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On Efficient Channel Modeling for Video Transmission over Cognitive Radio Networks
No full textThis paper investigates the problem of video transmission over cognitive radio networks with the objective of maintaining continuous video playback while gracefully degrading the quality of the reconstructed video sequences, if needed. We focus on modeling the channel availability to secondary users, which is a major limiting factor on the continuity of the streaming process. A Markov chain model for the channels availability in an M-channels system is developed. This model is used to estimate the likelihood of transmission interruptions a secondary user might experience due to the loss of a channel to a primary user. We also propose a joint adaptive mechanism where a simple source rate control scheme is integrated with an adaptive playback approach to reduce the impact of channels relocation/unavailability on the streaming process of active secondary users. Simulations and numerical investigations demonstrate the correctness of the proposed channel model. Simulation results also indicate that instants of playback buffer starvation at the secondary user ends could be avoided only when the hybrid approach is employed
Autonomous Demand-Side Management in the Future Smart Grid
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Electrical Engineering by Tasneem Mohammad Assaf entitled, "Autonomous Demand-Side Management in the Future Smart Grid," submitted in November 2016. Thesis advisor is Dr. Ahmed Osman and thesis co-advisor is Dr. Mohamed Hassan. Soft and hard copy available.Group Autonomous Demand-Side Management (ADSM) programs provide practical mechanisms to coordinate energy consumption to achieve smart grid-wide objectives, such as reducing the energy cost, reducing the Peak-to-Average Ratio (PAR), and increasing the penetration of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs). In this work, a group ADSM program, where the customers cooperate to reduce their energy cost payment through scheduling the future energy consumption profiles, is investigated. First, an aggregative game is formulated to model the strategic behavior of the customers. Subsequently, in order to consider the computational complexity and limitations of the group ADSM programs, an efficient energy consumption scheduling algorithm based on Tabu Search (TS) is proposed. In addition to the ability of achieving the near-optimal energy schedules, the computational time is reduced to a large extent as compared to the energy scheduling algorithm based on Parallel Monte Carlo Tree Search (P-MCTS) and the benchmark energy scheduling algorithm based on Branch and Bound (BB). Moreover, a billing mechanism that charges customers fairly based on their energy consumption and commitment to abide by the assigned schedules and program rules is developed. Two systems are considered; Single-Source Multiple-Customers (SSMC) system and Multiple-Sources Multiple-Customers (MSMC) system. In the SSMC system, a central energy source is shared among customers, while the MSMC system consists of a central energy source, distributed RESs, and Distributed Storage Elements (DSEs). Simulation results confirm that the proposed billing mechanism enhances the fairness level of the system and the proposed algorithm ensures a considerable reduction in the computational complexity. In addition, due to the utilization of distributed RESs and DSEs in the MSMC system, both the level of greenhouse emissions and the total system cost are guaranteed to be reduced compared to the SSMC system.College of EngineeringDepartment of Electrical EngineeringMaster of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE
Irony and Humor as Feminist Narrative Strategies: Arabian Gulf Women's Literature in Perspective
No full textThis article examines how, in her first novel entitled al-Shams madhbuha wa-l-layl mahbus (1997, The Sun is Slaughtered and the Night is Confined), the contemporary Kuwaiti woman writer, Fawziyya Shuwaysh al-Salim (b. 1949), employs irony and humor as narrative strategies through which the absurdity of some Arabian social and cultural ideologies and practices are exposed. A three-stage humor pattern—in the “cause → effect → reaction” formula—are identified in most of the humorous scenes in the novel. On this premise, I argue that, although the narrative technique employed and the events depicted in the novel are exceedingly conventional and typical of the masculinist literary tradition, a discerning perusal of its ironical subtexts and humorous aspects will reveal before the reader a mockery of an oppressive social system. While the text depicts women’s overt conformity with the Arabian patriarchal social order of the pre-oil era (prior to the 1950s/1960s), the clandestine actions and thoughts of its rustic, uneducated, and secluded teenager-heroine subtly underscore women’s rejection and subversion of male authoritarianism. Several excerpts from the novel will be analyzed with a view to illustrating a feminist argument that women’s silence and compliance in the face of patriarchal tyranny are not really tantamount to their docility
Cohesion in Arabic Subtitling
No full textA Master of Arts thesis in Translation and Interpreting MATI (English/Arabic/English) by Hafsa A. Al Omar entitled, "Cohesion in Arabic Subtitling," submitted in December 2016. Thesis advisor is Dr. Sattar Izwaini. Soft and hard copy available.This study explores the translation of substitution and ellipsis as cohesive devices in English based on the framework of cohesion by Halliday and Hasan (1976) which categorizes cohesion into five different taxonomies; namely reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical cohesion. Furthermore, this study looks at strategies adopted by translators in dealing with cohesive devices in English and the role of strategies as such in serving the cohesive function of the translated text. This is highlighted in the analysis provided here of the cohesive devices used in Arabic subtitling. The present study attempts to offer insight into the trends in the translation of cohesion devices while transferring them from English into Arabic. It examines the shifts occurring in the translation through analyzing scenes from 31 films. The analysis presents a considerable number of shifts in cohesion that occurred in the TT. Repetition as a cohesive device in Arabic stands to be the most dominant cohesive tie that is used pervasively as a counterpart to most cohesion devices in English. Other cohesive devices used are reference and substitution. Substitution and Ellipsis occurrence is quite restricted in the Arabic subtitles. Translators tend to avoid ellipsis in their subtitles. This may justify the tendency for repetition or addition of new elements.College of Arts and SciencesDepartment of Arabic and Translation StudiesMaster of Arts in English/Arabic/English Translation and Interpreting (MATI
Evaluating Reading Comprehension Testing in Kuwait
No full textA Master of Arts thesis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) by Meshari A. Barman entitled, "Evaluating Reading Comprehension Testing in Kuwait," submitted May 2016. Thesis advisor is Dr. Betty Lanteigne. Soft and hard copy available.In order to improve Kuwait eighth grade intermediate stage reading comprehension tests, it is important to obtain concrete information about the usefulness of these tests. This study is an evaluation of the current eighth grade reading comprehension first instruction period test in Kuwait in terms of test usefulness. The current reading comprehension test specifications were reviewed and evaluated, based on Davidson and Lynch's (1993) model of test specifications. In this research 16 eighth grade English language teachers, 25 English language heads of department, and 6 English language supervisors were surveyed to evaluate the implementation of the test specifications, and to identify the Kuwait English language teachers', department heads', and supervisors' practices in constructing, validating and administering their eighth grade reading comprehension tests. In addition, the study analyzed eight schools' first period reading comprehension tests to evaluate their usefulness in terms of test reliability, construct validity and content validity. The study shows that there is a need to improve the eighth grade reading test
specifications in terms of providing text readability level, text type, instructions, scoring criteria, score interpretation criteria, validity, and reliability, in order to help test writers develop more useful reading tests.College of Arts and SciencesDepartment of EnglishMaster of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MA TESOL
Leadership in the promotion of peace: Interviews with the 2015 Business for Peace honorees
No full textEthical leadership can lead to many positive organizational outcomes. Previous studies have shown a correlation between ethical conduct and profitability; in addition, firms that have high ethical standards have fewer legal issues. The existing ethical leadership literature assumes a stable external environment. The business and peace literature, on the other hand, assumes instability but has thus far largely ignored the role of leadership within companies as a possible driver of peacebuilding activities. The practitioner community has already begun to recognize that leaders of organizations are the key drivers of change in the peacebuilding context. The Business for Peace Foundation, the foremost organization in the practitioner community, gives its annual award to business leaders who promote peace within their organizations and communities. These Business for Peace honorees represent the ‘ethical leadership’ qualities of peace promotion, without reference to academic theories in either area. We conducted semi-structured interviews with the 2015 Business for Peace honorees and combined those with their public speeches at the Business for Peace events to examine what role these business and peace leaders saw between ethical leadership and peace promotion. Unlike the academic research that suggests only a theoretical and sometimes a direct but tangential connection to peacebuilding, the honorees highlight the direct and visible connection of ethical leadership to peace in unstable environments. We begin by describing the relevant business for peace and ethical leadership literatures. Then we highlight the significant aspects of the interviews and speeches and relate these to the prevailing theories of both business and peace and ethical leadership. Our findings suggest that ethical leadership may be an important missing link within the business and peace literature as an avenue for peace promotion, and that the leadership literature may be ignoring an important positive impact of ethical leadership
Performance Enhancement of Field Oriented Induction Motor Drive System
No full textA Master of Science thesis in Electrical Engineering by Adil Khurram entitled, "Performance Enhancement of Field Oriented Induction Motor Drive System," submitted in November 2016. Thesis advisors are Dr. Habibur Rehman and Dr. Shayok Mukhopadhyay. Soft and hard copy available.This research focuses on the performance enhancement of an indirect field oriented (IFO) induction motor drive system by designing an efficient controller for speed regulation and by maintaining optimal operation of a three phase inverter. The most widely used techniques for three phase inverter operation are the space vector pulse width modulation, the sine triangle pulse width modulation (SPWM) and square wave mode of operation. The first objective of this research work is to design a synchronous SPWM technique with minimal total harmonics distortion (THD). SPWM performs better at low speed due to lower harmonics in the frequency spectrum, while square wave mode is beneficial at high speed operation because of its higher DC bus utilization. The inverter mode of operation is switched from SPWM to square wave when the motor operates above the base speed for higher DC bus utilization. The sudden inverter mode switching results in unwanted torque ripples and therefore degrades the speed controller performance. Thus the second objective of this work is to design a mode switching strategy which ensures a torque ripple free transition. The speed regulator performance enhancement is the third main objective of this work. Conventionally, a linear integer order proportional integral (IO-PI) controller regulates the motor speed. However, the fractional order proportional integral (FO-PI) controllers have been documented to perform better than IO-PI controllers due to their Iso-damping property. Therefore, in this work the performance of a nonlinear FO-PI controller is compared with integer order controllers such as Ziegler-Nichols proportional integral (ZN-PI) controller, Cohen-Coon proportional integral (CC-PI) controller and a proportional integral controller tuned via trial and error (TE-PI) method are designed. Simulation and experimental investigation proves that FO-PI controller has better speed tracking, less settling time, exhibits better disturbance rejection and low speed tracking and can even control a detuned motor's speed very well.College of EngineeringDepartment of Electrical EngineeringMaster of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE
The Effect of Treated Waste-Water on Compaction and Compression of Fine Soil
No full textThe main objective of this paper is to study the effect of treated waste-water (TWW) on the compaction and compressibility properties of fine soil. Two types of fine soils (clayey soils) were selected for this study and classified as CH soil and Cl type of soil. Compaction and compressibility properties such as optimum water content, maximum dry unit weight, consolidation index and swell index, maximum past pressure and volume change were evaluated using both tap and treated waste water. It was found that the use of treated waste water affects all of these properties. The maximum dry unit weight increased for both soils and the optimum water content decreased as much as 13.6% for highly plastic soil. The significant effect was observed in swell index and swelling pressure of the soils. The swell indexed decreased by as much as 42% and 33% for highly plastic and low plastic soils, respectively, when TWW is used. Additionally, the swelling pressure decreased by as much as 16% for both soil types. The result of this research pointed out that the use of treated waste water has a positive effect on compaction and compression properties of clay soil and promise for potential use of this water in engineering applications. Keywords—Consolidation, proctor compaction, swell index, treated waste-water, volume change
Concentrated Energy Towers
No full textA poster submitted in ENG 207 taught by Dr. David Prescott for the Fall 2016 semester.Renewable energy is a key aspect in providing a safe source of energy for future generations. One of the main sources of renewable energy is solar energy. Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of ever-evolving technologies. One of the ways to acquire solar energy is through the use of concentrated energy towers (CET). These towers work by concentrating sunlight to heat up molten salt located inside the tower. The heat gained is used to power a steam turbine power plant. These towers are very effective in places where the sunlight is abundant, such as the area around Seville City in Spain. Even though CET are expensive to build, to operate and maintain, solar power is still one of the best ways to harness and provide energy safely without affecting the environment
The impact of expatriate's home country culture on their time to proficiency : empirical evidence from the Indian context
No full textThe time required by expatriates to become proficient in their new positions is important to both employers and employees. The existing literature on expatriate success is largely blind to what may be significant factors in the process of creating and sustaining job performance amongst the expatriate group: the effect of time and the effect of home country culture. In this study, we examined the impact of five organizational antecedents (role clarity, role discretion, supervisory support, coworkers support and perceived organizational culture dissimilarity) on corporate expatriates' Time to Proficiency (TTP) in four home country cultures (HCC) samples. We specifically examine the direct impact of HCC on expatriates’ TTP and the moderating effects of HCC on TTP’s organizational antecedents. We used a self-administrated questionnaire on a sample of 224 expatriated managers in New Delhi, India, from four different home countries: France, Germany, Korea, and Scandinavia. To analyze the data, we used PLS Graph version 3.00, a component based Structural Equation Modeling technique. We tested the impact of HCC on TTP by examining the mean scores in TTP across HCC. Differences between path coefficients across the four HCC were analysed using path coefficients’ comparison. Our results show that 1) on the full sample, all five organizational antecedents have a significant impact on expatriates’ TTP, 2) TTP mean scores significantly vary across HCC and 3) the organizational antecedents of expatriate TTP and their relative importance vary across HCC. Our results are broadly consistent with the cultural studies: except for the Korean expatriates, the larger the cultural distance, the longer the TTP. Knowledge that HCC is a significant predictor of TTP suggests that organizations may need to reconsider their international staffing policies, especially in the fields of recruitment, staffing policies and support policies