A finite macro-element for corroded reinforced concrete

This paper proposes a model of the mechanical behaviour of corroded reinforced concrete members subjected to bending under service load. The model is based on the formulation of a macro-element to be used in FEM analysis, having a length equal to the distance between two consecutive flexural cracks and a cross-section equal to the member cross-section. The mechanical formulation is directly written in generalized variables (bending moment and curvature) and is based on the concept of the transfer length necessary for the transmission of tensile load from re-bar to tensile concrete thanks to the bond. It is thus possible to take into account the effect of reinforcement corrosion on the bond between re-bar and concrete, by increasing the transfer length versus intensity of corrosion. The variation of the transfer length versus corrosion is expressed using a scalar damage parameter. A first experimental validation is performed on a 17-year-old beam kept in a chloride environment under its service load.     

American = White?

Six studies investigated the extent to which American ethnic groups (African, Asian, and White) are associated with the category "American." Although strong explicit commitments to egalitarian principles were expressed in Study 1, Studies 2-6 consistently revealed that both African and Asian Americans as groups are less associated with the national category "American" than are White Americans. Under some circumstances, a dissociation between mean levels of explicit beliefs and implicit responses emerged such that an ethnic minority was explicitly regarded to be more American than were White Americans, but implicit measures showed the reverse pattern (Studies 3 and 4). In addition, Asian American participants themselves showed the American = White effect, although African Americans did not (Study 5). The American = White association was positively correlated with the strength of national identity in White Americans. Together, these studies provide evidence that to be American is implicitly synonymous with being White. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sequential Compatibility Effects and Cognitive Control: Does Conflict Really Matter?

Although it is widely accepted that control mechanisms are necessary for human behavior to be adapted, very little is known about how such mechanisms are recruited. A suggestion to fill the gap was put forward by M. M. Botvinick, T. S. Braver, C. S. Carter, D. M. Barch, and J. D. Cohen (2001), who proposed the conflict-loop theory. This theory has been successful in accounting for the reduction of compatibility effects after an incompatible trial: The level of conflict being, on average, higher during an incompatible trial, more control occurs after such a trial. The authors have tested this prediction by sorting the trials on the basis of amount of conflict (quantified by the electromyographic activity) they presented. A reduction of the compatibility effect was observed after incompatible trials, but it was independent of the level of conflict on previous trials, suggesting that the conflict does not trigger changes in executive control. Consequences for the conflict monitoring model are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experience with a Hybrid Processor: K-Means Clustering

We discuss hardware/software co-processing on a hybrid processor for a compute- and data-intensive multispectral imaging algorithm, k-means clustering. The experiments are performed on two models of the Altera Excalibur board, the first using the soft IP core 32-bit NIOS 1.1 RISC processor, and the second with the hard IP core ARM processor. In our experiments, we compare performance of the sequential k-means algorithm with three different accelerated versions. We consider granularity and synchronization issues when mapping an algorithm to a hybrid processor. Our results show that speedup of 11.8X is achieved by migrating computation to the Excalibur ARM hardware/software as compared to software only on a Gigahertz Pentium III. Speedup on the Excalibur NIOS is limited by the communication cost of transferring data from external memory through the processor to the customized circuits. This limitation is overcome on the Excalibur ARM, in which dual-port memories, accessible to both the processor and configurable logic, have the biggest performance impact of all the techniques studied.     

Animation by Deformation of Space-Time Objects

This article presents the properties of animation with space-time objects. A space-time object means here a geometrical object embedded in R⁴ with a volumic topology. Resulting animations are obtained by deforming space-time objects with a free-form deformation model. In this way topological modifications, such as disconnecting or hole making, as well as classical geometrical modifications, can be created in an animated object.     

Finite element of slender beams in finite transformations: a geometrically exact approach

This article is devoted to the modelling of thin beams undergoing finite deformations essentially due to bending and torsion and to their numerical resolution by the finite element method. The solution proposed here differs from the approaches usually implemented to treat thin beams, as it can be qualified as ‘geometrically exact’. Two numerical models are proposed. The first one is a non‐linear Euler–Bernoulli model while the second one is a non‐linear Rayleigh model. The finite element method is tested on several numerical examples in statics and dynamics, and validated through comparison with analytical solutions, experimental observations and the geometrically exact approach of the Reissner beam theory initiated by Simo. The numerical result shows that this approach is a good alternative to the modelling of non‐linear beams, especially in statics. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Unsupervised writer adaptation applied to handwritten text recognition

This paper deals with the problem of off-line handwritten text recognition. It presents a system of text recognition that exploits an original principle of adaptation to the handwriting to be recognized. The adaptation principle is based on the automatic learning, during the recognition, of the graphical characteristics of the handwriting. This on-line adaptation of the recognition system relies on the iteration of two steps: a word recognition step that allows to label the writer's representations (allographs) on the whole text and a re-evaluation step of character models. Tests carried out on a sample of 15 writers, all unknown by the system, show the interest of the proposed adaptation scheme since we obtain during iterations an improvement of recognition rates both at the letter and the word levels.     

MIM零件烧结过程中收缩和变形的数值模拟

为描述金属粉末注射成形坯件在烧结过程中的收缩和变形行为,基于连续介质力学原理建立了符合粘塑性本构关系的宏观烧结模型。该模型通过有限元软件Abaqus的用户子程序实现,进行烧结过程的数值模拟。分析了由于坯件重力、非均匀初始密度分布以及坯件支承体之间的摩擦力等因素而引起的非均匀收缩和变形。通过与试验结果的比较,验证了烧结模型和数值方法的正确性。