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Existing composite floor design approaches require technical data on strength and ductility of shear connectors, which can be defined only by shear tests. The article discusses the failure modes of composite floor shear connection, made of powder-actuated shear connectors. The influence assessment of the main detailing parameters on the strength and deformability of shear connectors was executed. The database for analysis included the results of shear tests performed by both the authors and other researchers. According to the results of the study, the dependence of the strength and deformability of shear connectors on their height, orientation relative to the shear force vector, the strength of the concrete slab and the geometric parameters of the profiled flooring was estimated.

The main problems of steel plate shear walls in current studies can be grouped into two categories: the unexpected bulky column or column failure in fully connected steel plate shear walls (FCSPSWs), and the low shear capacity in steel plate shear walls attached to the beam only (BOSPSW). Therefore, a partially connected steel plate shear wall with vertical square tube stiffeners (PCSPSW‐VSTS) is proposed in this work. There are three contribution points. Firstly, flexural stiffness thresholds of beams for BOSPSW and PCSPSW‐VSTS are proposed to ensure the uniform partial tension fields in the infill plates. Secondly, theoretical models of tension field inclination angles in BOSPSW and PCSPSW‐VSTS are proposed. Comparison results using proposed theoretical models, experiments, and simulations indicate that the proposed equations for the inclination angle can accurately predict the direction of principal tension stress for BOSPSW and PCSPSW‐VSTS. Thirdly, the shear capacity theoretical model of PCSPSW‐VSTS is proposed, which agrees well with experimental and numerical results. Besides, parametric studies of PCSPSW‐VSTS are conducted to investigate energy dissipation behavior and the effect of various stiffeners, which show that the square tube stiffener is efficient and economical, and the behavior of PCSPSW‐VSTS is better than that of FCSPSW in terms of shear capacity and energy dissipation. The proposed theoretical models can be adopted to develop the performance‐based seismic design of BOSPSW and PCSPSW‐VSTS. The proposed theoretical models avoid the simulation, the experiment, and the complicated solution of governing equations, which are suitable for designing buildings with SPSW in high‐intensity areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The composite slabs behavior is governed by longitudinal shear at the interface between the steel deck and concrete, which is developed in slabs under simple bending. The m-k method and the partial connection method, that are used in the evaluation of shear strength at the steel-concrete interface of composite slabs, are based on expensive and long-term experimental tests. The main objective of this work is to implement a finite element model for nonlinear numerical analysis of concrete slabs with steel decking. For this, flat shell elements are implemented, considering Reissner-Mindlin and Kirchoff plate theories, bar elements, considering the beam theory of Tymoshenko, and interface elements. In the numerical analyzes presented in the present work, the steel deck and the concrete slab, of thickness given by the total height of the slab less the height of the steel deck, are modeled with flat shell elements. The concrete rib is modeled with bar elements. The contact between steel deck and concrete is modeled through interface elements. The geometric and material nonlinearities are considered in the numerical analysis. The analyzed examples validate the numerical model suggested in this work, presenting the advantage of using a two-dimensional discretization of the problem while in comparative numerical models are uses a three-dimensional discretization of the concrete slab.

Higher-order partial connections are studied. We find conditions under which the Lie jet of a field of a geometric object ξ in the direction of the field of Weil 𝔸-velocities Y coincides with the covariant derivative ∇Yξ of this field with respect to some higher-order partial connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organization is increasingly entwined with databased governance infrastructures. Developing the idea of 'infrastructure as partial connection' with inspiration from Marilyn Strathern and Science and Technology Studies, this article proposes that database infrastructures are intrinsic to processes of organizing intra- and inter-organizational relations. Seeing infrastructure as partial connection brings our attention to the ontological experimentation with knowing organizations through work of establishing and cutting relations. We illustrate this claim through a multi-sited ethnographic study of 'The Data Warehouse'. 'The Data Warehouse' is an important infrastructural component in the current reorganization of Danish educational governance which makes schools' performance public and comparable. We suggest that 'The Data Warehouse' materializes different, but overlapping, infrastructural experiments with governing education at different organizational sites enacting a governmental hierarchy. Each site can be seen as belonging to the same governance infrastructure but also as constituting 'centres' in its own right. 'The Data Warehouse' participates in the always-unfinished business of organizational world making and is made to (partially) relate to different organizational concerns and practices. This argument has implications for how we analyze the organizational effects of pervasive databased governance infrastructures and invites exploring their multiple organizing effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, we study the relations between curvatures and geometries of a compact complex Finsler manifold. We first introduce various definitions of curvatures and then vanishing theorems are established under some positivity assumptions of curvatures. In particular, we get some criteria of a compact complex Finsler manifold to be of negative Kodaira dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been demonstrated that the buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall (SPSW) is an efficient and economic lateral load-resisting system exhibiting high performance on initial stiffness, ductility, shear resistance, and energy dissipation capacity. In present study, a novel partially connected buckling-restrained SPSW is presented to reduce the stiffness requirement for the vertical boundary elements. Meanwhile, nonlinear finite element (FE) analysis is performed to evaluate the behavior of the proposed shear wall system so that a large expense of conducting additional test can be saved. The experimental results from the literature and the test conducted by the authors are used to establish the validation of FE models. Based on the validated FE models, a further extensive parametric study is carried out to investigate the effect of initial imperfection, stiffness of boundary elements, slenderness ratio (Height/Thickness) of the infill panel, aspect ratio (Height/Width) of the infill panel, RC cover panel thickness and bolt spacing on the behavior of the partially connected buckling-restrained SPSW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A steel plate shear wall system, consisting of a thin steel plate connected to the boundary frame members, is proposed as lateral load resisting system for use in the multi-storey building. To reduce the potential damage on the boundary elements caused by the tension field action in the steel plate after buckling, the steel plate is partially connected at the corner edges to the boundary frame members by bolts. Two scaled specimens were tested under cyclic loads to investigate the hysteretic behaviour of the partially connected steel plate shear wall (SPSW). Test results showed that the proposed SPSW exhibited good structural performance in terms of initial stiffness, shear resistance, ductility and energy absorption capability. An analytical method was developed to predict the shear resistance of the partially connected SPSW. The shear resistances obtained from the tests were compared with those predicted by the analytical method and a reasonable agreement was observed. In addition, a nonlinear finite element (FE) model was proposed to analyze the behaviour of the partially connected SPSW system. The accuracy of the FE models was verified by comparing the computed results with the cyclic load test results. Parametric analyses were then carried out to study the effects of plate slenderness ratio, plate aspect ratio (width/height), stiffness of the boundary frame members and initial plate imperfection on the lateral load resisting behaviour of the proposed steel plate shear wall system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the problems of wound specialists is that they may not have enough time to assess the length and width of the wound. This problem is aggravated when they have to visit the wounds virtually. This paper presents a novel AI-based method for evaluation of the wound healing process. In this algorithm, a neural network is used to detect a combination of color spectra next to each other and a neural network is used to detect the distance of the wound from the camera via hand detection. Finally, the dimensions of the wound are obtained along with the analysis of its texture. The neural networks used are a deep networks and use intensive learning algorithms with less computational complexity than deep networks, which can be implemented on mobile processors as well. Networks are modified in a way that the additional connections between different nodes are removed without any change in performance. In this way, time and computational complexity are reduced. Then through the server, images of the wound and its analysis can be sent to different users, including doctors and medical centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study instanton equations on contact manifolds from the point of view of partial connections. Results of Urakawa and Dragomir-Urakawa are generalized from strongly pseudo-convex CR manifolds to contact manifolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel partially connected buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall as a robust and effective lateral load-resisting system is proposed in this paper. The influence of the superposition of the tension field and the high-order buckling deformation of the inner steel plate which is called “panel action” on the behavior of the new system is investigated. A modified method considering the effect of the panel action is developed to determine the minimum stiffness requirements of the vertical boundary elements so that the tension field will fairly uniformly form in the diagonal area. In addition, the nonlinear finite element method is adopted to carry out the push-over analysis to evaluate the effect of the initial imperfection on the behavior of the proposed shear wall. Meanwhile, based on the FE models validated using the available test data, an extensive parametric study is also performed to examine the effect of a change in the second moment of area of VBEs on the behavior of the novel shear wall. Finally, the FE results are compared with that predicted by the proposed method and a reasonable agreement is generally achieved between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We construct a canonically defined affine connection in sub-Riemannian contact geometry. Our method mimics that of the Levi-Civita connection in Riemannian geometry. We compare it with the Tanaka-Webster connection in the three-dimensional case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, the problem of transverse free vibration of two parallel beams partially connected to each other by a Winkler-type elastic layer is investigated. Euler–Bernoulli beam hypothesis has been applied, and translational and rotational elastic springs in each end considered as support. The motion of the system is described by coupled, piece-wise differential equations. The differential transform method (DTM) is employed to derive natural frequencies and mode shapes. DTM is a semi-analytical approach based on Taylor expansion series which does not require any admissible functions and yields rapid convergence and computational stability. After validation of the DTM results with results reported by well-known references and finite elements solution, the influences of the inner layer connection length, boundary conditions, the coefficient of elastic inner layer and ratio of beam’s flexural rigidity on natural frequencies as well as influences of the inner layer connection length on mode shapes are discussed. This problem is treated for the first time, and results are completely new which candidate them to being considered for practical engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tankyevych et al. [17] considered, in a directed graph, any set S of vertices where there is some marker vertex p∈S such that for every vertex x∈S, there is a directed path from p to x included in S; the family of all such sets S was called a semi-connection. Their properties were briefly analysed and compared with connectivity and connected components in undirected graphs. We give an abstract algebraic formalization of this concept, following the same approach as that of Serra [14] and Ronse [9] for the notions of connection and partial connection, which generalize both topological and graph-theoretic connectivity. Here the sets S are unsufficient, one must associate to them their markers p; thus in a space E we consider a family RR of ordered pairs (p,S)∈ExP(E), where the set S can be "reached" from marker p; this family, which we call a reach, must satisfy the three properties of union, transitivity and membership; a fourth point property leads to a full reach. As in [14,9], we give an equivalent definition in terms of a system of point openings (γp,p∈E) satisfying some properties. The special case of symmetry, where S does not depend on the choice of the marker p∈S, leads to a partial connection or a connection. Some examples are given. Possible applications of this new theory lie in the analysis of connected structures having an orientation, for instance vascular networks in medical imaging. One can also apply it to geodesic reconstruction and connected filtering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper broadens out existing challenges to the divisions between the human and the animal that keep humans distinct, and apart, from other animals. Much attention to date has focused on how the Euro-American individuation of the human subject intensifies the asymmetries inculcated by these divisions. This paper rehearses some of this literature but goes on to attend to how these divisions undercut understandings of sociality and limit social organization to interaction between persons. Drawing together debates around the human/animal relation, the paper juxtaposes different perspectives of nature-cultures to bring ‘worlds’ of relations into view. Specifically, I distinguish here between the state of ‘being alongside’ and the process of ‘being-with’. Ranging from approaches that try to settle ideas of difference through appeals to ‘ethical health’, through to work on identity that ‘unconceals’ a wealth of connection, this distinction will help to keep apart those situated moments of relations, where the constituent parts are left more provisional and contingent, from more sought-out relationships, where a sense of togetherness purposefully dominates the conjoining of activities. Contrasting hybridity as a totalizing form of ‘being-with’, with alongsideness, as a form of intermittent and partial connection, the analysis eschews the obfuscation of difference entrenched in contemporary emphasis on connectivity. Proposing instead the importance of creatures as ‘division preserving', the paper theorizes ways to sustain regard for division as well as connection as key to understanding the arts of dwelling amidst different kinds. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Highlights: [•] A new finite element formulation for composite multilayered beams with partial interaction was developed. [•] The formulation is based on the analytical solution of the differential equations of the problem. [•] Both Euler and Timoshenko beam kinematics may be simulated. [•] The elements are free of any kind of locking. [•] The elements provide a reliable and robust option for the numerical analyses of composite beams with interlayer slip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrusion detection is well-known as an essential component to secure the systems in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Based on the type of analyzing events, two kinds of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) have been proposed: anomaly-based and misuse-based. In this paper, three-layer Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) architecture with categorized features as inputs and attack types as outputs of RNN is proposed as misuse-based IDS. The input features are categorized to basic features, content features, time-based traffic features, and host-based traffic features. The attack types are classified to Denial-of-Service (DoS), Probe, Remote-to-Local (R2L), and User-to-Root (U2R). For this purpose, in this study, we use the 41 features per connection defined by International Knowledge Discovery and Data mining group (KDD). The RNN has an extra output which corresponds to normal class (no attack). The connections between the nodes of two hidden layers of RNN are considered partial. Experimental results show that the proposed model is able to improve classification rate, particularly in R2L attacks. This method also offers better Detection Rate (DR) and Cost Per Example (CPE) when compared to similar related works and also the simulated Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) and Elman-based intrusion detectors. On the other hand, False Alarm Rate (FAR) of the proposed model is not degraded significantly when compared to some recent machine learning methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coupling of structures with tuned mass dampers, dynamic mass absorbers, elastoplastic dampers, and rigid walls is effective in reducing displacements and drifts of frame structures under external loads. This paper analyses the effectiveness of connecting the first storey of a frame structure to an external structure shorter than the frame structure by a visco-elastic device. Two alternative visco-elastic devices are considered for the coupling, they are modelled with the Kelvin–Voigt and Maxwell constitutive laws, respectively. Additionally, an inerter device is applied to the external structure to modify its inertial force and increase the effectiveness of the coupling. The coupled structure is modelled as a three-degree-of-freedom mechanical system, and its equations of motion are obtained by a direct approach. The coupling with the external structure is considered beneficial for the frame structure if the absolute displacements of the coupling level or the inter-storey drifts reduce compared to those of the stand-alone frame structure. A preliminary modal analysis shows that the coupling with the external structure equipped with the inerter device improves the dynamic and seismic performances of the system. A further analysis is performed by considering four ground motion records. The results, organized in maps, confirm that the coupling with the external structure reduces the displacements and drifts of the frame structure in large ranges of values of the parameters that characterize the external structure and connection device. • The coupling between a frame structure and an external structure is investigated. • A 3-DOF mechanical model is used to describe the coupled structural system. • Two performances indexes are introduced to evaluate the performances. • The role of the inerter device, coupled with the external structure, is investigated. • Results reveal that the coupling improves the performance of the frame structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualitative research and methods are often imagined as relating to a problematic, which we here term the power-knowledge nexus. We argue that the dichotomy between power and knowledge, instantiated, for example, by recent postmodern contributions to the field, is theoretically and empirically problematic and suggest that they are organized around a 'bad problem' (Deleuze, 1991). This characterization points us towards an exploration of theoretical and practical consequences entailed by the suspension of the power-knowledge nexus. We suggest that there is a need for a renewed consideration of the capacities of qualitative research. We initiate such discussion by drawing on insights and illustrations from contemporary feminist theory and science and technology studies (STS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crossbar (also called bus matrix) solution is known as one of the most effective communication architectures for modern high-performance embedded systems. To make it even more effective, several topology synthesis methods have been proposed. They mostly generate a crossbar network in a cascaded fashion under the assumption that each crossbar switch is fully connected (i.e., each input has a connection to every output). This assumption often limits optimizing the area efficiency and/or performance of the network due to the unnecessary connections inside the crossbar switches. Some existing methods marginally improve their synthesis results by eliminating the unnecessary connections after the synthesis step. Such postprocessing approaches make sense since considering partially connected crossbar switches earlier in the synthesis flow can greatly increase the optimal topology search space, thereby increasing the runtime. However, the result from these postprocessing techniques is typically far inferior to that from the exhaustive search. In this work, we tackle such limitations of previous methods by introducing a heuristic method based on iterative switch merging. To the best of authors' knowledge, none of previous methods consider the partial connection of crossbar switches in the middle of the topology synthesis. Our experimental results prove the effectiveness of the proposed method by showing up to 30.35 percent of area saving against those methods that consider the partial connection only in a postprocess. The results also show the superiority of the proposed method against the existing topology synthesis methods, showing up to 49.09 percent area saving and synthesis time reduction by several orders of magnitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]