A path-following method that is based on controlling plastic dissipation or plastic work in an inelastic solid or structure is presented. It can be effective for highly nonlinear materially and geometrically problems. In particular, it can be applied for elasto-plastic problems where the standard arc-length methods fail, or to avoid artificial and undesirable elastic unloading of a complete solid or structure during the computation. The essential ingredients, the plastic dissipation and the plastic work based constraint equations, are derived by using either explicit or implicit pseudo-time step integration. These constraint equations are valid for geometrically nonlinear small strain elasto-plasticity with hardening. Their implementation in the framework of the path-following method is described. Several numerical examples are presented in order to illustrate very satisfying performance of the derived path-following method. It performed very well for some challenging shell problems.
COBISS.SI-ID: 7636321
A framework for open and participatory designing of built environments Angleški opis: The Internet has dramatically changed everyone's access to information, knowledge and other people. In many fields, this has resulted in an opening up of business models, products, services and organizations. Examples include open academic publishing, open software and open innovation. Experts are increasingly aware that a significant amount of knowledge and experience exists outside of their companies and institutions, which used to be the exclusive creator, aggregator and curator of knowledge and the sole places of innovation. Institutions are responding by reducing their boundaries and are opening up to the outside. A particularly potent technology for engaging people and capturing their knowledge has been social media. However, theories of participation and participatory approaches to shaping the built environment greatly predate even the Internet. In this paper, we present a conceptual framework for open and creative designing. A proven three-tier architecture, various theoretical levels of participation and an abstract view on social media tools have been used to develop an original, flexible, generative, “one size does not fit all” platform that can be used for the optimal collection of external information and knowledge. The platform allows for simple enhancement of in-house information systems (IS) with socially rich components. We are finding such a modular approach as very flexible for organizations that host the planning processes and that the application of social media technology creates very low barriers for the public to contribute.
COBISS.SI-ID: 2839491
Blockchain technology enables distributed, encrypted and secure logging of digital transactions. It is the underlying technology of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Blockchain is expected to revolutionize computing in several areas, particularly where centralization was unnatural and privacy was important. In the paper, we present research on where and how this technology could be useful in the construction industry. The work is based on the study of literature on open issues that exist in construction process management. These are than matched to the capabilities of blockchain. We are motivated by the fact that construction projects involve a dynamic grouping of several companies. We study the degree to which the relationships among them are hierarchical or peer-to-peer and note that particularly in information intensive phases, centralization of information management was necessary because of technology. When using un-constraining technology, communication patterns among participants show a peer-to-peer nature of the relationships. In such environment, blockchain can provide a trustworthy infrastructure for information management during all building life-cycle stages. Even if building information modelling (BIM) is used, which assumes a centralized building information model, there is a role for blockchain to manage information on who did what and when and thus provide a basis for any legal arguments that might occur. On the construction site blockchain can improve the reliability and trustworthiness of construction logbooks, works performed and material quantities recorded. In the facility maintenance phase, blockchain%s main potential is the secure storage of sensor data which are sensitive to privacy. We conclude that blockchain provides solutions to many current problems in construction information management. However, it is more likely that it will be built into generic IT infrastructure on top of which construction applications are built, rather than used directly by authors of construction related software. It has a potential to make construction processes less centralized which opens needs for research in that direction.
COBISS.SI-ID: 8131425
Although the cloud computing domain is progressing rapidly, the deployment of various network intensive software utilities in the cloud is still a challenging task. The Quality of Service (QoS) for various gaming, simulations, videoconferencing, video streaming or even file uploading tasks may be significantly affected by the quality and geolocation of the selected underlying computing resources, which are available only when the specific functionality is required. This study presents a new architecture for geographic orchestration of network intensive software components which is designed for high QoS. Key elements of this architecture are a Global Cluster Manager operating within Software-Defined Data Centres (SDDCs), a runtime QoS Monitoring System, and a QoS Modeller and Decision Maker for automated orchestration of software utilities. The implemented system automatically selects the best geographically available computing resource within the SDDC according to the developed QoS model of the software component. This architecture is event-driven as the services are deployed and destroyed in real-time for every usage event. The utility of the implemented orchestration technology is verified qualitatively and in relation to the potential gains of selected QoS metrics by using two network intensive software utilities implemented as containers: an HTTP(S) File Upload service and a Jitsi Meet videoconferencing service. The study shows potential for QoS improvements in comparison to existing orchestration systems.
COBISS.SI-ID: 8208993
This study examined the impact of tablet-based cross-curricular maths activities on the acquisition of higher-order learning outcomes over seven months in twelve third grade classrooms in Slovenia. In the experimental group (N = 124), classroom practice included tablet-based cross-curricular maths activities with post-participation testing to identify the effect on learning outcomes, and observations were conducted to identify the affordance and ergonomic characteristics of tablets for student learning. In the control group (N = 135) maths was taught as a discrete subject with traditional paper and pencil technology using manipulation of concrete objects. Groups were matched with respect to gender, ownership of a tablet computer and previous knowledge and understanding of maths. The instructional design of process-outcome strategies incorporated Bruner's (1966) three stage process with learning outcomes in the cognitive, affective-social and psychomotor domains. The affordance of tablet-based cross-curricular apps was examined with respect to domains of learning and ergonomics. The findings indicate that the tablet supported group had better outcomes, with a small effect size for conceptual knowledge (r = 0.10) and medium effect size for procedural knowledge (r = 0.33) and problem-solving abilities (r = 0.30). The authors therefore argue for the introduction of tablets in schools because their multi-sensory human-computer touch interaction provides interactive manipulatives supporting transition between representations on the concrete, visual and abstract level. The authors concluded that in cross-curricular maths teaching, tablets offers efficient use of resources from different subjects and multiple representations which facilitate learning outcomes in the cognitive, affective-social and psychomotor learning domains.
COBISS.SI-ID: 8086625