3,823 research outputs found
Reformulating the rj-McMC Algorithm for 3D Inversion of Passive Seismic Data for Near-Surface Characterization
No full textGeophysical subsurface characterization techniques could, due to their non-invasive nature, play a crucial role in the design and subsequent construction of infrastructure in urban & industrial environ- ments. Geo-data specialist company Fugro sees potential in upgrading their current ambient-seismic- noise-tomography workflow, to make use of state-of-the-art inversion schemes with the main goal of increasing the quality and accuracy of the initial-site characterization delivered to clients. In this thesis I explore the feasibility of utilizing the reverse-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo (rj-McMC) algorithm for the inversion of ambient seismic noise for characterization in urban & industrial environments. Specif- ically, testing the potential of scaling down this inversion algorithm to fit in a small scale, near-surface framework. To achieve this, I first carried out analyses to evaluate the appropriate Rayleigh wave frequency range, after which realistic noise hyperparameters, suited for this reduced scale problem, were obtained. Because of the potential exploitation of in-situ borehole measurements, I reformulated the Bayesian prior within the rj-McMC algorithm to implement these constraining shear wave velocity values appropriately. I conducted extensive synthetic experiments to gain insight into the behavior of this adapted algorithm, from which it was concluded that the inherent dynamic discretization partially prevents these constraints from being implemented to their full extent. Nevertheless, promising results lead me to conclude that the use of the rj-McMC algorithm for application in near-surface urban & industrial environments is feasible.Applied Geophysics | IDEA Leagu
Effect of column base strength on steel portal frames in fire
No full textIn the UK, the design of steel portal frame buildings in fire is based on the Steel Construction Institute (SCI) design method, in which fire protection needs only be provided to the columns, provided that the column bases are designed to resist an overturning moment, M_OTM, calculated in accordance with the SCI design method. In this paper, a non-linear elastic-plastic implicit dynamic finite element model of a steel portal frame building in fire is described and used to assess the adequacy of the SCI design method. Both 2-D and 3-D models are used to analyse a building similar to the Exemplar frame described in the SCI design guide. Using the 2-D model, a parametric study comprising 27 frames is conducted. It is shown that the value of the overturning moment, calculated in accordance with the SCI design method, may not be sufficient to prevent collapse of the frame before 890 °C
The first excavation season at the Early Bronze Age settlement of Ra's al-Jinz RJ-3.
No full textThis paper presents the results of the first excavation season at the Early Bronze Age settlementof Ras Al Jinz RJ-3, in the coastal southern Sharquiyyah. Unexplored until the recent excavationcampaign, except for a small sounding excavated during the 1990s by the Joint Hadd Project (JHP),the Um An Nar site of RJ-3 most likely formed a single, large settlement with the site of RJ-2, locatedon the other side of the bay, and explored for over two decades in the frame of the JHP. Based onpreliminary survey, the distribution of surface material at RJ-3 hinted at a specialised area, related todifferent sorts of craft activities. The results of the current season of excavation confirm the presenceof craft-related areas, at least for the most recent Um An Nar occupations, which were extensivelyexcavated. Furthermore, a series of deep trenches shows the presence of three periods of occupations,spanning from the late Neolithic to the end of the Um An Nar period, and with an intermediate phasethat might be ascribed to the very beginning of the Bronze Age. Although the chronological frame ofthis occupation needs to be verified through further explorations, a stratigraphic sequence of over 2.5m is quite exceptional in the coastal contexts of the area. Besides, shall the presence of a Hafit phasebe confirmed, the site would display a continuity of occupation so far unique in coastal Sharquiyyah.Archaeology of the Near Eas
A Novel Mutation in the Upstream Open Reading Frame of the CDKN1B Gene Causes a MEN4 Phenotype
No full textPubMed ID: 23555276This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Comparing a restorative justice school and a non-restorative justice school involved in consolidation: implications for perceptions of school climate
No full textThe current study compared student and staff perceptions of engagement of student voice, sense of community, and adult support within a Restorative Justice (RJ) school relative to a non-RJ school that did not have a restorative initiative. The study also considered the concept of “frame of reference” as it relates to perceived school climate. Specifically, the RJ and the non-RJ schools consolidated into a single high school. It was anticipated that the merged students and staff would draw on an RJ frame of reference, based on their prior school, as they rated their current non-RJ school climate. The study’s participants include 103 students and 28 staff from the RJ school, and 263 students and 25 staff from the non-RJ school. Students and staff completed 20-minute surveys. As expected, the regression analyses showed that students in the 2017 RJ school reported significantly higher engagement of student voice and adult support when compared to the students in the 2018 non-RJ school. Contrary to expectations, there were no significant differences in student-perceived sense of community. Also, there were no significant differences in staff-reported engagement of student voice, sense of community among students and adult support. Also, unexpectedly, the cohort of students in the 2018 non-RJ school who previously attended the 2017 RJ school did not experience engagement of student voice, sense of community and adult support differently than their peers that had only attended the non-RJ school. At the same time, responses to the open-ended survey questions suggest that, in the non-RJ school, there were few opportunities for expressing student voice.Psy.D.Includes bibliographical reference
Defining Contemporary Professionalism: For Architects in Practice and Education
No full textOver 60 practitioners, experts, graduates and academics defining many facets of contemporary professionalism - ethics, practice, business and entrepreneurship, delivery, collaboration, performance and value. This book will 1) Explore contemporary [and future of] professionalism of the architectural profession, and in doing so 2) Define the parameters for the increased professional skills curriculum content of the new RIBA Criteria for Validation – to be circulated September 2018 with RIBA validated Schools of Architecture expected to redesign their modules and course content / balance to meet it. 3) Act as a resource and point of reference for students and early career architects in their study and learning of professionalism in preparation for a career related to and within architecture 4) Help RIBA (UK) Schools of Architecture with an increasing number of staff with little or no connection to contemporary architectural practice to appreciate the risk and opportunities of the contemporary profession – and to help frame their teaching and potentially their research too. 5) Act as a check between staff and students in architecture schools as to the relation to, and extent of divergence from contemporary practice. There is a perception of an increasing number of graduates of (UK) schools of architecture will not enter the profession – which is more on a reflection of international grads returning home. Recently published stats suggest over 85% of first year students wish to become architects. Where students do go into diverse sectors/industries it is their architectural professionalism [skills, competencies, ethics etc.] that are valued. 6) Be a snap shot of the profession – to inspire those involved with professional institutes (RIBA et al) to consider how they support and nurture their members and their roles 7) Highlight areas of need for secondary / follow on books / resources 8) Encourage the profession (current and future) to address the extensive shortcomings highlighted in the 2016 survey “What do clients think of architects – currently being address (to an extent) by a RIBA roadshow. 9) Meet the RIBA 2017 Business plan action – agreed at RIBA Board and Council – of disseminating good practice in teaching professionalism into schools of architecture
Two Massive Jupiters in eccentric orbits from the TESS Full-frame images
No full textWe report the discovery of two short-period massive giant planets from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Both systems, TOI-558 (TIC 207110080) and TOI-559 (TIC 209459275), were identified from the 30 minute cadence full-frame images and confirmed using ground-based photometric and spectroscopic follow-up observations from TESS's follow-up observing program working group. We find that TOI-558 b, which transits an F-dwarf (M* = M⊙, R* = R⊙, Teff = K, age Gyr) with an orbital period of 14.574 days, has a mass of 3.61 ± 0.15 MJ, a radius of RJ, and an eccentric (e = ) orbit. TOI-559 b transits a G dwarf (M* = 1.026 ± 0.057 M⊙, R* = R⊙, Teff = K, age Gyr) in an eccentric (e = 0.151 ± 0.011) 6.984 days orbit with a mass of MJ and a radius of RJ. Our spectroscopic follow up also reveals a long-term radial velocity trend for TOI-559, indicating a long-period companion. The statistically significant orbital eccentricity measured for each system suggests that these planets migrated to their current location through dynamical interactions. Interestingly, both planets are also massive (>3 MJ), adding to the population of massive giant planets identified by TESS. Prompted by these new detections of high-mass planets, we analyzed the known mass distribution of hot and warm Jupiters but find no significant evidence for multiple populations. TESS should provide a near magnitude-limited sample of transiting hot Jupiters, allowing for future detailed population studies
Clowns, Fools, and Killers: An Exploration of Horror, Comedy, and Madness Through the Roles of Murderer 2 and Sir Richard Ratcliffe in William Shakespeare\u27s Richard III
No full textThis document is a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Arts with a Concentration in Musical Theatre. It is a detailed account of author RJ Magee’s artistic and scholarly process in creating the roles of Murderer 2 and Sir Richard Ratcliffe in William Shakespeare’s Richard III. The production was performed as part of Minnesota State University, Mankato’s mainstage season in October of 2022. In five chapters, this thesis chronicles the actor’s process: a preproduction analysis, a historical and critical perspective, a rehearsal and performance journal, a post-production analysis, and a process development analysis. Appendices and works cited are included
Progressive collapse analysis of steel structures under fire conditions
No full textThis is the post-print version of the final paper published in Engineering Structures. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2011 Elsevier B.V.In this paper a robust static-dynamic procedure has been developed. The development extends the capability of the Vulcan software to model the dynamic and static behaviour of steel buildings during both local and global progressive collapse of the structures under fire conditions. The explicit integration method was adopted in the dynamic procedure. This model can be utilized to allow a structural analysis to continue beyond the temporary instabilities which would cause singularities in the full static analyses. The automatic switch between static and dynamic analysis makes the Vulcan a powerful tool to investigate the mechanism of the progressive collapse of the structures generated by the local failure of components. The procedure was validated against several practical cases. Some preliminary studies of the collapse mechanism of steel frame due to columns’ failure under fire conditions are also presented. It is concluded that for un-braced frame the lower loading ratio and bigger beam section can give higher failure temperature in which the global structural collapse happens. However, the localised collapse of the frame with the higher loading ratio and smaller beam section can more easily be generated. The bracing system is helpful to prevent the frame from progressive collapse. The higher lateral stiffness of the frame can generate the smaller vertical deformation of the failed column at the re-stable position. However, the global failure temperature of the frame is not sensitive to the lateral stiffness of the frame
Phylogenetically distinct Wolbachia gene and pseudogene sequences obtained from the African onchocerciasis vector Simulium squamosum.
No full textWolbachia are intracellular bacteria mostly found in a diverse range of arthropods and filarial nematodes. They have been classified into seven distinct 'supergroups' and other lineages on the basis of molecular phylogenetics. The arthropod-infecting Wolbachia are usually regarded as reproductive parasites because they manipulate their host species' sexing system to enhance their own spread, and this has led to their investigation as potential agents of genetic control in medical entomology. We report 12 partial Wolbachia gene sequences from: aspC, aspS, dnaA, fbpA, ftsZ, GroEL, hcpA, IDA, rpoB, rpe, TopI and wsp as well as a single ftsZ pseudogene sequence, which have all been PCR-amplified from Simulium squamosum (Diptera: Simuliidae). To our knowledge this is the first such report from Simuliidae. Uninterrupted open-reading frame sequences were obtained from all 12 genes, covering approximately 6.2kb of unique DNA sequence. Phylogenetic analyses with the different coding genes gave consistent results suggesting that the Wolbachia sequences obtained here do not derive from any of the known Wolbachia supergroups or lineages. Consistent with a unique genetic status for the S. squamosumWolbachia, the hypervariable regions of the Wolbachia-specific wsp gene were distinct from all previous records in both sequence and length. As well as potential implications for newly emerging Wolbachia-based disease control methods, the results may be relevant to some problems experienced in the laboratory colonisation of Simulium damnosum sensu lato and why it is such a diverse species complex
- …
