Thesis (M.S.)--Western Washington University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-56).

The work in this thesis examines the suitability of utilising ground waste brick as a cement replacement material. The brick types investigated were obtained from the UK,Denmark, Lithuania and Poland. Cement was partially replaced by various quantities and types of ground brick in mortar and concrete. Compressive strength, pore size distribution and sorptivity of mortar generally all benefit from the presence of ground brick and the greatest effect can be seen after water curing for one year. Compressive strength of concrete is also shown to increase as the fineness of ground brick increases although the optimum particle size for ground brick in concrete is still to be determined. The ground bricks investigated have a significant effect on the performance of ground brick mortar when exposed to sodium sulphate solution and synthetic seawater. It is seen that depending on the chemical and phase composition, the effect of ground brick can increase substantially the rate of deterioration of mortar or can reduce significantly the expansion observed. No definite mechanism was identified as being responsible for the observed deterioration of mortar exposed to sodium sulphate solution although it seems likely that water intake due to ettringite formation and adsorption of water by the resultant colloidal product are the primary causes of expansion. Sulphate content, glass content and oxide chemistry of brick are key factors as to its performance when used as a cement replacement material in mortar. Bricks with a high proportion of low calcium glass make very effective pozzolans. Bricks with high calcium glass or a low proportion of glass should not be used as pozzolans. Small amounts of sulphate in ground brick do not have any serious deleterious effects on ground brick mortars and can be beneficial. It is established that it is technically feasible to partially replace cement with ground brick in mortar and concrete, depending on its chemical and phase composition to produce a more durable, cost effective and (due to the lower cement content) a less environmentally damaging material than that produced without cement replacement.

In this study, the effect of normal stress acting on a model scale pile is determined experimentally. The minimum soil temperature was -5 degrees Celcius. Additional experiments were conducted to determine the adfreeze bond strength of an interface between the Cornwall sand and a galvanized steel plate. These tests were done using a conventional direct shear apparatus. In order to conduct interface tests under freezing temperatures, some modifications were made on the direct shear apparatus. In these experiments, three different normal stresses and three different water contents were used. The present study was extended to investigate whether there was any agreement between the adfreeze strength measured in the present study and the adfreeze strength calculated from the pull-out tests by Villeneuve (2017).

This study examined the relationship between hip strength and hip, pelvis, and trunk kinematics in healthy runners. Whole body kinematic data were collected while subjects ran in the laboratory. Isometric hip abduction, flexion, external rotation, and internal rotation torques were measured bilaterally using a dynamometer. Subjects were divided into strong and weak groups for each muscle strength parameter. Differences in hip, pelvis, and trunk motion were then examined using independent sample t-tests. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to assess these relationships for all subjects. Most notably, runners with weak abductors displayed greater hip adduction and pelvic rotation compared to the strong abductor group, while runners with weak external rotators displayed greater trunk rotation compared to the strong external rotator group. Moderate, negative correlations were observed for the above relationships. While data from this study help clarify the relationship between hip strength and running kinematics, no causal conclusions can be made.

Abstract This thesis deals with the analysis of the rheological structure and tectonic modelling of the Fennoscandian Shield. First, a short introduction to the geology and geophysics of the Fennoscandian Shield is presented followed by a description of rheological concepts. Second, the applied modelling procedures, together with the sources of error are explained. Last a brief summary of each original paper including conclusions is given. Understanding rheological conditions through the entire lithosphere and even deeper is the key for understanding the deformation of the earth's interior. Thus, investigating the rheological structure and possible consequences resulting from tectonic loading are required to some extent when interpreting geophysical data into tectonic models. In this thesis rheological structure is obtained by calculating rheological strength in different locations of the central Fennoscandian Shield. These locations are mainly situated along different deep seismic sounding (DSS) profiles as they provide necessary geophysical information required for model construction. Modelling begins by solving the thermal structure in the lithosphere, as rheological behaviour, mainly ductile flow is strongly controlled by temperature. Results from these calculations show that the rheological structure of the lithosphere depends on the thermal conditions resulting in significant areal variations. Generally, the central Fennoscandian Shield can be considered to be rheologically rather strong. Rheologically weak layers are however usually found in the lower crust. Correlation of the rheological structure with earthquake focal depth data shows that brittle fracture is the relevant mechanism in the earthquake generation and that non-occurrence of deep earthquakes implies low stress or high strength conditions deeper in the crust. Calculated rheological structure is furthermore used as a material parameter in the structural models which are solved next. These results suggest that it is highly unlikely that any considerable ductile deformation in the crust of the central Fennoscandian Shield exists and it seems that the present-day thermal and mechanical conditions in the investigated area do not favour such processes in significant amounts.

Abstract Human motor performance and motor skills are essential aspects of various daily activities, and their importance is especially great in traffic, sports and unexpected situations. There is evidence that physically active subjects have better performance in some motor tasks (e.g. reaction time) than less active ones, and a few longitudinal intervention studies have shown that training improves certain aspects of motor performance, but there are also contradictory results. Despite the difficulty of improving motor performance, many physiotherapy programs and treatments are expected to do precisely that. However, the previous literature contains little information on these issues. The aim of the present doctoral project was to examine human motor performance (reaction time, speed of movement, tapping speed and coordination) and the effects of some of the most commonly used physiotherapy treatments on it in normal healthy volunteers. In addition, the reliability of the motor performance measurements performed with the HPM/BEP system is presented. Study I was a cross-sectional study of the population of Oulu, where 200 healthy randomly selected subjects (100 men and 100 women aged 21–70 years) were stratified by gender and by ten-year age group into ten groups. The test battery consisted of six motor performance tests for both hands and feet. The studies II, III and V were non-controlled intervention studies, and study IV was a cross-over intervention study. The participants in the studies were healthy, voluntary staff members (n = 14–30) of the Oulu University Hospital, and the interventions between the measurements consisted of strapping of the ankle and wrist joints (study II), hot and cold pack treatments of the hand (study III), one-hour hand strength training session (study IV) and a ten -week hand strength training program (study V). The results showed that motor performance was poorer in the older age groups in both genders. The average speed of movement and tapping speed values were higher for men than for women, but there were no gender differences in the coordination tests or the hand reaction time tests. All values (except the hand reaction times) were better for the dominant than the nondominant side. The strapping of the ankle and wrist joints decreased some aspects of the motor performance and muscle strength of these joints in healthy subjects. The hot pack treatment of healthy subjects caused only minor changes in the motor performance of the treated area, while the cold pack treatment decreased almost all of the measured aspects, and these changes were especially notable in fine motor movements. A one-hour hand strength training session decreased acutely muscle strength and EMG activity, but muscle fatigue had no effects on the motor performance functions of the hand. It seems that the feeling of incompetence to perform speed and accurate movements with fatigued muscles is mainly a subjective feeling, and that the real effect of muscle fatigue on motor performance is less than generally expected. A ten-week hand strength training period increased muscle strength and EMG activity in the trained muscles. There was also a suggestion that even non-task-specific training may improve some aspects of the motor performance of the hand, and an increase in the activation of motor units during muscle contraction may improve motor performance in some motor tasks. In addition, the results indicated that the HPM / BEP system is a potentially useful tool for studying motor performance, and the reliability of the system is acceptable.

The effects of variations in alloying content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of high strength steel weld metals have been studied. Based on neural network modelling, weld metals were produced using shielded metal arc welding with nickel at 7 or 9 wt. %, manganese at 2 or 0.5 wt. % while carbon was varied between 0.03 and 0.11 wt. %. From mechanical testing, it was confirmed that a large gain in impact toughness could be achieved by reducing the manganese content. Carbon additions were found to increase strength with only a minor loss to impact toughness as predicted by the modelling. The highest yield strength (912 MPa) in combination with good impact toughness (over 60 J at -100 °C) was achieved with an alloying content of 7 wt. % nickel, 0.5 wt. % manganese and 0.11 wt. % carbon. Based on thermodynamic calculations and observed segregation behaviour it was concluded that the weld metals solidify as austenite. The microstructure was characterised using optical, transmission electron and high resolution scanning electron microscopy. At interdendritic regions mainly martensite was found. In dendrite core regions of the low carbon weld metals a mixture of upper bainite, lower bainite and a novel constituent - coalesced bainite - formed. Coalesced bainite was characterised by large bainitic ferrite grains with cementite precipitates and is believed to form when the bainite and martensite start temperatures are close to each other. Carbon additions were found to promote a more martensitic microstructure throughout the dendrites. Mechanical properties could be rationalised in terms of microstructural constituents and a constitutional diagram was constructed summarising microstructure as a function of manganese and nickel contents.

No description available.

The main purpose of this study was to observe the changes in muscular strength and endurance of the extensor muscles of the hand after the arm had been exposed to electrical stimulation. Twenty-four university students were chosen for this study. The subjects were divided into three groups of eight,, attempting to make each group homogeneous with respect to their Maximal Voluntary Iscitetric Contraction of the extensor muscles of the hand. All subjects were trained with the hand at 150 degrees with respect to the forearm (Position 1) . Group 1 (ES) received five minutes of electrical stimulation to the dorsal surface of the forearm each weekday for a four week period. The placement of the electrodes were at the musculotendonous area of the extensor muscles of the hand. The intensity of the faradic stimulation was just below the subjects pain threshold. Each contraction elicited by the electrical stimulation was for a duration of 880 msec, and the relaxation between each contraction was 1030 msec. Group 2 (VI) performed four sets of eight Maximal Voluntary Contractions, where each contraction was held for a duration of two seconds. Training took place on the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of each week for a four week duration. Group 3 (ES+VIj performed the training of Groups 1 and 2 for four weeks. Subjects were tested for their Maximal Voluntary Contraction in both Position 1 and Position 2 (180 degrees with respect to the forearm). Endurance was calculated on the subjects fatigue curve. The time in seconds to 65% of their MVC (for each testing period) was used as a measure of their relative endurance. The testing of strength and endurance was done before any training took place, after two weeks of training, and at the duration of the four week period. Significant strength gains occurred in all three groups between the Pre test and Mid-Post in Position 1 and Position 2. During the Mid-Post training period only the ES+VI group had significant strength gains in Position 1; whereas in Position 2 both the ES and ES+VI groups yielded significant strength gains. It was illustrated that individual strength gains in the ES and VI groups were not additive in either position tested, and that one training method is not significantly better than another when observing mean strength gains over time. During the four week training period the endurance of the muscles did not alter significantly when locking at the mean of all three groups. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

The problem to be dealt with in this paper is the effect of social ridicule on the ego-strength of the individual. In being forced into the restricted social existence common with the alcohol addict, a significant decrease in ego-strength is to be expected.