Hamburg–Saint Petersburg, Sanit Petersburg–Nice: Scenarios for the stability of twinning under stress

Against the background of the global COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing geopolitical tensions between the Russian Federation and the West, this chapter engages with the dynamics of European-Russia city diplomacy in times of crisis. By means of two representative case studies of existing twinning cities, namely Hamburg–Saint Petersburg on the one hand, and Nice–Saint Petersburg on the other, this chapter explores the evolution of twinning relations during the politically sensitive times. While paying attention to the legal bases and the historic evolution of selected cases of city cooperation, the authors identify major tendencies as well as opportunities in the field of city twinning and engage with the so-called digital turn in city diplomacy which has manifested itself since the start of the global health crisis in early 2020.

A Screening Methodology for the Identification of Critical Units in Major-Hazard Facilities Under Seismic Loading

The complexity of process industry and the consequences that Na-Tech events could produce in terms of damage to equipment, release of dangerous substances (flammable, toxic, or explosive), and environmental consequences have prompted the scientific community to focus on the development of efficient methodologies for Quantitative Seismic Risk Analysis (QsRA) of process plants. Several analytical and numerical methods have been proposed and validated through representative case studies. Nevertheless, the complexity of this matter makes their applicability difficult, especially when a rapid identification of the critical components of a plant is required, which may induce hazardous material release and thus severe consequences for the environment and the community. Accordingly, in this paper, a screening methodology is proposed for rapid identification of the most critical components of a major-hazard plant under seismic loading. It is based on a closed-form assessment of the probability of damage for all components, derived by using analytical representations of the seismic hazard curve and the fragility functions of the equipment involved. For this purpose, fragility curves currently available in the literature or derived by using low-fidelity models could be used for simplicity, whereas the parameters of the seismic hazard curve are estimated based on the regional seismicity. The representative damage states (DS) for each equipment typology are selected based on specific damage states/loss of containment (DS/LOC) matrices, which are used to individuate the most probable LOC events. The risk is then assessed based on the potential consequences of a LOC event, using a classical consequence analysis, typically adopted in risk analysis of hazardous plants. For this purpose, specific probability classes will be used. Finally, by associating the Probability Class Index (PI) with Consequence Index (CI), a Global Risk Index (GRI) is derived, which provides the severity of the scenario. This allows us to build a ranking of the most hazardous components of a process plant by using a proper risk matrix. The applicability of the method is shown through a representative case study.

The Reservations of the Funny: Ethics of Studying Funny Communication

Studying the funny trends within historically marginalized populations has historically been used as a means of making them seem nonthreatening to dominant cultures. Scholars, furthermore, have often applied dominant-culture contexts toward reading minority artifacts without taking the time to understand the premises for other cultures’ funny enthymemes (Epp 2010; Price 1994). This paper proposes two solutions to the dilemma of recognizing the importance of representing marginalized populations’ humor in the scholarly canon but also studying those funny artifacts with a mind toward ethics, using Native American humor as a representative case study.

Matrix of Architectural Solutions for the Conflict between Transport Infrastructures, Landscape and Urban Habitat along the Mediterranean Coastline: The Case of the Maresme Region in Barcelona, Spain

Maresme is a littoral region of Barcelona (Spain) in which the railway and an important road run along the coastline with a high landscape impact. Over time, several facilities connected to these transport infrastructures have appeared, such as industries, malls, marinas or train stations. These activities profit from the easy connection but create a barrier between the inhabitants and the sea. This research follows three aspects identified in a large variety of locations along the Mediterranean coast: longitudinal mobility, transversal accessibility and landscape discontinuities. The first territorial analysis defines a series of urban problematics classified by category. Then, the most representative case studies are developed by means of urban and architectural projects. The comparative analysis of these proposals provides a catalogue of design strategies which can be combined as criteria for solving multiple conflicts detected in the region. The result of this project is a methodology based on a matrix of general guidelines to ease the solving of local conflicts in a homogeneous way for the whole territory. The final aim is to re-establish order and continuity in the Mediterranean littoral skyline, fostering sustainable mobility and recovering public space for inhabitants.

Failure of Boilers and Related Equipment

Failures in boilers and other equipment taking place in power plants that use steam as the working fluid are discussed in this article. The discussion is mainly concerned with failures in Rankine cycle systems that use fossil fuels as the primary heat source. The general procedure and techniques followed in failure investigation of boilers and related equipment are discussed. The article is framed with an objective to provide systematic information on various damage mechanisms leading to the failure of boiler tubes, headers, and drums, supplemented by representative case studies for a greater understanding of the respective damage mechanism.

“Kawasaki disease shock syndrome in the COVID-19 pandemic”

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a new entity with association with SARS-CoV2. Clinical features of Kawasaki disease (KD) were noted from the first reported cases of MIS-C. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Kawasaki disease shock syndrome (KDSS) was considered to be a distinct and unique form of KD. We present a representative case which prove the current difficulty in clearly distinguishing MIS-C from Pre-COVID-19-KDSS and emphasize the overlap of the diagnostic criteria.