Seismic response and correlation analysis of a pile-supported wharf to near-fault pulse-like ground motions

Earthquake investigations have shown that near-fault pulse-like(NF-P)ground motions have unique characteristics compared to near-fault non-pulse-like(NF-NP)and far-field(FF)ground motions.It is necessary to study the seismic response of pile-supported wharf(PSW)structures under NF-P ground motions.In this study,a three-dimensional finite element numerical model is created to simulate a PSW.By imparting three types of ground motion,the engineering demand parameters(EDPs)of PSW under NF-P ground motions were analyzed and compared,in which EDPs are the maximum displacement and bending moment of the piles.Twenty intensity measures(IMs)were selected to characterize the properties of ground motions.The correlation between IMs and EDPs was explored.The results show that the piles present larger displacement and bending moment under NF-P ground motions compared to NF-NP and FF ground motions.None of the IMs have a high correlation with EDPs under NF-P ground motions,and these IMs are more applicable to FF ground motions.The correlation coefficients between EDPs and IMs under three types of ground motion were obtained,which will provide a valuable reference for the seismic design of PSWs.

Structural failure analysis with CMS-based ground motion selection using innovative cost function and weight factors

The selection and scaling of ground motion records is considered a primary and essential task in performing structural analysis and design.Conventional methods involve using ground motion models and a conditional spectrum to select ground motion records based on the target spectrum.This research demonstrates the influence of adopting different weighted factors for various period ranges during matching selected ground motions with the target hazard spectrum.The event data from the Next Generation Attenuation West 2(NGA-West 2)database is used as the basis for ground motion selection,and hazard de-aggregation is conducted to estimate the event parameters of interest,which are then used to construct the target intensity measure(IM).The target IMs are then used to select ground motion records with different weighted vector-valued objective functions.The weights are altered to account for the relative importance of IM in accordance with the structural analysis application of steel moment resisting frame(SMRF)buildings.Instead of an ordinary objective function for the matching spectrum,a novel model is introduced and compared with the conventional cost function.The results indicate that when applying the new cost function for ground motion selection,it places higher demands on structures compared to the conventional cost function.Moreover,submitting more weights to the first-mode period of structures increases engineering demand parameters.Findings demonstrate that weight factors allocated to different period ranges can successfully account for period elongation and higher mode effects.

Three-dimensional motion analysis for evaluating motor function in rodents with peripheral nerve injury

Peripheral nerves act like networks of “wires” that conduct signals from the brain and spinal cord to organs throughout the body. Damage to these nerves leads to numbness, pain, and weakness that eventually reduces the patient’s quality of life. Fortunately, peripheral nerves have a high regenerative capacity and, in most cases, recover from mild disorders and injuries. However, there have been continuous challenges facing the development of treatments for peripheral nerve conditions such as disorders that occur through chronic mechanical stimulation like carpal tunnel syndrome, disorders due to side effects from drugs and intractable diseases like chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy.

Seismic fragility analysis of clay-pile-pier systems considering the optimization of ground motion intensity measures

The performance of clay-pile-pier system under earthquake shaking was comprehensively examined via three-dimensional finite element analyses,in which the complex stress-strain relationships of a clay and piled pier system were depicted by a hyperbolic-hysteretic and an equivalent elastoplastic model,respectively.One hundred twenty ground motions with varying peak accelerations were considered,along with the variations in bridge superstructure mass and pile flexural rigidity.Comprehensive comparison studies suggested that peak pile-cap acceleration and peak pile-cap velocity are the optimal ground motion intensity measures for seismic responses of the pier and the pile,respectively.Furthermore,based on two optimal ground motion intensity measures and using curvature ductility to quantify different damage states,seismic fragility analyses were performed.The pier generally had no evident damage except when the bridge girder mass was equal to 960 t,which seemed to be comparatively insensitive to the varying pile flexural rigidity.In comparison,the pile was found to be more vulnerable to seismic damage and its failure probabilities tended to clearly reduce with the increment of pile flexural rigidity,while the influence of the bridge girder mass was relatively minor.

Value of Texture Analysis of Intravoxel Incoherent Motion Parameters in Differential Diagnosis of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor and Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Objective To evaluate the value of texture features derived from intravoxel incoherent motion(IVIM) parameters for differentiating pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor(pNET) from pancreatic adenocarcinoma(PAC).Methods Eighteen patients with pNET and 32 patients with PAC were retrospectively enrolled in this study. All patients underwent diffusion-weighted imaging with 10 b values used(from 0 to 800 s/mm2). Based on IVIM model, perfusion-related parameters including perfusion fraction(f), fast component of diffusion(Dfast) and true diffusion parameter slow component of diffusion(Dslow) were calculated on a voxel-by-voxel basis and reorganized into gray-encoded parametric maps. The mean value of each IVIM parameter and texture features [Angular Second Moment(ASM), Inverse Difference Moment(IDM), Correlation, Contrast and Entropy] values of IVIM parameters were measured. Independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U test were performed for the betweengroup comparison of quantitative data. Regression model was established by using binary logistic regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency.Results The mean f value of the pNET group were significantly higher than that of the PAC group(27.0% vs. 19.0%, P = 0.001), while the mean values of Dfast and Dslow showed no significant differences between the two groups. All texture features(ASM, IDM, Correlation, Contrast and Entropy) of each IVIM parameter showed significant differences between the pNET and PAC groups(P = 0.000-0.043). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that texture ASM of Dfast and texture Correlation of Dslow were considered as the specific imaging variables for the differential diagnosis of pNET and PAC. ROC analysis revealed that multiple texture features presented better diagnostic performance than IVIM parameters(AUC 0.849-0.899 vs. 0.526-0.776), and texture ASM of Dfast combined with Correlation of Dslow in the model of logistic regression had largest area under ROC curve for distinguishing pNET from PAC(AUC 0.934, cutoff 0.378, sensitivity 0.889, specificity 0.854). Conclusion Texture analysis of IVIM parameters could be an effective and noninvasive tool to differentiate pNET from PAC.

MOTION ANALYSIS OF TAPER MACHINING USING FOUR-AXIS WEDM MACHINE TOOL

The configuration and the reference frame of the four-axis wire-electric discharge machining （WEDM） machine tool are introduced. Based on the motion analysis of the four-axis WEDM machine tool, an algorithm for controlling the four-axis motion is proposed. The algorithm is applicable to both the invariable and variable taper machining. Motion loci of the machining platform and the wire guiding head are deduced by the algorithm according to the bottom surface locus of the workpiece and the taper angle. The algorithm is used in the CNC system of the four-axis WEDM machine tool and confirmed to be effective.

Error Modeling and Sensitivity Analysis of a Parallel Robot with SCARA(Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm) Motions

Parallel robots with SCARA（selective compliance assembly robot arm） motions are utilized widely in the field of high speed pick-and-place manipulation. Error modeling for these robots generally simplifies the parallelogram structures included by the robots as a link. As the established error model fails to reflect the error feature of the parallelogram structures, the effect of accuracy design and kinematic calibration based on the error model come to be undermined. An error modeling methodology is proposed to establish an error model of parallel robots with parallelogram structures. The error model can embody the geometric errors of all joints, including the joints of parallelogram structures. Thus it can contain more exhaustively the factors that reduce the accuracy of the robot. Based on the error model and some sensitivity indices defined in the sense of statistics, sensitivity analysis is carried out. Accordingly, some atlases are depicted to express each geometric error’s influence on the moving platform’s pose errors. From these atlases, the geometric errors that have greater impact on the accuracy of the moving platform are identified, and some sensitive areas where the pose errors of the moving platform are extremely sensitive to the geometric errors are also figured out. By taking into account the error factors which are generally neglected in all existing modeling methods, the proposed modeling method can thoroughly disclose the process of error transmission and enhance the efficacy of accuracy design and calibration.

A Probabilistic Method for Motion Analysis of Caisson Breakwaters

It is assumed that, during the design period, the waves acting on breakwaters are divided into three types： standing wave, broken wave and breaking wave,and the wave heights fit the Rayleigh distribution while the water depths, wave periods and duration of breaking wave impact force fit normal distribution. Based on the random samples of water depths, wave heights, wave periods and duration of breaking wave impact force, the types of waves acting on breakwaters are distinguished and the time-history model of the wave force is determined. The motions of caisson breakwaters under the wave force are simulated by a dynamic numerical model and the statistic characteristics of the dynamic responses are analyzed with the Monte Carlo method. A probabilistic procedure to analyze the motion of the breakwater is developed therein. The procedure is illustrated by an example.

MECHANISM DESIGN AND MOTION ANALYSIS OF A SPHERICAL MOBILE ROBOT

A new spherical mobile robot BHQ-1 is designed. The spherical robot is driven by two internally mounted motors that induce the ball to move straight and turn around on a fiat surface. A dynamic model of the robot is developed with Lagrange method and factors affecting the driving torque of two motors are analyzed. The relationship between the turning radius of the robot and the length of two links is discussed in order to optimize its mechanism design. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the good controllability and motion performance of BHQ-1.

Motion Analysis of an Electric Vehicle with Two Independent Drive Motors

Motion analyses are performed with the help of stability and simulation analysis, which can provide theoretical bases for applications of an electric vehicle with two independent drive motors. Compared with one-motor drive electric vehicle, the two-motor drive electric vehicle has the advantage of easy layout, simple power train and good drivability and handling characteristics. Analysis shows the method connecting armatures of two DC motors in parallel can function as mechanical differential without a steering sensor, which can simplify structure and increase reliability of the controller. Computer simulations and experiment are carried out to verify conclusions.

Orthogonal expansion of ground motion and PDEM-based seismic response analysis of nonlinear structures

This paper introduces an orthogonal expansion method for general stochastic processes. In the method, a normalized orthogonal function of time variable t is first introduced to carry out the decomposition of a stochastic process and then a correlated matrix decomposition technique, which transforms a correlated random vector into a vector of standard uncorrelated random variables, is used to complete a double orthogonal decomposition of the stochastic processes. Considering the relationship between the Hartley transform and Fourier transform of a real-valued function, it is suggested that the first orthogonal expansion in the above process is carried out using the Hartley basis function instead of the trigonometric basis function in practical applications. The seismic ground motion is investigated using the above method. In order to capture the main probabilistic characteristics of the seismic ground motion, it is proposed to directly carry out the orthogonal expansion of the seismic displacements. The case study shows that the proposed method is feasible to represent the seismic ground motion with only a few random variables. In the second part of the paper, the probability density evolution method （PDEM） is employed to study the stochastic response of nonlinear structures subjected to earthquake excitations. In the PDEM, a completely uncoupled one-dimensional partial differential equation, the generalized density evolution equation, plays a central role in governing the stochastic seismic responses of the nonlinear structure. The solution to this equation will yield the instantaneous probability density function of the responses. Computational algorithms to solve the probability density evolution equation are described. An example, which deals with a nonlinear frame structure subjected to stochastic ground motions, is illustrated to validate the above approach.

Numerical analysis on the influence of vortex motion in a reverse Stairmand cyclone separator by using LES model

This study aims to analyze the influence of vortex motion in a reverse Stairmand cyclone separator by using LES model.The mathematical analysis indicated that the energy dissipation and the flow characteristics of incompressible fluid are directly related to on the vortex motion.The results of the Q criterion-based iso-vortex surface could well reflect the tendency of the vortex structure,in which the iso-vortex surface exhibited a distorted distribution rather than around the center axis.At the turning point of velocity vector,vortices were formed and developed,and the point was the center of the local vortex core.In addition,the vortex formed an irregular annular region around the wall at the bottom of vortex finder.The vortex structure near the dust hopper presented a strong distortion.Moreover,there were two rotating flow in the opposite direction within the dust hopper.These phenomena would affect the separation performance,which was significance to cyclone separator.

Gait Analysis of a Subject with Tarsometatarsal Prosthesis

Introduction: Gait analysis of an adult man after trans-metatarsal unilateral amputation is described. Objective: Instrumental gait analysis of a subject 15 years after trans-metatarsal unilateral amputation in two footwear conditions: while walking barefoot and with prosthesis. Materials and Methods: In a movement analysis laboratory, locomotion studies were carried out at freely chosen walking speed by a 65-year-old subject, obtaining kinematic, kinetic and surface electromyographic data in time and space. Gait analysis was performed using instrumental technologies from a digital eco-system applying walking protocols. Results: When the patient wore the prosthesis, several positive improvements were observed in various aspects of gait. These included enhancements in the base of support, gait speed, and joint range of movements. Additionally, there was a slight improvement in the vertical ground reaction forces pattern, indicating a positive effect of the assistive technology. Furthermore, the use of the prosthesis led to a more organized pattern of muscle activity, which further supports its beneficial impact. However, it is worth noting that some challenges still persisted, particularly regarding stabilizing the body during the double support phase. Despite this difficulty, the overall findings suggest that the use of the prosthesis offers valuable improvements to the patient’s gait dynamics. Conclusions: After conducting a thorough analysis of the parameters related to the gait of a subject who underwent a trans-metatarsal unilateral amputation fifteen years ago, it was found that the use of prosthesis had a positive impact. This study demonstrated important improvements in some kinematic and kinetic parameters, including muscle activation patterns, indicating an increase in comfort and confidence while utilizing the prosthetic device.

Simulation and Analysis of Fiber Motion in Condensing Zone of Compact Spinning with Lattice Apron

To get fiber motion in condensing zone of compact spinning,velocity of this area is achieved by simulation,and then a bead-elastic rod fiber model is established.Based on simulation and dynamic analysis on this zone,governing equations are constructed and Runge-Kutta approach is used.Lastly,trajectories of fibers are calculated by specially designed Matlab procedure according to the principles mentioned above.Results show that fiber motions at different initial positions are different;X-axis velocity component makes fibers gathering on sides of suction slot;Y-axis airflow gets fibers gradually close and then stick to the surface of lattice apron.Fiber motions also reflect that the compact spinning process in condensing zone can be divided into three parts:fast convergence zone,adjustment convergence zone,and steady convergence zone.

Technological advancements in the analysis of human motion and posture management through digital devices

Technological development of motion and posture analyses is rapidly progressing,especially in rehabilitation settings and sport biomechanics.Consequently,clear discrimination among different measurement systems is required to diversify their use as needed.This review aims to resume the currently used motion and posture analysis systems,clarify and suggest the appropriate approaches suitable for specific cases or contexts.The currently gold standard systems of motion analysis,widely used in clinical settings,present several limitations related to marker placement or long procedure time.Fully automated and markerless systems are overcoming these drawbacks for conducting biomechanical studies,especially outside laboratories.Similarly,new posture analysis techniques are emerging,often driven by the need for fast and non-invasive methods to obtain high-precision results.These new technologies have also become effective for children or adolescents with non-specific back pain and postural insufficiencies.The evolutions of these methods aim to standardize measurements and provide manageable tools in clinical practice for the early diagnosis of musculoskeletal pathologies and to monitor daily improvements of each patient.Herein,these devices and their uses are described,providing researchers,clinicians,orthopedics,physical therapists,and sports coaches an effective guide to use new technologies in their practice as instruments of diagnosis,therapy,and prevention.

Contrast of multi-resolution analysis approach to transhumeral phantom motion decoding

In signal processing,multiresolution decomposition techniques allow for the separation of an acquired signal into sub levels,where the optimal level within the signal minimises redundancy,uncertainties,and contains the information required for the characterisation of the sensed phenomena.In the area of physiological signal processing for prosthesis control,scenarios where a signal decomposition analysis are required:the wavelet decomposition(WD)has been seen to be the favoured time-frequency approach for the decomposition of non-stationary signals.From a research perspective,the WD in certain cases has allowed for a more accurate motion intent decoding process following feature extraction and classification.Despite this,there is yet to be a widespread adaptation of the WD in a practical setting due to perceived computational complexity.Here,for neuro-muscular(electromyography)and brainwave(electroencephalography)signals acquired from a transhumeral amputee,a computationally efficient time domain signal decom-position method based on a series of heuristics was applied to process the acquired signals before feature extraction.The results showed an improvement in motion intent decoding prowess for the proposed time-domain-based signal decomposition across four different classifiers for both the neuromuscular and brain wave signals when compared to the WD and the raw signal.

Mechanism Design and Motion Analysis of Heavy⁃Load Transfer Robot with Parallel Four⁃Bar Mechanism

Heavy-load transfer robots are widely used in automobile production and machinery manufacturing to improve production efficiency.In order to meet the needs of large billet transfer,a 4-DOF transfer robot is designed in this paper,which consists of parallel four-bar mechanisms.The Jacobian matrix referring to the mapping matrix from the joint velocity to the operating space velocity of the transfer robot can be solved by the differential-vector method.The mean value of the Jacobian matrix condition number in the workspace is used as the global performance index of the robot velocity and the optimization goal.The constraint condition is established based on the actual working condition.Then the linkage length optimization is carried out to decrease the length of the linkage and to increase the global performance index of velocity.The total length of robot rods is reduced by 6.12%.The global performance index of velocity is improved by 45.15%.Taking the optimized rod length as the mechanism parameter,the distribution of the motion space of the transfer robot is obtained.Finally,the results show that the proposed method for establishing the Jacobian matrix of the lower-mobility robot and for the optimization of the rods based on the velocity global performance index is accurate and effective.The workspace distribution of the robot meets the design requirements.

Three dimensional passive underwater target motion analysis using correlated data fusion

In this paper a new method of passive underwater TMA (target motion analysis) using data fusion is presented. The findings of this research are based on an understanding that there is a powerful sonar system that consists of many types of sonar but with one own-ship, and that different target parameter measurements can be obtained simultaneously. For the analysis 3 data measurements, passive bearing, elevation and multipath time-delay, are used, which are divided into two groups: a group with estimates of two preliminary target parameter obtained by dealing with each group measurement independently, and a group where correlated estimates are sent to a fusion center where the correlation between two data groups are considered so that the passive underwater TMA is realized. Simulation results show that curves of parameter estimation errors obtained by using the data fusion have fast convergence and the estimation accuracy is noticeably improved. The TMA algorithm presented is verified and is of practical significance because it is easy to be realized in one ship.

A TENSOR ANALYSIS METHOD FOR ESTIMATING 3-D MOTION PARAMETERS

By using the center projection image sequence to estimate 3-D motion parameters,one needs to know the corresponding relationship between the feature of motion object in spaceand the projection coordinate on image plane.In order to avoid using the relationship of featurecorrespondence,the tensor analysis method in the affine transformation system is presented,andthe simulation data of experimental results are given.

Simulation study of passive target motion analysis

In this paper, the problem of underwater passive target motion analysis (TMA) in three dimensions is discussed using the measurements of passive bearings and elevation and frequency on the condition that acoustic source and observer are in different horizontal planes. Simulation results with both of the PLE (pseudo-linear estimation) and MLE (Maximum likelihood estimation) show that the TMA method is effective in oceanic environment. Its error covariance curves tend to its Cramer-Rao lower bounds.