Progress Of Hollow Core Polymer Fibres Structures And Mateials

Progress in Mechanics of Structures and Materials

This is a collection of peer-reviewed papers originally presented at the 19th Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials by academics, researchers and practitioners largely from Australasia and the Asia-Pacific region. The topics under discussion include: composite structures and materials; computational mechanics; dynamic analysis of structures; earthquake engineering; fire engineering; geomechanics and foundation engineering; mechanics of materials; reinforced and prestressed concrete structures; shock and impact loading; steel structures; structural health monitoring and damage identification; structural mechanics; and timber engineering. It is a valuable reference for academics, researchers, and civil and mechanical engineers working in structural and material engineering and mechanics.

American Environmentalism

Protecting the natural environment and promoting sustainability have become important objectives, but achieving such goals presents myriad challenges for even the most committed environmentalist. American Environmentalism: Philosophy, History, and Public Policy examines whether competing interests can be reconciled while developing consistent, coherent, effective public policy to regulate uses and protection of the natural environment without destroying the national economy. It then reviews a range of possible solutions. The book delves into key normative concepts that undergird American perspectives on nature by providing an overview of philosophical concepts found in the western intellectual tradition, the presuppositions inherent in neoclassical economics, and anthropocentric (human-centered) and biocentric (earth-centered) positions on sustainability. It traces the evolution of attitudes about nature from the time of the Ancient Greeks through Europeans in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the American Founders, the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and up to the present. Building on this foundation, the author examines the political landscape as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), industry leaders, and government officials struggle to balance industrial development with environmental concerns. Outrageous claims, silly misrepresentations, bogus arguments, absurd contentions, and overblown prophesies of impending calamities are bandied about by many parties on all sides of the debate—industry spokespeople, elected representatives, unelected regulators, concerned citizens, and environmental NGOs alike. In lieu of descending into this morass, the author circumvents the silliness to explore the crucial issues through a more focused, disciplined approach. Rather than engage in acrimonious debate over minutiae, as so often occurs in the context of "green" claims, he recasts the issue in a way that provides a cohesive look at all sides. This effort may be quixotic, but how else to cut the Gordian knot?

Progress of Hollow-Core Polymer Fibres: Structures and Mateials