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ELECTROMAGNETIC ANALYSIS OF PLANAR LAYERED STRUCTURES Fatma Caliskan 169 pages Directed by Dr. Andrew F. Peterson The electrical design of microelectronic devices and their packaging is complicated because of non-ideal attributes of the actual circuit realization. Electromagnetic modeling offers the possibility of accurately predicting the electrical performance of devices and reducing the cost associated with the design process. The proposed research concerns extensions of electromagnetic modeling techniques and their application to microelectronic package design. The method of moments (MoM) is utilized as a technique in modeling and analyzing these designs. Recently, an alternate approach called the locally corrected Nystrm method (LCN) has been applied to solve integral equations in electromagnetics. Recent research suggests that the LCN is well-suited for higher-order implementations and does not require cell-to-cell current continuity in the underlying representation. Thus it may offer advantages over the MoM, especially for problems involving complex 3-D structures. If cell-to-cell continuity is not required, nonconforming meshes may offer simpler geometrical modeling. In this proposal, we consider applying the above techniques to problems in package designs, which often involve multilayer structures, solid or perforated ground planes, embedded passive devices such as capacitors and spiral inductors, and interconnects in horizontal or vertical directions. Several examples will be used to illustrate the modeling.

Neste trabalho será investigado o comportamento de escoamentos de fluidos newtonianos e não-newtonianos em microcanais. O problema não-newtoniano, consiste em resolver as equações que regem o movimento para o caso de um escoamento de fluidos cujas propriedades reológicas possam ser estudadas pelo modelo constitutivo de Phan-Thien-Tanner, como por exemplo os materiais poliméricos. Uma das características interessantes de alguns destes materiais é que eles podem ser misturados com solventes apropriados, como uma solução eletrolítica, e o resultado é que este fluido como um todo passa a ter propriedades elétricas. Assim, além das propriedades viscoelásticas, será investigada a eletrocinética do escoamento, que é diretamente influenciado pela aplicação de um campo elétrico externo. Em particular o fenômeno de eletrosmose será estudado neste trabalho por meio de simulações numéricas em canais planos e bocais. Escoamentos através de bocais podem ser úteis na realização da mistura de fluidos. Neste trabalho, apresentamos uma aproximação numérica para a simulação dos vórtices que ocorrem logo após a passagem do fluido pela contração no bocal. Além disso, foram feitas simulações com potenciais dependentes do tempo e as variações nas propriedades do fluido viscoelástico para este tipo de escoamento. O movimento das cargas na solução é descrito pelas equações de Poisson-Nernst-Planck e para resolver numericamente este problema será aplicado o método das diferenças finitas generalizadas. O código para as simulações de escoamentos eletrosmóticas foi implementado como uma parte do sistema chamado HiG-Fow, que é capaz de realizar simulações de outros tipos de escoamentos além dos investigados nesta tese. A modularidade desse sistema possibilita ao usuário a implementação de pacotes de acordo com o tipo de escoamento a ser estudado. Os resultados obtidos indicam que a tensão viscoelástica é resistente a mudanças bruscas no escoamento, isto é, as oscilações da tensão normal dependem da frequência aplicada. Quanto maior a frequência menor é a amplitude do tensor. Esperamos que este trabalho contribua para um melhor entendimento de escoamentos dependente do tempo, possibilitando melhorias na tecnologia de dispositivos microfluidicos. / In this work the behavior of newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids in microchannels will be investigated. The non-Newtonian problem consists in solving the governing equations of the movement take into account a fluid flow whose rheological properties can be studied by the Phan- Thien-Tanner constitutive model, for example the polymeric materials. One of the interesting features of some of these materials is that they can be mixed with appropriate solvents, such as an electrolyte solution, and the resulting fluid has electrical properties. Thus, besides the viscoelastic properties, the electrokinetics of the flow will be investigated, which is directly influenced by the application of an external electric field. In particular the phenomenon of electro-osmosis will be studied in this work through numerical simulations in flat channels and nozzles. Flows through nozzles may be useful in performing the fluid mixture. In this work, we propose a numerical approximation for the simulation of the vortices that occur soon after the passage of the fluid by the contraction in the nozzle. In addition, simulations were made with time dependent potentials and the variations in viscoelastic fluid properties for this type of flow. The motion of the charges in the solution is described by the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations and to solve numerically this problem will be applied the generalized finite difference method. The code for the simulations of electroosmotic flows was implemented as a part of the HiG-Fow system, which is able to perform simulations of other types of flows beyond those investigated in this thesis. The modularity of this system enables the user to implement packages according to the type of flow to be studied. The results indicate that the viscoelastic stress is resistant to abrupt changes on the flow, that is, the oscillations of the normal stress depend on the applied frequency. The higher the frequency the smaller the tensor amplitude. We hope that this work contributes to a better understanding of time-dependent flows, enabling improvements in the technology of microfluidic devices.

Neste trabalho será investigado o comportamento de escoamentos de fluidos newtonianos e não-newtonianos em microcanais. O problema não-newtoniano, consiste em resolver as equações que regem o movimento para o caso de um escoamento de fluidos cujas propriedades reológicas possam ser estudadas pelo modelo constitutivo de Phan-Thien-Tanner, como por exemplo os materiais poliméricos. Uma das características interessantes de alguns destes materiais é que eles podem ser misturados com solventes apropriados, como uma solução eletrolítica, e o resultado é que este fluido como um todo passa a ter propriedades elétricas. Assim, além das propriedades viscoelásticas, será investigada a eletrocinética do escoamento, que é diretamente influenciado pela aplicação de um campo elétrico externo. Em particular o fenômeno de eletrosmose será estudado neste trabalho por meio de simulações numéricas em canais planos e bocais. Escoamentos através de bocais podem ser úteis na realização da mistura de fluidos. Neste trabalho, apresentamos uma aproximação numérica para a simulação dos vórtices que ocorrem logo após a passagem do fluido pela contração no bocal. Além disso, foram feitas simulações com potenciais dependentes do tempo e as variações nas propriedades do fluido viscoelástico para este tipo de escoamento. O movimento das cargas na solução é descrito pelas equações de Poisson-Nernst-Planck e para resolver numericamente este problema será aplicado o método das diferenças finitas generalizadas. O código para as simulações de escoamentos eletrosmóticas foi implementado como uma parte do sistema chamado HiG-Fow, que é capaz de realizar simulações de outros tipos de escoamentos além dos investigados nesta tese. A modularidade desse sistema possibilita ao usuário a implementação de pacotes de acordo com o tipo de escoamento a ser estudado. Os resultados obtidos indicam que a tensão viscoelástica é resistente a mudanças bruscas no escoamento, isto é, as oscilações da tensão normal dependem da frequência aplicada. Quanto maior a frequência menor é a amplitude do tensor. Esperamos que este trabalho contribua para um melhor entendimento de escoamentos dependente do tempo, possibilitando melhorias na tecnologia de dispositivos microfluidicos. / In this work the behavior of newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids in microchannels will be investigated. The non-Newtonian problem consists in solving the governing equations of the movement take into account a fluid flow whose rheological properties can be studied by the Phan- Thien-Tanner constitutive model, for example the polymeric materials. One of the interesting features of some of these materials is that they can be mixed with appropriate solvents, such as an electrolyte solution, and the resulting fluid has electrical properties. Thus, besides the viscoelastic properties, the electrokinetics of the flow will be investigated, which is directly influenced by the application of an external electric field. In particular the phenomenon of electro-osmosis will be studied in this work through numerical simulations in flat channels and nozzles. Flows through nozzles may be useful in performing the fluid mixture. In this work, we propose a numerical approximation for the simulation of the vortices that occur soon after the passage of the fluid by the contraction in the nozzle. In addition, simulations were made with time dependent potentials and the variations in viscoelastic fluid properties for this type of flow. The motion of the charges in the solution is described by the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations and to solve numerically this problem will be applied the generalized finite difference method. The code for the simulations of electroosmotic flows was implemented as a part of the HiG-Fow system, which is able to perform simulations of other types of flows beyond those investigated in this thesis. The modularity of this system enables the user to implement packages according to the type of flow to be studied. The results indicate that the viscoelastic stress is resistant to abrupt changes on the flow, that is, the oscillations of the normal stress depend on the applied frequency. The higher the frequency the smaller the tensor amplitude. We hope that this work contributes to a better understanding of time-dependent flows, enabling improvements in the technology of microfluidic devices.

Background and aim: Persons sustaining different types of brain injury may experience difficulties with advanced mobility. Both persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and persons born with very low birth weight (VLBW) have similar brain abnormalities, such as reduced white matter and connectivity, and may thus experience similar mobility problems. However, few studies have assessed advanced motor abilities, and none have compared mobility functions in adult TBI and VLBW populations. Our aim was to investigate high level mobility functions in adults with TBI and VLBW adults compared to matched controls, and to compare high-level mobility in TBI and VLBW adults. Methods: Participants consisted of 22 subjects (mean age 22.9 ± 2.0 yrs) with chronic traumatic brain injury, and 35 subjects (mean age 22.5 ± 0.7 yrs) born preterm with birth weight (below 1500 grams). Two TBI participants were not able to complete all test items due to pain. The VLBW group included three subjects with cerebral palsy (CP). Each group was matched with its own control group, consisting of 24 subjects each from the same geographical area matched by age and sex. Mean age in the control group was 23.3 ± 1.8 yrs for TBI and 22.8 ± 0.5 yrs for VLBW. Advanced mobility functions were assessed by the High-level Mobility Assessment Tool (HiMAT), which consists of 13 timed mobility tasks, with a maximum total HiMAT score of 54. Results: Mean total HiMAT score in the TBI group was 47.0 ± 7.7 compared to 50.3 ± 3.9 for the controls (U=193, p=0.116). Three of 13 mobility tasks differed significantly from the control group: ‘walking’, ‘walk over obstacle’ and ‘bound non-affected leg’. When the two subjects who reported pain were excluded from the analysis, mean total HiMAT score was 48.9 ± 4.9 (U=193, p=0.264), with ‘walking’ and ‘walk over obstacle’ remaining significantly different from the control group. In the TBI group, nine (40.9%) participants performed at or below the 5th percentile compared to 6 (25%) of the TBI controls. Mean total HiMAT score in the VLBW group was 45.1 ± 7.8 compared to 49.9 ± 3.5 in its control group (U = 256, p=0.011). Five of the 13 mobility task scores were significantly different from the control group: ‘walking backwards’, ‘running’, ‘hop affected leg’, ‘bound affected leg’, and ‘bound non-affected leg’. When the three subjects with CP were excluded, mean total HiMAT score was 46.8 ± 5.5 in the VLBW group (U=256, p=0.033) and three mobility task scores remained significantly different from the controls: ‘walking backwards’, ‘hop affected leg’ and ‘bound non-affected leg’. In the VLBW group, 17 (48.6%) participants performed at or below the 5th percentile compared to 4 (16.7%) of the VLBW controls. When directly compared to the VLBW group, the TBI group had (OR 0.733, CI 0.249 – 2.154) lower risk for performing at or below the 5th percentile, although not significant. Conclusions: Compared to controls, adults with TBI had reduced high-level mobility in specific tasks. Adults born with VLBW had reduced overall high level mobility. Furthermore, the HiMAT seems to be a valuable tool for assessing high-level mobility in VLBW populations, and should be formally tested for further use. Keywords: High-level mobility, high-level mobility assessment tool, traumatic brain injury, very low birth weight

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This paper presents a case study examination of the Commonwealth of Virginia\'s public higher education market and the use of asymmetrical information flows between providers and consumers by college and university institutions to intentionally create market failures to maximize brand building through increased revenue collections via profit maximization behaviors. Existing economic research in the financial services market hold that asymmetry of information generates inefficient allocation of goods and subsequent identification of market failure conditions. Market failures can lead to tipping points which may result in public values failures as threats to human subsistence (i.e. food, clothing, education) and imperfect public information. Market failures resulting in public values failures warrant government intervention to correct market inefficiency and ensure pareto efficiency in the allocation of goods. Mandatory non-educational fees increase the cost to attend a post-secondary institution which subsequently aid in increased student debt and reduced access and affordability for low income classification groups thus exacerbating societal cleavages identified as public values failures. This research identifies the application of economic and public administration theory to construct a policy recommendation to mitigate asymmetrical information and improve pareto efficiency involving transactions in the public higher education market. / Master of Public Administration

Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka moderna tv-spel utifrån ett feministiskt perspektiv. Hur mycket misogyni finns det och hur uttrycker det sig i så fall. För att ta reda på detta utifrån vår frågeställning så har använt oss av en kvalitativ innehållsanalys för att kunna uppleva ett utvalt modernt spel, Elden Ring, autentiskt och analysera vad det är vi faktiskt ser och spelar igenom. Vi har använt oss av tidigare forskning som tokenism och ålderism samt feminist film studies och genusteori som teorier för att undersöka hur media designar och skriver kvinnliga karaktärer. Vi undersöker specifikt hur genusfrågan tar sig i uttryck i Elden Ring som ändå är ett progressivt spel i dagens samhälle.  Resultatet i vår studie visade att även ett modernt spel som Elden Ring faller in i sexistiska och misogyna fällor. Spelet i sig är långt ifrån så illa det hade kunnat vara när man till och med kan skapa sin egen kvinnliga avatar med olika etniciteter och till och med lägga till kroppsbehåring om man skulle vilja. Många av de kvinnliga karaktärerna i spelet har sin egen historia och eget driv och en del av dem har inte ens en man som är central i deras berättelse. Däremot faller spelet in i stereotyperna av att kvinnor i media ofta ser unga och vackra ut och påminner därför väldigt mycket om varandra. De manliga karaktärerna har mycket mer variation i både utseende och ålder.  Spelet sätter gärna in de karaktärer som ska hjälpa spelaren under vägen som passiva och det är bara en av 19 huvudbossar som är en kvinna. Det är viktigt att notera att den bossen har en runa som spelaren måste samla för att komma vidare i spelet, resterande runor finns hos andra bossar som alla är demi-gods. Kvinnan är inte en demi-god, hon fick sin runa. / The purpose of this study is to analyse modern video games from a feministic perspective. How much misogyny is there and how will it be portrayed. To get the answers we seek we have phrased this into a single, broad question we aim to study. To do this we have decided to use a qualitative content analysis for the purpose of being able to play and experience a modern game we have picked out, Elden Ring, in an authentic setting and analyse what it is we see on the screen.  We have used tokenism and ageism to use as a foundation for our study and to back up our theories which are feminist film studies and gender studies. The reason behind this decision is to see how media designs their female oriented characters. We will specifically study how gender is portrayed in Elden Ring which, despite everything, is still a progressive game in modern society.  The results of our study showed that even a modern game like Elden Ring falls into traps of sexism and misogyny. The game itself is far from as bad as it could have been when you’re able to create your own female character with features such as different ethnicities and even body hair. Many of the female characters are written with their own agendas in mind and their stories isn’t centred around a man in their lives. One of the traps they fall into however is that female characters in media is often designed as young and beautiful and as such they remind of each other and at first glance it can be hard to tell who’s who. The male characters in comparison have much more variates in their designs both regarding appearance and age.  The game puts the other characters in a role as passive supports and only one out of 19 main bosses you fight are female. It is important to note that, as the player, you must collect certain runes to advance in the story. These runes are usually found after you defeat a boss who is a demigod. The female character does not have that status. She was merely gifted her rune from her demigod ex-husband.

Utemöbler i dagens offentliga miljö ger möjligheter till en stunds andrum, men är det allt vi kräver idag för att trivas med vår omgivning? Samhället såväl som individen förlitar sig på telefoner och personlig elektronik för både funktioner och rekreation. Teknologi är alltid närvarande och då framtidens Smarta städer ska forma sig efter hur invånaren lever bör också utemiljön spegla hur vi lever idag med framtidssyn. Soliotech är ett företag som säljer smarta utebänkar och söker inspiration till expansionsmöjligheter inom deras sortement. Syftet med rapporten är att i undersöka trivsel i den offentliga utemiljön med fokus på solceller och smarta utemöbler, och samtidigt finna en rekommenderad väg för Soliotech att expandera sitt sortiment. Examensarbetet omfattar en klassisk designprocess indelad i sektioner: Planering, Utforska kontext, idégenerering samt prototypande. Processen förklaras linjärt för enkelhetens skull trots att den är högst iterativ. Först planeras projektet grovt innan relevanta aspekter utforskas i syfte att skapa en förståelse för intressenter, teknologi och utemiljö. Idéer genereras och utvärderas efter kriterier som byggs under utforskningen innan ett utvalt koncept tas vidare till prototypande fasen. Där experimenteras med funktion, ergonomi och gestaltning innan ett slutkoncept presenteras: Noah, en samlingsplats i utemiljö med smarta funktioner.