Seismic performance analysis and design suggestion for frame buildings with cast-in-place staircases

Many staircases in reinforced concrete （RC） frame structures suffered severe damage during the Wenchuan earthquake. Elastic analyses for 18 RC structure models with and without staircases are conducted and compared to study the influence of the staircase on the stiffness, displacements and internal forces of the structures. To capture the yielding development and damage mechanism of frame structures, elasto-plastic analysis is carried out for one of the 18 models. Based on the features observed in the analyses, a new type of staircase design i.e., isolating them from the master structure to eliminate the effect of K-type struts, is proposed and discussed. It is concluded that the proposed method of staircase isolation is effective and feasible for engineering design, and does not significantly increase the construction cost.

Improving the Seismic Performance of Staircases in Building Structures with a Novel Isolator

A staircase provides the main escape way from a building in an emergency.Unfortunately,it may suffer severe damages or even collapse during an earthquake.For improving the seismic performance of staircases,this paper proposes an innovative staircase isolator with the features of lightweight,costeffective and ease of construction and replacement,which is formed by suitable engineering plastic shims between rubber layers.A connection construction scheme is also proposed for the isolated staircase.Systematic performance tests have been carried out to characterize the isolator in terms of mechanic behavior and ultimate states.The test results show that mechanical properties of the proposed staircase isolator are excellent and suitable for staircase in building structure.In order to investigate the influence of staircase on building structural responses,time history analyses of a typical building structure without staircase(WS),with fixed staircase(FS)and with isolated staircase(IS)are conducted and compared within the environment of SAP2000.Results show that staircase isolation can effectively eliminate the diagonal bracing effect of staircase slab and make structural components uniformly stressed.When the novel isolator is employed for staircase in a building structure,there is no vulnerable position in staircase and the performance of staircase in building structure can be greatly enhanced.

Computerised Gate Firing Control for 17-Level MLI using Staircase PWM

A basic 7-level MLI topology is developed and the same is extended to the 9-level then further increased to 17-levels.The developed structure minimizes the component’s count and size to draw out the system economy.Despite the various advantages of MLIs,efficiency and reliability play a major role since the usage of components is higher for getting a low Total Harmonics Distortion(THD)value.This becomes a major challenge incorporated in boosting the efficiency without affecting the THD value.Various parametric observations are done and realized for the designed 9-level and 17-level MLI,being the Total Standing Voltage(TSV),efficiency,cost function per level count,and power loss.The respective parameters are compared with several existing and modern circuits and found to be effective in their performance.A novel single-phase 17-level asymmetrical Multi-Level Inverter(MLI)topology is developed to reduce the number of overall components.The developed topology generates 17-levels by using unequal DC sources.The developed MLI is proved under various tests con-ducted experimentally for the various loads like resistive,inductive,and combinational loads.A detailed comparison is done on several factors and represented graphically represented.Further,the proposed design provides a less TSV value is 6 V_(dc),efficiency is 94.21%and cost factor per level CF/L value for both values ofαis 2.01 and 2.05 and devices count with a low THD value 41.4%with respectively.

V-Shaped Monopole Antenna with Chichena Itzia Inspired Defected Ground Structure for UWB Applications

Due to rapid growth in wireless communication technology,higher bandwidth requirement for advance telecommunication systems,capable of operating on two or higher bands with higher channel capacities and minimum distortion losses is desired.In this paper,a compact Ultra-Wideband(UWB)V-shaped monopole antenna is presented.UWB response is achieved by modifying the ground plane with Chichen Itzia inspired rectangular staircase shape.The proposed V-shaped is designed by incorporating a rectangle,and an inverted isosceles triangle using FR4 substrate.The size of the antenna is 25 mm×26 mm×1.6 mm.The proposed V-shaped monopole antenna produces bandwidth response of 3 GHz Industrial,Scientific,and Medical(ISM),Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAX),(IEEE 802.11/HIPERLAN band,5G sub 6 GHz)which with an additional square cut amplified the bandwidth response up to 8 GHz ranging from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz attaining UWB defined by Federal Communications Commission(FCC)with a maximum gain of 3.83 dB.The antenna is designed in Ansys HFSS.Results for key performance parameters of the antenna are presented.The measured results are in good agreement with the simulated results.Due to flat gain,uniform group delay,omni directional radiation pattern characteristics and well-matched impedance,the proposed antenna is suitable for WiMAX,ISM and heterogeneous wireless systems.

Observational analysis of the double-diffusive convection in the deep Canada Basin

The Canada Basin （CB） is the largest sub-basin in the Arctic, with the deepest abyssal plain of 3 850 m. The double-diffusive process is the possible passage through which the geothermal energy affects the above isolated deep waters. With the temperature-salinity-pressure observations in 2003, 500-m-thick transition layers and lower 1 000-m-thick bottom homogenous layers were found below 2 400 m in the central deep CB. Staircases with downward-increasing temperature and salinity are prominent in the transition layers, suggesting the double- diffusive convection in deep CB. The interface of the stairs is about 10 m thick with 0.001-0.002℃ temperature difference, while the thicknesses of the homogenous layers in the steps decrease upward from about 60 to 20 m. The density ratio in the deep central CB is generally smaller than 2, indicating stronger double-diffusive convection than that in the upper ocean of 200-400 m. The heat flux through the deepest staircases in the deep CB varies between 0.014 and 0.031 W/m2, which is one-two orders smaller than the upper double-diffusive heat flux, but comparable to the estimates of geothermal heat flux.

Novel image restoration model coupling gradient fidelity term based on adaptive total variation

A novel image restoration model coupling with a gradient fidelity term based on adaptive total variation is proposed in this paper. In order to choose proper parameters, the selection criteria were analyzed theoretically, and a simple scheme to demonstrate its validity was adopted experimentally. To make fair comparisons of performances of three models, the same numerical algorithm was used to solve partial differential equations. Both the international standard test image on Lena and HR image of CBERS-02B of Dalian city were used to verify the performance of the model. Experimental results illustrate that the new model not only preserved the edge and important details but also alleviated the staircase effect effectively.

Fractional Fourier transform of Cantor sets: further numerical study

This paper is a further work of the authors＇ paper published previously （Liao T H and Gao Q 2005 Chin. Phys. Lett. 22 2316）. The amplitudes of fractional Fourier transform of Cantor sets are analysed from the viewpoint of multifractal by wavelet transform maxima method （WTMM）. An integral operation is carried out before the application of WTMM, such that the function obtained can be considered as the perturbed devil staircase. Also, wavelets with large number of vanishing moments are used, which makes the complete singularity spectrum more accessible. The validity of multifractal formalism is guaranteed by restricting parameter q to a proper range, so that the phenomenon of multifractal phase transition can be explained reasonably. Particularly, the method of determining the range of parameter q in the above paper is developed to be more operational and rigorous.

Nuclear-Magnetic-Resonance Properties of the Staircase Kagome Antiferromagnet PbCu3TeO7

We report the first nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR） study on single crystals of staircase Kagome antiferromagnet PbCu3Te07 （TN1 -36K）. A Curie constant θ -140K is obtained by a Curie Weiss fit to the high- temperature Knight shift of 125 Te. The hyperfine coupling constant is estimated to be 125Ahf = -67 kOe/#B, and a strong interlayer coupling among staircase Kagome planes is suggested with such a large hyperfine coupling, according to the lattice structure. The 63,65Cu NMR spectra are found by the zero-field （ZF） NMR at T = 2 K, and the internal hyperfine fields are estimated to be 10.3 T and 9.6 T, for Cu（1） and Cu（2） sites, respectively, in the lattice. A second type of ZF NMFt signal with a large rf enhancement is also seen after field-cycling through a high magnetic field.

Study on tapered crossed subwavelength gratings by Fourier modal method

Fourier modal method incorporating staircase approximation is used to study tapered crossed subwavelength gratings in this paper. Three intuitive formulations of eigenvalue functions originating from the prototype are presented, and their convergences are compared through numerical calculation. One of them is found to be suitable in modeling the diffraction efficiency of the circular tapered crossed subwavelength gratings without high absorption, and staircase approximation is further proven valid for non-highly-absorptive tapered gratings. This approach is used to simulate the ＂moth-eye＂ antireflection surface on silicon, and the numerical result agrees well with the experimental one.

Some minimax theorems with strictly monotone transformation

Some two-function minimax theorems are proved. In these results, the staircase and quantitative-topological conditions of both functions involve strictly monotone transformation and mixing of functional values. Consequently, Lin Quan and Kindler＇s minimax theorems are generalized.

Non-linear Invertible Maps that Preserve Staircase Subalgebras

Let g be the general linear Lie algebra consisting of all n x n matrices over a field F and with the usual bracket operation {x, y} =xy - yx. An invertible map φ ： g →g is said to preserve staircase subalgebras if it maps every staircase subalgebra to some staircase subalgebra of the same dimension. In this paper, we devote to giving an explicit description on the invertible maps on g that preserve staircase subalgebras.

Effect of Acetone Vapor Smoothing Process on Surface Finish and Geometric Accuracy of Fused Deposition Modeling ABS Parts

FDM is a widely used additive manufacturing process, however, it has some limitations, such as surface finish, due to the staircase effect caused by the layer-by-layer deposition. Studies have been conducted on surface finish of ABS parts with the use of acetone, but the process parameters and the resulting effects have not been fully investigated in the literature. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acetone vapor smoothing process on surface finish and geometric accuracy of fused deposition modeling ABS parts. Specimens with different geometries were created and printed using two directions in different scales. The parts were exposed to acetone vapor for 20, 30 and 40 minutes. 3D deviation maps, roughness and microscopic analyses were conducted. The staircase effect was reduced at the expense of some geometric deviations, which varied according to the exposure time and part orientation. The smoothing process applied to the flat surfaces proved to be quite effective in reducing roughness by 90%, however, this reduction led to an undesirable rounding of the sharp edges. The results obtained in this study are consistent with those found in the literature and may help improve the quality of the ABS printed parts.

Adaptability of Conservative Staircase Scheme for Live Videos

Existing broadcasting schemes provide services for the stored videos. The basic approach in these schemes is to divide the video into segments and organize them over the channels for proper transmission. Some schemes use segments as a basic unit, whereas the others require segments to be further divided into subsegments. In a scheme, the number of segments/subsegments depends upon the bandwidth allocated to the video by the video server. For constructing segments, the video length should be known. If it is unknown, then the segments cannot be constructed and hence the scheme cannot be applied to provide the video services. This is an important issue especially in live broadcasting applications wherein the ending time of the video is unknown, for example, cricket match. In this paper, we propose a mechanism for the conservative staircase scheme so that it can support live video broadcasting.

Quantum Conductance Staircase of Edge Hole Channels in Silicon Quantum Wells

We present the findings for the quantum conductance staircase of holes that is caused by the edge channels in the ultra-shallow p-type silicon quantum well (Si-QW), 2 nm, confined by the δ-barriers heavily doped with boron on the n-type Si (100) surface. This longitudinal quantum conductance staircase, Gxx, is revealed by the voltage applied to the Hall contacts, Vxy, to a maximum of 4e2/h. In addition to the standard plateau, 2e2/h, the variations of the Vxy voltage appear to exhibit the fractional forms of the quantum conductance staircase with the plateaus and steps that bring into correlation respectively with the odd and even fractional values.

Finite-difference time-domain modeling of curved material interfaces by using boundary condition equations method

To deal with the staircase approximation problem in the standard finite-difference time-domain（FDTD） simulation,the two-dimensional boundary condition equations（BCE） method is proposed in this paper.In the BCE method,the standard FDTD algorithm can be used as usual,and the curved surface is treated by adding the boundary condition equations.Thus,while maintaining the simplicity and computational efficiency of the standard FDTD algorithm,the BCE method can solve the staircase approximation problem.The BCE method is validated by analyzing near field and far field scattering properties of the PEC and dielectric cylinders.The results show that the BCE method can maintain a second-order accuracy by eliminating the staircase approximation errors.Moreover,the results of the BCE method show good accuracy for cylinder scattering cases with different permittivities.

A Variational Model for Removing Multiple Multiplicative Noises

The problem of multiplicative noise removal has been widely studied in recent years. Many methods have been used to remove it, but the final results are not very excellent. The total variation regularization method to solve the problem of the noise removal can preserve edge well, but sometimes produces undesirable staircasing effect. In this paper, we propose a variational model to remove multiplicative noise. An alternative algorithm is employed to solve variational model minimization problem. Experimental results show that the proposed model can not only effectively remove Gamma noise, but also Rayleigh noise, as well as the staircasing effect is significantly reduced.

Asymptotically Necessary and Sufficient Quadratic Stability Conditions of T-S Fuzzy Systems Using Staircase Membership Function and Basic Inequality

Asymptotically necessary and sufficient quadratic stability conditions of Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy systems are obtained by utilizing staircase membership functions and a basic inequality. The information of the membership functions is incorporated in the stability analysis by approximating the original continuous membership functions with staircase membership functions. The stability of the T-S fuzzy systems was investigated based on a quadratic Lyapunov function. The asymptotically necessary and sufficient stability conditions in terms of linear matrix inequalities were derived using a basic inequality. A fuzzy controller was also designed based on the stability results. The derivation process of the stability results is straightforward and easy to understand. Case studies confirmed the validity of the obtained stability results.

Structural Join and Staircase Join Algorithms of Sibling Relationship

The processing of XML queries can result in evaluation of various structural relationships. Efficient algorithms for evaluating ancestor-descendant and parent-child relationships have been proposed. Whereas the problems of evaluating preceding-sibling-following-sibling and preceding-following relationships are still open. In this paper, we studied the structural join and staircase join for sibling relationship. First, the idea of how to filter out and minimize unnecessary reads of elements using parent＇s structural information is introduced, which can be used to accelerate structural joins of parent-child and preceding-sibling-following-sibling relationships. Second, two efficient structural join algorithms of sibling relationship are proposed. These algorithms lead to optimal join performance： nodes that do not participate in the join can be judged beforehand and then skipped using B^＋-tree index. Besides, each element list joined is scanned sequentially once at most. Furthermore, output of join results is sorted in document order. We also discussed the staircase join algorithm for sibling axes. Studies show that, staircase join for sibling axes is close to the structural join for sibling axes and shares the same characteristic of high efficiency. Our experimental results not only demonstrate the effectiveness of our optimizing techniques for sibling axes, but also validate the efficiency of our algorithms. As far as we know, this is the first work addressing this problem specially.

A New Gradient Fidelity Term for Avoiding Staircasing Effect

Image denoising with some second order nonlinear PDEs often leads to a staircasing effect, which may produce undesirable blocky image. In this paper, we present a new gradient fidelity term and couple it with these PDEs to solve the problem. At first, we smooth the normal vector fields （i.e., the gradient fields） of the noisy image by total variation （TV） minimization and make the gradient of desirable image close to the smoothed normals, which is the idea of our gradient fidelity term. Then, we introduce the Euler-Lagrange equation of the gradient fidelity term into nonlinear diffusion PDEs for noise and staircasing removal. To speed up the computation of the vectorial TV minimization, the dual approach proposed by Bresson and Chan is employed. Some numerical experiments demonstrate that our gradient fidelity term can help to avoid the staircasing effect effectively, while preserving sharp discontinuities in images.

REDUCING STAIRCASING ARTIFACTS IN SPECT RECONSTRUCTION BY AN INFIMAL CONVOLUTION REGULARIZATION

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the ability of the infimal convolution regular- ization in curing the staircasing artifacts of the TV model in the SPECT reconstruction. We formulate the problem of SPECT reconstruction with the infimal convolution regu- larization as a convex three-block optimization problem and characterize its solution by a system of fixed-point equations in terms of the proximity operator of the functions involved in its objective function. We then develop a novel fixed-point proximity algorithm based on the fixed-point equations. Moreover, we introduce a preconditioning matrix motivated by the classical MLEM （maximum-likelihood expectation maximization） algorithm. We prove convergence of the proposed algorithm. The numerical results are included to show that the infimal convolution regularization is capable of effectively reducing the staircasing artifacts, while maintaining comparable image and coefficient recovery contrast. quality in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio