Internet of Things building blocks and business models

CERN Document Server

Hussain, Fatima

2017-01-01

This book describes the building blocks and introductory business models for Internet of Things (IoT). The author provide an overview of the entire IoT architecture and constituent layers, followed by detail description of each block . Various inter-connecting technologies and sensors are discussed in context of IoT networks. In addition to this, concepts of Big Data and Fog Computing are presented and characterized as per data generated by versatile IoT applications . Smart parking system and context aware services are presented as an hybrid model of cloud and Fog Afterwards, various IoT applications and respective business models are discussed. Finally, author summarizes the IoT building blocks and identify research issues in each, and suggest potential research projects worthy of pursuing. .

Building Blocks: Enmeshing Technology and Creativity with Artistic Pedagogical Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Janzen, Katherine J.; Perry, Beth; Edwards, Margaret

2017-01-01

Using the analogy of children's building blocks, the reader is guided through the results of a research study that explored the use of three Artistic Pedagogical Technologies (APTs). "Building blocks" was the major theme that emerged from the data. Sub-themes included developing community, enhancing creativity, and risk taking. The…

Elementary structural building blocks encountered in silicon surface reconstructions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battaglia, Corsin; Monney, Claude; Didiot, Clement; Schwier, Eike Fabian; Garnier, Michael Gunnar; Aebi, Philipp; Gaal-Nagy, Katalin; Onida, Giovanni

2009-01-01

Driven by the reduction of dangling bonds and the minimization of surface stress, reconstruction of silicon surfaces leads to a striking diversity of outcomes. Despite this variety even very elaborate structures are generally comprised of a small number of structural building blocks. We here identify important elementary building blocks and discuss their integration into the structural models as well as their impact on the electronic structure of the surface. (topical review)

Tops as building blocks for G 2 manifolds

Science.gov (United States)

Braun, Andreas P.

2017-10-01

A large number of examples of compact G 2 manifolds, relevant to supersymmetric compactifications of M-Theory to four dimensions, can be constructed by forming a twisted connected sum of two building blocks times a circle. These building blocks, which are appropriate K3-fibred threefolds, are shown to have a natural and elegant construction in terms of tops, which parallels the construction of Calabi-Yau manifolds via reflexive polytopes. In particular, this enables us to prove combinatorial formulas for the Hodge numbers and other relevant topological data.

Two innovative solutions based on fibre concrete blocks designed for building substructure

Science.gov (United States)

Pazderka, J.; Hájek, P.

2017-09-01

Using of fibers in a high-strength concrete allows reduction of the dimensions of small precast concrete elements, which opens up new ways of solution for traditional construction details in buildings. The paper presents two innovative technical solutions for building substructure: The special shaped plinth block from fibre concrete and the fibre concrete elements for new technical solution of ventilated floor. The main advantages of plinth block from fibre concrete blocks (compared with standard plinth solutions) is: easier and faster assembly, higher durability and thanks to the air cavity between the vertical part of the block, the building substructure reduced moisture level of structures under the waterproofing layer and a comprehensive solution to the final surface of building plinth as well as the surface of adjacent terrain. The ventilated floor based on fibre concrete precast blocks is an attractive structural alternative for tackling the problem of increased moisture in masonry in older buildings, lacking a functional waterproof layer in the substructure.

Essential Building Blocks of Human Nature

CERN Document Server

Frey, Ulrich J; Willführ, Kai P

2011-01-01

To understand why we humans are as we are, it is necessary to look at the essential building blocks that comprise our nature. The foundations of this structure are our evolutionary origins as primates and our social roots. Upon these rest features such as our emotions, language and aesthetic preferences, with our self-perceptions, self-deceptions and thirst for knowledge right at the top. The unifying force holding these blocks together is evolutionary theory. Evolution provides a deeper understanding of human nature and, in particular, of the common roots of these different perspectives. To build a reliable and coherent model of man, leading authors from fields as diverse as primatology, anthropology, neurobiology and philosophy have joined forces to present essays  each describing their own expert perspective. Together they provide a convincing and complete picture of our own human nature.

Optically controlled three-dimensional assembly of microfabricated building blocks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rodrigo, Peter John; Kelemen, Lorand; Palima, Darwin

2009-01-01

We demonstrate a system for constructing reconfigurable microstructures using multiple, real-time configurable counterpropagating-beam traps. We optically assemble geometrically complementary microstructures with complex three-dimensional (3D) topologies produced by two-photon polymerization....... This demonstrates utilization of controllable 3D optical traps for building hierarchical structures from microfabricated building blocks. Optical microassembly with translational and tip-tilt control in 3D achieved by dynamic multiple CB traps can potentially facilitate the construction of functional microdevices...... and may also lead to the future realization of optically actuated micromachines. Fabricating morphologically complex microstructures and then optically manipulating these archetypal building blocks can also be used to construct reconfigurable microenvironments that can aid in understanding cellular...

Demand Response Technology Readiness Levels for Energy Management in Blocks of Buildings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tracey Crosbie

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Fossil fuels deliver most of the flexibility in contemporary electricity systems. The pressing need to reduce CO2 emissions requires new methods to provide this flexibility. Demand response (DR offers consumers a significant role in the delivery of flexibility by reducing or shifting their electricity usage during periods of stress or constraint. Blocks of buildings offer more flexibility in the timing and use of energy than single buildings, however, and a lack of relevant scalable ICT tools hampers DR in blocks of buildings. To ameliorate this problem, a current innovation project called “Demand Response in Blocks of Buildings” (DR-BoB: www.dr-bob.eu has integrated existing technologies into a scalable cloud-based solution for DR in blocks of buildings. The degree to which the DR-BoB energy management solution can increase the ability of any given site to participate in DR is dependent upon its current energy systems, i.e., the energy metering, the telemetry and control technologies in building management systems, and the existence/capacity of local power generation and storage plants. To encourage the owners and managers of blocks of buildings to participate in DR, a method of assessing and validating the technological readiness to participate in DR energy management solutions at any given site is required. This paper describes the DR-BoB energy management solution and outlines what we have called the demand response technology readiness levels (DRTRLs for the implementation of such a solution in blocks of buildings.

Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities: Assistance from Grantees

Science.gov (United States)

EPA awarded Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities grants to four nonprofit organizations with extensive expertise in community sustainability. These organizations deliver technical assistance to communities.

Synthesis of homo- and heteromultivalent carbohydrate-functionalized oligo(amidoamines using novel glyco-building blocks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felix Wojcik

2013-11-01

Full Text Available We present the solid phase synthesis of carbohydrate-functionalized oligo(amidoamines with different functionalization patterns utilizing a novel alphabet of six differently glycosylated building blocks. Highly efficient in flow conjugation of thioglycosides to a double-bond presenting diethylentriamine precursor is the key step to prepare these building blocks suitable for fully automated solid-phase synthesis. Introduction of the sugar ligands via functionalized building blocks rather than postfunctionalization of the oligomeric backbone allows for the straightforward synthesis of multivalent glycoligands with full control over monomer sequence and functionalization pattern. We demonstrate the potential of this building-block approach by synthesizing oligomers with different numbers and spacing of carbohydrates and also show the feasibility of heteromultivalent glycosylation patterns by combining building blocks presenting different mono- and disaccharides.

Block assembly for global registration of building scans

KAUST Repository

Yan, Feilong; Nan, Liangliang; Wonka, Peter

2016-01-01

We propose a framework for global registration of building scans. The first contribution of our work is to detect and use portals (e.g., doors and windows) to improve the local registration between two scans. Our second contribution is an optimization based on a linear integer programming formulation. We abstract each scan as a block and model the blocks registration as an optimization problem that aims at maximizing the overall matching score of the entire scene. We propose an efficient solution to this optimization problem by iteratively detecting and adding local constraints. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method on buildings of various styles and that our approach is superior to the current state of the art.

Block assembly for global registration of building scans

KAUST Repository

Yan, Feilong

2016-11-11

We propose a framework for global registration of building scans. The first contribution of our work is to detect and use portals (e.g., doors and windows) to improve the local registration between two scans. Our second contribution is an optimization based on a linear integer programming formulation. We abstract each scan as a block and model the blocks registration as an optimization problem that aims at maximizing the overall matching score of the entire scene. We propose an efficient solution to this optimization problem by iteratively detecting and adding local constraints. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method on buildings of various styles and that our approach is superior to the current state of the art.

THE USAGE OF FACEBOOK FUNCTIONAL BUILDING BLOCKS IN UNISEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Latifah Abd Latib

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The emergence of Internet-based social media has made it possible for a personto communicate with thousands of other people to increase the communicationeffectiveness, collaboration among internal organization and knowledge sharing.By engaging employees through social media such as Facebook as a two-waycommunications tool, employers can reach a larger audience and build credibilitywith techno-savvy workers. Although it is clear that Facebook is a very powerfultool for communication, many employers are unable to identify the functionalityof Facebook in terms of developing strategies and to allocate the resourceseffectively. Taking this into account this study sought to identify the usage ofFacebook Functionality building blocks. This survey involved 55 academic staffsfrom the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Unisel. Theseven functional building blocks identified were Identity (M=3.39, Relationships(M=3.39, Groups (M=3.6, Presence (M=3.28, Sharing (M=3.06, andConversations (M=2.90, Reputation (M=2.05. This study suggests that theability to identify the functional building blocks itself is very important in anorganization in terms of developing their communication strategies. It is hopedthat the results of the study will be applicable to the instituition, current users,and potential users of Facebook.

Building blocks for modular data acquisition systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoffmann, B

1996-12-31

The principles of building blocks for modular data acquisition systems by means of the VIC bus are discussed. Real time operating systems based on the VME environment for program development drastically reducing the time needed to develop a working system. 4 figs.

Building blocks of Collagen based biomaterial devices

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. Building blocks of Collagen based biomaterial devices. Collagen as a protein. Collagen in tissues and organs. Stabilizing and cross linking agents. Immunogenicity. Hosts (drugs). Controlled release mechanisms of hosts. Biodegradability, workability into devices ...

Hydration effects on the electronic properties of eumelanin building blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Assis Oliveira, Leonardo Bruno; Fonseca, Tertius L.; Costa Cabral, Benedito J.; Coutinho, Kaline; Canuto, Sylvio

2016-01-01

Theoretical results for the electronic properties of eumelanin building blocks in the gas phase and water are presented. The building blocks presently investigated include the monomeric species DHI (5,6-dihydroxyindole) or hydroquinone (HQ), DHICA (5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid), indolequinone (IQ), quinone methide (MQ), two covalently bonded dimers [HM ≡ HQ + MQ and IM ≡ IQ + MQ], and two tetramers [HMIM ≡ HQ + IM, IMIM ≡ IM + IM]. The electronic properties in water were determined by carrying out sequential Monte Carlo/time dependent density functional theory calculations. The results illustrate the role played by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions in the electronic properties of eumelanin building blocks in a polar environment. In water, the dipole moments of monomeric species are significantly increased ([54–79]%) relative to their gas phase values. Recently, it has been proposed that the observed enhancement of the higher-energy absorption intensity in eumelanin can be explained by excitonic coupling among eumelanin protomolecules [C.-T. Chen et al., Nat. Commun. 5, 3859 (2014)]. Here, we are providing evidence that for DHICA, IQ, and HMIM, the electronic absorption toward the higher-energy end of the spectrum ([180–220] nm) is enhanced by long-range Coulombic interactions with the water environment. It was verified that by superposing the absorption spectra of different eumelanin building blocks corresponding to the monomers, dimers, and tetramers in liquid water, the behaviour of the experimental spectrum, which is characterised by a nearly monotonic decay from the ultraviolet to the infrared, is qualitatively reproduced. This result is in keeping with a “chemical disorder model,” where the broadband absorption of eumelanin pigments is determined by the superposition of the spectra associated with the monomeric and oligomeric building blocks.

Hydration effects on the electronic properties of eumelanin building blocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Assis Oliveira, Leonardo Bruno [Instituto de Física da Universidade Federal de Goiás, 74690-900 Goiânia, GO (Brazil); Departamento de Física - CEPAE, Universidade Federal de Goiás, 74690-900 Goiânia, GO (Brazil); Escola de Ciências Exatas e da Computação, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás, 74605-010 Goiânia, GO (Brazil); Fonseca, Tertius L. [Instituto de Física da Universidade Federal de Goiás, 74690-900 Goiânia, GO (Brazil); Costa Cabral, Benedito J., E-mail: ben@cii.fc.ul.pt [Grupo de Física Matemática da Universidade de Lisboa and Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa (Portugal); Coutinho, Kaline; Canuto, Sylvio [Instituto de Física da Universidade de São Paulo, CP 66318, 05314-970 São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2016-08-28

Theoretical results for the electronic properties of eumelanin building blocks in the gas phase and water are presented. The building blocks presently investigated include the monomeric species DHI (5,6-dihydroxyindole) or hydroquinone (HQ), DHICA (5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid), indolequinone (IQ), quinone methide (MQ), two covalently bonded dimers [HM ≡ HQ + MQ and IM ≡ IQ + MQ], and two tetramers [HMIM ≡ HQ + IM, IMIM ≡ IM + IM]. The electronic properties in water were determined by carrying out sequential Monte Carlo/time dependent density functional theory calculations. The results illustrate the role played by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions in the electronic properties of eumelanin building blocks in a polar environment. In water, the dipole moments of monomeric species are significantly increased ([54–79]%) relative to their gas phase values. Recently, it has been proposed that the observed enhancement of the higher-energy absorption intensity in eumelanin can be explained by excitonic coupling among eumelanin protomolecules [C.-T. Chen et al., Nat. Commun. 5, 3859 (2014)]. Here, we are providing evidence that for DHICA, IQ, and HMIM, the electronic absorption toward the higher-energy end of the spectrum ([180–220] nm) is enhanced by long-range Coulombic interactions with the water environment. It was verified that by superposing the absorption spectra of different eumelanin building blocks corresponding to the monomers, dimers, and tetramers in liquid water, the behaviour of the experimental spectrum, which is characterised by a nearly monotonic decay from the ultraviolet to the infrared, is qualitatively reproduced. This result is in keeping with a “chemical disorder model,” where the broadband absorption of eumelanin pigments is determined by the superposition of the spectra associated with the monomeric and oligomeric building blocks.

Analog Organic Electronics Building Blocks for Organic Smart Sensor Systems on Foil

CERN Document Server

Marien, Hagen; Heremans, Paul

2013-01-01

 This book provides insight into organic electronics technology and in analog circuit techniques that can be used to increase the performance of both analog and digital organic circuits. It explores the domain of organic electronics technology for analog circuit applications, specifically smart sensor systems.  It focuses on all the building blocks in the data path of an organic sensor system between the sensor and the digital processing block. Sensors, amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters and DC-DC converters are discussed in detail. Coverage includes circuit techniques, circuit implementation, design decisions and measurement results of the building blocks described. Offers readers the first book to focus on analog organic circuit design; Discusses organic electronics technology for analog circuit applications in the context of smart sensor systems; Describes all building blocks necessary for an organic sensor system between the sensor and the digital processing block; Includes circuit techniques, cir...

Automate Your Physical Plant Using the Building Block Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Michaelson, Matt

1998-01-01

Illustrates how Mount Saint Vincent University (Halifax), by upgrading the control and monitoring of one building or section of the school at a time, could produce savings in energy and operating costs and improve the environment. Explains a gradual, "building block" approach to facility automation that provides flexibility without a…

Functional polymers as nanoscopic building blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hernandez-Lopez, J.L.; Bauer, R.E.; Chang, W.-S.; Glasser, G.; Grebel-Koehler, D.; Klapper, M.; Kreiter, M.; Leclaire, J.; Majoral, J.-P.; Mittler, S.; Muellen, K.; Vasilev, K.; Weil, T.; Wu, J.; Zhu, T.; Knoll, W.

2003-01-01

Polyphenylene dendrimers are introduced as polymeric building blocks--with a strictly monodisperse particle size distribution within the nanometer range--for the construction of nanostructured materials and devices. The possibility for the introduction of different functionalities in the core, the scaffold or the periphery of the dendrimers offer their use as interesting modules for photonic, electronic or bioactive structures and supramolecular functional assemblies. Thus, dendrimers complement the available set of nanoscopic building blocks made from metals, e.g., Au nanoclusters and semiconductors, e.g., luminescent quantum dots. In a first set of experiments, we describe the fabrication of multilayer architectures using dendrimers with chargeable groups at the surface. This way, the polyelectrolyte deposition technique can be applied for the construction of hybrid layered assemblies with a control of the internal supramolecular structure at the nanometer level. Surface plasmon field-enhanced fluorescence spectroscopy is used to monitor the luminescent properties of dendrimers with a phthalocyanine core integrated into such a multilayer assembly. AFM and SEM micrographs demonstrate the use of surface-functionalized dendrimers (exposing sulfur groups at the periphery) in combination with Au nanoparticles for the controlled assembly of hybrid aggregates as nanoscopic functional devices

Origami-inspired building block and parametric design for mechanical metamaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Wei; Ma, Hua; Feng, Mingde; Yan, Leilei; Wang, Jiafu; Wang, Jun; Qu, Shaobo

2016-08-01

An origami-based building block of mechanical metamaterials is proposed and explained by introducing a mechanism model based on its geometry. According to our model, this origami mechanism supports response to uniaxial tension that depends on structure parameters. Hence, its mechanical properties can be tunable by adjusting the structure parameters. Experiments for poly lactic acid (PLA) samples were carried out, and the results are in good agreement with those of finite element analysis (FEA). This work may be useful for designing building blocks of mechanical metamaterials or other complex mechanical structures.

Origami-inspired building block and parametric design for mechanical metamaterials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Wei; Ma, Hua; Feng, Mingde; Yan, Leilei; Wang, Jiafu; Wang, Jun; Qu, Shaobo

2016-01-01

An origami-based building block of mechanical metamaterials is proposed and explained by introducing a mechanism model based on its geometry. According to our model, this origami mechanism supports response to uniaxial tension that depends on structure parameters. Hence, its mechanical properties can be tunable by adjusting the structure parameters. Experiments for poly lactic acid (PLA) samples were carried out, and the results are in good agreement with those of finite element analysis (FEA). This work may be useful for designing building blocks of mechanical metamaterials or other complex mechanical structures. (paper)

Nano matters: building blocks for a precautionary approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Broekhuizen, J.C.

2012-01-01

‘Nano matters’ studies the positioning of civil society organisations (CSOs) regarding the responsible development of nanotechnologies and formulates building blocks for a precautionary approach, as to express the CSOs’ demands towards industry and governmental authorities. The study assesses the

An Approach for On-Board Software Building Blocks Cooperation and Interfaces Definition

Science.gov (United States)

Pascucci, Dario; Campolo, Giovanni; Candia, Sante; Lisio, Giovanni

2010-08-01

This paper provides an insight on the Avionic SW architecture developed by Thales Alenia Space Italy (TAS-I) to achieve structuring of the OBSW as a set of self-standing and re-usable building blocks. It is initially described the underlying framework for building blocks cooperation, which is based on ECSSE-70 packets forwarding (for services request to a building block) and standard parameters exchange for data communication. Subsequently it is discussed the high level of flexibility and scalability of the resulting architecture, reporting as example an implementation of the Failure Detection, Isolation and Recovery (FDIR) function which exploits the proposed architecture. The presented approach evolves from avionic SW architecture developed in the scope of the project PRIMA (Mult-Purpose Italian Re-configurable Platform) and has been adopted for the Sentinel-1 Avionic Software (ASW).

Photovoltaic building blocks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hanberg, Peter Jesper; Jørgensen, Anders Michael

2014-01-01

efficiency of about 15% for commercial Silicon solar cells there is still much to gain. DTU Danchip provides research facilities, equipment and expertise for the building blocks that comprises fabricating the efficient solar cell. In order to get more of the sun light into the device we provide thin film......Photovoltaics (PV), better known as solar cells, are now a common day sight on many rooftops in Denmark.The installed capacity of PV systems worldwide is growing exponentially1 and is the third most importantrenewable energy source today. The cost of PV is decreasing fast with ~10%/year but to make...... it directcompetitive with fossil energy sources a further reduction is needed. By increasing the efficiency of the solar cells one gain an advantage through the whole chain of cost. So that per produced Watt of power less material is spent, installation costs are lower, less area is used etc. With an average...

Building Blocks for the Development of Electronics Employees ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Building Blocks for the Development of Electronics Employees Performance Management System. ... West African Journal of Industrial and Academic Research ... Our approach is to determine the extent of effectiveness of the operational Performance Management System (PMS) in the NPS, which the literature identifies as ...

Quantitative NMR Approach to Optimize the Formation of Chemical Building Blocks from Abundant Carbohydrates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Elliot, Samuel Gilbert; Tolborg, Søren; Sádaba, Irantzu

2017-01-01

-containing catalysts such as Sn-Beta. These compounds are potential building blocks for polyesters with additional olefin and alcohol functionalities. We employ an NMR approach to identify, quantify and optimize the formation these building blocks in the chemocatalytic transformation of abundant carbohydrates by Sn...

Development of building blocks using vegetable oil and recycled aggregate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Attia Mohamed I.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The primary objective of this research was to contribute towards greater sustainability of the construction industry in the Qatar by proposing methods to reduce its dependency on primary imported materials. In this investigation, recycled and secondary aggregates (RSA were combined with non-traditional binders to develop a unique method of manufacturing construction and building blocks. Following an extensive phase of laboratory trials and experimentation, it was realised that many types of graded mineral aggregates, when mixed with vegetable oils (virgin or waste at optimal proportions, then compacted and thermally cured at elevated temperatures can readily generate hardened composites that have the mechanical characteristics of conventional building blocks. The resultant blocks have been named “Vegeblocks” and are viewed as viable alternatives to conventional concrete blocks. Furthermore, the research has demonstrated the feasibility of producing Vegeblocks composed of 100% recycled aggregate and discarded waste cooking oil. Based on physical and mineralogical properties, each type of aggregate has an optimum oil content for maximum compressive strength, beyond which, any additional oil will result in reduction in mechanical properties. Acceptable compressive strength values were achieved by thermally curing Vegeblocks at of 170 °C for 24 hours.

Amphiphilic building blocks for self-assembly: from amphiphiles to supra-amphiphiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chao; Wang, Zhiqiang; Zhang, Xi

2012-04-17

The process of self-assembly spontaneously creates well-defined structures from various chemical building blocks. Self-assembly can include different levels of complexity: it can be as simple as the dimerization of two small building blocks driven by hydrogen bonding or as complicated as a cell membrane, a remarkable supramolecular architecture created by a bilayer of phospholipids embedded with functional proteins. The study of self-assembly in simple systems provides a fundamental understanding of the driving forces and cooperativity behind these processes. Once the rules are understood, these guidelines can facilitate the research of highly complex self-assembly processes. Among the various components for self-assembly, an amphiphilic molecule, which contains both hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts, forms one of the most powerful building blocks. When amphiphiles are dispersed in water, the hydrophilic component of the amphiphile preferentially interacts with the aqueous phase while the hydrophobic portion tends to reside in the air or in the nonpolar solvent. Therefore, the amphiphiles aggregate to form different molecular assemblies based on the repelling and coordinating forces between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts of the component molecules and the surrounding medium. In contrast to conventional amphiphiles, supra-amphiphiles are constructed on the basis of noncovalent interactions or dynamic covalent bonds. In supra-amphiphiles, the functional groups can be attached to the amphiphiles by noncovalent synthesis, greatly speeding their construction. The building blocks for supra-amphiphiles can be either small organic molecules or polymers. Advances in the development of supra-amphiphiles will not only enrich the family of conventional amphiphiles that are based on covalent bonds but will also provide a new kind of building block for the preparation of complex self-assemblies. When polymers are used to construct supra-amphiphiles, the resulting

Fundamental Autopoietic Building Blocks in 4.0 Organization as a Challenge to Humane Organization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanja Balažic Peček

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Research question (RQ: The area of a human, organizations and Organizations is complex and with new aspects of 4.0 organization even more complex. We did an autopoietic outline with horizontal and vertical view of a researcher who sticks to humanity of an individual and organizations. The research question stems from the central study: Which are building blocks of autopoises in a modern and which in 4.0 organization? Purpose: To detect, recognize, research principles of autopoiesis and setting building blocks of autopoiesis in organizations. We are interested in a human in organization, in interpersonal co-dependance on micro and macro level. Inside this more and more virtual organization we are studying a human, humanity and human potential as a creative potential of humane organization. Method: Action research with mixed methods for comprehensive study of autopoietic principle and methodology of setting the autopoietic building blocks. We used Atlas.ti software and methodological informational software »Informational graph of Autopoiesis - IGA«. Validation was carried out with double triangulaton (static and dynamic view. Results: We formed and validated four directional building blocks and 36 process building blocks, which are shown in a human as: emotions, thinking, directing and activity. Significant difference in two process building blocks of autopoiesis in modern and 4.0 organization confirms the set thesis statement that the building blocks of modern and 4.0 organization are different. We detected that in 4.0 organization the process building blocks of self-/co-feeling and self-/co-referencing aregetting weaker. With results we claim that 4.0 organization is oriented mostly towards action and is getting stronger in improved communication. However, it decreases in emotions and thinking of a human in an organization. Organization: Results can serve as a guideline and challenge to humane organizations. We present the challenge how – by

Molecular Building Blocks for Nanotechnology From Diamondoids to Nanoscale Materials and Applications

CERN Document Server

Mansoori, G. Ali; Assoufid, Lahsen; Zhang, Guoping

2007-01-01

This book is a result of the research and educational activities of a group of outstanding scientists worldwide who have authored the chapters of this book dealing with the behavior of nanoscale building blocks. It contains a variety of subjects covering computational, dry and wet nanotechnology. The state-of-the-art subject matters presented here provide the reader with the latest developments on ongoing nanoscience and nanotechnology research from the bottom-up approach, which starts with with atoms and molecules as molecular building blocks.

The Impact of Individual Differences, Types of Model and Social Settings on Block Building Performance among Chinese Preschoolers.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Mi; Deng, Zhu; Meng, Zhaokun; Li, Rui; Zhang, Zhiyi; Qi, Wenhui; Wang, Rui; Yin, Tingting; Ji, Menghui

2018-01-01

Children's block building performances are used as indicators of other abilities in multiple domains. In the current study, we examined individual differences, types of model and social settings as influences on children's block building performance. Chinese preschoolers ( N = 180) participated in a block building activity in a natural setting, and performance was assessed with multiple measures in order to identify a range of specific skills. Using scores generated across these measures, three dependent variables were analyzed: block building skills, structural balance and structural features. An overall MANOVA showed that there were significant main effects of gender and grade level across most measures. Types of model showed no significant effect in children's block building. There was a significant main effect of social settings on structural features, with the best performance in the 5-member group, followed by individual and then the 10-member block building. These findings suggest that boys performed better than girls in block building activity. Block building performance increased significantly from 1st to 2nd year of preschool, but not from second to third. The preschoolers created more representational constructions when presented with a model made of wooden rather than with a picture. There was partial evidence that children performed better when working with peers in a small group than when working alone or working in a large group. It is suggested that future study should examine other modalities rather than the visual one, diversify the samples and adopt a longitudinal investigation.

The Impact of Individual Differences, Types of Model and Social Settings on Block Building Performance among Chinese Preschoolers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mi Tian

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Children’s block building performances are used as indicators of other abilities in multiple domains. In the current study, we examined individual differences, types of model and social settings as influences on children’s block building performance. Chinese preschoolers (N = 180 participated in a block building activity in a natural setting, and performance was assessed with multiple measures in order to identify a range of specific skills. Using scores generated across these measures, three dependent variables were analyzed: block building skills, structural balance and structural features. An overall MANOVA showed that there were significant main effects of gender and grade level across most measures. Types of model showed no significant effect in children’s block building. There was a significant main effect of social settings on structural features, with the best performance in the 5-member group, followed by individual and then the 10-member block building. These findings suggest that boys performed better than girls in block building activity. Block building performance increased significantly from 1st to 2nd year of preschool, but not from second to third. The preschoolers created more representational constructions when presented with a model made of wooden rather than with a picture. There was partial evidence that children performed better when working with peers in a small group than when working alone or working in a large group. It is suggested that future study should examine other modalities rather than the visual one, diversify the samples and adopt a longitudinal investigation.

Oligomers and Polymers Based on Pentacene Building Blocks

Science.gov (United States)

Lehnherr, Dan; Tykwinski, Rik R.

2010-01-01

Functionalized pentacene derivatives continue to provide unique materials for organic semiconductor applications. Although oligomers and polymers based on pentacene building blocks remain quite rare, recent synthetic achievements have provided a number of examples with varied structural motifs. This review highlights recent work in this area and, when possible, contrasts the properties of defined-length pentacene oligomers to those of mono- and polymeric systems.

The Building Blocks of Life Move from Ground to Tree to Animal and Back to Ground

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, E. A.

2015-12-01

I generally use combinations of big words to describe my science, such as biogeochemistry, ecosystem ecology, nutrient cycling, stoichiometry, tropical deforestation, land-use change, agricultural intensification, eutrophication, greenhouse gas emissions, and sustainable development. I didn't expect to use any of these words, but I was surprised that I couldn't use some others that seem simple enough to me, such as farm, plant, soil, and forest. I landed on "building blocks" as my metaphor for the forms of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other elements that I study as they cycle through and among ecosystems. I study what makes trees and other kinds of life grow. We all know that they need the sun and that they take up water from the ground, but what else do trees need from the ground? What do animals that eat leaves and wood get from the trees? Just as we need building blocks to grow our bodies, trees and animals also need building blocks for growing their bodies. Trees get part of their building blocks from the ground and animals get theirs from what they eat. When animals poop and when leaves fall, some of their building blocks return to the ground. When they die, their building blocks also go back to the ground. I also study what happens to the ground, the water, and the air when we cut down trees, kill or shoo away the animals, and make fields to grow our food. Can we grow enough food and still keep the ground, water, and air clean? I think the answer is yes, but it will take better understanding of how all of those building blocks fit together and move around, from ground to tree to animal and back to ground.

Silicene Flowers: A Dual Stabilized Silicon Building Block for High-Performance Lithium Battery Anodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xinghao; Qiu, Xiongying; Kong, Debin; Zhou, Lu; Li, Zihao; Li, Xianglong; Zhi, Linjie

2017-07-25

Nanostructuring is a transformative way to improve the structure stability of high capacity silicon for lithium batteries. Yet, the interface instability issue remains and even propagates in the existing nanostructured silicon building blocks. Here we demonstrate an intrinsically dual stabilized silicon building block, namely silicene flowers, to simultaneously address the structure and interface stability issues. These original Si building blocks as lithium battery anodes exhibit extraordinary combined performance including high gravimetric capacity (2000 mAh g -1 at 800 mA g -1 ), high volumetric capacity (1799 mAh cm -3 ), remarkable rate capability (950 mAh g -1 at 8 A g -1 ), and excellent cycling stability (1100 mA h g -1 at 2000 mA g -1 over 600 cycles). Paired with a conventional cathode, the fabricated full cells deliver extraordinarily high specific energy and energy density (543 Wh kg ca -1 and 1257 Wh L ca -1 , respectively) based on the cathode and anode, which are 152% and 239% of their commercial counterparts using graphite anodes. Coupled with a simple, cost-effective, scalable synthesis approach, this silicon building block offers a horizon for the development of high-performance batteries.

Building Blocks Of Innovation Within A State-Owned Enterprise (Part Two

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Betsie van Zyl

2005-11-01

Full Text Available In this article (the second part of a two-part study the focus is on establishing a theoretical framework of state owned enterprise (SOE managers’ espoused theory of building blocks of innovation. A qualitative approach, namely Grounded Theory, supported by Theoretical Sampling, was applied in generating the primary data for the study from different management levels in the SOE. The managers’ espoused theory, based on empirical evidence, shows that innovation consisted of five important building blocks, namely contextual setting; strategic enablers; business enablers; foundational enablers; and human resources; each with its own categories and sub-categories. The study also identified barriers to innovation. An innovation diffusion framework, specifically for implementation in a government context, was proposed.

Oligomers and Polymers Based on Pentacene Building Blocks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan Lehnherr

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Functionalized pentacene derivatives continue to provide unique materials for organic semiconductor applications. Although oligomers and polymers based on pentacene building blocks remain quite rare, recent synthetic achievements have provided a number of examples with varied structural motifs. This review highlights recent work in this area and, when possible, contrasts the properties of defined-length pentacene oligomers to those of mono- and polymeric systems.

The scientific building blocks for business coaching: A literature review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flip Schutte

2015-03-01

Contribution: The building blocks for business coaching as a relatively new and emerging science within the field of business leadership have been defined. This will contribute to the articulation of concepts within this discipline by future researchers and practitioners.

Effects of different building blocks designs on the statistical ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Tholang T. Mokhele

Enumeration Areas (EAs), Small Area Layers (SALs) and SubPlaces) from the 2001 census data were used as building blocks for the generation of census output areas with AZTool program in both rural and urban areas of South Africa. One way-Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was also performed to determine statistical ...

Computational strategies for the automated design of RNA nanoscale structures from building blocks using NanoTiler.

Science.gov (United States)

Bindewald, Eckart; Grunewald, Calvin; Boyle, Brett; O'Connor, Mary; Shapiro, Bruce A

2008-10-01

One approach to designing RNA nanoscale structures is to use known RNA structural motifs such as junctions, kissing loops or bulges and to construct a molecular model by connecting these building blocks with helical struts. We previously developed an algorithm for detecting internal loops, junctions and kissing loops in RNA structures. Here we present algorithms for automating or assisting many of the steps that are involved in creating RNA structures from building blocks: (1) assembling building blocks into nanostructures using either a combinatorial search or constraint satisfaction; (2) optimizing RNA 3D ring structures to improve ring closure; (3) sequence optimisation; (4) creating a unique non-degenerate RNA topology descriptor. This effectively creates a computational pipeline for generating molecular models of RNA nanostructures and more specifically RNA ring structures with optimized sequences from RNA building blocks. We show several examples of how the algorithms can be utilized to generate RNA tecto-shapes.

Computational strategies for the automated design of RNA nanoscale structures from building blocks using NanoTiler☆

Science.gov (United States)

Bindewald, Eckart; Grunewald, Calvin; Boyle, Brett; O’Connor, Mary; Shapiro, Bruce A.

2013-01-01

One approach to designing RNA nanoscale structures is to use known RNA structural motifs such as junctions, kissing loops or bulges and to construct a molecular model by connecting these building blocks with helical struts. We previously developed an algorithm for detecting internal loops, junctions and kissing loops in RNA structures. Here we present algorithms for automating or assisting many of the steps that are involved in creating RNA structures from building blocks: (1) assembling building blocks into nanostructures using either a combinatorial search or constraint satisfaction; (2) optimizing RNA 3D ring structures to improve ring closure; (3) sequence optimisation; (4) creating a unique non-degenerate RNA topology descriptor. This effectively creates a computational pipeline for generating molecular models of RNA nanostructures and more specifically RNA ring structures with optimized sequences from RNA building blocks. We show several examples of how the algorithms can be utilized to generate RNA tecto-shapes. PMID:18838281

Synthesis of most polyene natural product motifs using just twelve building blocks and one coupling reaction

Science.gov (United States)

Woerly, Eric M.; Roy, Jahnabi; Burke, Martin D.

2014-01-01

The inherent modularity of polypeptides, oligonucleotides, and oligosaccharides has been harnessed to achieve generalized building block-based synthesis platforms. Importantly, like these other targets, most small molecule natural products are biosynthesized via iterative coupling of bifunctional building blocks. This suggests that many small molecules also possess inherent modularity commensurate with systematic building block-based construction. Supporting this hypothesis, here we report that the polyene motifs found in >75% of all known polyene natural products can be synthesized using just 12 building blocks and one coupling reaction. Using the same general retrosynthetic algorithm and reaction conditions, this platform enabled the synthesis of a wide range of polyene frameworks covering all of this natural product chemical space, and first total syntheses of the polyene natural products asnipyrone B, physarigin A, and neurosporaxanthin β-D-glucopyranoside. Collectively, these results suggest the potential for a more generalized approach for making small molecules in the laboratory. PMID:24848233

Preons - yet smaller building blocks of matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schrempp, B.; Schrempp, F.

1985-01-01

Are quarks and leptons the elementary building blocks of matter or do they have again a substructure in the form of common constituents, the preons. Is the force which is responsible for the binding of preons in quarks and leptons, arranged in our consisting picture of forces or is a revision required. The background of such questions and possible answers are presented. Two specific preon models serve for the illustration of characteristic signals for substructure which can possibly already soon be detected in the experiment. (orig.) [de

Interlocking Toy Building Blocks as Hands-On Learning Modules for Blind and Visually Impaired Chemistry Students

Science.gov (United States)

Melaku, Samuel; Schreck, James O.; Griffin, Kameron; Dabke, Rajeev B.

2016-01-01

Interlocking toy building blocks (e.g., Lego) as chemistry learning modules for blind and visually impaired (BVI) students in high school and undergraduate introductory or general chemistry courses are presented. Building blocks were assembled on a baseplate to depict the relative changes in the periodic properties of elements. Modules depicting…

BUILDING BLOCKS: ENMESHING TECHNOLOGY AND CREATIVITY WITH ARTISTIC PEDAGOGICAL TECHNOLOGIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katherine J.JANZEN

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Using the analogy of children’s building blocks, the reader is guided through the results of a research study that explored the use of three Artistic Pedagogical Technologies (APTs. ‘Building blocks’ was the major theme that emerged from the data. Sub-themes included developing community, enhancing creativity, and risk taking. The discourse of the paper centers on how selected APTs stimulate interaction, create social presence, and help develop community in the online post-secondary classroom. Additional findings are discussed and implications are presented.

Fragmented Agrarian Space: Building Blocks and Modernisation Trajectories. The Case of Slovenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Slavič Irma Potočnik

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Production, processing and consumption within Slovenian agrarian space are fragmented due to physical constraints (72.4% of the territory categorised as ANC and socio-geographic factors. Based on available data, five essential building blocks of contemporary Slovenian agrarian space (available land, change management, integrated circular economy, adjustable policies, and flexibility of institutions are discussed. Interrelations among the building blocks shape the modernisation trajectories of approx. 70,000 agricultural holdings in Slovenia. The coexistence of three modernisation trajectories, i.e. practised autarky, various forms of pluri-activity, and small-scale intensive and innovative modernisation, creates a complex mosaic. The governance of multifunctional and multi-structured agrarian space is becoming more demanding.

Building Blocks for Transport-Class Hybrid and Turboelectric Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Jankovsky, Amy; Bowman, Cheryl; Jansen, Ralph

2016-01-01

NASA has been investing in research efforts to define potential vehicles that use hybrid and turboelectric propulsion to enable savings in fuel burn and carbon usage. This paper overviews the fundamental building blocks that have been derived from those studies and details what key performance parameters have been defined, what key ground and flight tests need to occur, and highlights progress toward each.

Recent advances in synthesis of bacterial rare sugar building blocks and their applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Emmadi, Madhu; Kulkarni, Suvarn S

2014-07-01

Covering: 1964 to 2013. Bacteria have unusual glycans on their surfaces which distinguish them from the host cells. These unique structures offer avenues for targeting bacteria with specific therapeutics and vaccine. However, these rare sugars are not accessible in acceptable purity and amounts by isolation from natural sources. Thus, procurement of orthogonally protected rare sugar building blocks through efficient chemical synthesis is regarded as a crucial step towards the development of glycoconjugate vaccines. This Highlight focuses on recent advances in the synthesis of the bacterial deoxy amino hexopyranoside building blocks and their application in constructing various biologically important bacterial O-glycans.

Engineering multifunctional protein nanoparticles by in vitro disassembling and reassembling of heterologous building blocks

Science.gov (United States)

Unzueta, Ugutz; Serna, Naroa; Sánchez-García, Laura; Roldán, Mónica; Sánchez-Chardi, Alejandro; Mangues, Ramón; Villaverde, Antonio; Vázquez, Esther

2017-12-01

The engineering of protein self-assembling at the nanoscale allows the generation of functional and biocompatible materials, which can be produced by easy biological fabrication. The combination of cationic and histidine-rich stretches in fusion proteins promotes oligomerization as stable protein-only regular nanoparticles that are composed by a moderate number of building blocks. Among other applications, these materials are highly appealing as tools in targeted drug delivery once empowered with peptidic ligands of cell surface receptors. In this context, we have dissected here this simple technological platform regarding the controlled disassembling and reassembling of the composing building blocks. By applying high salt and imidazole in combination, nanoparticles are disassembled in a process that is fully reversible upon removal of the disrupting agents. By taking this approach, we accomplish here the in vitro generation of hybrid nanoparticles formed by heterologous building blocks. This fact demonstrates the capability to generate multifunctional and/or multiparatopic or multispecific materials usable in nanomedical applications.

Building block method: a bottom-up modular synthesis methodology for distributed compliant mechanisms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Krishnan

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Synthesizing topologies of compliant mechanisms are based on rigid-link kinematic designs or completely automated optimization techniques. These designs yield mechanisms that match the kinematic specifications as a whole, but seldom yield user insight on how each constituent member contributes towards the overall mechanism performance. This paper reviews recent developments in building block based design of compliant mechanisms. A key aspect of such a methodology is formulating a representation of compliance at a (i single unique point of interest in terms of geometric quantities such as ellipses and vectors, and (ii relative compliance between distinct input(s and output(s in terms of load flow. This geometric representation provides a direct mapping between the mechanism geometry and their behavior, and is used to characterize simple deformable members that form a library of building blocks. The design space spanned by the building block library guides the decomposition of a given problem specification into tractable sub-problems that can be each solved from an entry in the library. The effectiveness of this geometric representation aids user insight in design, and enables discovery of trends and guidelines to obtain practical conceptual designs.

Transportable Payload Operations Control Center reusable software: Building blocks for quality ground data systems

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmot, Ron; Koslosky, John T.; Beach, Edward; Schwarz, Barbara

1994-01-01

The Mission Operations Division (MOD) at Goddard Space Flight Center builds Mission Operations Centers which are used by Flight Operations Teams to monitor and control satellites. Reducing system life cycle costs through software reuse has always been a priority of the MOD. The MOD's Transportable Payload Operations Control Center development team established an extensive library of 14 subsystems with over 100,000 delivered source instructions of reusable, generic software components. Nine TPOCC-based control centers to date support 11 satellites and achieved an average software reuse level of more than 75 percent. This paper shares experiences of how the TPOCC building blocks were developed and how building block developer's, mission development teams, and users are all part of the process.

Sinusoidal oscillators and waveform generators using modern electronic circuit building blocks

CERN Document Server

Senani, Raj; Singh, V K; Sharma, R K

2016-01-01

This book serves as a single-source reference to sinusoidal oscillators and waveform generators, using classical as well as a variety of modern electronic circuit building blocks. It provides a state-of-the-art review of a large variety of sinusoidal oscillators and waveform generators and includes a catalogue of over 600 configurations of oscillators and waveform generators, describing their relevant design details and salient performance features/limitations. The authors discuss a number of interesting, open research problems and include a comprehensive collection of over 1500 references on oscillators and non-sinusoidal waveform generators/relaxation oscillators. Offers readers a single-source reference to everything connected to sinusoidal oscillators and waveform generators, using classical as well as modern electronic circuit building blocks; Provides a state-of-the-art review of a large variety of sinusoidal oscillators and waveform generators; Includes a catalog of over 600 configurations of oscillato...

Topology Optimization of Building Blocks for Photonic Integrated Circuits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jakob Søndergaard; Sigmund, Ole

2005-01-01

Photonic integrated circuits are likely candidates as high speed replacements for the standard electrical integrated circuits of today. However, in order to obtain a satisfactorily performance many design prob- lems that up until now have resulted in too high losses must be resolved. In this work...... we demonstrate how the method of topology optimization can be used to design a variety of high performance building blocks for the future circuits....

Linked supramolecular building blocks for enhanced cluster formation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McLellan, Ross; Palacios, Maria A.; Beavers, Christine M.

2015-01-01

the complex assembly process. The ability to covalently link calix[4]arenes at the methylene bridge provides significantly improved control over the introduction of different metal centres to resulting cluster motifs. Clusters assembled from bis-calix[4]-arenes and transition metal ions or 3d-4 f combinations......(Figure Presented). Methylene-bridged calix[4]arenes have emerged as extremely versatile ligand supports in the formation of new polymetallic clusters possessing fascinating magnetic properties. Metal ion binding rules established for this building block allow one to partially rationalise...

Fluorinated building blocks for next-generation polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wadekar, M.N.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this thesis is to design, create and study basic building blocks for the construction of self-assembled nanostructured electrodes and membranes for PEMFC. The research described deals with the synthesis of polymerizable fluorosurfactant (1) and its non-polymerizable analogue (2) and

Surface tectonics of nanoporous networks of melamine-capped molecular building blocks formed through interface Schiff-base reactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xuan-He; Wang, Dong; Wan, Li-Jun

2013-10-01

Control over the assembly of molecules on a surface is of great importance for the fabrication of molecule-based miniature devices. Melamine (MA) and molecules with terminal MA units are promising candidates for supramolecular interfacial packing patterning, owing to their multiple hydrogen-bonding sites. Herein, we report the formation of self-assembled structures of MA-capped molecules through a simple on-surface synthetic route. MA terminal groups were successfully fabricated onto rigid molecular cores with 2-fold and 3-fold symmetry through interfacial Schiff-base reactions between MA and aldehyde groups. Sub-molecular scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) imaging of the resultant adlayer revealed the formation of nanoporous networks. Detailed structural analysis indicated that strong hydrogen-bonding interactions between the MA groups persistently drove the formation of nanoporous networks. Herein, we demonstrate that functional groups with strong hydrogen-bond-formation ability are promising building blocks for the guided assembly of nanoporous networks and other hierarchical 2D assemblies. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Total synthesis of TMG-chitotriomycin based on an automated electrochemical assembly of a disaccharide building block.

Science.gov (United States)

Isoda, Yuta; Sasaki, Norihiko; Kitamura, Kei; Takahashi, Shuji; Manmode, Sujit; Takeda-Okuda, Naoko; Tamura, Jun-Ichi; Nokami, Toshiki; Itoh, Toshiyuki

2017-01-01

The total synthesis of TMG-chitotriomycin using an automated electrochemical synthesizer for the assembly of carbohydrate building blocks is demonstrated. We have successfully prepared a precursor of TMG-chitotriomycin, which is a structurally-pure tetrasaccharide with typical protecting groups, through the methodology of automated electrochemical solution-phase synthesis developed by us. The synthesis of structurally well-defined TMG-chitotriomycin has been accomplished in 10-steps from a disaccharide building block.

Enantiopure heterobimetallic single-chain magnets from the chiral Ru(III) building block.

Science.gov (United States)

Ru, Jing; Gao, Feng; Wu, Tao; Yao, Min-Xia; Li, Yi-Zhi; Zuo, Jing-Lin

2014-01-21

A pair of one-dimensional enantiomers based on the versatile chiral dicyanoruthenate(III) building block have been synthesized and they are chiral single-chain magnets with the effective spin-reversal barrier of 28.2 K.

Measuring the health systems impact of disease control programmes: a critical reflection on the WHO building blocks framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Mounier-Jack, Sandra; Griffiths, Ulla K; Closser, Svea; Burchett, Helen; Marchal, Bruno

2014-03-25

The WHO health systems Building Blocks framework has become ubiquitous in health systems research. However, it was not developed as a research instrument, but rather to facilitate investments of resources in health systems. In this paper, we reflect on the advantages and limitations of using the framework in applied research, as experienced in three empirical vaccine studies we have undertaken. We argue that while the Building Blocks framework is valuable because of its simplicity and ability to provide a common language for researchers, it is not suitable for analysing dynamic, complex and inter-linked systems impacts. In our three studies, we found that the mechanical segmentation of effects by the WHO building blocks, without recognition of their interactions, hindered the understanding of impacts on systems as a whole. Other important limitations were the artificial equal weight given to each building block and the challenge in capturing longer term effects and opportunity costs. Another criticism is not of the framework per se, but rather how it is typically used, with a focus on the six building blocks to the neglect of the dynamic process and outcome aspects of health systems.We believe the framework would be improved by making three amendments: integrating the missing "demand" component; incorporating an overarching, holistic health systems viewpoint and including scope for interactions between components. If researchers choose to use the Building Blocks framework, we recommend that it be adapted to the specific study question and context, with formative research and piloting conducted in order to inform this adaptation. As with frameworks in general, the WHO Building Blocks framework is valuable because it creates a common language and shared understanding. However, for applied research, it falls short of what is needed to holistically evaluate the impact of specific interventions on health systems. We propose that if researchers use the framework, it

Modeling the building blocks of biodiversity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucas N Joppa

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Networks of single interaction types, such as plant-pollinator mutualisms, are biodiversity's "building blocks". Yet, the structure of mutualistic and antagonistic networks differs, leaving no unified modeling framework across biodiversity's component pieces. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We use a one-dimensional "niche model" to predict antagonistic and mutualistic species interactions, finding that accuracy decreases with the size of the network. We show that properties of the modeled network structure closely approximate empirical properties even where individual interactions are poorly predicted. Further, some aspects of the structure of the niche space were consistently different between network classes. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These novel results reveal fundamental differences between the ability to predict ecologically important features of the overall structure of a network and the ability to predict pair-wise species interactions.

Technological characteristics of compressed earth blocks for its use as a building material

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez-Villalba, Luz Stella; Camacho-Perez, Nancy; Alvarez de Buergo, Monica; Becerra-Becerra, Javier; Esmeralda Corredor-Pulido, Dery; Fort, Rafael

2013-04-01

We present here an innovative building technique, which uses ecological, inexpensive and environmentally friendly materials. These compressed earth blocks seem to be very good for building purposes and that is why we have characterized three types of compressed earth blocks (CEB, named by their color as yellow, grey and red) mineralogically by means of X ray diffraction XRD and scanning electron microscopy SEM (both blocks and raw materials), petrographically by polarizing optical light microscopy POLM, and SEM, and, mainly, petrophysically: their hydric, physical and physico-mechanical properties by means of determining their capillary water absorption, porosity (open or accessible to water, pore size distribution and micro/macroporosity), and densities, color and ultrasound velocity (together with anisotropy). The particularities of these analyzed materials show that some varieties are more durable than others, and that all of them can be used as building materials with some restrictions related to their appropriate placing in the structures and the exposure to water. Acknowledgements: This work is supported by the GEOMATERIALES (S2009/MAT-1629) and CONSOLIDER-TCP (CSD2007-0058) programmes. Thanks also to the UCM (Complutense University of Madrid) Research Group "Alteración y conservación de los materiales pétreos del patrimonio" / Alteration and conservation of heritage stone materials (ref. 921349).

A Customizable Quantum-Dot Cellular Automata Building Block for the Synthesis of Classical and Reversible Circuits.

Science.gov (United States)

Moustafa, Ahmed; Younes, Ahmed; Hassan, Yasser F

2015-01-01

Quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) are nanoscale digital logic constructs that use electrons in arrays of quantum dots to carry out binary operations. In this paper, a basic building block for QCA will be proposed. The proposed basic building block can be customized to implement classical gates, such as XOR and XNOR gates, and reversible gates, such as CNOT and Toffoli gates, with less cell count and/or better latency than other proposed designs.

Total synthesis of TMG-chitotriomycin based on an automated electrochemical assembly of a disaccharide building block

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuta Isoda

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The total synthesis of TMG-chitotriomycin using an automated electrochemical synthesizer for the assembly of carbohydrate building blocks is demonstrated. We have successfully prepared a precursor of TMG-chitotriomycin, which is a structurally-pure tetrasaccharide with typical protecting groups, through the methodology of automated electrochemical solution-phase synthesis developed by us. The synthesis of structurally well-defined TMG-chitotriomycin has been accomplished in 10-steps from a disaccharide building block.

Bottom-up processing of thermoelectric nanocomposites from colloidal nanocrystal building blocks: the case of Ag2Te–PbTe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cadavid, Doris; Ibáñez, Maria; Gorsse, Stéphane; López, Antonio M.; Cirera, Albert; Morante, Joan Ramon; Cabot, Andreu

2012-01-01

Nanocomposites are highly promising materials to enhance the efficiency of current thermoelectric devices. A straightforward and at the same time highly versatile and controllable approach to produce nanocomposites is the assembly of solution-processed nanocrystal building blocks. The convenience of this bottom-up approach to produce nanocomposites with homogeneous phase distributions and adjustable composition is demonstrated here by blending Ag 2 Te and PbTe colloidal nanocrystals to form Ag 2 Te–PbTe bulk nanocomposites. The thermoelectric properties of these nanocomposites are analyzed in the temperature range from 300 to 700 K. The evolution of their electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient is discussed in terms of the blend composition and the characteristics of the constituent materials.

Image Chunking: Defining Spatial Building Blocks for Scene Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

1987-04-01

mumgs0.USmusa 7.AUWOJO 4. CIUTAC Rm6ANT Wuugme*j James V/. Mlahoney DACA? 6-85-C-00 10 NOQ 1 4-85-K-O 124 Artificial Inteligence Laboratory US USS 545...0197 672 IMAGE CHUWING: DEINING SPATIAL UILDING PLOCKS FOR 142 SCENE ANRLYSIS(U) MASSACHUSETTS INST OF TECH CAIIAIDGE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE LAO J...Technical Report 980 F-Image Chunking: Defining Spatial Building Blocks for Scene DTm -Analysis S ELECTED James V. Mahoney’ MIT Artificial Intelligence

Building blocks toward contemporary trauma theory: Ferenczi 's paradigm shift.

Science.gov (United States)

Mészáros, Judit

2010-12-01

In laying down the building blocks of contemporary trauma theory, Ferenczi asserted that trauma is founded on real events and that it occurs in the interpersonal and intersubjective dynamics of object relations. He stressed the significance of the presence or lack of a trusted person in the post-traumatic situation. After the trauma, the loneliness and later the isolation of the victim represent a serious pathogenic source. In the traumatic situation, the victim and the persecutor/aggressor operate differing ego defense mechanisms. Ferenczi was the first to describe the ego defense mechanism of identification with the aggressor. Ferenczi pointed out the characteristic features of the role of analyst/therapist with which (s)he may assist the patient in working through the trauma, among them being the development of a therapeutic atmosphere based on trust, so that the traumatic experiences can be relived, without which effective therapeutic change cannot be achieved. For the analyst, countertransference, as part of authentic communication, is incorporated into the therapeutic process. These are the key building blocks that are laid down by Ferenczi in his writings and appear in later works on trauma theory.

Synthesis of most polyene natural product motifs using just 12 building blocks and one coupling reaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Woerly, Eric M; Roy, Jahnabi; Burke, Martin D

2014-06-01

The inherent modularity of polypeptides, oligonucleotides and oligosaccharides has been harnessed to achieve generalized synthesis platforms. Importantly, like these other targets, most small-molecule natural products are biosynthesized via iterative coupling of bifunctional building blocks. This suggests that many small molecules also possess inherent modularity commensurate with systematic building block-based construction. Supporting this hypothesis, here we report that the polyene motifs found in >75% of all known polyene natural products can be synthesized using just 12 building blocks and one coupling reaction. Using the same general retrosynthetic algorithm and reaction conditions, this platform enabled both the synthesis of a wide range of polyene frameworks that covered all of this natural-product chemical space and the first total syntheses of the polyene natural products asnipyrone B, physarigin A and neurosporaxanthin b-D-glucopyranoside. Collectively, these results suggest the potential for a more generalized approach to making small molecules in the laboratory.

Block Play and Mathematics Learning in Preschool: The Effects of Building Complexity, Peer and Teacher Interactions in the Block Area, and Replica Play Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Trawick-Smith, Jeffrey; Swaminathan, Sudha; Baton, Brooke; Danieluk, Courtney; Marsh, Samantha; Szarwacki, Monika

2017-01-01

Block play has been included in early childhood classrooms for over a century, yet few studies have examined its effects on learning. Several previous investigations indicate that the complexity of block building is associated with math ability, but these studies were often conducted in adult-guided, laboratory settings. In the present…

Quantitative NMR Approach to Optimize the Formation of Chemical Building Blocks from Abundant Carbohydrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Elliot, Samuel G; Tolborg, Søren; Sádaba, Irantzu; Taarning, Esben; Meier, Sebastian

2017-07-21

The future role of biomass-derived chemicals relies on the formation of diverse functional monomers in high yields from carbohydrates. Recently, it has become clear that a series of α-hydroxy acids, esters, and lactones can be formed from carbohydrates in alcohol and water solvents using tin-containing catalysts such as Sn-Beta. These compounds are potential building blocks for polyesters bearing additional olefin and alcohol functionalities. An NMR approach was used to identify, quantify, and optimize the formation of these building blocks in the Sn-Beta-catalyzed transformation of abundant carbohydrates. Record yields of the target molecules can be achieved by obstructing competing reactions through solvent selection. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Bottom-up processing of thermoelectric nanocomposites from colloidal nanocrystal building blocks: the case of Ag{sub 2}Te-PbTe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cadavid, Doris [Catalonia Institute for Energy Research, IREC (Spain); Ibanez, Maria [Universitat de Barcelona, Departament d' Electronica (Spain); Gorsse, Stephane [Universite de Bordeaux, ICMCB, CNRS (France); Lopez, Antonio M. [Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Departament d' Enginyeria Electronica (Spain); Cirera, Albert [Universitat de Barcelona, Departament d' Electronica (Spain); Morante, Joan Ramon; Cabot, Andreu, E-mail: acabot@irec.cat [Catalonia Institute for Energy Research, IREC (Spain)

2012-12-15

Nanocomposites are highly promising materials to enhance the efficiency of current thermoelectric devices. A straightforward and at the same time highly versatile and controllable approach to produce nanocomposites is the assembly of solution-processed nanocrystal building blocks. The convenience of this bottom-up approach to produce nanocomposites with homogeneous phase distributions and adjustable composition is demonstrated here by blending Ag{sub 2}Te and PbTe colloidal nanocrystals to form Ag{sub 2}Te-PbTe bulk nanocomposites. The thermoelectric properties of these nanocomposites are analyzed in the temperature range from 300 to 700 K. The evolution of their electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient is discussed in terms of the blend composition and the characteristics of the constituent materials.

Anisotropy Spectra for Enantiomeric Differentiation of Biomolecular Building Blocks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Evans, Amanda C.; Meinert, Cornelia; Bredehoft, Jan H.

2013-01-01

All biopolymers are composed of homochiral building blocks, and both D-sugars and L-amino acids uniquely constitute life on Earth. These monomers were originally enantiomerically differentiated under prebiotic conditions. Particular progress has recently been made in support of the photochemical...... light. This chapter will: (1) present the theory and configuration of anisotropy spectroscopy; (2) explain experimentally recorded anisotropy spectra of selected chiral biomolecules such as amino acids; and (3) discuss the relevance of these spectra for the investigation of the origin of the molecular...

Silicon-Carbide (SIC) Multichip Power Modules (MCPMS) For Power Building Block Applications, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to prove the feasibility of developing high power density modular power electronic building blocks...

Stereoselective total synthesis of Oxylipin from open chain gluco-configured building block.

Science.gov (United States)

Borkar, Santosh Ramdas; Aidhen, Indrapal Singh

2017-04-18

Total synthesis of naturally occurring Oxylipin has been achieved from open chain gluco-configured building block which is readily assembled from inexpensive and commercially available D-(+)-gluconolactone. Grignard reaction and Wittig olefination reactions are key steps for the requisite CC bond formation. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Preparing a Safety Analysis Report using the building block approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herrington, C.C.

1990-01-01

The credibility of the applicant in a licensing proceeding is severely impacted by the quality of the license application, particularly the Safety Analysis Report. To ensure the highest possible credibility, the building block approach was devised to support the development of a quality Safety Analysis Report. The approach incorporates a comprehensive planning scheme that logically ties together all levels of the investigation and provides the direction necessary to prepare a superior Safety Analysis Report

Benzoylated Uronic Acid Building Blocks and Synthesis of N-Uronate Conjugates of Lamotrigine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bård Helge Hoff

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A chemoenzymatic approach towards benzoylated uronic acid building blocks has been investigated starting with benzoylated hexapyranosides using regioselective C-6 enzymatic hydrolysis as the key step. Two of the building blocks were reacted with the antiepileptic drug lamotrigine. Glucuronidation of lamotrigine using methyl (2,3,4-tri-O-benzoyl-α-D-glycopyranosyl bromideuronate proceeded to give the N2-conjugate. However, lamotrigine-N2-glucuronide was most efficiently synthesised from methyl (2,3,4-tri-O-acetyl-α-D-glucopyranosyl bromideuronate. Employing nitromethane as solvent with CdCO3 as a base lamotrigine-N2 glucuronide was prepared in a high yield (41%. Also methyl (2,3-di-O-benzoyl-4-deoxy-4-fluoro-α-D-glucosyl bromideuronate underwent N-glucuronidation, but the product was unstable, eliminating hydrogen fluoride to give the corresponding enoate conjugate.

MECs: "Building Blocks" for Creating Biological and Chemical Instruments.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Douglas A Hill

Full Text Available The development of new biological and chemical instruments for research and diagnostic applications is often slowed by the cost, specialization, and custom nature of these instruments. New instruments are built from components that are drawn from a host of different disciplines and not designed to integrate together, and once built, an instrument typically performs a limited number of tasks and cannot be easily adapted for new applications. Consequently, the process of inventing new instruments is very inefficient, especially for researchers or clinicians in resource-limited settings. To improve this situation, we propose that a family of standardized multidisciplinary components is needed, a set of "building blocks" that perform a wide array of different tasks and are designed to integrate together. Using these components, scientists, engineers, and clinicians would be able to build custom instruments for their own unique needs quickly and easily. In this work we present the foundation of this set of components, a system we call Multifluidic Evolutionary Components (MECs. "Multifluidic" conveys the wide range of fluid volumes MECs operate upon (from nanoliters to milliliters and beyond; "multi" also reflects the multiple disciplines supported by the system (not only fluidics but also electronics, optics, and mechanics. "Evolutionary" refers to the design principles that enable the library of MEC parts to easily grow and adapt to new applications. Each MEC "building block" performs a fundamental function that is commonly found in biological or chemical instruments, functions like valving, pumping, mixing, controlling, and sensing. Each MEC also has a unique symbol linked to a physical definition, which enables instruments to be designed rapidly and efficiently using schematics. As a proof-of-concept, we use MECs to build a variety of instruments, including a fluidic routing and mixing system capable of manipulating fluid volumes over five orders

25 years and still going strong: 2'-O-(pyren-1-yl)methylribonucleotides - versatile building blocks for applications in molecular biology, diagnostics and materials science.

Science.gov (United States)

Hrdlicka, Patrick J; Karmakar, Saswata

2017-11-29

Oligonucleotides (ONs) modified with 2'-O-(pyren-1-yl)methylribonucleotides have been explored for a range of applications in molecular biology, nucleic acid diagnostics, and materials science for more than 25 years. The first part of this review provides an overview of synthetic strategies toward 2'-O-(pyren-1-yl)methylribonucleotides and is followed by a summary of biophysical properties of nucleic acid duplexes modified with these building blocks. Insights from structural studies are then presented to rationalize the reported properties. In the second part, applications of ONs modified with 2'-O-(pyren-1-yl)methyl-RNA monomers are reviewed, which include detection of RNA targets, discrimination of single nucleotide polymorphisms, formation of self-assembled pyrene arrays on nucleic acid scaffolds, the study of charge transfer phenomena in nucleic acid duplexes, and sequence-unrestricted recognition of double-stranded DNA. The predictable binding mode of the pyrene moiety, coupled with the microenvironment-dependent properties and synthetic feasibility, render 2'-O-(pyren-1-yl)methyl-RNA monomers as a promising class of pyrene-functionalized nucleotide building blocks for new applications in molecular biology, nucleic acid diagnostics, and materials science.

Dimeric Building Blocks for Solid-Phase Synthesis of α-Peptide-β-Peptoid Chimeras

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seigan, Gitte Bonke; Vedel, Line; Matthias, Witt,

2008-01-01

Recently, a novel type of antimicrobial and proteolytically stable peptidomimetic oligomers having an α-peptide-β-peptoid chimeric backbone was reported. The present paper describes efficient protocols for the preparation of a wide range of dimeric building blocks, displaying different types of s...

From synthesis to function via iterative assembly of N-methyliminodiacetic acid boronate building blocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Junqi; Grillo, Anthony S; Burke, Martin D

2015-08-18

The study and optimization of small molecule function is often impeded by the time-intensive and specialist-dependent process that is typically used to make such compounds. In contrast, general and automated platforms have been developed for making peptides, oligonucleotides, and increasingly oligosaccharides, where synthesis is simplified to iterative applications of the same reactions. Inspired by the way natural products are biosynthesized via the iterative assembly of a defined set of building blocks, we developed a platform for small molecule synthesis involving the iterative coupling of haloboronic acids protected as the corresponding N-methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA) boronates. Here we summarize our efforts thus far to develop this platform into a generalized and automated approach for small molecule synthesis. We and others have employed this approach to access many polyene-based compounds, including the polyene motifs found in >75% of all polyene natural products. This platform further allowed us to derivatize amphotericin B, the powerful and resistance-evasive but also highly toxic last line of defense in treating systemic fungal infections, and thereby understand its mechanism of action. This synthesis-enabled mechanistic understanding has led us to develop less toxic derivatives currently under evaluation as improved antifungal agents. To access more Csp(3)-containing small molecules, we gained a stereocontrolled entry into chiral, non-racemic α-boryl aldehydes through the discovery of a chiral derivative of MIDA. These α-boryl aldehydes are versatile intermediates for the synthesis of many Csp(3) boronate building blocks that are otherwise difficult to access. In addition, we demonstrated the utility of these types of building blocks in accessing pharmaceutically relevant targets via an iterative Csp(3) cross-coupling cycle. We have further expanded the scope of the platform to include stereochemically complex macrocyclic and polycyclic molecules

Hierarchical coassembly of DNA–triptycene hybrid molecular building blocks and zinc protoporphyrin IX

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rina Kumari

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Herein, we describe the successful construction of composite DNA nanostructures by the self-assembly of complementary symmetrical 2,6,14-triptycenetripropiolic acid (TPA–DNA building blocks and zinc protoporphyrin IX (Zn PpIX. DNA–organic molecule scaffolds for the composite DNA nanostructure were constructed through covalent conjugation of TPA with 5′-C12-amine-terminated modified single strand DNA (ssDNA and its complementary strand. The repeated covalent conjugation of TPA with DNA was confirmed by using denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE, reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF. The biologically relevant photosensitizer Zn PpIX was used to direct the hybridization-mediated self-assembly of DNA–TPA molecular building blocks as well as a model guest molecule within the DNA–TPA supramolecular self-assembly. The formation of fiber-like composite DNA nanostructures was observed. Native PAGE, circular dichroism (CD and atomic force microscopy (AFM have been utilized for analyzing the formation of DNA nanofibers after the coassembly. Computational methods were applied to discern the theoretical dimension of the DNA–TPA molecular building block of the nanofibers. A notable change in photocatalytic efficiency of Zn PpIX was observed when it was inside the TPA–DNA scaffold. The significant increase in ROS generation by Zn PpIX when trapped in this biocompatible DNA–TPA hybrid nanofiber may be an effective tool to explore photodynamic therapy (PDT applications as well as photocatalytic reactions.

Synthesis of orthogonally protected bacterial, rare-sugar and D-glycosamine building blocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Emmadi, Madhu; Kulkarni, Suvarn S

2013-10-01

Bacterial glycoconjugates comprise atypical deoxy amino sugars that are not present on the human cell surface, making them good targets for drug discovery and carbohydrate-based vaccine development. Unfortunately, they cannot be isolated with sufficient purity in acceptable amounts, and therefore chemical synthesis is a crucial step toward the development of these products. Here we describe a detailed protocol for the synthesis of orthogonally protected bacterial deoxy amino hexopyranoside (2,4-diacetamido-2,4,6-trideoxyhexose (DATDH), D-bacillosamine, D-fucosamine, and 2-acetamido-4-amino-2,4,6-trideoxy-D-galactose (AAT)), D-glucosamine and D-galactosamine building blocks starting from β-D-thiophenylmannoside. Readily available β-D-thiophenylmannoside was first converted into the corresponding 2,4-diols via deoxygenation or silylation at C6, followed by O3 acylation. The 2,4-diols were converted into 2,4-bis-trifluoromethanesulfonates, which underwent highly regioselective, one-pot, double-serial and double-parallel displacements by azide, phthalimide, acetate and nitrite ions as nucleophiles. Thus, D-rhamnosyl- and D-mannosyl 2,4-diols can be efficiently transformed into various rare sugars and D-galactosamine, respectively, as orthogonally protected thioglycoside building blocks on a gram scale in 1-2 d, in 54-85% overall yields, after a single chromatographic purification. This would otherwise take 1-2 weeks. D-Glucosamine building blocks can be prepared from β-D-thiophenylmannoside in four steps via C2 displacement of triflates by azide in 2 d and in 66-70% overall yields. These procedures have been applied to the synthesis of L-serine-linked trisaccharide of Neisseria meningitidis and a rare disaccharide fragment of the zwitterionic polysaccharide (ZPS) A1 (ZPS A1) of Bacteroides fragilis.

LEGO® bricks as building blocks for centimeter-scale biological environments: the case of plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Lind, Kara R; Sizmur, Tom; Benomar, Saida; Miller, Anthony; Cademartiri, Ludovico

2014-01-01

LEGO bricks are commercially available interlocking pieces of plastic that are conventionally used as toys. We describe their use to build engineered environments for cm-scale biological systems, in particular plant roots. Specifically, we take advantage of the unique modularity of these building blocks to create inexpensive, transparent, reconfigurable, and highly scalable environments for plant growth in which structural obstacles and chemical gradients can be precisely engineered to mimic soil.

Engineering cell factories for producing building block chemicals for bio-polymer synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsuge, Yota; Kawaguchi, Hideo; Sasaki, Kengo; Kondo, Akihiko

2016-01-21

Synthetic polymers are widely used in daily life. Due to increasing environmental concerns related to global warming and the depletion of oil reserves, the development of microbial-based fermentation processes for the production of polymer building block chemicals from renewable resources is desirable to replace current petroleum-based methods. To this end, strains that efficiently produce the target chemicals at high yields and productivity are needed. Recent advances in metabolic engineering have enabled the biosynthesis of polymer compounds at high yield and productivities by governing the carbon flux towards the target chemicals. Using these methods, microbial strains have been engineered to produce monomer chemicals for replacing traditional petroleum-derived aliphatic polymers. These developments also raise the possibility of microbial production of aromatic chemicals for synthesizing high-performance polymers with desirable properties, such as ultraviolet absorbance, high thermal resistance, and mechanical strength. In the present review, we summarize recent progress in metabolic engineering approaches to optimize microbial strains for producing building blocks to synthesize aliphatic and high-performance aromatic polymers.

Dendrimers and Dendrons as Versatile Building Blocks for the Fabrication of Functional Hydrogels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sadik Kaga

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Hydrogels have emerged as a versatile class of polymeric materials with a wide range of applications in biomedical sciences. The judicious choice of hydrogel precursors allows one to introduce the necessary attributes to these materials that dictate their performance towards intended applications. Traditionally, hydrogels were fabricated using either polymerization of monomers or through crosslinking of polymers. In recent years, dendrimers and dendrons have been employed as well-defined building blocks in these materials. The multivalent and multifunctional nature of dendritic constructs offers advantages in either formulation or the physical and chemical properties of the obtained hydrogels. This review highlights various approaches utilized for the fabrication of hydrogels using well-defined dendrimers, dendrons and their polymeric conjugates. Examples from recent literature are chosen to illustrate the wide variety of hydrogels that have been designed using dendrimer- and dendron-based building blocks for applications, such as sensing, drug delivery and tissue engineering.

LEGO® bricks as building blocks for centimeter-scale biological environments: the case of plants.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kara R Lind

Full Text Available LEGO bricks are commercially available interlocking pieces of plastic that are conventionally used as toys. We describe their use to build engineered environments for cm-scale biological systems, in particular plant roots. Specifically, we take advantage of the unique modularity of these building blocks to create inexpensive, transparent, reconfigurable, and highly scalable environments for plant growth in which structural obstacles and chemical gradients can be precisely engineered to mimic soil.

Design of fundamental building blocks for fast binary readout CMOS sensors used in high-energy physics experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Degerli, Yavuz [CEA Saclay, IRFU/SEDI, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France)], E-mail: degerli@cea.fr

2009-04-21

In this paper, design details of key building blocks for fast binary readout CMOS monolithic active pixel sensors developed for charged particle detection are presented. Firstly, an all-NMOS pixel architecture with in-pixel amplification and reset noise suppression which allows fast readout is presented. This pixel achieves high charge-to-voltage conversion factors (CVF) using a few number of transistors inside the pixel. It uses a pre-amplifying stage close to the detector and a simple double sampling (DS) circuitry to store the reset level of the detector. The DS removes the offset mismatches of amplifiers and the reset noise of the detector. Offset mismatches of the source follower are also corrected by a second column-level DS stage. The second important building block of these sensors, a low-power auto-zeroed column-level discriminator, is also presented. These two blocks transform the charge of the impinging particle into binary data. Finally, some experimental results obtained on CMOS chips designed using these blocks are presented.

Multifunctional Nanoparticles Self-Assembled from Small Organic Building Blocks for Biomedicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Xing, Pengyao; Zhao, Yanli

2016-09-01

Supramolecular self-assembly shows significant potential to construct responsive materials. By tailoring the structural parameters of organic building blocks, nanosystems can be fabricated, whose performance in catalysis, energy storage and conversion, and biomedicine has been explored. Since small organic building blocks are structurally simple, easily modified, and reproducible, they are frequently employed in supramolecular self-assembly and materials science. The dynamic and adaptive nature of self-assembled nanoarchitectures affords an enhanced sensitivity to the changes in environmental conditions, favoring their applications in controllable drug release and bioimaging. Here, recent significant research advancements of small-organic-molecule self-assembled nanoarchitectures toward biomedical applications are highlighted. Functionalized assemblies, mainly including vesicles, nanoparticles, and micelles are categorized according to their topological morphologies and functions. These nanoarchitectures with different topologies possess distinguishing advantages in biological applications, well incarnating the structure-property relationship. By presenting some important discoveries, three domains of these nanoarchitectures in biomedical research are covered, including biosensors, bioimaging, and controlled release/therapy. The strategies regarding how to design and characterize organic assemblies to exhibit biomedical applications are also discussed. Up-to-date research developments in the field are provided and research challenges to be overcome in future studies are revealed. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Building blocks for a polarimeter-on-a-chip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stevenson, Thomas R.; Hsieh, W.-T.; Schneider, Gideon; Travers, Douglas; Cao, Nga; Wollack, Edward; Limon, Michele; Kogut, Alan

2006-01-01

For the 'Primordial Anisotropy Polarization Pathfinder Array (PAPPA)' balloon flight project, we have designed and made thin-film niobium microstrip circuits as building blocks for a 'polarimeter-on-a-chip' in which superconducting transmission lines are used to couple millimeter wave signals from planar antennas to superconducting transition edge sensor (TES) detectors. Our goal is to demonstrate technology for precision measurements of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background. To enable characterization and verification of our microstrip components, we have incorporated waveguide probes on each chip that can bring millimeter wave signals from a room temperature vector network analyzer to the superconducting circuits on the chip and back again for S-parameter measurements. We have designed a planar antenna and RF choke on the probes to efficiently couple radiation between waveguide and thin-film microstrip. To support the probe antennas in waveguides, we sculpted thin silicon cantilevers that extend from an edge of each silicon chip into a pair of waveguides within a specially designed split-block mount. This technique will allow us to make calibrated measurements at low temperatures of the velocity, impedance, and loss properties of our niobium transmission lines, the frequency response of microstrip filters, hybrid couplers, or terminations, and the performance of integrated detectors

Key Building Blocks via Enzyme-Mediated Synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Thomas; Pietruszka, Jörg

Biocatalytic approaches to valuable building blocks in organic synthesis have emerged as an important tool in the last few years. While first applications were mainly based on hydrolases, other enzyme classes such as oxidoreductases or lyases moved into the focus of research. Nowadays, a vast number of biotransformations can be found in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries delivering fine chemicals or drugs. The mild reaction conditions, high stereo-, regio-, and chemoselectivities, and the often shortened reaction pathways lead to economical and ecological advantages of enzymatic conversions. Due to the enormous number of enzyme-mediated syntheses, the present chapter is not meant to be a complete review, but to deliver comprehensive insights into well established enzymatic systems and recent advances in the application of enzymes in natural product synthesis. Furthermore, it is focused on the most frequently used enzymes or enzyme classes not covered elsewhere in the present volume.

Automated electrochemical assembly of the protected potential TMG-chitotriomycin precursor based on rational optimization of the carbohydrate building block.

Science.gov (United States)

Nokami, Toshiki; Isoda, Yuta; Sasaki, Norihiko; Takaiso, Aki; Hayase, Shuichi; Itoh, Toshiyuki; Hayashi, Ryutaro; Shimizu, Akihiro; Yoshida, Jun-ichi

2015-03-20

The anomeric arylthio group and the hydroxyl-protecting groups of thioglycosides were optimized to construct carbohydrate building blocks for automated electrochemical solution-phase synthesis of oligoglucosamines having 1,4-β-glycosidic linkages. The optimization study included density functional theory calculations, measurements of the oxidation potentials, and the trial synthesis of the chitotriose trisaccharide. The automated synthesis of the protected potential N,N,N-trimethyl-d-glucosaminylchitotriomycin precursor was accomplished by using the optimized building block.

Rapid and annealing-free self-assembly of DNA building blocks for 3D hydrogel chaperoned by cationic comb-type copolymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zheng; Wu, Yuyang; Yu, Feng; Niu, Chaoqun; Du, Zhi; Chen, Yong; Du, Jie

2017-10-01

The construction and self-assembly of DNA building blocks are the foundation of bottom-up development of three-dimensional DNA nanostructures or hydrogels. However, most self-assembly from DNA components is impeded by the mishybridized intermediates or the thermodynamic instability. To enable rapid production of complicated DNA objects with high yields no need for annealing process, herein different DNA building blocks (Y-shaped, L- and L'-shaped units) were assembled in presence of a cationic comb-type copolymer, poly (L-lysine)-graft-dextran (PLL-g-Dex), under physiological conditions. The results demonstrated that PLL-g-Dex not only significantly promoted the self-assembly of DNA blocks with high efficiency, but also stabilized the assembled multi-level structures especially for promoting the complicated 3D DNA hydrogel formation. This study develops a novel strategy for rapid and high-yield production of DNA hydrogel even derived from instable building blocks at relatively low DNA concentrations, which would endow DNA nanotechnology for more practical applications.

Synthesis of N-protected Galactosamine Building Blocks from D-Tagatose via the Heyns Rearrangement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wrodnigg, Tanja M.; Lundt, Inge; Stütz, Arnold E.

2006-01-01

N-Acetyl-D-galactosamine (11), a very important naturally occurring building block of oligosaccharides, is easily accessible via the Heyns rearrangement of D-tagatose (3) with benzylamine. The short and efficient synthesis of various differently N-protected D-galactosamine derivatives is reported....

Building blocks of the universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malamud, E.; O'Connor, C.; Cooper, A.

1990-01-01

COSI [Ohio's Center for Science and Industry], a well established science center, and SciTech, an emerging one, have formed a collaboration to develop a group of original interactive exhibits conveying to a wide audience the nature of the most fundamental features of the Universe, as revealed in the fascinating world of nuclear and particle science. These new exhibits will add to, and be supported by, the basic science exhibits which have already attracted large numbers of visitors to both centers. The new project, called Building Blocks of the Universe, aims to foster an appreciation of the way all features of the Universe arise from simple, basic rules and to lead the visitor from the perceived complexities of our surroundings, to the unperceived, but simpler features of the sub-nuclear world. It has already become apparent from individual prototypes that these simple but immensely far-reaching ideas can indeed be conveyed by hands-on exhibits. These exhibits will be linked and enhanced by an effective museum environment, using pictorial diagrams, accurate non-technical text, and artistic displays to create an atmosphere in which visitors can learn about phenomena beyond the range of direct perception. This paper describes the goals, content and organization of the exhibition. The authors also outline their experience with prototype exhibits, and thereby invite additional input into the development process

Metal-Organic Frameworks: Building Block Design Strategies for the Synthesis of MOFs.

KAUST Repository

Luebke, Ryan

2014-09-01

A significant and ongoing challenge in materials chemistry and furthermore solid state chemistry is to design materials with the desired properties and characteristics. The field of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) offers several strategies to address this challenge and has proven fruitful at allowing some degree of control over the resultant materials synthesized. Several methodologies for synthesis of MOFs have been developed which rely on use of predetermined building blocks. The work presented herein is focused on the utilization of two of these design principles, namely the use of molecular building blocks (MBBs) and supermolecular building blocks (SBBs) to target MOF materials having desired connectivities (topologies). These design strategies also permit the introduction of specific chemical moieties, allowing for modification of the MOFs properties. This research is predominantly focused on two platforms (rht-MOFs and ftw-MOFs) which topologically speaking are edge transitive binodal nets; ftw being a (4,12)-connected net and rht being a (3,24)-connected net. These highly connected nets (at least one node having connectivity greater than eight) have been purposefully targeted to increase the predictability of structural outcome. A general trend in topology is that there is an inverse relationship between the connectivity of the node(s) and the number of topological outcomes. Therefore the key to this research (and to effective use of the SBB and MBB approaches) is identification of conditions which allow for reliable formation of the targeted MBBs and SBBs. In the case of the research presented herein: a 12-connected Group IV or Rare Earth based hexanuclear MBB and a 24-connected transition metal based SBB were successfully targeted and synthesized. These two synthetic platforms will be presented and used as examples of how these design methods have been (and can be further) utilized to modify existing materials or develop new materials for gas storage and

Methods for estimating wake flow and effluent dispersion near simple block-like buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosker, R.P. Jr.

1981-05-01

This report is intended as an interim guide for those who routinely face air quality problems associated with near-building exhaust stack placement and height, and the resulting concentration patterns. Available data and methods for estimating wake flow and effluent dispersion near isolated block-like structures are consolidated. The near-building and wake flows are described, and quantitative estimates for frontal eddy size, height and extent of roof and wake cavities, and far wake behavior are provided. Concentration calculation methods for upwind, near-building, and downwind pollutant sources are given. For an upwind source, it is possible to estimate the required stack height, and to place upper limits on the likely near-building concentration. The influences of near-building source location and characteristics relative to the building geometry and orientation are considered. Methods to estimate effective stack height, upper limits for concentration due to flush roof vents, and the effect of changes in rooftop stack height are summarized. Current wake and wake cavity models are presented. Numerous graphs of important expressions have been prepared to facilitate computations and quick estimates of flow patterns and concentration levels for specific simple buildings. Detailed recommendations for additional work are given

Quantum Simulation with Circuit-QED Lattices: from Elementary Building Blocks to Many-Body Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Guanyu

Recent experimental and theoretical progress in superconducting circuits and circuit QED (quantum electrodynamics) has helped to develop high-precision techniques to control, manipulate, and detect individual mesoscopic quantum systems. A promising direction is hence to scale up from individual building blocks to form larger-scale quantum many-body systems. Although realizing a scalable fault-tolerant quantum computer still faces major barriers of decoherence and quantum error correction, it is feasible to realize scalable quantum simulators with state-of-the-art technology. From the technological point of view, this could serve as an intermediate stage towards the final goal of a large-scale quantum computer, and could help accumulating experience with the control of quantum systems with a large number of degrees of freedom. From the physical point of view, this opens up a new regime where condensed matter systems can be simulated and studied, here in the context of strongly correlated photons and two-level systems. In this thesis, we mainly focus on two aspects of circuit-QED based quantum simulation. First, we discuss the elementary building blocks of the quantum simulator, in particular a fluxonium circuit coupled to a superconducting resonator. We show the interesting properties of the fluxonium circuit as a qubit, including the unusual structure of its charge matrix elements. We also employ perturbation theory to derive the effective Hamiltonian of the coupled system in the dispersive regime, where qubit and the photon frequencies are detuned. The observables predicted with our theory, including dispersive shifts and Kerr nonlinearity, are compared with data from experiments, such as homodyne transmission and two-tone spectroscopy. These studies also relate to the problem of detection in a circuit-QED quantum simulator. Second, we study many-body physics of circuit-QED lattices, serving as quantum simulators. In particular, we focus on two different

Membrane InP saturable absorbers on silicon as building blocks for transparent optical networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Raz, O.; Tassaert, M.; Roelkens, G.C.; Dorren, H.J.S.

2013-01-01

As silicon photonics continues to gain research and industrial relevance, some of the building blocks in this technology such as modulators and switches still suffer from limitation when it comes to insertion losses and/or extinction ratio. In the past two years we have been investigating a

α-Haloaldehydes: versatile building blocks for natural product synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Britton, Robert; Kang, Baldip

2013-02-01

The diastereoselective addition of organometallic reagents to α-chloroaldehydes was first reported in 1959 and occupies a historically significant role as the prototypical reaction for Cornforth's model of stereoinduction. Despite clear synthetic potential for these reagents, difficulties associated with producing enantiomerically enriched α-haloaldehydes limited their use in natural product synthesis through the latter half of the 20th century. In recent years, however, a variety of robust, organocatalytic processes have been reported that now provide direct access to optically enriched α-haloaldehydes and have motivated renewed interest in their use as building blocks for natural product synthesis. This Highlight summarizes the methods available for the enantioselective preparation of α-haloaldehydes and their stereoselective conversion into natural products.

Engineering cell factories for producing building block chemicals for bio-polymer synthesis

OpenAIRE

Tsuge, Yota; Kawaguchi, Hideo; Sasaki, Kengo; Kondo, Akihiko

2016-01-01

Synthetic polymers are widely used in daily life. Due to increasing environmental concerns related to global warming and the depletion of oil reserves, the development of microbial-based fermentation processes for the production of polymer building block chemicals from renewable resources is desirable to replace current petroleum-based methods. To this end, strains that efficiently produce the target chemicals at high yields and productivity are needed. Recent advances in metabolic engineerin...

Catalytic allylic oxidation of internal alkenes to a multifunctional chiral building block

Science.gov (United States)

Bayeh, Liela; Le, Phong Q.; Tambar, Uttam K.

2017-07-01

The stereoselective oxidation of hydrocarbons is one of the most notable advances in synthetic chemistry over the past fifty years. Inspired by nature, enantioselective dihydroxylations, epoxidations and other oxidations of unsaturated hydrocarbons have been developed. More recently, the catalytic enantioselective allylic carbon-hydrogen oxidation of alkenes has streamlined the production of pharmaceuticals, natural products, fine chemicals and other functional materials. Allylic functionalization provides a direct path to chiral building blocks with a newly formed stereocentre from petrochemical feedstocks while preserving the olefin functionality as a handle for further chemical elaboration. Various metal-based catalysts have been discovered for the enantioselective allylic carbon-hydrogen oxidation of simple alkenes with cyclic or terminal double bonds. However, a general and selective allylic oxidation using the more common internal alkenes remains elusive. Here we report the enantioselective, regioselective and E/Z-selective allylic oxidation of unactivated internal alkenes via a catalytic hetero-ene reaction with a chalcogen-based oxidant. Our method enables non-symmetric internal alkenes to be selectively converted into allylic functionalized products with high stereoselectivity and regioselectivity. Stereospecific transformations of the resulting multifunctional chiral building blocks highlight the potential for rapidly converting internal alkenes into a broad range of enantioenriched structures that can be used in the synthesis of complex target molecules.

Microbial production of building block chemicals and polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jeong Wook; Kim, Hyun Uk; Choi, Sol; Yi, Jongho; Lee, Sang Yup

2011-12-01

Owing to our increasing concerns on the environment, climate change, and limited natural resources, there has recently been considerable effort exerted to produce chemicals and materials from renewable biomass. Polymers we use everyday can also be produced either by direct fermentation or by polymerization of monomers that are produced by fermentation. Recent advances in metabolic engineering combined with systems biology and synthetic biology are allowing us to more systematically develop superior strains and bioprocesses for the efficient production of polymers and monomers. Here, we review recent trends in microbial production of building block chemicals that can be subsequently used for the synthesis of polymers. Also, recent successful cases of direct one-step production of polymers are reviewed. General strategies for the production of natural and unnatural platform chemicals are described together with representative examples. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stepwise transformation of the molecular building blocks in a porphyrin-encapsulating metal-organic material

KAUST Repository

Zhang, ZhenJie; Wojtas, Łukasz; Eddaoudi, Mohamed; Zaworotko, Michael J.

2013-01-01

When immersed in solutions containing Cu(II) cations, the microporous metal-organic material P11 ([Cd4(BPT)4]·[Cd(C 44H36N8)(S)]·[S], BPT = biphenyl-3,4′,5-tricarboxylate) undergoes a transformation of its [Cd 2(COO)6]2- molecular building blocks

Advances in metabolic pathway and strain engineering paving the way for sustainable production of chemical building blocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yun; Nielsen, Jens

2013-12-01

Bio-based production of chemical building blocks from renewable resources is an attractive alternative to petroleum-based platform chemicals. Metabolic pathway and strain engineering is the key element in constructing robust microbial chemical factories within the constraints of cost effective production. Here we discuss how the development of computational algorithms, novel modules and methods, omics-based techniques combined with modeling refinement are enabling reduction in development time and thus advance the field of industrial biotechnology. We further discuss how recent technological developments contribute to the development of novel cell factories for the production of the building block chemicals: adipic acid, succinic acid and 3-hydroxypropionic acid. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solution scattering studies on a virus capsid protein as a building block for nanoscale assemblies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Comellas Aragones, M.; Comellas-Aragones, Marta; Sikkema, Friso D.; Delaittre, Guillaume; Terry, Ann E.; King, Stephen M.; Visser, Dirk; Heenan, Richard K.; Nolte, Roeland J.M.; Cornelissen, Jeroen Johannes Lambertus Maria; Feiters, Martin C.

2011-01-01

Self-assembled protein cages are versatile building blocks in the construction of biomolecular nanostructures. Because of the defined assembly behaviour the cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) protein is often used for such applications. Here we report a detailed solution scattering study of the

A chemical platform approach on cardanol oil: from the synthesis of building blocks to polymer synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaillet Fanny

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This review proposes a platform approach for the synthesis of various building blocks from cardanol oil in one or two-steps synthesis. Cardanol is a natural phenol issued from Cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL. CNSL is a non-edible renewable resource, co-produced from cashew industry in large commercial volumes. Cardanol is non-toxic and particularly suitable as an aromatic renewable resource for polymers and materials. Various routes were used for the synthesis of di- and poly-functional building blocks used thereafter in polymer syntheses. Phenolation was used to dimerize/oligomerize cardanol to propose increase functionality of cardanol. Thio-ene was used to synthesize new reactive amines. Epoxidation and (methacrylation were also used to insert oxirane or (methacrylate groups in order to synthesize polymers and materials.

Prototypic implementations of the building block for component based open Hypermedia systems (BB/CB-OHSs)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mohamed, Omer I. Eldai

2005-01-01

In this paper we describe the prototypic implementations of the BuildingBlock (BB/CB-OHSs) that proposed to address some of the Component-based Open Hypermedia Systems (CB-OHSs) issues, including distribution and interoperability [4, 11, 12]. Four service implementations were described below. The...

Are trinuclear superhalogens promising candidates for building blocks of novel magnetic materials? A theoretical prospect from combined broken-symmetry density functional theory and ab initio study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yang; Li, Chen; Yin, Bing; Li, Jian-Li; Huang, Yuan-He; Wen, Zhen-Yi; Jiang, Zhen-Yi

2013-08-07

The structures, relative stabilities, vertical electron detachment energies, and magnetic properties of a series of trinuclear clusters are explored via combined broken-symmetry density functional theory and ab initio study. Several exchange-correlation functionals are utilized to investigate the effects of different halogen elements and central atoms on the properties of the clusters. These clusters are shown to possess stronger superhalogen properties than previously reported dinuclear superhalogens. The calculated exchange coupling constants indicate the antiferromagnetic coupling between the transition metal ions. Spin density analysis demonstrates the importance of spin delocalization in determining the strengths of various couplings. Spin frustration is shown to occur in some of the trinuclear superhalogens. The coexistence of strong superhalogen properties and spin frustration implies the possibility of trinuclear superhalogens working as the building block of new materials of novel magnetic properties.

Theoretical and technological building blocks for an innovation accelerator

Science.gov (United States)

van Harmelen, F.; Kampis, G.; Börner, K.; van den Besselaar, P.; Schultes, E.; Goble, C.; Groth, P.; Mons, B.; Anderson, S.; Decker, S.; Hayes, C.; Buecheler, T.; Helbing, D.

2012-11-01

Modern science is a main driver of technological innovation. The efficiency of the scientific system is of key importance to ensure the competitiveness of a nation or region. However, the scientific system that we use today was devised centuries ago and is inadequate for our current ICT-based society: the peer review system encourages conservatism, journal publications are monolithic and slow, data is often not available to other scientists, and the independent validation of results is limited. The resulting scientific process is hence slow and sloppy. Building on the Innovation Accelerator paper by Helbing and Balietti [1], this paper takes the initial global vision and reviews the theoretical and technological building blocks that can be used for implementing an innovation (in first place: science) accelerator platform driven by re-imagining the science system. The envisioned platform would rest on four pillars: (i) Redesign the incentive scheme to reduce behavior such as conservatism, herding and hyping; (ii) Advance scientific publications by breaking up the monolithic paper unit and introducing other building blocks such as data, tools, experiment workflows, resources; (iii) Use machine readable semantics for publications, debate structures, provenance etc. in order to include the computer as a partner in the scientific process, and (iv) Build an online platform for collaboration, including a network of trust and reputation among the different types of stakeholders in the scientific system: scientists, educators, funding agencies, policy makers, students and industrial innovators among others. Any such improvements to the scientific system must support the entire scientific process (unlike current tools that chop up the scientific process into disconnected pieces), must facilitate and encourage collaboration and interdisciplinarity (again unlike current tools), must facilitate the inclusion of intelligent computing in the scientific process, must facilitate

RNA and RNP as Building Blocks for Nanotechnology and Synthetic Biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohno, Hirohisa; Saito, Hirohide

2016-01-01

Recent technologies that aimed to elucidate cellular function have revealed essential roles for RNA molecules in living systems. Our knowledge concerning functional and structural information of naturally occurring RNA and RNA-protein (RNP) complexes is increasing rapidly. RNA and RNP interaction motifs are structural units that function as building blocks to constitute variety of complex structures. RNA-central synthetic biology and nanotechnology are constructive approaches that employ the accumulated information and build synthetic RNA (RNP)-based circuits and nanostructures. Here, we describe how to design and construct synthetic RNA (RNP)-based devices and structures at the nanometer-scale for biological and future therapeutic applications. RNA/RNP nanostructures can also be utilized as the molecular scaffold to control the localization or interactions of target molecule(s). Moreover, RNA motifs recognized by RNA-binding proteins can be applied to make protein-responsive translational "switches" that can turn gene expression "on" or "off" depending on the intracellular environment. This "synthetic RNA and RNP world" will expand tools for nanotechnology and synthetic biology. In addition, these reconstructive approaches would lead to a greater understanding of building principle in naturally occurring RNA/RNP molecules and systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Culture's building blocks: investigating cultural evolution in a LEGO construction task.

Science.gov (United States)

McGraw, John J; Wallot, Sebastian; Mitkidis, Panagiotis; Roepstorff, Andreas

2014-01-01

ONE OF THE MOST ESSENTIAL BUT THEORETICALLY VEXING ISSUES REGARDING THE NOTION OF CULTURE IS THAT OF CULTURAL EVOLUTION AND TRANSMISSION: how a group's accumulated solutions to invariant challenges develop and persevere over time. But at the moment, the notion of applying evolutionary theory to culture remains little more than a suggestive trope. Whereas the modern synthesis of evolutionary theory has provided an encompassing scientific framework for the selection and transmission of biological adaptations, a convincing theory of cultural evolution has yet to emerge. One of the greatest challenges for theorists is identifying the appropriate time scales and units of analysis in order to reduce the intractably large and complex phenomenon of "culture" into its component "building blocks." In this paper, we present a model for scientifically investigating cultural processes by analyzing the ways people develop conventions in a series of LEGO construction tasks. The data revealed a surprising pattern in the selection of building bricks as well as features of car design across consecutive building sessions. Our findings support a novel methodology for studying the development and transmission of culture through the microcosm of interactive LEGO design and assembly.

Determination of lead equivalent thickness to building blocks used in shielding of diagnostic x-ray rooms in Syria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawash, A.; Khedr, M.; Wannus, K.; Souliman, J.; Al-Oudat, M.

1998-06-01

Lead equivalent thicknesses of various kinds of blocks (Hollow core, solid, filled, roof) with different thicknesses were determined. These blocks are widely used for building the diagnostic X-rya departments in Syria. Different applied voltages at X-ray tube (65, 85, 100, 125, 150 KVp) were examined. The results showed that the highest lead equivalent thicknesses for hollow core blocks were at 100 KVp. These equivalent thicknesses were 0.4372, 0.7008 and 0.928 mm for block thicknesses of 10, 15 and 20 cm, respectively. it was also found that, the lead equivalent thicknesses for filled, solid and concrete block were 3.5 to 4 times higher than that of the hollow core block for the same thicknesses and the applied KVp. Values obtained for roof blocks were similar to that of hollow core for the same conditions and geometry. (Author)

Development of Universal Controller Architecture for SiC Based Power Electronic Building Blocks

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-30

SiC Based Power Electronic Building Blocks Award Number Title of Research 30 October 2017 SUBMITTED BY D R. HERBERT L. G INN, Pl DEPT. OF...Naval Research , Philadelphia PA, Aug. 2017. • Ginn, H.L. Bakos J., "Development of Universal Controller Architecture for SiC Based Power Electronic...Controller Implementation for MMC Converters", Workshop on Control Architectures for Modular Power Conversion Systems, Office of Naval Research , Arlington VA

The Development of Logico-Mathematical Knowledge in a Block-Building Activity at Ages 1-4

Science.gov (United States)

Kamii, Constance; Miyakawa, Yoko; Kato, Yasuhiko

2004-01-01

To study the developmental interrelationships among various aspects of logico-mathematical knowledge, 80 one- to 4-year-olds were individually asked to build "something tall" with 20 blocks. Percentages of new and significant behaviors increased with age and were analyzed in terms of the development of logico-mathematical relationships. It was…

Chiral building blocks from biomass: 2,5-Diamino-2,5-dideoxy-1,4-3,6-dianhydroiditol

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Thiyagarajan, S.; Gootjes, L.; Vogelzang, W.; Wu, J.; Haveren, van J.; Es, van D.S.

2011-01-01

Isohexides (isomannide (endo-endo), isosorbide (endo-exo), and isoidide (exo-exo) are a group of renewable bio-based building blocks that received considerable attention among the polymer industries because these rigid bicyclic diols have several interesting properties in polymer applications.1 We

E-Block: A Tangible Programming Tool with Graphical Blocks

OpenAIRE

Danli Wang; Yang Zhang; Shengyong Chen

2013-01-01

This paper designs a tangible programming tool, E-Block, for children aged 5 to 9 to experience the preliminary understanding of programming by building blocks. With embedded artificial intelligence, the tool defines the programming blocks with the sensors as the input and enables children to write programs to complete the tasks in the computer. The symbol on the programming block's surface is used to help children understanding the function of each block. The sequence information is transfer...

Building blocks for protein interaction devices

Science.gov (United States)

Grünberg, Raik; Ferrar, Tony S.; van der Sloot, Almer M.; Constante, Marco; Serrano, Luis

2010-01-01

Here, we propose a framework for the design of synthetic protein networks from modular protein–protein or protein–peptide interactions and provide a starter toolkit of protein building blocks. Our proof of concept experiments outline a general work flow for part–based protein systems engineering. We streamlined the iterative BioBrick cloning protocol and assembled 25 synthetic multidomain proteins each from seven standardized DNA fragments. A systematic screen revealed two main factors controlling protein expression in Escherichia coli: obstruction of translation initiation by mRNA secondary structure or toxicity of individual domains. Eventually, 13 proteins were purified for further characterization. Starting from well-established biotechnological tools, two general–purpose interaction input and two readout devices were built and characterized in vitro. Constitutive interaction input was achieved with a pair of synthetic leucine zippers. The second interaction was drug-controlled utilizing the rapamycin-induced binding of FRB(T2098L) to FKBP12. The interaction kinetics of both devices were analyzed by surface plasmon resonance. Readout was based on Förster resonance energy transfer between fluorescent proteins and was quantified for various combinations of input and output devices. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of parts-based protein synthetic biology. Additionally, we identify future challenges and limitations of modular design along with approaches to address them. PMID:20215443

Elfin: An algorithm for the computational design of custom three-dimensional structures from modular repeat protein building blocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, Chun-Ting; Brunette, T J; Baker, David; McIntosh-Smith, Simon; Parmeggiani, Fabio

2018-02-01

Computational protein design methods have enabled the design of novel protein structures, but they are often still limited to small proteins and symmetric systems. To expand the size of designable proteins while controlling the overall structure, we developed Elfin, a genetic algorithm for the design of novel proteins with custom shapes using structural building blocks derived from experimentally verified repeat proteins. By combining building blocks with compatible interfaces, it is possible to rapidly build non-symmetric large structures (>1000 amino acids) that match three-dimensional geometric descriptions provided by the user. A run time of about 20min on a laptop computer for a 3000 amino acid structure makes Elfin accessible to users with limited computational resources. Protein structures with controlled geometry will allow the systematic study of the effect of spatial arrangement of enzymes and signaling molecules, and provide new scaffolds for functional nanomaterials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A polynomial-chaos-expansion-based building block approach for stochastic analysis of photonic circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Waqas, Abi; Melati, Daniele; Manfredi, Paolo; Grassi, Flavia; Melloni, Andrea

2018-02-01

The Building Block (BB) approach has recently emerged in photonic as a suitable strategy for the analysis and design of complex circuits. Each BB can be foundry related and contains a mathematical macro-model of its functionality. As well known, statistical variations in fabrication processes can have a strong effect on their functionality and ultimately affect the yield. In order to predict the statistical behavior of the circuit, proper analysis of the uncertainties effects is crucial. This paper presents a method to build a novel class of Stochastic Process Design Kits for the analysis of photonic circuits. The proposed design kits directly store the information on the stochastic behavior of each building block in the form of a generalized-polynomial-chaos-based augmented macro-model obtained by properly exploiting stochastic collocation and Galerkin methods. Using this approach, we demonstrate that the augmented macro-models of the BBs can be calculated once and stored in a BB (foundry dependent) library and then used for the analysis of any desired circuit. The main advantage of this approach, shown here for the first time in photonics, is that the stochastic moments of an arbitrary photonic circuit can be evaluated by a single simulation only, without the need for repeated simulations. The accuracy and the significant speed-up with respect to the classical Monte Carlo analysis are verified by means of classical photonic circuit example with multiple uncertain variables.

Catalytic asymmetric synthesis of enantiopure isoprenoid building blocks : application in the synthesis of apple leafminer pheromones

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Summeren, Ruben P. van; Reijmer, Sven J.W.; Minnaard, Adriaan J.; Feringa, Bernard

2005-01-01

The first catalytic asymmetric procedure capable of preparing all 4 diastereoisomers (ee > 99%, de > 98%) of a versatile saturated isoprenoid building block was developed and the value of this new method was demonstrated in its application to the concise total synthesis of two pheromones.

Rapid formation of complexity in the total synthesis of natural products enabled by oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene building blocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Schindler, Corinna S; Carreira, Erick M

2009-11-01

This critical review showcases examples of rapid formation of complexity in total syntheses starting from 7-oxabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene derivatives. An overview of methods allowing synthetic access to these building blocks is provided and their application in recently developed synthetic transformations to structurally complex systems is illustrated. In addition, the facile access to a novel oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene derived building block is presented which significantly enlarges the possibilities of previously known chemical transformations and is highlighted in the enantioselective route to the core of the banyaside and suomilide natural products (107 references).

Concept analysis and the building blocks of theory: misconceptions regarding theory development.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergdahl, Elisabeth; Berterö, Carina M

2016-10-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss the attempts to justify concepts analysis as a way to construct theory - a notion often advocated in nursing. The notion that concepts are the building blocks or threads from which theory is constructed is often repeated. It can be found in many articles and well-known textbooks. However, this notion is seldom explained or defended. The notion of concepts as building blocks has also been questioned by several authors. However, most of these authors seem to agree to some degree that concepts are essential components from which theory is built. Discussion paper. Literature was reviewed to synthesize and debate current knowledge. Our point is that theory is not built by concepts analysis or clarification and we will show that this notion has its basis in some serious misunderstandings. We argue that concept analysis is not a part of sound scientific method and should be abandoned. The current methods of concept analysis in nursing have no foundation in philosophy of science or in language philosophy. The type of concept analysis performed in nursing is not a way to 'construct' theory. Rather, theories are formed by creative endeavour to propose a solution to a scientific and/or practical problem. The bottom line is that the current style and form of concept analysis in nursing should be abandoned in favour of methods in line with modern theory of science. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Network diversity through two-step crystal engineering of a decorated 6-connected primary molecular building block

KAUST Repository

Yang, Qing-Yuan

2016-10-04

[Cr3O(nicotinate)6]+ was isolated and then utilised as a new primary molecular building block, PMBB, linked by 2-, 3- and 4-connected metal centres. Five novel metal–organic materials (MOMs) with acs, stp, rtl, fsc and pcu topologies were thereby isolated and characterised.

Network diversity through two-step crystal engineering of a decorated 6-connected primary molecular building block

KAUST Repository

Yang, Qing-Yuan; Chen, Kai-Jie; Schoedel, Alexander; Wojtas, Lukasz; Perry IV, John J.; Zaworotko, Michael J.

2016-01-01

[Cr3O(nicotinate)6]+ was isolated and then utilised as a new primary molecular building block, PMBB, linked by 2-, 3- and 4-connected metal centres. Five novel metal–organic materials (MOMs) with acs, stp, rtl, fsc and pcu topologies were thereby isolated and characterised.

SNUPPS power block engineering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thompson, C A [Bechtel Power Corp., San Francisco, Calif. (USA)

1975-11-01

The Standard Power Block is based on a modular concept and consists of the following: turbine building, auxiliary building, fuel building, control building, radwaste building, diesel generators building, and outside storage tanks and transformers. Each power block unit includes a Westinghouse pressurized water reactor and has a thermal power rating of 3425 MW(t). The corresponding General Electric turbine generator net electrical output is 1188 MW(e). This standardization approach results in not only a reduction in the costs of engineering, licensing, procurement, and project planning, but should also result in additional savings by the application of experience gained in the construction of the first unit to the following units and early input of construction data to design.

Exploring the building blocks of social cognition: spontaneous agency perception and visual perspective taking in autism.

Science.gov (United States)

Zwickel, Jan; White, Sarah J; Coniston, Devorah; Senju, Atsushi; Frith, Uta

2011-10-01

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders have highly characteristic impairments in social interaction and this is true also for those with high functioning autism or Asperger syndrome (AS). These social cognitive impairments are far from global and it seems likely that some of the building blocks of social cognition are intact. In our first experiment, we investigated whether high functioning adults who also had a diagnosis of AS would be similar to control participants in terms of their eye movements when watching animated triangles in short movies that normally evoke mentalizing. They were. Our second experiment using the same movies, tested whether both groups would spontaneously adopt the visuo-spatial perspective of a triangle protagonist. They did. At the same time autistic participants differed in their verbal accounts of the story line underlying the movies, confirming their specific difficulties in on-line mentalizing. In spite of this difficulty, two basic building blocks of social cognition appear to be intact: spontaneous agency perception and spontaneous visual perspective taking.

Optimum Compressive Strength of Hardened Sandcrete Building Blocks with Steel Chips

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alohan Omoregie

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The recycling of steel chips into an environmentally friendly, responsive, and profitable commodity in the manufacturing and construction industries is a huge and difficult challenge. Several strategies designed for the management and processing of this waste in developed countries have been largely unsuccessful in developing countries mainly due to its capital-intensive nature. To this end, this investigation attempts to provide an alternative solution to the recycling of this material by maximizing its utility value in the building construction industry. This is to establish their influence on the compressive strength of sandcrete hollow blocks and solid cubes with the aim of specifying the range percent of steel chips for the sandcrete optimum compressive strength value. This is particularly important for developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and even Latin America where most sandcrete blocks exhibit compressive strengths far below standard requirements. Percentages of steel chips relative to the weight of cement were varied and blended with the sand in an attempt to improve the sand grading parameters. The steel chips variations were one, two, three, four, five, ten and fifteen percent respectively. It was confirmed that the grading parameters were improved and there were significant increases in the compressive strength of the blocks and cube samples. The greatest improvement was noticed at four percent steel chips and sand combination. Using the plotted profile, the margin of steel chips additions for the optimum compressive strength was also established. It is recommended that steel chip sandcrete blocks are suitable for both internal load bearing, and non-load bearing walls, in areas where they are not subjected to moisture ingress. However, for external walls, and in areas where they are liable to moisture attack after laying, the surfaces should be well rendered. Below ground level, the surfaces should be coated with a water

Autonomously Self-Adhesive Hydrogels as Building Blocks for Additive Manufacturing.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Xudong; Attalla, Rana; Sadowski, Lukas P; Chen, Mengsu; Majcher, Michael J; Urosev, Ivan; Yin, Da-Chuan; Selvaganapathy, P Ravi; Filipe, Carlos D M; Hoare, Todd

2018-01-08

We report a simple method of preparing autonomous and rapid self-adhesive hydrogels and their use as building blocks for additive manufacturing of functional tissue scaffolds. Dynamic cross-linking between 2-aminophenylboronic acid-functionalized hyaluronic acid and poly(vinyl alcohol) yields hydrogels that recover their mechanical integrity within 1 min after cutting or shear under both neutral and acidic pH conditions. Incorporation of this hydrogel in an interpenetrating calcium-alginate network results in an interfacially stiffer but still rapidly self-adhesive hydrogel that can be assembled into hollow perfusion channels by simple contact additive manufacturing within minutes. Such channels withstand fluid perfusion while retaining their dimensions and support endothelial cell growth and proliferation, providing a simple and modular route to produce customized cell scaffolds.

Building Quality Report Cards for Geriatric Care in The Netherlands: Using Concept Mapping to Identify the Appropriate "Building Blocks" from the Consumer's Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Groenewoud, A. Stef; van Exel, N. Job A.; Berg, Marc; Huijsman, Robbert

2008-01-01

Purpose: This article reports on a study to identify "building blocks" for quality report cards for geriatric care. Its aim is to present (a) the results of the study and (b) the innovative step-by-step approach that was developed to arrive at these results. Design and Methods: We used Concept Mapping/Structured Conceptualization to…

Culture’s building blocks: investigating cultural evolution in a LEGO construction task

Science.gov (United States)

McGraw, John J.; Wallot, Sebastian; Mitkidis, Panagiotis; Roepstorff, Andreas

2014-01-01

One of the most essential but theoretically vexing issues regarding the notion of culture is that of cultural evolution and transmission: how a group’s accumulated solutions to invariant challenges develop and persevere over time. But at the moment, the notion of applying evolutionary theory to culture remains little more than a suggestive trope. Whereas the modern synthesis of evolutionary theory has provided an encompassing scientific framework for the selection and transmission of biological adaptations, a convincing theory of cultural evolution has yet to emerge. One of the greatest challenges for theorists is identifying the appropriate time scales and units of analysis in order to reduce the intractably large and complex phenomenon of “culture” into its component “building blocks.” In this paper, we present a model for scientifically investigating cultural processes by analyzing the ways people develop conventions in a series of LEGO construction tasks. The data revealed a surprising pattern in the selection of building bricks as well as features of car design across consecutive building sessions. Our findings support a novel methodology for studying the development and transmission of culture through the microcosm of interactive LEGO design and assembly. PMID:25309482

Culture’s building blocks: investigating cultural evolution in a LEGO construction task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Joseph Mcgraw

2014-09-01

Full Text Available One of the most essential but theoretically vexing issues regarding the notion of culture is that of cultural evolution and transmission: how a group’s accumulated solutions to invariant challenges develop and persevere over time. But at the moment, the notion of applying evolutionary theory to culture remains little more than a suggestive trope. Whereas the modern synthesis of evolutionary theory has provided an encompassing scientific framework for the selection and transmission of biological adaptations, a convincing theory of cultural evolution has yet to emerge. One of the greatest challenges for theorists is identifying the appropriate time scales and units of analysis in order to reduce the intractably large and complex phenomenon of culture into its component building blocks. In this paper, we present a model for scientifically investigating cultural processes by analyzing the ways people develop conventions in a series of LEGO construction tasks. The data revealed a surprising pattern in the selection of building bricks as well as features of car design across consecutive building sessions. Our findings support a novel methodology for studying the development and transmission of culture through the microcosm of interactive LEGO design and assembly.

324 and 325 Building Hot Cell Cleanout Program: Air lock cover block refurbishment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katayama, Y.B.; Holton, L.K. Jr.; Gale, R.M.

1989-05-01

The high-density concrete cover blocks shielding the pipe trench in the hot-cell air lock of the 324 Building Radiochemical Engineering Cells had accumulated fixed radioactivity ranging from 1100 to 22, 000 mrad/hr. A corresponding increase in the radiation exposure to personnel entering the air lock, together with ALARA concerns, led to the removal of the contaminated concrete surface with a hydraulic spaller and the emplacement of a stainless steel covering over a layer of grout. The resultant saving in radiation exposure is estimated to be 7200 mrad for personnel completing burial box runs for the 324 and 325 Building Hot Cell Cleanout Program. Radiation exposure to all staff members entering the air lock is now at least 50% lower. 3 refs., 22 figs., 1 tab

Self-assembling peptide-based building blocks in medical applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Acar, Handan; Srivastava, Samanvaya; Chung, Eun Ji; Schnorenberg, Mathew R.; Barrett, John C.; LaBelle, James L.; Tirrell, Matthew

2017-02-01

Peptides and peptide-conjugates, comprising natural and synthetic building blocks, are an increasingly popular class of biomaterials. Self-assembled nanostructures based on peptides and peptide-conjugates offer advantages such as precise selectivity and multifunctionality that can address challenges and limitations in the clinic. In this review article, we discuss recent developments in the design and self-assembly of various nanomaterials based on peptides and peptide-conjugates for medical applications, and categorize them into two themes based on the driving forces of molecular self-assembly. First, we present the self-assembled nanostructures driven by the supramolecular interactions between the peptides, with or without the presence of conjugates. The studies where nanoassembly is driven by the interactions between the conjugates of peptide-conjugates are then presented. Particular emphasis is given to in vivo studies focusing on therapeutics, diagnostics, immune modulation and regenerative medicine. Finally, challenges and future perspectives are presented.

Origami building blocks: Generic and special four-vertices

Science.gov (United States)

Waitukaitis, Scott; van Hecke, Martin

2016-02-01

Four rigid panels connected by hinges that meet at a point form a four-vertex, the fundamental building block of origami metamaterials. Most materials designed so far are based on the same four-vertex geometry, and little is known regarding how different geometries affect folding behavior. Here we systematically categorize and analyze the geometries and resulting folding motions of Euclidean four-vertices. Comparing the relative sizes of sector angles, we identify three types of generic vertices and two accompanying subtypes. We determine which folds can fully close and the possible mountain-valley assignments. Next, we consider what occurs when sector angles or sums thereof are set equal, which results in 16 special vertex types. One of these, flat-foldable vertices, has been studied extensively, but we show that a wide variety of qualitatively different folding motions exist for the other 15 special and 3 generic types. Our work establishes a straightforward set of rules for understanding the folding motion of both generic and special four-vertices and serves as a roadmap for designing origami metamaterials.

Use of Mixed Micelles for Presentation of Building Blocks in a New Combinatorial Discovery Methodology: Proof-of-Concept Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Istvan Toth

2013-03-01

Full Text Available We describe a new method of combinatorial screening in which building blocks, instead of being linked together chemically, are placed on the surface of nanoparticles. Two- or three-dimensional structures form on the surface of these particles through the close approach of different building blocks, with sufficient flexibility to be able to adapt and interact with putative binding sites in biological systems. The particles assemble without the need for formation of chemical bonds, so libraries comprised of many structures can be prepared rapidly, with large quantities of material available for testing. Screening methods can include solid and solution-phase binding assays, or tissue culture models, for example looking for structures which can change the behaviour of cells in a disease-modifying manner.

The assessment of professional competence: building blocks for theory development.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Vleuten, C P M; Schuwirth, L W T; Scheele, F; Driessen, E W; Hodges, B

2010-12-01

This article presents lessons learnt from experiences with assessment of professional competence. Based on Miller's pyramid, a distinction is made between established assessment technology for assessing 'knows', 'knowing how' and 'showing how' and more recent developments in the assessment of (clinical) performance at the 'does' level. Some general lessons are derived from research of and experiences with the established assessment technology. Here, many paradoxes are revealed and empirical outcomes are often counterintuitive. Instruments for assessing the 'does' level are classified and described, and additional general lessons for this area of performance assessment are derived. These lessons can also be read as general principles of assessment (programmes) and may provide theoretical building blocks to underpin appropriate and state-of-the-art assessment practices. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Arjunolic acid: A promising new building block for nanochemistry

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

E-mail: kgp bgopal@rediffmail.com ... Inverted vials containing the ... Compound 3 formed transparent gels in various alcohols and mixed solvents (table. 1). ... electron microscopy (SEM) after drying in vacuum. The SEM images revealed a.

The Building Blocks for JWST I and T (Integrations and Test) to Operations - From Simulator to Flight Units

Science.gov (United States)

Fatig, Curtis; Ochs, William; Johns, Alan; Seaton, Bonita; Adams, Cynthia; Wasiak, Francis; Jones, Ronald; Jackson, Wallace

2012-01-01

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Project has an extended integration and test (I&T) phase due to long procurement and development times of various components as well as recent launch delays. The JWST Ground Segment and Operations group has developed a roadmap of the various ground and flight elements and their use in the various JWST I&T test programs. The JWST Project s building block approach to the eventual operational systems, while not new, is complex and challenging; a large-scale mission like JWST involves international partners, many vendors across the United States, and competing needs for the same systems. One of the challenges is resource balancing so simulators and flight products for various elements congeal into integrated systems used for I&T and flight operations activities. This building block approach to an incremental buildup provides for early problem identification with simulators and exercises the flight operations systems, products, and interfaces during the JWST I&T test programs. The JWST Project has completed some early I&T with the simulators, engineering models and some components of the operational ground system. The JWST Project is testing the various flight units as they are delivered and will continue to do so for the entire flight and operational system. The JWST Project has already and will continue to reap the value of the building block approach on the road to launch and flight operations.

Aminobenzoates as building blocks for natural product assembly lines.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Christopher T; Haynes, Stuart W; Ames, Brian D

2012-01-01

The ortho-, meta-, and para- regioisomers of aminobenzoate are building blocks for a wide range of microbial natural products. Both the ortho-isomer (anthranilate) and PABA derive from the central shikimate pathway metabolite chorismate while the meta-isomer is not available by that route and starts from UDP-3-aminoglucose. PABA is largely funnelled into folate biosynthesis while anthranilate is the scaffold for biosynthetic elaboration into many natural heterocycles, most notably with its role in indole formation for tryptophan biosynthesis. Anthranilate is also converted to benzodiazepinones, fumiquinazolines, quinoxalines, phenoxazines, benzoxazolinates, quinolones, and phenazines, often with redox enzyme participation. The 5-hydroxy form of 3-aminobenzaote is the starter unit for ansa-bridged rifamycins, ansamitocins, and geldanamycins, whereas regioisomers 2-hydroxy, 4-hydroxy and 2,4-dihydroxy-3-aminobenzoate are key components of antimycin, grixazone, and platencin and platensimycin biosynthesis, respectively. The enzymatic mechanisms for generation of the aminobenzoate regioisomers and their subsequent utilization for diverse heterocycle and macrocycle construction are examined.

BUILDING FAÇADE SEPARATION IN VERTICAL AERIAL IMAGES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Meixner

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Three-dimensional models of urban environments have great appeal and offer promises of interesting applications. While initially it was of interest to just have such 3D data, it increasingly becomes evident that one really would like to have interpreted urban objects. To be able to interpret buildings we have to split a visible whole building block into its different single buildings. Usually this is done using cadastral information to divide the single land parcels. The problem in this case is that sometimes the building boundaries derived from the cadastre are insufficiently accurate due to several reasons like old databases with lower accuracies or inaccuracies due to transformation between two coordinate systems. For this reason it can happen that a cadastral boundary coming from an old map is displaced by up to several meters and therefore divides two buildings incorrectly. To overcome such problems we incorporate the information from vertical aerial images. We introduce a façade separation method that is able to find individual building façades using multi view stereo. The purpose is to identify the individual façades and separate them from one another before on proceeds with the analysis of a façade's details. The source was a set of overlapping, thus "redundant" vertical aerial images taken by an UltraCam digital aerial camera. Therefore in a first step we determine the building block outlines using the building classification and use the height values from the Digital Surface Model (DSM to determine approximate "façade quadrilaterals". We also incorporate height discontinuities using the height profiles along the building outlines to enhance our façade separation. In a next step we detect repeated pattern in these "façade images" and use them to separate the façades respectively building blocks from one another. We show that this method can be successfully used to separate building façades using vertical aerial images with a

STRUCTURAL SOLUTIONS AND SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE THERMAL PROTECTION ANALYSIS OF EXTERIOR WALLS OF BUILDINGS MADE OF AUTOCLAVED GAS-CONCRETE BLOCKS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bedov Anatolij Ivanovich

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Relevant structural solutions, physical and mechanical characteristics, coefficients of thermal conductivity for exterior masonry walls made of autoclaved gas-concrete blocks are provided in the article. If a single-layer wall is under consideration, an autoclaved gas-concrete block is capable of performing the two principal functions of a shell structure, including the function of thermal protection and the bearing function. The functions are performed simultaneously. Therefore, the application of the above masonry material means the design development and erection of exterior walls of residential buildings noteworthy for their thermal efficiency. In the event of frameless structures, the height of the residential building in question may be up to 5 stories, while the use of a monolithic or a ready-made frame makes it possible to build high-rise buildings, and the number of stories is not limited in this case. If the average block density is equal to 400…500 kilograms per cubic meter, the designed wall thickness is to be equal to 400 mm. Its thermal resistance may be lower than the one set in the event of the per-element design of the thermal protection (Rreq = 3.41 м2 C/Watt, in Ufa, although it will meet the requirements of the applicable regulations if per-unit power consumption rate is considered.

The asc trinodal platform: Two-step assembly of triangular, tetrahedral, and trigonal-prismatic molecular building blocks

KAUST Repository

Schoedel, Alexander; Cairns, Amy; Belmabkhout, Youssef; Wojtas, Łukasz; Mohamed, Mona Hassan; Zhang, ZhenJie; Proserpio, Davide Maria; Eddaoudi, Mohamed; Zaworotko, Michael J.

2013-01-01

The self-assembly of triangular, tetrahedral, and trigonal-prismatic molecular building blocks affords the first example of a trinodal family of metal-organic materials. Four examples of isoreticular expanded and functionalized frameworks are detailed. Gas adsorption experiments validated the permanent porosity of the parent structure. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The asc trinodal platform: Two-step assembly of triangular, tetrahedral, and trigonal-prismatic molecular building blocks

KAUST Repository

Schoedel, Alexander

2013-02-10

The self-assembly of triangular, tetrahedral, and trigonal-prismatic molecular building blocks affords the first example of a trinodal family of metal-organic materials. Four examples of isoreticular expanded and functionalized frameworks are detailed. Gas adsorption experiments validated the permanent porosity of the parent structure. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Bottom-up nanoarchitecture of semiconductor nano-building blocks by controllable in situ SEM-FIB thermal soldering method

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Xuan; Zheng, Xiujun; Zhang, Hong; Zhang, Junli; Fu, Jiecai; Zhang, Qiang; Peng, Chaoyi; Bai, Feiming; Zhang, Xixiang; Peng, Yong

2017-01-01

Here we demonstrate that the building blocks of semiconductor WO3 nanowires can be controllably soldered together by a novel nano-soldering technique of in situ SEM-FIB thermal soldering, in which the soldering temperature can precisely remain in an optimal range to avoid a strong thermal diffusion.

Bottom-up nanoarchitecture of semiconductor nano-building blocks by controllable in situ SEM-FIB thermal soldering method

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Xuan

2017-08-10

Here we demonstrate that the building blocks of semiconductor WO3 nanowires can be controllably soldered together by a novel nano-soldering technique of in situ SEM-FIB thermal soldering, in which the soldering temperature can precisely remain in an optimal range to avoid a strong thermal diffusion.

Systems thinking in practice: the current status of the six WHO building blocks for health system strengthening in three BHOMA intervention districts of Zambia: a baseline qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mutale, Wilbroad; Bond, Virginia; Mwanamwenge, Margaret Tembo; Mlewa, Susan; Balabanova, Dina; Spicer, Neil; Ayles, Helen

2013-08-01

The primary bottleneck to achieving the MDGs in low-income countries is health systems that are too fragile to deliver the volume and quality of services to those in need. Strong and effective health systems are increasingly considered a prerequisite to reducing the disease burden and to achieving the health MDGs. Zambia is one of the countries that are lagging behind in achieving millennium development targets. Several barriers have been identified as hindering the progress towards health related millennium development goals. Designing an intervention that addresses these barriers was crucial and so the Better Health Outcomes through Mentorship (BHOMA) project was designed to address the challenges in the Zambia's MOH using a system wide approach. We applied systems thinking approach to describe the baseline status of the Six WHO building blocks for health system strengthening. A qualitative study was conducted looking at the status of the Six WHO building blocks for health systems strengthening in three BHOMA districts. We conducted Focus group discussions with community members and In-depth Interviews with key informants. Data was analyzed using Nvivo version 9. The study showed that building block specific weaknesses had cross cutting effect in other health system building blocks which is an essential element of systems thinking. Challenges noted in service delivery were linked to human resources, medical supplies, information flow, governance and finance building blocks either directly or indirectly. Several barriers were identified as hindering access to health services by the local communities. These included supply side barriers: Shortage of qualified health workers, bad staff attitude, poor relationships between community and health staff, long waiting time, confidentiality and the gender of health workers. Demand side barriers: Long distance to health facility, cost of transport and cultural practices. Participating communities seemed to lack the capacity

Internet governance and global self regulation: theoretical and empirical building blocks for a general theory of self regulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vey Mestdagh, C.; Rijgersberg, R.

2010-01-01

The following exposition sets out to identify the basic theoretical and empirical building blocks for a general theory of self-regulation. It uses the Internet as an empirical basis since its global reach and technical characteristics create interdependencies between actors that transcend national

On the building blocks of the M31 and Milky Way halos

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monelli Matteo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We discuss the formation of the halo of M31 and the Milky Way as traced by the population of RR Lyrae stars, in comparison with the population of such stars preent in satellite dwarf galaxies. We find that both halos and the massive dwarf host a population of high amplitude short period RRab stars, absent in low-mass dwarfs. These stars are explained as the metal-rich tail of the RR Lyrae distribution ([Fe/H] ∼ - 1.5, and thus their existence imply fast chemical enrichment in the host system. Their presence in both halos implies that massive building blocks had an important role in their formation.

Current situation of the project finishing of the building of 3 and 4 block of the nuclear power plant Mochovce

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niznan, S.

2005-01-01

In the contribution there is the basic information mentioned about history of building and the current situation at the finishing of the building of 3 and 4 block of the Nuclear Power Plant Mochovce with the use of project digitization. Further on the contribution shows what kinds of supporting material has been elaborated, what kind of decisions have been issued to the finishing of the building, way of financing and also the assumption of investment return under the defined conditions. An orientation time schedule of the finishing of the building and the crucial steps for its security are presented in the conclusion

InGaN micro-LED-pillar as the building block for high brightness emitters

KAUST Repository

Shen, Chao; Cha, Dong Kyu; Ng, Tien Khee; Ooi, Boon S.; Yang, Yang

2013-01-01

In summary, we confirmed the improved electrical and optical characteristics, with reduced efficiency droop in InGaN μLED-pillars when these devices were scaled down in size. We demonstrated that strain relief contributed to further improvement in EQE characteristics in small InGaN μLED-pillars (D < 50 μm), apart from the current spreading effect. The μLED-pillar can be deployed as the building block for large effective-area, high brightness emitter. © 2013 IEEE.

Building houses with earth blocks: A guide for upgrading traditional building methods using handmade earth blocks

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Bolton, M

2001-01-01

Full Text Available This report is a guide to building strong earth houses that will last a long time but without having to spend a lot of extra money or hire outside experts to do the building. It supports the process of improving the quality of earth housing...

Hydrotalcite catalysis for the synthesis of new chiral building blocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodilla, Jesus M; Neves, Patricia P; Pombal, Sofia; Rives, Vicente; Trujillano, Raquel; Díez, David

2016-01-01

The use of hydrotalcites for the synthesis of two chiral building blocks in a simple way is described as a new and green methodology. The synthesis of these compounds implies a regioselective Baeyer-Villiger reaction in a very selective way with ulterior opening and lactonisation. This methodology should be considered green for the use of hydrogen peroxide as the only oxidant and hydrotalcites as the catalyst, and because no residues are produced apart from water. The procedure is very adequate for using in gram scale, in order to increase the value of the obtained compounds. The conditions are excellent and can be applied for nonstable compounds, as they are very mild. The synthesised compounds are magnific starting materials for the synthesis of biologically active or natural compounds. The use of a cheap, commercial and chiral compound as carvone disposable in both enantiomeric forms adds an extra value to this methodology.

C–H arylation of unsubstituted furan and thiophene with acceptor bromides: access to donor–acceptor–donor-type building blocks for organic electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsidik, Rukiya; Martin, Johannes; Schmidt, Simon; Obermayer, Johannes; Lombeck, Florian; Nübling, Fritz; Komber, Hartmut; Fazzi, Daniele; Sommer, Michael

2015-01-16

Pd-catalyzed direct arylation (DA) reaction conditions have been established for unsubstituted furan (Fu) and thiophene (Th) with three popular acceptor building blocks to be used in materials for organic electronics, namely 4,7-dibromo-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole (BTBr2), N,N′-dialkylated 2,6-dibromonaphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide) (NDIBr2), and 1,4-dibromotetrafluorobenzene (F4Br2). Reactions with BTBr2, F4Br2, and NDIBr2 require different solvents to obtain high yields. The use of dimethylacetamide (DMAc) is essential for the successful coupling of BTBr2 and F4Br2, but detrimental for NDIBr2, as the electron-deficient NDI core is prone to nucleophilic core substitution in DMAc as solvent but not in toluene. NDIFu2 is much more planar compared to NDITh2, resulting in an enhanced charge-transfer character, which makes it an interesting building block for conjugated systems designed for organic electronics. This study highlights direct arylation as a simple and inexpensive method to construct a series of important donor–acceptor–donor building blocks to be further used for the preparation of a variety of conjugated materials.

Measurement of soil moisture using gypsum blocks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Friis Dela, B.

the building. Consequently, measuring the moisture of the surrounding soil is of great importance for detecting the source of moisture in a building. Up till now, information has been needed to carry out individual calibrations for the different types of gypsum blocks available on the market and to account......For the past 50 years, gypsum blocks have been used to determine soil moisture content. This report describes a method for calibrating gypsum blocks for soil moisture measurements. Moisture conditions inside a building are strongly influenced by the moisture conditions in the soil surrounding...

Systems thinking in practice: the current status of the six WHO building blocks for health system strengthening in three BHOMA intervention districts of Zambia: a baseline qualitative study

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background The primary bottleneck to achieving the MDGs in low-income countries is health systems that are too fragile to deliver the volume and quality of services to those in need. Strong and effective health systems are increasingly considered a prerequisite to reducing the disease burden and to achieving the health MDGs. Zambia is one of the countries that are lagging behind in achieving millennium development targets. Several barriers have been identified as hindering the progress towards health related millennium development goals. Designing an intervention that addresses these barriers was crucial and so the Better Health Outcomes through Mentorship (BHOMA) project was designed to address the challenges in the Zambia’s MOH using a system wide approach. We applied systems thinking approach to describe the baseline status of the Six WHO building blocks for health system strengthening. Methods A qualitative study was conducted looking at the status of the Six WHO building blocks for health systems strengthening in three BHOMA districts. We conducted Focus group discussions with community members and In-depth Interviews with key informants. Data was analyzed using Nvivo version 9. Results The study showed that building block specific weaknesses had cross cutting effect in other health system building blocks which is an essential element of systems thinking. Challenges noted in service delivery were linked to human resources, medical supplies, information flow, governance and finance building blocks either directly or indirectly. Several barriers were identified as hindering access to health services by the local communities. These included supply side barriers: Shortage of qualified health workers, bad staff attitude, poor relationships between community and health staff, long waiting time, confidentiality and the gender of health workers. Demand side barriers: Long distance to health facility, cost of transport and cultural practices. Participating

Building blocks of temporal filters in retinal synapses.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bongsoo Suh

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Sensory systems must be able to extract features of a stimulus to detect and represent properties of the world. Because sensory signals are constantly changing, a critical aspect of this transformation relates to the timing of signals and the ability to filter those signals to select dynamic properties, such as visual motion. At first assessment, one might think that the primary biophysical properties that construct a temporal filter would be dynamic mechanisms such as molecular concentration or membrane electrical properties. However, in the current issue of PLOS Biology, Baden et al. identify a mechanism of temporal filtering in the zebrafish and goldfish retina that is not dynamic but is in fact a structural building block-the physical size of a synapse itself. The authors observe that small, bipolar cell synaptic terminals are fast and highly adaptive, whereas large ones are slower and adapt less. Using a computational model, they conclude that the volume of the synaptic terminal influences the calcium concentration and the number of available vesicles. These results indicate that the size of the presynaptic terminal is an independent control for the dynamics of a synapse and may reveal aspects of synaptic function that can be inferred from anatomical structure.

Building Blocks of the Universe

CERN Document Server

The ATLAS collaboration

2015-01-01

This article presents possibilities to impart knowledge of and enthusiasm for particle physics to essentially all non-expert target audiences by the use of LEGO bricks and models of particle physics experiments built from these. Methods of using LEGO models, both as a passive exhibit and as part of interactive outreach events, are presented, along with a historical review of the “Build Your Own Particle Detector” programme and the corresponding idea of hosting competitions in building detector models in LEGO pieces as a perfect setting to grasp people’s attention, get them involved and ultimately convey knowledge in particle physics to them.

E-Block: A Tangible Programming Tool with Graphical Blocks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danli Wang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This paper designs a tangible programming tool, E-Block, for children aged 5 to 9 to experience the preliminary understanding of programming by building blocks. With embedded artificial intelligence, the tool defines the programming blocks with the sensors as the input and enables children to write programs to complete the tasks in the computer. The symbol on the programming block's surface is used to help children understanding the function of each block. The sequence information is transferred to computer by microcomputers and then translated into semantic information. The system applies wireless and infrared technologies and provides user with feedbacks on both screen and programming blocks. Preliminary user studies using observation and user interview methods are shown for E-Block's prototype. The test results prove that E-Block is attractive to children and easy to learn and use. The project also highlights potential advantages of using single chip microcomputer (SCM technology to develop tangible programming tools for children.

Object Use in Children with Autism: Building with Blocks from a Piagetian Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio Iannaccone

2018-02-01

Full Text Available AimThis study focused on the manipulation of objects by children with suspected autism spectrum disorder. The aim was to demonstrate how objects can be seen as active agents of interpersonal exchange in face-to-face interactions.ParticipantsThree children with suspected autism spectrum disorder (aged 18, 20, and 24 months were selected as representative of the sensorimotor stage of development.MethodsStarting from Piaget’s classical approach to the sensorimotor and symbolic developmental stages, the study moved toward a socio-material interpretation in which some patterns of interaction involving object manipulation seem to create a space that supports adult–child communication. In videotaped observations of verbal and non-verbal signs during an (organized free play session, each child manipulated seven small blocks of colored plastic in the presence of an adult. The observations were informed by a checklist of 14 items, including eye contact and building a tower of toy blocks from section B of the CHAT (CHecklist for Autism in Toddlers instrument.ResultsBased on a broad Piagetian perspective and recent work in the field of socio-materiality, key observations included the following: (1 sensorimotor and realistic play was observed in all three children; (2 there were some intriguing indications that objects serve as concrete mediators in the intersubjective space between adult and child; (3 some of the children’s attention patterns were visibly mediated by the object.Discussion and conclusionAll three children exhibited a particular sequence of actions. First, they manipulated the blocks through active experimentation; second, there was an apparent pause, during which, the children were in fact examining the blocks to determine how best to continue the interaction; and finally, the children monitored adult attention by means of eye contact or by restarting manipulation of the blocks. As this last step in the sequence indicated that the

Building blocks for the development of an interface for high-throughput thin layer chromatography/ambient mass spectrometric analysis: a green methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Sy-Chyi; Huang, Min-Zong; Wu, Li-Chieh; Chou, Chih-Chiang; Cheng, Chu-Nian; Jhang, Siou-Sian; Shiea, Jentaie

2012-07-17

Interfacing thin layer chromatography (TLC) with ambient mass spectrometry (AMS) has been an important area of analytical chemistry because of its capability to rapidly separate and characterize the chemical compounds. In this study, we have developed a high-throughput TLC-AMS system using building blocks to deal, deliver, and collect the TLC plate through an electrospray-assisted laser desorption ionization (ELDI) source. This is the first demonstration of the use of building blocks to construct and test the TLC-MS interfacing system. With the advantages of being readily available, cheap, reusable, and extremely easy to modify without consuming any material or reagent, the use of building blocks to develop the TLC-AMS interface is undoubtedly a green methodology. The TLC plate delivery system consists of a storage box, plate dealing component, conveyer, light sensor, and plate collecting box. During a TLC-AMS analysis, the TLC plate was sent to the conveyer from a stack of TLC plates placed in the storage box. As the TLC plate passed through the ELDI source, the chemical compounds separated on the plate would be desorbed by laser desorption and subsequently postionized by electrospray ionization. The samples, including a mixture of synthetic dyes and extracts of pharmaceutical drugs, were analyzed to demonstrate the capability of this TLC-ELDI/MS system for high-throughput analysis.

Expedite Protocol for Construction of Chiral Regioselectively N-Protected Monosubstituted Piperazine, 1,4-Diazepane, and 1,4-Diazocane Building Blocks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Crestey, François; Witt, Matthias; Jaroszewski, Jerzy W.

2009-01-01

This paper describes the first study of solution-phase synthesis of chiral monosubstituted piperazine building blocks from nosylamide-activated aziridines. The protocol, involving aminolysis of the starting aziridines with ω-amino alcohols and subsequent Fukuyama−Mitsunobu cyclization, offers the...

Total synthesis of a CD-ring: side-chain building block for preparing 17-epi-calcitriol derivatives from the Hajos-Parrish dione.

Science.gov (United States)

Michalak, Karol; Wicha, Jerzy

2011-08-19

An efficient synthesis of the key building block for 17-epi-calctriol from the Hajos-Parrish dione involving a sequence of diastereoselective transformation of the azulene core and the side-chain construction is presented.

Synthesis of 4-Halogenated 3-Fluoro-6-methoxyquinolines: Key Building Blocks for the Synthesis of Antibiotics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Flagstad, Thomas; Petersen, Mette Terp; Hinnerfeldt, Daniel Michael

2014-01-01

A practical and scalable 4-step route is presented for the synthesis of 4-bromo-3-fluoro-6-methoxyoquinoline and 3-fluoro-4-iodo-6-methoxyoquinoline from readily available 2,4-dichloro-3-fluoroquinoline with an overall yield of 81-85%. Halogenated quinoline building blocks have found much use in ...... in antimicrobial drug discovery, and the method reported here would be useful for the synthesis of these compounds. © Georg Thieme Verlag....

Building blocks for a clinical imaging informatics environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kohli, Marc D; Warnock, Max; Daly, Mark; Toland, Christopher; Meenan, Chris; Nagy, Paul G

2014-04-01

Over the past 20 years, imaging informatics has been driven by the widespread adoption of radiology information and picture archiving and communication and speech recognition systems. These three clinical information systems are commonplace and are intuitive to most radiologists as they replicate familiar paper and film workflow. So what is next? There is a surge of innovation in imaging informatics around advanced workflow, search, electronic medical record aggregation, dashboarding, and analytics tools for quality measures (Nance et al., AJR Am J Roentgenol 200:1064-1070, 2013). The challenge lies in not having to rebuild the technological wheel for each of these new applications but instead attempt to share common components through open standards and modern development techniques. The next generation of applications will be built with moving parts that work together to satisfy advanced use cases without replicating databases and without requiring fragile, intense synchronization from clinical systems. The purpose of this paper is to identify building blocks that can position a practice to be able to quickly innovate when addressing clinical, educational, and research-related problems. This paper is the result of identifying common components in the construction of over two dozen clinical informatics projects developed at the University of Maryland Radiology Informatics Research Laboratory. The systems outlined are intended as a mere foundation rather than an exhaustive list of possible extensions.

Molecular building blocks and their architecture in biologically/environmentally compatible soft matter chemical machinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Toyota, Taro; Banno, Taisuke; Nitta, Sachiko; Takinoue, Masahiro; Nomoto, Tomonori; Natsume, Yuno; Matsumura, Shuichi; Fujinami, Masanori

2014-01-01

This review briefly summarizes recent developments in the construction of biologically/environmentally compatible chemical machinery composed of soft matter. Since environmental and living systems are open systems, chemical machinery must continuously fulfill its functions not only through the influx and generation of molecules but also via the degradation and dissipation of molecules. If the degradation or dissipation of soft matter molecular building blocks and biomaterial molecules/polymers can be achieved, soft matter particles composed of them can be used to realize chemical machinery such as selfpropelled droplets, drug delivery carriers, tissue regeneration scaffolds, protocell models, cell-/tissuemarkers, and molecular computing systems.

LEP : four building blocks of matter ... times three Conference MT17

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

The four building blocks of everyday matter form a family composed of the up-quark, the down-quark, the electron and the electron-neutrino. Similar particles, heavier but otherwise identical, are known to exist - grouped together in two further families. By measuring the number of neutrino types that exist, LEP has shown that there are no more fam-ilies of particles. Nature has chosen the number three. This is an intriguing result, and the reason why there are neither more nor fewer than three particle families is one of the greatest mysteries of modern physics. One important consequence is that we exist. Had there been any fewer than three families of matter particles, the phenomenon known as CP violation - which led to matter dominating anti-matter in the early Universe - would not have occurred. All the matter and antimatter created in the Big Bang would have annihilated.

"Science SQL" as a Building Block for Flexible, Standards-based Data Infrastructures

Science.gov (United States)

Baumann, Peter

2016-04-01

We have learnt to live with the pain of separating data and metadata into non-interoperable silos. For metadata, we enjoy the flexibility of databases, be they relational, graph, or some other NoSQL. Contrasting this, users still "drown in files" as an unstructured, low-level archiving paradigm. It is time to bridge this chasm which once was technologically induced, but today can be overcome. One building block towards a common re-integrated information space is to support massive multi-dimensional spatio-temporal arrays. These "datacubes" appear as sensor, image, simulation, and statistics data in all science and engineering domains, and beyond. For example, 2-D satellilte imagery, 2-D x/y/t image timeseries and x/y/z geophysical voxel data, and 4-D x/y/z/t climate data contribute to today's data deluge in the Earth sciences. Virtual observatories in the Space sciences routinely generate Petabytes of such data. Life sciences deal with microarray data, confocal microscopy, human brain data, which all fall into the same category. The ISO SQL/MDA (Multi-Dimensional Arrays) candidate standard is extending SQL with modelling and query support for n-D arrays ("datacubes") in a flexible, domain-neutral way. This heralds a new generation of services with new quality parameters, such as flexibility, ease of access, embedding into well-known user tools, and scalability mechanisms that remain completely transparent to users. Technology like the EU rasdaman ("raster data manager") Array Database system can support all of the above examples simultaneously, with one technology. This is practically proven: As of today, rasdaman is in operational use on hundreds of Terabytes of satellite image timeseries datacubes, with transparent query distribution across more than 1,000 nodes. Therefore, Array Databases offering SQL/MDA constitute a natural common building block for next-generation data infrastructures. Being initiator and editor of the standard we present principles

Main-chain supramolecular block copolymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Si Kyung; Ambade, Ashootosh V; Weck, Marcus

2011-01-01

Block copolymers are key building blocks for a variety of applications ranging from electronic devices to drug delivery. The material properties of block copolymers can be tuned and potentially improved by introducing noncovalent interactions in place of covalent linkages between polymeric blocks resulting in the formation of supramolecular block copolymers. Such materials combine the microphase separation behavior inherent to block copolymers with the responsiveness of supramolecular materials thereby affording dynamic and reversible materials. This tutorial review covers recent advances in main-chain supramolecular block copolymers and describes the design principles, synthetic approaches, advantages, and potential applications.

Pinenes: Abundant and Renewable Building Blocks for a Variety of Sustainable Polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Winnacker, Malte

2018-05-14

Pinenes - a group of monoterpenes containing a double bond - are very suitable renewable building blocks for a variety of sustainable polymers and materials. Their abundance from mainly non-edible parts of plants as well as the feasibility to isolate them render these compounds unique amongst the variety of biomass that is utilizable for novel materials. Accordingly, their use for the synthesis of biobased polymers has been investigated intensively, and strong progress has been made with this especially within the past 2-3 years. Direct cationic or radical polymerization via the double bonds as well as polymerization upon their further functionalization can afford a variety of sustainable polymers suitable for many applications, which is summarized in this article. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

EDITORIAL: Nature's building blocks Nature's building blocks

Science.gov (United States)

Engel, Andreas

2009-10-01

stability of modified double-stranded DNA. They use scanning force microscope observations to provide insights into the energy landscape as DNA complexes form. This research provides just one example of how developments on biological systems are being applied to research across the spectrum of disciplines. This 20th volume special issue provides a snapshot of current state-of-the-art research activity in various areas of nanotechnology, and highlights the breadth and range of research progressing in this field. The developments reported here highlight the continued prominence of biology-related research and promise a bright future for nanotechnology.

Building evaluation capacity in Ontario's public health units: promising practices and strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Bourgeois, I; Simmons, L; Buetti, D

2018-03-26

This article presents the findings of a project focusing on building evaluation capacity in 10 Ontario public health units. The study sought to identify effective strategies that lead to increased evaluation capacity in the participating organizations. This study used a qualitative, multiple case research design. An action research methodology was used to design customized evaluation capacity building (ECB) strategies for each participating organization, based on its specific context and needs. This methodological approach also enabled monitoring and assessment of each strategy, based on a common set of reporting templates. A multiple case study was used to analyze the findings from the 10 participating organizations and derive higher level findings. The main findings of the study show that most of the strategies used to increase evaluation capacity in public health units are promising, especially those focusing on developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of health unit staff and managers. Facilitators to ECB strategies were the engagement of all staff members, the support of leadership, and the existence of organizational tools and infrastructure to support evaluation. It is also essential to recognize that ECB takes time and resources to be successful. The design and implementation of ECB strategies should be based on organizational needs. These can be assessed using a standardized instrument, as well as interviews and staff surveys. The implementation of a multicomponent approach (i.e. several strategies implemented simultaneously) is also linked to better ECB outcomes in organizations. Copyright © 2018 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Novel and Efficient Synthesis of the Promising Drug Candidate Discodermolide

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-01

of its production may require its wide use as a livestock antibiotic , a market that seems to have disappeared. Therefore, as a purely practical...building block 9. Thus, chiral syn, anti stereotriad building blocks, useful for the preparation of polypropionate antibiotics , may be efficiently accessed... antibiotics that are used in human and veterinary medicine. In this paper, we illustrate the potential of a deconstruction-reconstruction strategy for the

Probing the Conformational Landscape of Polyether Building Blocks in Supersonic Jets

Science.gov (United States)

Bocklitz, Sebastian; Hewett, Daniel M.; Zwier, Timothy S.; Suhm, Martin A.

2016-06-01

Polyethylene oxides (Polyethylene glycoles) and their phenoxy-capped analogs represent a prominent class of important polymers that are highly used as precursor molecules in supramolecular reactions. After a detailed study on the simplest representative (1,2-dimethoxyethane) [1], we present results on oligoethylene oxides with increasing chain lengths obtained by spontaneous Raman scattering in a supersonic jet. Through variation of stagnation pressure, carrier gas, nozzle distance and temperature we gain information on the conformational landscape as well as the mutual interconversion of low energy conformers. The obtained results are compared to state-of-the-art quantum chemical calculations. Additionally, we present UV as well as IR-UV and UV-UV double resonance studies on 1-methoxy-2-phenoxyethane in a supersonic jet. These complementary techniques allow for conformationally selective electronic and vibrational spectra in a closely related conformational landscape. [1] S. Bocklitz, M. A. Suhm, Constraining the Conformational Landscape of a Polyether Building Block by Raman Jet Spectroscopy, Z. Phys. Chem. 2015, 229, 1625-1648.

Natural supramolecular building blocks: from virus coat proteins to viral nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhi; Qiao, Jing; Niu, Zhongwei; Wang, Qian

2012-09-21

Viruses belong to a fascinating class of natural supramolecular structures, composed of multiple copies of coat proteins (CPs) that assemble into different shapes with a variety of sizes from tens to hundreds of nanometres. Because of their advantages including simple/economic production, well-defined structural features, unique shapes and sizes, genetic programmability and robust chemistries, recently viruses and virus-like nanoparticles (VLPs) have been used widely in biomedical applications and materials synthesis. In this critical review, we highlight recent advances in the use of virus coat proteins (VCPs) and viral nanoparticles (VNPs) as building blocks in self-assembly studies and materials development. We first discuss the self-assembly of VCPs into VLPs, which can efficiently incorporate a variety of different materials as cores inside the viral protein shells. Then, the self-assembly of VNPs at surfaces or interfaces is summarized. Finally, we discuss the co-assembly of VNPs with different functional materials (178 references).

Establishing an Appropriate Level of Detail (LoD) for a Building Information Model (BIM) - West Block, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Fai, S.; Rafeiro, J.

2014-05-01

In 2011, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) embarked on a comprehensive rehabilitation of the historically significant West Block of Canada's Parliament Hill. With over 17 thousand square meters of floor space, the West Block is one of the largest projects of its kind in the world. As part of the rehabilitation, PWGSC is working with the Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS) to develop a building information model (BIM) that can serve as maintenance and life-cycle management tool once construction is completed. The scale and complexity of the model have presented many challenges. One of these challenges is determining appropriate levels of detail (LoD). While still a matter of debate in the development of international BIM standards, LoD is further complicated in the context of heritage buildings because we must reconcile the LoD of the BIM with that used in the documentation process (terrestrial laser scan and photogrammetric survey data). In this paper, we will discuss our work to date on establishing appropriate LoD within the West Block BIM that will best serve the end use. To facilitate this, we have developed a single parametric model for gothic pointed arches that can be used for over seventy-five unique window types present in the West Block. Using the AEC (CAN) BIM as a reference, we have developed a workflow to test each of these window types at three distinct levels of detail. We have found that the parametric Gothic arch significantly reduces the amount of time necessary to develop scenarios to test appropriate LoD.

Building Numbers from Primes

Science.gov (United States)

Burkhart, Jerry

2009-01-01

Prime numbers are often described as the "building blocks" of natural numbers. This article shows how the author and his students took this idea literally by using prime factorizations to build numbers with blocks. In this activity, students explore many concepts of number theory, including the relationship between greatest common factors and…

Winter energy behaviour in multi-family block buildings in a temperate-cold climate in Argentina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Filippin, C. [CONICET - CC302, Santa Rosa, 6300 La Pampa (Argentina); Larsen, S. Flores [CONICET - CC302, Santa Rosa, 6300 La Pampa (Argentina); INENCO - Instituto de Investigaciones en Energias No Convencionales, U.N.Sa., CONICET, Avda. Bolivia 5150 - CP 4400, Salta Capital (Argentina); Mercado, V. [LAHV-Laboratorio de Ambienet Humano y Vivienda (INCIHUSA-CCT-CONICET) (Argentina)

2011-01-15

This paper analyzes the thermal and energy behaviour of apartments in three-story block buildings located along a NE-SW axis (azimuth = 120 ) in a temperate-cold climate (latitude: 36 57'; longitude: 64 27') in the city of Santa Rosa, La Pampa, central Argentina. Four apartments had been monitored during May and June 2009. Three of them are located in Block 126. Two of these apartments face South: 15 and 23 on the SE end, ground and first floor, respectively; 18 faces N on the second floor. Finally apartment, 12 is located in Block 374, on the first floor, faces N and shows a carpentry-closed balcony. The purpose of this work is - to study the evolution of the indoor temperature in each apartment; to analyze energy consumption and comfort conditions; to study energy potential and energy intervention in order to reduce energy consumption; to analyze bioclimatic alternatives feasibility and the possibility to extrapolate results to all blocks. On the basis of the analysis of natural gas historical consumption records, results showed that regarding heating energy consumption during the period May-June, Apartment 12, facing N, with its only bedroom facing NW and its carpentry-closed, transparent glass balcony, presented a mean temperature of 21.2 C, using a halogen heater for 6 h/day between 9 pm and 2 am (0.16 kWh/day/m{sup 2}). Apartment 15, on the SE end, first floor of the block consumed 22.5 kWh/day (0.43 kWh/day/m{sup 2}) (mean temperature = 22.2 C). Apartment 23, located on the second and top floor (on top of Apartment 15) with higher energy loss, consumed 28 kWh/day (0.54 kWh/day/m{sup 2}) (mean temperature 23.7 C). Apartment 18, also on the second floor and facing N, located in the centre and with its only bedroom facing SE, consumed 18.8 kWh/day (0.48 kWh/day/m{sup 2}) (mean temperature = 22.3 C). Apartment 23, with higher thermal loss through its envelope, but with heat transfer from the apartment located below, is the one that showed the highest

Synthesis of borylated porphyrin and bromo- porphyrin as building blocks for light harvesting antenna molecule

Science.gov (United States)

Radzuan, Nuur Haziqah Mohd; Hassan, Nurul Izzaty; Bakar, Muntaz Abu

2018-04-01

The building blocks for synthesis of light harvesting antenna which are 5-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolane)-10,20-diphenylporphyrin, 5-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolane)-10,20-dihexylporphyrin and 5,10,15,20-tetra-(bromophenyl)porphyrin were synthesized. Borylated porphyrin was synthesized by Suzuki coupling reaction between A2BC bromo-porphyrin and pinacolborane. Whereas 5,10,15,20-tetra-(bromophenyl) porphyrin was synthesized by Lindsey condensation reaction between pyrrole and 4-bromobenzaldehyde. 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR spectroscopy and UV-visible spectroscopy confirmed the successful formation of all compounds.

The Influence of Building Block Play on Mathematics Achievement and Logical and Divergent Thinking in Italian Primary School Mathematics Classes

Science.gov (United States)

Pirrone, Concetta; Tienken, Christopher H.; Pagano, Tatiana; Di Nuovo, Santo

2018-01-01

In an experimental study to explain the effect of structured Building Block Play with LEGO™ bricks on 6-year-old student mathematics achievement and in the areas of logical thinking, divergent thinking, nonverbal reasoning, and mental imagery, students in the experimental group scored significantly higher (p = 0.05) in mathematics achievement and…

Life Cycle CO2 Assessment by Block Type Changes of Apartment Housing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cheonghoon Baek

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The block type and structural systems in buildings affect the amount of building materials required as well as the CO2 emissions that occur throughout the building life cycle (LCCO2. The purpose of this study was to assess the life cycle CO2 emissions when an apartment housing with ‘flat-type’ blocks (the reference case was replaced with more sustainable ‘T-type’ blocks with fewer CO2 emissions (the alternative case maintaining the same total floor area. The quantity of building materials used and building energy simulations were analyzed for each block type using building information modeling techniques, and improvements in LCCO2 emission were calculated by considering high-strength concrete alternatives. By changing the bearing wall system of the ‘flat-type’ block to the ‘column and beam’ system of the ‘T-type’ block, LCCO2 emissions of the alternative case were 4299 kg-CO2/m2, of which 26% was at the construction stage, 73% was as the operational stage and 1% was at the dismantling and disposal stage. These total LCCO2 emissions were 30% less than the reference case.

Polymers with alternating anthracene and phenylene building blocks linked by ethynylene and/or vinylene units: Studying structure-properties-relationships

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Boudiba, S.; Růžička, Aleš; Ulbricht, C.; Enengl, S.; Enengl, C.; Gasiorowski, J.; Yumusak, C.; Pokorná, Veronika; Výprachtický, Drahomír; Hingerl, K.; Zahn, D. R. T.; Tinti, F.; Camaioni, N.; Bouguessa, S.; Gouasmia, A.; Cimrová, Věra; Egbe, D. A. M.

2017-01-01

Roč. 55, č. 1 (2017), s. 129-143 ISSN 0887-624X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA13-26542S Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : anthracene building block * charge transport * conjugated polymers Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism OBOR OECD: Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.) Impact factor: 2.952, year: 2016

Expedient Route To Access Rare Deoxy Amino l-Sugar Building Blocks for the Assembly of Bacterial Glycoconjugates.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanapala, Someswara Rao; Kulkarni, Suvarn S

2016-04-13

Bacterial glycoproteins and oligosaccharides contain several rare deoxy amino l-sugars which are virtually absent in the human cells. This structural difference between the bacterial and host cell surface glycans can be exploited for the development of carbohydrate based vaccines and target specific drugs. However, the unusual deoxy amino l-sugars present in the bacterial glycoconjugates are not available from natural sources. Thus, procurement of orthogonally protected rare l-sugar building blocks through efficient chemical synthesis is a crucial step toward the synthesis of structurally well-defined and homogeneous complex glycans. Herein, we report a general and expedient methodology to access a variety of unusual deoxy amino l-sugars starting from readily available l-rhamnose and l-fucose via highly regioselective, one-pot double serial and double parallel displacements of the corresponding 2,4-bistriflates using azide and nitrite anions as nucleophiles. Alternatively, regioselective monotriflation at O2, O3, and O4 of l-rhamnose/l-fucose allowed selective inversions at respective positions leading to diverse rare sugars. The orthogonally protected deoxy amino l-sugar building blocks could be stereoselectively assembled to obtain biologically relevant bacterial O-glycans, as exemplified by the first total synthesis of the amino linker-attached, conjugation-ready tetrasaccharide of O-PS of Yersinia enterocolitica O:50 strain 3229 and the trisaccharide of Pseudomonas chlororaphis subsp. aureofaciens strain M71.

Core-Shell Particles as Building Blocks for Systems with High Duality Symmetry

Science.gov (United States)

Rahimzadegan, Aso; Rockstuhl, Carsten; Fernandez-Corbaton, Ivan

2018-05-01

Material electromagnetic duality symmetry requires a system to have equal electric and magnetic responses. Intrinsically dual materials that meet the duality conditions at the level of the constitutive relations do not exist in many frequency bands. Nevertheless, discrete objects like metallic helices and homogeneous dielectric spheres can be engineered to approximate the dual behavior. We exploit the extra degrees of freedom of a core-shell dielectric sphere in a particle optimization procedure. The duality symmetry of the resulting particle is more than 1 order of magnitude better than previously reported nonmagnetic objects. We use T -matrix-based multiscattering techniques to show that the improvement is transferred onto the duality symmetry of composite objects when the core-shell particle is used as a building block instead of homogeneous spheres. These results are relevant for the fashioning of systems with high duality symmetry, which are required for some technologically important effects.

Water-soluble building blocks for terpyridine-containing supramolecular polymers : synthesis, complexation, and pH stability studies of poly(ethylene oxide) moieties

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lohmeijer, B.G.G.; Schubert, U.S.

2003-01-01

Poly(ethylene oxide) of various molecular weights ([bar M ]n = 3 000, 5 200, 10 000, 16 500 g · mol-1) has been modified with terpyridine end groups as building blocks for water-soluble metallo-supramolecular polymers. Metallo-supramolecular A-A homopolymers have been prepared and characterized by

Chitosan microspheres with an extracellular matrix-mimicking nanofibrous structure as cell-carrier building blocks for bottom-up cartilage tissue engineering

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yong; Gao, Huai-Ling; Shen, Li-Li; Pan, Zhao; Mao, Li-Bo; Wu, Tao; He, Jia-Cai; Zou, Duo-Hong; Zhang, Zhi-Yuan; Yu, Shu-Hong

2015-12-01

Scaffolds for tissue engineering (TE) which closely mimic the physicochemical properties of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) have been proven to advantageously favor cell attachment, proliferation, migration and new tissue formation. Recently, as a valuable alternative, a bottom-up TE approach utilizing cell-loaded micrometer-scale modular components as building blocks to reconstruct a new tissue in vitro or in vivo has been proved to demonstrate a number of desirable advantages compared with the traditional bulk scaffold based top-down TE approach. Nevertheless, micro-components with an ECM-mimicking nanofibrous structure are still very scarce and highly desirable. Chitosan (CS), an accessible natural polymer, has demonstrated appealing intrinsic properties and promising application potential for TE, especially the cartilage tissue regeneration. According to this background, we report here the fabrication of chitosan microspheres with an ECM-mimicking nanofibrous structure for the first time based on a physical gelation process. By combining this physical fabrication procedure with microfluidic technology, uniform CS microspheres (CMS) with controlled nanofibrous microstructure and tunable sizes can be facilely obtained. Especially, no potentially toxic or denaturizing chemical crosslinking agent was introduced into the products. Notably, in vitro chondrocyte culture tests revealed that enhanced cell attachment and proliferation were realized, and a macroscopic 3D geometrically shaped cartilage-like composite can be easily constructed with the nanofibrous CMS (NCMS) and chondrocytes, which demonstrate significant application potential of NCMS as the bottom-up cell-carrier components for cartilage tissue engineering.Scaffolds for tissue engineering (TE) which closely mimic the physicochemical properties of the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) have been proven to advantageously favor cell attachment, proliferation, migration and new tissue formation

From Building Blocks to Architects Empowering Learners for Success

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reyes Juana Mahissa

2002-08-01

Full Text Available Although our ultimate goal is to enable our learners to become autonomous and efficient in their use of the foreign language, whether or not they have the opportunity to ever live and interact in a foreign language setting, our work as teachers must involve a conscious analysis of the different factors involved in this process, as well as the conscious effort to put all the intervening factors into action. Furthermore, it is our responsibility to develop the learners¿ thinking skills as they increase their competence in the target language and at the same time make them aware of their responsibility for their own processes and success by enhancing their autonomy and making them aware of the value of learning strategies. It is our task as teachers to be present on this journey and guide our learners towards becoming architects and masters of their own foreign language construct. In order for this journey to be a successful one, we must make sure we provide the learner with a correct supply of building blocks. In this paper we present an analysis of the main components comprised in teaching English as a foreign language, including a historical overview of methods, approaches, strategies, the concept of learner¿s autonomy, social and psychological factors, aiming at contributing to every teacher¿s reflection on his/her task in the school context.

Advances in metabolic pathway and strain engineering paving the way for sustainable production of chemical building blocks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Yun; Nielsen, Jens

2013-01-01

Bio-based production of chemical building blocks from renewable resources is an attractive alternative to petroleum-based platform chemicals. Metabolic pathway and strain engineering is the key element in constructing robust microbial chemical factories within the constraints of cost effective...... production. Here we discuss how the development of computational algorithms, novel modules and methods, omics-based techniques combined with modeling refinement are enabling reduction in development time and thus advance the field of industrial biotechnology. We further discuss how recent technological...

Mononuclear, trinuclear, and hetero-trinuclear supramolecular complexes containing a new tri-sulfonate ligand and cobalt(II)/copper(II)-(1,10-phenanthroline) 2 building blocks

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yunfang; Wei, Yongqin; Broer, Ria; Sa, Rongjian; Wu, Kechen

2008-03-01

Novel mononuclear, trinuclear, and hetero-trinuclear supermolecular complexes, [Co(phen) 2(H 2O)(HTST)]·2H 2O ( 1), [Co 3(phen) 6(H 2O) 2(TST) 2]·7H 2O ( 2), and [Co 2Cu(phen) 6(H 2O) 2(TST) 2]·10H 2O ( 3), have been synthesized by the reactions of a new tri-sulfonate ligand (2,4,6-tris(4-sulfophenylamino)-1,3,5-triazine, H 3TST) with the M2+ ( M=Co, Cu) and the second ligand 1,10-phenanthroline (phen). Complex 1 contains a cis-Co(II)(phen) 2 building block and an HTST as monodentate ligand; complex 2 consists of two TST as bidentate ligands connecting one trans- and two cis-Co(II)(phen) 2 building blocks; complex 3 is formed by replacing the trans-Co(II)(phen) 2 in 2 with a trans-Cu(II)(phen) 2, which is the first reported hetero-trinuclear supramolecular complex containing both the Co(II)(phen) 2 and Cu(II)(phen) 2 as building blocks. The study shows the flexible multifunctional self-assembly capability of the H 3TST ligands presenting in these supramolecular complexes through coordinative, H-bonding and even π- π stacking interactions. The photoluminescent optical properties of these complexes are also investigated and discussed as well as the second-order nonlinear optical properties of 1.

CEMENT KILN DUST AS A MATERIAL FOR BUILDING BLOCKS ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper presents the results of a study on the properties of hollow sandcrete blocks with cement kiln dust (CKD) as an additive and as a replacement for ordinary portland cement (OPC). When CKD was used as a replacement for cement, the compressive strength and density of blocks generally decreased with higher ...

An Asymmetric Furan/Thieno[3,2-b]Thiophene Diketopyrrolopyrrole Building Block for Annealing-Free Green-Solvent Processable Organic Thin-Film Transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Shang; Ni, Zhenjie; Hu, Mengxiao; Qiu, Gege; Li, Jie; Ye, Jun; Zhang, Xiaotao; Liu, Feng; Dong, Huanli; Hu, Wenping

2018-06-21

A new asymmetric furan and thieno[3,2-b]thiophene flanked diketopyrrolopyrrole (TTFDPP) building block for conjugated polymers is designed and used to generate a donor-acceptor semiconducting polymer, poly[3-(furan-2-yl)-2,5-bis(2-octyldodecyl)-6-(thieno[3,2-b]thiophen-2-yl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-dione-alt-thieno[3,2-b]thiophene] (abbreviated to PTTFDPP-TT), consisting of TTFDPP unit copolymerized with thieno[3,2-b]thiophene comonomer (TT), which is further synthesized. Results demonstrate that PTTFDPP-TT-based thin-film transistors in a bottom-gate bottom-contact device configuration exhibit typical hole-transporting property, with weak temperature dependence for charge carrier mobility from room temperature to 200 °C. In addition, the good solubility of PTTFDPP-TT due to the incorporation of a polar furan unit and an asymmetric conjugated structure makes it able to be solution processed with a less toxic nonchlorinated solvent such as toluene, demonstrating comparable performance with that prepared from chlorinated solution. These results suggest PTTFDPP-TT as a promising organic semiconductor candidate for annealing-free, environmentally benign, and less energy-consuming applications in large-area flexible organic electronic devices. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Role of Solvent, pH, and Molecular Size in Excited-State Deactivation of Key Eumelanin Building Blocks: Implications for Melanin Pigment Photostability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gauden, M.; Pezzella, A.; Panzella, L.

2008-01-01

  Ultrafast time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy has been used to investigate the excited state dynamics of the basic eumelanin building block 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid  (DHICA) its acetylated, methylated and carboxylic ester derivatives as well as two oligomers, a dimer and a trim...

Biorefineries for the production of top building block chemicals and their derivatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Sol; Song, Chan Woo; Shin, Jae Ho; Lee, Sang Yup

2015-03-01

Due to the growing concerns on the climate change and sustainability on petrochemical resources, DOE selected and announced the bio-based top 12 building blocks and discussed the needs for developing biorefinery technologies to replace the current petroleum based industry in 2004. Over the last 10 years after its announcement, many studies have been performed for the development of efficient technologies for the bio-based production of these chemicals and derivatives. Now, ten chemicals among these top 12 chemicals, excluding the l-aspartic acid and 3-hydroxybutyrolactone, have already been commercialized or are close to commercialization. In this paper, we review the current status of biorefinery development for the production of these platform chemicals and their derivatives. In addition, current technological advances on industrial strain development for the production of platform chemicals using micro-organisms will be covered in detail with case studies on succinic acid and 3-hydroxypropionic acid as examples. Copyright © 2015 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural insight into RNA recognition motifs: versatile molecular Lego building blocks for biological systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Muto, Yutaka; Yokoyama, Shigeyuki

2012-01-01

'RNA recognition motifs (RRMs)' are common domain-folds composed of 80-90 amino-acid residues in eukaryotes, and have been identified in many cellular proteins. At first they were known as RNA binding domains. Through discoveries over the past 20 years, however, the RRMs have been shown to exhibit versatile molecular recognition activities and to behave as molecular Lego building blocks to construct biological systems. Novel RNA/protein recognition modes by RRMs are being identified, and more information about the molecular recognition by RRMs is becoming available. These RNA/protein recognition modes are strongly correlated with their biological significance. In this review, we would like to survey the recent progress on these versatile molecular recognition modules. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Building blocks for future detectors: Silicon test masses and 1550 nm laser light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schnabel, R; Britzger, M; Burmeister, O; Danzmann, K; Duck, J; Eberle, T; Friedrich, D; Luck, H; Mehmet, M; Steinlechner, S; Willke, B; Brueckner, F; Nawrodt, R

2010-01-01

Current interferometric gravitational wave detectors use the combination of quasi-monochromatic, continuous-wave laser light at 1064 nm and fused silica test masses at room temperature. Detectors of the third generation, such as the Einstein-Telescope, will involve a considerable sensitivity increase. The combination of 1550 nm laser radiation and crystalline silicon test masses at low temperatures might be important ingredients in order to achieve the sensitivity goal. Here we compare some properties of the fused silica and silicon test mass materials relevant for decreasing the thermal noise in future detectors as well as the recent technology achievements in the preparation of laser radiation at 1064 nm and 1550 nm relevant for decreasing the quantum noise. We conclude that silicon test masses and 1550 nm laser light have the potential to form the future building blocks of gravitational wave detection.

Remote stabilization of copper paddlewheel based molecular building blocks in metal-organic frameworks

KAUST Repository

Gao, Wenyang

2015-03-24

Copper paddlewheel based molecular building blocks (MBBs) are ubiquitous and have been widely employed for the construction of highly porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). However, most copper paddlewheel based MOFs fail to retain their structural integrity in the presence of water. This instability is directly correlated to the plausible displacement of coordinating carboxylates in the copper paddlewheel MBB, [Cu2(O2C-)4], by the strongly coordinating water molecules. In this comprehensive study, we illustrate the chemical stability control in the rht-MOF platform via strengthening the coordinating bonds within the triangular inorganic MBB, [Cu3O(N4-x(CH)xC-)3] (x = 0, 1, or 2). Remotely, the chemical stabilization propagated into the paddlewheel MBB to afford isoreticular rht-MOFs with remarkably enhanced water/chemical stabilities compared to the prototypal rht-MOF-1. © 2015 American Chemical Society.

Remote stabilization of copper paddlewheel based molecular building blocks in metal-organic frameworks

KAUST Repository

Gao, Wenyang; Cai, Rong; Pham, Tony T.; Forrest, Katherine A.; Hogan, Adam; Nugent, Patrick S.; Williams, Kia R.; Wojtas, Łukasz; Luebke, Ryan; Weselinski, Lukasz Jan; Zaworotko, Michael J.; Space, Brian; Chen, Yusheng; Eddaoudi, Mohamed; Shi, Xiaodong; Ma, Shengqian

2015-01-01

Copper paddlewheel based molecular building blocks (MBBs) are ubiquitous and have been widely employed for the construction of highly porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). However, most copper paddlewheel based MOFs fail to retain their structural integrity in the presence of water. This instability is directly correlated to the plausible displacement of coordinating carboxylates in the copper paddlewheel MBB, [Cu2(O2C-)4], by the strongly coordinating water molecules. In this comprehensive study, we illustrate the chemical stability control in the rht-MOF platform via strengthening the coordinating bonds within the triangular inorganic MBB, [Cu3O(N4-x(CH)xC-)3] (x = 0, 1, or 2). Remotely, the chemical stabilization propagated into the paddlewheel MBB to afford isoreticular rht-MOFs with remarkably enhanced water/chemical stabilities compared to the prototypal rht-MOF-1. © 2015 American Chemical Society.

Block Play: Practical Suggestions for Common Dilemmas

Science.gov (United States)

Tunks, Karyn Wellhousen

2009-01-01

Learning materials and teaching methods used in early childhood classrooms have fluctuated greatly over the past century. However, one learning tool has stood the test of time: Wood building blocks, often called unit blocks, continue to be a source of pleasure and learning for young children at play. Wood blocks have the unique capacity to engage…

Two-dimensional MoS2: A promising building block for biosensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Gan, Xiaorong; Zhao, Huimin; Quan, Xie

2017-03-15

Recently, two-dimensional (2D) layered nanomaterials have trigged intensive interest due to the intriguing physicochemical properties that stem from a quantum size effect connected with their ultra-thin structure. In particular, 2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ), as an emerging class of stable inorganic graphene analogs with intrinsic finite bandgap, would possibly complement or even surpass graphene in electronics and optoelectronics fields. In this review, we first discuss the historical development of ultrathin 2D nanomaterials. Then, we are concerned with 2D MoS 2 including its structure-property relationships, synthesis methods, characterization for the layer thickness, and biosensor applications over the past five years. Thereinto, we are highlighting recent advances in 2D MoS 2 -based biosensors, especially emphasize the preparation of sensing elements, roles of 2D MoS 2 , and assay strategies. Finally, on the basis of the current achievements on 2D MoS 2 and other ultrathin layered nanomaterials, perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for the exploration of 2D MoS 2 -based biosensors are put forward. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exohedral M–C{sub 60} and M{sub 2}–C{sub 60} (M = Pt, Pd) systems as tunable-gap building blocks for nanoarchitecture and nanocatalysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Özdamar, Burak; Boero, Mauro, E-mail: mauro.boero@ipcms.unistra.fr; Massobrio, Carlo; Felder-Flesch, Delphine; Le Roux, Sébastien, E-mail: sebastien.leroux@ipcms.unistra.fr [Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, University of Strasbourg and CNRS, UMR 7504, 23 Rue du Loess, BP43, F-67034 Strasbourg (France)

2015-09-21

Transition metal–fullerenes complexes with metal atoms bound on the external surface of C{sub 60} are promising building blocks for next-generation fuel cells and catalysts. Yet, at variance with endohedral M@C{sub 60}, they have received a limited attention. By resorting to first principles simulations, we elucidate structural and electronic properties for the Pd–C{sub 60}, Pt–C{sub 60}, PtPd–C{sub 60}, Pd{sub 2}–C{sub 60}, and Pt{sub 2}–C{sub 60} complexes. The most stable structures feature the metal atom located above a high electron density site, namely, the π bond between two adjacent hexagons (π-66 bond). When two metal atoms are added, the most stable configuration is those in which metal atoms still stand on π-66 bonds but tends to clusterize. The electronic structure, rationalized in terms of localized Wannier functions, provides a clear picture of the underlying interactions responsible for the stability or instability of the complexes, showing a strict relationship between structure and electronic gap.

Lurgi MegaMethanol technology. Delivering the building blocks for the future fuel and monomer demand

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wurzel, T. [Lurgi AG, Frankfurt/Main (Germany)

2006-07-01

The paper describes the central role of methanol within a changing environment with respect to feedstock availability as well as steadily growing demand in fuel and monomer demand. The current large-scale production facilities are described with respect to the technological challenges in order to ensure the availability of sufficient methanol for down-stream applications. Different down-stream applications are described which clearly confirm that methanol is the dominant C1-building block due to its chemical flexibility. It is concluded that by means of the implementation of two MTP (Methanol to Propylene) projects in China initiated the era of ''down-stream methanol'' has begun in the industry. (orig.)

Solar thermal electricity production. A building block for the energy turnaround?; Solarthermische Stromerzeugung. Ein Baustein fuer die Energiewende?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pitz-Paal, Robert [Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) e.V., Koeln (Germany). Inst. fuer Solarforschung

2012-12-15

Whereas in Germany enthusiasm for solar thermal power plants has subsided following the inglorious insolvency of Solar Millennium AG, internationally the market is livening up again. This has to do with the fact that many countries have now understood that security of supply cannot be founded on photovoltaics and wind alone in the long term. Solar thermal power could thus yet become an important building block in Germany's energy supply system as it continues to pursue the energy turnaround.

A Thieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene Isoindigo Building Block for Additive- and Annealing-Free High-Performance Polymer Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Yue, Wan; Ashraf, Raja Shahid; Nielsen, Christian B.; Collado-Fregoso, Elisa; Niazi, Muhammad Rizwan; Yousaf, Syeda Amber; Kirkus, Mindaugas; Chen, Hung-Yang; Amassian, Aram; Durrant, James R.; McCulloch, Iain

2015-01-01

A novel photoactive polymer with two different molecular weights is reported, based on a new building block: thieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene isoindigo. Due to the improved crystallinity, optimal blend morphology, and higher charge mobility, solar-cell devices of the high-molecular-weight polymer exhibit a superior performance, affording efficiencies of 9.1% without the need for additives, annealing, or additional extraction layers during device fabrication.

A Thieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene Isoindigo Building Block for Additive- and Annealing-Free High-Performance Polymer Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Yue, Wan

2015-08-20

A novel photoactive polymer with two different molecular weights is reported, based on a new building block: thieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene isoindigo. Due to the improved crystallinity, optimal blend morphology, and higher charge mobility, solar-cell devices of the high-molecular-weight polymer exhibit a superior performance, affording efficiencies of 9.1% without the need for additives, annealing, or additional extraction layers during device fabrication.

Naphthalene Bis(4,8-diamino-1,5-dicarboxyl)amide Building Block for Semiconducting Polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckstein, Brian J; Melkonyan, Ferdinand S; Manley, Eric F; Fabiano, Simone; Mouat, Aidan R; Chen, Lin X; Facchetti, Antonio; Marks, Tobin J

2017-10-18

We report a new naphthalene bis(4,8-diamino-1,5-dicarboxyl)amide (NBA) building block for polymeric semiconductors. Computational modeling suggests that regio-connectivity at the 2,6- or 3,7-NBA positions strongly modulates polymer backbone torsion and, therefore, intramolecular π-conjugation and aggregation. Optical, electrochemical, and X-ray diffraction characterization of 3,7- and 2,6-dithienyl-substituted NBA molecules and corresponding isomeric NBA-bithiophene copolymers P1 and P2, respectively, reveals the key role of regio-connectivity. Charge transport measurements demonstrate that while the twisted 3,7-NDA-based P1 is a poor semiconductor, the planar 2,6-functionalized NBA polymers (P2-P4) exhibit ambipolarity, with μ e and μ h of up to 0.39 and 0.32 cm 2 /(V·s), respectively.

Exploring the Chemistry of Bicyclic Isoxazolidines for the Multicomponent Synthesis of Glycomimetic Building Blocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoogenboom, Jorin; Lutz, Martin; Zuilhof, Han; Wennekes, Tom

2016-10-07

Starting from a chiral furanone, the nitrone-olefin [3 + 2] cycloaddition can be used to obtain bicyclic isoxazolidines for which we report a set of reactions to selectively modify each functional position. These synthetically versatile bicyclic isoxazolidines allowed us to obtain complex glycomimetic building blocks, like iminosugars, via multicomponent chemistry. For example, a library of 20 pipecolic acid derivatives, a recurring motif in various prescription drugs, could be obtained via a one-pot Staudinger/aza-Wittig/Ugi three-component reaction of a bicyclic isoxazolidine-derived azido-hemiacetal. Notably, specific pipecolic acids in this library were obtained via hydrolysis of an unique tricyclic imidate side product of the Ugi reaction. The azido-hemiacetal was also converted into an aza-C-glycoside iminosugar via an unprecendented one-pot Staudinger/aza-Wittig/Mannich reaction.

Chiral thiazoline and thiazole building blocks for the synthesis of peptide-derived natural products.

Science.gov (United States)

Just-Baringo, Xavier; Albericio, Fernando; Alvarez, Mercedes

2014-01-01

Thiazoline and thiazole heterocycles are privileged motifs found in numerous peptide-derived natural products of biological interest. During the last decades, the synthesis of optically pure building blocks has been addressed by numerous groups, which have developed a plethora of strategies to that end. Efficient and reliable methodologies that are compatible with the intricate and capricious architectures of natural products are a must to further develop their science. Structure confirmation, structure-activity relationship studies and industrial production are fields of paramount importance that require these robust methodologies in order to successfully bring natural products into the clinic. Today's chemist toolbox is assorted with many powerful methods for chiral thiazoline and thiazole synthesis. Ranging from biomimetic approaches to stereoselective alkylations, one is likely to find a suitable method for their needs.

Eggshell membrane-templated porous gold membranes using nanoparticles as building blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashraf, S.; Khalid, Z. M.; Hussain, I.

2013-01-01

Highly porous gold membrane-like structures are formed using eggshell membrane, as such and heat denatured, as a template and gold nanoparticles as building blocks. Gold nanoparticles were produced in-situ on the eggshell membranes without using additional reducing agents. The morphology and loading of gold nanoparticles can easily be controlled by adjusting the pH and thus the redox potential of eggshell membranes. Lower pH favored the formation of irregularly-shaped but dense gold macro/ nanocrystals whereas higher pH(8-9) favored the formation of fairly uniform but less dense gold nanoparticles onto the eggshell membranes. Heat treatment of eggshell membrane-gold nanoparticle composites formed at pH 8-9 led to the formation of highly porous membrane like gold while mimicking the original structure of eggshell membrane. All these materials have been thoroughly characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectroscopy (ISP-AES). These highly porous membrane-like gold materials may have potential applications in catalysis, biosensors, electrode materials, optically selective coatings, heat dissipation and biofiltration. (author)

Synthesis of a Hoechst 32258 Analogue Amino Acid Building Block for Direct Incorporation of a Fluorescent High-Affinity DNA Binding Motif into Peptides

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harrit, Niels; Behrens, Carsten; Nielsen, P. E.

2001-01-01

The synthesis of a new versatile "Hoechst 33258-like" Boc-protected amino acid building block for peptide synthesis is described. It is demonstrated that this new ligand is an effective mimic of Hoechst 33258 in terms of DNA affinity and sequence specificity. Furthermore, this minor groove binder...

Impacts of city-block-scale countermeasures against urban heat-island phenomena upon a building's energy-consumption for air-conditioning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kikegawa, Yukihiro [Department of Environmental Systems, Meisei University, 2-1-1 Hodokubo, Hino-shi, Tokyo 191-8506 (Japan); Genchi, Yutaka [Research Center for Life Cycle Assessment, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8569 (Japan); Kondo, Hiroaki [Institute for Environmental Management Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 16-1 Onogawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8569 (Japan); Hanaki, Keisuke [Department of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan)

2006-06-15

This study quantifies the possible impacts of urban heat-island countermeasures upon buildings' energy use during summer in Tokyo metropolis. Considering the dependency of the buildings air temperature upon the local urban canopy structure, Tokyo urban canopies were classified in the city-block-scale using the sky-view factor (svf). Then, a multi-scale model system describing the interaction between buildings' energy use and urban meteorological conditions was applied to each classified canopy. In terms of urban warming alleviation and cooling energy saving, simulations suggested that the reduction in the air-conditioning anthropogenic heat could be the most effective measure in office buildings' canopies, and that vegetative fraction increase on the side walls of buildings in residential canopies. Both measures indicated daily and spatially averaged decreases in near-ground summer air temperature of 0.2-1.2{sup o}C. The simulations also suggested these temperature decreases could result in the buildings' cooling energy-savings of 4-40%, indicating remarkable savings in residential canopies. These temperature drops and energy savings tended to increase with the decrease of the svf of urban canopies. (author)

Depth geological model building: application to the 3D high resolution 'ANDRA' seismic block

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mari, J.L.; Yven, B.

2012-01-01

Document available in extended abstract form only. 3D seismic blocks and logging data, mainly acoustic and density logs, are often used for geological model building in time. The geological model must be then converted from time to depth. Geostatistical approach for time-to-depth conversion of seismic horizons is often used in many geo-modelling projects. From a geostatistical point of view, the time-to-depth conversion of seismic horizons is a classical estimation problem involving one or more secondary variables. Bayesian approach [1] provides an excellent estimator which is more general than the traditional kriging with external drift(s) and fits very well to the needs for time-to-depth conversion of seismic horizons. The time-to-depth conversion of the selected seismic horizons is used to compute a time-to-depth conversion model at the time sampling rate (1 ms). The 3D depth conversion model allows the computation of an interval velocity block which is compared with the acoustic impedance block to estimate a density block as QC. Non realistic density values are edited and the interval velocity block as well as the depth conversion model is updated. The proposed procedure has been applied on a 3D data set. The dataset comes from a High Resolution 3D seismic survey recorded in France at the boundary of the Meuse and Haute-Marne departments in the vicinity of the Andra Center (National radioactive waste management Agency). The 3D design is a cross spread. The active spread is composed of 12 receiver lines with 120 stations each. The source lines are perpendicular to the receiver lines. The receiver and source line spacings are respectively 80 m and 120 m. The receiver and source point spacings are 20 m. The source is a Vibroseis source generating a signal in the 14 - 140 Hz frequency bandwidth.. The bin size is 10 x 10 m 2 . The nominal fold is 60. A conventional seismic sequence was applied to the data set. It includes amplitude recovery, deconvolution and wave

Hierarchical assembly of inorganic nanostructure building blocks to octahedral superstructures-a true template-free self-assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuchibhatla, Satyanarayana V N T; Karakoti, Ajay S; Seal, Sudipta

2007-01-01

A room temperature, template-free, wet chemical synthesis of ceria nanoparticles and their long term ageing characteristics are reported. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and UV-visible spectroscopy techniques are used to observe the variation in size, structure and oxidation state, respectively as a function of time. The morphology variation and the hierarchical assembly (octahedral superstructure) of nanostructures are imputed to the inherent structural aspects of cerium oxide. It is hypothesized that the 3-5 nm individual building blocks will undergo an intra-agglomerate re-orientation to attain the low energy configuration. This communication also emphasizes the need for long term ageing studies of nanomaterials in various solvents for multiple functionalities

The building blocks of drinking experience across men and women: A case study with craft and industrial beers.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez-Corona, Carlos; Escalona-Buendía, Héctor B; Chollet, Sylvie; Valentin, Dominique

2017-09-01

In today's market, every product seems to be marked by the label of "experience". It is expected that successful products give the consumer "extraordinary experiences". The research in consumption experience is growing, but much work still needs to be done to understand the food and beverage experience. A qualitative study was conducted using contextual focus groups to explore the building blocks of consumers' drinking experience of industrial and craft beers. The results show that drinking experience is shaped by our cognitive, sensory or affective systems, especially during the core consumption experience. Elements such as attitudes, consumption habits, and individual versus social consumption, shopping experience and product benefits are also responsible for shaping the experience, but are more relevant during the pre-consumption or post-consumption experience. Gender differences occur more frequently in the affective experience, as women search more for relaxation while men for excitement and stimulation while drinking beer. When comparing industrial users versus craft, in the latter the cognitive and shopping experiences are more relevant. Overall, the results showed that the drinking experience of beers can be studied as a function of the salient human system used during product interaction, and this systems act as the building blocks of the drinking experience of beer. This information can be applied in consumer research studies to further study the experiential differences across products and consumers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Studies and mechanical properties of a new type of 'hybrid' ceramic block for buildings in structural masonry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Camara, Cassio Freire; Gomes, Uilame Umbelino

2012-01-01

This paper presents the development of a hybrid ceramic block to the use of resides in the buildings executed with structural masonry. This work seeking new materials and / or products with the purpose of increasing the compressive strength of the ceramic blocks, without neglecting other properties (water absorption and linear shrinkage). After the obtained material (clay powder and crushed), the packaging (in percentages ranging from 0%, 5%, 10% and 15% substitution of crushed clay powder), the identification and measuring (weights and lengths) of the bodies of the test piece, was performed on the approach characterized by fluorescence, mineralogy and SEM of these materials as well as the characterization (SEM) of ceramic blocks after the sintering (temperature of the 900 deg C, 1000 deg C, and 1100 deg C rate with heating tax of 5 o C/minute and soak for 1 hour). Then the samples were subjected to the tests (compressive strength and water absorption) and the respective calculated linear shrinkage. After conducting the analysis of the results of these tests (according to the criteria and parameters required by the ABNT NBR 15270) was found that the 'hybrid' block with the addition of 10% crushed powder obtained the best results, increasing the compressive strength at 16 % without compromising the other parameters required by the Standard. (author)

Undecylenic acid: a valuable and physiologically active renewable building block from castor oil.

Science.gov (United States)

Van der Steen, Marijke; Stevens, Christian V

2009-01-01

A lot of attention is currently being paid to the transition to a biobased economy. In this movement, most efforts concentrate on the development of bioenergy applications including bioethanol, biodiesel, thermochemical conversion of biomass, and others. However, in the energy sector other nonbiomass alternatives are known, whereas no valuable alternatives are available when thinking about chemical building blocks. Therefore, it is also essential to develop new routes for the synthesis of bio-based chemicals and materials derived thereof. Such intermediates can originate either from plants or from animals. Castor oil is a non-edible oil extracted from the seeds of the castor bean plant Ricinus communis (Euphorbiaceae), which grows in tropical and subtropical areas. Globally, around one million tons of castor seeds are produced every year, the leading producing areas being India, PR China, and Brazil.2 10-Undecenoic acid or undecylenic acid is a fatty acid derived from castor oil that, owing to its bifunctional nature, has many possibilities to develop sustainable applications.

Developing Key Parameters for Green Performance of Partition Wall Blocks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goh Cheng Siew

2016-01-01

Full Text Available To promote sustainable construction, it is important to consider green performance of construction materials throughout the life cycle. Selecting inappropriate materials could not only affect the functional performance but also preclude the achievement of green building performance as a whole. Green performance of construction materials has therefore been one of the primary considerations of green building assessment systems. Using partition wall blocks as an example, this paper examines green performance of building materials primarily from the cradle to gate boundaries. Nine key parameters are proposed for the green performance of partition wall blocks. Apart from environmental features, technical performance of partition wall blocks is also taken into consideration since it is the determinant of the lifecycle performance. This paper offers a roadmap to decision makers to make environmentally responsible choices for their materials of internal walls and partitions, and hence provides a potential sustainable solution for green buildings.

Theory of circuit block switch-off

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Henzler

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Switching-off unused circuit blocks is a promising approach to supress static leakage currents in ultra deep sub-micron CMOS digital systems. Basic performance parameters of Circuit Block Switch-Off (CBSO schemes are defined and their dependence on basic circuit parameters is estimated. Therefore the design trade-off between strong leakage suppression in idle mode and adequate dynamic performance in active mode can be supported by simple analytic investigations. Additionally, a guideline for the estimation of the minimum time for which a block deactivation is useful is derived.

An investigation on damaged buildings in Ranau due the 2015 Sabah earthquake

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Yang Soh; Tan, Jun Pin; Chiew, Lerk Qing; Chang, Wai Hoe; Lau, Tze Liang

2017-10-01

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck near Ranau district in Sabah, Malaysia on June 5, 2015. The epicenter was located 14 km from Ranau. Various buildings were damaged by the earthquake. This paper discusses the extent of the destruction to two severely damaged structures in Ranau. An assessment of damaged buildings in Ranau Hospital using microtremor data was conducted after the earthquake event. The building consists of two identical blocks with similar soft-story structural forms. Two microtremor observations were carried out before and after the repair work. The predominant frequencies of the damaged buildings were determined by using the Nakamura's H/V method. Based on the assumption that both identical blocks of building in Ranau Hospital have similar predominant frequencies due to the same structural design and construction quality, results show that B block of Ranau Hospital suffered more damage compared with another block of the building. The predominant frequency of B block is 10% lower than that of A Block. Results obtained are consistent with the observed building performance during the site reconnaissance. The predominant frequency of both buildings measured after the repair work shows 11% to 21% increment, which implies that the lateral stiffness of both buildings has been improved.

An easy access to 2-Amino-5,6-dihydro-3H-pyrimidin-4-one building blocks: the reaction under conventional and microwave conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ostras, Konstantin S; Gorobets, Nikolay Yu; Desenko, Sergey M; Musatov, Vladimir I

2006-08-01

A new one-stage fast multicomponent synthesis of title compounds leads to products in 21-55% isolated yields under both conventional and microwave conditions. The primary amino group in the building blocks can be easily acylated by various usual electophilic agents that can be utilized in the synthesis of diverse heterocylic compounds libraries.

Nucleic acids and smart materials: advanced building blocks for logic systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Pu, Fang; Ren, Jinsong; Qu, Xiaogang

2014-09-03

Logic gates can convert input signals into a defined output signal, which is the fundamental basis of computing. Inspired by molecular switching from one state to another under an external stimulus, molecular logic gates are explored extensively and recognized as an alternative to traditional silicon-based computing. Among various building blocks of molecular logic gates, nucleic acid attracts special attention owing to its specific recognition abilities and structural features. Functional materials with unique physical and chemical properties offer significant advantages and are used in many fields. The integration of nucleic acids and functional materials is expected to bring about several new phenomena. In this Progress Report, recent progress in the construction of logic gates by combining the properties of a range of smart materials with nucleic acids is introduced. According to the structural characteristics and composition, functional materials are categorized into three classes: polymers, noble-metal nanomaterials, and inorganic nanomaterials. Furthermore, the unsolved problems and future challenges in the construction of logic gates are discussed. It is hoped that broader interests in introducing new smart materials into the field are inspired and tangible applications for these constructs are found. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ultraflat Au nanoplates as a new building block for molecular electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Wooseok; Lee, Miyeon; Lee, Hyunsoo; Lee, Hyoban; Kim, Bongsoo; Park, Jeong Young

2016-05-27

We demonstrate the charge transport properties of a self-assembled organic monolayer on Au nanoplates with conductive probe atomic force microscopy (CP-AFM). Atomically flat Au nanoplates, a few hundred micrometers on each side, that have only (111) surfaces, were synthesized using the chemical vapor transport method; these nanoplates were employed as the substrates for hexadecanethiol (HDT) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Atomic-scale high-resolution images show (√3 x √3) R30° molecular periodicity, indicating a well-ordered structure of the HDT on the Au nanoplates. We observed reduced friction and adhesion forces on the HDT SAMs on Au nanoplates, compared with Si substrates, which is consistent with the lubricating nature of HDT SAMs. The electrical properties, such as I-V characteristics and current as a function of load, were measured using CP-AFM. We obtained a tunneling decay constant (β) of 0.57 Å(-1), including through-bond (βtb = 0.99 Å(-1)) and through-space (βts = 1.36 Å(-1)) decay constants for the two-pathway model. This indicates that the charge transport properties of HDT SAMs on Au nanoplates are consistent with those on a Au (111) film, suggesting that SAMs on nanoplates can provide a new building block for molecular electronics.

Filamentous phages as building blocks for reconfigurable and hierarchical self-assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Gibaud, Thomas

2017-12-01

Filamentous bacteriophages such as fd-like viruses are monodisperse rod-like colloids that have well defined properties of diameter, length, rigidity, charge and chirality. Engineering these viruses leads to a library of colloidal rods, which can be used as building blocks for reconfigurable and hierarchical self-assembly. Their condensation in an aqueous solution with additive polymers, which act as depletants to induce attraction between the rods, leads to a myriad of fluid-like micronic structures ranging from isotropic/nematic droplets, colloid membranes, achiral membrane seeds, twisted ribbons, π-wall, pores, colloidal skyrmions, Möbius anchors, scallop membranes to membrane rafts. These structures, and the way that they shape-shift, not only shed light on the role of entropy, chiral frustration and topology in soft matter, but also mimic many structures encountered in different fields of science. On the one hand, filamentous phages being an experimental realization of colloidal hard rods, their condensation mediated by depletion interactions constitutes a blueprint for the self-assembly of rod-like particles and provides a fundamental foundation for bio- or material-oriented applications. On the other hand, the chiral properties of the viruses restrict the generalities of some results but vastly broaden the self-assembly possibilities.

Electrophoretic build-up of alternately multilayered films and micropatterns based on graphene sheets and nanoparticles and their applications in flexible supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Zhiqiang; Du, Jianjun; Cao, Xuebo; Sun, Yinghui; Zhou, Weiya; Hng, Huey Hoon; Ma, Jan; Chen, Xiaodong; Xie, Sishen

2012-10-22

Graphene nanosheets and metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been used as nano-building-blocks for assembly into macroscale hybrid structures with promising performance in electrical devices. However, in most graphene and metal NP hybrid structures, the graphene sheets and metal NPs (e.g., AuNPs) do not enable control of the reaction process, orientation of building blocks, and organization at the nanoscale. Here, an electrophoretic layer-by-layer assembly for constructing multilayered reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/AuNP films and lateral micropatterns is presented. This assembly method allows easy control of the nano-architecture of building blocks along the normal direction of the film, including the number and thickness of RGO and AuNP layers, in addition to control of the lateral orientation of the resultant multilayered structures. Conductivity of multilayered RGO/AuNP hybrid nano-architecture shows great improvement caused by a bridging effect of the AuNPs along the out-of-plane direction between the upper and lower RGO layers. The results clearly show the potential of electrophoretic build-up in the fabrication of graphene-based alternately multilayered films and patterns. Finally, flexible supercapacitors based on multilayered RGO/AuNP hybrid films are fabricated, and excellent performance, such as high energy and power densities, are achieved. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Impact-Contact Analysis of Prismatic Graphite Blocks Using Abaqus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Ji Ho; Kim, Gyeong Ho; Choi, Woo Seok

2010-12-01

Graphite blocks are the important core components of the high temperature gas-cooled reactor. As these blocks are simply stacked in array, collisions among neighboring components may occur during earthquakes or accidents. The final objective of the research project is to develop a reliable seismic model of the stacked graphite blocks from which their behavior can be predicted and, thus, they are designed to have sufficient strength to maintain their structural integrity during the anticipated occurrences. The work summarized in this report is a first step toward the big picture and is dedicated to build a realistic impact-contact dynamics model of the graphite block using a commercial FEM package, Abaqus. The developed model will be further used to assist building a reliable lumped dynamics model of these stacked graphite components

Green building blocks for bio-based plastics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Harmsen, P.F.H.; Hackmann, M.M.; Bos, H.L.

2014-01-01

In this paper we investigate the possible routes to produce the most commonly used polymers from biomass. This includes vinyl polymers, polyesters, polyamides, polyurethanes, and synthetic rubbers. Also the most promising newly developed polymers that can be produced from biomass are investigated.

Non-perturbative topological strings and conformal blocks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cheng, M.C.N.; Dijkgraaf, R.; Vafa, C.

2011-01-01

We give a non-perturbative completion of a class of closed topological string theories in terms of building blocks of dual open strings. In the specific case where the open string is given by a matrix model these blocks correspond to a choice of integration contour. We then apply this definition to

Self-Synchronization: Splendid Promise or Dangerous Delusion

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hatter, Steven

2000-01-01

... with extraordinary efficiency and precision. Proponents of Network-Centric Warfare build upon the optimism in JV 2010 by offering a war-fighting paradigm that promises "an information superiority enabled concept of operations that generates...

Molecular modeling of the elastomeric properties of repeating units and building blocks of resilin, a disordered elastic protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Khandaker, Md Shahriar K; Dudek, Daniel M; Beers, Eric P; Dillard, David A; Bevan, David R

2016-08-01

The mechanisms responsible for the properties of disordered elastomeric proteins are not well known. To better understand the relationship between elastomeric behavior and amino acid sequence, we investigated resilin, a disordered rubber-like protein, found in specialized regions of the cuticle of insects. Resilin of Drosophila melanogaster contains Gly-rich repetitive motifs comprised of the amino acids, PSSSYGAPGGGNGGR, which confer elastic properties to resilin. The repetitive motifs of insect resilin can be divided into smaller partially conserved building blocks: PSS, SYGAP, GGGN and GGR. Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we studied the relative roles of SYGAP, and its less common variants SYSAP and TYGAP, on the elastomeric properties of resilin. Results showed that SYGAP adopts a bent structure that is one-half to one-third the end-to-end length of the other motifs having an equal number of amino acids but containing SYSAP or TYGAP substituted for SYGAP. The bent structure of SYGAP forms due to conformational freedom of glycine, and hydrogen bonding within the motif apparently plays a role in maintaining this conformation. These structural features of SYGAP result in higher extensibility compared to other motifs, which may contribute to elastic properties at the macroscopic level. Overall, the results are consistent with a role for the SYGAP building block in the elastomeric properties of these disordered proteins. What we learned from simulating the repetitive motifs of resilin may be applicable to the biology and mechanics of other elastomeric biomaterials, and may provide us the deeper understanding of their unique properties. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A tribo-mechanical analysis of PVA-based building-blocks for implementation in a 2-layered skin model.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales Hurtado, M; de Vries, E G; Zeng, X; van der Heide, E

2016-09-01

Poly(vinyl) alcohol hydrogel (PVA) is a well-known polymer widely used in the medical field due to its biocompatibility properties and easy manufacturing. In this work, the tribo-mechanical properties of PVA-based blocks are studied to evaluate their suitability as a part of a structure simulating the length scale dependence of human skin. Thus, blocks of pure PVA and PVA mixed with Cellulose (PVA-Cel) were synthesised via freezing/thawing cycles and their mechanical properties were determined by Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) and creep tests. The dynamic tests addressed to elastic moduli between 38 and 50kPa for the PVA and PVA-Cel, respectively. The fitting of the creep compliance tests in the SLS model confirmed the viscoelastic behaviour of the samples with retardation times of 23 and 16 seconds for the PVA and PVA-Cel, respectively. Micro indentation tests were also achieved and the results indicated elastic moduli in the same range of the dynamic tests. Specifically, values between 45-55 and 56-81kPa were obtained for the PVA and PVA-Cel samples, respectively. The tribological results indicated values of 0.55 at low forces for the PVA decreasing to 0.13 at higher forces. The PVA-Cel blocks showed lower friction even at low forces with values between 0.2 and 0.07. The implementation of these building blocks in the design of a 2-layered skin model (2LSM) is also presented in this work. The 2LSM was stamped with four different textures and their surface properties were evaluated. The hydration of the 2LSM was also evaluated with a corneometer and the results indicated a gradient of hydration comparable to the human skin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aerial Imagery and LIDAR Data Fusion for Unambiguous Extraction of Adjacent Level-Buildings Footprints

Science.gov (United States)

Mola Ebrahimi, S.; Arefi, H.; Rasti Veis, H.

2017-09-01

Our paper aims to present a new approach to identify and extract building footprints using aerial images and LiDAR data. Employing an edge detector algorithm, our method first extracts the outer boundary of buildings, and then by taking advantage of Hough transform and extracting the boundary of connected buildings in a building block, it extracts building footprints located in each block. The proposed method first recognizes the predominant leading orientation of a building block using Hough transform, and then rotates the block according to the inverted complement of the dominant line's angle. Therefore the block poses horizontally. Afterwards, by use of another Hough transform, vertical lines, which might be the building boundaries of interest, are extracted and the final building footprints within a block are obtained. The proposed algorithm is implemented and tested on the urban area of Zeebruges, Belgium(IEEE Contest,2015). The areas of extracted footprints are compared to the corresponding areas in the reference data and mean error is equal to 7.43 m2. Besides, qualitative and quantitative evaluations suggest that the proposed algorithm leads to acceptable results in automated precise extraction of building footprints.

Gaze Interactive Building Instructions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, John Paulin; Ahmed, Zaheer; Mardanbeigi, Diako

We combine eye tracking technology and mobile tablets to support hands-free interaction with digital building instructions. As a proof-of-concept we have developed a small interactive 3D environment where one can interact with digital blocks by gaze, keystroke and head gestures. Blocks may be moved...

Scalable geocomputation: evolving an environmental model building platform from single-core to supercomputers

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitz, Oliver; de Jong, Kor; Karssenberg, Derek

2017-04-01

There is an increasing demand to run environmental models on a big scale: simulations over large areas at high resolution. The heterogeneity of available computing hardware such as multi-core CPUs, GPUs or supercomputer potentially provides significant computing power to fulfil this demand. However, this requires detailed knowledge of the underlying hardware, parallel algorithm design and the implementation thereof in an efficient system programming language. Domain scientists such as hydrologists or ecologists often lack this specific software engineering knowledge, their emphasis is (and should be) on exploratory building and analysis of simulation models. As a result, models constructed by domain specialists mostly do not take full advantage of the available hardware. A promising solution is to separate the model building activity from software engineering by offering domain specialists a model building framework with pre-programmed building blocks that they combine to construct a model. The model building framework, consequently, needs to have built-in capabilities to make full usage of the available hardware. Developing such a framework providing understandable code for domain scientists and being runtime efficient at the same time poses several challenges on developers of such a framework. For example, optimisations can be performed on individual operations or the whole model, or tasks need to be generated for a well-balanced execution without explicitly knowing the complexity of the domain problem provided by the modeller. Ideally, a modelling framework supports the optimal use of available hardware whichsoever combination of model building blocks scientists use. We demonstrate our ongoing work on developing parallel algorithms for spatio-temporal modelling and demonstrate 1) PCRaster, an environmental software framework (http://www.pcraster.eu) providing spatio-temporal model building blocks and 2) parallelisation of about 50 of these building blocks using

Mn-based nanostructured building blocks: Synthesis, characterization and applications

Science.gov (United States)

Beltran Huarac, Juan

The quest for smaller functional elements of devices has stimulated increased interest in charge-transfer phenomena at the nanoscale. Mn-based nanostructured building blocks are particularly appealing given that the excited states of high-spin Mn2+ ions induce unusual d-d energy transfer processes, which is critical for better understanding the performance of electronic and spintronic devices. These nanostructures also exhibit unique properties superior to those of common Fe- and Co-based nanomaterials, including: excellent structural flexibility, enhanced electrochemical energy storage, effective ion-exchange dynamics, more comprehensive transport mechanisms, strong quantum yield, and they act as effective luminescent centers for more efficient visible light emitters. Moreover, Mn-based nanostructures (MBNs) are crucial for the design and assembly of inexpensive nanodevices in diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS), optoelectronics, magneto-optics, and field-effect transistors, owing to the great abundance and low-cost of Mn. Nonetheless, the paucity of original methods and techniques to fabricate new multifunctional MBNs that fulfill industrial demands limits the sustainable development of innovative technology in materials sciences. In order to meet this critical need, in this thesis we develop and implement novel methods and techniques to fabricate zero- and one-dimensional highly-crystalline new-generation MBNs conducive to the generation of new technology, and provide alternative and feasible miniaturization strategies to control and devise at nanometric precision their size, shape, structure and composition. Herein, we also establish the experimental conditions to grow Mn-based nanowires (NWs), nanotubes (NTs), nanoribbons (NRs), nanosaws (NSs), nanoparticles (NPs) and nanocomposites (NCs) via chemical/physical deposition and co-precipitation chemical routes, and determine the pertinent arrangements to our experimental schemes in order to extend our bottom

Isotopic evolution of the protoplanetary disk and the building blocks of Earth and the Moon

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schiller, Martin; Bizzarro, Martin; Fernandes, Vera Assis

2018-01-01

Nucleosynthetic isotope variability among Solar System objects is often used to probe the genetic relationship between meteorite groups and the rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars), which, in turn, may provide insights into the building blocks of the Earth-Moon system. Using this approach......, it has been inferred that no primitive meteorite matches the terrestrial composition and the protoplanetary disk material from which Earth and the Moon accreted is therefore largely unconstrained. This conclusion, however, is based on the assumption that the observed nucleosynthetic variability of inner...... into the thermally processed inner protoplanetary disk associated with the accretion of mass to the proto-Sun. The identical calcium isotope composition of Earth and the Moon reported here is a prediction of our model if the Moon-forming impact involved protoplanets or precursors that completed their accretion near...

The building blocks of the full body ownership illusion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonella eMaselli

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Previous work has reported that it is not difficult to give people the illusion of ownership over an artificial body, providing a powerful tool for the investigation of the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying body perception and self consciousness. We present an experimental study that uses immersive virtual reality focused on identifying the perceptual building blocks of this illusion. We systematically manipulated visuotactile and visual sensorimotor contingencies, visual perspective, and the appearance of the virtual body in order to assess their relative role and mutual interaction. Consistent results from subjective reports and physiological measures showed that a first person perspective over a fake humanoid body is essential for eliciting a body ownership illusion. We found that the level of realism of the virtual body, in particular the realism of skin tone, plays a critical role: when high enough, the illusion can be triggered by the sole effect of the spatial overlap between the real and virtual bodies, providing congruent visuoproprioceptive information, with no need for the additional contribution of congruent visuotactile and/or visual sensorimotor cues. Additionally, we found that the processing of incongruent perceptual cues can be modulated by the level of the illusion: when the illusion is strong, incongruent cues are not experienced as incorrect. Participants exposed to asynchronous visuotactile stimulation can experience the ownership illusion and perceive touch as originating from an object seen to contact the virtual body. Analogously, when the level of realism of the virtual body and/or the spatial overlap of the two bodies is not high enough, the contribution of congruent multisensory and/or sensorimotor cues is required for evoking the illusion. On the basis of these results and inspired by findings from neurophysiological recordings in the monkey, we propose a model that accounts for many of the results reported

The building blocks of the full body ownership illusion

Science.gov (United States)

Maselli, Antonella; Slater, Mel

2013-01-01

Previous work has reported that it is not difficult to give people the illusion of ownership over an artificial body, providing a powerful tool for the investigation of the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying body perception and self consciousness. We present an experimental study that uses immersive virtual reality (IVR) focused on identifying the perceptual building blocks of this illusion. We systematically manipulated visuotactile and visual sensorimotor contingencies, visual perspective, and the appearance of the virtual body in order to assess their relative role and mutual interaction. Consistent results from subjective reports and physiological measures showed that a first person perspective over a fake humanoid body is essential for eliciting a body ownership illusion. We found that the illusion of ownership can be generated when the virtual body has a realistic skin tone and spatially substitutes the real body seen from a first person perspective. In this case there is no need for an additional contribution of congruent visuotactile or sensorimotor cues. Additionally, we found that the processing of incongruent perceptual cues can be modulated by the level of the illusion: when the illusion is strong, incongruent cues are not experienced as incorrect. Participants exposed to asynchronous visuotactile stimulation can experience the ownership illusion and perceive touch as originating from an object seen to contact the virtual body. Analogously, when the level of realism of the virtual body is not high enough and/or when there is no spatial overlap between the two bodies, then the contribution of congruent multisensory and/or sensorimotor cues is required for evoking the illusion. On the basis of these results and inspired by findings from neurophysiological recordings in the monkey, we propose a model that accounts for many of the results reported in the literature. PMID:23519597

Carbon-based building blocks for alcohol dehydration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boffa, Vittorio; Mallon, Peter E.; Magnacca, Giuliana

A biopolymer (HAL), extracted from organic compost with yield ~20%, was used to fabricate composite HAL-graphene oxide (GO) membranes. Upon thermal stabilization, HAL brings high disorder in the membrane structure, thus increasing water permeability. This feature together with the good water/etha....../ethanol perm-selectivity make GO-HAL membranes promising devices for alcohol dehydration....

Le glycérol « building blocks » majeur de la bioraffinerie oléagineuse

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vandeputte Jacky

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Biodiesel production increases, and each ton of biodiésel produced leads to about 100 kg of glycerol. Because of increasing amount of generated glycerol, but also according to environmental concerns and scarcity of oil, glycerol is considered as one of the top 10 building block chemicals derived from biomass that can subsequently be converted into a number of high value biobased chemicals. Besides the well established sell of purified glycerine to manufacturers of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, a variety of novel conversion techniques are introduced. This paper provides an overview of the latest biobased compounds produced from glycerol’s conversion, and of the lower environmental impact of these new ways of production.

Exploring Integration in Action: Competencies as Building Blocks of Expertise.

Science.gov (United States)

Mylopoulos, Maria; Borschel, Debaroti Tina; O'Brien, Tara; Martimianakis, Sofia; Woods, Nicole N

2017-12-01

Competency frameworks such as the CanMEDS roles and the ACGME core competencies may lead to the implicit assumption that physicians can learn and practice individual competencies in isolation. In contrast, models of adaptive expertise suggest that the integration of competencies reflects the capabilities of an expert physician. Thus, educational programming aimed at teaching discrete roles or competencies might overlook expert physician capabilities that are central to patient care. To develop expertise, learning opportunities must reflect expert capabilities. To better understand the relationship between competency-based medical education and expert development, the authors sought to explore how integrated competencies are enacted during patient care by postgraduate medical trainees. Using a cognitive ethnographic approach, in 2014-2015 the authors conducted observations and-to refine and elaborate these observations-ad hoc informal interviews with 13 postgraduate trainee participants. Data collection resulted in 92 hours of observation, 26 patient case portraits, and a total of 220 pages of field notes for analysis. Through analysis, the authors identified and examined moments when postgraduate trainees appeared to be simultaneously enacting multiple competencies. The authors identified two key expert capabilities in moments of integrated competence: finding complexity and being patient-centered. They described two mechanisms for these forms of integration: valuing the patient's narrative of their illness, and integrated understanding. Understanding integrated competencies as the building blocks of expert capabilities, along with recognizing the importance of mechanisms that support integration, offers an opportunity to use existing competency-based frameworks to understand and teach adaptive expertise.

Steam-cured stabilised soil blocks for masonry construction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venkatarama Reddy, B.V. [Indian Inst. of Science, Bangalore (India). Dept. of Civil Engineering; Lokras, S.S. [Indian Inst. of Science, Bangalore (India). ASTRA

1998-12-01

Energy-efficient, economical and durable building materials are essential for sustainable construction practices. The paper deals with production and properties of energy-efficient steam-cured stabilised soil blocks used for masonry construction. Problems of mixing expansive soil and lime, and production of blocks using soil-lime mixtures have been discussed briefly. Details of steam curing of stabilised soil blocks and properties of such blocks are given. A comparison of energy content of steam-cured soil blocks and burnt bricks is presented. It has been shown that energy-efficient steam cured soil blocks (consuming 35% less thermal energy compared to burnt clay bricks) having high compressive strength can be easily produced in a decentralised manner. (orig.)

Functional Nanoporous Polymers from Block Copolymer Precursors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guo, Fengxiao

Abstract Self-assembly of block copolymers provides well-defined morphologies with characteristic length scales in the nanometer range. Nanoporous polymers prepared by selective removal of one block from self-assembled block copolymers offer great technological promise due to their many potential...... functionalities remains a great challenge due to the limitation of available polymer synthesis and the nanoscale confinement of the porous cavities. The main topic of this thesis is to develop methods for fabrication of functional nanoporous polymers from block copolymer precursors. A method has been developed......, where living anionic polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) are combined to synthesize a polydimethylsiloxane-b-poly(tert-butyl acrylate)-b-polystyrene (PDMS-b-PtBA-b-PS) triblock copolymer precursor. By using either anhydrous hydrogen fluoride or trifluoroacetic acid, PtBA block...

Bark polyflavonoids from Pinus radiata as functional building-blocks for polylactic acid (PLA-based green composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. E. Garcia

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Polylactic acid (PLA was melt-blended with Pinus radiata unmodified and modified (hydroxypropyled bark polyflavonoids in order to use such polyphenolic building-blocks as functional additives for envisaged applications. Rheological, morphological, molecular, thermal, and flexural properties were studied. Polyflavonoids improved blend processability in terms of short-time mixing. Furthermore, hydroxypropylated polyflavonoids improve miscibility in binary and ternary blends. Blend-composition affects crystallization-, melting-, and glass transition-temperature of PLA, as well as thermal resistance, and flexural properties of the blends. Polyflavonoids induced PLA-crystallization, and polymer-chain decomposition. Modified and unmodified bark polyflavonoids from radiata pine can be used successfully in PLA-based green composites beyond the food-packaging applications. The high compatibility between PLA and hydroxypropyled polyflavonoids highlights the potential of such phenolic derivatives for PLA-based material design.

The path to fulfilling the promise

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barrett, J. [Canadian Nuclear Association, Ottawa, ON (Canada)

2014-07-01

'Full text:'Countries work together to develop effective governance and regulation. Canada has made big investments in these areas and it carries a premium for us. The rapid build-out of nuclear technology around the Pacific Rim holds vast promise for our populations in better climate, better air, affordable and reliable electricity, and longer lives. The biggest risk is not another accident: rather, it is the risk of failing to fulfill that promise to our people. Every country that wants the benefits of nuclear must also want to be sure that those benefits are realized and sustained by good governance and regulation. Canada has the people, laws, organizations, public institutions, and relationships that can help our partners fulfill the whole and lasting promise of nuclear technology. (author)

Promising Practices: Building the Next Generation of School Leaders

Science.gov (United States)

Bryant, Jennifer Edic; Escalante, Karen; Selva, Ashley

2017-01-01

This study applies transformational leadership theory practices to examine the purposeful ways in which principals work to build the next generation of teacher leaders in response to the shortage of K-12 principals. Given the impact principals have on student development and the shortage of those applying for the principalship, the purpose of this…

Lifting of a sector block for YE-2 at Kawasaki.

CERN Multimedia

R. Loveless/U. of Wisconsin

2000-01-01

YE-2 is build from machined sector blocks. Trial assembly is carried out horizontally. This picture represents the lifting of a machined sector block destined to the trial assembly of a half disk YE-2 at Kawasaki (KHI) Kobe, Japan.

Lightweight concrete blocks with EVA recycled aggregate: a contribution to the thermal efficiency of building external walls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

De Melo, A. B.

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The regions with lots of shoe production suffer environmental impacts from waste generation during manufacturing of insoles and outsoles. Research conducted in Brazil has demonstrated the technical feasibility to recycle these wastes, especially Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA, as lightweight aggregate, in the production of non-structural cement blocks. This article presents an evaluation of thermal performance with measurements of temperature variation in mini walls (1 m2 built with different materials, including various kinds of EVA block and ceramic bricks. Tests have shown efficient thermal performance for masonry blocks with EVA. These results and supplementary estimates contribute to add value to the EVA block, considering that there are good expectations that the component, with the new geometry proposed, can contribute to the energy efficiency of buildings, highlighting its suitability to most Brazilian bioclimatic regions.Las regiones con una gran producción de calzado sufren impactos ambientales derivados de la generación de residuos durante la producción de plantillas y suelas. Investigaciones realizadas en Brasil han demostrado la viabilidad técnica para el reciclaje de estos residuos, especialmente el Etileno Vinil Acetato (EVA, como agregado ligero en la fabricación de bloques de hormigón no estructurales. Este trabajo presenta una evaluación del rendimiento térmico, con mediciones de la variación de la temperatura en pequeñas paredes (1 m2 construidas con diversos materiales, incluyendo algunos tipos de bloques EVA y ladrillos de cerámica. Las pruebas demostraron actuaciones térmicas eficientes para las muestras con bloques EVA. Estos resultados y cálculos adicionales contribuyen con un aporte de valor añadido al bloque EVA, considerando que existen buenas expectativas del componente, con una nueva propuesta de geometría, pudiendo contribuir a la eficiencia energética de edificios, especialmente por su adecuación a la

Functionalization of Block Copolymer Vesicle Surfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wolfgang Meier

2011-01-01

Full Text Available In dilute aqueous solutions certain amphiphilic block copolymers self-assemble into vesicles that enclose a small pool of water with a membrane. Such polymersomes have promising applications ranging from targeted drug-delivery devices, to biosensors, and nanoreactors. Interactions between block copolymer membranes and their surroundings are important factors that determine their potential biomedical applications. Such interactions are influenced predominantly by the membrane surface. We review methods to functionalize block copolymer vesicle surfaces by chemical means with ligands such as antibodies, adhesion moieties, enzymes, carbohydrates and fluorophores. Furthermore, surface-functionalization can be achieved by self-assembly of polymers that carry ligands at their chain ends or in their hydrophilic blocks. While this review focuses on the strategies to functionalize vesicle surfaces, the applications realized by, and envisioned for, such functional polymersomes are also highlighted.

Liquid Metallic Hydrogen: A Building Block for the Liquid Sun

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robitaille P.-M.

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Liquid metallic hydrogen provides a compelling material for constructing a condensed matter model of the Sun and the photosphere. Like diamond, metallic hydrogen might have the potential to be a metastable substance requiring high pressures for forma- tion. Once created, it would remain stable even at lower pressures. The metallic form of hydrogen was initially conceived in 1935 by Eugene Wigner and Hillard B. Huntington who indirectly anticipated its elevated critical temperature for liquefaction (Wigner E. and Huntington H.B. On the possibility of a metallic modification of hydro- gen. J. Chem. Phys. , 1935, v.3, 764–770. At that time, solid metallic hydrogen was hypothesized to exist as a body centered cubic, although a more energetically accessible layered graphite-like lattice was also envisioned. Relative to solar emission, this struc- tural resemblance between graphite and layered metallic hydrogen should not be easily dismissed. In the laboratory, metallic hydrogen remains an elusive material. However, given the extensive observational evidence for a condensed Sun composed primarily of hydrogen, it is appropriate to consider metallic hydrogen as a solar building block. It is anticipated that solar liquid metallic hydrogen should possess at least some layered order. Since layered liquid metallic hydrogen would be essentially incompressible, its invocation as a solar constituent brings into question much of current stellar physics. The central proof of a liquid state remains the thermal spectrum of the Sun itself. Its proper understanding brings together all the great forces which shaped modern physics. Although other proofs exist for a liquid photosphere, our focus remains solidly on the generation of this light.

Amino propynyl benzoic acid building block in rigid spacers of divalent ligands binding to the Syk SH2 domains with equally high affinity as the natural ligand

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dekker, Frank J; de Mol, Nico J; Fischer, Marcel J E; Liskamp, Rob M J; Dekker, Frank

2003-01-01

The construction of rigid spacers composed of amino propynyl benzoic acid building blocks is described. These spacers were used to link two phosphopeptide ligand sites towards obtaining divalent ligands with a high affinity for Syk tandem SH2 domains, which are important in signal transduction. The

Powered Explicit Guidance Modifications and Enhancements for Space Launch System Block-1 and Block-1B Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Von der Porten, Paul; Ahmad, Naeem; Hawkins, Matt; Fill, Thomas

2018-01-01

NASA is currently building the Space Launch System (SLS) Block-1 launch vehicle for the Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) test flight. NASA is also currently designing the next evolution of SLS, the Block-1B. The Block-1 and Block-1B vehicles will use the Powered Explicit Guidance (PEG) algorithm (of Space Shuttle heritage) for closed loop guidance. To accommodate vehicle capabilities and design for future evolutions of SLS, modifications were made to PEG for Block-1 to handle multi-phase burns, provide PEG updated propulsion information, and react to a core stage engine out. In addition, due to the relatively low thrust-to-weight ratio of the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) and EUS carrying out Lunar Vicinity and Earth Escape missions, certain enhancements to the Block-1 PEG algorithm are needed to perform Block-1B missions to account for long burn arcs and target translunar and hyperbolic orbits. This paper describes the design and implementation of modifications to the Block-1 PEG algorithm as compared to Space Shuttle. Furthermore, this paper illustrates challenges posed by the Block-1B vehicle and the required PEG enhancements. These improvements make PEG capable for use on the SLS Block-1B vehicle as part of the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GN&C) System.

Effect of block weight on work demands and physical workload during masonry work

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Molen, H.F.; Kuijer, P.P.F.; Hopmans, P.P.; Houweling, A.G.; Faber, G.S.; Hoozemans, M.J.M.; Frings-Dresen, M.H.W.

2007-01-01

The effect of block weight on work demands and physical workload was determined for masons who laid sandstone building blocks over the course of a full work day. Three groups of five sandstone block masons participated. Each group worked with a different block weight: 11 kg, 14 kg or 16 kg.

Effect of block weight on work demands and physical workload during masonry work.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Molen, H.F.; Kuijer, P.P.F.M.; Hopmans, P.P.; Houweling, A.G.; Faber, G.S.; Hoozemans, M.J.M.; Frings-Dresen, M.H.

2008-01-01

The effect of block weight on work demands and physical workload was determined for masons who laid sandstone building blocks over the course of a full work day. Three groups of five sandstone block masons participated. Each group worked with a different block weight: 11 kg, 14 kg or 16 kg.

Effect of block weight on work demands and physical workload during masonry work

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Molen, H. F.; Kuijer, P. P. F. M.; Hopmans, P. P. W.; Houweling, A. G.; Faber, G. S.; Hoozemans, M. J. M.; Frings-Dresen, M. H. W.

2008-01-01

The effect of block weight on work demands and physical workload was determined for masons who laid sandstone building blocks over the course of a full work day. Three groups of five sandstone block masons participated. Each group worked with a different block weight: 11 kg, 14 kg or 16 kg.

Stepwise transformation of the molecular building blocks in a porphyrin-encapsulating metal-organic material

KAUST Repository

Zhang, ZhenJie

2013-04-24

When immersed in solutions containing Cu(II) cations, the microporous metal-organic material P11 ([Cd4(BPT)4]·[Cd(C 44H36N8)(S)]·[S], BPT = biphenyl-3,4′,5-tricarboxylate) undergoes a transformation of its [Cd 2(COO)6]2- molecular building blocks (MBBs) into novel tetranuclear [Cu4X2(COO)6(S) 2] MBBs to form P11-Cu. The transformation occurs in single-crystal to single-crystal fashion, and its stepwise mechanism was studied by varying the Cd2+/Cu2+ ratio of the solution in which crystals of P11 were immersed. P11-16/1 (Cd in framework retained, Cd in encapsulated porphyrins exchanged) and other intermediate phases were thereby isolated and structurally characterized. P11-16/1 and P11-Cu retain the microporosity of P11, and the relatively larger MBBs in P11-Cu permit a 20% unit cell expansion and afford a higher surface area and a larger pore size. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

NAA-modified DNA oligonucleotides with zwitterionic backbones: stereoselective synthesis of A-T phosphoramidite building blocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidtgall, Boris; Höbartner, Claudia; Ducho, Christian

2015-01-01

Modifications of the nucleic acid backbone are essential for the development of oligonucleotide-derived bioactive agents. The NAA-modification represents a novel artificial internucleotide linkage which enables the site-specific introduction of positive charges into the otherwise polyanionic backbone of DNA oligonucleotides. Following initial studies with the introduction of the NAA-linkage at T-T sites, it is now envisioned to prepare NAA-modified oligonucleotides bearing the modification at X-T motifs (X = A, C, G). We have therefore developed the efficient and stereoselective synthesis of NAA-linked 'dimeric' A-T phosphoramidite building blocks for automated DNA synthesis. Both the (S)- and the (R)-configured NAA-motifs were constructed with high diastereoselectivities to furnish two different phosphoramidite reagents, which were employed for the solid phase-supported automated synthesis of two NAA-modified DNA oligonucleotides. This represents a significant step to further establish the NAA-linkage as a useful addition to the existing 'toolbox' of backbone modifications for the design of bioactive oligonucleotide analogues.

Blocking TRPA1 in Respiratory Disorders: Does It Hold a Promise?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Indranil Mukhopadhyay

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin 1 (TRPA1 ion channel is expressed abundantly on the C fibers that innervate almost entire respiratory tract starting from oral cavity and oropharynx, conducting airways in the trachea, bronchi, terminal bronchioles, respiratory bronchioles and upto alveolar ducts and alveoli. Functional presence of TRPA1 on non-neuronal cells got recognized recently. TRPA1 plays a well-recognized role of “chemosensor”, detecting presence of exogenous irritants and endogenous pro-inflammatory mediators that are implicated in airway inflammation and sensory symptoms like chronic cough, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, allergic rhinitis and cystic fibrosis. TRPA1 can remain activated chronically due to elevated levels and continued presence of such endogenous ligands and pro-inflammatory mediators. Several selective TRPA1 antagonists have been tested in animal models of respiratory disease and their performance is very promising. Although there is no TRPA1 antagonist in advanced clinical trials or approved on market yet to treat respiratory diseases, however, limited but promising evidences available so far indicate likelihood that targeting TRPA1 may present a new therapy in treatment of respiratory diseases in near future. This review will focus on in vitro, animal and human evidences that strengthen the proposed role of TRPA1 in modulation of specific airway sensory responses and also on preclinical and clinical progress of selected TRPA1 antagonists.

Mononuclear, trinuclear, and hetero-trinuclear supramolecular complexes containing a new tri-sulfonate ligand and cobalt(II)/copper(II)-(1,10-phenanthroline)2 building blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Yunfang; Wei Yongqin; Broer, Ria; Sa Rongjian; Wu Kechen

2008-01-01

Novel mononuclear, trinuclear, and hetero-trinuclear supermolecular complexes, [Co(phen) 2 (H 2 O)(HTST)].2H 2 O (1), [Co 3 (phen) 6 (H 2 O) 2 (TST) 2 ].7H 2 O (2), and [Co 2 Cu(phen) 6 (H 2 O) 2 (TST) 2 ].10H 2 O (3), have been synthesized by the reactions of a new tri-sulfonate ligand (2,4,6-tris(4-sulfophenylamino)-1,3,5-triazine, H 3 TST) with the M 2+ (M=Co, Cu) and the second ligand 1,10-phenanthroline (phen). Complex 1 contains a cis-Co(II)(phen) 2 building block and an HTST as monodentate ligand; complex 2 consists of two TST as bidentate ligands connecting one trans- and two cis-Co(II)(phen) 2 building blocks; complex 3 is formed by replacing the trans-Co(II)(phen) 2 in 2 with a trans-Cu(II)(phen) 2 , which is the first reported hetero-trinuclear supramolecular complex containing both the Co(II)(phen) 2 and Cu(II)(phen) 2 as building blocks. The study shows the flexible multifunctional self-assembly capability of the H 3 TST ligands presenting in these supramolecular complexes through coordinative, H-bonding and even π-π stacking interactions. The photoluminescent optical properties of these complexes are also investigated and discussed as well as the second-order nonlinear optical properties of 1. - Graphical abstract: Novel mononuclear, trinuclear, and hetero-trinuclear supermolecular complexes, [Co(phen) 2 (H 2 O)(HTST)].2H 2 O (1), [Co 3 (phen) 6 (H 2 O) 2 (TST) 2 ].7H 2 O (2), and [Co 2 Cu(phen) 6 (H 2 O) 2 (TST) 2 ].10H 2 O (3), have been synthesized by the reactions of a new tri-sulfonate ligand (2,4,6-tris(4-sulfophenylamino)-1,3,5-triazine, H 3 TST) with the M 2+ (M=Co, Cu) and the second ligand 1,10-phenanthroline (phen). The study shows the flexible multifunctional self-assembly capability of H 3 TST ligand presenting in these supramolecular complexes

Forensic intelligence framework. Part II: Study of the main generic building blocks and challenges through the examples of illicit drugs and false identity documents monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Baechler, Simon; Morelato, Marie; Ribaux, Olivier; Beavis, Alison; Tahtouh, Mark; Kirkbride, K Paul; Esseiva, Pierre; Margot, Pierre; Roux, Claude

2015-05-01

The development of forensic intelligence relies on the expression of suitable models that better represent the contribution of forensic intelligence in relation to the criminal justice system, policing and security. Such models assist in comparing and evaluating methods and new technologies, provide transparency and foster the development of new applications. Interestingly, strong similarities between two separate projects focusing on specific forensic science areas were recently observed. These observations have led to the induction of a general model (Part I) that could guide the use of any forensic science case data in an intelligence perspective. The present article builds upon this general approach by focusing on decisional and organisational issues. The article investigates the comparison process and evaluation system that lay at the heart of the forensic intelligence framework, advocating scientific decision criteria and a structured but flexible and dynamic architecture. These building blocks are crucial and clearly lay within the expertise of forensic scientists. However, it is only part of the problem. Forensic intelligence includes other blocks with their respective interactions, decision points and tensions (e.g. regarding how to guide detection and how to integrate forensic information with other information). Formalising these blocks identifies many questions and potential answers. Addressing these questions is essential for the progress of the discipline. Such a process requires clarifying the role and place of the forensic scientist within the whole process and their relationship to other stakeholders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Online design of Matlab/Simulink block schemes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zoltán Janík

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a new online tool that enables to build a Matlab/Simulink block scheme in the Internet environment. The block scheme can be designed in similar manner as it is offered by local installation of Simulink. The application was created by widely used technologies as XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP together with AJAX approach. The created application can be used as a supporting tool in virtual and remote laboratories.

Building an organic block storage service at CERN with Ceph

Science.gov (United States)

van der Ster, Daniel; Wiebalck, Arne

2014-06-01

Emerging storage requirements, such as the need for block storage for both OpenStack VMs and file services like AFS and NFS, have motivated the development of a generic backend storage service for CERN IT. The goals for such a service include (a) vendor neutrality, (b) horizontal scalability with commodity hardware, (c) fault tolerance at the disk, host, and network levels, and (d) support for geo-replication. Ceph is an attractive option due to its native block device layer RBD which is built upon its scalable, reliable, and performant object storage system, RADOS. It can be considered an "organic" storage solution because of its ability to balance and heal itself while living on an ever-changing set of heterogeneous disk servers. This work will present the outcome of a petabyte-scale test deployment of Ceph by CERN IT. We will first present the architecture and configuration of our cluster, including a summary of best practices learned from the community and discovered internally. Next the results of various functionality and performance tests will be shown: the cluster has been used as a backend block storage system for AFS and NFS servers as well as a large OpenStack cluster at CERN. Finally, we will discuss the next steps and future possibilities for Ceph at CERN.

Introduction of Molecular Building Blocks to Improve the Stability of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Efficient Mercury Removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Shu-Yi; He, Wen-Wen; Li, Shun-Li; Su, Zhong-Min; Lan, Ya-Qian

2018-05-08

With expanding human needs, many heavy metals were mined, smelted, processed, and manufactured for commercialization, which caused serious environmental pollutions. Currently, many adsorption materials are applied in the field of adsorption of heavy metals. Among them, the principle of many mercury adsorbents is based on the interaction between mercury and sulfur. Here, a S-containing metal-organic framework NENU-400 was synthesized for effective mercury extraction. Unfortunately, the skeleton of NENU-400 collapsed easily when exposed to the mercury liquid solution. To improve the stability, a synthetic strategy installing molecular building blocks (MBBs) into the channels was used. Modified by the MBBs, a more stable nanoporous framework was synthesized, which not only exhibits a high capacity of saturation mercury uptake but also shows high selectivity and efficient recyclability.

Liquid Core ARROW Waveguides: A Promising Photonic Structure for Integrated Optofluidic Microsensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Genni Testa

2016-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we introduce a liquid core antiresonant reflecting optical waveguide (ARROW as a novel optofluidic device that can be used to create innovative and highly functional microsensors. Liquid core ARROWs, with their dual ability to guide the light and the fluids in the same microchannel, have shown great potential as an optofluidic tool for quantitative spectroscopic analysis. ARROWs feature a planar architecture and, hence, are particularly attractive for chip scale integrated system. Step by step, several improvements have been made in recent years towards the implementation of these waveguides in a complete on-chip system for highly-sensitive detection down to the single molecule level. We review applications of liquid ARROWs for fluids sensing and discuss recent results and trends in the developments and applications of liquid ARROW in biomedical and biochemical research. The results outlined show that the strong light matter interaction occurring in the optofluidic channel of an ARROW and the versatility offered by the fabrication methods makes these waveguides a very promising building block for optofluidic sensor development.

High-definition polymeric membranes: construction of 3D lithographed channel arrays through control of natural building blocks dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Speranza, Valentina; Trotta, Francesco; Drioli, Enrico; Gugliuzza, Annarosa

2010-02-01

The fabrication of well-defined interfaces is in high demand in many fields of biotechnologies. Here, high-definition membrane-like arrays are developed through the self-assembly of water droplets, which work as natural building blocks for the construction of ordered channels. Solution viscosity together with the dynamics of the water droplets can decide the final formation of three-dimensional well-ordered patterns resembling anodic structures, especially because solvents denser than water are used. Particularly, the polymer solution viscosity is demonstrated to be a powerful tool for control of the mobility of submerged droplets during the microfabrication process. The polymeric patterns are structured at very high levels of organization and exhibit well-established transport-surface property relationships, considered basics for any types of advanced biotechnologies.

Region 9 Census Block 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Geography:The TIGER Line Files are feature classes and related database files (.) that are an extract of selected geographic and cartographic information from the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File / Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Database (MTDB). The MTDB represents a seamless national file with no overlaps or gaps between parts, however, each TIGER Line File is designed to stand alone as an independent data set, or they can be combined to cover the entire nation. Census Blocks are statistical areas bounded on all sides by visible features, such as streets, roads, streams, and railroad tracks, and/or by non visible boundaries such as city, town, township, and county limits, and short line-of-sight extensions of streets and roads. Census blocks are relatively small in area; for example, a block in a city bounded by streets. However, census blocks in remote areas are often large and irregular and may even be many square miles in area. A common misunderstanding is that data users think census blocks are used geographically to build all other census geographic areas, rather all other census geographic areas are updated and then used as the primary constraints, along with roads and water features, to delineate the tabulation blocks. As a result, all 2010 Census blocks nest within every other 2010 Census geographic area, so that Census Bureau statistical data can be tabulated at the block level and aggregated up t

Building an organic block storage service at CERN with Ceph

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ster, Daniel van der; Wiebalck, Arne

2014-01-01

Emerging storage requirements, such as the need for block storage for both OpenStack VMs and file services like AFS and NFS, have motivated the development of a generic backend storage service for CERN IT. The goals for such a service include (a) vendor neutrality, (b) horizontal scalability with commodity hardware, (c) fault tolerance at the disk, host, and network levels, and (d) support for geo-replication. Ceph is an attractive option due to its native block device layer RBD which is built upon its scalable, reliable, and performant object storage system, RADOS. It can be considered an 'organic' storage solution because of its ability to balance and heal itself while living on an ever-changing set of heterogeneous disk servers. This work will present the outcome of a petabyte-scale test deployment of Ceph by CERN IT. We will first present the architecture and configuration of our cluster, including a summary of best practices learned from the community and discovered internally. Next the results of various functionality and performance tests will be shown: the cluster has been used as a backend block storage system for AFS and NFS servers as well as a large OpenStack cluster at CERN. Finally, we will discuss the next steps and future possibilities for Ceph at CERN.

Perspectives of 99mTc chemistry and radiopharmacy: strategies, building blocks and targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alberto, R.

2007-01-01

Technetium chemistry, both fundamental and applied are required to a larger extent in order to keep the essential role of this element in radiopharmacy alive. After an introduction, highlighting the situation in general from research and market aspects, new strategies will be proposed in which technetium and rhenium play an essential role which can not be taken over by other radionuclides such as 11 C or 18 F. Furthermore, currently available and potential future building blocks in technetium chemistry and their relationship to the new strategies as well as characteristics of new precursors will be discussed and compared to each other. Targets and targeting molecules, again in the context of strategies unique for technetium (and rhenium) are in the focus of the last part. With respect of retaining a unique role, it is obvious that any future technetium or rhenium labelled biomolecule should have potential to therapy or be applied in the immediate context of therapy, as e.g. for the early assessment of success in chemotherapy. All these aspects emphasize a role of inorganic technetium chemistry which goes far beyond simple labelling strategies. To underline the importance of fundamental chemistry, we will present and discuss some examples with nuclear targeting agents, amino acids and vitamin B12. (author)

Protein Assembly and Building Blocks: Beyond the Limits of the LEGO Brick Metaphor.

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Yaakov

2017-09-26

Proteins, like other biomolecules, have a modular and hierarchical structure. Various building blocks are used to construct proteins of high structural complexity and diverse functionality. In multidomain proteins, for example, domains are fused to each other in different combinations to achieve different functions. Although the LEGO brick metaphor is justified as a means of simplifying the complexity of three-dimensional protein structures, several fundamental properties (such as allostery or the induced-fit mechanism) make deviation from it necessary to respect the plasticity, softness, and cross-talk that are essential to protein function. In this work, we illustrate recently reported protein behavior in multidomain proteins that deviates from the LEGO brick analogy. While earlier studies showed that a protein domain is often unaffected by being fused to another domain or becomes more stable following the formation of a new interface between the tethered domains, destabilization due to tethering has been reported for several systems. We illustrate that tethering may sometimes result in a multidomain protein behaving as "less than the sum of its parts". We survey these cases for which structure additivity does not guarantee thermodynamic additivity. Protein destabilization due to fusion to other domains may be linked in some cases to biological function and should be taken into account when designing large assemblies.

Seismic proof test of shielding block walls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohte, Yukio; Watanabe, Takahide; Watanabe, Hiroyuki; Maruyama, Kazuhide

1989-01-01

Most of the shielding block walls used for building nuclear facilities are built by dry process. When a nuclear facility is designed, seismic waves specific at each site are set as input seismic motions and they are adopted in the design. Therefore, it is necessary to assure safety of the shielding block walls for earthquake by performing anti-seismic experiments under the conditions at each site. In order to establish the normal form that can be applied to various seismic conditions in various areas, Shimizu Corp. made an actual-size test samples for the shielding block wall and confirmed the safety for earthquake and validity of normalization. (author)

The building blocks of a 'Liveable Neighbourhood': Identifying the key performance indicators for walking of an operational planning policy in Perth, Western Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hooper, Paula; Knuiman, Matthew; Foster, Sarah; Giles-Corti, Billie

2015-11-01

Planning policy makers are requesting clearer guidance on the key design features required to build neighbourhoods that promote active living. Using a backwards stepwise elimination procedure (logistic regression with generalised estimating equations adjusting for demographic characteristics, self-selection factors, stage of construction and scale of development) this study identified specific design features (n=16) from an operational planning policy ("Liveable Neighbourhoods") that showed the strongest associations with walking behaviours (measured using the Neighbourhood Physical Activity Questionnaire). The interacting effects of design features on walking behaviours were also investigated. The urban design features identified were grouped into the "building blocks of a Liveable Neighbourhood", reflecting the scale, importance and sequencing of the design and implementation phases required to create walkable, pedestrian friendly developments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fluorinated cyclohexanes: Synthesis of amine building blocks of the all-cis 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorocyclohexylamine motif

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tetiana Bykova

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper reports the synthesis of three amine stereoisomers 5a–c of the tetrafluorocyclohexyl ring system, as building blocks for discovery chemistry programmes. The synthesis starts from a Birch reduction of benzonitrile, followed by an in situ methyl iodide quench. The resultant 2,5-cyclohexadiene was progressed via double epoxidations and then hydrofluorination ring opening reactions. The resultant fluorohydrin moieties were then converted to different stereoisomers of the tetrafluorocyclohexyl ring system, and then reductive hydrogenation of the nitrile delivered three amine stereoisomers. It proved necessary to place a methyl group on the cyclohexane ring in order to stabilise the compound against subsequent HF elimination. The two all-cis tetrafluorocyclohexyl isomers 5a and 5b constitute facially polarized cyclohexane rings, with fluorines on the electronegative face and hydrogens on the electropositive face.

Small Buildings in Earthquake Areas. Educational Building Digest 2.

Science.gov (United States)

Mooij, D.

This booklet is intended for builders and others who actually construct small buildings in earthquake areas and not for professionally qualified architects or engineers. In outline form with sketches the following topics are discussed: general construction and design principles; foundations; earth walls; brick, block, and stone walls; timber frame…

Creating Metamaterial Building Blocks with Directed Photochemical Metallization of Silver onto DNA Origami Templates.

Science.gov (United States)

Hossen, Md Mir; Bendickson, Lee; Palo, Pierre; Yao, Zhiqi; Nilsen-Hamilton, Marit; Hillier, Andrew C

2018-06-07

DNA origami can be used to create a variety of complex and geometrically unique nanostructures that can be further modified to produce building blocks for applications such as in optical metamaterials. We describe a method for creating metal-coated nanostructures using DNA origami templates and a photochemical metallization technique. Triangular DNA origami were fabricated and coated with a thin metal layer by photochemical silver reduction while either in solution or supported on a surface. The DNA origami template serves as a localized photosensitizer to facilitate reduction of silver ions directly from solution onto the DNA surface. The metallizing process is shown to result in a conformal metal coating, which grows in height to a self-limiting value with increasing photoreduction steps. Although this coating process results in a slight decrease in the triangle dimensions, the overall template shape is retained. Notably, this coating method exhibits characteristics of self-limiting and defect-filling growth, which results in a metal nanostructure that maps the shape of the original origami template with a continuous and uniform metal layer and stops growing once all available DNA sites are exhausted. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

The blocking reagent optimization for the magnetoelastic biosensor

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jiajia; Chai, Yating; Horikawa, Shin; Wikle, Howard C.; Wang, Feng'en; Du, Songtao; Chin, Bryan A.; Hu, Jing

2015-06-01

The wireless phage-based magnetoelastic (ME) biosensor has proven to be promising for real-time detection of pathogenic bacteria on fresh produces. The ME biosensor consists of a freestanding ME resonator as the signal transducer and filamentous phage as the biomolecular-recognition element, which can specifically bind to a pathogen of interest. Due to the Joule magnetostriction effect, the biosensors can be placed into mechanical resonance when subjected to a time-varying magnetic field alternating at the sensor's resonant frequency. Upon the attachment of the target pathogen, the mass of the biosensor increases, thereby decreasing its resonant frequency. This paper presents an investigation of blocking reagents immobilization for detecting Salmonella Typhimurium on fresh food surfaces. Three different blocking reagents (BSA, SuperBlock blocking buffer, and blocker BLOTTO) were used and compared. The optical microscope was used for bacterial cells binding observation. Student t-test was used to statistically analysis the experiment results. The results shows that SuperBlock blocking buffer and blocker BLOTTO have much better blocking performance than usually used BSA.

Precise Control over the Rheological Behavior of Associating Stimuli-Responsive Block Copolymer Gels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jérémy Brassinne

2015-12-01

Full Text Available “Smart” materials have considerably evolved over the last few years for specific applications. They rely on intelligent macromolecules or (supra-molecular motifs to adapt their structure and properties in response to external triggers. Here, a supramolecular stimuli-responsive polymer gel is constructed from heterotelechelic double hydrophilic block copolymers that incorporate thermo-responsive sequences. These macromolecular building units are synthesized via a three-step controlled radical copolymerization and then hierarchically assembled to yield coordination micellar hydrogels. The dynamic mechanical properties of this particular class of materials are studied in shear flow and finely tuned via temperature changes. Notably, rheological experiments show that structurally reinforcing the micellar network nodes leads to precise tuning of the viscoelastic response and yield behavior of the material. Hence, they constitute promising candidates for specific applications, such as mechano-sensors.

Triazole: a unique building block for the construction of functional materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Juríček, Michal; Kouwer, Paul H J; Rowan, Alan E

2011-08-21

Over the past 50 years, numerous roads towards carbon-based materials have been explored, all of them being paved using mainly one functional group as the brick: acetylene. The acetylene group, or the carbon-carbon triple bond, is one of the oldest and simplest functional groups in chemistry, and although not present in any of the naturally occurring carbon allotropes, it is an essential tool to access their synthetic carbon-rich family. In general, two strategies towards the synthesis of π-conjugated carbon-rich structures can be employed: (a) either the acetylene group serves as a building block to access acetylene-derived structures or (b) it serves as a synthetic tool to provide other, usually benzenoid, structures. The recently discovered copper-catalysed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction, however, represents a new powerful alternative: it transforms the acetylene group into a five-membered heteroaromatic 1H-1,2,3-triazole (triazole) ring and this gives rise to new opportunities. Compared with all-carbon aromatic non-functional rings, the triazole ring possesses three nitrogen atoms and, thus, can serve as a ligand to coordinate metals, or as a hydrogen bond acceptor and donor. This Feature Article summarises examples of using the triazole ring to construct conjugation- and/or function-related heteroaromatic materials, such as tuneable multichromophoric covalent ensembles, macrocyclic receptors or responsive foldamers. These recent examples, which open a new sub-field within organic materials, started to appear only few years ago and represent "a few more bricks" on the road to carbon-rich functional materials. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011

Engineering responsive polymer building blocks with host-guest molecular recognition for functional applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jinming; Liu, Shiyong

2014-07-15

CONSPECTUS: All living organisms and soft matter are intrinsically responsive and adaptive to external stimuli. Inspired by this fact, tremendous effort aiming to emulate subtle responsive features exhibited by nature has spurred the invention of a diverse range of responsive polymeric materials. Conventional stimuli-responsive polymers are constructed via covalent bonds and can undergo reversible or irreversible changes in chemical structures, physicochemical properties, or both in response to a variety of external stimuli. They have been imparted with a variety of emerging applications including drug and gene delivery, optical sensing and imaging, diagnostics and therapies, smart coatings and textiles, and tissue engineering. On the other hand, in comparison with molecular chemistry held by covalent bonds, supramolecular chemistry built on weak and reversible noncovalent interactions has emerged as a powerful and versatile strategy for materials fabrication due to its facile accessibility, extraordinary reversibility and adaptivity, and potent applications in diverse fields. Typically involving more than one type of noncovalent interactions (e.g., hydrogen bonding, metal coordination, hydrophobic association, electrostatic interactions, van der Waals forces, and π-π stacking), host-guest recognition refers to the formation of supramolecular inclusion complexes between two or more entities connected together in a highly controlled and cooperative manner. The inherently reversible and adaptive nature of host-guest molecular recognition chemistry, stemming from multiple noncovalent interactions, has opened up a new platform to construct novel types of stimuli-responsive materials. The introduction of host-guest chemistry not only enriches the realm of responsive materials but also confers them with promising new applications. Most intriguingly, the integration of responsive polymer building blocks with host-guest recognition motifs will endow the former with

The Building Blocks of User-Focused 3D City Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabel Sargent

2015-12-01

Full Text Available At Ordnance Survey, GB, we have taken an incremental approach to creating our 3D geospatial database. Research at Ordnance Survey has focused not only on methods for deriving 3D data, but also on the needs of the user in terms of the actual tasks they perform. This provides insights into the type and quality of the data required and how its quality is conveyed. In 2007, using task analysis and user-centred design, we derived a set of geometric characteristics of building exteriors that are relevant to one or more use contexts. This work has been valuable for guiding which building data to collect and how to augment our products. In 2014, we began to supply building height attributes as an alpha-release enhancement to our 2D topography data, OS MasterMap® Topography Layer. This is the first in a series of enhancements of our 2D data that forms part of a road map that will ultimately lead to a full range of 3D products. This paper outlines our research journey from the understanding of the key 3D building characteristics to the development of geo-spatial products and the specification of research. There remains a rich seam of research into methods for capturing user-focused, geo-spatial data to enable visualisation and analysis in three dimensions. Because the process of informing and designing a product is necessarily focused on the practicalities of production, storage and distribution, this paper is presented as a case report, as we believe our journey will be of interest to others involved in the capture of 3D buildings at a national level.

Developing Verification Systems for Building Information Models of Heritage Buildings with Heterogeneous Datasets

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, L.; Fai, S.

2017-08-01

The digitization and abstraction of existing buildings into building information models requires the translation of heterogeneous datasets that may include CAD, technical reports, historic texts, archival drawings, terrestrial laser scanning, and photogrammetry into model elements. In this paper, we discuss a project undertaken by the Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS) that explored the synthesis of heterogeneous datasets for the development of a building information model (BIM) for one of Canada's most significant heritage assets - the Centre Block of the Parliament Hill National Historic Site. The scope of the project included the development of an as-found model of the century-old, six-story building in anticipation of specific model uses for an extensive rehabilitation program. The as-found Centre Block model was developed in Revit using primarily point cloud data from terrestrial laser scanning. The data was captured by CIMS in partnership with Heritage Conservation Services (HCS), Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), using a Leica C10 and P40 (exterior and large interior spaces) and a Faro Focus (small to mid-sized interior spaces). Secondary sources such as archival drawings, photographs, and technical reports were referenced in cases where point cloud data was not available. As a result of working with heterogeneous data sets, a verification system was introduced in order to communicate to model users/viewers the source of information for each building element within the model.

Proposed and existing passive and inherent safety-related structures, systems, and components (building blocks) for advanced light-water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, C.W.; Moses, D.L.; Lewis, E.B.; Gibson, R.; Pearson, R.; Reich, W.J.; Murphy, G.A.; Staunton, R.H.; Kohn, W.E.

1989-10-01

A nuclear power plant is composed of many structures, systems, and components (SSCs). Examples include emergency core cooling systems, feedwater systems, and electrical systems. The design of a reactor consists of combining various SSCs (building blocks) into an integrated plant design. A new reactor design is the result of combining old SSCs in new ways or use of new SSCs. This report identifies, describes, and characterizes SSCs with passive and inherent features that can be used to assure safety in light-water reactors. Existing, proposed, and speculative technologies are described. The following approaches were used to identify the technologies: world technical literature searches, world patent searches, and discussions with universities, national laboratories and industrial vendors. 214 refs., 105 figs., 26 tabs

Proposed and existing passive and inherent safety-related structures, systems, and components (building blocks) for advanced light-water reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Forsberg, C.W.; Moses, D.L.; Lewis, E.B.; Gibson, R.; Pearson, R.; Reich, W.J.; Murphy, G.A.; Staunton, R.H.; Kohn, W.E.

1989-10-01

A nuclear power plant is composed of many structures, systems, and components (SSCs). Examples include emergency core cooling systems, feedwater systems, and electrical systems. The design of a reactor consists of combining various SSCs (building blocks) into an integrated plant design. A new reactor design is the result of combining old SSCs in new ways or use of new SSCs. This report identifies, describes, and characterizes SSCs with passive and inherent features that can be used to assure safety in light-water reactors. Existing, proposed, and speculative technologies are described. The following approaches were used to identify the technologies: world technical literature searches, world patent searches, and discussions with universities, national laboratories and industrial vendors. 214 refs., 105 figs., 26 tabs.

Eliminating tobacco-related disparities among Pacific Islanders through leadership and capacity building - Promising practices and lessons learned

Science.gov (United States)

David, Annette M.; Lew, Rod; Lyman, Annabel K.; Otto, Caleb; Robles, Rebecca; Cruz, George

2013-01-01

Tobacco remains a major risk factor for premature death and ill health among Pacific Islanders, and tobacco-related disparities persist. Eliminating these disparities requires a comprehensive approach to transform community norms about tobacco use through policy change, as contained in the World Health Organization (WHO) international Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Three of the six US-affiliated Pacific Islands – the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Palau and the Marshall Islands – are Parties to the FCTC; the remaining three territories – American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam – are excluded from the treaty by virtue of US non-ratification. Capacity building and leadership development are essential in achieving policy change and health equity within Pacific Islander communities. We describe promising practices from American Samoa, CNMI, FSM, Guam and Palau and highlight some of the key lessons learned in supporting and sustaining the reduction in tobacco use among Pacific Islanders as a first step towards eliminating tobacco-related disparities in these populations. PMID:23690256

Eliminating tobacco-related disparities among Pacific Islanders through leadership and capacity building: promising practices and lessons learned.

Science.gov (United States)

David, Annette M; Lew, Rod; Lyman, Annabel K; Otto, Caleb; Robles, Rebecca; Cruz, George J

2013-09-01

Tobacco remains a major risk factor for premature death and ill health among Pacific Islanders, and tobacco-related disparities persist. Eliminating these disparities requires a comprehensive approach to transform community norms about tobacco use through policy change, as contained in the World Health Organization international Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Three of the six U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands-the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands-are Parties to the Framework; the remaining three territories-American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam-are excluded from the treaty by virtue of U.S. nonratification. Capacity building and leadership development are essential in achieving policy change and health equity within Pacific Islander communities. We describe promising practices from American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, and Palau and highlight some of the key lessons learned in supporting and sustaining the reduction in tobacco use among Pacific Islanders as the first step toward eliminating tobacco-related disparities in these populations.

Rockfall vulnerability assessment for reinforced concrete buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Mavrouli, O.; Corominas, J.

2010-10-01

The vulnerability of buildings to the impact of rockfalls is a topic that has recently attracted increasing attention in the scientific literature. The quantification of the vulnerability, when based on empirical or heuristic approaches requires data recorded from historical rockfalls, which are not always available. This is the reason why appropriate alternatives are required. The use of analytical and numerical models can be one of them. In this paper, a methodology is proposed for the analytical evaluation of the vulnerability of reinforced concrete buildings. The vulnerability is included in the risk equation by incorporating the uncertainty of the impact location of the rock block and the subsequent damage level. The output is a weighted vulnerability that ranges from 0 to 1 and expresses the potential damage that a rock block causes to a building in function of its velocity and size. The vulnerability is calculated by the sum of the products of the probability of block impact on each element of the building and its associated damage state, the latter expressed in relative recovery cost terms. The probability of exceeding a specific damage state such as non-structural, local, partial, extensive or total collapse is also important for the quantification of risk and to this purpose, several sets of fragility curves for various rock diameters and increasing velocities have been prepared. An example is shown for the case of a simple reinforced concrete building and impact energies from 0 to 4075 kJ.

Strength of masonry blocks made with recycled concrete aggregates

Science.gov (United States)

Matar, Pierre; Dalati, Rouba El

The idea of recycling concrete of demolished buildings aims at preserving the environment. Indeed, the reuse of concrete as aggregate in new concrete mixes helped to reduce the expenses related to construction and demolition (C&D) waste management and, especially, to protect the environment by reducing the development rate of new quarries. This paper presents the results of an experimental study conducted on masonry blocks containing aggregates resulting from concrete recycling. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of recycled aggregates on compressive strength of concrete blocks. Tests were performed on series of concrete blocks: five series each made of different proportions of recycled aggregates, and one series of reference blocks exclusively composed of natural aggregates. Tests showed that using recycled aggregates with addition of cement allows the production of concrete blocks with compressive strengths comparable to those obtained on concrete blocks made exclusively of natural aggregates.

Amphiphilic block copolymers for drug delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Monica L; Lavasanifar, Afsaneh; Kwon, Glen S

2003-07-01

Amphiphilic block copolymers (ABCs) have been used extensively in pharmaceutical applications ranging from sustained-release technologies to gene delivery. The utility of ABCs for delivery of therapeutic agents results from their unique chemical composition, which is characterized by a hydrophilic block that is chemically tethered to a hydrophobic block. In aqueous solution, polymeric micelles are formed via the association of ABCs into nanoscopic core/shell structures at or above the critical micelle concentration. Upon micellization, the hydrophobic core regions serve as reservoirs for hydrophobic drugs, which may be loaded by chemical, physical, or electrostatic means, depending on the specific functionalities of the core-forming block and the solubilizate. Although the Pluronics, composed of poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(propylene oxide)-block-poly(ethylene oxide), are the most widely studied ABC system, copolymers containing poly(L-amino acid) and poly(ester) hydrophobic blocks have also shown great promise in delivery applications. Because each ABC has unique advantages with respect to drug delivery, it may be possible to choose appropriate block copolymers for specific purposes, such as prolonging circulation time, introduction of targeting moieties, and modification of the drug-release profile. ABCs have been used for numerous pharmaceutical applications including drug solubilization/stabilization, alteration of the pharmacokinetic profile of encapsulated substances, and suppression of multidrug resistance. The purpose of this minireview is to provide a concise, yet detailed, introduction to the use of ABCs and polymeric micelles as delivery agents as well as to highlight current and past work in this area. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

Binding Blocks: Building the Universe One Nucleus at a Time

Science.gov (United States)

Diget, C. Aa.; Pastore, A.; Leech, K.; Haylett, T.; Lock, S.; Sanders, T.; Shelley, M.; Willett, H. V.; Keegans, J.; Sinclair, L.; Simpson, E. C.

2017-01-01

We present a new teaching and outreach activity based around the construction of a three-dimensional chart of isotopes using LEGO® bricks. The activity, "binding blocks", demonstrates nuclear and astrophysical processes through a seven-meter chart of all nuclear isotopes, built from over 26000 LEGO® bricks. It integrates A-Level and GCSE…

A new building block for DNA network formation by self-assembly and polymerase chain reaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Bußkamp, Holger; Keller, Sascha; Robotta, Marta; Drescher, Malte; Marx, Andreas

2014-01-01

The predictability of DNA self-assembly is exploited in many nanotechnological approaches. Inspired by naturally existing self-assembled DNA architectures, branched DNA has been developed that allows self-assembly to predesigned architectures with dimensions on the nanometer scale. DNA is an attractive material for generation of nanostructures due to a plethora of enzymes which modify DNA with high accuracy, providing a toolbox for many different manipulations to construct nanometer scaled objects. We present a straightforward synthesis of a rigid DNA branching building block successfully used for the generation of DNA networks by self-assembly and network formation by enzymatic DNA synthesis. The Y-shaped 3-armed DNA construct, bearing 3 primer strands is accepted by Taq DNA polymerase. The enzyme uses each arm as primer strand and incorporates the branched construct into large assemblies during PCR. The networks were investigated by agarose gel electrophoresis, atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The findings indicate that rather rigid DNA networks were formed. This presents a new bottom-up approach for DNA material formation and might find applications like in the generation of functional hydrogels.

DEVELOPING VERIFICATION SYSTEMS FOR BUILDING INFORMATION MODELS OF HERITAGE BUILDINGS WITH HETEROGENEOUS DATASETS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Chow

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The digitization and abstraction of existing buildings into building information models requires the translation of heterogeneous datasets that may include CAD, technical reports, historic texts, archival drawings, terrestrial laser scanning, and photogrammetry into model elements. In this paper, we discuss a project undertaken by the Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS that explored the synthesis of heterogeneous datasets for the development of a building information model (BIM for one of Canada’s most significant heritage assets – the Centre Block of the Parliament Hill National Historic Site. The scope of the project included the development of an as-found model of the century-old, six-story building in anticipation of specific model uses for an extensive rehabilitation program. The as-found Centre Block model was developed in Revit using primarily point cloud data from terrestrial laser scanning. The data was captured by CIMS in partnership with Heritage Conservation Services (HCS, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC, using a Leica C10 and P40 (exterior and large interior spaces and a Faro Focus (small to mid-sized interior spaces. Secondary sources such as archival drawings, photographs, and technical reports were referenced in cases where point cloud data was not available. As a result of working with heterogeneous data sets, a verification system was introduced in order to communicate to model users/viewers the source of information for each building element within the model.

Embodied Energy and CO2 Analyses of Mud-brick and Cement-block Houses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abanda F.Henry

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In building projects, the extraction of vast quantities of materials is too common. The extraction of materials and the erection of buildings consume embodied energy and emit carbon dioxide (CO2 that impact negatively on the environment. Therefore it is necessary to consider embodied energy and CO2 amongst other factors in selecting building materials for use in building projects. In most developing countries, building environmental performance analysis has yet to gain interest from the construction community. However, with recent increase in sustainability awareness, both developed and developing nations have engaged in efforts to tackle this challenge. Embodied energy and CO2 are among the leading parameters in assessing environmental building performance. In Cameroon, studies about the assessment of embodied energy and CO2 of building projects are scarce. Hence, professionals find it difficult to make alternative choices for building materials to use in their different building projects. This study uses a detailed process analysis approach supported by two popular housing types in Cameroon (mud-brick and cement-block houses to assess the embodied energy and CO2 impacts from building materials. The emerging Building Information Modelling (BIM tool was used to validate the computational results of the process analysis method. The findings revealed the embodied energy and CO2 for the mud-brick houses are 137934.91 MJ (2007.8 MJ/m2 and 15665.56 Kg CO2 (228.03 Kg CO2/m2; the cement-block houses are 292326.81 MJ (3065.51 MJ/m2 and 37829.19 Kg CO2 (396.7 Kg CO2/m2 respectively. Thus, the cement-block house expends at least 1.5 times more embodied energy and emits at least 1.7 times more embodied CO2 than mud-brick house. Although these findings cannot be generalized, they nonetheless indicate the importance of considering embodied energy and CO2 in making alternative choices for use in different building projects.

Investigation Into Informational Compatibility Of Building Information Modelling And Building Performance Analysis Software Solutions

OpenAIRE

Hyun, S.; Marjanovic-Halburd, L.; Raslan, R.

2015-01-01

There are significant opportunities for Building Information Modelling (BIM) to address issues related to sustainable and energy efficient building design. While the potential benefits associated with the integration of BIM and BPA (Building Performance Analysis) have been recognised, its specifications and formats remain in their early infancy and often fail to live up to the promise of seamless interoperability at various stages of design process. This paper conducts a case study to investi...

Buildings vs. ballistics: Quantifying the vulnerability of buildings to volcanic ballistic impacts using field studies and pneumatic cannon experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, G. T.; Kennedy, B. M.; Wilson, T. M.; Fitzgerald, R. H.; Tsunematsu, K.; Teissier, A.

2017-09-01

Recent casualties in volcanic eruptions due to trauma from blocks and bombs necessitate more rigorous, ballistic specific risk assessment. Quantitative assessments are limited by a lack of experimental and field data on the vulnerability of buildings to ballistic hazards. An improved, quantitative understanding of building vulnerability to ballistic impacts is required for informing appropriate life safety actions and other risk reduction strategies. We assessed ballistic impacts to buildings from eruptions at Usu Volcano and Mt. Ontake in Japan and compiled available impact data from eruptions elsewhere to identify common damage patterns from ballistic impacts to buildings. We additionally completed a series of cannon experiments which simulate ballistic block impacts to building claddings to investigate their performance over a range of ballistic projectile velocities, masses and energies. Our experiments provide new insights by quantifying (1) the hazard associated with post-impact shrapnel from building and rock fragments; (2) the effect of impact obliquity on damage; and (3) the additional impact resistance buildings possess when claddings are struck in areas directly supported by framing components. This was not well identified in previous work which may have underestimated building vulnerability to ballistic hazards. To improve assessment of building vulnerability to ballistics, we use our experimental and field data to develop quantitative vulnerability models known as fragility functions. Our fragility functions and field studies show that although unreinforced buildings are highly vulnerable to large ballistics (> 20 cm diameter), they can still provide shelter, preventing death during eruptions.

Copenhagen's climate finance promise: six key questions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roberts, J. Timmons [Brown University (United States); Stadelmann, Martin [University of Zurich (Switzerland); Huq, Saleemul

2010-02-15

One clear promise emerged from the confusion of the 2009 climate talks in Copenhagen. This was to provide short- and long-term 'climate finance' to help developing countries – especially the most vulnerable – adapt to climate impacts. The promise seemed simple enough: wealthier nations would pledge US$10 billion a year from 2010-2012, ramping up to US$100 billion a year starting in 2020. This was also touted as a way to help developing countries avoid high-carbon pathways of development by adopting lower-emitting power sources such as solar or natural gas. But a closer look at the Copenhagen promise unearths at least six big questions – any one of which could seriously challenge the trust these funds were designed to build.

Comparison of Dynamic Characteristics of Two Instrumented Tall Buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ventura, C.; Laverick, B.; Brincker, Rune

2003-01-01

attention to the three-dimensional nonlinear dynamic behaviour of tall buildings, so there is a need for these types of studies. The purpose of this paper is to study the dynamic properties of two well-instrumented tall steel frame buildings in Los Angeles, California. These building are within a few blocks...

Fabrication of calcite blocks from gypsum blocks by compositional transformation based on dissolution-precipitation reactions in sodium carbonate solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Ishikawa, Kunio; Kawachi, Giichiro; Tsuru, Kanji; Yoshimoto, Ayami

2017-03-01

Calcium carbonate (CaCO 3 ) has been used as a bone substitute, and is a precursor for carbonate apatite, which is also a promising bone substitute. However, limited studies have been reported on the fabrication of artificial calcite blocks. In the present study, cylindrical calcite blocks (ϕ6×3mm) were fabricated by compositional transformation based on dissolution-precipitation reactions using different calcium sulfate blocks as a precursor. In the dissolution-precipitation reactions, both CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O and CaSO 4 transformed into calcite, a polymorph of CaCO 3 , while maintaining their macroscopic structure when immersed in 1mol/L Na 2 CO 3 solution at 80°C for 1week. The diametral tensile strengths of the calcite blocks formed using CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O and CaSO 4 were 1.0±0.3 and 2.3±0.7MPa, respectively. The fabrication of calcite blocks using CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O and CaSO 4 proposed in this investigation may be a useful method to produce calcite blocks because of the self-setting ability and high temperature stability of gypsum precursors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Novel fundamental building blocks and site dependent isomorphism in the first actinide borophosphates.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Shijun; Polinski, Matthew J; Malcherek, Thomas; Bismayer, Ulrich; Klinkenberg, Martina; Modolo, Giuseppe; Bosbach, Dirk; Depmeier, Wulf; Albrecht-Schmitt, Thomas E; Alekseev, Evgeny V

2013-07-15

Three novel uranyl borophosphates, Ag2(NH4)3[(UO2)2{B3O(PO4)4(PO4H)2}]H2O (AgNBPU-1), Ag(2-x)(NH4)3[(UO2)2{B2P5O(20-x)(OH)x}] (x = 1.26) (AgNBPU-2), and Ag(2-x)(NH4)3[(UO2)2{B2P(5-y)AsyO(20-x)(OH)x}] (x = 1.43, y = 2.24) (AgNBPU-3), have been prepared by the H3BO3-NH4H2PO4/NH4H2AsO4 flux method. The structure of AgNBPU-1 has an unprecedented fundamental building block (FBB), composed of three BO4 and six PO4 tetrahedra which can be written as 9□:[Φ] □□|□□|□□|. Two Ag atoms are linearly coordinated; the coordination of a third one is T-shaped. AgNBPU-2 and AgNBPU-3 are isostructural and possess a FBB of two BO4 and five TO4 (T = P, As) tetrahedra (7□:□□|□). AgNBPU-3 is a solid solution with some PO4 tetrahedra of the AgNBPU-2 end-member being substituted by AsO4. Only two out of the three independent P positions are partially occupied by As, resulting in site dependent isomorphism. The three compounds represent the first actinide borophosphates.

Nanoscale freestanding gratings for ultraviolet blocking filters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

van Beek, J.T.; Fleming, R.C.; Hindle, P.S.; Prentiss, J.D.; Schattenburg, M.L. [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States); Ritzau, S. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)

1998-11-01

Ultraviolet (UV) blocking filters are needed for atomic flux imaging in environments where high levels of ultraviolet radiation are present. Freestanding gratings are a promising candidate for UV filtering. They have a high aspect ratio ({approximately}13), narrow ({approximately}40 nm) slots, and effectively block UV radiation. The grating fabrication process makes use of several etching, electroplating, and lithographic steps and includes an optional step to plug pinholes induced by particles during processing. Gratings were successfully manufactured and tested. Measured UV transmissions of {approximately}10{sup {minus}5} and particle transmissions of {approximately}10{percent} are in agreement with theoretical predictions. {copyright} {ital 1998 American Vacuum Society.}

Analysis of promising sustainable renovation concepts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vanhoutteghem, Lies; Tommerup, Henrik M.; Svendsen, Svend

This report focuses on analyses of the most promising existing sustainable renovation concepts, i.e. full-service concepts and technical concepts, for single-family houses. As a basis for the analyses a detailed building stock analysis was carried out. Furthermore, as a basis a general working...... method for proposals on package solutions for sustainable renovation was described. The method consists of four steps, going from investigation of the house to proposal for sustainable renovation, detailed planning and commissioning after renovation. It could be used by teams of consultants...... of the building envelope and the electricity required to run the system. Positive impact on the indoor environment can be expected. Thermal comfort will be improved by insulation and air-tightness measures that will increase surface temperatures and reduce draught from e.g. badly insulated windows. A ventilation...

(tek) block for housing provision and construction in ghana

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

is strongly associated with traditional unstabi- ... of reducing cost of housing development and to ... lised-earth floors were used to provide low cost ..... system. Even though some of the buildings have been transformed from TEK blocks into.

An efficient, block-by-block algorithm for inverting a block tridiagonal, nearly block Toeplitz matrix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reuter, Matthew G; Hill, Judith C

2012-01-01

We present an algorithm for computing any block of the inverse of a block tridiagonal, nearly block Toeplitz matrix (defined as a block tridiagonal matrix with a small number of deviations from the purely block Toeplitz structure). By exploiting both the block tridiagonal and the nearly block Toeplitz structures, this method scales independently of the total number of blocks in the matrix and linearly with the number of deviations. Numerical studies demonstrate this scaling and the advantages of our method over alternatives.

Testing 144- and 256-crystal BGO block detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, J.G.; Nutt, R.; Andreaco, M.; Williams, C.W.

1994-01-01

New block detectors have been fabricated incorporating large numbers of small crystals. The authors evaluate and compare the performance of the new detectors with a standard 64-crystal block detector from Siemens-CTI. The new detectors demonstrate greatly improved imaging capability for 511 keV gamma rays. Future PET tomographs incorporating such detectors should produce substantially better volume images with little increase in tomograph manufacturing costs. The detectors will require a new type of automatic calibration procedure. Various such procedures have been tested and are discussed. A technique using higher energy gamma rays has shown special promise

Surgical anesthesia with a combination of T12 paravertebral block and lumbar plexus, sacral plexus block for hip replacement in ankylosing spondylitis: CARE-compliant 4 case reports.

Science.gov (United States)

Ke, Xijian; Li, Ji; Liu, Yong; Wu, Xi; Mei, Wei

2017-06-26

Anesthesia management for patients with severe ankylosing spondylitis scheduled for total hip arthroplasty is challenging due to a potential difficult airway and difficult neuraxial block. We report 4 cases with ankylosing spondylitis successfully managed with a combination of lumbar plexus, sacral plexus and T12 paravertebral block. Four patients were scheduled for total hip arthroplasty. All of them were diagnosed as severe ankylosing spondylitis with rigidity and immobilization of cervical and lumbar spine and hip joints. A combination of T12 paravertebral block, lumbar plexus and sacral plexus block was successfully used for the surgery without any additional intravenous anesthetic or local anesthetics infiltration to the incision, and none of the patients complained of discomfort during the operations. The combination of T12 paravertebral block, lumbar plexus and sacral plexus block, which may block all nerves innervating the articular capsule, surrounding muscles and the skin involved in total hip arthroplasty, might be a promising alternative for total hip arthroplasty in ankylosing spondylitis.

UV-blocking potential of oils and juices.

Science.gov (United States)

Gause, S; Chauhan, A

2016-08-01

Sunscreens are commonly used to protect the body from damage caused by UV light. Some components of organic sunscreens have been shown to pass through the skin during wear which could raise toxicity concerns for these compounds. This study explores the potential for oils and fruit and vegetable juices to be substitutes for these compounds. The absorptivity of various oils (canola oil, citronella oil, coconut oil, olive oil, soya bean oil, vitamin E, as well as aloe vera) and fruit and vegetable juices (acerola, beet, grape, orange carrot, purple carrot and raspberry) was measured in vitro. The mean absorptivity was compared with FDA-approved UV absorbers to gauge the potential of the natural products. The most promising candidates were incorporated into formulations, and the UV transmittance of a 20-μm-thick film of the formulation was measured. The formulations were also imaged by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The absorptivity of oils was at least two orders of magnitude lower compared to the commercial UV blockers. The fruit juice powders were more effective at UV blocking but still showed an order of magnitude lower absorptivity compared to commercial UV blockers. The UV blocking from most natural oils is insufficient to obtain a significant UV protection. Formulations containing 50wt% purple carrot showed good UV-blocking capabilities and represent a promising ingredient for sunscreen and cosmetic applications. © 2015 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

ASSESSING THE COSTS OF THE THERMAL REHABILITATIONS OF A STUDIO BLOCK ENVELOPE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DINU R.C.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available A view to reducing thermal energy consumption for a block of studios, this paper presents an assessment of the costs of energy efficient building materials used for the thermal rehabilitation of the analyzed building’s tire. Based on information obtained from the evaluation of heat energy consumption and of the actual heat balance of the studios block, resulted the necessity for thermal rehabilitation. These works aimed equally both exterior walls as well as exterior windows and doors and involves a certain level of initial costs wich will be recovered through lower cost of the consumed thermal energy after thermal rehabilitation of the building tire.

Phosphorene-directed self-assembly of asymmetric PS-b-PMMA block copolymer for perpendicularly-oriented sub-10 nm PS nanopore arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ziming; Zheng, Lu; Khurram, Muhammad; Yan, Qingfeng

2017-10-01

Few-layer black phosphorus, also known as phosphorene, is a new two-dimensional material which is of enormous interest for applications, mainly in electronics and optoelectronics. Herein, we for the first time employ phosphorene for directing the self-assembly of asymmetric polystyrene-block-polymethylmethacrylate (PS-b-PMMA) block copolymer (BCP) thin film to form the perpendicular orientation of sub-10 nm PS nanopore arrays in a hexagonal fashion normal to the interface. We experimentally demonstrate that none of the PS and PMMA blocks exhibit preferential affinity to the phosphorene-modified surface. Furthermore, the perpendicularly-oriented PS nanostructures almost stay unchanged with the variation of number of layers of few-layer phosphorene nanoflakes between 15-30 layers. Differing from the neutral polymer brushes which are widely used for chemical modification of the silicon substrate, phosphorene provides a novel physical way to control the interfacial interactions between the asymmetric PS-b-PMMA BCP thin film and the silicon substrate. Based on our results, it is possible to build a new scheme for producing sub-10 nm PS nanopore arrays oriented perpendicularly to the few-layer phosphorene nanoflakes. Furthermore, the nanostructural microdomains could serve as a promising nanolithography template for surface patterning of phosphorene nanoflakes.

Phosphorene-directed self-assembly of asymmetric PS-b-PMMA block copolymer for perpendicularly-oriented sub-10 nm PS nanopore arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ziming; Zheng, Lu; Khurram, Muhammad; Yan, Qingfeng

2017-10-20

Few-layer black phosphorus, also known as phosphorene, is a new two-dimensional material which is of enormous interest for applications, mainly in electronics and optoelectronics. Herein, we for the first time employ phosphorene for directing the self-assembly of asymmetric polystyrene-block-polymethylmethacrylate (PS-b-PMMA) block copolymer (BCP) thin film to form the perpendicular orientation of sub-10 nm PS nanopore arrays in a hexagonal fashion normal to the interface. We experimentally demonstrate that none of the PS and PMMA blocks exhibit preferential affinity to the phosphorene-modified surface. Furthermore, the perpendicularly-oriented PS nanostructures almost stay unchanged with the variation of number of layers of few-layer phosphorene nanoflakes between 15-30 layers. Differing from the neutral polymer brushes which are widely used for chemical modification of the silicon substrate, phosphorene provides a novel physical way to control the interfacial interactions between the asymmetric PS-b-PMMA BCP thin film and the silicon substrate. Based on our results, it is possible to build a new scheme for producing sub-10 nm PS nanopore arrays oriented perpendicularly to the few-layer phosphorene nanoflakes. Furthermore, the nanostructural microdomains could serve as a promising nanolithography template for surface patterning of phosphorene nanoflakes.

Emulsion Solvent Evaporation-Induced Self-Assembly of Block Copolymers Containing pH-Sensitive Block.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yuqing; Wang, Ke; Tan, Haiying; Xu, Jiangping; Zhu, Jintao

2017-09-26

A simple yet efficient method is developed to manipulate the self-assembly of pH-sensitive block copolymers (BCPs) confined in emulsion droplets. Addition of acid induces significant variation in morphological transition (e.g., structure and surface composition changes) of the polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) assemblies, due to the hydrophobic-hydrophilic transition of the pH-sensitive P4VP block via protonation. In the case of pH > pKa (P4VP) (pKa (P4VP) = 4.8), the BCPs can self-assemble into pupa-like particles because of the nearly neutral wetting of PS and P4VP blocks at the oil/water interface. As expected, onion-like particles obtained when pH is slightly lower than pKa (P4VP) (e.g., pH = 3.00), due to the interfacial affinity to the weakly hydrophilic P4VP block. Interestingly, when pH was further decreased to ∼2.5, interfacial instability of the emulsion droplets was observed, and each emulsion droplet generated nanoscale assemblies including vesicles, worm-like and/or spherical micelles rather than a nanostructured microparticle. Furthermore, homopolymer with different molecular weights and addition ratio are employed to adjust the interactions among copolymer blocks. By this means, particles with hierarchical structures can be obtained. Moreover, owing to the kinetically controlled processing, we found that temperature and stirring speed, which can significantly affect the kinetics of the evaporation of organic solvent and the formation of particles, played a key role in the morphology of the assemblies. We believe that manipulation of the property for the aqueous phase is a promising strategy to rationally design and fabricate polymeric assemblies with desirable shapes and internal structures.

Radiological evaluation of building materials used in Malumfashi ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... in building materials (sand, cement, blocks, granite, and paints) used in the construction of buildings in Malumfashi local Government area of Katsina state, Nigeria were determined by means of a gamma-ray spectrometry system using Sodium Iodide thallium activated (NaI(Tl)) detector in a low background configuration.

Passive solar design studies for non-domestic buildings. Case studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1988-01-01

Of the passive solar designs reported, those for a light industrial building, a nurses hostel and a low rise office block were considered to be clearly cost effective. A retrofit study of a secondary school showed that incorporating passive solar measures into refurbishment could be cost effective. Designs for a sports hall and medium rise office block were considered to be only marginally cost effective and those for a hotel bedroom block and DIY superstore were judged not to be cost effective. The maximization of daylight penetration coupled with controls on the lighting systems produced the main energy saving. This orientation, built form, fenestration, window shape, perimeter (and overhead) daylight and atria were primary solar features. Direct gain considered in conjunction with building weight/response factor could contribute to a lesser degree. Trombe walls were shown to be generally uneconomic for this type of building and conservatories contributed to amenity value more than to savings.

Manipulation of partially oriented hydroxyapatite building blocks to form flowerlike bundles without acid-base regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Zhenliang; Wang, Zihao; Chen, Jingdi; Zhong, Shengnan; Hu, Yimin; Wang, Jianhua; Zhang, Qiqing

2016-06-01

The application of hydroxyapatite (HAP) in different fields depends greatly on its morphology, composition and structure. Besides, the main inorganic building blocks of human bones and teeth are also HAP. Therefore, accurate shape and aggregation control and of hydroxyapatite particles will be of great interest. Herein, oriented bundles of flowerlike HAP nanorods were successfully prepared through hydrothermal treatment without acid-base regulation, with the mono-alkyl phosphate (MAP) and sodium citrate as surfactant and chelating agent, respectively. The prepared samples were characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and zeta potential, the pH value and conductivity value of suspension were characterized by pH meter and conductivity measurement. The results showed that the MAP and citrate play an important role in assembly of HAP nanorods without acid-base regulation. Citrate calcium complex could decompose slowly and release citrate ions at hydrothermal conditions. Besides, the further decomposition of citrate ions could release aconitic acid as the reaction time prolongs. Moreover, the possible scheme for the formation process was discussed in detail. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Block-free optical quantum Banyan network based on quantum state fusion and fission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Chang-Hua; Meng Yan-Hong; Quan Dong-Xiao; Zhao Nan; Pei Chang-Xing

2014-01-01

Optical switch fabric plays an important role in building multiple-user optical quantum communication networks. Owing to its self-routing property and low complexity, a banyan network is widely used for building switch fabric. While, there is no efficient way to remove internal blocking in a banyan network in a classical way, quantum state fusion, by which the two-dimensional internal quantum states of two photons could be combined into a four-dimensional internal state of a single photon, makes it possible to solve this problem. In this paper, we convert the output mode of quantum state fusion from spatial-polarization mode into time-polarization mode. By combining modified quantum state fusion and quantum state fission with quantum Fredkin gate, we propose a practical scheme to build an optical quantum switch unit which is block free. The scheme can be extended to building more complex units, four of which are shown in this paper. (general)

Chemoenzymatic synthesis of statine side chain building blocks and application in the total synthesis of the cholesterol-lowering compound solistatin.

Science.gov (United States)

Rieder, Oliver; Wolberg, Michael; Foegen, Silke E; Müller, Michael

2017-09-20

The synthesis and enzymatic reduction of several 6-substituted dioxohexanoates are presented. Two-step syntheses of tert-butyl 6-bromo-3,5-dioxohexanoate and the corresponding 6-hydroxy compound have been achieved in 89% and 59% yield, respectively. Regio- and enantioselective reduction of these diketones and of the 6-chloro derivative with alcohol dehydrogenase from Lactobacillus brevis (LBADH) gave the (5S)-5-hydroxy-3-oxo products with enantiomeric excesses of 91%, 98.4%, and >99.5%, respectively. Chain elongation of the reduction products by one carbon via cyanide addition, and by more than one carbon by Julia-Kocienski olefination, gave access to well-established statine side-chain building blocks. Application in the synthesis of the cholesterol-lowering natural compound solistatin is given. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

47 CFR 27.1330 - Local public safety build-out and operation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... public safety build-out and operation. (a) The Upper 700 MHz D Block licensee and the Operating Company... exclusive right to build and operate the Shared Wireless Broadband Network. (b) Rights to early build-out in... transfer and compensation to occur prior to the scheduled build out date for such network in the NSA. (ii...

47 CFR 90.1430 - Local public safety build-out and operation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... public safety build-out and operation. (a) The Upper 700 MHz D Block licensee and the Operating Company... exclusive right to build and operate the Shared Wireless Broadband Network. (b) Rights to early build-out in... transfer and compensation to occur prior to the scheduled build out date for such network in the NSA. (ii...

RELATIVE DISTANCE: THE KEY TO THE SHAPE OF HEPATIC BUILDING BLOCKS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan M Ruijter

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The delineation and the shape of the smallest structural units of the liver is still the subject of debate. However,the blood flow from an upstream terminal branch of the portal vein to a downstream central vein is thought to induce a functional zonation in hepatocyte gene expression. This property was used to determine boundary conditions for the shape of the hepatic building blocks. Histochemical techniques that specifically label periportally or pericentrally expressed enzymes can be used to distinguish periportal and pericentral areas in a liver section. Pairs of images from aligned serial sections, one stained for a portal and the next for a central enzyme, are used. Segmentation and skeletonisation of these images results in the skeletons of the portal and central areas. Distance transformation with respect to these skeletons gives for each point in the image pair the distance to the nearest terminal branches of the portal vein and the central vein. For each point the relative position on the porto-central radius can then be calculated as its distance to a portal vein divided by the sum of its portal and its central distance. In the resulting relative radius image, the area occupied by 'zones' of equivalent relative radius can be measured. According to the principle of Delesse the relative area of a zone in the image is equal to the relative volume of that zone in the tissue. For structural units of plate-like, cylindrical or spherical shape, the relative volume of a zone is equal to the relative radius of that zone to the power 1, 2 or 3, respectively. Thus, the exponent in the relative area - relative radius relation gives information on the shape of the structural unit. Measurement of the areas of each relative radius zone and determination of the area - radius relation in images of random sections of adult mouse liver results in an exponent of 1.1. This suggests that the smallest structural unit of the mouse liver has the shape of a

Semiexperimental equilibrium structures for building blocks of organic and biological molecules: the B2PLYP route.

Science.gov (United States)

Penocchio, Emanuele; Piccardo, Matteo; Barone, Vincenzo

2015-10-13

The B2PLYP double hybrid functional, coupled with the correlation-consistent triple-ζ cc-pVTZ (VTZ) basis set, has been validated in the framework of the semiexperimental (SE) approach for deriving accurate equilibrium structures of molecules containing up to 15 atoms. A systematic comparison between new B2PLYP/VTZ results and several equilibrium SE structures previously determined at other levels, in particular B3LYP/SNSD and CCSD(T) with various basis sets, has put in evidence the accuracy and the remarkable stability of such model chemistry for both equilibrium structures and vibrational corrections. New SE equilibrium structures for phenylacetylene, pyruvic acid, peroxyformic acid, and phenyl radical are discussed and compared with literature data. Particular attention has been devoted to the discussion of systems for which lack of sufficient experimental data prevents a complete SE determination. In order to obtain an accurate equilibrium SE structure for these situations, the so-called templating molecule approach is discussed and generalized with respect to our previous work. Important applications are those involving biological building blocks, like uracil and thiouracil. In addition, for more general situations the linear regression approach has been proposed and validated.

Theoretical insights into the photo-protective mechanisms of natural biological sunscreens: building blocks of eumelanin and pheomelanin.

Science.gov (United States)

Marchetti, Barbara; Karsili, Tolga N V

2016-02-07

Eumelanin (EM) and pheomelanin (PM) are ubiquitous in mammalian skin and hair--protecting against harmful radiation from the sun. Their primary roles are to absorb solar radiation and efficiently dissipate the excess excited state energy in the form of heat without detriment to the polymeric structure. EU and PM exist as polymeric chains consisting of exotic arrangements of functionalised heteroaromatic molecules. Here we have used state-of-the-art electronic structure calculations and on-the-fly surface hopping molecular dynamics simulations to study the intrinsic deactivation paths of various building blocks of EU and PM. Ultrafast excited state decay, via electron-driven proton transfer (in EU and PM) and proton-transfer coupled ring-opening (in PM) reactions, have been identified to proceed along hitherto unknown charge-separated states in EU and PM oligomers. These results shed light on the possible relaxation pathways that dominate the photochemistry of natural skin melanins. Extrapolation of such findings could provide a gateway into engineering more effective molecular constituents in commercial sunscreens--with reduced phototoxicity.

Use of shock block transmitters in the structural rehabilitation of historical buildings in Calabria and Sicily

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bianco, Alessia; Candela, Michele; Fonti, Roberta

2008-01-01

Many old and historical masonry buildings, located in the Calabrian and Sicilian areas near the strait of Messina, are affected by typical pattern of cracks, which are not produced by previous earthquakes. These cracks in the masonry walls are characterized by a quasi-vertical trend with constant width. The careful examination of the crack distribution allows to clearly identify the diagnosis: the damage is caused by the sinking due to a horizontal movement of translation of the ground, which is an evident effect of creep phenomena in the soil, so-called 'solifluxion'. This paper, after showing this geological pathology, proposes an innovative strategy of intervention, which consists of the use of 'oleo-dynamic' devices, so-called shock block transmitters, providing different degrees of restraint, according to the loading conditions. In addition, in case of earthquake, an important part of the in-put seismic energy can be dissipated. The strategy of application of this system to the building consists of the subdivision of each masonry wall in two different parts, which are physically separated by the cracks. Each wall portion must be consolidated separately and the different parts of walls behave as statically independent each other, so that they can move independently during the serviceability conditions. The connection among the walls composing the whole structural organism is given by metal tie-rods equipped with 'oleo dynamic' devices, which allows, in a given range, the horizontal sliding in case of slow movement due to the phenomenon of 'solifluxion'. Contrary, in case of dynamic and fast movements, such as the ones produced by an earthquake, each 'oleo dynamic' device provides a fully restraint effect and, as a consequence, the tie-rods behave in the classical way

Retinal bipolar cells: elementary building blocks of vision.

Science.gov (United States)

Euler, Thomas; Haverkamp, Silke; Schubert, Timm; Baden, Tom

2014-08-01

Retinal bipolar cells are the first ‘projection neurons’ of the vertebrate visual system—all of the information needed for vision is relayed by this intraretinal connection. Each of the at least 13 distinct types of bipolar cells systematically transforms the photoreceptor input in a different way, thereby generating specific channels that encode stimulus properties, such as polarity, contrast, temporal profile and chromatic composition. As a result, bipolar cell output signals represent elementary ‘building blocks’ from which the microcircuits of the inner retina derive a feature-oriented description of the visual world.

Enantioselective ProPhenol-catalyzed addition of 1,3-diynes to aldehydes to generate synthetically versatile building blocks and diyne natural products.

Science.gov (United States)

Trost, Barry M; Chan, Vincent S; Yamamoto, Daisuke

2010-04-14

A highly enantioselective method for the catalytic addition of terminal 1,3-diynes to aldehydes was developed using our dinuclear zinc ProPhenol (1) system. Furthermore, triphenylphosphine oxide was found to interact synergistically with the catalyst to substantially enhance the chiral recognition. The generality of this catalytic transformation was demonstrated with aryl, alpha,beta-unsaturated and saturated aldehydes, of which the latter were previously limited in alkynyl zinc additions. The chiral diynol products are also versatile building blocks that can be readily elaborated; this was illustrated through highly selective trans-hydrosilylations, which enabled the synthesis of a beta-hydroxyketone and enyne. Additionally, the development of this method allowed for the rapid total syntheses of several biologically important diynol-containing natural products.

Ship Block Transportation Scheduling Problem Based on Greedy Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chong Wang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Ship block transportation problems are crucial issues to address in reducing the construction cost and improving the productivity of shipyards. Shipyards aim to maximize the workload balance of transporters with time constraint such that all blocks should be transported during the planning horizon. This process leads to three types of penalty time: empty transporter travel time, delay time, and tardy time. This study aims to minimize the sum of the penalty time. First, this study presents the problem of ship block transportation with the generalization of the block transportation restriction on the multi-type transporter. Second, the problem is transformed into the classical traveling salesman problem and assignment problem through a reasonable model simplification and by adding a virtual node to the proposed directed graph. Then, a heuristic algorithm based on greedy algorithm is proposed to assign blocks to available transporters and sequencing blocks for each transporter simultaneously. Finally, the numerical experiment method is used to validate the model, and its result shows that the proposed algorithm is effective in realizing the efficient use of the transporters in shipyards. Numerical simulation results demonstrate the promising application of the proposed method to efficiently improve the utilization of transporters and to reduce the cost of ship block logistics for shipyards.

BUILDING BLOCKS IN THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM (PILARES BÁSICOS EN EL AULA DE IDIOMAS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Coto Keith Rossina

2010-12-01

presents each separately, giving the idea that only one or two can be used in the language classroom, thus missing some important matters. The point of this article is that in order to be more effective, Learning Styles, Multiple Intelligences and Language Learning Strategies must intertwine, so as to create a solid building block. The author first gives an overview of each of these areas. She then explains in the review of the literature how they should be used as a closely-knit unit. Next, she provides an example of this integration through a lesson plan on the topic of environmental conservation for an Oral Communication course for English majors at School of Modern Languages, University of Costa Rica. Finally, some advice is given to instructors on the incorporation of each of these building blocks.

Clay characterization for making pressed and burned blocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexandre, J.; Silva, C.L. de A.P. e

2012-01-01

The municipality of Campos dos Goytacazes, located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, at 275 km from the capital, are the largest industrial ceramic state and he has over 100 unionized industries. The production of these industries is based on tiles, building blocks and bricks. Seeking the improvement and diversification of production, the North Fluminense State University has 18 years working in partnership with local industry, with students and teachers. One of the researches is the production of blocks pressed and burned. In this work are presented in many lab tests performed, morphology and some of technological properties. (author)

In-situ load-deformation characterization of the CSM/OCRD jointed test block

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richardson, A.M.; Hustrulid, W.; Brown, S.; Ubbes, W.

1985-01-01

An extensive ambient-temperature test series has recently been completed on a block of Precambrian Gneiss at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) Experimental Mine in Idaho Springs, Colorado. Block tests came into existence out of a desire to test a relatively large volume of rock and thereby minimize the scaling problems encountered when laboratory test results are used to obtain modeling parameters for full-size structures. A typical block test involves isolation of a large, approximately two-meter cube of rock by cutting slots on four sides and inserting flatjacks for loading. Much interest has recently centered around block tests as a promising method for in-situ characterization of rock-masses for licensing future commercial nuclear-waste repositories in crystalline rock. To date only a few block tests have been conducted

Power Block Geometry Applied to the Building of Power Electronics Converters

Science.gov (United States)

dos Santos, E. C., Jr.; da Silva, E. R. C.

2013-01-01

This paper proposes a new methodology, Power Block Geometry (PBG), for the presentation of power electronics topologies that process ac voltage. PBG's strategy uses formal methods based on a geometrical representation with particular rules and defines a universe with axioms and conjectures to establish a formation law. It allows power…

β-secretase inhibitor; a promising novel therapeutic drug in AD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kelly Willemijn Menting

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Alzheimer’s disease (AD and vascular dementia are responsible for up to 90% of dementia cases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO, a staggering number of 35.6 million people are currently diagnosed with dementia. Blocking disease progression or preventing AD altogether is desirable for both social and economic reasons and recently focus has shifted to a new and promising drug: the β-secretase inhibitor. Much of AD research has investigated the amyloid cascade hypothesis, which postulates that AD is caused by changes in amyloid beta (Aβ stability and aggregation. Blocking Aβ production by inhibiting the first protease required for its generation, β-secretase/BACE1, may be the next step in blocking AD progression. In April 2012, promising phase I data on inhibitor MK-8931 was presented. This drug reduced Aβ CSF levels up to 92% and was well tolerated by patients. In March 2013 data was added from a one week trial in 32 mild to moderate AD patients, showing CSF Aβ levels decreased up to 84%. However, BACE1 inhibitors require further research. First, greatly reducing Aβ levels through BACE1 inhibition may have harmful side effects. Second, BACE1 inhibitors have yet to pass clinical trial phase II/III and no data on possible side effects on AD patients are available. And third, there remains doubt about the clinical efficacy of BACE1 inhibitors. In moderate AD patients, Aβ plaques have already been formed. BACE1 inhibitors prevent production of new Aβ plaques, but hypothetically do not influence already existing Aβ peptides. Therefore, BACE1 inhibitors are potentially better at preventing AD instead of having therapeutic use.

Promise-based management: the essence of execution.

Science.gov (United States)

Sull, Donald N; Spinosa, Charles

2007-04-01

Critical initiatives stall for a variety of reasons--employee disengagement, a lack of coordination between functions, complex organizational structures that obscure accountability, and so on. To overcome such obstacles, managers must fundamentally rethink how work gets done. Most of the challenges stem from broken or poorly crafted commitments. That's because every company is, at its heart, a dynamic network of promises made between employees and colleagues, customers, outsourcing partners, or other stakeholders. Executives can overcome many problems in the short-term and foster productive, reliable workforces for the long-term by practicing what the authors call "promise-based management," which involves cultivating and coordinating commitments in a systematic way. Good promises share five qualities: They are public, active, voluntary, explicit, and mission based. To develop and execute an effective promise, the "provider" and the "customer" in the deal should go through three phases of conversation. The first, achieving a meeting of minds, entails exploring the fundamental questions of coordinated effort: What do you mean? Do you understand what I mean? What should I do? What will you do? Who else should we talk to? In the next phase, making it happen, the provider executes on the promise. In the final phase, closing the loop, the customer publicly declares that the provider has either delivered the goods or failed to do so. Leaders must weave and manage their webs of promises with great care-encouraging iterative conversation and making sure commitments are fulfilled reliably. If they do, they can enhance coordination and cooperation among colleagues, build the organizational agility required to seize new business opportunities, and tap employees' entrepreneurial energies.

Use of (S)-trans-gamma-monocyclofarnesol as a useful chiral building block for the stereoselective synthesis of diterpenic natural products.

Science.gov (United States)

Serra, Stefano; Cominetti, Alessandra A; Lissoni, Veronica

2014-03-01

A comprehensive study of the exploitation of (S)-trans-gamma-monocyclofarnesol as a useful chiral building block for the stereoselective synthesis of natural diterpene derivatives is here described. The farnesol derivative (+)-1 was used as starting material in the preparation of the diterpenes (S)-dehydroambliol-A and (S)-trixagol, as well as for the syntheses of the dinorditerpene (S)-dinortrixagone and of the guanidine-interrupted terpenoid (S)-dotofide. Key steps of the presented syntheses were the cross-coupling between an allyl acetate and a Grignard reagent, the Wittig reaction, the selective preparation ofa diacylguanidine derivative and the alkylation of a sulfone derivative, followed by the reductive removal of the same functional group. It is worth noting that the natural products (+)-8, (+)-12 and (+)-15 were prepared stereoselectively for the first time, thus allowing the unambiguous assignment of their absolute configuration.

optimizing compressive strength characteristics of hollow building

African Journals Online (AJOL)

eobe

Keywords: hollow building Blocks, granite dust, sand, partial replacement, compressive strength. 1. INTRODUCTION ... exposed to extreme climate. The physical ... Sridharan et al [13] conducted shear strength studies on soil-quarry dust.

Comprehensive assessment of the efficiency of high-rise construction projects in the form of urban blocks

Science.gov (United States)

Orlov, Alexandr; Chubarkina, Irina

2018-03-01

The paper is dedicated to main modern trends in the area of high-rise construction. The classification of buildings and structures by height is given. Functional distribution by the height of buildings is presented. A review of positive and negative aspects of high-rise construction from the economic point of view is given. On the basis of the data obtained, it is proposed to build up residential microdistricts in the form of urban blocks. A plan of microdistricts development is presented. It takes into account urban blocks and includes their main characteristics. An economic and mathematical model was developed to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of high-rise construction projects.

Toward a virtual building laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klems, J.H.; Finlayson, E.U.; Olsen, T.H.; Banks, D.W.; Pallis, J.M.

1999-03-01

In order to achieve in a timely manner the large energy and dollar savings technically possible through improvements in building energy efficiency, it will be necessary to solve the problem of design failure risk. The most economical method of doing this would be to learn to calculate building performance with sufficient detail, accuracy and reliability to avoid design failure. Existing building simulation models (BSM) are a large step in this direction, but are still not capable of this level of modeling. Developments in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques now allow one to construct a road map from present BSM's to a complete building physical model. The most useful first step is a building interior model (BIM) that would allow prediction of local conditions affecting occupant health and comfort. To provide reliable prediction a BIM must incorporate the correct physical boundary conditions on a building interior. Doing so raises a number of specific technical problems and research questions. The solution of these within a context useful for building research and design is not likely to result from other research on CFD, which is directed toward the solution of different types of problems. A six-step plan for incorporating the correct boundary conditions within the context of the model problem of a large atrium has been outlined. A promising strategy for constructing a BIM is the overset grid technique for representing a building space in a CFD calculation. This technique promises to adapt well to building design and allows a step-by-step approach. A state-of-the-art CFD computer code using this technique has been adapted to the problem and can form the departure point for this research.

Compressive Strength Of Rice Husk Ash-Cement Sandcrete Blocks ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

There is growing demand for alternative, low-cost building material in developing countries. The effect of partial substitution of ordinary Portland cement with Rice Husk Ash (RHA) on the compressive strength of hollow sandcrete block was investigated through laboratory experimental procedures. The specific gravity, initial ...

quality assessment of sandcrete blocks produced in adeta, kwara

African Journals Online (AJOL)

HOD

This research assessed the quality of blocks produced in. Adeta, Ilorin West ... compared with the Nigerian Industrial Standards (NIS) specifications. ... to provide aesthetics to buildings and serve as control ... Cement is a construction material used in bonding with ... calculated as a percentage of the total sample weight.

Linking dwarf galaxies to halo building blocks with the most metal-poor star in Sculptor.

Science.gov (United States)

Frebel, Anna; Kirby, Evan N; Simon, Joshua D

2010-03-04

Current cosmological models indicate that the Milky Way's stellar halo was assembled from many smaller systems. On the basis of the apparent absence of the most metal-poor stars in present-day dwarf galaxies, recent studies claimed that the true Galactic building blocks must have been vastly different from the surviving dwarfs. The discovery of an extremely iron-poor star (S1020549) in the Sculptor dwarf galaxy based on a medium-resolution spectrum cast some doubt on this conclusion. Verification of the iron-deficiency, however, and measurements of additional elements, such as the alpha-element Mg, are necessary to demonstrate that the same type of stars produced the metals found in dwarf galaxies and the Galactic halo. Only then can dwarf galaxy stars be conclusively linked to early stellar halo assembly. Here we report high-resolution spectroscopic abundances for 11 elements in S1020549, confirming its iron abundance of less than 1/4,000th that of the Sun, and showing that the overall abundance pattern follows that seen in low-metallicity halo stars, including the alpha-elements. Such chemical similarity indicates that the systems destroyed to form the halo billions of years ago were not fundamentally different from the progenitors of present-day dwarfs, and suggests that the early chemical enrichment of all galaxies may be nearly identical.

Assembly of Robust Bacterial Microcompartment Shells Using Building Blocks from an Organelle of Unknown Function

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lassila, JK; Bernstein, SL; Kinney, JN; Axen, SD; Kerfeld, CA

2014-05-29

Bacterial microconnpartnnents (BMCs) sequester enzymes from the cytoplasmic environment by encapsulation inside a selectively permeable protein shell. Bioinformatic analyses indicate that many bacteria encode BMC clusters of unknown function and with diverse combinations of shell proteins. The genome of the halophilic myxobacterium Haliangium ochraceum encodes one of the most atypical sets of shell proteins in terms of composition and primary structure. We found that microconnpartnnent shells could be purified in high yield when all seven H. ochraceum BMC shell genes were expressed from a synthetic operon in Escherichia coll. These shells differ substantially from previously isolated shell systems in that they are considerably smaller and more homogeneous, with measured diameters of 39 2 nm. The size and nearly uniform geometry allowed the development of a structural model for the shells composed of 260 hexagonal units and 13 hexagons per icosahedral face. We found that new proteins could be recruited to the shells by fusion to a predicted targeting peptide sequence, setting the stage for the use of these remarkably homogeneous shells for applications such as three-dimensional scaffolding and the construction of synthetic BMCs. Our results demonstrate the value of selecting from the diversity of BMC shell building blocks found in genomic sequence data for the construction of novel compartments. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Science Support: The Building Blocks of Active Data Curation

Science.gov (United States)

Guillory, A.

2013-12-01

While the scientific method is built on reproducibility and transparency, and results are published in peer reviewed literature, we have come to the digital age of very large datasets (now of the order of petabytes and soon exabytes) which cannot be published in the traditional way. To preserve reproducibility and transparency, active curation is necessary to keep and protect the information in the long term, and 'science support' activities provide the building blocks for active data curation. With the explosive growth of data in all fields in recent years, there is a pressing urge for data centres to now provide adequate services to ensure long-term preservation and digital curation of project data outputs, however complex those may be. Science support provides advice and support to science projects on data and information management, from file formats through to general data management awareness. Another purpose of science support is to raise awareness in the science community of data and metadata standards and best practice, engendering a culture where data outputs are seen as valued assets. At the heart of Science support is the Data Management Plan (DMP) which sets out a coherent approach to data issues pertaining to the data generating project. It provides an agreed record of the data management needs and issues within the project. The DMP is agreed upon with project investigators to ensure that a high quality documented data archive is created. It includes conditions of use and deposit to clearly express the ownership, responsibilities and rights associated with the data. Project specific needs are also identified for data processing, visualization tools and data sharing services. As part of the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS) and National Centre for Earth Observation (NCEO), the Centre for Environmental Data Archival (CEDA) fulfills this science support role of facilitating atmospheric and Earth observation data generating projects to ensure

Bidirectional cross metathesis and ring-closing metathesis/ring opening of a C2-symmetric building block: a strategy for the synthesis of decanolide natural products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernd Schmidt

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Starting from the conveniently available ex-chiral pool building block (R,R-hexa-1,5-diene-3,4-diol, the ten-membered ring lactones stagonolide E and curvulide A were synthesized using a bidirectional olefin-metathesis functionalization of the terminal double bonds. Key steps are (i a site-selective cross metathesis, (ii a highly diastereoselective extended tethered RCM to furnish a (Z,E-configured dienyl carboxylic acid and (iii a Ru–lipase-catalyzed dynamic kinetic resolution to establish the desired configuration at C9. Ring closure was accomplished by macrolactonization. Curvulide A was synthesized from stagonolide E through Sharpless epoxidation.

Bidirectional cross metathesis and ring-closing metathesis/ring opening of a C 2-symmetric building block: a strategy for the synthesis of decanolide natural products.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Bernd; Kunz, Oliver

2013-01-01

Starting from the conveniently available ex-chiral pool building block (R,R)-hexa-1,5-diene-3,4-diol, the ten-membered ring lactones stagonolide E and curvulide A were synthesized using a bidirectional olefin-metathesis functionalization of the terminal double bonds. Key steps are (i) a site-selective cross metathesis, (ii) a highly diastereoselective extended tethered RCM to furnish a (Z,E)-configured dienyl carboxylic acid and (iii) a Ru-lipase-catalyzed dynamic kinetic resolution to establish the desired configuration at C9. Ring closure was accomplished by macrolactonization. Curvulide A was synthesized from stagonolide E through Sharpless epoxidation.

BARRIER DESIGN STRATEGIES TO CONTROL NOISE INGRESS INTO DOMESTIC BUILDINGS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina E. Mediastika

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Noise source for buildings adjacent to streets is traffic-generated predominantly. Where people are mostly spend their time indoors, it is important for buildings to have screening or blocking to control noise intrusion into living spaces. But this blocking should also permit airflow. This is important for middle to low-cost domestic buildings, which do not employ conditioned ventilation. A common feature of Indonesian buildings, fence, is studied to perform noise barrier. The fence -a barrier to be- should obey three factors: position, dimension, and material. All these three factors were studied to seek compromised design for acoustic performance and natural ventilation purpose. Domestic building situated in the urban area of Yogyakarta was studying to see the most possible design of the barrier to be. There are two calculation methods employed to investigate the proposed design. The study shows that it is possible to gain minimum of 10 dB noise reduction by placing windows within the shadow effect of approximately 1.5 height fence-barrier.

Case-study of thermo active building systems in Japanese climate

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Li, R.; Yoshidomi, T.; Ooka, R.; Olesen, B.

2015-01-01

Thermo active building systems (TABS) have been applied in office buildings as a promising energy efficient solution in many European countries. The utilization of building thermal mass helps to provide high quality thermal environments with less energy consumption. However, the concept of TABS is

Automated radiosynthesis of no-carrier-added 4-[18F]fluoroiodobenzene: a versatile building block in 18F radiochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Way, Jenilee Dawn; Wuest, Frank

2014-02-01

4-[18F]Fluoroiodobenzene ([18F]FIB) is a versatile building block in 18F radiochemistry used in various transition metal-mediated C-C and C-N cross-coupling reactions and [18F]fluoroarylation reactions. Various synthesis routes have been described for the preparation of [18F]FIB. However, to date, no automated synthesis of [18F]FIB has been reported to allow access to larger amounts of [18F]FIB in high radiochemical and chemical purity. Herein, we describe an automated synthesis of no-carrier-added [18F]FIB on a GE TRACERlab™ FX automated synthesis unit starting from commercially available(4-iodophenyl)diphenylsulfonium triflate as the labelling precursor. [18F]FIB was prepared in high radiochemical yields of 89 ± 10% (decay-corrected, n = 7) within 60 min, including HPLC purification. The radiochemical purity exceeded 95%, and specific activity was greater than 40 GBq/μmol. Typically, from an experiment, 6.4 GBq of [18F]FIB could be obtained starting from 10.4 GBq of [18F]fluoride.

RoBlock: a prototype autonomous manufacturing cell

Science.gov (United States)

Baekdal, Lars K.; Balslev, Ivar; Eriksen, Rene D.; Jensen, Soren P.; Jorgensen, Bo N.; Kirstein, Brian; Kristensen, Bent B.; Olsen, Martin M.; Perram, John W.; Petersen, Henrik G.; Petersen, Morten L.; Ruhoff, Peter T.; Skjolstrup, Carl E.; Sorensen, Anders S.; Wagenaar, Jeroen M.

2000-10-01

RoBlock is the first phase of an internally financed project at the Institute aimed at building a system in which two industrial robots suspended from a gantry, as shown below, cooperate to perform a task specified by an external user, in this case, assembling an unstructured collection of colored wooden blocks into a specified 3D pattern. The blocks are identified and localized using computer vision and grasped with a suction cup mechanism. Future phases of the project will involve other processes such as grasping and lifting, as well as other types of robot such as autonomous vehicles or variable geometry trusses. Innovative features of the control software system include: The use of an advanced trajectory planning system which ensures collision avoidance based on a generalization of the method of artificial potential fields, the use of a generic model-based controller which learns the values of parameters, including static and kinetic friction, of a detailed mechanical model of itself by comparing actual with planned movements, the use of fast, flexible, and robust pattern recognition and 3D-interpretation strategies, integration of trajectory planning and control with the sensor systems in a distributed Java application running on a network of PC's attached to the individual physical components. In designing this first stage, the aim was to build in the minimum complexity necessary to make the system non-trivially autonomous and to minimize the technological risks. The aims of this project, which is planned to be operational during 2000, are as follows: To provide a platform for carrying out experimental research in multi-agent systems and autonomous manufacturing systems, to test the interdisciplinary cooperation architecture of the Maersk Institute, in which researchers in the fields of applied mathematics (modeling the physical world), software engineering (modeling the system) and sensor/actuator technology (relating the virtual and real worlds) could

Space Launch Systems Block 1B Preliminary Navigation System Design

Science.gov (United States)

Oliver, T. Emerson; Park, Thomas; Anzalone, Evan; Smith, Austin; Strickland, Dennis; Patrick, Sean

2018-01-01

NASA is currently building the Space Launch Systems (SLS) Block 1 launch vehicle for the Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) test flight. In parallel, NASA is also designing the Block 1B launch vehicle. The Block 1B vehicle is an evolution of the Block 1 vehicle and extends the capability of the NASA launch vehicle. This evolution replaces the Interim Cryogenic Propulsive Stage (ICPS) with the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS). As the vehicle evolves to provide greater lift capability, increased robustness for manned missions, and the capability to execute more demanding missions so must the SLS Integrated Navigation System evolved to support those missions. This paper describes the preliminary navigation systems design for the SLS Block 1B vehicle. The evolution of the navigation hard-ware and algorithms from an inertial-only navigation system for Block 1 ascent flight to a tightly coupled GPS-aided inertial navigation system for Block 1B is described. The Block 1 GN&C system has been designed to meet a LEO insertion target with a specified accuracy. The Block 1B vehicle navigation system is de-signed to support the Block 1 LEO target accuracy as well as trans-lunar or trans-planetary injection accuracy. Additionally, the Block 1B vehicle is designed to support human exploration and thus is designed to minimize the probability of Loss of Crew (LOC) through high-quality inertial instruments and robust algorithm design, including Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery (FDIR) logic.

Rupture of steam lines between blocks D and G

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

Analysis of steam lines rupture between blocks D and G of Ignalina NPP was performed. Model for evaluation of thermo hydrodynamic parameters was developed. Structural analysis of the shaft building was done as well. State of the art codes such as RELAP5, ALGOR, NEPTUNE were used in these calculations

Global value chains: Building blocks and network dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Tsekeris, Theodore

2017-12-01

The paper employs measures and tools from complex network analysis to enhance the understanding and interpretation of structural characteristics pertaining to the Global Value Chains (GVCs) during the period 1995-2011. The analysis involves the country, sector and country-sector value chain networks to identify main drivers of structural change. The results indicate significant intertemporal changes, mirroring the increased globalization in terms of network size, strength and connectivity. They also demonstrate higher clustering and increased concentration of the most influential countries and country-sectors relative to all others in the GVC network, with the geographical dimension to prevail over the sectoral dimension in the formation of value chains. The regionalization and less hierarchical organization drive country-sector production sharing, while the sectoral value chain network has become more integrated and more competitive over time. The findings suggest that the impact of country-sector policies and/or shocks may vary with the own-group and network-wide influence of each country, take place in multiple geographical scales, as GVCs have a block structure, and involve time dynamics.

Thermosensitive mPEG-b-PA-g-PNIPAM comb block copolymer micelles: effect of hydrophilic chain length and camptothecin release behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiao-Li; Luo, Yan-Ling; Xu, Feng; Chen, Ya-Shao

2014-02-01

Block copolymer micelles are extensively used as drug controlled release carriers, showing promising application prospects. The comb or brush copolymers are especially of great interest, whose densely-grafted side chains may be important for tuning the physicochemical properties and conformation in selective solvents, even in vitro drug release. The purpose of this work was to synthesize novel block copolymer combs via atom transfer radical polymerization, to evaluate its physicochemical features in solution, to improve drug release behavior and to enhance the bioavailablity, and to decrease cytotoxicity. The physicochemical properties of the copolymer micelles were examined by modulating the composition and the molecular weights of the building blocks. A dialysis method was used to load hydrophobic camptothecin (CPT), and the CPT release and stability were detected by UV-vis spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography, and the cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT assays. The copolymers could self-assemble into well-defined spherical core-shell micelle aggregates in aqueous solution, and showed thermo-induced micellization behavior, and the critical micelle concentration was 2.96-27.64 mg L(-1). The micelles were narrow-size-distribution, with hydrodynamic diameters about 128-193 nm, depending on the chain length of methoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG) blocks and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) graft chains or/and compositional ratios of mPEG to PNIPAM. The copolymer micelles could stably and effectively load CPT but avoid toxicity and side-effects, and exhibited thermo-dependent controlled and targeted drug release behavior. The copolymer micelles were safe, stable and effective, and could potentially be employed as CPT controlled release carriers.

A Learning Framework for Control-Oriented Modeling of Buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rubio-Herrero, Javier; Chandan, Vikas; Siegel, Charles M.; Vishnu, Abhinav; Vrabie, Draguna L.

2018-01-18

Buildings consume a significant amount of energy worldwide. Several building optimization and control use cases require models of energy consumption which are control oriented, have high predictive capability, imposes minimal data pre-processing requirements, and have the ability to be adapted continuously to account for changing conditions as new data becomes available. Data driven modeling techniques, that have been investigated so far, while promising in the context of buildings, have been unable to simultaneously satisfy all the requirements mentioned above. In this context, deep learning techniques such as Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) hold promise, empowered by advanced computational capabilities and big data opportunities. In this paper, we propose a deep learning based methodology for the development of control oriented models for building energy management and test in on data from a real building. Results show that the proposed methodology outperforms other data driven modeling techniques significantly. We perform a detailed analysis of the proposed methodology along dimensions such as topology, sensitivity, and downsampling. Lastly, we conclude by envisioning a building analytics suite empowered by the proposed deep framework, that can drive several use cases related to building energy management.

Analysis in cytokinesis-blocked human lymphocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Catena, C.; Mattoni, A.

1987-01-01

Biological dosimetry can be considered as an additional method to physical dosimetry for estimating dose absorption after exposure to ionizing radiation. Fully validated as well as new promising approaches in this field are reviewed. Recent experiments, carried out in our laboratory, on the analysis of micronuclei in cytokinesis-blocked human lymphocytes are presented. The possible relevance of differential human individual response to ionizing radiation, in view of the occurrence of radiosensitive syndromes, for the estimation of the absorbed dose in human is also discussed

The effect of salt on the morphologies of compositionally asymmetric block copolymer electrolytes

Science.gov (United States)

Loo, Whitney; Maslyn, Jacqueline; Oh, Hee Jeung; Balsara, Nitash

Block copolymer electrolytes are promising for applications in lithium metal solid-state batteries. Due to their ability to microphase separate into distinct morphologies, their ion transport and mechanical properties can be decoupled. The addition of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) salt to poly(styrene)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (SEO) has been shown to increase microphase separation in symmetric block copolymer systems due to an increase in the effective interaction parameter (χeff) ; however the effect of block copolymer compositional asymmetry is not well-understood. The effect of compositional asymmetry on polymer morphology was investigated through small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS). The effective Flory-Huggins interaction parameter was extracted from the scattering profiles in order to construct a phase diagram to demonstrate the effect of salt and compositional asymmetry on block copolymer morphology.

Contribution of ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cell blocks of metastatic supraclavicular lymph nodes to the diagnosis of lung cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hai-Ying Tian

2015-01-01

Conclusion: Cell-block samples from US-guided FNA is a promising, relatively noninvasive technique to provide additional information in lung cancer diagnosis. Analysis of cell blocks allows for genetic analysis of the patients with supraclavicular lymph nodes metastasis.

Block-induced Complex Structures Building the Flare-productive Solar Active Region 12673

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Shuhong; Zhang, Jun [CAS Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China); Zhu, Xiaoshuai [Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research, D-37077 Göttingen (Germany); Song, Qiao, E-mail: shuhongyang@nao.cas.cn [Key Laboratory of Space Weather, National Center for Space Weather, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing 100081 (China)

2017-11-10

Solar active region (AR) 12673 produced 4 X-class, 27 M-class, and numerous lower-class flares during its passage across the visible solar disk in 2017 September. Our study is to answer the questions why this AR was so flare-productive and how the X9.3 flare, the largest one of the past decade, took place. We find that there was a sunspot in the initial several days, and then two bipolar regions emerged nearby it successively. Due to the standing of the pre-existing sunspot, the movement of the bipoles was blocked, while the pre-existing sunspot maintained its quasi-circular shaped umbra only with the disappearance of a part of penumbra. Thus, the bipolar patches were significantly distorted, and the opposite polarities formed two semi-circular shaped structures. After that, two sequences of new bipolar regions emerged within the narrow semi-circular zone, and the bipolar patches separated along the curved channel. The new bipoles sheared and interacted with the previous ones, forming a complex topological system, during which numerous flares occurred. At the highly sheared region, a great deal of free energy was accumulated. On September 6, one negative patch near the polarity inversion line began to rapidly rotate and shear with the surrounding positive fields, and consequently the X9.3 flare erupted. Our results reveal that the block-induced complex structures built the flare-productive AR and the X9.3 flare was triggered by an erupting filament due to the kink instability. To better illustrate this process, a block-induced eruption model is proposed for the first time.

Participatory Approach to Long-Term Socio-Economic Scenarios as Building Block of a Local Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Tool - The Case Study Lienz (East-Tyrol)

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Ina; Eder, Brigitte; Hama, Michiko; Leitner, Markus

2016-04-01

Risks associated with climate change are mostly still understood and analyzed in a sector- or hazard-specific and rarely in a systemic, dynamic and scenario-based manner. In addition, socio-economic trends are often neglected in local vulnerability and risk assessments although they represent potential key determinants of risk and vulnerability. The project ARISE (Adaptation and Decision Support via Risk Management Through Local Burning Embers) aims at filling this gap by applying a participatory approach to socio-economic scenario building as building block of a local vulnerability assessment and risk management tool. Overall, ARISE aims at developing a decision support system for climate-sensitive iterative risk management as a key adaptation tool for the local level using Lienz in the East-Tyrol as a test-site City. One central building block is participatory socio-economic scenario building that - together with regionalized climate change scenarios - form a centrepiece in the process-oriented assessment of climate change risks and vulnerability. Major vulnerabilities and risks may stem from the economic performance, the socio-economic or socio-demographic developments or changes in asset exposition and not from climate change impacts themselves. The IPCC 5th assessment report underlines this and states that for most economic sectors, the impact of climate change may be small relative to the impacts of other driving forces such as changes in population growth, age, income, technology, relative prices, lifestyle, regulation, governance and many other factors in the socio-economy (Arent et al., 2014). The paper presents the methodology, process and results with respect to the building of long-term local socio-economic scenarios for the City of Lienz and the surrounding countryside. Scenarios were developed in a participatory approach using a scenario workshop that involved major stakeholders from the region. Participatory approaches are increasingly recognized as

A new fixation strategy for addressable nano-network building blocks

KAUST Repository

Lundberg, Erik P.; El-Sagheer, Afaf H.; Kocalka, Petr; Wilhelmsson, L. Marcus; Brown, Tom; Nordé n, Bengt

2010-01-01

Rapid controlled self-assembly makes DNA ideal for building nanostructures. A problem using hybridized intermediates in hierarchic assembly is their thermodynamic lability. We demonstrate a click-fixation technology by which robust hexagonal DNA modules can be made. This principle is applicable to a wide variety of DNA nanoconstructs. © 2010 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Nanocellulose as Material Building Block for Energy and Flexible Electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Liangbing

2014-03-01

In this talk, I will discuss the fabrications, properties and device applications of functional nanostructured paper based on nanocellulose. Nanostructures with tunable optical, electrical, ionic and mechanical properties will be discussed. Lab-scale demonstration devices, including low-cost Na-ion batteries, microbial fuel cells, solar cells, transparent transistors, actuators and touch screens will be briefly mentioned. These studies show that nanocellulose is a promising green material for electronics and energy devices.

ASSESSING THE COSTS OF THE THERMAL REHABILITATIONS OF A STUDIO BLOCK ENVELOPE

OpenAIRE

DINU R.C.; POPESCU D.; STAN-IVAN F.E.

2017-01-01

A view to reducing thermal energy consumption for a block of studios, this paper presents an assessment of the costs of energy efficient building materials used for the thermal rehabilitation of the analyzed building’s tire. Based on information obtained from the evaluation of heat energy consumption and of the actual heat balance of the studios block, resulted the necessity for thermal rehabilitation. These works aimed equally both exterior walls as well as exterior windows and doors and ...

Micellization of symmetric PEP-PEO block copolymers in water molecular weight dependence

CERN Document Server

Kaya, H; Allgaier, J; Stellbrink, J; Richter, D

2002-01-01

The micellar behaviour of the amphiphilic block copolymer poly-(ethylene-propylene)-poly-(ethylene oxide) (PEP-PEO) in aqueous solution has been studied with small-angle neutron scattering. The polymer was studied over a wide range of molecular weights, always keeping the volume of the blocks equal. The scattering behaviour of the solutions showed that a morphological transition takes place upon lowering the molecular weight. The high molecular weight block copolymers all build spherical, monodisperse micelles with large aggregation numbers. At low molecular weights, however, cylindrical micelles are formed. An interesting intermediate case is represented by the PEP2-PEO2 system, in which a morphological transition occurs upon dilution. (orig.)

Building block synthesis using the polymerase chain assembly method.

Science.gov (United States)

Marchand, Julie A; Peccoud, Jean

2012-01-01

De novo gene synthesis allows the creation of custom DNA molecules without the typical constraints of traditional cloning assembly: scars, restriction site incompatibility, and the quest to find all the desired parts to name a few. Moreover, with the help of computer-assisted design, the perfect DNA molecule can be created along with its matching sequence ready to download. The challenge is to build the physical DNA molecules that have been designed with the software. Although there are several DNA assembly methods, this section presents and describes a method using the polymerase chain assembly (PCA).

Ventilation and Air Quality in City Blocks Using Large-Eddy Simulation—Urban Planning Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mona Kurppa

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Buildings and vegetation alter the wind and pollutant transport in urban environments. This comparative study investigates the role of orientation and shape of perimeter blocks on the dispersion and ventilation of traffic-related air pollutants, and the street-level concentrations along a planned city boulevard. A large-eddy simulation (LES model PALM is employed over a highly detailed representation of the urban domain including street trees and forested areas. Air pollutants are represented by massless and passive particles (non-reactive gases, which are released with traffic-related emission rates. High-resolution simulations for four different city-block-structures are conducted over a 8.2 km 2 domain under two contrasting inflow conditions with neutral and stable atmospheric stratification corresponding the general and wintry meteorological conditions. Variation in building height together with multiple cross streets along the boulevard improves ventilation, resulting in 7–9% lower mean concentrations at pedestrian level. The impact of smaller scale variability in building shape was negligible. Street trees further complicate the flow and dispersion. Notwithstanding the surface roughness, atmospheric stability controls the concentration levels with higher values under stably stratified inflow. Little traffic emissions are transported to courtyards. The results provide urban planners direct information to reduce air pollution by proper structural layout of perimeter blocks.

Clinical application of thoracic paravertebral anesthetic block in breast surgeries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Socorro Faria

2015-04-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Optimum treatment for postoperative pain has been of fundamental importance in surgical patient care. Among the analgesic techniques aimed at this group of patients, thoracic paravertebral block combined with general anesthesia stands out for the good results and favorable risk-benefit ratio. Many local anesthetics and other adjuvant drugs are being investigated for use in this technique, in order to improve the quality of analgesia and reduce adverse effects. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the effectiveness and safety of paravertebral block compared to other analgesic and anesthetic regimens in women undergoing breast cancer surgeries. METHODS: Integrative literature review from 1966 to 2012, using specific terms in computerized databases of articles investigating the clinical characteristics, adverse effects, and beneficial effects of thoracic paravertebral block. RESULTS: On the selected date, 16 randomized studies that met the selection criteria established for this literature review were identified. Thoracic paravertebral block showed a significant reduction of postoperative pain, as well as decreased pain during arm movement after surgery. CONCLUSION: Thoracic paravertebral block reduced postoperative analgesic requirement compared to placebo group, markedly within the first 24 h. The use of this technique could ensure postoperative analgesia of clinical relevance. Further studies with larger populations are necessary, as paravertebral block seems to be promising for preemptive analgesia in breast cancer surgery.

Culture’s building blocks: Investigating cultural evolution in a LEGO construction task

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McGraw, John J.; Wallot, Sebastian; Mitkidis, Panagiotis

2014-01-01

to culture remains little more than a suggestive trope. Whereas the modern synthesis of evolutionary theory has provided an encompassing scientific framework for the selection and transmission of biological adaptations, a convincing theory of cultural evolution has yet to emerge. One of the greatest...... the ways people develop conventions in a series of LEGO construction tasks. The data revealed a surprising pattern in the selection of building bricks as well as features of car design across consecutive building sessions. Our findings support a novel methodology for studying the development...

The Promises of Biology and the Biology of Promises

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lee, Jieun

2015-01-01

commitments with differently imagined futures. I argue that promises are constitutive of the stem cell biology, rather than being derivative of it. Since the biological concept of stem cells is predicated on the future that they promise, the biological life of stem cells is inextricably intertwined...... patients’ bodies in anticipation of materializing the promises of stem cell biology, they are produced as a new form of biovaluable. The promises of biology move beyond the closed circuit of scientific knowledge production, and proliferate in the speculative marketplaces of promises. Part II looks at how...... of technologized biology and biological time can appear promising with the backdrop of the imagined intransigence of social, political, and economic order in the Korean society....

UAV PHOTOGRAMMETRY: BLOCK TRIANGULATION COMPARISONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Gini

2013-08-01

Full Text Available UAVs systems represent a flexible technology able to collect a big amount of high resolution information, both for metric and interpretation uses. In the frame of experimental tests carried out at Dept. ICA of Politecnico di Milano to validate vector-sensor systems and to assess metric accuracies of images acquired by UAVs, a block of photos taken by a fixed wing system is triangulated with several software. The test field is a rural area included in an Italian Park ("Parco Adda Nord", useful to study flight and imagery performances on buildings, roads, cultivated and uncultivated vegetation. The UAV SenseFly, equipped with a camera Canon Ixus 220HS, flew autonomously over the area at a height of 130 m yielding a block of 49 images divided in 5 strips. Sixteen pre-signalized Ground Control Points, surveyed in the area through GPS (NRTK survey, allowed the referencing of the block and accuracy analyses. Approximate values for exterior orientation parameters (positions and attitudes were recorded by the flight control system. The block was processed with several software: Erdas-LPS, EyeDEA (Univ. of Parma, Agisoft Photoscan, Pix4UAV, in assisted or automatic way. Results comparisons are given in terms of differences among digital surface models, differences in orientation parameters and accuracies, when available. Moreover, image and ground point coordinates obtained by the various software were independently used as initial values in a comparative adjustment made by scientific in-house software, which can apply constraints to evaluate the effectiveness of different methods of point extraction and accuracies on ground check points.

META 2f: Probabilistic, Compositional, Multi-dimension Model-Based Verification (PROMISE)

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-01

TTTech Computertechnik AG, and Vanderbilt University. PROMISE builds on the team’s unique expertise that combines a long history of successful...e.g. 0x800 for IPV4 , 0x806 for ARP, etc.) or as length field (value < 0x600), which indicates the actual length of the Ethernet data payload (46

Reduction of Line Edge Roughness of Polystyrene-block-Poly(methyl methacrylate) Copolymer Nanopatterns By Introducing Hydrogen Bonding at the Junction Point of Two Block Chains.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyu Seong; Lee, Jaeyong; Kwak, Jongheon; Moon, Hong Chul; Kim, Jin Kon

2017-09-20

To apply well-defined block copolymer nanopatterns to next-generation lithography or high-density storage devices, small line edge roughness (LER) of nanopatterns should be realized. Although polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymer (PS-b-PMMA) has been widely used to fabricate nanopatterns because of easy perpendicular orientation of the block copolymer nanodomains and effective removal of PMMA block by dry etching, the fabricated nanopatterns show poorer line edge roughness (LER) due to relatively small Flory-Huggins interaction parameter (χ) between PS and PMMA chains. Here, we synthesized PS-b-PMMA with urea (U) and N-(4-aminomethyl-benzyl)-4-hydroxymethyl-benzamide (BA) moieties at junction of PS and PMMA chains (PS-U-BA-PMMA) to improve the LER. The U-BA moieties serves as favorable interaction (hydrogen bonding) sites. The LER of PS line patterns obtained from PS-U-BA-PMMA was reduced ∼25% compared with that obtained from neat PS-b-PMMA without BA and U moieties. This is attributed to narrower interfacial width induced by hydrogen bonding between two blocks, which is confirmed by small-angle X-ray scattering. This result implies that the introduction of hydrogen bonding into block copolymer interfaces offers an opportunity to fabricate well-defined nanopatterns with improved LER by block copolymer self-assembly, which could be a promising alternative to next-generation extreme ultraviolet lithography.

KNBD: A Remote Kernel Block Server for Linux

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Jeff

1999-01-01

I am developing a prototype of a Linux remote disk block server whose purpose is to serve as a lower level component of a parallel file system. Parallel file systems are an important component of high performance supercomputers and clusters. Although supercomputer vendors such as SGI and IBM have their own custom solutions, there has been a void and hence a demand for such a system on Beowulf-type PC Clusters. Recently, the Parallel Virtual File System (PVFS) project at Clemson University has begun to address this need (1). Although their system provides much of the functionality of (and indeed was inspired by) the equivalent file systems in the commercial supercomputer market, their system is all in user-space. Migrating their 10 services to the kernel could provide a performance boost, by obviating the need for expensive system calls. Thanks to Pavel Machek, the Linux kernel has provided the network block device (2) with kernels 2.1.101 and later. You can configure this block device to redirect reads and writes to a remote machine's disk. This can be used as a building block for constructing a striped file system across several nodes.

Ultrasound-assisted acid hydrolysis of cellulose to chemical building blocks: Application to furfural synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Daniel; Silva, Ubiratan F; Duarte, Fabio A; Bizzi, Cezar A; Flores, Erico M M; Mello, Paola A

2018-01-01

In this work, the use of ultrasound energy for the production of furanic platforms from cellulose was investigated and the synthesis of furfural was demonstrated. Several systems were evaluated, as ultrasound bath, cup horn and probe, in order to investigate microcrystalline cellulose conversion using simply a diluted acid solution and ultrasound. Several acid mixtures were evaluated for hydrolysis, as diluted solutions of HNO 3 , H 2 SO 4 , HCl and H 2 C 2 O 4 . The influence of the following parameters in the ultrasound-assisted acid hydrolysis (UAAH) were studied: sonication temperature (30 to 70°C) and ultrasound amplitude (30 to 70% for a cup horn system) for 4 to 8molL -1 HNO 3 solutions. For each evaluated condition, the products were identified by ultra-performance liquid chromatography with high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-ToF-MS), which provide accurate information regarding the products obtained from biomass conversion. The furfural structure was confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H and 13 C NMR) spectroscopy. In addition, cellulosic residues from hydrolysis reaction were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which contributed for a better understanding of physical-chemical effects caused by ultrasound. After process optimization, a 4molL -1 HNO 3 solution, sonicated for 60min at 30°C in a cup horn system at 50% of amplitude, lead to 78% of conversion to furfural. This mild temperature condition combined to the use of a diluted acid solution represents an important contribution for the selective production of chemical building blocks using ultrasound energy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Flexible synthetic routes to poison-frog alkaloids of the 5,8-disubstituted indolizidine-class I: synthesis of common lactam chiral building blocks and application to the synthesis of (--203A, (--205A, and (--219F

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Spande Thomas F

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The 5,8-disubstituted indolizidines are the largest class of poison-frog alkaloids found in anuran skin, and are of considerable interest because of their inhibitory effects on the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Many synthetic strategies for the construction of this nucleus have been reported: however, a flexible route has not been reported to date. Results Synthesis of lactam chiral building blocks for the flexible synthesis of the title alkaloids has been achieved using a Michael-type conjugate addition reaction to a chiral cyclic enamine ester as the key step in constructing the trisubstituted piperidine ring system. To demonstrate the usefulness of these chiral building blocks, syntheses of (--203A, (--205A from 1, and (--219F from 2 have been achieved. Conclusion The total synthesis of (--203A, (--205A, and (--219F was achieved, and the absolute stereochemistry of natural 203A was determined to be 5S, 8R, 9S. In addition, the relative stereochemistry of natural 219F was determined.

The new district energy : building blocks for sustainable community development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The price of energy is expected to rise as world demand for fossil fuels increases and energy supplies become harder to access. Governments and businesses are interested in the role of energy in the design, development and operation of buildings and whole communities. In addition to contributing to community economic development, district energy (DE) systems can assist communities in meeting their goals for sustainable growth and in managing the changing nature of risk in the generation and delivery of energy. This handbook was developed in order to encourage information sharing and provide ideas on how to advance district energy development in communities across Canada. The handbook identified those who could use DE and listed the benefits provided by DE. These included community, environmental, and business benefits. The handbook also offered suggestions for overcoming common challenges experienced by communities initiating a DE system and provided a checklist to help accelerate the uptake of DE systems in a community. These challenges included working with the community; using integrated design; building knowledge, know-how and technical skills; and partnering to improve project financing and reducing development risk. 50 refs., 8 tabs., 11 figs

Design of nanocarriers for nanoscale drug delivery to enhance cancer treatment using hybrid polymer and lipid building blocks.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rui Xue; Ahmed, Taksim; Li, Lily Yi; Li, Jason; Abbasi, Azhar Z; Wu, Xiao Yu

2017-01-26

Polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles (PLN) are an emerging nanocarrier platform made from building blocks of polymers and lipids. PLN integrate the advantages of biomimetic lipid-based nanoparticles (i.e. solid lipid nanoparticles and liposomes) and biocompatible polymeric nanoparticles. PLN are constructed from diverse polymers and lipids and their numerous combinations, which imparts PLN with great versatility for delivering drugs of various properties to their nanoscale targets. PLN can be classified into two types based on their hybrid nanoscopic structure and assembly methods: Type-I monolithic matrix and Type-II core-shell systems. This article reviews the history of PLN development, types of PLN, lipid and polymer candidates, fabrication methods, and unique properties of PLN. The applications of PLN in delivery of therapeutic or imaging agents alone or in combination for cancer treatment are summarized and illustrated with examples. Important considerations for the rational design of PLN for advanced nanoscale drug delivery are discussed, including selection of excipients, synthesis processes governing formulation parameters, optimization of nanoparticle properties, improvement of particle surface functionality to overcome macroscopic, microscopic and cellular biological barriers. Future directions and potential clinical translation of PLN are also suggested.

Could the ethics of institutionalized health care be anything but Kantian? Collecting building blocks for a unifying metaethics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaldis, Byron

2005-01-01

Is a Health Care Ethics possible? Against sceptical and relativist doubts Kantian deontology may advance a challenging alternative affirming the possibility of such an ethics on the condition that deontology be adopted as a total programme or complete vision. Kantian deontology is enlisted to move us from an ethics of two-person informal care to one of institutions. It justifies this affirmative answer by occupying a commanding meta-ethical stand. Such a total programme comprises, on the one hand, a dual-aspect strategy incorporating the macro- (institutional) and micro- (person-to-person) levels while, on the other, it integrates consistently within moral epistemology a meta-ethics with lower-ground moral theories. The article describes the issues to be dealt with and the problems which have to be solved on the way to a unifying theory of that kind (Sections I-III) and indicates elements of Kantian moral philosophy which may serve as building blocks (Section IV). Among these are not only Kant's ideas concerning the moral acting of persons and his ideas concerning civil society and state but also his ideas concerning morality, schematism and religion.

Vibration Analysis of Beam and Block Precast Slab System due to Human Vibrations

Science.gov (United States)

Chik, T. N. T.; Kamil, M. R. H.; Yusoff, N. A.

2018-04-01

Beam and block precast slabs system are very efficient which generally give maximum structural performance where their voids based on the design of the unit soffit block allow a significant reduction of the whole slab self-weight. Initially for some combinations of components or the joint connection of the structural slab, this structural system may be susceptible to excessive vibrations that could effects the performance and also serviceability. Dynamic forces are excited from people walking and jumping which produced vibrations to the slab system in the buildings. Few studies concluded that human induced vibration on precast slabs system may be harmful to structural performance and mitigate the human comfort level. This study will investigate the vibration analysis of beam and block precast slab by using finite element method at the school building. Human activities which are excited from jumping and walking will induce the vibrations signal to the building. Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) was used to measure the dynamic responses of slab towards the vibration sources. Five different points were assigned specifically where each of location will determine the behaviour of the entire slabs. The finite element analyses were developed in ABAQUS software and the data was further processed in MATLAB ModalV to assess the vibration criteria. The results indicated that the beam and block precast systems adequate enough to the vibration serviceability and human comfort criteria. The overall vibration level obtained was fell under VC-E curve which it is generally under the maximum permissible level of vibrations. The vibration level on the slab is acceptable within the limit that have been used by Gordon.

Resonant soft x-ray GISAXS on block copolymer films

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Cheng; Araki, T.; Watts, B.; Ade, H.; Hexemer, A.; Park, S.; Russell, T. P.; Schlotter, W. F.; Stein, G. E.; Tang, C.; Kramer, E. J.

2008-03-01

Ordered block copolymer thin films may have important applications in modern device fabrication. Current characterization methods such as conventional GISAXS have fixed electron density contrast that can be overwhelmed by surface scattering. However, soft x-rays have longer wavelength, energy dependent contrast and tunable penetration, making resonant GISAXS a very promising tool for probing nanostructured polymer thin films. Our preliminary investigation was performed using PS-b-P2VP block copolymer films on beam-line 5-2 SSRL, and beam-line 6.3.2 at ALS, LBNL. The contrast/sensitivity of the scattering pattern varies significantly with photon energy close to the C K-edge (˜290 eV). Also, higher order peaks are readily observed, indicating hexagonal packing structure in the sample. Comparing to the hard x-ray GISAXS data of the same system, it is clear that resonant GISAXS has richer data and better resolution. Beyond the results on the A-B diblock copolymers, results on ABC block copolymers are especially interesting.

Novel biodegradable aliphatic poly(butylene succinate-co-cyclic carbonate)s bearing functionalizable carbonate building blocks: II. Enzymatic biodegradation and in vitro biocompatibility assay.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jing; Tian, Weisheng; Li, Qiaobo; Li, Yang; Cao, Amin

2004-01-01

In a previous study, we have reported chemical synthesis of novel aliphatic poly(butylene succinate-co-cyclic carbonate) P(BS-co-CC)s bearing various functionalizable carbonate building blocks, and this work will continue to present our new studies on their enzymatic degradation and in vitro cell biocompatibility assay. First, enzymatic degradation of the novel P(BS-co-CC) film samples was investigated with two enzymes of lipase B Candida Antartic (Novozyme 435) and lipase Porcine Pancreas PPL, and it was revealed that copolymerizing linear poly(butylene succinate) PBS with a functionalizable carbonate building block could remarkably accelerate the enzymatic degradation of a synthesized product P(BS-co-CC), and its biodegradation behavior was found to strongly depend on the overall impacts of several important factors as the cyclic carbonate (CC) comonomer structure and molar content, molar mass, thermal characteristics, morphology, the enzyme-substrate specificity, and so forth. Further, the biodegraded residual film samples and water-soluble enzymatic degradation products were allowed to be analyzed by means of proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), gel permeation chromatograph (GPC), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), attenuated total reflection FTIR (ATR-FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). On the experimental evidences, an exo-type mechanism of enzymatic chain hydrolysis preferentially occurring in the noncrystalline domains was suggested for the synthesized new P(BS-co-CC) film samples. With regard to their cell biocompatibilities, an assay with NIH 3T3 mouse fibroblast cell was conducted using the novel synthesized P(BS-co-CC) films as substrates with respect to the cell adhesion and proliferation, and these new biodegradable P(BS-co-CC) samples were found to exhibit as low cell toxicity as the PLLA control, particularly the two samples of poly(butylene succinate-co-18.7 mol % dimethyl

A Review of the Dutch Ecosystem for Building Integrated Photovoltaics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Osseweijer, Floor J W; Van Den Hurk, Linda B P; Teunissen, Erik J H M; Van Sark, Wilfried G J H M

2017-01-01

Building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is one of the most promising solutions to generate renewable electricity in the built environment. BIPV applications can replace regular building components into prefab integrated components that at the same time generate electricity, contributing to the

Binding blocks: building the Universe one nucleus at a time

Science.gov (United States)

Diget, C. Aa; Pastore, A.; Leech, K.; Haylett, T.; Lock, S.; Sanders, T.; Shelley, M.; Willett, H. V.; Keegans, J.; Sinclair, L.; Simpson, E. C.; Binding Blocks Collaboration

2017-03-01

We present a new teaching and outreach activity based around the construction of a three-dimensional chart of isotopes using \\text{LEG}{{\\text{O}}\\circledR} bricks5. The activity, binding blocks, demonstrates nuclear and astrophysical processes through a seven-meter chart of all nuclear isotopes, built from over 26 000 \\text{LEG}{{\\text{O}}\\circledR} bricks. It integrates A-Level and GCSE curricula across areas of nuclear physics, astrophysics, and chemistry, including: nuclear decays (through the colours in the chart); nuclear binding energy (through tower heights); production of chemical elements in the cosmos; fusion processes in stars and fusion energy on Earth; as well as links to medical physics, particularly diagnostics and radiotherapy.

Enstatite chondrites EL3 as building blocks for the Earth: The debate over the 146Sm-142Nd systematics

Science.gov (United States)

Boyet, M.; Bouvier, A.; Frossard, P.; Hammouda, T.; Garçon, M.; Gannoun, A.

2018-04-01

The 146Sm-142Nd extinct decay scheme (146Sm half-life of 103 My) is a powerful tool to trace early Earth silicate differentiation. Differences in 142Nd abundance measured between different chondrite meteorite groups and the modern Earth challenges the interpretation of the 142Nd isotopic variations found in terrestrial samples because the origin of the Earth and the nature of its building blocks is still an ongoing debate. As bulk meteorites, the enstatite chondrites (EC) have isotope signatures that are the closest to the Earth value with an average small deficit of ∼10 ppm in 142Nd relative to modern terrestrial samples. Here we review all the Nd isotope data measured on EC so far, and present the first measurements on an observed meteorite fall Almahata Sitta containing pristine fragments of an unmetamorphosed enstatite chondrite belonging to the EL3 subgroup. Once 142Nd/144Nd ratios are normalized to a common chondritic evolution, samples from the EC group (both EL and EH) have a deficit in 142Nd but the dispersion is important (μ142 Nd = - 10 ± 12 (2SD) ppm). This scatter reflects their unique mineralogy associated to their formation in reduced conditions (low fO2 or high C/O). Rare-earth elements are mainly carried by the sulfide phase oldhamite (CaS) that is more easily altered than silicates by weathering since most of the EC meteorites are desert finds. The EL6 have fractionated rare-earth element patterns with depletion in the most incompatible elements. Deviations in Nd mass independent stable isotope ratios in enstatite chondrites relative to terrestrial standard are not resolved with the level of analytical precision achieved by modern mass spectrometry techniques. Here we show that enstatite chondrites from the EL3 and EL6 subgroups may come from different parent bodies. Samples from the EL3 subgroup have Nd (μ142 Nd = - 0.8 ± 7.0, 2SD) and Ru isotope ratios undistinguishable from that of the Bulk Silicate Earth. EL3 samples have never been

Analysis of Block OMP using Block RIP

OpenAIRE

Wang, Jun; Li, Gang; Zhang, Hao; Wang, Xiqin

2011-01-01

Orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) is a canonical greedy algorithm for sparse signal reconstruction. When the signal of interest is block sparse, i.e., it has nonzero coefficients occurring in clusters, the block version of OMP algorithm (i.e., Block OMP) outperforms the conventional OMP. In this paper, we demonstrate that a new notion of block restricted isometry property (Block RIP), which is less stringent than standard restricted isometry property (RIP), can be used for a very straightforw...

Developing the basic building blocks of mathematics to be employed in practical embedded systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tickle, A J; Harvey, P K; Smith, J S [Intelligence Engineering and Industrial Automation Research Group, Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GJ (United Kingdom); Wu, F, E-mail: a.j.tickle@liverpool.ac.u [RF Engines Ltd, Innovation Centre, St. Cross Business Park, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 5WB (United Kingdom)

2009-07-01

Mathematics is vitally important as it is used in many areas of science and engineering, in particular are functions such as sine, cosine and the exponent in addition to being to able to carry out such tasks as decimal division. The sine wave is vitally important in physics and communications due to its ability to retain its waveshape when added to another sine wave of the same frequency and arbitrary phase. It is the only periodic waveform that has this property and leads to techniques such as Fourier analysis. Unfortunately these blocks are not included in the standard DSP Builder blockset in Simulink and so a method of creating these operations must be created if this methodology is to be employed in real world tasks such as power relay protection and stereo vision systems. Shown here is a method of performing these calculations using the limited blocks provided for a 50-bit based embedded system with a discussion about the accuracy when compared to traditional digital system counterparts. The order of the equations used and the scaling factors of the blocks are investigated to provide evidence of why certain values need to be changed depending upon the calculation being performed.

Developing the basic building blocks of mathematics to be employed in practical embedded systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tickle, A J; Harvey, P K; Smith, J S; Wu, F

2009-01-01

Mathematics is vitally important as it is used in many areas of science and engineering, in particular are functions such as sine, cosine and the exponent in addition to being to able to carry out such tasks as decimal division. The sine wave is vitally important in physics and communications due to its ability to retain its waveshape when added to another sine wave of the same frequency and arbitrary phase. It is the only periodic waveform that has this property and leads to techniques such as Fourier analysis. Unfortunately these blocks are not included in the standard DSP Builder blockset in Simulink and so a method of creating these operations must be created if this methodology is to be employed in real world tasks such as power relay protection and stereo vision systems. Shown here is a method of performing these calculations using the limited blocks provided for a 50-bit based embedded system with a discussion about the accuracy when compared to traditional digital system counterparts. The order of the equations used and the scaling factors of the blocks are investigated to provide evidence of why certain values need to be changed depending upon the calculation being performed.

Structure and ionic conductivity of block copolymer electrolytes over a wide salt concentration range

Science.gov (United States)

Chintapalli, Mahati; Le, Thao; Venkatesan, Naveen; Thelen, Jacob; Rojas, Adriana; Balsara, Nitash

Block copolymer electrolytes are promising materials for safe, long-lasting lithium batteries because of their favorable mechanical and ion transport properties. The morphology, phase behavior, and ionic conductivity of a block copolymer electrolyte, SEO mixed with LiTFSI was studied over a wide, previously unexplored salt concentration range using small angle X-ray scattering, differential scanning calorimetry and ac impedance spectroscopy, respectively. SEO exhibits a maximum in ionic conductivity at twice the salt concentration that PEO, the homopolymer analog of the ion-containing block, does. This finding is contrary to prior studies that examined a more limited range of salt concentrations. In SEO, the phase behavior of the PEO block and LiTFSI closely resembles the phase behavior of homopolymer PEO and LiTFSI. The grain size of the block copolymer morphology was found to decrease with increasing salt concentration, and the ionic conductivity of SEO correlates with decreasing grain size. Structural effects impact the ionic conductivity-salt concentration relationship in block copolymer electrolytes. SEO: polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide); also PS-PEO LiTFSI: lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl imide

Solid-phase synthesis of 2{sup '}-O-methoxyethyl oligonucleotides using dimeric phosphoramidate blocks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Gi Weon; Kang, Yong Han [Dept. of Applied Chemistry, Hanyang University, Ansan (Korea, Republic of)

2016-11-15

This research focused on the method of using dimeric phosphoramidite blocks to synthesize oligonucleotides for development as oligonucleotide drugs. A 16-mer oligonucleotide with the randomly selected sequence of C*C*T*C*G*C *T*C*T*C*G*C*C* C*G*C was synthesized using CC, GC, and TC dimers, a combination of monomers and dimers, or only monomers as building blocks. Using dimer blocks in this synthetic method provided a significant decrease in critical impurities that had similar properties to the main product, which was confirmed by LC-MS and HPLC analysis.

Efficient configurations for block ciphers with unified ENC/DEC paths

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Banik, Subhadeep; Bogdanov, Andrey; Regazzoni, Francesco

2017-01-01

by analyzing 12 circuit configurations for the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES-128) cipher and establish some design rules for energy efficiency. We then extend our analysis to several lightweight block ciphers. In the second part of the paper we also investigate area optimized circuits for combined......Block Ciphers providing the combined functionalities of encryption and decryption are required to operate in modes of operation like CBC and ELmD. Hence such architectures form critical building blocks for secure cryptographic implementations. Depending on the algebraic structure of a given cipher......, there may be multiple ways of constructing the combined encryption/decryption circuit, each targeted at optimizing lightweight design metrics like area or power etc. In this paper we look at how the choice of circuit configuration affects the energy required to perform one encryption/decryption. We begin...

IoT Based Human-Building Interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fürst, Jonathan

Our interactions with built environments are increasingly augmented with digital capabilities. Smart appliances coupled with Building Management Systems (BMS) promise to increase occupant comfort and to reduce energy consumption through automated control and personalized services. However, it is ...

31 CFR 595.301 - Blocked account; blocked property.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... (Continued) OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY TERRORISM SANCTIONS REGULATIONS General Definitions § 595.301 Blocked account; blocked property. The terms blocked account and blocked...

An electron-deficient small molecule accessible from sustainable synthesis and building blocks for use as a fullerene alternative in organic photovoltaics.

Science.gov (United States)

McAfee, Seth M; Topple, Jessica M; Payne, Abby-Jo; Sun, Jon-Paul; Hill, Ian G; Welch, Gregory C

2015-04-27

An electron-deficient small molecule accessible from sustainable isoindigo and phthalimide building blocks was synthesized via optimized synthetic procedures that incorporate microwave-assisted synthesis and a heterogeneous catalyst for Suzuki coupling, and direct heteroarylation carbon-carbon bond forming reactions. The material was designed as a non-fullerene acceptor with the help of DFT calculations and characterized by optical, electronic, and thermal analysis. Further investigation of the material revealed a differing solid-state morphology with the use of three well-known processing conditions: thermal annealing, solvent vapor annealing and small volume fractions of 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO) additive. These unique morphologies persist in the active layer blends and have demonstrated a distinct influence on device performance. Organic photovoltaic-bulk heterojunction (OPV-BHJ) devices show an inherently high open circuit voltage (Voc ) with the best power conversion efficiency (PCE) cells reaching 1.0 V with 0.4 v/v % DIO as a processing additive. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

[Fe(III)(dmbpy)(CN)4]-: a new building block for designing single-chain magnets.

Science.gov (United States)

Toma, Luminita Marilena; Pasán, Jorge; Ruiz-Pérez, Catalina; Lloret, Francesc; Julve, Miguel

2012-11-28

We herein present the synthesis and magneto-structural study of a new family of heterobimetallic chains of general formula {[Fe(III)(dmbpy)(CN)(4)](2)M(II)(H(2)O)(2)}(n)·pnH(2)O [dmbpy = 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine; M = Mn (2), Cu (3), Ni (4) and Co (5) with p = 4 (2), 3 (3), 9 (4) and 3.5 (5)] which were prepared by using the mononuclear PPh(4)[Fe(III)(dmbpy)(CN)(4)]·3H(2)O (1) building block (PPh(4)(+) = tetraphenylphosphonium) as a ligand toward fully solvated M(II) ions. The structure of 1 consists of discrete [Fe(III)(dmbpy)(CN)(4)](-) anions, tetraphenylphosphonium cations and noncoordinated water molecules. Complexes 2-5 are isostructural compounds whose structure consists of neutral 4,2-wave like heterobimetallic chains of formula {[Fe(III)(dmbpy)(CN)(4)](2)M(II)(H(2)O)(2)}(n) where the [Fe(III)(dmbpy)(CN)(4)](-) entity adopts a bis-monodentate coordination mode toward trans-[M(II)(H(2)O)(2)] units through two of its four cyanide groups in cis positions. 1 exhibits the magnetic behaviour of magnetically isolated six-coordinate low-spin Fe(III) complexes with an important orbital contribution. 2 behaves as ferrimagnetic Fe(III)(2)Mn(II) chains, whereas 3-5 exhibit intrachain ferromagnetic couplings between the low-spin Fe(III) and either Cu(II) (3), Ni (4) or Co(II) (5) as well as frequency-dependence of the out-of-phase ac susceptibility signals below 3.0 (3), 5.5 (4) and 5.0 K (5). The relaxation time and the energy to reverse the magnetization of 3-5 are related to the anisotropy of the M(II) center and to the intra- and interchain magnetic interactions. Unprecedentedly in the world of cyanide-bearing complexes, 5 exhibits a double slow relaxation of the magnetization.

Radiation engineered multi-functional nanogels as nanoscale building blocks of useful biomedical devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dispenza, C.

2011-01-01

for mass fabrication of nanoscale hydrogel particles with the recourse to industrial-type accelerators will be discussed. Radiation engineered nanogels may become base building blocks of higher order structures with designed properties, through the integration of heterogeneous components of different sizes and compositions, including biomolecules.

Nerve Blocks

Science.gov (United States)

... News Physician Resources Professions Site Index A-Z Nerve Blocks A nerve block is an injection to ... the limitations of Nerve Block? What is a Nerve Block? A nerve block is an anesthetic and/ ...

Post-cracking behavior of blocks, prisms, and small concrete walls reinforced with plant fiber

OpenAIRE

Soto, I. I.; Ramalho, M. A.; Izquierdo, O. S.

2013-01-01

Structural masonry using concrete blocks promotes the rationalization of construction projects, lowering the final cost of a building through the elimination of forms and the reduction of the consumption of reinforcement bars. Moreover, production of a block containing a combination of concrete and vegetable fiber sisal results in a unit with properties such as mechanical strength, stiffness, flexibility, ability to absorb energy, and post-cracking behavior that are comparable to those of a b...

CdTe magic-sized clusters and the use as building blocks for assembling two-dimensional nanoplatelets

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Hu; Hou, Yumei; Zhang, Hua

2017-06-01

A facile one-pot noninjection synthesis of CdTe magic-sized clusters (MSCs) and their use as building blocks for assembling two-dimensional (2D) quantum confined nanoplatelets (NPLs) are reported. Four distinct MSC families, with the first exciton absorption peaks at 447 nm (F447), 485 nm (F485), 535 nm (F535), and 555 nm (F555), are synthesized by the reaction between cadmium oleate and trioctylphosphine tellurium (TOP-Te) in octadecene media containing primary amine and TOP at appropriate intermediate temperatures. Especially, F447 is obtained in pure form and can self-assemble in situ into 2D NPLs in the reaction solution. The formation, growth, and transformation of CdTe MSCs are monitored mainly by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. The pure F447 and its assembled 2D NPLs are further characterized using transmission electron microscopy. The influence of various experimental variables, including reaction temperature, the nature, and amount of capping ligands, on the stability and growth kinetics of the obtained MSC families has been systematically investigated. Experimental results indicate that the appropriate reaction temperature and the presence of long hydrocarbon chain primary amines play a crucial role in the formation of MSCs and the subsequent assembly into 2D NPLs. Primary amines can also promote ultra-small sized CdTe regular nanocrystals to transform into MSCs, and therefore, CdTe MSCs can be obtained indirectly from regularly sized nanocrystals. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Building block diode laser concept for high brightness laser output in the kW range and its applications

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrario, Fabio; Fritsche, Haro; Grohe, Andreas; Hagen, Thomas; Kern, Holger; Koch, Ralf; Kruschke, Bastian; Reich, Axel; Sanftleben, Dennis; Steger, Ronny; Wallendorf, Till; Gries, Wolfgang

2016-03-01

The modular concept of DirectPhotonics laser systems is a big advantage regarding its manufacturability, serviceability as well as reproducibility. By sticking to identical base components an economic production allows to serve as many applications as possible while keeping the product variations minimal. The modular laser design is based on single emitters and various combining technics. In a first step we accept a reduction of the very high brightness of the single emitters by vertical stacking several diodes in fast axis. This can be theoretically done until the combined fast axis beam quality is on a comparable level as the individual diodes slow axis beam quality without loosing overall beam performance after fiber coupling. Those stacked individual emitters can be wavelength stabilized by an external resonator, providing the very same feedback to each of those laser diodes which leads to an output power of about 100 W with BPP of BPP. The 500 W building blocks are consequently designed in a way that they feature a high flexibility with regard to their emitting wavelength bandwidth. Therefore, new wavelengths can be implemented by only exchanging parts and without any additional change of the production process. This design principal theoretically offers the option to adapt the wavelength of those blocks to any applications, from UV, visible into the far IR as long as there are any diodes commercially available. This opens numerous additional applications like laser pumping, scientific applications, materials processing such as cutting and welding of copper aluminum or steel and also medical application. Typical operating at wavelengths in the 9XX nm range, these systems are designed for and mainly used in cutting and welding applications, but adapted wavelength ranges such as 793 nm and 1530 nm are also offered. Around 15XX nm the diodes are already successfully used for resonant pumping of Erbium lasers [1]. Furthermore, the fully integrated electronic

Designing and building nanowires: directed nanocrystal self-assembly into radically branched and zigzag PbS nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Fan; Ma Xin; Gerlein, L Felipe; Cloutier, Sylvain G

2011-01-01

Lead sulfide nanowires with controllable optoelectronic properties would be promising building blocks for various applications. Here, we report the hot colloidal synthesis of radically branched and zigzag nanowires through self-attachment of star-shaped and octahedral nanocrystals in the presence of multiple surfactants. We obtained high-quality single-crystal nanowires with uniform diameter along the entire length, and the size of the nanowire can be tuned by tailoring the reaction parameters. This slow oriented attachment provides a better understanding of the intricacies of this complex nanocrystal assembly process. Meanwhile, these self-assembled nanowire structures have appealing lateral conformations with narrow side arms or highly faceted edges, where strong quantum confinement can occur. Consequently, the single-crystal nanowire structures exhibit strong photoluminescence in the near-infrared region with a large blue-shift compared to the bulk material.

Ultrasound-guided peripheral and truncal blocks in pediatric patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Bilal Delvi

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Ultrasound has added a feather in the cap of the anesthesiologists as real-time nerve localization and drug deposition around the nerve structure under real-time guidance is now a reality, as the saying "seeing is believing" has been proven true with the advent of ultrasound in anesthesia. Pediatric patients are a unique group regarding their anatomical and physiological features in comparison with adults; regional blocks in adults with the anatomical landmark and surface marking are almost uniform across the adult population. The landmark technique in pediatric patients is not reliable in all patients due to the variability in the age and size; the advent of ultrasound in assisting nerve localization has changed the way regional blocks are achieved in children and the range of blocks performed on adults can now be performed on pediatric patients; with advances in the technology and dexterity of ultrasound equipment, the chances of success of blocks has increased with a smaller dose of the local anesthetic in comparison to the traditional methods. Anesthesiologists are now able to perform blocks with more accuracy and avoid complications like intravascular injection and injury to the pleura and peritoneum during routine practice with the assistance of high-frequency transducers and top of the range portable ultrasound machines; catheters can be inserted to provide a continuous analgesia in the postoperative period. This review article describes the common peripheral blocks in pediatric patients; the readers are encouraged to gain experience by attending workshops, hands-on practice under supervision, and conduct random controlled trials pertaining to ultrasound-guided blocks in the pediatric age group. The recent literature is encouraging and further research is promising; a wide range of blocks being described in detail by many prominent experts from all over the world.

Estimation of Carbon Dioxide Emissions Generated by Building and Traffic in Taichung City

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chou-Tsang Chang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The emissions of carbon dioxide generated by urban traffic is generally reflected by urban size. In order to discuss the traffic volume generated in developed buildings and road crossings in a single urban block, with the metropolitan area in Taichung, Taiwan as an example, this study calculates the mutual relationship between the carbon dioxide generated by the traffic volume and building development scale, in order to research energy consumption and relevance. In this research, the entire-day traffic volume of an important road crossing is subject to statistical analysis to obtain the prediction formula of total passenger car units in the main road crossing within 24 h. Then, the total CO2 emissions generated by the traffic volume in the entire year is calculated according to the investigation data of peak traffic hours within 16 blocks and the influential factors of the development scale of 95 buildings are counted. Finally, this research found that there is a passenger car unit of 4.72 generated in each square meter of land in the urban block every day, 0.99 in each square meter of floor area in the building and the average annual total CO2 emissions of each passenger car unit is 41.4 kgCO2/yr. In addition, the basic information of an integrated road system and traffic volume is used to present a readable urban traffic hot map, which can calculate a distribution map of passenger car units within one day in Taichung. This research unit can be used to forecast the development scale of various buildings in future urban blocks, in order to provide an effective approach to estimate the carbon dioxide generated by the traffic volume.

Stem cell therapy: the great promise in lung disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Siniscalco, Dario; Sullo, Nikol; Maione, Sabatino; Rossi, Francesco; D'Agostino, Bruno

2008-06-01

Lung injuries are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Pulmonary diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease characterized by loss of lung elasticity, small airway tethers, and luminal obstruction with inflammatory mucoid secretions, or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis characterized by excessive matrix deposition and destruction of the normal lung architecture, have essentially symptomatic treatments and their management is costly to the health care system.Regeneration of tissue by stem cells from endogenous, exogenous, and even genetically modified cells is a promising novel therapy. The use of adult stem cells to help with lung regeneration and repair could be a newer technology in clinical and regenerative medicine. In fact, different studies have shown that bone marrow progenitor cells contribute to repair and remodeling of lung in animal models of progressive pulmonary hypertension.Therefore, lung stem cell biology may provide novel approaches to therapy and could represent a great promise for the future of molecular medicine. In fact, several diseases can be slowed or even blocked by stem cell transplantation.

Formation of Methylamine and Ethylamine in Extraterrestrial Ices and Their Role as Fundamental Building Blocks of Proteinogenic α -amino Acids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Förstel, Marko; Bergantini, Alexandre; Maksyutenko, Pavlo; Góbi, Sándor; Kaiser, Ralf I., E-mail: ralfk@hawaii.edu [W. M. Keck Research Laboratory in Astrochemistry, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, HI, 96822 (United States)

2017-08-10

The –CH–NH{sub 2} moiety represents the fundamental building block of all proteinogenic amino acids, with the cyclic amino acid proline being a special case (–CH–NH– in proline). Exploiting a chemical retrosynthesis, we reveal that methylamine (CH{sub 3}NH{sub 2}) and/or ethylamine (CH{sub 3}CH{sub 2}NH{sub 2}) are essential precursors in the formation of each proteinogenic amino acid. In the present study we elucidate the abiotic formation of methylamine and ethylamine from ammonia (NH{sub 3}) and methane (CH{sub 4}) ices exposed to secondary electrons generated by energetic cosmic radiation in cometary and interstellar model ices. Our experiments show that methylamine and ethylamine are crucial reaction products in irradiated ices composed of ammonia and methane. Using isotopic substitution studies we further obtain valuable information on the specific reaction pathways toward methylamine. The very recent identification of methylamine and ethylamine together with glycine in the coma of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko underlines their potential to the extraterrestrial formation of amino acids.

Thermal resistance and conductivity of recycled construction and demolition waste (RCDW concrete blocks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivan Julio Apolonio Callejas

Full Text Available Abstract In Brazil, studies to reuse construction and demolition waste are a special issue because a large amount of this material has been delivered to the public landfills and in illegal places. Some researchers have suggested reusing this material in building elements, such as bricks or blocks. It is possible to find a lot of researches in physical/mechanical characterization, while little effort has been made to characterize recycled construction and demolition waste blocks (RCDW for their thermal properties. The aim of this work was to characterize the RCDW thermal resistance and conductivity in order to provide subsidies for a building's thermal performance analysis. The hot-box method was adapted, together with measuring techniques with a heat-flow meter to determine the RCDW thermal properties. The results indicated that the RCDW block overall thermal resistance and thermal conductivity in the solid region was within the intervals of 0.33≤RT≤0.41m2KW-1 and 0.60≤l≤0.78Wm-1K-1, respectively. The lower resistance and conductivity values are justified by the presence of aggregate with a lower density and lower thermal conductivity than the natural aggregate.

Testing block subdivision algorithms on block designs

Science.gov (United States)

Wiseman, Natalie; Patterson, Zachary

2016-01-01

Integrated land use-transportation models predict future transportation demand taking into account how households and firms arrange themselves partly as a function of the transportation system. Recent integrated models require parcels as inputs and produce household and employment predictions at the parcel scale. Block subdivision algorithms automatically generate parcel patterns within blocks. Evaluating block subdivision algorithms is done by way of generating parcels and comparing them to those in a parcel database. Three block subdivision algorithms are evaluated on how closely they reproduce parcels of different block types found in a parcel database from Montreal, Canada. While the authors who developed each of the algorithms have evaluated them, they have used their own metrics and block types to evaluate their own algorithms. This makes it difficult to compare their strengths and weaknesses. The contribution of this paper is in resolving this difficulty with the aim of finding a better algorithm suited to subdividing each block type. The proposed hypothesis is that given the different approaches that block subdivision algorithms take, it's likely that different algorithms are better adapted to subdividing different block types. To test this, a standardized block type classification is used that consists of mutually exclusive and comprehensive categories. A statistical method is used for finding a better algorithm and the probability it will perform well for a given block type. Results suggest the oriented bounding box algorithm performs better for warped non-uniform sites, as well as gridiron and fragmented uniform sites. It also produces more similar parcel areas and widths. The Generalized Parcel Divider 1 algorithm performs better for gridiron non-uniform sites. The Straight Skeleton algorithm performs better for loop and lollipop networks as well as fragmented non-uniform and warped uniform sites. It also produces more similar parcel shapes and patterns.

Block copolymer-nanoparticle hybrid self-assembly

KAUST Repository

Hoheisel, Tobias N.; Hur, Kahyun; Wiesner, Ulrich B.

2015-01-01

© 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Polymer-inorganic hybrid materials provide exciting opportunities as they may display favorable properties from both constituents that are desired in applications including catalysis and energy conversion and storage. For the preparation of hybrid materials with well-defined morphologies, block copolymer-directed nanoparticle hybrids present a particularly promising approach. As will be described in this review, once the fundamental characteristics for successful nanostructure formation at or close to the thermodynamic equilibrium of these nanocomposites are identified, the approach can be generalized to various materials classes. In addition to the discussion of recent materials developments based on the use of AB diblock copolymers as well as ABC triblock terpolymers, this review will therefore emphasize progress in the fundamental understanding of the underlying formation mechanisms of such hybrid materials. To this end, critical experiments for, as well as theoretical progress in the description of these nanostructured block copolymer-based hybrid materials will be discussed. Rather than providing a comprehensive overview, the review will emphasize work by the Wiesner group at Cornell University, US, on block copolymer-directed nanoparticle assemblies as well as their use in first potential application areas. The results provide powerful design criteria for wet-chemical synthesis methodologies for the generation of functional nanomaterials for applications ranging from microelectronics to catalysis to energy conversion and storage.

Case-study of thermo active building systems in Japanese climate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Li, Rongling; Yoshidomi, Togo; Ooka, Ryozo

2015-01-01

Thermo active building systems (TABS) have been applied in office buildings as a promising energy efficient solution in many European countries. The utilization of building thermal mass helps to provide high quality thermal environments with less energy consumption. However, the concept of TABS...... is entirely new in Japan. This paper introduces and evaluates TABS under Tokyo weather conditions to clarify the potential of use TABS in Japan. Cooling capacity of thermo active building systems used in an office building was evaluated by means of dynamic simulations. Two central rooms of the office were...

Characterization of Lithium Polysulfide Salts in Homopolymers and Block Copolymers

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dunyang; Wujcik, Kevin; Balsara, Nitash

Ion-conducting polymers are important for solid-state batteries due to the promise of better safety and the potential to produce higher energy density batteries. Nanostructured block copolymer electrolytes can provide high ionic conductivity and mechanical strength through microphase separation. One of the potential use of block copolymer electrolytes is in lithium-sulfur batteries, a system that has high theoretical energy density wherein the reduction of sulfur leads to the formation of lithium polysulfide intermediates. In this study we investigate the effect of block copolymer morphology on the speciation and transport properties of the polysulfides. The morphology and conductivities of polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (SEO) containing lithium polysulfides were studies using small-angle X-ray scattering and ac impedance spectroscopy. UV-vis spectroscopy is being used to determine nature of the polysulfide species in poly(ethylene oxide) and SEO. Department of Energy, Soft Matter Electron Microscopy Program and Battery Materials Research Program.

Synthesis and morphology of hydroxyapatite/polyethylene oxide nanocomposites with block copolymer compatibilized interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ji Hoon; Shofner, Meisha

2012-02-01

In order to exploit the promise of polymer nanocomposites, special consideration should be given to component interfaces during synthesis and processing. Previous results from this group have shown that nanoparticles clustered into larger structures consistent with their native shape when the polymer matrix crystallinity was high. Therefore in this research, the nanoparticles are disguised from a highly-crystalline polymer matrix by cloaking them with a matrix-compatible block copolymer. Specifically, spherical and needle-shaped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were synthesized using a block copolymer templating method. The block copolymer used, polyethylene oxide-b-polymethacrylic acid, remained on the nanoparticle surface following synthesis with the polyethylene oxide block exposed. These nanoparticles were subsequently added to a polyethylene oxide matrix using solution processing. Characterization of the nanocomposites indicated that the copolymer coating prevented the nanoparticles from assembling into ordered clusters and that the matrix crystallinity was decreased at a nanoparticle spacing of approximately 100 nm.

Structural Color for Additive Manufacturing: 3D-Printed Photonic Crystals from Block Copolymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyle, Bret M; French, Tracy A; Pearson, Ryan M; McCarthy, Blaine G; Miyake, Garret M

2017-03-28

The incorporation of structural color into 3D printed parts is reported, presenting an alternative to the need for pigments or dyes for colored parts produced through additive manufacturing. Thermoplastic build materials composed of dendritic block copolymers were designed, synthesized, and used to additively manufacture plastic parts exhibiting structural color. The reflection properties of the photonic crystals arise from the periodic nanostructure formed through block copolymer self-assembly during polymer processing. The wavelength of reflected light could be tuned across the visible spectrum by synthetically controlling the block copolymer molecular weight and manufacture parts that reflected violet, green, or orange light with the capacity to serve as selective optical filters and light guides.

Fuzzy promises

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Anker, Thomas Boysen; Kappel, Klemens; Eadie, Douglas

2012-01-01

as narrative material to communicate self-identity. Finally, (c) we propose that brands deliver fuzzy experiential promises through effectively motivating consumers to adopt and play a social role implicitly suggested and facilitated by the brand. A promise is an inherently ethical concept and the article...... concludes with an in-depth discussion of fuzzy brand promises as two-way ethical commitments that put requirements on both brands and consumers....

Donor-Acceptor Block Copolymers: Synthesis and Solar Cell Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kazuhiro Nakabayashi

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Fullerene derivatives have been widely used for conventional acceptor materials in organic photovoltaics (OPVs because of their high electron mobility. However, there are also considerable drawbacks for use in OPVs, such as negligible light absorption in the visible-near-IR regions, less compatibility with donor polymeric materials and high cost for synthesis and purification. Therefore, the investigation of non-fullerene acceptor materials that can potentially replace fullerene derivatives in OPVs is increasingly necessary, which gives rise to the possibility of fabricating all-polymer (polymer/polymer solar cells that can deliver higher performance and that are potentially cheaper than fullerene-based OPVs. Recently, considerable attention has been paid to donor-acceptor (D-A block copolymers, because of their promising applications as fullerene alternative materials in all-polymer solar cells. However, the synthesis of D-A block copolymers is still a challenge, and therefore, the establishment of an efficient synthetic method is now essential. This review highlights the recent advances in D-A block copolymers synthesis and their applications in all-polymer solar cells.

Two-step crystal engineering of porous nets from [Cr3(μ 3-O)(RCO2)6] and [Cu3(μ 3-Cl)(RNH2)6Cl6] molecular building blocks

KAUST Repository

Elsaidi, Sameh K.

2013-01-01

Two porous nets have been prepared via a 2-step crystal engineering approach that links decorated trigonal prismatic [Cr3(μ 3-O)(CO2)6] and [Cu3(μ 3-Cl)(RNH2)6Cl6] molecular building blocks, MBBs. tp-PMBB-5-acs-1 is a rare example of a rigid acs underlying net whereas tp-PMBB-6-stp-1, an stp underlying net, exhibits free NH2 groups in its channels and a relatively high isosteric heat of adsorption for CO2. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Building damage assessment from PolSAR data using texture parameters of statistical model

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Linlin; Liu, Xiuguo; Chen, Qihao; Yang, Shuai

2018-04-01

Accurate building damage assessment is essential in providing decision support for disaster relief and reconstruction. Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) has become one of the most effective means of building damage assessment, due to its all-day/all-weather ability and richer backscatter information of targets. However, intact buildings that are not parallel to the SAR flight pass (termed oriented buildings) and collapsed buildings share similar scattering mechanisms, both of which are dominated by volume scattering. This characteristic always leads to misjudgments between assessments of collapsed buildings and oriented buildings from PolSAR data. Because the collapsed buildings and the intact buildings (whether oriented or parallel buildings) have different textures, a novel building damage assessment method is proposed in this study to address this problem by introducing texture parameters of statistical models. First, the logarithms of the estimated texture parameters of different statistical models are taken as a new texture feature to describe the collapse of the buildings. Second, the collapsed buildings and intact buildings are distinguished using an appropriate threshold. Then, the building blocks are classified into three levels based on the building block collapse rate. Moreover, this paper also discusses the capability for performing damage assessment using texture parameters from different statistical models or using different estimators. The RADARSAT-2 and ALOS-1 PolSAR images are used to present and analyze the performance of the proposed method. The results show that using the texture parameters avoids the problem of confusing collapsed and oriented buildings and improves the assessment accuracy. The results assessed by using the K/G0 distribution texture parameters estimated based on the second moment obtain the highest extraction accuracies. For the RADARSAT-2 and ALOS-1 data, the overall accuracy (OA) for these three types of

CMOL/CMOS hardware architectures and performance/price for Bayesian memory - The building block of intelligent systems

Science.gov (United States)

Zaveri, Mazad Shaheriar

implementation. We later use this methodology to investigate the hardware implementations of cortex-scale spiking neural system, which is an approximate neural equivalent of BICM based cortex-scale system. The results of this investigation also suggest that CMOL is a promising candidate to implement such large-scale neuromorphic systems. In general, the assessment of such hypothetical baseline hardware architectures provides the prospects for building large-scale (mammalian cortex-scale) implementations of neuromorphic/Bayesian/intelligent systems using state-of-the-art and beyond state-of-the-art silicon structures.

Building consensus on youth violence prevention and citizen ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2016-04-20

Apr 20, 2016 ... ... promising practices, intervention models, methodologies, and public policies to ... Building on the IDRC and Organization of American States ... Involving urban communities in controlling dengue fever in Latin America.

Analysis of blocking probability for OFDM-based variable bandwidth optical network

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Lei; Zhang, Jie; Zhao, Yongli; Lin, Xuefeng; Wu, Yuyao; Gu, Wanyi

2011-12-01

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) has recently been proposed as a modulation technique. For optical networks, because of its good spectral efficiency, flexibility, and tolerance to impairments, optical OFDM is much more flexible compared to traditional WDM systems, enabling elastic bandwidth transmissions, and optical networking is the future trend of development. In OFDM-based optical network the research of blocking rate has very important significance for network assessment. Current research for WDM network is basically based on a fixed bandwidth, in order to accommodate the future business and the fast-changing development of optical network, our study is based on variable bandwidth OFDM-based optical networks. We apply the mathematical analysis and theoretical derivation, based on the existing theory and algorithms, research blocking probability of the variable bandwidth of optical network, and then we will build a model for blocking probability.

Greater Occipital Nerve Block for Acute Treatment of Migraine Headache: A Large Retrospective Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Sorcha M; Mookadam, Farouk; Cha, Stephen S; Freeman, John A; Starling, Amaal J; Mookadam, Martina

2018-01-01

Greater occipital nerve (GON) blocks are frequently used to treat migraine headaches, although a paucity of supporting clinical evidence exists. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of GON block in acute treatment of migraine headache, with a focus on pain relief. This retrospective cohort study was undertaken between January 2009 and August 2014 and included patients who underwent at least 1 GON block and attended at least 1 follow-up appointment. Change in the 11-point numeric pain rating scale (NPRS) was used to assess the response to GON block. Response was defined as "minimal" (50% NPRS point reduction). A total of 562 patients met inclusion criteria; 423 were women (75%). Mean age was 58.6 ± 16.7 years. Of these 562, 459 patients (82%) rated their response to GON block as moderate or significant. No statistically significant relationship existed between previous treatment regimens and response to GON block. GON block was equally effective across the different age and sex groups. Greater occipital block seems to be an effective option for acute management of migraine headache, with promising reductions in pain scores. © Copyright 2018 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Cutaneous Sensory Block Area, Muscle-Relaxing Effect, and Block Duration of the Transversus Abdominis Plane Block

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Støving, Kion; Rothe, Christian; Rosenstock, Charlotte V

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a widely used nerve block. However, basic block characteristics are poorly described. The purpose of this study was to assess the cutaneous sensory block area, muscle-relaxing effect, and block duration. METHODS: Sixteen...... healthy volunteers were randomized to receive an ultrasound-guided unilateral TAP block with 20 mL 7.5 mg/mL ropivacaine and placebo on the contralateral side. Measurements were performed at baseline and 90 minutes after performing the block. Cutaneous sensory block area was mapped and separated...... into a medial and lateral part by a vertical line through the anterior superior iliac spine. We measured muscle thickness of the 3 lateral abdominal muscle layers with ultrasound in the relaxed state and during maximal voluntary muscle contraction. The volunteers reported the duration of the sensory block...

Modelling radiation exposure in homes from siporex blocks by using exhalation rates of radon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolić Mladen D.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Building materials are the second major source of indoor radon, after soil. The contribution of building materials to indoor radon amount depends upon the radium content and exhalation rates, which can be used as a primary index for radon levels in the dwellings. This paper presents the results of using the experimentally determined exhalation rates of siporex blocks and concrete plates, to assess the radiation exposure in dwellings built of siporex blocks. The annual doses in rooms have been estimated depending on the established modes of ventilation. Realistic scenario was created to predict an annual effective dose for an old person, a housewife, a student, and an employed tenant, who live in the same apartment, spending different periods of time in it. The results indicate the crucial importance of good ventilation of the living space.

The Behaviour of Palm Oil Fibre Block Masonry Prism under Eccentric Compressive Loading

Science.gov (United States)

Mokhtar, Mardiha; Kolop, Roslan; Baizura Hamid, Nor; Kaamin, Masiri; Farhan Rosdi, Mohd; Ngadiman, Norhayati; Sahat, Suhaila

2017-08-01

Dry-stacked masonry offers great benefits in constructing masonry buildings. Several examples from previous research show that dry masonry is reasonable alternative to the traditional building system. By addition of fibre, the ductility and the propagation of cracking will be improved. This study investigates the dry stack oil palm fibre block prisms which were subjected to eccentricity compression loads. These concrete blocks were cast using a single mould with suitable fibre-cement composition namely 1:4 (cement: sand) and 0.40 water to the cement ratio based on cement weight. Prisms test using 400 (length) × 150 (width) × 510 (height) mm specimen was carried under eccentric load. There were forty eight (48) prisms built with different configurations based on their volume of fibre. In this study, one types of grout were used namely the fine grout of mix 1:3:2 (cement: sand: aggregate (5mm maximum). Based on the test performed, the failure mechanism and influencing parameters were discussed. From compressive strength test result, it shows that the strength of concrete block decreased with the increase of fibre used. Although the control sample has the higher strength compared to concrete with EFB, it can be seen from mode failure of masonry prism that fibre could extend the cracking time. These results show that the oil palm fibre blocks can improve the failure behaviour and suitable to be used as load bearing wall construction in Malaysia.

Mesoporous Bragg reflectors: block-copolymer self-assembly leads to building blocks with well defined continuous pores and high control over optical properties

KAUST Repository

Guldin, S.

2011-08-19

Mesoporous distributed Bragg re ectors (MDBRs) exhibit porosity on the sub-optical length scale. This makes them ideally suited as sensing platforms in biology and chemistry as well as for light management in optoelectronic devices. Here we present a new fast forward route for the fabrication of MDBRs which relies on the self-assembling properties of the block copolymer poly(isoprene-block -ethylene oxide) (PI-b -PEO) in combination with sol-gel chemistry. The interplay between structure directing organic host and co-assembled inorganic guest allows the ne tuning of refractive index in the outcome material. The refractive index dierence between the high and low porosity layer can be as high as 0.4, with the optical interfaces being well dened. Following a 30 min annealing protocol after each layer deposition enables the fast and reliable stacking of MDBRs which exhibit a continuous TiO2 network with large accessible pores and high optical quality.

Information architecture for building digital library | Obuh ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The paper provided an overview of constituent elements of a digital library and explained the underlying information architecture and building blocks for a digital library. It specifically proffered meaning to the various elements or constituents of a digital library system. The paper took a look at the structure of information as a ...

31 CFR 594.301 - Blocked account; blocked property.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... (Continued) OFFICE OF FOREIGN ASSETS CONTROL, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY GLOBAL TERRORISM SANCTIONS REGULATIONS General Definitions § 594.301 Blocked account; blocked property. The terms blocked account and...

Randomized Block Cubic Newton Method

KAUST Repository

Doikov, Nikita; Richtarik, Peter

2018-01-01

We study the problem of minimizing the sum of three convex functions: a differentiable, twice-differentiable and a non-smooth term in a high dimensional setting. To this effect we propose and analyze a randomized block cubic Newton (RBCN) method, which in each iteration builds a model of the objective function formed as the sum of the natural models of its three components: a linear model with a quadratic regularizer for the differentiable term, a quadratic model with a cubic regularizer for the twice differentiable term, and perfect (proximal) model for the nonsmooth term. Our method in each iteration minimizes the model over a random subset of blocks of the search variable. RBCN is the first algorithm with these properties, generalizing several existing methods, matching the best known bounds in all special cases. We establish ${\\cal O}(1/\\epsilon)$, ${\\cal O}(1/\\sqrt{\\epsilon})$ and ${\\cal O}(\\log (1/\\epsilon))$ rates under different assumptions on the component functions. Lastly, we show numerically that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art on a variety of machine learning problems, including cubically regularized least-squares, logistic regression with constraints, and Poisson regression.

Randomized Block Cubic Newton Method

KAUST Repository

Doikov, Nikita

2018-02-12

We study the problem of minimizing the sum of three convex functions: a differentiable, twice-differentiable and a non-smooth term in a high dimensional setting. To this effect we propose and analyze a randomized block cubic Newton (RBCN) method, which in each iteration builds a model of the objective function formed as the sum of the natural models of its three components: a linear model with a quadratic regularizer for the differentiable term, a quadratic model with a cubic regularizer for the twice differentiable term, and perfect (proximal) model for the nonsmooth term. Our method in each iteration minimizes the model over a random subset of blocks of the search variable. RBCN is the first algorithm with these properties, generalizing several existing methods, matching the best known bounds in all special cases. We establish ${\\\\cal O}(1/\\\\epsilon)$, ${\\\\cal O}(1/\\\\sqrt{\\\\epsilon})$ and ${\\\\cal O}(\\\\log (1/\\\\epsilon))$ rates under different assumptions on the component functions. Lastly, we show numerically that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art on a variety of machine learning problems, including cubically regularized least-squares, logistic regression with constraints, and Poisson regression.

Hybrid titanium dioxide/PS-b-PEO block copolymer nanocomposites based on sol-gel synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gutierrez, J; Tercjak, A; Garcia, I; Peponi, L; Mondragon, I

2008-01-01

The poly(styrene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (SEO) amphiphilic block copolymer, with two different molecular weights, has been used as a structure directing agent for generating nanocomposites of TiO 2 /SEO via the sol-gel process. SEO amphiphilic block copolymers are designed with a hydrophilic PEO-block which can interact with inorganic molecules, as well as a hydrophobic PS-block which builds the matrix. The addition of different amounts of sol-gel provokes strong variations in the self-assembled morphology of TiO 2 /SEO nanocomposites with respect to the neat block copolymer. As confirmed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), TiO 2 /PEO-block micelles get closer, forming well-ordered spherical domains, in which TiO 2 nanoparticles constitute the core surrounded by a corona of PEO-blocks. Moreover, for 20 vol% sol-gel the generated morphology changes to a hexagonally ordered structure for both block copolymers. The cylindrical structure of these nanocomposites has been confirmed by the two-dimensional Fourier transform power spectrum of the corresponding AFM height images. Affinity between titanium dioxide precursor and PEO-block of SEO allows us to generate hybrid inorganic/organic nanocomposites, which retain the optical properties of TiO 2 , as evaluated by UV-vis spectroscopy

The effects of window alternatives on energy efficiency and building economy in high-rise residential buildings in moderate to humid climates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yaşar, Yalçın; Kalfa, Sibel Maçka

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We investigated energy and economy efficiency of window alternatives in Trabzon. ► Energy consumptions of eight window alternatives were simulated and discussed. ► Window alternatives’s life cycle costs were calculated and compared. ► We suggested appropriate energy and economy efficient window alternatives. ► The study defines useful guidelines to select appropriate window alternatives. - Abstract: Currently, focused efforts are being made to determine the influence of windows on the energy consumption and economy of high-rise buildings. Certain window designs and appropriate glazing systems reduce building energy consumption for heating and cooling and contribute to building economy. This paper addresses double-glazed window units that are composed of tinted glass; clear reflective glass; low emissivity (low-e) glass; and smart glass (one surface consists of a high-performance, heat-reflective glass, and other surface has a low-emissivity coated). These materials reduce the heating and cooling loads of buildings by providing solar control and heat conservation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of these alternative units, rather than readily available double-glazed units, in two types of flats. The flats have the same construction and operating system, but they have different plan types with regard to building energy consumption and building economy as it relates to life cycle cost analysis. For this study, we selected buildings in Trabzon, in Climate Region II of Turkey, due to its moderate-humid climate. F- and C-type high-rise residential blocks, with flats composed of two to three bedrooms, constructed by the Republic of Turkey’s Prime Ministry Housing Development Administration of Turkey (TOKİ) are used as models for the simulation. The flat plans in these blocks are modeled using DesignBuilder v.1.8 energy simulation software. The simulation results show that smart-glazed units and those with low emissivity

Reactor building indoor wireless network channel quality estimation using RSSI measurement of wireless sensor network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merat, S.

2008-01-01

Expanding wireless communication network reception inside reactor buildings (RB) and service wings (SW) has always been a technical challenge for operations service team. This is driven by the volume of metal equipment inside the Reactor Buildings (RB) that blocks and somehow shields the signal throughout the link. In this study, to improve wireless reception inside the Reactor Building (RB), an experimental model using indoor localization mesh based on IEEE 802.15 is developed to implement a wireless sensor network. This experimental model estimates the distance between different nodes by measuring the RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). Then by using triangulation and RSSI measurement, the validity of the estimation techniques is verified to simulate the physical environmental obstacles, which block the signal transmission. (author)

Reactor building indoor wireless network channel quality estimation using RSSI measurement of wireless sensor network

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Merat, S. [Wardrop Engineering Inc., Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

2008-07-01

Expanding wireless communication network reception inside reactor buildings (RB) and service wings (SW) has always been a technical challenge for operations service team. This is driven by the volume of metal equipment inside the Reactor Buildings (RB) that blocks and somehow shields the signal throughout the link. In this study, to improve wireless reception inside the Reactor Building (RB), an experimental model using indoor localization mesh based on IEEE 802.15 is developed to implement a wireless sensor network. This experimental model estimates the distance between different nodes by measuring the RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). Then by using triangulation and RSSI measurement, the validity of the estimation techniques is verified to simulate the physical environmental obstacles, which block the signal transmission. (author)

Cosmic "Dig" Reveals Vestiges of the Milky Way's Building Blocks

Science.gov (United States)

2009-11-01

Peering through the thick dust clouds of our galaxy's "bulge" (the myriads of stars surrounding its centre), and revealing an amazing amount of detail, a team of astronomers has unveiled an unusual mix of stars in the stellar grouping known as Terzan 5. Never observed anywhere in the bulge before, this peculiar "cocktail" of stars suggests that Terzan 5 is in fact one of the bulge's primordial building blocks, most likely the relic of a proto-galaxy that merged with the Milky Way during its very early days. "The history of the Milky Way is encoded in its oldest fragments, globular clusters and other systems of stars that have witnessed the entire evolution of our galaxy," says Francesco Ferraro from the University of Bologna, lead author of a paper appearing in this week's issue of the journal Nature. "Our study opens a new window on yet another piece of our galactic past." Like archaeologists, who dig through the dust piling up on top of the remains of past civilisations and unearth crucial pieces of the history of mankind, astronomers have been gazing through the thick layers of interstellar dust obscuring the bulge of the Milky Way and have unveiled an extraordinary cosmic relic. The target of the study is the star cluster Terzan 5. The new observations show that this object, unlike all but a few exceptional globular clusters, does not harbour stars which are all born at the same time - what astronomers call a "single population" of stars. Instead, the multitude of glowing stars in Terzan 5 formed in at least two different epochs, the earliest probably some 12 billion years ago and then again 6 billion years ago. "Only one globular cluster with such a complex history of star formation has been observed in the halo of the Milky Way: Omega Centauri," says team member Emanuele Dalessandro. "This is the first time we see this in the bulge." The galactic bulge is the most inaccessible region of our galaxy for astronomical observations: only infrared light can

Preservation of adobe buildings. Study of materials

Science.gov (United States)

Velosa, A.; Rocha, F.; Costa, C.; Varum, H.

2012-04-01

Adobe buildings are common in the central region of Portugal due to the lack of natural stone in the surrounding area. This type of construction technique lasted until the 20th Century, at which time cementitious materials, with faster hardening and greater structural capacity substituted traditional materials and techniques. Currently, a significant percentage of these buildings is vacant and many are degraded and in need of conservation actions. Adobes from central Portugal are distinctive as they are lightly coloured and made from air lime and quarry sand. Although some adobes were manufactured locally, most were produced almost 'industrially' and sold to nearby regions. In order to preserve this heritage, conservation actions must be undertaken. So as to ensure the adequacy of these actions and compatibility between original materials and new ones, a thorough study of adobe compostion is mandatory. The current study is an initial step in the characterization of earth based construction materials from central Portugal. Adobe samples were collected from residential buildings in two different locations. The determination of the composition of adobe blocks encompassed the determination of the binder fraction and of their chemical composition and also the particle size analysis of the aggregate. For this purpose FRX analysis, acid dissolution and dry sieving were performed. Methylene blue test was also executed in order to determine the clay fraction. Additionally, the mineral composition of powder samples and oriented samples was performed using XRD analysis in order to determine the clay minerals present in the blocks. As adobe blocks are extremely prone to the action of water the Geelong test was undertaken in order to provide information in terms of durability. It was concluded that air lime was generally used in adobe compositions. However, the clay content varies in adobes from different regions, providing distinct durability characteristics to these materials.

["Habitual" left branch block alternating with 2 "disguised" bracnch block].

Science.gov (United States)

Lévy, S; Jullien, G; Mathieu, P; Mostefa, S; Gérard, R

1976-10-01

Two cases of alternating left bundle branch block and "masquerading block" (with left bundle branch morphology in the stnadard leads and right bundle branch block morphology in the precordial leads) were studied by serial tracings and his bundle electrocardiography. In case 1 "the masquerading" block was associated with a first degree AV block related to a prolongation of HV interval. This case is to our knowledge the first cas of alternating bundle branch block in which his bundle activity was recorded in man. In case 2, the patient had atrial fibrilation and His bundle recordings were performed while differents degrees of left bundle branch block were present: The mechanism of the alternation and the concept of "masquerading" block are discussed. It is suggested that this type of block represents a right bundle branch block associated with severe lesions of the "left system".

A novel metal-organic coordination polymer with unprecedented floor-like structural configuration consisting of two kinds of independent building blocks of triple- and double-stranded braids

Science.gov (United States)

Che, Yun-Xia; Luo, Feng; Zheng, Ji-Min

2007-02-01

This paper presents a novel and distinctive metal-organic compound, {[Cd 4(bet) 4Cl 6(H 2O) 4][Cd 2Cl 6]} n (bet=(CH 3) 3NCH 2CO 2, namely betaine) 1, assembled from two independent building blocks of triple- and double-stranded braids, and characterized by an unprecedented floor-like structural configuration. Furthermore, IR, element analysis, and TG-DTA were employed to characterize it. Compound 1 belongs to triclinic system, space group P-1, a = 6.704(2) Å, b = 9.338(3) Å, c = 20.056(7) Å, α = 101.409(5)°, β = 96.650(5)°, γ = 93.148(5)°, V = 1218.5(7) Å 3, Z = 1, R1 = 0.0340, ωR2 = 0.1017.

Switching slips. Building blocks for a robust environmental policy for the 21st century; Wissels omzetten. Bouwstenen voor een robuust milieubeleid voor de 21e eeuw

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoogervorst, N.; Hajer, M.; Dietz, F.; Timmerhuis, J.; Kruitwagen, S.

2013-06-15

With this 'signal report', PBL (Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency) offers building blocks for a robust environmental policy for the twentyfirst century, such as changes in consumer behavior, new coalitions of interests and stakeholders, and the establishment of an investment fund for eco-innovation. Which track does the Netherlands want to follow? With this essay, PBL is calling for a broad public debate on this issue [Dutch] In dit signalenrapport reikt het PBL (Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving) bouwstenen aan voor een robuust milieubeleid voor de eenentwintigste eeuw, zoals gedragsverandering van consumenten, nieuwe coalities van belangen en betrokkenen, en de oprichting van een investeringsfonds voor eco-innovatie. Welk spoor wil Nederland bewandelen? Met dit essay roept het PBL op tot een breed maatschappelijk debat over deze vraag.

Switching slips. Building blocks for a robust environmental policy for the 21st century; Wissels omzetten. Bouwstenen voor een robuust milieubeleid voor de 21e eeuw

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoogervorst, N.; Hajer, M.; Dietz, F.; Timmerhuis, J.; Kruitwagen, S.

2013-06-15

With this 'signal report', PBL (Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency) offers building blocks for a robust environmental policy for the twentyfirst century, such as changes in consumer behavior, new coalitions of interests and stakeholders, and the establishment of an investment fund for eco-innovation. Which track does the Netherlands want to follow? With this essay, PBL is calling for a broad public debate on this issue [Dutch] In dit signalenrapport reikt het PBL (Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving) bouwstenen aan voor een robuust milieubeleid voor de eenentwintigste eeuw, zoals gedragsverandering van consumenten, nieuwe coalities van belangen en betrokkenen, en de oprichting van een investeringsfonds voor eco-innovatie. Welk spoor wil Nederland bewandelen? Met dit essay roept het PBL op tot een breed maatschappelijk debat over deze vraag.

Distribution of heating costs in multi-story apartment buildings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rose, Jørgen; Kragh, Jesper

2017-01-01

Under current rules in the Danish Meter Order at least 40% of the total heating costs in multi-story blocks of flats should be distributed by metering the consumption in individual apartments. This fixed share is the result of a previous study that showed that 40% of the total heating costs were...... used for space heating, 35% for production and heat loss associated with hot water consumption and finally 25% of heat losses in the heating system. It is interesting to investigate whether this distribution remains representative in both existing buildings, where older buildings still dominate......, as in newer and future standard of blocks of flats. Intuitively, we would like to settle 100% of the costs attributable to space heating, by individual meters. Thereby, tenants will pay for their own consumption which encourages energy savings. This is an excellent method for electricity, gas and water...

Building mud castles: a perspective from brick-laying termites.

Science.gov (United States)

Zachariah, Nikita; Das, Aritra; Murthy, Tejas G; Borges, Renee M

2017-07-05

Animal constructions such as termite mounds have received scrutiny by architects, structural engineers, soil scientists and behavioural ecologists but their basic building blocks remain uncharacterized and the criteria used for material selection unexplored. By conducting controlled experiments on Odontotermes obesus termites, we characterize the building blocks of termite mounds and determine the key elements defining material choice and usage by these accomplished engineers. Using biocement and a self-organized process, termites fabricate, transport and assemble spherical unitary structures called boluses that have a bimodal size distribution, achieving an optimal packing solution for mound construction. Granular, hydrophilic, osmotically inactive, non-hygroscopic materials with surface roughness, rigidity and containing organic matter are the easiest to handle and are crucial determinants of mass transfer during mound construction. We suggest that these properties, along with optimal moisture availability, are important predictors of the global geographic distribution of termites.

GEM Building Taxonomy (Version 2.0)

Science.gov (United States)

Brzev, S.; Scawthorn, C.; Charleson, A.W.; Allen, L.; Greene, M.; Jaiswal, Kishor; Silva, V.

2013-01-01

This report documents the development and applications of the Building Taxonomy for the Global Earthquake Model (GEM). The purpose of the GEM Building Taxonomy is to describe and classify buildings in a uniform manner as a key step towards assessing their seismic risk, Criteria for development of the GEM Building Taxonomy were that the Taxonomy be relevant to seismic performance of different construction types; be comprehensive yet simple; be collapsible; adhere to principles that are familiar to the range of users; and ultimately be extensible to non-buildings and other hazards. The taxonomy was developed in conjunction with other GEM researchers and builds on the knowledge base from other taxonomies, including the EERI and IAEE World Housing Encyclopedia, PAGER-STR, and HAZUS. The taxonomy is organized as a series of expandable tables, which contain information pertaining to various building attributes. Each attribute describes a specific characteristic of an individual building or a class of buildings that could potentially affect their seismic performance. The following 13 attributes have been included in the GEM Building Taxonomy Version 2.0 (v2.0): 1.) direction, 2.)material of the lateral load-resisting system, 3.) lateral load-resisting system, 4.) height, 5.) date of construction of retrofit, 6.) occupancy, 7.) building position within a block, 8.) shape of the building plan, 9.) structural irregularity, 10.) exterior walls, 11.) roof, 12.) floor, 13.) foundation system. The report illustrates the pratical use of the GEM Building Taxonomy by discussing example case studies, in which the building-specific characteristics are mapped directly using GEM taxonomic attributes and the corresponding taxonomic string is constructed for that building, with "/" slash marks separating attributes. For example, for the building shown to the right, the GEM Taxonomy string is: DX1/MUR+CLBRS+MOCL2/LWAL3/

The Utilisation of Shredded PET as Aggregate Replacement for Interlocking Concrete Block

Science.gov (United States)

Mokhtar, M.; Kaamin, M.; Sahat, S.; Hamid, N. B.

2018-03-01

The consumption of plastic has grown substantially all over the world in recent years and this has created huge quantities of plastic-based waste. Plastic waste is now a serious environmental threat to the modern way of living, although steps were taken to reduce its consumption. This creates substantial garbage every day, which is much unhealthy. Plastic bottles such as Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was use as the partially component in this making of interlocking blocks concrete. This project investigates the strength and workability of the interlocking block concrete by replacing course aggregate with % PET. The suitability of recycled plastics (PET) as course aggregate in interlocking block concrete and its advantages are discussed here. Moreover, there were more benefits when using interlocking block than using conventional block such as it easy for construction because they are aligning, easy to place, high speed stacking and they offer more resistance to shear and buildings would be even stronger. Based on the test perform, the failure parameter were discussed .From the compressive strength test result, it shows that the strength of concrete block decreased with increased of PET used. From the results, it shows that higher compressive strength was found with 5% natural course aggregate replaced with PET compared to other percentages.

Reuse of sludge from galvanotechnik industrial activity in the manufacture of concrete blocks for paving (PAVERS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franco, J.M; Almeida, P.H.S.; Tavares, C.R.G.

2014-01-01

This study was to evaluate the interface replacing the cement by galvanic sludge (5-25%) in the production of concrete block paving analyzing the mechanical and microstructural effects of substitution. The results of the blocks produced with 5% of slude had values of compressive strength greater than 35 MPa and lower compared to the reference blocks with 28 days, the interface in cement paste by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) showed the presence of empty capillary arrays of crystalline ettringite (C6AS3H32) and calcium silicate (Ca2SiO4) responsible for the compressive strength and decrease the intensity of the peaks of quartz with respect to the reference blocks, revealing the promising applicability and feasibility of using waste electroplating in the construction industry. (author)

Identification and characterization of passive safety system and inherent safety feature building blocks for advanced light-water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsberg, C.W.

1989-01-01

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is investigating passive and inherent safety options for Advanced Light-Water Reactors (ALWRs). A major activity in 1989 includes identification and characterization of passive safety system and inherent safety feature building blocks, both existing and proposed, for ALWRs. Preliminary results of this work are reported herein. This activity is part of a larger effort by the US Department of Energy, reactor vendors, utilities, and others in the United States to develop improved LWRs. The Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) program and the Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor (APWR) program have as goals improved, commercially available LWRs in the early 1990s. The Advanced Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ASBWR) program and the AP-600 program are developing more advanced reactors with increased use of passive safety systems. It is planned that these reactors will become commercially available in the mid 1990s. The ORNL program is an exploratory research program for LWRs beyond the year 2000. Desired long-term goals for such reactors include: (1) use of only passive and inherent safety, (2) foolproof against operator errors, (3) malevolence resistance against internal sabotage and external assault and (4) walkaway safety. The acronym ''PRIME'' [Passive safety, Resilient operation, Inherent safety, Malevolence resistance, and Extended (walkaway) safety] is used to summarize these desired characteristics. Existing passive and inherent safety options are discussed in this document

How Properties of Kenaf Fibers from Burkina Faso Contribute to the Reinforcement of Earth Blocks

Science.gov (United States)

Millogo, Younoussa; Aubert, Jean-Emmanuel; Hamard, Erwan; Morel, Jean-Claude

2015-01-01

Physicochemical characteristics of Hibiscus cannabinus (kenaf) fibers from Burkina Faso were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), chemical analysis and video microscopy. Kenaf fibers (3 cm long) were used to reinforce earth blocks, and the mechanical properties of reinforced blocks, with fiber contents ranging from 0.2 to 0.8 wt%, were investigated. The fibers were mainly composed of cellulose type I (70.4 wt%), hemicelluloses (18.9 wt%) and lignin (3 wt%) and were characterized by high tensile strength (1 ± 0.25 GPa) and Young’s modulus (136 ± 25 GPa), linked to their high cellulose content. The incorporation of short fibers of kenaf reduced the propagation of cracks in the blocks, through the good adherence of fibers to the clay matrix, and therefore improved their mechanical properties. Fiber incorporation was particularly beneficial for the bending strength of earth blocks because it reinforces these blocks after the failure of soil matrix observed for unreinforced blocks. Blocks reinforced with such fibers had a ductile tensile behavior that made them better building materials for masonry structures than unreinforced blocks.

A Signal Coordination Control Based on Traversing Empty between Mid-Block Street Crossing and Intersection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Changjiang Zheng

2012-01-01

Full Text Available To solve the problem in pedestrian Mid-Block street crossing, the method of signal coordination control between mid-block street crossing and intersection is researched in this paper. The paper proposes to use “distance-flow rate-time” graph as the tool for building coordination control system model which is for different situations of traffic control. Through alternating the linear optimization model, the system outputs the distribution of signal timing and system operational factors (delays in vehicles and mid-block street crossing. Finally, taking one section on the Taiping North Road in Nanjing as an example, the signal coordination control is carried out. And the results which are delays in the vehicles and mid-block street crossing are compared to those in the current distribution of signal timing.

Side-chain amino-acid-based pH-responsive self-assembled block copolymers for drug delivery and gene transfer.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Sonu; Acharya, Rituparna; Chatterji, Urmi; De, Priyadarsi

2013-12-10

Developing safe and effective nanocarriers for multitype of delivery system is advantageous for several kinds of successful biomedicinal therapy with the same carrier. In the present study, we have designed amino acid biomolecules derived hybrid block copolymers which can act as a promising vehicle for both drug delivery and gene transfer. Two representative natural chiral amino acid-containing (l-phenylalanine and l-alanine) vinyl monomers were polymerized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) process in the presence of monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) based macro-chain transfer agents (mPEGn-CTA) for the synthesis of well-defined side-chain amino-acid-based amphiphilic block copolymers, monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(Boc-amino acid methacryloyloxyethyl ester) (mPEGn-b-P(Boc-AA-EMA)). The self-assembled micellar aggregation of these amphiphilic block copolymers were studied by fluorescence spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Potential applications of these hybrid polymers as drug carrier have been demonstrated in vitro by encapsulation of nile red dye or doxorubicin drug into the core of the micellar nanoaggregates. Deprotection of side-chain Boc- groups in the amphiphilic block copolymers subsequently transformed them into double hydrophilic pH-responsive cationic block copolymers having primary amino groups in the side-chain terminal. The DNA binding ability of these cationic block copolymers were further investigated by using agarose gel retardation assay and AFM. The in vitro cytotoxicity assay demonstrated their biocompatible nature and these polymers can serve as "smart" materials for promising bioapplications.

Erector spinae plane block for radical mastectomy: A new indication?

Science.gov (United States)

Veiga, M; Costa, D; Brazão, I

2018-02-01

The erector spinae plane block is a technique recently described by Forero et al. in September 2016. It has applications in the control of chronic pain with neuropathic component of the chest wall, and for pain control in thoracoscopic surgery. In this article, we describe the use of this technique as part of a multimodal analgesic approach in a 40-year-old woman, who underwent radical mastectomy due to breast cancer. By performing this block before anesthetic induction, we have achieved an opioid sparing effect, avoiding a possible immunomodulatory effect, although not yet proven in humans. During hospitalization, the patient reported no pain (0/10 in numeric scale), without resorting to rescue analgesia. The easy, fast and safe execution of erector spinae plane block makes it a promising technique in the context of surgical pain during radical mastectomy. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Crystal engineered acid–base complexes with 2D and 3D hydrogen bonding systems using p-hydroxybenzoic acid as the building block

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PU SU ZHAO

2010-04-01

Full Text Available p-Hydroxybenzoic acid (p-HOBA was selected as the building block for self-assembly with five bases, i.e., diethylamine, tert-butylamine, cyclohexylamine, imidazole and piperazine, and generation of the corresponding acid–base complexes 1–5. Crystal structure analyses suggest that proton-transfer from the carboxyl hydrogen to the nitrogen atom of the bases can be observed in 1–4, while only in 5 does a solvent water molecule co-exist with p--HOBA and piperazine. With the presence of O–H···O hydrogen bonds in 1–4, the deprotonated p-hydroxybenzoate anions (p-HOBAA– are simply connected each other in a head-to-tail motif to form one-dimensional (1D arrays, which are further extended to distinct two-dimensional (2D (for 1 and 4 and three-dimensional (3D (for 2 and 3 networks via N–H···O interactions. While in 5, neutral acid and base are combined pair-wise by O–H···N and N–H···O bonds to form a 1D tape and then the 1D tapes are sequentially combined by water molecules to create a 3D network. Some interlayer or intralayer C–H···O, C–H···p and p×××p interactions help to stabilize the supramolecular buildings. Melting point determination analyses indicate that the five acid–base complexes are not the ordinary superposition of the reactants and they are more stable than the original reactants.

An Imide-Based Pentacyclic Building Block for n-Type Organic Semiconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Fu-Peng [Soochow Univ., Suzhou (China). Inst. of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM); Un, Hio-Ieng [Peking Univ., Beijing (China). Beijing National Lab. for Molecular Sciences, Key Lab. of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Key Lab. of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering; Li, Yongxi [Soochow Univ., Suzhou (China). Inst. of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM); Hu, Hailiang [Soochow Univ., Suzhou (China). Inst. of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM); Yuan, Yi [Soochow Univ., Suzhou (China). Inst. of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM); Yang, Bin [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Science (CNMS); Xiao, Kai [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Science (CNMS); Chen, Wei [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States). Science Div.; Wang, Jie-Yu [Peking Univ., Beijing (China). Beijing National Lab. for Molecular Sciences, Key Lab. of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Key Lab. of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering; Jiang, Zuo-Quan [Soochow Univ., Suzhou (China). Inst. of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM); Pei, Jian [Peking Univ., Beijing (China). Beijing National Lab. for Molecular Sciences, Key Lab. of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, Key Lab. of Polymer Chemistry and Physics of Ministry of Education, Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering; Liao, Liang-Sheng [Soochow Univ., Suzhou (China). Inst. of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM)

2017-10-09

A new electron-deficient unit with fused 5-heterocyclic ring was developed by replacing a cyclopenta-1,3-diene from electron-rich donor indacenodithiophene (IDT) with cyclohepta- 4,6-diene-1,3-diimde unit. The imide bridging endows BBI with fixed planar configuration and both low the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbit (LUMO) energy levels. Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) based on BBI polymers exhibit electron mobility up to 0.34 cm2 V-1 s-1, which indicates that the BBI is a promising ntype semiconductor for optoelectronics.

Streamlining the Design-to-Build Transition with Build-Optimization Software Tools.

Science.gov (United States)

Oberortner, Ernst; Cheng, Jan-Fang; Hillson, Nathan J; Deutsch, Samuel

2017-03-17

Scaling-up capabilities for the design, build, and test of synthetic biology constructs holds great promise for the development of new applications in fuels, chemical production, or cellular-behavior engineering. Construct design is an essential component in this process; however, not every designed DNA sequence can be readily manufactured, even using state-of-the-art DNA synthesis methods. Current biological computer-aided design and manufacture tools (bioCAD/CAM) do not adequately consider the limitations of DNA synthesis technologies when generating their outputs. Designed sequences that violate DNA synthesis constraints may require substantial sequence redesign or lead to price-premiums and temporal delays, which adversely impact the efficiency of the DNA manufacturing process. We have developed a suite of build-optimization software tools (BOOST) to streamline the design-build transition in synthetic biology engineering workflows. BOOST incorporates knowledge of DNA synthesis success determinants into the design process to output ready-to-build sequences, preempting the need for sequence redesign. The BOOST web application is available at https://boost.jgi.doe.gov and its Application Program Interfaces (API) enable integration into automated, customized DNA design processes. The herein presented results highlight the effectiveness of BOOST in reducing DNA synthesis costs and timelines.

Naturally acquired antibody responses to recombinant Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 transmission blocking vaccine candidates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jones, S; Grignard, L.; Nebie, I.; Chilongola, J.; Dodoo, D.; Sauerwein, R.W.; Theisen, M.; Roeffen, W.F.; Singh, S.K; Singh, R.K.; Kyei-Baafour, E.; Tetteh, K.; Drakeley, C.; Bousema, T.

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVES: Pfs48/45 and Pfs230 are Plasmodium falciparum sexual stage proteins and promising malaria transmission-blocking vaccine candidates. Antibody responses against these proteins may be naturally acquired and target antigens may be under selective pressure. This has consequences for the

Effect of facade components on energy efficiency in office buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ihara, Takeshi; Gustavsen, Arild; Jelle, Bjørn Petter

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Investigation of facade properties for energy efficiency of Tokyo office buildings. • Higher reflectance for opaque parts may slightly reduce energy demand. • Lower window U-value and solar heat gain coefficient are potential solutions. • Decreased heating due to insulation did not always compensate increased cooling. • Fundamental data for adjustment of facade properties of buildings are provided. - Abstract: Properties of facade materials should be considered to determine which of them strongly affect building energy performance, regardless of the building shapes, scales, ideal locations, and building types, and thus may be able to promote energy efficiency in buildings. In this study, the effects of four fundamental facade properties related to the energy efficiency of office buildings in Tokyo, Japan, were investigated with the purpose of reducing the heating and cooling energy demands. Some fundamental design factors such as volume and shape were also considered. It was found that the reduction in both the solar heat gain coefficient and window U-value and increase in the solar reflectance of the opaque parts are promising measures for reducing the energy demand. Conversely, the reduction in the U-value of the opaque parts decreased the heating energy demand, and this was accompanied by an increase in the cooling energy demand in some cases because the total energy demands were predominantly for cooling. The above-mentioned promising measures for reducing building energy demands are thus recommended for use, and an appropriate U-value should be applied to the opaque parts based on careful considerations. This study provides some fundamental ideas to adjust the facade properties of buildings.

209-E Building -- Response to ventilation failure evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foust, D.J.

1998-01-01

This document provides an evaluation and recommendations for radiological workplace air monitoring and response to ventilation failure for the Critical Mass Laboratory, 209-E Building. The Critical Mass Laboratory, part of the 209-E Building, was designed to provide a heavily shielded room where plutonium and uranium liquid solutions could be brought into various critical configurations under readily controlled and monitored conditions. The facility is contained within a one-story L-shaped concrete block and reinforced concrete building. One wing houses offices, a control room, shops, and a common area while the other wing includes an equipment room, the change room, work areas, and the two-story Critical Assembly Room (CAR). Three of the rooms contain radiologically contaminated equipment and materials

Tunable Mesoporous Bragg Reflectors Based on Block-Copolymer Self-Assembly

KAUST Repository

Guldin, Stefan; Kolle, Mathias; Stefik, Morgan; Langford, Richard; Eder, Dominik; Wiesner, Ulrich; Steiner, Ullrich

2011-01-01

Mesoporous Bragg reflectors are a promising materials platform for photovoltaics, light emission, and sensing. A fast and versatile fabrication route that relies on the self-assembly of the block copolymer poly(isoprene-b-ethylene oxide) in combination with simple sol-gel chemistry is reported. The method allows extended control over porosity and pore size in the resulting inorganic material and results in high-quality optical elements. © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Tunable Mesoporous Bragg Reflectors Based on Block-Copolymer Self-Assembly

KAUST Repository

Guldin, Stefan

2011-07-06

Mesoporous Bragg reflectors are a promising materials platform for photovoltaics, light emission, and sensing. A fast and versatile fabrication route that relies on the self-assembly of the block copolymer poly(isoprene-b-ethylene oxide) in combination with simple sol-gel chemistry is reported. The method allows extended control over porosity and pore size in the resulting inorganic material and results in high-quality optical elements. © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Carbon-based building blocks for alcohol dehydration membranes with disorder-enhanced water permeability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boffa, Vittorio; Etmimi, H.; Mallon, P.E.

2017-01-01

Graphene oxide (GO) thin films have demonstrated outstanding water permeability and excellent selectivity towards organic molecules and inorganic salts, unlocking a new exciting direction in the development of nanofiltration, desalination and pervaporation membranes. However, there are still high......-HAL membranes promising devices for alcohol dehydration technologies....

Thermal comfort characteristics of some selected building materials in the regional setting of Ile-Ife, Nigeria

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S. K. Fasogbon

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In Ile-Ife, it is very common to see quite a lot of local people engaging in mud bricks moulding, concrete block making, mud house construction and the bricklaying profession in general. These have particular bearing on the economy and the political situation of the people involved as in the profession there is set of rules and regulations guiding the rate and procedure for carrying out any such moulding or construction work. Considering the importance of this, the present study investigated the thermal performance of some selected building materials in the ancient city of Ile-Ife in Nigeria. The work demonstrated how a building envelope responds to outdoor conditions through graphic illustrations. This was followed by constructing three physical building models, with model 1 constructed of mud bricks, model 2 constructed of concrete blocks and model 3 constructed of cast concrete. Each of the models was first roofed with galvanised Iron roofing sheets, later with aluminium roofing sheets and finally with asbestos roofing. Readings were taken by inserting TGP-4500 Data loggers into appropriate positions. The results showed that internal temperatures in the mud-brick and cast concrete buildings remained fairly stable despite external diurnal fluctuations. Humidity data collected also showed that fluctuations in external humidity levels do not affect humidity levels within the mud-brick and cast concrete structures significantly. On the other hand, the structure made of concrete blocks responded more to external fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Moreover, humidity levels in the cast concrete building were the least, followed by those in the mud-brick house; while the concrete block structure had the highest level of humidity. It was also discovered that aluminium roofing gave the highest internal temperature, followed by galvanised iron roofing and the least was seen with asbestos roofing. For external diurnal fluctuations, building model

Synthesis of Inorganic Nanocomposites by Selective Introduction of Metal Complexes into a Self-Assembled Block Copolymer Template

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Hiroaki Wakayama

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Inorganic nanocomposites have characteristic structures that feature expanded interfaces, quantum effects, and resistance to crack propagation. These structures are promising for the improvement of many materials including thermoelectric materials, photocatalysts, and structural materials. Precise control of the inorganic nanocomposites’ morphology, size, and chemical composition is very important for these applications. Here, we present a novel fabrication method to control the structures of inorganic nanocomposites by means of a self-assembled block copolymer template. Different metal complexes were selectively introduced into specific polymer blocks of the block copolymer, and subsequent removal of the block copolymer template by oxygen plasma treatment produced hexagonally packed porous structures. In contrast, calcination removal of the block copolymer template yielded nanocomposites consisting of metallic spheres in a matrix of a metal oxide. These results demonstrate that different nanostructures can be created by selective use of processes to remove the block copolymer templates. The simple process of first mixing block copolymers and magnetic nanomaterial precursors and then subsequently removing the block copolymer template enables structural control of magnetic nanomaterials, which will facilitate their applicability in patterned media, including next-generation perpendicular magnetic recording media.

QuaBingo: A Prediction System for Protein Quaternary Structure Attributes Using Block Composition

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Chi-Hua Tung

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Quaternary structures of proteins are closely relevant to gene regulation, signal transduction, and many other biological functions of proteins. In the current study, a new method based on protein-conserved motif composition in block format for feature extraction is proposed, which is termed block composition. Results. The protein quaternary assembly states prediction system which combines blocks with functional domain composition, called QuaBingo, is constructed by three layers of classifiers that can categorize quaternary structural attributes of monomer, homooligomer, and heterooligomer. The building of the first layer classifier uses support vector machines (SVM based on blocks and functional domains of proteins, and the second layer SVM was utilized to process the outputs of the first layer. Finally, the result is determined by the Random Forest of the third layer. We compared the effectiveness of the combination of block composition, functional domain composition, and pseudoamino acid composition of the model. In the 11 kinds of functional protein families, QuaBingo is 23% of Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC higher than the existing prediction system. The results also revealed the biological characterization of the top five block compositions. Conclusions. QuaBingo provides better predictive ability for predicting the quaternary structural attributes of proteins.