Applications like military, agriculture, and extra-planetary explorations require the successful navigation of vehicles across different types of terrain like soil, mud, and snow. As the properties of the terrain heavily influence the interaction with the tire, it is necessary to characterize the terrain from a tire performance and vehicle mobility perspective. Failure to properly understand the tire-terrain interaction can lead to undesirable conditions like loss of vehicle mobility due to excessive sinkage. As a result, it is essential to understand the tire terrain interaction between an off-road tire and a sandy terrain. This study was done to assess the performance of tires in both pure slip (only traction and braking) and combined slip conditions (steering and acceleration). A single-wheel indoor test rig was used to conduct tests under different conditions and a force transducer was used to capture the forces and moments generated in the tire hub. In addition to this, the tire footprint was captured with the help of a light-based 3-D scanner. Key parameters were defined in the 3D scan, and these parameters were correlated to the input test conditions. Additionally, a grid of force sensors was made, and measurements of the normal force acting at a depth below the undisturbed terrain were taken. Inferences were made about the linear speed of the wheel and the length of the pressure bulb under the tire. / Master of Science / Several applications like military, extra-terrestrial exploration, and motor racing require vehicles to navigate off-road terrains like soil, snow, and ice. The tire interacts with these off-road terrains very differently from the way it interacts with the road. It is important to understand this interaction correctly as this interaction generates all the forces needed by a vehicle to perform various maneuvers like acceleration, braking, and turning. If not accounted for properly, there can be undesirable conditions like loss of vehicle mobility due to excessive sinkage in sand. Tests were performed where an off-road tire ran on a non-cohesive, loose soil under different slip ratios, slip angles, and camber angles in an indoor test rig. The forces and moments acting on the tire during the tests were measured and its variation with input conditions was studied. A light-based 3D scanner was used to capture the tire rut profile on the soil after each test. The important parameters of the tire rut were defined and the variation of these parameters with input parameters were studied. Additionally, the stresses developed below the soil surface were measured with the help of a sensor grid, which was also used to verify the linear speed of the tire and infer the length of the zone inside the soil that is affected by the tire.

Spatial coordinate measurement systems play an important role in manufacturing and certification processes. There are many types of coordinate measurement systems including electronic theodolite networks, total station systems, video photogrammetry systems, laser tracking systems, laser scanning systems, and coordinate measuring machines. Each of these systems produces coordinate measurements containing some degree of uncertainty. Often, the results from several different types of measurement systems must be combined in order to provide useful measurement results. When these measurements are combined, the resulting coordinate data set contains uncertainties that are a function of the base data sets and complex interactions between the measurement sets. ISO standards, ANSI standards, and others, require that estimates of uncertainty accompany all measurement data. This research presents methods for quantifying the uncertainty fields associated with coupled spatial measurement systems. The significant new developments and refinements presented in this dissertation are summarized as follows: 1) A geometrical representation of coordinate uncertainty fields. 2) An experimental method for characterizing instrument component uncertainty. 3) Coordinate uncertainty field computation for individual measurements systems. 4) Measurement system combination methods based on the relative uncertainty of each measurement's individual components. 5) Combined uncertainty field computation resulting from to the interdependence of the measurements for coupled measurement systems. 6) Uncertainty statements for measurement analyses such as best-fit geometrical shapes and hidden-point measurement. 7) The implementation of these methods into commercial measurement software. 8) Case studies demonstrating the practical applications of this research. The specific focus of this research is portable measurement systems. It is with these systems that uncertainty field combination issues are most prevalent. The results of this research are, however, general and therefore applicable to any instrument capable of measuring spatial coordinates. / Ph. D.

The thesis sets out the design of new feeding strategies in the current context of rabbit production, marked by the high prevalence of Epizootic Rabbit Enteropathy and the need of the systematical use of antibiotics as the only way to maintain the digestive health of growing rabbits, and, consequently, the economical viability of the farms. In this context, the study is focused in the use of weaning diets in combined feeding of rabbit does and litters. In the first experiment, eight weaning diet were tested; they were formulated in a factorial design 2Œ2Œ2 with the following factors: i) partial replacement of starch with acid detergent fibre, ii) partial replacement of starch with neutral detergent soluble fibre and iii) reduction in the crude protein content. The three strategies impaired milk yield and body condition of rabbit does and decreased litter weight at weaning; however, they decreased the post-weaning mortality of young rabbits, and those effects seem to be additive. In the second experiment, the effect of those strategies on caecal environment of growing rabbits was tested. The dietary changes modified the production of volatile fatty acids (which increased) and/or ammonial nitrogen (which decreased), creating a more favorable environment to maintain the stability of caecal microbial ecosystem and, consequently, the digestive health, which would explain the reduction of mortality observed in the previous experiment. In the third experiment, a factorial design 2Œ2 was carried out to compare two feeding systems (conventional or the one based in the use of a weaning diet in combined feeding formulating the most favorable feed to digestive health of young rabbits, according to the results obtained in the two previous studies) and two weaning ages (28 or 42 days) in the long term (5 cycles). The results showed once again the conflict of interests between rabbit does production and young rabbits health. In this context, the work has been focused in the use of weaning diets in combined feeding of rabbit does and litters. / Martínez Vallespín, B. (2011). Use of weaning diets in combined feeding of females and growing rabbits [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/14122

During an earthquake, columns in a one-story building must support vertical gravity loads while undergoing large lateral drifts associated with deflections of the vertical seismic force resisting system and deflections of the flexible roof diaphragm. Analyzing the behavior of these gravity columns is complex since not only is there an interaction between compression and bending, but also the boundary conditions are not perfectly pinned or fixed. In this research, the behavior of steel columns that are square hollow structural sections (HSS) is investigated for stability using three design methods: elastic design, plastic hinge design, and pinned base design. First, for elastic design, the compression and flexural strength of the HSS columns are calculated according to the AISC specifications, and the story drift ratio that causes the interaction equation to be violated for varying axial force demands is examined. Then, a simplified design procedure is proposed; this procedure includes a modified interaction equation applicable to HSS column design based on a parameter, Pnh/Mn, and a set of design charts are provided. Second, a plastic hinge design is grounded in the concept that a stable plastic hinge makes the column continue to resist the gravity load while undergoing large drifts. Based on the available test data and the analytical results from finite element models, three limits on the width to thickness ratios are developed for steel square HSS columns. Lastly, for pinned base design, the detailing of a column base connection is schematically described. Using FE modeling, it is shown that it is possible to create rotational stiffness below a limit such that negligible moment develops at the column base. All the design methods are demonstrated with a design example / Master of Science / One-story buildings are one of the most economical types of structures built for industrial, commercial, or recreational use. During an earthquake, columns in a one-story building must support vertical gravity loads while undergoing large lateral displacements, referred to as story drift. Vertical loads cause compression forces, and lateral drifts produce bending moments. The interaction between these forces makes it more complex to analyze the behavior of these gravity columns. Moreover, since the column base is not perfectly fixed to the ground, there are many boundary conditions applicable to the column base depending on the fixity condition. For these reasons, the design for columns subjected to lateral drifts while supporting axial compressive forces has been a growing interest of researchers in the field. However, many researchers have focused more on wide-flange section (I-shape) steel columns rather than on tube section columns, known as hollow structural section (HSS) steel columns. In this research, the behavior of steel square tube section columns is investigated for stability using three design methods: elastic design, plastic hinge design, and pinned base design. First, for elastic design, the compression and flexural strength of the HSS columns are calculated according to current code equations, and the story drift that causes failure for varying axial force demands is examined. Then, a simplified design procedure is proposed including design charts. Second, a plastic hinge design is grounded in the concept that controlled yielding at the column base makes the column continue to resist the gravity load while undergoing large drifts. Based on the available test data and results from computational models, three limits on the width to thickness ratios of the tubes are developed. Lastly, for pinned base design, concepts for detailing a column base connection with negligible bending resistance is schematically described. Using a computational model, it is shown that the column base can be detailed to be sufficiently flexible to allow rotation. All the design methods are demonstrated with a design example.

<p dir="ltr">Steel-concrete composite (SC) walls are increasingly gaining interest as an alternative to reinforced concrete (RC) walls for safety-related nuclear facilities. The major loading for the SC design is seismic loading. Seismic loading results in combined in-plane shear with axial or out-of-plane moment loading on SC structures. The primary resistance against the lateral loading in these structures is provided by in-plane shear resistance. While the AISC N690 design code includes equations for determining in-plane shear capacity and combined loading, its guidance is limited to pure in-plane shear capacity, in-plane shear combined with out-of-plane moments and combined out-of-plane shear forces. It lacks comprehensive design equations for combined loadings, such as in-plane shear with axial or out-of-plane moment loading. Additionally, the N690 design equation for in-plane shear capacity is somewhat conservative. Understanding the behavior of SC walls under these combined loadings is crucial for their optimal design.</p><p dir="ltr">This research addresses this gap by performing numerical investigation based on the finite element modelling (FEM) and mechanics-based approaches to analyze the behavior of SC walls under these loadings. The models were verified and validated using data from previous experimental studies. A parametric study was conducted to evaluate the impact of various design and material parameters on the in-plane shear capacity under combined loadings. Based on the parametric data and linear regression analysis, design equations were formulated to predict the in-plane shear capacity. Interaction envelopes were developed to compare the results from these models with those from previous numerical studies. Finally, practical design guidance and design equations were provided to design these structures.</p>

Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are the leading cause of viral epidemic acute gastroenteritis and responsible for the deaths of over 200,000 children each year worldwide. HuNoV research has been hampered by the long absence of a readily reproducible cell culture system and a suitable small animal model, while gnotobiotic (Gn) pigs have been a unique animal model for understanding HuNoV pathogenesis and immunity, as well as evaluating vaccine and therapeutics. Recent reports of HuNoVs infection and replication in B cells supplemented with commensal bacteria Enterobacter cloacae and in Blab/c mice deficient in RAG/IL2RG have gained extensive attention, and my studies utilized the well-established Gn pig model to investigate the effects of these two interventions on HuNoV infection. Surprisingly, the colonization of E. cloacae inhibited HuNoV infectivity in Gn pigs, evidenced by the significantly reduced HuNoV shedding in feces and HuNoV titers in intestinal tissues and blood compared to control pigs. Moreover, HuNoV infection of enterocytes but not B cells was observed with or without E. cloacae colonization, indicating B cells were not a target cell type for HuNoV in Gn pigs. On the other hand, using RAG2/IL2RG deficient pigs generated by CRISPR/Cas9 system, with confirmed severe combined immunodeficiency, I evaluated the effects of host immune responses on HuNoV infection. Compared to wild-type Gn pigs, longer HuNoV shedding was observed in RAG2/IL2RG deficient pigs (16 versus 27 days), and higher HuNoV titers were detected in intestinal tissues and contents and in blood, indicating increased and prolonged HuNoV infection in RAG2/IL2RG deficient pigs. In addition, I evaluated dietary interventions including probiotics and rice bran using Gn pig model of HuNoV infection and diarrhea. While the colonization of probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) in Gn pigs completely inhibited HuNoV fecal shedding, the two cocktail regimens, in which rice bran feeding started either 7 days prior to or 1 day after viral inoculation in the LGG+EcN colonized Gn pigs, exhibited dramatic anti-HuNoV effects, including reduced incidence and shorter duration of diarrhea, as well as shorter duration of virus fecal shedding. The anti-HuNoV effects of the cocktail regimens were associated with the enhanced IFN-𝛾⁺ T cell responses, increased production of intestinal IgA and IgG, and longer villus length. Taken together, my dissertation work improves our understanding of HuNoV infection and immunity, and further supports for Gn pigs as a valuable model for future studies of human enteric virus infection, host immunity, and interventions. / Ph. D. / Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are the leading cause of viral epidemic acute gastroenteritis. Using the gnotobiotic pig model of HuNoV infection and diarrhea, we found that (1) the colonization of a commensal bacterium E. cloacae inhibited HuNoV infectivity, and B cells were not a target cell type for HuNoV in gnotobiotic pigs. (2) Increased and prolonged HuNoV infection in RAG2/IL2RG deficient pigs, which had severe combined immunodeficiency. (3) The dietary supplementation of rice bran and colonization of two probiotic bacteria significantly reduced HuNoV infectivity and diarrhea, and the beneficial effects were associated with enhanced intestinal immunity and health. Taken together, the dissertation work improves our understanding of HuNoV infection and immunity, and further supports for gnotobiotic pigs as a valuable model for future studies of human enteric virus infection, host immunity, and interventions.

Yes / Construction and demolition waste (CDW) has reached severe environmental and economic dimensions due to its large volume among all solid waste, highlighting the importance of local actions to manage, recycle, and reuse CDW. Ductile demountable connections are necessary to disassemble and reuse the concrete structural members and fast assembly of precast structures in seismic regions without generating waste. In this study, the seismic performance of CDW-based reinforced geopolymer concrete columns has been investigated. Six ½ scaled columns (half of which were demountable and the other half monolithic) were experimentally tested under reversed cyclic lateral displacement excursions, considering three different levels of constant axial loading to determine failure mechanisms, load–displacement responses, ductilities, energy dissipation capacities, stiffness degradation relations, and curvature distributions. The obtained test results were used to determine the performance of CDWbased geopolymer concrete columns and compare the performances of the demountable connection with the monolithic connection. The test results showed that the novel demountable connection for precast concrete frames exhibited better seismic performance in terms of maximum lateral load capacity, initial stiffness, energy dissipation capacity, and maximum curvature than their monolithic counterparts. Besides, increasing the axial compression ratio on the columns caused an increase in lateral load capacity, energy dissipation capacity, energy dissipation ratio, and initial curvature stiffness; however, it decreased the ductility. Finally, the capacity predictions of current codes, i.e., TS500 and ACI318, were conservative when compared with experimental results. / This publication is a part of doctoral dissertation work by the first author in the Academic Program of Civil Engineering, Institute of Science, Hacettepe University. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No: 869336, ICEBERG (Innovative Circular Economy Based solutions demonstrating the Efficient recovery of valuable material Resources from the Generation of representative End-of-Life building material). This work was also supported by Newton Prize 2020. The fifth and seventh authors acknowledge the financial support received from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie SkłodowskaCurie grant agreement No 894100. / The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 4th Oct 2024.

Les systèmes de cogénération (SC) sont largement définis par la production simultanée ou coïncidente de la production combinée de chaleur et d'électricité. L’idée de la cogénération revêt une importance particulière puisqu’elle est un outil de réduction des émissions à effet de serre. Comme les systèmes électriques ont été développés selon les carburants et leur utilisation énergétique, de même, les SC ont été développés afin d'utiliser l'énergie possible du carburant pour produire de l’électricité et de la chaleur. La décentralisation de la production électrique est désormais un événement existant. La favorisation maximale de l’électricité d’origine renouvelable ou des systèmes de
cogénération, a abouti à cette décentralisation formant une partie de la production électrique.
Cette thèse est appliquée au cas du système électrique libanais. Elle sert à évaluer la puissance optimale de cogénération qui doit être installée par le secteur public ou le secteur privé, ainsi que la mise en évidence des impacts économiques et environnementaux dus à l’intégration des SC et des énergies renouvelables dans le réseau. Dans ce travail de thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés à l’intégration des systèmes de cogénération dans un réseau électrique. Nous avons travaillé sur deux thèmes principaux et les avons appliqués au cas du réseau électrique libanais. Le premier thème principal est l’innovation d’une stratégie de prise de décision qui sert à trouver une puissance de cogénération respectant l’économie et l’environnement. Le second thème principal est l’optimisation et le contrôle du réseau électrique en fonction des énergies renouvelables (ER) et des SC intégrés. Les deux thèmes cités sont ensuite appliqués au cas du réseau électrique libanais pour montrer les avantages de l’intégration des SC et des ER dans ce réseau. / Cogeneration systems (CS) are largely defined by the simultaneous or coincident production of combined heat and power. The idea of cogeneration is of particular importance since it is a tool for reducing greenhouse gases emissions. As electrical systems have been developed according to the fuel and energy use, the CS have been developed to profit from the possible potential of the fuel energy to produce electricity and heat. Decentralization of power generation is considered an important fact. The maximum use of electricity from renewable sources or cogeneration systems, has leaded to the decentralization of power generation.This thesis is applied to the Lebanese electrical system. It is used to assess the optimum cogeneration power to be installed by the public sector or the private sector, as well as highlighting the economic and environmental impacts due to the integration of the CS and renewables into the grid. In this thesis, we focused on the integration of cogeneration systems into a grid. We worked on two major themes and have applied them to the case of the Lebanese electrical grid. The first main theme is the innovation of a new decision making strategy to find the cogeneration power respecting the economy and the environment. The second main theme is the optimization and the control of the electrical grid due to the integration of renewable energy (RE) and CS. The two themes cited are then applied to the case of the Lebanese electrical grid to show the benefits of the integration of RE and CS into this grid.

Performance engineers face the major challenge in modeling and simulation for the after-market power system due to system degradation and measurement errors. Currently, the majority in power generation industries utilizes the deterministic data matching method to calibrate the model and cascade system degradation, which causes significant calibration uncertainty and also the risk of providing performance guarantees. In this research work, a maximum-likelihood based simultaneous data reconciliation and model calibration (SDRMC) is used for power system modeling and simulation. By replacing the current deterministic data matching with SDRMC one can reduce the calibration uncertainty and mitigate the error propagation to the performance simulation. A modeling and simulation environment for a complex power system with certain degradation has been developed. In this environment multiple data sets are imported when carrying out simultaneous data reconciliation and model calibration. Calibration uncertainties are estimated through error analyses and populated to performance simulation by using principle of error propagation. System degradation is then quantified by performance comparison between the calibrated model and its expected new & clean status. To mitigate smearing effects caused by gross errors, gross error detection (GED) is carried out in two stages. The first stage is a screening stage, in which serious gross errors are eliminated in advance. The GED techniques used in the screening stage are based on multivariate data analysis (MDA), including multivariate data visualization and principle component analysis (PCA). Subtle gross errors are treated at the second stage, in which the serial bias compensation or robust M-estimator is engaged. To achieve a better efficiency in the combined scheme of the least squares based data reconciliation and the GED technique based on hypotheses testing, the Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithm is utilized as the optimizer. To reduce the computation time and stabilize the problem solving for a complex power system such as a combined cycle power plant, meta-modeling using the response surface equation (RSE) and system/process decomposition are incorporated with the simultaneous scheme of SDRMC. The goal of this research work is to reduce the calibration uncertainties and, thus, the risks of providing performance guarantees arisen from uncertainties in performance simulation.

Cette thèse porte sur une méthodologie d’estimation des capacités d’un futur instrument spatioporté. Le cas d’étude est l’instrument Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) à bord du futur satellite Meteosat Troisième Génération Imageur (MTG-I), et plus particulièrement ses capacités à détecter des variations de quantité d’aérosols désertiques dans l’atmosphère. Une meilleure connaissance de ces aérosols fait partie des besoins régulièrement exprimés pour l’étude du climat, la prévision météorologique ou l’estimation de la ressource solaire dans des zones arides comme le Sahara. Ce type d’aérosols est abondant dans l’atmosphère. Leurs propriétés physico-chimique les rendent distinguables des autre types d’aérosols comme ceux résultant de la pollution d’origine anthropique, d’autant qu’ils sont émis dans des zones protégées des contaminations par ces autres types. Ils représentent donc un cas d’étude simple pour valider la méthodologie développée dans cette thèse.La méthodologie consiste à réaliser un simulateur de vue du sol par l’instrument, à effectuer de très nombreuses simulations des luminances mesurées par l’instrument sous diverses conditions atmosphériques et de l’albédo du sol, à analyser les résultats de manière à quantifier l’influence de chaque variable dans la variation de la luminance, puis à conclure quant aux capacités de détection grâce un critère de détectabilité prenant en compte les caractéristiques de l’instrument.Le simulateur développé a été validé par confrontation avec des mesures réelles de l’instrument SEVIRI à bord du satellite Meteosat Second Generation. L’innovation principale réside dans l’usage de l’approche d’analyse de sensibilité globale (GSA). Cette dernière quantifie l’influence de chaque variable séparément ainsi que les termes croisés. Elle exploite des fonctions de répartition statistique des variables extraites d’observations, et permet par conséquent d’obtenir une analyse de sensibilité réaliste. La GSA produit aussi des fonctionnelles modélisant l’influence d’une ou plusieurs variables sur la variabilité du signal observé et utilisables pour différentes applications dans la télédétection. / This thesis deals with a methodology to assess the capabilities of future spaceborne instruments. The case study is the Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) of the future Meteosat Third Generation Imaging mission (MTG - I), and in particular its ability to detect variations in load of desert aerosols in a realistically variable atmosphere. A better understanding of the behavior of these aerosols is part of regularly expressed needs for the study of the climate, weather forecast or assessment of the solar resource in arid areas such as the Sahara. This type of aerosols is abundant in the atmosphere. Their physical and chemical properties make them distinguishable from other types of aerosols such as those resulting from anthropogenic pollution, especially as they are emitted in areas protected from contamination by these other types. They therefore represent a simple case study to validate the methodology developed in this thesis.The methodology is to provide a simulator of the view of the instrument to perform a large number of simulations of the radiance measured under different atmospheric conditions and ground albedo, to analyze the results in order to quantify the influence of each variable in the variation of radiance, and then conclude on the capabilities of detection through a test of detectability taking into account the characteristics of the instrument.The developed simulator was validated by comparison against actual measurements of the SEVIRI instruments onboard Meteosat Second Generation satellites. The main innovation lies in the use of the global sensitivity analysis approach (GSA). The latter quantifies the influence of each variable separately as well as their crossed terms. Cumulative distribution functions were computed from actual observations and allow a realistic sensitivity analysis of the instrument. The GSA is also used to compute functional representation of the influence of one or more variables on the variability of the observed signal. The usefulness of such representations is discussed for various applications in remote sensing.