18,161 research outputs found

    Structural evaluation of concrete expanded polystyrene sandwich panels for slab applications

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    Sandwich panels are being extensively and increasingly used in building construction because they are light in weight, energy efficient, aesthetically attractive and can be easily handled and erected. This paper presents a structural evaluation of Concrete-Expanded Polystyrene (CEPS) sandwich panels for slab applications using finite element modeling approach. CEPS panels are made of expanded polystyrene foam sandwiched between concrete skins. The use of foam in the middle of sandwich panel reduces the weight of the structure and also acts as insulation against thermal, acoustics and vibration. Applying reinforced concrete skin to both sides of panel takes the advantages of the sandwich concept where the reinforced concrete skins take compressive and tensile loads resulting in higher stiffness and strength and the core transfers shear loads between the faces. This research uses structural software Strand7, which is based on finite element method, to predict the load deformation behaviour of the CEPS sandwich slab panels. Non linear static analysis was used in the numerical investigations. Predicted results were compared with the existing experimental results to validate the numerical approach used

    On the Canonical Reduction of Spherically Symmetric Gravity

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    In a thorough paper Kuchar has examined the canonical reduction of the most general action functional describing the geometrodynamics of the maximally extended Schwarzschild geometry. This reduction yields the true degrees of freedom for (vacuum) spherically symmetric general relativity. The essential technical ingredient in Kuchar's analysis is a canonical transformation to a certain chart on the gravitational phase space which features the Schwarzschild mass parameter MSM_{S}, expressed in terms of what are essentially Arnowitt-Deser-Misner variables, as a canonical coordinate. In this paper we discuss the geometric interpretation of Kuchar's canonical transformation in terms of the theory of quasilocal energy-momentum in general relativity given by Brown and York. We find Kuchar's transformation to be a ``sphere-dependent boost to the rest frame," where the ``rest frame'' is defined by vanishing quasilocal momentum. Furthermore, our formalism is general enough to cover the case of (vacuum) two-dimensional dilaton gravity. Therefore, besides reviewing Kucha\v{r}'s original work for Schwarzschild black holes from the framework of hyperbolic geometry, we present new results concerning the canonical reduction of Witten-black-hole geometrodynamics.Comment: Revtex, 35 pages, no figure

    Evolution and CNO yields of Z=10^-5 stars and possible effects on CEMP production

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    Our main goals are to get a deeper insight into the evolution and final fates of intermediate-mass, extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars. We also aim to investigate their C, N, and O yields. Using the Monash University Stellar Evolution code we computed and analysed the evolution of stars of metallicity Z = 10^-5 and masses between 4 and 9 M_sun, from their main sequence until the late thermally pulsing (super) asymptotic giant branch, TP-(S)AGB phase. Our model stars experience a strong C, N, and O envelope enrichment either due to the second dredge-up, the dredge-out phenomenon, or the third dredge-up early during the TP-(S)AGB phase. Their late evolution is therefore similar to that of higher metallicity objects. When using a standard prescription for the mass loss rates during the TP-(S)AGB phase, the computed stars lose most of their envelopes before their cores reach the Chandrasekhar mass, so our standard models do not predict the occurrence of SNI1/2 for Z = 10^-5 stars. However, we find that the reduction of only one order of magnitude in the mass-loss rates, which are particularly uncertain at this metallicity, would prevent the complete ejection of the envelope, allowing the stars to either explode as an SNI1/2 or become an electron-capture SN. Our calculations stop due to an instability near the base of the convective envelope that hampers further convergence and leaves remnant envelope masses between 0.25 M_sun for our 4 M_sun model and 1.5 M_sun for our 9 M_sun model. We present two sets of C, N, and O yields derived from our full calculations and computed under two different assumptions, namely, that the instability causes a practically instant loss of the remnant envelope or that the stars recover and proceed with further thermal pulses. Our results have implications for the early chemical evolution of the Universe.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in A&

    Hamiltonians for a general dilaton gravity theory on a spacetime with a non-orthogonal, timelike or spacelike outer boundary

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    A generalization of two recently proposed general relativity Hamiltonians, to the case of a general (d+1)-dimensional dilaton gravity theory in a manifold with a timelike or spacelike outer boundary, is presented.Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures. Typos correcte

    Walking reduces sensorimotor network connectivity compared to standing

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    BACKGROUND: Considerable effort has been devoted to mapping the functional and effective connectivity of the human brain, but these efforts have largely been limited to tasks involving stationary subjects. Recent advances with high-density electroencephalography (EEG) and Independent Components Analysis (ICA) have enabled study of electrocortical activity during human locomotion. The goal of this work was to measure the effective connectivity of cortical activity during human standing and walking. METHODS: We recorded 248-channels of EEG as eight young healthy subjects stood and walked on a treadmill both while performing a visual oddball discrimination task and not performing the task. ICA parsed underlying electrocortical, electromyographic, and artifact sources from the EEG signals. Inverse source modeling methods and clustering algorithms localized posterior, anterior, prefrontal, left sensorimotor, and right sensorimotor clusters of electrocortical sources across subjects. We applied a directional measure of connectivity, conditional Granger causality, to determine the effective connectivity between electrocortical sources. RESULTS: Connections involving sensorimotor clusters were weaker for walking than standing regardless of whether the subject was performing the simultaneous cognitive task or not. This finding supports the idea that cortical involvement during standing is greater than during walking, possibly because spinal neural networks play a greater role in locomotor control than standing control. Conversely, effective connectivity involving non-sensorimotor areas was stronger for walking than standing when subjects were engaged in the simultaneous cognitive task. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that standing results in greater functional connectivity between sensorimotor cortical areas than walking does. Greater cognitive attention to standing posture than to walking control could be one interpretation of that finding. These techniques could be applied to clinical populations during gait to better investigate neural substrates involved in mobility disorders

    Walking reduces sensorimotor network connectivity compared to standing

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    Abstract Background Considerable effort has been devoted to mapping the functional and effective connectivity of the human brain, but these efforts have largely been limited to tasks involving stationary subjects. Recent advances with high-density electroencephalography (EEG) and Independent Components Analysis (ICA) have enabled study of electrocortical activity during human locomotion. The goal of this work was to measure the effective connectivity of cortical activity during human standing and walking. Methods We recorded 248-channels of EEG as eight young healthy subjects stood and walked on a treadmill both while performing a visual oddball discrimination task and not performing the task. ICA parsed underlying electrocortical, electromyographic, and artifact sources from the EEG signals. Inverse source modeling methods and clustering algorithms localized posterior, anterior, prefrontal, left sensorimotor, and right sensorimotor clusters of electrocortical sources across subjects. We applied a directional measure of connectivity, conditional Granger causality, to determine the effective connectivity between electrocortical sources. Results Connections involving sensorimotor clusters were weaker for walking than standing regardless of whether the subject was performing the simultaneous cognitive task or not. This finding supports the idea that cortical involvement during standing is greater than during walking, possibly because spinal neural networks play a greater role in locomotor control than standing control. Conversely, effective connectivity involving non-sensorimotor areas was stronger for walking than standing when subjects were engaged in the simultaneous cognitive task. Conclusions Our results suggest that standing results in greater functional connectivity between sensorimotor cortical areas than walking does. Greater cognitive attention to standing posture than to walking control could be one interpretation of that finding. These techniques could be applied to clinical populations during gait to better investigate neural substrates involved in mobility disorders.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134578/1/12984_2013_Article_546.pd
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