Abstract: Detecting a trend in latency for storage underlying a deduplicated file system includes generating a set of data points by recording when input/output (IO) requests were issued to the storage and recording time required to receive success responses from the storage. Least squares regression is performed on the data points to find a best-fit line through the data points. A slope of the best-fit line is calculated. A determination is made as to whether the slope is positive, a positive slope thereby indicating a trend of increasing latency of the storage. When the slope is determined to be positive, clients accessing the deduplicated file system are throttled.

Abstract: Zinc electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) batteries including a high performing flexible chitosan-based gel electrolyte with poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) additives were prepared. The Zn-EMD batteries were constructed using an optimized assembly technique employed to achieve good interfacial contact between the layers. Attaining energy densities between 150-250 Wh/kg (w.r.t cathode mass) is possible for these batteries, encouraging their use in wearable or flexible electronics. Using the chitosan-based gel electrolyte and limited voltage window testing, the prepared Zn-EMD alkaline batteries are among the best reported polymer-based alkaline electrolyte Zn rechargeable batteries.

Abstract: An energy-efficient method of controlling the composite microstructure and resulting thermoelectric (TE) properties of TE composite films. The TE composite films, which include a small amount of naturally occurring chitosan binder that is sufficient to hold TE particles together, are modified by applying uniaxial mechanical pressure at low temperatures for a short duration. The TE composite films have high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity, making them ideal for use into high-performance energy harvesting thermoelectric devices.

Abstract: Zinc electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) batteries including a high performing flexible chitosan-based gel electrolyte with poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) additives were prepared. The Zn-EMD batteries were constructed using an optimized assembly technique employed to achieve good interfacial contact between the layers. Attaining energy densities between 150-250 Wh/kg (w.r.t cathode mass) is possible for these batteries, encouraging their use in wearable or flexible electronics. Using the chitosan-based gel electrolyte and limited voltage window testing, the prepared Zn-EMD alkaline batteries are among the best reported polymer-based alkaline electrolyte Zn rechargeable batteries.

Abstract: A p-type thermoelectric composite and composite slurries for printing low cost and scalable thermoelectric generator (TEG) devices is presented. The mechanically alloyed Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 p-type composite may be enhanced with a ZT additive and a polymer binder. An additive of 2 wt. % to 10 wt. % Tellurium to the composite increased the Seebeck coefficient by approximately 50%. Epoxy is a suitable polymer binder that provides good adhesion strength with minimal curing shrinkage and high mass loading of active filler particles. Different n-type thermoelectric compositions can be used in conjunction with the p-type compositions. Devices with mechanically alloyed Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3 p-type composites doped with 8 wt. % Te on a flexible wired substrate and n-type Bi-epoxy elements were demonstrated. Potential uses of the devices include power sources for ultra low power needs such as wireless sensor network devices, Peltiers, and thermoelectric coolers.