In order to study the way how to improve the spatial action of precast monolithic composite floor slabs, and would replace the cast-in-place surface layer for reduce the weight of structure, using pseudo-dynamic tests on 1/4 scale models of two-span and three-story frame structure. The lateral load tests compared the stresses and displacements with cast-in-place floor frame-shear wall structure (SJ1) and precast monolithic floor frame-shear wall structure with X horizontal braces at the bottom of the floor (SJ2). The results show the X horizontal braces can improve the spatial action. Structural integrity (SJ2) as well as the effective transmission of the horizontal force can be ensured by additional X bracing at the bottom of the rigidity of the floor without cast-in-place concrete topping. The results show that X horizontal braces more effectively transfer horizontal, which provides a beneficial reference for similar research.

Shear connectors are used in steel beam–concrete slabs of composite frame and bridge structures to transfer shear force according to design loads. The existing Y-type perfobond rib shear connectors are designed for girder slabs of composite bridges. Therefore, the rib and transverse rebars of the conventional Y-type perfobond rib shear connectors are extremely large for the composite frames of building structures. We performed push-out tests of stubby Y-type perfobond rib shear connectors for composite frames. These shear connectors have relatively small ribs than conventional Y-type perfobond rib shear connectors. To confirm the shear resistance of these stubby shear connectors, we performed an experiment by using transverse rebars D13 and D16. The results indicate that these shear connectors have suitable shear strength and ductility for application in composite frame structures. The shear strengths obtained using D13 and D16 were not significantly different. However, the ductility of the shear connectors with D16 was 45.1% higher than that of the shear connectors with D13.

China is facing the development requirements of the dual carbon goal and the construction needs of resilient cities. Currently, high-strength composite structural systems are a feasible solution, but their research and application in the construction field are insufficient, especially for the combination forms of concrete above C100 and steel above Q550. In response to this issue, this paper proposes a new high-performance structural system, namely the composite frame - high-strength steel plate wall core tube resilient structure system, which includes high-strength steel plate (Q550) - ultra-high strength concrete (C100) shear walls, replaceable energy dissipation coupling beams, and composite frames. Taking a 200 meter building as an example, this paper designs and establishes calculation models for a conventional reinforced concrete frame-core tube structure and a high-performance structure based on PKPM software, and establishes elastoplastic analysis models for both based on SAUSAGE software, and then conducts dynamic elastoplastic time history analysis and seismic resilience assessment of structures under design basis earthquakes (DBEs), maximum considered earthquake (MCEs) and extremely rare earthquakes (EREs). Research has shown that compared to conventional structures, new high-performance structures can effectively reduce the size of shear walls, reduce the self-weight of the structure, and enhance the space for building use; The story drift ratio has higher redundancy than specification limits, lower plastic damage and overall stiffness degradation of the structure, and better seismic performance; The seismic resilience has significantly improved, especially in the case of casualties, which can better ensure the safety of people's lives and property.

Wall Shear Stress (WSS) abnormalities in carotid artery blood flow are key hemodynamic factors leading to arterial endothelial damage, atherosclerotic plaque formation, and carotid artery stenosis. Precise simulation of carotid artery blood flow WSS in vitro play an important role in understanding the underlying hemodynamic mechanism of carotid artery stenosis. This study presents a design for a microfluidic cell culture chamber with a variable cross-section and a step structure, leveraging microfluidic technology and principles of fluid dynamics. We propose an optimization strategy for microchannel dimensions based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. This strategy aims to replicate the distinct WSS waveform features found at various locations within the carotid bifurcation as observed in vivo. Our simulations indicate that with a step height of 0.09 mm, a width of 4 mm for the initial segment, and 5 mm for the subsequent wider channel, the device can effectively model the characteristics of low oscillatory WSS seen at sites of carotid sinus stenosis. Furthermore, it accurately represents the high-magnitude pulsatile WSS waveforms in the more uniform arterial sections downstream of the carotid sinus. The study also reveals that vortex formation and variations in low oscillatory WSS within the stepped section of the microchannel correlate with the step's height and width, as well as with the dimensions of the wider channel section. An increase in step width leads to a decrease in both the vortex area and the magnitude of negative WSS oscillations. When the step height is less than 0.03 mm, vortex formation is inhibited, challenging the simulation of low oscillatory WSS patterns. The variable cross-section microfluidic channel developed in this study provides a platform for simulating carotid artery WSS waveforms and facilitates research into the interplay between low oscillatory WSS at sites of carotid sinus stenosis and arterial endothelial dysfunction.

Multi-level shaking table tests were performed on 1:3 reduced scale two-story RC IMRF frames conforming to ACI-318-19. The exterior joints lacked shear reinforcement to assess the viability of the ACI model recommended for determining the design shear strength of the beam-column joint panel. The Northridge-1994 earthquake accelerogram was input to the frame for multi-level shaking table testing. Plastic hinges developed in beams under base input motion with a maximum acceleration equal to 0.40g. The exterior joints incurred extensive damage under base input motion with a maximum acceleration equal to 0.70g. The frame achieved displacement ductility and overstrength factors equal to 2.40 and 2.50 respectively. This gives a response modification factor equal to 6. The satisfactory performance of the frame is attributed to the high efficiency of the beam-column joint, which was confined by spandrel beams on two faces, and the high strength of the concrete. The inherent minimal confinement is sufficient to ensure good seismic behavior. The analysis confirmed overstrength equal to 1.58 for joint shear strength in comparison to the design strength determined using the ACI model. The data might serve as a reference for calibrating and validating numerical modeling techniques for performance evaluation, which are crucial in the context of performance-based engineering.

A topic of growing interest in urban remote sensing is the automated extraction of geometrical building information for 3D city modeling. Roof geometry information is useful for applications such as urban planning, solar potential estimation and telecommunication installation planning, and wind flow simulations for pollutant diffusion analysis. Recent research has proven that the advance in remote sensing technologies and deep learning methods offer the prospects of deriving the roof structure information accurately and efficiently. In this study, we propose a Vectorized Roof Extractor- method based on Fully Convolutional Networks (FCNs) and advanced polygonization method to extract roof structure from aerial imagery and a normalized Digital Surface Models (nDSM) in a regularized vector format. The roof structure consists of building outlines, external edges of the building roof, inner rooflines, internal intersections of the main roof planes. The methodology is comprised of segmentation, vectorization and post-processing for outer rooflines, external edges of the building roof, and inner rooflines, and internal intersections of the main roof planes. For the comparison, we adapt the Frame field Learning (FFL) method originally designed to extract building polygons [1]. Our experiments are conducted on a custom data set derived for the city of Enschede, The Netherlands, using aerial imagery, nDSM and manually digitized training polygons. The results show that the proposed Vectorized Roof Extractor outperformed adapted FFL on PoLiS distance with values of 3.5 m and 1.2 m for outlines and inner rooflines, respectively. Furthermore, the model surpassed the adapted FFL on PoLiS-thresholded F-score for outlines and inner rooflines, with 0.31 and 0.57, respectively. The Vectorized Roof Extractor produced adequate visual results, with straighter walls and fewer missed inner roofline detections. It can predict buildings with common walls thanks to skeleton graph computation. To summarize, the proposed method is suitable for urban applications and has the potential to be improved further.

The paper aims to illustrate the different roles that social sciences can play in the study of the energy transition. To this end, a scheme is developed that frames the relative position of the social sciences with respect to other disciplines (metaframe). Secondly, socialization is identified as a charismatic category capable of providing an original, typically sociological contribution to the complex and hesitant energy transition (masterframe)

To investigate the impact of a magnetic field on plaque development in a stenotic bifurcated artery, a finite element method is utilized. The blood flow is modelled as a stable, incompressible, Newtonian, biomagnetic, and laminar fluid. Furthermore, the arterial wall is assumed to be linear elastic. The Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) method is employed to describe the hemodynamic flow in a bifurcated artery under the influence of an asymmetric magnetic field, taking into account two-way fluid-structure interaction coupling. A stable $P_2P_1$ finite element pair discretizes a nonlinear system of partial differential equations that requires a solution. The Newton-Raphson method is utilized to find a solution to the resulting nonlinear algebraic equation system. Numerical modelling is used to simulate the presence of magnetic fields, and the resulting displacement, velocity magnitude, pressure, and wall shear stresses are shown for a range of Reynolds numbers ($Re = 500$, $1000$, $1500$, and $2000$). The results of the numerical analysis demonstrate that the presence of a magnetic field has a significant effect not only on the magnitude of displacement but also on the velocity of the flow. The application of a magnetic field reduces flow separation, extends the recirculation area near the stenosis, and increases wall shear stress.

The intracellular calcium dynamics in vascular endothelial cells (VECs) in response to wall shear stress (WSS) and/or adenosine triphosphate (ATP) have been commonly regarded as an important factor in regulating VEC function and behavior including proliferation, migration and apoptosis. However, the effects of time-varying ATP signals have been usually neglected in the past investigations in the field of VEC mechanobiology. In order to investigate the combined effects of WSS and dynamic ATP signals on the intracellular calcium dynamic in VECs, a Y-shaped microfluidic device, which can provide the cultured cells on the bottom of its mixing micro-channel with stimuli of WSS signal alone and different combinations of WSS and ATP signals in one single micro-channel, is proposed. Both numerical simulation and experimental studies verify the feasibility of its application. Cellular experimental results also suggest that a combination of WSS and ATP signals rather than a WSS signal alone might play a more significant role in VEC Ca²⁺ signal transduction induced by blood flow.

In the literature, frames generated by unitary representations of groups (known as group-frames) are studied only for Hilbert spaces. We make first study of frames for Banach spaces generated by isometric invertible representations of discrete groups on Banach spaces. These frames are characterized using left regular, right regular, Gram-matrices and group-matrices on classical sequence spaces. A sufficiently large collection of functional-vector pairs using the double commutant of the representation is identified which generate group-frames for Banach spaces. Subsequently, we study Schauder frames generated by time-frequency shift operators on finite dimensional Banach spaces. We derive Moyal formula, fundamental identity of Gabor analysis, Wexler-Raz criterion and Ron-Shen duality in functional form.

We introduce a new integral method for Quantum Key Distribution to perform sifting, reconciliation and amplification processes to establish a cryptographic key through the use of binary structures called frames which are capable to increase quadratically the secret key rate. The method can be implemented with the usual optical Bennett-Brassard (BB84) equipment allowing strong pulses in the quantum regime.

To estimate the progressive collapse resistance capacity of a multi-column frame tube structure with the assembled truss beam composite floor (ATBCF), the pushdown analysis, and the nonlinear dynamic analysis as well, are conducted for such a structure by using the alternate load path (ALP) method. The bearing capacities of the remaining structures at three different work conditions, which are the side middle column failure, the edge middle column failure, and the corner column failure, are individually studied, and the collapse mechanism for the remaining structures is analyzed from the aspects of the internal force redistribution and the failure mode of the second defense line. Simultaneously, the influence of the column failure time on the dynamic response of the remaining structure and the dynamic amplification coefficient are discussed. The results show that the residual bearing capacity of the remaining structure with the bottom corner column failure is higher than that of the one with the side or edge middle column failure, while the latter has a stronger plastic deformation capacity. When the ALP method is adopted to operate the progressive collapse analysis, it is reasonable to take the column failure time as 0.1 times of the first-order vertical vibration period of the remaining structure, and it is suitable to set the dynamic amplification coefficient as of 2.0, which is the ratio of the maximum dynamic displacement to the static displacement of the remaining structure under the transient loading condition.

Let $(\{f_n\}_{n=1}^\infty, \{\tau_n\}_{n=1}^\infty)$ and $(\{g_n\}_{n=1}^\infty, \{\omega_n\}_{n=1}^\infty)$ be unbounded continuous p-Schauder frames ($0<p<1$) for a disc Banach space $\mathcal{X}$. Then for every $x \in ( \mathcal{D}(\theta_f) \cap\mathcal{D}(\theta_g))\setminus\{0\}$, we show that \begin{align}\label{UB} \|\theta_f x\|_0\|\theta_g x\|_0 \geq \frac{1}{\left(\displaystyle\sup_{n,m \in \mathbb{N} }|f_n(\omega_m)|\right)^p\left(\displaystyle\sup_{n, m \in \mathbb{N}}|g_m(\tau_n)|\right)^p}, \end{align} where \begin{align*} & \theta_f: \mathcal{D}(\theta_f) \ni x \mapsto \theta_fx \coloneqq \{f_n(x)\}_{n=1}^\infty\in \ell^p(\mathbb{N}), \quad \theta_g: \mathcal{D}(\theta_g) \ni x \mapsto \theta_gx \coloneqq \{g_n(x)\}_{n=1}^\infty\in \ell^p(\mathbb{N}). \end{align*} Inequality (1) is unexpectedly different from both bounded uncertainty principle \textit{[arXiv:2308.00312v1]} and unbounded uncertainty principle \textit{[arXiv:2312.00366v1]} for Banach spaces.

Let $(\Omega, \mu)$, $(\Delta, \nu)$ be measure spaces. Let $(\{f_\alpha\}_{\alpha\in \Omega}, \{\tau_\alpha\}_{\alpha\in \Omega})$ and $(\{g_\beta\}_{\beta\in \Delta}, \{\omega_\beta\}_{\beta\in \Delta})$ be unbounded continuous 1-Schauder frames for a Banach space $\mathcal{X}$. Then for every $x \in ( \mathcal{D}(\theta_f) \cap\mathcal{D}(\theta_g))\setminus\{0\}$, we show that \begin{align}\label{UB} \mu(\operatorname{supp}(\theta_f x))\nu(\operatorname{supp}(\theta_g x)) \geq \frac{1}{\left(\displaystyle\sup_{\alpha \in \Omega, \beta \in \Delta}|f_\alpha(\omega_\beta)|\right)\left(\displaystyle\sup_{\alpha \in \Omega , \beta \in \Delta}|g_\beta(\tau_\alpha)|\right)}. \end{align} where \begin{align*} &\theta_f:\mathcal{D}(\theta_f) \ni x \mapsto \theta_fx \in \mathcal{L}^1(\Omega, \mu); \quad \theta_fx: \Omega \ni \alpha \mapsto (\theta_fx) (\alpha):= f_\alpha (x) \in \mathbb{K},\\ &\theta_g: \mathcal{D}(\theta_g) \ni x \mapsto \theta_gx \in \mathcal{L}^1(\Delta, \nu); \quad \theta_gx: \Delta \ni \beta \mapsto (\theta_gx) (\beta):= g_\beta (x) \in \mathbb{K}. \end{align*} We call Inequality (\ref{UB}) as \textbf{Unbounded Donoho-Stark-Elad-Bruckstein-Ricaud-Torr\'{e}sani Uncertainty Principle}. Along with recent \textbf{Functional Continuous Uncertainty Principle} (derived in [arXiv:2308.00312v1 [math.FA], 1 August 2023]), Inequality (\ref{UB}) also improves Ricaud-Torr\'{e}sani uncertainty principle \textit{[IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, 2013]}. In particular, it improves Elad-Bruckstein uncertainty principle \textit{[IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, 2002]} and Donoho-Stark uncertainty principle \textit{[SIAM J. Appl. Math., 1989]}.

Previously, using the conjugate frame-based reconciliation approach, we defined a method to correct errors produced in pairs of non-orthogonal quantum states that are transmitted through a quantum key distribution (QKD) link. The security of the frame-based reconciliation was discussed in order to deal with Photon Number Division (PNS) attack and Intercept and Forward (IR) attack, among others. However, until the time of publication we did not have the distillation software to test our method. In this article, following the conjugate frame distillation method, we present the implementation of the post-processing system that demonstrates that it is capable of correcting errors in the presence of error rates close to unity. The system shows that when the number of double-sensing events at Bob's station is as low as 100, the number of secret bits stays above 4500 bits in about 12 seconds, giving a secret rate of 375 bits per second while that the channel error rate reaches 90\%.

This work presents a new model to obtain the minimum cost design for a rectangular isolated footing, taking into account that the column is located in any part of the footing. The methodology is developed by integration to obtain the moments, bending shear and punching shear according to the American Concrete Institute ACI 318-14. This document presents the simplified and precise equations of the four moments, four bending shears and one punching shear acting on the footing. Some designs have been developed by the trial and error method to determine the footing dimensions, and later the thickness and steel area of the footing are obtained. Some authors present the minimum cost design for a rectangular isolated footing taking into account that the column is located in the center of gravity of the footing, and other authors present very complex algorithm. Numerical examples are presented to obtain the minimum cost design of rectangular isolated footings under biaxial bending, and some results are compared with those of other authors considering the same conditions. The new model presents a smaller contact area with the soil and a lower design cost than those presented by other authors.

The shear failure of surface methane capture borehole (SMCB) is the main cause of shortening life cycle of SMCB but lack of lithological analysis. In order to improve the stability of SMCB and improve efficient drainage period, it is of great significance to investigate the lithology performances for shear failure of SMCB. Based on the direct shear tests and geological method, the results shows that the shear displacement increases as the grain size decreases. Mechanical jump occurs at the lithological boundaries, which is mainly determined by the composition of rock specimens. The cohesion is the mainly possible reason for the step change of shear strength. Lithology with high quartz and low clay may effectively improve shear strength and failure resistance. Boreholes drilled into the weaker siltstone and mudstone sections may potentially experience preferential damage due to the larger shear displacement and shear strength. Protective measures at these sections may improve the stability of the borehole casing. The probing data where it was found that boreholes closure validated the prediction.

Star block-copolymers (SBCs) are macromolecules formed by a number of diblock copolymers anchored to a common central core, being the internal monomers solvophilic and the end monomers solvophobic. Recent studies have demonstrated that SBCs constitute a self-assembling building blocks with specific softness, functionalization, shape, and flexibility. Depending on different physical and chemical parameters the SBCs can behave as flexible patchy particles. In this paper, we study the rotational dynamics of isolated SBCs using a hybrid mesoscale simulation technique. We compare three different approaches to analyse the dynamics: the laboratory frame, the non-inertial Eckart's frame, and a geometrical approximation relating the conformation of the SBC to the velocity profile of the solvent. We find that the geometrical approach is adequate when dealing with very soft systems while in the opposite extreme, the dynamics is best explained using the laboratory frame. On the other hand, the Eckart frame is found to be very general and to reproduced well both extreme cases. We also compare the rotational frequency and the kinetic energy with the definitions of the angular momentum and inertia tensor different from recent publications.

The lay-up of cross laminated timber (CLT) leads to significant differences in properties over its cross-section. Particularly the out-of-plane shear behavior of CLT is effected by the changes in shear moduli over the cross-section. Results from laboratory shear tests are used to evaluate the shear stiffness of 3- and 5-layer CLT panels in their major and minor strength direction. The results are compared to calculated shear stiffness values on evaluated single-layer properties as well as commonly used property ratios using the Timoshenko beam theory and the shear analogy method. Differences between the two calculation approaches are pointed out. The shear stiffness is highly sensitive to the ratio of the shear modulus parallel to the grain to the shear modulus perpendicular to the grain. The stiffness values determined from two test measurements are compared with the calculated results. The level of agreement is dependent on the number of layers in CLT and the property axis of the CLT panels.

Let $(\Omega, \mu)$, $(\Delta, \nu)$ be measure spaces. Let $(\{f_\alpha\}_{\alpha\in \Omega}, \{\tau_\alpha\}_{\alpha\in \Omega})$ and $(\{g_\beta\}_{\beta\in \Delta}, \{\omega_\beta\}_{\beta\in \Delta})$ be continuous 1-Schauder frames for a Banach space $\mathcal{X}$. Then for every $x \in \mathcal{X}\setminus\{0\}$, we show that \begin{align*} \mu(\operatorname{supp}(\theta_f x)) \geq \frac{1}{\displaystyle\sup_{\alpha \in \Omega, \beta \in \Delta}|f_\alpha(\omega_\beta)|}, \quad \nu(\operatorname{supp}(\theta_g x))\geq \frac{1}{\displaystyle\sup_{\alpha \in \Omega , \beta \in \Delta}|g_\beta(\tau_\alpha)|}. \end{align*} where \begin{align*} &\theta_f: \mathcal{X} \ni x \mapsto \theta_fx \in \mathcal{L}^1(\Omega, \mu); \quad \theta_fx: \Omega \ni \alpha \mapsto (\theta_fx) (\alpha):= f_\alpha (x) \in \mathbb{K},\\ &\theta_g: \mathcal{X} \ni x \mapsto \theta_gx \in \mathcal{L}^1(\Delta, \nu); \quad \theta_gx: \Delta \ni \beta \mapsto (\theta_gx) (\beta):= g_\beta (x) \in \mathbb{K}. \end{align*} This solves a problem asked by K. M. Krishna in the paper 'Functional Continuous Uncertainty Principle' \textit{[arXiv:2308.00312v1]}.

Let $(\Omega, \mu)$, $(\Delta, \nu)$ be measure spaces. Let $(\{f_\alpha\}_{\alpha\in \Omega}, \{\tau_\alpha\}_{\alpha\in \Omega})$ and $(\{g_\beta\}_{\beta\in \Delta}, \{\omega_\beta\}_{\beta\in \Delta})$ be continuous p-Schauder frames for a Banach space $\mathcal{X}$. Then for every $x \in \mathcal{X}\setminus\{0\}$, we show that \begin{align}\label{CUE} \mu(\operatorname{supp}(\theta_f x))^\frac{1}{p} \nu(\operatorname{supp}(\theta_g x))^\frac{1}{q} \geq \frac{1}{\displaystyle\sup_{\alpha \in \Omega, \beta \in \Delta}|f_\alpha(\omega_\beta)|}, \quad \nu(\operatorname{supp}(\theta_g x))^\frac{1}{p} \mu(\operatorname{supp}(\theta_f x))^\frac{1}{q}\geq \frac{1}{\displaystyle\sup_{\alpha \in \Omega , \beta \in \Delta}|g_\beta(\tau_\alpha)|}. \end{align} where \begin{align*} &\theta_f: \mathcal{X} \ni x \mapsto \theta_fx \in \mathcal{L}^p(\Omega, \mu); \quad \theta_fx: \Omega \ni \alpha \mapsto (\theta_fx) (\alpha):= f_\alpha (x) \in \mathbb{K},\\ &\theta_g: \mathcal{X} \ni x \mapsto \theta_gx \in \mathcal{L}^p(\Delta, \nu); \quad \theta_gx: \Delta \ni \beta \mapsto (\theta_gx) (\beta):= g_\beta (x) \in \mathbb{K} \end{align*} and $q$ is the conjugate index of $p$. We call Inequality (\ref{CUE}) as \textbf{Functional Continuous Uncertainty Principle}. It improves the Functional Donoho-Stark-Elad-Bruckstein-Ricaud-Torr\'{e}sani Uncertainty Principle obtained by M. Krishna in \textit{[arXiv:2304.03324v1, 2023]}. It also answers a question asked by Prof. Philip B. Stark to the author.

The interface of a structural system in the soil is usually unsaturated. A decrease in the shear strength of the soil-structure interface can degrade the structure, especially under humid conditions. Studying the shear characteristics of the silt-concrete interface using a shear apparatus. Suction-controlled ring shear tests were carried out on the silt-concrete interface for three interface roughness values. The influence of the matric suction (s) and interface roughness (R) on the shear strength index of the silt-concrete interface was analyzed. The test results showed that high values of s and R improved the shear strength of the interface, but the result was affected by the net normal stress (NNS). High values of NNS and R improved the strain-hardening characteristics. NNS, s, and R significantly affected the interface shear shrinkage. The internal friction angle of the saturated interface was smaller than that of saturated silt, whereas the opposite occurred in the unsaturated state. The cohesion and internal friction angle of the interface rose with an increase in R, and they were larger than that of silt. A shear strength model of the silt and interface was established.

Eccentric punching shear can occur in concrete slab-column connections when the connection is subjected to shear and unbalanced moments. Typically, this situation results in edge and corner columns and is thus a common practical case. However, most punching experiments in the literature are concentric punching shear. This paper presents a developed database of eighty-eight experiments of flat slabs under eccentric punching shear, including a summary of the testing procedure of each reference and a description of the slab specimens. Additionally, a linear finite element analysis of all the specimens is included to determine the relevant sectional shear forces and moments. Finally, the ultimate shear stresses from the database experiments are compared to the shear capacities determined with ACI 318-19, Eurocode 2 NEN-EN 1992-1-1:2005, and the Model Code 2010. The comparison shows that the Model Code 2010 is the most precise in the predictions with an average tested over predicted ratio of 0.96 and a coefficient of variation of 27.96%. It can be concluded that this study represents the inconsistencies of the currently used design methods and the lack of experimental information.

The brittle shear failure of reinforced concrete beams is complexed and unfavorable. For decades, research on the mechanical properties and durability of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) to make recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) has been widely investigated. However, test results on the shear strength of reinforced recycled aggregate concrete beams are still limited and contradictory. This paper reports the shear strength of reinforced recycled aggregate concrete beams without stirrups. Eight RAC beams and two controlled beams with natural coarse aggregate (NCA) were tested under the four-point flexural test with the shear span-to-effective depth ratio (a/d) of 3.10. Parameters in this study were the replacement percentage of RCA (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) and longitudinal reinforcement ratio (w) of 1.16% and 1.80%. It was found that the normalized shear stresses of RAC beams with w = 1.80% at all levels of replacement percentage were quite similar to that of the NAC counterparts. Normalized shear stress of the beam with 100% RCA and w = 1.16% was lower than that of the NAC beam by 5%. Database of 128 RAC beams without shear reinforcement from literature was analyzed to evaluate the ability of the most recent ACI 318-19 shear provisions in shear strength prediction. A reduction factor of 0.75 is proposed to the current ACI code provision to account for the physical variations of RCA such as replacement percentage, RCA source and quality, density, amount of residual mortar, and physical irregularity.

The informational re-interpretation of the basic laws of the mechanics exploiting the Landauer principle is suggested. When a physical body is in rest or it moves rectilinearly with the constant speed, zero information is transferred; thus, the informational affinity of the rest state and the rectilinear motion with a constant speed is established. The analysis of the minimal Szilard thermal engine as seen from the non-inertial frame of references is carried out. The Szilard single-particle minimal thermal engine undergoes the isobaric expansion relatively to the accelerated frame of references, enabling the erasure of 1 bit of information. The energy ΔQ spent by the inertial force for the erasure of 1 bit of information is estimated as: ΔQ≅5/3 k_B T ̅, which is larger than the Landauer bound but qualitatively close to it. The informational interpretation of the equivalence principle is proposed: the informational content of the inertial and gravitational masses is the same.

In this paper, the Hafele‐Keating experiment and the geostationary orbit satellite of related physics problems of are analyzed and discussed in detail. If researchers read the paper and think about it, It will be found that the Hafele‐Keating experiment and the geostationary satellite problem prove that some of the core ideas and theories of relativity are seriously wrong. Isnʹt that a very serious problem in physics? Canʹt this cause the academic circles to pay great attention to it? Isnʹt this worthy of in‐depth analysis and research? The core of the paper is to point out that there are problems with the space concept and the reference system theory of classical physics and relativity, And that would bring up a whole host of physics problems. It takes a concerted effort from the academic community, Do furtherin‐depth analysis and research. Strive forthe further discovery and perfection of physics theory.

The optimization of the pile driver frame is very important to the overall performance of the pile driver. This paper takes the large body structure of a model of hydraulic static pile driver as the research object. ANSYS APDL finite element software is used to perform static analysis and sensitivity analysis on the large body structure of the pile driver. On the premise of meeting the design requirements, according to the most dangerous working conditions of the pile driver, the size optimization of the frame structure of the pile driver is carried out based on sensitivity analysis. The mathematical model is established with the plate thickness as the design variable, the strength and stiffness of the body structure as the constraints, and the minimum mass of the body structure as the objective function. The optimization results show that the optimization design model based on sensitivity analysis not only meets the strength and stiffness conditions of the large structure, but also reduces the structural quality by 22.1% and greatly saves the production cost.

Similarly to his special theory of relativity, Einstein's special principle of relativity extends beyond the limits currently known to it. Up to now, the principle has not been suspected to have the potential to translate laws. However, the principle holds an inherent capacity to translate physical laws and, in so doing, speeds up our understanding and control of physical reality. Such a translation of laws leads to the faster discovery of other laws, such as the Laws of Electronic Motion, characterizing the motion of electrons around the atomic nucleus, and the Third Law of Biological Resistance, facilitating the successful control of drug resistance in medicine. The ability of the special principle of relativity to translate laws shines forth once the said principle is duly interpreted. This interpretation exposes a parallelism between experimental frames of reference and justifies the applicability of the laws of one frame of reference in other parallel frames of reference. This process opens the door to our faster discovery of the laws governing a multiplicity of frames parallel to a frame we already know the laws of. In practice, the interpretation of Einstein's special principle of relativity speeds up our understanding of the workings of physical reality and strengthens our capacity to subdue matter.

At least six small alternate-frame open reading frames (ORFs) overlapping well-characterized SARS-CoV-2 genes have been hypothesized to encode accessory proteins. Researchers have used different names for the same ORF or the same name for different ORFs, resulting in erroneous homological and functional inferences. We propose standard names for these ORFs and their shorter isoforms, developed in consultation with the Coronaviridae Study Group of the ICTV. We recommend calling the 39 codon Spike-overlapping ORF ORF2b; the 41, 57, and 22 codon ORF3a-overlapping ORFs ORF3c, ORF3d, and ORF3b; the 33 codon ORF3d isoform ORF3d-2; and the 97 and 73 codon Nucleocapsid-overlapping ORFs ORF9b and ORF9c. Finally, we document conflicting usage of the name ORF3b in 32 studies, and consequent erroneous inferences, stressing the importance of reserving identical names for homologs. We recommend that authors referring to these ORFs provide lengths and coordinates to minimize ambiguity due to prior usage of alternative names.

With global warming and accelerated degradation of permafrost, the engineering problems caused by the formation of weak zones between the shallow and permafrost layers of soil–rock mixture (S-RM) slopes in permafrost regions have become increasingly prominent. To explore the influence of rock content on the shear strength of the S-RM freezing–thawing interface, the variation in the shear strength for different rock content is studied herein using direct shear tests. In addition, a 3D laser scanner is used for obtaining the topography of the shear failure surface. Combined with the analysis results of the shear band-particle calculation model, the influence of the rock content on the shear strength of the interface is explored. It was found that the impact threshold of the rock content on the interface strength and failure mode is approximately 30%, when the rock content (R) is &gt; 30% and that the shear strength increases rapidly with increasing rock content. When R ≤ 30%, the actual shear plane is similar to waves; when R &gt; 30%, the shear plane appears as gnawing failure. The shear strength of S-RM freezing–thawing interface mainly comes from the bite force and friction between particles. The main reason for the increase in shear strength with increasing rock content is the increase in bite force between particles, which makes the ratio of bite force to friction force approximately 1:1.

This paper is a response to the EPR paper titled: "Can quantum-mechanical description of physical reality be considered complete?", published in Physical Review in 1935. A quantum-mechanical (QM) measurement function describes a distribution of local results and each empirical measurement process produces one result as exact as allowed by a measuring instrument calibrated to a non-local unit standard. Repeating these empirical measurements produces a bell shaped distribution of measurement results. Each of these distributions can be compared to the other. To precisely compare a QM measurement function describing a distribution of eigenvectors to a distribution of repetitive empirical measurement results, it is necessary to determine, by calibration, the precision of the eigenvectors to the same standard as the empirical results, because each eigenvector evidences uncertainty relative to a standard. When the calibration process is recognized as formal as well as empirical, QM measurement function results and metrology measurement process results are unified.

The article presents a modified finite element (FE) based algorithm for nonlinear analysis of 2D beam structures, which takes into account the influence of the shear forces. The method proposed enables using complex materials with nonlinearities without the need of implementing advanced constitutive models in FE routines. It can be directly integrated with commonly available FE software for linear analysis of beam structures, so its functionality can be easily extended also with material nonlinearities. The presented approach adopts the generalized constitutive law algorithm to iteratively modify the stiffness of beam element. To address an influence of a shear stiffness, a Timoshenko beam element was used. The methodology was implemented and its performance was verified on several numerical examples. For validation, the displacements and the ultimate loads were compared with the values from a commercial FE software. The results shown a good correlation between the reference model and the method proposed.

Calcareous sand deposits are widely distributed along the shoreline in ropical and subtropical regions. Microbially induced calcite precipitation treatment (MICP) is a relatively new method to improve the stiffness and strength of the soil. Little is known about the small-strain shear modulus and damping ratio of MICP-treated calcareous sand, which are two crucial parameters for the prediction of the dynamic behavior of soil. A series of resonant column tests are performed to investigate the dynamic performance of MICP-treated calcareous sand, with special attention paid to the influence of treatment duration and confining stress on the stiffness and damping characteristics. The relationship between the initial dynamic shear modulus and unconfined compressive strength is analyzed. Additionally, the empirical equations of the reference shear strain between treatment duration and confining stress are given. The G/G0 of MICP-cemented calcareous sand presents a higher strain sensitivity than that of untreated sand, and its attenuation pattern can be described by Hardin-Drnevich model. The σc has an apparent effect on the degradation characteristics of the dynamic shear modulus of MICP-treated calcareous sand with a low cementation level, however, its effect decreases with the increasing treatment duration. The relationship between the reference shear strain and the treatment duration and confining stress can be described by a power and a linear formula, respectively.

In this review, severe plastic deformation (SPD) is considered as a materials processing technology. The deformation mode is the principal characteristic differentiating SPD from common forming operations. For large plastic strains, deformation mode depends on the distribution of strain rates between continuum slip lines and can be varied from pure shear to simple shear. A scalar, invariant and dimensionless coefficient of deformation mode is introduced as a normalized speed of rigid rotation. On this basis, simple shear provides the optimum mode for structure modification and grain refinement whereas pure shear is "ideal" for forming operations. Special experiments and SPD practice confirm this conclusion. Various techniques of SPD are classified and described in accordance with simple shear realization or approximation. It is shown that correct analyses of the processing mechanics and technological parameters are essential for comparison of SPD techniques and the development of effective industrial technologies.

In present paper, spatial Minkowski Pythagorean Hodograph (MPH) curves are characterized with Rational Rotation Minimizing Frames (RRMFs). We define Euler-Rodrigues Frame (ERF) for MPH curves and by means of this concept, we reach the definition of MPH curves of type (n, m). Expressing the conditions provided by these curves in the form of Minkowski-Hopf map that we define, it is aimed to establish a connection with the Lorentz force which occurs during the process of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) type sinker Electronic Discharge Machines (EDMs). This approach is reinforced by split quaternion polynomials. Finally, we give conditons satisfied by MPH curves of low degree to be type (n, m) and construct illustrative examples.

The characteristics of powders on a bulk scale are heavily influenced by both the material properties and the size of their primary particles. Throughout the stages of storage and transportation in the powder processing industry, various forms of deformation and stress, such as pressure and shear, impact these materials. Recognizing the point at which a powder undergoes yielding becomes particularly significant in numerous applications. There are also times when you need to understand the level of stress needed to maintain it. Measurement of powder yield and flow properties remains a challenge and is addressed in this study. As part of the CALIPER collaborative project, a number of shear experiments were performed using two shearing devices: Schulze ring shearing device and Anton Paar Powder Cell (APCC). These experiments have three purposes: i) Test reproducibility/consistency between two shear devices and test protocols. ii) To relate bulk behavior to microscopic particle properties, focusing on bulk density and thus the effect of cohesion between particles; iii) Investigate the influence of the temperature of heated powders on the powder flow properties, which is important for the industrial reactors. Interestingly, for samples with small particle size, bulk cohesion increases slightly, but bulk friction increases significantly, because of particle interaction effects. The experimental data not only provide useful insight into the role of microscopically attractive van der Waals gravitational and/or compressive forces on the macroscopic flow behavior of bulk powders, but also have industrial relevance. We also provide a robust datas of cohesive and attritional fine powder for silo design used for calibration and validation of silos, models and computer simulations.

A composite beam is a structural member that behaves as a single unit by using shear connectors between a concrete slab and an H-shaped steel girder. The composite ratio is crucial and determined by the shear connectors' ability to withstand the horizontal shear forces between the concrete and steel girder. In this study, a U-shaped composite beam was designed, which differs from conventional composite beams as it allows the use of a steel girder as a formwork. Moreover, angle-type shear connectors, instead of stud-type connectors, were employed. Based on this design, large-scale U-shaped composite beams with angle-type shear connectors were fabricated, and load tests were conducted to analyze the behavior after composite action and the influence of shear connector spacing. Additionally, the strength of the angle-type shear connectors used in this paper was evaluated through finite element analysis. Finally, a strength evaluation method for composite beams of this configuration was proposed.

Most shear tests are performed as standard three- or four-point bending tests, i.e., on one-way simply supported specimens subjected to concentrated loads. The major disadvantage is that these conditions usually do not correspond to the support and load condition of real structures. Structural members such as beams or slabs, are often multi-span components and subjected to distributed loads. As a consequence, the complex shear behavior, including crack kinematics, shear transfer mechanisms, and shear capacity, is studied almost only simply supported members with concentrated load. Positive impacts on the shear behavior resulting from continuous systems and distributed loads are thus neglected in the derivation of calculation models and in the development of design specifications. To incorporate the effect of continuous members and distributed loading conditions, more experimental investigations are necessary. Therefore, a total of 16 bending shear tests on CFRP reinforced concrete members without shear reinforcement were carried out. The tests specimens were tested as simply supported beams or as simply supported beams with loaded cantilever to simulate the continuous system with concentrated and distributed loads. Furthermore, the shear slenderness was varied by using different span lengths and degrees of restraint in the systems with intermediate support. All test specimens were made of high-strength concrete and were reinforced with a multilayer grid-like CFRP reinforcement in longitudinal direction. There was no shear reinforcement installed in the investigated shear span. This paper focuses the influence of the support conditions and load arrangements on crack development as well as on shear strength.

Shear thickening fluids (STF) are a class of fluids whose viscosity significantly rises under external loads. The research on these fluids has been advancing in recent years regarding prospective practical applications, including developing impact-absorbing composites. Following the green agendas governments and legislators advocate, this study investigates the combination of STF and other sustainable materials. Cork is a naturally occurring cellular material with a negative carbon footprint and superior energy absorption properties. With varying concentrations of STF material, cork agglomerates were formed. Notably, the analysed blends are homogeneous, contrasting with previous literary works. A series of experiments were conducted in quasi-static and dynamic conditions to determine the various mechanical responses. STF appears to influence the mechanical behaviour of cork agglomerates by providing softer deceleration rates and dispersing more energy through disaggregation mechanisms.

Micro-gyroscopes based on the Coriolis principle are widely employed in inertial navigation, motion control, and vibration analysis applications. This paper presents our main contributions which include a novel dual-frame optomechanical gyroscope, a unique photonic crystal cavity design, and advanced numerical simulation and optimization methods. The proposed design utilizes an optical cavity formed between dual oscillating frames, whereby input rotation induces a measurable phase shift via optomechanical coupling. Actuation of the frames is achieved electrostatically via an interdigitated comb-drive design. Through theoretical modeling based on cavity optomechanics and finite element simulation, the operating principle and performance parameters are evaluated in detail. Results indicate an expected angular rate sensitivity of 22.8 mV/°/s and angle random walk of 7.1×10-5 °/h1/2, representing superior precision than to existing micro-electromechanical systems gyroscopes of comparable scale. Detailed analysis of the optomechanical transduction mechanism suggests this dual-frame approach could enable angular vibration detection with resolution exceeding state-of-the-art solutions.

In this paper, we study singularities of the spherical indicatrix and evolute of spacelike ruled surface with spacelike ruling. Finally, we give an example to illustrate our results.

The long term sustainability and longevity of the business life cycle depends on correct understanding of the contextual constituents, triggers and dynamics, pre-startup planning, strategy and financial forecasting where business plans are developed to understand and forecast project viability, pitch ideas and secure funding. At the same time there is a lack of one page startup business model. Identifying this need, a ‘startup business strategy frame’ has been developed through learnings and encompassing design thinking, the business canvas and other strategy models and approaches. It provides a logical sequential flow and connects value drivers on environmental, strategic including operational and financial levels of proposed startup in a sequential format. To arrive at the frame as a logical conclusion a website www.strategizestartup.com is developed to build startup business model and plans in a time and cost effective process. The website assists the startups at each stage through a work and guidebook. The website takes the user from creative ideation by charting the context to build the strategy and measuring the financial impact. This startup strategy model will alleviate the problems for the first and second stage entrepreneurs to ideate creatively and strategizing. It also eradicates the issues related to reading and understanding long plans which could be an exhaustive and cumbersome process.

Blood image intensity has been used to detect erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). However, it does not give an information on biophysical properties of blood sample under continuous ESR. In this study, three physical properties, including, τ₀, ESR_τ, and AI_I, are suggested to quantify mechanical variations of blood under continuous ESR. To demonstrate the proposed method, blood sample is loaded into a driving syringe. The blood flow rate is set in a periodic on–off pattern. Blood sample is then supplied into a capillary chip, and microscopic blood images are captured at specific intervals. Blood shear stress is quantified from the interface of blood stream in the coflowing channel. Both τ₀ and ESR_τ are then obtained by analyzing the blood shear stress. Simultaneously, the AI_I is evaluated by analyzing the image intensity of blood flow. According to the experimental results, the τ₀ exhibits consistent trends with respect to hematocrit as well as diluent. The ESR_τ and AI_I showed a reciprocal relationship each other. Three suggested properties represented substantial differences for suspended blood samples (i.e., hardened red blood cells, different concentration of dextran solution and fibrinogen). In conclusion, the present method can detect variations of blood sample under continuous ESR effectively.

The utilization of vegetal fabric reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) represents an innovative approach to composite materials, offering distinct sustainable advantages when compared to traditional steel-reinforced concrete and conventional FRCM composites employing synthetic fibers. This article introduces a design for sandwich solutions based on a core of extruded polystyrene and composite skins combining mortar as a matrix and diverse vegetal fabrics as fabrics such as hemp and sisal. The structural behavior of the resulting sandwich panel is predominantly driven by the interaction between materials (mortar and polyurethane) and the influence of shear connectors penetrating the insulation layer. This study encompasses an experimental campaign involving double-shear tests, accompanied by heuristic bond-slip models for potential design of sandwich solutions. The analysis extends to the examination of various connector types, including hemp, sisal, and steel, and their impact on the shear performance of the sandwich specimens. The results obtained emphasize the competitiveness of vegetal fabrics in achieving effective composite strength comparable to other synthetic fabrics like glass fiber. Nevertheless, the study reveals that the stiffness of steel connectors outperforms vegetal connectors, contributing to an enhanced improvement in both stiffness and shear strength of the sandwich solutions

Shear velocity logs are crucial in the oil and gas industry for assessing subsurface mechanical properties, including rock stiffness, shear strength, and seismic wave propagation, essential for optimizing hydrocarbon exploration and production strategies. However, obtaining shear velocity logs conventionally is expensive and time-consuming, especially when drilling additional wells solely for this purpose. With the recent boom in machine learning algorithms adoption across various scientific domains, it proved to be an extremely valuable tool for numerous applications in the oil and gas industry. It makes use of the readily available large datasets collected over decades and leverages this data to train powerful, data-driven models, reducing the reliance on empirical relationships that usually have poor generalization. This study follows this approach and presents the use and comparison of machine learning algorithms for predicting shear velocity logs from conventional and readily available logs in the Ahnet field, Algeria. Ultimately, this study aims to enhance reservoir assessment and optimize hydrocarbon recovery processes, potentially reducing exploration costs and improving oil and gas production decision-making in the region.

This paper presents the development of a new system designed to measure the local temperature field in adiabatic shear band. Transient temperature field are simultaneously recorded by an array of 32 InSb infrared (IR) detectors and a streak camera working in visible-near infrared (VIS-NIR). Observations in IR offer a low temperature detection limit (350°C) but they are highly sensitive to uncertainty in the emissivity. Observations in VIS-NIR allow for measurement only at high temperatures (750°C) but they are less affected by uncertainty on emissivity and present a higher temperature sensitivity. By performing simultaneous measurements, it is possible to obtain data on a large temperature range with an improved accuracy at high temperature. The different sources of errors caused by uncertainty in the emissivity, spatial and temporal resolution of the detectors has been analyzed and an estimation of the total measurement uncertainty of the system is given.

This paper contains theoretical fundamentals of strut and tie models, used in unreinforced horizontal shear walls. Depending on support conditions and wall loading, we can distinguish models with discrete bars when point load is applied to the wall (type I model) or with continuous bars (type II model) when load is uniformly distributed at the wall boundary. The main part of this paper compares calculated results with the own tests on horizontal shear walls made of solid brick, silicate elements and autoclaved aerated concrete. The tests were performed in Poland. The model required some modifications due to specific load and static diagram.

Increasing traffic loads and changes in code provisions lead to deficits in shear and flexural capacity of many existing highway bridges. Therefore, a lot of structures in Europe and North America are expected to require refurbishment and strengthening in the future. This projection is based on the current condition of many older road bridges. Different strengthening methods for bridges exist to extent their service life, all having specific advantages and disadvantages. By applying a thin layer of carbon textile reinforced mortar (CTRM) to bridge deck slabs and the webs of prestressed concrete bridges, the fatigue and ultimate strength of these members can be increased significantly. The CTRM-layer is a combination of a corrosion resistant carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) fabric and an efficient mortar. In this paper, the strengthening method and the experimental results obtained at RWTH Aachen University are presented.

Due to the lack of theoretical research on the amount of spatio-temporal information in the high-speed photography technologies, obtaining an optimized system with a best amount of spatio-temporal information remains a challenge, resulting in insufficient effective information and observation accuracy for ultrafast events. The paper presents an ultrafast raster imaging (URI) system with a large amount of spatio-temporal information based on the all-optical raster principle in single-shot. Specifically, we derive the optimal equation of spatial resolution and the expression for the maximum amount of spatio-temporal information that can achieve excellent performance for an URI system. It serves as a general guideline for getting a large amount of information design in the URI system. Compared to the existing URI systems, the advanced URI system exhibits an improvement of nearly 1 order of magnitude in the amount of spatio-temporal information, and more than twofold in spatial resolution. It shows a great potential for capturing intricate and non-repetitive ultrafast events on the femtosecond time scale.

Discussing quantum theory foundations, von Neumann noted that the measurement process should not be regarded in terms of a temporal evolution. A reason for his claim is insurmountability of the gap between reversible and irreversible processes. The time operator formalism that goes beyond such a gap is adequate framework for elaboration of the measurement problem. It considers signals to be stochastic processes, whether they correspond to variables or distribution densities. Signal processing like that utilizes statistical properties to perform its tasks, which is the definition of statistical signal processing. A hierarchy of the measurement process is indicated by crossing between states and devices, which implies an evolution in the temporal domain. The concept has generalized to an open system by the use of duality in frame theory.

Fire outbreaks continue to cause damage despite the improvements in fire-detection tools and algorithms. It is still challenging to implement a well performing and optimized approach, which is sufficiently accurate, and has tractable complexity and low false alarming rate. Small amount of fire and identification of fire from a long distance is also a challenge in previously proposed techniques. In this study, we propose a novel hybrid model based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) to detect and analyze fire intensity. 21 convolutional layers, 24 Rectified Linear Unit (ReLU) layers, 6 pooling layers, 3 fully connected layers, 2 dropout layers, and a softmax layer are included in the proposed 57-layer CNN model. Our proposed model performs instance segmentation in order to distinguish between fire and non-fire events. To reduce the intricacy of the proposed model, we also propose a key-frame extraction algorithm. The proposed model uses Internet of Things (IoT) devices to alert the relevant person by calculating the severity of fire. Our proposed model is tested on a publicly available dataset having fire and normal videos. The achievement of 95.25 % classification accuracy, 0.09% False Positive Rate (FPR), 0.65 percent False Negative Rate (FNR), and a prediction time of 0.08 seconds validates the proposed system.

Let $\{f_j\}_{j=1}^n$ and $\{g_k\}_{k=1}^m$ be Parseval p-frames for a finite dimensional Banach space $\mathcal{X}$. Then we show that \begin{align}\label{UE} \log (nm)\geq S_f (x)+S_g (x)\geq -p \log \left(\displaystyle\sup_{y \in \mathcal{X}_f\cap \mathcal{X}_g, \|y\|=1}\left(\max_{1\leq j\leq n, 1\leq k\leq m}|f_j(y)g_k(y)|\right)\right), \quad \forall x \in \mathcal{X}_f\cap \mathcal{X}_g, \end{align} where \begin{align*} &\mathcal{X}_f\coloneqq \{z\in \mathcal{X}: f_j(z)\neq 0, 1\leq j \leq n\}, \quad \mathcal{X}_g\coloneqq \{w\in \mathcal{X}: g_k(w)\neq 0, 1\leq k \leq m\},\\ &S_f (x)\coloneqq -\sum_{j=1}^{n}\left|f_j\left(\frac{x}{\|x\|}\right)\right|^p\log \left|f_j\left(\frac{x}{\|x\|}\right)\right|^p, \quad S_g (x)\coloneqq -\sum_{k=1}^{m}\left|g_k\left(\frac{x}{\|x\|}\right)\right|^p\log \left|g_k\left(\frac{x}{\|x\|}\right)\right|^p, \quad \forall x \in \mathcal{X}_g. \end{align*} We call Inequality (1) as \textbf{Functional Deutsch Uncertainty Principle}. For Hilbert spaces, we show that Inequality (1) reduces to the uncertainty principle obtained by Deutsch \textit{[Phys. Rev. Lett., 1983]}. We also derive a dual of Inequality (1).

Let $(\{f_j\}_{j=1}^n, \{\tau_j\}_{j=1}^n)$ and $(\{g_k\}_{k=1}^m, \{\omega_k\}_{k=1}^m)$ be p-Schauder frames for a finite dimensional Banach space $\mathcal{X}$. Then for every $x \in \mathcal{X}\setminus\{0\}$, we show that \begin{align}\label{UE} \|\theta_f x\|_0^\frac{1}{p}\|\theta_g x\|_0^\frac{1}{q} \geq \frac{1}{\displaystyle\max_{1\leq j\leq n, 1\leq k\leq m}|f_j(\omega_k)|}\quad \text{and} \quad \|\theta_g x\|_0^\frac{1}{p}\|\theta_f x\|_0^\frac{1}{q}\geq \frac{1}{\displaystyle\max_{1\leq j\leq n, 1\leq k\leq m}|g_k(\tau_j)|}. \end{align} where \begin{align*} \theta_f: \mathcal{X} \ni x \mapsto (f_j(x) )_{j=1}^n \in \ell^p([n]); \quad \theta_g: \mathcal{X} \ni x \mapsto (g_k(x) )_{k=1}^m \in \ell^p([m]) \end{align*} and $q$ is the conjugate index of $p$. We call Inequality (\ref{UE}) as \textbf{Functional Donoho-Stark-Elad-Bruckstein-Ricaud-Torr\'{e}sani Uncertainty Principle}. Inequality (\ref{UE}) improves Ricaud-Torr\'{e}sani uncertainty principle \textit{[IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, 2013]}. In particular, it improves Elad-Bruckstein uncertainty principle \textit{[IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, 2002]} and Donoho-Stark uncertainty principle \textit{[SIAM J. Appl. Math., 1989]}.

This paper is a response to the EPR paper titled: "Can quantum-mechanical description of physical reality be considered complete?", published in Physical Review in 1935. A quantum-mechanical (QM) measurement function describes a distribution of local results, while each empirical measurement process produces one result as exact as allowed by a measuring instrument calibrated to a non-local unit standard. Repeating these empirical measurements produces a Gaussian distribution of measurement results. The QM and empirical measurement result distributions can be compared. To precisely compare a QM measurement function describing a distribution of eigenvectors to a distribution of repetitive empirical measurement results, it is necessary to determine, by calibration, the precision of the eigenvectors to the same standard as the empirical results, because each eigenvector evidences uncertainty relative to a standard. When the calibration process is recognized as formal as well as empirical, QM measurement function results and metrology measurement process results are unified.

In this article, rst we are going to review the concept of ordinary frames , in more general case in measure spaces, namely, gc-frames. We try to develop the use of measure space in describing frames. Then by means of the gc-frames, we shall introduce gn-operators, which we shall show that each trace class operator has a vector-valued integral representation and vice-versa.

Background: global longitudinal strain (GLS) measures myocardial deformation and is a sensitive modality for detecting subclinical myocardial dysfunction and predicting cardiac outcomes. The accuracy of speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) is dependent on temporal resolution. A novel software enables relatively high frame rate (Hi-FR) (~200 fps) echocardiographic images acquisition which empowers us to investigate the impact of Hi-FR imaging on GLS analysis. The goal of this pilot study was to demonstrate the feasibility of Hi-FR for STE. Methods: In this prospective study, we acquired echocardiographic images using clinical scanners on patients with normal left ventricular systolic function using Hi-FR and conventional frame rate (Reg-FR) (~50 FPS). GLS values were evaluated on apical 4-, 2- and 3-chamber images acquired in both Hi-FR and Reg-FR. Inter-observer and intra-observer variabilities were assessed in Hi-FR and Reg-FR. Results: There were 143 resting echocardiograms with normal LVEF included in this study. The frame rate of Hi-FR was 190 ± 25 and Reg-FR was 50 ± 3, and the heart rate was 71 ± 13. Strain values measured in Hi-FR were significantly higher than those measured in Reg-FR (all p < 0.001). Inter-observer and intra-observer correlations were strong in both Hi-FR and Reg-FR. Conclusions: We demonstrated that strain values were significantly higher using Hi-FR when compared with Reg-FR in patients with normal LVEF. It is plausible that higher temporal resolution enabled the measurement of myocardial strain at desired time point. The result of this study may inform clinical adoption of the novel technology. Further investigations are necessary to evaluate the value of Hi-FR to assess myocardial strain in stress echocardiography in the setting of tachycardia.

The frame construction of an apartment complex that consists of multiple buildings encounters various uncertainties, owing to the complex relationships among units of work. Currently, the period of such a construction is calculated based on the number of floors of the highest building in the complex. This study quantitatively analyzes an apartment frame construction period using a queue model and evaluates the validity of the estimated period. In this regard, a methodology is proposed for analyzing the construction period by applying the concept of a customer and a server. A case study on the duration of an apartment frame construction is conducted with Korea Land and Housing Corporation, which has supplied the largest number of apartments in South Korea. It was found that the stable state of a queue system was observed when the rate of server utilization was applied to the basement and aboveground floors. However, a stable state was not reached on the ground floor. This study includes non-working days in its calculation and quantitatively analyzes uncertainty factors during construction. Therefore, the findings can be practically utilized to quantitatively plan the durations of work units in an apartment frame construction.

This study addresses an alternative use of viscous dampers (VDs) associated with buckling restrained braces (BRBs) as the innovative seismic protection devices. For this, 4, 8 and 12 storey steel frames were designed with 6.5 m equal span length and 4 m storey height. Thereafter, the VDs and BRBs were placed over the height of each frame considering three different configurations. The structures were modeled using SAP2000 finite element program and evaluated by the nonlinear time history analyses subjected to the six natural accelerograms (1976 Gazlı, 1978 Tabas, 1987 Superstition Hills, 1992 Cape Mendocino, 1994 Northridge and 1999 Chi-Chi). The structural response of the structures with and without VDs and BRBs were studied in terms of variation in the displacement, interstorey drift, absolute acceleration, maximum base shear, time history of roof displacement. The results clearly indicated that the application of VDs and BRBs had remarkable improvement in the earthquake performance of the case study frames by reducing the local/global deformations in the main structural systems and satisfied the serviceability.

Direct sizing criteria represent useful tools in the design of dissipative bracing systems for the advanced seismic protection of existing frame structures, especially when incorporated dampers feature a markedly non-linear behaviour. An energy-based procedure is proposed herein to this aim, focusing attention on systems including fluid viscous devices. The procedure starts by assuming prefixed reduction factors of the most critical response parameters in current conditions, which are evaluated by means of a conventional elastic finite element analysis. Simple formulas relating the reduction factors to the equivalent viscous damping ratio of the dissipaters, ξ_eq, are proposed. These formulas allow calculating the ξ_eq values that guarantee the achievement of target factors. Finally, the energy dissipation capacity of the devices is deduced from ξ_eq, finalizing their sizing process. A detailed description of the procedure is presented in the article, by distinguishing the cases where the prevailing structural deficiencies are represented by poor strength of the constituting members, from the cases having excessive horizontal displacements. A demonstrative application to the retrofit design of a reinforced concrete gym building is then offered to explicate the steps of the sizing criterion in practice, as well as to evaluate the enhancement of seismic response capacities generated by the installation of the dissipative system.

Let $(\Omega, \mu)$, $(\Delta, \nu)$ be measure spaces and $\{\tau_\alpha\}_{\alpha\in \Omega}$, $\{\omega_\beta\}_{\beta \in \Delta}$ be 1-bounded continuous Parseval frames for a Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}$. Then we show that \begin{align}\label{UE} \log (\mu(\Omega)\nu(\Delta))\geq S_\tau(h)+S_\omega (h)\geq -2 \log \left(\frac{1+\displaystyle \sup_{\alpha \in \Omega, \beta \in \Delta}|\langle\tau_\alpha , \omega_\beta\rangle|}{2}\right) , \quad \forall h \in \mathcal{H}_\tau \cap \mathcal{H}_\omega, \end{align} where \begin{align*} &\mathcal{H}_\tau := \{h_1 \in \mathcal{H}: \langle h_1 , \tau_\alpha \rangle \neq 0, \alpha \in \Omega\}, \quad \mathcal{H}_\omega := \{h_2 \in \mathcal{H}: \langle h_2, \omega_\beta \rangle \neq 0, \beta \in \Delta\},\\ &S_\tau(h):= -\displaystyle\int\limits_{\Omega}\left|\left \langle \frac{h}{\|h\|}, \tau_\alpha\right\rangle \right|^2\log \left|\left \langle \frac{h}{\|h\|}, \tau_\alpha\right\rangle \right|^2\,d\mu(\alpha), \quad \forall h \in \mathcal{H}_\tau, \\ & S_\omega (h):= -\displaystyle\int\limits_{\Delta}\left|\left \langle \frac{h}{\|h\|}, \omega_\beta\right\rangle \right|^2\log \left|\left \langle \frac{h}{\|h\|}, \omega_\beta\right\rangle \right|^2\,d\nu(\beta), \quad \forall h \in \mathcal{H}_\omega. \end{align*} We call Inequality (\ref{UE}) as \textbf{Continuous Deutsch Uncertainty Principle}. Inequality (\ref{UE}) improves the uncertainty principle obtained by Deutsch \textit{[Phys. Rev. Lett., 1983]}. We formulate Kraus conjecture for 1-bounded continuous Parseval frames. We also derive continuous Deutsch uncertainty principles for Banach spaces.

Sensors and actuators are fundamental units in Cyber-Physical and Internet of Things systems. Because they are included in a variety of systems, using many technologies, it is very useful to characterize their functions abstractly by describing them as Abstract Entity Patterns (AEPs), that are patterns that describe abstract conceptual entities. For concreteness, we study them here in the context of autonomous cars. An autonomous car is a complex system because, in ad-dition to its own complex design, it interacts with other vehicles and with the surrounding in-frastructure. To handle these functions, it must incorporate various technologies from different sources. An autonomous car is an example of a Cyber-Physical System, where some of its func-tions are performed by Internet of Things units. Sensors are extensively used in autonomous cars to measure physical quantities; actuators are commanded by controllers to perform appro-priate physical actions. From AEPs we can derive concrete patterns, a structure combining re-lated AEPs is an Entity Solution Frame (ESF). Both sensors and actuators are susceptible to mali-cious attacks due to the large attack surface of the system where they are used. Our work is in-tended to make autonomous cars more secure, which also increases their safety. Our final objec-tive is to build a Security Solution Frame for sensors and actuators of autonomous cars that will facilitate their secure design. A Security Solution Frame is a solution structure that groups to-gether and organizes related security patterns. This article is the first stage of a secure unit that can be used to design not only secure autonomous cars but also any system where sensors and actuators are used. This paper concentrates on AEPs and ESFs for sensors and actuators; that is, on the functional aspects of these devices.

Abstract: Background: Stigma in health can result in a broad range of vulnerabilities and risk for patients and healthcare providers. The media plays a role in people’s understanding of health and stigma is socially constructed through many communication channels including via media framing. Among health issues that were affected by stigma recently were the Monkeypox and Covid-19. Objectives: This research aims to examine how The Washington Post framed stigma around mon-keypox and COVID-19. Guided by the framing theory and stigma theory, online news coverage for monkeypox and COVID-19 were analyzed to understand the construction of social stigma through the media reporting. Methods: This research employed a qualitative content analysis to compare news framing in The Washington Post online news regarding monkeypox and COVID-19. Results: Based on endemic, reassurance, and sexual transmission frames, the The Washington Post predominantly defined Africa as the source of the disease, blames gay communities, and empha-sizes no need to worry about the spread of the monkeypox virus. For the COVID-19 coverage, The Washington Post described China as the source of the coronavirus and constructs the image of panic towards the spread of the virus. Conclusions: The shifts in stigma discourse essentially manifest racism, xenophobia, and sexism in public health. This research affirms that the media reinforces stigma phenomenon in health through framing and offers constructive suggestions for mitigating this issue.

In an insightful article published in Nature human behavior on November 2020, the effectiveness of 46 “non-pharmaceutical interventions” (NPI) regarding Covid-19 pandemic have been compared¹. One of these 46 categories, the one which is ranked as the most effective measure, is named “small gatherings cancelation”. In the discussion section of that article, the authors introduce a list of what they probably assume to be representative examples of this category, namely, “closures of shops”, “closure of restaurants,” “mandatory home–working”, “gathering of 50 people or less” and so on. The name that the authors have given to this category could give rise to confusions and misunderstandings. We used corpus analysis to show that “small gathering” is commonly used to denote a planned or spontaneous “event”, and consequently does not convey what the authors intend this term to cover as its most representative instances i.e., Simultaneous presence of people (crowd) in shops or offices. Furthermore, taking a top-down approach, we focused on the information which was provided in reference material like CDC and WHO documents. The analysis showed that “small gatherings” is encoded in those sources to denote “events” and “small gatherings cancelation” is used to denote cancelling preplanned events. In conclusion, neither unspecialized language nor official/institutional discourse uses “small gathering” the way that the authors of the aforementioned article use it i.e., to refer to simultaneous presence of people (crowd) in shops or offices. Therefore, when language users come across this phrase, if they do not read the entire article, the only semantic frame that is evoked in their mind would be that of a festive or social “event” rather than of crowded shops or offices; this misunderstanding is cognitively justified and consequently changing this terminology is recommended.

Social networking applications such as Twitter have increasingly gained significance in terms of socio-economic, political, and religious as well as entertainment sectors. This in turn, has witnessed a wide gamut of information explosion in the social networking realm that can tend to be both useful as well as misleading at the same point of time. Spam detection is one such solution that caters to this problem through identification of irrelevant users and their data. However, existing research has so far laid primary focus on user profile information through activity detection and relevant techniques that may underperform when these profiles exhibit characteristics of temporal dependency, poor reflection of generated content from the user profile, etc. This is the primary motivation for this paper that addresses the aforementioned problem of user profiles by focusing on both profile information and content-based spam detection. To this end, this work delivers three significant contributions. Firstly, exhaustive use of Natural language processing (NLP) techniques has been rendered towards creation of a new comprehensive dataset with a wide range of content-based features. Secondly, this dataset has been fed into a customized state-of-art hybrid machine learning model that has been exclusively built using a combination of both machine learning and deep learning techniques. Extensive simulation based analysis not only records over 98% accuracy but also establishes the practical applicability of this proposal by proving that modeling based on the mixed profile and content-generated data is more capable of spam detection in contrast to each of these standalone approaches. Finally, a novel methodology based on logistic regression is proposed and supported by analytical formulations. This paves the way for the custom-built dataset to be analyzed and corresponding probabilities to be obtained that differentiate legitimate users from spammers. The obtained mathematical outcome can henceforth be used for future prediction of user categories through appropriate parameter tuning for any given dataset. This makes our method a truly generic one capable of identifying and classifying different user categories.

Performance of the overhead squat may affect golf swing mechanics associated with golf-related low back pain. This study investigates the difference in lumbar kinematics and joint loads during the golf downswing between golfers with different overhead squat abilities. Based on the per-formance of the overhead squat test, 21 golfers aged 18 to 30 years were divided into the highest-scoring group (HS, N=10, 1.61 ± 0.05 cm, and 68.06 ± 13.67 kg) and lowest-scoring group (LS, N=11, 1.68 ± 0.10 cm, and 75.00 ± 14.37 kg). Data collection used a motion analysis system, two force plates, and TrackMan. OpenSim software was used to simulate the joint loads for each lum-bar joint. An independent t-test was used for statistical analysis. Compared to golfers demonstrat-ing limitations in the overhead squat test, golfers with better performance in the overhead squat test demonstrated significantly greater angular extension displacement on the sagittal plane, smaller lumbar extension angular velocity, and smaller L4-S1 joint shear force. Consequently, the overhead squat test is found to be a useful index to reflect lumbar kinematics and joint loading patterns during the downswing, and provides a good training guide reference for reducing the risk of a golf-related low back injury

This paper aims to investigate the feasibility of strengthening the web opening in the shear zone of RC beams by using iron-based shape memory alloy (Fe-SMA) bars. To conduct this study, numerical analysis with ABAQUS software was employed. The research was divided into six groups of beams with web openings of different lengths (150, 300, and 450 mm), prestressing levels (0%, 30% and 60%), and reinforcement diameters (14, 18, and 22 mm) of Fe-SMA bars. The results show that the presence of web openings can cause a significant reduction in the cracking and ultimate loads of the beams, with reductions ranging from 11 to 50% and 36 to 48%, respectively. However, by adding pre-stressed Fe-SMA bars around small web openings (100×150 mm), the shear capacity of the beam is restored, and the beam exhibits behavior similar to solid beams. Additionally, activating the Fe-SMA bars by 30 and 60% resulted in almost similar cracking loads but improved load-carrying capacity of the beam with small openings by 12% and 9%, respectively, compared to the solid beam. The technique proposed for enhancing shear strength is most effective for beams with small (100×150 mm) and medium (100×300 mm) web openings as it can restore both the beam’s shear strength and stiffness. However, for beams with larger web openings (100×450 mm), the use of activated Fe-SMA beams can recover almost 90% of the solid beam's shear capacity. Furthermore, reinforcing small openings with Fe-SMA bars of different diameters enhances beam shear capacity and stiffness, while for larger openings, higher Fe-SMA reinforcement ratios could potentially restore the beam's full strength and stiffness. This study emphasizes the importance of strengthening web openings in RC beams, particularly in shear zones, and provides significant insights into how to strengthen beams with web openings, thereby contributing to developing safer structures. However, further laboratory experiments are recommended to validate, complement and extend the findings of this numerical study.

All over the world, externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer systems used to strengthen concrete elements improve building sustainability. However, reports issued by the American Concrete Institute Committee 440 called for heavy scrutinizing before actual field implementation. The very limited number of proposed equations lacks reliability and accuracy. Thus, further investigation in this area is needed. In addition, machine learning techniques are being implemented successfully in developing strength models for complex problems. This study aims to provide a reliable machine learning model based on an experimental database. The proposed model was developed and validated against the experimental database and the very limited models in the literature. The model showed improved agreement with the experimental results compared to the previous models.

The need for miniaturized shear force sensors is expanding, particularly for biomedical applications. Examples include measuring interfacial shear stresses between a human and an external device (e.g., footwear or a prosthesis). However, there are considerable challenges in designing a shear sensor for these applications due to the need for a small package, low power requirements, and resistance to interference from motion artifact and electromagnetic fields. This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization sensor that measures two-axis shear force by detecting displacement between a color panel and a red, green, and blue light-sensing photodiode. The sensor response to applied displacements and forces was characterized under benchtop testing conditions. We also present the design of a prototype wireless version of the sensor for integration into footwear. The sensor exhibited strong agreement with gold standard measurements for two axis shear displacements (R2>0.99, RMSE≤5.0 µm) and forces (R2>0.99, RMSE≤0.94 N). This performance, along with the sensor’s scalability, miniaturized form, and low power requirements make it well-suited a variety of biomedical applications.

An accurate understanding of jointed rock mass behavior is important in many applications ranging from deep geological disposal of nuclear waste to deep mining to urban geoengineering projects. The roughness of rock fractures and the matching of the fracture surfaces are the key contributors to the shear strength of rock fractures. In this research, push shear tests with three normal stress levels of 3.6, 6.0, and 8.5 kPa were conducted with two granite samples with artificially induced well-matching tensile fractures with sizes of 500 mm × 250 mm and 1000 mm × 500 mm. The large sample reached on average a -60 % weaker peak shear stress than the medium-sized sample, and a strong negative scale effect was observed in the peak shear strength. The roughness of the surfaces was measured using a profilometer and photogrammetry. The scale-corrected profilometer-based method (JRC) underestimates the peak friction angle for the medium-sized slabs by -27 % for the medium sample and -9 % for the large sample. The photogrammetry-based (Z’2) method produces an estimate with -7% (medium) and +12 % (large) errors. The photogrammetry-based Z’2 is an objective method that consistently produces usable estimates for the JRC and peak friction angle.

Optical modes bearing optical vortices are important light systems in which to encode information. Optical vortices are robust features of optical beams that do not dissipate upon propagation. Thus decoding the modal content of a beam is a vital component of the process. In this work we present a method to decode modal superpositions of light beams that contain optical vortices. We do so using shear interferometry, which presents a simple and effective means of determining the vortex content of a beam, and extract the parameters of the component vortex modes that constitute them. We find that optical modes in a beam are easily determined. Its modal content can be extracted when they are of comparable magnitude. The use of modes of well defined topological charge but not well defined radial-mode content, such as those produced by phase-only encoding, are much easier to diagnose than pure Laguerre-Gauss modes.

For most professionals to be successful in the current job market, they need some entrepreneurial skills (ES). This study aimed to describe and systematize these skills, considering the current globalization and digital transformation phenomena. The documental analysis and the critical reflection on the collected data allowed us to identify the socio-economic and socio-cultural reasons for the relevance of this problem. Consequently, to elaborate a frame of reference that is intended to be adequate to the needs of the professionals of the current global and digital era. The results pointed to a tripartite ES model - to be open to novelty, to create solutions to emerging problems, and to communicate effectively - which integrates the following skills: creativity and innovation, the spirit of initiative, self-efficacy and resilience, strategic planning, and evaluation, resolution of problems and decision-making, transformational leadership, clear and visual communication, teamwork and networking, and digital communication. In the continuation of this study, an ES scale will be created and validated according to this model, which will make it possible to measure the degree of development of these competencies.

Tissue engineered heart valves can grow, repair, and remodel after implantation, presenting a more favorable long-term solution compared to mechanical and porcine valves. Achieving functional engineered valve tissue requires the maturation of human cells seeded onto valve scaffolds under favorable growth conditions in bioreactors. The mechanical stress and strain on developing valve tissue caused by different pressure and flow conditions in bioreactors are currently unknown. The aim of this study is to quantify the wall shear stress (WSS) magnitude in heart valve prostheses under different valve geometries and bioreactor flow rates. To achieve this, the study used fluid-structure interaction simulations to obtain the valve's opening geometries during the systolic phase. These geometries were then used in computational fluid dynamics simulations with refined near-wall mesh elements and ranges of prescribed inlet flow rates. The data obtained included histograms and regression curves that characterized the distribution, peak, and median WSS for various flow rates and opening configurations. The study also found that the upper region of the valve near the commissures experienced higher WSS magnitudes than the rest of the valve.

This study examines the wind shear coefficient (WSC) values at three coastal wind sites located in the southern region of Balochistan, Pakistan: Pasni, Ormara, and Jiwani. These WSC values were obtained using 10-minute measured wind speed data at heights of 20, 40, and 60 meters above ground level (AGL). Since wind measurements are typically recorded at lower heights due to cost and resource constraints, extrapolation techniques were employed to estimate wind speeds at higher altitudes. However, using a constant WSC value for extrapolation may lead to significant errors between extrapolated and actual wind speed measurements, impacting the energy output of wind turbines. To evaluate the effect of WSC on energy yield, the study employed power curves and frequency distributions for 2MW and 1.5MW wind turbines. Additionally, wind power density was calculated using air density derived from measured air temperature and surface pressure data, covering two years period from November 2016 to August 2018. The overall mean WSC values were found to be 0.076 at Pasni, 0.094 at Jiwani, and 0.053 at Ormara. The study further investigated the seasonal, monthly, and diurnal variations of WSC. For assessing wind resources at a height of 60m, the study utilized Wind Roses, wind power density, and Weibull parameters. Comparing the actual WSC values presented in this paper with those obtained using the 1/7 power law and measured data at 60m AGL, the energy yield from the wind turbines showed reduced output and capacity factor.

This study aims to assess the interface shear adhesion behaviour between compacted clay and a metallic surface. A new testing approach was developed in this study for this purpose. The proposed method is simple and requires neither advanced equipment nor special test procedures, and thus represents an improvement on existing practice in this field. The experimental program involves determining the interface shear adhesion strength of reconstituted Kaolin clay/metallic surface where the Kaolin clay testing specimens were compacted dynamically at different energy levels and moisture contents. In general, the results show that the interface shear adhesion strength increases as the dry density of the clay increases, whereas it decreases as the moisture content increases. Furthermore, the results in this study reveal a unique multistage interfacial shear adhesion strength behaviour as the moisture content changes that could be related to the compaction curve of the clay. The observed behaviour, in this study, could be interpreted in terms of the effect of clay dry density and moisture content on the contact area and moisture-induced capillary adhesion at clay particles-continuum interface surface.

This paper presents a finite element analysis of the bi-directional orthogonal model, which incorporates individual crack strain separation and tracking. The objective of the research is to expand the current shear friction model to manage bi-directional cracking at any angle, allowing for a more universal model that can be applied to intricate structures and non-proportional loading cases. The proposed model was initially developed as a total strain-based model, with the assumption that crack strains are equivalent to total strains, but was subsequently recalculated to improve accuracy by separating crack strains from total strains. Furthermore, a separate crack strain formulation was created to account for strains in the concrete's uncracked portions and locked-in crack strains. The article then discusses the testing of various convergence methods and loading programs to achieve high convergence. Comparative analyses of the generalized shear friction model with other models for crack orientation and loading cases similar to those of a reinforced concrete membrane are also presented. The MATLAB program successfully applied the bi-directional cracking model for one finite element under a uniform cyclical strain state, using a secant stiffness formulation.

Although the Orthotropic steel decks (OSDs) have been widely used in the construction of long-span bridges, there are frequently reported fatigue cracks after years of operation, and the bridge deck overlay also presents severe damage due to OSD crack-induced stiffness reduction. The ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), recognized as the most innovative cementitious composites and the next generation of high-performance materials, shows high strength, ductility, toughness and well performance on durability. After its first application to the OSD bridge in early 2000s, the orthotropic Steel-UHPC composite deck has been comprehensively studied worldwide. This review will summarize some important studies and findings on behavior and fatigue performance of orthotropic steel-UHPC composite deck. The existing studies and engineering application indicate that such deck system presents good bending behavior and high fatigue performance. The failure mode of shear studs in UHPC layer is dominated by shear fractures. The cracking of UHPC layer shall consider the superposition effect of stress from both the whole bridge structure and local decks. While some reasonable structural details in the traditional OSD may not work for the orthotropic steel-UHPC composite deck. It is recommended to evaluate the stress behavior and structural parameters, as well as fatigue life by conducting the field test under in-service traffic conditions.

Complex colloidal fluids, depending on particulates’ shapes and packing fractions, may have a wide range of shear thinning and thickening behaviors. A particular interesting way to transition between different types of such behavior is by infusing functional complex particles that can be manufactured using modern techicques such as 3D printing. In this paper, we display 2D molecular dynamics simulations of such fluids with infused star-shaped functional particles, with variable leg length and number of legs, as they are infused in a non-interacting, coarse-grained fluid. We vary the packing fraction (ϕ) of the system, and for each different system we apply shear with various strain rate that turns the fluid into a jammed state and rise the apparent viscosity of fluid. We demonstrate the dependence of viscosity with the particles’ packing fraction. We show the role of shape and design dependence of the functional particles towards the transition to a shear thickening fluid .

The paper argues that universal approaches to infiltration and drainage in permeable media that pivot around capillarity and that led to dual porosity, non-equilibrium, or preferential flow need to be replaced by a dual process approach. One process has to account for relatively fast infiltration and drainage based on Newton's shear flow, while the other one is responsible for storage and relatively slow redistribution of soil water by focusing on capillarity. Already Schumacher (1864) postulated two separate processes. However, Buckingham's (1907) and Richards' (1931) apparent universal capillary-based approach to flow and storage of water in soils dominated. The paper introduces the basics of Newton's shear flow in permeable media. It presents experimental support for the four presumptions of (i) sharp wetting shock fronts; (ii) that move with constant velocities; (iii) atmospheric pressure prevails behind the wetting shock front; (iv) laminar flow. It further discusses the scale tolerance of the approach, its relationship to Darcy's (1856) law, and its extension to solute transport.

A series of Ti₄₀Zr₂₅Cu₉Ni₈Be₁₈)_100-xTM_x (x = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 at.%, TM = Nb, Y) Bulk amorphous alloys were designed and prepared using the copper mold casting method. The microstructures, glass forming ability and mechanical properties of the alloys were investigated by means of X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential scanning colorimetry (DSC), depth-sensitive nanoindentation and uniaxial compressive test. The Bulk amorphous alloys with different ductility were investigated by measuring their plastic deformation energy (PDE) of the first pop-in events during loading. The relationships between the PDE value, shear band formation and ductility in Bulk amorphous alloys have been investigated. The results show that the PDE value decreases by the Nb addition and promotes the generation of multiple shear bands easily, which increase the fracture strength and plasticity significantly. Substituting Nb with Y has exactly the reverse effect. A useful rule for preparing of Bulk amorphous alloys with high plasticity is herein proposed, whereby the chemical composition of the Bulk amorphous alloys can be tailored to possess a lower PDE value.

Adding steel fibers to concrete improves the capacity in tension-driven failure modes. An example is the shear capacity in steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) beams with longitudinal reinforcement and without shear reinforcement. Since no mechanical models exist that can fully describe the behavior of SFRC beams without shear reinforcement failing in shear, a number of empirical equations have been suggested in the past. This paper compiles the existing empirical equations and code provisions for the prediction of the shear capacity of SFRC beams failing in shear as well as a database of 487 experiments reported in the literature. The experimental shear capacities from the database are then compared to the prediction equations. This comparison shows a large scatter on the ratio of experimental to predicted values. The practice of defining the tensile strength of SFRC based on different experiments internationally makes the comparison difficult. For design purposes, the code prediction methods based on the Eurocode shear expression provide reasonable results (with coefficients of variation on the ratio of tested to predicted results of 27% - 29%). None of the currently available methods properly describe the behavior of SFRC beams failing in shear. As such, this work shows the need for studies that address the different shear-carrying mechanisms in SFRC and its crack kinematics.

Rockburst is a hazardous phenomenon in deep tunnels influenced by geological structural planes like faults, joints, and shear planes. Small-scale shear-plane-like structures have damaging impact on the boundaries of the tunnel, which accumulate high stresses. Such a shear plane was exposed in the side wall of the right headrace tunnel in the Neelum-Jehlum Hydropower Project. This project is constructed in the tectonically active Himalayas with high stress conditions. A shear plane combined with high stress conditions is very dangerous in deep excavations. The influence of a shear zone on rockburst occurrence near a tunnel is studied. The FLAC3D explicit code simulated the shear zone in the right tunnel, revealing that the stresses are concentrated near the shear zone, with no stress concentration in the left tunnel, which has neither shear zone nor rockburst. Rock mass was displaced near this shear zone even before excavation. Modeling results confirm that the side wall shear zone of the tunnel has a major influence on rockburst occurrence. A shear slip along this plane released huge amounts of energy, causing human fatalities and property damage. A numerical simulation validates the actual conditions and helps us understand the phenomenon of stress concentration near the shear zone and its impact during deep tunneling.

Distributed deformation based on Fiber Bragg Grating sensors or other kinds of strain sensors can be used to evaluate safety in operating periods of bridges. However, most of the published researches about distributed deformation monitoring are focused on solid rectangular beam rather than box girder—a kind of typical hollow beam widely employed in actual bridges. Considering that the entire deformation of a single-cell box girder contains not only bending deflection but also two additional deformations respectively caused by shear lag and shearing action, this paper again revises the improved conjugated beam method (ICBM) based on the LFBG sensors to satisfy the requirements for monitoring two mentioned additional deformations. The best choice for the LFBG sensor placement in box gilder is also proposed in this paper due to strain fluctuation on flange caused by shear lag effect. Results from numerical simulations show that most of the theoretical monitoring errors of the revised ICBM are 0.3%~1.5%, and the maximum error is 2.4%. A loading experiment for a single-cell box gilder monitored by LFBG sensors show that most of the practical monitoring errors are 6%~8%, and the maximum error is 11%.

Object detection is important in many applications, such as autonomous driving. While 2D images are lack of depth information and are sensitive to environmental conditions, 3D point cloud can provide accurate depth information and a more descriptive environment. However, sparsity is always a challenge in single-frame point cloud object detection. This paper introduces a two-stage proposal-based feature fusion method for object detection using multiple frames. The proposed method, called proposal features fusion (PFF), utilizes a cosine-similarity approach to associate proposals from multiple frames and employs an attention weighted fusion module to merge features from these proposals. It allows for feature fusion specific to individual objects and offers lower computational complexity while achieving higher precision. The experimental results on the nuScenes dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, achieving a mAP of 46.7%, which is 1.3% higher than the state-of-the-art 3D object detection method.

The evolving multiphase induction generators (MPIG) with more than three phases are receiving prominence in high power generation systems. This paper aims at the development of a comprehensive model of the wind turbine driven seven-phase induction generator (7PIG) along with necessary the power electronic converters and controller for grid interface. The dynamic model of the system is developed in Maltlab/Simulink. Synchronous reference frame phase-locked loop (SRFPLL) system is incorporated for grid synchronization. The modeling aspects are detailed and the system response is observed for various wind velocities. The effectiveness of seven phase induction generator is demonstrated with the fault tolerant capability and high output power with reduced phase current when compared to conventional 3-phase wind generation scheme. The response of the PLL is analyzed and the results are presented.

This paper studies the dynamic response of corner supported modular steel buildings with a core wall system, under progressive collapse scenarios, associated with corner module removals. Since using secondary systems such as concrete core in mid- to high-rise buildings is currently una-voidable, understanding their impact on load transfer between modules during collapse scenarios becomes essential. The designated buildings with four-, eight- and twelve-story were modelled using the macro-model based finite element method in Abaqus. Also, three different locations are considered for the concrete shear core within the building plan, leading to nine various case scenarios. Each vertical and horizontal inter-module connection was modelled by one axial and two shear springs with predefined nonlinear force-displacement behaviour. The local and global buckling, which plays an essential role in the building's stability, was considered to obtain accurate results. Finally, parametric studies on the building response were carried out, including the intra-module connection rigidity and inter-module connection stiffness. The results demonstrated that the core wall could maintain the robustness of modular steel building through two mechanisms dependent on its location within the plan. Also, preventing plastic hinges from forming in beams could be introduced as an anti-collapse mechanism in the corner module removal scenarios

This research aimed to determine the effect of alkaline treatment on zalacca midrib fiber (ZMF) concerning various aspects such as thermal stability, crystallinity index, interfacial bonding, interfacial shear strength, water absorption capacity, as well as conducting Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). This investigation extended to evaluating the mechanical properties of composites enriched with microcrystalline cellulose with prosthetic socket materials available on the market. Subsequently, ZMF was obtained by splitting and soaking zalacca midrib for 12 hours. Each of ZMF was removed from the midrib and soaked in 5% sodium hydroxide for 3, 6, 9, and 12 hours. The composite material was molded by mixing 10% microcrystalline cellulose with a rotational speed of 150 rpm, maintaining a temperature of 40°C, and continuing the mixing process for 30 minutes. As a result of the alkaline treatment, several positive effects were observed, including increased fiber density, improved particle bonding, increased thermal compatibility, and cleaner fiber surfaces, attributed to reduced levels of hemicellulose, lignin, pectin, and other impurities as confirmed by SEM analysis. The microcrystalline cellulose added to the composite increased the interfacial shear strength, and tensile strength increased by 56.74%, composite flexural strength increased by 76.43%. The SEM analysis results showed that the composite with ZMF on the base fiber broke during the tensile test because fiber experienced an increase in interfacial bonding between fiber and the matrix. The water absorption test showed that untreated fiber had a higher level of absorption

The buildup of plaque in the arteries characterizes atherosclerosis, which causes the walls of the arteries to thicken, the lumen to narrow, and the wall to thin in certain areas. These changes can lead to alterations in blood flow, potentially resulting in aneurysms and heart attacks if left untreated. This paper presents a phenomenological model to explain the mechanics of plaque rupture in stenosed bifurcated elastic arteries. The model considers the interaction between the plaque and artery wall, blood flow, mechanical properties of the artery wall and plaque, and hemodynamic forces in the system. Using the Navier-Stokes equations to describe blood flow and elastic properties of artery walls, our study shows that blood flow can become turbulent, leading to backflow, vortices, and possible stagnation. Certain regions can become highly vulnerable and result in elevated heat transfer between blood and arterial walls, which can lead to the rupture of the plaque cap. The study focuses on blood flow features such as velocity profiles and wall displacement on fluid-structure interaction, which are consistent with the literature. Finally, we calculate the wall shear stress (WSS) for minimum and maximum times while considering elastic walls. Our findings may provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of plaque rupture and inform the development of improved diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

The nonlinear deformation and stress analysis of a circular torus is a difficult undertaking due to its complicated topology and the variation of the Gauss curvature. A nonlinear deformation (only one term in strain is omitted) of Mindlin torus was formulated in terms of the generalized displacement, and a general Maple code was written for numerical simulations. Numerical investigations show that the results obtained by nonlinear Mindlin, linear Mindlin, nonlinear Kirchhoff-Love, and linear Kirchhoff-Love models are close to each other. The study further reveals that the linear Kirchhoff-Love modeling of the circular torus gives good accuracy and provides assurance that the nonlinear deformation and stress analysis (not dynamics) of a Mindlin torus can be replaced by a simpler formulation, such as a linear Kirchhoff-Love theory of the torus, which has not been reported in the literature.

The entropy models have been recently adopted in many studies to evaluate the distribution of the shear stress in circular channels. However, the uncertainty in their predictions and their reliability remains an open question. We present a novel method to evaluate the uncertainty of four popular entropy models, including Shannon, Shannon-Power Low (PL), Tsallis, and Renyi, in shear stress estimation in circular channels. The Bayesian Monte-Carlo (BMC) uncertainty method is simplified considering a 95% Confidence Bound (CB). We developed a new statistic index called as FREE_opt-based OCB (FOCB) using the statistical indices Forecasting Range of Error Estimation (FREE) and the percentage of observed data in the CB (N_in), which integrates their combined effect. The Shannon and Shannon PL entropies had close values of the FOCB equal to 8.781 and 9.808, respectively, had the highest certainty in the calculation of shear stress values in circular channels followed by traditional uniform flow shear stress and Tsallis models with close values of 14.491 and 14.895, respectively. However, Renyi entropy with much higher values of FOCB equal to 57.726 has less certainty in the estimation of shear stress than other models. Using the presented results in this study, the amount of confidence in entropy methods in the calculation of shear stress to design and implement different types of open channels and their stability is determined.

The paper presents an extensometer designed to measure two mechanical strains at the same time—one from tensile load and the other from torsion load. Strain transducers provide different electric signals, which, after calibration, lead to the simultaneous measurement of linear (ε) and angular (γ) strains. Each of these two signals depends on the measured process and is not influenced by the other strain process. This extensometer is designed to be easily mounted on the sample with only two mounting points and can be used to measure the combined cyclical fatigue of tensile and torsional loadings. This extensometer has two bars—one rigid, reported at the resulting stress points, and one elastic and deformable. The elastic deformable bar has two beams with different orientations. When the sample is deformed, both beams are loaded by two bending moments (perpendicular to each other and both perpendicular on the longitudinal axis of the bars).

Joining of aluminium alloys to steels has been extensively studied, especially in the automotive sector. However, aluminium alloys are known to be difficult to join with steels when methods involving fusion welding are used because of hot cracking problem. Hence, a high strength joint between these dissimilar metals would be of benefit especially in reducing the weight of products. In this work the torch brazing method was applied to join AR500 steel with AA7075 aluminium alloy using Al-Si-Zn base filler metal at various flame times. The effect of the brazing work on the intermetallic phase formation and the mechanical strength of the joints were investigated. In this work, the maximum shear load obtained was 6460 N and the presence of the intermetallic phases had reduced the shear strength of the brazed joints. However, the torch brazing process using Al-Si-Zn filler metal had successfully facilitated the joining of these dissimilar metals.

Channel estimation is an important module to enhance the performance of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. However, the presence of a large amount of noise in multipath fading time-varying channels significantly affects the channel estimation accuracy and thus the recovery quality of the received signals. Therefore, this paper proposes a double-threshold (DT) channel estimation method based on adaptive frame statistics (AFS). The method first adaptively determines the number of statistical frames based on the temporal correlation of the received signals, and preliminarily detects the channel structure by analyzing the distribution characteristics of multipath sampling points and noise sampling points during adjacent frames. Subsequently, a multi-frame averaging technique is used to expand the distinction between multipath and noise sampling points. Finally, the DT is designed to better recover the channel based on the preliminary detection results. Simulation results show that the proposed adaptive frame statistics-double-threshold (AFS-DT) channel estimation method is effective and has better performance compared with many existing channel estimation methods.

Automated spectrum analysis serves as a troubleshooting tool that helps to diagnose faults in wireless networks like difficult signal propagation conditions and coexisting wireless networks. It provides a higher monitoring coverage while requiring less expertise compared to manual spectrum analysis. In this paper, we introduce a data set that can be used to train and evaluate deep learning models, capable of detecting frames from different wireless standards as well as interference between single frames. Since manually labelling a high variety of frames in different environments is too challenging, an artificial data generation pipeline has been developed. The data set consists of 20 000 augmented signal segments, each containing a random number of different Wi-Fi and Bluetooth frames, their spectral image representations and labels that describe the position and type of frame within the spectrogram. The data set contains results of intermediate processing steps that enables the research or teaching community to create new data sets for specific requirements or to provide new interesting examination examples.

The small satellite market continues to grow year after year. A compound annual growth rate of 17% is estimated during the period between 2020 and 2025. Low-cost satellites can send a vast amount of images to be post-processed at the ground to improve the quality and extract detailed information. In this domain lies the resolution enhancement task, where a low-resolution image is converted to a higher resolution automatically. Deep learning approaches to Super-Resolution (SR) reached the state-of-the-art in multiple benchmarks; however, most of them were studied in a single-frame fashion. With satellite imagery, multi-frame images can be obtained at different conditions giving the possibility to add more information per image and improve the final analysis. In this context, we developed and applied to the PROBA-V dataset of multi-frame satellite images a model that recently topped the European Space Agency’s Multi-frame Super Resolution (MFSR) competition. The model is based on proven methods that worked on 2D images tweaked to work on 3D: the Wide Activation Super Resolution (WDSR) family. We show that with a simple 3D CNN residual architecture with WDSR blocks and a frame permutation technique as data augmentation better scores can be achieved than with more complex models. Moreover, the model requires few hardware resources, both for training and evaluation, so it can be applied directly from a personal laptop.

Due to the long-term deformation settlement of foundations, issues such as damage and functional failure of buildings and structures have long been of concern in the engineering field. The creep of soil is one of the primary causes leading to long-term deformation of foundations. In this paper, the consolidation deformation, creep characteristics, and creep model of reconstituted saturated silty clay were studied by isotropic compression test and triaxial shear creep test. The results show that for the isotropic compression test, although the applied load adopts different stages of loading, as long as the final applied confining pressure is the same, the number of stages applied by the confining pressure has little effect on the final isotropic consolidation deformation of the sample and the triaxial undrained shear strength after creep. However, for the triaxial shear creep test, it is found that under the same final deviatoric stress, the final deviatoric strain of the sample is closely related to the number of loading stages of deviatoric stress. It shows that the more loading stages of the sample loaded with the same deviatoric stress, the smaller the final deviatoric strain, and the triaxial undrained shear strength of the sample after creep will increase. In addition, it is reasonable to determine the pore pressure dissipation of the sample to 95%((u0-u0)/u0=95%) as the main consolidation end time (tEOP) of the sample. The isotropic consolidation creep curves and the triaxial shear creep curves show certain nonlinearity. Then the logarithmic model and the hyperbolic model were used to fit the creep curves of the samples. It is found that the hyperbolic model has a better fitting effect than the logarithmic model, but for the triaxial shear creep test, the creep parameters of the sample change greatly. Therefore, studying the creep characteristics of soil under different pre-loading steps is of significant engineering importance for evaluating the long-term deformation of underground structures.

A novel concrete beam-column connection utilizing L-shaped steel bars is proposed to address the growing demand for prefabricated buildings and to ensure good seismic performance in such beam-column structures. After positioning two prefabricated beams with L-shaped tendons into the designated connection points at the top and bottom of the columns, concrete is poured into the post-cast section of the joint and the composite beam area, realizing a connection between the beams and columns. Quasi-static tests were performed on four combined nodes and one cast-in-place node to investigate their failure modes and stress mechanisms. Seismic performance indices, including hysteretic curves, skeleton curves, ductility performance, and energy dissipation capacity, were analyzed. Concurrently, the finite element method (FEM) was employed for parameter analysis. By integrating the test and FEM results, an equation for calculating the shear capacity of the connection was derived. The findings demonstrate that the hysteresis curve of the newly developed prefabricated joints is relatively full, with their overall performance index comparable to that of cast-in-place joints. Additionally, enhancing the post-casting area of concrete, the length of the L-shaped bars, the concrete strength in the composite beam region, the axial compression ratio, or the steel tube dimensions can effectively improve overall performance. The derived equation for the shear-bearing capacity of the connection satisfies design and application requirements.

This study aims to explore the differences between loess and landslide deposits, focusing on as-pects such as particle distribution, consolidation characteristics, and dynamic shear modulus. Through a series of experiments, the research reveals the similarities and differences between these two entities, yielding several key findings. Firstly, the process of landsliding disrupts the original structure of the loess, resulting in a reduction in porosity and a densification of the soil. This alteration in structural properties leads to significant disparities in physical attributes be-tween landslide deposits and undisturbed loess. Additionally, the movement and sorting of par-ticles during landslides cause variations in particle size distribution across different sections of the landslide deposits. Secondly, the landslide process not only alters the soil's structure but also changes the particle sizes within the loess. Particle wear and sieving result in the transformation of larger particles into smaller ones, leading to a more uniform particle size distribution. This shift in structure and particle size directly impacts the consolidation characteristics of landslide deposits, resulting in a substantial reduction in compression coefficient. Despite undergoing consolidation for decades, the middle and lower sections of landslide deposits still exhibit un-der-consolidation. Although the differences in the maximum dynamic shear modulus between loess and landslide deposits at varying depths are relatively minor, differences in porosity and consolidation characteristics lead to faster decay rates of the dynamic shear modulus for the lat-ter. The study also highlights a reduction in the water sensitivity of the maximum dynamic shear modulus within landslide deposits. Based on experimental results, a predictive model is pro-posed, utilizing A and m values to estimate the maximum dynamic shear modulus of both loess and landslide deposits. In conclusion, this research uncovers the impact of landslide processes on the structure and properties of loess, providing insightful understanding into the disparities between these two entities.

Asphalt binder is a temperature sensitive material, whose performance is greatly affected by the climate change of the environment. Improper selection of asphalt will cause a lot of damage and affect the durability of the road. The establishment of asphalt pavement performance zoning in Xinjiang, a vast area with great temperature difference, will provide reference for the selection of asphalt suitability, the refinement of pavement design and the sustainable development of road engineering. In this study, 11 years of temperature data in Xinjiang region were collected and analyzed, and 98% reliability of pavement design temperature was used to draw a performance grading map of asphalt pavement in Xinjiang region based on ArcGIS platform. Finally, Xinjiang region was divided into 9 performance zones. At the same time, the performance grade (PG) of five kinds of asphalt binders in Karamay were explored. The result shows that there is little difference in continuous PG span between different matrix asphalt binders, the lower penetration grade, the better high temperature performance, the worse low temperature performance. After adding SBS modifier, the continuous PG span can be higher than the matrix asphalt in 20 ℃. All these provide the basis for reasonable selection of asphalt binders in different areas of Xinjiang.

A reliable finite element procedure to simulate shear-dominated ductile fracture in large-scale, thin-walled steel structures is still evolving due primarily to the challenges in determining the fracture criterion of steel materials under complex stress states. This paper aims to examine the accuracy of the modified Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) model considering the shear failure in simulating ductile fracture of steel plate structures under quasi-static punch loading. The modified GTN damage models are performed by ABAQUS user defined material subroutine (VUMAT). The void related parameters and shear damage parameters of Xue’s and N-H modified GTN models are calibrated from test specimens with various geometries corresponding to different stress triaxiality and shearing conditions. The damage evolution associated with the shearing of voids in the modified GTN models has strong influences on the stress triaxiality versus equivalent plastic strain under complex stress states, especially for the shear dominated loading conditions. Based on the original GTN model, Xue’s model, and N-H modified GTN model with calibrated material parameters, a numerical comparative study examines the ductile fracture of steel non-stiffened plate and stiffened plate under punch loading. Benchmarked against the experimental studies, the numerical simulations demonstrate that the shear driven void evolution in the modified GTN model imposes significant effects on the load-displacement responses, as well as the onset and extension of ductile fracture in steel plates under punch actions. The N-H modified model with calibrated shear damage parameters shows a better correlation with the ductile fractures in steel plates observed in the experiment, than the original GTN model and Xue’s modified GTN model. As a result of this study, the modified GTN model considering the shear failure can be applied for practical applications in the crashworthiness assessment of ship collision and grounding.

In the presence of aquatic plants in streams, a variety of flow structures have been reported. Re-sults of earlier investigations indicated that the hydrodynamic features of flows in rivers, and streams are influenced by a wide range of submerged and non-submerged vegetation. In the pre-sent study, eight experiment runs were conducted in two artificial pools built in a laboratory flume to assess the flow structures across vegetation cover. The slopes for entrance and exit sec-tions of these two pools are of 5 and 10 degrees, respectively. A patch of artificial grass covered the entire pool area over the gravel bed. The effect of stream flow velocity was investigated by considering two aspect ratios of 2 and 2.7. Also, distributions of flow velocity, Reynolds normal and shear stresses, turbulence intensities, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), and higher-order mo-ments of velocity fluctuations have been investigated. By means of quadrant analysis, it is found that the skewness coefficients of velocity profiles are significant parameters to evaluate. Based on skewness values for the bursting processes, along the pool entrance section with a smaller slope, the contribution of sweep motion occurs in a more restricted zone above the canopy, and this im-plies that the ejection motion occurs in a pool entrance section with a higher slope. Immediately above the vegetation canopy, the dominant process is the sweep motion of bursting events. Whereas, at the upstream boundary of the vegetation patch, an outward motion with slightly pos-itive value occurs; and around the downstream boundary of the vegetation patch, the isotropic turbulence appears at the boundary of the vegetation and gravel bed. Over the vegetation canopy in the pool, less mixing eddies result in lower Reynolds shear stress values, and thus the turbulent flow becomes weak with lower turbulent kinetic energy (TKE). Because of the shallow flow in an artificial channel with an aspect ratio less than five and the availability of vertical non-zero ve-locity components, secondary currents become stronger in the channel. Consequently, there is a divergence from a linear dispersion of Reynolds shear stress.