Endogenous Institution Formation under a Catching-up Strategy in Developing Countries1

This paper explores endogenous institution formation under a catching-up strategy in developing countries. Since the catching-up strategy is normally against the compartive advantages of the developing countries, it can not be implemented through laissez-faire market mechanisms, and a government needs to establish non-market institutions to implement the strategy. In a simple two-sector model, the authors show that an institutional complex of price distortion, output control, and a directive allocation system is sufficient to implement the best allocation for the catching-up strategy. Furthermore, removing any of the three components will make it no longer implementable. The analysis also compares the best allocation and prices under the catching-up strategy with their counterparts under no distortions. The results of this paper provide important implications for understanding the institution formation in the developing countries that were pursuing a catching-up strategy after World War II.development strategy; institution; price distortion; output control; directive allocation system

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF AN INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS-BASED ARCHITECTURE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES

The rapid development of increasingly complex in-vehicle electronics now offers an unprecedented level of convenience and versatility as well as accelerates the demand for connected driving experience, which can only be achieved in a comprehensive Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology based architecture. While a number of charging and range related issues continue to impede the Electric Vehicle (EV) market growth, integrating ITS technologies with EVs has the potential to address the problems and facilitate EV operations. This dissertation presents an ITS based vehicle infrastructure communication architecture in which abundant information can be exchanged in real time through vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to- infrastructure communication, so that a variety of in-vehicle applications can be built to enhance the performance of EVs. This dissertation emphasizes on developing two applications that are specifically designed for EVs. First, an Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) based routing and recharging strategy dedicated to accommodate EV trips was devised. The algorithm developed in this study seeks, in real time, the lowest cost route possible without violating the energy constraint and can quickly provide an alternate suboptimal route in the event of unexpected situations (such as traffic congestion, traffic incident and road closure). If the EV battery requires a recharge, the algorithm can be utilized to develop a charging schedule based on recharging locations, recharging cost and wait time, and to simultaneously maintain the minimum total travel time and energy consumption objectives. The author also elucidates a charge scheduling model that maximizes the net profit for each vehicle-to-grid (V2G) enabled EV owner who participates in the grid ancillary services while the energy demands for their trips can be guaranteed as well. By applying ITS technologies, the charge scheduling model can rapidly adapt to changes of variables or coefficients within the model for the purpose of developing the latest optimal charge/discharge schedule. The performance of EVs involved in the architecture was validated by a series of simulations. A roadway network in Charleston, SC was created in the simulator and a comparison between ordinary EVs and connected EVs was performed with a series of simulation experiments. Analysis revealed that the vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to- infrastructure communication technology resulted in not only a reduction of the total travel time and energy consumption, but also in the reduction of the amount of the recharged electricity and corresponding cost, thus significantly relieving the concerns of range anxiety. The routing and recharging strategy also potentially allows for a reduction in the EV battery capacity, in turn reducing the cost of the energy storage system to a reasonable level. The efficiency of the charge scheduling model was validated by estimating optimal annual financial benefits and leveling the additional load from EV charging to maintain a reliable and robust power grid system. The analysis showed that the scheduling model can indeed optimize the profit which substantially offsets the annual energy cost for EV owners and that EV participants can even make a positive net profit with a higher power of the electrical circuit. In addition, the extra load distribution from the optimized EV charging operations was more balanced than that from the unmanaged EV operations. Grid operators can monitor and ease the load in real time by adjusting the prices should the load exceed the capacity. The ITS supported architecture presented in this dissertation can be used in the evolution of a new generation of EVs with new features and benefits for prospective owners. This study suggests a great promise for the integration of EVs with ITS technologies for purpose of promoting sustainable transportation system development

The Capture and Recreation of 3D Auditory Scenes

The main goal of this research is to develop the theory and implement practical tools (in both software and hardware) for the capture and recreation of 3D auditory scenes. Our research is expected to have applications in virtual reality, telepresence, film, music, video games, auditory user interfaces, and sound-based surveillance. The first part of our research is concerned with sound capture via a spherical microphone array. The advantage of this array is that it can be steered into any 3D directions digitally with the same beampattern. We develop design methodologies to achieve flexible microphone layouts, optimal beampattern approximation and robustness constraint. We also design novel hemispherical and circular microphone array layouts for more spatially constrained auditory scenes. Using the captured audio, we then propose a unified and simple approach for recreating them by exploring the reciprocity principle that is satisfied between the two processes. Our approach makes the system easy to build, and practical. Using this approach, we can capture the 3D sound field by a spherical microphone array and recreate it using a spherical loudspeaker array, and ensure that the recreated sound field matches the recorded field up to a high order of spherical harmonics. For some regular or semi-regular microphone layouts, we design an efficient parallel implementation of the multi-directional spherical beamformer by using the rotational symmetries of the beampattern and of the spherical microphone array. This can be implemented in either software or hardware and easily adapted for other regular or semi-regular layouts of microphones. In addition, we extend this approach for headphone-based system. Design examples and simulation results are presented to verify our algorithms. Prototypes are built and tested in real-world auditory scenes

Tailoring the Spectra of White Organic Light-Emitting Devices by Trap Effect of a Concentration-Insensitive Dopant

Highly efficient phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (PhOLEDs) had been fabricated by using a novel iridium complex, bis[2-(3′,5′-di-tert-butylbiphenyl-4-yl)benzothiazolato-N,C2′]iridium(III) (acetylacetonate) [(tbpbt)2Ir(acac)], as the emitter. With a wide doping ratio ranging from 15 wt% to 25 wt%, the PhOLEDs maintained a comparable high performance, indicating concentration-insensitive property of the (tbpbt)2Ir(acac). On the basis of the unique characteristic of concentration insensitivity, the application of this phosphor was explored by fabricating white organic light-emitting devices (WOLEDs) with altered doping ratio, indicating that trap effect of (tbpbt)2Ir(acac) could effectively tailor WOLEDs spectra. Typically, a high-power efficiency, current efficiency, and external quantum efficiency of 30.0 lm/W, 38.8 cd/A, 18.1%, were achieved by 20 wt% doped WOLEDs

On microstructure evolution in fiber-reinforced elastomers and implications for their mechanical response and stability

Lopez-Pamies and Idiart (2010, "Fiber-Reinforced Hyperelastic Solids: A Realizable Homogenization Constitutive Theory," J. Eng. Math., 68(1), pp. 57-83) have recently put forward a homogenization theory with the capability to generate exact results not only for the macroscopic response and stability but also for the evolution of the microstructure in fiber-reinforced hyperelastic solids subjected to finite deformations. In this paper, we make use of this new theory to construct exact, closed-form solutions for the change in size, shape, and orientation undergone by the underlying fibers in a model class of fiber-reinforced hyperelastic solids along arbitrary 3D loading conditions. Making use of these results, we then establish connections between the evolution of the microstructure and the overall stress-strain relation and macroscopic stability in fiber-reinforced elastomers. In particular, we show that the rotation of the fibers may lead to the softening of the overall stiffness of fiber-reinforced elastomers under certain loading conditions. Furthermore, we show that this geometric mechanism is intimately related to the development of long-wavelength instabilities. These findings are discussed in light of comparisons with recent results for related material systems.Fil: Lopez Pamies, Oscar. State University of New York; Estados UnidosFil: Idiart, Martín Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Aeronáutica; ArgentinaFil: Li, Zhiyun. State University of New York; Estados Unido

Residual welding stress of I-section members beyond the limits of width-thickness ratio

Despite the extensive studies on the effect of width-thickness ratio and residual stress on member behavior, few scholars have probed into the residual stress distribution on the I-section members. Based on the principle of blind hole drilling, this paper conducts an experimental study of the residual welding stresses of eight welded I-shaped members. Through the analysis of the test results, the author draws the following conclusion: it is safe to use I-section members beyond the limits of width-thickness ratio because the residual stress distribution is not severely affected by width-thickness ratio