Printed and drawn flexible electronics based on cellulose nanocomposites

Sustainability, flexibility, and low-power consumption are key features to meet the growing re- quirements of simplicity and multifunctionality of low-cost, disposable/recyclable smart electronic -of- -based composites hold po- tential to fulfill such demands when explored as substrate and/or electrolyte-gate, or as active channel layer on printed transistors and integrated circuits based on ionic responses (iontronics). In this work, a new generation of reusable, healable and recyclable regenerated cellulose hydro- gels with high ionic conductivity and conformability, capable of being provided in the form of stick- ers, are demonstrated. These hydrogels are obtained from a simple, fast, low-cost, and environ- mental-friendly aqueous alkali salt/urea dissolution method of native cellulose, combined with eration and simultaneous ion incorporation with acetic acid. Their electrochemical properties can be also merged with the mechanical robustness, thermal resistance, transparency, and smooth- - strate. Beyond gate dielectrics, a water-based screen-printable ink, composed of CMC binder and com- mercial zinc oxide (ZnO) semiconducting nanoparticles, was formulated. The ink enables the printing of relatively smooth and densely packed films on office paper with semiconducting func- tionality at room temperature. The rather use of porous ZnO nanoplates is beneficial to form per- colative pathways at lower contents of functional material, at the cost of rougher surfaces. The engineered cellulose composites are successfully integrated into flexible, recyclable, low- voltage (<3.5 V), printed electrolyte-gated office paper or on the ionically modified nanopaper. Ubiquitous calligraphy accessories are used -the- out on the target substrate, where are already printed the devices. Such concept paves the way for a worldwide boom of creativity, where we can freely create personal electronic kits, while having fun at it and without generating waste.Sustentabilidade, flexibilidade e baixo consumo energético são características chave para atender aos crescentes requisitos de simplicidade e multifuncionalidade de sistemas eletrónicos inteligentes de baixo custo, das- Compósitos à base de celulose têm potencial para atender a tais necessidades quando explora- dos como substrato e/ou porta-de-eletrólito ou como camada de canal ativo em transístores impressos e circuitos integrados baseados em respostas iónicas (iontronics). Neste trabalho, é demonstrada uma nova geração de hidrogéis reutilizáveis, reparáveis e recicláveis baseados em celulose regenerada, que apresentam alta condução iónica e conformabilidade, podendo ser fornecidos na forma de adesivos. Estes hidrogéis são obtidos a partir de um método simples, rápido, barato e amigo do ambiente que permite a dissolução de celulose nativa em soluções aquosas com mistura de sal alcalino e ureia, combinado com carboximetil celulose (CMC) para melhorar a sua robustez, seguido da regeneração e simultâneo enriquecimento iónico com ácido acético. As suas propriedades eletroquímicas podem ser combinadas com a inbase de celulose micro/nanofibrilada para obter um substrato eletrolítico semelhante a papel. Para além de portas-dielétricas, foi formulada uma tinta aquosa compatível com serigrafia, composta por CMC como espessante e nanopartículas semicondutoras de ZnO. A tinta permite a impressão de filmes pouco rugosos e densamente percolados sobre papel de escritório, e com funcionalidade semicondutora à temperatura ambiente. O uso alternativo de nanoplacas porosas de ZnO é benéfico para criar caminhos percolativos com menores teores de material funcional, apesar de se obter filmes rugosos. Os compósitos à base celulose foram integrados com sucesso em transístores e portas lógicas porta-eletrolítica, os quais foram impressos em papel de escritório ou no "nanopapel" iconicamente modificado. Acessórios de caligrafia permitem a fácil e rápida padronização de pistas condutoras/resistivas, desenhando-as no substrato alvo, onde estão impressos os dispositivos. Este conceito despoleta um mundo criativo, onde é possível criar livremente kits eletrónicos customizados de forma divertida e sem gerar resíduos

Evaluation of Big Data Platforms for Industrial Process Data

When the number of IoT devices, as well as human activities on the Internet, has increased fast in recent years, data generated has also witnessed an exponential growth in volume. Therefore, various frameworks and software such as Cassandra, Hive, and Spark have been developed to store and explore this massive amount of data. In particular, the waves of Big Data have also reached the industrial businesses. As the number of sensors installed in machines and mills significantly increases, log data is generated from these devices in higher frequencies and enormously complex calculations are applied to this data. The thesis is aimed at evaluating how effectively the current Big Data frameworks and tools manipulate industrial Big Data, especially process data. After surveying several techniques and potential frameworks and tools, the thesis focuses on building a prototype of a data pipeline. The prototype must satisfy a set of use cases. The data pipeline contains several components including Spark, Impala, and Sqoop. Also, it uses Parquet as the file format and stores the Parquet files in S3. Several experiments were also conducted in AWS, to validate the requirements in the use cases. The workload used for these tests was around 690 GBs of Parquet files. This amount of data includes one million channels, divided into one thousand groups, and the data sampling rate was one data point per second. The results of the experiments show that the performance of current big data frameworks may fulfill the performance requirements and the features in the use cases and industrial businesses in general

Definition and preliminary design of the Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder (LAWS) phase 1. Volume 2

The steps and engineering trades and analyses used in establishing the initial requirements and in developing a concept and configuration for the laser atmospheric wind sounder (LAWS) instrument. A summary of the performance anticipated from the baseline configuration, and a bibliography are presented. LAWS, which is a facility instrument of the Earth observing system (EOS), is the culmination of over 20 years of effort in the field of laser Doppler wind sensing and will be the first instrument to fly in space capable of providing global-scale tropospheric wind profiles at high spatial resolutions. Global-scale wind profiles are necessary for: (1) more accurate diagnosis of large-scale circulation and climate dynamics; (2) improved numerical weather prediction; (3) improved understanding of mesoscale systems; and (4) improved understanding of global biogeochemical and hydrologic cycles. The objective of phase 1 was to define and perform a preliminary design for the LAWS instrument. The definition phase consisted of identifying realistic concepts for LAWS and analyzing them in sufficient detail to be able to choose the most promising one for the LAWS instrument. Systems and subsystems configurations were then developed for the chosen concept. The concept and subsequent configuration were to be compatible with two prospective platforms: the Japanese polar orbiting platform (JPOP) and as an attached payload on the Space Station Freedom. After a thorough and objective concept selection process, a heterodyne detection Doppler lidar using a CO2 laser transmitter operating a 9.1 micron over a 2.1 micron solid state system was chosen. A configuration for LAWS that meets the performance requirements was designed at the conclusion of phase 1

Working With Incremental Spatial Data During Parallel (GPU) Computation

Central to many complex systems, spatial actors require an awareness of their local environment to enable behaviours such as communication and navigation. Complex system simulations represent this behaviour with Fixed Radius Near Neighbours (FRNN) search. This algorithm allows actors to store data at spatial locations and then query the data structure to find all data stored within a fixed radius of the search origin. The work within this thesis answers the question: What techniques can be used for improving the performance of FRNN searches during complex system simulations on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs)? It is generally agreed that Uniform Spatial Partitioning (USP) is the most suitable data structure for providing FRNN search on GPUs. However, due to the architectural complexities of GPUs, the performance is constrained such that FRNN search remains one of the most expensive common stages between complex systems models. Existing innovations to USP highlight a need to take advantage of recent GPU advances, reducing the levels of divergence and limiting redundant memory accesses as viable routes to improve the performance of FRNN search. This thesis addresses these with three separate optimisations that can be used simultaneously. Experiments have assessed the impact of optimisations to the general case of FRNN search found within complex system simulations and demonstrated their impact in practice when applied to full complex system models. Results presented show the performance of the construction and query stages of FRNN search can be improved by over 2x and 1.3x respectively. These improvements allow complex system simulations to be executed faster, enabling increases in scale and model complexity

From genotypes to organisms: State-of-the-art and perspectives of a cornerstone in evolutionary dynamics

Understanding how genotypes map onto phenotypes, fitness, and eventually organisms is arguably the next major missing piece in a fully predictive theory of evolution. We refer to this generally as the problem of the genotype-phenotype map. Though we are still far from achieving a complete picture of these relationships, our current understanding of simpler questions, such as the structure induced in the space of genotypes by sequences mapped to molecular structures, has revealed important facts that deeply affect the dynamical description of evolutionary processes. Empirical evidence supporting the fundamental relevance of features such as phenotypic bias is mounting as well, while the synthesis of conceptual and experimental progress leads to questioning current assumptions on the nature of evolutionary dynamics-cancer progression models or synthetic biology approaches being notable examples. This work delves into a critical and constructive attitude in our current knowledge of how genotypes map onto molecular phenotypes and organismal functions, and discusses theoretical and empirical avenues to broaden and improve this comprehension. As a final goal, this community should aim at deriving an updated picture of evolutionary processes soundly relying on the structural properties of genotype spaces, as revealed by modern techniques of molecular and functional analysis.Comment: 111 pages, 11 figures uses elsarticle latex clas

Advanced study of coastal zone oceanographic requirements for ERTS E and F

Earth Resources Technology Satellites E and F orbits and remote sensor instruments for coastal oceanographic data collectio

KINE[SIS]TEM'17 From Nature to Architectural Matter

Kine[SiS]tem – From Kinesis + System. Kinesis is a non-linear movement or activity of an organism in response to a stimulus. A system is a set of interacting and interdependent agents forming a complex whole, delineated by its spatial and temporal boundaries, influenced by its environment. How can architectural systems moderate the external environment to enhance comfort conditions in a simple, sustainable and smart way? This is the starting question for the Kine[SiS]tem’17 – From Nature to Architectural Matter International Conference. For decades, architectural design was developed despite (and not with) the climate, based on mechanical heating and cooling. Today, the argument for net zero energy buildings needs very effective strategies to reduce energy requirements. The challenge ahead requires design processes that are built upon consolidated knowledge, make use of advanced technologies and are inspired by nature. These design processes should lead to responsive smart systems that deliver the best performance in each specific design scenario. To control solar radiation is one key factor in low-energy thermal comfort. Computational-controlled sensor-based kinetic surfaces are one of the possible answers to control solar energy in an effective way, within the scope of contradictory objectives throughout the year.FC

The 25 kW power module evolution study. Part 3: Conceptual designs for power module evolution. Volume 4: Design analyses

Topics covered include growth options evaluation, mass properties, attitude control and structural dynamics, contamination evaluation, berthing concepts, orbit reboost options and growth kit concepts. Systems support elements and space support equipment are reviewed with emphasis on power module operations and technology planning