This book explores the long-term trends in the development of what was the first complex civilization in history, the Old Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2650–2200 BC), the period that saw the construction of eternal monuments such as Djoser’s Step Pyramid complex in Saqqara, the pyramids of the great Fourth Dynasty kings in Giza, and spectacular tombs of high officials throughout Egypt. The present study aims to show that the historical trajectory of the period was marked by specific processes that characterize most of the world’s civilizations: the role of the ruling elite, the growth of bureaucracy, the proliferation of interest groups, and adaptation to climate change, to name but a few—and the way that these processes held the germ of ultimate collapse. The case is made that the rise and fall of the Old Kingdom state is of relevance to the study of the anatomy of development of any complex civilization.

Provides a new method for analysing collapse behaviours of buildings under various scenarios, such as impact, fire, blast demolition, earthquake, and tsunami. The analysis of the vulnerability of buildings against progressive collapse is a challenging task. Progressive Collapse of Structures: Numerical Codes and Applications provides a variety of numerical analysis tools and methods which allow engineers to simulate structural collapse behavior during all stages of the process. This book covers methods such as adaptively shifted integration (ASI) and ASI-Gauss techniques. Algorithms are supplied to simulate member fracture and contact behaviors. The author also supplies various numerical examples including case studies from the World Trade Center (WTC) towers in New York City, Nuevo Leon buildings in Mexico, and the collapse of the Canterbury Television (CTV) building in New Zealand. - Discusses algorithms for simulating fracture and contact behaviors of structural members - Covers fire-induced progressive collapse analyses of high-rise towers, seismic pounding analysis of adjacent buildings, blast demolition analysis of steel-framed structures, and many more - Includes numerical codes that supply highly accurate solutions with less memory use and small computational cost

American scholar Jared Diamond deploys his powers of interpretation to great effect in Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, which seeks to understand the meaning behind the available evidence describing societies that have survived and those that have withered and died. Why, for example, did the Norsemen of Scandinavia who colonized Greenland in the early tenth century not survive, while the inhabitants of Highland New Guinea did? With the evidence to hand, Diamond notes that a society’s collapse tends to be preceded by a severe reduction in population and considerable decreases in political, economic and social complexity. Delving even deeper, Diamond isolates five major factors determine the success or failure of human societies in all periods of history: environmental degradation, which occurs when an ecosystem deteriorates as its resources are exhausted; climate change (natural or man-made); hostile neighbors; weakened trading partners; and access or otherwise to the resources that enable the society to adapt its challenges. The breadth of Diamond’s research provides the springboard from which to reach these definitions, but it inevitably also introduces complications; how can evidence produced by specialists in so many different disciplines be compared? Diamond’s ability to understand the meaning of the evidence at hand – and his readiness to seek and supply clarifications of meaning where necessary – underpin his achievement, and comprise a textbook example of how interpretative skills can provide a framework for strong critical thinking.

F33615-69-C-1523AF-1467AFFDLTR-71-8-Vol-2See also report dated Aug 72, AD-751 702.(*shells(structural forms), failure(mechanics)), (*computer programming, instruction manuals), structural properties, loads(forces), buckling, plastic properties, bodies of revolution, subroutinesnewton-raphson method, collapse, programming manuals, finite difference theory, *stags computer program, structural analysisThe manual presents STAGS, a comprehensive computer code. STAGS is intended for the static analysis of arbitrary shells including the effects of nonlinearities caused by material behavior and finite deformations. Collapse loads based on nonlinear analysis can be computed as well as buckling loads based on classical bifurcation buckling theory with linear prestress. Arbitrary thermal and mechanical loadings can be specified. The manual rpovides instructions for use of the code and presents sample problems and solutions. The program is under development and the version presented here is expected to be updated in 1973. The previous report, Volume 1 (AD-751 702), contains the numerical analysis.

As our society confronts the impacts of globalization and global systemic risks—such as financial contagion, climate change, and epidemics—what can studies of the past tell us about our present and future? How Worlds Collapse offers case studies of societies that either collapsed or overcame cataclysmic adversity. The authors in this volume find commonalities between past civilizations and our current society, tracing patterns, strategies, and early warning signs that can inform decision-making today. While today’s world presents unique challenges, many mechanisms, dynamics, and fundamental challenges to the foundations of civilization have been consistent throughout history—highlighting essential lessons for the future.

American scholar Jared Diamond deploys his powers of interpretation to great effect in Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, which seeks to understand the meaning behind the available evidence describing societies that have survived and those that have withered and died. Why, for example, did the Norsemen of Scandinavia who colonized Greenland in the early tenth century not survive, while the inhabitants of Highland New Guinea did? With the evidence to hand, Diamond notes that a society’s collapse tends to be preceded by a severe reduction in population and considerable decreases in political, economic and social complexity. Delving even deeper, Diamond isolates five major factors determine the success or failure of human societies in all periods of history: environmental degradation, which occurs when an ecosystem deteriorates as its resources are exhausted; climate change (natural or man-made); hostile neighbors; weakened trading partners; and access or otherwise to the resources that enable the society to adapt its challenges. The breadth of Diamond’s research provides the springboard from which to reach these definitions, but it inevitably also introduces complications; how can evidence produced by specialists in so many different disciplines be compared? Diamond’s ability to understand the meaning of the evidence at hand – and his readiness to seek and supply clarifications of meaning where necessary – underpin his achievement, and comprise a textbook example of how interpretative skills can provide a framework for strong critical thinking.

The mathematical verification of the safety of structures can be done by determining the probability of failure or by using safety elements. Observed damages and collapses are usually assessed within the framework of expert reports, which seems reasonable due to the large number of unique structures in the construction industry. However, there should also be an examination of observed safety across all structures. Therefore, in this book the collapse frequencies are determined for different types of structures, such as bridges, dams, tunnels, retaining structures and buildings. The collapse frequency, like the failure probability, belongs to stochasticity. Therefore, the observed mean collapse frequencies and the calculated mean failure probabilities are compared. This comparison shows that the collapse frequencies are usually lower than the calculated failure probabilities. In addition, core damage frequencies and probabilities are given to extend the comparison to another technical product.

"Explores the phenomenon of party system collapse through a detailed examination of Venezuela's traumatic party system decay, as well as a comparative analysis of collapse in Bolivia, Colombia, and Argentina and survival in Argentina, India, Uruguay, and Belgium"--Provided by publisher.

At 5:20 in the afternoon on 9/11, Building 7 of the World Trade Center collapsed, even though it had not been struck by a plane and had fires on only a few floors. The reason for its collapse was considered a mystery. In August 2008, NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology) issued its report on WTC 7, declaring that "the reason for the collapse of World Trade Center 7 is no longer a mystery" and that “science is really behind what we have said.” Showing that neither of these claims is true, David Ray Griffin demonstrates that NIST is guilty of the most serious types of scientific fraud: fabricating, falsifying, and ignoring evidence. He also shows that NIST’s report left intact the central mystery: How could a building damaged by fire—not explosives—have come down in free fall?