Academic literature on the topic 'Semi-displacement'

This chapter examines how skilled and semi-skilled guest worker programs contribute to the displacement of workers throughout the U.S. economy. In the future, as migrant labor programs are institutionalized through the World Trade Organization and are viewed as the latest formula for economic development, it is likely that this new commodification of labor will spread into a growing number of labor market sectors, including manufacturing and transportation. At the same time the chapter reveals that while corporate human resource executives view migrant laborers as docile and complacent, a growing number are resorting to collective action in the form of micro organizing, where small groups organize to address the specific problems they face.

The study is funded by Doha International Family Institute (DIFI), a member of Qatar Foundation, and is a collaboration between the Muslim Resource Centre for Social Support and Integration of London, Ontario; University of Guelph, Ontario; and University of Calgary, Alberta, all located in Canada; and the Doha International Family Institute, Qatar. The study received research ethics approval from the University of Guelph and the University of Calgary. This study aims to assess the impact of pre- and post-migration on marital relationships and family dynamics for Arab refugee families resettled in Canada. The study also examines the role of professional service providers in supporting these Arab refugee families. The unique experiences of Arab families displaced from their countries due to war and political conflict, and the various hardships experienced during their stay in transit countries, impact their family relations and interactions within the nuclear family context and their interconnectedness with their extended families. Furthermore, these families encounter various challenges within their resettlement process that interrupt their integration. Understanding the impact of traumatic experiences within the pre-migration journey as well as the impact of post-migration stressors on recently settled Arab refugee families in Canada provides insight into the shift in spousal and family relationships. Refugee research studies that focus on the impact of pre-migration trauma and displacement, the migration journey, and post-migration settlement on family relationships are scarce. Since the majority of global refugees in recent years come from Arab regions, mainly Syria, as a result of armed conflicts, this study is focused on the unique experiences of Arab refugee families fleeing conflict zones. The Canadian role in recently resettling a large influx of Arab refugees and assisting them to successfully integrate has not been without challenges. Traumatic pre-migration experiences as a result of being subjected to and/or witnessing violence, separation from and loss of family members, and loss of property and social status coupled with experiences of hardships in transit countries have a profound impact on families and their integration. Refugees are subjected to individual and collective traumatic experiences associated with cultural or ethnic disconnection, mental health struggles, and discrimination and racism. These experiences have been shown to impact family interactions. Arab refugee families have different definitions of “family” and “home” from Eurocentric conceptualizations which are grounded in individualistic worldviews. The discrepancy between collectivism and individualism is mainly recognized by collectivist newcomers as challenges in the areas of gender norms, expectations regarding parenting and the physical discipline of children, and diverse aspects of the family’s daily life. For this study, we interviewed 30 adults, all Arab refugees (14 Syrian and 16 Iraqi – 17 males, 13 females) residing in London, Ontario, Canada for a period of time ranging from six months to seven years. The study participants were married couples with and without children. During the semi-structured interviews, the participants were asked to reflect on their family life during pre-migration – in the country of origin before and during the war and in the transit country – and post-migration in Canada. The inter - views were conducted in Arabic, audio-recorded, and transcribed. We also conducted one focus group with seven service providers from diverse sectors in London, Ontario who work with Arab refugee families. The study used the underlying principles of constructivist grounded theory methodology to guide interviewing and a thematic analysis was performed. MAXQDA software was used to facilitate coding and the identification of key themes within the transcribed interviews. We also conducted a thematic analysis of the focus group transcription. The thematic analysis of the individual interviews identified four key themes: • Gender role changes influence spousal relationships; • Traumatic experiences bring suffering and resilience to family well-being; • Levels of marital conflict are higher following post-migration settlement; • Post-migration experiences challenge family values. The outcome of the thematic analysis of the service provider focus group identified three key themes: • The complex needs of newly arrived Arab refugee families; • Gaps in the services available to Arab refugee families; • Key aspects of training for cultural competencies. The key themes from the individual interviews demonstrate: (i) the dramatic sociocul - tural changes associated with migration that particularly emphasize different gender norms; (ii) the impact of trauma and the refugee experience itself on family relation - ships and personal well-being; (iii) the unique and complex aspects of the family journey; and (iv) how valued aspects of cultural and religious values and traditions are linked in complex ways for these Arab refugee families. These outcomes are consist - ent with previous studies. The study finds that women were strongly involved in supporting their spouses in every aspect of family life and tried to maintain their spouses’ tolerance towards stressors. The struggles of husbands to fulfill their roles as the providers and protec - tors throughout the migratory journey were evident. Some parents experienced role shifts that they understood to be due to the unstable conditions in which they were living but these changes were considered to be temporary. Despite the diversity of refugee family experiences, they shared some commonalities in how they experi - enced changes that were frightening for families, as well as some that enhanced safety and stability. These latter changes related to safety were welcomed by these fami - lies. Some of these families reported that they sought professional help, while others dealt with changes by becoming more distant in their marital relationship. The risk of violence increased as the result of trauma, integration stressors, and escalation in marital issues. These outcomes illustrate the importance of taking into consideration the complexity of the integration process in light of post-trauma and post-migration changes and the timespan each family needs to adjust and integrate. Moreover, these families expressed hope for a better future for their children and stated that they were willing to accept change for the sake of their children as well. At the same time, these parents voiced the significance of preserving their cultural and religious values and beliefs. The service providers identified gaps in service provision to refugee families in some key areas. These included the unpreparedness of professionals and insufficiency of the resources available for newcomer families from all levels of government. This was particularly relevant in the context of meeting the needs of the large influx of Syrian refugees who were resettled in Canada within the period of November 2015 to January 2017. Furthermore, language skills and addressing trauma needs were found to require more than one year to address. The service providers identified that a longer time span of government assistance for these families was necessary. In terms of training, the service providers pinpointed the value of learning more about culturally appropriate interventions and receiving professional development to enhance their work with refugee families. In light of these findings, we recommend an increased use of culturally integrative interventions and programs to provide both formal and informal support for families within their communities. Furthermore, future research that examines the impact of culturally-based training, cultural brokers, and various culturally integrative practices will contribute to understanding best practices. These findings with regard to refugee family relationships and experiences are exploratory in their nature and support future research that extends understanding in the area of spousal relationships, inter - generational stressors during adolescence, and parenting/gender role changes.

Forced vibration analysis is performed on a tapered axially functionally graded beam resting on elastic foundation under externally applied harmonic excitations to present the effect of boundary conditions and taper patterns on the frequency response. The elastic foundation is modelled in the present analysis as Winkler foundation. A displacement based semi-analytical method is adopted for mathematical formulation and the derivation of governing equations is carried out following Hamilton's principle. Von Karman nonlinear strain-displacement relation employed to incorporate geometric nonlinearity. Broyden method is adopted to solve the nonlinear set of equations. Frequency response curves are plotted in non-dimensional frequency-amplitude plane to represent nonlinear forced vibration characteristic of the system. New benchmark results are also provided for different combination of system parameters (i.e., excitation amplitudes, foundation stiffness values, material models, taper patterns, and flexural boundary conditions). Operational deflection shapes (ODS) are also presented.

Mass population displacement in Russia began at the very outset of war. People left their homes to evade enemy invasion, but the Russian army also targeted subjects of the Tsar who were suspected of cooperating with the enemy and resettled them in the Russian interior. German and Jewish subjects were disproportionately affected by this policy. The Tsarist state struggled to come to terms with the mass displacement, but finally articulated a policy towards refugees at the end of August 1915 by giving a new Special Council for Refugees overall responsibility for managing the refugee crisis. Local welfare provision became the responsibility of provincial governors. Local authorities played an important role, but refugees relied heavily upon the semi-official Tatiana committee, private philanthropy, religious communities and new national committees.. Social and political upheaval in 1917 created new structures of authority, complicating the process of repatriation. This chapter draws on Russian archives and refugees’ memoirs to trace the contours of the refugee crisis in Russia’s provinces.

A numerical analysis of a semi-displacement ship at high forward speed is performed by using a 2D+t theory. Time dependent two-dimensional (2D) boundary value problems are solved in space-fixed vertical planes by a Boundary Element Method (BEM). The steady advancing of the ship in the calm water is simulated, although the theory is also capable of solving the unsteady problem with forced oscillations in heave and/or pitch. The numerical results for the steady motions are compared with Keuning’s experiments [1]. The sectional vertical forces along the ship and the wave elevation around the ship hull are presented. The effects of non-viscous flow separation and the three-dimensional effects at the transom stern are discussed.

The equations to generate a J-R curve from a four-point bend test on circumferentially cracked pipe have been known for many years. Given the experimental pipe load-displacement record and crack growth, the only impediment to routinely calculating pipe J-R curves is the requirement to know the non-cracked pipe elastic and plastic displacements. Traditionally, finite element analyses are used to find these displacements. This paper presents a semi-closed-form solution for the total (elastic plus plastic) non-cracked pipe displacements that eliminates the need to perform finite element analyses to calculate a pipe J-R curve. Using a Ramberg-Osgood nonlinear representation of the stress-strain curve and the assumption that plane sections remain plane, beam bending equations can be written to find nonlinear beam displacements for pipe bend geometries with a base metal crack. Building on this result, the solution is extended to the dissimilar metal weld (DMW) case with five nonlinear materials. The non-cracked pipe displacement solutions are presented as well as comparisons using these equations between compact tension specimen J-R toughness curves and J-R curves from pipe experiments.

The rocking motion of tanks due to earthquakes causes the large uplift deformation of the tank bottom plate that has been considered to contribute to the various damages of the tanks. For analyzing the uplift displacement of the tank bottom plate statically and precisely, this paper develops a shell element, ring element and spring element partially attached to the ring element. These elements are defined as a semi-analytical finite element. Fourier series give its circumferential displacement function, while the polynomial gives its radial displacement function. In addition, the ring element can deal with effects of the large deformation, while the spring element enables to express the partial contact between the tank bottom plate and foundation. On the other hand, the loads considered are dead load, hydro-pressure and inertia force due to earthquakes acceleration as well as dynamic pressure of fluid induced by bulging and rocking motion of the tank. The numerical analyses model of the LNG Storage Tank was created using the semi-analytical finite elements shown here, and the uplift displacement of the tank bottom plate accompanying the tank rocking motion was calculated with the static analyses. For evaluating analytical accuracy of the proposed method, numerical results of the proposed method are compared with that of the explicit FE Analysis.

Hunting is a very common instability phenomenon in rail vehicles operating at high speeds. The hunting phenomenon is a self excited lateral oscillation produced by the forward speed of the vehicle and the wheel-rail interactive forces caused by the conicity of the wheel-rail contours and the friction-creep characteristics of the wheel-rail contact geometry. Hunting can lead to severe ride discomfort and eventual physical damage to wheels and rails. This research is conducted to demonstrate advantages of semi-active primary suspension in railway vehicle for control of hunting phenomenon. Semi-active suspension consists of some actuators on each bogie located in primary suspension position in addition to vertical passive dampers. A simple on-off switching is used here and the actuator force is determined regarding to wheelset displacement. An integration of a control design tool, i.e. MATLAB, together with a tool for railway vehicle simulation, i.e. ADAMS/Rail is utilized for modeling and control design simultaneously. Analysis has been performed on a traditional bogie model with passive primary suspension and on a new bogie model with semi-active suspension. The effects of semi-active suspension system on lateral displacement and yaw motion of wheelset have also been investigated. Results show that the semi-active suspension improves the stability by controlling displacement magnitude.

This paper presents a semi-active control methodology for controlling the vibration of a pneumatic air spring-valve-accumulator system. Three controllers are presented and compared, along with experimental results. Due to the semi-active nature of this system, each controller uses a skyhook switching algorithm, along with a set-point plus PI tracking algorithm to track a desired reference signal. Some combination of pressure and displacement (or relative displacement) sensor feedback is used in each case. The desired reference control signal is generated by three different methods. The first method uses an optimal LQI (Linear Quadratic Impulse) controller generated from Covariance Control Theory. The second method uses a modified skyhook algorithm, and the third method uses a command directly proportional to the relative displacement. The second two methods use the first method (LQI) to tune the required controller gains off-line.

This paper elucidates numerically the behavior of weak-axis moment connections proposed by welding I-shaped plates in the H-section column to increase connection strength and ductility in steel frame. After validating the numerical methods through comparing the results of numerical analysis and experiments, the effectiveness of the proposed weak-axis connection were examined through comparing to the traditional weak-axis connection. The proposed weak-axis connection could move the highest stresses away from the start-stop points of a weld, and thus preventing the premature brittle fracture of the beam flange welds. The plastic hinge formed away from the beam-column interface, while the local buckling occurred in the weld access holes region in the traditional weak-axis connection. The proposed weak-axis connections can be classified as rigid in a strong-bracing system, and be classified as semi-rigid in weak-supported or unsupported system. And then a series of parametric studies was conducted to better understand the behavior of proposed weak-axis moment connections. The force-displacement relationships, location of the plastic hinge, Mises index (MI), triaxiality index (TI) and rupture index (RI) distributions at the beam flange welds were reported in detail. According to the numerical analysis, the design variables of I-shaped plates and widened flange plate are suggested, along with a design procedure.