Motion based design : solution algorithms to the inverse problem with applications to seismic design
A general solution algorithm to the inverse equilibrium problem is derived. The algorithm finds stiffness coefficients for a given loading and a given set of displacment constraints. Optimization techniques are employed for the statically indeterminate case and for the case of partial displacement specification. The applicability of the method to seismic design of buildings is demonstrated. An inverse eigen-problem is solved for a stiffness distribution that produces a desired fundamental mode shape. The stiffness is then scaled based on the magnitude of the excitation with the use of response spectra. Emphasis is placed on stiffness proportional damping, which can be generated from the physical placement of dampers. Thesis Supervisor: Jerome J. Connor Title: Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Acknowledgments I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people to whom I am indebted for this thesis. First of all, I would like to thank my father and mother, Wilfred and Lorraine Gallegos. I would not have had the opportunity to write this thesis, were it not for your financial and emotional support. You have been very supportive of all my efforts without trying to influence any of the decisions I have made. A very heartfelt thanks to my brother and sister, Wilfred Jr. and Anita. You have always been, and will continue to be excellent role models. A special thanks to my advisor Professor Jerome J. Connor for an extremely interesting and challenging research topic. But more importantly, I thank you for helping me find a new direction in life. It was a pleasure working with you. Thanks to Miguel Licona for providing a state space simulator which was used to analyze the designs. I dedicate this thesis to my grandmothers, Corina V. Duran and Lucia Lopez. You provided me with a stable cultural environment and a unique perspective on life. I have always drawn and will continue to draw upon your wise words of wisdom in times of need.
Optimum design and earthquake-response constrained design of elastic shear buildings
The necessary and sufficient conditions for global optimality and the closed form solution are derived for a problem of minimizing a weighted sum of storey stiffnesses of a shear building subject to a fundamental frequency constraint. A set of higher frequency formulae is derived for optimally designed shear buildings with equal masses. It is shown that, if the weight coefficients are regarded as parameters for adjustment, the distribution of the SRSS estimates of the maximum interstorey drifts can be adjusted so as to coincide with a specified one. The base shear–fundamental period formulae and the base shear–design drift formulae are derived semi-analytically for shear buildings with equal masses on the basis of the optimum design formulae and the SRSS estimates of the maximum interstorey drifts. Some numerical examples are presented in order to illustrate the validity of the proposed method of earthquake-response constrained design.
Perceived job importance and job performance satisfaction of selected clinical nutrition management responsibilities.
A nationwide survey of clinical nutrition managers was conducted to assess perceived importance of selected job responsibilities and perceived performance satisfaction of those job responsibilities. A questionnaire was developed to achieve the study objectives, validated by an expert panel, and pilot-tested prior to data collection. All members of the American Dietetic Association's Clinical Nutrition Management dietetic practice group (N=1,668) were asked to rate the importance of selected job responsibilities and their satisfaction with those responsibilities using Likert-type scales with descriptions. Results revealed that clinical nutrition managers perceived all job responsibilities listed in the questionnaire to be important (ie, the mean score of each responsibility was >3.0 of a 4.0 scale). Respondents rated regulatory-related job responsibilities as most important and were most satisfied with their performance of these responsibilities. Following regulatory-related responsibilities, clinical nutrition managers perceived patient satisfaction and staff retention to be more important than other responsibilities. In general, clinical nutrition managers were more satisfied with their job performance for job responsibilities that they ranked as more important.