Ray-density normalization for ray-optical wave propagation modelingin arbitrarily shaped tunnels

This work is concerned with the calculation of natural electromagnetic (EM) wave propagation and the determination of the propagation channel characteristics in highway or railway tunnels in the ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) range and above (>300 MHz). A novel ray-tracing technique based on geometrical optics (GO) is presented. Contrary to classical ray tracing, where the one ray representing a locally plane wave front is searched, the new method requires multiple representatives of each physical EM wave at a time. The contribution of each ray to the total field at the receiver is determined by the proposed ray-density normalization (RBN). This technique has the further advantage of overcoming one of the major disadvantages of GO, the failure at caustics. In contrast to existing techniques, the new approach does not use ray tubes or adaptive reception spheres. Consequently, it does not suffer their restrictions to planar geometries. Therefore, it allows one to predict the propagation of high-frequency EM waves in confined spaces with curved boundaries, like tunnels, with an adequate precision. The approach is verified theoretically with canonical examples and by various measurements at 120 GHz in scaled tunnel models     

Experimental and numerical analysis of a halved and tabled traditional timber scarf joint

Traditionally constructed heavy timber trusses, found in timber framed buildings and bridges, employ various traditional joints, among them the lower chord scarf joint. This paper examines the behavior of a halved and tabled scarf joint, which was studied as an isolated structural component using experimental tests and finite element analyses. Experimental tests identified two different limit states for these particular scarf joints: shear failure parallel to grain and tension failure perpendicular to grain. The possibility of failure due to tension perpendicular to grain results from variations in grain angle and means that the limit state of shear failure parallel to grain, typically assumed in analysis and design, is unconservative. For the purposes of design and rehabilitation, the authors propose that the scarf joint be treated as a member subject to combined bending and axial tension forces. The results of the finite element analysis, performed using solid continuum elements in ABAQUS, are in good agreement with the experimental test results. In addition to finite element models, the authors use analytical spring models to demonstrate that when developing a two-dimensional model of a truss with lower chord scarf joints, serviceability limit states be checked with a model that reduces the lower chord section properties in the vicinity of the scarf joints.     

The effects of data model representation method on task performance

Data models are frequently created with little thought about their layout. Our research examined how data models organized in a columnar fashion compared to equivalent data models which did not, by improving novice designer's performance in error detection, comprehension, and query construction.     

Average causal effects from nonrandomized studies: A practical guide and simulated example.

In a well-designed experiment, random assignment of participants to treatments makes causal inference straightforward. However, if participants are not randomized (as in observational study, quasi-experiment, or nonequivalent control-group designs), group comparisons may be biased by confounders that influence both the outcome and the alleged cause. Traditional analysis of covariance, which includes confounders as predictors in a regression model, often fails to eliminate this bias. In this article, the authors review Rubin's definition of an average causal effect (ACE) as the average difference between potential outcomes under different treatments. The authors distinguish an ACE and a regression coefficient. The authors review 9 strategies for estimating ACEs on the basis of regression, propensity scores, and doubly robust methods, providing formulas for standard errors not given elsewhere. To illustrate the methods, the authors simulate an observational study to assess the effects of dieting on emotional distress. Drawing repeated samples from a simulated population of adolescent girls, the authors assess each method in terms of bias, efficiency, and interval coverage. Throughout the article, the authors offer insights and practical guidance for researchers who attempt causal inference with observational data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A full modal decomposition of thin-walled, single-branched open cross-section members via the constrained finite strip method

This paper derives a new method for fully decomposing the elastic stability solution, of a thin-walled single-branched open cross-section member, into mechanically consistent buckling classes associated with global, local, distortional, and shear and transverse extension buckling modes. The method requires a set of formal mechanical definitions for each of the buckling classes. For global and distortional buckling the definitions employed successfully by generalized beam theory are utilized herein, while for local and other (shear and transverse extension) buckling, new definitions are provided. The mechanical definitions for a given buckling class represent a series of constraint conditions on the general deformations that the thin-walled cross-section may undergo. These constraint conditions are derived as explicit constraint matrices within the context of the finite strip method, and provide the desired decomposition of the buckling deformations of the member. The decomposition is full in the sense that the union of the deformation spaces of the decomposed buckling classes is the same as the general deformation space in the original finite strip method. The resulting method is termed the constrained finite strip method (cFSM). The two primary applications for cFSM are modal decomposition and modal identification. Modal decomposition reduces the general finite strip solution to a desired set of buckling classes and performs a useful model reduction that allows the results to focus on a particular buckling class, e.g., distortional buckling. Modal identification provides a means to quantify the extent to which a given buckling class is contributing to a general buckling deformation. Application of cFSM, including graphical representation of the buckling classes, and the advantages of modal decomposition and modal identification, are provided in a series of numerical examples.