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The sluggish kinetics and thermodynamic stability associated with LiAlH 4 have posed significant obstacles to its practical application. Herein, we have designed a general method for preparing a series of hollow 3D flower-like composite, denoted as M-NC@TiO 2 (M = Ni, Co, Fe, Cu), which serve as highly efficient catalysts for the dehydrogenation of LiAlH 4. These composites feature TiO 2 hollow spheres as substrates to induce the growth of MOF nanosheets, leading to the regular arrangement of carbon nanosheets anchored with metal nanoparticles M on the TiO 2 sphere surface after calcination treatment. Evidently, M-NC@TiO 2 exerts a discernible enhancement on the dehydrogenation kinetics of LiAlH 4. LiAlH 4 -7wt% Ni-NC@TiO 2 system begins to release hydrogen at a notably lowered temperature of 56.3 °C, with a total amount of hydrogen released of 7.19 wt% before reaching 300 °C. Subsequent investigations showed that the enhanced hydrogen storage performance can be attributable to the in-situ formation of the metal compounds, the fine size and high dispersion of metallic nanoparticles, and the synergistic effect between TiO 2 and M nanoparticles. This work not only provides an effective general way to synthesize catalysts for improving the hydrogen storage performance of aluminum-based hydrogen storage materials, but also augments our understanding of hydrogen storage mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Odis SIMMONS was among the first students who learned grounded theory method (GTM) directly from the co-founders GLASER and STRAUSS. Except for GLASER himself, SIMMONS is probably the grounded theorist who has taught the method to most students globally. In this interview SIMMONS provides key insights into learning, doing, teaching, and applying classic grounded theory (GT) as a general research method. With his double background as a therapist and a teacher in higher education, SIMMONS elaborates on fears that students might have during the research process and how they are overcome. He explains the ideas behind his own approaches to grounded action and grounded therapy, which for a long time resided in the GTM background but are gradually getting more widespread. In the interview, he also brings new knowledge on the diverging perspectives of GLASER and STRAUSS which, according to him, existed from the beginning. He argues, in an including manner, why classic GTM and constructivist GTM should be considered two different methods and urges educators to openly discuss the differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the second-order effects in horizontally loaded reinforced concrete columns. The current standard approach according to Eurocode 2 is the starting point for the considerations. Simplified methods that take into account the secondary effects, that is, the nominal stiffness method and the nominal curvature method, and their limitations are discussed. Most attention is devoted to the general method. As only general guidelines for this method can be found in the literature on the subject, the author presents his own original approach to calculations done using this method. Exemplary analyses for the corbel columns of high bay racked warehouses are made. Columns of different lengths are analyzed. The calculations show the overestimates introduced by the simplified methods and the benefits stemming from the use of the general method, especially in the case of quite slender columns.

The design of composite compression members can be realized based on the General Method in accordance with Eurocode 4. This method represents a more sophisticated design based on advanced numerical analysis. It may be applied for any type of composite column. The General Method contains two steps; the first step is defined as the global nonlinear finite element analysis (GMNIA) accounting for all geometrical and physical nonlinear effect and considering geometrical and structural imperfection; while the second step represents the analysis on the cross‐section level, by N‐M interaction diagram to determine the overall safety factor γ0. EN1994‐1‐1 requires the N‐M‐Interaction based on the plastic resistance. However, often the General Method is provided for those section, where the plastic resistance is not representing the real behavior. Therefore, the question is discussed why the N‐M‐Interaction should not be developed based on the strain‐limited resistance considering the approaches for concrete stress‐strain curve in accordance with EN 1992‐1‐1 and for structural steel in accordance with prEN1993‐1‐14. In this paper, the application of general method is investigated for different type of composite columns with N‐M interaction diagram evaluated with plastic and strain‐limited resistance. Results are compared and discussed in terms of overall safety factor γ0. Conclusions are provided for the further development of the General Method in Eurocode 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant progress in the development of stainless steel design procedures which were implemented also in new design standards proposals, prEN 1993‐1‐4:2021 and AISI 370‐21, has been going on in the last 15 years. For compressed members, buckling curves were revised and beam‐column interaction formulas were published for hollow and open sections. Buckling curve was significantly improved for double‐symmetrical I section beams. The Continuous Strength Method was introduced in the code. Also, a verification procedure using a plastic global analysis was developed and implemented in design procedures very recently. However, clear design rules for geometrically non‐linear analysis with equivalent member and structural imperfections need further research. This approach, known also as the general method, became a very popular method for carbon steel structures, but cannot be used for slender stainless steel structures without modification. The stainless steel nonlinear stress strain diagram leads to a reduction of the bending stiffness and thus higher second‐order effect, which needs to be covered in the procedure. In this research, a comparison is made on numerical parametric studies. Limits will be set for the applicability of the carbon steel design procedures and a preliminary recommendation for general method of stainless steel members will be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crane runway beams are generally loaded by vertical and horizontal forces as well as not‐negligible torsional actions. Horizontal and torsional deformations originate already from the 1st order analysis. The effects of imperfections of crane runway beams could, at least partially, be simulated by these deformations. While for the purely vertically loaded beams it is necessary to consider the horizontal bow imperfection, for the generally loaded beams with horizontal forces as well, the influence of horizontal bow imperfection may not be as important, due to the occurrence of horizontal deflection from primary actions. Eurocode EN 1993‐6 allows to consider either eccentricities of vertical forces or introduction of horizontal bow imperfections in the design of crane runway beams. In this article, using a self‐developed FEM‐program, the effect of horizontal bow imperfection for the generally loaded crane runway beams is investigated. The two options of EN 1993‐6 are compared in the FEM analyses with the simplified design methods like the Annex A method of the same standard and the Naumes method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resistivity of the anti-corrosion coating of buried steel pipeline is an important parameter.In recent years，the value of this parameter has been used to evaluate the overall quality of the anti-corrosion coating of in-service or directional drilling pipelines.All the domestic standards regarding the on-site measurement of this parameter and the evaluation of the overall quality of the anti-corrosion coating are established with reference to NACE TM 0102-2002.However，those domestic standards have not explained the concept of "anti-corrosion coating resistivity" clearly and there is confusion with terms related to "anti-corrosion coating resistivity".The reasons for selecting the general method and the attenuation method are not defined clearly for the measurement of the resistivity of anti-corrosion coating in various standards，and the test location of the soil resistance is not specified when the general method is used for the directional drilling crossing pipeline，resulting in differences in the field test results and evaluation conclusions of the resistivity of the anti-corrosion coating outside the same pipeline by various inspection units.In order to clarify the above problems，the concepts related to the resistivity of the anti-corrosion coating were explained firstly，and then the meaning of the resistivity of the anti-corrosion coating was clarified through theoretical analysis and formula derivation.Furthermore，the measurement results of the resistivity of the anti-corrosion coating of 100 directional drilling crossing pipelines were statistically analyzed.Finally，suggestions on the revision of relevant standards were given，with expect to revise the unclear problems in the new version of the standards.

The "General Method" according to chapter 6.3.4 of EN1993‐1‐1 or 8.3.4 of prEN1993‐1‐1 deals with the verification of stability problems of frame and beam structures with loadings in‐plane. The "General method" according to Eurocode is intended for the general case of a combined moment and normal force. For the choice of the reduction factor χop, there are two options for applying the reduction curve, either the minimum of lateral torsional buckling (LTB) and flexural buckling (FB) or a weighted combination of both. With the use of analytical derivations, it can be shown that this approach leads to inconsistencies which can possibly lead to incorrect results. In this paper an alternative approach is presented which leads to unification and fully mechanical justification in verification. The approach allows e.g. the verification of stability of an entire frame system directly and without interaction factors (as in the equivalent member method). In addition, the issue of a consistent equivalent imperfection is addressed. With the use of this method, geometrical non‐linear analyses of structures showing out‐of‐plane instability can be omitted; only an in‐plane calculation and a determination of a linear buckling analysis is necessary. Finally, examples are presented in this paper that demonstrate the application of the approach shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pinch analysis is vital in optimizing heat exchanger networks (HENs). Targeting methods are used when determining cost effectiveness with pinch analysis. However, the existing targeting methods for the capital cost of HEN are not suitable for wide application scenarios. Therefore, we developed a high-accuracy general capital-cost-targeting method. It is built on a final structure that was evolved from the spaghetti structure of HEN through four loop elimination stages. This structure helps to reduce the prediction deviation of the method. To achieve high adaptability while establishing this method, we considered the different heat exchanger cost categories, different cost laws for one stream pair, and area limitations of heat exchangers that may be encountered in practice. In addition, allowing streams to use individual temperature difference contributions enhances the method's predictive capacity. The potential defects of the method found in numerical experiments and case studies were corrected with improvement measures. As a result, the accuracy and stability of the targeting method were further enhanced, with absolute target deviations generally within 10% and often within 5%. This study provides a benchmark for the optimal capital cost of HEN, allowing for a better economic effect when applying pinch analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composite column design in accordance with EN 1994‐1‐1 can be computed by the general method or by simplified methods. For the general method, EN 1994‐1‐1 refers to a comprehensive FE‐Analysis. However, the recent Eurocode 4 does not provide sufficient guidance for the application of the general method and there is not a harmony in the literature on how to do it. Additional information may be found as non‐contradictory complementary information (NCI) in National Annexes (NA). This paper points out the procedure for the general method and refers to the changes and additional information provided by the draft of prEN 1994‐1‐1:2021. Furthermore, the modelling and computation by FE‐Analysis for several software applications are presented by implementing specified initial bow imperfections and predefined residual stresses for the steel section. The results obtained with the general method's approach are compared with that calculated by simplified method by the European buckling curves. In addition, the impact of different stress‐strain curves for concrete and strain limits introduced by Codes are investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The behaviour of steel structures is affected by two nonlinearities—the geometric and material nonlinearity—and by the unavoidable presence of imperfections. To evaluate the ultimate capacity of a structure, these effects should be taken into consideration during the design process, either explicitly in the analysis or implicitly through the verification checks. In this context, Eurocode 3 provides several design approaches of different complexity and accuracy. The advantages and disadvantages of these approaches are discussed. Five different methods in conformity with the Eurocode provisions are applied for the design of four moment resisting steel frames of varying slenderness. The influence of nonlinearities and imperfections in respect to the slenderness of the structure is illustrated. The examined methods are compared in terms of the predicted ultimate capacity and their efficiency is assessed against the most accurate between them, i.e., an advanced geometrically and materially nonlinear analysis. It is shown that considerable differences arise between the methods. Nevertheless, except for the commonly used 2nd order analysis followed by cross-section verifications, the remaining methods are mostly on the safe side.

Constrained codes are used to prevent errors from occurring in various data storage and data transmission systems. They can help in increasing the storage density of magnetic storage devices, in managing the lifetime of solid-state storage devices, and in increasing the reliability of data transmission over wires. Over the years, designing practical (complexity-wise) capacity-achieving constrained codes has been an area of research gaining significant interest. We recently designed various constrained codes based on lexicographic indexing. We introduced binary symmetric lexicographically-ordered constrained (S-LOCO) codes, $q$ -ary asymmetric LOCO (QA-LOCO) codes, and a class of two-dimensional LOCO (TD-LOCO) codes. These families of codes achieve capacity with simple encoding and decoding, and they are easy to reconfigure. We demonstrated that these codes can contribute to notable density and lifetime gains in magnetic recording (MR) and Flash systems, and they find application in other systems too. In this paper, we generalize our work on LOCO codes by presenting a systematic method that guides the code designer to build any constrained code based on lexicographic indexing once the finite set of data patterns to forbid is known. In particular, we connect the set of forbidden patterns directly to the cardinality of the LOCO code and most importantly to the rule that uncovers the index associated with a LOCO codeword. By doing that, we reveal the secret arithmetic of patterns, and make the design of such constrained codes significantly easier. We give examples illustrating the method via codes based on lexicographic indexing from the literature. We then design optimal (rate-wise) constrained codes for the new two-dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) technology. Over a practical TDMR model, we show notable performance gains as a result of solely applying the new codes. Moreover, we show how near-optimal constrained codes for TDMR can be designed and used to further reduce complexity and error propagation. All the newly introduced LOCO codes are designed using the proposed general method, and they inherit all the desirable properties in our previously designed LOCO codes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "General Method" according to chapter 6.3.4 of EN1993‐1‐1 [1] or 8.3.4 of prEN1993‐1‐1 [2] deals with the verification of stability problems of frame and beam structures with loadings in‐plane. The "General method" according to Eurocode is intended for the general case of a combined moment and normal force. For the choice of the reduction factor χop, there are two options for applying the reduction curve, either the minimum of that of lateral torsional buckling (LTB) and flexural buckling (FB) or a weighted combination of both. With the use of analytical derivations, it can be shown that this approach leads to inconsistencies which can possibly lead to incorrect results. The intended generality of the EC3 formulation therefore should be put under scrutinizing. The approach presented in this paper can solve this problem and leads to unification, which allows the verification of stability of e.g. an entire frame system directly and without interaction factors (as in the equivalent member method). In addition, the issue of a consistent equivalent imperfection is addressed. With the use of the General Method non‐linear analyses of structures showing out‐of‐plane instability can be omitted; only an in‐plane calculation and a determination of the critical load is necessary. Finally, examples are presented in this paper that demonstrate the application of the approach shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The General Method of EN 1993‐1‐1 covers the safety verification of non‐prismatic members, as the variable geometry precludes the use of the standard verification clauses. However, no specific guidelines are provided in the fire part of the Eurocode 3 (EN 1993‐1‐2) regarding its implementation at elevated temperatures, apart from adopting the reduction factors for steel material properties. Previous investigations by the authors have demonstrated that the methodology is unsafe for the verification of tapered columns and overly conservative for beams at elevated temperatures, leading to proposals for the calibration of the GM for these members in fire following the design philosophy of the Eurocode 3. The present investigation will start by discussing the latest developments on the validation of the GM for the safety check of tapered members in fire, with particular emphasis on the recently proposed interaction factor for the flexural and lateral‐torsional interaction buckling of tapered beam‐columns. Then, based on the results from the numerical parametric studies, the practical implications of the upcoming revision of the EN 1993‐1‐1 on the safety check of these members with the General Method will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stability checking is an essential element of the dimensioning of steel frame structures. One of the stability checking methods allowed by EN 1993-1-1 is the so-called general method of assessing structural stability, based on buckling curves and relative structure slenderness λ¯op{\bar \lambda _{op}} usually determined through numerical analyses. But this method is not widely used because of the limited computing capabilities of the engineering programs dedicated to static load analyses and difficulties in interpreting the results of the computations. The commonly used computer programs enable one to determine the shape of buckling and critical load amplifier αcr, from which one cannot directly determine the risk of buckling of a real structure. This paper presents a modified and innovative approach to the general method of assessing structural stability, which uses only three parameters, that is, the type of cross section, cross-section strength utilisation and αcr, to determine a member’s/structure’s bearing capacity mobilisation from the stability condition. The problem solution is presented in the form of simple formulas and legible diagrams. Finally, synthetic conclusions are formulated.

Discovering high-utility itemsets from a transaction database is one of the important tasks in High-Utility Itemset Mining (HUIM). The discovered high-utility itemsets (HUIs) must meet a user-defined given minimum utility threshold. Several methods have been proposed to solve the problem efficiently. However, they focused on exploring and discovering the set of HUIs. This research proposes a more generalized approach to mine HUIs using any user-specified correlated measure, named the General Method for Correlated High-utility itemset Mining (GMCHM). This proposed approach has the ability to discover HUIs that are highly correlated, based on the all_confidence and bond measures (and 38 other correlated measures). Evaluations were carried out on the standard datasets for HUIM, such as Accidents, BMS_utility and Connect. The results proved the high effectiveness of GMCHM in terms of running time, memory usage and the number of scanned candidates.

• A general and efficient harmonic balance method for nonlinear dynamic simulation is proposed. • By employing the FFT technique, the Jacobian matrix is obtained in a general and efficient manner. • The constant tensor matrices devoid of reliance on the equation's specific formulation facilitates obtaining the Jacobian matrix in a general manner. • Loop computations are no longer requisite facilitates obtaining the Jacobian matrix in an efficient manner. • Computational findings across two distinct scenarios unequivocally demonstrate the superior computational efficiency of the GE-HB method. This paper presents a general and efficient harmonic balance (GE-HB) method to expeditiously evaluate the periodic responses of nonlinear systems. By employing the fast Fourier transform (FFT) technique, it rapidly computes harmonic expansion coefficients of the nonlinear terms and their corresponding constant tensor matrices. Notably, the nonlinear part of the Jacobian matrix is just the product of the coefficients and the constant tensor matrices, loop computations are no longer requisite for calculating the Jacobian matrix. This, facilitates accelerated determination of the nonlinear portion of the Jacobian matrix, thus obtaining the periodic responses of the system in an efficient manner. Furthermore, the constant tensor matrices are exclusively contingent upon the harmonic bases of the system's periodic response, devoid of reliance on the equation's specific formulation, facilitates obtaining the Jacobian matrix in a general manner. Simulation results on a 20-degree-of-freedom nonlinear oscillator chain system demonstrate that the efficiency of the GE-HB method is about tenfold that of the harmonic balance-alternating frequency/time domain (HB-AFT) method and twenty-fivefold that of the fourth-order Runge-Kutta (RK4) method. Further, the simulation of a 284-degree-of-freedom nonlinear rotor system exhibits the GE-HB method's computational efficiency surpassing HB-AFT method by over 500 times and Newmark method by over 3000 times. Moreover, in these two examples, the GE-HB method captures all solution branches, including unstable periodic solutions, providing comprehensive insights into periodic responses of the systems. The GE-HB method proposed here has the potential to explore dynamic characteristics for high-dimensional complex nonlinear systems in engineering. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steel prismatic elements of equal flanges double-tee section subject to major axis bending and compression, unrestrained in the out-of-plane direction between the supports, are vulnerable to buckling modes associated with minor axis flexural and torsional deformations. When end bending moments are acting alone on the quasi-straight member, the sensitivity to lateral-torsional buckling (LTB) is very much dependent upon the ratio of section minor axis to major axis moments of inertia, and additionally visibly dependent upon the major axis moment gradient ratio. In the case of major axis bending with the presence of a compressive axial force, even of rather small value in relation to the section squash resistance, there is a drastic reduction of structural elements in their realistic lengths to maintain a tendency to fail in the out-of-plane mode, governed by the large twist rotation. Increasing the load effects ratio of dimensionless axial force to dimensionless maximum major axis bending moment, the buckling mode goes away from that of lateral-torsional one, starting to become that closer to the minor axis flexural buckling (FBZ) mode. Different aspects of the flexural-torsional buckling (FTB) resistance of the typical rolled H-section beam-column with regard to the General Method (GM) formulation, developed by the authors elsewhere and based on the parametric finite element analysis, are dealt with in this paper. Investigations are concerned with different member slender ratio, different moment gradient ratios and different load effects ratio. Final conclusions are related to practical applications of the proposed format of General Method in relation to the effect of large displacements on the FTB resistance reduction factor described through the dimensionless measure of action effects and the FTB relative slenderness ratio of quasi-straight beam-columns.

Design of composite columns in steel and concrete – update prEN 1994‐1‐1 The design of composite columns follows the rules in accordance to EN 1994‐1‐1 providing simplified design methods and the general method. Whereby the general method requires an advanced comprehensive FE‐Analysis. However, the recent Eurocode 4 does not provide sufficient guidance for the application of the general method and there is not a harmony in the literature on how to conduct it. This often leads to uncertainty among users and discussions on the validation and assessment of the analysis results. Actually, the draft of the second generation of Eurocode 4 (prEN 1994‐1‐1) is available, including more guidance but also introduces additional safety parameters and extends the application scope in regard to the martial strengths. This paper points out the procedure for the design of composite column with focus on the general method and changes provided by the draft of prEN 1994‐1‐1:2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discovering high-utility itemsets from a transaction database is one of the important tasks in High-Utility Itemset Mining (HUIM). The discovered high-utility itemsets (HUIs) must meet a user-defined given minimum utility threshold. Several methods have been proposed to solve the problem efficiently. However, they focused on exploring and discovering the set of HUIs. This research proposes a more generalized approach to mine HUIs using any user-specified correlated measure, named the General Method for Correlated High-utility itemset Mining (GMCHM). This proposed approach has the ability to discover HUIs that are highly correlated, based on the all_confidence and bond measures (and 38 other correlated measures). Evaluations were carried out on the standard datasets for HUIM, such as Accidents, BMS_utility and Connect. The results proved the high effectiveness of GMCHM in terms of running time, memory usage and the number of scanned candidates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behaviour of steel structures is affected by two nonlinearities—the geometric and material nonlinearity—and by the unavoidable presence of imperfections. To evaluate the ultimate capacity of a structure, these effects should be taken into consideration during the design process, either explicitly in the analysis or implicitly through the verification checks. In this context, Eurocode 3 provides several design approaches of different complexity and accuracy. The advantages and disadvantages of these approaches are discussed. Five different methods in conformity with the Eurocode provisions are applied for the design of four moment resisting steel frames of varying slenderness. The influence of nonlinearities and imperfections in respect to the slenderness of the structure is illustrated. The examined methods are compared in terms of the predicted ultimate capacity and their efficiency is assessed against the most accurate between them, i.e., an advanced geometrically and materially nonlinear analysis. It is shown that considerable differences arise between the methods. Nevertheless, except for the commonly used 2nd order analysis followed by cross-section verifications, the remaining methods are mostly on the safe side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract To analyze the reliability of slender columns subjected to axial force and uniaxial bending moment, with a slenderness index between 100 and 140, 216 columns were modeled. The square cross-section was adopted, with three different configurations for longitudinal reinforcement. In the calculation, the general method with the linear creep theory was applied. Several factors were varied: slenderness index, reinforcement ratio, steel bars arrangement, compressive strength of concrete, and first-order relative eccentricity. For analysis purposes, the Monte Carlo method was adopted, followed by the First Order Reliability Method (FORM). Considering the results obtained, it was observed that the reliability index is usually higher for lower reinforcement ratios and varies according to the configuration of the cross-section.

The present investigation describes a numerical and parametric study on the validation of the General Method (GM) for the fire design of web‐tapered steel beams using GMNIA. The GM (clause 6.3.4 of EN 1993‐1‐1) covers the safety check of structural elements with complex support conditions and/or of non‐prismatic members. However, the fire part of the Eurocode 3 (EN 1993‐1‐2) gives no further indication regarding its applicability at elevated temperatures, apart from adapting the methodology to fire using the reduction factors for steel material properties, which is identified as a gap in the current version of the norm. Previous investigations by the authors have shown overly conservative results for the General Method and a calibration of the EN 1993‐1‐2 buckling curve has previously been proposed, although the parametric performed in that study was not extensive enough for a full validation. With that in mind, the present paper has improved these shortcomings by further upgrading the Eurocode 3 formulation and validating the proposal against numerical data from more than 25000 GMNIA simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The methods that are currently available in the Eurocodes for the design of bridge plate girders to lateral torsional buckling are outlined and discussed. The inapplicability of the classic elastic critical moment theory for deep girders, which are common in bridge practice, is demonstrated. The simplified method of the equivalent flange in compression is applied instead, and its results are compared with those of specialised software which can accurately predict the elastic critical load of bridge girders. These widely accepted methods of design are compared to a previously published truss model which has been proposed for the simplified, yet accurate, modelling of bridge plate girders. The results of both the critical load and the design load according to the Eurocodes are compared. For the truss model, the general method for the calculation of the design load is used. A variety of cross-sectional dimensions, lateral restraints and bridge configurations is examined. Emphasis is given in a two-span, two-girder steel concrete composite bridge with various bracing configurations, where many aspects of lateral torsional buckling design can be demonstrated. The advantages of the use of a 3D truss model from practicing engineers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of water resources forecasting is growing due to changes in precipitation caused by climate change and with hydrologic models are being used mainly for water resource management. Calibration and validation through adjustment of parameters are important processes for increasing the reliability of the application of hydrologic models. This is different from flow rates that can be estimated in real time through level-flow rating curve. The reliability of data depends on observation; therefore, using data with a short can increase the reliability of the results. In this study, daily loads of suspended solids (SS), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorous (TP) were generated using three statistical methods: general method, perfect prognosis method, and model output statistics (MOS). Fitness of calibration and validation of hydrologic models were then evaluated using correlation, R2, and anomaly analysis. When these three methods were applied to the Geumho and Hwang rivers, perfect prognosis method and the MOS method showed better results than the general method. For the Geumho River, correlation and R2 improved by up to 0.08% for SS, 0.04% for TN, and 0.12% for TP. For Hwang River, results improved by up to 27% for SS, 12% for TN, and 15% for TP. When the anomaly analysis results were represented by correlation and R2, they showed significant improvements of up to 0.86 in SS, 0.62 in TN, and 0.57 in TP for the Geumho River and up to 0.58 in SS, 0.49 in TN, and 0.49 in TP for the Hwang River. The statistical method suggested in this study can be applied when observation for the water quality data is long or data are insufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A general method is developed to improve Sn foil for CO 2 electroreduction. • A renewable and flexible SL-NG@Sn foil is designed for boosting formate production. • An interesting transformation of reaction mechanism is observed at SL-NG@Sn foil. • The SL-NG@Sn foil outperforms other reported Sn nanoparticles-based catalysts. Herein, we develop a general method to stabilize and improve the electrochemical performances of commercial bulk Sn foil by coating single layer nitrogen-doped graphene (SL-NG@Sn foil) for electroreduction of CO 2 to formate. The maximum Faradaic Efficiency (FE) for formate attained by SL-NG@Sn foil is 92.0% at −1.0 V (vs. RHE) in 0.5 M KHCO 3 with high formate partial current density of 21.3 mA cm−2, outperforming other reported Sn nanoparticles-based catalysts. The SL-NG@Sn foil displays good flexibility, which achieve similar performance after folding. It also possesses good renewable ability that can be recycled used after simply washing with water for three usages with FE above 90%. An interesting transformation of reaction mechanism to higher kinetic activity is observed at SL-NG@Sn foil, demonstrating the synergistic effect exists between SL-NG and Sn foil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chapter 6.3.4 of EN 1993‐1‐1 (1) deals with the General Method for the verification of stability problems of in‐plane loaded frames or beams. For the general case of having combined moment and normal force the method provides two different approaches to determine the reduction factor for out‐of‐plane buckling. They accord to the special case of lateral torsional buckling ("LTB" – i.e. with moment only) and flexural buckling ("FB" – i.e. with normal force only) on the other hand. However, in general cases this produces inconsistencies leading to conflicts with the intended generality of the formulation and finally to incorrect results. Because the individually combined effect of the in‐plane actions My and N are the reason for the out‐of‐plane instability. This requires a reduction considering the individual load combination. To find a solution for this, the in‐plane‐ and out‐of‐plane effects can be put together in a general formulation to obtain a buckling curve for combined moment and normal force ensuring consistency with the buckling curves of the special cases. By this the choice of buckling curves in Eurocode 3 clause 6.3.4 (1) can be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents parametric linear-elastic analysis of flexural buckling of idealised non-uniform member and nonlinear analysis of flexural buckling with equivalent imperfections, using software package Abaqus. The analysis includes hinged and cantileverstepped members, where the stiffness ratio of the upper and lower segments and the ratio of the values of axial forces at the top and at the change in the cross-section are varied. The aim of this paper is to define graphic and table models for determining effective lengths coefficients of non-uniform members' segments based on a relevant and reliable database that was obtained using the Finite element method. In addition, the reliability of the method for calculating the flexural stability of the compressed columns according to EC3 was evaluated in which the critical load value was determined in the previous step using the Elastic buckling analysis of idealised elements.

Abstract Herein, 3D heterostructured MCo 2 O 4 /Co 3 O 4 nanocomposites (M = Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn) were synthesized successfully through a facile ion-exchange method. The unique hierarchical structure possess high specific surface area and ion transmission thoroughfare, which provide more attainable reaction sites, facilitate diffusion of reactants and products, and finally enhance the electrochemical property. What's more, the synthetic method was very versatile and can be conveniently extended to synthesize series of hierarchical transition metal oxides. Then, the heterostructured NiCo 2 O 4 /Co 3 O 4 nanocomposites were prepared for using as supercapacitor electrode, which exhibited higher specific capacitance of 1165 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1. In addition, as a proof-of-concept, a performance of as-assembled symmetrical supercapacitor was demonstrated using a DC motor. Graphical abstract 3D heterostructured MCo 2 O 4 /Co 3 O 4 nanocomposites (M = Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn) were synthesized successfully through a facile ion-exchange method. The unique hierarchical structure possess high specific surface area and ion transmission thoroughfare, which provide more attainable reaction sites, facilitate diffusion of reactants and products, and finally enhance the electrochemical property. Image 1 Highlights • General Method Synthesized 3D heterostructured MCo 2 O 4 /Co 3 O 4 nanocomposites. • The as-prepared sample shows higher specific capacitance of 1165 F g−1 at 1 A g−1. • As-assembled symmetrical supercapacitor was demonstrated using a DC motor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]