5916 research outputs found
Sort by
Collapse fragility models for unreinforced masonry buildings under flood and flow-type landslide actions
No full textRecent lessons from heavy rainfall-induced flood flows and flow-type landslides have demonstrated that buildings can sustain significant damage or even collapse at higher flow intensities. Unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings are particularly vulnerable, as the failure of one loadbearing wall directly exposed to flow actions may lead to the complete collapse of the structure. This underscores the urgent need to better understand the flow vulnerability of these structures. This study thus conducts a probabilistic structural collapse assessment of vulnerable URM buildings under flood flow and flow-type landslide actions using a proposed incremental flow analysis approach. After selecting two case studies from the literature, finite element (FE) models were first built and subjected to incremental flow analyses to assess their collapse levels, which were then validated against the reported results. Next, these validated modeling and analysis approaches were used to create a set of FE case models representative of typical one- or two-story URM building stocks in Europe. Comprehensive parametric simulation studies were then conducted on these case models to investigate how variations in key hazard and structural parameters influence their collapse performance under different types of physical flow actions, including hydrostatic, hydrodynamic, and debris-impact loads. Using a logistic regression approach on the simulation data, collapse fragility models were subsequently developed. The proposed fragility models are based on validated FE modeling and analysis approaches, which consider different flood or flow-type landslide scenarios while systematically incorporating associated uncertainties; therefore, they can provide reliable predictions of collapse performance for URM buildings under flow actions.European Union (EU
Basic spherification as a gelation application in the kitchen: diffusion coefficient estimation and appearance quality of beverage pearls
No full textFood ingredients are manipulated to produce spherical shapes with distinctive qualities through a process known as spherification. It is one of the methods used in molecular gastronomy to produce small balls mimicking caviar or other comparable shapes. In this study, beverage pearls of berry smoothie, orange juice, ginger ale, ice tea, cola, and ice coffee latte were prepared with basic spherification technique. Liquid mixtures were prepared with 100 ml of beverage, 1 g sodium alginate, and 0.25 g tri-sodium citrate; and 1 mol/L of calcium chloride solution was used for the bath. Spherification was conducted for 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 min, and diameter and weight were measured. Inventory rate equation for calcium diffusion was written with quasi-steady state approximation to estimate diffusion coefficient of calcium ions. A linear equation was obtained with spherification time (t) and radiusxradius (R-2) variables. Diffusion coefficient was calculated between 2.2459 x 10(-8 )and 4.2431 x 10(-8) m(2)/s. Appearance is one of the key factors considered in the quality analysis of spherified products. For 15 min spherification time, the highest total color change (Delta E) was seen in ice tea pearls and the lowest total color change value was observed in orange juice spheres. In addition, beverage pearls spherified for 15 min were observed with microscope to check the surface structures. This study will provide food professionals and chefs clarification of the science underlying the conversion of liquid ingredients into tasty pearls and help them to adjust spherification time and product color
Exploring the role of language reactor in English language learning: A metaphor analysis of student perceptions
No full textThis study explores the integration of Language Reactor, a digital tool that enhances English language learning through dual-language subtitles, interactive dictionaries, and sentence-mining features, among undergraduate students in an English language and literature department. With the growing popularity of streaming platforms like Netflix for language study, Language Reactor provides learners with valuable opportunities to improve comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. This research employs metaphor analysis to examine students' perceptions of the program's effectiveness in enhancing language skills. Participants described their experiences with Language Reactor through metaphors, revealing key themes such as learning facilitation, guidance/support, knowledge enhancement, and accessibility/usability. The findings indicate that students view Language Reactor as a practical, supportive, and engaging tool that aids in their language acquisition, particularly in vocabulary retention, comprehension, and interaction with authentic English content. These insights highlight the potential for digital media and AI-driven language tools to foster self-directed learning in higher education. Additionally, the metaphorical analysis provides a nuanced understanding of students' attitudes towards the integration of technology in language education, suggesting strategies for educators to guide the effective use of such tools in language classrooms.Publisher versio
Maintaining cooperation through vertical communication of trust when removing sanctions
No full textAn effective way to foster cooperation is to monitor behavior and sanction freeriding. Yet, previous studies have shown that cooperation quickly declines when sanctioning mechanisms are removed. We test whether explicitly expressing trust in players' capability to maintain cooperation after the removal of sanctions, i.e., vertical communication of trust, has the potential to alleviate this drop in compliance. Four incentivized public- goods experiments (N = 2,823) find that the vertical communication of trust maintains cooperation upon the removal of centralized (Study 1), third- party (Study 2a, 2b), and peer punishment (Study 3), and this effect extends beyond single interactions (Study 4). In all studies, vertical trust communication increases mutual trust among players, providing support to the idea that vertically communicating trust can be a self- fulfilling prophecy. Extrapolating our findings to natural environments, they suggest that authorities should carefully consider how they communicate the lifting of rules and sanctions.German Research Foundation (DFG)Publisher versio
Search for resonant pair production of Higgs bosons in the b(b)over-barb(b)over-bar final state using large-area jets in proton-proton collisions at √s=13 TeV
No full textA search is presented for the resonant production of a pair of standard model-like Higgs bosons using data from proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC in 2016-2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb(-1). The final state consists of two b quark-antiquark pairs. The search is conducted in the region of phase space where at least one of the pairs is highly Lorentz-boosted and is reconstructed as a single large-area jet. The other pair may be either similarly merged or resolved, the latter reconstructed using two b-tagged jets. The data are found to be consistent with standard model processes and are interpreted as 95% confidence level upper limits on the product of the cross sections and the branching fractions of the spin-0 radion and the spin-2 bulk graviton that arise in warped extradimensional models. The limits set are in the range 9.74-0.29 fb and 4.94-0.19 fb for a narrow radion and a graviton, respectively, with masses between 1 and 3 TeV. For a radion and for a bulk graviton with widths 10% of their masses, the limits are in the range 12.5-0.35 fb and 8.23-0.23 fb, respectively, for the same masses. These limits result in the exclusion of a narrow-width graviton with a mass below 1.2 TeV, and of narrow and 10%-width radions with masses below 2.6, and 2.9 TeV, respectively.SC (Armenia), BMBWF and FWF (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, FAPERGS, and FAPESP (Brazil); MES and BNSF (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China); MINCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES and CSF (Croatia); RIF (Cyprus); SENESCYT (Ecuador); ERC PRG, RVTT3 and MoER TK202 (Estonia); Academy of Finland, MEC, and HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); SRNSF (Georgia); BMBF, DFG, and HGF (Germany); GSRI (Greece); NKFIH (Hungary); DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); MSIP and NRF (Republic of Korea); MES (Latvia); LMTLT (Lithuania); MOE and UM (Malaysia); BUAP, CINVESTAV, CONACYT, LNS, SEP, and UASLP-FAI (Mexico); MOS (Montenegro); MBIE (New Zealand); PAEC (Pakistan); MES and NSC (Poland); FCT (Portugal); MESTD (Serbia); MCIN/AEI and PCTI (Spain); MOSTR (Sri Lanka); Swiss Funding Agencies (Switzerland); MST (Taipei); MHESI and NSTDA (Thailand); TUBITAK and TENMAK (Turkey); NASU (Ukraine); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (U.S.A.). Individuals have received support from the Marie-Curie programme and the European Research Council and Horizon 2020 Grant, contract Nos. 675440, 724704, 752730, 758316, 765710, 824093, 101115353, 101002207, and COST Action CA16108 (European Union); the Leventis Foundation; the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; the Science Committee, project no. 22rl-037 (Armenia); the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office; the Fonds pour la Formation a la Recherche dans l'Industrie et dans l'Agriculture (FRIA-Belgium); the F.R.S.-FNRS and FWO (Belgium) under the "Excellence of Science -EOS" -be.h project n. 30820817; the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, No. Z191100007219010 and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (China); the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS) of the Czech Republic; the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation, grant FR-22-985 (Georgia); the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), among others, under Germany's Excellence Strategy -EXC 2121 "Quantum Universe" -390833306, and under project number 400140256 -GRK2497; the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI), Project Number 2288 (Greece); the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the New National Excellence Program -UNKP, the NKFIH research grants K 131991, K 133046, K 138136, K 143460, K 143477, K 146913, K 146914, K 147048, 2020-2.2.1-ED-2021-00181, and TKP2021-NKTA-64 (Hungary); the Council of Science and Industrial Research, India; ICSC -National Research Centre for High Performance Computing, Big Data and Quantum Computing and FAIR -Future Artificial Intelligence Research, funded by the NextGenerationEU program (Italy); the Latvian Council of Science; the Ministry of Education and Science, project no. r 2022/WK/14, and the National Science Center, contracts Opus 2021/41/B/ST2/01369 and 2021/43/B/ST2/01552 (Poland); the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, grant CEECIND/01334/2018 (Portugal); the National Priorities Research Program by Qatar National Research Fund; MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, ERDF "a way of making Europe", and the Programa Estatal de Fomento de la Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnica de Excelencia Maria de Maeztu, grant MDM-2017-0765 and Programa Severo Ochoa del Principado de Asturias (Spain); the Chulalongkorn Academic into Its 2nd Century Project Advancement Project, and the National Science, Research and Innovation Fund via the Program Management Unit for Human Resources & Institutional Development, Research and Innovation, grant B05F650021 (Thailand); the Kavli Foundation; the Nvidia Corporation; the SuperMicro Corporation; the Welch Foundation, contract C-1845; and the Weston Havens Foundation (U.S.A.).Publisher versio
Design, development, and control for the self- stabilizing bipedal exoskeleton prototype Co-Ex
No full textThis article presents the design, development, and implementation of walking control for the bipedal exoskeleton prototype Co-Ex. The main objective in developing this prototype is to take a successive step toward ambulatory support via an exoskeleton with self-stabilization capability. To attain this goal, Co-Ex is equipped with 8 torque-controllable active joints to provide ambulatory support while ensuring improved environmental interaction. The development of Co-Ex led to the following three contributions: first, self-stabilization capability in 3-D against external disturbances, second, a locomotion control framework that provides dynamically balanced walking behavior in 3-D despite the underactuated leg configuration, and third, a power-aware leg design in which most actuators are deployed around the waist for reduced leg inertia. To verify the self-stabilization and locomotion capabilities of Co-Ex, we conducted a series of experiments using a dummy manikin. As a result, Co-Ex showed self-stabilization behavior against disturbances and exhibited favorable locomotion characteristics that validated the proposed approach.TÜBİTA
Child temperament and sleep problems: The moderating role of bedtime routines
No full textBackgroundChildren's temperamental traits, such as rhythmicity, reactivity, and persistence, as well as bedtime routines, play a crucial role in influencing their sleep behaviors.ObjectiveThe present study examined the contributions of the children's temperament (rhythmicity, reactivity, and persistence) and bedtime routines to children's sleep problems, with a further interest in examining the moderating role of bedtime routines between child temperament and sleep problems.MethodThe sample consisted of 313 mothers of children aged between 16 and 84 months (M = 52.42, SD = 12.36). The mothers provided reports on their children's sleep problems, bedtime routines, and temperament.ResultsHierarchical regression analyses were run to test hypotheses. Results indicated that children's temperamental rhythmicity and reactivity were closely linked to sleep problems, with bedtime routines, especially a consistent bedtime environment, helping to reduce these issues. Consistent bedtime practices moderated the effect of low rhythmicity, as children with lower rhythmicity experienced fewer sleep problems when routines were stable.ConclusionsRegular bedtime routines may serve as a protective factor, mitigating the effects of challenging temperamental traits on sleep
Compatibility of polycarboxylate ethers with cementitious systems containing fly ash: Effect of molecular weight and structure
No full textSubstituting cement with mineral additives like fly ash is increasingly essential for sustainable production. While replacement rates largely depend on fresh-state properties, the interaction between fly ash and polycarboxylate ether (PCE) molecular structures remains underexplored. In this regard, this study investigates the effect of PCE molecular structures and weight on the rheology, setting, and strength of cementitious systems containing up to 45% fly ash additions. Seven distinct PCE possessing different molecular weights (27,000-78,000 g/mol) as well as backbone and side chain lengths are synthesized. The interaction between PCE and solid particles was explored through total organic carbon, dynamic light scattering, and gel permeation chromatography. Test results showed that the adsorption rates of the cement and fly ash particles within the cementitious composites improved by up to 90% with fly ash replacement and upon using PCE with a medium molecular weight of 56,000 g/mol, backbone length of 21 k, and short side chain length of 1000 g/mol. This has resulted in a 75% reduction in the material's apparent viscosity, delayed setting times of up to 38%, and improved early- and late-age compressive strengths of up to 123%. Such data can interest cement and admixture producers in proposing suitable PCEs for superior fly ash concrete performance.TÜBİTAK ; United Arab Emirates University Zayed UniversityPublisher versio
