Mechanics of Structures and Materials: Advancements and Challenges is a collection of peer-reviewed papers presented at the 24th Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of Structures and Materials (ACMSM24, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, 6-9 December 2016). The contributions from academics, researchers and practising engineers from Australasian, Asia-pacific region and around the world, cover a wide range of topics, including: • Structural mechanics • Computational mechanics • Reinforced and prestressed concrete structures • Steel structures • Composite structures • Civil engineering materials • Fire engineering • Coastal and offshore structures • Dynamic analysis of structures • Structural health monitoring and damage identification • Structural reliability analysis and design • Structural optimization • Fracture and damage mechanics • Soil mechanics and foundation engineering • Pavement materials and technology • Shock and impact loading • Earthquake loading • Traffic and other man-made loadings • Wave and wind loading • Thermal effects • Design codes Mechanics of Structures and Materials: Advancements and Challenges will be of interest to academics and professionals involved in Structural Engineering and Materials Science.

Originally created in the late 19th century to catalog Indian and Oriental arms and armor for a British museum, this volume has long since become a sourcebook of vital information on the military history of India. Enhanced with excellent illustrations, it remains one of the few books available on the subject, providing factual accounts of events ranging from the earliest invasions of the subcontinent in 200 B.C. to the decline of the Mogul Empire (early 18th century) and the First Burmese War in 1824. In addition to information on military history, succeeding chapters describe Indian swords, helmets, knives, shields, daggers, spears, javelins, blowpipes, sabers, and a host of other weapons, including arms used for athletic and sacrificial purposes. Descriptive notes, grouped according to geographical areas, comment on styles of decoration, manufacturing processes, and ethnological characteristics. A shorter section of the book includes detailed information on Arab and Persian arms (maces, battle axes, matchlock guns, bows and arrows, etc.) and Japanese armor. Students of Far Eastern arms and armor as well as enthusiasts of military history will welcome this comprehensive reference. 350 halftones and line illustrations. 350 halftones and line illustrations.

Embraced by giants such as Stephen King and Dean R. Koontz, Dan Simmons's Carrion Comfort was originally published by Warner Books in 1989, and remains a classic of dark fantasy and horror. "One of the three greatest horror novels of the 20th century. Simple as that." --Stephen King THE PAST... Caught behind the lines of Hitler's Final Solution, Saul Laski is one of the multitudes destined to die in the notorious Chelmno extermination camp. Until he rises to meet his fate and finds himself face to face with an evil far older, and far greater, than the Nazi's themselves... THE PRESENT... Compelled by the encounter to survive at all costs, so begins a journey that for Saul will span decades and cross continents, plunging into the darkest corners of 20th century history to reveal a secret society of beings who may often exist behind the world's most horrible and violent events. Killing from a distance, and by darkly manipulative proxy, they are people with the psychic ability to 'use' humans: read their minds, subjugate them to their wills, experience through their senses, feed off their emotions, force them to acts of unspeakable aggression. Each year, three of the most powerful of this hidden order meet to discuss their ongoing campaign of induced bloodshed and deliberate destruction. But this reunion, something will go terribly wrong. Saul's quest is about to reach its elusive object, drawing hunter and hunted alike into a struggle that will plumb the depths of mankind's attraction to violence, and determine the future of the world itself... "Epic in scale and scope but intimately disturbing, Carrion Comfort spans the ages to rewrite history and tug at the very fabric of reality. A nightmarish chronicle of predator and prey that will shatter your world view forever. A true classic." --Guillermo del Toro