Vulnerability of public buildings subjected to earthquake by finite element modelling

Tremors in Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia due to Sumatra and Philippine earthquakes have been reported several times. Engineers are concerned of the seismic vulnerability of public buildings due to lack of earthquake consideration in Malaysia’s building design procedure. This study addresses the vulnerability of public buildings in Malaysia subjected to earthquakes from Sumatra and Philippines. A case study has been conducted on low rise to medium rise reinforced concrete buildings, which are mostly categorized as moment resisting frames. The buildings are analyzed using Finite Element Modeling (FEM) under different types of analyses including Free Vibration Analysis (FVA), and Time History Analysis (THA) considering low to medium earthquake intensities. The study indicates that more than 50% of the buildings produced dynamic amplification factors of slightly more than one indicating not much of a dynamic response to the buildings. The performances of the structure are shown by the yield point at beam-column connections where the internal forces at beam elements exceed the design capacity of the beams. In the non-linear analysis, the largest damage index is still under the intermediate level where no structural damage is indicated, but some non-structural damage are expected

A Case Study on Star Publications (M) Bhd Next Course of Action

Star Publications (M) Berhad (SPMB) was established in 1971. The organisation had engaged itself in printing and publishing business. An English language daily - The Star was the core business and later the firm ventured into printing and publishing magazines ranging from business to entertainment. SPMB's main source of income was from the sales of The Star, which had grown over the years from a regional product to a national daily. The firm had registered lower after tax profit in 1998 as compared to the previous year, and that had captured the shareholders' attention and sparked worries among them. So, they wanted the matter resolved soonest possible and it was later brought up to the attention of board of d i rectors

North East monsoon rainfall induced landslide hazard and nonstructural preparedness

This study reveals the scenario of landslide hazards and non-structural preparedness among the community. During the NE monsoon rainfall in 2012, the study area experienced a high level of risk from landslide occurrences. Due to the lack of preparedness, people were not alert enough in the pre-disaster stage. Since the study area has been identified as a high risk area, potential landslides could be expected in the future as well. Therefore, it is necessary to be prepared for landslide hazards, in order to reduce the impacts to minimum level

The Communion of Saints: Christian and Tamil Saiva Perspectives

Discussions on saints normally focus on the nature and meaning of sainthood. While apostels, church fathers, martyrs and people of outstanding dedication are considered as saints in Christian tradition, the Vedic sages and gurus are taken as counterparts in the Hindu religious tradition. But mostly significance is attached to their individual worth, charisma and exemplary life. However, the communion of saints is a significant phenomenon in the New Testament and its resemblance seems to lie more in the wandering saints of the regional bhakti traditions of Hinduism (C-500-700 CE) than in the Vedic sages and gurus. Particularly the theological significance attached to the communion of saints in the Tamil Saiva scriptures is remarkable. Although the canonical leaders or teachers of Saivism (nayanars) are well acknowledged for their devotional experience and their contribution to Saiva Siddhanta, the theological significance of the communion of saints remains an undeveloped theme

A numerical misinterpretation in the computer screen during middle of the image free navigation assisted knee replacement-a dilemma of what to do next?

Misinterpretation can occur during any step of navigation system. It is not only a dilemma for the orthopaedic surgeons on how to proceed further in such instances, but also a challenging situation to take a right call. We report here an unusual error encountered in image free Orthopilot navigation system during knee replacement surgery. A gross numerical measurement error occurred in the computer screen while femoral planning step in the tibia first technique, following which a dilemma persisted on how to proceed further. The system was reverted backwards, and the procedure was initiated again right from the beginning of the registration of bony landmarks, followed by completion of all other consecutive steps with the help of navigation system. The end result of the surgery was achieved at an accurate neutral mechanical axis with 5 degrees of maximum possible extension