Determining the performance characteristics of various ocean wave energy converters (OWEC) has proven to be difficult due to problems replicating a baseline motion profile in the ocean or wave tank to compare these devices. The linear test bed seeks to mechanically simulate the relative linear motion between the active components...
At frequencies exceeding 1-2 GHz, the substrate network models used in substrate coupling simulation must account for the reactive nature of the substrate. Unlike at low frequencies, where the purely resistive substrate models can be validated through DC resistance measurements, these high-frequency models, comprising reactive components, must be validated through...
A two-channel data acquisition system for simultaneous detection and discrimination of beta particles and gamma rays has been developed. Each channel measures and analyzes the input pulses resulting from the absorption of radiation in the layers of the detector. The detector is a triple-layer phoswich (phosphor sandwich) scintillation detector followed...
It is well known that multipath effects cause inter-symbol interference (ISI) for high-speed signaling and ultimately limit the achievable data rate at any frequency band. In this thesis, we study several different methods to tackle this issue and provide solutions for establishing efficient wireless links that can provide several Gbps...
Proanthocyanidins are a grape-derived phenolic class of compound that provide wine with bitterness and astringency. Because of this, proanthocyanidins are considered to be essential components of wine quality. Proanthocyanidins are localized in the seed, skin and stem tissue of the grape berry and the composition of proanthocyanidins will vary depending...
With growing concerns on environment impact of industrial product development, the product developers are seeking better solutions to achieve desired environmental benign requirements by the regulators and customers besides economic growth. During the last decade, some of the most successful product development companies (such as HP) have established their own...
The concept of reducing laboratory operations in scale such that they fit on a microfluidic chip has been met with great enthusiasm. Lab-on-a-chip devices promise to be cost effective to operate due to reduced reagent consumption, have the potential to offer shorter analysis times due to their short path lengths,...
Periodic metal and metal-dielectric composite nanostructures have been of interest from the field of plasmonics and metamaterial fabrication. In order to exploit the behavior of these unique materials in the visible region of the optical spectrum, these structures need to be significantly shorter than the wavelength of response, and hence...
Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative (PNGC) operates the Landfill Gas to
Energy Facility at Coffin Butte Landfill in Corvallis, OR. At this facility, three internal
combustion engines use the landfill gas (predominantly methane and carbon dioxide) as
fuel to turn generators that produce enough electricity to power 1,800 average sized
homes....
Continuously tunable diode laser sources coupled to single-mode fiber are useful sources for fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors. This paper describes the
development and fabrication of such a device. An introduction is given describing
applications of tunable lasers and some of the different methods of creating a tunable
diode...