Special Joint Research Articles

Development of the Joints for ITER Central Solenoid

The ITER Central Solenoid has 36 interpancake joints and 12 bus joints in the magnet. The joints are required to have resistance below 4 nOhm at 45 kA at 4.5 K. The interpancake joints will have to withstand a significant cyclic tensile strain during ITER operation. The joints are located at the OD of the magnet embedded in the winding pack and therefore need to be compliant with the rest of the winding pack to avoid excessive stress. The US ITER Project Office is carrying out a program for joints development in order to establish fabrication process and also characterize electrical and mechanical performance of the joints in a special Joint Test Apparatus. Status of the joint development and test results are presented and discussed in the paper.

Global research partnering by the Korean Academy of Marketing Science and Society for Marketing Advances

This special joint issue of the Journal of Business Research contains twelve articles that were originally presented at 2009 SMA–KAMS symposium in the SMA Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. The following twelve articles are a result of partnerships between KAMS and SMA members working together to create successful research collaborations. Topics in this special issue range from lifestyle research to several technological studies to an examination of marketing's role in today's organizations. This article includes a discussion of contributions to the marketing literature.

Integrated EUA and CER Price Modeling and Application for Spread Option Pricing

In this paper we propose a market consistent futures price dynamics model for cap-and trade schemes, designed in the spirit of the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Historical price dynamics for the EU ETS suggest that, both, European emission Allowances (EUAs) and Certified Emission Reductions (CERs), certificates which are generated through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) - a non-domestic offset mechanism - are significantly related. We use an equilibrium framework to demonstrate that compliance regulation singles out special joint futures price dynamics. Based on this result we propose an arbitrage free futures price model and apply it to the pricing of spread options between EUAs and CERs.

Aggregate Quasi Rents and Auditor Independence: Evidence from Audit Firm Mergers in China*

2008 American Accounting Association Annual Meeting in Anaheim, the 2009 Contemporary Accounting Research/Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics Special Joint Symposium, and workshops at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Shanghai University of Finance and Economics for their helpful comments

Tubular structures in China: state of the art and applications

Tubular structures have been widely used in China owing to their excellent structural performance and attractive appearance, along with the rapid economic development and great events including the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai EXPO. This paper presents the state of the art and applications of tubular structures in China in recent years. Apart from bridges, tubular structures are also commonly seen in spatial structures, high-rise buildings and transmission towers. Applications of tubular structures in these landmark buildings, such as the National Stadium ‘Bird's Nest' and the National Aquatics Center ‘Water Cube' are illustrated, focusing on the specific characteristics of each tubular structure. With the booming usage of tubular structures, considerable experiment-based research has been carried out in China. The latest developments of research on tubular joints in China are reviewed, along with the practical applications. Emphasis is placed on the static strength, non-rigid behaviour and seismic performance of special tubular joints. Based on results obtained from both research and practical applications, Chinese technical specifications for the design of tubular structures are established and also briefly introduced.

Ballistic movements of jumping legs implemented as variable components of cricket behaviour

Ballistic accelerations of a limb or the whole body require special joint mechanisms in many animals. Specialized joints can be moved by stereotypic or variable motor control during motor patterns with and without ballistic components. As a model of variable motor control, the specialized femur-tibia (knee) joints of cricket (Acheta domesticus) hindlegs were studied during ballistic kicking, jumping and swimming and in non-ballistic walking. In this joint the tendons of the antagonistic flexor and the extensor muscles attach at different distances from the pivot and the opposed lever arms form an angle of 120 deg. A 10:1 ratio of their effective lever arms at full knee flexion helps to prepare for most ballistic extensions: the tension of the extensor can reach its peak while it is restrained by flexor co-contraction. In kicks, preparatory flexion is rapid and the co-contraction terminates just before knee extensions. Therefore, mainly the stored tension of the extensor muscle accelerates the small mass of the tibia. Jumps are prepared with slower extensor-flexor co-contractions that flex both knees simultaneously and then halt to rotate both legs outward to a near horizontal level. From there, catapult extension of both knees accelerates the body, supported by continued high frequency motor activity to their tibia extensor muscles during the ongoing push-off from the substrate. Premature extension of one knee instantly takes load from the lagging leg that extends and catches up, which finally results in a straight jump. In swimming, synchronous ballistic power strokes of both hindlegs drive the tibiae on a ventral-to-posterior trajectory through the water, well coordinated with the swimming patterns of all legs. In walking, running and climbing the steps of the hindlegs range between 45 deg flexion and 125 deg extension and use non-ballistic, alternating activity of knee flexor and extensor muscles. Steep climbing requires longer bursts from the extensor tibiae muscles when they support the extended hindlegs against gravity forces when the body hangs over. All ballistic movements of cricket knees are elicited by a basic but variable motor pattern: knee flexions by co-contraction of the antagonists prepare catapult extensions with speeds and forces as required in the different behaviours.

Brief to the Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on Divorce

Brief to the Special Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Commons on Divorce

Refixation of Tibial Bony Avulsions of the Posterior Cruciate Ligament with a Hook Plate

Posteromedial approach to the knee. Exact reduction and fixation of avulsed tibial attachment of posterior cruciate ligament with small-fragment plate. Avulsed tibial attachment of posterior cruciate ligament. Ligamentous rupture of the posterior cruciate ligament. Local soft-tissue problems. Posteromedial approach with mobilization and retraction of the medial gastrocnemius muscle. Subperiosteal detachment of the popliteal muscle. Identification of fracture site. Longitudinal incision of the posterior capsule of the knee. Debridement of the fracture site, reposition and stabilization with small-fragment plate. Partial weight bearing with 15 kg for 6 weeks, limitation of knee flexion to 90° for 6 weeks. A special joint orthesis is not necessary. The use of an EMT unit is recommended to prevent muscular atrophy. Six patients (four female, two male) with avulsed tibial attachment of posterior cruciate ligament were treated using the posteromedial approach.

Medical therapy of diabetic foot infections

Diabetic foot infections are a common and often serious problem, accounting for a greater number of hospital bed days than any other complication of diabetes. Despite advances in both antibiotic therapy and surgical management, these infections continue to be a major risk factor for amputations of the lower extremity. Although a number of wound size and depth classification systems have been adapted for use in codifying diabetic foot ulcerations, none are specific for infection. In 2003, the International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot developed guidelines for managing diabetic foot infections, including the first severity scale specific for these infections. The following year, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) published their Diabetic Foot Infection Guidelines. In this article, we review some of the critical points from the Executive Summary of the IDSA document and provide a commentary following each issue to update the reader on any pertinent changes that have occurred since the publication of the original document in 2004. The importance of a multidisciplinary limb salvage team, apropos this special joint issue of the American Podiatric Medical Association and the Society for Vascular Surgery, cannot be overstated.

A New Six-axis Load Cell. Part I: Design

A new high precision six-axis load cell is presented in two companion papers. The first paper (this one) is focused on the presentation of the load cell, the conceptual design, the modelling and the embodiment design. The second paper refers to the error analysis, the construction and the experimental assessment of the performances. The new load cell is able to measure the three components of both a force and a moment acting on the load cell itself. The sensing structural element of the six-axis load cell is basically a three spoke structure. Strain gauges are conveniently located on highly stressed areas. The sensing structural element is constrained to the frame of the load cell by means of special joints conceived to avoid friction. The mechanical behaviour of the load cell is described by means of analytical equations that allow a quick preliminary design focused on the given technical specifications. A finite element model has been used to asses the mechanical behaviour of the load cell.

Three-dimensional volume rendering of temporo mandibular joint living

In this study, we conducted a morphological analysis of the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ), a highly specialized synovial joint that permits movement and function of the mammalian jaw. We studied the (TMJ) anatomy, directly on the living, from 3D images obtained by medical imaging Computed Tomography (CT) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) acquisition, and subsequent re-engineering techniques 3D Surface Rendering and Volume Rendering. Moreover, by same method, and after elaboration of the data through post-processing, the arterial supply of temporomandibular joint was also studied. The analysis revealed that the lateral and medial temporomandibular joints are at increased risk during soft-tissue procedures such as an elective arthroplasty of temporomandibular joint. Besides, it was possible to reproduce anatomy of the skeletal structures, as well as through acquisitions of MRI, it was possible to visualize the muscular, ligamentous and tendinous components of the articular complex and also the capsule and the fibrous cartilaginous disc. We managed the Surface Rendering and Volume Rendering not only to obtain three-dimensional images for colour and for resolution comparable to the usual anatomical preparations, but also a considerable number of anatomical more minutes detail, zooming, rotating and cutting the same images our linking, graduating from time to time the colour, transparency and opacity.

Development of Stage Temperature Control for Vacuum Lithography Tool

It has become a recent trend to apply a special environment into a lithography tool, for instance, immersion, EPL (Electron beam Projection Lithography) and EUVL (Extreme Ultra Violet Lithography) in order to exposure less than 22nm line and space at semiconductor industry field. For a cooling system that a heater is surrounded by metal can and a coolant is supplied into the can by using movable tubes, not only flexibility, damping, durability, particle protection and anti-liquid, etc, but also pressure-resistance, low outgasing and low leak from connections, etc might be strongly taken into account for vacuum lithography. Especially, because a coolant leak is very critical for EUVL in which a partial pressure of several molecular is strictly restricted, a special tube and joint have to be required in the case of liquid cooling system. On the other hand, a gas cooling can be one candidate because of a lower leak damage, however it is necessary to compensate its low cooling efficiency of gas system by using temperature feedback control. In this paper, two guide lines of a cooling mechanism for wafer and mask stage of vacuum compatible tool, a liquid cooling and gas cooling system are introduced.

English

Airframe applications of composite material structures have been investigated for a number of years. With the availability of advanced fibrous reinforcements of high specific strengths and moduli, airframe weight reductions of about 40 percent were frequently predicted. However, as actual development programs were completed it became apparent that weight savings from increased strength and stiffness could be easily offset by weight losses resulting from inefficient joining of these materials. Eliminating structural joints and cutouts (which are special joint cases if stressed covers are used) is impractical in present-day aircraft because of the requirements for manufacturing breaks, assembly and equipment access, and replacement of damaged structures. Optimum joint proportions have evolved from essentially invariant relationships between tension, shear, and bearing strengths (and moduli) of structural metals. Because of the fundamental differences in properties caused by the anisotropy and inhomogeneity of composites, design policies that were evolved for metal joints cannot be applied directly to composites. The basic strength and modulus relationships on which metal joint technology is based are variables in the composite structural design process. Thus, the design of optimum joints in reinforced composites must start in the selection and arrangement of the basic material constituents. The objective of this project is to create a 3D spacer fabric composite by simple hand layup technique and conduct mechanical tests on them by joining them in different methods. Thus, to find the joint that gives the highest strength. Also, to evaluate the failure modes of the specimens and predict the best joint configuration for the material under consideration. Three methods are followed for achieving viz. Mathematical method, Analytical Method and Experimental Method.

Surface rupture and hazard characteristics of the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 earthquake, Sichuan, China

Longmen Shan is located the special joint be-tween Tibetan Plateau inland in the west and Yangtze craton in the east. Consisting of a se-ries of parallel imbricated thrust, it develops, from the west to the east, the Maoxian- Wenchuan, Beichuan-Yingxiu and Pengxian- ﹡This research was supported by China National Natural Science Foundation grant 40841010, 40972083 and China National Science and Technology supporting Plan Foundation grant 2006BAC13B02-07, 2006BAC13B01-604. Guanxian faults. The Wenchuan earthquake is a thrust with strike-slip type, and thre surface ruptures are located on the Beichuan-Yingxiu fault zone and Pengxian-Guanxian fault zone. The surface rupture on the Beichuan-Yingxiu fault shows the thrust and dextral slip charac-teristic. The maximum vertical displacement of the surface rupture is about 10.3 m and the maxi-mum right-lateral displacement is about 5.85m. Though the vertical displacements and the hori-zontal displacements in the different segments have certain differences, as a whole, the ratio of the vertical displacement and the horizontal dis-placement is close to 1:1. The surface rupture on the Pengxian-Guanxian fault shows thrust and dextral characteristic. The rates of vertical dis-placements and the horizontal displacements ones on the most other segments are between 1:3 and 1:2. So the Beichuan- Yingxiu fault is a dextral-slip and thrust fault and the average ver-tical displacement is equal to the average hori-zontal displacement, while the Pengxian- Guan xian fault is thrust fault with a little dextral-slip component. The total intensity area above Ⅵ de-gree of the Wenchuan earthquake is about 333000 km2. The high earthquake intensity line stretches to N40-50°E along Longmen Shan tectonic belt. The rate of the long axis and the minor is betw- een 8:1 and 10:1. Three Ⅺ intensity regions are isolated in distribution. It presents a multipoint instantaneous characteristic of the rupture.

Surface Rupture and Hazard of Wenchuan Ms 8.0 Earthquake, Sichuan, China

Longmen Shan is located the special joint between the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in the west and the Yangtze craton in the east. Consisting of a series of parallel imbricated thrust, it develops, from the west to the east, the Maoxian-Wenchuan, Yingxiu-Beichuan and Pengxian-Guanxian faults. Wenchuan Ms 8.0 earthquake is a thrust with strike-slip type, and surface ruptures are located in Yingxiu-Beichuan fault zone and Peng- xian-Guanxian fault zone. Based on the geological background, tectonic setting, the active tectonics of Long- men Shan and surface ruptures of the Wenchuan earthquake, a dynamical model to illustrate possible links between surface processes and upward extrusion of lower crustal flow channel at the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau have been studied, and the results is the material in lower crust in the Longmen Shan moving as nearly-vertical extrusion and uplift, resulting in the surface rate of tectonic movement differing according to depth rate as well as the occurrence of large shallow Wenchuan earthquake.

Temporomandibular joint formation requires two distinct hedgehog-dependent steps

We conducted a genetic analysis of the developing temporo-mandibular or temporomandi-bular joint (TMJ), a highly specialized synovial joint that permits movement and function of the mammalian jaw. First, we used laser capture microdissection to perform a genome-wide expression analysis of each of its developing components. The expression patterns of genes identified in this screen were examined in the TMJ and compared with those of other synovial joints, including the shoulder and the hip joints. Striking differences were noted, indicating that the TMJ forms via a distinct molecular program. Several components of the hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway are among the genes identified in the screen, including Gli2, which is expressed specifically in the condyle and in the disk of the developing TMJ. We found that mice deficient in Gli2 display aberrant TMJ development such that the condyle loses its growth-plate-like cellular organization and no disk is formed. In addition, we used a conditional strategy to remove Smo, a positive effector of the Hh signaling pathway, from chondrocyte progenitors. This cell autonomous loss of Hh signaling allows for disk formation, but the resulting structure fails to separate from the condyle. Thus, these experiments establish that Hh signaling acts at two distinct steps in disk morphogenesis, condyle initiation, and disk-condyle separation and provide a molecular framework for future studies of the TMJ.

Investigation of stress–strain behavior of single walled carbon nanotube/rubber composites by a multi-scale finite element method

The excellent properties of carbon nanotubes have generated technological interests in the development of nanotube/rubber composites. This paper describes a finite element formulation that is appropriate for the numerical prediction of the mechanical behavior of rubber-like materials which are reinforced with single walled carbon nanotubes. The considered composite material consists of continuous aligned single walled carbon nanotubes which are uniformly distributed within the rubber material. It is assumed that the carbon nanotubes are imperfectly bonded with the matrix. Based on the micromechanical theory, the mechanical behavior of the composite may be predicted by utilizing a representative volume element. Within the representative volume element, the reinforcement is modeled according to its atomistic microstructure. Therefore, non-linear spring-based line elements are employed to simulate the discrete geometrical structure and behavior of the single-walled carbon nanotube. On the other hand, the matrix is modeled as a continuum medium by utilizing solid elements. In order to describe its behavior an appropriate constitutive material model is adopted. Finally, the interfacial region is simulated via the use of special joint elements of variable stiffness which interconnect the two materials in a discrete manner. Using the proposed multi-scale model, the stress–strain behavior for various values of reinforcement volume fraction and interfacial stiffness is extracted. The influence of the single walled carbon nanotube addition within the rubber is clearly illustrated and discussed.

Model test and numerical analysis of a special joint for a truss bridge

This paper presents a study on the mechanical behaviours of a special joint between a rigid suspension cable and a truss girder in a rigid suspension stiffened steel truss bridge. Both a model test and a numerical finite element analysis (FEA) have been conducted, and relevant information about the models used, loading procedure and test scheme is presented. The model test shows that the maximum stress in the joint is less than the material allowable stress and the maximal stress induced from the secondary moment accounts for about 30% of the total stress. A three-dimensional finite element model is used in the numerical analysis and the results are in very good agreement with those of the model test. This study shows that the design of the special joint is reasonable and the structure safe. It is also expected that the results presented in this paper would be useful as references for future research and design of rigid suspension stiffened steel truss bridges and joints.

Coupled hydromechanical modeling to study the integrity and safety of geological storage of CO2

Abstract The present study provides a set of numerical tools for modeling the geomechanical aspects related to the safety of geological CO2 storage, namely, caprock damage and fault reactivitation due to reservoir pressure rise. Large scale finite element models are used to describe the injection process. The change of the effective stress field is investigated. Different cracking mechanisms are considered to examine the caprock integrity for high injection rates and different initial in situ stress conditions. Last, a special hydromechanical joint element is presented to model the response of the faults / fractures affected by the pressure build-up in the reservoir.

RILEM TC190-SBJ: development of recommendations on novel durability test methods for wet-applied curtain-wall sealants

The paper discusses the work carried out over the past 7 years within RILEM Technical Committee 190-SBJ Service Life Prediction of Sealed Building and Construction Joints towards the development of RILEM Technical Recommendations (RTR) on durability test methods for wet-applied (gun-grade) curtain-wall sealants. This paper is published along with the two draft RTR methods to provide some insight into the discussions within the committee during the development and early evaluation of both methods. The two draft RTR methods define test and evaluation protocols for accelerated artificial weathering and natural outdoor weathering. Both draft RTR methods are based on a novel test specimen configuration that allows simultaneous exposure of the sealant to compression and extension during movement cycles. Because of the special test joint configuration, the sealant is exposed to variable extension and compression amplitudes along the joint axis, allowing an evaluation of the effect of different movement amplitudes on the sealant when taking weatherability considerations into account. The results of the initial evaluations indicate that the test methods are capable of differentiating between products with regard to their resistance to accelerated or outdoor weathering and mechanical cycling. The type of failure and the changes in surface appearance observed during the test regimes are similar to those observed in actual service conditions. It is hoped that exposure studies based on these two new RTR methods will provide the underpinnings for the development of future ISO and ASTM durability test standards for building sealants.