Use of Simulation Methods of Wave Processes for Non-Destructive Testing of Concrete Products of Different Geometrical Size

Theoretical and experimental research of electrical responses under pulsed mechanical excitation of different size concrete products was carried out. Comparison of calculated and experimental data shows very close agreement. The obtained results will help to develop new opportunities to improve the method of non-destructive testing of concrete by creating a bank of calculated electrical responses from products of different geometrical arrangement and elastic response and using them as standard samples for defectiveness evaluation of products according to previously established criteria

The Relationship Between the Parameters of the Electric and the Acoustic Signal with the Destruction of Concrete Under Cyclic Freeze-Thaw

The paper presents the research results of the effect of formation crack process on the parameters of the electric and acoustic response to impact excitation. The physical basis of mechanoelectric transformations is described. It was found that with increasing number of freeze-thaw cycles observed increase of the attenuation coefficient of energy of the electric and acoustic response by a linear relationship. Differences in the dynamics of change of attenuation coefficient of energy of the electric and acoustic response associated with differences in formation and registration of electric and acoustic response

Generalizing movements with information-theoretic stochastic optimal control

Stochastic optimal control is typically used to plan a movement for a specific situation. Although most stochastic optimal control methods fail to generalize this movement plan to a new situation without replanning, a stochastic optimal control method is presented that allows reuse of the obtained policy in a new situation, as the policy is more robust to slight deviations from the initial movement plan. To improve the robustness of the policy, we employ information-theoretic policy updates that explicitly operate on trajectory distributions instead of single trajectories. To ensure a stable and smooth policy update, the ”distance” is limited between the trajectory distributions of the old and the new control policies. The introduced bound offers a closed-form solution for the resulting policy and extends results from recent developments in stochastic optimal control. In contrast to many standard stochastic optimal control algorithms, the current approach can directly infer the system dynamics from data points, and hence can also be used for model-based reinforcement learning. This paper represents an extension of the paper by Lioutikov et al. (“Sample-Based Information-Theoretic Stochastic Optimal Control,” Proceedings of 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, 2014, pp. 3896–3902). In addition to revisiting the content, an extensive theoretical comparison is presented of the approach with related work, additional aspects of the implementation are discussed, and further evaluations are introduced

Teachers' classroom feedback: still trying to get it right

This article examines feedback traditionally given by teachers in schools. Such feedback tends to focus on children's acquisition and retrieval of externally prescribed knowledge which is then assessed against mandated tests. It suggests that, from a sociocultural learning perspective, feedback directed towards such objectives may limit children's social development. In this article, I draw on observation and interview data gathered from a group of 27 9- to 10-year olds in a UK primary school. These data illustrate the children's perceived need to conform to, rather than negotiate, the teacher's feedback comments. They highlight the children's sense that the teacher's feedback relates to school learning but not to their own interests. The article also includes alternative examples of feedback which draw on children's own inquiries and which relate to the social contexts within which, and for whom, they act. It concludes by suggesting that instead of looking for the right answer to the question of what makes teachers' feedback effective in our current classrooms, a more productive question might be how a negotiation can be opened up among teachers and learners themselves, about how teachers' feedback could support children's learning most appropriately

Cymantrene–Triazole "Click" Products: Structural Characterization and Electrochemical Properties

We report the first known examples of triazole-derivatized cymantrene complexes (η5-[4-substituted triazol-1-yl]cyclopentadienyl)tricarbonylmanganese(I), obtained via a “click” chemical synthesis, bearing a phenyl, 3-aminophenyl, or 4-aminophenyl moiety at the 4-position of the triazole ring. Structural characterization data using multinuclear NMR, UV–vis, ATR-IR, and mass spectrometric methods are provided, as well as crystallographic data for (η5-[4-phenyltriazol-1-yl]cyclopentadienyl)tricarbonylmanganese(I) and (η5-[4-(3-aminophenyl)triazol-1-yl]cyclopentadienyl)tricarbonylmanganese(I). Cyclic voltammetric characterization of the redox behavior of each of the three cymantrene–triazole complexes is presented together with digital simulations, in situ infrared spectroelectrochemistry, and DFT calculations to extract the associated kinetic and thermodynamic parameters. The trypanocidal activity of each cymantrene–triazole complex is also examined, and these complexes are found to be more active than cymantrene alone

Magnetic phase diagram of cubic perovskites SrMn_1-xFe_xO_3

We combine the results of magnetic and transport measurements with Mossbauer spectroscopy and room-temperature diffraction data to construct the magnetic phase diagram of the new family of cubic perovskite manganites SrMn_1-xFe_xO_3. We have found antiferromagnetic ordering for lightly and heavily Fe-substituted material, while intermediate substitution leads to spin-glass behavior. Near the SrMn_0.5Fe_0.5O_3 composition these two types of ordering are found to coexist and affect one another. The spin glass behavior may be caused by competing ferro- and antiferromagnetic interactions among Mn^4+ and observed Fe^3+ and Fe^5+ ions.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figures, revtex, accepted to Phys. Rev.

Tourism policy and destination marketing in developing countries: the chain of influence

Tourism marketers including destination marketing organisations (DMOs) and international tour operators play a pivotal role in destination marketing, especially in creating destination images. These images, apparent in tourist brochures, are designed to influence tourist decision-making and behaviour. This paper proposes the concept of a “chain of influence” in destination marketing and image-making, suggesting that the content of marketing materials is influenced by the priorities of those who design these materials, e.g. tour operators and DMOs. A content analysis of 2,000 pictures from DMO and tour operator brochures revealed synergies and divergence between these marketers. The brochure content was then compared to the South African tourism policy, concluding that the dominant factor in the chain of influence in the South African context is in fact its organic image

Unanswered Prayers: A Study of Apologia for God in the Matter of Prayer

Many Christian writers and thinkers take up the vexing issue of unanswered prayer and thereby use various rhetorical strategies to address the intersection of pertinent teaching about prayer, and the disjunctive, problematic life experiences concerning the experience of unanswered prayer. Our investigation uses the ancient rhetorical genre of apologia as a lens to better understand the tactics and stances taken up by those who seek to guide members of faith communities toward reconciliation between perceived biblical teaching and actual life experiences concerning unanswered prayer. Our study incorporates an analysis of both the formal and conceptual strategies utilized by rhetors who seek to repair, or account for, breaches in lived-faith and understood teaching by religious communities through investigation of representative contemporary rhetors who address prayer