A novel Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuator consisting of several thin NiTi bers woven in a counter rotating helical pattern around supporting disks is rst described. This structure accomplishes a highly eecient transformation between force and displacement overcoming the main mechanical drawback of shape memory alloys, that being limited strain. Time domain open loop experiments were then conduc...

Recent work has led to a better understanding of the molecular components of plant centromeres. Conservation of at least some centromere protein constituents between plant and non-plant systems has been demonstrated. The identity and organization of plant centromeric DNA sequences are also beginning to yield to analysis. While there is little primary DNA sequence conservation among the characte...

Building codes of almost all countries generally have a ‘size limitation of building and compartment’ which states a maximum floor area and cubical content for various uses and configuration. If the maximum compartment size is exceeded, there is usually provision for relaxation of the codes which will involve at least some of the following: a) occupancy levels, b) means of escape, c) sprinkler ...

Recently, a great deal of research has demonstrated that although everyday experience is continuous in nature, it is parsed into separate events. The aim of the present study was to examine whether event structure can influence the effectiveness of cognitive control. Across 5 experiments we varied the structure of events within the AX-CPT by shifting the spatial location of cues and probes on a...

Structured control (static output feedback, reduced-order control, and decentralized feedback) is one of the most important open problems in control theory and practice. In this thesis, various techniques for synthesis of structured controllers are surveyed and investigated, including H 2 optimization, H, optimization, L1 control, eigenvalue and eigenstructure treatment, and multiobjective cont...