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2013

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Articles 1831 - 1860 of 7289

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Automated Complexity Based Assembly Time Estimation Method, Essam Namouz Aug 2013

Automated Complexity Based Assembly Time Estimation Method, Essam Namouz

All Dissertations

The overall goal of this research is to create an automated assembly time estimation method that is accurate and repeatable in an effort to reduce the analysis time required in estimating assembly times. Often, design for assembly (DFA) approaches are not used in industry due to the amount of time required to train engineers in the use of DFA, the time required to conduct the analysis, and the product level of detail needed. To decrease the analysis time and effort required in implementing the assembly time estimation portion of DFA, a tool is needed to estimate the assembly time of …

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Feeling For Failure: Haptic Force Perception Of Soft Tissue Constraints In A Simulated Minimally Invasive Surgery Task, Lindsay Long Aug 2013

Feeling For Failure: Haptic Force Perception Of Soft Tissue Constraints In A Simulated Minimally Invasive Surgery Task, Lindsay Long

All Dissertations

In minimally invasive surgery (MIS), the ability to accurately interpret haptic information and apply appropriate force magnitudes onto soft tissue is critical for minimizing bodily trauma. Force perception in MIS is a dynamic process in which the surgeon's administration of force onto tissue results in useful perceptual information which guides further haptic interaction and it is hypothesized that the compliant nature of soft tissue during force application provides biomechanical information denoting tissue failure. Specifically, the perceptual relationship between applied force and material deformation rate specifies the distance remaining until structural capacity will fail, or indicates Distance-to-Break (DTB). Two experiments explored …

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Perfluorocyclobutyl Polymer Thin-Film Composite Membrane Fabrication, Plasticization And Physical Aging, Jinxiang Zhou Aug 2013

Perfluorocyclobutyl Polymer Thin-Film Composite Membrane Fabrication, Plasticization And Physical Aging, Jinxiang Zhou

All Dissertations

Membrane technologies have been used widely in industrial practices such as waste water treatment, sea water desalination, gas separations, pharmaceutical separations, and food and beverage processing to name a few. Among the features that make them attractive are that they are cost effective, highly efficient, scalable, and environmentally benign. The focus of this dissertation is to contribute to the understanding and use of polymeric membranes for carbon dioxide separations.
Currently, the largest carbon capture demand lies in the natural gas industry. However, since global warming has become a severe concern for human existence, flue gas cleaning is potentially another very …

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Ion Channel-Mediated Hydrostatic Pressure Mechanotransduction In Urothelial Cells, Kevin Champaigne Aug 2013

Ion Channel-Mediated Hydrostatic Pressure Mechanotransduction In Urothelial Cells, Kevin Champaigne

All Dissertations

A majority of men and women aged 40 and over experience lower urinary tract symptoms, including urgency, incontinence, and frequency, which often affect the individual's quality of life. Although often considered a simple structure, the bladder is a complex system with sophisticated sensory and motor feedback mechanisms that allow for the sensation of fullness and pain, reflexive responses to bladder filling, and conscious control over the time and place of micturition. Although disruptions of these sensory mechanisms are believed to cause certain lower urinary tract dysfunctions, the specific mechanisms involved in sensing bladder fullness, distension, tension, or pressure at the …

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Theranostic Nanoparticles For The Treatment Of Cancer, Thomas Moore Aug 2013

Theranostic Nanoparticles For The Treatment Of Cancer, Thomas Moore

All Dissertations

The main focus of this research was to evaluate the ability of a novel multifunctional nanoparticle to mediate drug delivery and enable a non-invasive approach to measure drug release kinetics in situ for the treatment of cancer. These goals were approached by developing a nanoparticle consisting of an inorganic core (i.e. gadolinium sulfoxide doped with europium ions or carbon nanotubes). This was coated with an external amphiphilic polymer shell comprised of a biodegradable polyester (i.e. poly(lactide) or poly(glycolide)), and poly(ethylene glycol) block copolymer. In this system, the inorganic core mediates the imaging aspect, the relatively hydrophobic polyester encapsulates hydrophobic anti-cancer …

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Factors Controlling Synthesis Of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles And The Effect Of Surface Charge On Magnetic Hyperthermia, Bin Qi Aug 2013

Factors Controlling Synthesis Of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles And The Effect Of Surface Charge On Magnetic Hyperthermia, Bin Qi

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT
Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have been widely studied in the theranostics application due to their promising magnetic properties, low cytotoxicity and attractive biocompatibility. Despite the numerous studies on the kinetic mechanisms of IONPs synthesis and thus the resulting size, shape and crystallinity; there are still considerable unsolved issues in quantitatively depicting the dependence between particle morphology and the reaction conditions.
To begin to explain some of these phenomena, the kinetic mechanism for the morphology and crystalline changes of IONPs with the ligand/precursor ratio in nanoparticle synthesis was investigated. During the synthesis of nanoparticles via thermal decomposition of iron precursors, …

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A Computational Approach For The Rational Design Of Bimetallic Clusters For Ethanol Formation From Syn-Gas, Ming He Aug 2013

A Computational Approach For The Rational Design Of Bimetallic Clusters For Ethanol Formation From Syn-Gas, Ming He

All Dissertations

There is currently a growing interest in the catalytic synthesis of ethanol from syn-gas (2CO + 4H2 --> C2H5OH + H2O). A major challenge associated with this direct route is an inability to find a low-cost catalyst that promotes the proper combination of CO dissociation and CO insertion steps, so as to yield ethanol as the primary reaction product. Bimetallic catalysts, in which one metal promotes hydrocarbon production and the other oxygenate production, may exhibit a synergistic effect that can facilitate the formation of ethanol. Given the complexity of this reaction system, a simple trial-and-error approach to catalyst design is …

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Development Of An Environmental And Operational Impact Assessment Framework For Connected Vehicle Technology Supported Alternative Fuel Vehicles, Parth Bhavsar Aug 2013

Development Of An Environmental And Operational Impact Assessment Framework For Connected Vehicle Technology Supported Alternative Fuel Vehicles, Parth Bhavsar

All Dissertations

The efforts of US automobile manufacturers to introduce Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs) to the automobile market, and reduce fossil fuel dependency are changing the energy consumption scenario of the US transportation network. The evolution in Connected Vehicle Technology (CVT) is further accelerating the vision of a safe and sustainable transportation system for the 21st century. However, before such system can be an actuality to meet future US transporation needs, a new generation of traffic micro-simulation tools must be developed to evaluate connected vehicle technologies that can support AFVs in the transportation network.
This research focused on developing an evaluation framework …

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Advanced Imaging As A Novel Approach To The Characterization Of Membranes For Microfiltration Applications, Milagro Marroquin Aug 2013

Advanced Imaging As A Novel Approach To The Characterization Of Membranes For Microfiltration Applications, Milagro Marroquin

All Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the design, development and implementation of novel, advanced imaging protocols for the characterization of membranes in microfiltration applications. Oftentimes, membrane characterization studies are done with high resolution microscopy techniques like scanning electron microscopy or transmission electron microscopy. The results obtained by these popular imaging techniques are subject to error and their reliability might be, in some instances, compromised because they require drying and metallization of the sample; working under high vacuum and electron beam intensity; and extensive sectioning to retrieve internal information. These factors may disrupt the membrane structure or modify its features. As an alternative …

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Model Based Control Of Machining Processes: Exploration Of Bayesian Statistical Methods For Identification And Control, Parikshit Mehta Aug 2013

Model Based Control Of Machining Processes: Exploration Of Bayesian Statistical Methods For Identification And Control, Parikshit Mehta

All Dissertations

Machining process modeling & simulation as well as in-process monitoring and control have been identified as key technological factors to power efficient manufacturing facilities of tomorrow. The effective utilization of process models and in-process control are aimed towards improving profitability of the manufacturing process. To that end, the objective of this research work is to improve machining performance by implementing in-process control using model based control strategies, while considering stochastic models of machining process. Towards satisfying that objective, three research questions are asked.
1) What are metrics of measuring machining performance and which machining process models are important to consider …

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Advanced Biomaterials From Renewable Resources: An Investigation On Cellulose Nanocrystal Composites And Co2 Extraction Of Rendered Materials, Jose Orellana Aug 2013

Advanced Biomaterials From Renewable Resources: An Investigation On Cellulose Nanocrystal Composites And Co2 Extraction Of Rendered Materials, Jose Orellana

All Dissertations

The annual global consumption of petroleum-based plastics is approximately 280 million tons and is impacting the sustainability of our planet and prosperity of future generations. One solution is the development of bio-based polymer materials with advanced properties for commercial applications. Therefore, the ultimate goal of this dissertation is to investigate the properties of new bio-based materials for broader applications. This dissertation includes two research areas: cellulose nanocomposites, and CO2 extractions of rendered fat. In the first half, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), which exhibit excellent mechanical and optical properties, were investigated for the reinforcement of a biodegradable polymer. The properties of …

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Mobile Robot Navigation For Person Following In Indoor Environments, Ninad Pradhan Aug 2013

Mobile Robot Navigation For Person Following In Indoor Environments, Ninad Pradhan

All Dissertations

Service robotics is a rapidly growing area of interest in robotics research. Service robots inhabit human-populated environments and carry out specific tasks. The goal of this dissertation is to develop a service robot capable of following a human leader around populated indoor environments. A classification system for person followers is proposed such that it clearly defines the expected interaction between the leader and the robotic follower. In populated environments, the robot needs to be able to detect and identify its leader and track the leader through occlusions, a common characteristic of populated spaces. An appearance-based person descriptor, which augments the …

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Optimizing Scm Proportions To Meet Multiple Performance Characters Of Ternary Concrete Mixtures Using Simplex-Centroid Design And Analysis Techniques, Sujay Math Aug 2013

Optimizing Scm Proportions To Meet Multiple Performance Characters Of Ternary Concrete Mixtures Using Simplex-Centroid Design And Analysis Techniques, Sujay Math

All Dissertations

High performance concrete mixtures often contain multiple cementitious components. Among these, cement is the most expensive in addition to having a higher carbon footprint. Life cycle assessment of cement production reveals that the cement content is the most important factor in determining a concrete mixture's embodied energy and carbon footprint. Compressive strength, an important property of concrete, is directly related to the quantity of cement used in the mixture. However, higher quantities of cement lead to durability issues. The increased concerns about the durability of concrete over the past decade have increased focus on improving the long-term performance of concrete …

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Jet Instability And Droplet Formation For Bio-Printing Applications, Leigh Herran Aug 2013

Jet Instability And Droplet Formation For Bio-Printing Applications, Leigh Herran

All Dissertations

The research conducted in this dissertation was done to obtain a fundamental understanding of the formation of droplets in a drop-on-demand (DOD) inkjetting setup when the ink contains a polymer additive. The objective is to precisely control and even predict the forming dynamics and final droplet characteristics (velocity, size and satellite elimination). A polymeric fluid called sodium alginate has been gaining attention due to its highly bio-compatible nature. Solutions of sodium alginate were used as the ink material and in some cases compared with an equivalent Newtonian fluid (same zero-shear viscosity). The droplets were inspected in one of two ways: …

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Hierarchical Channel-Access And Routing Protocols For Heterogeneous Multichannel Ad Hoc Networks, Crystal Jackson Aug 2013

Hierarchical Channel-Access And Routing Protocols For Heterogeneous Multichannel Ad Hoc Networks, Crystal Jackson

All Dissertations

In this work, we consider a heterogeneous multichannel ad hoc network consisting of frequency-agile radios with the ability to change their carrier frequency and chip rate over a wide range of possibilities. The radios in this type of network are permitted to utilize multiple non-overlapping channels, and each channel differs significantly in its characteristics such as achievable data rate and communication range. A channel-access protocol regulates access to the channels available, and a routing protocol determines how a packet should be forwarded from its source to its destination through the network. The initial focus of this research is on channel-access …

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Towards Viable Large Scale Heterogeneous Wireless Networks, Rahul Amin Aug 2013

Towards Viable Large Scale Heterogeneous Wireless Networks, Rahul Amin

All Dissertations

We explore radio resource allocation and management issues related to a large-scale heterogeneous (hetnet) wireless system made up of several Radio Access Technologies (RATs) that collectively provide a unified wireless network to a diverse set of users through co-ordination managed by a centralized Global Resource Controller (GRC). We incorporate 3G cellular technologies HSPA and EVDO, 4G cellular technologies WiMAX and LTE, and WLAN technology Wi-Fi as the RATs in our hetnet wireless system. We assume that the user devices are either multi-modal or have one or more reconfigurable radios which makes it possible for each device to use any available …

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Novel Ceria-Zirconia-Yttria Mesostructures: Synthesis, Characterization, Diffusional Studies And The Effects Of Morphology On Their Properties, Alma Cordova Morales Aug 2013

Novel Ceria-Zirconia-Yttria Mesostructures: Synthesis, Characterization, Diffusional Studies And The Effects Of Morphology On Their Properties, Alma Cordova Morales

All Dissertations

Ceria-zirconia-yttria (CZY) mixed oxides are used as catalyst supports for three-way catalysts for automotive exhaust emission control and in solid oxide fuel cells. By improving the morphology of CZY mesopores it is possible to reduce the sintering of supported noble metals and enhance overall catalyst lifetime and performance. However, limited studies have been published on the synthetic control of the morphology of CZY materials and the effects that CZY pore geometry has on catalyst operation.
To create optimized CZY catalyst supports, novel mesoporous CZY oxides were synthesized via classical sol-gel and evaporation induced self-assembly (EISA) methods, obtaining mesostructures that exhibited …

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Freeze-Thaw Durability Of Portland Cement Concrete Due To Addition Of Crumb Rubber Aggregates, Shubhada Gadkar Aug 2013

Freeze-Thaw Durability Of Portland Cement Concrete Due To Addition Of Crumb Rubber Aggregates, Shubhada Gadkar

All Dissertations

Ground tire rubber also known as crumb rubber has been widely used in asphalt concrete over the past several years due to its ability to improve temperature susceptibility of asphalt binders and enhance the performance of asphalt pavements. However, its inclusion in portland cement concrete is comparatively recent and more research is needed before adopting it as a regular construction material. Past research has shown that while addition of rubber aggregates in concrete reduces its compressive, tensile and flexural strengths, but is useful in improving durability properties as freeze-thaw resistance due to the ability of crumb rubber to generate an …

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Spatial Control Of Magnetic Nanoparticles Integrated With Cellular Spheroids As Tissue Engineered Building Blocks, Brandon Mattix Aug 2013

Spatial Control Of Magnetic Nanoparticles Integrated With Cellular Spheroids As Tissue Engineered Building Blocks, Brandon Mattix

All Dissertations

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been investigated in tissue engineering applications to provide in situ imaging, drug delivery, and tissue patterning, but direct and prolonged interaction between cells and MNPs can have adverse effects on cell function. Therefore, methods which reduce or limit the interaction of MNPs with cells, or utilize more biocompatible MNP-based strategies will improve upon the commonly used iron oxide MNPs. We investigated a variety of methods to improve upon the use of MNPS in tissue engineering.
Cell aggregates, or spheroids, have been used as tissue engineered building blocks that can closely mimic the native three-dimensional in vivo …

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Development And Evaluation Of An Intelligent Transportation Systems-Based Architecture For Electric Vehicles, Zhiyun Li Aug 2013

Development And Evaluation Of An Intelligent Transportation Systems-Based Architecture For Electric Vehicles, Zhiyun Li

All Dissertations

The rapid development of increasingly complex in-vehicle electronics now offers an unprecedented level of convenience and versatility as well as accelerates the demand for connected driving experience, which can only be achieved in a comprehensive Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology based architecture. While a number of charging and range related issues continue to impede the Electric Vehicle (EV) market growth, integrating ITS technologies with EVs has the potential to address the problems and facilitate EV operations. This dissertation presents an ITS based vehicle infrastructure communication architecture in which abundant information can be exchanged in real time through vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to- …

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Radar Measurements Of Nhtsa’S Surrogate Vehicle ‘Ss-V’, William Buller, Brian Wilson, James Ebling, Line Van Nieuwstadt, Benjamin E. Hart Aug 2013

Radar Measurements Of Nhtsa’S Surrogate Vehicle ‘Ss-V’, William Buller, Brian Wilson, James Ebling, Line Van Nieuwstadt, Benjamin E. Hart

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

NHTSA seeks to objectively quantify the performance of forward-looking advanced technologies such as Crash Imminent Braking (CIB) and Dynamic Brake Support (DBS) on the test track. Since these evaluations are expected to result in collisions between the subject vehicle (SV) and a principal other vehicle (POV) positioned directly in front of it, safety necessitates that the POV be a surrogate. However, to insure the tests will provide an accurate assessment of the SV’s CIB and/or DBS capabilities, the surrogate must present as realistic. One way “realism” must be quantified involves a surrogate’s radar return characteristics. The tests described in this …

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Riskvis: Supply Chain Visualization With Risk Management And Real-Time Monitoring, Rick S. M. Goh, Zhaoxia Wang, Xiaofeng Yin, Xiuju Fu, Loganathan Ponnanbalam, Sifei Lu, Xiaorong Li Aug 2013

Riskvis: Supply Chain Visualization With Risk Management And Real-Time Monitoring, Rick S. M. Goh, Zhaoxia Wang, Xiaofeng Yin, Xiuju Fu, Loganathan Ponnanbalam, Sifei Lu, Xiaorong Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

With increased complexity, supply chain networks (SCNs) of modern era face higher risks and lower efficiency due to limited visibility. Hence, there is an immediate need to provide end-to-end supply chain visibility for efficient management of complex supply chains. This paper proposes a visualization scheme based on multi-hierarchical modular design and develops a supply chain visualization platform with risk management and real-time monitoring, named RiskVis, for realizing better Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM). A Supply Chain Visualizer (SCV) with a graphical visualization platform is mounted as a part of a SCRM management decision-making dashboard and it provides senior management a …

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Wireless Cyber-Physical Simulator And Case Studies On Structural Control, Bo Li Aug 2013

Wireless Cyber-Physical Simulator And Case Studies On Structural Control, Bo Li

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

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Numerical Simulation Of Separated And Secondary Flows In Diffusing S-Ducts For Air Breathing Propulsion, Colin James Fiola Aug 2013

Numerical Simulation Of Separated And Secondary Flows In Diffusing S-Ducts For Air Breathing Propulsion, Colin James Fiola

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

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Difficulties And Opportunities In Building Resilient Clinical Monitoring Systems With Wireless Sensor Networks, Rahav Dor Aug 2013

Difficulties And Opportunities In Building Resilient Clinical Monitoring Systems With Wireless Sensor Networks, Rahav Dor

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

No abstract provided.

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Scalable Randomized Patrolling For Securing Rapid Transit Networks, Pradeep Varakantham, Hoong Chuin Lau, Zhi Yuan Aug 2013

Scalable Randomized Patrolling For Securing Rapid Transit Networks, Pradeep Varakantham, Hoong Chuin Lau, Zhi Yuan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Mass Rapid Transit using rail is a popular mode of transport employed by millions of people in many urban cities across the world. Typically, these networks are massive, used by many and thus, can be a soft target for criminals. In this paper, we consider the problem of scheduling randomised patrols for improving security of such rail networks. Similar to existing work in randomised patrols for protecting critical infrastructure, we also employ Stackelberg Games to represent the problem. In solving the Stackelberg games for massive rail networks, we make two key contributions. Firstly, we provide an approach called RaPtoR for …

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A Multi-Objective Memetic Algorithm For Vehicle Resource Allocation In Sustainable Transportation Planning, Hoong Chuin Lau, Lucas Agussurja, Shih-Fen Cheng, Pang Jin Tan Aug 2013

A Multi-Objective Memetic Algorithm For Vehicle Resource Allocation In Sustainable Transportation Planning, Hoong Chuin Lau, Lucas Agussurja, Shih-Fen Cheng, Pang Jin Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Sustainable supply chain management has been an increasingly important topic of research in recent years. At the strategic level, there are computational models which study supply and distribution networks with environmental considerations. At the operational level, there are, for example, routing and scheduling models which are constrained by carbon emissions. Our paper explores work in tactical planning with regards to vehicle resource allocation from distribution centers to customer locations in a multi-echelon logistics network. We formulate the bi-objective optimization problem exactly and design a memetic algorithm to efficiently derive an approximate Pareto front. We illustrate the applicability of our approach …

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Interacting Knapsack Problem In Designing Resource Bundles, Truong Huy D. Nguyen, Pradeep Reddy Varakantham, Hoong Chuin Lau, Shih-Fen Cheng Aug 2013

Interacting Knapsack Problem In Designing Resource Bundles, Truong Huy D. Nguyen, Pradeep Reddy Varakantham, Hoong Chuin Lau, Shih-Fen Cheng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In many real-life businesses, the service provider/seller keeps a log of the visitors’ behavior as a way to assess the efficiency of the current business/operation model and find room for improvement. For example, by tracking when visitors entering attractions in a theme park, theme park owners can detect when and where congestion may occur, thus having contingency plans to reroute the visitors accordingly. Similarly, a Cable TV service provider can track channel switching events at each household to identify uninteresting channels. Subsequently, the repertoire of channels up for subscription can evolve over time to better serve the entertainment demand of …

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Young’S Modulus And Volume Porosity Relationships For Additive Manufacturing Applications, John Anthony Choren, Stephen M. Heinrich, M. Barbara Silver-Thorn Aug 2013

Young’S Modulus And Volume Porosity Relationships For Additive Manufacturing Applications, John Anthony Choren, Stephen M. Heinrich, M. Barbara Silver-Thorn

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Recent advancements in additive manufacturing (or rapid prototyping) technologies allow the fabrication of end-use components with defined porous structures. For example, one area of particular interest is the potential to modify the flexibility (bending stiffness) of orthopedic implants through the use of engineered porosity (i.e., design and placement of pores) and subsequent fabrication of the implant using additive manufacturing processes. However, applications of engineered porosity require the ability to accurately predict mechanical properties from knowledge or characterization of the pore structure and the existence of robust equations characterizing the property–porosity relationships. As Young’s modulus can be altered by variations in …

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An Agent-Based Network Analytic Perspective On The Evolution Of Complex Adaptive Supply Chain Networks, L. Ponnambalam, A. Tan, X. Fu, X. F. Yin, Zhaoxia Wang, R. S. Goh Aug 2013

An Agent-Based Network Analytic Perspective On The Evolution Of Complex Adaptive Supply Chain Networks, L. Ponnambalam, A. Tan, X. Fu, X. F. Yin, Zhaoxia Wang, R. S. Goh

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Supply chain networks of modern era are complex adaptive systems that are dynamic and highly interdependent in nature. Business continuity of these complex systems depend vastly on understanding as to how the supply chain network evolves over time (based on the policies it adapts), and identifying the susceptibility of the evolved networks to external disruptions. The objective of this article is to illustrate as to how an agent-based network analytic perspective can aid this understanding on the network-evolution dynamics, and identification of disruption effects on the evolved networks. To this end, we developed a 4-tier agent based supply chain model …

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