This thesis focuses on resource allocation in wireless communication and networking. Resource allocation has been studied widely, for example, to maximize the system-wide throughput or to minimize the average delay per user. Moreover, the utility-based framework is becoming an important tool for addressing fairness and Quality-of-Service (QoS) for individual users....
This dissertation examines the impact of product returns on effective supply chain management. Within this area of research, known as Closed-Loop Supply Chain Management, we consider both strategic and tactical level reverse logistics and inventory management problems from the perspective of a firm which must efficiently process returned items. More...
In composite manufacturing, Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) is becoming increasingly important as a cost effective manufacturing method of structural composites. In this process the dry preform (reinforcement) is placed on a rigid tool and covered by a flexible film to form an airtight vacuum bag. Liquid resin is...
Autoxidation is a primary route by which lubricants in working conditions undergo degradation. Degraded lubricants, if not replaced periodically, contribute to increased wear and product failure. Experimental studies of lubricant degradation have yielded useful results but have left important questions unanswered. While many computational studies of degradation have been carried...
The adoption of surfactant replacement therapy (SRT) for the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (nRDS) is one of the main contributors to the dramatic decline in infant mortality rates observed in the 1980s. Despite the significant efficacy of animal-derived surfactant preparations, there are still some concerns associated with their...
Tissue engineering offers a promising approach for the replacement of diseased or injured tissues, and is based upon the premise that cells can be induced to form new tissues when presented with the appropriate set of environmental cues. Polymer scaffolds play a central role in most tissue engineering strategies by...
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common supraventricular tachyarrhythmia and its prevalence is expected to increase with the aging population. However, the mechanisms AF initiation, maintenance and termination are not completely understood. The surface electrocardiogram (ECG) characteristics are a direct reflection of pathophysiologic events in the atria and can be...
The average and local glass transition temperatures (Tgs) and physical aging behavior of various confined polymers were studied in order to gain an understanding of these surface/interface effects and their propagation into the polymer. Using a novel multilayer/fluorescence method, the Tgs of layers at the free surface, substrate-polymer interface, and...
As technology moves into deep submicron and nanoscale era, undesirable trends such as increasing power density, leakage power, and temperature variation within chips have made thermal effects emerge as a major bottleneck in further technology scaling. Thermal effects are no longer considered as just a reliability issue, but it also...
Next generation of high performance nano-optoelectronic integrated circuits will require an integral combination of highly efficient all-optical nanophotonic devices and electrically-pumped nanophotonic devices, which will enable the chip to process optical information all optically with ultrafast speed and electro-optically to interface with the electronic control plane. The realizations of such...