Magister Public Health - MPH / Background: Malnutrition accounted high level of childhood morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia including Durame area. Durame area is one of the food insecure districts in Southern region. As a result of high prevlanece of acute malnutrtion, which is 8.3%, Ministry of Health partnering with World Vision Ethiopia started outpatient therapeutic program (OTP) in seven OTP sites to rehablitate severely malnourished children. Reports indicate that number of factors affect the rehabilitation outcome of children with severe acute malnutrtion in OTP programs. However, there are no studies conducted to assess their contribution in the rehablitaiton outcome. Hence, this study will attempt to investigate these factors and assess their public health significance in Durame area. Aim: To assess the factors affecting the rehabilitation outcome of an OTP for children with severe acute malnutrition in Durame area, Southern Ethiopia Method: the study used a descriptive study with an analytical component. Three-hundred and sixty (360) medical records were calculated during sampling and proportional numbers of medical records were sampled from the seven OTP sites. The medical records were reviewed using semi-structured questionnaires from September 1 to September 10, 2008. The data was entered and analyzed using EPI info version 3.3.2 software. Results: three hundred fifty five (98.6%) of the total sample records were reviewed. Three hundred twenty nine (92.7%) children were cured, 11(3.8%) died, 7 (2%) defaulted and 8 (2.3%) were non-cure. Average weight gain on discharge was 3.4gm/kg/day and the mean length of stay was 55.6 days (SD+14 days). More than 60% of children were admitted in three of the seven OTP sites where Demboya OTP sites taking the larger share. Nearly half of the total children (49.8%) were between 6 to 12 months of age and the median age of admission was 13 months. The male to female ratio in the study population was almost equal. Average family size was 6.3 and 58.3% of children came from households with 6 or more family members. Forty two (11.8%) children in the study had twin. The average walking distance to the OTP sites was 62.9 minutes and two hundred fifty six mothers travelled less than an hour. Most of the children (92.1%) were referred from the community and most of the children were admitted with MUAC followed by pitting edema. One hundred seventy four (49%) of the total children were beneficiaries of GFR. On admission two hundred twenty six (63.7%) children were breastfeeding, 257 (72.4%) had no symptoms of sickness and 327 (92.1%) did not have abnormal physical examination findings. More than half (51.5%) of them did not receive any home visit and the larger share of the home visits (37.3%) were made when children got illnesses. One hundred sixteen (32.7%) children in the study had chronic medical conditions during follow up. Fever or hypothermia (0.6%), dehydration (0.8%), anemia (0.6%), skin infection (1.6%) and Plumpy nut refusal (2.0%) were the main abnormal medical findings during follow up. Assessment of the influence of the socio-demographic and biological characteristics on the rehabilitation outcome indicated that the sites, family size, chronic medical conditions, absenteeism, weight loss, presence of fever or hypothermia, dehydration and anemia had significant association with the treatment outcome (p<0.05). Further analysis for significant variables using regression analysis indicated that absenteeism, chronic medical illness, fever or hypothermia and anemia are predictor variables contributing significant information for the prediction of the treatment outcome (p<0.05). Conclusion: The program has high success rate in terms of increasing cure and decreasing death, default and non-cure rates but it did not meet the minimum international recommendations for average length of stay and average weight gain. The study identified the main socio-demographic and biological characteristics of children with SAM and factors that affect the rehabilitation outcome. Children under the age of 24 months were most affected with SAM and no gender variation. Larger proportions of malnourished children were living in families above the average family size, which had significant association with the outcome. OTP sites were accessible for majority children in the program but higher level of absenteeism which significantly associated with the outcome. The study identified socio-demographic and biological factors that influenced the rehabilitation outcome as well as the predictor variables contributing significant information for the prediction of the treatment outcome. It could assist the program implementers to design appropriate public health measures. The achievement in Durame OTP program indicates effectiveness of community based management of SAM and existing potential to integrate in routine health system in resource scarce setting like Durame. Recommendations: to sustain the achievements and improve the growth areas necessary public health measures are prime importance.

The aim of this work is to describe the current technology of surface processing with a view to improve durability and aesthetic appearance. The work is described in detail features and coatings polymer materials applied, including curing process. In the practical part is a laboratory examination of the influence of sealing and hydrophobicizing additive properties of concrete and also will be tested concrete surface on the absorbency, grindability loss and color retention, slip resistance and resistance to CHRL.

Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is widely used for several types of structural applications. The high workability of such concrete has been turned into tangible benefits in precast, prestress manufactories in terms of enhancement of the overall quality of the final product and high productivity. The range of benefits offered by SCC goes beyond fundamental aspects of concrete quality and productivity; it includes a major improvement in the health and safety of workers and the reduction of noise level on construction sites. Furthermore, to improve the productivity in the precast manufacturing plants, steam-curing is often used to expedite strength gain and shorten the construction cycle. It is well established that mechanical properties of steam-cured SCC are affected by mixture composition and can vary widely with the steam-curing parameters. The research project presented here aims to address the significance of mixture parameters governing the performance of SCC for precast applications. Two classes of SCC with design compressive strengths of 60 and 80 MPa at 56 days were investigated. The examined mixture parameters include the w/cm, binder content and type, and the type of superplasticizer. In addition, this research seeks to assess the effect of steam-curing parameters on early-mechanical properties of SCC and to optimize a steam-curing regime to meet fabrication requirements with efficiency and economy. The studied steam-curing parameters include the maximum curing temperature, the preset period prior to heat treatment, and the rate of heating. The employed mixtures proportioning and steam-curing regimes to achieve the anticipated early-strength were proposed by an experimental factorial design to cover a wide scope of SCC mix designs and steam-curing regimes. Among the modeled mixture parameters, the w/cm and binder content were shown to play key roles on the majority of steam-cured mechanical properties and workability criteria. Among the steam-curing parameters, the maximum steam-curing temperature was shown to have a dominant effect on early-age strength. The preset period exhibited a major influence on mechanical properties as well. SCC cured under a maximum chamber temperature of 65ÀC and a longer preset period of 5 hours was found to develop higher early-compressive strength. Beyond limits, increasing maximum curing temperature can adversely affect the strength development leading to a lower early-compressive strength. The early heat treatment was found to decrease early-age strength. Longer preset period of 5 hours is then recommended in terms of fuel and time saving in manufacturing plants.

O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar o efeito da distância da ponta fotoativadora na profundidade de polimerização da resina composta por meio de testes de microdureza Vickers e da análise do grau de conversão pelo método FT-Raman. O aparelho de luz halógena (500 mW/cm2) e o LED (900 mW/cm2) foram utilizados na sua intensidade convencional. O laser de argônio, na potência de 250 mW. Os tempos de fotoativação foram de 40 segundos para a luz halógena, 20 segundos para o LED e 20 e 30 segundos para o laser. E as distâncias da ponta fotoativadora foi padronizada com anéis de 3, 6 e 9 mm de altura. A resina composta micro-híbrida foi inserida em porção única, em matrizes de polipropileno pretas com as espessuras de 1 a 4 mm. Os corpos-de-prova foram armazenados por uma semana a seco, a 37ºC em recipientes protegidos da luz. Os dados da microdureza e do grau de conversão foram analisados separadamente por meio da análise de variância e teste de Tukey, com nível de significância de 5% e depois correlacionados pelo teste de correlação de Pearson. Os resultados obtidos permitiram concluir que: o aumento da distância da fonte de luz promoveu uma diminuição nos valores de microdureza e no grau de conversão para todos os tipos de fontes de luz estudados e o mesmo ocorreu com o aumento da espessura de resina composta diminuindo também os valores de microdureza e grau de conversão. Houve uma alta correlação entre a análise PDM (porcentagem de dureza máxima) e a análise do grau de conversão e entre o teste de microdureza e a análise do grau de conversão. As fontes de fotoativação estudadas promoveram grau de conversão e microdureza correspondentes entre si, desde que a espessura da resina fosse de 1 mm de espessura e a que a fonte estivesse a uma distância máxima de 3 mm. / This study evaluated the influence of curing tip distance on cure depth of a composite resin, measuring the Vickers microhardness and determining the degree of conversion, using FT-Raman spectroscopy. The halogen light (500 mW/cm2) and the LED (900 mW/cm2) were used with conventional intensity of power and the argon laser with 250mW. The exposure time was 40 seconds to halogen light, 20 seconds to LED and 20 and 30 seconds to Argon laser. And the curing tip distances used (0, 3, 6 e 9 mm) were controlled by metals rings. The composite was placed in one increment, in a black polipropilen matrix with thickness of the 1 to 4 mm. The specimens were stored for one week in dry stove, for 37ºC in containers protect from the light. The values of microhardness and degree of coonversion were analyzed separately by ANOVA (Analysis of variance) and Tukey test, with significance level for 5%. Then, the correlation was analyzed by Pearson test. The results obtained conclude that: the increased of tip distance produced a decreased in microhardness and degree of conversion values; the microhardness and degree conversion values decreased as the thickness increased; it showed a higher correlation between the qualities of polymerization and the degree of conversion and between the microhardness test and the degree of conversion. The present study suggests that the units of polymerization studied produced microhardness and degree of conversion values that corresponded to each other, only with 1mm of thickness and using a tip distance of 3 mm, at most.

To facilitate the transition of Stereolithography (SLA) into the manufacturing domain and to increase its appeal to the micro manufacturing industry, process repeatability and surface finish need to be improved. Researchers have mostly focused on improving SLA surface finish within the capabilities of commercially available SLA machines. The capabilities of these machines are limited and a machine-specific approach for improving surface finish is based purely on empirical data. In order to improve surface finish of the SLA process, a more systematic approach that will incorporate process parameters is needed. To achieve this, the contribution of different laser and process parameters, such as laser beam angle, irradiance distribution, and scan speed, to SLA resolution and indirectly to surface finish, need to be quantified and incorporated into an analytical model. In response, a dynamic analytical SLA cure model has been developed. This model has been applied to SLA geometries of interest. Using flat surfaces, the efficacy of the model has been computationally and experimentally demonstrated. The model has been applied to process planning as a computational inverse design method by using parameter estimation techniques, where surface finish improvement on slanted surfaces has been achieved. The efficacy of this model and its improvement over the traditional cure models has been demonstrated computationally and experimentally. Based on the experimental results, use of the analytical model in process planning achieves an order of magnitude improvement in surface roughness average of SLA parts. The intellectual contributions of this research are the development of an analytical SLA cure model and the application of this model to process planning along with inverse design techniques for parameter estimation and subsequent surface finish improvement.

O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar o efeito da distância da ponta fotoativadora na profundidade de polimerização da resina composta por meio de testes de microdureza Vickers e da análise do grau de conversão pelo método FT-Raman. O aparelho de luz halógena (500 mW/cm2) e o LED (900 mW/cm2) foram utilizados na sua intensidade convencional. O laser de argônio, na potência de 250 mW. Os tempos de fotoativação foram de 40 segundos para a luz halógena, 20 segundos para o LED e 20 e 30 segundos para o laser. E as distâncias da ponta fotoativadora foi padronizada com anéis de 3, 6 e 9 mm de altura. A resina composta micro-híbrida foi inserida em porção única, em matrizes de polipropileno pretas com as espessuras de 1 a 4 mm. Os corpos-de-prova foram armazenados por uma semana a seco, a 37ºC em recipientes protegidos da luz. Os dados da microdureza e do grau de conversão foram analisados separadamente por meio da análise de variância e teste de Tukey, com nível de significância de 5% e depois correlacionados pelo teste de correlação de Pearson. Os resultados obtidos permitiram concluir que: o aumento da distância da fonte de luz promoveu uma diminuição nos valores de microdureza e no grau de conversão para todos os tipos de fontes de luz estudados e o mesmo ocorreu com o aumento da espessura de resina composta diminuindo também os valores de microdureza e grau de conversão. Houve uma alta correlação entre a análise PDM (porcentagem de dureza máxima) e a análise do grau de conversão e entre o teste de microdureza e a análise do grau de conversão. As fontes de fotoativação estudadas promoveram grau de conversão e microdureza correspondentes entre si, desde que a espessura da resina fosse de 1 mm de espessura e a que a fonte estivesse a uma distância máxima de 3 mm. / This study evaluated the influence of curing tip distance on cure depth of a composite resin, measuring the Vickers microhardness and determining the degree of conversion, using FT-Raman spectroscopy. The halogen light (500 mW/cm2) and the LED (900 mW/cm2) were used with conventional intensity of power and the argon laser with 250mW. The exposure time was 40 seconds to halogen light, 20 seconds to LED and 20 and 30 seconds to Argon laser. And the curing tip distances used (0, 3, 6 e 9 mm) were controlled by metals rings. The composite was placed in one increment, in a black polipropilen matrix with thickness of the 1 to 4 mm. The specimens were stored for one week in dry stove, for 37ºC in containers protect from the light. The values of microhardness and degree of coonversion were analyzed separately by ANOVA (Analysis of variance) and Tukey test, with significance level for 5%. Then, the correlation was analyzed by Pearson test. The results obtained conclude that: the increased of tip distance produced a decreased in microhardness and degree of conversion values; the microhardness and degree conversion values decreased as the thickness increased; it showed a higher correlation between the qualities of polymerization and the degree of conversion and between the microhardness test and the degree of conversion. The present study suggests that the units of polymerization studied produced microhardness and degree of conversion values that corresponded to each other, only with 1mm of thickness and using a tip distance of 3 mm, at most.

Pour améliorer les sols possédant des caractéristiques mécaniques faibles, il est possible d’utiliser un traitement à la chaux et/ou au liant hydraulique. Dans certains cas, ce type de traitement est inefficace en raison de la présence dans le sol de perturbateurs. Cependant, sauf dans le cas des composés soufrés, il existe très peu de données sur la perturbation due à d’autres composés chimique, comme par exemple les fertilisants utilisés en agriculture. Dans ce contexte, une étude a été entreprise pour identifier clairement l’influence de composés chimiques réellement perturbateurs de la prise (performance à court terme), à la fois géotechniquement et physico-chimiquement. Des éléments chimiques ont été ajoutés aux sols étudiés, à différentes concentrations, puis les variations de paramètres géotechniques et physico-chimiques ont été mesurées pour les sols perturbés ou non. Nous avons ainsi étudié les effets de quatre composés chimiques : le sulfate, le chlorure, le phosphate, et le nitrate, sur deux sols différents, un limon et un sable, traités par deux liants hydrauliques différents. Le gonflement volumique, la résistance à la compression simple, et à la traction indirecte ont été mesurés pour évaluer les effets de chacun des composés considérés sur les propriétés mécaniques des sols traités. Ces mesures seront complétées par des observations microtexturales (MEB), minéralogiques (DRX) et chimiques. Cette étude permet de mettre en évidence les difficultés de déterminer si un élément est perturbateurs ou non du traitement des sols, sans considérer un système intégrant la nature du sol, la nature des liants, l’élément chimique et sa concentration, et enfin les conditions d’essai / To improve soils with poor mechanical properties, it is possible to use a treatment with lime and/or hydraulic binder. But, in some cases, this type of treatment can be totally ineffective. For example, deleterious chemical compounds in the ground can alter the hardening reactions of the binder. However, except in the case of sulphate, there are few studies dealing with the potential influence of other chemical compounds like, for example, agricultural fertilizers. In this context, the aim of this paper is to characterise the effects of chloride, phosphate, nitrate, and sulphate on soil treatment. A suitable soil for stabilisation was mixed with one deleterious compound at a given concentration, similar to its concentration in a soil. The geotechnical and physicochemical parameters were determined, both for the disturbed and the undisturbed soils, allowing the quantification of the influence of each compound taken separately. The action of each supposed deleterious compound was evaluated by determining the swelling, the diametral compression strength, and the unconfined compression strength. These experiments were supplemented by microstructural, mineralogical, and chemical observations. Such evaluation was performed with two soils, a silt and a sand, and two different hydraulic binders. The results showed that fertilizers tend to lower the mechanical characteristics of the silt, but, the soils are still suitable for soil stabilisation. The study do not evidenced any impact of chloride on the mechanical behaviour of the tested soils. The presence of a given chemical compound at a given concentration in the soil is not sufficient enough to determine the suitability of the soil for a treatment

Trois millions de personnes vivent en France avec un antécédent personnel de cancer et ont des difficultés d’accès à l’emprunt et à l’assurance. Depuis 2016, la loi de « modernisation de notre système de santé » a fixé le « droit à l'oubli » (délai au-delà duquel les demandeurs d’assurance ayant eu un antécédent de cancer n’auront plus à le déclarer) à 10 ans après la fin des traitements. D’un point de vue statistique, on peut considérer ce délai comme le délai au-delà duquel la surmortalité liée au cancer (taux de mortalité en excès) s’annule durablement, ce qui se traduit sur les courbes de survie nette par un plateau correspondant à la proportion de patients guéris. La vérification de l’hypothèse de guérison repose sur deux critères : un taux de mortalité en excès négligeable et la confirmation graphique de l’existence d’un plateau. Une nouvelle définition du délai de guérison a été proposée pour ce travail comme le temps à partir duquel la probabilité d’appartenir au groupe des guéris atteint 95%.Le premier objectif de cette thèse était de fournir des estimations du délai de guérison à partir des données des registres de cancer du réseau FRANCIM pour chaque localisation de cancer selon le sexe et l’âge. Le délai de guérison est inférieur à 12 ans pour la majorité des localisations vérifiant l’hypothèse de guérison. Il est notamment inférieur ou égal à 5 ans, voire nul pour certaines classes d’âge, pour le mélanome de la peau, le cancer du testicule et de la thyroïde. Les critères pour la vérification de la guérison sont subjectifs et le délai de guérison ne repose pas sur une estimation directe par les modèles de guérison préexistants. Un nouveau modèle de guérison a été développé, incluant le délai de guérison comme paramètre à estimer afin de répondre objectivement à la question de l’existence d’une guérison statistique et de permettre une estimation directe du délai de guérison.Le second objectif de la thèse était de comparer, dans des situations contrôlées pour lesquelles le taux de mortalité en excès devenait nul, les performances de ce nouveau modèle à celles de deux autres modèles de guérison. La survie nette et la proportion de guéris estimées par les modèles ont été comparées aux valeurs théoriques utilisées pour simuler les données. Le nouveau modèle permet, avec des conditions strictes d’application, d’estimer directement le délai de guérison avec des performances aussi satisfaisantes que celles des autres modèles. / Three million people are living in France with a personal past of cancer and undergo difficulties in accessing loans and insurance. Since 2016, the French law « modernisation de notre système de santé » set the "right to be forgotten" (time beyond which insurance applicants with a past of cancer will no longer have to declare it) at 10 years after the end of treatment. From a statistical point of view, this delay can be considered as the time from which mortality due to cancer (excess mortality) disappears. After this time, the net survival curves reach a plateau corresponding to the proportion of cured patients. The verification of this hypothesis is based on two criteria: a negligible excess mortality rate and a graphic confirmation of the existence of a plateau. We proposed a new definition of the time-to-cure as the time from which the probability of belonging to the cured group reaches 95%.The first aim of this thesis was to estimate time-to-cure for each cancer site by sex and age using population-based data from the FRANCIM registries network. Time-to-cure was lower than 12 years in most sites complying with the cure hypothesis. It was less than 5 years, or even null in some age groups, for skin melanoma, testicular and thyroid. Criteria to verify the cure hypothesis are subjective and time-to-cure is not directly estimated in pre-existing cure models. A new model has been developed including time-to-cure as a parameter to address the question of statistical cure and to allow direct estimation of time-to-cure.The second objective of this thesis was to compare, in controlled situations in which the excess mortality rate became null, the performances of this new model with that of two other cure models. Estimated net survival and cure fraction have been compared to the theoretical values used to simulate the data. Direct estimation of time-to-cure is possible under strict conditions.

[pt] A tarefa à qual nos propomos, nesta tese, é examinar as várias concepções de Livro X da República. Aparecerão, nesta pesquisa, expondo controvérsias sobre o verdadeiro teor do Livro X, nada menos do que vinte e cinco intérpretes que, em algum momento de suas próprias trajetórias, se viram obrigados a pensar o Livro X como uma obra que gira em torno: (1) ou da mística platônica, (2) ou da medicina asclepíade a partir da qual Sócrates aparece como capaz curar a cidade, cura essa passível de ser pensada como a própria filosofia; e/ou (3) de uma poética platônica. Haja visto o conflito passível de levar à ruína do elemento racional (logistikon, R.X, 605b5) da cidade, e, por analogia, da alma, ser diagnosticada no Livro X da República, quisemos tornar possível nossa defesa do Livro X como uma obra que versa sobre a alma. Defende-se, com esse estudo, o caráter tripartite da alma como o remédio (phármakon) para a cidade, que, por analogia à alma doente, precisaria de uma ortodoxia. Em busca dessa ortodoxia no Livro X, re-descobrimos o perigo, a cada vez reiterado por Sócrates, da bipartição tomar a cidade de assalto. O método para se sair desse perigo, e encontrar repouso, como buscamos sustentar, envolve a tese da tripartição da alma. Pensar a parte da alma que os poetas visam já é parte da pesquisa de importantes intérpretes da Academia Contemporânea. Nós, aqui, nos apoiamos em Ivana Costa e em Thomas Robinson para investigar, dentre as três partes da alma, qual seria a nomeada alogistikon no Livro X. Deduzem esses intérpretes que essa parte da alma deve ser a mesma referida nos Livros IV e IX pelo termo epithymetikon. Descobrir se essa é a parte da alma que precisa ser curada será parte de nossa investigação. / [en] The task we set ourselves, in this thesis, is to examine the variousconceptions of the Republic s Book X. In this research, exposing controversies about the true content of Book X, no less than twenty-five interpreters willappear as people who, at some point in their own trajectories, were forced to thinkabout Book X as a work that is about: (1) platonic mysticism; (2) asclepiadmedicine, from which Socrates appears as capable of healing the city, a cure that can be thought of as philosophy itself; and/or (3) a poetics called platonic. Havingseen the conflicto that ruins with the city s rational element (logistikon, R.X.,605b5) and, by analogy, that conceives the soul s diagnosis in the Republic s Book X, we wanted to make our defense of Book X as being about soul possible.This study defends the soul s tripartite character as the remedy (pharmakon) forthe city, which, by analogy, with the sick soul, would need an orthodoxy. In the search for this orthodoxy in Book X, we re-discover the danger, each time reiterated by Socrates, of bipartition assaulting the city. The method of getting out of this danger and finding rest, as we want to maintain, involves the thesis of thesoul s tripartition. Thinking about the part of the soul to what the poets seem tolook forward as the part that needs to be cured is already an important task of research in the Contemporary Academy. We, here, rely on Ivana Costa andThomas Robinson s work to investigate among the three parts of the soul, whichis named alogistikon in Book X. These interpreters deduce that this part of thesoul must be the same as that one referred to in Books IV and IX by the termepithymetikon. Finding out if this is really the part of the soul that needs to behealed is part of our investigation. / [fr] La tâche que nous nous sommes fixée, dans la thèse ici, se preste a examinerles différentes conceptions du Livre X de La République. Exposant les controverses sur le vrai contenu du Livre X, n apparaîtront pas que moins devingt-cinq interprètes qui, à un moment donné de leur propre trajectoire, ont été contraints de penser le Livre X comme une oeuvre qui s articule autour de : (1) oule mysticisme platonicien; (2) ou la médecine asclépiade dont Socrate apparaît comme capable de guérir la cité, une cure qui peut être pensée comme la philosophie elle-même ; et/ou (3) d une poétique platonicienne. Après avoir vu leconflit susceptible de conduire à la ruine de l élément rationnel (logistikon, R.X, 605b5) de la cité, et, par analogie, dans l âme, diagnostiqué dans le livre X de la République, nous avons voulu rendre possible notre défense du Livre X commeun travail sur l âme. L étude défend le caractère tripartite de l âme comme un remède (pharmakon) pour guérir la cité, qui, en fonction de l analogie avec l âmemalade, aurait besoin d une orthodoxie. À la recherche de cette orthodoxie dans le livre X, on redécouvre le danger, chaque fois réitéré par Socrate, de la bipartitionprendre d assaut la cité. La méthode pour sortir de ce danger et trouver le repos,comme nous cherchons à le soutenir, implique la thèse de la tripartition de l âme Réfléchir sur la partie de l âme visée par les poètes fait déjà partie des recherchesd importants interprètes de l Académie contemporaine. Nous nous appuyons icisur le travail de Ivana Costa et de Thomas Robinson pour rechercher, parmi lestrois parties de l âme, laquelle serait-il nommée alogistikon dans le livre X. Cesinterprètes en déduisent que cette partie de l âme doit-il être la même à laquelle ilest dit pouvoir être référé dans les livres IV et IX par le terme epithymetikon Découvrir si c est la partie de l âme qui a besoin de guérison fera partie de notre investigation.

We numerically analyze three mechanics problems described below. For each problem, the developed computational model is verified by comparing computed results for example problems with those available in the literature. Effective utilization of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and single layer graphene sheets (SLGSs) as reinforcements in nanocomposites requires their strong binding with the surrounding matrix. An effective technique to enhance this binding is to functionalize SWCNTs and SLGSs by covalent attachment of appropriate chemical groups. However, this damages their pristine structures that may degrade their mechanical properties. Here, we delineate using molecular mechanics simulations effects of covalent functionalization on elastic moduli of these nanomaterials. It is found that Young's modulus and the shear modulus of an SWCNT (SLGS), respectively, decrease by about 34% (73%) and 43% (42%) when 20% (10%) of carbon atoms are functionalized for each of the four functional groups of different polarities studied. A shell theory that gives results close to the solution of the corresponding 3-dimensional problem depends upon the shell geometry, applied loads, and initial and boundary conditions. Here, by using a third order shear and normal deformable theory and the finite element method (FEM), we delineate for a doubly curved shell deformed statically with general tractions and subjected to different boundary conditions effects of geometric parameters on in-plane and transverse stretching and bending deformations. These results should help designers decide when to consider effects of these deformation modes for doubly curved shells. Composite laminates are usually fabricated by curing resin pre-impregnated fiber layers in an autoclave under prescribed temperature and pressure cycles. A challenge is to reduce residual stresses developed during this process and simultaneously minimize the cure cycle time. Here, we use the FEM and a genetic algorithm to find the optimal cycle parameters. It is found that in comparison to the manufacturer's recommended cycle, for a laminate with the span/thickness of 12.5, one optimal cycle reduces residual stresses by 47% and the total cure time from 5 to 4 hours, and another reduces the total cure time to 2 hours and residual stresses by 8%. / Ph. D. / We analyze using computational techniques three mechanics problems described below. In the last three decades, two carbon nanomaterials (i.e., allotropes of carbon having length-scale of 10^-9 m), namely, single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and single layer graphene sheets (SLGSs) have evolved as revolutionary materials with exceptional properties per unit weight that are superior to conventional engineering materials. A composite (i.e., a material made by combining two or more materials to attain desired properties which cannot be achieved by any of its constituents alone) made by using either of these carbon nanomaterials as reinforcements in a polymer could be a potential candidate for applications requiring high strength and light weight. However, the effective utilization of these composites for an application requires the strong binding between their constituents. An effective technique to enhance this binding is to modify the surface properties of SWCNTs and SLGSs by covalently bonding to them suitable chemical group that is usually called covalent functionalization. However, this damages their pristine structures that may degrade their mechanical properties. Here, it is found that the functionalization reduces elastic moduli of carbon nanomaterials, the reduction increases with an increase in the amount of functionalization and is essentially independent of the functionalizing chemical group. This study should help engineers interested in utilizing these materials to design novel nanocomposites. Composite laminates, made by stacking and binding together layers of fiber-reinforced composites, are widely used in aircraft, aerospace, marine, automobile, power generation, chemical and ballistic applications due to their high strength and stiffness per unit weight compared to that of conventional metallic materials. Shell theories are widely used to analyze deformations of composite laminates which reduces a 3-dimensional (3-D) problem to an equivalent 2-D problem by making certain assumptions related to the deformations of the laminate. This approach requires less computational effort to find a numerical solution (i.e., an approximate solution obtained using a computational technique) of the problem as compared to that needed for solving the full 3-D problem. However, the accuracy of the results predicted by a shell theory depends on the problem being studied, i.e., the shell geometry, applied loads, initial conditions (i.e., the motion of the laminate at the start of application of the load) and boundary conditions (i.e., constraints imposed on the deformations of the edges of the laminate). Here, we analyze effects of geometric parameters of the laminated shells on their deformations for different types of applied loads and various boundary conditions specified on the edges. The results should help designers find an optimal geometry of the composite laminates for a given mechanical application. Fiber-reinforced composite laminates are usually fabricated by curing (which involves heating and cooling in a prescribed manner under application of the pressure) resin preimpregnated fiber layers under prescribed temperature and pressure cycles. However, during this cure process the laminate deforms and the final product is not stress-free. Here, we find optimal parameters of the cure cycle that minimize stresses developed during the cure process as well as the time required to cure the laminate. It is found that for a laminate studied these optimal parameters reduce the stresses by 47% and the cure time from 5 to 4 hours in comparison to the standard cure cycle recommended by the laminate manufacturer. This study will provide manufacturing engineers with an approach to fabricate composite laminates of desired quality.