1,721,085 research outputs found
An open-source GA framework for optimizing the seismic upgrading design of RC frames through BRBs
No full textOptimizing seismic upgrading interventions in reinforced concrete (RC) structures is a difficult task, due to the inner non-linearity of the analyses usually performed. Additionally, it is well known that the displacement demand to the structure depends from the mass and stiffness of the system, and consequently its definition cannot be made a-priori. This paper presents the application of a soft-computing method -i.e. Genetic Algorithm (GA)- for the shaping optimization of code-compliant seismic upgrading interventions on plane RC frames through Buckling-Restrained Braces (BRB). The metaheuristic procedure allows to minimize the cost while ensuring the required safety level, without the need of evaluating all the possible solutions. The main GA operators (selection, crossover and mutation) contribute to explore the research space and evolve the suitable results toward the optimal one. The procedure is developed in an entirely open-source environment, taking advantage of Python for implementing the GA and OpenSeesPy for the structural analysis. The results of the procedure are compared with the outcomes of Monte Carlo simulations, showing the stability and the efficacy of the proposed algorithm
Competenze amministrative e normative della regione siciliana in tema di tutela e gestione del patrimonio archeologico sommerso
No full textDevelopment of a software package with GUI for the evaluation of monolithicity factors of RC jacketed columns
No full textThe design of reinforced concrete (RC) jacketing for retrofitting substandard columns is a common practice when approaching the structural rehabilitation design of existing structures. In this framework, international technical codes suggest to assume the hypothesis of monolithic section and finally affecting the deduced performances by some empirical factors, known in the literature as monolithicity factors. The assessment of these coefficients is a difficult task, and only some rough assumptions can be found in the modern codes. This paper presents the development of a software package able to perform the static non-linear analysis of RC jacketed columns and evaluating the actual value of the monolithicity factor. The code is developed in an integrated environment, taking advantage of finite element (FE) framework OpenSees and adopting Matlab for developing an user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI). The fibre-section approach is automatically implemented for modelling the flexural behaviour of the column and the effective bond between the old and new column in considered through a distribution of non-linear springs. Finally, the parametric analysis performed by the proposed tool allows to present the monolithicity factors as a function of the key parameters
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Numerical Modeling of the Flexural Behaviour of Substandard Columns Reinforced with RC Jackets
No full textThis paper aims to present the results of a finite element modelling (FEM) study on the flexural behaviour of Reinforced Concrete (RC) columns retrofitted with RC jackets. The RC jacketing technique is widely used to improve the structural performance of substandard RC columns. However, the relative slip between the old and new concrete can have a significant impact on the flexibility and strength of the retrofitted column, and limited studies have investigated numerical modeling strategies to address this. The proposed FEM approach uses fiber-section beam elements connected by a non-linear interface, and the results highlight the difference from the usual assumption of monolithic behaviour. The monolithic assumption is a common hypothesis in International Technical codes forRCjacketing design and is affected by empirical factors knownas monolithicity factors, which are difficult to assess. The study also presents the development of a software package that performs static non-linear analysis of RC jacketed columns and evaluates the actual monolithicity factor by using the OpenSees finite element framework and Matlab for a user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI). The fiber-section approach models the flexural performance of the column, and the bond between the old and new columns is considered through a distribution of non-linear springs
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