherent modularity and low dv/dt stresses. In general, multilevel power electronic converters are classified into three main topologies: diode-clamped, flying-capacitor, and cascaded H-bridge. A cascaded H-bridge multilevel converter is created when several H-bridge cells are placed in series. Each H-bridge cell must be fed by a stiff voltage source. …

Guidance, Navigation And Control System For Autonomous Proximity Operations And Docking Of Spacecraft, Daero Lee

Doctoral Dissertations

"This study develops an integrated guidance, navigation and control system for use in autonomous proximity operations and docking of spacecraft. A new approach strategy is proposed based on a modified system developed for use with the International Space Station. It is composed of three "V-bar hops" in the closing transfer phase, two periods of stationkeeping and a "straight line V-bar" approach to the docking port. Guidance, navigation and control functions are independently designed and are then integrated in the form of linear Gaussian-type control. The translational maneuvers are determined through the integration of the state-dependent Riccati equation control formulated using …

Crustal Modification By Tectonic Events And Upper Mantle Anisotropy Beneath The Midcontinent Rift And New Madrid Seismic Zone: Insights From Receiver Function Studies And Teleseismic Shear Wave Splitting, Moikwathai Moidaki

Doctoral Dissertations

"The earth's crust and upper mantle have been continually modified by tectonic processes such as rifting, earthquake activity. In this dissertation, shear wave splitting and receiver function techniques were employed to study the extent of crustal and upper mantle modifications beneath the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) and the Midcontinent Rift (MCR). Shear wave splitting analysis in the MCR reveals the presence of fossilised anisotropy along the rift axis...In the NMSZ, anticipated rift-parallel fast directions associated with vertical magmatic dikes or along-rift flow, rift-orthogonal fast directions from small-scale convection, or reduction in splitting times as a result of vertical asthenospheric …

Emi Failure Analysis Techniques And Noise Prediction For Trace Crossing Split Planes, Weifeng Pan

Doctoral Dissertations

"A variety of methods exist that help locate the source, coupling path, and antenna in an electromagnetic interference (EMI) problem. No single method is the best option in all cases. A good electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) engineer should understand and have experience with a wide range of failure analysis methods and thus, be able to select the most appropriate ones for a given problem. The first three papers are from a series of articles, which explains a set of methods for the analysis of EMI failures. Each method is categorized based on two criteria: 1) the elements in an EMI problem …

Investigation Of The Interactions Between Selected Nanoparticles And Human Lung Carcinoma Cells At The Single Cell And Single Particle Level, Isaac Stayton

Doctoral Dissertations

"The recent advances in nanomaterials development and applications have sparked concerns regarding the safety of these materials in living organisms. This body of work investigates specific interactions between chosen nanoparticles and living human lung carcinoma (A549) cells"--Abstract, page iv.

Novel Modulated Antennas And Probes For Millimeter Wave Imaging Applications, Mohamed A. Abou-Khousa

Doctoral Dissertations

"Microwave and millimeter wave (300 MHz - 300 GHz) imaging techniques have shown great potential for a wide range of industrial and medical applications. These techniques are fundamentally based on measuring relative and coherent electromagnetic fields distributions, e.g., electric fields, around the object to be imaged. Various imaging systems can be devised for measuring relative electric field distributions; each with it own advantages and limitations. This dissertation is focused on addressing critical challenges related to the practical implementation of various microwave and millimeter wave imaging systems. Specifically, this research is meant to achieve three main objectives related to designing efficient …