Live-Load Test and Finite-Element Model Analysis of an Integral Abutment Concrete Girder Bridge

As part of the Long Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) Program, a single-span, prestressed, integral abutment concrete girder pilot bridge near Perry, Utah was instrumented with different sensors at various locations onto the bridge for long-term monitoring and periodic testing. One of the periodic tests conducted on this bridge was a live-load test. The live-load test included driving trucks across the bridge, as well as parking trucks along different lanes of the bridge, and measuring the deflection and strain. The data collected from these tests was used to create and calibrate a computer model of the bridge. The model was afforded the same dimensions and characteristics as the actual bridge, and then the boundary conditions (how the bridge is being supported) were altered until the model data and the live-load data matched. Live-load distribution factors and load ratings were then obtained using this calibrated model and compared to the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications. The results indicated that in all cases, the AASHTO LRFD Specification distribution factors were conservative by between 55% to 78% due to neglecting to take the bridge fixity (bridge supports) into account in the distribution factor equations. The actual fixity of the bridge was determined to be 94%.Subsequently, a variable study was conducted by creating new models based on the original bridge for changes in span length, deck thickness, edge distance, skew (angle of distortion of the bridge), and fixity to see how each variable would affect the bridge. Distribution factors were then calculated for each case and compared with the distribution factors obtained from the AASHTO LRFD Specifications for each case. The results showed that the variables with the largest influence on the bridge were the change in fixity and the change in skew. Both parameters provided ranges between 10% non- conservative and 56% conservative. The parameter with the least amount of influence was the deck thickness providing a range between 4% non-conservative and 19% non- conservative. Depending on which variable was increased, both increases and decreases in conservatism were exhibited in the study

Extending the Self-Incrimination Clause to Persons in Fear of Foreign Prosecution

This Note will examine the rationale, policies, and history behind the self-incrimination clause and will demonstrate the privilege\u27s importance as an individual right and as a check on police power. Only by exploring the purposes and policies behind the privilege--an approach condoned by the Supreme Court--is one able to formulate the best answer to whether the self-incrimination clause extends to persons in fear of foreign prosecution. An understanding of what the privilege is supposed to protect will lead to a better understanding of the scope of this important constitutional guarantee. This Note will then focus on recent cases in which courts have substituted domestic grants of immunity and sealing orders, issued under the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, for fifth amendment protections. Courts and commentators have questioned the sufficiency of these substitutes, and this Note will discuss the problems presented and possible solutions

Teamwork in Cybersecurity: Evaluating the Cooperative Board Game [d0x3d!] as an Experimental Testbed

It is crucial to identify the knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs) that contribute to success in cybersecurity teams. We introduce a board game, [d0x3d!], as an experimental testbed designed to create a controlled environment and set of manageable tasks aimed at exploring teamwork competencies that may be relevant to the cybersecurity workforce. [d0x3d!] requires players to work together and share information to retrieve stolen digital assets. The authors aim to improve the efficacy of cybersecurity team training by incorporating modern teamwork theory and measurement. This testbed provides a low-cost and user-friendly platform for training, evaluation, and research

Master of Science

thesisIntrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) increases risk of neonatal lung disease. In animal models, the predisposition to neonatal lung disease is associated with a decrease in elastin production. Production of elastin is necessary for development of the lung. Cellular expression of elastin is encoded by the elastin gene. The expression of the elastin gene is modified by histone acetylation. Histone acetylation is made possible by the enzyme ATP-citrate lyase (ACL) in the nucleus, which provides Acetyl-CoA groups to acetylate histones. However, it is unknown whether IUGR is associated with changes in ACL mRNA and protein levels, global histone acetylation patterns, or elastin histone acetylation patterns. We hypothesize that IUGR will decrease ACL mRNA and protein levels and decrease global and elastin acetylation patterns. IUGR was induced by bilateral uterine artery ligation in Sprague Dawley rat dams at E19 of gestation. Lung tissue was collected from newborn control and IUGR rat offspring and ACL mRNA was quantified using real-time RT-PCR, ACL protein levels were quantified by Western blotting, global and elastin specific acetylation patterns were quantified using Western blotting and chromatin immunoprecipitation. Results are IUGR as % of sex matched control ± SD. IUGR decreased ACL mRNA levels in male and female IUGR rats (44 ± 8 and 75 ± 16, respectively) and ACL protein levels in male IUGR rats (32 ± 13). IUGR decreased ACL protein levels in the cytoplasm for males (92 ± 16) and in the nucleus for females (67 ± 25). Global histone acetylation patterns are decreased in males only (73 ± 13). Elastin specific acetylation patterns are decreased only in females (promoter 71 ± 13, exon 24 78 ± 16, and exon 33 48 ± 11). We conclude that IUGR sex specifically affects ACL mRNA and protein levels and global histone and elastin histone acetylation patterns in newborn rat lung. We speculate that, in female rat lung, decreased elastin is associated with decreased nuclear ACL protein levels

Control of the Reservation Environment: Tribal Primacy, Federal Delegation, and the Limits of State Intrusion

Inter-sovereign disputes over environmental regulation in Indian country are increasingly common. The federal government, individual states, and native nations all assert interests in controlling pollution on Indian reservations; the question of which sovereign should regulate in this area presents complex issues of federal law, native self-determination, and state autonomy. In this Article, the authors trace the roots of federal, state, and tribal authority to control events within reservation boundaries. Applying a three-tiered analysis to the problem, the authors examine: express federal preemption of state pollution control laws; federal program delegation to native governments as a bar to state regulation; and established common law barriers to state authority in Indian country. The authors conclude that state pollution control regulation, whether aimed at native or nonnative persons and activities, is prohibited in Indian country

Trends in the Proceedings of the International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (2021)

The field of human factors and its associated research has experienced a large amount of growth over the years. In this paper, we present the results of a text frequency analysis of the Proceedings of the International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Vol. 65 Issue 1, September 2021. Popular words in proceedings titles include “Performance” (n = 28), “Task” (n = 24), “Learning” (n = 21), “Robot” (n = 21) , and “User” (n = 21). These are preliminary results of a larger endeavor to uncover the publishing trends within the field of human factors over the last decade. However, the results of this analysis will provide a useful lens through which we can better understand trends within the field of human factors and ergonomics over the past year