modelling of crack propagation by finite element method under mixed mode conditions is of prime importance in fracture mechanics. this paper describes an application of finite element method to the analysis of mixed mode crack growth in linear elastic fracture mechanics. crack growth process is simulated by an incremental crack-extension analysis based on the maximum principal stress criterion,...

In this paper a simple tool for seismic design of steel structures for a selected ductility level is presented. For this purpose, a consistent set of earthquakes is selected and sorted based on the maximum acceleration of ground surface. The selected records are applied as the base motion to a single-degree-of-freedom system with strain hardening and the maximum response acceleration is determi...

It is generally accepted that performance-based design has to be reliability-based. Seismic performance evaluation is based on nonlinear dynamics and reliability theory taking into account uncertainties during analysis. Considering the economic importance of jacket type offshore platforms, the present research aims to assess the seismic performance of offshore steel platforms. In this study, th...

Although the influence of lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) on incremental- and constant-power exercise is important in the evaluation of this procedure for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it is rarely reported even in large randomised controlled trials. This report describes 39 patients with severe COPD ((mean +/- SE) forced expiratory volume in one second 32 +/-...

We discuss approaches to incrementally construct an ensemble. The first constructs an ensemble of classifiers choosing a subset from a larger set, and the second constructs an ensemble of discriminants, where a classifier is used for some classes only. We investigate criteria including accuracy, significant improvement, diversity, correlation, and the role of search direction. For discriminant ...

In developing key documents such as national building codes, regional emergency response plans, and risk management strategies, it is critical to understand the causes and effects of structural collapse. This paper presents ongoing research activities to establish a robust procedure for accurate assessment of the collapse of steel frame structures. A cohesive zone method based strategy is being...

Incremental parsing techniques such as shift-reduce have gained popularity thanks to their efficiency, but there remains a major problem: the search is greedy and only explores a tiny fraction of the whole space (even with beam search) as opposed to dynamic programming. We show that, surprisingly, dynamic programming is in fact possible for many shift-reduce parsers, by merging “equivalent” sta...

UNLABELLED The aim of this study was to validate critical frequency specific test (critf) for the estimation of the aerobic endurance in table tennis players. METHODS Eight male international-level table tennis players participated of this study. Specific tests were applied by using a mechanical ball thrower to control the intensity of the exercise. The critf was determined by applying three ...

a study on the evaluating equivalent damping and response modification factors of frames equipped by pall friction dampers is presented. to do so, buildings with various stories were considered. nonlinear and linear dynamic time history analysis has been performed to evaluate equivalent damping for pall friction dampers. ground motions with various frequency characteristics scaled with iranian ...

The effects of endurance training on endurance performance characteristics and cardiac autonomic modulation during night sleep were investigated during two 4-week training periods. After the first 4-week training period (3 x 40 min per week, at 75% of HRR) the subjects were divided into HIGH group (n = 7), who performed three high-intensity endurance training sessions per week; and CONTROL grou...