This book develops several novel foam-filled structures and steel-concrete-steel (SCS) sandwich structures, which provides more alternatives for ensuring the safety of buildings and infrastructures under extreme loading, like impact and blast. In the first part of this book, the aluminium foam- and polyurethane foam-filled structures have been developed for dissipating impact and blast energy. Experimental and numerical studies have been conducted to obtain their behaviours under impact loading. In addition, analytical models have also been proposed to assess their energy absorption performances and facilitate the impact and blast design when using the proposed foam-filled structures. In the second part of this book, SCS sandwich structures with novel shear connectors have been developed and their behaviours under impact and blast loading have been experimentally, numerically and analytical studied. Analytical models for predicting the impact and blast responses of SCS sandwich structures have also been developed. In the third part of this book, a new steel-polyurethane foam-steel-concrete-steel (SPUFSCS) panel (i.e. the combination of foam material and SCS panel) has been developed to achieve a higher impact resistant capacity. Owing to the increasing impact and blast threats on buildings and infrastructures, the studies presented in this book are of significant importance for providing several new solutions for impact and blast enhancement.

This book develops several novel foam-filled structures and steel-concrete-steel (SCS) sandwich structures, which provides more alternatives for ensuring the safety of buildings and infrastructures under extreme loading, like impact and blast. In the first part of this book, the aluminium foam- and polyurethane foam-filled structures have been developed for dissipating impact and blast energy. Experimental and numerical studies have been conducted to obtain their behaviours under impact loading. In addition, analytical models have also been proposed to assess their energy absorption performances and facilitate the impact and blast design when using the proposed foam-filled structures. In the second part of this book, SCS sandwich structures with novel shear connectors have been developed and their behaviours under impact and blast loading have been experimentally, numerically and analytical studied. Analytical models for predicting the impact and blast responses of SCS sandwich structures have also been developed. In the third part of this book, a new steel-polyurethane foam-steel-concrete-steel (SPUFSCS) panel (i.e. the combination of foam material and SCS panel) has been developed to achieve a higher impact resistant capacity. Owing to the increasing impact and blast threats on buildings and infrastructures, the studies presented in this book are of significant importance for providing several new solutions for impact and blast enhancement. .

Protecting the natural environment and promoting sustainability have become important objectives, but achieving such goals presents myriad challenges for even the most committed environmentalist. American Environmentalism: Philosophy, History, and Public Policy examines whether competing interests can be reconciled while developing consistent, coherent, effective public policy to regulate uses and protection of the natural environment without destroying the national economy. It then reviews a range of possible solutions. The book delves into key normative concepts that undergird American perspectives on nature by providing an overview of philosophical concepts found in the western intellectual tradition, the presuppositions inherent in neoclassical economics, and anthropocentric (human-centered) and biocentric (earth-centered) positions on sustainability. It traces the evolution of attitudes about nature from the time of the Ancient Greeks through Europeans in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the American Founders, the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and up to the present. Building on this foundation, the author examines the political landscape as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), industry leaders, and government officials struggle to balance industrial development with environmental concerns. Outrageous claims, silly misrepresentations, bogus arguments, absurd contentions, and overblown prophesies of impending calamities are bandied about by many parties on all sides of the debate—industry spokespeople, elected representatives, unelected regulators, concerned citizens, and environmental NGOs alike. In lieu of descending into this morass, the author circumvents the silliness to explore the crucial issues through a more focused, disciplined approach. Rather than engage in acrimonious debate over minutiae, as so often occurs in the context of "green" claims, he recasts the issue in a way that provides a cohesive look at all sides. This effort may be quixotic, but how else to cut the Gordian knot?

This book presents a systematic summary of a series of achievements of blast injury studies in China and the latest progress in blast injury treatment including injuries caused by various explosion accidents (such as coal mine gas explosion, and chemical explosion) and terrorist bombing around the world over the past three decades. The book not only covers comprehensive introductions to the knowledge and injury theories about explosive shock waves, but also expounds the prevention and treatment of various explosion shock injuries and their complications with generalized summaries. This book not only contains a diverse range of content, but also immense practicality. It elaborates on the causes of various types of explosion and impact injuries, as well as protection and treatment measures, serving not only as an important basis and technical support for military health service support in modern warfare, but is also extremely important in providing practical value in peacetime disaster prevention, mitigation and relief for patients.

Recent decades have seen an increase in the number of terrorist attacks, necessitating the development of more efficient global security policies. One of the most important elements of this enhanced security is the protection of critical infrastructure. This book presents edited contributions from the NATO Advanced Training Course (ATC) on Critical Infrastructure Protection - Best Practices and Innovative Methods of Protection, held in Agadir, Morocco, from 6 to 12 May 2018. The main objective of the course was to bring together specialists working in the area of protecting critical infrastructure in NATO Member and Partner countries to share their knowledge and expertise. One lecture block was dedicated to important legal aspects, as these differ from country to country. The other main topic areas included the structural design and protection of critical infrastructure, new materials and material analysis, and material and construction testing at elevated impact velocities via experiment and numerical simulation. New designs for critical infrastructure elements were also demonstrated. The course provided an ideal forum for speakers and participants from government, academia, and military bodies to exchange information and best practice, while at the same time creating links to foster further collaboration and the exchange of ideas about the protection of critical infrastructure, and the book will be of interest to all those whose work involves protecting critical infrastructure from the threat of terrorist attack.

In today's world, reasonably predictable military operations have been replaced by low intensity conflicts-less predictable terrorist activities carried out by determined individuals or small groups that possess a wide range of backgrounds and capabilities. Because of the threats posed by this evolving type of warfare, civil engineers and emergency

Within this context, big data analytics (BDA) can be an important tool given that many analytic techniques within the big data world have been created specifically to deal with complexity and rapidly changing conditions. The important task for public sector organizations is to liberate analytics from narrow scientific silos and expand it across internally to reap maximum benefit across their portfolios of programs. This book highlights contextual factors important to better situating the use of BDA within government organizations and demonstrates the wide range of applications of different BDA techniques. It emphasizes the importance of leadership and organizational practices that can improve performance. It explains that BDA initiatives should not be bolted on but should be integrated into the organization’s performance management processes. Equally important, the book includes chapters that demonstrate the diversity of factors that need to be managed to launch and sustain BDA initiatives in public sector organizations.

This volume presents select proceedings of the International Conference on Innovative Technologies for Clean and Sustainable Development (ICITCSD – 2021), held at the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training & Research and Chitkara University, Himachal Pradesh, India. It covers several important aspects of sustainable civil engineering practices, dealing with effective waste and material management, natural resources, industrial products, energy, food, transportation and shelter, environmental impact mitigation, waste minimization and management, sustainable infrastructure, and geospatial technology for sustainable and clean environment. Emphasis is placed on conserving and protecting the environment and the natural resource base essential for future development. The book includes case studies and ongoing research work from various fields related to civil engineering presented by academicians, scientists, and researchers. The book also discusses engineering solutions to sustainable development and green design issues. Special emphasis is given on qualitative guidelines for the generation, treatment, handling, transport, disposal, and recycling of wastes. The book is intended as a practice-oriented reference guide for researchers and practitioners. It will be useful for anyone working in sustainable civil engineering and related fields.

The increasing need to protect civilian infrastructure and industrial facilities against unintentional loads arising from accidental impact and explosion events as well as terrorist attacks is of major importance. While advances have been made in recent years, many challenges remain, such as to develop more effective and efficient blast and impact mitigation approaches than those that currently exist. The primary focus remains the survivability of physical facilities and the protection of people, as well as reducing economic losses and impact on the environment, with emphasis on innovative protective technologies to support the needs of an economically growing, modern society. The application of this technology ranges from the safe transportation of people and dangerous materials to defences against natural hazards such as floods, wind, storms, tsunamis and earthquakes. Large scale testing is prohibitive and small scale laboratory testing results in scaling uncertainties. Continuing research is therefore essential to improve knowledge on how these structures behave under a variety of load actions, some of which interact making it even more complex and difficult to define. Consequently, more use of advanced numerical simulations for load and structural response calculations is common practice in industry and research. Such calculations can directly be used in design and risk assessment calculations, but also be applied to more simplified design tools and design codes. Whether numerical or analytical modelling techniques are employed, experimental validation is vital for there to be acceptance of the approach to be used. The included papers, presented at the 16th International Conference on Structures under Shock and Impact, highlight new research ideas and results to promote a better understanding of the critical issues relating to the testing behaviour, modelling and analyses of protective structures against blast and impact loading.

Damage to critical energy infrastructure as a result of terrorism, criminal activity or natural disaster can have a significant impact at both a national and international level. Reducing the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to protect populations is therefore a high priority for governments worldwide, and high-quality training courses and advanced technologies are imperative in this regard. This book presents edited contributions from the NATO Advanced Training Course (ATC) entitled ‘Critical Energy Infrastructure Protection: Innovative Structures and Materials for Blast and Ballistic Protection’, held as a virtual event from 22 - 25 March 2021. The principal aim of the course was to gather specialists from NATO member and partner countries interested in protecting their critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks, and to share research and practical experience in this field. The meeting provided a forum for participants and speakers to disseminate their recent work, and also served to promote the exchange of ideas and international cooperation among scientists and engineers. The focus was on the physical protection of critical infrastructure in the face of certain types of intentional threat or accident, such as explosions, impacts and blast waves, and the experts shared their experience on topics including the mitigation of risks, classification of vulnerabilities, improvement of resilience, advanced protective materials, dynamic testing of materials and structures, simulations, and numerical prediction methods. The book will be of interest to all those whose work involves protecting critical infrastructure from the threat of terrorist attacks.