Analysis of crack patterns in reinforced concrete frames under seismic excitation

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 41-42).Earthquakes occur as a result of sudden displacements across a fault within the earth. The seismic waves that result from them propagate along the earth's surface and are the cause of multiple damages especially in civil engineering. The main objective of this study is to compare different types of concrete (RC, HSRC and SFRC) in order to determine the one that will contribute the most to increase the steadiness of buildings in seismic regions at the connection between beams and columns. The first part of this paper consists of introducing these different types of concrete. Then cracks patterns analyses are run at the joint between beam and column. In that part, theoretical approach precedes experimental application. Finally, explanation about benefits and advantages of using SFRC in joints of buildings subjected to seismic excitations will be provided. In fact, concrete reinforced with short steel fibers is associated with its ability to control cracking and enhances properties of concrete.by Aurélie Blé.M.Eng

Les Représentations De La Beauté Féminine: Une Lecture Des Fondements Socioculturels Du Teint Clair Chez Les Bété De Côte d’Ivoire

This study proposes an analysis of the representation of the female beauty whose clear complexion is one of the illustrations in the bété. In Côte d’Ivoire, the bété shows that there was a development of the beauty through the worship of the bagnon. However, in the representation of the male beauty through the bagnon, there is no fixed color complexion. It is not the same for the beauty of the woman whose clear complexion is of significant importance. This is why this study proposes the canons of the female beauty and to question the sociocultural bases which specifically underlie the preference of the clear complexion to the black complexion of the bété woman. However, this is in a bid to understand the cultural anchoring of the female depigmentation in bété country. From a field survey of people of all social categories, the study shows that the preference of the clear complexion is explained by the fact that it would carry virtues of rejuvenation and longevity for the man. In other words, the beauty of the woman aims at developing the man by rejuvenating him and by lengthening his life expectancy. These imaginations results to the depigmentation of the young girls and women bété in their search for beauty. This they do via the clear complexion to make them more attractive to men

Développement d’une offre forfaitaire en Birmanie incluant les ethnies et favorable au développement de communautés pour le tour- opérateur L’Atelier du Voyage

Selon un article d’Info Birmanie « la Birmanie affiche une des plus grandes diversités ethniques au monde. 135 groupes ethniques sont officiellement recensés par le gouvernement » (2013). Le but de cette étude est de présenter au tour-opérateur l’Atelier du Voyage une offre forfaitaire en Birmanie qui s’inscrit dans un contexte de tourisme durable et plus précisément de tourisme communautaire ; c’est-à-dire en incluant les communautés autochtones dans le circuit. Ainsi, l’agence peut introduire ce produit dans le cadre de ses voyages individuels dits « découvertes ». Le public cible regroupe la clientèle actuelle et potentielle de l’entreprise. La démarche de ce travail propose donc de se familiariser avec cette forme émergente de tourisme, pour ensuite pouvoir intégrer ces valeurs et principes au package créé mais aussi de révéler l’importance de promouvoir le concept de tourisme communautaire

Etude de la fécondité du silure Africain Heterobranchus bidorsalis (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1840) en conditions d'élevage

Artificial Reproduction and Fecundity of the African Catfish Heterobranchus bidorsalis (Geoffroy Saint- Hilaire, 1840). Through the artificial reproduction of Heterobranchus bidorsalis, fecundity of females, characteristics of oocytes and larvae after hatching were determined. Mean absolute and relative fecundity were respectively 140,440 ± 82,168 oocytes and 47.30 ± 17.94 oocytes per g of body weight. Hormonal injection to females increased weight and diameter of oocytes. Fertilization and hatching rates were significantly correlated (r= 0.93) but were relatively weak. The mean value of larval length, weight and their yolk sac diameter were respectively 4.37 ± 0.20 mm; 1.42 ± 0.13 mg and 1.95 ± 0.14 mm

La trilogie romanesque « Assanou attin » de Jean-Marie Adiaffi ou la Renaissance de l’Afrique dans la mondialisation

The Novel Trilogy « Assanou attin » by Jean-Marie Adiaffi or the Renaissance of Africa in Globalization ABSTRACT: In an approach that borrows from the specificities of Pierre Zima’s sociocriticism, this reflection reveals the hideous face of globalization structured according to an essentially Western vision. As such, the study advocates a de-globalization which presents itself, for Africans, as a return to ancestral values and which opens the way to a re-globalization whose architectural base would be the unity of the African peoples. Such a globalization would undoubtedly consecrate the Renaissance of Africa. RÉSUMÉ : Dans une démarche qui emprunte les spécificités de la sociocritique de Pierre Zima, la présente réflexion révèle le visage hideux de la mondialisation charpentée selon une vision essentiellement occidentale. À ce titre, l’étude préconise une démondialisation qui se présente, pour les Africains, comme un retour aux valeurs ancestrales et qui ouvre ipso facto la voie à une remondialisation dont le socle architectonique serait l’unité des peuples africains. Une telle mondialisation consacrerait assurément la Renaissance de l’Afrique

Searching for Exploding Black Holes

The observation of the final stages of the evaporation of a light black hole, which Hawking referred to as "black hole explosion", would offer critical insights on the existence of new degrees of freedom as well as on quantum gravity and high-energy physics phenomena. Here, we explore, review, and revisit the observational features and rates expected for nearby, light, evaporating black holes, and we reassess and compare sensitivity estimates for a broad range of observatories. We then focus on the search for candidate black hole explosions in archival data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope and Gamma-ray Burst Monitor, and outline possible future observational campaigns.Comment: 28 pages, 14 figure

Morphing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The performance and dynamic efficiency of an aircraft are significantly influenced by the aircraft shape and configuration. Therefore, the wing which is an important element in the aircraft load response in terms of drag and lift has been given increasing attention through morphing technology. Several governmental programs and academic research projects on morphing aircraft have investigated methods of efficiently changing the wing geometric characteristics in-flight. The present thesis reviews the current knowledge on wing morphing concepts and investigates the type of methods that can be used to model morphing structures. This review includes the principles of the morphing concept, realization of a morphing structure, aspects of morphing structure design, current methods to model morphing structures, challenges, and the perspectives of the morphing UAVs. It concludes that the wing cover skins must possess a high degree of deformability; but they must be able to maintain their shape and structural integrity under the compression, tension, shear and bending characteristics of aerodynamic and flight loads including the effects of added masses. In order to meet these requirements, thermoplastic elastomers and shape memory polymers are suggested as good candidate materials for smart skins. Nevertheless, an excessively flexible skin is exposed to the hazard of sagging under pressure loads. It is suggested that bio-inspired micro air vehicles based on bat wing structure will gain intensive attention since such a structure prossesses a high flexibility with anisotropy and non-linear elasticity

La trilogie romanesque « Assanou attin » de Jean-Marie Adiaffi ou la Renaissance de l’Afrique dans la mondialisation

The Novel Trilogy « Assanou attin » by Jean-Marie Adiaffi or the Renaissance of Africa in Globalization ABSTRACT: In an approach that borrows from the specificities of Pierre Zima’s sociocriticism, this reflection reveals the hideous face of globalization structured according to an essentially Western vision. As such, the study advocates a de-globalization which presents itself, for Africans, as a return to ancestral values and which opens the way to a re-globalization whose architectural base would be the unity of the African peoples. Such a globalization would undoubtedly consecrate the Renaissance of Africa. RÉSUMÉ : Dans une démarche qui emprunte les spécificités de la sociocritique de Pierre Zima, la présente réflexion révèle le visage hideux de la mondialisation charpentée selon une vision essentiellement occidentale. À ce titre, l’étude préconise une démondialisation qui se présente, pour les Africains, comme un retour aux valeurs ancestrales et qui ouvre ipso facto la voie à une remondialisation dont le socle architectonique serait l’unité des peuples africains. Une telle mondialisation consacrerait assurément la Renaissance de l’Afrique