In the Internet of things (IoT), many applications will require low-power and low-cost to achieve long lifetime and scale (respectively). These types of applications are referred to as massive IoT, as opposed to critical IoT, which emphasizes ultra-high reliability and availability and low latency. One type of network catering to massive IoT applications are Low-Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs), and presently, many LPWAN standards are trying to assert their role in the IoT ecosystem. This thesis explores LPWANs from both technical and non-technical perspectives to ascertain their use-case versatility and influence on the future telecommunications’ landscape. With respect to spectrum, the studied LPWANs may be categorized as unlicensed LPWAN or licensed LPWAN. The prior category typically refers to proprietary solutions and in this thesis are represented by SigFox and LoRaWAN. The latter group includes EC-GSM-IoT, eMTC, and NB-IoT and can be considered synonymous with cellular LPWAN because they are designed to be integrated into existing cellular infrastructures. The results indicate that all of the different types of explored LPWANs support applications without strict downlink, payload size, and latency requirements. For use cases without these specific demands (typically sensors, meters, tracking, etc.), it is not a question of whether or not a network fulfills the requirements, but rather how flexible the requirements are. As a result the choice of network will be determined by non-technical aspects and a cost versus functionality trade-off where unlicensed LPWAN is typically cheaper. Hence, both categories of LPWANs offer a unique value proposition; therefore, they can be considered complementary. This notion is reinforced when looking at non-technical aspects such as ecosystem, regulation, network ownership and control, and network coordination, which differ quite significantly. Furthermore, unlicensed LPWANs are likely to be the vanguard of a new type of competitor offering the core service of connectivity. / Inom Internet of Things (IoT) kommer många applikationer att kräva låg effekt och låg kostnad för att uppnå en lång livstid och skala. Dessa typer av applikationer refereras till som massiv IoT, vilket står i motsats till kritisk IoT som kräver ultrahög tillförlitlighet och tillgänglighet och låg fördröjning. En typ av nätverk som ämnar tillgodose kraven av massiv IoT är Low-Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs), och idag försöker många av dessa hävda sig inom IoT ekosystemet. Detta examensarbete undersöker LPWANs from ett teknisk och icke-tekniskt perspektiv för att utröna deras mångsidighet och påverkan på det framtida telekomlandskapet. Med avseende på spektrum kan de i detta examensarbete undersökta nätverken kategoriseras som olicensierat LPWAN eller licensierat LPWAN. Den tidigare hänvisar typiskt till proprietära lösningar och representeras i detta arbete av SigFox och LoRaWAN. Den senare kategorin består av EC-GSM-IoT, eMTC, och NB-IoT och kan betraktas som synonymt med mobil LPWAN eftersom de designade för att bli integrerade i existerande mobila nätverk. Resultaten indikerar att alla nätverk stödjer applikationer utan strikta krav när det gäller nedlänkens funktionalitet, mängden data per meddelande, och fördröjning. För applikationer utan dessa specifika krav (typiskt sensorer, mätare, spårning, etc.) är det inte en fråga om huruvida ett nätverk uppfyller kraven eller ej, utan snarare hur flexibla kraven är. Därför kommer valet av nätverk att bestämmas av icke-tekniska aspekter och en avvägning mellan kostnad och funktionalitet vari olicensierat LPWAN är vanligtvis billigare. Därmed erbjuder båda kategorier av nätverk en unik värde proposition och kan därför betraktas som komplementerande. Denna föreställning är förstärkt av att nätverken skiljer sig signifikant när det gäller deras icke-tekniska aspekter såsom ekosystem, reglering, ägandeskap och kontroll, och nätverks koordinering. Dessutom är olicensierade LPWANs troligen är förtruppen av en ny typ av konkurrent som erbjuder den grundläggande servicen av konnektivitet.

Bulk metallic glasses have interesting combination of physical, chemical, mechanical, and magnetic properties which make them attractive for a variety of applications. Consequently there has been a lot of interest in understanding the structure and properties of these materials. More varied applications can be sought if one understands the reasons for glass formation and the methods to control them. The glass-forming ability (GFA) of alloys can be substantially increased by a proper selection of alloying elements and the chemical composition of the alloy. High GFA will enable in obtaining large section thickness of amorphous alloys. Ability to produce glassy alloys in larger section thicknesses enables exploitation of these advanced materials for a variety of different applications. The technique of mechanical alloying (MA) is a powerful non-equilibrium processing technique and is known to produce glassy (or amorphous) alloys in several alloy systems. Metallic amorphous alloys have been produced by MA starting from either blended elemental metal powders or pre-alloyed powders. Subsequently, these amorphous alloy powders could be consolidated to full density in the temperature range between the glass transition and crystallization temperatures, where the amorphous phase has a very low viscosity. This Dissertation focuses on identifying the various Fe-based multicomponent alloy systems that can be amorphized using the MA technique, studying the GFA of alloys with emphasis on improving it, and also on analyzing the effect of extended milling time on the constitution of the amorphous alloy powder produced at earlier times. The Dissertation contains seven chapters, where the lead chapter deals with the background, history and introduction to bulk metallic glasses. The following four chapters are the published/to be published work, where the criterion for predicting glass formation, effect of Niobium addition on glass-forming ability (GFA), lattice contraction on amorphization, effect of Carbon addition on GFA, and observation of mechanical crystallization in Fe-based systems have been discussed. The subsequent chapter briefly mentions about the consolidation of amorphous powders and presents results of hot pressing and spark plasma sintering on one of the alloy systems. The final chapter summarizes the Dissertation and suggests some prospective research work that can be taken up in future. The Dissertation emphasizes the glass-forming ability, i.e., the ease with which amorphization can occur. In this work the milling time required for amorphization was the indicator/measure of GFA. Although the ultimate aim of this work was to consolidate the Fe-based amorphous alloy powders into bulk so as to undertake mechanical characterization, however, it was first necessary to study the glass forming aspect in the different alloy systems. By doing this a stage has been reached, where different options are available with respect to amorphous phase-forming compositions and the knowledge to improve glass-forming ability via the mechanical alloying technique. This will be ultimately useful in the powder compaction process into various shapes and sizes at optimum pressure and temperature. The study on mechanical crystallization indicates, or in a way defines, a limit to the process of amorphization, and it was also demonstrated that this phenomenon is more common in occurrence than and not as restricted as it was earlier reported to be.

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Switchgrass is a C4 perennial grass that is currently being developed for use as a second generation lignocellulosic biofuel crop. For switchgrass to be fully utilized as a bioenergy crop, large-scale plantings of elite switchgrass germplasm, possibly in monoculture, are likely to occur. This practice may increase the selection pressure on plant pathogens, such as switchgrass rust, which could result in devastating disease epidemics. The identification and deployment of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and major plant disease resistance genes (R) in switchgrass breeding programs could offer broad spectrum and durable disease resistance in commercial switchgrass cultivars. 'Alamo', a lowland cultivar, is generally resistant to switchgrass rust whereas 'Dacotah', an upland cultivar, is highly susceptible. I hypothesized that major R genes and/or QTLs were contributing to the differences in disease phenotypes of these two cultivars. In this dissertation, bioinformatics and molecular biology approaches were employed to dissect the genetic mechanisms underlying switchgrass rust disease resistance. Novel pseudo-F2 mapping populations were created from a cross derived from 'Alamo' and 'Dacotah'. RNA-sequencing of the pseudo-F2 progenies of 'Alamo' x 'Dacotah' was used to construct a genetic linkage map and to identify potential QTLs correlating with disease resistance. In addition, a homology-based computational method was used to identify 1,011 potential NB-LRR R genes in the switchgrass genome (v 1.1). These potential R genes were characterized for polymorphism and expression differences between 'Alamo' and 'Dacotah'. Moreover, I found that some NB-LRR genes are developmentally regulated in switchgrass. One of the major objectives of switchgrass breeding programs is to develop cultivars with improved feedstock quality; however, changes in the components of the plant cell wall may affect disease resistance. I hypothesized that genetically modified switchgrass plants with altered cell wall components will respond differently than the wild-type to switchgrass rust. Transgenic switchgrass plants overexpressing AtSHN3, a transcription factor with known functions in epicuticular wax accumulation and cell wall deposition, were created. I found that AtSHN3-overexpressing transgenic switchgrass lines were more susceptible than wild-type plants in their response to switchgrass rust. Overall, the results of this dissertation provide a platform for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying resistance of switchgrass to switchgrass rust. These findings will help breeders create switchgrass cultivars with improved disease resistance, and will ultimately allow switchgrass to be used for sustainable biomass production. / Ph. D.

Metal silicon systems have a wide range of applications, ranging from the use in electronic industry, as superconductors, protective coatings and as high temperature structural materials. Mo- and Nb-based silicides have emerged as suitable high temperature materials and extensive studies are being conducted make it suitable for various applications. Because of very good strength to density ratio, Nb-based silicides have attracted maximum attention. This is basically a mixture of Nb solid solution and Nb5Si3 intermetallic compound. A very small amount of NbCr2 Laves phase could also be present because of Cr addition. Incorporation of other alloying elements, which are mainly partitioned to these phases, helps to achieve a property balance like, high temperature strength, high fracture toughness, high creep and oxidation resistance. The knowledge on diffusion parameters is useful to understand many physical and mechanical properties. In this thesis, diffusion couple technique is used in different temperature ranges to study the growth kinetics and diffusion of the phases in an interdiffusion zone in binary silicides, Nb/Si, Mo/Si and V/Si, binary solid solutions, Nb/Mo, Nb/Ti, Nb/Zr and ternary silicides, Nb-Mo/Si, Nb-Ti/Si, Nb-Zr/Si. The parabolic growth constant, the integrated diffusion coefficients and the tracer diffusion coefficients are calculated from the experimental results obtained in this study and also from the results already available in the literature on the binary silicides. The activation energy for growth kinetics and the diffusion coefficients are also calculated to gain knowledge on the diffusion mechanism. The atomic mechanism of the diffusing species in all the phases of Nb and Mo silicide are discussed with the help of crystal structure and possible defects present. Also, a detailed analysis is done on the growth mechanism of the phases in Nb/Si and Mo/Si systems. In the Nb/Si system, Si is found to have higher diffusion rate in both the NbSi2 and Nb5Si3 phases. The number of nearest neighbour Si bonds is higher than nearest neighbour Nb bonds and hence one may predict high concentration of Nb antisites to be present in the NbSi2 phase. The growth mechanism analysis following the physico chemical approach explains the absence of the Kirkendall plane in the Nb5Si3 phase and duplex morphology in the NbSi2 phase in the Nb/Si couple. In the Mo/Si system, Si diffusion is faster than Mo in all the three phases. In the MoSi2 phase, Mo is practically immobile due to the absence of vacancies on the Mo sublattice. Similar defect structure is expected in the Mo5Si3 and Mo3Si phases also with additional Si antisite defects to assist Si diffusion. The growth mechanism analysis explains the absence of the Kirkendall plane in the Mo5Si3 and Mo3Si phases and continuous columnar grains in the MoSi2 phase in the Mo/Si couple. In the V/Si system, the activation energy for integrated diffusion coefficient of the VSi2 phase is found to be reasonably lower than the other phases which could happen because of very high concentration of defects, and/or because of contribution from the grain boundary diffusion as it shows the presence of columnar grains. Problems associated with the analysis done in literature are also discussed. A diffusion study is performed in different temperature ranges for the three binary metallic solid solution systems to determine the interdiffusion coefficients over the entire composition range using the relation developed by Wagner. The change in activation energy for interdiffusion with composition is also determined. It is found that activation energy for interdiffusion in Nb/Mo system is much higher than that for Nb/Ti and Nb/Zr system. Further the impurity diffusion coefficients of the species are determined and compared with the available data in literature. It is found that the activation energy for the impurity diffusion of Nb in Ti, Zr and Mo is higher than that of Ti, Zr and Mo in Nb. Interdiffusion study is done in the ternary silicides with the aim to examine the role of alloying additions, such as, Ti, Mo and Zr on the growth kinetics and diffusion behaviour of the phases in the Nb/Si system. The average interdiffusion (or integrated) coefficients are calculated when possible. The reaction and dissociation of the species at the interfaces are considered to understand the growth mechanism of the phases. An attempt is made to understand the change in diffusion mechanism because of the presence of third element. It is found that none of the alloying elements participate in the diffusion process although they do alter the growth kinetics and diffusion rate in both the phases, NbSi2 and Nb5Si3. It is also found that Nb becomes immobile in the NbSi2 phase in the presence of the alloying elements. Mo reduces the growth of both the phases while Ti addition does not cause any change in the growth but affects the diffusivity. Zr addition also reduces growth of the Nb5Si3 phase. It however complicates the interdiffusion zone in the Nb(Zr)/Si couple, which limits to qualitative study only. The Growth and consumption rate of the end members become very significant in many practical applications. Hence, relations for the growth and consumption rate in systems with finite end member thickness is developed considering single and double phase layer in the interdiffusion zone. Two different methodologies are used, the diffusion based and the physico-chemical approach to develop the same relations. We have shown that the diffusion based approach is rather straightforward; however, the physico-chemical approach is much more versatile than the other method. It is found that the position of the marker plane becomes vague in the second stage of the interdiffusion process in such a system, where two phases grow simultaneously.

採購是供應鏈的核心環節，供應鏈的問題有80%以上都是在採購。在銷貨成本高的產業中，採購對於供應鏈的重要性也相形提升，也因此，良好的採購管理在銷貨成本高的產業中，是非常重要的。過去以製造為重心的筆記型電腦代工產業，現在也逐漸將焦點放在採購上面，然而台灣筆記型電腦代工產業的銷貨成本超過90%，採購的難處在於需要同時兼顧成本以及速度。電子尋購可以降低採購價格、節省時間以及讓全世界的供應商可以從各地來競爭，更可有效為企業節省不必要的採購花費從5%-40%，降低10%-50%的採購成本，減短採購週期50%。電子尋購可同時降低採購成本且減短採購週期，提升採購效率，似乎可有效改善台灣筆記型電腦代工產業的採購管理。因此本研究主要在探討台灣筆記型電腦代工產業是否可以使用電子尋購，增加在採購上的效率且有效降低採購成本。本研究從情境契合觀點來研究電子尋購的採用問題，從情境分析的角度來探討情境─科技契合的的問題，分別自商業情境、採購情境以及供應商情境三個構面，討論台灣筆記型電腦代工產業之情境，是否與合適採用電子尋購之情境相契合，進而影響電子尋購於該產業之適用性。本研究透過個案研究的方式，來了解電子尋購在台灣筆記型電腦代工產業中相關的議題。

In 1989 the American Surrealist associated painter, sculptor, and writer Dorothea Tanning (1910-2012) suggested an intermedial dimension to her multifaceted œuvre in her essay ‘Some Parallels in Word and Pictures.’ Taking this essay as a critical point of departure, this thesis offers an intertextual theorisation of Tanning’s practice. It concerns the role of narrative in her work, and the way in which she borrows from the histories of art and literature as source materials. The thesis presented here is that Tanning’s work from the context of Surrealism and beyond makes reference to the fairy tales and other, more extensive works of literature which she read in her youth whilst at work in her public library in Galesburg, Illinois, whether implicitly in visual references or explicitly in her works’ titles. Throughout, the library is read as a key source of inspiration. This is true too of the impact which Tanning’s belated visit to the Louvre had on her post-Surrealist stylistic development. Broadly, this thesis aims to rethink the methodologies used to interpret Surrealism, and reunite the literary and visual aspects upon which the Surrealist movement was initially founded. This interdisciplinary approach contributes fresh perspectives by marrying the history of Surrealism with that of the fairy tale, including that of Lewis Carroll, Hans Christian Andersen, and the fairy tale illustrations of Gustave Doré, Maxfield Parrish, Arthur Rackham, and John Tenniel. The anti-fairy tale emerges as useful critical tool in defining the intertext which appears when Surrealism and the fairy tale are paired. The ‘demythologising’ project of Angela Carter is useful to call upon in the articulation of the anti-fairy tale, and her work is easily placed in dialogue with that of Tanning, especially in terms of its feminist leanings. The dialogic, intertextual theories of Mikhail Bakhtin, further developed by Julia Kristeva and Roland Barthes, support this reading of Tanning’s visual narratives. More recently such theories of intertextuality have manifested themselves in the work of Dutch narratologist Mieke Bal who proposes a model of ‘preposterous history’ in order to creatively re-read the relationship between source (or pre-text) and intertext. This research is primarily text-based and devotes long-awaited attention to Tanning’s literary works which are read visually, including her short story ‘Blind Date’ (1943), and her novel 'Abyss' (1977), later reworked and republished as 'Chasm: A Weekend' (2004). I argue that her novel provides textual continuity with her Surrealist visual narratives of the 1940s creating a more cyclical, ‘preposterous’ shape to her career than has previously been acknowledged.

Antennas are one of the most sensitive elements in any wireless communication equipment. Designing small-profile, multiband and wideband internal antennas with a simple structure has become a necessary challenge. In this thesis, two planar antennas are designed, simulated and implemented on an effort to cover the LTE-M1 and NB-IoT radio frequencies. The cellular antenna is designed to receive and transmit data over the eight-band LTE700/GSM/UMTS, and the GNSS antenna is designed to receive signal from the global positioning system and global navigation systems, GPS (USA) and GLONASS. The antennas are suitable for direct print on the system circuit board of a device. Related theory and research work are discussed and referenced, providing a strong configuration for future use. Recommendations and suggestions on future work are also discussed. The proposed antenna system is more than promising and with further adjustments and refinement can lead to a fully working solution.