The impact that talent/audience interactions have on the Reality television landscape: an analysis of Season Two of The Real Housewives of New Jersey

This thesis investigates the relationship between the television viewer andon-air characters within reality television. More specifically, this study analyzesthe communication between viewers and on-air characters via social networkingplatforms, and suggests this connection is a true catalyst for increased showratings. The formal problem statement is the following: Is there a directconnection between increased viewership (measured by ratings) for thetelevision program The Real Housewives of New Jersey (season 2) .and the evolutionof the talent/audience relationship via social networking sites that hascontributed to the overall successes of the program? Using both qualitative andquantitative approaches the study found an association between increased webtraffic on premiere show episodes in comparison with. Nielsen Media Research,and showed that social networking does in fact impact television ratings and theoverall user experience. Also, by viewing actual posts between the viewer andcharacters, one can understand the growing popularity of reality television starsand how this affects their personal businesses, outside the realm of their television persona. Above all, this study examines the multi-screen platformphenomena that will change the way the world watches television andcommunicates with each other.M.S., Television Management -- Drexel University, 201

A singular finite element for Stokes flow: The stick–slip problem

Abrupt changes in boundary conditions in viscous flow problems give rise to stress singularities. Ordinary finite element methods account effectively for the global solution but perform poorly near the singularity. In this paper we develop singular finite elements, similar in principle to the crack tip elements used in fracture mechanics, to improve the solution accuracy in the vicinity of the singular point and to speed up the rate of convergence. These special elements surround the singular point, and the corresponding field shape functions embody the form of the singularity. Because the pressure is singular, there is no pressure node at the singular point. The method performs well when applied to the stick–slip problem and gives more accurate results than those from refined ordinary finite element meshes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50199/1/1650091105_ftp.pd

Mapped finite element methods: High‐order approximations of problems on domains with cracks and corners

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137746/1/nme5486.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137746/2/nme5486_am.pd

On the Expansion for Surface Displacement in the Neighborhood of a Crack Tip

It is shown that in the expansion of the crack opening displacement vs distance from the tip, there is no linear term present. This should lead to improved accuracy of the near tip fields and improved stress intensity factor results. The two-dimensional discussion should be able to be carried over to three dimensions

Comparison of KI calculation methods

This paper compares different numerical methods for mode I stress intensity factor (SIF) calculations. Both 2D and 3D models are used to calculate KI for the compact tension specimens. J-integral and interaction integral provide relatively accurate results. The analysis of a reactor pressure vessel subjected to pressurized thermal shock is performed using the finite element method (FEM) and extended finite element method (XFEM). XFEM method shows advantages in modeling cracks but oscillations in 3D problems due to extraction domains for J and interaction integrals. The best results are obtained with domain integrals using a FEM with a refined mesh.The authors are grateful for the financial support of the PISA Project provided by the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI) (DIS-Vertrag Nr. H-100668). Guian Qian is also grateful for the visiting invitation provided by Key Laboratory of Pressurized Systems and Safety (East China University of Science and Technology), Ministry of Education, China.Qian, G.; González Albuixech, VF.; Niffenegger, M.; Giner Maravilla, E. (2016). Comparison of KI calculation methods. Engineering Fracture Mechanics. 156:52-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfracmech.2016.02.014S526715

A molecular dynamics/extended finite element method for dynamic crack propagation

A multiscale method is presented which couples a molecular dynamics approach for describing fracture at the crack tip with an extended finite element method for discretizing the remainder of the domain. After recalling the basic equations of molecular dynamics and continuum mechanics the discretization is discussed for the continuum subdomain where the partition-of-unity property of finite element shape functions is used, since in this fashion the crack in the wake of its tip is naturally modelled as a traction-free discontinuity. Next, the zonal coupling method between the atomistic and continuum models is described, including an assessment of the energy transfer between both domains for a one-dimensional problem. Finally, a two-dimensional computation is presented of dynamic fracture using the coupled model

A review of the scaled boundary finite element method for two-dimensional linear elastic fracture mechanics

The development and the application of the scaled boundary finite element method for fracture analysis is reviewed. In this method, polygonal elements (referred to as subdomains) of arbitrary number of edges are constructed, with the only limitation that the whole boundary is directly visible from the scaling centre. The element solution is semi-analytical. When applied to two-dimensional linear fracture mechanics, any kinds of stress singularities are represented analytically without local refinement, special elements and enrichment functions. The flexibility of polygons to represent arbitrary geometric shapes leads to simple yet efficient remeshing algorithms to model crack propagation. Coupling procedures with the extended finite element method, meshless method and boundary element method to handle changes in the crack morphology have been established. These developments result in an efficient framework for fracture modelling. Examples of applications are provided to demonstrate their feasibility. © 2017 Elsevier Lt