Critical factors and paths influencing construction workers’ safety risk tolerances

While workers’ safety risk tolerances have been regarded as a main reason for their unsafe behaviors, little is known about why different people have different risk tolerances even when confronting the same situation. The aim of this research is to identify the critical factors and paths that influence workers’ safety risk tolerance and to explore how they contribute to accident causal model from a system thinking perceptive. A number of methods were carried out to analyze the data collected through interviews and questionnaire surveys. In the first and second steps of the research, factor identification, factor ranking and factor analysis were carried out, and the results show that workers’ safety risk tolerance can be influenced by four groups of factors, namely: (1) personal subjective perception; (2) work knowledge and experiences; (3) work characteristics; and (4) safety management. In the third step of the research, hypothetical influencing path model was developed and tested by using structural equation modeling (SEM). It is found that the effects of external factors (safety management and work characteristics) on risk tolerance are larger than that of internal factors (personal subjective perception and work knowledge & experiences). Specifically, safety management contributes the most to workers’ safety risk tolerance through its direct effect and indirect effect; while personal subjective perception comes the second and can act as an intermedia for work characteristics. This research provides an in-depth insight of workers’ unsafe behaviors by depicting the contributing factors as shown in the accident causal model developed in this research.     

Strain Rate Effects on Dynamic Fractures in Fine‐grained Granitic Rock

The effect of dynamic strain rates on failure responses of a fine‐grained granitic rock is studied experimentally and theoretically. Theoretical investigation employs a model incorporating dynamic fracture criterion with damage mechanics theory. Experimental investigation is conducted using split Hopkinson pressure bar device. In order to investigate the effects of microstructure on dynamic fracture failure under different loading rates, fragment debris of each tested specimen is collected and analyzed. It is found through the debris analysis that the granitic rock breaks down into the fragment debris in grain size scales and the effect of strain rates on the formation of fragment debris appears to be related to the microstructure of the rock. It is also found that dynamic inertia induced by the dynamic loading can reduce the effect of friction confinement generated by the contact between the cylindrical specimen and two split Hopkinson pressure bars on the dynamic responses of the specimen. Theoretical evaluations agree with the corresponding experimental observations.     

Virtual segment: Store–carry–forward relay-based support for wide-area non-real-time data exchange

We have proposed the concept of the virtual segment (VS), in which a global communication service is provided by combining a store–carry–forward scheme using vehicles with broadband wireless/wired network infrastructures along roads connected to the Internet. The VS can be a practical framework for non-real-time, asynchronous message transfer (especially for large messages) in a cost-effective manner. In this study, a critical implementation design issue, the message forward scheduling, in the VS approach is discussed and investigated through computer simulation by our developed VS simulator that has reflected the results of the field experiment for realistic performance evaluation.     

Partitioned formulation of internal and gravity waves interacting with flexible structures

This paper presents a partitioned modeling of internal and gravity fluid waves that interact with flexible structures. The governing interaction model consists of three completely partitioned entities: fluid model, structural model, and interface model that acts as an internal constraint on the fluid–structure interface boundary. Thus, the proposed partitioned multi-physics modeling can employ two completely modular fluid and structure software modules plus an interface solver, hence amenable to partitioned solution algorithms. The interface discretization can exploit the nonmatching interface algorithm previously developed via the method of localized Lagrange multipliers. Also noted is that the present fluid model can make use of widely available finite element software for standard Poisson-type problems.     

基于DSP的矿井光纤直放系统的设计

根据煤矿井下巷道狭长、拐点多、分支多的特点,针对井下环境中移动通信系统通话质量差、可靠性低等问题,提出了一种基于DSP的矿井光纤直放系统的设计方案,详细介绍了系统基于DSP的自动监控单元和FIR数字滤波器的设计及语音激活技术在直放系统中的应用。该光纤直放系统解决了井下广域范围移动通信问题,采用DSP对系统实施自动监控,为系统稳定运行提供了可靠保障;数字滤波器的引入、话音激活技术的应用使井下通信系统性能更稳定、话音质量更好、抗干扰性更强,为矿井移动通信的最佳实现奠定基础。     

Real world representation of a road network for route planning in GIS

This paper addresses a methodology to properly represent a road network in the geographic information system (GIS) for network analysis. Over the years, the real world has become too complex to model properly within a given information system, such as GIS. Ideally, when the real world is represented as accurately as possible, a GIS can answer a question in its virtual world that coincides with the exact answer in the real world. However, existing methods related to impedance modeling for each segment of a road network in a route planning analysis that includes only a distance or time variable do not give proper results. Hence, this study investigates how a road network can represent the real world in a GIS and offer route planning tools. To address this, first, additional realistic variables are taken into account. These include weather, sight-seeing information, road type, and so on. Second, to combine these variables, an impedance model (IM) using the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) method is proposed. Finally, all of the models are implemented and verified with a sensitivity analysis. The models were successfully implemented in this work. All of the paths of the route planning analysis were successfully matched with the drivers’ paths that would normally be chosen in reality. It is anticipated that the use of other techniques such as analytical network process (ANP) in addition to AHP would be useful to overcome the aforementioned problem.     

Identification of relationship between sunspots and natural runoff in the Yellow River based on discrete wavelet analysis

Annual natural runoff is an important index of a river, which may be affected by solar activities. In this study, 304 years of annual natural runoff at the Sanmenxia station located in the Yellow River and the sunspot relative number are decomposed with the application of a Complex Morlet. According to the results of real part, modulus and second power of modulus, the annual runoff series at the Sanmenxia station has an obvious periodic oscillation on 90–100, 50–80, 35–50, 15–35, about 10, and less than 10-year scales. Also, there are obvious periodic variability with 60–90 years, 30–50 years and about 10 years. There are two centers of energy: one is about 1840–1850 on 7–11-year scale and the other is about 1825–1925 on 60–70-year scale. From the wavelet variance, 3, 26, 46, 68 year periods are detected within a 100-year scale, and the 68-year period is the most significant. Similar analyses are conducted for the sunspot relative number within the same period 1700–2003. The sunspot series shows 11- and 60-year period variation, as well as eight energy centers. Then, the correlation analyses for 11- and 60-year serial scales are computed. From a long-term period (1700–2003) view, there is no notable correlation between the natural runoff and the sunspot relative number; however, it is evident that the correlations exist within a short-term period. The results also indicate that the relationships between solar activities and the natural runoff in the Yellow River are complicated.     

Brovey 融合与小波融合对QuickBird 图像的信息量影响

图像融合是解决多源遥感图像综合的最有效技术手段, 针对不同数据源选择最佳的融合方法是提高图像融合质量的关键。在分析了Brovey 融合和小波融合的理论、算法和融合过程的基础上,对QuickBird 的全色波段图像和多光谱波段图像数据进行融合实验, 然后从定性和定量两个方面对融合效果进行了分析与评价。定性分析是从色调、纹理和清晰度等方面进行分析, 而定量分析是根据熵、平均梯度和光谱真实性等指标进行分析, 实验结果表明: 在处理QuickBird 遥感图像时, 采用小波融合的图像既保持了较高的空间分辨率, 又具有较好的光谱特性; 而采用Brovey 融合的图像虽然图像空间分辨率也较高, 但光谱信息丢失较大, 因此Brov ey 融合方法并不适用于处理QuickBird 遥感图像。     

3D mapping of water in oolithic limestone at atmospheric and vacuum saturation using X-ray micro-CT differential imaging

Determining the distribution of fluids in porous sedimentary rocks is of great importance in many geological fields. However, this is not straightforward, especially in the case of complex sedimentary rocks like limestone, where a multidisciplinary approach is often needed to capture its broad, multimodal pore size distribution and complex pore geometries. This paper focuses on the porosity and fluid distribution in two varieties of Massangis limestone, a widely used natural building stone from the southeast part of the Paris basin (France). The Massangis limestone shows locally varying post-depositional alterations, resulting in different types of pore networks and very different water distributions within the limestone. Traditional techniques for characterizing the porosity and pore size distribution are compared with state-of-the-art neutron radiography and X-ray computed microtomography to visualize the distribution of water inside the limestone at different imbibition conditions. X-ray computed microtomography images have the great advantage to non-destructively visualize and analyze the pore space inside of a rock, but are often limited to the larger macropores in the rock due to resolution limitations. In this paper, differential imaging is successfully applied to the X-ray computed microtomography images to obtain sub-resolution information about fluid occupancy and to map the fluid distribution in three dimensions inside the scanned limestone samples. The detailed study of the pore space with differential imaging allows understanding the difference in the water uptake behavior of the limestone, a primary factor that affects the weathering of the rock.     

External CFRP tendon members: Secondary reactions and moment redistribution

The response of prestress secondary reactions in the post-elastic range has been a topic of much controversy. Due to the brittleness of FRP (fiber reinforced polymer) composites, external FRP tendon members may have different moment redistribution characteristics compared to conventional concrete members. This paper presents a numerical investigation into the secondary reactions and moment redistribution in prestressed concrete continuous members with external CFRP tendons. The investigation parameters include the initial prestress level and the pattern of loading. The secondary reactions are computed using a newly developed method based on the linear transformation concept combined with a nonlinear finite element analysis. The results indicate that the secondary reactions increase quicker after concrete cracking and nonprestressed steel yielding. As a consequence, the secondary moment should be included in the design moment. The moment redistribution behavior for symmetrical loading is shown to be quite different from that for unsymmetrical loading. The study also shows that the effect of initial prestress on the moment redistribution is rather important.