Phd Dissertation

Electronic waste management in California : consumer attitudes toward recycling, advanced recycling fees, "green" electronics, and willingness to pay for e-waste recycling

Publication Date

June 30, 2006

Author(s)

Areas of Expertise

Suggested Citation
Hilary Nixon (2006) Electronic waste management in California : consumer attitudes toward recycling, advanced recycling fees, "green" electronics, and willingness to pay for e-waste recycling. PhD Dissertation. UC Irvine. Available at: https://uci.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CDL_IRV_INST/17uq3m8/alma991034707529704701.

Phd Dissertation

Development of Dielectric Elastomer Nanocomposites as Stretchable and Flexible Actuating Materials

Publication Date

June 30, 2015

Author(s)

Areas of Expertise

Abstract

Dielectric elastomers (DEs) are a new type of smart materials showing promising functionalities as energy harvesting materials as well as actuating materials for potential applications such as artificial muscles, implanted medical devices, robotics, loud speakers, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), tunable optics, transducers, sensors, and even generators due to their high electromechanical efficiency, stability, lightweight, low cost, and easy processing. Despite the advantages of DEs, technical challenges must be resolved for wider applications. A high electric field of at least 10-30 V/um is required for the actuation of DEs, which limits the practical applications especially in biomedical fields. We tackle this problem by introducing the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in DEs to enhance their relative permittivity and to generate their high electromechanical responses with lower applied field level. This work presents the dielectric, mechanical and electromechanical properties of DEs filled with MWNTs. The micromechanics-based finite element models are employed to describe the dielectric, and mechanical behavior of the MWNT-filled DE nanocomposites. A sufficient number of models are computed to reach the acceptable prediction of the dielectric and mechanical responses. In addition, experimental results are analyzed along with simulation results. Finally, laser Doppler vibrometer is utilized to directly detect the enhancement of the actuation strains of DE nanocomposites filled with MWNTs. All the results demonstrate the effective improvement in the electromechanical properties of DE nanocomposites filled with MWNTs under the applied electric fields.

Suggested Citation
Yu Wang (2015) Development of Dielectric Elastomer Nanocomposites as Stretchable and Flexible Actuating Materials. PhD Dissertation. UC Irvine. Available at: https://uci.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CDL_IRV_INST/1gpb62p/alma991016230969704701.

Phd Dissertation

Diffusion and Management of Disruptive Technology in Cities: The Case of Drones

Abstract

While the industry of civilian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones has seen rapid expansion in the past decade, few studies have systematically examined the dynamics between this disruptive technology and various aspects of cities. Employing quantitative methods, this dissertation explores 1) the diffusion and adoption patterns of civilian drones; 2) how cities manage the challenges of increasing drone activities; and 3) the supply-side opportunities and constraints associated with the deployment of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) in built-out metropolitan areas. The results of the first county level study might suggest (Chapter 2) that the digital divide has magnified the uneven and nonlinear diffusion of drones across time and space. Furthermore, the strength of state-level interventions correlates with the intensity of local drone adoption, even though the regulatory effects are different among drone user groups. People living in neighborhoods with a higher adoption rate of drones are on average younger, more affluent, and Whiter. An extension of the first study at the zip code level (Chapter 3) has retested the key results and provided additional insights into the spatial dependence effects that affect the drone adoption patterns. Furthermore, the results of the second study (Chapter 4) indicate that local drone policy adoption among communities of color trails behind that of other communities. Although drone policy adoption at the local level has been shaped by both motivation and capacity factors, the desire to protect public facilities appears to motivate localities to adopt regulatory measures. In particular, policy adoption is influenced by what nearby cities do, suggesting that strategic interaction is at play among local governments. In the third study (Chapter 5), I evaluate the supply-side opportunities and constraints associated with UAM adoption through a systematic scenario analysis. The results of the third study indicate that current supply-side infrastructure opportunities in Southern California, like helipads and elevated parking structures, are widely available to accommodate the regional deployment of UAM service although current spatial constraints can significantly limit the location choice of UAM landing sites (vertiports) for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Moreover, the low-income and young populations tend to live relatively farther away from the supply-side opportunities compared to the general population. The third study also proposes a network of UAM stations in Southern California based on the joint considerations of available infrastructure and home-workplace commuting flows.

Suggested Citation
XIANGYU LI (2022) Diffusion and Management of Disruptive Technology in Cities: The Case of Drones. PhD Dissertation. UC Irvine. Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/20t4w3kj#main.

Phd Dissertation

Research universities as gateways: The expanding roles of higher education institutions and their contribution to economic development

Publication Date

September 30, 2021

Author(s)

Areas of Expertise

Abstract

The past 30 years have witnessed a gradual expansion in the missions of many universities, and in the ways in which they contribute to local and regional economic development. While teaching and research continue to serve as the foundational core of most university missions, increased attention has been afforded to how universities, by their presence and functions, influence the spatial geographies of neighborhoods, cities, and regions. This dissertation research explores the changing roles of research universities in small and medium-sized metropolitan areas with an emphasis on their impacts across the different geographical scales by investigating associations between university presence and (1) growth in foreign-born populations; (2) the attraction and retention of highly educated residents; and (3) student-driven neighborhood change dynamics. The findings of this dissertation extend previous studies emphasizing the increasing importance of higher education institutions to economic development activities at various scales. Results from metropolitan area level analyses demonstrate that counties with large research universities were associated with an increase in foreign-born residents following the 1990 Immigration and Naturalization Act, as well as an increase in highly educated residents in the 2000-2014 period. More specifically, while findings revealed that the presence of research universities generate significant spatial spillovers of highly educated residents from university host counties to metropolitan levels, there was little evidence of such spatially-explicit dynamics occurring amongst foreign-born residents. Furthermore, findings from neighborhood-level analyses indicated that proximity to large research university campuses may play an outsized role on the likelihood of neighborhoods undergoing studentification (i.e., student-driven neighborhood change) in the 2000-2014 period. These results may be indicative of a bifurcation of neighborhoods in university-dominant counties into wealthy and highly educated renter populations situated near the university campus, and relatively less wealthy and less educated homeowners residing on the further away from the campus or on the periphery of the county. By exploring university contributions beyond the spheres of research, teaching, and service contributions, this dissertation presents scholars, urban planners, and policymakers with a more comprehensive portrait of the relationship between universities and their host communities. The evidence of this work suggests that the evolving role of higher education institutions, including their role as gateways for new populations, should be reflected in policymaking which seeks to leverage the locational advantages of research universities for city building or revitalization efforts. Further, policymakers and planners should also be cognizant that scale matters when considering how higher education institutions can better serve their surrounding communities. The contributions of research universities should not be thought of as monolithic or uniform, but should rather be seen as presenting different opportunities and challenges at different geographical levels.

Suggested Citation
N Osutei (2021) Research universities as gateways: The expanding roles of higher education institutions and their contribution to economic development. PhD Dissertation. UC Irvine. Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5x68r902.

research report

Development of New Privacy-preserving Method for Traffic Data Collection and Analysis: The Bathtub Model Approach

Publication Date

February 1, 2026

Author(s)

Wenlong Jin, Joseph H. F. Lo

Areas of Expertise

Abstract

Traditional data collection approaches present significant drawbacks in computational costs and limited privacy protection. This research evaluates the bathtub traffic flow model as a privacy-preserving alternative to traditional methods that require detailed network layouts and individual trip data. The study assesses the feasibility of the bathtub model through calibration and validation using Bluebikes data from Metro Boston, focusing on three key components: the unified relative space paradigm, conservation equations, and the generalized bathtub model. Results demonstrate that the unified relative space paradigm successfully integrates network trips by considering remaining trip distances, though the trip distance distribution exhibited a log-normal pattern rather than the time-independent negative exponential distribution in Vickrey’s original bathtub model. Conservation equations for total trips and trip-miles traveled showed high accuracy, and the generalized bathtub model yielded accurate results, particularly for space-mean speed. This novel approach preserves privacy by eliminating the need for origin-destination data while still effectively capturing network dynamics.

research report

CARMEN Project 6: PNT with Signals of Opportunity and Real-World Jammed and Spoofed Environments

Publication Date

November 30, 2023

Author(s)

Zak Kassas

Areas of Expertise

Suggested Citation
Zak Kassas (2023) CARMEN Project 6: PNT with Signals of Opportunity and Real-World Jammed and Spoofed Environments. Final Report. CARMEN UTC. Available at: https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10256685 (Accessed: October 10, 2025).

research report

CARMEN Project 5: Resilience and Validation of GNSS PNT Solutions

Publication Date

November 20, 2023

Author(s)

Todd Humphreys, Qi Alfred Chen, Umit Ozguner, Charles Toth

Areas of Expertise

Suggested Citation
Todd Humphreys, Qi Alfred Chen, Umit Ozguner and Charles Toth (2023) CARMEN Project 5: Resilience and Validation of GNSS PNT Solutions. Final Report. CARMEN UTC. Available at: https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.10246488 (Accessed: October 10, 2025).