Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) are becoming a part of our daily lives in various forms of application. Their success depends highly on the accuracy of the digital data they use. In networks where characteristics change by time, time-based network analysis algorithms provide results that are more accurate. However, these analyses require time-based travel speed data to provide accurate results. Conventionally, traffic data are usually obtained using the data provided from loop-detectors. These detectors usually exist on main arteries, freeways and highways / they rarely exist on back roads, secondary roads and streets due to their deployment costs. Today, telematics systems offer fleet operators to track their fleet remotely from a central system. Those systems provide data about the behaviors of vehicles with time information. Therefore, a tracking system can be used as an alternative to detector-based systems on estimating travel speeds on networks. This study aims to provide methods to estimate network characteristics using the data collected directly from fleets consisting of global positioning system (GPS) receiver equipped vehicles. GIS technology is used to process the collected GPS data spatially to match digital road maps. After matching, time-dependent characteristics of roads on which tracked vehicles traveled are estimated. This estimation provides data to perform a time-dependent network analysis. The methods proposed in this study are tested on traffic network of Middle East Technical University campus. The results showed that the proposed methods are capable of measuring time-dependent link-travel times on the network. Peak hours through the network are clearly detected.

In this thesis, two types of geared linkages are studied in detail. One of the mechanisms is the geared five link mechanism for which the input and output shafts are collinear. The other is a two degree-of-freedom nine-link mechanism which is called the &quot / geared adjustable stroke mechanism&quot / . The geared adjustable stroke mechanism uses the geared five link mechanism in its structure. The geared adjustable stroke mechanism has been used in practice, but neither of these mechanisms have been studied in the literature. Analysis procedures are developed and expressions for the transmission angles of the mechanisms are derived. A synthesis procedure is proposed and charts are prepared for the design of such mechanisms.

In this thesis a natural language query interface is developed for semantic and spatio-temporal querying of MPEG-7 based domain ontologies. The underlying ontology is created by attaching domain ontologies to the core Rhizomik MPEG-7 ontology. The user can pose concept, complex concept (objects connected with an &ldquo / AND&rdquo / or &ldquo / OR&rdquo / connector), spatial (left, right . . . ), temporal (before, after, at least 10 minutes before, 5 minutes after . . . ), object trajectory and directional trajectory (east, west, southeast . . . , left, right, upwards . . . ) queries to the system. Furthermore, the system handles the negative meaning in the user input. When the user enters a natural language (NL) input, it is parsed with the link parser. According to query type, the objects, attributes, spatial relation, temporal relation, trajectory relation, time filter and time information are extracted from the parser output by using predefined rules. After the information extraction, SPARQL queries are generated, and executed against the ontology by using an RDF API. Results are retrieved and they are used to calculate spatial, temporal, and trajectory relations between objects. The results satisfying the required relations are displayed in a tabular format and user can navigate through the multimedia content.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in wireless ad hoc network. One of the major issues in wireless network is developing efficient routing protocol. Based on the concept of designing protocol model such as OSI model, the designers distilled the process of transmitting data to its most fundamental elements and identified which networking functions had related uses and collected those functions into discrete groups that became the layers. It is not suitable to design wireless ad hoc routing protocol based on OSI model conception because the OSI model is developed from the view point of wired network and there are many different characteristics between wired and wireless environment. The main different characteristics between wired and wireless are the mobility of mobile host and the transmission medium. Such differences have great effect on network performance. Due to the differences between wired and wireless characteristics, we present a comprehensive conception of designing wireless ad hoc routing protocol. In this context, we provide a wireless ad hoc routing protocol based on physical layer characteristics, ex: bit error rate, robust link. Our routing protocol will find out a route in good transmission environment and it is efficient to improve network throughput. Furthermore, our routing protocol will decrease the number of route request packets, the amount of retransmissions, link breakage rate, and increase throughput.

Recently, matrix converter has received considerable interest as a viable alternative to the conventional back-to-back PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) converter in the ac/ac conversion. This direct ac/ac converter provides some attractive characteristics such as: inherent four-quadrant operation; absence of bulky dc-link electrolytic capacitors; clean input power characteristics and increased power density. However, industrial application of the converter is still limited because of some practical issues such as common mode voltage effects, high susceptibility to input power disturbances and low voltage transfer ratio. This dissertation proposes several new matrix converter topologies together with control strategies to provide a solution about the above issues. In this dissertation, a new modulation method which reduces the common mode voltage at the matrix converter is first proposed. The new method utilizes the proper zero vector selection and placement within a sampling period and results in the reduction of the common mode voltage, square rms of ripple components of input current and switching losses. Due to the absence of a dc-link, matrix converter powered ac drivers suffer from input voltage disturbances. This dissertation proposes a new ride-through approach to improve robustness for input voltage disturbances. The conventional matrix converter is modified with the addition of ride-through module and the add-on module provides ride-through capability for matrix converter fed adjustable speed drivers. In order to increase the inherent low voltage transfer ratio of the matrix converter, a new three-phase high-frequency link matrix converter is proposed, where a dual bridge matrix converter is modified by adding a high-frequency transformer into dc-link. The new converter provides flexible voltage transfer ratio and galvanic isolation between input and output ac sources. Finally, the matrix converter concept is extended to dc/ac conversion from ac/ac conversion. The new dc/ac direct converter consists of soft switching full bridge dc/dc converter and three phase voltage source inverter without dc link capacitors. Both converters are synchronized for zero current/voltage switching and result in higher efficiency and lower EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) throughout the whole load range. Analysis, design example and experimental results are detailed for each proposed topology.

There has been a lively debate over using land use strategies to reduce automobile dependence over the past decade. As a part of the issue, this study investigates the spatial characteristics around workplaces and their relationships to commuting made by the employees in metropolitan Dallas-Fort Worth. The tools of geographic information systems (GIS) are utilized to measure workplace environs. Several statistical methods are applied to analyze commuting behavior. This study finds that low-density suburban workplaces are associated with shorter vehicle travel times but more drive-alone trips. While major suburban centers attain some level of compact development in terms of local activity mix and regional accessibility, employees in these centers are far more automobile dependent than employees in older centers in the central city. In the suburban locations, workplaces in residence-based centers and master planned communities with a mix of activities are associated with less drive-alone commuting and more carpooling. Workers take advantage of the abundance of activities, as larger and denser centers are associated with more non-work activity stops after work. Yet, the trip chaining is overwhelmingly driven by automobile use. This study also finds that spatial factors are significant in explaining commuting behavior. Yet, the importance of spatial factors varies with the aspect of travel. Spatial factors do a better job in explaining travel times than in explaining travel mode and trip chaining. The way a particular spatial factor affects commuting also varies with the aspect of travel. For instance, land use intensity factors are associated with longer travel times but less drive-alone trips. While this study suggests that concerted planning may affect travel, some socioeconomic variables, including income and automobile ownership, are strongly related to more automobile travel. The findings suggest that the land use strategies to cope with transportation and air quality problems, such as new urbanism and jobs-housing balance, would be a viable option in and around employment locations. But, such strategies should be carefully designed because of the differences in effectiveness of spatial factors with travel outcomes and the trade-offs between travel outcomes with a particular spatial factor.

In this dissertation, new high frequency link power conversion systems for the fuel cell power conditioning are proposed to improve the performance and optimize the cost, size, and weight of the power conversion systems. The first study proposes a new soft switching technique for the phase-shift controlled bi-directional dc-dc converter. The described dc-dc converter employs a low profile high frequency transformer and two active full-bridge converters for bidirectional power flow capability. The proposed new soft switching technique guarantees soft switching over wide range from no load to full load without any additional circuit components. The load range for proposed soft switching technique is analyzed by mathematical approach with equivalent circuits and verified by experiments. The second study describes a boost converter cascaded high frequency link direct dc-ac converter suitable for fuel cell power sources. A new multi-loop control for a boost converter to reduce the low frequency input current harmonics drawn from the fuel cell is proposed, and a new PWM technique for the cycloconverter at the secondary to reject the low order harmonics in the output voltages is presented. The performance of the proposed scheme is verified by the various simulations and experiments, and their trade-offs are described in detail using mathematical evaluation approach. The third study proposes a current-fed high frequency link direct dc-ac converter suitable for residential fuel cell power systems. The high frequency full-bridge inverter at the primary generates sinusoidally PWM modulated current pulses with zero current switching (ZCS), and the cycloconverter at the secondary which consists of only two bidirectional switches and output filter capacitors produces sinusoidally modulated 60Hz split single phase output voltage waveforms with near zero current switching. The active harmonic filter connected to the input terminal compensates the low order input current harmonics drawn from the fuel cell without long-term energy storage devices such as batteries and super capacitors.

<p>The link suspension is the most prevailing suspension system for freight wagons in central and western Europe. The system design is simple and has existed for more than 100 years. However, still its characteristics are not fully understood. This thesis emphasizes freight wagon dynamics and comprises three parts:</p><p>In the first part a review of freight wagon running gear is made. The different suspension systems are described and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The review covers the running gear standardized by UIC and the conventional so-called three-piece bogie. Additionally five improved three-piece bogies and twelve novel running gear designs are presented.</p><p>The second part focuses on the lateral force-displacement characteristics in the link suspension. Results from stationary measurements on freight wagons and laboratory tests of the link suspension characteristics are presented. To improve understanding of the various mechanisms and phenomena in link suspension systems a simulation model is developed. Link suspension systems have strongly nonlinear characteristics including a hysteresis loop. The loop exhibits usually three characteristic sections with different tangential stiffnesses. The actual contact geometry of the links and end bearings has a significant influence on the characteristics. By wear in ordinary service - as well as by geometric tolerances on new components - the contact geometry may deviate considerably from nominal geometry. Further, it seems that elastic deformation in the contact surfaces has considerable effects on the suspension characteristics, in particular on the initial rolling stiffness for small displacements. Also, flexibilities in links and end bearings influence the characteristics. It is also observed that new components after a short period of dynamic testing can exhibit a very low amount of energy dissipation, a phenomenon that is also indicated in some stationary measurements on wagons.</p><p>To summarize the second part, it appears that the link suspension characteristics are very sensitive to several factors being hard to control in the real world of freight wagon operations. The various stiffnesses and hysteresis loops have a considerable variation and may have a strong influence on the ride qualities of vehicles. As long as the characteristics can not be controlled within closer limits than found in this study, there is a strong need for sensitivity analysis to be made, both in predictive multibody simulations of vehicle dynamics, as well as in verification and acceptance tests.</p><p>In the third part a study on the possibility to improve ride qualities of freight wagons with link suspensions is presented. Parametric studies with multibody dynamic simulations on freight wagons equipped with link-suspension bogies are performed. The effect of supplementary friction and hydraulic damping is investigated under various running conditions: speed, loading, tangent and curved track, wheel-rail contact geometry, track gauge and track irregularities. Substantial improvements of the lateral running behaviour of wagons with link suspension bogies can be achieved - both at ordinary speeds and at increased speeds - by using a proper combination of supplementary hydraulic dampers. Speeds up to 160 km/h could be realistic.</p>

In instances of mass fatality, such as plane crashes, natural disasters, or terrorist attacks, investigators may encounter hundreds or thousands of DNA specimens representing victims. For example, during the January 2010 Haiti earthquake, entire communities were destroyed, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives. With such a large number of victims the discovery of family pedigrees is possible, but often requires the manual application of analytical methods, which are tedious, time-consuming, and expensive. The method presented in this thesis allows for automated pedigree discovery by extending Link Discovery Tool (LDT), a graph visualization tool designed for discovering linkages in large criminal networks. The proposed algorithm takes advantage of spatial clustering of graphs of DNA specimens to discover pedigree structures in large collections of specimens, saving both time and money in the identification process.

Effiziente Prozesse sind Voraussetzung für die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit von Unternehmen. In den Ingenieurwissenschaften stellt dies eine strukturierte, zügige und gut dokumentierte Arbeit dar. Der folgende Artikel zeigt Möglichkeiten zur Effizienzsteigerung bei der Nutzung von Mathcad® durch den Einsatz von DLLs. Diese können mit MACCONEX automatisch aus dem Mathcad®- Arbeitsblatt erzeugt werden.