High-Performance Phase-Locked Loops for Quantum Computing Applications

Quantum computers have gained widespread interest from both industry and academia in the last decade as they are very promising for solving problems intractable by classical computers. However, there is a limited number of qubits in current quantum processors, which impedes the practical applications of a quantum computer. To increase the number...

Advanced calibration and measurement techniques for (sub)millimeter wave devices characterization

As the number of wireless applications increases every year, overcrowding the RF/microwave spectrum, research community and industry are gradually starting to dedicate more attention to the less exploited (sub)millimeter wave spectrum, spanning from 30 GHz to 1 THz. While the high frequency and large available bandwidth of the latter promises...

Characterising Angular Accelerometers using a Two-Axis Motion Simulator

Fault-Tolerant Flight Control (FTFC) systems reconfigure aircraft flight control laws to help restore a controlled flight and preserve acceptable performance under systemfaults. A typical approach to achieve fault tolerance is using inertial sensor measurementswhich can provide robustness to abrupt changes in the aircraft dynamics. This method...

Microscopic modelling of walking behaviour

How to model and simulate large pedestrian facilities accurately? This dissertation answers this question by analysing current pedestrian models and expanding one. The developed model (Nomad) describes pedestrians as individuals that minimise walking efforts. The model is expanded including behaviours that correspond to activities performed in...

Characteristics of Chinese Driver Behavior

The high growth rate of vehicle ownership and many novel drivers in China determine the special features of Chinese driver behavior. This thesis introduces a comparative study on driver behavior by the analysis of saturation flow at urban intersections, Driver Behavior Questionnaire surveys, focus group discussion, and in-car tests. The main...

Ultra thin films for sensing and heating of microprobes

This dissertation aims to advance the current state of cantilevers with integrated metal thermal and deflection sensing elements. Metallic sensing elements enable the use of alternative substrate materials (such as polymers), that tend to exhibit higher compliance properties and are more robust (less brittle) compared to Si or Si3N4 cantilevers....

Integrating GIS, remote sensing and mathematical modelling for surface water quality management in irrigated watersheds

The intensive uses of limited water resources, the growing population rates and the various increasing human activities put high and continuous stresses on these resources. Major problems affecting the water quality of rivers, streams and lakes may arise from inadequately treated sewage, poor land use practices, inadequate controls on the...

Bayesian Data Assimilation for Improved Modeling of Road Traffic

This thesis deals with the optimal use of existing models that predict certain phenomena of the road traffic system. Such models are extensively used in Advanced Traffic Information Systems (ATIS), Dynamic Traffic Management (DTM) or Model Predictive Control (MPC) approaches in order to improve the traffic system. As road traffic is the result...

The X-factor: A longitudinal study of calibration in young novice drivers

It is often assumed that young novice drivers overestimate their driving skills and underestimate the risks in traffic; and therefore insufficiently adapt their driving behaviour (e.g. speed or headway) to the specific situation. This balancing of skills and task demands has been called calibration. To study if improved calibration can explain...

Fish-Eye Observing with Phased Array Radio Telescopes

The radio astronomical community is currently developing and building several new radio telescopes based on phased array technology. These telescopes provide a large field-of-view, that may in principle span a full hemisphere. This makes calibration and imaging very challenging tasks due to the complex source structures and direction dependent...

Understanding catchment behaviour through model concept improvement

This thesis describes an approach to model development based on the concept of iterative model improvement, which is a process where by trial and error different hypotheses of catchment behaviour are progressively tested, and the understanding of the system proceeds through a combined process of modelling and experimenting. We show a number of...

Longitudinal driving behavior: Theory and empirics

Congestion is a serious problem in many countries around the world. Consequently a lot of effort is put in inventing smart methods for reducing congestion. Whether these measures lead to the desired effect appears to be largely dependent on the driving behavior of individual road users. It is therefore not surprising that the effects of measures...

Radio Frequency Interference Mitigation in Radio Astronomy

The next generation of radio telescopes is expected to be one to two orders of magnitude more sensitive than the current generation. Examples of such new telescopes are the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), currently under construction in the Netherlands, and the Square Kilometer Array (SKA), currently in a concept study phase. Another trend is that...

Theoretical and practical aspects of modelling activated sludge processes

This thesis describes the full-scale validation and calibration of a integrated metabolic activated sludge model for biological phosphorus removal. In chapters 1 and 2 the metabolic model is described, in chapters 3 to 6 the model is tested and in chapters 7 and 8 the model is put into practice. Chapter 1 is a general introduction to this...

Hydrodynamic models in urban drainage application and calibration

Integrated smart sensor calibration