The responsibility of a Structural Engineer lies in not merely designing the structure based on safety and serviceability considerations but he also has to consider the functional requirements based on the use to which the structure is intended. While designing a power plant structure or a multi-storeyed building, the traditional structural steel framing consists of beams and girders with solid...

We revisit the far from equilibrium escape problem across a fluctuating potential barrier that is driven by asymmetric, unbiased dichotomous noise. Our closed analytical solution for arbitrary noise strengths reveals new aspects of the so-called ‘‘resonant-activation’’ effect and leads to interesting implications regarding far from equilibrium or externally controlled chemical reaction processe...

A mechanism connecting the local untwisting and opening of DNA double helix is proposed. The presented thermodynamical approach is based on two models: the Peyrard-Bishop model that describes the denaturation of DNA due to thermal fluctuations and the model developed by the author describing solitary torsional waves, which propagate along the DNA molecule forced by advancing RNA polymerase. The...

The Sicamous Creek Silvicultural Systems project examines clearcutting and silvicultural alternatives to clearcutting in high-elevation Engelmann spruce – subalpine fir (ESSF) forests, motivated by concerns about the effects of forestry practices on regeneration, hydrology, and biological diversity. Treatments include: ha clearcuts, arrays of -ha openings, arrays of .-ha patch cuts, indivi...

The aim of the present study was to propose a panel being sensitive to the direction of heat transfer. For this purpose, a vertical rectangular cavity with prescribed dimensions was prepared and filled with water as the working fluid. A vertical mid-plane solid partition was installed within the cavity. Two relatively wide openings were created at the top and bottom of the partition and they we...