There have been much interest and many efforts to control global warming and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout the world. Recently, the Republic of Korea has also increased its GHG reduction goal and searched for an implementation plan. In buildings, for example, there have been technology developments and deployment policies to reduce GHG emissions from a life cycle perspective,...

We study the Casimir force on a single surface immersed in an inhomoge-neous medium. Specifically we study the vacuum fluctuations of a scalar field with a spatially varying squared mass, m 2 + λ∆(x − a) + V (x), where V is a smooth potential and ∆(x) is a unit-area function sharply peaked around x = 0. ∆(x − a) represents a semi-penetrable thin plate placed at x = a. In the limits {∆(x−a) → δ(...

Seismic-protection measures make it possible to significantly decrease economical losses. Seismic shock absorption systems and seismic insulation of foundations and buildings can generally increase the reliability of structures. Calculations by Ja. M. Ajzenberg showed that relative horizontal seismic shifts of floors in seismically insulated buildings are significantly lower than in noninsulate...

In the 11(th) and 12(th) century the Western caliphate flourished, making Cordoba the capital of physicians and philosophers. During that period lived and practised the famous physician Ibn Zuhr or Avenzoar. In his monumental treatise Al Taysir, Avenzoar provided the first clinical description of a polypoid colorectal tumour as well as the case of a uterine cancer and a basal cell carcinoma. Hi...

The title Dean of Agriculture in our land-grant system has been given to many great men. Some have had the opportunity and innate ability to create. One such leader was Dean Charles F. Curtiss of Iowa State College ( ISO. Among his many other monumental contributions, the most important was described by C. L. Burlingham, a student, at the dinner held at the Saddle and Sirloin Club in 1925 when ...

North-western Arabia is marked by thousands of prehistoric stone structures. Of these, the monumental, rectilinear type known as mustatils has received only limited attention. Recent fieldwork in AlUla and Khaybar Counties, Saudi Arabia, demonstrates that these monuments are architecturally more complex than previously supposed, featuring chambers, entranceways orthostats. These structures can ...

With the recent housing crisis, studying abandoned buildings has once again become important. However, it has been some time since abandoned buildings were the subject of direct study, leaving scholars with scant knowledge about the characteristics of abandoned buildings, how they change, and their relationship to neighborhood processes. To fill this gap, we employed longitudinal photographic a...

An overview of development of high-rise buildings is presented. Key advancements leading to highrise buildings of today are discussed. Structural analysis and design considerations for modern highrise buildings are presented and trends in design of tall buildings of the future are discussed.

Lighting either natural or not in the european medieval architecture (roman period) is studied and simulated around a special and famous example. "Notre-Dame de Paris" cathedral and its polychromy are studied for many years and, today the remains of polychromy are very reduced. This prestigious monument is then a unique opportunity to study the complex relationships between light, paint and gil...

The development of design seismic forces is reviewed. The earthquake engineering was shown to have developed in the last 60 years. The characteristics of ground motion and structural response were gradually understood over the last five decades. The damage statistics from recent major earthquakes indicated that the severe damage was observed in taller buildings. The ratios of buildings with ope...