Diverse problems of radiative transfer remain as yet unsolved due to the difficulties of the calculations involved, especially if the intervening shapes are geometrically complex. The main goal of our investigation in this domain is to convert the equations that were previously derived into a graphical interface based on the projected solid-angle principle. Such a procedure is now feasible by virtue of several widely diffused programs for Algorithms Aided Design (AAD). Accuracy and reliability of the process is controlled in the basic examples by means of subroutines from the analytical software DianaX, developed at an earlier stage by the authors, though mainly oriented to closed cuboidal or curved volumes. With this innovative approach, the often cumbersome calculation procedure of lighting, thermal or even acoustic energy exchange can be simplified and made available for the neophyte, with the undeniable advantage of reduced computer time.

Radiation fireballs are singular phenomena which involve severe thermal radiation and, consequently, they need to be duly assessed and prevented. Although the radiative heat transfer produced by a sphere is relatively well known, the shadowing measures implemented to control the fireball’s devastating effects have frequently posed a difficult analytical instance, mainly due to its specific configuration. The objective of this article is to develop a parametric algorithm that provides the exact radiative configuration factors for the most general case in which the fireball is located at any distance and height above the ground, partially hidden by a protective wall over an affected area at different positions with respect to the said fireball. To this aim we use methods based on Computational Geometry and Algorithm-Aided Design; tools that, departing from the projected solid-angle principle, provide exact configuration factors, in all cases, even if they do not present a definite analytical solution. This implies dealing with spatially curved radiative sources which had not been addressed formerly in the literature due to their mathematical difficulties. Adequate application of this method may improve the safety of a significant number of facilities and reduce the number casualties among persons exposed to such risks. As a similar radiative problem appears in volcanic explosions; we hope that further extensions of the method can be adapted to the issue with advantage.

The purpose of this article is to disclose the hidden architectural proportions and true nature of the Korean national treasure in Seokguram Grotto, Gyeongju. The authors compare its features with those of other ancient hypogeal or ashlar constructions with the intention of rediscovering its relevant configuration and latent structural properties in order to demonstrate its uniqueness. The methods employed in the research belong initially to architectural design and composition to advance in the later stages to the nuances of stone masonry, lighting effects and especially cohesive construction. In this discussion and thorough analysis diverse philosophical and scientific subtleties are brought to the surface. The results demonstrate significant potential thanks to recent architectural developments, such as Tadao Ando’s Buddha Hill in Hokkaido (2017) and the authors’ own proposal for a Buddhist monument.

This article clarifies the often overlooked facts attributed to European missionaries in Asia, especially Jesuits, who acted as catalysts of a kind of nuanced acculturation named Accommodatio (adaptation). To a great extent, they became harbingers of culture and science more than faith itself to the dismay of many, including the Roman Church. Such cultural and scientific transference was actually two-pronged, for simultaneously they presented in Europe unique findings related to language, e.g., the Chinese characters (considered to be the sole natural language), geography, cosmology and even governance. Here we try to prove that such procedure contributed positively to the modern scientific notions of sustainability and to provide the kind of accoutrements that model the modern world as we know it. However, in the process, many Jesuits clearly became sinified and eventually acculturated.