Jie Li

This textbook introduces a new perspective that emphasizes the propagation of randomness in engineering systems and the integration of physical mechanisms into probabilistic structural reliability analysis. It develops a unified theoretical framework that bridges classical mathematical approaches with physically-informed reliability assessment, offering a comprehensive foundation for both researchers and practitioners. It highlights the impact of load processes & material behavior on structural reliability, and covers component-level & global reliability, static & dynamic loads, and advanced reliability-based design optimization. Then, it investigates the probability density evolution method (PDEM) & other physically-based stochastic methods, connecting classical and contemporary reliability theories.

This book offers readers an opportunity to explore the fascination and complexities of the People’s Republic of China from 1949 to 2020. The content covers a wide range of topics and aspects in contemporary China, including politics, foreign relations, ethnic issues, law, social policy, and academic development.

This book offers readers an opportunity to explore the fascination and complexities of the People’s Republic of China from 1949 to 2020. The content covers a wide range of topics and aspects in contemporary China, including politics, foreign relations, ethnic issues, law, social policy, and academic development.

This book elucidates findings from an anthropological study that analyzes the patterns of Taiwan's Atayal tribe’s fabric in their ethnic dress codes. By analyzing the changes and development of the patterns over time, the authors draw fascinating conclusions regarding the geographical migration and intermarriage practices between indigenous minority groups in Taiwan’s history. The book brings new insights within East Asian linguistic anthropology in theorizing about the origins of legends and broader patterns of ethnic migration, integrating the characteristics and relationships among Atayal fabrics, and interpreting these relationships in connection with the flow of sub-ethnic groups. In doing so, the book provides rich empirical evidence for anthropologists and migration scholars to better understand the movement of ethnic groups in Taiwan, while also establishing a model for how studying textile design can be employed to establish such linkages. The book shows that the composition and changes of ethnic minority patterns have their own internal logic and causes. By studying this, the authors demonstrate how such work might translate intangible and tangible culture into explicit and shareable knowledge and provide a compass for other anthropologists and researchers in the fields of visual and linguistic anthropology, migration studies, and ethnic and indigenous cultures, in Asia and beyond.

This book elucidates findings from an anthropological study that analyzes the patterns of Taiwan's Atayal tribe’s fabric in their ethnic dress codes. By analyzing the changes and development of the patterns over time, the authors draw fascinating conclusions regarding the geographical migration and intermarriage practices between indigenous minority groups in Taiwan’s history. The book brings new insights within East Asian linguistic anthropology in theorizing about the origins of legends and broader patterns of ethnic migration, integrating the characteristics and relationships among Atayal fabrics, and interpreting these relationships in connection with the flow of sub-ethnic groups. In doing so, the book provides rich empirical evidence for anthropologists and migration scholars to better understand the movement of ethnic groups in Taiwan, while also establishing a model for how studying textile design can be employed to establish such linkages. The book shows that the composition and changes of ethnic minority patterns have their own internal logic and causes. By studying this, the authors demonstrate how such work might translate intangible and tangible culture into explicit and shareable knowledge and provide a compass for other anthropologists and researchers in the fields of visual and linguistic anthropology, migration studies, and ethnic and indigenous cultures, in Asia and beyond.

This volume explores the potentials and perspectives upon educational diplomacy, promoting a better mutual understanding on the European and the Chinese traditions and their visions for the future. Together an essay competition was held from January to September 2023, which concluded with a symposium on the 23 rd of September. During this project young students and young professionals from Europe and China were invited to submit their essays on the following topics: -How will exchange programs develop in the future? -How can curiosity and enthusiasm for the other culture be awaken and strengthened? -What potential does educational diplomacy have? -What is the new approach to international and global education? The submissions of this unique academic project are collected in this publication, encompassing a wide range of authors from different interdisciplinary and intercultural backgrounds, coming from E urope and China This project was run in collaboration between the Institute for Greater Europe and the European Guanxi. Both are youth led think tanks run by young academics and young professionals from all over Europe and beyond. Meanwhile, the Institute for Greater Europe puts a focus on the role of the European Idea on the European continent and beyond, European Guanxi searches to foster a mutual understanding between Europe and China.

An important consideration in improving the performance of a distributed computer system is the balancing of the load between the host computers. Load balancing may be either static or dynamic; static balancing strategies are generally based on information about the system's average behavior rather than its actual current state, while dynamic strategies react to the current state when making transfer decisions. Although it is often conjectured that dynamic load balancing outperforms static, careful investigation shows that this view is not always valid. Recent research on the problem of optimal static load balancing is clearly and intuitively presented, with coverage of distributed computer system models, problem formulation in load balancing, and effective algorithms for implementing optimization. Providing a thorough understanding of both static and dynamic strategies, this book will be of interest to all researchers and practitioners working to optimize performance in distributed computer systems.

In Stochastic Dynamics of Structures, Li and Chen present a unified view of the theory and techniques for stochastic dynamics analysis, prediction of reliability, and system control of structures within the innovative theoretical framework of physical stochastic systems. The authors outline the fundamental concepts of random variables, stochastic process and random field, and orthogonal expansion of random functions. Readers will gain insight into core concepts such as stochastic process models for typical dynamic excitations of structures, stochastic finite element, and random vibration analysis. Li and Chen also cover advanced topics, including the theory of and elaborate numerical methods for probability density evolution analysis of stochastic dynamical systems, reliability-based design, and performance control of structures. Stochastic Dynamics of Structures presents techniques for researchers and graduate students in a wide variety of engineering fields: civil engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace and aeronautics, marine and offshore engineering, ship engineering, and applied mechanics. Practicing engineers will benefit from the concise review of random vibration theory and the new methods introduced in the later chapters. "The book is a valuable contribution to the continuing development of the field of stochastic structural dynamics, including the recent discoveries and developments by the authors of the probability density evolution method (PDEM) and its applications to the assessment of the dynamic reliability and control of complex structures through the equivalent extreme-value distribution." —A. H-S. Ang, NAE, Hon. Mem. ASCE, Research Professor, University of California, Irvine, USA "The authors have made a concerted effort to present a responsible and even holistic account of modern stochastic dynamics. Beyond the traditional concepts, they also discuss theoretical tools of recent currency such as the Karhunen-Loeve expansion, evolutionary power spectra, etc. The theoretical developments are properly supplemented by examples from earthquake, wind, and ocean engineering. The book is integrated by also comprising several useful appendices, and an exhaustive list of references; it will be an indispensable tool for students, researchers, and practitioners endeavoring in its thematic field." —Pol Spanos, NAE, Ryon Chair in Engineering, Rice University, Houston, USA