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Characterization of Beam Vibration
Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-12A beam is one of the most fundamental elements in structural engineering, mechanical engineering, and aerospace engineering. Moreover, complex structures like large flexible solar arrays, airplane wings, high-rise buildings, and long-span bridges can be often modeled as beam-like members. Therefore, it is important to study the static and dynamic behavior of this element under various loading conditions. In the analysis and design of beam or beam-like elements, it is sometimes necessary to determine the eigenparameters (natural frequency, mode shape, and modal damping) of the element under axial force (for example pre-stressed elements). The eigenparameters are also important in the application of nondestructive health monitoring of structural elements as a cost-effective way to detect the existence of damage and its extent. However, most of the research has focused on how cracking affects natural frequencies of the element. Very little research has been done in terms of how natural frequency changes within the yielding and strain hardening region (specifically for steel structures). In this thesis, the relationship between natural frequency and axial force within the linear elastic region, buckling region, and yielding and strain hardening region is investigated using an analytical model, numerical model, and experiments. The effect of plastic deformation on the natural frequency of beams was investigated. Cyclic loading experiments were conducted to study how re-loading stiffness changes within both the elastic and plastic region. Finally, large amplitude vibration (geometric nonlinearity) was investigated both experimentally and numerically. It is hoped that this thesis will provide a summary of the critical behavior of beams, particularly from the linear versus nonlinear, elastic versus plastic, and static versus dynamic points of view
Resonant Streams UW Chorale Giselle Wyers, conductor May 25, 2016
Concert ProgramResonant Streams UW Chorale Giselle Wyers, conductor May 25, 201
Lummi Natural Resources Department 2013-2015 Sea Cucumber Study
In the Northeast Pacific Ocean, the fishery potential of the California (or giant red) sea cucumber
Parastichopus californicus (Stimpson, 1857) (Echinodermata: Aspidochirotida: Stichopodidae)
was first identified in late 19th century reports prepared by government officials tasked with
commoditizing novel marine resources (e.g., Swan 1886); however, viable commercial fisheries
for P. californicus along the U. S. West Coast and the Pacific Coast of Canada were not
established until nearly a century later (Bradbury 1990; Muse 1998) following the serial
exploitation of sea cucumber fisheries elsewhere in the Pacific (Anderson et al. 2011). Initially
managed passively during the 1970s and 1980s, these fisheries (gear types: diving and trawling)
peaked about 25 years ago when annual landings of P. californicus exceeded four million pounds
in Washington State alone (Bradbury and Conand 1991; Bradbury 1994; Carson et al. 2016).
Recognizing that a turnabout from ineffectual management was needed, jurisdictions in the
region began actively managing their sea cucumber fisheries in the mid-1990s. By the close of
the 20th century, natural resource authorities coast-wide had implemented practices such as quota
allocation systems based on catch histories and routine stock assessments, gear and harvest area
restrictions and, in some jurisdictions, limiting entry to better manage P. californicus fisheries in
the region (Woodby et al. 1993; Bradbury et al. 1998; Bruckner 2005; Hajas et al. 2011; Carson
et al. 2016)
Seattle Campus Master Plan Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
This is a SEPA Environmental Impact Statement as required by State regulations for analyzing the potential impacts of implementing the proposed Seattle Campus Master Plan for the University of Washington. Five action alternatives and the No Action Alternative have been analyzed for 15 elements of the environment
Analyzing Visitor Perceptions of Personalization in Art Museum Interactive Technology
Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06Although art museums are increasingly exploring the use of interactive technology to engage visitors, very little research has explored visitor perceptions of these technologies and the specific strategies employed through the technology to achieve increased engagement. This study investigates visitor perceptions of personalization strategies in art museum interactive technology, using interviews conducted with average museum visitors to understand their perceptions of technologies that attempt to make the visitor’s experience more personal and unique. Thirty-four visitors were interviewed in Gallery One at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio. Results show that personalization did matter to museum visitors in the Gallery One space, but that despite the technology’s perceived value among visitors, most visitors did not engage with the personalization features. These results expand the available research on interactive technology in art museums, suggesting visitors value personalization features, and calling for further research into the difference between valuation and use
Asylee Access to Refugee Health Screenings: Refugee Health Screenings Should Be Urgently Granted to Asylees in Washington State
Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06This research is a policy analysis assessing the importance of health screenings for newly granted asylees in Washington State as both a tool for surveillance and a form of preventative care. This paper will go further and make preliminary recommendations that health screenings be granted to asylees as soon as they make a claim for asylum. This paper will begin by giving an overview of U.S. asylum policy. It will then outline asylee eligibility for medical assistance. Later, it will describe the refugee health screening. This paper will also include a summary of stakeholder opinions surrounding refugee health screening, its purpose, and their perception of its importance. It will then provide examples of past and present interventions that addressed issues around asylee access to health screenings. Finally, I will make recommendations and discuss how these recommendations may play out today, as well as ways we may learn from the past
Unmanned Aircraft System Assessment of Landslide Safety for Transportation Corridors
An assessment of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) concluded that current, off-the-shelf UAS aircraft and cameras can be effective for creating the digital surface models used to evaluate rock-slope stability and landslide risk along transportation corridors. The imagery collected with UAS can be processed using a photogrammetry technique called Structure-from-Motion (SfM) which generates a point cloud and surface model, similar to terrestrial laser scanning (TLS). We treated the TLS data as our control, or “truth,” because TLS is a mature and well-proven technology. The comparisons of the TLS surfaces and the SFM surfaces were impressive – if not comparable in many cases. Thus, the SfM surface models would be suitable for deriving slope morphology to generate rockfall activity indices (RAI) for landslide assessment. This research also revealed that UAS are a safer alternative to the deployment and operation of TLS operating on a road shoulder because UAS can be launched and recovered from a remote location and capable of imaging without flying directly over the road. However, both the UAS and TLS approaches still require traditional survey control and photo targets to accurately georeference their respective digital surface models.Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortiu
Protein kinase C bidirectionally modulates Ih and HCN1 surface expression in hippocampal pyramidal neurons
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2015Hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) ion channels attenuate excitability in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Loss of HCN channel-mediated current (Ih), particularly that mediated by the HCN1 isoform, occurs with the development of epilepsy. Previously, we showed that following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus, there are two independent changes in HCN function in dendrites: decreased Ih amplitude associated with a loss of HCN1 surface expression, and a hyperpolarizing shift in voltage-dependence of activation (“gating”). The hyperpolarizing shift in gating was attributed to decreased phosphorylation due to loss of p38 MAP kinase activity and increased calcineurin activity; however, the mechanisms controlling Ih amplitude and HCN1 surface expression under epileptic or normal physiological conditions are poorly understood. I sought to investigate phosphorylation as a mechanism regulating Ih amplitude and HCN1 surface expression (as it does HCN gating) in hippocampal principal neurons under normal physiological conditions. I discovered that inhibition of either tyrosine phosphatases or the serine/threonine phosphatases PP1 and PP2A decreased Ih at maximal activation in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal dendrites and pyramidal-like principal (PLP) neuron somata from naïve rats. Furthermore, I found that inhibition of PP1/PP2A decreased HCN1 surface expression, while tyrosine phosphatase inhibition did not. Protein kinase C (PKC) activation reduced Ih amplitude and HCN1 surface expression, while PKC inhibition produced the opposite effect. PP1/2A inhibition and PKC activation both increased the serine phosphorylation state of the HCN1 protein. The effect of PKC activation on Ih was irreversible. These results indicate that PKC bidirectionally modulates Ih amplitude and HCN1 surface expression in hippocampal principal neurons
Tools for Evaluating the Human Health Risks Associated with Microbial Contamination of Apples
Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2015This thesis incorporates laboratory methods, risk assessment modeling, and policy analysis to address food safety issues related to microbial contamination of apple crops. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to microbial food safety issues and apple production in the United States. It also broadly discusses the conceptual underpinnings for the three subsequent chapters and specific aims of the thesis. More robust background information is provided within the respective chapters. Chapter 2 provides an analysis of a novel method for the quantification of E. coli on apple surfaces. Chapter 3 aims to evaluate the health risks of apple contamination under varying harvest and cleaning conditions, utilizing three quantitative microbial risk assessment models. The policy relevance of the study is discussed in Chapter 4, incorporating history of food safety policy, broad policy process frameworks, and a discussion of the relevant policy development stages in which the study findings may apply. As a whole, this thesis is intended to provide an interdisciplinary approach to issues surrounding apple production and consumption
Physical and mental health impacts of household gardens in an urban slum in Lima, Peru
Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2015Background: Rural poverty and lack of access to education has led to urban migration and fed the constant growth of urban slums on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. These informal settlements suffer from public access to water and sanitation, informal land rights, food and water insecurity, all of which contribute to poorer health outcomes. We explored the feasibility of implementing household gardens using participatory design methods and examined the impact of increased green space on wellbeing. Methods: Between September 2013 and September 2014, we conducted a repeated measures longitudinal study with 29 community members in an informal settlement of 82 households in Lima, Peru. We assessed changes in physical and mental health after participatory design and construction of household gardens. Anthropometric data and a composite of five validated mental health surveys were collected at baseline, 6-months, and 12-months after garden construction. Results: Twelve months after garden construction, we found significant increases from baseline in all domains of quality of life—physical (p<0.01), psychological (p=0.05), social (p=0.02), and environmental (p=0.02)—in overall social capital (p<0.01), and perceived stress (p<0.01). Life threatening experiences decreased compared to baseline significantly (p=0.02). There were no significant changes in parent or partner empathy (p=0.21), BMI (p=0.95), waist circumference (p=0.18), or blood pressure (p=0.66) at 6 or 12 months. Fasting blood glucose increased at 6-months (p=0.04), but this change was not maintained at 12-months (p=0.59). Conclusions: Improved access to green space in the form of a household garden can significantly improve mental health in a slum setting