SMARTI - Sustainable Multi-functional Automated Resilient Transport Infrastructure

The world’s transport network has developed over thousands of years; emerging from the need of allowing more comfortable trips to roman soldiers to the modern smooth roads enabling modern vehicles to travel at high speed and to allow heavy airplanes to take off and land safely. However, in the last two decades the world is changing very fast in terms of population growth, mobility and business trades creating greater traffic volumes and demand for minimal disruption to users, but also challenges, such as climate change and more extreme weather events. At the same time, technology development to allow a more sustainable transport sector continue apace. It is within this environment and in close consultation with key stakeholders, that this consortium developed the vision to achieve the paradigm shift to Sustainable Multifunctional Automated and Resilient Transport Infrastructures. SMARTI ETN is a training-through-research programme that empowered Europe by forming a new generation of multi-disciplinary professionals able to conceive the future of transport infrastructures and this Special Issue is a collection of some of the scientific work carried out within this context. Enjoy the read

International Conference on Civil Infrastructure and Construction (CIC 2020)

This is the proceedings of the CIC 2020 Conference, which was held under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani in Doha, Qatar from 2 to 5 February 2020. The goal of the conference was to provide a platform to discuss next-generation infrastructure and its construction among key players such as researchers, industry professionals and leaders, local government agencies, clients, construction contractors and policymakers. The conference gathered industry and academia to disseminate their research and field experiences in multiple areas of civil engineering. It was also a unique opportunity for companies and organizations to show the most recent advances in the field of civil infrastructure and construction. The conference covered a wide range of timely topics that address the needs of the construction industry all over the world and particularly in Qatar. All papers were peer reviewed by experts in their field and edited for publication. The conference accepted a total number of 127 papers submitted by authors from five different continents under the following four themes: Theme 1: Construction Management and Process Theme 2: Materials and Transportation Engineering Theme 3: Geotechnical, Environmental, and Geo-environmental Engineering Theme 4: Sustainability, Renovation, and Monitoring of Civil InfrastructureThe list of the Sponsors are listed at page 1

12th EASN International Conference on "Innovation in Aviation & Space for opening New Horizons"

Epoxy resins show a combination of thermal stability, good mechanical performance, and durability, which make these materials suitable for many applications in the Aerospace industry. Different types of curing agents can be utilized for curing epoxy systems. The use of aliphatic amines as curing agent is preferable over the toxic aromatic ones, though their incorporation increases the flammability of the resin. Recently, we have developed different hybrid strategies, where the sol-gel technique has been exploited in combination with two DOPO-based flame retardants and other synergists or the use of humic acid and ammonium polyphosphate to achieve non-dripping V-0 classification in UL 94 vertical flame spread tests, with low phosphorous loadings (e.g., 1-2 wt%). These strategies improved the flame retardancy of the epoxy matrix, without any detrimental impact on the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites. Finally, the formation of a hybrid silica-epoxy network accounted for the establishment of tailored interphases, due to a better dispersion of more polar additives in the hydrophobic resin

A Preventive Rerouting Scheme for Avoiding Voids in Wireless Sensor Networks

International audienceWe propose in this paper an efficient void-avoidance scheme based on a novel approach to prevent data packets from meeting boundaries of voids. In our approach, the choice of the forwarding region around a discovered void is based on the locations of the sender node, of the void center and of the destination node. The first stuck node which detects a void launches a void-discovery algorithm and communicates the void center to all nodes located w-hops away from the void boundary. These nodes will launch a preventive rerouting process, by selecting the appropriate forwarding region around the void, to forward each data packet before reaching the boundary nodes. Associated to the well-known real-time routing protocol SPEED, the proposed scheme provides good performance in terms of packet delivery ratio, end-to-end delay, communication energy consumption, and control overhead

CHANCES. Practices, Spaces and Buildings in Cities' Tranformation

CHANCES has been an international conference that was aimed to explore, from a multidisciplinary perspective, the fragile but continuous urban transformation through the effective contribution of culture, nature and technology. The aim of this conference was to provide a deeper understanding of urban transformations’ research and practices, focusing on the use, re-use, design, renovation and innovative governance and management of public spaces, urban commons and buildings. We believe that these thoughts will largely contribute to shape and increase sustainable design, construction and planning in constant cities’ transformation. Contributions could build on reflections and studies concerning current or historical approaches that are changing or drastically changed the cities we lived in

“But eyes are blind. You have to look with the heart”. IBA Berlin 1979 – 1987, the drawing as tool to read and disclose

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” (Costanzo, 1991, p.14) On the occasion of his direction of the Berlin International Bauausstellung (IBA 1979-1987) the German architect Josef Paul Kleihues referred to the fable of Antoine de Saint - Exupéry to encourage architects to awaken the values of ingenuity and imagination. He emphasized the Imago, as a point of reference and stable values at the base of human consciousness. The problem is based on the dialectic between tradition and modernity, the field of experimentation on which he himself elaborates the concept of "critical reconstruction". According to the architect, the rediscovery of the laws of the historic city is a decisive instrument for Berliners to recognize themselves in it. Another important concept which Kleihues placed at the base of his guidelines is the "poetic rationalism" presented during the Triennale di Milano exhibition entitled "The cities of the world of 1988 and the future of the metropolis". On this occasion, he maintained that "the possibility of a new rationalism exists only when the deterministic tendency is questioned by poetry". (Kleihues, 1989, p.57) Through this “poetic rationalism”, he criticizes the excessive bureaucracy that conditions and limits the creative process. One of the most interesting areas of the Berlin International Bauausstellung is the Südliche Friedrichstad. It is interesting to take into account the rules imposed by Josef Paul Kleihues about the permanence of the existing layout and the reconstruction of the continuity of the facades along the plot perimeter and to see how the architects Aldo Rossi and Rem Koolhaas stand about these principles. The proposed study investigates their interpretation of the concept of "poetic rationalism" through drawing, considered by the author as a fundamental interpretative, creative and cognitive activity

Cyber Security Politics

This book examines new and challenging political aspects of cyber security and presents it as an issue defined by socio-technological uncertainty and political fragmentation. Structured along two broad themes and providing empirical examples for how socio-technical changes and political responses interact, the first part of the book looks at the current use of cyber space in conflictual settings, while the second focuses on political responses by state and non-state actors in an environment defined by uncertainties. Within this, it highlights four key debates that encapsulate the complexities and paradoxes of cyber security politics from a Western perspective – how much political influence states can achieve via cyber operations and what context factors condition the (limited) strategic utility of such operations; the role of emerging digital technologies and how the dynamics of the tech innovation process reinforce the fragmentation of the governance space; how states attempt to uphold stability in cyberspace and, more generally, in their strategic relations; and how the shared responsibility of state, economy, and society for cyber security continues to be re-negotiated in an increasingly trans-sectoral and transnational governance space. This book will be of much interest to students of cyber security, global governance, technology studies, and international relations

Cyber Security Politics

This book examines new and challenging political aspects of cyber security and presents it as an issue defined by socio-technological uncertainty and political fragmentation. Structured along two broad themes and providing empirical examples for how socio-technical changes and political responses interact, the first part of the book looks at the current use of cyber space in conflictual settings, while the second focuses on political responses by state and non-state actors in an environment defined by uncertainties. Within this, it highlights four key debates that encapsulate the complexities and paradoxes of cyber security politics from a Western perspective – how much political influence states can achieve via cyber operations and what context factors condition the (limited) strategic utility of such operations; the role of emerging digital technologies and how the dynamics of the tech innovation process reinforce the fragmentation of the governance space; how states attempt to uphold stability in cyberspace and, more generally, in their strategic relations; and how the shared responsibility of state, economy, and society for cyber security continues to be re-negotiated in an increasingly trans-sectoral and transnational governance space. This book will be of much interest to students of cyber security, global governance, technology studies, and international relations

South Carolina Floodwater Commission report

Governor McMaster created the South Carolina Floodwater Commission on October 15, 2018. The Commission is dedicated to mitigating flooding and lessening the negative impacts to our state's economy. Our charge is to help people - while facilitating growth, promoting tourism and assisting communities and businesses struggling from repeated flooding events. The Commission's task force's findings and recommendations are included. It also includes other Task Force reports from the Artificial Reef Systems Task Force, Artificial Reef System Task Force, Living Shoreline Task Force, Infrastructure and Shoreline Armoring Task Force, Smart Rivers & Dam Security Task Force, Grid Security Task Force, Landscape Beautification and Protection Task Force, National Security Task Force, Stakeholder Engagement Task Force, Federal Funding Task Force and the Economic Development Task Force