The main purpose of this study is to find critical loads and full bracing conditions for perfect two-span columns, and to find the reaction forces at the lateral bracing supports and maximum deflections for two-span columns with initial curvature. In each case, the column under consideration may have different bending stiffnesses in each span, and the column is subjected to an axial compressive load. The braces are not assumed to be equally spaced, and may have different spring stiffnesses. For the perfect columns, it is found that if the internal lateral support is located in the middle of the column , the column can resist a higher applied load than for any other support location. The load resisting capacity of the column depends on the lateral spring stiffness. It is also found that an ideal spring stiffness, corresponding to full bracing, only exists under special conditions. For the imperfect columns, the initial shape is assumed to be the same as the buckling mode of the perfect column, and its size is specified. It is found that there are no reaction forces when there is full bracing. The reaction forces and maximum deflections are proportional to the size of the initial deflection, so their values for initial deflections of the same shape but different size can be determined directly from the results presented here. / Master of Science

Researchers have shown that certain demographic variables, family structures, and parenting strategies can predict the degree of satisfaction that a mother may experience with her children. This study looked at the relationship between some of these factors (i.e., maternal age, educational level, employment status, occupational prestige, marital status, living arrangements, number of children, age of oldest child, spank, reason, and praIse) and their predictive value to parental satisfaction using mothers participating in a federally funded Women, Infants, and Children program <W.I.C.). The relationship between parental satisfaction and parental acceptance/rejection was also examined. / Master of Science

The objective of this thesis is to study the vibration suppression capabilities of a double-octahedral adaptive truss with an appended flexible beam. Three cases are studied. The first case is an experimental and analytical investigation of flexible beam control using an adaptive truss positioned in an equilibrium configuration such that the beam is parallel to the gravity field. A linear model of the system is derived, and a linear LQR control law is designed. Control experiments are conducted and show that the adaptive truss performs good vibration control of the flexible beam with the effective modal damping increased from 0.012 for the uncontrolled vibrations to 0.19 for the controlled vibrations. Good agreement between the open-loop and closed-loop simulations and experiments is achieved such that a correlation coefficient of 0.92 is observed between the experiment and simulation open-loop data and a correlation coefficient of 0.85 is observed for the experiment and simulation closed-loop data. The second case is the analysis and vibration control of the flexible beam while the adaptive truss is positioned at some large-angle configuration such that the flexible beam is severely affected by gravity. In this case a nonlinear beam model is developed and a linear LQR control law is implemented. Simulations show vibration control of the flexible beam for large-angle configurations of the truss, and that the vibration control performance is highly dependent on the linearization point of the control law. The third case is the analysis and control of large-angle slewing of a flexible beam using the adaptive truss. In this case the nonlinear beam model is implemented with both linear LQR and nonlinear gain-scheduled control laws. Simulations indicate that the adaptive truss achieves vibration control of the beam during slewing manuvers for all control laws tested with the nonlinear control law achieving superior vibration control performance in comparison to all control laws tested. / Master of Science

In this paper we consider computational algorithms for constructing design models for LQR control of a Timoshenko structure. We consider two finite element schemes and compare their robustness property. The functional gains are also compared against their counterpart when an Euler-Bernoulli model is used to describe the dynamics of the beam. Results indicates that the choice of finite element scheme has a direct bearing on the convergence of the functional gains. / Ph. D.

The synthesis and characterization of poly (arylene ether) s containing the phosphine oxide unit along the backbone were investigated and unique properties derived from the presence of this moiety were identified. The preparation of crucial phosphine oxide containing monomers which would be susceptible to the desired nucleophilic aromatic substitution polycondensation was achieved via Grignard routes. Thus, bis (4-fluorophenyl)phenyl phosphine oxide and bis (4-fluoropheny) methyl phosphine oxide were found to undergo successfully polymerization by a nucleophilic displacement reaction with aromatic bisphenols in the presence of potassium carbonate and dipolar aprotic solvents. The resulting poly (arylene ether phosphine oxide) s had glass transition temperatures ranging from 195 to 285°C depending on the rigidity of the bisphenol and the pendant group on the phosphorus containing monomers. Many properties were typical of their poly (arylene ether sulfone) and poly (arylene ether ketone) counterparts, including excellent hydrolytic, thermal and oxidative stability. Good dimensional stability and mechanical properties were also obtained. Physical blends and statistical copolymers, as well as polymers of controlled molecular weight and functionality, were also prepared via conventional techniques, yielding novel phosphorus containing compositions. Unique features of these poly (arylene ether phosphine oxide) s (PEPO) were discovered initially by thermogravimetric analysis in air. All PEPO gave significant amounts of phosphorus containing char at temperatures where other engineering polymers were completely volatilized. This behavior was related to the very improved self-extinguishing behavior of all the phosphorus containing systems. Unlike most phosphorus containing polyphosphonates described in the literature, the phosphorus-aryl carbon bond was hydrolytically stable. Additionally, these PEPO materials were much more resistant to aggressive oxygen plasma environments due solely to unique oxidized phosphorus surface layers formed upon exposure to these harsh conditions. Finally, metal complexation through the phosphine oxide unit was discovered to be a novel way to modify polymer properties. / Ph. D.

This thesis examines the dissolution of Yugoslavia during 1991-2 and the involvement of a legal commission, known as the Badinter Arbitration Commission, in this process. This Commission was an ad hoc legal organ which was created for the purpose of assisting in the peaceful resolution of the conflict which erupted in Yugoslavia during the latter years of the Cold War and continued throughout the post-Cold war period. Whether it can truly be described as having been fully resolved remains to be seen. The thesis describes international events leading to the end of the Cold War, domestic events leading to Yugoslavia's dissolution and institutional responses leading to the creation of the Commission. The Commission's jurisprudence is analysed, with particular focus on the Commission's advice relating to issues surrounding the dissolution process. Having been mandated to operate in a civil conflict at a time of great turbulence in contemporary international relations, one cannot ignore certain issues of wider interest. Fundamentally, one must question whether Yugoslavia represents an international legal anomaly or evidences changes in international law and threats to international peace and security. One must seek to draw lessons from the way in which the Yugoslav conflict arose and the way in which a peaceful-settlement was sought if international law's current responses are to be assessed.

No description available.

The war in the Balkans (1991-1999) demonstrated dramatically the European dependence on the United States in military issues. The EU was paralyzed by the events in the Balkans and showed a startling incapacity to deal with this crisis. Even in 2005, some critics argue that, though the European Union (EU) has become an economic superpower, it is still a negligible player in the realm of security and defense issues. This thesis demonstrates that since 1998 the EU has developed a credible security and defense policy and the capabilities and the mindset successfully to conduct military missions. The thesis argues that the EU forces, EUFOR, will successfully implement the 1995 Dayton Accords in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the wake of NATO's Implementation and Stabilization Forces (IFOR/SFOR). Following an overview of the development of the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP), the thesis highlights how the ESDP was put into practice for the first time during operation CONCORDIA in Macedonia in 2003. The thesis further examines the challenges that EUFOR has to face in Bosnia and Herzegovina today and it outlines the ways and means that the EU and EUFOR chose to deal with the challenges in the country. The thesis summarizes the findings to show how they support the argument that EUFOR will successfully implement the Dayton Accords and the implications of the topic for ESDP more generally.

M.Com. (Economics) / The objective of this thesis is to describe the nature of the South African economic system for the period 1970-1985 in macroeconomic terms. As an introduction to the specific analysis of the South African economic system, the author also discusses the socio-economic nature of economic systems per see Based on an identification- and classification framework which was developed as a result of a literature survey in this regard, the author made extensive use of the Quarterly Bulletins of the South African Reserve Bank and the South African Statistical Service's two-yearly publication of collective South African statistics in order to analyse the nature and extent of the most important macroeconomic variables in the South African economy. As a resu 1t of the macroeconomic analysis, the author came to a number of conclusions regarding the South African economic system during the period 1970-1985. The conclusions were, inter alia: The South African economic system could best be described as a mixed economy in which the Government played a substantial and increasingly important role in terms of its contribution to the GDP and other important macroeconomic variables. Although South Africa experienced an average increase in its real GDP of approximately 2,6% per year, the country had an average yearly population growth of 2,8% during the relevant period, with the result that the real per capita GOP in 1985 was lower than the corresponding 1970 figure. It should also be noted that the GOP declined in real terms for the first time in fifty years between 1981 and 1983 and between 1984 and 1985. Other meaningful conclusions concerned the drastic decline in the purchasing power of the Rand, the substantial influence of the foreign sector of the economy, the disparity between the average compensation packages for the White and Nonwhite subgroups of the population, the changing importance of the different sectors of the economy in terms of their contribution to the GOP and other economic variables, an increase in the percentage of women who were active in the economy during this period, the poor performance of the multi input index of productivity, sharp fluctuations in company savings and a greater reliance on passive forms of business income.

Se optó por estructurar el contenido de este trabajo conforme a una organización lógica del material, basado en sus referencias temáticas a un origen pasado, a su sociedad en el presente histórico y a modelos utópicos de la nación-estado, cuyos temas correspondientes giran en torno a la Historia (Primera Parte), la Nación (Segunda Parte) y el Estado de Panamá (Tercera Parte). El tema de la Geografía de Panamá, como situación geográfica, está presente a través de todo el ensayo, en cada una de sus partes, porque el determinismo geográfico juega un papel importante en las narrativas de identidad nacional en Panamá. / Tesis