1,753 research outputs found
Implementing Snow Load Monitoring to Control Reliability of a Stadium Roof
This contribution shows how monitoring can be
used to control reliability of a structure not complying
with the requirements of Eurocodes. A general
methodology to obtain cost-optimal decisions using limit
state design, probabilistic reliability analysis and cost
estimates is utilised in a full-scale case study dealing with
the roof of a stadium located in Northern Italy. The
results demonstrate the potential of monitoring systems
and probabilistic reliability analysis to support decisions
regarding safety measures such as snow removal, or
temporary closure of the stadium
Probabilistic Modeling of Structural Forces
Since forces acting on structures fluctuate widely with time and space during the lifetime of a structure, variations of the forces should be considered by probability distributions. Probabilistic definition of forces is expressed by random field variables including stochastic parameters. Structural forces are simulated by adopting Normal and Gamma probability distribution functions. The basic model given by JCSS (Joint Committee on Structural Safety) code principles is used as model to take into account the variations. In the simulation of the live loads comprised of sustained and intermittent loads, time intervals are assumed to follow a Poisson process and their distributions are defined by exponential distributions. The simulated loads are evaluated in terms of percentiles, correlation effects, reduction factors and extreme values. Results are compared with those of deterministic model as well. It has been observed that probabilistic model is more realistic and the results can be used in the calculation of specific fractiles like load and resistance factor design
Samplers and Extractors for Unbounded Functions
Blasiok (SODA\u2718) recently introduced the notion of a subgaussian sampler, defined as an averaging sampler for approximating the mean of functions f from {0,1}^m to the real numbers such that f(U_m) has subgaussian tails, and asked for explicit constructions. In this work, we give the first explicit constructions of subgaussian samplers (and in fact averaging samplers for the broader class of subexponential functions) that match the best known constructions of averaging samplers for [0,1]-bounded functions in the regime of parameters where the approximation error epsilon and failure probability delta are subconstant. Our constructions are established via an extension of the standard notion of randomness extractor (Nisan and Zuckerman, JCSS\u2796) where the error is measured by an arbitrary divergence rather than total variation distance, and a generalization of Zuckerman\u27s equivalence (Random Struct. Alg.\u2797) between extractors and samplers. We believe that the framework we develop, and specifically the notion of an extractor for the Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence, are of independent interest. In particular, KL-extractors are stronger than both standard extractors and subgaussian samplers, but we show that they exist with essentially the same parameters (constructively and non-constructively) as standard extractors
Querying Schemas With Access Restrictions
We study verification of systems whose transitions consist of accesses to a
Web-based data-source. An access is a lookup on a relation within a relational
database, fixing values for a set of positions in the relation. For example, a
transition can represent access to a Web form, where the user is restricted to
filling in values for a particular set of fields. We look at verifying
properties of a schema describing the possible accesses of such a system. We
present a language where one can describe the properties of an access path, and
also specify additional restrictions on accesses that are enforced by the
schema. Our main property language, AccLTL, is based on a first-order extension
of linear-time temporal logic, interpreting access paths as sequences of
relational structures. We also present a lower-level automaton model,
Aautomata, which AccLTL specifications can compile into. We show that AccLTL
and A-automata can express static analysis problems related to "querying with
limited access patterns" that have been studied in the database literature in
the past, such as whether an access is relevant to answering a query, and
whether two queries are equivalent in the accessible data they can return. We
prove decidability and complexity results for several restrictions and variants
of AccLTL, and explain which properties of paths can be expressed in each
restriction.Comment: VLDB201
Fine-grained dichotomies for the Tutte plane and Boolean #CSP
Jaeger, Vertigan, and Welsh [15] proved a dichotomy for the complexity of
evaluating the Tutte polynomial at fixed points: The evaluation is #P-hard
almost everywhere, and the remaining points admit polynomial-time algorithms.
Dell, Husfeldt, and Wahl\'en [9] and Husfeldt and Taslaman [12], in combination
with Curticapean [7], extended the #P-hardness results to tight lower bounds
under the counting exponential time hypothesis #ETH, with the exception of the
line , which was left open. We complete the dichotomy theorem for the
Tutte polynomial under #ETH by proving that the number of all acyclic subgraphs
of a given -vertex graph cannot be determined in time unless
#ETH fails.
Another dichotomy theorem we strengthen is the one of Creignou and Hermann
[6] for counting the number of satisfying assignments to a constraint
satisfaction problem instance over the Boolean domain. We prove that all
#P-hard cases are also hard under #ETH. The main ingredient is to prove that
the number of independent sets in bipartite graphs with vertices cannot be
computed in time unless #ETH fails. In order to prove our results,
we use the block interpolation idea by Curticapean [7] and transfer it to
systems of linear equations that might not directly correspond to
interpolation.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figur
Durability Analysis of Concrete Bridge Deck Exposed to the Chloride Ions Using Direct Optimized Probabilistic Calculation
Durability of reinforced concrete structures is a
deeply discussed problem recently. Concrete structures in
the external environment are very often affected by
chloride ions from de-icing salt or sea water. Chloride ions
penetrate through the concrete cover layer
of the reinforcement and can cause eventually the
corrosion of the steel. However, when estimating the
durability of the structure, it is not sometimes possible to
express the parameters by constant values; therefore, the
probabilistic methods come in handy. Then, the variability
of inputs and outputs can be expressed by histograms. Two
probabilistic approaches were applied in this task – Monte
Carlo simulation with Simulation-Based Reliability
Assessment method, which is widely used for such type of
problems, and the Direct Optimized Probabilistic
Calculation, which is still relatively new type of approach.
The result is a comparison of mentioned methods in terms
of accuracy on the model of one-dimensional chloride
penetration with time independent diffusion coefficient by
using the Fick’s Second Law of Diffusion
The IceCube Realtime Alert System
Following the detection of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos in 2013, their
origin is still unknown. Aiming for the identification of an electromagnetic
counterpart of a rapidly fading source, we have implemented a realtime analysis
framework for the IceCube neutrino observatory. Several analyses selecting
neutrinos of astrophysical origin are now operating in realtime at the detector
site in Antarctica and are producing alerts to the community to enable rapid
follow-up observations. The goal of these observations is to locate the
astrophysical objects responsible for these neutrino signals. This paper
highlights the infrastructure in place both at the South Pole detector site and
at IceCube facilities in the north that have enabled this fast follow-up
program to be developed. Additionally, this paper presents the first realtime
analyses to be activated within this framework, highlights their sensitivities
to astrophysical neutrinos and background event rates, and presents an outlook
for future discoveries.Comment: 33 pages, 9 figures, Published in Astroparticle Physic
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