Reduction of Transient Particulate Matter Spikes with Decision Tree Based Control

Decision trees have been proposed as a basis for modifying table based injection to reduce transient particulate spikes during the turbocharger lag period. It has been shown that decision trees can detect particulate spikes in real time. In well calibrated electronically controlled diesel engines these spikes are narrow and are encompassed by a wider NOx spike. Decision trees have been shown to pinpoint the exact location of measured opacity spikes in real time thus enabling targeted PM reduction with near zero NOx penalty. A calibrated dimensional model has been used to demonstrate the possible reduction of particulate matter with targeted injection pressure pulses. Post injection strategy optimized for near stoichiometric combustion has been shown to provide additional benefits. Empirical models have been used to calculate emission tradeoffs over the entire FTP cycle. An empirical model based transient calibration has been used to demonstrate that such targeted transient modifiers are more beneficial at lower engine-out NOx levels.

The Dual Ownership Structure: a Model to Connect the Cooperative Model With Financial Markets

In business literature, the conflicts among workers, shareholders and the management have been studied mostly in the frame of stakeholder theory. The stakeholder theory recognizes this issue as an agency problem, and tries to solve the problem by establishing a contractual relationship between the agent and principals. However, as Marcoux pointed out, the appropriateness of the contract as a medium to reduce the agency problem should be questioned. As an alternative, the cooperative model minimizes the agency costs by integrating the concept of workers, owners and management. Mondragon Corporation is a successful example of the cooperative model which grew into the sixth largest corporation in Spain. However, the cooperative model has long been ignored in discussions of corporate governance, mainly because the success of the cooperative model is extremely difficult to duplicate in reality. This thesis hopes to revitalize the scholarly examination of cooperatives by developing a new model that overcomes the fundamental problem in the cooperative model: the limited access to capital markets. By dividing the ownership interest into financial and control interest, the dual ownership structure allows cooperatives to issue stock in the capital market by making a financial product out of financial interest.