Winthrop University Undergraduate Scholarship 2016 Book of Abstracts

University College and Winthrop University proudly present Undergraduate Scholarship and Creative Activity 2016. This is the fifth annual university-wide compilation of undergraduate work, christened with a new title that is more representative of the full range of students’ scholarly and creative efforts. This year’s book chronicles the accomplishments of students and faculty mentors from 25 academic departments and programs, spanning all five colleges of the university: College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), College of Business Administration (CBA), College of Education (COE), College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), and University College (UC).https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/undergradresearch_abstractbooks/1013/thumbnail.jp

Is there chaos out there? : analysis of complex dynamics in plankton communities

Species often show irregular fluctuations in their population abundances. Traditionally, ecologists have thought that external processes (e.g., variability in weather conditions) are the main drivers of these ups and downs. However, recent theoretical work suggests that fluctuations in natural populations may also be driven by internal mechanisms (e.g., the interplay between species). In this thesis I use a combination of time series analysis and modeling to provide more insight into the question to which extent such internally generated chaos might drive the population dynamics of plankton communities under controlled as well as natural conditions. In short, this thesis demonstrates in theory and experiment that species in plankton communities may rise and fall forever in a chaotic way. This result challenges the traditional view that nature is at equilibrium and that only externally driven processes may disturb this equilibrium

EVALITA Evaluation of NLP and Speech Tools for Italian Proceedings of the Final Workshop

Editor of the proceedings of EVALITA 2016

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ROMANIA

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main opportunities and limitations of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The survey was defined with the aim to involve the highest possible number of relevant CSR topics and give the issue a more wholesome perspective. It provides a basis for further comprehension and deeper analyses of specific CSR areas. The conditions determining the success of CSR in Romania have been defined in the paper on the basis of the previously cumulative knowledge as well as the results of various researches. This paper provides knowledge which may be useful in the programs promoting CSR.Corporate social responsibility, Supportive policies, Romania

Microfluidic bubble logic

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2008."September 2008."Includes bibliographical references.In this thesis, I propose a new paradigm in computing where bits can simultaneously transport and manipulate materials and information. Information representation is invariably physical. Though this insight is fundamental to understanding the physical limits of computation, it has never been exploited as a scheme for material manipulation. Bringing together notions from computer science and fluid dynamics, I present a new logic family "Bubble Logic" capable of both universal computation and programmable material manipulation in an all-fluidic two-phase system. This removes the distinction between materials and mechanisms to control them, bringing the programmability of the digital world into the physical world - with a wide range of promising applications in biotechnology, highthroughput screening, genomics and fluidic control systems for soft robotics, printing and digital fabrication.Microfluidics, the art of handling nano-to pico-liter volume fluids, is leading to a revolution in large-scale automation of biology and analytical chemistry. However, current lab-on-chip technologies are dependent on external macro-scale control elements, thus requiring a lab to run the chip. Bubble logic provides a dropletel,internal, inherently digital flow control mechanism at kHz frequencies with no moving parts or off-chip components. Nonlinearity is introduced in an otherwise linear, reversible, low Reynolds number flow via bubble-tobubble hydrodynamic interactions. I demonstrate bubble logic AND/OR/NOT gates, a toggle flip-flop, a ripple counter, a timing restoration device, a ring oscillator, a bistable valve and an on-demand bubble generator. These show the nonlinearity, gain, bistability, synchronization, cascadability, feedback and programmability required for scalable universal computation and control.(cont.) The representation used in this thesis makes possible encapsulation and manipulation of a large variety of micro-to nanocale materials including single molecules like DNA or proteins, live cells, liquid crystals, nano-particles and other biological and chemical reagents. Bubble logic provides a scheme to transport, store and operate on this new class of "digital materials" in an integrated, high-throughput fashion. Furthermore, microfluidics has also been extensively employed in biological systems. This thesis describes the discovery of two new physical fluid dynamic mechanisms motivated by a common theme of microfluidics in biology. Firstly, I describe a new superhydrophobic waterrepelling surface that has a characteristic of directional anisotropy to fluid resistance. The discovery, made while studying the integument of water-walking insects, helps rationalize the origin of thrust and hence propulsion of water-walking insects on a fluid interface. Secondly, this thesis uncovers a new physical mechanism for directed droplet transport, which I term "Capillary ratchet". Discovered in a class of surface feeding shorebirds, it is the only physical mechanism that is known to exploit contact angle hysteresis for fluid transport. Capillary ratchet is a promising candidate for implementing global clocking for integrated microfluidic devices.by Manu Prakash.Ph.D

Safety and Reliability - Safe Societies in a Changing World

The contributions cover a wide range of methodologies and application areas for safety and reliability that contribute to safe societies in a changing world. These methodologies and applications include: - foundations of risk and reliability assessment and management - mathematical methods in reliability and safety - risk assessment - risk management - system reliability - uncertainty analysis - digitalization and big data - prognostics and system health management - occupational safety - accident and incident modeling - maintenance modeling and applications - simulation for safety and reliability analysis - dynamic risk and barrier management - organizational factors and safety culture - human factors and human reliability - resilience engineering - structural reliability - natural hazards - security - economic analysis in risk managemen