Context: Obesity is a growing global health concern. The increased body mass and altered mass distribution associated with obesity may be related to increases in plantar shear that putatively leads to physical functional deficits. Therefore, measurement of plantar shear may provide unique insights on the effects of body mass and body distribution on physical function or performance. Purpose: 1) To investigate the effects of body mass and distribution on plantar shear; 2) To examine how altered plantar shear influences postural control and gait kinetics. Hypothesis: 1) a weighted vest forward distributed (FV) would shift the center of pressure (CoP) location forward during standing compared with a weighted vest evenly distributed (EV); 2) FV would increase plantar shear spreading forces more than EV during standing; 3) FV would increase postural sway during standing while EV would not; and 4) FV would increase peak braking force, plantar impulses, and plantar shear spreading forces during walking more than EV. Methods: Twenty healthy young males participated in four different tests: 1) static test (for measuring plantar shear and CoP location without acceleration; 2) two-leg standing postural control test; 3) one-leg standing postural test; and 4) walking test. All tests were executed in three different weight conditions: 1) unweighted (NV); 2) evenly distributed vest (EV) with 20% added body mass; and 3) front-loaded vest (FV), also with 20% added body mass. Plantar shear stresses were measured using a pressure/shear device, and several shear and postural control metrics were extracted. Repeated measures ANOVAs with Holms post hoc test were used to compare each metric among the three conditions (α = 0.05). Results: FV and EV increased both anterior-posterior and medial-lateral plantar shear forces in single-foot trials compared to NV. FV shifted CoP forward. FV and EV showed decreased CoP range and velocity and increased time-to-boundary (TTB) during postural control compared to NV. While EV increased medial-lateral plantar shear spreading force, FV increased anterior-posterior plantar shear spreading force during walking. Conclusion: Added body mass increases plantar shear spreading forces. Body mass distribution had greater effects during dynamic tasks. In addition, healthy young individuals seem to quickly adapt to external stimuli to control postural stability. However, the interactive effects between body mass and distribution may disrupt physical function and/or performance in other populations—such as elderly, obese, and diabetes. Plantar shear may play a critical role in clinical diagnosis. However, as it is the first step study, follow-up studies are necessary to further support the clinical role of plantar shear.

Installing load bearing piles within the reinforcement zone of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls is common practice in the construction industry. Bridge abutments are often constructed in this manner to adapt to increasing right-of-way constraints, and must be capable of supporting horizontal loads imposed by, traffic, earthquakes, and thermal expansion and contraction. Previous researchers have concluded that lateral pile resistance is reduced when pile are placed next to MSE walls but no design codes have been established to address this issue. Full –scale testing of statically applied lateral loads to four 24”x0.5” pipe piles, and cyclically applied lateral load to four 12.75”x0.375” pipe piles placed 1.5-5.3 pile diameters behind a 20-foot MSE wall was performed. The MSE wall was constructed using 5’x10’ concrete panels and was supported with ribbed strip and welded wire streel reinforcements. The computer software LPILE was used to back-calculate P-multipliers for the 24” piles. P-multipliers are used to indicate the amount of reduction in lateral resistance the piles experience due to their placement near the MSE wall. Previous researchers have proposed that any pile spaced 3.9 pile diameters (D) or more away from the MSE wall will have a P-multiplier of 1; meaning the pile experiences no reduction in lateral resistance due to its proximity to the wall. P-multipliers for piles spaced closer than 3.9D away from the wall decrease linearly as distance from the wall decreases. P-multipliers for the 24” piles spaced 5.1D, 4.1D, 3.0D, and 2.0D were 1, 0.84, 0.55, and 0.44 respectively. Lateral resistance of the 12.75” cyclically loaded piles decreased as the number of loading cycles increased. Lateral resistance of the piles when loads were applied in the direction of the wall was less than the lateral resistance of the piles when loads were applied away from the wall at larger pile head loads. The maximum tensile force experienced by the soil reinforcements generally occurred near the wall side of the pile face when the lateral loads were applied in the direction of the wall. Behind the pile, the tensile force decreased as the distance from the wall increased. Equation 5-4, modified from Rollins (2018) was found to be adequate for predicting the maximum tensile force experienced by the ribbed strip reinforcements during the static loading of the 24” pipe piles, particularly for lower loads. About 65% of the measured forces measured in this study fell within the one standard deviation boundary of the proposed equation.

Full scale lateral load tests were performed on five piles located at various distances behind MSE walls. Three of the five test piles were production piles used to support bridges, and the other two piles were located behind a MSE wing walls adjacent to the bridge abutment. The objective of the testing was to determine the effect of spacing from the wall on the lateral resistance of the piles and on the force resisted by the MSE reinforcement. Tentative curves have been developed showing p-multiplier vs. normalized spacing behind wall for a length to height ratio of 1.1 and 1.6. The data suggest that with a L/H ratio of 1.6, a p-multiplier of 1 can be used when the normalized distance from the back face of the MSE wall to the center of the pile is at least 3.8 pile diameters. When the L/H ratio decreases to 1.1 a p-multiplier of 1 can be used when the pile is at least 5.2 pile diameters behind the wall. A plot showing the induced load in the reinforcement as a function of distance from the pile has been developed. The data in the plot is normalized to the maximum lateral load and to the spacing from the wall to the pile. The best fit curve is capped at a normalized induced force of approximately 0.15. The data show that the induced force on the reinforcement when a lateral load is applied to the piles decreases exponentially as the normalized distance from the pile increases. The plot is limited to the conditions tested, i.e. for the reinforcement in the upper 6 ft. of the wall with L/H values ranging from 1.1 to 1.6.

ABSTRACTLateral Resistance of Piles near 15 Foot Vertical MSE AbutmentWalls Reinforced with Ribbed Steel StripsJarell Jen Chou HanDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, BYUMaster of ScienceA full scale MSE wall was constructed and piles were driven at various distances behind the wall. Lateral load tests were conducted to determine the effect of pile spacing from the wall on the lateral resistance of the piles and the force resisted by the MSE reinforcement. The piles used for this study were 12.75 inch pipe piles and the reinforcements were ribbed steel strips.Load-deflection curves were developed for piles located behind the wall at 22.4 inches (1.7 pile diameters), 35.4 inches (2.8 pile diameters), 39.4 inches (3.1 pile diameters) and 49.9 inches (3.9 pile diameters). Data results show that the lateral resistance of the pile decreases as the spacing behind the wall decreases. Measured load-deflection curves were used to compare with computed curves from LPILE with p-multiplier developed for the lateral resistance of piles closer to the wall. A curve was created showing the variation of p-multiplier with normalized pile spacing behind the wall. The curve suggests that a p-multiplier of 1 (no reduction in lateral resistance) can be used when a pile is placed at least four pile diameters from the back face of the wall.

Machine tools need to be tested to check they behave correctly while machining. A bigger production (capacity), improving the accuracy in final products (quality) or reducing costs are some of the main goals. Reducing the maintenance of the machines, their nonproductive time and a higher quality of the final parts, have a strong influence in the costs. Even machines built to the same specification present different properties and behaviours, which leads into a reduction of the flexibility when it comes to move operations among them. This study is focused on the measurement and modelling of four machine tools (M1, M2, M3 and M4), with same specifications, from the static point of view. Methods used to measure all these properties are the circular tests under loaded conditions, with the device Loaded Double Ball Bar (LDBB), which measures positional accuracy and static stiffness. Different pressures (0.5, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 bar) and locations for the LDBB have been used.   After the tests were performed, all the machines shown good properties with the detail of M4, which had a lower stiffness than the other three ones due to its table attachments. / Maskinverktyg måste testas för att kontrollera att de beter sig korrekt vid bearbetning. En större produktion (kapacitet), förbättra noggrannheten i slutprodukterna (kvalitet) eller sänka kostnaderna är några av huvudmålen. Att minska underhållet av maskinerna, deras icke-produktiva tid och en högre kvalitet på de slutliga delarna har ett starkt inflytande i kostnaderna. Även maskiner konstruerade för samma specifikation presenterar olika egenskaper och beteenden, vilket leder till en minskning av flexibiliteten när det gäller att flytta verksamheten bland dem. Denna studie är inriktad på mätning och modellering av fyra verktygsmaskiner (M1, M2, M3 och M4), med samma specifikationer, ur statisk synvinkel. Metoder som används för att mäta alla dessa egenskaper är de cirkulära testerna under laddade förhållanden, med enheten Loaded Double Ball Bar (LDBB), som mäter positionsnoggrannhet och statisk styvhet. Olika tryck (0,5, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 bar) och platser för LDBB har använts.   Efter testerna visade alla maskiner goda egenskaper med detaljerna i M4, som hade en lägre styvhet än de andra tre på grund av dess bordsfästanordningar.

A novel core-shell silica based antimicrobial nanoparticle was synthesized. The Stöber silica shell has been engineered to accommodate copper. Synthesis of the core-shell Cu-silica nanoparticle (C-S CuSiNP) involves preparation of base-hydrolyzed Stöber silica “seed” particles first, followed by the acid-catalyzed seeded growth of the Cu-silica shell layer around the core. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed monodispersed, spherical shaped nanoparticles with smooth surface morphology. Characterization of particle size distribution in solution by the Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) technique was fairly consistent with the electron microscopy results. Loading of Cu to nanoparticles was confirmed by the SEM-Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Antibacterial efficacy of C-S CuSiNP was evaluated against E.coli and B.subtilis using Cu hydroxide (“Insoluble” Cu compound) and copper sulfate as positive control and silica “seed” particles (without Cu loading) as negative control. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of C-S CuSiNP was evaluated by measuring the fluorescent intensity of resorufin to determine the decrease in viable cells with increase in copper concentration in C-S CuSiNP. The MIC value of C-S CuSiNP against both E.coli and B.subtilis was estimated to be 4.9 ppm. Bac-light fluorescence microscopy based assay was used to count relative population of the live and dead bacteria cells. Antibacterial study clearly shows that C-S CuSiNP is more effective than insoluble Cu hydroxide particles and copper sulfate at equivalent metallic Cu concentration, suggesting more soluble Cu in C-S CuSiNP material due to its coreshell design.

Since their conception in 1999, CubeSats have come and gone a long way. The first few that went into space were more of a “proof of concept,” and were more focused on sending simple data and photographs back to Earth. Since then, vast improvements have been made by over 40 universities and private firms, and now CubeSats are beginning to look towards interplanetary travel. These small satellites could provide a cost effective means of exploring the galaxy, using off the shelf components and piggy-backing on other launch vehicles with more expensive payloads. However, CubeSats are traditionally launched into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), and if an interplanetary satellite is to go anywhere from there, it will need a propulsion system. This thesis project’s main goal will be to investigate the possibility and capability of an Ion-Spray propulsion system. Several problems are to be tackled in this project: how to take a 9 V supply and boost it to a maximum potential difference of 5,000 V, all while minimizing the noise and testing the feasibility of such a system being flown on board a CubeSat.

This paper presents a nonlinear 3-D finite element model for eccentrically loaded concrete encased steel composite columns. The columns were pin-ended subjected to an eccentric load acting along the major axis, with eccentricity varied from 0.125 to 0.375 of the overall depth (D) of the column sections. The model accounted for the inelastic behaviour of steel, concrete, longitudinal and transverse reinforcement bars as well as the effect of concrete confinement of the concrete encased steel composite columns. The interface between the steel section and concrete, the longitudinal and transverse reinforcement bars, and the reinforcement bars and concrete were also considered allowing the bond behaviour to be modelled and the different components to retain its profile during the deformation of the column. The initial overall geometric imperfection was carefully incorporated in the model. The finite element model has been validated against existing test results. The concrete strengths varied from normal to high strength (30¿110 MPa). The steel section yield stresses also varied from normal to high strength (275¿690 MPa). Furthermore, the variables that influence the eccentrically loaded composite column behaviour and strength comprising different eccentricities, different column dimensions, different structural steel sizes, different concrete strengths, and different structural steel yield stresses were investigated in a parametric study. Generally, it is shown that the effect on the composite column strength owing to the increase in structural steel yield stress is significant for eccentrically loaded columns with small eccentricity of 0.125D. On the other hand, for columns with higher eccentricity 0.375D, the effect on the composite column strength due to the increase in structural steel yield stress is significant for columns with concrete strengths lower than 70 MPa. The strength of composite columns obtained from the finite element analysis were compared with the design strengths calculated using the Eurocode 4 for composite columns. Generally, it is shown that the EC4 accurately predicted the eccentrically loaded composite columns, while overestimated the moment.

Researchers performed 35 full-scale lateral load tests on piles driven within the reinforcement zone of a mechanically stabilized earth wall (MSE wall). Data defining the induced tensile force on the reinforcements during lateral pile loading was used to develop multi-linear regression equations to predict the induced tensile force. Equations were developed by previous researchers that did not consider the diameter of the pile, the fixed head condition, relative compaction, or cyclic loading. The purpose of this research was to include this tensile force data and develop prediction equations that considered these variables. Additionally, a full-scale lateral load test was performed for a 24-inch diameter pipe pile loaded against a 20-inch width square pile. The test piles were instrumented using load cells, string potentiometers, LVDTs, strain gauges and hybrid pressure sensors. The lateral load tests were used to evaluate the ability of finite difference (LPILE) and finite element (PLAXIS3D) models to compute results comparable to the measured results. The results of this analysis showed that the diameter of the pile is a statistically significant variable for the prediction of induced tensile force, and the induced tensile force is lower for piles with larger diameter. Fixed head conditions have no effect on the prediction of induced tensile force. Cyclic loading had minimal impact on the prediction of induced tensile force, but relative compaction did have an important statistical significance. Therefore, prediction equations for induced tensile force in welded wire were developed for relative compaction less than 95 percent and relative compaction greater or equal than 95 percent. A general prediction equation (Eq. 3-4) was developed for ribbed-strip reinforcements that included the effect of pile diameter and larger head loads. With 1058 data points, this equation has an R2 value of 0.72. A general prediction equation (Eq. 3-9) was also developed for welded-wire reinforcements that included data from cyclic and static loading, fixed and free head conditions, and relative compaction for 12-inch wide piles with a higher range of pile head loads. This equation based on 2070 data points has an R2 value of 0.72. The prediction equations developed based on all the available data are superior to equations developed based on the original set of field tests. The finite element models produced results with good agreement with pipe pile measurements while the finite difference model showed better agreement with the square pile measurements. However, for the denser backfills involved, back-calculated soil properties were much higher than would be predicted based on API correlations. The API equations are not well-calibrated for dense granular backfills.

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