A spectral-particle hybrid method for rendering falling snow

In previous work, a complete dynamic inflow model for flow above the rotor disk has been developed; and numerical results have been presented in both the frequency domain and the time domain. In this paper, we extend the inflow model to all three components of inflow below the disk. The inflow model, which is expressed in terms of a finite number of states, is derived in a mathematically rigorous way. The essence of the extension is that if one computes the co-states of the inflow equations (along with the normal states), then one can find the velocity in the hemisphere below the plane of the rotor disk (including the velocity within the wake) with accuracy equal to that of the flow above the rotor plane. The derivation is for the case of general skew angle. Numerical comparisons with exact solutions for the z-component of flow in axial flow––given for some special cases––illustrate the effectiveness of the new model. The simulations also illustrate that the model is valid for either the frequency domain or the time domain. Nomenclature n m a : real part for cosine induced inflow expansion coefficients n m b : imaginary part for cosine induced inflow expansion coefficients [ ] D :

The objective of this article is investigation of dynamic response of thick multilayer functionally graded (FG) beam under generalized dynamic forces. The plane stress problem is exploited to describe the constitutive equation of thick FG beam to get realistic and accurate response. Applied dynamic forces are assumed to be sinusoidal harmonic, sinusoidal pulse or triangle in time domain and point load. Equations of motion of deep FG beam are derived based on the Hamilton principle from kinematic relations and constitutive equations of plane stress problem. The numerical finite element procedure is adopted to discretize the space domain of structure and transform partial differential equations of motion to ordinary differential equations in time domain. Numerical time integration method is used to solve the system of equations in time domain and find the time responses. Numerical parametric studies are performed to illustrate effects of force type, graduation parameter, geometrical and stacking sequence of layers on the time response of deep multilayer FG beams.

The differentiated services (DS) architecture provides a framework for the scalable provisioning of multiple service levels in the Internet. Its definition and initial work have concentrated mainly on per-hop behaviors (PHB) and mechanisms at each DS domain. Equally important is what happens between DS domains. Thanks to the flexibility of the architecture, it is the providers’ choice how to interconnect with peers. In principle, traditional, static peering agreements work together with DS, but they do not offer the flexibility and dynamics needed in an electronic market for network capacity. Therefore, we look at dynamic service level agreements at the interdomain level. Such agreements are established by software entities called traders. These traders follow market-based principles to decide which contracts will be beneficial. In particular, traders compare the offers made by neighbor providers and select the most interesting ones. This selection of peer services creates competition among providers and integrates route selection based on service level and destination. We describe and implement a framework for service level agreement trading. We show the basic workings and first performance results of SLA trading using specific traders and an experimentally defined PHB in a simulation environment. Keywords— Network architecture, differentiated services architecture, service level agreement, pricing, trading, interdomain QoS routing.

This thesis investigates the flexibility associated to Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) discretization on very general meshes obtained by means of agglomeration techniques. The work begins with a brief overview of the main tools that have been extended or specifically developed to deal with arbitrarily shaped elements in the DG context. Then two different implementations of the BRMPS scheme introduced by Bassi, Rebay, Mariotti, Pedinotti and Savini in [16] for the DG discretization of the Laplace operator on arbitrarily shaped elements have been presented. The validation of the scheme on a Poisson problem shows that the discrete polynomial space preserves optimal convergence properties. The discretization of the second order differential operator has been directly extended to the Navier-Stokes equations and the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations coupled with the k-w turbulence model of Wilcox [54]. In this regard, an implicit time integration strategy has been considered and assessed on classical validation test cases for the compressible f uid dynamics. Then a simple alternative approach to high-order mesh generation is presented. Indeed, once a standard fine grid able to provide an accurate domain discretization has been produced by means of standard low-order grid generation tools, a computational mesh suitable for the desired accuracy and computationally affordable can be obtained via agglomeration while keeping the boundary resolution of the fine grid. The effectiveness of this approach in representing the geometry of the domain is numerically assessed both on a Poisson model problem and on challenging inviscid and viscous test cases. Finally, the freedom in simply defining the topology of agglomerated meshes leads to a nonstandard approach to h-adaptivity that exploits adaptive agglomeration coarsening of a properly fine underlying grid. The effectiveness of this approach has been assessed on test cases involving both error-based and fl ow feature-based simple estimators.

Particle systems have many applications, with the most popular being to produce special effects in video games and films. To permit particle systems to be created quickly and easily, Particle System Interfaces (PSIs) have been developed. A PSI is a piece of software designed to perform common tasks related to particle systems for clients, while providing them with a set of parameters whose values can be adjusted to create different particle systems. Most PSIs are inflexible, and when clients require functionality that is not supported by the PSI they are using, they are forced to either find another PSI that meets their requirements or, more commonly, create their own particle system or PSI from scratch. This paper presents three original contributions. First, it identifies 18 features that a PSI should provide in order to be capable of creating diverse effects. If these features are implemented in a PSI, clients will be more likely to be able to accomplish all desired effects related to particle systems with one PSI. Secondly, it introduces a novel use of events to determine, at run time, which particle system code to execute in each frame. Thirdly, it describes a software architecture called the Dynamic Particle System Framework (DPSF). Simulation results show that DPSF possesses all 18 desirable features.

Distributed Video Coding (DVC) is a new paradigm for video compression based on the information theoretical results of Slepian and Wolf (SW), and Wyner and Ziv (WZ). While conventional coding has a rigid complexity allocation as most of the complex tasks are performed at the encoder side, DVC enables a flexible complexity allocation between the encoder and the decoder. The most novel and interesting case is low complexity encoding and complex decoding, which is the opposite of conventional coding. While the latter is suitable for applications where the cost of the decoder is more critical than the encoder's one, DVC opens the door for a new range of applications where low complexity encoding is required and the decoder's complexity is not critical. This is interesting with the deployment of small and battery-powered multimedia mobile devices all around in our daily life. Further, since DVC operates as a reversed-complexity scheme when compared to conventional coding, DVC also enables the interesting scenario of low complexity encoding and decoding between two ends by transcoding between DVC and conventional coding. More specifically, low complexity encoding is possible by DVC at one end. Then, the resulting stream is decoded and conventionally re-encoded to enable low complexity decoding at the other end. Multiview video is attractive for a wide range of applications such as free viewpoint television, which is a system that allows viewing the scene from a viewpoint chosen by the viewer. Moreover, multiview can be beneficial for monitoring purposes in video surveillance. The increased use of multiview video systems is mainly due to the improvements in video technology and the reduced cost of cameras. While a multiview conventional codec will try to exploit the correlation among the different cameras at the encoder side, DVC allows for separate encoding of correlated video sources. Therefore, DVC requires no communication between the cameras in a multiview scenario. This is an advantage since communication is time consuming (i.e. more delay) and requires complex networking. Another appealing feature of DVC is the fact that it is based on a statistical framework. Moreover, DVC behaves as a natural joint source-channel coding solution. This results in an improved error resilience performance when compared to conventional coding. Further, DVC-based scalable codecs do not require a deterministic knowledge of the lower layers. In other words, the enhancement layers are completely independent from the base layer codec. This is called the codec-independent scalability feature, which offers a high flexibility in the way the various layers are distributed in a network. This thesis addresses the following topics: First, the theoretical foundations of DVC as well as the practical DVC scheme used in this research are presented. The potential applications for DVC are also outlined. DVC-based schemes use conventional coding to compress parts of the data, while the rest is compressed in a distributed fashion. Thus, different conventional codecs are studied in this research as they are compared in terms of compression efficiency for a rich set of sequences. This includes fine tuning the compression parameters such that the best performance is achieved for each codec. Further, DVC tools for improved Side Information (SI) and Error Concealment (EC) are introduced for monoview DVC using a partially decoded frame. The improved SI results in a significant gain in reconstruction quality for video with high activity and motion. This is done by re-estimating the erroneous motion vectors using the partially decoded frame to improve the SI quality. The latter is then used to enhance the reconstruction of the finally decoded frame. Further, the introduced spatio-temporal EC improves the quality of decoded video in the case of erroneously received packets, outperforming both spatial and temporal EC. Moreover, it also outperforms error-concealed conventional coding in different modes. Then, multiview DVC is studied in terms of SI generation, which differentiates it from the monoview case. More specifically, different multiview prediction techniques for SI generation are described and compared in terms of prediction quality, complexity and compression efficiency. Further, a technique for iterative multiview SI is introduced, where the final SI is used in an enhanced reconstruction process. The iterative SI outperforms the other SI generation techniques, especially for high motion video content. Finally, fusion techniques of temporal and inter-view side informations are introduced as well, which improves the performance of multiview DVC over monoview coding. DVC is also used to enable scalability for image and video coding. Since DVC is based on a statistical framework, the base and enhancement layers are completely independent, which is an interesting property called codec-independent scalability. Moreover, the introduced DVC scalable schemes show a good robustness to errors as the quality of decoded video steadily decreases with error rate increase. On the other hand, conventional coding exhibits a cliff effect as the performance drops dramatically after a certain error rate value. Further, the issue of privacy protection is addressed for DVC by transform domain scrambling, which is used to alter regions of interest in video such that the scene is still understood and privacy is preserved as well. The proposed scrambling techniques are shown to provide a good level of security without impairing the performance of the DVC scheme when compared to the one without scrambling. This is particularly attractive for video surveillance scenarios, which is one of the most promising applications for DVC. Finally, a practical DVC demonstrator built during this research is described, where the main requirements as well as the observed limitations are presented. Furthermore, it is defined in a setup being as close as possible to a complete real application scenario. This shows that it is actually possible to implement a complete end-to-end practical DVC system relying only on realistic assumptions. Even though DVC is inferior in terms of compression efficiency to the state of the art conventional coding for the moment, strengths of DVC reside in its good error resilience properties and the codec-independent scalability feature. Therefore, DVC offers promising possibilities for video compression with transmission over error-prone environments requirement as it significantly outperforms conventional coding in this case.

In this thesis, we describe new approaches and methods for reconstructing complex-valued wave fields from digital holograms. We focus on Fresnel holograms recorded in an off-axis geometry, for which operational real-time acquisition setups readily exist. The three main research directions presented are the following. First, we derive the necessary tools to port methods and concepts of wavelet-based approaches to the field of digital holography. This is motivated by the flexibility, the robustness, and the unifying view that such multiresolution procedures have brought to many applications in image processing. In particular, we put emphasis on space-frequency processing and sparse signal representations. Second, we propose to decouple the demodulation from the propagation problem, which are both inherent to digital Fresnel holography. To this end, we derive a method for retrieving the amplitude and phase of the object wave through a local analysis of the hologram's interference fringes. Third, since digital holography reconstruction algorithms involve a number of parametric models, we propose automatic adjustment methods of the corresponding parameters. We start by investigating the Fresnel transform, which plays a central role in both the modeling of the acquisition procedure and the reconstruction of complex wave fields. The study of the properties that are central to wavelet and multiresolution analysis leads us to derive Fresnelets, a new family of wavelet-like bases. Fresnelets permit the analysis of holograms with a good localization in space and frequency, in a way similar to wavelets for images. Since the relevant information in a Fresnel off-axis hologram may be separated both in space and frequency, we propose an approach for selectively retrieving the information in the Fresnelet domain. We show that in certain situations, this approach is superior to others that exclusively rely on the separation in space or frequency. We then derive a least-squares method for the estimation of the object wave's amplitude and phase. The approach, which is reminiscent of phase-shifting techniques, is sufficiently general to be applied in a wide variety of situations, including those dictated by the use of microscopy objectives. Since it is difficult to determine the reconstruction distance manually, we propose an automatic procedure. We take advantage of our separate treatment of the phase retrieval and propagation problems to come up with an algorithm that maximizes a sharpness metric related to the sparsity of the signal's expansion in distance-dependent Fresnelet bases. Based on a simulation study, we suggest a number of guidelines for deciding which algorithm to apply to a given problem. We compare existing and the newly proposed solutions in a wide variety of situations. Our final conclusion is that the proposed methods result in flexible algorithms that are competitive with preexisting ones and superior to them in many cases. Overall, they may be applied in a wide range of experimental situations at a low computational cost.

Multi-band RF front-ends with adaptive image rejection : a DECT/Bluetooth study case

Glia, whose name derives from the original Greek word, meaning “glue,” have long been understood to be cells that play an important functional role in the nutritive and structural support of the central nervous system, yet their full involvement has been historically undervalued. Despite the strong evidence that glial reactions to cellular debris govern the health of the nervous system, the specific properties of damaged axonal debris and the mechanisms by which glia sense them, morphologically adapt to their presence, and initiate phagocytosis for clearance, have remained poorly understood. The work presented in this thesis was aimed at addressing this fundamental gap in our understanding of the role for glia in neurodegenerative processes. I demonstrate that the cellular machinery responsible for the phagocytosis of apoptotic cell corpses is well conserved from worms to mammals. Draper is a key component of the glial response machinery and I am able to show here, for the first time, that it signals through Drosophila Shark, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase similar to mammalian Syk and Zap-70. Shark binds Draper through an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) in the Draper intracellular domain. I show that Shark activity is essential for Draper-mediated signaling events in vivo, including the recruitment of glial membranes to axons undergoing Wallerian degeneration. I further show that the Src family kinase (SFK) Src42A can markedly increase Draper phosphorylation and is essential for glial phagocytic activity. Therefore I propose that ligand-dependent Draper receptor activation initiates the Src42A-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of Draper, the association of Shark and the subsequent downstream activation of the Draper pathway. I observed that these Draper-Src42A-Shark interactions are strikingly similar to mammalian immunoreceptor-SFK-Syk signaling events in myeloid and lymphoid cells. Thus, Draper appears to be an ancient immunoreceptor with an extracellular domain tuned to modified-self antigens and an intracellular domain that promotes phagocytosis through an ITAM domain-SFK-Syk-mediated signaling cascade. I have further identified the Drosophila guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) complex Crk/Mbc/dCed-12, and the small GTPase Rac1 as novel modulators of glial clearance of axonal debris. I am able to demonstrate that Crk/Mbc/dCed-12 and Rac1 function in a non-redundant fashion with the Draper pathway to promote a distinct step in the clearance of axonal debris. Whereas Draper signaling is required early during glial responses, promoting glial activation and extension of glial membranes to degenerating axons, the Crk/Mbc/dCed-12 complex functions at later stages of glial response, promoting the actual phagocytosis of axonal debris. Finally, many interesting mutants have been identified in primary screens for genes active in neurons that are required for axon fragmentation or clearance by glia, and genes potentially active in glia that orchestrate…

Scalar hyperbolic balance laws in several space dimensions play a central role in this thesis. First, we deal with a new class of mixed parabolic–hyperbolic systems on all Rn: we obtain the basic well–posedness theorems, devise an ad hoc numerical algorithm, prove its convergence and investigate the qualitative properties of the solutions. The extension of these results to bounded domains requires a deep understanding of the initial boundary value problem (IBVP) for hyperbolic balance laws. The last part of the thesis provides rigorous estimates on the solution to this IBVP, under precise regularity assumptions. In Chapter 1 we introduce a predator–prey model. A non local and non linear balance law is coupled with a parabolic equation: the former describes the evolution of the predator density, the latter that of prey. The two equations are coupled both through the convective part of the balance law and the source terms. The drift term is a non local function of the prey density. This allows the movement of predators to be directed towards the regions where the concentration of prey is higher. We prove the well–posedness of the system, hence the existence and uniqueness of solution, the continuous dependence on the initial data and various stability estimates. In Chapter 2 we devise an algorithm to compute approximate solutions to the mixed system introduced above. The balance law is solved numerically by a Lax–Friedrichs type method via dimensional splitting, while the parabolic equation is approximated through explicit finite–differences. Both source terms are integrated by means of a second order Runge–Kutta scheme. The key result in Chapter 2 is the convergence of this algorithm. The proof relies on a careful tuning between the parabolic and the hyperbolic methods and exploits the non local nature of the convective part in the balance law. This algorithm has been implemented in a series of Python scripts. Using them, we obtain information about the possible order of convergence and we investigate the qualitative properties of the solutions. Moreover, we observe the formation of a striking pattern: while prey diffuse, predators accumulate on the vertices of a regular lattice. The analytic study of the system above is on all Rn. However, both possible biological applications and numerical integrations suggest that the boundary plays a relevant role. With the aim of studying the mixed hyperbolic–parabolic system in a bounded domain, we noticed that for balance laws known results lack some of the estimates necessary to deal with the coupling. In Chapter 3 we then focus on the IBVP for a general balance law in a bounded domain. We prove the well–posedness of this problem, first with homogeneous boundary condition, exploiting the vanishing viscosity technique and the doubling of variables method, then for the non homogeneous case, mainly thanks to elliptic techniques. We pay particular attention to the regularity assumptions and provide rigorous estimates on the solution.

Retail forecasting is a diverse and dynamic research area encompassing a variety of different topics. The advent of online channels, the increasing complexity of product ranges, and the shortening lifespan of many items are as examples of some of the new challenges that maintain the importance of improving forecasting in this domain. This thesis aims to address questions in retail forecasting that are closely linked with relevant problems faced in the industry. As such, the problems have been identified through a combination of reviewing the academic literature, discussion, and engagement with practitioners. This thesis starts by considering the situation where demand series are influenced by multiple seasonal and calendar effects. This is a challenge which is widespread due to high frequency sampling and decision making in retailing. We develop a new model to accommodate flexibility in modelling complex seasonal patterns, which also aids with mitigating the effect of short demand histories on forecasting performance. The new model is embedded in an innovations state-space formulation and it is demonstrated empirically using wholesale food data to provide competitive forecasting accuracy to established benchmarks. Next, the dual problems of SKU-level model parameter estimation and forecasting are considered. For retailers experiencing frequent promotional activities, this is a principal issue. The parameter estimates provide insights about the elasticity of different factors on demand for the SKU, and therefore inform marketing planning. Accurate forecasts, for both promotional and baseline periods, support other functions such as replenishment and inventory management. First, a geometric parameter inheritance procedure is proposed, which uses aggregate information within a product hierarchy to improve parameter estimates under certain assumptions. At brand level, it is typically easier to better estimate elasticity effects, making this strategy preferable. Second, a debiasing approximation is derived for the forecasting procedure, which is demonstrated to reduce bias, whilst remaining competitive in terms of forecast accuracy, as shown in a simulation study. The debiasing approximation is then evaluated with an inventory simulation study, which examines the conditions under which improvements in inventory performance can be gained. The conclusions give useful insights for inventory managers, and demonstrate that bias is a significant factor in inventory performance.

The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), the demand for quality and efficient services, questions regarding cost of living, labor resources, as well as the difficulty in urban mobility, shape a context which favors the expansion in adopting telecommuting, or remote work, associating therefore flexibility of place and time to the work day. Due to the complexity in its adoption, the necessity surges to study the conditions in order to make this change possible in the work organization, which is already starting to be practiced in the Brazilian public administration. Its diffusion, though still incipient in the public sector, opens the domain for this present research which main objective is to develop a method of identification for teleworkable tasks, taking as object for study a Federal Institution of Higher Education. Based on the reviewed bibliography and document analysis that regulate teleworking in the Country, factors were identified related to the personal characteristics, task, organizational structure and technology, that either favor or hinder the success of teleworking. Based on this identification, a method of distinguishing teleworkable tasks was developed in this research, which includes: a structured direct interview script for information gathering; a set of indicators, criteria and guidelines for analyzing of the adherence between the answers obtained and the critical success factors for telework; an instrument for classification of the analyzed situation (people - tasks), which shows if there is indication for telework or what is pending to make the indication feasible. The method was tested and revised by application with five workers, contemplating twenty work processes from five different departments within the institution. The results point the need to consider, beyond process maping, human variables, activity and the specifics of the public service in planning the adoption of telework.

Coupling Mortar Finite Element and Boundary Element Methods for 2D Navier-Stokes Equations Courant Element: Before and After Iterative Methods for Solving Stiff Elliptic Problems Straight and Curved Finite Elements of Class C1 and Some Applications to Thin Shell Problems Exact Controllability to Solve the Helmholtz Equation with Absorbing Boundary Conditions Cubic Version of FEM in Elliptic Problems with Interfaces and Singularities Least Squares Mixed Finite Elements Turbulence Modelling in Finite Element Industrial Applications Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for the Numerical Approximation of a Partial Differential Equation Depending on a Small Parameter Efficient Solution Methods for Compressible Flow Computations Parallel Finite Volume Algorithms for Solving the Time-Domain Maxwell Equations on Nonstructured Meshes Coupling Between Nonlinear Maxwell and Heat Equations for an Induction Heating Problem: Modelling and Numerical Methods Solving the 3D Harmonic Maxwell Equations with Finite Elements, Lagrange Multipliers, and Iterative Methods Some Applications of the Hierarchic High Order MITC Finite Elements for Reissner-Mindlin Plates Domain Decomposition for Immiscible Displacement in Single Porosity Systems An Error Estimator for Nonconforming Approximations of a Nonlinear Problem Some Observations on Raviart-Thomas Mixed Finite Elements in p Extension for Parabolic Problems Mixed Finite Element Methods in Fluid Structure Systems A Black-Box Solver for the Solution of General Nonlinear Functional Equations by Mixed FEM A Remark on the Asymptotic Behaviour of Parabolic Variational Inequalities and Their Finite Element Approximation by the Courant Element Domain Decomposition vs. Adaptivity Material Optimization of Composites. Part Contents.

This research investigates a number of problems, related to Stokes flow and to heat flow. The Stokes flow is inspired by glass flow in the process of making bottles or jars. The heat flow is related to a heat conduction model problem, and a problem about hot-spots formation in the microwave heating. We will discuss the first problem. There are two phases during the industrial process of making glass, viz. the pressing phase and the blowing phase. We consider some mathematical aspects of the pressing phase. The motion of glass at temperatures above 6000C can be described by the Navier-Stokes equations. Since glass is a highly viscous fluid, those equations can be simplified to the Stokes equations. We use two different methods to solve these equations, viz. perturbation and operator methods. The perturbation method is based on the geometry being slowly varying. As a result, we obtain the velocity analytically. This result has a good agreement with numerical results based on finite element modelling. Using the velocity obtained we derive the formula for the force on the plunger. Next, we consider the operator method. Using this method, the Stokes equations can be transformed into an operator equation on the boundary ??? with a tangent vector field a on the boundary ??? as unknown. Solving this operator equation shows, that the solutions of the Stokes equations can be parameterized by aH, the harmonic extension of a to the interior of the domain ??. As an application, we present some full explicit solutions of the Stokes equations for several domains such as the interior and exterior of the unit ball and of the unit disk, an infinite strip, a half space, and a wedge. In the second problem, we consider the heat conduction problem inside two types of geometry, viz. slowly and slightly varying geometry. Using this problem, we show the difference between those geometries. An example that involves the boundary layers at the ends is presented. Finally, we consider a simplified model of the microwave heating of a one-dimensional unit slab. This slab consists of three layers that have different thermal conductivities. We consider only the steady state problem with Dirichlet boundary conditions and continuity of heat flux across the layers. Using a fundamental-mode approximation of eigenfunction expansion, we investigate the effect of thermal conductivity on the formation of hot-spots where the temperature increases catastrophically as a function of d, the amplitude of the applied electric field. First, we consider a unit slab geometry. In this geometry, we find the critical value dcr, for which slight changes in d yields a sudden jump to another stable solution, now with a much higher temperature. Next, we consider a unit slab consisting of three layers of material with different thermal conductivity (µ). We assume the inner layer has the smallest value of µ. We find the temperature in this layer is much higher than that in other layers. Then, we consider only the inner layer. For a given value of d and changing values of µ, we get a temperature jump near some values of µ. This jump shows that there is a critical value of µ and signifies the formation of a hot-spot.

Low temperature detectors have been a subject of intense interest to the scientific community over the last decade. These detectors work at very low temperatures, often well below 1 Kelvin, to minimize the noise in the measurement of photons. This leads to very powerful detectors applicable to a broad wavelength range. Since these detectors are so sensitive even single pixels and small arrays (up to several hundred pixels) enable deeper explorations of the cosmos than ever before. Instruments based on these technologies have been used at submillimeter, optical, and X-ray wavelengths. The scientific prospects for these detectors increase as they grow in pixel count. For some applications, especially for Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) polarization work, a large focal plane will not only increase efficiency but will also enable new and vital science. Current superconducting technologies, such as Transition Edge Sensors (TESs), can currently deliver extremely high sensitivity in the submillimeter and read-noise free imaging spectroscopy at Optical/UV and X-ray wavelengths, but the largest arrays contain less that 100 pixels. In order to make real progress these arrays must contain many thousands of pixels. This is a formidable technical challenge. This thesis will explore a promising emerging technology called Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs). MKIDs make use of the change in the surface impedance of a superconductor as incoming photons break up Cooper pairs. This is accomplished by making the strip of superconductor part of a microwave resonant circuit, and monitoring the phase of a signal transmitted through (or past) the resonator. The primary advantage of this technology is that by using resonant circuits with high quality factors, passive frequency domain multiplexing will allow up to thousands of resonators to be read out through a single coaxial cable and a single HEMT amplifier. This eliminates the cryogenic electronics (SQUIDS) and wiring problems associated with current superconducting devices. Inexpensive and powerful room-temperature readout electronics can leverage the microwave integrated circuits developed for wireless communications. When this project started four years ago MKIDs were just a concept. In this thesis I will recount the progress we have made in taking this concept and turning it into a detector technology, building on the work we published in Nature in 2003. I will demonstrate that we have overcome the major technical obstacles and shown conclusively that MKIDs work, and should provide much larger arrays than are possible with other technologies. Due to our work at Caltech and JPL, MKIDs are considered one of the leading technologies to reach the ambitious goals set for future ground and space missions. The noise performance is already good enough for sky-limited, ground-based, submillimeter astronomy. Despite MKIDs acceptable noise performance for ground-based astronomy, there are many applications which require lower detector noise. The simple MKIDs we measure in this thesis still exhibit a noise higher than theory would predict which could limit their usefulness for some applications. In Chapters 7-9 we perform several experiments which identify the source of the excess noise as the substrate. In the course of these experiments to characterize and identify the noise, we successfully demonstrate two distinct approaches which dramatically reduce the noise excess.