This study presents the experimental results of nine full-scale lap spliced glass-fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforced concrete (RC) columns, and one additional reference steel-RC column with lap splices, under axial and cyclic-reversed loads. The test parameters included type of reinforcement, lap splice length of longitudinal reinforcement, transverse reinforcement spacing, and the effect of using steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC). Test results indicated that a splice length of 60 times the diameter of the longitudinal column bar was adequate in transferring the full bond forces along the splice length and were able to maintain the lateral load carrying capacity when subjected to higher levels of axial loads and drift ratios. In addition, lap spliced GFRP-RC columns with closely spaced transverse reinforcement achieved high levels of deformability. Furthermore, the use of SFRC in columns with inadequate splice increased the peak lateral strength and the energy dissipation of the specimens. / February 2017

"Recent full-scale crash tests of the weak-post W-beam guardrail system have resulted in unsatisfactory collision performance as evaluated by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350. Since acceptable crash test performance is required in order to use a guardrail on a Federal-Aid Highway in the United States, the poor performance of the weak-post W-beam guardrail is a significant problem to those states that use it. The goal of this project was to improve the impact performance of the weak-post W-beam guardrail system so that it satisfies the requirements of NCHRP Report 350 at test level three."

Neste trabalho se avaliou experimentalmente o comportamento de um sistema de emenda de barra que transmitisse de forma mais eficiente os esforços solicitantes. A emenda consistiu-se de um tubo de aço preenchido com graute de alta resistência à compressão e duas barras de aço, uma em cada extremidade com o mesmo comprimento de embutimento. Esta emenda foi submetida a ações monotônicas e cíclicas de tração axial, com controle de deslocamento até atingir a ruptura, verificando a capacidade última da emenda e seus modos de ruína. No programa experimental foram ensaiadas emendas sendo que foram levados em consideração os seguintes parâmetros: o diâmetro da barra, o diâmetro do tubo, a conformação superficial do tubo, o tipo de carregamento, o cobrimento, o comprimento de embutimento e a posição da barra. A ruptura das emendas ocorreu por escoamento da barra de aço, fendilhamento e escorregamento da barra em relação ao graute; conforme o diâmetro da barra e a conformação superficial interna do tubo. Ainda, verificou-se que este tipo de emenda garante uma adequada transferência de esforços de tração. A corrugação do tubo teve influência significativa, uma vez que a sua falta levou ao escorregamento da barra em relação ao graute, bem como o comprimento de embutimento insuficiente levou à ruptura do graute; a posição da barra não teve influência significativa. / The main purpose of this research was to analyze experimentally the behavior of a splicing system with a grout-filled steel tube and reinforced bar to transmit the efforts efficiently. A splice was prepared with a grout-filled steel tube and two reinforced bars, one in each end of the tube with the same anchorage length. The splices were loaded in monotonic and ciclic axial tension until failure, with displacements control, measuring the maximum load and observing the splicing failure mode. An experimental program was carried out and adopted as variables the bar diameter, the tube diameter, the type of internal surface of the tube, the loading, coverage, lenght anchorage and the bar position. The failure of the splice occurred by yielding bar failure, grout splitting and grout slipping, according to the bar diameter and the internal surface of the tube. It was verified that this type of splice guarantees a good efforts transmission. The ribs inside the tube had significant influence, while the failure occurred by the grout slipping without the tube ribbed; the bar position had not significant influence.

Fifteen splice specimens reinforced with plain steel bars, including three specimens instrumented with both steel and concrete strain gauges, were tested under monotonically applied four-point loading to develop a database of reliable bond test results and contribute to the development of a reliability based bond provision for plain steel bars to evaluate historical concrete structures. The maximum applied load for the specimens and their observed failure behaviour are reported. In addition to that, a strain compatibility analysis, average bond stress distribution, and flexural section analysis within the lap splice length of the instrumented specimens are also reported.<p> All of the specimens failed in bond within the lap splice length. The load capacity of two specimens reinforced with plain steel bars was 60% of the reported load resistance of specimens with identical geometry and reinforced with deformed bars. The CEB-FIP Model Code provisions for average bond stress of plain steel bars underestimated the maximum applied load recorded for the tested specimens by 16% on average. An empirically derived equation to predict the bond capacity of plain steel bars was determined to be proportional to both the splice length and the nominal bar diameter. <p> Observed cracks in the shear spans remained vertical and suggest the development of arch action within this region. The formation of a large crack at one end of the lap splice length and a review of the load versus deflection behaviour indicated a sudden bond failure of the specimens. Removal of concrete cover at the ends of the lap splice length following testing of the specimens showed evidence of slip of the lapped bars.<p> Instrumented splice specimens provided evidence of bond loss within the lap splice region. As-measured steel strains were higher than those measured for the surrounding concrete due to a loss of strain compatibility. The average bond stress distribution within the lap splice length became more uniform as the applied load approached the maximum applied load. The flexural analysis calculated based on concrete strains above the neutral axis and steel strain provided a reasonable estimate of specimen capacity.

Fifteen splice specimens reinforced with plain steel bars, including three specimens instrumented with both steel and concrete strain gauges, were tested under monotonically applied four-point loading to develop a database of reliable bond test results and contribute to the development of a reliability based bond provision for plain steel bars to evaluate historical concrete structures. The maximum applied load for the specimens and their observed failure behaviour are reported. In addition to that, a strain compatibility analysis, average bond stress distribution, and flexural section analysis within the lap splice length of the instrumented specimens are also reported.<p> All of the specimens failed in bond within the lap splice length. The load capacity of two specimens reinforced with plain steel bars was 60% of the reported load resistance of specimens with identical geometry and reinforced with deformed bars. The CEB-FIP Model Code provisions for average bond stress of plain steel bars underestimated the maximum applied load recorded for the tested specimens by 16% on average. An empirically derived equation to predict the bond capacity of plain steel bars was determined to be proportional to both the splice length and the nominal bar diameter. <p> Observed cracks in the shear spans remained vertical and suggest the development of arch action within this region. The formation of a large crack at one end of the lap splice length and a review of the load versus deflection behaviour indicated a sudden bond failure of the specimens. Removal of concrete cover at the ends of the lap splice length following testing of the specimens showed evidence of slip of the lapped bars.<p> Instrumented splice specimens provided evidence of bond loss within the lap splice region. As-measured steel strains were higher than those measured for the surrounding concrete due to a loss of strain compatibility. The average bond stress distribution within the lap splice length became more uniform as the applied load approached the maximum applied load. The flexural analysis calculated based on concrete strains above the neutral axis and steel strain provided a reasonable estimate of specimen capacity.

The forwarding delay and throughput of a proxy server play significant role in the overall network performance. It is widely known that the forwarding delay of proxy¡¦s application layer is much larger than that of lower layers. This is because for a general purpose operating system, the receiving or sending data in application layer needs to move data through the TCP/IP stack and also cross the user/kernel protection boundaries. TCP Splice can forward data directly in TCP layer without going up to the application layer. This can be achieved by modifying the packet headers of one TCP connection from the original server to the proxy so that the TCP connection can be seamlessly connected to another TCP connection from the proxy to the client. To maintain the caching ability of proxy, TCP Tap can duplicate packets before they are forwarded by TCP Splice. The duplicated packets are copied into a tap buffer, so the application layer can read data from the tap buffer. We fully utilize the original TCP receive queue as the tap buffer and allow application layer to read data as usual. We chose Linux as the platform for experiment. The TCP Splice and Tap are implemented as Linux modules. Finally, we develop an HTTP proxy to test and verify our implementation. It is shown that the performance of proxy in terms of lower forwarding delay, higher throughput, and increased CPU utilization, can be improved significantly.

Atypical gene expression has a major influence on the disease profile of several severe human disorders. Oligonucleotide (ON) based therapeutics has opened an avenue for compensating deviant protein expression by acting on biologically important nucleic acids, mainly RNAs. Antisense ONs (asONs) can be designed to target complementary specific RNA sequences and thereby to influence the corresponding protein synthesis. However, cellular uptake of ONs is poor and is, together with the target specificity of the asONs, the major limiting factor for the development of ON based therapeutics. In this thesis, the mechanisms of well-characterized cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are evaluated and CPPs are adapted for cellular ON-delivery. The functionality of ON derivatives in cells is investigated and by optimization of asONs, targeting pre-messenger RNA, high efficiency and specificity is achieved. The optimization of the asONs is based on sequence design and through the choice of nucleic acid analogue composition. It is concluded that asONs, partly composed of locked nucleic acids are attractive for splice-switching applications but these mixmers must be designed with limited number of locked nucleic acid monomers to avoid risk for off-target activity. A protocol allowing for convenient characterization of internalization routes for CPPs is established and utilized. A mechanistic study on cellular CPP uptake and translocation of associated ON cargo reveals the importance of the optimal combination of for example charge and hydrophobicity of CPPs for efficient cellular uptake. Formation of non-covalent CPP:ON complexes and successful cellular delivery is achieved with a stearylated version of the well-recognized CPP, transportan 10. The results illustrate that CPPs and ON derivatives have the potential to become winning allies in the competition to develop therapeutics regulating specific protein expression patterns involved in the disease profile of severe human disorders. / At the time of doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had s status as follows: Paper 4: Accepted.Peper 5: In press. / VINNOVA-SAMBIO Multidisciplinary BIO

Relatively few research efforts have focused on splice length requirements for reinforced masonry, despite the significant impact of these requirements on the safety, economy, and constructability of masonry walls. The Canadian masonry provisions for splice lengths in CSA S304.1-04 are taken directly from the Canadian concrete design standard, CSA A23.3-04, and thus do not necessarily reflect factors unique to masonry construction. Provisions in American masonry standard TMS 402-13/ACI 530-13/ASCE 5-13 are based on test results of double pullout specimens, but may be overly conservative due to shortcomings of the specimen type chosen. The purpose of this study is to examine the splice lengths needed for flexural masonry elements reinforced with bar sizes typically used in Canadian masonry construction. In this study, 27 wall splice specimens and 12 double pullout specimens were constructed. The wall splice specimens were tested horizontally in four point loading, while the double pullout specimens were tested in direct tension. Results from the double pullout specimen testing suggest that the techniques used at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) are reasonably similar to those of the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA), and are thus adequate to assess current provisions in the American and Canadian standards. A predictive equation for the tensile resistance of spliced reinforcement was developed from the results of the wall splice specimen testing. This predictive equation was then adjusted to incorporate an adequate margin of safety for calculating splice length requirements for design purposes, using a five percent quantile approach. The adjusted predictive equation was then extrapolated to determine the splice lengths corresponding to the nominal yield strength of the reinforcement. These splice lengths were compared to current code provisions. It was found that the current CSA S304.1-04 Class B provisions, used almost exclusively in construction, are conservative for No. 15, 20, and 25 bars. In contrast, the TMS 402-13 provisions were overly conservative for all three bar sizes. Changes to the bar size factors of the current provisions for both codes were recommended to bring better consistency to the requirements of the two codes, and thus ensure the safety, economy, and constructability of masonry walls.

Neste trabalho se avaliou experimentalmente o comportamento de um sistema de emenda de barra que transmitisse de forma mais eficiente os esforços solicitantes. A emenda consistiu-se de um tubo de aço preenchido com graute de alta resistência à compressão e duas barras de aço, uma em cada extremidade com o mesmo comprimento de embutimento. Esta emenda foi submetida a ações monotônicas e cíclicas de tração axial, com controle de deslocamento até atingir a ruptura, verificando a capacidade última da emenda e seus modos de ruína. No programa experimental foram ensaiadas emendas sendo que foram levados em consideração os seguintes parâmetros: o diâmetro da barra, o diâmetro do tubo, a conformação superficial do tubo, o tipo de carregamento, o cobrimento, o comprimento de embutimento e a posição da barra. A ruptura das emendas ocorreu por escoamento da barra de aço, fendilhamento e escorregamento da barra em relação ao graute; conforme o diâmetro da barra e a conformação superficial interna do tubo. Ainda, verificou-se que este tipo de emenda garante uma adequada transferência de esforços de tração. A corrugação do tubo teve influência significativa, uma vez que a sua falta levou ao escorregamento da barra em relação ao graute, bem como o comprimento de embutimento insuficiente levou à ruptura do graute; a posição da barra não teve influência significativa. / The main purpose of this research was to analyze experimentally the behavior of a splicing system with a grout-filled steel tube and reinforced bar to transmit the efforts efficiently. A splice was prepared with a grout-filled steel tube and two reinforced bars, one in each end of the tube with the same anchorage length. The splices were loaded in monotonic and ciclic axial tension until failure, with displacements control, measuring the maximum load and observing the splicing failure mode. An experimental program was carried out and adopted as variables the bar diameter, the tube diameter, the type of internal surface of the tube, the loading, coverage, lenght anchorage and the bar position. The failure of the splice occurred by yielding bar failure, grout splitting and grout slipping, according to the bar diameter and the internal surface of the tube. It was verified that this type of splice guarantees a good efforts transmission. The ribs inside the tube had significant influence, while the failure occurred by the grout slipping without the tube ribbed; the bar position had not significant influence.

Metal-plate-connected (MPC) splice joints were tested in combined tension and bending to generate data that were used in the development of a design procedure for determining the steel net-section strength of bottom chord splice joints of MPC wood trusses. Several common wood truss splice joint configurations were tested at varying levels of combined tension and bending loading. The joint configurations were 2x4 lumber with 20-gauge truss plates, 2x6 lumber with 20-gauge truss plates, and 2x6 lumber with 16-gauge truss plates. All the joints tested failed in the steel net-section of the truss plates. The combined loading was achieved by applying an eccentric axial tension load to the ends of each splice joint specimen. Three structural models were developed to predict the ultimate strength of the steel net-section of the splice joints tested under combined tension and bending loading. The test data were fitted to each model, and the most accurate model was selected. Data from other published tests of splice joints were used to validate the accuracy of the selected model. A design procedure for determining the allowable design strength of the steel net-section of a splice joint subjected to combined tension and bending was developed based on the selected model. The new design procedure was compared with two existing design methods. The proposed design procedure is recommended for checking the safe capacity of the steel net-section of bottom chord splice joints of MPC wood trusses subjected to combined tension and bending. / Master of Science