Integrated hazard assessment of rockfall incidents in the Cap Aokas Cliff Region

Rock fall accidents in mountainous cliff areas have significant consequences for human life and transportation.This study aimed to evaluate the rockfall hazard in the Cap Aokas cliff region located along the northeast coast of Algeria by identifying the key factors contributing to rockfall occurrence.We employed a combination of kinematic analysis,Matterocking method,and 3D trajectory simulations to determine zones that are susceptible to rockfall mobilization.By using a probabilistic and structural approach in conjunction with photogrammetry,we identified the controlling factors.The kinematic analysis revealed the presence of five discontinuity families,which indicated both plane and wedge failure modes.The 3D trajectory simulations demonstrated that the falling blocks followed the stream direction.We then validated the susceptibility maps generated from the analysis using aerial photos and historical rockfall events.The findings of this study enhance our understanding of rockfall phenomena and provide valuable insights for the development of effective strategies to mitigate rockfall hazards.

Topology Optimization of Compliant Mechanisms with Geometrical Nonlinearities Using the Ground Structure Approach

The majority of topology optimization of compliant mechanisms uses linear finite element models to find the structure responses.Because the displacements of compliant mechanisms are intrinsically large,the topological design can not provide quantitatively accurate result.Thus,topological design of these mechanisms considering geometrical nonlinearities is essential.A new methodology for geometrical nonlinear topology optimization of compliant mechanisms under displacement loading is presented.Frame elements are chosen to represent the design domain because they are capable of capturing the bending modes.Geometrically nonlinear structural response is obtained by using the co-rotational total Lagrange finite element formulation,and the equilibrium is solved by using the incremental scheme combined with Newton-Raphson iteration.The multi-objective function is developed by the minimum strain energy and maximum geometric advantage to design the mechanism which meets both stiffness and flexibility requirements, respectively.The adjoint method and the direct differentiation method are applied to obtain the sensitivities of the objective functions. The method of moving asymptotes（MMA） is employed as optimizer.The numerical example is simulated to show that the optimal mechanism based on geometrically nonlinear formulation not only has more flexibility and stiffness than that based on linear formulation,but also has better stress distribution than the one.It is necessary to design compliant mechanisms using geometrically nonlinear topology optimization.Compared with linear formulation,the formulation for geometrically nonlinear topology optimization of compliant mechanisms can give the compliant mechanism that has better mechanical performance.A new method is provided for topological design of large displacement compliant mechanisms.

A BRIEF SURVEY OF STRUCTURAL APPROACH TO LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

1.The Theory Underlying the Structural Approach to Language AcquisitionGrammar-translation approach had dominated the realm of language teach-ing and learning for centuries.However,in the 30s and 40s of this centuryAmerican linguists,using the foundings of behavioristic psychology as

On Structural Approach for the Valuation of Credit Risk

This paper presents structural approach for the valuation of credit risk. Credit risk arises whenever a borrower is expecting to use future cash flows to pay a current debt. It is closely tied to the potential return of investment, the most notable being that the yields on bonds correlate strongly to their perceived credit risk. Structural approach is based on the volatility of the total value of the firm. The credit risk to this measured in a standard way. The random time of default is defined in an intuition way. The default event is linked to the notion of the firm＇s insolvency. This approach is known to generated low credit spreads for corporate bonds close to maturity. It requires a judicious specification of the default barrier in order to get a good fit to the observed spread curves.

Test analysis of detection of damage to a complicated spatial model structure

A two-stage damage detection approach is proposed and experimentally demonstrated on a complicated spatial model structure with a limited number of measurements. In the experiment,five known damage patterns,including 3 brace damage cases and 2 joint damage cases,were simulated by removing braces and weakening beam鈥揷olumn connections in the structure. The limited acceleration response data generated by hammer impact were used for system identification,and modal parameters were extracted by using the eigensystem realization algorithm. In the first stage,the possible damaged locations are determined by using the damage index and the characteristics of the analytical model itself,and the extent of damage for those substructures identified at stage I is estimated in the second stage by using a second-order eigen-sensitivity approximation method. The main contribution of this paper is to test the two-stage method by using the real dynamic data of a complicated spatial model structure with limited sensors. The analysis results indicate that the two-stage approach is ableto detect the location of both damage cases,only the severity of brace damage cases can be assessed,and the reasonable analytical model is critical for successful damage detection.

Studying solutions for the fatigue of the FAST cable-net structure caused by the process of changing shape

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope （FAST） is supported by a cable-net structure, whose change in shape leads to a stress range of approximately 500 MPa. This stress range is more than twice the standard recom- mended value. The cable-net structure is thus the most critical and fragile part of the FAST reflector system. In this study, we first search for a more appropriate deforma- tion strategy that reduces the stress amplitude generated by the process of changing shape. Second, we roughly estimate the tracking trajectory of the telescope during its service life, and conduct an extensive numerical investigation to assess the require- ments for fatigue resistance. Finally, we develop a new type of steel cable system that satisfies the cable requirements for construction of FAST.

What Fails English as the Dream Language of Rural India？

Rural masses in India view English as the language of socio-economic empowerment through education. Education could be either in English or in regional languages, but children should learn English, because it is seen as the key to the world of opportunities in higher education and employment. The governments need to politically respond to the aspirations of the common masses keeping aside both politicised language policies and theoretical linguistic inputs that encourage one＇s mother tongue as the ideal medium of instruction. Onerous responsibility lays on men, methods, and materials over which government have the least say, but the practising teachers of English and academics who help bureaucrats in framing language policies in India are solely responsible for non-realization of dreams of the masses. There is something terribly rotten in the state of English-teaching enterprise in India. This paper proposes to examine the present state of affairs in the teaching of English to rural students and to offer constructive alternatives to the existing package of men, materials, and methods.

Structural-acoustic topology optimization analysis based on evolutionary structural optimization approach

The continuum structural-acoustic topology optimization with external loading is investigated herein. Finite element method （FEM） is used to obtain the structural frequency response and boundary element method （BEM） is adopted to perform exterior acoustic radiation analysis. The evolutionary structural optimization （ESO） is served as an optimization method in structural-acoustic radiation topology analysis. The acoustic radiation optimization of a plate under harmonic excitation is given for example. The numerical results show that using ESO solution to analyze structural-acoustic topology optimization is feasible and effective.

Discrete time multiple spacecraft formation flying attitude optimal control in presence of relative state constraints

This paper addresses the challenge of synchronized multiple spacecraft attitude reorientation in presence of pointing and boundary constraints with limited inter-spacecraft communication link.Relative attitude pointing constraint among the fleet of spacecraft has also been modeled and considered during the attitude maneuvers toward the desired states.Formation fling control structure that consists of decentralized path planners based on virtual structure approach joint with discrete time optimal local controller is designed to achieve the mission's goals.Due to digital computing of spacecraft's onboard computer,local optimal controller based on discrete time prediction and correction algorithm has been utilized.The time step of local optimal algorithm execution is designed so that the spacecraft track their desired attitudes with appropriate error bound.The convergence of the proposed architecture and stability of local controller's tracking error within appropriate upper bound are proved.Finally,a numerical simulation of a stereo imaging scenario is presented to verify the performance of the proposed architecture and the effectiveness of the algorithm.

Insight into the formation of hollow silver nanoparticles using a facile hydrothermal strategy

A facile hydrothermal approach is used to synthesize hollow silver nanoparticles, labeled as hAgNPs, involving an initial formation of metal complexes from Ag＋ ion precursors and dodecylamine in a water]ethanol mixture at room temperature and a subsequent reduction in an autoclave at elevated temperature. A number of characterization techniques are used to characterize the structure and chem- ical composition of the as-formed hAgNPs, and to understand the mechanism behind the formation, The notable simplicity renders this synthetic approach promising for creating hAgNPs on a large scale for a given technological application, and the mechanistic understanding may provide new opportunities to design and fabricate other hollow nanostructures.

Quasiparticle structure of superheavy nuclei in α-decay chains of -(285)Fl and -(291,293)Lv

Two mean-field potentials, Woods-Saxon and Skyrme based potentials, are used to calculate the energies of low-lying one-quasiparticle states. The spectra of the low-lying states and the α-decay spectra of nuclei belonging to the α-decay chains of ^285Fl and ^291,293Lv are calculated and compared with the available experimental data. Dependence of the splitting of the pseudospin doublets and of the energies of the unique parity neutron one-quasiparticle states on the mean field potential are discussed. As shown, the α-decay spectra could be different in the α-decay chain and at the direct production of the nucleus in a fusion reaction.

Off-diagonal long-range order of the wave function in terms of the alternate molecular bonding geminals

It is shown that in the quantum structural approach to high-Tc superconductivity, the wave function in terms of the alternate molecular bonding geminals possesses off-diagonal long-range order (ODLRO).