The Pareto distribution is a well known and important model in Statistics. It has been used to study large incomes, city population size, size of losses, stock price fluctuations, number of citations received by papers and other similar phenomena. In this work we compare the finite sample performance of several estimation methods, namely the Moment, Maximum Likelihood and Quantile Regression methods. The comparison will be made through a Monte-Carlo simulation study.The Pareto distribution is a well known and important model in Statistics. It has been used to study large incomes, city population size, size of losses, stock price fluctuations, number of citations received by papers and other similar phenomena. In this work we compare the finite sample performance of several estimation methods, namely the Moment, Maximum Likelihood and Quantile Regression methods. The comparison will be made through a Monte-Carlo simulation study.

Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites may prematurely debond from the surface of concrete, i.e. before its elastic resistance is exhausted. This is a very common situation and can be aggravated if additional factors are not taken into account. These factors include the type of surface preparation, the exposure to aggressive environmental action, the tensile concrete strength or fatigue and creep loading to which the structural element may be subject. An experimental programme based on double shear tests was undertaken to analyse the influence of some of these factors on the performance of the interface between composite glass fibres (GFRP) and concrete. The results allowed the determination and comparison of maximum loads transmitted to the GFRP plates and maximum bond stresses obtained considering various surface treatments and aging conditions. Bond–slip curves were also determined. The experimental results are compared with those obtained from a numerical analysis.

A new model based on Finite Fracture Mechanics (FFMs) has been proposed to predict the open-hole tensile strength of composite laminates [1]. Failure is predicted when bothstress-based and energy-based criteria are satisfied. This model is based on an analytical solution, and no empirical adjusting parameters are required, but only two material properties: the unnotched strength and the fracture toughness. In the present work, an extension of the proposed FFMs model to predict the notched response of composite laminates with notch geometries other than a circular opening [2] is presented and applied to the prediction of size effects on the tensile and compressive notched strength of composite laminates. The present model is also used to assess the notch sensitivity and brittleness of composite laminates by means of versatile design charts and by the identification of a dimensionless parameter designated as notch sensitivity factor. A further extension of the FFMs model is proposed, which takes into account the crack resistance curve of the laminate in the model's formulation, and it is used to predict the large damage capability of a non-crimp fabric thin-ply laminate [3].

This paper shows that every Plactic algebra of finite rank admits a finite Gröbner--Shirshov basis. The result is proved by using the combinatorial properties of Young tableaux to construct a finite complete rewriting system for the corresponding Plactic monoid, which also yields the corollaries that Plactic monoids of finite rank have finite derivation type and satisfy the homological finiteness properties left and right $\mathrm{FP}_\infty$. Also, answering a question of Zelmanov, we apply this rewriting system and other techniques to show that Plactic monoids of finite rank are biautomatic.

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Abstract Direct identification of cohesive laws in modes I and İI\} of wood bonded joints is addressed by the double cantilever beam (DCB) and end-notched flexure (ENF) tests, respectively. Moreover, the development and extension of fracture process zone (FPZ) ahead of the initial crack tip, is analysed by means of digital image correlation (DIC) and embedded fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. From \{FBG\} spectral response, the spectrum geometric mean is determined and the strain induced by wavelength variation employed to identify the initial and final stages of the FPZ. These stages are used to consistently define the cohesive laws in both modes I and II. Resistance-curves are determined from the compliance-based beam method (CBBM). Besides, the crack tip opening displacements (CTOD) are determined by post-processing displacement field provided by \{DIC\} around the initial crack tip. The strain energy release rate as a function of the \{CTOD\} are then determined for both mode I and mode II. The respective cohesive laws are reconstructed by numerical approximation and differentiation. It is concluded that the proposed data reduction scheme is effective to determine both the \{FPZ\} development phase and the corresponding cohesive laws of wood bonded joints in both mode I and mode II.

Software Transactional Memory algorithms associate metadata with the memory locations accessed during a transactions lifetime. This metadata may be stored in an external table and accessed by way of a function that maps the address of each memory location with the table entry that keeps its metadata (this is the out-place or external scheme); or alternatively may be stored adjacent to the associated memory cell by wrapping them together (the in-place scheme). In transactional memory multi-version algorithms, several versions of the same memory location may exist. The efficient implementation of these algorithms requires a one-to-one correspondence between each memory location and its list of past versions, which is stored as metadata. In this chapter we address the matter of the efficient implementation of multi-version algorithms in Java by proposing and evaluating a novel in-place metadata scheme for the Deuce framework. This new scheme is based in Java Bytecode transformation techniques and its use requires no changes to the application code. Experimentation indicates that multi-versioning STM algorithms implemented using our new in-place scheme are in average 6 × faster than when implemented with the out-place scheme.

Let \(\alpha\) and \(\beta\) be orientation-preserving diffeomorphism (shifts) of \(\mathbb{R}_+=(0,\infty)\) onto itself with the only fixed points \(0\) and \(\infty\), where the derivatives \(\alpha'\) and \(\beta'\) may have discontinuities of slowly oscillating type at \(0\) and \(\infty\). For \(p\in(1,\infty)\), we consider the weighted shift operators \(U_\alpha\) and \(U_\beta\) given on the Lebesgue space \(L^p(\mathbb{R}_+)\) by \(U_\alpha f=(\alpha')^{1/p}(f\circ\alpha)\) and \(U_\beta f=(\beta')^{1/p}(f\circ\beta)\). For \(i,j\in\mathbb{Z}\) we study the simplest weighted singular integral operators with two shifts \(A_{ij}=U_\alpha^i P_\gamma^++U_\beta^j P_\gamma^-\) on \(L^p(\mathbb{R}_+)\), where \(P_\gamma^\pm=(I\pm S_\gamma)/2\) are operators associated to the weighted Cauchy singular integral operator \[ (S_\gamma f)(t)=\frac{1}{\pi i}\int_{\mathbb{R}_+} \left(\frac{t}{\tau}\right)^\gamma\frac{f(\tau)}{\tau-t}d\tau \] with \(\gamma\in\mathbb{C}\) satisfying \(0<1/p+\Re\gamma<1\). We prove that the operator \(A_{ij}\) is a Fredholm operator on \(L^p(\mathbb{R}_+)\) and has zero index if \[ 0<\frac{1}{p}+\Re\gamma+\frac{1}{2\pi}\inf_{t\in\mathbb{R}_+}(\omega_{ij}(t)\Im\gamma), \quad \frac{1}{p}+\Re\gamma+\frac{1}{2\pi}\sup_{t\in\mathbb{R}_+}(\omega_{ij}(t)\Im\gamma)<1, \] where \(\omega_{ij}(t)=\log[\alpha_i(\beta_{-j}(t))/t]\) and \(\alpha_i\), \(\beta_{-j}\) are iterations of \(\alpha\), \(\beta\). This statement extends an earlier result obtained by the author, Yuri Karlovich, and Amarino Lebre for \(\gamma=0\).

A miniaturized version of the double cantilever beam (DCB) test is used to determine the fracture energy in human cortical bone under pure mode I loading. An equivalent crack length based data-reduction scheme is used with remarkable advantages relative to classical methods. Digital image correlation (DIC) technique is employed to determine crack opening displacement at the crack tip being correlated with the evolution of fracture energy. A method is presented to obtain the cohesive law (trapezoidal bilinear softening) mimicking the mechanical behavior observed in bone. Cohesive zone modeling (CZM) (finite-element method) was performed to validate the procedure showing excellent agreement.

In 1994 fib Commission 6: Prefabrication edited a successful Planning and Design Handbook that ran to approximately 45,000 copies and was published in Spanish and German.Nearly 20 years later Bulletin 74 brings that first publication up to date. It offers a synthesis of the latest structural design knowledge about precast building structures against the background of 21st century technological innovations in materials, production and construction. With it, we hope to help architects and engineers achieve a full understanding of precast concrete building structures, the possibilities they offer and their specific design philosophy. It was principally written for non-seismic structures.

The handbook contains eleven chapters, each dealing with a specific aspect of precast building structures.
The first chapter of the handbook highlights best practice opportunities that will enable architects, design engineers and contractors to work together towards finding efficient solutions, which is something unique to precast concrete buildings.
The second chapter offers basic design recommendations that take into account the possibilities, restrictions and advantages of precast concrete, along with its detailing, manufacture, transport, erection and serviceability stages.
Chapter three describes the precast solutions for the most common types of buildings such as offices, sports stadiums, residential buildings, hotels, industrial warehouses and car parks. Different application possibilities are explored to teach us which types of precast units are commonly used in all those situations.
Chapter four covers the basic design principles and systems related to stability. Precast concrete structures should be designed according to a specific stability concept, unlike cast in-situ structures.
Chapter five discusses structural connections.
Chapters six to nine address the four most commonly used systems or subsystems of precast concrete in buildings, namely, portal and skeletal structures, wall-frame structures, floor and roof structures and architectural concrete facades.
In chapter ten the design and detailing of a number of specific construction details in precast elements are discussed, for example, supports, corbels, openings and cutouts in the units, special features related to the detailing of the reinforcement, and so forth.
Chapter eleven gives guidelines for the fire design of precast concrete structures. The handbook concludes with a list of references to good literature on precast concrete construction.