Quintessential Kination and Thermal Production of SUSY e-WIMPs

The impact of a kination-dominated phase generated by a quintessential exponential model on the thermal abundance of Supersymmetric (SUSY) extremely Weekly Interacting Massive Particles (e-WIMPs) is investigated. For values of the quintessential energy-density parameter on the eve of nucleosynthesis close to its upper bound, we find that: (i) the gravitino constraint is totally evaded for unstable gravitinos; (ii) the thermal abundance of stable gravitinos is not sufficient to account for the cold dark matter of the universe; (iii) the thermal abundance of axinos can satisfy the cold dark matter constraint for values of the initial (``reheating'') temperature well above those required in the standard cosmology.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of 4th International Workshop On The Dark Side Of The Universe (DSU 2008) 1-5 Jun 2008, Cairo, Egyp

Simulation of 3-D Conjugate Heat Transfer in a rectangular cooling channel

Over the course of the past decade, a number of investigations have been conducted to better understand the fluid flow and heat transfer in channel heat sinks. In this study full three-dimensional (3-D) conjugate heat transfer analysis is performed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes for evaluating the thermal performance of rectangular cooling channel (heat sinks)

The Place Of Earth And Space Science And Engineering Design In The Next Generation Science Standards

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were recently adopted by the state of Connecticut. This paper describes the status of Earth and Space Science (ESS) and Engineering Design (ED) within the NGSS in the state of Connecticut. In this research, Connecticut District Science Coordinators were targeted. They were given questionnaires through Survey Monkey to obtain their views and experiences on the issue of teacher preparedness. Results showed that the ESS and ED did not yet occupy a high position in the state curriculum. There are several challenges to be faced to have ESS and ED status improved in the state. The adoption in itself was seen to be a clear indication that ESS and ED will gradually assume a high recognition in the curriculum of Connecticut schools

Energy Audit in Residential Building

This paper deals with the study of energy audit of residential building at Trumbull, CT (USA). Worldwide,30-40% of all primary energy is used for buildings and they are held responsible for 40-50% of green house gas emissions. Sustainable development is essential for the residential building construction. It has various benefits such as low environmental impact, high economical and social gains. An energy audit is an assessment of how much energy is used and identifying where it is used. We can get a detail idea about energy consumption, identifying, enumerating and evaluating possible energy saving opportunity

Recent Directions In Remote Engineering And Virtual Instrumentation

The 6th Remote Engineering and Virtual instrumentation Conference (REV 2009) was held at the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA during the period of June 22 ? 25, 2009. The conference brought together engineering researchers, educators, and professionals to explore the fundamentals, future, and application of remote engineering in both industry and academia. Participants delivered papers, presented demonstrations, research posters, and shared experiences in virtual engineering. REV?09 drew more than 100 engineers, scientists and educators from around the world. Most of the participants were from Europe, but many came from Asia, North and South America, the Middle East and as far as Australia. More than 60 papers were presented on topics ranging from Telerobotics to Virtual and Remote Labs. Workshops and Tutorials drew widespread interest and exhibitors displayed their products for integrating remote engineering into academia. Poster sessions discussed topics such as Robotic Surgery and Development of Remote Labs in Physics. The general objective of REV 2009 was to discuss fundamentals, applications and experiences within the field of online engineering, both in industry and academia. The conference presentations and papers addressed several emerging trends in online engineering, remote laboratories, virtual instrumentation and educational applications of remote engineering.http://www.online-journals.org/index.php/i-joe/article/view/103

A Hybrid Approach to Evaluate the Performance of Engineering Schools

© ASEE 2009Science and engineering (S&E) are two disciplines that are highly receptive to the changes in demand for products and services. These disciplines can either be leading in nature, viz., they create the demand in the market (push) for new products and/or services, or can adopt the changes caused by the varying market conditions (pull). Regardless of the reason, both science and engineering have the responsibility to be compatible with the emerging needs of the market. This fact is also true for the institutions awarding science and engineering degrees. Such higher education institutions also require continuous monitoring and evaluation to be able to remain competitive in the educational arena. Generally, educational institutions are evaluated for their (i) academic affairs, and (2) administrative and financial operations. Academic affairs are monitored by outside authorities such as professional accrediting agencies, State Departments of Higher Education, and the regional accrediting bodies (i.e., NEASC), whereas outcome assessment for administrative and financial operations are handled by the Board of Trustees and the regional accrediting body. In addition, educational institutions also have internal assessment processes conducted to (1) ensure the ability to meet and/or exceed the national educational standards, (2) to be compatible with the mission and vision statements of the organization, and (3) to guarantee the continuous improvement of students, academic and administrative personnel. This internal assessment process embodies a broad spectrum of performance criteria such as curriculum development and revision, contributions to the literature, ethnicity/gender profiles, budget allocation, and student and personnel development. Therefore, several factors that are tangible and intangible in nature have to be considered during internal reviews, thus creating a complex problem environment for the evaluators/decision makers. This being the motivation, this paper proposes a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model to compare each department in the School of Engineering at the University of Bridgeport with each other and with the School. Data and case studies are provided to demonstrate the functionality of the proposed model

Automatic Gait Balance Detection System

Falls are one of the major causes of injury in elderly people over 65 years. Each year, 2.5 million people are treated for a serious fall injury. In addition to the fall there is the delay in receiving assistance. Researchers have developed three methodologies to detect falls: image/video processing by implementing cameras and trackers, acoustic recognition using floor and wall sensors and by analysis of wearable sensors. Fall detection using smartphones has also been proposed in the past. A smartphone may have many constraints due to which a wearable device is a much more viable option for such a critical issue. This poster aims to suggest an effective way to detect falls by using a wearable device of which the major components are: 3-axial accelerometer, Arduino Uno, and GPS-GSM device. Apart from that, a buzzer is also integrated to notify people nearby for assistance. The location of the wearable device also affects the acceleration and the result of fall and motion detection. Although the wrist is the most common body part for any wearable device, the acceleration signal may vary widely. It is efficient to place the device in areas of least movement like a knee or waist