A three-dimensional finite element model is developed, validated and used in the parametric study to investigate the influence of shear stud's position and profiled sheeting thickness on the strength, ductility and failure modes of the headed shear stud welded to the modern profiled sheeting. A total of 240 push tests were analysed with different sheeting thicknesses, positions of the shear stud in the trough, concrete strengths and transverse spacings. The results showed that the sheeting thickness influenced the shear connector resistance of studs placed in the unfavourable position more than studs placed in favourable and central positions. The strength of the shear connector placed in the unfavourable position increased by as much as 30% when the sheeting thickness was increased. The shear connector resistance of the unfavourable stud was found to be primarily a function of the strength and the thickness of the profiled sheeting rather than the concrete strength. The strength prediction equations for unfavourable and central studs were also proposed. The results suggested that the strength of the shear connector increased as the distance of the shear stud increased from the mid-height of the deck rib in the load bearing direction of the stud. The load¿slip behaviour of the studs in the unfavourable position was more ductile than the studs in the favourable position, with slip of 2-4 times higher. It was found that the increase in sheeting thickness and transverse spacing improved the ductility of the stud in unfavourable position, but had no effect on the stud in the favourable position. The failure modes suggested that the favourable and central studs failed by concrete cone failure and unfavourable studs failed by rib punching together with crushing of the narrow strip of the concrete in front of the stud.

No / A vehicle that deviates laterally from its intended path of travel when the brakes are applied is considered to demonstrate ‘instability’ in the form of an unexpected and undesirable response to the driver input. Even where the magnitude of lateral displacement of the vehicle is small (i.e. ‘drift’ rather than ‘pull’) such a condition would be considered unacceptable by manufacturers and customers. Steering ‘drift’ during braking can be caused by several factors, some of which relate to vehicle design and others to external influences such as road conditions. The study presented here examines the causes and effects of steering drift during straight-line braking. A comparative analysis is made between two types of vehicle model: one built with rigid suspension components and the other with flexible components. In both the cases, the vehicle behaviour is simulated during braking in a straight line, and responses including lateral acceleration, yaw rate, and lateral displacement of the vehicle are predicted and analysed under fixed steering control. Suspension/steering geometry characteristics, namely toe steer and caster angle, have been studied to understand how the effect of variations in these parameters differs in models with rigid or flexible components drift during straight-line braking. Results from both vehicle models show that differences between rigid and flexible components can affect the predicted steering drift propensity. The differences between the two models have emphasized the importance of using flexible (compliant) components in vehicle handling simulations to achieve better correlation between prediction and experiment.

The numerous buildings that currently require thermal rehabilitation in Romania means that substantial resources and a large number of competent people are required to carry out surveys and energy audits. However, commercial energy balance software is mostly unaffordable for those organisations involved in this process. This paper describes an energy balance programme – ENEFControl – developed to be a rapid, low cost, local tool able to assist in the choice of energy efficient solutions for buildings. To test the software, thermal and energy analyses were carried out on a 1970s built apartment block in Transylvania. Based on these analyses, three constructive scenarios were proposed for thermal rehabilitation. Compared to the performance of the analysed building, the thermal and energy performance of the retrofitted building in all three scenarios significantly improved. Since European Union accession in 2007, rapidly rising energy costs have affected the Romanian population. ENEFControl offers Romanian engineers and architects an opportunity to speed up the rehabilitation programme of buildings without the need for more expensive expertise and tools.

For many in the West, North Korea is a secretive, reclusive, and enigmatic country, a rogue state that threatens the world with its nuclear program and ballistic missiles. Confronted with its numerous provocations involving nuclear tests and missile launches, however, the international community still has not formulated a coherent response. So how do we understand the crisis on the Korean peninsula that has persisted well beyond the end of the Cold War? Christoph Bluth presents an in-depth analytical account of North Korea's development from a Soviet satellite to a failed state in the post-Cold War period. He also explains South Korea's transition from a military dictatorship to a modern democracy with a thriving economy. Based on interviews with key policymakers and experts located in South Korea, Bluth's study throws light on Korean hopes for unification and the future of the U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance. U.S. policy toward North Korea has been politically controversial, with some supporting engagement and negotiations, and others calling for isolating the regime on the basis that it cannot be trusted. Neither approach will work, according to Bluth, who explains that North Korea's foreign and security policy is the result of both the internal and external threats to the survival of a regime that can no longer sustain itself. A suitable text for undergraduates as well as postgraduates, this book will be of interest to anyone with an interest in Korea, international security, and, in particular, nuclear nonproliferation.

A three dimensional nonlinear finite element model has been developed to study the behaviour of composite beams with profiled sheeting oriented perpendicular to its axis. The analysis of the push test was carried out using ABAQUS/Explicit with slow load application to ensure a quasi-static solution. Both material and geometric nonlinearities were taken into account. Elastic¿plastic material models were used for all steel components and the Concrete Damaged Plasticity model was used for the concrete slab. The post-failure behaviour of the push test was accurately predicted, which is crucial for realistic determination of shear capacity, slip and failure mode. The results obtained from finite element analysis were verified against the experimental push tests conducted in this research and also from other studies. After validation, the model was used to carry out an extensive parametric study to investigate the effect of transverse spacing in push tests with double studs placed in favourable and staggered positions with various concrete strengths. The results were also compared with the capacity of a single shear stud. It was found that shear connector resistance of pairs of shear connectors placed in favourable position was 94% of the strength of a single shear stud on average, when the transverse spacing between studs was 200 mm or more. For the same spacing, the resistance of staggered pairs of studs was only 86% of the strength of a single stud. The strength of double shear studs in favourable position was higher than that of the staggered pairs of shear connectors.

An AFM relative stiffness technique was applied to reconstituted Beta vulgaris L. wax films. Consecutive force arrays (n=100) made on the waxy surface at the same locations showed that there was no relative change in surface elasticity and this information was used as a reference to further experimental measurements. A surfactant solution was subsequently dropped on the waxy surface and the same array of indents was made at the same location as the reference test. The plant wax surface showed a reduction in its surface elasticity properties. The study has demonstrated that the AFM technique could be used to undertake a systematic assessment of the plasticising effects of agrochemicals on native and reconstituted plant wax films.

No / Three interrelated factors make Sierra Leone in general and its extractive sector in particular worthy of examination. First, since the formal declaration of peace in 2002 the country has emerged as a model of liberal peacebuilding.1 The UN deployed one of its largest ever peacekeeping operations at a total cost of $2.8 billion.2 Official development assistance to Sierra Leone (multilateral, bilateral and UN agencies) amounted to US$1.2 billion between 2003 and 2006 (DACO, 2006: 7) and in 2006 the country’s $1.6 billion debt was forgiven (ICG, 2007: 8). In 2007 the country experienced its second successful post-conflict national election resulting in a transition of power to the opposition All People’s Congress.

Poverty is quintessentially an issue of inequality or lack of social justice within and between nation states. And yet mainstream development theory and institutions of global governance continue to couch reducing poverty as a policy objective, rather than focus on underlying issues of inequality. This book confronts the failings of neo-liberalism and the global governance institutions that promote it. Social Justice and Development makes a significant contribution to current debates around development theory and policy. It explores why articulating social justice in development provides the potential for a fresh approach to global poverty, and one that would overcome the current theoretical 'impasse'. It is essentially an optimistic text that suggests how the principles of global social justice could be used to shift the development paradigm from a consensus that hinges on Washington to one that is global.

Over the past 10 years individual capitalists have become increasingly involved in philanthropy, setting up charitable foundations targeted at helping to reduce social problems such as poverty, disease and food security. This form of neoliberal capitalist philanthropy is both politically and ideologically committed to market-based social investment through partnerships, to make the market work or work better for capital. The new structures of philanthropy have received much praise in the media for imbuing capitalist business principles into the non-profit sector and for their potential for social transformation. While philanthropic activities may be considered worthy in themselves, this article examines the relationship between giving and business interest and the agency associated with neoliberal capitalist philanthropy. It questions partnerships between philanthropists and private corporations and their motivations for engaging in poverty-related philanthropy. The discussion focuses on capitalist philanthropic foundations' involvement in the process of agricultural commodification in sub-Saharan Africa through the New Green Revolution and genetically modified (gm) technologies.

No / With increasing interest in hot melt extrusion for preparing polymer-drug systems, knowledge of the shear and extensional rheology of polymers is required for the formulation and process design. Shear and extensional rheology of three commercial grades of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) was examined at 140, 145 and 150 degrees C using twin bore capillary rheometry at range of processing rates. The power law model fitted for shear flow behaviour up to shear strain rates of approximately 1000s(-1), above which measured shear viscosities deviated from the power law and surface instabilities were observed in the extrudate, particularly for higher molecular weight grades. Shear thinning index was found to be relatively independent of temperature and molecular weight, whilst the consistency index, indicative of zero shear viscosity increased exponentially with increase in molecular weight. Extensional viscosity of all grades studied was found to decrease with increasing temperature and increasing processing rate. Foaming of the extrudate occurred especially at low temperatures and with the high molecular weight grade. An understanding of the relationships between shear and extensional flows with temperature, processing rate and molecular weight is a useful tool for process design; optimisation and troubleshooting of Hot melt extrusion (HME) of pharmaceutical formulations.