Freestanding hierarchical porous carbon film derived from hybrid nanocellulose for high-power supercapacitors

Nanocellulose is a sustainable and eco-friendly nanomaterial derived from renewable biomass.In this study,we utilized the structural advantages of two types of nanocellulose and fabricated freestanding carbonized hybrid nanocellulose films as electrode materials for supercapacitors.The long cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) formed a macroporous framework,and the short cellulose nanocrystals were assembled around the CNF framework and generated micro/mesopores.This two-level hierarchical porous structure was successfully preserved during carbonization because of a thin atomic layer deposited (ALD) Al2O3 conformal coating,which effectively prevented the aggregation of nanocellulose.These carbonized,partially graphitized nanocellulose fibers were interconnected,forming an integrated and highly conductive network with a large specific surface area of 1,244 m2·g-1.The two-level hierarchical porous structure facilitated fast ion transport in the film.When tested as an electrode material with a high mass loading of 4 mg·cm-2 for supercapacitors,the hierarchical porous carbon film derived from hybrid nanocellulose exhibited a specific capacitance of 170 F.g-1and extraordinary performance at high current densities.Even at a very high current of 50 A·g-1,it retained 65％ of its original specific capacitance,which makes it a promising electrode material for high-power applications.     

An Investigation of the Relationship Between the Gaussian Process Model Parameters and Surface Area in Three Dimensions

In this paper, we study the relationship between the fitted parameters in a Gaussian process (kriging) model and the complexity of the resulting response surface. This study is done for models with one response and two input variables. An analytical calculation of surface roughness is used as a measure of the complexity of the response surface fit by the Gaussian process model. Our findings indicate that the size of the fitted model parameters as measured across different fits and data sets do not give indication as to the complexity of the surface. We do, however, show that the magnitude of each of the parameters in a single fitted model gives indication about the amount of variability in the direction of that fitted parameter. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Data-delay evaluation in integrated wireless networks based on local product-form solutions for voice occupancy

In this paper we consider the evaluation of data-packet delay in wireless integrated voice/data networks. In networks that support voice in the classical circuit-switched fashion, the voice occupancy process satisfies a product-form solution under reasonable modeling assumptions. Although this product-form solution provides an accurate characterization of equilibrium voicetraffic behavior, it does not directly provide a method to evaluate data-packet delay. However, examination of each link separately in a manner that incorporates interaction with the rest of the network permits us to take advantage of the wireless nature of the network and obtain a three-flow characterization of each link, which also satisfies a product-form solution and is hence termed a mini-product-form solution. By matching the values of these flows to the average values obtained from the product-form solution of the entire network, we obtain a three-dimensional Markov chain characterization of the voice occupancy state on the link, which permits a simpler evaluation of data-packet delay. A further reduction is possible by converting the three-dimensional chain to a single-dimensional one. Performance results demonstrate that these models provide satisfactory delay estimates that also appear to be upper bounds on delay.C.M. Barnhart was at the Naval Research Laboratory when this paper was written.     

Stabilization and tracking in the nonholonomic integrator via sliding modes

In this paper we use an approach based on sliding mode control to design a feedback which stabilizes the origin for the so-called nonholonomic integrator or Heisenberg system, a particular case of a canonical class of nonlinear driftless control systems of the form

which fail Brockett's necessary condition for the existence of a smooth stabilizing feedback.     

A scalable and self-adapting notification framework for healthcare information systems

There has been a great interest in publish/subscribe systems in recent years. This interest, coupled with the pervasiveness of light-weight electronic devices, such as cellular phones and personal digital assistants, has opened a new arena in publish/subscribe networks. Currently, many broker overlay networks are static and rarely change in structure. Often, a network overlay structure is predefined or manually modified. This paper presents a dynamic broker network for disseminating critical lab and patient information in a Healthcare information system. The reported work builds upon previous network optimization research on ad hoc publish/subscribe networks. The underlying framework utilizes user-defined cost functions to satisfy quality of service constraints. In essence, the broker network optimization problem is reduced to an incremental search problem to generate low cost network configurations. Certain reliability issues are also addressed by providing a scheduling algorithm to selectively retransmit information and handle broker connectivity failures.     

Force and tactile feedback in preloaded cantilever snap-fits under manual assembly

The purpose of this study was to investigate the tactile feedback of snap-fit fasteners when used in manual assembly. An important aspect of this assembly process is the assembler’s ability to perceive the snap-fit’s engagement. This sensing of engagement yields a high level of confidence that assembly is both complete and secure. Force and tactile feedback are critical elements in this process. Many snap-fits are used in conjunction with sealing elements that produce a constant force that remains in effect after snap-fit assembly is completed. The effect of sealing element preload magnitude and stiffness was studied using a test station, force deflection measurements, and jury pool data. A low value of preload with low stiffness was determined to be most favorable in terms of force and tactile feedback, with no preload only slightly less favorable. In order to sense the engagement signal of the catch, some resistance to assembly was found to be beneficial. A dimensionless term called “engagement signal-to-hold-force ratio” is proposed as an additional way of rating the effect of assembly forces for snap-fits. It was found that higher signal-to-hold-force ratio, as well as higher values of engagement signal, corresponded to higher confidence of assembly among experimental subjects.

Relevance to Industry

In the automotive industry, force and tactile feedback are essential for sensing the full engagement of snap-fit parts during the assembly of critical components, such as electrical and fuel system interconnects. Both the design of the snap-fit and the presence or absence of preload will affect force and tactile feedback. Many of these applications require the compression of an elastic gasket with a preload needed for air, fuel, or electrical isolation. Preload and preload stiffness factors are examined in this paper with the aim of achieving a better understanding of these effects so that snap-fit confidence of assembly and assembly robustness can be enhanced in industrial settings.     

Cops and Robbers from a distance

Cops and Robbers is a pursuit and evasion game played on graphs that has received much attention. We consider an extension of Cops and Robbers, distance k Cops and Robbers, where the cops win if at least one of them is of distance at most k from the robber in G. The cop number of a graph G is the minimum number of cops needed to capture the robber in G. The distance k analogue of the cop number, written c_k(G), equals the minimum number of cops needed to win at a given distance k. We study the parameter c_k from algorithmic, structural, and probabilistic perspectives. We supply a classification result for graphs with bounded c_k(G) values and develop an O(n^2s+3) algorithm for determining if c_k(G)≤s for s fixed. We prove that if s is not fixed, then computing c_k(G) is NP-hard. Upper and lower bounds are found for c_k(G) in terms of the order of G. We prove that