Digital Commons Network^™

Automation Of Anatomic Torsion Monitor For Evaluation And Improvement Of Low Back Dysfunction, Vishal Kumar Singh

Theses

The existing Anatomical Torsion Monitor (ATM) to evaluate mechanical stiffness and viscoelasticity of the low back suffers from various inherent defects. This has to be replaced by an improved device. Also the existing ATM cannot provide oscillations to the low back.

The main objective is to automate the existing ATM for evaluating the low back immediately using objective methods. The specific objective is to provide oscillations for improving the low back dysfunction.

The laser platform and the target chart for recording the readings are dispensed with the existing ATM. Instead, the ultrasound transducers are attached to the pads to record …

Past Proceedings: Fifth International Conference On Case Histories In Geotechnical Engineering (2004), Multiple Authors

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Past Proceedings: Sixth International Conference On Case Histories In Geotechnical Engineering (2008), Multiple Authors

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Past Proceedings: Second International Conference On Case Histories In Geotechnical Engineering (1988), Multiple Authors

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Geotechnical Seismic Isolation By Scrap Tire-Soil Mixtures, Hing-Ho Tsang, Nelson T. K. Lam, Saman Yaghmaei-Sabegh, M. Neaz Sheikh, Buddhima Indraratna

International Conferences on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics

The stockpiling of scrap tires is a significant threat to our environment and has been a hot topic amongst the engineering community which has been looking for long term viable solutions to the recycling and reuse of rubber tires. This paper proposes a new method of utilizing scrap tires for applications in infrastructure protection forming part of the solution strategy. The method involves mixing scrap tire particles with soil materials and placing the mixtures around civil engineering systems, for vibration absorption. The inexpensive nature of the proposed method can be of great benefits to developing countries where there are affordability …

Machine Foundations And Blast Engineering Vibrations Case Studies, Ion Vlad

International Conferences on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics

Vibration can cause either serviceability and malfunctioning problems reducing people’s comfort to an unacceptable level, or safety problems with danger of failure. The belief of the author is that the presentation of some practical cases of machine foundation vibrations will be of interest, beneficial and helpful for many researchers and engineers involved in both theoretical and practical studies. Therefore, the most relevant case studies on vibrations of machine foundation ensembles, encountered in practice in the last ten years of activity, will be presented. In all malfunctioning or excessive vibration cases the technical assessment has started with a complex program of …

State Of The Art And Practice (Soap) Speakers, Multiple Authors

International Conferences on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics

No abstract provided.

Liquefaction Countermeasure Technique By Using Logs For Carbon Storage Against Global Warming, Masaho Yoshida, Masakatsu Miyajima, Atsunori Numata

International Conferences on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics

Global warming is one of the most serious problems which faced by civil engineers in this century. Because a wood can store carbon within itself, the utilization of wood in the construction projects may contribute to the mitigation of global warming. The technique of ground improvement by installing logs into loose sand layer as a countermeasure against soil liquefaction was proposed in this study. The logs had been used as pile foundation until 1950's in Japan. However, as the wood has high possibility of a decrease in strength by decay, the utilization of wood become minority in the construction projects. …

Some Seismological Characteristics Of Mw 6.5 Pishin-Ziarat October 29, 2008 Double Earthquake, Syed Kazim Mahdi

International Conferences on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics

On October 29, 2008 two shallow focused earthquakes of Mw 6.5 struck the Pishin-Ziarat districts of Baluchistan in Pakistan. Both seismic events took place between 12 hours of each other with Intensity X and have been termed as Double Earthquake. The Earthquakes are located approximately 50 km northeast of the region of most intense damage from the Pakistan earthquake of May 30, 1935 (Mw 7.8), which is estimated to have killed 35,000 people. Field observations in the earthquake affected areas were undertaken field observations along previously mapped seismically active Gogai, Bibai and Kawas Tangi faults and study Seismological Characteristics such …

Geotechnical And Seismic Risk Evaluation In Urban Areas, Piera Paola Capilleri, Michele Maugeri, Erminia Raciti

International Conferences on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics

Seismic and geotechnical hazard problems are widespread all over the world and they can cause natural disasters, damaging properties or causing human lives losses. Italian municipalities are not yet organised either to deal with the phenomena consequences, or to plan risk mitigation actions. A clear knowledge of the location and of the space and time evolution of the phenomena is needed for a vulnerability mitigation in the probably involved areas. Geo-hazard can be related with the consequences for exposed people and man made work by a microzonation. GIS technologies could play a crucial role in analysing large areas, but a …

Calibrated 3d Computational Modeling Of Soil-Structure Systems And Liquefaction Scenarios, Ahmed Elgamal

International Conferences on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics

Three-dimensional (3D) computational simulation is increasingly allowing for insights into the mechanics of seismic soil-structure system response. Calibration is being facilitated by field, full-scale, and centrifuge model laboratory data. Computational algorithms and scenario-specific graphical user-interfaces are gradually permitting the routine adoption of such geometrically realistic simulation environments. This paper presents an overview of salient recent 3D soil-foundation-structure earthquake response simulations. Developments related to graphical user-interfaces (OpenSeesPL, http://cyclic.ucsd.edu/openseespl) are summarized, demonstrating the current and evolving capabilities towards performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE). From an OpenSeesPL-generated lateral push-over analysis of a large pile-group, it is shown that corner piles may shoulder a significantly …

Understanding Seismic Embankment Dam Behavior Through Case Histories, Pedro Simão Sêco E Pinto

International Conferences on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics

From the lessons learned from past earthquakes, it is noticed that modern embankment dams withstand the design earthquake without significant damages. In spite of this scenario it is important to prevent the occurrence of incidents and accidents of embankment dams during the earthquakes and so a deep understanding of the triggering factors is important. Well documents case histories from many parts of the world related embankment dams behaviour during recent earthquakes were carefully selected and are discussed. Based in the governed factors attention is given to the requirements for materials characterization, modelling, analysis, monitoring and safety evaluation. Ageing effects and …

Recent Advances In Seismic Design Of Geosynthetically-Lined Waste Containment Facilities, Neven Matasovic

International Conferences on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics

Geosynthetic materials are essential elements of almost all modern landfill barrier systems. Materials such as geomembranes and geosynthetic clay liners are widely used as resistive barrier elements while geotextiles, drainage nets, and geocomposites are widely employed in modern composite barrier systems for both landfill liners and covers. The ability of these geosynthetic elements to maintain their integrity when subject to deformations due to waste settlement and seismic loading is a major uncertainty with respect to the performance of modern landfills. Over past years, advances have been made in understanding of material behavior under cyclic loading, modeling of modern landfill response …

Soil Dynamics Course Speakers, Ahmed Elgamal, Shamsher Prakash

International Conferences on Recent Advances in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics

No abstract provided.

Rainwater Harvesting And Greywater Treatment Systems For Domestic Application In Ireland, Zhe Li, Fergal Boyle, Anthony Reynolds

Articles

Water shortage has been recognised as one of the key issues facing many countries. Fortunately, there are relatively abundant water resources available in Ireland because of its plenty of rainfall. However, Ireland will inevitably encounter water shortage in the future, especially in urban areas. The water consumption per capita per day in Ireland is one of the highest in Europe. The water demand is still increasing due to population growth and higher standard of living. The use of domestic rainwater harvesting and greywater treatment systems has the potential to supply nearly 94% of domestic water in Irish households. The utilisation …

Organizational Handling Of Digital Evidence, Sheona A. Hoolachan, William B. Glisson

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

There are a number of factors that impact a digital forensics investigation. These factors include: the digital media in question, implemented processes and methodologies, the legal aspects, and the individuals involved in the investigation. This paper presents the initial idea that Digital Forensic Practice (DFP) recommendations can potentially improve how organizations handle digital evidence. The recommendations are derived from an in-depth survey conducted with practitioners in both commercial organizations and law enforcement along with supporting literature. The recommendations presented in this paper can be used to assess an organization’s existing digital forensics practices and a guide to Digital Forensics Improvement …

Higate (High Grade Anti‐Tamper Equipment) Prototype And Application To E‐Discovery, Yui Sakurai, Yuki Ashino, Tetsutaro Uehara, Hiroshi Yoshiura, Ryoichi Sasaki

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

These days, most data is digitized and processed in various ways by computers. In the past, computer owners were free to process data as desired and to observe the inputted data as well as the interim results. However, the unrestricted processing of data and accessing of interim results even by computer users is associated with an increasing number of adverse events. These adverse events often occur when sensitive data such as personal or confidential business information must be handled by two or more parties, such as in the case of e-Discovery, used in legal proceedings, or epidemiologic studies. To solve …

Heavy Metal Vaporization In Fluidized Bed Combustion Of Solid Waste And Coal, Q. Falcoz, J. Liu, Daniel J. Gauthier, G. Flamant, S. Abanades

The 13th International Conference on Fluidization - New Paradigm in Fluidization Engineering

Solid samples, either of realistic waste model or coal, and spiked with Cd, Pb or Zn, were burned in an electrically-heated fluid bed reactor coupled to a customized ICP spectrometer, for on-line analysis of vaporized metals. For waste samples, a single kinetic law (whatever the metal), predicting the vaporization characteristic time and the time course of the metal concentration in the solid, was obtained. Tests with burning coal samples, spiked with Cd (at 820°C) and Zn (temperature range 680°C to 820°C), proved that this law is still valid, with a slight tendency to underestimation for both Cd and Zn vaporization …

Fluidization—Past & Future, Masayuki Horio

The 13th International Conference on Fluidization - New Paradigm in Fluidization Engineering

With the understanding on paradigm shift in sciences as well as on the relationships between science and society, the footmarks of fluidization research and its present situation were briefly revisited so that the future directions can be defined and discussed in the fluidization society in a wider perspective.

Design And Analysis Of A Compliant Mechanism Spinal Implant, Eric M. Stratton

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis introduces and presents the modeling of a novel compliant spinal implant designed to reduce back pain and restore function to degenerate spinal disc tissues as well as provide a mechanical environment conducive to healing the tissues. The initial objectives for this device development and the focus of this work are modeling and validation of the force-deflection relationships and stress analysis. Modeling was done using the pseudo-rigid-body model to create a 3 degree of freedom mechanism for flexion-extension (forward-backward bending) and a 5 degree of freedom mechanism for lateral bending (side-to-side). These models were analyzed using the principle of …

An Algorithm And Methodology For Static Response Based Damage Detection In Structural Systems, Augusto Terlaje

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

A damage detection algorithm and procedure is presented in this dissertation that utilizes static response data and Optimality Criterion optimization. Static displacement measurements are used as constraints in the damage detection algorithm that identifies potential areas of damage in structural systems. The research aims to improve upon the master's level research performed by the author. First, the robustness of the algorithm is improved by use of a least squares approximation for determining the Lagrange multipliers that are necessary for optimization. Second, an active parameter selection subroutine is used to improve the accuracy of damage detection in the presence of experimental …

A Safeguards Design Strategy For Domestic Nuclear Materials Processing Facilities., Jonathan Long

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The outdated and oversized nuclear manufacturing complex within the United States requires its transformation into a smaller, safe, and secure enterprise. Health and safety risks, environmental concerns, and the end of the Cold War have all contributed to this necessity. The events of September 11, 2001, emphasized the protection requirements for nuclear materials within the U.S. as well as abroad.

Current Nuclear Safeguards regulations contain minimal prescriptive requirements relating to the design of new production facilities. Project management and engineering design guides require that design documents contain specific and measureable statements relating to systems requirements. The systems engineering process evaluates …

The Design And Validation Of A Novel Computational Simulation Of The Leg For The Investigation Of Injury, Disease, And Surgical Treatment, Joseph Iaquinto

Theses and Dissertations

Computational modeling of joints and their function, a developing field, is becoming a significant health and wellness tool of our modern age. Due to familiarity of prior research focused on the lower extremity, a foot and ankle 3D computational model was created to explore the potential for these computational methods. The method of isolating CT scanned tissue and rendering a patient specific anatomy in the digital domain was accomplished by the use of MIMICS™ , SolidWorks™, and COSMOSMotion™ – all available in the commercial domain. The kinematics of the joints are driven solely by anatomically modeled soft tissue applied to …

Structural Damage Detection Robust Against Time Synchronization Errors, Guirong Yan, Shirley J. Dyke

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Structural Damage Detection based on Wireless Sensor Networks Can Be Affected Significantly by Time Synchronization Errors among Sensors. Precise Time Synchronization of Sensor Nodes Has Been Viewed as Crucial for Addressing This Issue. However, Precise Time Synchronization over a Long Period of Time is Often Impractical in Large Wireless Sensor Networks Due to Two Inherent Challenges. First, Time Synchronization Needs to Be Performed Periodically, Requiring Frequent Wireless Communication among Sensors at Significant Energy Cost. Second, Significant Time Synchronization Errors May Result from Node Failures Which Are Likely to Occur during Long-Term Deployment over Civil Infrastructures. in This Paper, a Damage …

Computation Intelligence Method To Find Generic Non-Coding Rna Search Models, Jennifer A. Smith

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fairly effective methods exist for finding new noncoding RNA genes using search models based on known families of ncRNA genes (for example covariance models). However, these models only find new members of the existing families and are not useful in finding potential members of novel ncRNA families. Other problems with family-specific search include large processing requirements, ambiguity in defining which sequences form a family and lack of sufficient numbers of known sequences to properly estimate model parameters. An ncRNA search model is proposed which includes a collection of non-overlapping RNA hairpin structure covariance models. The hairpin models are chosen from …

Delamination Of Sandwich Composites, Richard Anthony Davis

Aerospace Engineering

The use of shear keys to help stop or inhibit the face-sheet core delamination of sandwich composite beams under monotonic loading was analyzed in Cal Poly’s structural design lab. The composite beams were treated with the same boundary conditions as the ASTM D5528 double cantilever beam bending in which both faces of the beam remain free; one of the faces would have a debonded side and the other would not. An aluminum tab is attached to the top of the specimens and the load is applied there. Each specimen has piezoelectric sensors that are utilized in the detection of delamination …

Acuta Enews May 2010, Vol 39, No. 5

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue

Report from Annual Conference in San Antonio

From ACUTA Headquarters: Expanded ACUTA Benefits Jeri A. Semer, CAE, Executive Dir.

Hurricane Preparedness Checklist

Tech Talk: A Different Way of Measuring Value of Unified Communications....... Kevin Tonzillo, Dux PR

See the Conference on Your Desktop

DC Update ................Dove Ostrom, Washington State Univ. (retired)

ACUTA Alert: Write Your Senators to Urge Passage of IRS/Cell Phone Legislation

Dues lnvoices Mailed May 1

Washington Update Newsletter

lnfo Links ............ Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern lowa

Another Great Conference, More Terrific Prizes!

Board Report ......... George Denbow, Univ. of Texas, Austin

New Members …

How To Relate Fuzzy And Owa Estimates, Tanja Magoc, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many practical situations, we have several estimates x1, ..., xn of the same quantity x, i.e., estimates for which x1 ~ x, x2 ~ x, ..., and xn ~ x. It is desirable to combine (fuse) these estimates into a single estimate for x. From the fuzzy viewpoint, a natural way to combine these estimates is: (1) to describe, for each x and for each i, the degree mu(xi - x) to which x is close to xi, (2) to use a t-norm ("and"-operation) to combine these degrees into a degree to which x is consistent with all n …

Efficient Algorithms For Heavy-Tail Analysis Under Interval Uncertainty, Vladik Kreinovich, Monchaya Chiangpradit, Wararit Panichkitkosolkul

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Most applications of statistics to science and engineering are based on the assumption that the corresponding random variables are normally distributed, i.e., distributed according to Gaussian law in which the probability density function d(x) exponentially decreases with x: d(x) ~ exp(-k * x^2). Normal distributions indeed frequently occur in practice. However, there are also many practical situations, including situations from mathematical finance, in which we encounter heavy-tailed distributions, i.e., distributions in which d(x) decreases as d(x) ~ x^(-a). To properly take this uncertainty into account when making decisions, it is necessary to estimate the parameters of such distributions based on …

Metrization Theorem For Space-Times: From Urysohn's Problem Towards Physically Useful Constructive Mathematics, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In the early 1920s, Pavel Urysohn proved his famous lemma (sometimes referred to as "first non-trivial result of point set topology"). Among other applications, this lemma was instrumental in proving that under reasonable conditions, every topological space can be metrized.

A few years before that, in 1919, a complex mathematical theory was experimentally proven to be extremely useful in the description of real world phenomena: namely, during a solar eclipse, General Relativity theory -- that uses pseudo-Riemann spaces to describe space-time -- has been (spectacularly) experimentally confirmed. Motivated by this success, Urysohn started working on an extension of his lemma …