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Articles 1711 - 1740 of 2584

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

New Algorithms For High-Throughput Decoding With Low-Density Parity-Check Codes Using Fixed-Point Simd Processors, Jawone Kennedy May 2012

New Algorithms For High-Throughput Decoding With Low-Density Parity-Check Codes Using Fixed-Point Simd Processors, Jawone Kennedy

All Dissertations

Most digital signal processors contain one or more functional units with a single-instruction, multiple-data architecture that supports saturating fixed-point arithmetic with two or more options for the arithmetic precision. The processors designed for the highest performance contain many such functional units connected through an on-chip network. The selection of the arithmetic precision provides a trade-off between the task-level throughput and the quality of the output of many signal-processing algorithms, and utilization of the interconnection network during execution of the algorithm introduces a latency that can also limit the algorithm's throughput.
In this dissertation, we consider the turbo-decoding message-passing algorithm for …

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Bioengineering Approach To Understanding Tmj Pathobiology, Jonathan Kuo May 2012

Bioengineering Approach To Understanding Tmj Pathobiology, Jonathan Kuo

All Dissertations

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a load-bearing joint consisting of the condyle of the mandibular bone, the fossa eminence of the temporal bone, and a fibrocartilaginous disc held in between the bone surfaces by ligaments. The TMJ disc serves to distribute stress, lubricate movement, and protect the articular surfaces of the joint. Over ten million Americans suffer from TMJ disorders (TMD) that affect the movement and function of the joint, making everyday tasks like talking and eating difficult and painful. A wide variety of treatments and surgeries have been proposed and undertaken with limited success based on the varying degree …

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Parameterization Of Fao Aquacrop Model For Irrigated Cotton In The Humid Southeast U.S.A, Xin Qiao May 2012

Parameterization Of Fao Aquacrop Model For Irrigated Cotton In The Humid Southeast U.S.A, Xin Qiao

All Theses

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L) is cultivated in many countries under both rainfed and irrigated conditions. In the U.S.A., cotton is grown in 17 states across a vast region known as the Cotton Belt. In the Cotton Belt as with many parts of the world, irrigated cotton is a considerable water user, but for good reasons. Irrigation can boost yield as well as stabilize yield and quality by ensuring adequate soil water during the entire growing season or at least during critical growth stages in areas where water resources are limited. From 2002 to 2007, irrigated acreage in the western states …

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Modelling And Characterization Of Magnetic Microfibers, Harshwardhan Karve May 2012

Modelling And Characterization Of Magnetic Microfibers, Harshwardhan Karve

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Polymer fibers of varying microfluidic properties can be fabricated in a lab setting. Fibers coated with paramagnetic particles act like slender paramagnetic beams. These fiber moves in a magnetic field. Thus polymer fibers coated with paramagnetic particles can be used as actuators in various microfluidic applications, such as DNA separation, droplet manipulation and liquid transport. In order to use the fibers as actuators, it is necessary to model the fiber and develop control strategies.
A static model of the paramagnetic fiber based on energy methods is presented in [1]. The model relies on a demagnetizing factors approximation to determine the …

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Low Carbon Materials Management: A Case Study For The Clemson University Net Zero Energy House Project, Kelly Kruzner May 2012

Low Carbon Materials Management: A Case Study For The Clemson University Net Zero Energy House Project, Kelly Kruzner

All Theses

Materials management in the construction process is a method of controlling resources for a project. This includes the materials selection process, purchasing process, delivery process, and waste management process, which all constitute the materials management plan for the project. While many research projects suggest efforts to reduce overall project cost by managing materials more efficiently, few focus on materials management from a sustainability perspective. In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published a report on Sustainable Materials Management: The Road Ahead, which details the importance of sustainable materials management practices. This project directly addresses a need defined in the EPA’s …

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Pozzolanic Properties Of Biomass Fly Ash, Robert Lowe May 2012

Pozzolanic Properties Of Biomass Fly Ash, Robert Lowe

All Theses

As biomass power production becomes more main stream, problems with waste disposal arise. Coal fly ash, a by-product of coal power production, has beneficial strength and durability properties when used as a cement replacement material. This study examined strength and durability characteristics of mortar and concrete samples containing biomass fly ash obtained from Craven County Wood Energy in North Carolina and examined methods of processing the material to enhance its pozzolanic characteristics.
The chemical and mineralogical compositions of the ash were determined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The compositions met the requirements …

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The Effects Of Coated Gold Nanorods On Porcine Atrioventricular Valve Tissues Using Atomic Force Microscopy, Heather L'Ecuyer May 2012

The Effects Of Coated Gold Nanorods On Porcine Atrioventricular Valve Tissues Using Atomic Force Microscopy, Heather L'Ecuyer

All Theses

In this Master's thesis we examine the effect of surface modified gold nanorods (AuNRs) coated with polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) on the mechanical properties of porcine mitral valve tissue ex vivo. The presence of healthy mitral valve tissue in the body is important to ensuring unidirectional flow of blood through the systemic circuit. Unfortunately, due to its anatomic complexity and unique mechanical behavior, pathological mitral valve tissue remains difficult to treat with conventional methods. We hope that the knowledge gleaned from these studies could be useful for developing new and novel treatments treating pathological mitral valve mechanical properties.
Specifically, we examine …

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Using Geographic Information Systems To Analyze Accessibility In The West Bank, Jacob Elliott May 2012

Using Geographic Information Systems To Analyze Accessibility In The West Bank, Jacob Elliott

All Theses

With the recent failure of another highly publicized peace talks, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains a polarizing and contentious geopolitical crisis. Following the Israeli victory in the Six Day War of 1967, the West Bank and its substantial Palestinian population have lived under Israeli occupation. In response to the First Palestinian Intifada (uprising), lasting from1987 to 1993, the Israeli military imposed varying degrees of regulations to limit Palestinian mobility within the West Bank. The mobility constraints, most notably in the form of checkpoints, roadblocks, and physical obstructions, dramatically increased in volume and scale during the Second Intifada from 2000 to 2005. …

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Research And Development Effort In Developing The Optimal Formulations For New Tablet Drugs, Zhe Li May 2012

Research And Development Effort In Developing The Optimal Formulations For New Tablet Drugs, Zhe Li

All Dissertations

Seeking the optimal pharmaceutical formulation is considered one of the most critical research components during the drug development stage. It is also an R&D effort incorporating design of experiments and optimization techniques, prior to scaling up a manufacturing process, to determine the optimal settings of ingredients so that the desirable performance of related pharmaceutical quality characteristics (QCs) specified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can be achieved. It is widely believed that process scale-up potentially results in changes in ingredients and other pharmaceutical manufacturing aspects, including site, equipment, batch size and process, with the purpose of satisfying the clinical …

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Modeling One- And Two-Dimensional Shallow Water Flows With Discontinuous Galerkin Method, Wencong Lai May 2012

Modeling One- And Two-Dimensional Shallow Water Flows With Discontinuous Galerkin Method, Wencong Lai

All Dissertations

Numerical models for one- and two-dimensional shallow water flows are developed using discontinuous Galerkin method. Formulation and characteristics of shallow water equations are discussed. The well-balanced property and wetting/drying treatment are provided in the numerical models. The shock-capturing property is achieved by the approximate Riemann solvers in the schemes. Effects of different approximate Riemann solvers are also investigated. The Total Variation Diminishing property is achieved by adoption of slope limiters. Different slope limiters and their effects are compared through numerical tests. Numerical tests are performed to validate the models. These tests include dam-break flows, hydraulic jump and shocks in channels, …

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Clustering And Classification Of Multivariate Stochastic Time Series In The Time And Frequency Domains, Ryan Schkoda May 2012

Clustering And Classification Of Multivariate Stochastic Time Series In The Time And Frequency Domains, Ryan Schkoda

All Dissertations

The dissertation primarily investigates the characterization and discrimination of stochastic time series with an application to pattern recognition and fault detection. These techniques supplement traditional methodologies that make overly restrictive assumptions about the nature of a signal by accommodating stochastic behavior. The assumption that the signal under investigation is either deterministic or a deterministic signal polluted with white noise excludes an entire class of signals -- stochastic time series. The research is concerned with this class of signals almost exclusively. The investigation considers signals in both the time and the frequency domains and makes use of both model-based and model-free …

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Characterization And Optimization Of Solution-Derived Chalcogenide Glass Thin Films, Jacklyn Wilkinson May 2012

Characterization And Optimization Of Solution-Derived Chalcogenide Glass Thin Films, Jacklyn Wilkinson

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Chalcogenide glasses have many unique properties that allow them to be used in a variety of optical applications. Infrared transparency allows them to be used in sensors for molecules that have 'fingerprints' in the 2-25 μm range. By producing amorphous thin films of these materials, they can be incorporated into chemical sensors as planar waveguides and resonators. The goal of this work was to fabricate and characterize solution-derived chalcogenide thin films for use in chemical sensors with a source wavelength between 3-3.5 μm.
The structural and optical properties of the parent bulk glass were characterized and used as reference for …

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The Effect Of Full Body Versus Partial Body Graphic Labeling On Beverage Packaging, Toni Gomes May 2012

The Effect Of Full Body Versus Partial Body Graphic Labeling On Beverage Packaging, Toni Gomes

All Theses

Through the collection of quantitative and qualitative data, the shelf presence of
full body graphic labels versus partial body graphic labels on plastic beverage bottles was
examined and evaluated. Eye tracking was used to collect phenomenological data atop
the stimuli, while a shopping checklist was used to collect purchase preference. A postexperiment
survey was also conducted in order to gather qualitative data regarding
possible purchase influences.
The experiment was a 2 (label size) x 6 (beverage flavor) x 2 (age group) study,
conducted with 28 participants in a consumer retail environment using mobile eye
tracking technology. The goal of this …

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Automated Assembly Time Prediction Tool Using Predefined Mates From Cad Assemblies, Joseph Owensby May 2012

Automated Assembly Time Prediction Tool Using Predefined Mates From Cad Assemblies, Joseph Owensby

All Theses

Current Design for Assembly (DFA) methods and tools require extensive amounts and types of user inputs to complete the analysis. Since the methods require extensive amounts and types of inputs, certain issues arise: the analysis can become tedious, time consuming, error prone, and not repeatable. These issues eventually lead to the DFA methods being used as a redesign tool or not being implemented at all.
The research presented in this thesis addresses the current DFA limitations and issues by developing and implementing an automated assembly time prediction tool that: extracts explicitly defined connections from SolidWorks assembly models, determines the structural …

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Geology-Based Probabilistic Liquefaction Potential Mapping Of The 7.5-Minute Charleston Quadrangle, South Carolina For Resilient Infrastructure Design, Lawrence Simonson May 2012

Geology-Based Probabilistic Liquefaction Potential Mapping Of The 7.5-Minute Charleston Quadrangle, South Carolina For Resilient Infrastructure Design, Lawrence Simonson

All Theses

Two geology-based probabilistic liquefaction potential maps are developed for the 7.5-minute Charleston, South Carolina quadrangle in this thesis. Creation of the maps extends the previous liquefaction potential mapping work of the Charleston peninsula by Hayati and Andrus (2008) and Mount Pleasant by Heidari and Andrus (2010), and improves upon the previous maps by using peak ground accelerations that vary with local site conditions. The GIS software package ArcGIS 10 is used to develop the maps.
Development of the liquefaction potential maps involves the creation of four additional maps needed as inputs. The four additional maps are (1) depth to the …

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Power Generation And Control Of Mechatronics Systems - Theory And Test, Kelly Austin May 2012

Power Generation And Control Of Mechatronics Systems - Theory And Test, Kelly Austin

All Theses

An integrated, multi-disciplined approach to engineering design is a broad definition of mechatronics. Though some mechatronics proponents differ in their definitions of the topic, an interdisciplinary approach to engineering is taken by many industries which should be reflected on campus in the approach to engineering education. In this thesis, two mechatronics systems are investigated. A laboratory experiment is developed for use in the mechanical engineering program at Clemson University, and a thermoelectric power generation from diesel engine exhaust heat is investigated as an automotive industry application.
An electromagnet excited masspendulum system with attached spring and damper elements is introduced as …

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Security And Performance Verification Of Distributed Authentication And Authorization Tools, Seok Bae Yun May 2012

Security And Performance Verification Of Distributed Authentication And Authorization Tools, Seok Bae Yun

All Theses

Parallel distributed systems are widely used for dealing with massive data sets and high performance computing. Securing parallel distributed systems is problematic. Centralized security tools are likely to cause bottlenecks and introduce a single point of failure. In this paper, we introduce existing distributed authentication and authorization tools. We evaluate the quality of the security tools by verifying their security and performance.
For security tool verification, we use process calculus and mathematical modeling languages. Casper, Communicating Sequential Process (CSP) and Failure Divergence Refinement (FDR) to test for security vulnerabilities, Petri nets and Karp Miller trees are used to find performance …

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Understanding The Behavior Of A Pile Foundation In Unsaturated Soils Subjected To Lateral Loading, Brian Machmer May 2012

Understanding The Behavior Of A Pile Foundation In Unsaturated Soils Subjected To Lateral Loading, Brian Machmer

All Theses

The purpose of this research was to further understand the behavior of pile foundations in unsaturated soils subjected to lateral loading. Recent case histories show the importance of incorporating unsaturated soil mechanics in geotechnical engineering practice for the design and construction of resilient and cost effective systems. Unsaturated soils are a three phase material- solid, liquid and gas, resulting in three interfaces. Among the three interfaces the liquid-gas interface, also known as the contractile skin, plays a critical role in the mechanical and flow behaviors of unsaturated soil. The effects of the contractile skin are measured in terms of matric …

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Electrochemical Capacitance Measurements To Study Molecular Surface Interactions, Nrutya Madduri May 2012

Electrochemical Capacitance Measurements To Study Molecular Surface Interactions, Nrutya Madduri

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The behavior of biological molecules such as proteins at the electrode/electrolyte has been of considerable interest for the development of biosensors. Several investigative techniques including Potentiometry, Voltammetry, Amperometry, and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy are being employed to study and analyze these molecular surface interactions. Investigative techniques such as cyclic voltammetry involve the application of a large potential to probe the electrode characteristics and capture the bulk membranous events to obtain the required measurements. This study looks to achieve two major objectives through the use of a novel technique, namely, the double layer capacitive method: 1) to analyze the electrochemical behavior of …

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Development Of A Rapid, Solvent Extraction Based Radioanalytical Technique For Monitoring Low-Level Actinide Concentrations In Water Supplies, Joseph Jablonski May 2012

Development Of A Rapid, Solvent Extraction Based Radioanalytical Technique For Monitoring Low-Level Actinide Concentrations In Water Supplies, Joseph Jablonski

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A rapid radiochemical method for the concentration and subsequent analysis of radionuclides from large volume aqueous samples has been developed by using solvent extraction (SX) followed by quantification via liquid scintillation counting (LSC). This was accomplished using simple radiochemical techniques that resulted in the ability to enact a 200x concentration factor and rapidly detect whether radionuclides are present in dilute aqueous samples. The proposed method has average Minimum Detectable Concentrations (MDC) for 238Pu and 233U of 3.5x10-2 Bq/L and 0.16 Bq/L, which equates to 2.3x10-16 and 2.0x10-12 mol/L, respectively. The MDC value for plutonium is an order of magnitude lower …

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Entrainment And Dilution Of Constant-Volume Non-Newtonian Fluid Mud Gravity Currents, Michael Jacobson May 2012

Entrainment And Dilution Of Constant-Volume Non-Newtonian Fluid Mud Gravity Currents, Michael Jacobson

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An extensive laboratory experimental campaign was undertaken in order to elucidate the entrainment and dilution characteristics of constant-volume non-Newtonian fluid mud gravity currents. Three experimental series were conducted in a lock-exchange tank. The first experimental series quantified ambient entrainment using a light-opaqueness technique, the second experimental series measured vertical concentration profiles using a siphoning technique, and the third experimental series provided visual observations for the investigation of the deposited sediment layer.
In the first experimental series, a technique similar to the so-called light attenuation technique was developed to find the boundary of the current, allowing for the calculation of entrainment …

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Mechatronic System Design - A Hydraulic-Based Engine Cooling System Design And Refinement Of A Technical Elective Mechatronics Course, Rajwardhan Patil May 2012

Mechatronic System Design - A Hydraulic-Based Engine Cooling System Design And Refinement Of A Technical Elective Mechatronics Course, Rajwardhan Patil

All Theses

The improvement of consumer products and industrial processes, in terms of functionality and reliability, has recently focused on the integration of sensors and real time controllers with attached actuators into the given physical system. The likelihood of long-term market penetration of smart devices has placed an emphasis on preparing engineering graduates for technology leadership roles in the workforce. This thesis examines mechatronic systems in two manners. First, an intelligent automotive internal combustion engine cooling system is studied for ground vehicles using hydraulic actuators which offer the opportunity for greater versatility and performance. Second, improvements to a technical elective mechatronics course …

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Development Of A Lower Extremity Mobility Assessment Methodology For Motor Vehicle Operation And Initial Validation, Justin Arnosky May 2012

Development Of A Lower Extremity Mobility Assessment Methodology For Motor Vehicle Operation And Initial Validation, Justin Arnosky

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Limited quantifiable data exists on lower extremity mobility and function during driving. To date, the most appropriate existing measures of successful driving function are assessed by a driving rehabilitation specialist during an on-road evaluation. Establishing the kinematic chain- or the order and magnitude in which joints are moved- during driving may prove to be a useful tool in lower extremity function assessment in drivers. To this end, a study was conducted instrumenting both the left and right legs of healthy licensed male drivers (18-26 years old) with a system of angle measuring goniometers (Biometrics, Ltd.) in a driving simulator (DriveSafety …

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Set Up Time Reduction And Quality Improvement On The Shop Floor Using Different Lean And Quality Tools, Seetha Ram Bavuluri May 2012

Set Up Time Reduction And Quality Improvement On The Shop Floor Using Different Lean And Quality Tools, Seetha Ram Bavuluri

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The purpose of this thesis document is to describe a method developed for reducing setup time in machining processes and simultaneously improve the quality of production after setup. Bosch Rexroth at Fountain Inn is a semi-automated plant and is still in its initial stages of standardizing the setup process. Setup time at different machining centers includes: machining time, inspection time, loading and unloading times and deburring. The focus of the described method is in reducing setup times related to inspection time and loading and unloading times. To achieve success in these problems the following new tools were developed: first piece …

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Connected Vehicle Supported Electric Vehicle Charging Operations And Related Infrastructure Issues, Jennifer Johnson May 2012

Connected Vehicle Supported Electric Vehicle Charging Operations And Related Infrastructure Issues, Jennifer Johnson

All Theses

Due to the tremendous political, economic and environmental pressures the transportation sector is facing, the United States finds itself devoting more energy to innovative solutions like electric vehicle (EV) technologies. The first objective of this study was to analyze how utilizing real-time information dissemination transferring capabilities to vehicles, as envisioned in the 'connected vehicle' system, could effectively facilitate the EV charging process at fast-charging stations. By simulating a traffic network of EVs in Matlab, it was found that the total time due to the battery charging process could be optimized for EVs that were able to use connected vehicle communications. …

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A System-Generated Password And Mnemonic Approach To Optimize The Security And Usability Of Text-Based Passwords, Sanjaykumar Ranganayakulu May 2012

A System-Generated Password And Mnemonic Approach To Optimize The Security And Usability Of Text-Based Passwords, Sanjaykumar Ranganayakulu

All Theses

In this study a novel password generation policy called the system-generated password and mnemonic was designed and implemented. The intent of this policy was to optimize both the security and usability of text-based passwords. After implementing the policy we evaluated its usability and compared it with three other existing policies: user-generated password, system-generated password and user-generated mnemonic for a system-generated password. In order to have a fair comparison among the policies we maintained a constant level of security of 30±2 entropy as dictated by NIST level 2 standards.
The study involved 64 participants, equally divided into four groups, 16 in …

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Network Service Delivery And Throughput Optimization Via Software Defined Networking, Aaron Rosen May 2012

Network Service Delivery And Throughput Optimization Via Software Defined Networking, Aaron Rosen

All Theses

In today's world, transmitting data across large bandwidth-delay product (BDP) networks requires special configuration on end users' machines in order to be done efficiently. This added level of complexity creates extra cost and is usually overlooked by users unknowledgeable to the issues. This is one example problem which can be ameliorated with the emerging software defined networking (SDN) paradigm. In an SDN, packet forwarding is controlled via software controllers. In an OpenFlow SDN, a controller can control the forwarding, rewriting, and dropping of packets based on their header attributes. The ability to handle packets in customizable ways in software has …

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Statistical Analysis Of The Stress-Energy Methodology Applied To Cushion Curve Determination, Kendalyn Paulin May 2012

Statistical Analysis Of The Stress-Energy Methodology Applied To Cushion Curve Determination, Kendalyn Paulin

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The stress-energy method is a proposed enhancement to ASTM D1596 that reduces all drop height, thickness and static load combinations into a single equation that can be used to generate any reasonable cushion curve for a particular material. There remains a question as to how accurate the stress-energy method can predict acceleration values and whether it is statistically comparable to ASTM D1596. There are three phases to this research that attempt to determine the accuracy of the stress-energy method: gathering data using the stress-energy method and analyzing the goodness of fit of the stress-energy equation, predicting a cushion curve and …

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Charging Kinetics Of Micropores In Supercapacitors, Daniel Oberklein May 2012

Charging Kinetics Of Micropores In Supercapacitors, Daniel Oberklein

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The charging kinetics of Electric Double Layer Capacitors (EDLC) were studied using a continuum model based on the Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNP) Equations, with the additional modeling of the bulk fluid motion in the electrolyte using the Navier-Stokes Equations. The results demonstrate that the addition of bulk flow modeling yields a faster charging rate and higher charging current due to the additional convective component of the current resulting from the bulk fluid motion. A parametric study was conducted to determine the effect of various physical parameters of the EDLC system on the charging kinetics. Decreased fluid viscosity results in a faster charging …

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A Person Following Algorithm For Use With A Single Forward Facing Rgb-D Camera On A Mobile Robot, Sean Ficht May 2012

A Person Following Algorithm For Use With A Single Forward Facing Rgb-D Camera On A Mobile Robot, Sean Ficht

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This thesis examines the problem of person following. A person following algorithm can be separated into two distinct parts: the detection and tracking of a target and the actual following of a target. This thesis focuses mainly on the detection and tracking of a target person. For the purposes of this thesis a simple robot control architecture is used. The robot moves to follow the target in a straight line. No path planning is considered when executing robot movement.
This thesis aims to accomplish three tasks. First, the system should be able to track and follow a target when no …

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