Development of Design Response Spectra Based on Various Attenuation Relationships at Specific Location

Peninsular Malaysia is located and lies in a low seismic region. Although Malaysia is not located in the active fault seismic area, it is closed to the Sumatran active seismic zones. Tall building are fIequently felt the tremor generated fTom Sumatran subduction and fault zones especially in the west cost of Peninsular Malaysia such as Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Existing design response spectra was developed based on attenuation relationship for each subduction and fault zone. In this study, the design response spectra were developed based on various attenuation relationships for selected location in Kuala Lumpur area, namely, Mutiara Damansara, Bandar Petaling Jaya and Bandar Puteri Puchong. The development of design response spectra based on various attenuation relationships is more reliable in selecting the appropriate attenuation relationship for the study area. Seven attenuations have been chosen and results show that Megawati et al. are the most appropriate attenuation relation for fault zone, where the predicted PGA （peak ground acceleration） is 0.0187 g which is the proposed PGA value for this study area. This study also found that most of soil in the study area can be categorized into SD （stiff soil） according to site classification in the NEHRP 2000 Provision/UBC 97. Bandar petaling Jaya was found to be highest AF （amplification factor） of 3.74 for stiff soil and Mutiara Damansara with AF of 2.67 for very dense soil or soft rock. The proposed design response spectra for each location were developed based on UBC 1997 （Uniform Building Code 1997）. The peak RSA （response spectrum acceleration） of 0.30 g for soil type SD for Bandar Petaling Jaya is the maximum level of acceleration on the soil surface with a period range of 0.10 to 0.52 seconds. All these values can be used for the seismic safety evaluation of existing structures and as a guideline in designing new structures to resist future earthquake, within the study area.     

Historicity： Preservation or Revitalization Planning Tools？

The historic centres revitalization addresses the challenges related to the preservation of fundamental heritage values. At a time, when everyone looks with concern to our cities＇ future, it is important to reflect on the received heritage, seeking the most appropriate answers to the planning of the historic centres. These fabrics are reference places in the urban space, due to their role of memorial testimony and of generators of cultural and economic dynamics. However, often times, inherited urban fabrics are affected by the limitations of the heritage policies which, for being too general and based on theoretical and abstract frameworks, have difficulty incorporating the characteristics of each area and neglect the formulation of specific criteria and intervention methods. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comparative reading of the levels of urban renewal allowed by the planning tools. This study chooses two historic centers in Portugal： Oporto and Guimarfies historic centres （World Heritage Sites since 1996 and 2001, respectively, and were the last to get this classification in Portugal）. This reflection is a contribution to peer trends and raise the discussion on the role that the different heritage policies have to the revitalization of the historic centres.     

Analysis of Urban Morphology in Core Towns＇ Neighborhoods of Mexico： Santa Barbara＇s Neighborhood as a Case Study

Cities＇ urban morphology is the result of historic, cultural, political and social processes. The historical cores in Mexican cities have high cultural diversity, which also intermingle pre-Hispanic cultures with colonial forms, as well with modernity and post-modernity irruption. The case study is Santa Barbara＇s neighborhood in Toluca City, which was founded in 1524, and the case study was the first neighborhood in Toluca＇s historical core. At present time, this neighborhood is considered as one of the most dangerous places in the city＇s historical core, therefore, it has been abandoned. This paper will display the changes in urban morphology of the neighborhood through the years from 1877 to 2010. For site evaluation, the methodologies of Ashihara （1982） and Lynch＇s （1961） were used in order to analyze positive and negative spaces, as well as main street visual features, street and avenue directions, street circulation and street circulation path configuration. The results show that the focal nodes are a key factor for economic and social reactivation, with which, through urban activation of vacant lots and the traditional use of the streets as public space, is possible to generate centripetal development to restructure the neighborhood.     

In Situ Tests--Predicted vs. Observed Settlements： A Comparative Case Study

This paper aims to deal with the comparison of the estimated settlements derived by in situ tests with the observed settlements in site, in order to evaluate the accuracy of settlement prediction by in situ tests, in comparison not only with site observation by topographic means, but also with the values of settlements derived by numerical analysis by means of PLAXIS 2D and 3 D. The site where are carried out the tests and periodically are observed the settlements since the beginning of construction process, is located in the Oil Product Terminal, at the industrial park of Porto Romano, Durres, Albania. The main purpose of this project was the ground improvement by using preloading method in order to prevent liquefaction process and settlements. The data used to conduct this study are taken by the site investigation done after inserting into the soil vertical drains made of columns of free--draining gravel （gravel pile drains） until 14 m depth and center-to-center spacing of 2 m, and wick drains （premanufactured） until 25 m depth and center-to-center spacing of 1.8 m. The observed settlements are periodically measured by topographic equipments. This paper will present the conclusions derived by settlement analyzes from in situ tests and site observations.     

Village Centre Internal Resources Used for New Development

Villages historically have been founded around agriculture but farm land has greatly changed, mainly in the areas of the centralised conception of agriculture from the 1950s. Original parcelling, homestead composition and functional layouts have stopped being useful for current village inhabitants. The Czech Republic is an example of an area where this problem has appeared. According to the Czech Statistical Office, the number of inhabitants working in agriculture is now only 1%. Therefore, we need to concentrate on the village historic centre： the possibilities of restructuring and the definition of its potential and possibilities for new development. The internal resources of the village mentioned in this paper refer to the buildings, structures and land of the village centre core. The case studies worked out by the students of architecture in the Faculty of Civil Engineering of Czech Technical University in Prague from the 1990s were used for the research. Comparing designs can define these basic approaches to the new historic centre＇s use： a spatial solution--urban （non-invasive and invasive） and architectonical （reconstruction, traditional form with modern detail or completely modern design） and a functional solution. The research shown in the original historic village core offers enough opportunities for new usages and non-agricultural functions which are suitable for this area.     

Discrimination on the Concept of Historic City in China

In 1982,the State Council announced a list of historic cities in China,aiming to set up a conservation measure to conserve the cultural heritages from the perspective of a city.The historic city is a concept in relation to urban administrative governance.Its conservation scope and specific contents should be defined in conservation planning.Since the conservation planning of historic city is a part of the city master planning,its planning area should be the same as that in the master planning,with focus on the central urban area.The conservation planning of a historic city should define its objects in view of the interconnection between city history and culture and thus specify its conservation scope and contents accordingly.     

Feasibility evaluation for excavation of Naghshe Jahan Square subway station by underground methods

In recent years, in reaction to the increasing usage of urban areas, the excavation of underground spaces has been developed. One of the most challenging issues encountered by engineers is the construction of subway stations as large underground spaces at shallow depth with soft surrounding soils. In this paper, Naghshe Jahan Square subway station located in Isfahan, Iran, has been simulated by geomechanical fnite difference method(FDM). This station is located under important historical structures. Therefore, the ground displacement and surface settlement induced by the excavation of the subway station should be strictly controlled. Many of such problems are affected by selected excavation method. For these reasons, different underground excavation methods associated with construction have been studied. In this study, sequential excavation method and large-diameter curved pipe roofng method are used and the numerical results of the two methods are compared. The presence of groundwater table obliges us to choose special techniques for the stability of the ground around the subway station during construction; hence compressed air and ground freezing techniques are utilized in the simulations of the subway station. Finally, after choosing appropriate support systems, the large-diameter curved pipe roofng method with 1.5 m spacing between curved pipes is proposed.     

Review and Exploration of the Development of Planning for the Conservation of the Famous Historical and Cultural Cities in China

To comprehend the development of the famous histori-cal and cultural cities in China and their conservation plan-ning, it is necessary to understand, first of all, the back-ground of their history and present condition. This back-ground has taken shape in the historic development of thecities and is influenced by many complicated factors of thepresent time. To discuss these factors in simple way, theycan be summarized as follows:The impact of the historical and cultural ideas;The impact of the physical and environmental condi-tion;The impact of the present socialand economicsituation.The impact of the historical and cultural ideasChina is a country with ancient civilization. TheChinese cultural has been shaped through development, in-heritance and harmony in a history of 5000 years on the ba-sis of the ancient Huaxia Culture with the Yellow River andthe Yangtse River as the main arteries.The rising of ancient cities in China can be traced backto over 3500 years ago. China is a multinational country. Int     

Innovative Applications of Post-Tension for Restoration and Rehabilitation of Bridges and Structures--Case Studies in India

This paper deals with new and innovative case studies of application of post-tensioning for restoration of structures for buildings, bridges and rock stabilization in India. In earlier situations for these types of cases conventional method of repair and rehabilitation has been used. These innovative approaches for restoration have led to enormous saving of cost and time. The advantages of post tensioning are well known in the civil industry and are being used for the last 40 to 50 years. Post tensioning is one of the best methods to induce stresses in the concrete before application of live load and this technique can also be widely used for restoration and rehabilitation of structures. Unlike the use of post-tensioning in new structures there are no definite methods or codes for application in restoration and rehabilitation of structures. For restoration and rehabilitation of structures, PT （post tensioned） technique can be applied in combination with other techniques and materials available. Bridge lifting is a tricky and risky job especially when the superstructure is displaced appreciably by a natural calamity, etc.. Not only the present state of structure needs proper study before commencement of restoration and rehabilitation but also calls for careful execution. This paper deals with case studies of innovative applications of post tensioning in restoration and rehabilitation of structures and restoration of bridge structure in Andaman ＆ Nicobar Island, India affected by Sumatra quake.     

Source location error analysis and optimization methods

The efficiency of an optimization method for acoustic emission/microseismic(AE/MS) source location is determined by the compatibility of its error definition with the errors contained in the input data.This compatibility can be examined in terms of the distribution of station residuals.For an ideal distribution,the input error is held at the station where it takes place as the station residual and the error is not permitted to spread to other stations.A comparison study of two optimization methods,namely the least squares method and the absolute value method,shows that the distribution with this character constrains the input errors and minimizes their impact,which explains the much more robust performance by the absolute value method in dealing with large and isolated input errors.When the errors in the input data are systematic and/or extreme in that the basic data structure is altered by these errors,none of the optimization methods are able to function.The only means to resolve this problem is the early detection and correction of these errors through a data screening process.An efficient data screening process is of primary importance for AE/MS source location.In addition to its critical role in dealing with those systematic and extreme errors,data screening creates a favorable environment for applying optimization methods.     

Social Participation in the Context of the Urban Public Space Renewal： The Case of Lagarteiro Neighborhood in Oporto

In 1980, Giancarlo de Carlo wrote in the Perspecta： Yale Journal, ＂An Architecture of the Participation＂. Carlo, proposed a sequence of procedures： the problem definition, the solution and the results evaluation, in all the three steps, the social communities should be integrated in as part of a share and dynamic process. This text corresponds to a new way of understanding the importance of the social communities in the architecture definition. From de Carlo＇s text, the main goal of this paper is to present the results of an intervention in public space renewal of the Lagarteiro neighborhood （in Oporto city） and the relation of this process with the participation of the resident population. The urban context of Lagarteiro＇s neighborhood presented before the intervention the typical and classic signs of disqualification of environmental and urban peripheral areas of resettlement. The term ＂disadvantaged areas＂ is associated with these areas in urban or peri-urban case, was framed in a specific Portuguese policy, called Initiative Critical Neighborhoods. Being a recent intervention, the renewal of the public space in Lagarteiro is a complete case study that allows comprehending the participation phenomenon in nowadays, at the same time that seduces a reflexion about technical and architectural solutions for ＂critical＂ neighborhood.     

Advantages and Disadvantages of Repair and Replacement of the Timber Element in Historic Buildings

During the modern city construction, the conservation of the historic buildings is especial important, for the future development is based on the historic accumulation. Timber element, which is the common material in the historic buildings, always sufferd by the varies natural or man-made factors, and finally lead to huge threaten to the entire structure. The conservation methods often changing according to the different circumstances and degree of destruction. This paper has introduced two approaches, repair and replacement, compared the advantages and disadvantages of each, and then summary the application of two methods in the light of conservation principle.     

Non-contact Evaluation of Concrete Structures Using Air-coupled Sensing Technique

Elastic wave-based non-destructive testing(NDT) methods are effective for flaw detection in concrete structures and pavements.However,the test speed of elastic wave-based methods is severely limited by the physical coupling between sensors and concrete surface.The air-coupled sensing method is proposed as a solution to develop rapid NDT techniques for concrete infrastructure.This paper reviews the development of air-coupled sensing technique for concrete structures in civil engineering applications.It pr...     

The Role of Architectural Considerations in Seismic Performance of Buildings： A Case Study in Iran

Experience from recent earthquakes such as Gilan, Zanjan, Bam and Lorestan earthquakes in Iran indicated that the constructed buildings are vulnerable against earthquake. Vulnerability of these structures is due to various reasons such as designing without considering seismic regulations, problems of regulations （design goals）, implementation problems, changing of the building occupancy class, increasing the weight of building stories, adding new stories to the building and changing in architecture of building without considering structural system. So the main objective of this research is to examine the features of building configuration and their effects as for the damages to buildings in past earthquakes. For this purpose, initially four occurred earthquakes in Iran are selected as case study. Then three types of buildings （steel structure, concrete structure and masonry buildings） are analyzed with details. Results showed that the most of damages are occurred in the old steel structures and masonry buildings which their ages are more than 25 years. The study showed that most of the buildings in the study area are steel structure and masonry buildings while concrete structures are infrequent which most of them had no or slight damages. Therefore, the importance and need to enhance the performance of available buildings against earthquake forces by rehabilitating methods would be more important than before. Also results indicated that the decisions related to architectural plan which have significant effect on seismic performance of buildings, can be divided into three categories： configuration of building, restrictive formal architectural plan and dangerous structural components, as these categories are not obstacle of each other, it is possible that each category has an influential effect on others. So organizing the design decisions in this way is very important so as to manage their effects and interdependencies.     

Application of Greenhouse Gas Inventory to Urban Rural Planning in China

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory analysis provides crucial scientific basis to support the preparation of urban-rural planning policies on managing climate change. This article reviews current studies on GHG inventory in China and points out the short fall in translating these inventory data into specific local policies. It examines the issue of setting up the GHG inventory based on the statutory urban-rural planning systems in China. It enables the local government to set up a platform coordinating various city policies and to serve well as the platform for local emission mitigation and removal policies. The urban-rural planning GHG inventory system needs to address the issue of spatial boundary in accounting for local emission sources and origins with respect to the boundaries of planning area, and it must directly relate to the various statutory master plan policy contents and the local municipal government functional structure. Finally it presents a case study of applying the proposed inventory as a planning tool for Jiangyin at the Jiangsu Province.     

Intein-mediated purification system: mechanism and applications

The incorporation of self-cleaving protein elements into a variety of fusion-based purification systems; has been an important development in the area of recombinant protein purification. The self-cleaving capability of these tags has recently been combined with additional purification tags to generate novel and convenient protein purification methods. This review elucidates the properties of intein, the mechanism of the intein-based protein splicing and the progress of intein-based protein purification procedures, and recent advances in the applications of intein.     

Swelling Characteristics of Saudi Tayma Shale and Consequential Impact on Light Structures

Expansive soils in Saudi Arabia have received wide attention in recent decades, following the rapid urbanization of rural and agricultural parts of the country. Tayma expansive shale inflicted serious damages to light structures, roads and boundary walls. This research is aimed at studying the engineering characteristics of the shale at this area including the basic geotechnical parameters as well as swelling behavior under oedometric loading conditions. The engineering properties were determined and compared to the local and international characterization charts. Mineralogy study using x-ray diffraction was conducted to investigate clay minerals present. The swell percent and the swelling pressure of the shale were investigated for samples prepared at different initial moisture contents and various dry densities. A close-up view of damages caused by the expansive shale in the town is highlighted and measures to reduce the risk of potential swelling distress for future constructions are presented.     

Evaluating Vegetation Health Condition Using MODIS Data in the Three Gorges Area, China

The satellite-based vegetation condition index (VCI) and temperature condition index (TCI) have been used extensively for drought detection and tracking, the assessment of weather impacts on vegetation and evaluation of the health and productivity of vegetation. In this study, in order to detect and monitor the growth condition of vegetation, we have collected data on vegetation indices and land surface temperature derived from MODIS (2001-2012) and defined a vegetation health index (VHI) based on VCI and TCI for assessing vegetation health condition in the Three Gorges Area, China (TGA). The results of the study show that temporal and spatial characteristics of vegetation health condition can be detected, tracked and mapped by the VHI index. In most parts of the TGA, the vegetation health condition showed an overall increasing trend during the study period, especially in Wulong, Fengdu, Shizhu and other regions located in the midstream sections of the Three Gorges Reservoir. In addition, the four studied vegetation types all showed clear increasing trends during the study period. The increasing trend in the vegetation health condition shows a strong positive correlation with topographical slope and altitude (below 500 m). Over the seasons, this trend is strongest in autumn, followed by spring. However, the correlations between vegetation health condition and climatic factors are more frequently significant in summer and winter than in autumn and spring. The vegetation health condition has been low in 2006 and 2011. This finding is consistent with the extreme weather conditions in those two years. However, only in the summer is vegetation health condition significantly correlated with three climatic factors in most of the study area. This result implies that vegetation growth may show a lagged response to climatic factors and may also be affected by human activities, including agricultural activities, industrial activities and other economic activities.     

Behavior of noncircular tunnels excavated in stratified rock masses – Case of underground coal mines

The amount of tunnels excavated along stratified/sedimentary rock masses in Quangninh coal mine area,Vietnam, is gradually increasing. Rock mass in Quangninh is characterized by beddings between rock layers. The behavior of stratified rock masses surrounding the tunnels depends on both the intact rock and the beddings between rock layers. The main characteristics of stratified rock masses that need to be considered are their heterogeneity and anisotropy. Depending on the dip angle of rock layers, movements and failure zones developed surrounding the tunnels can be asymmetrical over the vertical axis of tunnel. This asymmetry causes adverse behaviors of the tunnel structures. The objective of this study is to highlight convergences and yielded zones developed in rock masses surrounding noncircular tunnels in Quangninh coal mine area using a finite element method. The presence of bedding joints is explicitly simulated. The numerical results indicated that with the increase in dip angle of bedding joints, the stress asymmetry over the tunnel vertical axis increases. It gradually leads to an asymmetry of the failure zone surrounding the tunnel. An increase of rock mass quality means a decrease of rock mass sensitivity to the discontinuities. In addition,a dip angle of the bedding joints of approximately 45° could be considered as the critical angle at which the rock mass mechanism changes between sliding and bending.     

Natural Ventilation by Air Captors and Extractors Sheds in Hospitals in Brazil： Wind Tunnel Measurements

Natural ventilation is an efficient design strategy for the passive cooling of buildings, especially in tropical countries such as Brazil. Among the ventilation strategies, sheds can be highlighted. These structures consist of roof openings that work as air captors or extractors depending on their location in relation to the prevailing wind directions. The hospitals of the Sarah Network, designed by the Brazilian architect Joao Filgueiras Lima, Lele, are worldwide known for using these elements to improve natural ventilation. This paper analyses the natural ventilation performance of sheds for air collecting and extracting in two Sarah hospitals located in the cities of Salvador and Rio de Janeiro. In each building, the sheds were analyzed for air extracting and collecting. The analyses were carried out by reduced physical models in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel. The wind velocity was measured at external and internal points of the buildings, using hot-wire anemometers. The results show that the wards in Rio de Janeiro hospital are 17% more ventilated than the ones in the Salvador hospital. However, this difference occurs not only because of the collecting sheds but also because of set of openings and the configuration of the covering in hospitals in Rio de Janeiro.