A wide range of geotechnical structures are subjected to episodes of cyclic loading. Among them, we can for example mention onshore and offshore foundations subjected to environmental loadings, pavements subjected to traffic loading, filling-emptying cycles on silos and water tanks, among many others. In order to develop constitutive models or numerical tools that accurately reproduce the soil behavior on the aforementioned geotechnical problems, a deep understanding on how soil behaves under cyclic loading is necessary. This behavior is, however, not trivial since non-linearity, small strain stiffness, stiffness degradation, cyclic hysteresis and recent stress history play a significant role. This dissertation presents some contributions to the experimental evidence and numerical description of soil cyclic behavior. It begins with comprehensive experimental databases on Malaysian kaolin and Zbraslav sand. In each database, several monotonic and cyclic tests were performed and analyzed considering a wide range of initial conditions and loading characteristics. In particular, the influence of the deviatoric stress amplitude, soil plasticity, initial stress ratio, drained cyclic preloading and sequence of packages of cycles with different deviatoric stress amplitudes was investigated on Malaysian...

Diplomová práce se zabývá návrhem metodiky pro stanovení vlivu vibrací na únavovou životnost a rychlost šíření trhlin u vztlakových klapek letounu L 410 NG. Úvodní část práce obsahuje potřebné informace o letounu a zatížení vztlakových klapek. Poté jsou popsány prostředky pro kvantitativní popis únavového procesu s využitím napěťového přístupu. Pro objasnění navrhované metodiky je uvedena definice obecného náhodného procesu a popis postupů aplikovaných na data získaná z letového měření. Hlavní část práce obsahuje podrobný popis navržené metodiky. Ta je zároveň aplikována na data získaná z měření na letounu L 410 UVP-E20.

This research consists of full-scale cyclic shake table tests to investigate liquefied residual strength of #2/16 Monterey Sand. A simple shear testing apparatus was mounted to a full-scale one-dimensional shake table to mimic a confined layer of saturated sand subjected to strong ground motions. Testing was performed at the Parson’s Geotechnical and Earthquake Laboratory at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. T-bar penetrometer pullout tests were used to measure residual strength of the liquefied soil during cyclic testing. Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) was performed on the soil specimen throughout testing to relate the laboratory specimen to field index test data and to compare CPT results of the #2/16 Monterey sand before and after liquefaction. The generation and dissipation of excess pore pressures during cyclic motion are measured and discussed. The effects of liquefied soil on seismic ground motion are investigated. Measured residual strengths are compared to previous correlations comparing liquefied residual strength ratios and CPT tip resistance.

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Main goal of this dissertation is read over principal and properties of the OFDM modulation. Onward we become acquainted with basic methods for PAPR dynamics reduction in OFDM such as Clipping or Interleaving. Simulation of reduction methods will be realized in Scilab environment, in which are made basic functions for OFDM modulator and demodulator. Furthermore there are created functions for PAPR reduction methods. All established functions are implemented in the GUI.

Mitochondrial genomes provide a valuable dataset for phylogenetic studies, in particular of metazoan phylogeny because of the extensive taxon sample that is available. Beyond the traditional sequence-based analysis it is possible to extract phylogenetic information from the gene order. Here we present a novel approach utilizing these data based on cyclic list alignments of the gene orders. A progressive alignment approach is used to combine pairwise list alignments into a multiple alignment of gene orders. Parsimony methods are used to reconstruct phylogenetic trees, ancestral gene orders, and consensus patterns in a straightforward approach. We apply this method to study the phylogeny of protostomes based exclusively on mitochondrial genome arrangements. We, furthermore, demonstrate that our approach is also applicable to the much larger genomes of chloroplasts.

Heme containing proteins and their reactivity play a central role in biological systems; they have a vast range of functions including electron transfer, catalysis, and respiration. Cytochromes c and heme c containing proteins have been used widely as model systems to understand how structure and dynamics lead toward function. In this thesis, a variety of biophysical methods are used to investigate two heme c containing model systems to gain insight into how redox potential and reactivity are modulated through changes in the local environment. Mitochondrial cytochrome c undergoes several pH dependent conformational rearrangements that involve different heme ligation and have associated changes in redox potential. Under basic conditions (pH greater than 8), the axial methionine (Met) residue is replaced by one of several nitrogen based ligands, usually a nearby lysine residue, and is coined the "alkaline transition". It is accompanied by a large downward shift in redox potential. The functional utility of this conformational change is not fully understood however it is strongly implicated in the signaling cascade for apoptosis. Bacterial monoheme cytochromes c exhibit similar phenomenological Met-loss behavior as a function of electrode material. In Chapter 2 we utilize Hydrogenobacter thermophilus cytochrome c552 as a model system for the assessment of redox thermodynamics and changes in redox potential associated with the Met-loss form. In Chapter 3 we extend our investigation to homologous cytochromes c. Bacterial cytochrome c peroxidases catalyze the two-electron reduction of hydrogen peroxide to water utilizing cytochrome c as an endogenous electron donor. Chapter 4 describes the first recombinant construct of the diheme Nitrosomonas europaea cytochrome c peroxidase (Ne CCP); a defining family member of constitutively active cytochrome c peroxidases. A variety of biophysical techniques were used to confirm similarity between the recombinant Ne CCP and native enzyme. Chapter 5 extends our investigation to the role of constitutively conserved glutamine and glutamic acid residues within the active site, and two conserved tryptophan residues; the first situated between hemes and the second distal to the active site. In Chapter 6, stopped flow spectroscopy is used to investigate the first intermediates of the Ne CCP catalytic mechanism.

This study investigates the monotonic and cyclic response of light-frame wood shear walls with and without openings. Effects of overturning restraint in the form of tie-down anchors and corner segments on light-frame shear walls with and without door and window openings were quantified. While the results are useful to refine a design methodology for shear walls containing openings, they also provide important knowledge that is needed to accurately quantify anchorage requirements for shear wall design, and assess remaining load and ductility capacity of wood frame buildings after earthquakes or hurricanes. Sixteen full-scale wall specimens were tested using monotonic and sequential phased displacement (SPD) patterns. A total of five different wall configurations, five anchorage, and two loading conditions were used. All walls were eight feet (2.4m) high. Straight wall specimens were forty feet (12.2m) long, whereas corner walls measured twelve feet (3.7m) in length. The analysis includes data from a previous investigation in order to further expand the scope of this study. Results reveal that ultimate capacity and stiffness increase with increasing overturning restraint. A shift in failure mode was observed when overturning restraints were omitted. Accumulated damage experienced by the wall specimens tested cyclically was fairly uniform, regardless of the amount of overturning restraint or size of openings present. / Master of Science

Matorids provide useful abstraction in combinatorics and have a number of applications in many areas. Gammoids,  which is one of many classes of matroids, and they can be represented by directed graphs, which make them easy to visualize. Due to matroids being discovered quite a long time ago, there are a number of great papers and books to do research on. From results made by Albrecht Immanuel and others, it is made clear that by transforming a gammoid into its standard representation, the cyclic flats can be found via its dual representation. Based on his results, it is possible to find the cyclic flats of any gammoid by finding the dual.

The complexation properties of the two isomers of the cyclic polyether dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 are examined in aqueous solution for a series of metal ions at various reaction temperatures. The results are discussed in terms of size relationships and salvation characteristics of both polyether and metal ions. ΔCp° values are determined from the temperature dependence of the ΔH° values. A discussion of the errors involved in the determination of ΔH° from the temperature dependence of log K values is also included. Comparisons are made between the results of this study and those of a similar study by H. K. Frensdorff, E. I. duPont de Nemours and Co., Wilmington, Delaware, in press. The complexation reactions of dicyclohexyl- and dibenzo-18-crown-6 and benzo-15-crown-5 with Na^+ and K^+ ions are reported in non-aqueous solvents and methanol-water mixtures. The results are discussed with reference to their application in model systems of ion transport. In general the stabilities of the polyether-cation complexes were found to increase with decreasing dielectric constant of the solvent medium. In the methanol-water mixtures large compensating ΔH° and ΔS° changes were observed above 70 weight percent methanol, while the log K values showed a nearly linear increase with increasing methanol concentration. Salvation of the polyethers and metal ions and complexation of ion pairs in non-aqueous solvents are discussed.