Graduation date: 1992

none

The static stability of a Tension Leg Platform (TLP) with an intact tendon system is principally provided by its tendons and hence quite different from those of a conventional ship or even a floating structure positioned by its mooring system. Because small deformations in tendons are capable of providing sufficient righting moment to a TLP, the contribution from the inclination of its hull is relatively insignificant, especially when its tendon system is intact. When the tendon system of a TLP is completely damaged, the static stability of a TLP behaves and is calculated in a similar manner as those of a conventional ship. In the case of a TLP with a partially damaged tendon system, the stability of a TLP may be provided by the deformation of its tendons and to a certain extent the inclination of its hull. Several hurricanes in recent years have raised concerns about the feasibility and the robustness of the TLP concept in the deep water Gulf of Mexico. To the best of our knowledge, existing publications on the research of static stability of TLPs are limited. This study investigates the static stability of different types of TLPs representing those deployed in the Gulf of Mexico, under three different scenarios. That is, a TLP with 1) an intact tendon system, 2) a partially damaged tendon system, and 3) a completely damaged tendon system. The four different types of TLP chosen for this study are 1) a conventional four-leg TLP, 2) three-leg mini TLP, 3) extended four-leg TLP and 4) mini four-leg TLP. To avoid buckling and yielding occurring in a tendon, we define that the maximum righting moment provided by an intact or partially damaged tendon system is reached when the tension in one or more tendons on the down tension leg becomes zero or when the tension in one or more tendons on the up tension leg starts to yield. This definition leads us to identify the most dangerous (or vulnerable) directions of met-ocean conditions to a TLP with an intact or partially damaged tendon system. Hence, our finding may also be used in the study on the pitch/roll dynamic stability of a TLP. The righting moments of each TLP in the three different scenarios are respectively computed and compared with related wind-induce static upsetting moment at certain velocities. By comparing their ratios, the static stability of a TLP and the redundancy of its tendon system may be revealed, which has important implication to the design of a TLP.

Techn. Univ., Diss.--Chemnitz, 2004. / Literaturverz. S. 141 - 151.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boise State University, 2009. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 46-49).

The bilateral deficit can be described as when the sum of two unilateral movements exceeds the bilateral output. If the sum does not exceed the bilateral output, a bilateral facilitation is present. Little research has been done in males and females comparison of the bilateral deficit. The purpose of the current study was therefore to compare the bilateral deficit between sexes in a 1 repetition maximum (RM) leg press. Twenty participants, ten males and ten females, were recruited (23.4±2.1 years, 71.2±13.1 kg, 172.2±8.9 cm) and seventeen of them completed the study. The test consisted of two testing sessions (one unilateral with preferred leg, and one bilateral session) with seven days in between. The 1 RM was attained within six attempts, with a three minutes rest between every attempt. The current study showed a bilateral deficit of males (5.6±4.6%) and a bilateral facilitation of females (0.6±5.9%). There was a significant difference between sexes of p=0.031 (p<0.05). Previous studies have examined males and females separately, with different methods and protocols. This study used the same method and protocol in both sexes. Some suggestions of the mechanisms behind the deficit have been proposed and may explain the current findings, but further studies are needed. Future research needs to continue to explore and explain the sex difference in the bilateral strength deficit.

Alignment of the above-knee prostheses is one of the important factors affecting the success of patient/prosthesis matching. It has been found that the prosthetist and the patient can accept a number of alignments which produce different intersegmental loads and it has been suggested that it is possible to obtain an 'optimal' alignment satisfying certain criteria. In order to enhance the efficiency of the alignment procedure, it is necessary to understand how alignment affects the amputee's gait and the patient compensations for changes in the alignment. Biomechanical gait tests on above-knee amputees were conducted in which the alignment of the prosthesis was changed systematically. The Strathclyde television-computer system was used to record the kinematic data of the amputee, and the ground reactions were measured by two Kistler forceplates. An 8-segment biomechanical model of the above-knee amputee was developed and implemented by a suit of FORTRAN computer programs to analyze and present 3-D kinematic and kinetic data obtained. The effects of alignment changes on the above-knee amputees' gait were studied in terms of the temporal-distance parameters, angular displacements of the lower limbs and the trunk, ground reactions and intersegmental moments. It was found that the angular displacement at the hip joint on the prosthetic side showed compensatory actions of the amputee for the alignment changes. The ground reaction force was sensitive to alignment changes, and in particular, the changes in the characteristics of the fore-aft ground force could be related to the alignment changes. The antero-posterior intersegmental moments about the prosthetic ankle and knee joints were evidently influenced by alignment.

No description available.

Changes in the morphological character of appendages are essential to arthropod diversification and adaptation to a variety of living conditions. For instance, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster possesses cylindrical, uniramous (unbranched) walking legs that are well suited for terrestrial life, while Triops longicaudatus possesses paddle-like, multiramous (multibranched) limbs adapted to aquatic life. Comparative studies of limb patterning between different species of arthropods suggest that most animals utilize a conserved set of genes to construct a limb. How is this common set of genes used to produce morphological divergence? This question is addressed here by examining the spatiotemporal expression patterns of genes shown to establish distinct domains along the proximodistal (P/D) axis in arthropod species with legs morphologically distinct from Drosophila legs.In this dissertation, I investigate the role of the limb patterning genes, dachshund (dac) and homothorax (hth), in patterning the appendages of the crustacean Triops longicaudatus. I examine the spatiotemporal relationships of the expression of these two essential limb-patterning genes individually and simultaneously with two previously reported leg patterning genes, extradenticle (exd) and Distal-less (Dll). I discovered that Triops dac and hth, as expected, are expressed during leg development. I verified a cell-to-cell association between HTH and nuclear-EXD (n-EXD), a spatial relationship that had only been conjectured to exist outside of Drosophila. This spatial relationship represents an ancient unchangeable constraint on limb patterning. HTH expression reported here in addition to previously reported EXD and DLL expressions suggests a common, early subdivision of the leg into broad proximal and distal domains. However, the reiterated stripes of DAC expression found along the ventral axis do not support establishment of an intermediate leg domain but instead suggest that the ventral branches of the Triops limb are generated by a mechanism of segmentation not previously observed in other arthropod limbs. Additionally, I present a record of my attempts aimed at functional determination of genes believed to specify, pattern, or modify branchiopod appendages. Finally, I demonstrated that dac functions in the dung beetle leg to properly segment the tarsus as well as producing a structural modification, such as spiked protrusions.

Darbo objektas – lietuvių kalbos frazeologizmai su leksemomis ranka ir koja. Svarbiausias darbo tikslas – aptarti frazeologizmų su leksemomis ranka ir koja semantinę motyvaciją remiantis kognityvinės kalbotyros principais.Darbą sudaro pratarmė, įvadas, svarbiausia darbo dalis, išvados, literatūros sąrašas, priedas. Įvadinėje darbo dalyje trumpai aptariama frazeologizmo samprata bei variantai, sinonimai ir antonimai, apžvelgiami lietuvių frazeologizmų tyrimai, apibūdinama koncepto ir konceptualiosios metaforos samprata. Pagrindinę darbo dalį sudaro du skyriai, kur aptariami leksemų ranka ir koja motyvuojami frazeologizmai, jų sąsajos su skirtingomis žmonių veiklos sferomis. Tyrimo rezultatai apibendrinami išvadose. Darbe pateikiami 2 paveikslai. Šaltinių sąrašą sudaro 7, literatūros sąrašą – 28 pozicijos. Pateikiamas trumpas konceptualiųjų metaforų su leksemomis ranka ir koja žodynėlis. / Object of the paper is phraseological units of the Lithuanian language with lexemes “arm” and “leg”. The main objective of the paper is to discuss the semantic motivation of phraseological units with lexemes “arm” and “leg” following the principles of cognitive linguistics. The paper comprises a preface, introduction, the main chapter, conclusions, list of references, and annex. In the introductory chapter, the conception of a phraseological unit is discussed along with variables, synonyms and antonyms, research on the Lithuanian phraseological units is overviewed, and the conception of a concept and conceptual metaphor is described. The main chapter consists of two sections, in which phraseological units motivated with lexemes “arm” and “leg” are discussed along with their links to people’s separate activity fields. The research results are summarised in conclusions. 2 pictures are provided in the paper. The list of sources comprises 7 and the list of references 28 positions. A brief vocabulary of conceptual metaphors with lexemes “arm” and “leg” is provided.