Seismic performance of interior precast concrete beam-column connections with T-section steel inserts under cyclic loading

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the performance of precast beam-column concrete connections using T-section steel inserts into the concrete beam and joint core,under reversed cyclic loading.Six 2/3-scale interior beam-column subassemblies,one monolithic concrete specimen and five precast concrete specimens were tested.One precast specimen was a simple connection for a gravity load resistant design.Other precast specimens were developed with different attributes to improve their seismic performance.The test results showed that the performance of the monolithic specimen M1 represented ductile seismic behavior.Failure of columns and joints could be prevented,and the failure of the frame occurred at the flexural plastic hinge formation at the beam ends,close to the column faces.For the precast specimens,the splitting crack along the longitudinal lapped splice was a major failure.The precast P5 specimen with double steel T-section inserts showed better seismic performance compared to the other precast models.However,the dowel bars connected to the steel inserts were too short to develop a bond.The design of the precast concrete beams with lap splice is needed for longer lap lengths and should be done at the beam mid span or at the low flexural stress region.

Influence of the column-to-beam flexural strength ratio on the failure mode of beam-column connections in RC frames

The column-to-beam flexural strength ratio(CBFSR)has been used in many seismic codes to achieve the strong column-weak beam(SCWB)failure mode in reinforced concrete(RC)frames,in which plastic hinges appear earlier in beams than in columns.However,seismic investigations show that the required limit of CBFSR in seismic codes usually cannot achieve the SCWB failure mode under strong earthquakes.This study investigates the failure modes of RC frames with different CBFSRs.Nine typical three-story RC frame models with different CBFSRs are designed in accordance with Chinese seismic codes.The seismic responses and failure modes of the frames are investigated through time-history analyses using 100 ground motion records.The results show that the required limit of the CBFSR that guarantees the SCWB failure mode depends on the beam-column connection type and the seismic intensity,and different types of beam-column connections exhibit different failure modes even though they are designed with the same CBFSR.Recommended CBFSRs are proposed for achieving the designed SCWB failure mode for different types of connections in RC frames under different seismic intensities.These results may provide some reference for further revisions of the SCWB design criterion in Chinese seismic codes.

Analytical Investigation into the Rotational Performance of Glulam Bolted Beam-Column Connections under Coupled Bending Moment and Shear Force

Considering the glulam beam-column connection form and the number of bolts,monotonic loading test and finite element analysis was carried out on 9 connection specimens in 3 groups to study the rotational performance and failure mode of the connection.The test results revealed that compared with U-shaped connectors,T-shaped connectors can effectively improve the ductility of connections,and the increase in the number of bolts can reduce the initial stiffness and ductility of connections.By theoretical analysis,formulas for calculating the initial stiffness and ultimate moment of connections were deduced.Subsequently,the moment-rotation theoretical model of connections was established based on the formulas,which were validated according to the test data and simulation results.The proposed model can not only improve the current theoretical system of heavy-duty glulam beam-column structure but also provide a theoretical basis for calculating the mechanical properties of the glulam beam-column connection.

Monotonic and Cyclic Pushover Tests of Wood Beam-Column Connections:Ancient Chinese Tenon Joint vs Typical and Simplified US Connections

Wood beam-column frame is a popular structural system in United States and in ancient China. Chinese wood beam-column frame structures showed better seismic resistance properties than the US ones.The tenon joint is one of the reasons.This study performed monotonic and cyclic pushover tests to understand the behavior of Chinese tenon joints versus the behavior of the commonly used US wood beam-column connections. The test results indicate that the typical US wood beam-column connection is very strong under monotonic loads.The ancient Chinese tenon joint has the best behavior under cyclic loads.

Ultra Reliable Load-Aware Connection Management(LACM)Algorithm in WIA-FA Systems

The increasing demand for industrial automation and intelligence has put forward higher requirements for the reliability of industrial wireless communication technology.As an international standard based on 802.11,Wireless networks for Industrial Automation-Factory Automation(WIA-FA)greatly improves the reliability in factory automation scenarios by Time Division Multiple Access(TDMA).However,in ultra-dense WIA-FA networks with mobile users,the basic connection management mechanism is inefficient.Most of the handover and resource management algorithms are all based on frequency division multiplexing,not suitable for the TDMA in the WIA-FA network.Therefore,we propose Load-aware Connection Management(LACM)algorithm to adjust the linkage and balance the load of access devices to avoid blocking and improve the reliability of the system.And then we simulate the algorithm to find the optimal settings of the parameters.After comparing with other existing algorithms,the result of the simulation proves that LACM is more efficient in reliability and maintains high reliability of more than 99.8%even in the ultra-dense moving scenario with 1500 field devices.Besides,this algorithm ensures that only a few signaling exchanges are required to ensure load bal-ancing,which is no more than 5 times,and less than half of the best state-of-the-art algorithm.

Seismic fragility analysis of three-tower cable-stayed bridges with different connection configurations

Seismic fragility analysis of three-tower cable-stayed bridges with three different structural systems,including rigid system(RS),floating system(FS),and passive energy dissipation system(PEDS),is conducted to study the effects of connection configurations on seismic responses and fragilities.Finite element models of bridges are established using OpenSees.A new ground motion screening method based on the statistical characteristic of the predominant period is proposed to avoid irregular behavior in the selection process of ground motions,and incremental dynamic analysis(IDA)is performed to develop components and systems fragility curves.The effects of damper failure on calculated results for PEDS are examined in terms of seismic response and fragility analysis.The results show that the bridge tower is the most affected component by different structural systems.For RS,the fragility of the middle tower is significantly higher than other components,and the bridge failure starts from the middle tower,exhibiting a characteristic of local failure.For FS and PEDS,the fragility of the edge tower is higher than the middle tower.The system fragility of RS is higher than FS and PEDS.Taking the failure of dampers into account is necessary to obtain reliable seismic capacity of cable-stayed bridges.

The Gut Brain Connection

The gut-brain connection is a bidirectional communication system that links the gut microbiome to the central nervous system (CNS). The gut-brain axis communicates through a variety of mechanisms, including the release of hormones, neurotransmitters, and cytokines. These signaling molecules can travel from the gut to the brain and vice versa, influencing various physiological and cognitive functions. Emerging therapeutic strategies targeting the gut-brain connection include probiotics, prebiotics, and faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Probiotics are live microorganisms that are similar to the beneficial bacteria that are naturally found in the gut. Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that feed the beneficial bacteria in the gut. FMT is a procedure in which faecal matter from a healthy donor is transplanted into the gut of a person with a diseased microbiome. Probiotics, prebiotics, and FMT have been shown to be effective in treating a variety of gastrointestinal disorders, and there is growing evidence that they may also be effective in treating neurological and psychiatric disorders. This review explores the emerging field of the gut-brain connection, focusing on the communication pathways between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system. We summarize the potential roles of gut dysbiosis in various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Additionally, we discuss potential therapeutic strategies, research limitations, and future directions in this exciting area of research. More research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms underlying the gut-brain connection and to develop safe and effective therapies that target this pathway. However, the findings to date are promising, and there is the potential to revolutionize the way we diagnose and treat a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Electromechanical Transient Modeling Analysis of Large-Scale New Energy Grid Connection

The synchronous virtual machine uses inverter power to imitate the performance of the conventional synchronous machine.It also has the same inertia,damping,frequency,voltage regulation,and other external performance as the generator.It is the key technology to realize new energy grid connections’stable and reliable operation.This project studies a dynamic simulation model of an extensive new energy power system based on the virtual synchronous motor.A new energy storage method is proposed.The mathematical energy storage model is established by combining the fixed rotor model of a synchronous virtual machine with the charge-discharge power,state of charge,operation efficiency,dead zone,and inverter constraint.The rapid conversion of energy storage devices absorbs the excess instantaneous kinetic energy caused by interference.The branch transient of the critical cut set in the system can be confined to a limited area.Thus,the virtual synchronizer’s kinetic and potential energy can be efficiently converted into an instantaneous state.The simulation of power system analysis software package(PSASP)verifies the correctness of the theory and algorithm in this paper.This paper provides a theoretical basis for improving the transient stability of new energy-connected power grids.

Multiscale Characteristics and Connection Mechanisms of Attraction Networks:A Trajectory Data Mining Approach Leveraging Geotagged Data

Urban tourism is considered a complex system,and multiscale exploration of the organizational patterns of attraction networks has become a topical issue in urban tourism,so exploring the multiscale characteristics and connection mechanisms of attraction networks is important for understanding the linkages between attractions and even the future destination planning.This paper uses geotagging data to compare the links between attractions in Beijing,China during four different periods:the pre-Olympic period(2004–2007),the Olympic Games and subsequent‘heat period’(2008–2013),the post-Olympic period(2014–2019),and the COVID-19(Corona Virus Disease 2019)pandemic period(2020–2021).The aim is to better understand the evolution and patterns of attraction networks at different scales in Beijing and to provide insights for tourism planning in the destination.The results show that the macro,meso-,and microscales network characteristics of attraction networks have inherent logical relationships that can explain the commonalities and differences in the development process of tourism networks.The macroscale attraction network degree Matthew effect is significant in the four different periods and exhibits a morphological monocentric structure,suggesting that new entrants are more likely to be associated with attractions that already have high value.The mesoscale links attractions according to the common purpose of tourists,and the results of the community segmentation of the attraction networks in the four different periods suggest that the functional polycentric structure describes their clustering effect,and the weak links between clusters result from attractions bound by incomplete information and distance,and the functional polycentric structure with a generally more efficient network of clusters.The pattern structure at the microscale reveals the topological transformation relationship of the regional collaboration pattern,and the attraction network structure in the four different periods has a very similar importance profile structure suggesting that the attraction network has the same construction rules and evolution mechanism,which aids in understanding the attraction network pattern at both macro and micro scales.Important approaches and practical implications for planners and managers are presented.

A Clean Connection

As companies look to reduce their carbon footprint,the green electricity market is growing by leaps and bounds in China By purchasing Green Electricity Certificates(GECs),the organisers of the seventh China International Import Expo(CIIE)have succeeded in making the once energy-intensive event more environmentally friendly.

Smart Connection

Digital services stand out at this year’s China International Fair for Trade in Services.Visitors gathered around a large screen displaying scenes from the video game Black Myth:Wukong,China’s first AAA title,where they learnt that the monkey king can move with lifelike fluidity,performing seamless actions,thanks to Virtual Motion’s state-of-the-art motion capture technology.

Experimental analysis on strength and failure modes of wood beam-column connections

This research experimentally examined the strength, failure modes, and behaviors of dowel-bearing and fiber-bearing wood beam-column connections and explored the effects of cyclic loading on the strength, failure modes, and behaviors of those connections. Base on limited numbers of exploratory laboratory tests （6 preliminary tests in total）, the authors observed that the typical bolted connection （dowel-bearing type wood beam-column connection with fiber- bearing surfaces） showed good behavior （large peak moment） under the monotonic loads, and the tenon joint connection （fiber-bearing wood beam-column connection） showed good behavior under cyclic loads. The cyclic property of loading reduced the strength of the dowel-bearing type wood beam-column connections, but increased the strength of fiber- bearing type wood beam-column connections. More importantly, the authors identified a possible location of safety concern in current national design specifications （NDS） standards for the typical bolted connection （dowel-bearing connection with fiber bearing surface） under cyclic loading because the tested value was smaller than the NDS calculated value. But, because of the small amount of tests conducted, no final conclusion can be drawn based on those preliminary observations yet. A large number of repetitive laboratory tests should be conducted.

Cost Optimization of Steel Beam-to-Column Connections using AVOA

The joint-bolt-African Vulture optimization algorithm(AVOA)model is proposed for the design of building connections to improve the stability of steel beam-to-column connections.For this algorithm,the type of steel is first determined,and the number of bolts needed by the corresponding steel type is referenced in Eurocode 3.Then,the bearing capacity of the joint can be calculated.The joint-bolt-AVOA model is established by substituting the bolt number required by the steel into the algorithm to obtain the optimal bolt number required while ensuring joint stability.The results show that the number of bolts required by the joint-bolt-AVOA model based on the stability of steel is lower than that calculated by Eurocode 3.Therefore,AVOA can effectively optimize the number of bolts needed in building connections and save resources.

In- and Anti-transition of Firing Patterns Induced by Random Long-range Connections in Coupled Hindmarsh-Rose Neurons System

The effects of random long-range connections （shortcuts） on the transitions of neural firing patterns in coupled Hindmarsh-Rose neurons are investigated, where each neuron is subjected to an external current. It is found that, on one hand, the system can achieve the transition of neural firing patterns from the fewer-period state to the multi-period one, when the number of the added shortcuts in the neural network is greater than a threshold value, indicating the occurrence of in-transition of neural firing patterns. On the other hand, for a stronger coupling strength, we can also find the similar but reverse results by adding some proper random connections. In addition, the influences of system size and coupling strength on such transition behavior, as well as the internality between the transition degree of firing patterns and its critical characteristics for different external stimulation current, are also discussed.

HYBRID EXCITATION CLAW-POLE SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR WITH MAGNETIC CIRCUIT SERIES CONNECTION

To solve the low efficiency of electric excitation claw-pole synchronous generator（EECPSG） and regulate the magnetic field of permanent magnet （PM） claw-pole synchronous generator（PMCPSG）, a novel hybrid excitation claw-pole synchronous generator （HECPSG）with magnetic circuit series connection is proposed. Through the simulation study on the generator using the calculation method for magnetic circuit and 3-D finite element method （FEA）, the appropriate magnet thickness and the number of pole-pairs for the proposed generator are determined. Its off-loading characteristics, load characteristics, and regulation behaviors are investigated. The study shows that the appropriate number of pole-pairs in HECPSG with series magnetic circuits is two, and there exists an optimum magnet thickness. Compared to EECPSG, HECPSG realizes dual-directional control to the excitation current. Moreover, the generator can adjust the output voltage and keep the output voltage stable in a broad load range. Under the condition of same parametes, the motor has higer air-gap flux density and power density.

基于ε-Connections的旅游领域本体构建

针对传统本体构建方法的局限性,提出一种基于ε-Connections理论构建旅游领域模块化本体库的方法,基于改进的Tableau算法,利用Pellet推理机实现对多个本体的联合推理。实验结果证明,该模块化构建方法可以有效降低本体构建的复杂度,有利于本体的维护和更新,提高本体重用模块抽取效率。

Mechanical performance of the mixed post-installed connection in low-strength concrete

Due to inadequate bearing capacity of the chemically-planted steel bar in low-strength concrete, a new mixed post-installed connection is proposed using small diameter anchoring steel bars and grouting materials together to anchor the main steel bar. To investigate the feasibility of the proposed post-installed connections, a series of pull-out tests with different anchors were conducted for comparison,including fully adhesive anchors, partially adhesive anchors,grouting material anchoring connection and the new mixed post-installed connection. The experimental results of the single steel bar pull-out test show that the mixed post-installed connection can effectively enhance the bearing capacity of post-installed steel bars in low-strength concrete. The bearing capacity is increased by nearly two times with no cone-type concrete failure compared with the fully adhesive anchor. The results show that adopting the new mixed post-installed connection can ensure that joint performance meets the requirements if the space dimension is available.

ADO对象模型中Connection对象的使用分析

以VB和SQL SERVER为例,讨论了ADO对象模型中Connection对象的几种使用方法,并对每种使用方法进行了优、缺点分析。

An Invariant of the Projective Semi-symmetric Connection

In this paper the projective semi symmetric connection D is studied, which is projectively equivalent to the Levi_Civita connection . An intrinsic projective invariant is found out and a necessary and sufficient condition is given. Furthermore, another condition is obtained when the convariant derivative of the projective invariant is kept.