The increased amount of traffic combined with higher traffic loads leads to many existing bridges needing strengthening in the future to ensure their expected lifespan. This means the bridge owners will be focusing more on strengthening projects and smart solutions will be crucial for preserving a healthy bridge stock. When strengthening existing non-composite bridges (with steel girder and concrete deck) one potential method is to achieve composite action by installing shear connectors. The post-installed shear connectors prevent slip between the steel girders and the concrete. The composite action will reduce bending stresses and deflection of the bridge, due to the increase in moment of inertia and relocation of the neutral axis. Different types of shear connectors can be used for achieving composite action and each type of connector has its own installation method. The biggest distinction between the methods is how the connectors gain access to the steel girder for installation and what technique is used when installing them. This thesis presents the theory behind composite action, the current methods used for achieving composite action on existing bridges and to what extent a bridge can be strengthened by composite action. The thesis also provides a status of the existing road bridge stock around the world. The four case studies examined in this thesis have used different post-installed shear connectors to manage different strengthening problems like weight restriction, fatigue life of shear connectors and a unique problem on the Pitsund Bridge where loud bangs appeared from the bridge when truck passed in the morning. For the case study on the Pitsund Bridge an interview was conducted that explains the entire procedure of the project, from the noise problem to how the installation of coiled spring pins was performed. The bridge over Lule River at Akkatsfallen consists of two steel girders and a concrete deck. This bridge is chosen as a real case study to determine to what extent a bridge can increase its capacity by achieving composite action. The calculations are performed in accordance with the Eurocodes on both non- and full-composite action and the result is compared to the other case studies.

The thesis deals with the issue of connectors in contemporary French. The first part offers an outline of different approaches to the term connector/connecteur within Czech and Francophone linguistics. Based on the description and comparison of individual authors' approaches classified by the theoretical aspects applied, this part explains functioning of connectors not only within the logical semantic coherence relations, but also within the hierarchisation of utterance content considering the pragmatic dimension of the text. The second part of the thesis defines the term "connector" with respect to the approaches introduced above. The third part of the work deals with the characteristics and function of concessive connectors. It is based on defining the concessive relations, it describes their different aspects of meaning conditioning the relations classification within logical semantic relations in Czech and French and offers a list of linguistic means to express them and at the same time, it stresses the complex functional character of the connectors.

Forging operation is one of the most commonly used manufacturing techniques in defense industry. The products of forging operation have higher material strength when comparing to traditional manufacturing operations. Especially, for the mass production, it is a beneficial method considering metal and cost saving. The commonly used part named Fin Connector Rod in defense industry requires high material strength due to working conditions. In this thesis, manufacturing of this part by hot forging operation is accomplished after analyzing by using the finite element method. Two alternative forging processes are compared and the applicable alternative method is selected by using a finite element program. Dies are designed for applied processes. The stress distribution and the current temperature variation within the parts analyzed to evaluate the results. The fin connector rod is manufactured according to the results of the finite element analysis. It has been observed that, manufacturing of the fin connector rod by hot forging is succeeded and the waste material and cost is reduced when compared to the machining operation which is being used currently.

Further distribution of all or part of this report is subject to the Distribution Statement appearing on the front cover. / One of the global security challenges the United States faces is disaster coupled with political instability. The U.S. Military‘s ability to rapidly respond to disasters enhances regional and global security and stability. Foreign Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (FHA/DR), increasingly a mission that relies on a significant military component, focuses on the provision of goods and services such as health care, supplies necessary for survival, and infrastructure repair, with the goal of reducing the immediate human suffering. The disaster in this project‘s scenario is catastrophic flooding that occurs in one of Africa‘s most populated and wealthiest countries that threatens the stability and development of West Africa. This project, employing a systems engineering methodology, focuses on the 60 days after the disaster and the requirements to provide this assistance in the form of goods and services. Many system-of-systems architectures were developed to investigate the effectiveness of utilizing a Seabase for the primary delivery of aid. Two simulation tools, SimKit, and STELLA, were used to model and examine these architectures with the former addressing the delivery and throughput concerns while the latter focused on the satisfaction of the population and the limitation of criminal activity. Based on the results of modeling, the team provided recommendations relative to the most effective architectures in influencing the population of this coastal area as well as accomplishing the FHA/DR mission.

Recently more and more buildings of light structures have been built in Lithuania as well as in other European and world countries. Nevertheless, timber products are not widely used for floors in this share of construction market. Traditional light timber frame floors are characterized by vibrations, acoustic transmission and low fire resistance. The above-mentioned problems can be rationally solved by using timber-concrete composite (hereinafter TCC) floors. In comparison with entirely timber floors such type of floors are characterised not only by increased strength and stiffness but also by increased fire resistance and better sound insulation. In comparison with reinforced concrete floors manufactured of non-regenerative sources TCC floors are lighter and more economic. These characteristics stimulate usage of TCC floors in newly built buildings. It should also be noted that usage of timber in building structures instead of concrete or steel could substantially decrease energy demand and emission of carbon dioxide during production. In this work author presents TCC structural solution when thin-webbed beams (I-joists) used for timber floor beams instead of solid or glued rectangular beams. Thin-webbed beams are without upper flange of structural timber. Embedding in concrete a part of web of oriented strand board (hereinafter OSB) connects the OSB web and the concrete slab. This concept allows to save structural materials and production costs. Nevertheless, not so many... [to full text]

Recently more and more buildings of light structures have been built in Lithuania as well as in other European and world countries. Nevertheless, timber products are not widely used for floors in this share of construction market. Traditional light timber frame floors are characterized by vibrations, acoustic transmission and low fire resistance. The above-mentioned problems can be rationally solved by using timber-concrete composite (hereinafter TCC) floors. In comparison with entirely timber floors such type of floors are characterised not only by increased strength and stiffness but also by increased fire resistance and better sound insulation. In comparison with reinforced concrete floors manufactured of non-regenerative sources TCC floors are lighter and more economic. These characteristics stimulate usage of TCC floors in newly built buildings. It should also be noted that usage of timber in building structures instead of concrete or steel could substantially decrease energy demand and emission of carbon dioxide during production. In this work author presents TCC structural solution when thin-webbed beams (I-joists) used for timber floor beams instead of solid or glued rectangular beams. Thin-webbed beams are without upper flange of structural timber. Embedding in concrete a part of web of oriented strand board (hereinafter OSB) connects the OSB web and the concrete slab. This concept allows to save structural materials and production costs. Nevertheless, not so many... [to full text]

全球電子產業發展日趨快速，產值日益增加，連接器亦屬於電子產品中的關鍵零組件，台灣連接器產業中，產品範疇廣大、種類繁多，各家公司規模大小差距甚大，各自發展屬於自己的利基型市場，經營模式也大不相同。所以，此研究將以電子連接器產業為研究調查之對象，以個案公司為例，利用SWOT分析法，描述三種不同經營模式-代理(Agency)、委外(Outsourcing)與自製(In-House Production)，所遇到的優勢、劣勢與機會、威脅。 本研究並歸納出，三種不同的經營模式，在經營模式上的優點與缺點，以個案公司在各階段經營模式內遇到的決策議題與經營方針來說明，本研究最後發現，個案公司是連接器產業中同時存在三種經營模式的特殊案例，三種經營模式互補，利用各經營模式優勢輔以個案公司業務推展能力，發揮三種經營模式之综效，讓個案公司有突破性的經營成長績效。 / In the rapidly developing global electronic industry with ever increasing output, the connectors are key components of all electronic products. Taiwan’s connector industry has been providing the global electronic market with varieties of products covering a comprehensive spectrum of applications, with providers differing vastly in their sizes, market niches and business models. This research aims to study the electronic connector industry by conducting SWOT analysis on a case company, to examine the strength/weakness and opportunity/threat faced by the company when taking each of three possible business models: agency, outsourcing and in-house production. This research is summarized by describing the pros and cons of three business models using decision issues and business policies which the case company encounters at each stage of business model. This research also discovers that the case company is special in the connector industry being the sole company operating simultaneously on three models that mutually complement one another with individual advantage boosted by the company’s business promotion capability to gain synergy of the three models. Through the synergy, the company is able to achieve breakthrough in business growth.

As Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) are growing, there have been ceaseless efforts to develop a National Health Information Infrastructure (NHII). One of the challenges in constructing a NHII is concerned with the management of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). In particular, exchanging EHRs is an important factor in establishing interoperability within a NHII, and the reusability of the functionality for exchanging EHRs is one of major solutions to construct an NHII. In this study, we obtain several component models, and conduct empirical studies to validate the component models in terms of component reusability. Using HL7 CDA (Health Level 7 Clinical Document Architecture) as an EHR standard, we implemented three prototypes of the EHR Exchanger based on JavaBeans, the exogenous connectors and the mediator connector respectively. As shown in the experiment results, the reuse approach using a mediator connector leads to better component reusability in terms of external dependency, total coupling between objects (CBO), additional lines of codes (LOC), and performance. Thus, we believe that the reuse approach using a mediator connector yields many benefits in terms of component reusability for the EHR Exchanger implementation.

Thesis (Ph.D. (English Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / The aims of the study were to compare connector use and verb phrase use between two achievement groups. The achievement groups comprised the Highs, students whose essays were highly rated (124 essays; word length 59702), and the Lows, students whose essays were rated poorly (126 essays; word length 60524). The analytical frameworks for the analysis of appropriate use were taken from Biber, Johansson, Leech, Conrad and Finegan (1999).The analytical frameworks for inappropriate use were designed by the researcher. Connectors comprised circumstance adverbials, linking adverbials, co-ordinators and relativisers. Verb phrase uses comprised all the categories described in Biber, et al. (1999). The analysis entailed counting number of occurrences per use for each achievement group and determining whether difference in use was significant or not by undertaking Log Likelihood calculations using Paul Rayson’s Log Likelihood calculator available online. These also indicate the relative frequency of each use. The results for appropriate connector use revealed that although no significant differences occurred with respect to connector categories, highly/significant differences did occur with regard to specific forms. Regarding inappropriate connector use, results showed that differences between the two achievement groups were overall highly significant, with a substantially higher occurrence of inappropriate uses in the Lows compared to the Highs. The results for appropriate verb phrase use revealed highly/significant differences between the Highs and Lows for several verb phrase categories, such as modal auxiliary use and Perfect Aspect. The results for inappropriate verb phrase use, as was the case for inappropriate connector use, showed highly significant differences between the two achievement groups, with the Lows having a much higher incidence of inappropriate uses than the Highs. The study finally considers the pedagogical implications arising from the results and makes suggestions for course design relating to writing instruction.

The diploma thesis deal with the proposal of connector manufacturing from bronze sheet CuSn6, thickness 1.5mm in production volume of 1.600.000 parts per year. From considered manufacturing variants there was chosen shearing and forming technology of thread in the progressive stamping die. For part production was selected pressing machine Bruderer 1250 with nominal pressing force 1250 kN from company E. Bruderer Maschinenfabrik AG. In the economical evaluation there were determined expenses 21.6 Kč per one piece including demanded profit. The turning point was calculated at production of 165.522 parts.