btbanner.jpg

Implementing earned value management using bridge information modeling

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has widely become an effective tool in engineering and construction fields. It could be used in: generating shop drawings; detecting clashes; estimating quantities; and controlling documents. Applying BIM technology on bridges is named Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM). Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) is an intelligent representation of bridges since it contains all information needed about bridges through their whole lifecycle. This paper presents the use of Building Information Modeling in cost and time management of infrastructure bridges. BIM-based

Energy and Water
Circuit Theory and Applications
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness

Influence of Periodic Surface Nanopatterning Profiles on Series Resistance in Thin-Film Crystalline Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells

In the frame of the development of thin crystalline silicon solar cell technologies, surface nanopatterning of silicon is gaining importance. Its impact on the material quality is, however, not yet fully controlled.We investigate here the influence of surface nanotexturing on the series resistance of a contacting scheme relevant for thin-film crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells. Twodimensional periodic nanotextures are fabricated using a combination of nanoimprint lithography and either dry or wet etching, while random pyramid texturing is used for benchmarking. We compare these

Energy and Water
Circuit Theory and Applications
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness

Multistability Analysis and Function Projective Synchronization in Relay Coupled Oscillators

Regions of stability phases discovered in a general class of Genesio-Tesi chaotic oscillators are proposed. In a relatively large region of two-parameter space, the system has coexisting point attractors and limit cycles. The variation of two parameters is used to characterize the multistability by plotting the isospike diagrams for two nonsymmetric initial conditions. The parameters window in which the jerk system exhibits the unusual and striking feature of multiple attractors (e.g., coexistence of six disconnected periodic chaotic attractors and three-point attraction) is investigated. The

Circuit Theory and Applications
Software and Communications
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness

Study of alternative back contacts for thin film Cu2ZnSnSe4-based solar cells

Cu2ZnSnSe4 thin film solar cells are usually fabricated on a soda lime glass substrate with a molybdenum (Mo) back contact. It is suspected that degradation in electrical performance occurs due to the formation of a barrier between the absorber and Mo back contact. To overcome such degradation, Titanium Nitride (TiN), Titanium Tungsten (TiW), Chromium (Cr), Titanium (Ti) and Aluminum (Al) deposited on Mo-coated glass substrates are investigated as alternative back contact materials. Physical and electrical characterization as well as photoluminescence measurements are performed. Compositional

Circuit Theory and Applications
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness

New Control Schemes for Fractional Chaos Synchronization

Chaos theory deals with the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions. Chaotic systems are characterized by the property that small changes in the initial conditions result in widely diverging responses. In this paper, new control schemes of synchronization for different arbitrary incommensurate and commensurate fractional order chaotic systems are presented. Synchronization stability, based on stability of linear fractional-order systems and fractional Lyapunov stability, is proved theoretically. Numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness of the

Circuit Theory and Applications
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness

Multiswitching synchronization of commensurate fractional order hyperchaotic systems via active control

In this chapter, the multiswitching synchronization scheme has been investigated for a class of nonidentical fractional order hyperchaotic systems. The multiswitching complete synchronization scheme has been examined such that the state variables of the slave system synchronize with different state variables of the master system. For the synchronization of two nonidentical fractional order hyperchaotic systems suitable controllers have been designed using active control technique. The stability of fractional order chaotic systems has been used to stabilize the error dynamical system. Two

Circuit Theory and Applications
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness

Multi-switching master–slave synchronization of non-identical chaotic systems

This paper investigates the multi-switching master–slave synchronization of non-identical chaotic systems in which state variables of a master system are synchronized with different state variables of a slave system using the sliding mode control technique. To design the appropriate controllers via sliding mode control for different switches, Lyapunov stability theory is taken into account. Theoretical results are applied by considering two non-identical chaotic systems where one is considered as master system and another is considered as slave system. Numerical simulations are performed to

Circuit Theory and Applications
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness

Cole-Cole Bio-Impedance Parameters Extraction from a Single Time-Domain Measurement

We show that the four parameters of a single-dispersion Cole-Cole bio-impedance model can be extracted from an one time-domain measurement with a fixed frequency. In particular, a periodic triangle waveform current excitation signal is injected into the biological sample under study while measuring the voltage developed across this sample in a galvanostatic measurement setup. The voltage response due to this triangle-wave excitation is firstly analytically derived in closed form. After that the Flower Pollination optimization Algorithm (FPA) is applied to extract the unknown model parameters

Circuit Theory and Applications
Software and Communications
Agriculture and Crops

Investigation of properties limiting efficiency in Cu2ZnSnSe4-based solar cells

We have investigated different nonidealities in Cu2ZnSnSe4-CdS-ZnO solar cells with 9.7% conversion efficiency, in order to determine what is limiting the efficiency of these devices. Several nonidealities could be observed. A barrier of about 300 meV is present for electron flow at the absorber-buffer heterojunction leading to a strong crossover behavior between dark and illuminated current-voltage curves. In addition, a barrier of about 130 meV is present at the Mo-absorber contact, which could be reduced to 15 meV by inclusion of a TiN interlayer. Admittance spectroscopy results on the

Energy and Water
Circuit Theory and Applications
Software and Communications

Synchronization between a Novel Integer-Order Hyperchaotic System and a Fractional-Order Hyperchaotic System Using Tracking Control

This manuscript investigates the synchronization between a novel integer order hyperchaotic system and a fractional order hyperchaotic system. The controllers are constructed using the technique of tracking controller and the stability theory of the linear fractional order system. Chaotic analysis of the introduced novel integer order hyperchaotic system is also investigated. The Lyapunov exponent, bifurcation diagram, Poincare section, Kaplan-Yorke dimension, equilibria and phase portraits are given to justify the chaotic nature of the system. Theoretical results are supported with the

Circuit Theory and Applications