This dissertation consists of four parts. The first part deals with the response of liquid storage tanks to a vertical component of ground motion. Galerkin's method is used to solve this problem approximately, and its accuracy is established by comparing the results with those obtained by the exact modal superposition method. The effects of soil ...

The elastic and inelastic responses of the force-excited single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems are investigated from the gross characteristics of forcing functions such as the frequency content, the integrals and the amplitudes. The studies are carried out initially with simple version of force-excitation and then, using progressively complicated ...

Effective gene therapy must deliver therapeutic genes to disease sites while avoiding healthy tissue. However, engineering targeted gene delivery vectors to ensure exclusive delivery to diseased sites remains a challenge. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is receiving increasing attention for its potential as a gene delivery vehicle because it offers ...

Response nonnormality is investigated for a yielding primary structure and a linear secondary system (P-S) subjected to a normally distributed ground acceleration. The nonlinearity considered is bilinear hysteretic (BLH) yielding in the primary structure. The coefficient of excess (COE), which is a normalized fourth cumulant function, is used as a ...

This thesis deals with the effects of soil-structure interaction, both kinematic and inertial, on the responses of seismically excited rectangular foundations and simple structures supported on such foundations. The ground motion considered is defined stochastically by a local power spectral density function and a spatial incoherence function. The ...

Ethanol is playing a key role in current discussions on energy, agriculture, taxes and the environment. This work addresses the potential environmental impacts and behavior of subsurface fuel-ethanol releases. A continuous-flow 8,150-L pilot-aquifer tank packed with sand was used to simulate two spill scenarios: (1) fuel-grade ethanol (E95, 95% v/v ...

This dissertation presents a comprehensive study of the dynamic response of storage tanks containing high-level radioactive wastes in nuclear facilities. Of the many issues that are peculiar to these systems, four important ones have been studied. Accordingly, the study is presented in four parts. The first part deals with the dynamic response of ...

The settling velocity of aggregates found in engineered water and wastewater treatment facilities are usually assumed to follow Stokes' law. These particles, however, are typically porous and may be fractal in nature. As a result, they have very different sedimentation characteristics. This study focuses on the comparison of several techniques used ...

Abstract Not Available.

The current nanotechnology boom necessitates timely research into the health and environmental impacts of nanomaterials to enhance their eco-responsible manufacture, use, and disposal. Using the water-insoluble C60 as a model nanomaterial, the potential environmental impacts of a C60 water suspension, termed nC60, are here assessed with bacteria as ...