Fluid-structure and pedestrian-structure interaction phenomena are extremely important for non-conventional bridges. The results presented in this volume concern: simplified formulas for flutter assessment; innovative structural solutions to increase the aeroelastic stability of long-span bridges; numerical simulations of the flow around a benchmark rectangular cylinder; examples of designs of large structures assisted by wind-tunnel tests; analytical, computational and experimental investigation of the synchronisation mechanisms between pedestrians and footbridge structures. The present book is addressed to a wide audience including professionals, doctoral students and researchers, aiming to increase their know-how in the field of wind engineering, bluff-body aerodynamics and bridge dynamics.

This volume is intended to be the first in a series that will focus on the origin of script and the boundaries of non-scribal communication media in proto-literate and literate societies of the ancient Aegean. Over the last 30 years, the domain of scribes and bureaucrats has become much better known. Our goal now is to reach below the élite and scribal levels to interface with non-scribal operations conducted by people of the ‘middling’ sort. Who made these marks and to what purpose? Did they serve private or (semi-) official roles in Bronze Age Aegean society? The comparative study of such practices in the contemporary East (Cyprus, Anatolia, the Levant, and Egypt) can shed light on sub-elite activities in the Aegean and also provide evidence for cultural and economic exchange networks.

Gender discrimination continues to be a reality in several parts of the world, also in Europe. The aim of this book is to provide an overview of both European Union’s (EU) gender policies and gender balance in EU institutions. It does so by looking at gender equality policies and the EU legal system concerning gender equality, women’s representation within diff erent institutions (and more particularly in the European External Action Service), gender rights as a type of human rights and the EU’s role in the external promotion of womens’ rights in third countries. The analysis shows that women’s representation in the EU institutions has increased in the last decades and that the EU has strengthened its att ention to gender rights in its external relations as well, however the results of both att empts are far from being fully satisfactory.

Most of the papers collected in this book resulted from presentations and discussions undertaken during the V Lablita Workshop that took place at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, on August 23-25, 2011. The workshop was held in conjunction with the II Brazilian Seminar on Pragmatics and Prosody. The guiding themes for the joint event were illocution, modality, attitude, information patterning and speech annotation. Thus, all papers presented here are concerned with theoretical and methodological issues related to the study of speech. Among the papers in this volume, there are different theoretical orientations, which are mirrored through the methodological designs of studies pursued. However, all papers are based on the analysis of actual speech, be it from corpora or from experimental contexts trying to emulate natural speech. Prosody is the keyword that comes out from all the papers in this publication, which indicates the high standing of this category in relation to studies that are geared towards the understanding of major elements that are constitutive of the structuring of speech.

A subject that is inexplicably little studied at present, or indeed not at all, is that of the quest for possible applications and feasible objectives in the energy requalification of existing buildings, existing or planned open spaces, old city centres and the monumental and diffuse cultural heritage. At the present time it is crucial that the issues, research and techniques linked to the possibilities of an aware use of energy are applied to the old city centres and the existing heritage. This must start from a knowledge and investigation of the traditional building materials and techniques, which are in themselves inherently sustainable (comprising both the ancient city and the consolidated modern city and their historic stratifications). The historic environment indeed represents an infinite cultural and environmental resource and a very high percentage of the global architectural heritage.

A bridge is a structure built to span the physical obstacles without closing the way underneath, such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing the passage over the obstacle. Bridge engineering is an engineering discipline branching from civil engineering that involves the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of bridges to ensure safe and effective transportation of vehicles, people and goods. This book Bridge Engineering includes the main topics and the basic principles of bridge engineering and provides the full scope of current information necessary for effective and cost-conscious contemporary bridge. It reflects new engineering and building developments, the most current design methods, and the latest industry standards and policies. It provides a comprehensive overview of the significant characteristics for bridge engineering. It highlights the recent advancements, requirements, improvements, and details of the latest techniques in the global market. It contains a collection of the latest research developments on the bridge engineering. It comprehensively covers the basic theory and practice in sufficient depth to provide a solid grounding to bridge engineers. It helps readers to maximize effectiveness in all facets of bridge engineering. This professional book as a credible source and a valuable reference can be very applicable and useful for all professors, researchers, engineers, practicing professionals, trainee practitioners, students and others who are interested in the bridge projects.