Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-158).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wyoming, 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Mar. 8, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. S.)--Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Cunefare, Kenneth A.; Committee Member: Qu, Jianmin; Committee Member: Ryherd, Erica. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

The incidence of falls in the elderly population is a growing concern in the healthcare industry as associated morbidity is high, particularly morbidity associated with falls from bed. Bedrails were implemented as a device intended to reduce the incidence of falls from bed; however, recent evidence may indicate that bedrails contribute to adverse events including entrapment and entanglement. As such, efforts have been madeto reduce the use of bedrails and implement alternatives including height adjustable beds and floor mats. An instrumented anthropomorphic test dummy was used in the current study to measure the deceleration profiles of the head, thorax, and pelvis upon impact onto a tile surface or floor mat. The height of the fall was varied by using a height adjustable bed, and the impact site was varied by head or feet first falls. The deceleration profiles were used to determine mean maximum values across repeated trials and to calculate injury criteria at the head (HIC), thorax (TIC), and pelvis (PIC). The mean maximum values were further used to estimate the effect of adding bedrails. Injury severity was then predicted from the injury criteria calculated for the head. From this study, the mean maximum values were found to significantly increase with an increase in height regardless of fall direction. As such, the addition of bedrails consequently increased these values. Furthermore, the use of a floor mat significantly reduced the mean maximum values at the head and pelvis during head first falls and at the head and thorax during feet first falls. Injury criteria were also calculated for each body region and found to be significantly increased with an increase in height and decreased with the use of the floor mat.

published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing

The importance of humus form or forest floor as a principal component of terrestrial forest ecosystems has led to the development of a taxonomic classification of humus forms for BC (first approximation: Klinka et al. 1981; second approximation: Green et al. 1993). This classification, as all others, is based on the field-observable (morphological) features because we expect that they reflect differences in the nature and development of humus forms. However, there is a continuing need to test (1) whether humus forms that appear different are in fact different in their physical, chemical, and biotic properties, and (2) the portability of the classification outside the area in which it was developed. As a result of recent studies of the biotic component of humus forms and recent testing of the classification outside British Columbia (Scandinavia, southeastern Russia, and northeastern China), we have recognized several new diagnostic horizons, and hence new taxa. In this pamphlet, we present synopsis of the third approximation of the classification for review and testing. For more detailed information on the background, methodology, and classification of humus forms, the readers should consult Green et al. (1993). Each humus form is represented by the sequence of organic and mineral horizons that constitute the humus form profile. Identification of a humus form, i.e., giving it a name, requires description of the humus form profile – the identification of master and subordinate horizons. For this reason we have included a description of the horizon designations as well as a synopsis of the classification and a key to the identification of humus forms.

Baigiamajame magistro darbe atlikta Lietuvos ir užsienio šalių mokslininkų darbų apžvalga. Išanalizuota pramoninių betoninių grindų ant sutankinto grunto pagrindinė konstrukcijos dalis – betonas, jo sudėtis bei jo armavimo plaušais galimybės. Išnagrinėti grindų įrengimo technologiniai procesai (pagrindo įrengimas, betono klojimas, siūlių išdėstymas, apdirbimas, priežiūra), nustatyta jų įtaka galutinei grindų kokybei. Racionalaus grindų įrengimo varianto paieškai sukurtas modelis. Pateikti jo praktinio pritaikymo pavyzdžiai. Darbą sudaro įvadas, 5 skyriai, išvados, 58 bibliografiniai šaltiniai. Darbo apimtis – 99 puslapiai teksto be priedų, 42 paveikslai, 23 lentelės. Atskirai pridedami 18 priedų. / The current master’s thesis provides an overview of works by Lithuanian and foreign scientists. It analyses the key construction component of industrial concrete floors on consolidated soil – concrete, as well as its composition and options for reinforcing it with fibres. The thesis also analyses the technological processes of floor installation (laying of the base, placing of concrete, positioning of joints, treatment and maintenance) as well as their influence on the final quality of the floor. A model has been created to search for a sound option for floor installation and examples of its practical application are provided. The thesis consists of the introduction, 5 chapters, conclusions and 58 bibliography sources. The length of the thesis is 99 pages without annexes, 42 pictures, 23 tables. 18 annexes are attached separately.

No description available.

This research project aims to investigate the level of risk/safety inherent in intermediate floors of buildings designed to the Compliance Document for the New Zealand Building Code, Fire Safety Clauses C1, C2, C3, C4 (C/AS1), and develop guidance for Fire Engineers on designing fire safety for firecells containing intermediate floors. The project also aims to develop a new set of prescriptive fire safety requirements for intermediate floors and proposes an outline of a verification method for designing fire safety for intermediate floors. This study includes a literature review of the fire safety requirements for intermediate floors (mezzanines) of prescriptive requirements in New Zealand and other countries such as USA, Canada, UK and Australia. The results of this literature review found that the intermediate floor size is limited and varies with country. An intermediate floor that has an area exceeding the limit set out by the prescriptive requirements is considered as a storey in all the countries prescriptive requirements reviewed including the New Zealand prescriptive requirements prior to 1991. Since 1991, in New Zealand Acceptable Solutions, the intermediate floor that has an area exceeding the limit will not be treated as a storey, however, a smoke control system is required. The level of risk was quantified using a factor of safety (FoS) - the ratio of Available Safe Egress Time (ASET) to Required Safe Egress Time (RSET). Two fire models; BRANZFIRE and FDS were used to calculate ASET and SIMULEX, an evacuation program, was used to calculate movement times of the occupants of the studied buildings. Unlike the traditional method in which RSET and FoS are assessed using single value, in this project the distribution of RSET and FoS were assessed using the @RISK software package. The analysis showed that the level of risk to the occupants of the firecells containing intermediate floors is always higher than that of the equivalent firecells without intermediate floors with the same occupant load and the differences in FoS range from 10% to 60%. The analysis also highlighted that the level of risk to the occupants of firecells having intermediate floors increases as the intermediate floor size increases, however, there are no clear cut-off points at which a higher level of fire safety precaution should be provided. The cut-off points in C/AS1 of 20% for a closed intermediate floor and 40% for an open intermediate floor, are not justified by this analysis. Occupant load has significant impact on the level of safety of the occupants of the firecells containing intermediate floors. The higher the occupant load the lower the level of safety is. The definitions for open and closed intermediate floors are proposed to which open and closed intermediate floors are clearly distinguished. The term “limited area intermediate floor” in the current C/AS1 is proposed be removed and all related clauses are proposed to be amended or deleted accordingly. A proposed new set of prescriptive fire safety requirements for intermediate floors has been developed based on the occupant load of intermediate floors and not the intermediate floor size in the form of a table similar to the current Table 4.1 of C/AS1. The occupant load and fire safety precautions (FSPs) of the intermediate floors are determined based on the occupant load and their required FSPs of the equivalent firecells without intermediate floors that have the same factor of safety with the firecells containing intermediate floors. With the proposed FSPs, a firecell with lower occupant load would require lesser fire safety requirements than a firecell with higher occupant load regardless of intermediate floor size. Moreover, with the proposed FSPs for intermediate floors, the level of safety of the occupants of the firecells having intermediate floors would be very similar to the level of safety of the equivalent firecells without intermediate floors. In addition to the proposed tables of FSPs, some clauses regarding the changes in the fire safety requirement and definitions for intermediate floors are proposed. Guidance for designers in designing fire safety for firecells containing intermediate floors in which the methods of modelling using BRANZFIRE and Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) are presented in detail, has been developed. The analysis has pointed out that the location of the exits is critical in designing fire safety for firecells containing intermediate floors and majority of exits from the lower floor should not be located under intermediate floors. Although one of the main objectives of this research project was to propose an outline of a verification method for designing fire safety for intermediate floors, the analysis showed that it is very difficult to develop a rational verification method for designing fire safety for firecells containing intermediate floors. Using the proposed FSPs for intermediate floors which are based on the occupant load of the intermediate floors in designing fire safety for firecells containing intermediate floors is recommended by this study. These recommendations do not preclude the use of specific fire engineering design for designing fire safety for firecells having intermediate floors.

The customer currently lifts caravans with an ordinary car jack in combination with a beam and a tractor. The customer wants to have a device which grants more safety and stability. The task is executed by two international students. In order to develop a new design, a methodical design process is used. This process does not contain all steps of a product development process and in consists in this case of four steps. The outcome of this product development process is a device which meets the technical requirements and which is validated by a computer simulation. The device is safe to use and stable. Besides, the device is mobile, thus storable, and adjustable, as the customer requested. Lastly, the students made some recommendations for using the device.