TCP/IP XML Solution

Since its introduction, Extensible Markup Language (XML) has evolved and helped us evolve in the way which we think about structuring, describing, and exchanging information. The ways in which XML is used in the software industry are many and growing. For example, for Web services the importance of XML is crucial; all key Web service technologies are based on it. In this paper it’s presented a TCP/IP XML solution for integrating an intermediary trading system with the Bucharest Stock Exchange trading system. The solution is presented from the intermediary point of view and can be the first step of a complete SOA solution.TCP/IP, XML, Bucharest Stock Exchange, Java

Machine Foundations and Blast Engineering Vibrations Case Studies

Vibration can cause either serviceability and malfunctioning problems reducing people’s comfort to an unacceptable level, or safety problems with danger of failure. The belief of the author is that the presentation of some practical cases of machine foundation vibrations will be of interest, beneficial and helpful for many researchers and engineers involved in both theoretical and practical studies. Therefore, the most relevant case studies on vibrations of machine foundation ensembles, encountered in practice in the last ten years of activity, will be presented. In all malfunctioning or excessive vibration cases the technical assessment has started with a complex program of vibration measurements followed by a sound engineering judgment. A remedial solution was elaborated for the encountered vibration problem and put into practice. The results led to the diminution of the dangerous vibrations and to the avoidance of the annoying ones. Among the cases selected for this paper, the most representative are: the malfunctioning of a “compressor – foundation – supporting soil” system caused both by an incorrect dynamic design process and execution; the annoying vibrations generated by unbalanced forces of an offset printing press and the annoying vibrations produced by weaving looms in an adjoining office building. The second part of the paper presents a safe blast demolition by small controlled explosions of two lateral wings of an existing commercial building. The intervention was caused by a first attempt of demolition which caused severe vibrations of many blocks of flats existing in the near vicinity. The officials of the “State Inspection for Construction” decided the health monitoring of the entire demolition process, especially of the central part of the building which was to remain after the demolition

Case History of the Malfunctioning of a “Compressor - Foundation - Supporting Soil” System

The paper presents a case history related to the interaction of a compressor, its concrete block foundation and the supporting soil system. The owner of the compressor asked the Romanian National Center for Earthquake Engineering and Vibrations to solve the problem of the excessive vibration amplitudes that put the compressor out of service at a short time after starting to operate. The first step that was made was the in situ performance of measurements, in order to establish the dynamic properties of the compressor foundation, as well as the amplitudes of the vibrations at the operating speed. The design of the foundation was then checked, in order to determine if it has been designed taking into account the demands of the manufacturer. It should be stressed here that the poor performance of the compressor was due to a faulty design of the foundation, to a faulty construction, and to inadequate geotechnical information, that led to unrealistic soil data used in estimating the foundation response. The purpose of the evaluation was to establish whether remedial measures were to be taken to reduce the foundation’s vibration amplitudes to permissible levels, or to redesign the foundation completely

Critical Peace Pedagogies at the American Center for Civil and Human Rights and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights: A Comparative Case Study

The struggle for racial equity in the United States and Canada is ongoing. Troubled historical legacies in both countries have present-day implications. African Americans and Indigenous Canadians are still two of the most marginalized populations from the standpoint of socioeconomics and political representation (Giroux, 2013; Vickers, 2012). In order to redress these problems, human rights and peace education have to pose structural questions and expose systemic unbalances. In the recent past, neoliberalism has had a major influence on the organization and content of American and Canadian formal education, obscuring some of these structural questions (Ravitch, 2013). In this context, human rights museums such as the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg are non-formal third spaces of education that strive to make sense of these complicated legacies and envision a more inclusive present. This exploration is a comparative case study which employs a holistic analysis to look at how these two museums construct and teach peace and human rights, the role that they ascribe to memory and emotion in these constructions, and their engagement with and augmenting of formal education. The three conceptual frameworks of analysis are critical peace pedagogies for troubled societies (Bekerman and Zembylas, 2013), sentimental education (Rorty, 1998), and third space theory (Bhabha, 1994). Content analysis is conducted on a variety of sources in the two museums: semi-structured interviews, exhibits, audiovisual materials, artifacts, and direct observations. The museums are found to display more contestation of the past than of the present, prioritize cultural and political rights over socioeconomic rights, and impact the visitors’ emotions powerfully through a variety of very participative visceral experiences that bypass the intellect. Furthermore, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights constantly attempt to go beyond commemoration and employ memory as the source of agency. These third spaces of education can engage with traditional education through a multitude of means that enhance classroom pedagogy, adding depth, complexity, and a critical lens to formal schooling. The major task of both institutions in order to make their pedagogies even more dialogic is to intensify the shift from a pedagogy of recognition to one of redistribution and to emphasize the socioeconomic aspects of peace and human rights much more prominently

Emotion and Memory in Third-Space Human Rights Education: An Examination of Two National Museums

This article presents a comparative analysis of human rights education at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, USA (NCCHR) and the Canadian Museum of Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg. Specifically, what is analyzed is the role of emotion and memory in the construction of the exhibits and the impact on the visitor. The investigation is based on the author’s field observations at these two locations and interviews with staff. The museums are viewed as third spaces of education, situated somewhere between the home and the school, which presents particular dialogic openings in terms of human rights and peace pedagogies. The NCCHR and the CMHR are found to emphasize visceral and emotional experiences, over purely intellectual ones. Furthermore, traumatic content is not avoided. Rather, it is placed at the forefront. In terms of memory, the past-present continuum is underlined by subverting chronology and through the thematic juxtaposition of content. Finally, there is a call for activism that goes beyond strict commemoration

Mathematical Modelling and Experimental Dynamic Investigation of an Elevated Foundation Supporting Vibration Machinery

In the last two decades rapid advances in the techniques for the design of engineering structures have been made. With this much progress it is surprising that mathematical modelling and experimental dynamic investigations of elevated foundations supporting vibration machinery has hardly progressed. The main factors contributing to this situation are the tendency for equipment manufacturers to rely on past successful practices, the lack of interest in academic circles for this type of engineering structures and the lack of funds for major studies. Romania, alongside of other countries prefered to consider the worldwide experience in this field instead of developing its own researches. The paper presents the modelling and calibration for the resistant structure of a turbogenerator foundation. Two analytical models have been proposed, one of medium complexity (KONMAN 96) and the other, of high complexity, supported by the program SOLVIA 95. For model calibration, experimental dynamic in situ investigations have been performed on the turbogenerator - foundation - soil system. Some results and general conclusions are outlined

Mechanical and Acoustical Vibrations of a Building Generated by Weaving Looms

Dynamic excitations and the resulting stresses in a weaving mill can affect its functioning in many different ways. Possible consequences of service vibrations include emission of acoustic waves, reduction of product quality, damage of non-structural elements (especially partition walls and cladding) and the disturbance of the activity in buildings placed in close vicinity. It is difficult to identify the influence of the vibrations on the production, on the weaving shed and on the neighborhoods. In 2004, an Italian company has rented in Romania 6000 square meters in a huge, one level industrial building, in order to lay out a weaving mill. Connected to this building there is a small five level office building having 256 square meters in plane. Two categories of weaving looms were installed, air-jet based type and rapier based type. One may say that it was another well-known classical result of the acquisition of second hand equipment. This situation was often encountered in Romania in the last twenty years due to the poor economic situation of the country and to the set up of various private companies which could not afford new equipment. It was not the case, as the Italian company supplied the weaving factory with last generation weaving looms. When the machines started to operate, severe vertical vibrations were generated in the industrial building and annoying acoustical vibrations were induced in the office building, felt especially at the fifth floor. Practically, nobody could stay for more than 10 minutes in any room of that floor. In addition, the high intensity of the vertical vibrations affected the operation of sensitive electronic equipment and, as a result, a business center located at the fifth floor closed its activity. This made the owner lose a big amount of money obtained by renting the spaces. The owner of the building, together with the Italian company, asked R.N.C.E.E.V. to identify the source of the annoying vibrations and to find a technical solution in order to avoid them. As such a case is not frequently encountered and the technical literature is very poor on the subject, the author considers it of interest to be presented. In the paper, the entire process carried out in order to solve this spectacular case of annoying vibrations will be presented

Improving the Structural Performance of Heritage Buildings. A Comprehensive Romanian Experience.

The paper is devoted to historical masonry buildings’ protection against the destructive influence of earthquakes. Experimental and analytical investigations were performed to verify an original methodology that was developed for improving the structural performance of such a building. The seismic retrofitting of the cultural heritage requires compliance with the severe restrictions of the Romanian legislation related to the preservation of the original artistic and structural features. The intervention on the building started with the understanding of the original idea that was in the mind of the first designer. To accomplish this desideratum, two studies have been performed: a historical study and a geotechnical one. These studies have been followed by a technical assessment and a proposal of intervention. As the building has been able to carry severe loads during its lifetime, the possibility of preserving the original idea of its configuration was taken into account. In the paper, the main stages during the technical assessment and the strengthening project are presented. Within the technical assessment, a theory of damage and failure of unreinforced masonry walls was applied. The strengthening solution has been chosen so that the character of historical and architectural monument should not be affected

Case Study on the Foundation and Site Geotechnical Evaluation for the Rehabilitation of an Emergency Hospital Building

This case study is about the foundation and the site geotechnical potential evaluation for the rehabilitation of an emergency hospital building, placed in Bucharest. This building was strongly damaged by the main earthquakes that occurred in Romania, within the last 30 years (March 4th, 1977, August 30th, 1986 and May 30th, 1990). The building had, from the beginning, an unfavorable structural concept, in what concerns its shape in plane. The paper presents the methods used for the rehabilitation of the existing building foundation, together with the integration of a new foundation for a new building, that appeared necessary to be built, as a single solution for the strengthening of the old one. Important additional loads were considered for the proposed solution and thus an extensive study on the foundation and geotechnical aspects of the project were carried out, including a site geotechnical study, evaluation of bearing capacity and settlement, evaluation of safety factors on bearing capacity, before and after the strengthening. The paper also presents some considerations on the peculiarities of the seismic events that occur in Romania