Horror

The monstrous landscape and the revenge of nature are recurring motifs in Australian cinema. In the horror genre, the idea of the monstrous landscape emerges from, and builds upon, an established tradition in Australian cinema in which landscape functions not just as a setting for action, but also as a character in its own right. Rather than a picturesque wilderness or countryside, or a serene natural world untainted by civilisation – representations common in landscape cinema celebrating positive aspects of the Australian ‘outback’ – the monstrous landscape is a dangerous, malevolent and threatening force. Drawing upon themes also common in Australian Gothic narratives such as entrapment in a hostile environment, isolation and fear of the unknown (Turcotte, 1988, see also Jonathan Rayner’s essay in this volume), the monstrous landscape acts according to its own logic indecipherable to non-Indigenous Australians and is represented in terms of its alien-ness and inhuman horror.

The lily, client and measure of Bruno Taut’s Glashaus

The Glashaus is considered a significant exemplar of early modernist architecture and is generally accepted as having had Expressionist origins. However, current research has revealed that the design origins of this important building are not fully understood. While the historical record acknowledges the contributions of the bohemian poet Paul Scheerbart and the art critic Adolf Behne, the role of the Glashaus’ architect, Bruno Taut, has been moderated. In an attempt to rectify this situation this article proposes that the design origins of the Glashaus can be found in a strong architect-client interaction. It is argued that the Glashaus’ client, the Deutsche Luxfer Prismen Syndikat under the directorship of Frederick Keppler, exerted a significant influence on its design. In order to showcase the glazed products of Luxfer in the best manner possible, Keppler insisted that the design feature a glazed dome, electric lighting, a fountain as well as a cascade. Given the detailed stipulations of this brief, Taut had few options other than to offer interpretations of precedent that derived from the Victoria regia lily and Gothic proportioning. By expounding this architect-client relationship, this article expands our understanding of the Glashaus, and reinvigorates our understanding of this important early example of modern architecture.

Regards, the Pit

A solo exhibition by Joseph Breikers included in the MetroArts 2011 galleries Program. The exhbition comprised a series of predominantly sculptural works that reflected the artists ongoing interest in medieval, gothic and death metal visual motifs. The exhibition thus acted as a ironic meditation on ritual, belonging and cultural identity.

Knowing

Directed by Alex Proyas, the Knowing is an action-packed science-fiction disaster movie. A well-known Australian director working in Hollywood, Proyas has developed an international reputation for stylised fantasy and science-fiction movies, including the neo-gothic movie The Crow (1994), the complex science-fiction film Dark City (1998), and the adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi classic I, Robot (2004) which earned almost US$350 million theatrically worldwide. Knowing was produced for US$50 million and relies heavily upon special effects (including a visually impressive sequence of the world being destroyed) and high-octane action sequences (including a notable plane crash). Knowing’s cast included Australian actors, Rose Byrne and Ben Mendelsohn, and American actor Nicolas Cage. While Knowing received typically poor critical reviews, the movie performed well at the box-office earning over US$183 million worldwide.

Bruno Taut’s design inspiration for the Glashaus

As a formative exemplar of early architectural modernism, Bruno Taut’s seminal exhibition pavilion the Glashaus (literally translated Glasshouse) is logically part of the important debate of rethinking the origins of modernism. However, the historical record of Bruno Taut’s Glashaus has been primarily established by one art historian and critic. As a result the historical record of the Glashaus is significantly skewed toward a singlular notion of Expressionism and surprisingly excludes Taut’s diverse motives for the design of the building. In an effort to clarify the problematic historical record of the Glashaus, this book exposes Bruno Taut’s motives and inspirations for its design. The result is that Taut’s motives can be found in yet unacknowledged precedents like the botanical inspiration of the Victoria regia lily; the commercial interests of Frederick Keppler as the Director of the Deutche Luxfer Prismen Syndikat; and imitation that derived openly from the Gothic. The outcome is a substantial contribution to the re-evaluation of the generally accepted histories of the modern movement in architecture.

Letter to Dr. Simeon Leo

Letter to Dr. Simeon Leo from Edward Frankel. In English script on stationery with a gothic 'E' printed at top center.

Letter of condolence to Dr. Simeon Leo

Condolence letter to Dr. Leo on the death of his father from Lina Straus. On white folded paper with gold gothic initial.

Escenas de la vida de Santo Domingo de Guzmán

Resumen: “Escenas de la Vida de Santo Domingo de Guzmán” es el título otorgado a la bella obra atribuida al pintor Pere Nicolau, uno de los máximos representantes del Gótico Internacional en Valencia. Esta obra nos informa de la imagen simbólica de Santo Domingo, creada a partir de la literatura hagiográfica y las manifestaciones artísticas en la Edad Media, “cada una en su lenguaje, su riqueza y sus límites, y en ellos reside su belleza, su capacidad de sugerir y de permitirnos soñar o recrearnos”.

Los títulos de los reyes de León en los documentos medievales como reflejo de la continuidad del reino visigodo de Toledo

Resumen: Partiendo de la idea expuesta por S. Teillet de que en los últimos tiempos del reino visigodo de Toledo quedó configurada una plena identificación de esta formación política con Hispania, así como del hecho de que la continuidad entre el reino visigodo y el reino de Asturias fue real y evidente (si bien, el reino de Asturias es una realidad desde luego diferente del reino visigodo de Toledo), como creemos haber demostrado en trabajos anteriores, hemos considerado que la identificación de Hispania y el regnum gothorum permite una valoración más matizada de determinados títulos utilizados por los reyes de León, sucesores de los reyes de Asturias. A este tema en concreto dedicamos este trabajo, mediante el que hemos podido apreciar cómo la idea de continuidad de esta comunidad política con respecto al reino visigodo de Toledo, que se manifiesta en los más diversos aspectos, se plasma de alguna manera en la titulación de sus reyes que fueron, en efecto, los continuadores de los reyes del reino visigodo de Toledo. Por ello aspiraron al dominio de toda la Península, de Hispania, y tales aspiraciones quedaron reflejadas en la titulatura: rex o imperator Hispaniae, sin que se pueda afirmar, como se ha venido haciendo, que tales títulos eran un mero reflejo de los ideales neogóticos, elaborados a finales del siglo IX.

La Basílica Nacional de Luján : el proyecto de su construcción (1887-1890)

Resumen: Con motivo de conmemorarse los 125 años de la coronación pontificia de la Imagen de Ntra. Sra. de Luján, Patrona de la República Argentina, el autor recorre la historia de los distintos oratorios, capillas y templos que le han sido dedicados, desde 1630, año del milagro, deteniéndose en los comienzos de la construcción de la monumental Basílica neogótica, reconocida como una de las más importantes de América en su tipo. El proyecto, en cuanto al diseño y desarrollo, corresponde al P. Jorge María Salvaire, vicentino, con el permanente apoyo del arzobispo de Buenos Aires, monseñor Federico León Aneiros. La mencionada Basílica guarda particular importancia histórica y pastoral en razón de albergar en su camarín la Imagen original de Ntra. Sra. de Luján, una pequeña talla de la Inmaculada Concepción, de arcilla cocida y pintada, vestida luego a la usanza española y con corona.

Quantum and variational monte-carlo interaction potentials for li2 (x1-sigma-g+)

Optimized trial functions are used in quantum Monte Carlo and variational Monte Carlo calculations of the Li₂(X ¹Σ⁺_g) potential curve. The trial functions used are a product of a Slater determinant of molecular orbitals multiplied by correlation functions of electron—nuclear and electron—electron separation. The parameters of the determinant and correlation functions are optimized simultaneously by reducing the deviations of the local energy E_L (E_L  Ψ⁻¹_THΨ_T, where Ψ_T denotes a trial function) over a fixed sample. At the equilibrium separation, the variational Monte Carlo and quantum Monte Carlo methods recover 68% and 98% of the correlation energy, respectively. At other points on the curves, these methods yield similar accuracies.

Fatigue crack-growth rate in ferrite martensite dual-phase steel

An empirical study is made on the fatigue crack growth rate in ferrite-martensite dual-phase (FMDP) steel. Particular attention is given to the effect of ferrite content in the range of 24.2% to 41.5% where good fatigue resistance was found at 33.8%. Variations in ferrite content did not affect the crack growth rate when plotted against the effective stress intensity factor range  which was assumed to follow a linear relation with the crack tip stress intensity factor range ΔK. A high  corresponds to uniformly distributed small size ferrite and martensite. No other appreciable correlation could be ralated to the microstructure morphology of the FMDP steel. The closure stress intensity factor , however, is affected by the ferrite content with  reaching a maximum value of 0.7. In general, crack growth followed the interphase between the martensite and ferrite.

Dividing the fatigue crack growth process into Stage I and II where the former would be highly sensitive to changes in ΔK and the latter would increase with ΔK depending on the  ratio. The same data when correlated with the strain energy density factor range ΔS showed negligible dependence on mean stress or R ratio for Stage I crack growth. A parameter α involving the ratio of ultimate stress to yield stress, percent reduction of area and R is introduced for Stage II crack growth so that the  data for different R would collapse onto a single curve with a narrow scatter band when plotted against αΔS.

Creep behavior of woven roving grp beam in three-point bending

The creep and relaxation behaviour of laminated glass fibre reinforced plastics (GRP) in three-point bending were studied both experimentally and analytically. Creep and relaxation experiments were carried out on eight types of specimens, consisting of glass fibre fabric reinforced epoxy beams. While the bending deflexion and creep strains were measured in the creep tests, the load and relaxation strain were recorded in the relaxation tests. Marked creep effects were seen in the tests, where the environment temperature was 50°C and the period of the measurement was 60 min. An attempt to predict the creep deflexion and relaxation behaviour was made. The transverse shear effect on creep deflexion was taken into account. The predicted results were compared with experimental ones. They were found to be in reasonable agreement, but the linearization assumption, upon which the relaxation behaviour analysis was based, appears to lead to larger inaccuracies in the results.

Crack deflection at an interface between dissimilar elastic-materials

A crack intersecting an interface between two dissimilar materials may advance by either penetrating through the interface or deflecting into the interface. The competition between deflection and penetration can be assessed by comparison of two ratios: (i) the ratio of the energy release rates for interface cracking and crack penetration; and (ii) the ratio of interface to material fracture energies. Residual stresses caused by thermal expansion misfit can influence the energy release rates of both the deflected and penetrating crack. This paper analyses the role of residual stresses. The results reveal that expansion misfit can be profoundly important in systems with planar interfaces (such as layered materials, thin film structures, etc.), but generally can be expected to be of little significance in fiber composites. This paper corrects an earlier result for the ratio of the energy release rate for the doubly deflected crack to that for the penetrating crack in the absence of residual stress.

Study on cracked plates, shells and 3 dimensional bodies

This paper presents a summary of the authors' recent work in following areas: (1) The stress-strain fields at crack tip in Reissner's plate. (2) The calculations of the stress intensity factors in finite size plates. (3) The stress-strain fields at crack tip in Reissner's shell. (4) The calculations of the stress intensity factors and bulging coefficients in finite size spherical shells. (5) The stress-strain fields along crack tip in three dimensional body with surface crack. (6) The calculation of stress intensity factors in a plate with surface crack.