The goal of this work is to minimize the energy dissipation of embedded controllers without jeopardizing the quality of control (QoC).  Taking advantage of the dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) technology, this paper develops a performance-aware power management scheme for embedded controllers with processors that allow multiple voltage levels.  The periods of control tasks are adapted [...]

The benefit of multiple antenna communication is investigated in wireless ad hoc networks, and the primary finding is that throughput can be made to scale linearly with the number of receive antennas even if each transmitting node uses only a single antenna.  The linear throughput gain is achieved by (i) using the receive antennas to [...]

The School of Engineering is seeking volunteers from all university schools to judge or otherwise assist when it hosts its first Blazer B.E.S.T. robotics obstacle course competition at noon on October 11 inside Bartow Arena.  Teams from 24 Central Alabama middle and high schools are building robots from scratch with UAB-donated materials.  B.E.S.T. robotics is [...]

There is no market yet for turbines that turn the tides into a source of energy from deep beneath the sea.  But that has not stopped mechanical engineers at the University of Strathclyde’s Energy Systems Research Unit (ESRU) in Scotland from developing one that will ride the tide while latched to the seabed by a [...]

Understanding the plasticity and strength of crystalline materials in terms of the dynamics of microscopic defects has been a goal of materials research in the last 70 years.  The size-dependent yield stress observed in recent experiments of submicrometer metallic pillars provides a unique opportunity to test our theoretical models, allowing the predictions from defect dynamics [...]

This paper studies the sedimentation-consolidation of a double porosity material, such as lumpy clay.  Large displacements and finite strains are accounted for in a multidimensional setting.  Fundamental equations are derived using a phenomenological approach and non-equilibrium thermodynamics.  These equations particularize to three non-linear partial differential equations in one dimensional context.  Numerical implementation in a finite [...]

It is stated in the main in essence new approach to mechanics of the stressed state of the solid body from statistically isotropic material and the homogeneous liquid dynamics.  The approach essence is in the detected property of the core-shell spontaneous structurization of internal energy of the solid and liquid bodies in its natural state [...]

Turbulent flow fields can be expanded into a series in a set of basic functions.  The terms of such series are often called modes.  A master-mode set is a subset of these modes, the time history of which uniquely determines the time history of the entire turbulent flow provided that this flow is developed.  In [...]

A new material based on rare-earth elements such as cerium might overcome a barrier to making smaller silicon chips.  Silicon dioxide is the traditional chip insulator, but is too bulky for smaller chips.  Alternative compounds with suitably high dielectric constants are too rigid, and have proved not to insulate fully.  Now Dmitry Kukuruznyak at the [...]

Metamaterials are artificially engineered structures that have properties, such as a negative refractive index, not attainable with naturally occurring materials.  Negative-index metamaterials (NIMs) were first demonstrated for microwave frequencies, but it has been challenging to design NIMs for optical frequencies and they have so far been limited to optically thin samples because of significant fabrication [...]