ETR COMPLEX. CAMERA FACING EAST. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: ETRCRITICAL ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

ETR COMPLEX. CAMERA FACING EAST. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: ETR-CRITICAL FACILITY BUILDING, ETR CONTROL BUILDING (ATTACHED TO HIGH-BAY ETR), ETR, ONE-STORY SECTION OF ETR BUILDING, ELECTRICAL BUILDING, COOLING TOWER PUMP HOUSE, COOLING TOWER. COMPRESSOR AND HEAT EXCHANGER BUILDING ARE PARTLY IN VIEW ABOVE ETR. DARK-COLORED DUCTS PROCEED FROM GROUND CONNECTION TO ETR WASTE GAS STACK. OTHER STACK IS MTR STACK WITH FAN HOUSE IN FRONT OF IT. RECTANGULAR STRUCTURE NEAR TOP OF VIEW IS SETTLING BASIN. INL NEGATIVE NO. 56-4102. Unknown Photographer, ca. 1956 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Reactor Area, Materials & Engineering Test Reactors, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Modern Methods of Reconstruction of the Sacral Objects - Example of the Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa, Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazhar, Nina

2017-10-01

This publication is devoted to the problem of preservation and restoration of the architectural monument as an element of the historical environment. The notion of “immovable monument of history and culture” is specified. Modern methods of restoration and repair-conservatory works are analyzed. The main principles of complex studies of monument buildings are considered taking into account their interactions with the environment. The necessity of assessing the physical state of structures and materials of the architectural monument for selecting the optimal technology for repair work, preserving the historical and cultural landscape is shown. A brief history of the construction and repair of the monastery at Jasna Gora in Czestochowa (Poland) is presented. The restoration of the Jasna Gora ensemble was a complex kind of construction work: repair, conservation, consolidation and renovation of architectural monuments. The ground and underground structures of the main buildings and structures have been restored and strengthened. The program of restoration work on the task “Complex restoration of the building of the monastery of the Paulin Fathers on Jasna Gora” (2004-2013) included three stages: 1. “Reconstruction and restoration of the buildings of the monastery of the Paulin Fathers on Jasna Gora” (2007-2010), 2. “Conservation and renovation of the building of the Basilica of the Holy Cross and the Nativity of the Virgin” (2007-2012), 3. “Renovation of the North curtain - the entrance to the territory of the monastery of the Paulin Fathers on Jasna Gora” (2013). Restoration was based on a thorough examination of the monument and aimed to maximally preserve the historical, constructive and artistic features of the monastery complex, ensure its long existence. In addition to preserving the historical, technical and artistic qualities of the ensemble of the monastery, the tasks of organizing the environmental monument were resolved. Completed comprehensive repair and restoration works contribute to strengthening the structures of the restored buildings, provide harmonization of the historic and new landscapes of Jasna Gora.

D Topological Indoor Building Modeling Integrated with Open Street Map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamali, A.; Rahman, A. Abdul; Boguslawski, P.

2016-09-01

Considering various fields of applications for building surveying and various demands, geometry representation of a building is the most crucial aspect of a building survey. The interiors of the buildings need to be described along with the relative locations of the rooms, corridors, doors and exits in many kinds of emergency response, such as fire, bombs, smoke, and pollution. Topological representation is a challenging task within the Geography Information Science (GIS) environment, as the data structures required to express these relationships are particularly difficult to develop. Even within the Computer Aided Design (CAD) community, the structures for expressing the relationships between adjacent building parts are complex and often incomplete. In this paper, an integration of 3D topological indoor building modeling in Dual Half Edge (DHE) data structure and outdoor navigation network from Open Street Map (OSM) is presented.

Origami-inspired building block and parametric design for mechanical metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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.

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

PubMed

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).

Reinforcing Visual Grouping Cues to Communicate Complex Informational Structure.

PubMed

Bae, Juhee; Watson, Benjamin

2014-12-01

In his book Multimedia Learning [7], Richard Mayer asserts that viewers learn best from imagery that provides them with cues to help them organize new information into the correct knowledge structures. Designers have long been exploiting the Gestalt laws of visual grouping to deliver viewers those cues using visual hierarchy, often communicating structures much more complex than the simple organizations studied in psychological research. Unfortunately, designers are largely practical in their work, and have not paused to build a complex theory of structural communication. If we are to build a tool to help novices create effective and well structured visuals, we need a better understanding of how to create them. Our work takes a first step toward addressing this lack, studying how five of the many grouping cues (proximity, color similarity, common region, connectivity, and alignment) can be effectively combined to communicate structured text and imagery from real world examples. To measure the effectiveness of this structural communication, we applied a digital version of card sorting, a method widely used in anthropology and cognitive science to extract cognitive structures. We then used tree edit distance to measure the difference between perceived and communicated structures. Our most significant findings are: 1) with careful design, complex structure can be communicated clearly; 2) communicating complex structure is best done with multiple reinforcing grouping cues; 3) common region (use of containers such as boxes) is particularly effective at communicating structure; and 4) alignment is a weak structural communicator.

78 FR 64216 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collections Renewal; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-28

... Securitization, 3064-0137, and The Interagency Statement on Sound Practices Concerning Complex Structured Finance... guard station at the rear of the 17th Street Building (located on F Street), on business days between 7... Sound Practices Concerning Complex Structured Finance Transactions OMB Number: 3064-0148. Form Number...

View looking west at Test Stand 'A' complex in morning ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

View looking west at Test Stand 'A' complex in morning sun. View shows Monitor Building 4203/E-4 at left, barrier (Building 4216/E-17) to right of 4203/E-4, and Test Stand 'A' tower. Attached structure to lower left of tower is Test Stand 'A' machine room which contained refrigeration equipment. Building in right background with Test Stand 'A' tower shadow on it is Assembly Building 4288/E-89, built in 1984. Row of ground-mounted brackets in foreground was used to carry electrical cable and/or fuel lines. - Jet Propulsion Laboratory Edwards Facility, Test Stand A, Edwards Air Force Base, Boron, Kern County, CA

How the Learning Path and the Very Structure of a Multifloored Environment Influence Human Spatial Memory

PubMed Central

Dollé, Laurent; Droulez, Jacques; Bennequin, Daniel; Berthoz, Alain; Thibault, Guillaume

2015-01-01

Few studies have explored how humans memorize landmarks in complex multifloored buildings. They have observed that participants memorize an environment either by floors or by vertical columns, influenced by the learning path. However, the influence of the building’s actual structure is not yet known. In order to investigate this influence, we conducted an experiment using an object-in-place protocol in a cylindrical building to contrast with previous experiments which used rectilinear environments. Two groups of 15 participants were taken on a tour with a first person perspective through a virtual cylindrical three-floored building. They followed either a route discovering floors one at a time, or a route discovering columns (by simulated lifts across floors). They then underwent a series of trials, in which they viewed a camera movement reproducing either a segment of the learning path (familiar trials), or performing a shortcut relative to the learning trajectory (novel trials). We observed that regardless of the learning path, participants better memorized the building by floors, and only participants who had discovered the building by columns also memorized it by columns. This expands on previous results obtained in a rectilinear building, where the learning path favoured the memory of its horizontal and vertical layout. Taken together, these results suggest that both learning mode and an environment’s structure influence the spatial memory of complex multifloored buildings. PMID:26770288

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

PubMed

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.

A Complex Systems Perspective of Risk Mitigation and Modeling in Development and Acquisition Programs

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-30

also that we have started building in a domain where structural patterns matter, especially for large projects. Complex Systems Complexity has been...through minimalistic thinking and parsimony” and perceived elegance, which “hides systemic or organizational complexity from the user.” If the system

Digital Alchemy for Materials Design: Colloids and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Anders, Greg; Klotsa, Daphne; Karas, Andrew; Dodd, Paul; Glotzer, Sharon

Starting with the early alchemists, a holy grail of science has been to make desired materials by manipulating basic building blocks. Building blocks that show promise for assembling new complex materials can be synthesized at the nanoscale with attributes that would astonish the ancient alchemists in their versatility. However, this versatility means that connecting building-block attributes to bulk structure is both necessary for rationally engineering materials and difficult because building block attributes can be altered in many ways. We show how to exploit the malleability of colloidal nanoparticle ``elements'' to quantitatively link building-block attributes to bulk structure through a statistical thermodynamic framework we term ``digital alchemy''. We use this framework to optimize building blocks for a given target structure and to determine which building-block attributes are most important to control for self-assembly, through a set of novel thermodynamic response functions. We thereby establish direct links between the attributes of colloidal building blocks and the bulk structures they form. Moreover, our results give concrete solutions to the more general conceptual challenge of optimizing emergent behaviors in nature and can be applied to other types of matter.

Integrative Approach for Computationally Inferring Interactions between the Alpha and Beta Subunits of the Calcium-Activated Potassium Channel (BK): a Docking Study

PubMed Central

González, Janneth; Gálvez, Angela; Morales, Ludis; Barreto, George E.; Capani, Francisco; Sierra, Omar; Torres, Yolima

2013-01-01

Three-dimensional models of the alpha- and beta-1 subunits of the calcium-activated potassium channel (BK) were predicted by threading modeling. A recursive approach comprising of sequence alignment and model building based on three templates was used to build these models, with the refinement of non-conserved regions carried out using threading techniques. The complex formed by the subunits was studied by means of docking techniques, using 3D models of the two subunits, and an approach based on rigid-body structures. Structural effects of the complex were analyzed with respect to hydrogen-bond interactions and binding-energy calculations. Potential interaction sites of the complex were determined by referencing a study of the difference accessible surface area (DASA) of the protein subunits in the complex. PMID:23492851

24 CFR 9.103 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... maintenance, re-roofing, painting, or wallpapering or changes to mechanical and electrical systems are not... buildings, structures, site improvements, complexes, equipment, roads, walks, passageways, parking lots... whole of one or more residential structures and appurtenant structures, equipment, roads, walks, and...

24 CFR 9.103 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... maintenance, re-roofing, painting, or wallpapering or changes to mechanical and electrical systems are not... buildings, structures, site improvements, complexes, equipment, roads, walks, passageways, parking lots... whole of one or more residential structures and appurtenant structures, equipment, roads, walks, and...

24 CFR 9.103 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... maintenance, re-roofing, painting, or wallpapering or changes to mechanical and electrical systems are not... buildings, structures, site improvements, complexes, equipment, roads, walks, passageways, parking lots... whole of one or more residential structures and appurtenant structures, equipment, roads, walks, and...

Geomatic Methodologies for the Study of Teatro Massimo in Palermo (italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dardanelli, G.; Allegra, M.; Giammarresi, V.; Lo Brutto, M.; Pipitone, C.; Baiocchi, V.

2017-05-01

This work illustrates the use of geomatics techniques for the documentation of Teatro Massimo in Palermo (Italy), one of the most important and big in Italy and in Europe. The theatre is characterized by a very complex structure and is realized also using innovative solution, studied at the time of the project specifically for this building; for example, an original system was realized for a natural air-conditioning system of the auditorium. Due to his complexity, the documentation of the Teatro Massimo requires studying specific survey solutions for the different parts of the building. In this paper, some studies on two of the most representative parts of the building were described. In particular, a 3D survey of the auditorium was carried out to obtain a first 3D model of the most important internal part; a very accurate monitoring of structure inside the dome of the theatre was also carried out. The survey of the auditorium was realized by a Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS), that has allowed the creation of a digital archive of point clouds, showing, however, the some level of criticality due to the complex shapes of building and of architectural details. The work has highlighted that specific strategy to optimize the number of acquisitions needed for the complete documentation of the auditorium. The monitoring of the structure inside the dome was carried out by topographic and photogrammetric techniques. The monitoring was aimed at measuring the displacements of the support devices connecting the iron structure of the dome. The monitoring has allowed to understand and to test the proper functionality of this complex system. Some tests were carried out also by a thermal camera to correlate the displacements of the support devices with the dilatations produced by steel thermal gradients.

Siting of prison complex above abandoned underground coal mine

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marino, G.G.

1998-10-01

This paper discusses in detail the process undertaken to mitigate the effects of any future mine subsidence on prison structures proposed above old abandoned underground workings. The site for a proposed prison complex purchased by the state of Indiana was located in west-central Indiana and was undermined by an old abandoned room and pillar mine. Based on a study of the mine map and subsurface verification of the extent of mining it was determined that all prison buildings and important structures could be placed above solid coal to the north. However, one masonry building was located within the potential drawmore » zone of mine works that still contained significant mine voids. Based on empirical data the subsidence potential was estimated and the building was designed accordingly to be mine subsidence resistant. It was decided that a phase 2 prison complex should be constructed adjacent to and just south of the phase 1 complex. This complex would be directly above the underground workings. Subsequently, an extensive subsurface investigation program was undertaken to (1) ascertain whether or not mine areas where buildings would be located were already collapsed and thus only nominal, if any, subsidence could occur in the future and (2) verify the presence of solid coal areas within the mine as indicated on the mine map. Based on all the site information gathered subsidence profiles were developed from an empirical database of subsidence events in the Illinois coal basin. As a result of this work many structures on the site required no or nominal subsidence considerations. However, for others that could be affected potentially by future subsidence movement preliminary subsidence resistant designs were completed using the expected level of potential subsidence movement.« less

The use of methods of structural optimization at the stage of designing high-rise buildings with steel construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasilkin, Andrey

2018-03-01

The more designing solutions at the search stage for design for high-rise buildings can be synthesized by the engineer, the more likely that the final adopted version will be the most efficient and economical. However, in modern market conditions, taking into account the complexity and responsibility of high-rise buildings the designer does not have the necessary time to develop, analyze and compare any significant number of options. To solve this problem, it is expedient to use the high potential of computer-aided designing. To implement automated search for design solutions, it is proposed to develop the computing facilities, the application of which will significantly increase the productivity of the designer and reduce the complexity of designing. Methods of structural and parametric optimization have been adopted as the basis of the computing facilities. Their efficiency in the synthesis of design solutions is shown, also the schemes, that illustrate and explain the introduction of structural optimization in the traditional design of steel frames, are constructed. To solve the problem of synthesis and comparison of design solutions for steel frames, it is proposed to develop the computing facilities that significantly reduces the complexity of search designing and based on the use of methods of structural and parametric optimization.

The siting of a prison complex above an abandoned underground coal mine

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marino, G.G.

1997-12-31

This paper discusses in detail the process undertaken to mitigate the effects of any future mine subsidence on prison structures proposed above old abandoned underground workings. The site for a proposed prison complex purchased by the State of Indiana was located in west-central Indiana and was undermined by an old abandoned room and pillar mine. The original plan for construction consisted of one phase. Based on a study of the mine map and subsurface verification of the extent of mining it was determined that all prison buildings and important structures could be placed above solid coal to the north. Onemore » masonry building, however, was located within the potential draw zone of mine works which still contained significant mine voids. Based on empirical data the subsidence potential was estimated and the building was accordingly designed to be mine subsidence resistant. It was decided that a phase two prison complex should be constructed adjacent to and just south of the Phase I complex. This complex would be directly above the underground workings. The first stage of design was to minimize subsidence potential by positioning the exposure of significant structures to the subjacent mining assuming the mine map was sufficiently accurate. Subsequently, an extensive subsurface investigation program was then undertaken to: (1) ascertain whether or not mine areas where buildings would be located were already collapsed and thus only nominal, if any, subsidence could occur in the future; and (2) verify the presence of solid coal areas within the mine as indicated on the mine map. Based on all the site information gathered subsidence profiles were developed from an empirical data base of subsidence events in the Illinois Coal Basin. As a result of this work many structures on the site required no or nominal subsidence considerations.« less

Wood preservatives and pressure-treated wood: considerations for historic-preservation projects

Treesearch

Ronald W. Anthony; Stan T. Lebow

2015-01-01

Wood, an abundant resource throughout most of the world, has been used as a building material for thousands of years. Many historic buildings have been built primarily of wood, and masonry and stone buildings generally have wood elements, both structural and architectural. As a biological material, wood is both remarkably complex and yet quite durable if well...

Credit BG. View looks south (174°) at Deluge Water Supply ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Credit BG. View looks south (174°) at Deluge Water Supply complex, including Water Pumping Booster Station (Building 4317) in foreground, with Deluge Water Storage (Building 4316) in background at right. Pole on roof of Building 4316 is a gauge board used to indicate water level in the reservoir. Structure in left background is Building 4311 (Well No. 2) - Edwards Air Force Base, North Base, Deluge Water Storage Building, Near Second & D Streets, Boron, Kern County, CA

Non-covalent synthesis of supermicelles with complex architectures using spatially confined hydrogen-bonding interactions

PubMed Central

Li, Xiaoyu; Gao, Yang; Boott, Charlotte E.; Winnik, Mitchell A.; Manners, Ian

2015-01-01

Nature uses orthogonal interactions over different length scales to construct structures with hierarchical levels of order and provides an important source of inspiration for the creation of synthetic functional materials. Here, we report the programmed assembly of monodisperse cylindrical block comicelle building blocks with crystalline cores to create supermicelles using spatially confined hydrogen-bonding interactions. We also demonstrate that it is possible to further program the self-assembly of these synthetic building blocks into structures of increased complexity by combining hydrogen-bonding interactions with segment solvophobicity. The overall approach offers an efficient, non-covalent synthesis method for the solution-phase fabrication of a range of complex and potentially functional supermicelle architectures in which the crystallization, hydrogen-bonding and solvophobic interactions are combined in an orthogonal manner. PMID:26337527

Evaluating Seismic Site Effects at Cultural Heritage Sites in the Mediterranean Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imposa, S.; D'Amico, S.; Panzera, F.; Lombardo, G.; Grassi, S.; Betti, M.; Muscat, R.

2017-12-01

Present study concern integrated geophysical and numerical simulation aiming at evaluate the seismic vulnerability of cultural heritage sites. Non-invasive analysis targeted to characterize local site effects as well as dynamic properties of the structure were performed. Data were collected at several locations in the Maltese Archipelago (central Mediterranean) and in some historical buildings located in Catania (Sicily). In particular, passive seismic techniques and H/V data where used to derive 1D velocity models and amplification functions. The dynamic properties of a building are usually described through its natural frequency and the damping ratio. This latter is important in seismic design since it allows one to evaluate the ability of a structure to dissipate the vibration energy during an earthquake. The fundamental frequency of the investigated structure was obtained using ambient vibrations recorded by two or more sensors monitoring the motion at different locations in the building. Accordingly, the fundamental period of several Maltese Watchtowers and some historical buildings of Catania were obtained by computing the ratio between the amplitudes of the Fourier spectrum of horizontal (longitudinal and transverse) components recorded on the top and on the ground floors. Using ANSYS code, the modal analysis was performed to evaluate the first 50 vibration modes with the aim to check the activation of the modal masses and to assess the seismic vulnerability of the tower. The STRATA code was instead adopted in the Catania heritage buildings using as reference earthquake moderate to strong shocks that struck south-eastern Sicily. In most of the investigated buildings is was not possible to identify a single natural frequency but several oscillation modes. These results appear linked to the structural complexity of the edifices, their irregular plan shape and the presence of adjacent structures. The H/V outside the buildings were used to determine predominant frequencies of the soil and to highlight potential site-to-structure resonance. The achieved findings can represent useful clues for further additional engineering investigations aiming at reducing the seismic risk, highlighting how the structural complexity and the local seismic response play an important role on building damage.

Contamination source review for Building E3162, Edgewood Area, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, G.A.; Draugelis, A.K.; Rueda, J.

1995-09-01

This report was prepared by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to document the results of a contamination source review for Building E3162 at the Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) in Maryland. The report may be used to assist the US Army in planning for the future use or disposition of this building. The review included a historical records search, physical inspection, photographic documentation, geophysical investigation, and collection of air samples. The field investigations were performed by ANL during 1994 and 1995. Building E3162 (APG designation) is part of the Medical Research Laboratories Building E3160 Complex. This research laboratory complex is located westmore » of Kings Creek, east of the airfield and Ricketts Point Road, and south of Kings Creek Road in the Edgewood Area of APG. The original structures in the E3160 Complex were constructed during World War 2. The complex was originally used as a medical research laboratory. Much of the research involved wound assessment involving chemical warfare agents. Building E3162 was used as a holding and study area for animals involved in non-agent burns. The building was constructed in 1952, placed on inactive status in 1983, and remains unoccupied. Analytical results from these air samples revealed no distinguishable difference in hydrocarbon and chlorinated solvent levels between the two background samples and the sample taken inside Building E3162.« less

Contamination source review for Building E3163, Edgewood Area, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Draugelis, A.K.; Muir-Ploense, K.L.; Glennon, M.A.

1995-09-01

This report was prepared by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) to document the results of a contamination source review for Building E3163 at the Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) in Maryland. This report may be used to assist the US Army in planning for the future use or disposition of this building. The review included a historical records search, physical inspection, photographic documentation, and geophysical investigation. The field investigations were performed by ANL during 1994 and 1995. Building E3163 (APG designation) is part of the Medical Research Laboratories E3160 Complex. This research laboratory complex is located west of Kings Creek, east ofmore » the airfield and Ricketts Point Road, and south of Kings Creek Road in the Edgewood Area of APG. The original structures in the E3160 Complex were constructed during World War II. The complex was originally used as a medical research laboratory. Much of the research involved wound assessment. Building E3163, constructed in 1946, was used for toxicological studies on animals until 1965. All agent testing was done using laboratory-scale quantities of agents. All operational data were destroyed; total quantities and types of agents used during the testing are unknown. No experimentation has been conducted in the building since 1965. However, the building was used as overflow office space until the late 1980s. Since that time, the building has been unoccupied.« less

Shape-tailored polymer colloids on the road to become structural motifs for hierarchically organized materials.

PubMed

Plüisch, Claudia Simone; Wittemann, Alexander

2013-12-01

Anisometric polymer colloids are likely to behave differently when compared with centrosymmetric particles. Their study may not only shine new light on the organization of matter; they may also serve as building units with specific symmetries and complexity to build new materials from them. Polymer colloids of well-defined complex geometries can be obtained by packing a limited number of spherical polymer particles into clusters with defined configurations. Such supracolloidal architectures can be fabricated at larger scales using narrowly dispersed emulsion droplets as templates. Assemblies built from at least two different types of particles as elementary building units open perspectives in selective targeting of colloids with specific properties, aiming for mesoscale building blocks with tailor-made morphologies and multifunctionality. Polymer colloids with defined geometries are also ideal to study shape-dependent properties such as the diffusion of complex particles. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Atomic structure of the Y complex of the nuclear pore

DOE PAGES

Kelley, Kotaro; Knockenhauer, Kevin E.; Kabachinski, Greg; ...

2015-03-30

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is the principal gateway for transport into and out of the nucleus. Selectivity is achieved through the hydrogel-like core of the NPC. The structural integrity of the NPC depends on ~15 architectural proteins, which are organized in distinct subcomplexes to form the >40-MDa ring-like structure. In this paper, we present the 4.1-Å crystal structure of a heterotetrameric core element ('hub') of the Y complex, the essential NPC building block, from Myceliophthora thermophila. Using the hub structure together with known Y-complex fragments, we built the entire ~0.5-MDa Y complex. Our data reveal that the conserved coremore » of the Y complex has six rather than seven members. Finally, evolutionarily distant Y-complex assemblies share a conserved core that is very similar in shape and dimension, thus suggesting that there are closely related architectural codes for constructing the NPC in all eukaryotes.« less

Multi-Criteria Approach in Multifunctional Building Design Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerigk, Mateusz

2017-10-01

The paper presents new approach in multifunctional building design process. Publication defines problems related to the design of complex multifunctional buildings. Currently, contemporary urban areas are characterized by very intensive use of space. Today, buildings are being built bigger and contain more diverse functions to meet the needs of a large number of users in one capacity. The trends show the need for recognition of design objects in an organized structure, which must meet current design criteria. The design process in terms of the complex system is a theoretical model, which is the basis for optimization solutions for the entire life cycle of the building. From the concept phase through exploitation phase to disposal phase multipurpose spaces should guarantee aesthetics, functionality, system efficiency, system safety and environmental protection in the best possible way. The result of the analysis of the design process is presented as a theoretical model of the multifunctional structure. Recognition of multi-criteria model in the form of Cartesian product allows to create a holistic representation of the designed building in the form of a graph model. The proposed network is the theoretical base that can be used in the design process of complex engineering systems. The systematic multi-criteria approach makes possible to maintain control over the entire design process and to provide the best possible performance. With respect to current design requirements, there are no established design rules for multifunctional buildings in relation to their operating phase. Enrichment of the basic criteria with functional flexibility criterion makes it possible to extend the exploitation phase which brings advantages on many levels.

Structural Element Testing in Support of the Design of the NASA Composite Crew Module

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kellas, Sotiris; Jackson, Wade C.; Thesken, John C.; Schleicher, Eric; Wagner, Perry; Kirsch, Michael T.

2012-01-01

In January 2007, the NASA Administrator and Associate Administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate chartered the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) to design, build, and test a full-scale Composite Crew Module (CCM). For the design and manufacturing of the CCM, the team adopted the building block approach where design and manufacturing risks were mitigated through manufacturing trials and structural testing at various levels of complexity. Following NASA's Structural Design Verification Requirements, a further objective was the verification of design analysis methods and the provision of design data for critical structural features. Test articles increasing in complexity from basic material characterization coupons through structural feature elements and large structural components, to full-scale structures were evaluated. This paper discusses only four elements tests three of which include joints and one that includes a tapering honeycomb core detail. For each test series included are specimen details, instrumentation, test results, a brief analysis description, test analysis correlation and conclusions.

APPLICATION OF CFD SIMULATIONS FOR SHORT-RANGE ATMOSPHERIC DISPERSION OVER OPEN FIELDS AND WITHIN ARRAYS OF BUILDINGS

EPA Science Inventory

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques are increasingly being applied to air quality modeling of short-range dispersion, especially the flow and dispersion around buildings and other geometrically complex structures. The proper application and accuracy of such CFD techniqu...

Effects of organizational complexity and resources on construction site risk.

PubMed

Forteza, Francisco J; Carretero-Gómez, Jose M; Sesé, Albert

2017-09-01

Our research is aimed at studying the relationship between risk level and organizational complexity and resources on constructions sites. Our general hypothesis is that site complexity increases risk, whereas more resources of the structure decrease risk. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach was adopted to validate our theoretical model. To develop our study, 957 building sites in Spain were visited and assessed in 2003-2009. All needed data were obtained using a specific tool developed by the authors to assess site risk, structure and resources (Construction Sites Risk Assessment Tool, or CONSRAT). This tool operationalizes the variables to fit our model, specifically, via a site risk index (SRI) and 10 organizational variables. Our random sample is composed largely of small building sites with general high levels of risk, moderate complexity, and low resources on site. The model obtained adequate fit, and results showed empirical evidence that the factors of complexity and resources can be considered predictors of site risk level. Consequently, these results can help companies, managers of construction and regulators to identify which organizational aspects should be improved to prevent risks on sites and consequently accidents. Copyright © 2017 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Three Precast Buildings from the Office of Marcel Breuer and Associates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Architectural Record, 1973

1973-01-01

Two campus structures -- a student-faculty center at the University of Massachusetts and a technological complex at New York University -- and a downtown high-rise office building in Cleveland all have precast panel walls, which play a major role in the mechanical and electrical distribution systems. (Author)

Computational Design of Self-Assembling Protein Nanomaterials with Atomic Level Accuracy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

King, Neil P.; Sheffler, William; Sawaya, Michael R.

2015-09-17

We describe a general computational method for designing proteins that self-assemble to a desired symmetric architecture. Protein building blocks are docked together symmetrically to identify complementary packing arrangements, and low-energy protein-protein interfaces are then designed between the building blocks in order to drive self-assembly. We used trimeric protein building blocks to design a 24-subunit, 13-nm diameter complex with octahedral symmetry and a 12-subunit, 11-nm diameter complex with tetrahedral symmetry. The designed proteins assembled to the desired oligomeric states in solution, and the crystal structures of the complexes revealed that the resulting materials closely match the design models. The method canmore » be used to design a wide variety of self-assembling protein nanomaterials.« less

The evolution of cerebellum structure correlates with nest complexity.

PubMed

Hall, Zachary J; Street, Sally E; Healy, Susan D

2013-01-01

Across the brains of different bird species, the cerebellum varies greatly in the amount of surface folding (foliation). The degree of cerebellar foliation is thought to correlate positively with the processing capacity of the cerebellum, supporting complex motor abilities, particularly manipulative skills. Here, we tested this hypothesis by investigating the relationship between cerebellar foliation and species-typical nest structure in birds. Increasing complexity of nest structure is a measure of a bird's ability to manipulate nesting material into the required shape. Consistent with our hypothesis, avian cerebellar foliation increases as the complexity of the nest built increases, setting the scene for the exploration of nest building at the neural level.

Coral identity underpins architectural complexity on Caribbean reefs.

PubMed

Alvarez-Filip, Lorenzo; Dulvy, Nicholas K; Côte, Isabelle M; Watkinson, Andrew R; Gill, Jennifer A

2011-09-01

The architectural complexity of ecosystems can greatly influence their capacity to support biodiversity and deliver ecosystem services. Understanding the components underlying this complexity can aid the development of effective strategies for ecosystem conservation. Caribbean coral reefs support and protect millions of livelihoods, but recent anthropogenic change is shifting communities toward reefs dominated by stress-resistant coral species, which are often less architecturally complex. With the regionwide decline in reef fish abundance, it is becoming increasingly important to understand changes in coral reef community structure and function. We quantify the influence of coral composition, diversity, and morpho-functional traits on the architectural complexity of reefs across 91 sites at Cozumel, Mexico. Although reef architectural complexity increases with coral cover and species richness, it is highest on sites that are low in taxonomic evenness and dominated by morpho-functionally important, reef-building coral genera, particularly Montastraea. Sites with similar coral community composition also tend to occur on reefs with very similar architectural complexity, suggesting that reef structure tends to be determined by the same key species across sites. Our findings provide support for prioritizing and protecting particular reef types, especially those dominated by key reef-building corals, in order to enhance reef complexity.

Calcifying tissue regeneration via biomimetic materials chemistry

PubMed Central

Green, David W.; Goto, Tazuko K.; Kim, Kye-Seong; Jung, Han-Sung

2014-01-01

Materials chemistry is making a fundamental impact in regenerative sciences providing many platforms for tissue development. However, there is a surprising paucity of replacements that accurately mimic the structure and function of the structural fabric of tissues or promote faithful tissue reconstruction. Methodologies in biomimetic materials chemistry have shown promise in replicating morphologies, architectures and functional building blocks of acellular mineralized tissues dentine, enamel and bone or that can be used to fully regenerate them with integrated cell populations. Biomimetic materials chemistry encompasses the two processes of crystal formation and mineralization of crystals into inorganic formations on organic templates. This review will revisit the successes of biomimetics materials chemistry in regenerative medicine, including coccolithophore simulants able to promote in vivo bone formation. In-depth knowledge of biomineralization throughout evolution informs the biomimetic materials chemist of the most effective techniques for regenerative framework construction exemplified via exploitation of liquid crystals (LCs) and complex self-organizing media. Therefore, a new innovative direction would be to create chemical environments that perform reaction–diffusion exchanges as the basis for building complex biomimetic inorganic structures. This has evolved widely in biology, as have LCs, serving as self-organizing templates in pattern formation of structural biomaterials. For instance, a study is highlighted in which artificially fabricated chiral LCs, made from bacteriophages are transformed into a faithful copy of enamel. While chemical-based strategies are highly promising at creating new biomimetic structures there are limits to the degree of complexity that can be generated. Thus, there may be good reason to implement living or artificial cells in ‘morphosynthesis’ of complex inorganic constructs. In the future, cellular construction is probably key to instruct building of ultimate biomimetic hierarchies with a totality of functions. PMID:25320063

Slicing Method for curved façade and window extraction from point clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iman Zolanvari, S. M.; Laefer, Debra F.

2016-09-01

Laser scanning technology is a fast and reliable method to survey structures. However, the automatic conversion of such data into solid models for computation remains a major challenge, especially where non-rectilinear features are present. Since, openings and the overall dimensions of the buildings are the most critical elements in computational models for structural analysis, this article introduces the Slicing Method as a new, computationally-efficient method for extracting overall façade and window boundary points for reconstructing a façade into a geometry compatible for computational modelling. After finding a principal plane, the technique slices a façade into limited portions, with each slice representing a unique, imaginary section passing through a building. This is done along a façade's principal axes to segregate window and door openings from structural portions of the load-bearing masonry walls. The method detects each opening area's boundaries, as well as the overall boundary of the façade, in part, by using a one-dimensional projection to accelerate processing. Slices were optimised as 14.3 slices per vertical metre of building and 25 slices per horizontal metre of building, irrespective of building configuration or complexity. The proposed procedure was validated by its application to three highly decorative, historic brick buildings. Accuracy in excess of 93% was achieved with no manual intervention on highly complex buildings and nearly 100% on simple ones. Furthermore, computational times were less than 3 sec for data sets up to 2.6 million points, while similar existing approaches required more than 16 hr for such datasets.

Lipopolysaccharide Membrane Building and Simulation

PubMed Central

Jo, Sunhwan; Wu, Emilia L.; Stuhlsatz, Danielle; Klauda, Jeffery B.; Widmalm, Göran; Im, Wonpil

2015-01-01

Summary While membrane simulations are widely employed to study the structure and dynamics of various lipid bilayers and membrane proteins in the bilayers, simulations of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in membrane environments have been limited due to its structural complexity, difficulties in building LPS-membrane systems, and lack of appropriate molecular force field. In this work, as a first step to extend CHARMM-GUI Membrane Builder to incorporate LPS molecules and to explore their structures and dynamics in membrane environments using molecular dynamics simulations, we describe step-by-step procedures to build LPS bilayer systems using CHARMM and the recently developed CHARMM carbohydrate and lipid force fields. Such procedures are illustrated by building various bilayers of Escherichia coli O6 LPS and their preliminary simulation results are given in terms of per-LPS area and density distributions of various components along the membrane normal. PMID:25753722

Photocopy of drawing. VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING MODIFICATIONS, HIGH BAY AREA. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Photocopy of drawing. VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING MODIFICATIONS, HIGH BAY AREA. NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida. File Number 79K05424, Seelye Stevenson Value & Knecht, March 1975. TRANSFER AISLE NORTH DOOR, ARCHITECTURAL AND STRUCTURAL ELEVATIONS, SECTIONS AND DETAILS. Sheet 79 of 207 - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Launch Complex 39, Vehicle Assembly Building, VAB Road, East of Kennedy Parkway North, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Correlating the magic numbers of inorganic nanomolecular assemblies with a {Pd84} molecular-ring Rosetta Stone

PubMed Central

Xu, Feng; Miras, Haralampos N.; Scullion, Rachel A.; Long, De-Liang; Thiel, Johannes; Cronin, Leroy

2012-01-01

Molecular self-assembly has often been suggested as the ultimate route for the bottom-up construction of building blocks atom-by-atom for functional nanotechnology, yet structural design or prediction of nanomolecular assemblies is still far from reach. Whereas nature uses complex machinery such as the ribosome, chemists use painstakingly engineered step-by-step approaches to build complex molecules but the size and complexity of such molecules, not to mention the accessible yields, can be limited. Herein we present the discovery of a palladium oxometalate {Pd84}-ring cluster 3.3 nm in diameter; [Pd84O42(OAc)28(PO4)42]70- ({Pd84} ≡ {Pd12}7) that is formed in water just by mixing two reagents at room temperature, giving crystals of the compound in just a few days. The structure of the {Pd84}-ring has sevenfold symmetry, comprises 196 building blocks, and we also show, using mass spectrometry, that a large library of other related nanostructures is present in solution. Finally, by analysis of the symmetry and the building block library that construct the {Pd84} we show that the correlation of the symmetry, subunit number, and overall cluster nuclearity can be used as a “Rosetta Stone” to rationalize the “magic numbers” defining a number of other systems. This is because the discovery of {Pd84} allows the relationship between seemingly unrelated families of molecular inorganic nanosystems to be decoded from the overall cluster magic-number nuclearity, to the symmetry and building blocks that define such structures allowing the prediction of other members of these nanocluster families. PMID:22753516

KSC-04PD-1290

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Towers and girders are the current construction components on the Operations Support Building (OSB) II in the Launch Complex 39 Area. The new building, which replaces modular housing constructed more than 20 years ago, will house NASA and contractor support staff for shuttle operations. The new structure is projected to be ready in April 2005.

KSC-04PD-1288

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Another phase of construction is shown on the Operations Support Building (OSB) II in the Launch Complex 39 Area. The new building, which replaces modular housing constructed more than 20 years ago, will house NASA and contractor support staff for shuttle operations. The new structure is projected to be ready in April 2005.

KSC-04PD-1291

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Towers and girders are the current construction components on the Operations Support Building (OSB) II in the Launch Complex 39 Area. The new building, which replaces modular housing constructed more than 20 years ago, will house NASA and contractor support staff for shuttle operations. The new structure is projected to be ready in April 2005.

KSC-04PD-1289

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Towers and girders are the current construction components on the Operations Support Building (OSB) II in the Launch Complex 39 Area. The new building, which replaces modular housing constructed more than 20 years ago, will house NASA and contractor support staff for shuttle operations. The new structure is projected to be ready in April 2005.

MONITORING TOXIC ORGANIC GASES AND PARTICLES NEAR THE WORLD TRADE CENTER AFTER SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

EPA Science Inventory

The September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) resulted in an intense fire and the subsequent, complete collapse of the two main structures and adjacent buildings, as well as significant damage to many surrounding buildings within and around the WTC complex. Thi...

120. Photocopy of drawing (1958 civil engineering drawing by the ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

120. Photocopy of drawing (1958 civil engineering drawing by the Ralph M. Parsons Company) STRUCTURAL DETAILS OF WAVE GUIDE ENCLOSURE AND CABLE TRAY INSTALLATION FOR LAUNCH OPERATIONS BUILDING, SHEET C42 - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Launch Operations Building, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

Two new hybrid molybdenum arsenate derivative constructed from [As2Mo6O26]6- building: Synthesis, structural characterization and photocatalysis property

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiao; Luo, Xuan; Duan, Yuanling; Huang, Yanping; Zhang, Nanxi; Zhao, Liyan; Wu, Jie

2017-08-01

Two new inorganic-organic hybrid materials [Cu(enMe)2]2{(As2Mo6O26) [Cu(enMe)2]}·4H2O (1) and [As2Mo6(OH)2O24][Cu(H2O)2(phen)]2 (2) (enMe = 1,2'-propanediamine, phen = 1,10'-phenanthroline) based on [As2Mo6O26]6- building blocks, denoted as [As2Mo6], have been obtained by hydrothermal methods. 1 shows a 1-D straight chain structure constructed form [As2Mo6] building blocks and [Cu(enMe)2] complexes, and then extended to 3-D supramolecular network by lattice water via hydrogen bonds interactions. 2 exhibits a new 1-D covalent ribbon with large rectangular grids formed from [As2Mo6] building blocks connected by [Cu(H2O)2(phen)] complexes, then extended into 3-D supramolecular network via hydrogen bonds and π···π interactions. In additional, the photocatalytic activity for methylene blue degradation under visible-light irradiation of 2 was investigated.

Relationships between structural complexity, coral traits, and reef fish assemblages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darling, Emily S.; Graham, Nicholas A. J.; Januchowski-Hartley, Fraser A.; Nash, Kirsty L.; Pratchett, Morgan S.; Wilson, Shaun K.

2017-06-01

With the ongoing loss of coral cover and the associated flattening of reef architecture, understanding the links between coral habitat and reef fishes is of critical importance. Here, we investigate whether considering coral traits and functional diversity provides new insights into the relationship between structural complexity and reef fish communities, and whether coral traits and community composition can predict structural complexity. Across 157 sites in Seychelles, Maldives, the Chagos Archipelago, and Australia's Great Barrier Reef, we find that structural complexity and reef zone are the strongest and most consistent predictors of reef fish abundance, biomass, species richness, and trophic structure. However, coral traits, diversity, and life histories provided additional predictive power for models of reef fish assemblages, and were key drivers of structural complexity. Our findings highlight that reef complexity relies on living corals—with different traits and life histories—continuing to build carbonate skeletons, and that these nuanced relationships between coral assemblages and habitat complexity can affect the structure of reef fish assemblages. Seascape-level estimates of structural complexity are rapid and cost effective with important implications for the structure and function of fish assemblages, and should be incorporated into monitoring programs.

Dynamic building risk assessment theoretic model for rainstorm-flood utilization ABM and ABS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lai, Wenze; Li, Wenbo; Wang, Hailei; Huang, Yingliang; Wu, Xuelian; Sun, Bingyun

2015-12-01

Flood is one of natural disasters with the worst loss in the world. It needs to assess flood disaster risk so that we can reduce the loss of flood disaster. Disaster management practical work needs the dynamic risk results of building. Rainstorm flood disaster system is a typical complex system. From the view of complex system theory, flood disaster risk is the interaction result of hazard effect objects, rainstorm flood hazard factors, and hazard environments. Agent-based modeling (ABM) is an important tool for complex system modeling. Rainstorm-flood building risk dynamic assessment method (RFBRDAM) was proposed using ABM in this paper. The interior structures and procedures of different agents in proposed meth had been designed. On the Netlogo platform, the proposed method was implemented to assess the building risk changes of the rainstorm flood disaster in the Huaihe River Basin using Agent-based simulation (ABS). The results indicated that the proposed method can dynamically assess building risk of the whole process for the rainstorm flood disaster. The results of this paper can provide one new approach for flood disaster building risk dynamic assessment and flood disaster management.

4. PHOTOCOPY OF DRAWING (1976 STRUCTURAL AND ELECTRICAL DRAWING BY ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

4. PHOTOCOPY OF DRAWING (1976 STRUCTURAL AND ELECTRICAL DRAWING BY THE SPACE AND MISSILE TEST CENTER, VAFB, USAF) STRUCTURAL AND ELECTRICAL DIAGRAM FOR EQUIPMENT STORAGE BUILDING, SHEET S-26 - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Storage Shed, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

Enrollment Management: An Introduction to Concepts and Structures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bontrager, Bob

2004-01-01

In the increasingly complex world of managing enrollments, success or failure hinges on building a solid foundation of concepts, structures, and strategies. This first of a two-part series reviews the core concepts and structural considerations that underlie successful enrollment management organizations. The purpose of this article is to…

Guiding principles for peptide nanotechnology through directed discovery.

PubMed

Lampel, A; Ulijn, R V; Tuttle, T

2018-05-21

Life's diverse molecular functions are largely based on only a small number of highly conserved building blocks - the twenty canonical amino acids. These building blocks are chemically simple, but when they are organized in three-dimensional structures of tremendous complexity, new properties emerge. This review explores recent efforts in the directed discovery of functional nanoscale systems and materials based on these same amino acids, but that are not guided by copying or editing biological systems. The review summarises insights obtained using three complementary approaches of searching the sequence space to explore sequence-structure relationships for assembly, reactivity and complexation, namely: (i) strategic editing of short peptide sequences; (ii) computational approaches to predicting and comparing assembly behaviours; (iii) dynamic peptide libraries that explore the free energy landscape. These approaches give rise to guiding principles on controlling order/disorder, complexation and reactivity by peptide sequence design.

Designing To Learn about Complex Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hmelo, Cindy E.; Holton, Douglas L.; Kolodner, Janet L.

2000-01-01

Indicates the presence of complex structural, behavioral, and functional relations to understanding. Reports on a design experiment in which 6th grade children learned about the human respiratory system by designing artificial lungs and building partial working models. Makes suggestions for successful learning from design activities. (Contains 44…

Numerical Simulation of Blast Action on Civil Structures in Urban Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valger, Svetlana A.; Fedorova, Natalya N.; Fedorov, Alexander V.

2017-10-01

Nowadays, a lot of industrial accidents accompanied by explosions are happening throughout the world. Also, increase in the number of terrorist acts committed by means of explosions is observed. For improving safety of buildings and structures it is necessary to raise their resistance to explosive effects, as well as to be able to predict degree of potential damage upon explosive loads of various intensities. One of the principal goals in designing the structure resistant to explosive effects is to determine the dynamic response of structures to the impact of the blast wave. To this end, the transient pressure loads on the walls of the civil engineering structures are to be determined. The simulation of explosion is highly complicated, involving an explosion causing the shock wave propagation in air and then interaction with a structure. The engineering-level techniques permit one to estimate an explosive shock impact only for isolated buildings. The complexity of the building, the presence of nearby structures and the surrounding environment cannot be taken into account. Advanced computer aid engineering (CAE) software techniques combined with the latest methods of discrete three-dimensional city modelling permits one to simulate and analyse the effects of explosions in urban areas with a precision which previously was not possible. In the paper, the simulation results are presented of shock wave forming due to a spherical explosive charge and its propagation in the vicinity of geometrical configuration imitating an urban environment. The numerical simulation of a flow in the vicinity of prisms of different cross-sections and heights located on a flat plate was performed. The calculations are carried out in a three-dimensional non-viscous formulation using ANSYS software. On a basis of simulation results, a complex wave structures were analysed, and all the peculiarities of flows and pressure history records on building walls were described and explained. The possibility of a correct description of the non-stationary wave flow in the vicinity of the complex of obstacles is demonstrated. The results are compared with the experimental data on the pressure distribution in gauges located on the prism walls. The estimation of shock wave exposure intensity was performed to different objects.

Review of the "AS-BUILT BIM" Approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hichri, N.; Stefani, C.; De Luca, L.; Veron, P.

2013-02-01

Today, we need 3D models of heritage buildings in order to handle more efficiently projects of restoration, documentation and maintenance. In this context, developing a performing approach, based on a first phase of building survey, is a necessary step in order to build a semantically enriched digital model. For this purpose, the Building Information Modeling is an efficient tool for storing and exchanging knowledge about buildings. In order to create such a model, there are three fundamental steps: acquisition, segmentation and modeling. For these reasons, it is essential to understand and analyze this entire chain that leads to a well- structured and enriched 3D digital model. This paper proposes a survey and an analysis of the existing approaches on these topics and tries to define a new approach of semantic structuring taking into account the complexity of this chain.

Small-angle neutron scattering reveals the assembly mode and oligomeric architecture of TET, a large, dodecameric aminopeptidase

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Appolaire, Alexandre; Girard, Eric; Colombo, Matteo

2014-11-01

The present work illustrates that small-angle neutron scattering, deuteration and contrast variation, combined with in vitro particle reconstruction, constitutes a very efficient approach to determine subunit architectures in large, symmetric protein complexes. In the case of the 468 kDa heterododecameric TET peptidase machine, it was demonstrated that the assembly of the 12 subunits is a highly controlled process and represents a way to optimize the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme. The specific self-association of proteins into oligomeric complexes is a common phenomenon in biological systems to optimize and regulate their function. However, de novo structure determination of these important complexesmore » is often very challenging for atomic-resolution techniques. Furthermore, in the case of homo-oligomeric complexes, or complexes with very similar building blocks, the respective positions of subunits and their assembly pathways are difficult to determine using many structural biology techniques. Here, an elegant and powerful approach based on small-angle neutron scattering is applied, in combination with deuterium labelling and contrast variation, to elucidate the oligomeric organization of the quaternary structure and the assembly pathways of 468 kDa, hetero-oligomeric and symmetric Pyrococcus horikoshii TET2–TET3 aminopeptidase complexes. The results reveal that the topology of the PhTET2 and PhTET3 dimeric building blocks within the complexes is not casual but rather suggests that their quaternary arrangement optimizes the catalytic efficiency towards peptide substrates. This approach bears important potential for the determination of quaternary structures and assembly pathways of large oligomeric and symmetric complexes in biological systems.« less

Gigadalton-scale shape-programmable DNA assemblies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagenbauer, Klaus F.; Sigl, Christian; Dietz, Hendrik

2017-12-01

Natural biomolecular assemblies such as molecular motors, enzymes, viruses and subcellular structures often form by self-limiting hierarchical oligomerization of multiple subunits. Large structures can also assemble efficiently from a few components by combining hierarchical assembly and symmetry, a strategy exemplified by viral capsids. De novo protein design and RNA and DNA nanotechnology aim to mimic these capabilities, but the bottom-up construction of artificial structures with the dimensions and complexity of viruses and other subcellular components remains challenging. Here we show that natural assembly principles can be combined with the methods of DNA origami to produce gigadalton-scale structures with controlled sizes. DNA sequence information is used to encode the shapes of individual DNA origami building blocks, and the geometry and details of the interactions between these building blocks then control their copy numbers, positions and orientations within higher-order assemblies. We illustrate this strategy by creating planar rings of up to 350 nanometres in diameter and with atomic masses of up to 330 megadaltons, micrometre-long, thick tubes commensurate in size to some bacilli, and three-dimensional polyhedral assemblies with sizes of up to 1.2 gigadaltons and 450 nanometres in diameter. We achieve efficient assembly, with yields of up to 90 per cent, by using building blocks with validated structure and sufficient rigidity, and an accurate design with interaction motifs that ensure that hierarchical assembly is self-limiting and able to proceed in equilibrium to allow for error correction. We expect that our method, which enables the self-assembly of structures with sizes approaching that of viruses and cellular organelles, can readily be used to create a range of other complex structures with well defined sizes, by exploiting the modularity and high degree of addressability of the DNA origami building blocks used.

Gigadalton-scale shape-programmable DNA assemblies.

PubMed

Wagenbauer, Klaus F; Sigl, Christian; Dietz, Hendrik

2017-12-06

Natural biomolecular assemblies such as molecular motors, enzymes, viruses and subcellular structures often form by self-limiting hierarchical oligomerization of multiple subunits. Large structures can also assemble efficiently from a few components by combining hierarchical assembly and symmetry, a strategy exemplified by viral capsids. De novo protein design and RNA and DNA nanotechnology aim to mimic these capabilities, but the bottom-up construction of artificial structures with the dimensions and complexity of viruses and other subcellular components remains challenging. Here we show that natural assembly principles can be combined with the methods of DNA origami to produce gigadalton-scale structures with controlled sizes. DNA sequence information is used to encode the shapes of individual DNA origami building blocks, and the geometry and details of the interactions between these building blocks then control their copy numbers, positions and orientations within higher-order assemblies. We illustrate this strategy by creating planar rings of up to 350 nanometres in diameter and with atomic masses of up to 330 megadaltons, micrometre-long, thick tubes commensurate in size to some bacilli, and three-dimensional polyhedral assemblies with sizes of up to 1.2 gigadaltons and 450 nanometres in diameter. We achieve efficient assembly, with yields of up to 90 per cent, by using building blocks with validated structure and sufficient rigidity, and an accurate design with interaction motifs that ensure that hierarchical assembly is self-limiting and able to proceed in equilibrium to allow for error correction. We expect that our method, which enables the self-assembly of structures with sizes approaching that of viruses and cellular organelles, can readily be used to create a range of other complex structures with well defined sizes, by exploiting the modularity and high degree of addressability of the DNA origami building blocks used.

Two binuclear cyanide-bridged Cr(III)-Mn(III) complexes based-on [Cr(2,2'-bipy)(CN)4]- building block: synthesis, crystal structures and magnetic properties.

PubMed

Zhanga, Daopeng; Kong, Lingqian; Zhang, Hongyan

2015-01-01

Tetracyanide building block [Cr(2,2'-bipy)(CN)(4)]- and two bicompartimental Schiff-base based manganese(III) compounds have been employed to assemble cyanide-bridged heterometallic complexes, resulting in two cyanide-bridged CrIII-MnIII complexes: [Mn(L(1))(H(2)O)][Cr(2,2'-bipy)(CN)(4)]·CH(3)OH·2.5H(2)O (1) and [Mn(L(2))(H(2)O)][Cr(2,2'-bipy)(CN)(4)]·CH(3)OH·(3)H(2)O (2) (L1 = N,N'-(1,3-propylene)-bis(3-methoxysalicylideneiminate), L2 = N,N'-ethylene-bis(3-ethoxysalicylideneiminate)). Single X-ray diffraction analysis shows their similar cyanide-bridged binuclear structures, in which the cyanide precursor acting as monodentate ligand connects the manganese(III) ion. The binuclear complexes are self-complementary through coordinated aqua ligand and the free O4 compartment from the neighboring complex, giving H-bond linking dimer structure. Investigation over magnetic properties reveals the antiferromagnetic magnetic coupling between the cyanide-bridged Cr(III) and Mn(III) ions. A best-fit to the magnetic susceptibilities of these two complexes leads to the magnetic coupling constants J = -5.95 cm(-1), j = -0.61 cm(-1) (1) and J = -4.15 cm(-1), j = -0.57 cm(-1) (2), respectively.

Pupillary dynamics reveal computational cost in sentence planning.

PubMed

Sevilla, Yamila; Maldonado, Mora; Shalóm, Diego E

2014-01-01

This study investigated the computational cost associated with grammatical planning in sentence production. We measured people's pupillary responses as they produced spoken descriptions of depicted events. We manipulated the syntactic structure of the target by training subjects to use different types of sentences following a colour cue. The results showed higher increase in pupil size for the production of passive and object dislocated sentences than for active canonical subject-verb-object sentences, indicating that more cognitive effort is associated with more complex noncanonical thematic order. We also manipulated the time at which the cue that triggered structure-building processes was presented. Differential increase in pupil diameter for more complex sentences was shown to rise earlier as the colour cue was presented earlier, suggesting that the observed pupillary changes are due to differential demands in relatively independent structure-building processes during grammatical planning. Task-evoked pupillary responses provide a reliable measure to study the cognitive processes involved in sentence production.

Building a Culture of Collaboration in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutton, Paul S.; Shouse, Andrew W.

2016-01-01

Teaching is complex; teachers and school leaders crave more meaningful collaborative experiences to make sense of that complexity. However, the structural, cultural, and historical factors involved with schooling impede the extent to which teachers can collaborate. Teachers spend five to six periods of the day teaching classes, largely working in…

29. OVERVIEW OF SAR3 COMPLEX, LOOKING NORTHEAST. FROM LEFT TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

29. OVERVIEW OF SAR-3 COMPLEX, LOOKING NORTHEAST. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, THE STRUCTURES ARE THE SAR-3 POWERHOUSE, SWITCHRACK, OFFICE (IN BACKGROUND), WAREHOUSE, CARPENTER SHOP, MAINTENANCE YARD, STORAGE BUILDING, AND STORAGE GARAGE (IN BACKGROUND). - Santa Ana River Hydroelectric System, Redlands, San Bernardino County, CA

Sequence co-evolution gives 3D contacts and structures of protein complexes

PubMed Central

Hopf, Thomas A; Schärfe, Charlotta P I; Rodrigues, João P G L M; Green, Anna G; Kohlbacher, Oliver; Sander, Chris; Bonvin, Alexandre M J J; Marks, Debora S

2014-01-01

Protein–protein interactions are fundamental to many biological processes. Experimental screens have identified tens of thousands of interactions, and structural biology has provided detailed functional insight for select 3D protein complexes. An alternative rich source of information about protein interactions is the evolutionary sequence record. Building on earlier work, we show that analysis of correlated evolutionary sequence changes across proteins identifies residues that are close in space with sufficient accuracy to determine the three-dimensional structure of the protein complexes. We evaluate prediction performance in blinded tests on 76 complexes of known 3D structure, predict protein–protein contacts in 32 complexes of unknown structure, and demonstrate how evolutionary couplings can be used to distinguish between interacting and non-interacting protein pairs in a large complex. With the current growth of sequences, we expect that the method can be generalized to genome-wide elucidation of protein–protein interaction networks and used for interaction predictions at residue resolution. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.03430.001 PMID:25255213

[Fe(bpb)(CN)2]- as a versatile building block for the design of novel low-dimensional heterobimetallic systems: synthesis, crystal structures, and magnetic properties of cyano-bridged Fe(III)-Ni(II) complexes [(bpb)(2-) = 1,2-bis(pyridine-2-carboxamido)benzenate].

PubMed

Ni, Zhong-Hai; Kou, Hui-Zhong; Zhao, Yi-Hua; Zheng, Lei; Wang, Ru-Ji; Cui, Ai-Li; Sato, Osamu

2005-03-21

A dicyano-containing [Fe(bpb)(CN)2]- building block has been employed for the synthesis of cyano-bridged heterometallic Ni(II)-Fe(III) complexes. The presence of steric bpb(2-) ligand around the iron ion results in the formation of low-dimensional species: five are neutral NiFe2 trimers and three are one-dimensional (1D). The structure of the 1D complexes consists of alternating [NiL]2+ and [Fe(bpb)(CN)2]- generating a cyano-bridged cationic polymeric chain and the perchlorate as the counteranion. In all complexes, the coordination geometry of the nickel ions is approximately octahedral with the cyano nitrogen atoms at the trans positions. Magnetic studies of seven complexes show the presence of ferromagnetic interaction between the metal ions through the cyano bridges. Variable temperature magnetic susceptibility investigations of the trimeric complexes yield the following J(NiFe) values (based on the spin exchange Hamiltonian H = -2J(NiFe) S(Ni) (S(Fe(1)) + S(Fe(2))): J(NiFe) = 6.40(5), 7.8(1), 8.9(2), and 6.03(4) cm(-1), respectively. The study of the magneto-structural correlation reveals that the cyanide-bridging bond angle is related to the strength of magnetic exchange coupling: the larger the Ni-N[triple bond]C bond angle, the stronger the Ni- - -Fe magnetic interaction. One 1D complex exhibits long-range antiferromagnetic ordering with T(N) = 3.5 K. Below T(N) (1.82 K), a metamagnetic behavior was observed with the critical field of approximately 6 kOe. The present research shows that the [Fe(bpb)(CN)2]- building block is a good candidate for the construction of low-dimensional magnetic materials.

Ferromagnetic dinuclear mixed-valence Mn(II)/Mn(III) complexes: building blocks for the higher nuclearity complexes. structure, magnetic properties, and density functional theory calculations.

PubMed

Hänninen, Mikko M; Välivaara, Juha; Mota, Antonio J; Colacio, Enrique; Lloret, Francesc; Sillanpää, Reijo

2013-02-18

A series of six mixed-valence Mn(II)/Mn(III) dinuclear complexes were synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction. The reactivity of the complexes was surveyed, and structures of three additional trinuclear mixed-valence Mn(III)/Mn(II)/Mn(III) species were resolved. The magnetic properties of the complexes were studied in detail both experimentally and theoretically. All dinuclear complexes show ferromagnetic intramolecular interactions, which were justified on the basis of the electronic structures of the Mn(II) and Mn(III) ions. The large Mn(II)-O-Mn(III) bond angle and small distortion of the Mn(II) cation from the ideal square pyramidal geometry were shown to enhance the ferromagnetic interactions since these geometrical conditions seem to favor the orthogonal arrangement of the magnetic orbitals.

Complexity of Curved Glass Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosić, T.; Svetel, I.; Cekić, Z.

2017-11-01

Despite the increasing number of research on the architectural structures of curvilinear forms and technological and practical improvement of the glass production observed over recent years, there is still a lack of comprehensive codes and standards, recommendations and experience data linked to real-life curved glass structures applications regarding design, manufacture, use, performance and economy. However, more and more complex buildings and structures with the large areas of glass envelope geometrically complex shape are built every year. The aim of the presented research is to collect data on the existing design philosophy on curved glass structure cases. The investigation includes a survey about how architects and engineers deal with different design aspects of curved glass structures with a special focus on the design and construction process, glass types and structural and fixing systems. The current paper gives a brief overview of the survey findings.

Air-flow distortion and turbulence statistics near an animal facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prueger, J. H.; Eichinger, W. E.; Hipps, L. E.; Hatfield, J. L.; Cooper, D. I.

The emission and dispersion of particulates and gases from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) at local to regional scales is a current issue in science and society. The transport of particulates, odors and toxic chemical species from the source into the local and eventually regional atmosphere is largely determined by turbulence. Any models that attempt to simulate the dispersion of particles must either specify or assume various statistical properties of the turbulence field. Statistical properties of turbulence are well documented for idealized boundary layers above uniform surfaces. However, an animal production facility is a complex surface with structures that act as bluff bodies that distort the turbulence intensity near the buildings. As a result, the initial release and subsequent dispersion of effluents in the region near a facility will be affected by the complex nature of the surface. Previous Lidar studies of plume dispersion over the facility used in this study indicated that plumes move in complex yet organized patterns that would not be explained by the properties of turbulence generally assumed in models. The objective of this study was to characterize the near-surface turbulence statistics in the flow field around an array of animal confinement buildings. Eddy covariance towers were erected in the upwind, within the building array and downwind regions of the flow field. Substantial changes in turbulence intensity statistics and turbulence-kinetic energy (TKE) were observed as the mean wind flow encountered the building structures. Spectra analysis demonstrated unique distribution of the spectral energy in the vertical profile above the buildings.

Parametric Workflow (BIM) for the Repair Construction of Traditional Historic Architecture in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Y.-P.; Hsu, C. C.; Lin, M.-C.; Tsai, Z.-W.; Chen, J.-Y.

2015-08-01

In Taiwan, numerous existing traditional buildings are constructed with wooden structures, brick structures, and stone structures. This paper will focus on the Taiwan traditional historic architecture and target the traditional wooden structure buildings as the design proposition and process the BIM workflow for modeling complex wooden combination geometry, integrating with more traditional 2D documents and for visualizing repair construction assumptions within the 3D model representation. The goal of this article is to explore the current problems to overcome in wooden historic building conservation, and introduce the BIM technology in the case of conserving, documenting, managing, and creating full engineering drawings and information for effectively support historic conservation. Although BIM is mostly oriented to current construction praxis, there have been some attempts to investigate its applicability in historic conservation projects. This article also illustrates the importance and advantages of using BIM workflow in repair construction process, when comparing with generic workflow.

Self-templated formation of uniform NiCo2O4 hollow spheres with complex interior structures for lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors.

PubMed

Shen, Laifa; Yu, Le; Yu, Xin-Yao; Zhang, Xiaogang; Lou, Xiong Wen David

2015-02-02

Despite the significant advancement in preparing metal oxide hollow structures, most approaches rely on template-based multistep procedures for tailoring the interior structure. In this work, we develop a new generally applicable strategy toward the synthesis of mixed-metal-oxide complex hollow spheres. Starting with metal glycerate solid spheres, we show that subsequent thermal annealing in air leads to the formation of complex hollow spheres of the resulting metal oxide. We demonstrate the concept by synthesizing highly uniform NiCo2O4 hollow spheres with a complex interior structure. With the small primary building nanoparticles, high structural integrity, complex interior architectures, and enlarged surface area, these unique NiCo2O4 hollow spheres exhibit superior electrochemical performances as advanced electrode materials for both lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors. This approach can be an efficient self-templated strategy for the preparation of mixed-metal-oxide hollow spheres with complex interior structures and functionalities. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Building a global business continuity programme.

PubMed

Lazcano, Michael

2014-01-01

Business continuity programmes provide an important function within organisations, especially when aligned with and supportive of the organisation's goals, objectives and organisational culture. Continuity programmes for large, complex international organisations, unlike those for compact national companies, are more difficult to design, build, implement and maintain. Programmes for international organisations require attention to structural design, support across organisational leadership and hierarchy, seamless integration with the organisation's culture, measured success and demonstrated value. This paper details practical, but sometimes overlooked considerations for building successful global business continuity programmes.

7. Photographic copy of photograph, date unknown (original print in ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

7. Photographic copy of photograph, date unknown (original print in possession of James E. Zielinski Earth Tech, Huntsville, AL). Pan American World Airways, photographer. Aerial view (north to south) of missile launch area. Warhead handling building can be seen at the bottom center of the picture and the universal missile building in the middle right. In the distance can be seen the missile site control building and related structures - Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, Missile Launch Area, Within Exclusion Area, Nekoma, Cavalier County, ND

Should Great Lakes City Build a New Power Plant? How Youth Navigate Socioscientific Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Shari Levine; Calabrese Barton, Angela

2012-01-01

There is a growing consensus that simply learning enough science to decipher public debates on socioscientific issues will not make citizens better equipped to handle the complex and ill-structured problems these controversial issues present. This study highlights the interaction and complex interplay between youth authored and appropriated frames…

Infography use to requirements specification for the design of the building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Losev, Konstantin; Sinenko, Sergey

2017-10-01

The study contributes to a growing body of research Transport infrastructure in a construction object life cycle management and presents areas in which further investigation is needed. The object of study are Railway buildings and structures and the Employer’s information requirements (EIR) for design of individual residential building. The task of the study was to determine necessary and sufficient scope of parameters which contained in inforaphic form of EIR comparing with traditional text form of EIR. Also, the task was to determine what categories of the traditional EIR are transferred to an infographic representation form and what categories are ignored in case of a relatively low complexity building. Methods that have been used in the study were infographical representation of text and further expert evaluation. Conclusions of the study present the necessary and sufficient scope of parameters for inforaphic form of EIR, the relations between infographic parameters and categories of the EIR traditional form and subcategories of the traditional EIR that are ignored in case of a relatively low complexity building.

USE OF MODELS FOR GAMMA SHIELDING STUDIES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clifford, C.E.

1962-02-01

The use of models for shielding studies of buildings exposed to gamma radiation was evaluated by comparing the dose distributions produced in a blockhouse with movable inside walls exposed to 0.66 Mev gamma radiation with corresponding distributions in an iron 1 to 10 scale model. The effects of air and ground scaling on the readings in the model were also investigated. Iron appeared to be a suitable model material for simple closed buildings but for more complex structures it appeared that the use of iron models would progressively overestimite the gamms shielding protection as the complexity increased. (auth)

RNA self-assembly and RNA nanotechnology.

PubMed

Grabow, Wade W; Jaeger, Luc

2014-06-17

CONSPECTUS: Nanotechnology's central goal involves the direct control of matter at the molecular nanometer scale to build nanofactories, nanomachines, and other devices for potential applications including electronics, alternative fuels, and medicine. In this regard, the nascent use of nucleic acids as a material to coordinate the precise arrangements of specific molecules marked an important milestone in the relatively recent history of nanotechnology. While DNA served as the pioneer building material in nucleic acid nanotechnology, RNA continues to emerge as viable alternative material with its own distinct advantages for nanoconstruction. Several complementary assembly strategies have been used to build a diverse set of RNA nanostructures having unique structural attributes and the ability to self-assemble in a highly programmable and controlled manner. Of the different strategies, the architectonics approach uniquely endeavors to understand integrated structural RNA architectures through the arrangement of their characteristic structural building blocks. Viewed through this lens, it becomes apparent that nature routinely uses thermodynamically stable, recurrent modular motifs from natural RNA molecules to generate unique and more complex programmable structures. With the design principles found in natural structures, a number of synthetic RNAs have been constructed. The synthetic nanostructures constructed to date have provided, in addition to affording essential insights into RNA design, important platforms to characterize and validate the structural self-folding and assembly properties of RNA modules or building blocks. Furthermore, RNA nanoparticles have shown great promise for applications in nanomedicine and RNA-based therapeutics. Nevertheless, the synthetic RNA architectures achieved thus far consist largely of static, rigid particles that are still far from matching the structural and functional complexity of natural responsive structural elements such as the ribosome, large ribozymes, and riboswitches. Thus, the next step in synthetic RNA design will involve new ways to implement these same types of dynamic and responsive architectures into nanostructures functioning as real nanomachines in and outside the cell. RNA nanotechnology will likely garner broader utility and influence with a greater focus on the interplay between thermodynamic and kinetic influences on RNA self-assembly and using natural RNAs as guiding principles.

6. Photocopy of drawing (1976 structural drawing by the Space ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

6. Photocopy of drawing (1976 structural drawing by the Space and Missile Test Center, VAFB, USAF) FLOOR PLAN, ELEVATIONS, SECTIONS, AND DETAILS FOR THE PYROTEST AND STORAGE BUILDING, SHEET S22 - Vandenberg Air Force Base, Space Launch Complex 3, Pyrotechnic Shed, Napa & Alden Roads, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, CA

Integration of Composite Structures in Modern Day Architecture: Case Study of City Business Centre, Timisoara, Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vataman, Adina; Gaivoronschi, Vlad; Mosoarca, Marius

2017-10-01

In current day structural design the use of composite steel-concrete structures has become the norm; because of the advantages that each of these materials has to offer. Composite structures also have the benefit of a faster execution at a lower cost, compared to traditional structures. While the arguments in favour of designing composite structures are well-known and appreciated by civil engineers; there remains a question of integrating these structures in modern-day urban landscapes. Eastern European countries are welcoming a blossoming of culture, arts, economy and industry, which unavoidably and necessarily will lead to a change in urban landscapes. With an increasing amount of foreign companies opening offices in these areas, the need for modern office solutions has arisen. The current paper presents a case study of an office building complex situated in the western part of Romania, in the city of Timişoara. The complex consists of 5 office buildings; all designed in composite steel-concrete structure, an underground parking lot, multiple terraces and adjacent promenade areas. Within the context of rapid growth and development of the city, the City Business Centre has offered high quality office spaces in the heart of the city, while considering the needs of the community. A very important aspect in the successful completion of the project was the efficient and professional collaboration between the separate project teams, between the owner, represented by the project management team, the architect, the structural designer and the building company. The successful joining of seismic structural solutions with modern architectural aesthetics has led to a dynamic, vibrant environment, making the City Business Centre the core of the region’s business life, at the same time redefining Timisoara’s architectural landscape. A testimony to the success of the project was the Civil Engineering Structural Designers Associations’ (AICPS) 3rd Prize awarded for great performance and quality in structural design. The project was also awarded a „Green Building of the Year” award by the Romanian Green Building Council and also the „Office Development of the Year” in South-Eastern Europe awarded at the Real Estate Awards by an international jury of renowned real estate developers, consulting firms and investment banks. The project was also selected by the European Architects’ Council to represent Romania in a Sustainable Architecture Exhibition at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Structural impact response for assessing railway vibration induced on buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kouroussis, Georges; Mouzakis, Harris P.; Vogiatzis, Konstantinos E.

2018-03-01

Over the syears, the rapid growth in railway infrastructure has led to numerous environmental challenges. One such significant issue, particularly in urban areas, is ground-borne vibration. A common source of ground-borne vibration is caused by local defects (e.g. rail joints, switches, turnouts, etc.) that generate large amplitude excitations at isolated locations. Modelling these excitation sources is particularly challenging and requires the use of complex and extensive computational efforts. For some situations, the use of experiments and measured data offers a rapid way to estimate the effect of such defects and to evaluate the railway vibration levels using a scoping approach. In this paper, the problem of railway-induced ground vibrations is presented along with experimental studies to assess the ground vibration and ground borne noise levels, with a particular focus on the structural response of sensitive buildings. The behaviour of particular building foundations is evaluated through experimental data collected in Brussels Region, by presenting the expected frequency responses for various types of buildings, taking into account both the soil-structure interaction and the tramway track response. A second study is dedicated to the Athens metro, where transmissibility functions are used to analyse the effect of various Athenian building face to metro network trough comprehensive measurement campaigns. This allows the verification of appropriate vibration mitigation measures. These benchmark applications based on experimental results have been proved to be efficient to treat a complex problem encountered in practice in urban areas, where the urban rail network interacts with important local defects and where the rise of railway ground vibration problems has clearly been identified.

Automatic Coregistration for Multiview SAR Images in Urban Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Y.; Kang, W.; Wang, F.; You, H.

2017-09-01

Due to the high resolution property and the side-looking mechanism of SAR sensors, complex buildings structures make the registration of SAR images in urban areas becomes very hard. In order to solve the problem, an automatic and robust coregistration approach for multiview high resolution SAR images is proposed in the paper, which consists of three main modules. First, both the reference image and the sensed image are segmented into two parts, urban areas and nonurban areas. Urban areas caused by double or multiple scattering in a SAR image have a tendency to show higher local mean and local variance values compared with general homogeneous regions due to the complex structural information. Based on this criterion, building areas are extracted. After obtaining the target regions, L-shape structures are detected using the SAR phase congruency model and Hough transform. The double bounce scatterings formed by wall and ground are shown as strong L- or T-shapes, which are usually taken as the most reliable indicator for building detection. According to the assumption that buildings are rectangular and flat models, planimetric buildings are delineated using the L-shapes, then the reconstructed target areas are obtained. For the orignal areas and the reconstructed target areas, the SAR-SIFT matching algorithm is implemented. Finally, correct corresponding points are extracted by the fast sample consensus (FSC) and the transformation model is also derived. The experimental results on a pair of multiview TerraSAR images with 1-m resolution show that the proposed approach gives a robust and precise registration performance, compared with the orignal SAR-SIFT method.

The evaluative imaging of mental models - Visual representations of complexity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dede, Christopher

1989-01-01

The paper deals with some design issues involved in building a system that could visually represent the semantic structures of training materials and their underlying mental models. In particular, hypermedia-based semantic networks that instantiate classification problem solving strategies are thought to be a useful formalism for such representations; the complexity of these web structures can be best managed through visual depictions. It is also noted that a useful approach to implement in these hypermedia models would be some metrics of conceptual distance.

Building a strong nursing organization in a merged, service line structure.

PubMed

Fitzpatrick, M J; McElroy, M J; DeWoody, S

2001-01-01

In an increasingly complex healthcare environment, the discipline of nursing is difficult to define. Although a designated "department of nursing" may be absent on the organizational chart, the functional elements of the discipline remain. Nursing leaders will benefit from a framework to define and operationalize the core elements of nursing. The authors offer a five-phase methodology to enable the creation of a strong nursing organization in the face of mergers, service lines, and complex reporting structures.

Analyses of Public Utility Building - Students Designs, Aimed at their Energy Efficiency Improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wołoszyn, Marek Adam

2017-10-01

Public utility buildings are formally, structurally and functionally complex entities. Frequently, the process of their design involves the retroactive reconsideration of energy engineering issues, once a building concept has already been completed. At that stage, minor formal corrections are made along with the design of the external layer of the building in order to satisfy applicable standards. Architecture students do the same when designing assigned public utility buildings. In order to demonstrate energy-related defects of building designs developed by students, the conduct of analyses was proposed. The completed designs of public utility buildings were examined with regard to energy efficiency of the solutions they feature through the application of the following programs: Ecotect, Vasari, and in case of simpler analyses ArchiCad program extensions were sufficient.

Complex Rayleigh Waves Produced by Shallow Sedimentary Basins and their Potential Effects on Mid-Rise Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, M. D.; Castillo, J.; Massari, A.; Clayton, R. W.

2017-12-01

Earthquake-induced motions recorded by spatially dense seismic arrays in buildings located in the northern Los Angeles basin suggest the presence of complex, amplified surface wave effects on the seismic demand of mid-rise buildings. Several moderate earthquakes produced large-amplitude, seismic energy with slow shear-wave velocities that cannot be explained or accurately modeled by any published 3D seismic velocity models or by Vs30 values. Numerical experiments are conducted to determine if sedimentary basin features are responsible for these rarely modeled and poorly documented contributions to seismic demand computations. This is accomplished through a physics-based wave propagation examination of the effects of different sedimentary basin geometries on the nonlinear response of a mid-rise structural model based on an existing, instrumented building. Using two-dimensional finite-difference predictive modeling, we show that when an earthquake focal depth is near the vertical edge of an elongated and relatively shallow sedimentary basin, dramatically amplified and complex surface waves are generated as a result of the waveguide effect introduced by this velocity structure. In addition, for certain source-receiver distances and basin geometries, body waves convert to secondary Rayleigh waves that propagate both at the free-surface interface and along the depth interface of the basin that show up as multiple large-amplitude arrivals. This study is motivated by observations from the spatially dense, high-sample-rate acceleration data recorded by the Community Seismic Network, a community-hosted strong-motion network, currently consisting of hundreds of sensors located in the southern California area. The results provide quantitative insight into the causative relationship between a sedimentary basin shape and the generation of Rayleigh waves at depth, surface waves at the free surface, scattered seismic energy, and the sensitivity of building responses to each of these.

1. View, structures in Systems Integration Laboratory complex, looking northwest. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. View, structures in Systems Integration Laboratory complex, looking northwest. The twin gantry structure in the center is the Systems Integration Laboratory (T-28). To its immediate left in the foreground is a truck well, concrete retaining wall, piping, and stack associated with the oxidizer vault storage area. To the immediate right of T-28 is the concrete Signal Transfer Building (T-28A). At the extreme right is the Long-Term Hydrazine Silo (T-28E). - Air Force Plant PJKS, Systems Integration Laboratory, Waterton Canyon Road & Colorado Highway 121, Lakewood, Jefferson County, CO

The molten glass sewing machine

PubMed Central

Inamura, Chikara; Lizardo, Daniel; Franchin, Giorgia; Stern, Michael; Houk, Peter; Oxman, Neri

2017-01-01

We present a fluid-instability-based approach for digitally fabricating geometrically complex uniformly sized structures in molten glass. Formed by mathematically defined and physically characterized instability patterns, such structures are produced via the additive manufacturing of optically transparent glass, and result from the coiling of an extruded glass thread. We propose a minimal geometrical model—and a methodology—to reliably control the morphology of patterns, so that these building blocks can be assembled into larger structures with tailored functionally and optically tunable properties. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Patterning through instabilities in complex media: theory and applications’. PMID:28373379

Structure of the RZZ complex and molecular basis of its interaction with Spindly

PubMed Central

Mosalaganti, Shyamal; Keller, Jenny; Altenfeld, Anika; Rombaut, Pascaline; Petrovic, Arsen; Wohlgemuth, Sabine; Müller, Franziska; Herzog, Franz; Waldmann, Herbert

2017-01-01

Kinetochores are macromolecular assemblies that connect chromosomes to spindle microtubules (MTs) during mitosis. The metazoan-specific ≈800-kD ROD–Zwilch–ZW10 (RZZ) complex builds a fibrous corona that assembles on mitotic kinetochores before MT attachment to promote chromosome alignment and robust spindle assembly checkpoint signaling. In this study, we combine biochemical reconstitutions, single-particle electron cryomicroscopy, cross-linking mass spectrometry, and structural modeling to build a complete model of human RZZ. We find that RZZ is structurally related to self-assembling cytosolic coat scaffolds that mediate membrane cargo trafficking, including Clathrin, Sec13–Sec31, and αβ’ε-COP. We show that Spindly, a dynein adaptor, is related to BicD2 and binds RZZ directly in a farnesylation-dependent but membrane-independent manner. Through a targeted chemical biology approach, we identify ROD as the Spindly farnesyl receptor. Our results suggest that RZZ is dynein’s cargo at human kinetochores. PMID:28320825

Semiconductor nanowires: A platform for nanoscience and nanotechnology

PubMed Central

Lieber, Charles M.

2012-01-01

Advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology critically depend on the development of nanostructures whose properties are controlled during synthesis. We focus on this critical concept using semiconductor nanowires, which provide the capability through design and rational synthesis to realize unprecedented structural and functional complexity in building blocks as a platform material. First, a brief review of the synthesis of complex modulated nanowires in which rational design and synthesis can be used to precisely control composition, structure, and, most recently, structural topology is discussed. Second, the unique functional characteristics emerging from our exquisite control of nanowire materials are illustrated using several selected examples from nanoelectronics and nano-enabled energy. Finally, the remarkable power of nanowire building blocks is further highlighted through their capability to create unprecedented, active electronic interfaces with biological systems. Recent work pushing the limits of both multiplexed extracellular recording at the single-cell level and the first examples of intracellular recording is described, as well as the prospects for truly blurring the distinction between nonliving nanoelectronic and living biological systems. PMID:22707850

Morphology, structure, composition and build-up processes of the active channel-mouth lobe complex of the Congo deep-sea fan with inputs from remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) multibeam and video surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dennielou, Bernard; Droz, Laurence; Babonneau, Nathalie; Jacq, Céline; Bonnel, Cédric; Picot, Marie; Le Saout, Morgane; Saout, Yohan; Bez, Martine; Savoye, Bruno; Olu, Karine; Rabouille, Christophe

2017-08-01

The detailed structure and composition of turbiditic channel-mouth lobes is still largely unknown because they commonly lie at abyssal water depths, are very thin and are therefore beyond the resolution of hull-mound acoustic tools. The morphology, structure and composition of the Congo turbiditic channel-mouth lobe complex (90×40 km; 2525 km2) were investigated with hull-mounted swath bathymetry, air gun seismics, 3.5 kHz sub-bottom profiler, sediment piston cores and also with high-resolution multibeam bathymetry and video acquired with a Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV). The lobe complex lies 760 km off the Congo River mouth in the Angola abyssal plain between 4740 and 5030 m deep. It is active and is fed by turbidity currents that deposit several centimetres of sediment per century. The lobe complex is subdivided into five lobes that have prograded. The lobes are dominantly muddy. Sand represents ca. 13% of the deposits and is restricted to the feeding channel and distributaries. The overall lobe body is composed of thin muddy to silty turbidites. The whole lobe complex is characterized by in situ mass wasting (slumps, debrites). The 1-m-resolution bathymetry shows pervasive slidings and block avalanches on the edges of the feeding channel and the channel mouth indicating that sliding occurs early and continuously in the lobe build-up. Mass wasting is interpreted as a consequence of very-high accumulation rates, over-steepening and erosion along the channels and is therefore an intrinsic process of lobe building. The bifurcation of feeding channels is probably triggered when the gradient in the distributaries at the top of a lobe becomes flat and when turbidity currents find their way on the higher gradient on the lobe side. It may also be triggered by mass wasting on the lobe side. When a new lobe develops, the abandoned lobes continue to collect significant turbiditic deposits from the feeding channel spillover, so that the whole lobe complex remains active. A conceptual lithostratigraphic model is proposed for five morpho-sedimentary environments: lobe rims, lobe body, distributaries, levees, feeding channel. This study shows that high-resolution bathymetry ROV observations are necessary to fully understand the build-up processes of modern channel-mouth lobes.

Deformable complex network for refining low-resolution X-ray structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Chong; Wang, Qinghua; Ma, Jianpeng, E-mail: jpma@bcm.edu

2015-10-27

A new refinement algorithm called the deformable complex network that combines a novel angular network-based restraint with a deformable elastic network model in the target function has been developed to aid in structural refinement in macromolecular X-ray crystallography. In macromolecular X-ray crystallography, building more accurate atomic models based on lower resolution experimental diffraction data remains a great challenge. Previous studies have used a deformable elastic network (DEN) model to aid in low-resolution structural refinement. In this study, the development of a new refinement algorithm called the deformable complex network (DCN) is reported that combines a novel angular network-based restraint withmore » the DEN model in the target function. Testing of DCN on a wide range of low-resolution structures demonstrated that it constantly leads to significantly improved structural models as judged by multiple refinement criteria, thus representing a new effective refinement tool for low-resolution structural determination.« less

Model Updating of Complex Structures Using the Combination of Component Mode Synthesis and Kriging Predictor

PubMed Central

Li, Yan; Wang, Dejun; Zhang, Shaoyi

2014-01-01

Updating the structural model of complex structures is time-consuming due to the large size of the finite element model (FEM). Using conventional methods for these cases is computationally expensive or even impossible. A two-level method, which combined the Kriging predictor and the component mode synthesis (CMS) technique, was proposed to ensure the successful implementing of FEM updating of large-scale structures. In the first level, the CMS was applied to build a reasonable condensed FEM of complex structures. In the second level, the Kriging predictor that was deemed as a surrogate FEM in structural dynamics was generated based on the condensed FEM. Some key issues of the application of the metamodel (surrogate FEM) to FEM updating were also discussed. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method was demonstrated by updating the FEM of a real arch bridge with the measured modal parameters. PMID:24634612

BIM-Based Timber Structures Refurbishment of the Immovable Heritage Listed Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henek, Vladan; Venkrbec, Václav

2017-12-01

The use of Building information model (BIM) design tools is no longer an exception, but a common issue. When designing new buildings or complex renovations using BIM, the benefits have already been repeatedly published. The essence of BIM is to create a multidimensional geometric model of a planned building electronically on a computer, supplemented with the necessary information in advance of the construction process. Refurbishment is a specific process that combines both - new structures and demolished structures, or structures that need to be dismantled, repaired, and then returned to the original position. Often it can be historically valuable part of the building. BIM-based repairs and refurbishments of the constructions, especially complicated repairs of the structures of roof trusses of immovable heritage listed buildings, have not yet been credibly presented. However, the use of BIM tools may be advantageous in this area, because user can quickly response to the necessary changes that may be needed during refurbishments, but also in connection with the quick assessment and cost estimation of any unexpected additional works. The paper deals with the use of BIM in the field of repairs and refurbishment of the buildings in general. The emphasis on monumentally protected elements was priority. Advantage of the proposal research is demonstrated on case study of the refurbishment of the immovable heritage listed truss roof. According to this study, this construction was realized in the Czech Republic. Case study consists of 3D modelled truss parts and the connected technological workflow base. The project work was carried out in one common model environment.

Reconstruction of 3d Models from Point Clouds with Hybrid Representation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, P.; Dong, Z.; Yuan, P.; Liang, F.; Yang, B.

2018-05-01

The three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of urban buildings from point clouds has long been an active topic in applications related to human activities. However, due to the structures significantly differ in terms of complexity, the task of 3D reconstruction remains a challenging issue especially for the freeform surfaces. In this paper, we present a new reconstruction algorithm which allows the 3D-models of building as a combination of regular structures and irregular surfaces, where the regular structures are parameterized plane primitives and the irregular surfaces are expressed as meshes. The extraction of irregular surfaces starts with an over-segmented method for the unstructured point data, a region growing approach based the adjacent graph of super-voxels is then applied to collapse these super-voxels, and the freeform surfaces can be clustered from the voxels filtered by a thickness threshold. To achieve these regular planar primitives, the remaining voxels with a larger flatness will be further divided into multiscale super-voxels as basic units, and the final segmented planes are enriched and refined in a mutually reinforcing manner under the framework of a global energy optimization. We have implemented the proposed algorithms and mainly tested on two point clouds that differ in point density and urban characteristic, and experimental results on complex building structures illustrated the efficacy of the proposed framework.

1. Exterior view of Systems Integration Laboratory Building (T28), looking ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. Exterior view of Systems Integration Laboratory Building (T-28), looking northeast. The taller of the two gantries on the left houses Test Cell 6 (fuel), while the shorter gantry on the right houses Test Cell 7 (oxidizer). This structure serves as the functional center of the Systems Integration Laboratory complex for testing, handling, and storage of the Titan II's hydrazine - and nitrogen tetroxide-based fuel system propellants. - Air Force Plant PJKS, Systems Integration Laboratory, Systems Integration Laboratory Building, Waterton Canyon Road & Colorado Highway 121, Lakewood, Jefferson County, CO

Improving Semantic Updating Method on 3d City Models Using Hybrid Semantic-Geometric 3d Segmentation Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharkawi, K.-H.; Abdul-Rahman, A.

2013-09-01

Cities and urban areas entities such as building structures are becoming more complex as the modern human civilizations continue to evolve. The ability to plan and manage every territory especially the urban areas is very important to every government in the world. Planning and managing cities and urban areas based on printed maps and 2D data are getting insufficient and inefficient to cope with the complexity of the new developments in big cities. The emergence of 3D city models have boosted the efficiency in analysing and managing urban areas as the 3D data are proven to represent the real world object more accurately. It has since been adopted as the new trend in buildings and urban management and planning applications. Nowadays, many countries around the world have been generating virtual 3D representation of their major cities. The growing interest in improving the usability of 3D city models has resulted in the development of various tools for analysis based on the 3D city models. Today, 3D city models are generated for various purposes such as for tourism, location-based services, disaster management and urban planning. Meanwhile, modelling 3D objects are getting easier with the emergence of the user-friendly tools for 3D modelling available in the market. Generating 3D buildings with high accuracy also has become easier with the availability of airborne Lidar and terrestrial laser scanning equipments. The availability and accessibility to this technology makes it more sensible to analyse buildings in urban areas using 3D data as it accurately represent the real world objects. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) has accepted CityGML specifications as one of the international standards for representing and exchanging spatial data, making it easier to visualize, store and manage 3D city models data efficiently. CityGML able to represents the semantics, geometry, topology and appearance of 3D city models in five well-defined Level-of-Details (LoD), namely LoD0 to LoD4. The accuracy and structural complexity of the 3D objects increases with the LoD level where LoD0 is the simplest LoD (2.5D; Digital Terrain Model (DTM) + building or roof print) while LoD4 is the most complex LoD (architectural details with interior structures). Semantic information is one of the main components in CityGML and 3D City Models, and provides important information for any analyses. However, more often than not, the semantic information is not available for the 3D city model due to the unstandardized modelling process. One of the examples is where a building is normally generated as one object (without specific feature layers such as Roof, Ground floor, Level 1, Level 2, Block A, Block B, etc). This research attempts to develop a method to improve the semantic data updating process by segmenting the 3D building into simpler parts which will make it easier for the users to select and update the semantic information. The methodology is implemented for 3D buildings in LoD2 where the buildings are generated without architectural details but with distinct roof structures. This paper also introduces hybrid semantic-geometric 3D segmentation method that deals with hierarchical segmentation of a 3D building based on its semantic value and surface characteristics, fitted by one of the predefined primitives. For future work, the segmentation method will be implemented as part of the change detection module that can detect any changes on the 3D buildings, store and retrieve semantic information of the changed structure, automatically updates the 3D models and visualize the results in a userfriendly graphical user interface (GUI).

Structural design principles for delivery of bioactive components in nutraceuticals and functional foods.

PubMed

McClements, David Julian; Decker, Eric Andrew; Park, Yeonhwa; Weiss, Jochen

2009-06-01

There have been major advances in the design and fabrication of structured delivery systems for the encapsulation of nutraceutical and functional food components. A wide variety of delivery systems is now available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages for particular applications. This review begins by discussing some of the major nutraceutical and functional food components that need to be delivered and highlights the main limitations to their current utilization within the food industry. It then discusses the principles underpinning the rational design of structured delivery systems: the structural characteristics of the building blocks; the nature of the forces holding these building blocks together; and, the different ways of assembling these building blocks into structured delivery systems. Finally, we review the major types of structured delivery systems that are currently available to food scientists: lipid-based (simple, multiple, multilayer, and solid lipid particle emulsions); surfactant-based (simple micelles, mixed micelles, vesicles, and microemulsions) and biopolymer-based (soluble complexes, coacervates, hydrogel droplets, and particles). For each type of delivery system we describe its preparation, properties, advantages, and limitations.

Time-frequency analysis of GPR data to investigate the damage of monumental buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leucci, Giovanni; Masini, Nicola; Persico, Raffaele

2012-08-01

The presence of particular microclimatic conditions inside monumental buildings is responsible for bio-deterioration processes. In many cases, efflorescence and moulds are visible on the facades of several monuments of historical importance. In many other cases, the effects of decay processes are not visible, thus making difficult the diagnosis and the consequent setup of effective rehabilitation and preservation interventions, especially in the presence of a complex geometry and/or a large variability of construction materials. In such cases, a valuable contribution could be provided by geophysical methods (such as electrical resistivity, electromagnetic conductivity, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), etc), which have been proved to be successful tools for sub-surface investigation and characterization of historical buildings. In old monumental buildings, the masonry structures frequently exhibit cracks, voids, detachments and high moisture contrasts that can give rise to reflection events in radar signals. However, the complexity of the geometry and the structural heterogeneity that characterize these old structures often make the GPR results difficult to analyse and interpret. In particular, the spatial variation in GPR signal attenuation can provide important information about the electrical properties of the investigated materials that, in turn, can be used to assess the physical parameters associated with damage. In this paper, we propose an approach that analyses the data in the form of ‘frequency maps’ to evidence absorption losses probably linked to higher moisture content. Two real case histories back up the proposed method.

Nanoscale superstructures assembled by polymerase chain reaction (PCR): programmable construction, structural diversity, and emerging applications.

PubMed

Kuang, Hua; Ma, Wei; Xu, Liguang; Wang, Libing; Xu, Chuanlai

2013-11-19

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an essential tool in biotechnology laboratories and is becoming increasingly important in other areas of research. Extensive data obtained over the last 12 years has shown that the combination of PCR with nanoscale dispersions can resolve issues in the preparation DNA-based materials that include both inorganic and organic nanoscale components. Unlike conventional DNA hybridization and antibody-antigen complexes, PCR provides a new, effective assembly platform that both increases the yield of DNA-based nanomaterials and allows researchers to program and control assembly with predesigned parameters including those assisted and automated by computers. As a result, this method allows researchers to optimize to the combinatorial selection of the DNA strands for their nanoparticle conjugates. We have developed a PCR approach for producing various nanoscale assemblies including organic motifs such as small molecules, macromolecules, and inorganic building blocks, such as nanorods (NRs), metal, semiconductor, and magnetic nanoparticles (NPs). We start with a nanoscale primer and then modify that building block using the automated steps of PCR-based assembly including initialization, denaturation, annealing, extension, final elongation, and final hold. The intermediate steps of denaturation, annealing, and extension are cyclic, and we use computer control so that the assembled superstructures reach their predetermined complexity. The structures assembled using a small number of PCR cycles show a lower polydispersity than similar discrete structures obtained by direct hybridization between the nanoscale building blocks. Using different building blocks, we assembled the following structural motifs by PCR: (1) discrete nanostructures (NP dimers, NP multimers including trimers, pyramids, tetramers or hexamers, etc.), (2) branched NP superstructures and heterochains, (3) NP satellite-like superstructures, (4) Y-shaped nanostructures and DNA networks, (5) protein-DNA co-assembly structures, and (6) DNA block copolymers including trimers and pentamers. These results affirm that this method can produce a variety of chemical structures and in yields that are tunable. Using PCR-based preparation of DNA-bridged nanostructures, we can program the assembly of the nanoscale blocks through the adjustment of the primer intensity on the assembled units, the number of PCR cycles, or both. The resulting structures are highly complex and diverse and have interesting dynamics and collective properties. Potential applications of these materials include chirooptical materials, probe fabrication, and environmental and biomedical sensors.

Three-dimensional {Co(3+)-Zn2+} and {Co(3+)-Cd2+} networks originated from carboxylate-rich building blocks: syntheses, structures, and heterogeneous catalysis.

PubMed

Kumar, Girijesh; Gupta, Rajeev

2013-10-07

The present work shows the utilization of Co(3+) complexes appended with either para- or meta-arylcarboxylic acid groups as the molecular building blocks for the construction of three-dimensional {Co(3+)-Zn(2+)} and {Co(3+)-Cd(2+)} heterobimetallic networks. The structural characterizations of these networks show several interesting features including well-defined pores and channels. These networks function as heterogeneous and reusable catalysts for the regio- and stereoselective ring-opening reactions of various epoxides and size-selective cyanation reactions of assorted aldehydes.

Method development of damage detection in asymmetric buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yi; Thambiratnam, David P.; Chan, Tommy H. T.; Nguyen, Andy

2018-01-01

Aesthetics and functionality requirements have caused most buildings to be asymmetric in recent times. Such buildings exhibit complex vibration characteristics under dynamic loads as there is coupling between the lateral and torsional components of vibration, and are referred to as torsionally coupled buildings. These buildings require three dimensional modelling and analysis. In spite of much recent research and some successful applications of vibration based damage detection methods to civil structures in recent years, the applications to asymmetric buildings has been a challenging task for structural engineers. There has been relatively little research on detecting and locating damage specific to torsionally coupled asymmetric buildings. This paper aims to compare the difference in vibration behaviour between symmetric and asymmetric buildings and then use the vibration characteristics for predicting damage in them. The need for developing a special method to detect damage in asymmetric buildings thus becomes evident. Towards this end, this paper modifies the traditional modal strain energy based damage index by decomposing the mode shapes into their lateral and vertical components and to form component specific damage indices. The improved approach is then developed by combining the modified strain energy based damage indices with the modal flexibility method which was modified to suit three dimensional structures to form a new damage indicator. The procedure is illustrated through numerical studies conducted on three dimensional five-story symmetric and asymmetric frame structures with the same layout, after validating the modelling techniques through experimental testing of a laboratory scale asymmetric building model. Vibration parameters obtained from finite element analysis of the intact and damaged building models are then applied into the proposed algorithms for detecting and locating the single and multiple damages in these buildings. The results obtained from a number of different damage scenarios confirm the feasibility of the proposed vibration based damage detection method for three dimensional asymmetric buildings.

Assembling oppositely charged lock and key responsive colloids: A mesoscale analog of adaptive chemistry

PubMed Central

Mihut, Adriana M.; Stenqvist, Björn; Lund, Mikael; Schurtenberger, Peter; Crassous, Jérôme J.

2017-01-01

We have seen a considerable effort in colloid sciences to copy Nature’s successful strategies to fabricate complex functional structures through self-assembly. This includes attempts to design colloidal building blocks and their intermolecular interactions, such as creating the colloidal analogs of directional molecular interactions, molecular recognition, host-guest systems, and specific binding. We show that we can use oppositely charged thermoresponsive particles with complementary shapes, such as spherical and bowl-shaped particles, to implement an externally controllable lock-and-key self-assembly mechanism. The use of tunable electrostatic interactions combined with the temperature-dependent size and shape and van der Waals interactions of these building blocks provides an exquisite control over the selectivity and specificity of the interactions and self-assembly process. The dynamic nature of the mechanism allows for reversibly cycling through various structures that range from weakly structured dense liquids to well-defined molecule-shaped clusters with different configurations through variations in temperature and ionic strength. We link this complex and dynamic self-assembly behavior to the relevant molecular interactions, such as screened Coulomb and van der Waals forces and the geometrical complementarity of the two building blocks, and discuss our findings in the context of the concepts of adaptive chemistry recently introduced to molecular systems. PMID:28929133

Tandem Repeat Proteins Inspired By Squid Ring Teeth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pena-Francesch, Abdon

Proteins are large biomolecules consisting of long chains of amino acids that hierarchically assemble into complex structures, and provide a variety of building blocks for biological materials. The repetition of structural building blocks is a natural evolutionary strategy for increasing the complexity and stability of protein structures. However, the relationship between amino acid sequence, structure, and material properties of protein systems remains unclear due to the lack of control over the protein sequence and the intricacies of the assembly process. In order to investigate the repetition of protein building blocks, a recently discovered protein from squids is examined as an ideal protein system. Squid ring teeth are predatory appendages located inside the suction cups that provide a strong grasp of prey, and are solely composed of a group of proteins with tandem repetition of building blocks. The objective of this thesis is the understanding of sequence, structure and property relationship in repetitive protein materials inspired in squid ring teeth for the first time. Specifically, this work focuses on squid-inspired structural proteins with tandem repeat units in their sequence (i.e., repetition of alternating building blocks) that are physically cross-linked via beta-sheet structures. The research work presented here tests the hypothesis that, in these systems, increasing the number of building blocks in the polypeptide chain decreases the protein network defects and improves the material properties. Hence, the sequence, nanostructure, and properties (thermal, mechanical, and conducting) of tandem repeat squid-inspired protein materials are examined. Spectroscopic structural analysis, advanced materials characterization, and entropic elasticity theory are combined to elucidate the structure and material properties of these repetitive proteins. This approach is applied not only to native squid proteins but also to squid-inspired synthetic polypeptides that allow for a fine control of the sequence and network morphology. The results provided in this work establish a clear dependence between the repetitive building blocks, the network morphology, and the properties of squid-inspired repetitive protein materials. Increasing the number of tandem repeat units in SRT-inspired proteins led to more effective protein networks with superior properties. Through increasing tandem repetition and optimization of network morphology, highly efficient protein materials capable of withstanding deformations up to 400% of their original length, with MPa-GPa modulus, high energy absorption (50 MJ m-3), peak proton conductivity of 3.7 mS cm-1 (at pH 7, highest reported to date for biological materials), and peak thermal conductivity of 1.4 W m-1 K -1 (which exceeds that of most polymer materials) were developed. These findings introduce new design rules in the engineering of proteins based on tandem repetition and morphology control, and provide a novel framework for tailoring and optimizing the properties of protein-based materials.

CHIMERA: Top-down model for hierarchical, overlapping and directed cluster structures in directed and weighted complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franke, R.

2016-11-01

In many networks discovered in biology, medicine, neuroscience and other disciplines special properties like a certain degree distribution and hierarchical cluster structure (also called communities) can be observed as general organizing principles. Detecting the cluster structure of an unknown network promises to identify functional subdivisions, hierarchy and interactions on a mesoscale. It is not trivial choosing an appropriate detection algorithm because there are multiple network, cluster and algorithmic properties to be considered. Edges can be weighted and/or directed, clusters overlap or build a hierarchy in several ways. Algorithms differ not only in runtime, memory requirements but also in allowed network and cluster properties. They are based on a specific definition of what a cluster is, too. On the one hand, a comprehensive network creation model is needed to build a large variety of benchmark networks with different reasonable structures to compare algorithms. On the other hand, if a cluster structure is already known, it is desirable to separate effects of this structure from other network properties. This can be done with null model networks that mimic an observed cluster structure to improve statistics on other network features. A third important application is the general study of properties in networks with different cluster structures, possibly evolving over time. Currently there are good benchmark and creation models available. But what is left is a precise sandbox model to build hierarchical, overlapping and directed clusters for undirected or directed, binary or weighted complex random networks on basis of a sophisticated blueprint. This gap shall be closed by the model CHIMERA (Cluster Hierarchy Interconnection Model for Evaluation, Research and Analysis) which will be introduced and described here for the first time.

Primordial Evolution in the Finitary Process Soup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Görnerup, Olof; Crutchfield, James P.

A general and basic model of primordial evolution—a soup of reacting finitary and discrete processes—is employed to identify and analyze fundamental mechanisms that generate and maintain complex structures in prebiotic systems. The processes—ɛ-machines as defined in computational mechanics—and their interaction networks both provide well defined notions of structure. This enables us to quantitatively demonstrate hierarchical self-organization in the soup in terms of complexity. We found that replicating processes evolve the strategy of successively building higher levels of organization by autocatalysis. Moreover, this is facilitated by local components that have low structural complexity, but high generality. In effect, the finitary process soup spontaneously evolves a selection pressure that favors such components. In light of the finitary process soup's generality, these results suggest a fundamental law of hierarchical systems: global complexity requires local simplicity.

A Multi-Resolution Data Structure for Two-Dimensional Morse Functions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bremer, P-T; Edelsbrunner, H; Hamann, B

2003-07-30

The efficient construction of simplified models is a central problem in the field of visualization. We combine topological and geometric methods to construct a multi-resolution data structure for functions over two-dimensional domains. Starting with the Morse-Smale complex we build a hierarchy by progressively canceling critical points in pairs. The data structure supports mesh traversal operations similar to traditional multi-resolution representations.

Structural insight into catalytic mechanism of PET hydrolase.

PubMed

Han, Xu; Liu, Weidong; Huang, Jian-Wen; Ma, Jiantao; Zheng, Yingying; Ko, Tzu-Ping; Xu, Limin; Cheng, Ya-Shan; Chen, Chun-Chi; Guo, Rey-Ting

2017-12-13

PET hydrolase (PETase), which hydrolyzes polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into soluble building blocks, provides an attractive avenue for the bioconversion of plastics. Here we present the structures of a novel PETase from the PET-consuming microbe Ideonella sakaiensis in complex with substrate and product analogs. Through structural analyses, mutagenesis, and activity measurements, a substrate-binding mode is proposed, and several features critical for catalysis are elucidated.

Designed synthesis of double-stage two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks

PubMed Central

Chen, Xiong; Addicoat, Matthew; Jin, Enquan; Xu, Hong; Hayashi, Taku; Xu, Fei; Huang, Ning; Irle, Stephan; Jiang, Donglin

2015-01-01

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging class of crystalline porous polymers in which organic building blocks are covalently and topologically linked to form extended crystalline polygon structures, constituting a new platform for designing π-electronic porous materials. However, COFs are currently synthesised by a few chemical reactions, limiting the access to and exploration of new structures and properties. The development of new reaction systems that avoid such limitations to expand structural diversity is highly desired. Here we report that COFs can be synthesised via a double-stage connection that polymerises various different building blocks into crystalline polygon architectures, leading to the development of a new type of COFs with enhanced structural complexity and diversity. We show that the double-stage approach not only controls the sequence of building blocks but also allows fine engineering of pore size and shape. This strategy is widely applicable to different polymerisation systems to yield hexagonal, tetragonal and rhombus COFs with predesigned pores and π-arrays. PMID:26456081

Designed synthesis of double-stage two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiong; Addicoat, Matthew; Jin, Enquan; Xu, Hong; Hayashi, Taku; Xu, Fei; Huang, Ning; Irle, Stephan; Jiang, Donglin

2015-10-01

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are an emerging class of crystalline porous polymers in which organic building blocks are covalently and topologically linked to form extended crystalline polygon structures, constituting a new platform for designing π-electronic porous materials. However, COFs are currently synthesised by a few chemical reactions, limiting the access to and exploration of new structures and properties. The development of new reaction systems that avoid such limitations to expand structural diversity is highly desired. Here we report that COFs can be synthesised via a double-stage connection that polymerises various different building blocks into crystalline polygon architectures, leading to the development of a new type of COFs with enhanced structural complexity and diversity. We show that the double-stage approach not only controls the sequence of building blocks but also allows fine engineering of pore size and shape. This strategy is widely applicable to different polymerisation systems to yield hexagonal, tetragonal and rhombus COFs with predesigned pores and π-arrays.

Splitting Terraced Houses Into Single Units Using Oblique Aerial Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahlke, D.

2017-05-01

This paper introduces a method to subdivide complex building structures like terraced houses into single house units comparable to units available in a cadastral map. 3D line segments are detected with sub-pixel accuracy in traditional vertical true orthomosaics as well as in innovative oblique true orthomosaics and their respective surface models. Hereby high gradient strengths on roofs as well as façades are taken into account. By investigating the coplanarity and frequencies within a set of 3D line segments, individual cut lines for a building complex are found. The resulting regions ideally describe single houses and thus the object complexity is reduced for subsequent topological, semantical or geometrical considerations. For the chosen study area with 70 buidling outlines a hit rate of 80% for cut lines is achieved.

1. TEST AREA 1115, SOUTH PART OF SUPPORT COMPLEX, LOOKING ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. TEST AREA 1-115, SOUTH PART OF SUPPORT COMPLEX, LOOKING TO EAST FROM ABOVE BUILDING 8655, THE FUEL STORAGE TANK FARM, IN FOREGROUND SHADOW. AT THE RIGHT IS BUILDING 8660, ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION; TO ITS LEFT IS BUILDING 8663, THE HELIUM COMPRESSION PLANT. THE LIGHT TONED STRUCTURE IN THE MIDDLE DISTANCE, CENTER, IS THE MACHINE SHOP FOR TEST STAND 1-3. IN THE FAR DISTANCE IS TEST STAND 1-A, WITH THE WHITE SPHERICAL TANKS, AND TEST STAND 2-A TO ITS RIGHT. ALONG THE HORIZON FROM FAR LEFT ARE TEST STAND 1-D, TEST STAND 1-C, WATER TANKS ABOVE TEST AREA 1-125, AND TEST STAND 1-B IN TEST AREA 1-120. - Edwards Air Force Base, Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory, Leuhman Ridge near Highways 58 & 395, Boron, Kern County, CA

Programmable resistive-switch nanowire transistor logic circuits.

PubMed

Shim, Wooyoung; Yao, Jun; Lieber, Charles M

2014-09-10

Programmable logic arrays (PLA) constitute a promising architecture for developing increasingly complex and functional circuits through nanocomputers from nanoscale building blocks. Here we report a novel one-dimensional PLA element that incorporates resistive switch gate structures on a semiconductor nanowire and show that multiple elements can be integrated to realize functional PLAs. In our PLA element, the gate coupling to the nanowire transistor can be modulated by the memory state of the resistive switch to yield programmable active (transistor) or inactive (resistor) states within a well-defined logic window. Multiple PLA nanowire elements were integrated and programmed to yield a working 2-to-4 demultiplexer with long-term retention. The well-defined, controllable logic window and long-term retention of our new one-dimensional PLA element provide a promising route for building increasingly complex circuits with nanoscale building blocks.

Dynamic Characteristics of Buildings from Signal Processing of Ambient Vibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobre, Daniela; Sorin Dragomir, Claudiu

2017-10-01

The experimental technique used to determine the dynamic characteristics of buildings is based on records of low intensity oscillations of the building produced by various natural factors, such as permanent agitation type microseismic motions, city traffic, wind etc. The possibility of recording these oscillations is provided by the latest seismic stations (Geosig and Kinemetrics digital accelerographs). The permanent microseismic agitation of the soil is a complex form of stationary random oscillations. The building filters the soil excitation, selects and increases the components of disruptive vibrations corresponding to its natural vibration periods. For some selected buildings, with different instrumentation schemes for the location of sensors (in free-field, at basement, ground floor, roof level), a correlation between the dynamic characteristics resulted from signal processing of ambient vibration and from a theoretical analysis will be presented. The interpretation of recording results could highlight the behavior of the whole structure. On the other hand, these results are compared with those from strong motions, or obtained from a complex dynamic analysis, and they are quite different, but they are explicable.

[Evolution of hospital concept in Italy].

PubMed

Grosso, G; Contarino, F; Biondi, M; Mistretta, A

2009-01-01

Hospital building trade was born before the origin of Healthcare System and followed the complex development of healthcare during all the past years to present day. At the beginning of 700's, when infective pathology was predominant and hygienic conditions was parameter of quality, pavilions structure took place. These hospitals required wide land to be built on, with a high surface area to volume ratio and a horizontal development. There were about 1200-1500 sleeping accommodations in large rooms (ward) where patients were split up. The typical pavilions structure were used until half 900's when it was replaced with a new concept of building trade, the mono-polibloc. They were buildings with vertical development that minimized horizontal distances and operating costs. Every floor has confinement and service rooms and represent a single and autonomous operating unit. Nowadays hospitals building trade point to use the flat-tower model that enhance the distinction between confinement area (with a vertical development-monobloc) and diagnosis, care and services area (with a horizontal development-flat). The challenge we willface in the future is to convert healthcare buildings to other uses like trading centres and services areas, to improve structures' flexibility, to better include them in the context of the urban and natural setting.

A seismic optimization procedure for reinforced concrete framed buildings based on eigenfrequency optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arroyo, Orlando; Gutiérrez, Sergio

2017-07-01

Several seismic optimization methods have been proposed to improve the performance of reinforced concrete framed (RCF) buildings; however, they have not been widely adopted among practising engineers because they require complex nonlinear models and are computationally expensive. This article presents a procedure to improve the seismic performance of RCF buildings based on eigenfrequency optimization, which is effective, simple to implement and efficient. The method is used to optimize a 10-storey regular building, and its effectiveness is demonstrated by nonlinear time history analyses, which show important reductions in storey drifts and lateral displacements compared to a non-optimized building. A second example for an irregular six-storey building demonstrates that the method provides benefits to a wide range of RCF structures and supports the applicability of the proposed method.

Anisotropy of machine building materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashkenazi, Y. K.

1981-01-01

The results of experimental studies of the anisotropy of elastic and strength characteristics of various structural materials, including pressure worked metals and alloys, laminated fiberglass plastics, and laminated wood plastics, are correlated and classified. Strength criteria under simple and complex stresses are considered as applied to anisotropic materials. Practical application to determining the strength of machine parts and structural materials is discussed.

Phenotypic integration in an extended phenotype: among-individual variation in nest-building traits of the alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Structures such as nests and burrows are an essential component of many organisms’ life-cycle and requires a complex sequence of behaviors. Because behaviors can vary consistently among individuals and be correlated with one another, we hypothesized that these structures would 1) show evidence of am...

Reaction Workup Planning: A Structured Flowchart Approach, Exemplified in Difficult Aqueous Workup of Hydrophilic Products

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, George B.; Sweeney, Joseph B.

2015-01-01

Reaction workup can be a complex problem for those facing novel synthesis of difficult compounds for the first time. Workup problem solving by systematic thinking should be inculcated as mid-graduate-level is reached. A structured approach is proposed, building decision tree flowcharts to analyze challenges, and an exemplar flowchart is presented…

Methods of erection of high-rise buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cherednichenko, Nadezhda; Oleinik, Pavel

2018-03-01

The article contains the factors determining the choice of methods for organizing the construction and production of construction and installation work for the construction of high-rise buildings. There are also indicated specific features of their underground parts, characterized by powerful slab-pile foundations, large volumes of earthworks, reinforced bases and foundations for assembly cranes. The work cycle is considered when using reinforced concrete, steel and combined skeletons of high-rise buildings; the areas of application of flow, separate and complex methods are being disclosed. The main conditions for the erection of high-rise buildings and their components are singled out: the choice of formwork systems, delivery and lifting of concrete mixes, installation of reinforcement, the formation of lifting and transporting and auxiliary equipment. The article prescribes the reserves of reduction in the duration of construction due to the creation of: complex mechanized technologies for the efficient construction of foundations in various soil conditions, including in the heaving, swelling, hindered, subsidence, bulk, water-saturated forms; complex mechanized technologies for the erection of monolithic reinforced concrete structures, taking into account the winter conditions of production and the use of mobile concrete-laying complexes and new generation machines; modular formwork systems, distinguished by their versatility, ease, simplicity in operation suitable for complex high-rise construction; more perfect methodology and the development of a set of progressive organizational and technological solutions that ensure a rational relationship between the processes of production and their maximum overlap in time and space.

Gardening as vector of a humanization of high-rise building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lekareva, Nina; Zaslavskaya, Anna

2018-03-01

Article is devoted to issue of integration of vertical gardening into structure of high-rise building in the conditions of the constrained town-planning situation. On the basis of the analysis of the existing experience of design and building of "biopositive" high-rise building ecological, town-planning, social and constructive advantages of the organization of gardens on roofs and vertical gardens are considered [1]. As the main mechanism of increase in investment appeal of high-rise building the principle of a humanization due to gardening of high-rise building taking into account requirements of ecology, energy efficiency of buildings and improvement of quality of construction with minimization of expenses and maximizing comfort moves forward. The National Standards of Green construction designed to adapt the international requirements of architecture and construction of the energy efficient, eco-friendly and comfortable building or a complex to local conditions are considered [2,3].

Structural Preferential Attachment: Network Organization beyond the Link

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hébert-Dufresne, Laurent; Allard, Antoine; Marceau, Vincent; Noël, Pierre-André; Dubé, Louis J.

2011-10-01

We introduce a mechanism which models the emergence of the universal properties of complex networks, such as scale independence, modularity and self-similarity, and unifies them under a scale-free organization beyond the link. This brings a new perspective on network organization where communities, instead of links, are the fundamental building blocks of complex systems. We show how our simple model can reproduce social and information networks by predicting their community structure and more importantly, how their nodes or communities are interconnected, often in a self-similar manner.

Shock-driven fluid-structure interaction for civil design

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wood, Stephen L; Deiterding, Ralf

The multiphysics fluid-structure interaction simulation of shock-loaded structures requires the dynamic coupling of a shock-capturing flow solver to a solid mechanics solver for large deformations. The Virtual Test Facility combines a Cartesian embedded boundary approach with dynamic mesh adaptation in a generic software framework of flow solvers using hydrodynamic finite volume upwind schemes that are coupled to various explicit finite element solid dynamics solvers (Deiterding et al., 2006). This paper gives a brief overview of the computational approach and presents first simulations that utilize the general purpose solid dynamics code DYNA3D for complex 3D structures of interest in civil engineering.more » Results from simulations of a reinforced column, highway bridge, multistory building, and nuclear reactor building are presented.« less

Reticulate Structures Reveal the Significance of Cell Motility in the Morphogenesis of Complex Microbial Structures in Pavilion Lake, British Columbia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shepard, R.

2008-12-01

Microbial communities are architects of incredibly complex and diverse morphological structures. Each morphology is a snapshot that reflects the complex interactions within the microbial community and between the community and its environment. Characterizing morphology as an emergent property of microbial communities is thus relevant to understanding the evolution of multicellularity and complexity in developmental systems, to the identification of biosignatures, and to furthering our understanding of modern and ancient microbial ecology. Recently discovered cyanobacterial mats in Pavilion Lake, British Columbia construct unusual complex architecture on the scale of decimeters that incorporates significant void space. Fundamental mesoscale morphological elements include terraces, arches, bridges, depressions, domes, and pillars. The mats themselves also exhibit several microscale morphologies, with reticulate structures being the dominant example. The reticulate structures exhibit a diverse spectrum of morphologies with endmembers characterized by either angular or curvilinear ridges. In laboratory studies, aggregation into reticulate structures occurs as a result of the random gliding and colliding among motile cyanobacterial filaments. Likewise, when Pavilion reticulate mats were sampled and brought to the surface, cyanobacteria invariably migrated out of the mat onto surrounding surfaces. Filaments were observed to move rapidly in clumps, preferentially following paths of previous filaments. The migrating filaments organized into new angular and ropey reticulate biofilms within hours of sampling, demonstrating that cell motility is responsible for the reticulate patterns. Because the morphogenesis of reticulate structures can be linked to motility behaviors of filamentous cyanobacteria, the Willow Point mats provide a unique natural laboratory in which to elucidate the connections between a specific microbial behavior and the construction of complex microbial community morphology. To this end, we identified and characterized fundamental building blocks of the mesoscale morphologies, including bridges, anchors, and curved edges. These morphological building blocks were compared with the suite of motility behaviors and patterns observed in reticulate morphogenesis. Results of this comparison suggest that cyanobacterial motility plays a significant and often dominant role in the morphogenesis of the entire suite of morphologies observed in the microbial mats of Pavilion Lake.

Simulation Based Optimization of Complex Monolithic Composite Structures Using Cellular Core Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hickmott, Curtis W.

Cellular core tooling is a new technology which has the capability to manufacture complex integrated monolithic composite structures. This novel tooling method utilizes thermoplastic cellular cores as inner tooling. The semi-rigid nature of the cellular cores makes them convenient for lay-up, and under autoclave temperature and pressure they soften and expand providing uniform compaction on all surfaces including internal features such as ribs and spar tubes. This process has the capability of developing fully optimized aerospace structures by reducing or eliminating assembly using fasteners or bonded joints. The technology is studied in the context of evaluating its capabilities, advantages, and limitations in developing high quality structures. The complex nature of these parts has led to development of a model using the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software Abaqus and the plug-in COMPRO Common Component Architecture (CCA) provided by Convergent Manufacturing Technologies. This model utilizes a "virtual autoclave" technique to simulate temperature profiles, resin flow paths, and ultimately deformation from residual stress. A model has been developed simulating the temperature profile during curing of composite parts made with the cellular core technology. While modeling of composites has been performed in the past, this project will look to take this existing knowledge and apply it to this new manufacturing method capable of building more complex parts and develop a model designed specifically for building large, complex components with a high degree of accuracy. The model development has been carried out in conjunction with experimental validation. A double box beam structure was chosen for analysis to determine the effects of the technology on internal ribs and joints. Double box beams were manufactured and sectioned into T-joints for characterization. Mechanical behavior of T-joints was performed using the T-joint pull-off test and compared to traditional tooling methods. Components made with the cellular core tooling method showed an improved strength at the joints. It is expected that this knowledge will help optimize the processing of complex, integrated structures and benefit applications in aerospace where lighter, structurally efficient components would be advantageous.

Digital Morphing Wing: Active Wing Shaping Concept Using Composite Lattice-Based Cellular Structures.

PubMed

Jenett, Benjamin; Calisch, Sam; Cellucci, Daniel; Cramer, Nick; Gershenfeld, Neil; Swei, Sean; Cheung, Kenneth C

2017-03-01

We describe an approach for the discrete and reversible assembly of tunable and actively deformable structures using modular building block parts for robotic applications. The primary technical challenge addressed by this work is the use of this method to design and fabricate low density, highly compliant robotic structures with spatially tuned stiffness. This approach offers a number of potential advantages over more conventional methods for constructing compliant robots. The discrete assembly reduces manufacturing complexity, as relatively simple parts can be batch-produced and joined to make complex structures. Global mechanical properties can be tuned based on sub-part ordering and geometry, because local stiffness and density can be independently set to a wide range of values and varied spatially. The structure's intrinsic modularity can significantly simplify analysis and simulation. Simple analytical models for the behavior of each building block type can be calibrated with empirical testing and synthesized into a highly accurate and computationally efficient model of the full compliant system. As a case study, we describe a modular and reversibly assembled wing that performs continuous span-wise twist deformation. It exhibits high performance aerodynamic characteristics, is lightweight and simple to fabricate and repair. The wing is constructed from discrete lattice elements, wherein the geometric and mechanical attributes of the building blocks determine the global mechanical properties of the wing. We describe the mechanical design and structural performance of the digital morphing wing, including their relationship to wind tunnel tests that suggest the ability to increase roll efficiency compared to a conventional rigid aileron system. We focus here on describing the approach to design, modeling, and construction as a generalizable approach for robotics that require very lightweight, tunable, and actively deformable structures.

Digital Morphing Wing: Active Wing Shaping Concept Using Composite Lattice-Based Cellular Structures

PubMed Central

Jenett, Benjamin; Calisch, Sam; Cellucci, Daniel; Cramer, Nick; Gershenfeld, Neil; Swei, Sean

2017-01-01

Abstract We describe an approach for the discrete and reversible assembly of tunable and actively deformable structures using modular building block parts for robotic applications. The primary technical challenge addressed by this work is the use of this method to design and fabricate low density, highly compliant robotic structures with spatially tuned stiffness. This approach offers a number of potential advantages over more conventional methods for constructing compliant robots. The discrete assembly reduces manufacturing complexity, as relatively simple parts can be batch-produced and joined to make complex structures. Global mechanical properties can be tuned based on sub-part ordering and geometry, because local stiffness and density can be independently set to a wide range of values and varied spatially. The structure's intrinsic modularity can significantly simplify analysis and simulation. Simple analytical models for the behavior of each building block type can be calibrated with empirical testing and synthesized into a highly accurate and computationally efficient model of the full compliant system. As a case study, we describe a modular and reversibly assembled wing that performs continuous span-wise twist deformation. It exhibits high performance aerodynamic characteristics, is lightweight and simple to fabricate and repair. The wing is constructed from discrete lattice elements, wherein the geometric and mechanical attributes of the building blocks determine the global mechanical properties of the wing. We describe the mechanical design and structural performance of the digital morphing wing, including their relationship to wind tunnel tests that suggest the ability to increase roll efficiency compared to a conventional rigid aileron system. We focus here on describing the approach to design, modeling, and construction as a generalizable approach for robotics that require very lightweight, tunable, and actively deformable structures. PMID:28289574

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Improper Planning of the Administrative Buildings Project at Camp Lejeune, Norlh Carolina

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-30

the project was for “routine maintenance and repair and improvements to non-historic buildings and structures in the Camp Lejeune Complex...and cost overruns; and (5) program goals are achieved, including specific program outcomes and improved results on broader economic indicators. 1...Department of the Navy received approximately $1.2 billion in Recovery Act funds for Operations and Maintenance ; Military Construction; and Research

A novel complexity-to-diversity strategy for the diversity-oriented synthesis of structurally diverse and complex macrocycles from quinine.

PubMed

Ciardiello, J J; Stewart, H L; Sore, H F; Galloway, W R J D; Spring, D R

2017-06-01

Recent years have witnessed a global decline in the productivity and advancement of the pharmaceutical industry. A major contributing factor to this is the downturn in drug discovery successes. This can be attributed to the lack of structural (particularly scaffold) diversity and structural complexity exhibited by current small molecule screening collections. Macrocycles have been shown to exhibit a diverse range of biological properties, with over 100 natural product-derived examples currently marketed as FDA-approved drugs. Despite this, synthetic macrocycles are widely considered to be a poorly explored structural class within drug discovery, which can be attributed to their synthetic intractability. Herein we describe a novel complexity-to-diversity strategy for the diversity-oriented synthesis of novel, structurally complex and diverse macrocyclic scaffolds from natural product starting materials. This approach exploits the inherent structural (including functional) and stereochemical complexity of natural products in order to rapidly generate diversity and complexity. Readily-accessible natural product-derived intermediates serve as structural templates which can be divergently functionalized with different building blocks to generate a diverse range of acyclic precursors. Subsequent macrocyclisation then furnishes compounds that are each based around a distinct molecular scaffold. Thus, high levels of library scaffold diversity can be rapidly achieved. In this proof-of-concept study, the natural product quinine was used as the foundation for library synthesis, and six novel structurally diverse, highly complex and functionalized macrocycles were generated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of wind-induced vibrations in tall buildings with tuned mass dampers taking into account vortices effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Momtaz, Ali Ajilian; Abdollahian, Mohamadreza Akhavan; Farshidianfar, Anooshiravan

2017-12-01

In recent years, construction of tall buildings has been of great interest. Use of lightweight materials in such structures reduces stiffness and damping, making the building more influenced by wind loads. Moreover, tall buildings of more than 30 to 40 stories, depending on the geographical location, the wind effects are more influential than earthquakes. In addition, the complexity of the effects of wind flow on the structure due to the interaction of the fluid flow and solid body results in serious damages to the structure by eliminating them. Considering the importance of the issue, the present study investigates the phenomenon of wind-induced vibration on high-rise buildings, taking into account the effects of vortices created by the fluid flow and the control of this phenomenon. To this end, the governing equations of the structure, the fluid flow and the tuned mass damper (TMD) are first introduced, and their coefficient values are extracted according to the characteristics of ACT skyscraper in Japan. Then, these three coupled equations are solved using a program coded in MATLAB. After validation of the results, the effects of wind loads are analyzed and considered with regard to the effects of vortices and the use of TMD, and are compared with the results of the state where no vortices are considered. Generally, the results of this study point out the significance of vibrations caused by vortices in construction of engineering structures as well as the appropriate performance of a TMD in reducing oscillations in tall buildings.

COMPUTATIONAL METHODOLOGIES for REAL-SPACE STRUCTURAL REFINEMENT of LARGE MACROMOLECULAR COMPLEXES

PubMed Central

Goh, Boon Chong; Hadden, Jodi A.; Bernardi, Rafael C.; Singharoy, Abhishek; McGreevy, Ryan; Rudack, Till; Cassidy, C. Keith; Schulten, Klaus

2017-01-01

The rise of the computer as a powerful tool for model building and refinement has revolutionized the field of structure determination for large biomolecular systems. Despite the wide availability of robust experimental methods capable of resolving structural details across a range of spatiotemporal resolutions, computational hybrid methods have the unique ability to integrate the diverse data from multimodal techniques such as X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy into consistent, fully atomistic structures. Here, commonly employed strategies for computational real-space structural refinement are reviewed, and their specific applications are illustrated for several large macromolecular complexes: ribosome, virus capsids, chemosensory array, and photosynthetic chromatophore. The increasingly important role of computational methods in large-scale structural refinement, along with current and future challenges, is discussed. PMID:27145875

Insights into cellulosome assembly and dynamics: from dissection to reconstruction of the supramolecular enzyme complex.

PubMed

Smith, Steven P; Bayer, Edward A

2013-10-01

Cellulosomes are multi-enzyme complexes produced by anaerobic bacteria for the efficient deconstruction of plant cell wall polysaccharides. The assembly of enzymatic subunits onto a central non-catalytic scaffoldin subunit is mediated by a highly specific interaction between the enzyme-bearing dockerin modules and the resident cohesin modules of the scaffoldin, which affords their catalytic activities to work synergistically. The scaffoldin also imparts substrate-binding and bacterial-anchoring properties, the latter of which involves a second cohesin-dockerin interaction. Recent structure-function studies reveal an ever-growing array of unique and increasingly complex cohesin-dockerin complexes and cellulosomal enzymes with novel activities. A 'build' approach involving multimodular cellulosomal segments has provided a structural model of an organized yet conformationally dynamic supramolecular assembly with the potential to form higher order structures. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Software-defined network abstractions and configuration interfaces for building programmable quantum networks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dasari, Venkat; Sadlier, Ronald J; Geerhart, Mr. Billy

Well-defined and stable quantum networks are essential to realize functional quantum applications. Quantum networks are complex and must use both quantum and classical channels to support quantum applications like QKD, teleportation, and superdense coding. In particular, the no-cloning theorem prevents the reliable copying of quantum signals such that the quantum and classical channels must be highly coordinated using robust and extensible methods. We develop new network abstractions and interfaces for building programmable quantum networks. Our approach leverages new OpenFlow data structures and table type patterns to build programmable quantum networks and to support quantum applications.

On a computational model of building thermal dynamic response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarošová, Petra; Vala, Jiří

2016-07-01

Development and exploitation of advanced materials, structures and technologies in civil engineering, both for buildings with carefully controlled interior temperature and for common residential houses, together with new European and national directives and technical standards, stimulate the development of rather complex and robust, but sufficiently simple and inexpensive computational tools, supporting their design and optimization of energy consumption. This paper demonstrates the possibility of consideration of such seemingly contradictory requirements, using the simplified non-stationary thermal model of a building, motivated by the analogy with the analysis of electric circuits; certain semi-analytical forms of solutions come from the method of lines.

Assemble: an interactive graphical tool to analyze and build RNA architectures at the 2D and 3D levels.

PubMed

Jossinet, Fabrice; Ludwig, Thomas E; Westhof, Eric

2010-08-15

Assemble is an intuitive graphical interface to analyze, manipulate and build complex 3D RNA architectures. It provides several advanced and unique features within the framework of a semi-automated modeling process that can be performed by homology and ab initio with or without electron density maps. Those include the interactive editing of a secondary structure and a searchable, embedded library of annotated tertiary structures. Assemble helps users with performing recurrent and otherwise tedious tasks in structural RNA research. Assemble is released under an open-source license (MIT license) and is freely available at http://bioinformatics.org/assemble. It is implemented in the Java language and runs on MacOSX, Linux and Windows operating systems.

Linked supramolecular building blocks for enhanced cluster formation

DOE PAGES

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

2015-01-09

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 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-4f combinations display characteristic features of the analogous calix[4]arene supported clusters, thereby demonstrating an enhanced and rational approach towards the targeted synthesis of complex and challenging structures.

Principles of structure building in music, language and animal song

PubMed Central

Rohrmeier, Martin; Zuidema, Willem; Wiggins, Geraint A.; Scharff, Constance

2015-01-01

Human language, music and a variety of animal vocalizations constitute ways of sonic communication that exhibit remarkable structural complexity. While the complexities of language and possible parallels in animal communication have been discussed intensively, reflections on the complexity of music and animal song, and their comparisons, are underrepresented. In some ways, music and animal songs are more comparable to each other than to language as propositional semantics cannot be used as indicator of communicative success or wellformedness, and notions of grammaticality are less easily defined. This review brings together accounts of the principles of structure building in music and animal song. It relates them to corresponding models in formal language theory, the extended Chomsky hierarchy (CH), and their probabilistic counterparts. We further discuss common misunderstandings and shortcomings concerning the CH and suggest ways to move beyond. We discuss language, music and animal song in the context of their function and motivation and further integrate problems and issues that are less commonly addressed in the context of language, including continuous event spaces, features of sound and timbre, representation of temporality and interactions of multiple parallel feature streams. We discuss these aspects in the light of recent theoretical, cognitive, neuroscientific and modelling research in the domains of music, language and animal song. PMID:25646520

Additive lattice kirigami

PubMed Central

Castle, Toen; Sussman, Daniel M.; Tanis, Michael; Kamien, Randall D.

2016-01-01

Kirigami uses bending, folding, cutting, and pasting to create complex three-dimensional (3D) structures from a flat sheet. In the case of lattice kirigami, this cutting and rejoining introduces defects into an underlying 2D lattice in the form of points of nonzero Gaussian curvature. A set of simple rules was previously used to generate a wide variety of stepped structures; we now pare back these rules to their minimum. This allows us to describe a set of techniques that unify a wide variety of cut-and-paste actions under the rubric of lattice kirigami, including adding new material and rejoining material across arbitrary cuts in the sheet. We also explore the use of more complex lattices and the different structures that consequently arise. Regardless of the choice of lattice, creating complex structures may require multiple overlapping kirigami cuts, where subsequent cuts are not performed on a locally flat lattice. Our additive kirigami method describes such cuts, providing a simple methodology and a set of techniques to build a huge variety of complex 3D shapes. PMID:27679822

Additive lattice kirigami.

PubMed

Castle, Toen; Sussman, Daniel M; Tanis, Michael; Kamien, Randall D

2016-09-01

Kirigami uses bending, folding, cutting, and pasting to create complex three-dimensional (3D) structures from a flat sheet. In the case of lattice kirigami, this cutting and rejoining introduces defects into an underlying 2D lattice in the form of points of nonzero Gaussian curvature. A set of simple rules was previously used to generate a wide variety of stepped structures; we now pare back these rules to their minimum. This allows us to describe a set of techniques that unify a wide variety of cut-and-paste actions under the rubric of lattice kirigami, including adding new material and rejoining material across arbitrary cuts in the sheet. We also explore the use of more complex lattices and the different structures that consequently arise. Regardless of the choice of lattice, creating complex structures may require multiple overlapping kirigami cuts, where subsequent cuts are not performed on a locally flat lattice. Our additive kirigami method describes such cuts, providing a simple methodology and a set of techniques to build a huge variety of complex 3D shapes.

A novel complex networks clustering algorithm based on the core influence of nodes.

PubMed

Tong, Chao; Niu, Jianwei; Dai, Bin; Xie, Zhongyu

2014-01-01

In complex networks, cluster structure, identified by the heterogeneity of nodes, has become a common and important topological property. Network clustering methods are thus significant for the study of complex networks. Currently, many typical clustering algorithms have some weakness like inaccuracy and slow convergence. In this paper, we propose a clustering algorithm by calculating the core influence of nodes. The clustering process is a simulation of the process of cluster formation in sociology. The algorithm detects the nodes with core influence through their betweenness centrality, and builds the cluster's core structure by discriminant functions. Next, the algorithm gets the final cluster structure after clustering the rest of the nodes in the network by optimizing method. Experiments on different datasets show that the clustering accuracy of this algorithm is superior to the classical clustering algorithm (Fast-Newman algorithm). It clusters faster and plays a positive role in revealing the real cluster structure of complex networks precisely.

Bim from Laser SCANS… not Just for Buildings: Nurbs-Based Parametric Modeling of a Medieval Bridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barazzetti, L.; Banfi, F.; Brumana, R.; Previtali, M.; Roncoroni, F.

2016-06-01

Building Information Modelling is not limited to buildings. BIM technology includes civil infrastructures such as roads, dams, bridges, communications networks, water and wastewater networks and tunnels. This paper describes a novel methodology for the generation of a detailed BIM of a complex medieval bridge. The use of laser scans and images coupled with the development of algorithms able to handle irregular shapes allowed the creation of advanced parametric objects, which were assembled to obtain an accurate BIM. The lack of existing object libraries required the development of specific families for the different structural elements of the bridge. Finally, some applications aimed at assessing the stability and safety of the bridge are illustrated and discussed. The BIM of the bridge can incorporate this information towards a new "BIMonitoring" concept to preserve the geometric complexity provided by point clouds, obtaining a detailed BIM with object relationships and attributes.

Building Complex Kondo Impurities by Manipulating Entangled Spin Chains.

PubMed

Choi, Deung-Jang; Robles, Roberto; Yan, Shichao; Burgess, Jacob A J; Rolf-Pissarczyk, Steffen; Gauyacq, Jean-Pierre; Lorente, Nicolás; Ternes, Markus; Loth, Sebastian

2017-10-11

The creation of molecule-like structures in which magnetic atoms interact controllably is full of potential for the study of complex or strongly correlated systems. Here, we create spin chains in which a strongly correlated Kondo state emerges from magnetic coupling of transition-metal atoms. We build chains up to ten atoms in length by placing Fe and Mn atoms on a Cu 2 N surface with a scanning tunneling microscope. The atoms couple antiferromagnetically via superexchange interaction through the nitrogen atom network of the surface. The emergent Kondo resonance is spatially distributed along the chain. Its strength can be controlled by mixing atoms of different transition metal elements and manipulating their spatial distribution. We show that the Kondo screening of the full chain by the electrons of the nonmagnetic substrate depends on the interatomic entanglement of the spins in the chain, demonstrating the prerequisites to build and probe spatially extended strongly correlated nanostructures.

Automated de novo phasing and model building of coiled-coil proteins.

PubMed

Rämisch, Sebastian; Lizatović, Robert; André, Ingemar

2015-03-01

Models generated by de novo structure prediction can be very useful starting points for molecular replacement for systems where suitable structural homologues cannot be readily identified. Protein-protein complexes and de novo-designed proteins are examples of systems that can be challenging to phase. In this study, the potential of de novo models of protein complexes for use as starting points for molecular replacement is investigated. The approach is demonstrated using homomeric coiled-coil proteins, which are excellent model systems for oligomeric systems. Despite the stereotypical fold of coiled coils, initial phase estimation can be difficult and many structures have to be solved with experimental phasing. A method was developed for automatic structure determination of homomeric coiled coils from X-ray diffraction data. In a benchmark set of 24 coiled coils, ranging from dimers to pentamers with resolutions down to 2.5 Å, 22 systems were automatically solved, 11 of which had previously been solved by experimental phasing. The generated models contained 71-103% of the residues present in the deposited structures, had the correct sequence and had free R values that deviated on average by 0.01 from those of the respective reference structures. The electron-density maps were of sufficient quality that only minor manual editing was necessary to produce final structures. The method, named CCsolve, combines methods for de novo structure prediction, initial phase estimation and automated model building into one pipeline. CCsolve is robust against errors in the initial models and can readily be modified to make use of alternative crystallographic software. The results demonstrate the feasibility of de novo phasing of protein-protein complexes, an approach that could also be employed for other small systems beyond coiled coils.

Structural building screening and evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurniawandy, Alex; Nakazawa, Shoji; Hendry, Andy; Ridwan, Firdaus, Rahmatul

2017-10-01

An earthquake is a disaster that can be harmful to the community, such as financial loss and also dead injuries. Pekanbaru is a city that located in the middle of Sumatera Island. Even though the city of Pekanbaru is a city that rarely occurs earthquake, but Pekanbaru has ever felt the impact of the big earthquake that occurred in West Sumatera on September 2009. As we know, Indonesia located between Eurasia plate, Pacific plate, and Indo-Australian plate. Particularly the Sumatera Island, It has the Semangko fault or the great Sumatra fault along the island from north to south due to the shift of Eurasia and Indo-Australian Plates. An earthquake is not killing people but the building around the people that could be killing them. The failure of the building can be early prevented by doing an evaluation. In this research, the methods of evaluation have used a guideline for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) P-154 and Applied Technology Council (ATC) 40. FEMA P-154 is a rapid visual screening of buildings for potential seismic hazards and ATC-40 is seismic evaluation and retrofit of Concrete Buildings. ATC-40 is a more complex evaluation rather than FEMA P-154. The samples to be evaluated are taken in the surroundings of Universitas Riau facility in Pekanbaru. There are four buildings as case study such as the rent student building, the building of mathematics and natural science faculty, the building teacher training and education faculty and the buildings in the faculty of Social political sciences. Vulnerability for every building facing an earthquake is different, this is depending on structural and non-structural components of the building. Among all of the samples, only the building of mathematics and the natural science faculty is in critical condition according to the FEMA P-154 evaluation. Furthermore, the results of evaluation using ATC-40 for the teacher training building are in damage control conditions, despite the other three buildings are in immediate occupancy conditions.

Build your own soil: exploring microfluidics to create microbial habitat structures

PubMed Central

Aleklett, Kristin; Kiers, E Toby; Ohlsson, Pelle; Shimizu, Thomas S; Caldas, Victor EA; Hammer, Edith C

2018-01-01

Soil is likely the most complex ecosystem on earth. Despite the global importance and extraordinary diversity of soils, they have been notoriously challenging to study. We show how pioneering microfluidic techniques provide new ways of studying soil microbial ecology by allowing simulation and manipulation of chemical conditions and physical structures at the microscale in soil model habitats. PMID:29135971

HEDL FACILITIES CATALOG 400 AREA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

MAYANCSIK BA

1987-03-01

The purpose of this project is to provide a sodium-cooled fast flux test reactor designed specifically for irradiation testing of fuels and materials and for long-term testing and evaluation of plant components and systems for the Liquid Metal Reactor (LMR) Program. The FFTF includes the reactor, heat removal equipment and structures, containment, core component handling and examination, instrumentation and control, and utilities and other essential services. The complex array of buildings and equipment are arranged around the Reactor Containment Building.

LANL seismic screening method for existing buildings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dickson, S.L.; Feller, K.C.; Fritz de la Orta, G.O.

1997-01-01

The purpose of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Seismic Screening Method is to provide a comprehensive, rational, and inexpensive method for evaluating the relative seismic integrity of a large building inventory using substantial life-safety as the minimum goal. The substantial life-safety goal is deemed to be satisfied if the extent of structural damage or nonstructural component damage does not pose a significant risk to human life. The screening is limited to Performance Category (PC) -0, -1, and -2 buildings and structures. Because of their higher performance objectives, PC-3 and PC-4 buildings automatically fail the LANL Seismic Screening Method andmore » will be subject to a more detailed seismic analysis. The Laboratory has also designated that PC-0, PC-1, and PC-2 unreinforced masonry bearing wall and masonry infill shear wall buildings fail the LANL Seismic Screening Method because of their historically poor seismic performance or complex behavior. These building types are also recommended for a more detailed seismic analysis. The results of the LANL Seismic Screening Method are expressed in terms of separate scores for potential configuration or physical hazards (Phase One) and calculated capacity/demand ratios (Phase Two). This two-phase method allows the user to quickly identify buildings that have adequate seismic characteristics and structural capacity and screen them out from further evaluation. The resulting scores also provide a ranking of those buildings found to be inadequate. Thus, buildings not passing the screening can be rationally prioritized for further evaluation. For the purpose of complying with Executive Order 12941, the buildings failing the LANL Seismic Screening Method are deemed to have seismic deficiencies, and cost estimates for mitigation must be prepared. Mitigation techniques and cost-estimate guidelines are not included in the LANL Seismic Screening Method.« less

One-step volumetric additive manufacturing of complex polymer structures

DOE PAGES

Shusteff, Maxim; Browar, Allison E. M.; Kelly, Brett E.; ...

2017-12-01

Two limitations of additive manufacturing methods that arise from layer-based fabrication are slow speed and geometric constraints (which include poor surface quality). Both limitations are overcome in the work reported here, introducing a new volumetric additive fabrication paradigm that produces photopolymer structures with complex non-periodic 3D geometries on a timescale of seconds. We implement this approach using holographic patterning of light fields, demonstrate the fabrication of a variety of structures, and study the properties of the light patterns and photosensitive resins required for this fabrication approach. The results indicate that lowabsorbing resins containing ~0.1% photoinitiator, illuminated at modest powers (~10-100more » mW) may be successfully used to build full structures in ~1-10 s.« less

One-step volumetric additive manufacturing of complex polymer structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shusteff, Maxim; Browar, Allison E. M.; Kelly, Brett E.

Two limitations of additive manufacturing methods that arise from layer-based fabrication are slow speed and geometric constraints (which include poor surface quality). Both limitations are overcome in the work reported here, introducing a new volumetric additive fabrication paradigm that produces photopolymer structures with complex non-periodic 3D geometries on a timescale of seconds. We implement this approach using holographic patterning of light fields, demonstrate the fabrication of a variety of structures, and study the properties of the light patterns and photosensitive resins required for this fabrication approach. The results indicate that lowabsorbing resins containing ~0.1% photoinitiator, illuminated at modest powers (~10-100more » mW) may be successfully used to build full structures in ~1-10 s.« less

One-step volumetric additive manufacturing of complex polymer structures

PubMed Central

Shusteff, Maxim; Browar, Allison E. M.; Kelly, Brett E.; Henriksson, Johannes; Weisgraber, Todd H.; Panas, Robert M.; Fang, Nicholas X.; Spadaccini, Christopher M.

2017-01-01

Two limitations of additive manufacturing methods that arise from layer-based fabrication are slow speed and geometric constraints (which include poor surface quality). Both limitations are overcome in the work reported here, introducing a new volumetric additive fabrication paradigm that produces photopolymer structures with complex nonperiodic three-dimensional geometries on a time scale of seconds. We implement this approach using holographic patterning of light fields, demonstrate the fabrication of a variety of structures, and study the properties of the light patterns and photosensitive resins required for this fabrication approach. The results indicate that low-absorbing resins containing ~0.1% photoinitiator, illuminated at modest powers (~10 to 100 mW), may be successfully used to build full structures in ~1 to 10 s. PMID:29230437

One-step volumetric additive manufacturing of complex polymer structures.

PubMed

Shusteff, Maxim; Browar, Allison E M; Kelly, Brett E; Henriksson, Johannes; Weisgraber, Todd H; Panas, Robert M; Fang, Nicholas X; Spadaccini, Christopher M

2017-12-01

Two limitations of additive manufacturing methods that arise from layer-based fabrication are slow speed and geometric constraints (which include poor surface quality). Both limitations are overcome in the work reported here, introducing a new volumetric additive fabrication paradigm that produces photopolymer structures with complex nonperiodic three-dimensional geometries on a time scale of seconds. We implement this approach using holographic patterning of light fields, demonstrate the fabrication of a variety of structures, and study the properties of the light patterns and photosensitive resins required for this fabrication approach. The results indicate that low-absorbing resins containing ~0.1% photoinitiator, illuminated at modest powers (~10 to 100 mW), may be successfully used to build full structures in ~1 to 10 s.

Relations between structural and dynamic thermal characteristics of building walls

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kossecka, E.; Kosny, J.

1996-10-01

The effect of internal thermal structure on dynamic characteristics of walls is analyzed. The concept of structure factors is introduced and the conditions they impose on response factors are given. Simple examples of multilayer walls, representing different types of thermal resistance and capacity distribution, are analyzed to illustrate general relations between structure factors and response factors. The idea of the ``thermally equivalent wall``, a plane multilayer structure, with dynamic characteristics similar to those of a complex structure, in which three-dimensional heat flow occurs, is presented.

Three-dimensional macro-structures of two-dimensional nanomaterials.

PubMed

Shehzad, Khurram; Xu, Yang; Gao, Chao; Duan, Xiangfeng

2016-10-21

If two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are ever to be utilized as components of practical, macroscopic devices on a large scale, there is a complementary need to controllably assemble these 2D building blocks into more sophisticated and hierarchical three-dimensional (3D) architectures. Such a capability is key to design and build complex, functional devices with tailored properties. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the various experimental strategies currently used to fabricate the 3D macro-structures of 2D nanomaterials. Additionally, various approaches for the decoration of the 3D macro-structures with organic molecules, polymers, and inorganic materials are reviewed. Finally, we discuss the applications of 3D macro-structures, especially in the areas of energy, environment, sensing, and electronics, and describe the existing challenges and the outlook for this fast emerging field.

Futuragua: Fostering Cross-Scale Knowledge to Inform Social-Environmental Decision Processes for Building Drought Resilience in Highly Seasonal Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDaniels, T.; Steyn, D. G.; Johnson, M. S.; Small, M.; Leclerc, G.; Vignola, R.; Chan, K.; Grossmann, I.; Wong-Parodi, G.

2014-12-01

Improving resilience to drought in complex social-environmental systems (SES) is extraordinarily important, particularly for rural tropical locations where small changes in climate regimes can have dramatic SES impacts. Efforts to build drought resilience must necessarily be planned and implemented within SES governance systems that involve linkages in water and land use administration from local to national levels. These efforts require knowledge and understanding that links climate and weather forecasts to regional and local hydrology, to social-economic and environmental systems, and to governance processes. In order to provide structure for such complex choices and investments, we argue that a focus on structured decision processes that involve linkages among science, technological perspectives, and public values conducted with agencies and stakeholders will provide a crucial framework for comparing and building insight for pursuing alternative courses of action to build drought resilience. This paper focuses on a regional case study in the seasonally-dry northwest region of Costa Rica, in watersheds rated as most threatened in the country in terms of drought. We present the overall framework guiding the transdisciplinary efforts to link scientific and technical understanding to public values, in order to foster civil society actions that lead to improved drought resilience. Initial efforts to characterize hydrological and climate regimes will be reported along with our approach to linking natural science findings, social inventories in terms of perspectives on SES, and the psychology and patterns of reliance on forecast information that provide the basis for characterizing public understanding. The overall linkage of technical and value information is focused on creating and comparing alternative actions that can potentially build resilience in short and long time frames by building decision making processes involving stakeholders, agencies and interested parties.

"Structure and dynamics in complex chemical systems: Gaining new insights through recent advances in time-resolved spectroscopies.” ACS Division of Physical Chemistry Symposium presented at the Fall National ACS Meeting in Boston, MA, August 2015

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crawford, Daniel

8-Session Symposium on STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS IN COMPLEX CHEMICAL SYSTEMS: GAINING NEW INSIGHTS THROUGH RECENT ADVANCES IN TIME-RESOLVED SPECTROSCOPIES. The intricacy of most chemical, biochemical, and material processes and their applications are underscored by the complex nature of the environments in which they occur. Substantial challenges for building a global understanding of a heterogeneous system include (1) identifying unique signatures associated with specific structural motifs within the heterogeneous distribution, and (2) resolving the significance of each of multiple time scales involved in both small- and large-scale nuclear reorganization. This symposium focuses on the progress in our understanding of dynamics inmore » complex systems driven by recent innovations in time-resolved spectroscopies and theoretical developments. Such advancement is critical for driving discovery at the molecular level facilitating new applications. Broad areas of interest include: Structural relaxation and the impact of structure on dynamics in liquids, interfaces, biochemical systems, materials, and other heterogeneous environments.« less

Applications of Artificial Neural Networks in Structural Engineering with Emphasis on Continuum Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kapania, Rakesh K.; Liu, Youhua

1998-01-01

The use of continuum models for the analysis of discrete built-up complex aerospace structures is an attractive idea especially at the conceptual and preliminary design stages. But the diversity of available continuum models and hard-to-use qualities of these models have prevented them from finding wide applications. In this regard, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN or NN) may have a great potential as these networks are universal approximators that can realize any continuous mapping, and can provide general mechanisms for building models from data whose input-output relationship can be highly nonlinear. The ultimate aim of the present work is to be able to build high fidelity continuum models for complex aerospace structures using the ANN. As a first step, the concepts and features of ANN are familiarized through the MATLAB NN Toolbox by simulating some representative mapping examples, including some problems in structural engineering. Then some further aspects and lessons learned about the NN training are discussed, including the performances of Feed-Forward and Radial Basis Function NN when dealing with noise-polluted data and the technique of cross-validation. Finally, as an example of using NN in continuum models, a lattice structure with repeating cells is represented by a continuum beam whose properties are provided by neural networks.

Strategies for carbohydrate model building, refinement and validation

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Sugars are the most stereochemically intricate family of biomolecules and present substantial challenges to anyone trying to understand their nomenclature, reactions or branched structures. Current crystallographic programs provide an abstraction layer allowing inexpert structural biologists to build complete protein or nucleic acid model components automatically either from scratch or with little manual intervention. This is, however, still not generally true for sugars. The need for carbohydrate-specific building and validation tools has been highlighted a number of times in the past, concomitantly with the introduction of a new generation of experimental methods that have been ramping up the production of protein–sugar complexes and glycoproteins for the past decade. While some incipient advances have been made to address these demands, correctly modelling and refining carbohydrates remains a challenge. This article will address many of the typical difficulties that a structural biologist may face when dealing with carbohydrates, with an emphasis on problem solving in the resolution range where X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy are expected to overlap in the next decade. PMID:28177313

The assembly and disassembly of ecological networks.

PubMed

Bascompte, Jordi; Stouffer, Daniel B

2009-06-27

Global change has created a severe biodiversity crisis. Species are driven extinct at an increasing rate, and this has the potential to cause further coextinction cascades. The rate and shape of these coextinction cascades depend very much on the structure of the networks of interactions across species. Understanding network structure and how it relates to network disassembly, therefore, is a priority for system-level conservation biology. This process of network collapse may indeed be related to the process of network build-up, although very little is known about both processes and even less about their relationship. Here we review recent work that provides some preliminary answers to these questions. First, we focus on network assembly by emphasizing temporal processes at the species level, as well as the structural building blocks of complex ecological networks. Second, we focus on network disassembly as a consequence of species extinctions or habitat loss. We conclude by emphasizing some general rules of thumb that can help in building a comprehensive framework to understand the responses of ecological networks to global change.

Robust excitons inhabit soft supramolecular nanotubes

PubMed Central

Eisele, Dörthe M.; Arias, Dylan H.; Fu, Xiaofeng; Bloemsma, Erik A.; Steiner, Colby P.; Jensen, Russell A.; Rebentrost, Patrick; Eisele, Holger; Tokmakoff, Andrei; Lloyd, Seth; Nelson, Keith A.; Nicastro, Daniela; Knoester, Jasper; Bawendi, Moungi G.

2014-01-01

Nature's highly efficient light-harvesting antennae, such as those found in green sulfur bacteria, consist of supramolecular building blocks that self-assemble into a hierarchy of close-packed structures. In an effort to mimic the fundamental processes that govern nature’s efficient systems, it is important to elucidate the role of each level of hierarchy: from molecule, to supramolecular building block, to close-packed building blocks. Here, we study the impact of hierarchical structure. We present a model system that mirrors nature’s complexity: cylinders self-assembled from cyanine-dye molecules. Our work reveals that even though close-packing may alter the cylinders’ soft mesoscopic structure, robust delocalized excitons are retained: Internal order and strong excitation-transfer interactions—prerequisites for efficient energy transport—are both maintained. Our results suggest that the cylindrical geometry strongly favors robust excitons; it presents a rational design that is potentially key to nature’s high efficiency, allowing construction of efficient light-harvesting devices even from soft, supramolecular materials. PMID:25092336

Strategies for carbohydrate model building, refinement and validation.

PubMed

Agirre, Jon

2017-02-01

Sugars are the most stereochemically intricate family of biomolecules and present substantial challenges to anyone trying to understand their nomenclature, reactions or branched structures. Current crystallographic programs provide an abstraction layer allowing inexpert structural biologists to build complete protein or nucleic acid model components automatically either from scratch or with little manual intervention. This is, however, still not generally true for sugars. The need for carbohydrate-specific building and validation tools has been highlighted a number of times in the past, concomitantly with the introduction of a new generation of experimental methods that have been ramping up the production of protein-sugar complexes and glycoproteins for the past decade. While some incipient advances have been made to address these demands, correctly modelling and refining carbohydrates remains a challenge. This article will address many of the typical difficulties that a structural biologist may face when dealing with carbohydrates, with an emphasis on problem solving in the resolution range where X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy are expected to overlap in the next decade.

Incrementally Dissociating Syntax and Semantics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brennan, Jonathan R.

2010-01-01

A basic challenge for research into the neurobiology of language is understanding how the brain combines words to make complex representations. Linguistic theory divides this task into several computations including syntactic structure building and semantic composition. The close relationship between these computations, however, poses a strong…

LOFT complex, aerial view taken on same on same day ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

LOFT complex, aerial view taken on same on same day as HAER photo ID-33-E-376. Camera facing south. Note curve of rail track toward hot shop (TAN-607). Earth shielding on control building (TAN-630) is partly removed, showing edge of concrete structure. Great southern butte on horizon. Date: 1975. INEEL negative no. 75-3693 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Area North, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Modeling the assembly order of multimeric heteroprotein complexes

PubMed Central

Esquivel-Rodriguez, Juan; Terashi, Genki; Christoffer, Charles; Shin, Woong-Hee

2018-01-01

Protein-protein interactions are the cornerstone of numerous biological processes. Although an increasing number of protein complex structures have been determined using experimental methods, relatively fewer studies have been performed to determine the assembly order of complexes. In addition to the insights into the molecular mechanisms of biological function provided by the structure of a complex, knowing the assembly order is important for understanding the process of complex formation. Assembly order is also practically useful for constructing subcomplexes as a step toward solving the entire complex experimentally, designing artificial protein complexes, and developing drugs that interrupt a critical step in the complex assembly. There are several experimental methods for determining the assembly order of complexes; however, these techniques are resource-intensive. Here, we present a computational method that predicts the assembly order of protein complexes by building the complex structure. The method, named Path-LzerD, uses a multimeric protein docking algorithm that assembles a protein complex structure from individual subunit structures and predicts assembly order by observing the simulated assembly process of the complex. Benchmarked on a dataset of complexes with experimental evidence of assembly order, Path-LZerD was successful in predicting the assembly pathway for the majority of the cases. Moreover, when compared with a simple approach that infers the assembly path from the buried surface area of subunits in the native complex, Path-LZerD has the strong advantage that it can be used for cases where the complex structure is not known. The path prediction accuracy decreased when starting from unbound monomers, particularly for larger complexes of five or more subunits, for which only a part of the assembly path was correctly identified. As the first method of its kind, Path-LZerD opens a new area of computational protein structure modeling and will be an indispensable approach for studying protein complexes. PMID:29329283

Modeling the assembly order of multimeric heteroprotein complexes.

PubMed

Peterson, Lenna X; Togawa, Yoichiro; Esquivel-Rodriguez, Juan; Terashi, Genki; Christoffer, Charles; Roy, Amitava; Shin, Woong-Hee; Kihara, Daisuke

2018-01-01

Protein-protein interactions are the cornerstone of numerous biological processes. Although an increasing number of protein complex structures have been determined using experimental methods, relatively fewer studies have been performed to determine the assembly order of complexes. In addition to the insights into the molecular mechanisms of biological function provided by the structure of a complex, knowing the assembly order is important for understanding the process of complex formation. Assembly order is also practically useful for constructing subcomplexes as a step toward solving the entire complex experimentally, designing artificial protein complexes, and developing drugs that interrupt a critical step in the complex assembly. There are several experimental methods for determining the assembly order of complexes; however, these techniques are resource-intensive. Here, we present a computational method that predicts the assembly order of protein complexes by building the complex structure. The method, named Path-LzerD, uses a multimeric protein docking algorithm that assembles a protein complex structure from individual subunit structures and predicts assembly order by observing the simulated assembly process of the complex. Benchmarked on a dataset of complexes with experimental evidence of assembly order, Path-LZerD was successful in predicting the assembly pathway for the majority of the cases. Moreover, when compared with a simple approach that infers the assembly path from the buried surface area of subunits in the native complex, Path-LZerD has the strong advantage that it can be used for cases where the complex structure is not known. The path prediction accuracy decreased when starting from unbound monomers, particularly for larger complexes of five or more subunits, for which only a part of the assembly path was correctly identified. As the first method of its kind, Path-LZerD opens a new area of computational protein structure modeling and will be an indispensable approach for studying protein complexes.

The role of the clinical engineer in the design of new hospitals.

PubMed

Decouvelaere, M; Berrard, E; Fabrega, D

2007-01-01

Hospital construction projects take place over several years, from the initial decision to build to their completion and start of service. The owner and his building and civil engineering department have to face many administrative processes and complex techniques. It is the role of the clinical engineer to furnish the new structure with medical equipment, by integrating the constraints of these devices in the building. At each stage of the building process, the clinical engineer must contribute to a specific mission of interface between the building and the equipment, identifying and anticipating constraints, and taking care of the good preparation of the integration of this equipment in existing buildings or buildings yet to be created. If the objective of optimal compatibility between the building and its equipment is not reached, then adaptations will have to be carried out either in progress, or after the completion of work, and will be opposed to the factors of success implemented by the actors.

GENERAL PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE EAST SIDE OF THE COMPLEX, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

GENERAL PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF THE EAST SIDE OF THE COMPLEX, VIEW LOOKING SOUTH WITH THE FIRE CACHE BUILDING, COMMUNICATIONS BUILDING, GRAPHICS BUILDING, FOREST PRACTICES BUILDING, AND THE K.O.G. (KEEP OREGON GREEN) BUILDING VISIBLE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. - Oregon State Forester's Office Complex, 2600 State Street, Salem, Marion, OR

Software-defined network abstractions and configuration interfaces for building programmable quantum networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasari, Venkat R.; Sadlier, Ronald J.; Geerhart, Billy E.; Snow, Nikolai A.; Williams, Brian P.; Humble, Travis S.

2017-05-01

Well-defined and stable quantum networks are essential to realize functional quantum communication applications. Quantum networks are complex and must use both quantum and classical channels to support quantum applications like QKD, teleportation, and superdense coding. In particular, the no-cloning theorem prevents the reliable copying of quantum signals such that the quantum and classical channels must be highly coordinated using robust and extensible methods. In this paper, we describe new network abstractions and interfaces for building programmable quantum networks. Our approach leverages new OpenFlow data structures and table type patterns to build programmable quantum networks and to support quantum applications.

Learning surface molecular structures via machine vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziatdinov, Maxim; Maksov, Artem; Kalinin, Sergei V.

2017-08-01

Recent advances in high resolution scanning transmission electron and scanning probe microscopies have allowed researchers to perform measurements of materials structural parameters and functional properties in real space with a picometre precision. In many technologically relevant atomic and/or molecular systems, however, the information of interest is distributed spatially in a non-uniform manner and may have a complex multi-dimensional nature. One of the critical issues, therefore, lies in being able to accurately identify (`read out') all the individual building blocks in different atomic/molecular architectures, as well as more complex patterns that these blocks may form, on a scale of hundreds and thousands of individual atomic/molecular units. Here we employ machine vision to read and recognize complex molecular assemblies on surfaces. Specifically, we combine Markov random field model and convolutional neural networks to classify structural and rotational states of all individual building blocks in molecular assembly on the metallic surface visualized in high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy measurements. We show how the obtained full decoding of the system allows us to directly construct a pair density function—a centerpiece in analysis of disorder-property relationship paradigm—as well as to analyze spatial correlations between multiple order parameters at the nanoscale, and elucidate reaction pathway involving molecular conformation changes. The method represents a significant shift in our way of analyzing atomic and/or molecular resolved microscopic images and can be applied to variety of other microscopic measurements of structural, electronic, and magnetic orders in different condensed matter systems.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jadav, Mudra; Patel, Rajesh, E-mail: rjp@mkbhavuni.edu.in, E-mail: rpat7@yahoo.co

Here we present a technique using magnetic nanofluid to induce bidispersed suspension of nonmagnetic particles to assemble into colloidal chain, triangle, rectangle, ring-flower configurations. By changing the amplitude and direction of the magnetic field, we could tune the structure of nonmagnetic particles in magnetic nanofluid. The structures are assembled using magneto static interactions between effectively nonmagnetic particles dispersed in magnetizable magnetic nanofluid. The assembly of complex structures out of simple colloidal building blocks is of practical interest in photonic crystals and DNA biosensors.

Crystal structure and magnetic properties of a copper(II)-octacyanotungstate(V) bimetallic complex coordinated with macrocyclic ligand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Ai-Hua; Liu, Wen-Yan; Zhou, Hu.; Chen, Ying-Ying; Shen, Xiao-Ping

2009-02-01

A new cyanide-bridged heterobimetallic assembly based on octacyanotungstate(V) as building block, {[Cu II(L)] 3[W V(CN) 8] 2}·[Cu II(L)·2H 2O]·(ClO 4) 2·4H 2O 1 (L = 3,10-dipropyl-1,3,5,8,10,12-hexaazacyclotetradecane), has been prepared and characterized. X-ray single-crystal analysis reveals that 1 displays a two-dimensional structure with corrugated sheets, in which the 12-membered rings are the basic building units. Magnetic studies reveal that 1 displays a ferromagnetic interaction between Cu II and W V through cyano bridges.

Using iMCFA to Perform the CFA, Multilevel CFA, and Maximum Model for Analyzing Complex Survey Data.

PubMed

Wu, Jiun-Yu; Lee, Yuan-Hsuan; Lin, John J H

2018-01-01

To construct CFA, MCFA, and maximum MCFA with LISREL v.8 and below, we provide iMCFA (integrated Multilevel Confirmatory Analysis) to examine the potential multilevel factorial structure in the complex survey data. Modeling multilevel structure for complex survey data is complicated because building a multilevel model is not an infallible statistical strategy unless the hypothesized model is close to the real data structure. Methodologists have suggested using different modeling techniques to investigate potential multilevel structure of survey data. Using iMCFA, researchers can visually set the between- and within-level factorial structure to fit MCFA, CFA and/or MAX MCFA models for complex survey data. iMCFA can then yield between- and within-level variance-covariance matrices, calculate intraclass correlations, perform the analyses and generate the outputs for respective models. The summary of the analytical outputs from LISREL is gathered and tabulated for further model comparison and interpretation. iMCFA also provides LISREL syntax of different models for researchers' future use. An empirical and a simulated multilevel dataset with complex and simple structures in the within or between level was used to illustrate the usability and the effectiveness of the iMCFA procedure on analyzing complex survey data. The analytic results of iMCFA using Muthen's limited information estimator were compared with those of Mplus using Full Information Maximum Likelihood regarding the effectiveness of different estimation methods.

Ligand design for multidimensional magnetic materials: a metallosupramolecular perspective.

PubMed

Pardo, Emilio; Ruiz-García, Rafael; Cano, Joan; Ottenwaelder, Xavier; Lescouëzec, Rodrigue; Journaux, Yves; Lloret, Francesc; Julve, Miguel

2008-06-07

The aim and scope of this review is to show the general validity of the 'complex-as-ligand' approach for the rational design of metallosupramolecular assemblies of increasing structural and magnetic complexity. This is illustrated herein on the basis of our recent studies on oxamato complexes with transition metal ions looking for the limits of the research avenue opened by Kahn's pioneering research twenty years ago. The use as building blocks of mono-, di- and trinuclear metal complexes with a novel family of aromatic polyoxamato ligands allowed us to move further in the coordination chemistry-based approach to high-nuclearity coordination compounds and high-dimensionality coordination polymers. In order to do so, we have taken advantage of the new developments of metallosupramolecular chemistry and in particular, of the molecular-programmed self-assembly methods that exploit the coordination preferences of metal ions and specifically tailored ligands. The judicious choice of the oxamato metal building block (substitution pattern and steric requirements of the bridging ligand, as well as the electronic configuration and magnetic anisotropy of the metal ion) allowed us to control the overall structure and magnetic properties of the final multidimensional nD products (n = 0-3). These species exhibit interesting magnetic properties which are brand-new targets in the field of molecular magnetism, such as single-molecule or single-chain magnets, and the well-known class of molecule-based magnets. This unique family of molecule-based magnetic materials expands on the reported examples of nD species with cyanide and related oxalato and dithiooxalato analogues. Moreover, the development of new oxamato metal building blocks with potential photo or redox activity at the aromatic ligand counterpart will provide us with addressable, multifunctional molecular materials for future applications in molecular electronics and nanotechnology.

Ethical considerations for a better collaboration between architects and structural engineers: design of buildings with reinforced concrete frame systems in earthquake zones.

PubMed

Hurol, Yonca

2014-06-01

Architects design building structures, although structural design is the profession of structural engineers. Thus, it is better for architects and structural engineers to collaborate starting from the initial phases of the architectural design. However, this is not very common because of the contradictory design processes and value systems held within the two professions. This article provides a platform upon which architects and structural engineers can resolve the value conflicts between them by analysing phases of the structural design of reinforced concrete frame systems in architecture, the criteria of the structural design for each phase and determining the conflicting values for each criterion. The results shown in the article demonstrate that the architectural design of structures is a complex process, which is based on contradictory values and value systems. Finally, the article suggests to architects and structural engineers to use Value Sensitive Design and to choose an appropriate team leader in order to resolve the unethical conflict between them and to avoid any unreasonable decision making.

Complex Networks - A Key to Understanding Brain Function

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sporns, Olaf

2008-01-23

The brain is a complex network of neurons, engaging in spontaneous and evoked activity that is thought to be the main substrate of mental life.  How this complex system works together to process information and generate coherent cognitive states, even consciousness, is not yet well understood.  In my talk I will review recent studies that have revealed characteristic structural and functional attributes of brain networks, and discuss efforts to build computational models of the brain that are informed by our growing knowledge of brain anatomy and physiology.

Complex Networks - A Key to Understanding Brain Function

ScienceCinema

Sporns, Olaf

2017-12-22

The brain is a complex network of neurons, engaging in spontaneous and evoked activity that is thought to be the main substrate of mental life.  How this complex system works together to process information and generate coherent cognitive states, even consciousness, is not yet well understood.  In my talk I will review recent studies that have revealed characteristic structural and functional attributes of brain networks, and discuss efforts to build computational models of the brain that are informed by our growing knowledge of brain anatomy and physiology.

KSC-2013-3237

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-08-09

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – As seen on Google Maps, the view from the top of the Fixed Service Structure at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The FSS, as the structure is known, is 285 feet high and overlooks the Rotating Service Structure that was rolled into place when a space shuttle was at the pad. The path taken by NASA's massive crawler-transporters that carried the shuttle stack 3 miles from Vehicle Assembly Building are also visible leading up to the launch pad. In the distance are seen the launch pads and support structures at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for the Atlas V, Delta IV and Falcon 9 rockets. Google precisely mapped the space center and some of its historical facilities for the company's map page. The work allows Internet users to see inside buildings at Kennedy as they were used during the space shuttle era. Photo credit: Google/Wendy Wang

Using music to study the evolution of cognitive mechanisms relevant to language.

PubMed

Patel, Aniruddh D

2017-02-01

This article argues that music can be used in cross-species research to study the evolution of cognitive mechanisms relevant to spoken language. This is because music and language share certain cognitive processing mechanisms and because music offers specific advantages for cross-species research. Music has relatively simple building blocks (tones without semantic properties), yet these building blocks are combined into rich hierarchical structures that engage complex cognitive processing. I illustrate this point with regard to the processing of musical harmonic structure. Because the processing of musical harmonic structure has been shown to interact with linguistic syntactic processing in humans, it is of interest to know if other species can acquire implicit knowledge of harmonic structure through extended exposure to music during development (vs. through explicit training). I suggest that domestic dogs would be a good species to study in addressing this question.

MAIN software for density averaging, model building, structure refinement and validation

PubMed Central

Turk, Dušan

2013-01-01

MAIN is software that has been designed to interactively perform the complex tasks of macromolecular crystal structure determination and validation. Using MAIN, it is possible to perform density modification, manual and semi-automated or automated model building and rebuilding, real- and reciprocal-space structure optimization and refinement, map calculations and various types of molecular structure validation. The prompt availability of various analytical tools and the immediate visualization of molecular and map objects allow a user to efficiently progress towards the completed refined structure. The extraordinary depth perception of molecular objects in three dimensions that is provided by MAIN is achieved by the clarity and contrast of colours and the smooth rotation of the displayed objects. MAIN allows simultaneous work on several molecular models and various crystal forms. The strength of MAIN lies in its manipulation of averaged density maps and molecular models when noncrystallographic symmetry (NCS) is present. Using MAIN, it is possible to optimize NCS parameters and envelopes and to refine the structure in single or multiple crystal forms. PMID:23897458

UAV-Based Photogrammetry and Integrated Technologies for Architectural Applications—Methodological Strategies for the After-Quake Survey of Vertical Structures in Mantua (Italy)

PubMed Central

Achille, Cristiana; Adami, Andrea; Chiarini, Silvia; Cremonesi, Stefano; Fassi, Francesco; Fregonese, Luigi; Taffurelli, Laura

2015-01-01

This paper examines the survey of tall buildings in an emergency context like in the case of post-seismic events. The after-earthquake survey has to guarantee time-savings, high precision and security during the operational stages. The main goal is to optimize the application of methodologies based on acquisition and automatic elaborations of photogrammetric data even with the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems in order to provide fast and low cost operations. The suggested methods integrate new technologies with commonly used technologies like TLS and topographic acquisition. The value of the photogrammetric application is demonstrated by a test case, based on the comparison of acquisition, calibration and 3D modeling results in case of use of a laser scanner, metric camera and amateur reflex camera. The test would help us to demonstrate the efficiency of image based methods in the acquisition of complex architecture. The case study is Santa Barbara Bell tower in Mantua. The applied survey solution allows a complete 3D database of the complex architectural structure to be obtained for the extraction of all the information needed for significant intervention. This demonstrates the applicability of the photogrammetry using UAV for the survey of vertical structures, complex buildings and difficult accessible architectural parts, providing high precision results. PMID:26134108

Crystal structures and magnetic properties of chiral heterobimetallic chains based on the dicyanoruthenate building block.

PubMed

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

2014-12-28

By the reaction of chiral Mn(III) Schiff-base complexes with the dicyanoruthenate building block, [Ru(salen)(CN)2](-) (salen(2-) = N,N'-ethylenebis(salicylideneimine) dianion), two couples of enantiomerically pure chiral cyano-bridged heterobimetallic one-dimensional (1D) chain complexes, [Mn((R,R)-salcy)Ru(salen)(CN)2]n (1-(RR)) and [Mn((S,S)-salcy)Ru(salen)(CN)2]n (1-(SS)) (Salcy = N,N'-(1,2-cyclohexanediylethylene)bis(salicylideneiminato) dianion), [Mn((R,R)-salphen)Ru(salen)(CN)2]n (2-(RR)) and [Mn((S,S)-salphen)Ru(salen)(CN)2]n (2-(SS)) (salphen = N,N'-(1,2-diphenylethylene)bis(salicylideneiminato) dianion), were synthesized and structurally characterized. Circular dichroism (CD) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra confirm the enantiomeric nature of the optically active complexes. Structural analyses reveal the formation of neutral cyano-bridged zigzag single chains in 1-(RR) and 1-(SS), and double chains in 2-(RR) and 2-(SS). Magnetic studies show that antiferromagnetic coupling is operative between Ru(III) and Mn(III) centers bridged by cyanide. Compounds 1-(RR) and 1-(SS) show metamagnetic behavior with a critical field of about 7.2 kOe at 1.9 K resulting from the intermolecular π∙∙∙π interactions. Additionally, magnetostructural correlation for some typical cyano-bridged heterobimetallic Ru(III)-Mn(III) compounds is discussed.

Principles of structure building in music, language and animal song.

PubMed

Rohrmeier, Martin; Zuidema, Willem; Wiggins, Geraint A; Scharff, Constance

2015-03-19

Human language, music and a variety of animal vocalizations constitute ways of sonic communication that exhibit remarkable structural complexity. While the complexities of language and possible parallels in animal communication have been discussed intensively, reflections on the complexity of music and animal song, and their comparisons, are underrepresented. In some ways, music and animal songs are more comparable to each other than to language as propositional semantics cannot be used as indicator of communicative success or wellformedness, and notions of grammaticality are less easily defined. This review brings together accounts of the principles of structure building in music and animal song. It relates them to corresponding models in formal language theory, the extended Chomsky hierarchy (CH), and their probabilistic counterparts. We further discuss common misunderstandings and shortcomings concerning the CH and suggest ways to move beyond. We discuss language, music and animal song in the context of their function and motivation and further integrate problems and issues that are less commonly addressed in the context of language, including continuous event spaces, features of sound and timbre, representation of temporality and interactions of multiple parallel feature streams. We discuss these aspects in the light of recent theoretical, cognitive, neuroscientific and modelling research in the domains of music, language and animal song. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

DFT modeling, UV-Vis and IR spectroscopic study of acetylacetone-modified zirconia sol-gel materials.

PubMed

Georgieva, Ivelina; Danchova, Nina; Gutzov, Stoyan; Trendafilova, Natasha

2012-06-01

Theoretical and spectroscopic studies of a series of monomeric and dimeric complexes formed through the modification of a zirconium butoxide precursor with acetylacetone and subsequent hydrolysis and/or condensation have been performed by applying DFT/B3LYP/6-31++G(d) and highly accurate RI-ADC(2) methods as well as IR and UV-Vis transmittance and diffuse reflectance spectroscopies. Based on DFT model calculations and simulated and experimental UV-Vis and IR spectra of all the studied structures, the most probable building units of the Zr(IV)-AcAc gel were predicted: the dimeric double hydroxo-bridged complex Zr(2)(AcAc)(2)(OH)(4)(OH)(2br) 9 and the monooxo-bridged complex Zr(2)(AcAc)(2)(OH)(4)O(br)·2H(2)O 12. In both structures, the two AcAc ligands are coordinated to one Zr atom. It was shown that building units 9 and 12 determine the photophysical and vibrational properties of the gel material. The observed UV-Vis and IR spectra of Zr(IV)-AcAc gel were interpreted and a relation between the spectroscopic and structural data was derived. The observed UV-Vis bands at 315 nm and 298/288 nm were assigned to partial ligand-metal transitions and to intra-/inter-AcAc ligand transitions, respectively.

UAV-Based Photogrammetry and Integrated Technologies for Architectural Applications--Methodological Strategies for the After-Quake Survey of Vertical Structures in Mantua (Italy).

PubMed

Achille, Cristiana; Adami, Andrea; Chiarini, Silvia; Cremonesi, Stefano; Fassi, Francesco; Fregonese, Luigi; Taffurelli, Laura

2015-06-30

This paper examines the survey of tall buildings in an emergency context like in the case of post-seismic events. The after-earthquake survey has to guarantee time-savings, high precision and security during the operational stages. The main goal is to optimize the application of methodologies based on acquisition and automatic elaborations of photogrammetric data even with the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems in order to provide fast and low cost operations. The suggested methods integrate new technologies with commonly used technologies like TLS and topographic acquisition. The value of the photogrammetric application is demonstrated by a test case, based on the comparison of acquisition, calibration and 3D modeling results in case of use of a laser scanner, metric camera and amateur reflex camera. The test would help us to demonstrate the efficiency of image based methods in the acquisition of complex architecture. The case study is Santa Barbara Bell tower in Mantua. The applied survey solution allows a complete 3D database of the complex architectural structure to be obtained for the extraction of all the information needed for significant intervention. This demonstrates the applicability of the photogrammetry using UAV for the survey of vertical structures, complex buildings and difficult accessible architectural parts, providing high precision results.

What Is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koehler, Mathew J.; Mishra, Punya; Cain, William

2013-01-01

This paper describes TPACK, technological pedagogical content knowledge (originally TPCK), a teacher knowledge framework for technology integration that builds on Lee S. Shulman's construct of pedagogical content knowledge to include technology knowledge. The paper begins with a brief introduction to the complex, ill-structured nature of teaching.…

1. GENERAL VIEW OF LAUNCH PAD A WITH MOBILE SERVICE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. GENERAL VIEW OF LAUNCH PAD A WITH MOBILE SERVICE STRUCTURE IN LOCKED POSITION OVER LAUNCHER BUILDING AND RETENTION POND AT RIGHT; VIEW TO NORTHWEST. - Cape Canaveral Air Station, Launch Complex 17, Facility 28501, East end of Lighthouse Road, Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, FL

Endophilin-A1 BAR domain interaction with arachidonyl CoA.

PubMed

Petoukhov, Maxim V; Weissenhorn, Winfried; Svergun, Dmitri I

2014-01-01

Endophilin-A1 belongs to the family of BAR domain containing proteins that catalyze membrane remodeling processes via sensing, inducing and stabilizing membrane curvature. We show that the BAR domain of endophilin-A1 binds arachidonic acid and molds its coenzyme A (CoA) activated form, arachidonyl-CoA into a defined structure. We studied low resolution structures of endophilin-A1-BAR and its complex with arachidonyl-CoA in solution using synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The free endophilin-A1-BAR domain is shown to be dimeric at lower concentrations but builds tetramers and higher order complexes with increasing concentrations. Extensive titration SAXS studies revealed that the BAR domain produces a homogenous complex with the lipid micelles. The structural model of the complexes revealed two arachidonyl-CoA micelles bound to the distal arms of an endophilin-A1-BAR dimer. Intriguingly, the radius of the bound micelles significantly decreases compared to that of the free micelles, and this structural result may provide hints on the potential biological relevance of the endophilin-A1-BAR interaction with arachidonyl CoA.

Template-Based Modeling of Protein-RNA Interactions.

PubMed

Zheng, Jinfang; Kundrotas, Petras J; Vakser, Ilya A; Liu, Shiyong

2016-09-01

Protein-RNA complexes formed by specific recognition between RNA and RNA-binding proteins play an important role in biological processes. More than a thousand of such proteins in human are curated and many novel RNA-binding proteins are to be discovered. Due to limitations of experimental approaches, computational techniques are needed for characterization of protein-RNA interactions. Although much progress has been made, adequate methodologies reliably providing atomic resolution structural details are still lacking. Although protein-RNA free docking approaches proved to be useful, in general, the template-based approaches provide higher quality of predictions. Templates are key to building a high quality model. Sequence/structure relationships were studied based on a representative set of binary protein-RNA complexes from PDB. Several approaches were tested for pairwise target/template alignment. The analysis revealed a transition point between random and correct binding modes. The results showed that structural alignment is better than sequence alignment in identifying good templates, suitable for generating protein-RNA complexes close to the native structure, and outperforms free docking, successfully predicting complexes where the free docking fails, including cases of significant conformational change upon binding. A template-based protein-RNA interaction modeling protocol PRIME was developed and benchmarked on a representative set of complexes.

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

PubMed

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.

A series of Cadmium(II) complexes with 2-substituted terephthalate building block and N-Donor co-ligands: Structural diversity and fluorescence properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Yixia; Zhou, Shanhong; Wang, Zhixiang; Zhang, Meili; Wang, Jijiang; Cao, Jia

2017-11-01

Four new Cd(II) complexes have been prepared based on 1,2,4-trimellitic acid (H3tma) and monosodium 2-sulfoterephthalate (2-NaH2stp), formulated as [Cd2(Htma)2 (dpp)2(H2O)] (1), [Cd3 (tma)2 (2,4-bipy)4(H2O)2] (2), [Cd (2-Hstp) (2,2'-bipy)2]·2H2O (3) and [Cd (2-Hstp) (2,4-bipy) (H2O)2] (4) (dpp = dipyrido [3,2-a:2‧,3'-c] phenazine, 2,4-bipy = 2,4-bipyridine, 2,2'-bipy = 2,2'- bipyridine) by hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction structural analyses show all these complexes crystallized in triclinic crystal system of Pī space group, but their structures are diverse. Complex 1 exhibits an infinite one-dimensional chain featuring the left- and right-handed stranded chains interweaved each other. For 2, the two-dimensional network is constructed by one-dimensional ladder-like chain linked by Cd2 ions. In complex 3, the cadmium ion is surrounded with one 2-Hstp2- anion and two 2,2'-bipy molecules. Complex 4 is also a discrete structure based on a metallic dimer unit. In all these complexes, the N-donor co-ligands take the important roles in the assembly of three-dimensional supramolecular structures. The fluorescence properties of complexes 1-4 could be assigned to the π - π* transition of organic ligands.

Survey, Hbim and Conservation Plan of a Monumental Building Damaged by Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oreni, D.; Brumana, R.; Della Torre, S.; Banfi, F.

2017-05-01

Surveying a monumental building damaged by the earthquake means to analyse its geometries, the structural elements, the connection still exist between the different parts, in order to define its state of conservation, to make structural analysis and to plan a proper project of restoration, consolidation, seismic improvement or addition of new elements. The survey of structural geometry represents the first necessary moment of building' knowledge investigation, to be performed after the securing of the building by the Firefighters or Civil Protection. How and by which instruments the geometric analysis are conducted depends on many factors, not always exclusively on the will of the experts involved in the restoration project, but more often dictated by political, technical, social or economic needs. The accurate geometrical survey is referred as fundamental operation even by national Directive for evaluation and earthquake risk reduction of cultural heritage (GU n. 24 - 29/01/2008 and 2011 updates), which defines guidelines for preventive interventions on built heritage in order to make the structures less vulnerable in case of earthquake. Nowadays, the wide use of tools and accurate surveying techniques makes it possible to achieve an adequate level of accuracy of information related to the buildings, overcoming the difficulties due to accessibility of the damaged structures. The geometrical survey of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L'Aquila, was made by Politecnico di Milano starting from 2013, within the project "Ripartire da Collemaggio" (http://www.ungiornoacollemaggio.it/content/2027), financed by Eniservizi. The basilica, an important symbol for the community of L'Aquila, was gravely damaged by the earthquake of 6th April 2009. The objective of Eni was to turn the restoration of the building in a re-birth moment for all the community. The knowledge step was aimed to plan a restoration project able of returning the basilica to a safe and full use. In the two years knowledge investigation steps (geometric survey, historical and stratigraphic analysis, materials investigation, structures and soils examination, in situ tests and numerical elaborations) was involved an interdisciplinary group of researchers from various Italian universities, Politecnico di Milano, Università La Sapienza in Rome and the University of L'Aquila, called to provide a scientific advice to the Soprintendenza ai Beni Architettonici e Paesaggistici per l'Abruzzo, project manager of the restoration step. In early 2016 the yard of restoration was opened and it is still on-going. The geometrical survey of the basilica was aim to investigate, measure and represent the exact geometry of the damaged structures and their three-dimensional complexity; the survey was planned choosing the tools and methods most appropriate in relation with the accessibility and safety of the structures, the operating ranges of acquisition and the level of detail required by the analysis and the project. This meant to integrate global and local surveying techniques, in order to cross relate data derived by different tools and to make the graphical restitution of the entire monumental complex: topography, laser scanning, photogrammetry, but also hands on instruments, at a scale of representation from 1 : 1 to 1 : 50. The laser scanner survey, registered in the accurate geomatics network, responded to the need to punctually investigate and interpret the geometrical configuration of different spaces of the Basilica, as well as its structural articulation, enabling a series of horizontal and vertical profiles, as requested by various experts involved in the diagnostic steps. HBIM model (Historical Building Information Modeling) of the entire basilica was primarily intended as a tool for stereotomic description of the building and its parts, following the constructive logic of each structural element; then it was used as a support tool for the restoration simulation, project, management and yard. To perform the division of the building in its constructive elements, sometimes it has been used stratigraphic methodologies and instruments of analysis. The entirety of the geometric and structural complexity of the basilica, was guarantee using sophisticated 3D software and drawing complex entities, integrated and stored in the parametric BIM logic. This process has allowed to accurately and timely represent the geometry of the structural elements, of the areas characterized by crushing, empties, variations of the masonry sections and out of plumbs. It is on the pillars of the nave that was focused the attention of survey: the will to preserve as much as possible the existing structures, in their material authenticity, required a careful analysis of each individual stone element of each pillar, investigated in its geometry, texture and state of conservation. The aim of the project was to ward a complete replacement of the pillars, preferring instead a removing and replacing intervention of only of the stone ashlars completely deteriorated and no longer recoverable, considering the question of structural safety as fundamental. The HBIM of the basilica had the primary function of connecting into one virtual space all the available data; that model has also been made as a tool for managing the restoration yard, supporting the computation of stone to buy, quarry and grossly slot, saving time on site. Different and complementary skills were used in every knowledge and restoration steps; the accurate analysis of the structures made it possible to plan a consolidation and restoration project as close as possible to the structural conception of the existing building, adding only the new structural elements necessary to increase the resistance and to guarantee the safety of the structures, also in case of new earthquake. The Italian Codice dei Beni culturali e del paesaggio (DL n.42/2004), at paragraph 4 of art. 29, states that the restoration includes structural improvements. For the restoration of Collemaggio the solutions chosen were the ones able to be more effective and, at the same time, less invasive, more respectful as possible of the sacredness of the architecture, its highest historical significance, the authenticity of the material and its cultural significance. The main principles and criteria of restoration were: maximum correspondence of conservation doctrine, with a focus on improving the structural characteristics compared to the seismic risk; exemplarity of the management practices of the restoration process; exemplarity of innovative techniques; transparency of all processes and accurate communication of cultural and scientific content. Despite of some inevitable compromises, the detailed knowledge of the building allowed to design punctual interventions, inserting new structures where the oldest were collapsed and consolidating damaged elements, in order to improve the global safety of the building but without modifying substantially the structural conception of the stratified basilica.

Examining the impact of lahars on buildings using numerical modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mead, Stuart R.; Magill, Christina; Lemiale, Vincent; Thouret, Jean-Claude; Prakash, Mahesh

2017-05-01

Lahars are volcanic flows containing a mixture of fluid and sediment which have the potential to cause significant damage to buildings, critical infrastructure and human life. The extent of this damage is controlled by properties of the lahar, location of elements at risk and susceptibility of these elements to the lahar. Here we focus on understanding lahar-induced building damage. Quantification of building damage can be difficult due to the complexity of lahar behaviour (hazard), varying number and type of buildings exposed to the lahar (exposure) and the uncertain susceptibility of buildings to lahar impacts (vulnerability). In this paper, we quantify and examine the importance of lahar hazard, exposure and vulnerability in determining building damage with reference to a case study in the city of Arequipa, Peru. Numerical modelling is used to investigate lahar properties that are important in determining the inundation area and forces applied to buildings. Building vulnerability is quantified through the development of critical depth-pressure curves based on the ultimate bending moment of masonry structures. In the case study area, results suggest that building strength plays a minor role in determining overall building losses in comparison to the effects of building exposure and hydraulic characteristics of the lahar.

Nestly--a framework for running software with nested parameter choices and aggregating results.

PubMed

McCoy, Connor O; Gallagher, Aaron; Hoffman, Noah G; Matsen, Frederick A

2013-02-01

The execution of a software application or pipeline using various combinations of parameters and inputs is a common task in bioinformatics. In the absence of a specialized tool to organize, streamline and formalize this process, scientists must write frequently complex scripts to perform these tasks. We present nestly, a Python package to facilitate running tools with nested combinations of parameters and inputs. nestly provides three components. First, a module to build nested directory structures corresponding to choices of parameters. Second, the nestrun script to run a given command using each set of parameter choices. Third, the nestagg script to aggregate results of the individual runs into a CSV file, as well as support for more complex aggregation. We also include a module for easily specifying nested dependencies for the SCons build tool, enabling incremental builds. Source, documentation and tutorial examples are available at http://github.com/fhcrc/nestly. nestly can be installed from the Python Package Index via pip; it is open source (MIT license).

Building bridges between cellular and molecular structural biology.

PubMed

Patwardhan, Ardan; Brandt, Robert; Butcher, Sarah J; Collinson, Lucy; Gault, David; Grünewald, Kay; Hecksel, Corey; Huiskonen, Juha T; Iudin, Andrii; Jones, Martin L; Korir, Paul K; Koster, Abraham J; Lagerstedt, Ingvar; Lawson, Catherine L; Mastronarde, David; McCormick, Matthew; Parkinson, Helen; Rosenthal, Peter B; Saalfeld, Stephan; Saibil, Helen R; Sarntivijai, Sirarat; Solanes Valero, Irene; Subramaniam, Sriram; Swedlow, Jason R; Tudose, Ilinca; Winn, Martyn; Kleywegt, Gerard J

2017-07-06

The integration of cellular and molecular structural data is key to understanding the function of macromolecular assemblies and complexes in their in vivo context. Here we report on the outcomes of a workshop that discussed how to integrate structural data from a range of public archives. The workshop identified two main priorities: the development of tools and file formats to support segmentation (that is, the decomposition of a three-dimensional volume into regions that can be associated with defined objects), and the development of tools to support the annotation of biological structures.

Microfluidic neurite guidance to study structure-function relationships in topologically-complex population-based neural networks.

PubMed

Honegger, Thibault; Thielen, Moritz I; Feizi, Soheil; Sanjana, Neville E; Voldman, Joel

2016-06-22

The central nervous system is a dense, layered, 3D interconnected network of populations of neurons, and thus recapitulating that complexity for in vitro CNS models requires methods that can create defined topologically-complex neuronal networks. Several three-dimensional patterning approaches have been developed but none have demonstrated the ability to control the connections between populations of neurons. Here we report a method using AC electrokinetic forces that can guide, accelerate, slow down and push up neurites in un-modified collagen scaffolds. We present a means to create in vitro neural networks of arbitrary complexity by using such forces to create 3D intersections of primary neuronal populations that are plated in a 2D plane. We report for the first time in vitro basic brain motifs that have been previously observed in vivo and show that their functional network is highly decorrelated to their structure. This platform can provide building blocks to reproduce in vitro the complexity of neural circuits and provide a minimalistic environment to study the structure-function relationship of the brain circuitry.

Microfluidic neurite guidance to study structure-function relationships in topologically-complex population-based neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honegger, Thibault; Thielen, Moritz I.; Feizi, Soheil; Sanjana, Neville E.; Voldman, Joel

2016-06-01

The central nervous system is a dense, layered, 3D interconnected network of populations of neurons, and thus recapitulating that complexity for in vitro CNS models requires methods that can create defined topologically-complex neuronal networks. Several three-dimensional patterning approaches have been developed but none have demonstrated the ability to control the connections between populations of neurons. Here we report a method using AC electrokinetic forces that can guide, accelerate, slow down and push up neurites in un-modified collagen scaffolds. We present a means to create in vitro neural networks of arbitrary complexity by using such forces to create 3D intersections of primary neuronal populations that are plated in a 2D plane. We report for the first time in vitro basic brain motifs that have been previously observed in vivo and show that their functional network is highly decorrelated to their structure. This platform can provide building blocks to reproduce in vitro the complexity of neural circuits and provide a minimalistic environment to study the structure-function relationship of the brain circuitry.

Gaseous Elemental Mercury and Total and Leached Mercury in Building Materials from the Former Hg-Mining Area of Abbadia San Salvatore (Central Italy).

PubMed

Vaselli, Orlando; Nisi, Barbara; Rappuoli, Daniele; Cabassi, Jacopo; Tassi, Franco

2017-04-15

Mercury has a strong environmental impact since both its organic and inorganic forms are toxic, and it represents a pollutant of global concern. Liquid Hg is highly volatile and can be released during natural and anthropogenic processes in the hydrosphere, biosphere and atmosphere. In this study, the distribution of Gaseous Elemental Mercury (GEM) and the total and leached mercury concentrations on paint, plaster, roof tiles, concrete, metals, dust and wood structures were determined in the main buildings and structures of the former Hg-mining area of Abbadia San Salvatore (Siena, Central Italy). The mining complex (divided into seven units) covers a surface of about 65 ha and contains mining structures and managers' and workers' buildings. Nine surveys of GEM measurements were carried out from July 2011 to August 2015 for the buildings and structures located in Units 2, 3 and 6, the latter being the area where liquid mercury was produced. Measurements were also performed in February, April, July, September and December 2016 in the edifices and mining structures of Unit 6. GEM concentrations showed a strong variability in time and space mostly depending on ambient temperature and the operational activities that were carried out in each building. The Unit 2 surveys carried out in the hotter period (from June to September) showed GEM concentrations up to 27,500 ng·m -3 , while in Unit 6, they were on average much higher, and occasionally, they saturated the GEM measurement device (>50,000 ng·m -3 ). Concentrations of total (in mg·kg -1 ) and leached (in μg·L -1 ) mercury measured in different building materials (up to 46,580 mg·kg -1 and 4470 mg·L -1 , respectively) were highly variable, being related to the edifice or mining structure from which they were collected. The results obtained in this study are of relevant interest for operational cleanings to be carried out during reclamation activities.

The quality estimation of exterior wall’s and window filling’s construction design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saltykov, Ivan; Bovsunovskaya, Maria

2017-10-01

The article reveals the term of “artificial envelope” in dwelling building. Authors offer a complex multifactorial approach to the design quality estimation of external fencing structures, which is based on various parameters impact. These referred parameters are: functional, exploitation, cost, and also, the environmental index is among them. The quality design index Qк is inputting for the complex characteristic of observed above parameters. The mathematical relation of this index from these parameters is the target function for the quality design estimation. For instance, the article shows the search of optimal variant for wall and window designs in small, middle and large square dwelling premises of economic class buildings. The graphs of target function single parameters are expressed for the three types of residual chamber’s dimensions. As a result of the showing example, there is a choice of window opening’s dimensions, which make the wall’s and window’s constructions properly correspondent to the producible complex requirements. The authors reveal the comparison of recommended window filling’s square in accordance with the building standards, and the square, due to the finding of the optimal variant of the design quality index. The multifactorial approach for optimal design searching, which is mentioned in this article, can be used in consideration of various construction elements of dwelling buildings in accounting of suitable climate, social and economic construction area features.

Recorded seismic response of Pacific Park Plaza. II. System identification

USGS Publications Warehouse

Safak, F.; Celebi, M.

1992-01-01

This is the second of two companion papers on the recorded seismic response of the Pacific Park Plaza building, in Emeryville, Calif., during the October 17, 1989, Ms = 7.1 (surface-wave magnitude) Loma Prieta earthquake. In this second part, the recorded data are analyzed in more detail by using system-identification techniques. The three-dimensional behavior and the coupled modes of the building are determined, and the effects of soil-structure interaction are investigated. The study shows that the response of the building is nonlinear at the beginning, and becomes linear after 17 sec into the earthquake. The dominant motion of the building follows an elliptical path oriented in the southeast-northwest direction. Some of the modes are complex, with nonproportional damping, and there are phase differences among modal response components. The fundamental mode of the building is a translation in the southeast-northwest direction at 0.4 Hz, with 13% damping. The wing displacements relative to the center core are large, about 50% of the center core displacements, and indicate significant torsion in the center core. The soil-structure interaction is characterized by a vibration at 0.7 Hz. This is believed to be the fundamental frequency of the surrounding soil medium. The rocking motions of the building are negligible.

Method for VAWT Placement on a Complex Building Structure

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

85 APPENDIX C: ANSYS CFX SPECIFICAITONS FOR WIND FLOW ANALYSIS .....87 APPENDIX D: SINGLE ROTOR ANALYSIS ANSYS CFX MESH DETAILS...89 APPENDIX E: SINGLE ROTOR ANALYSIS, ANSYS CFX SPECIFICS .....................91 APPENDIX F: DETAILED RESULTS OF SINGLE ROTOR...101 APPENDIX I: DUAL ROTOR ANALYSIS- ANSYS CFX SPECIFICATIONS (6 BLADED VAWTS

75 FR 51813 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-23

... information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control... Complex Structured Finance Transactions (OMB No. 3064-0148). No comments were received. Therefore, the... Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503. FOR...

Equitable Mathematics Teaching and Learning in Practice: Exploring Students' Negotiations of Identity and Power

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harper, Frances Kay

2017-01-01

This dissertation builds on and extends research on the relationship between equity-minded mathematics teaching, specifically teaching mathematics for social justice, complex instruction, and project-based learning, and students' learning and identity development. Although different in their structures and strategies, equity-minded mathematics…

Building Enterprise Transition Plans Through the Development of Collapsing Design Structure Matrices

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-17

processes from the earliest input to the final output to evaluate where change is needed to reduce costs, reduce waste, and improve the flow of information...from) integrating a large complex enterprise? • How should firms/enterprises evaluate systems prior to integration? What are some valid taxonomies

VIEW OF TANK (BLDG. 1929) AND GARAGE (BLDG. 1930). SHOP ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

VIEW OF TANK (BLDG. 1929) AND GARAGE (BLDG. 1930). SHOP (BUILDING 1928) IS THE LARGER STRUCTURE IN THE BACKGROUND. Looking southeast - Edwards Air Force Base, X-15 Engine Test Complex, Tank & Garage, Rogers Dry Lake, east of Runway between North Base & South Base, Boron, Kern County, CA

Opening the World of Mathematics: The Daily Math Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donoahue, Zoe

2016-01-01

During the author's everyday math discussions with her class, young children talk about mathematical ideas, theories, and concepts within a predictable structure. These discussions include many concepts from--and beyond--the first-grade math curriculum, and their depth and complexity build throughout the school year. Concepts and skills include…

When ICT Meets Schools: Differentiation, Complexity and Adaptability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tubin, Dorit

2007-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the interaction between information communication technology (ICT) and the school's organizational structure, and propose an analytical model based both on Luhmann's system theory and empirical findings. Design/methodology/approach: The approach of building a theory from a case study research along…

EXAMPLE APPLICATION OF CFD SIMULATIONS FOR SHORT-RANGE ATMOSPHERIC DISPERSION OVER THE OPEN FIELDS OF PROJECT PRAIRIE GRASS

EPA Science Inventory

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques are increasingly being applied to air quality modeling of short-range dispersion, especially the flow and dispersion around buildings and other geometrically complex structures. The proper application and accuracy of such CFD techniqu...

Integration of Infrared Thermography and Photogrammetric Surveying of Built Landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scaioni, M.; Rosina, E.; L'Erario, A.; Dìaz-Vilariño, L.

2017-05-01

The thermal analysis of buildings represents a key-step for reduction of energy consumption, also in the case of Cultural Heritage. Here the complexity of the constructions and the adopted materials might require special analysis and tailored solutions. Infrared Thermography (IRT) is an important non-destructive investigation technique that may aid in the thermal analysis of buildings. The paper reports the application of IRT on a listed building, belonging to the Cultural Heritage and to a residential one, as a demonstration that IRT is a suitable and convenient tool for analysing the existing buildings. The purposes of the analysis are the assessment of the damages and energy efficiency of the building envelope. Since in many cases the complex geometry of historic constructions may involve the thermal analysis, the integration of IRT and accurate 3D models were developed during the latest years. Here authors propose a solution based on the up-to-date photogrammetric solutions for purely image-based 3D modelling, including automatic image orientation/sensor calibration using Structure-from-Motion and dense matching. Thus, an almost fully automatic pipeline for the generation of accurate 3D models showing the temperatures on a building skin in a realistic manner is described, where the only manual task is given by the measurement of a few common points for co-registration of RGB and IR photogrammetric projects.

Research on spatial economic structure for different economic sectors from a perspective of a complex network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Sen; Yang, Hualei; Cai, Boliang; Yang, Chunxia

2013-09-01

The economy system is a complex system, and the complex network is a powerful tool to study its complexity. Here we calculate the economic distance matrices based on annual GDP of nine economic sectors from 1995-2010 in 31 Chinese provinces and autonomous regions,1 then build several spatial economic networks through the threshold method and the Minimal Spanning Tree method. After the analysis on the structure of the networks and the influence of geographic distance, some conclusions are drawn. First, connectivity distribution of a spatial economic network does not follow the power law. Second, according to the network structure, nine economic sectors could be divided into two groups, and there is significant discrepancy of network structure between these two groups. Moreover, the influence of the geographic distance plays an important role on the structure of a spatial economic network, network parameters are changed with the influence of the geographic distance. At last, 2000 km is the critical value for geographic distance: for real estate and finance, the spearman’s rho with l<2000 is bigger than that with l>2000, and the case is opposite for other economic sectors.

Fullerene Derived Molecular Electronic Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menon, Madhu; Srivastava, Deepak; Saini, Subbash

1998-01-01

The carbon Nanotube junctions have recently emerged as excellent candidates for use as the building blocks in the formation of nanoscale electronic devices. While the simple joint of two dissimilar tubes can be generated by the introduction of a pair of heptagon-pentagon defects in an otherwise perfect hexagonal grapheme sheet, more complex joints require other mechanisms. In this work we explore structural and electronic properties of complex 3-point junctions of carbon nanotubes using a generalized tight-binding molecular-dynamics scheme.

Building Technological Capability within Satellite Programs in Developing Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, Danielle Renee

Global participation in space activity is growing as satellite technology matures and spreads. Countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America are creating or reinvigorating national satellite programs. These countries are building local capability in space through technological learning. They sometimes pursue this via collaborative satellite development projects with foreign firms that provide training. This phenomenon of collaborative satellite development projects is poorly understood by researchers of technological learning and technology transfer. The approach has potential to facilitate learning, but there are also challenges due to misaligned incentives and the tacit nature of the technology. Perspectives from literature on Technological Learning, Technology Transfer, Complex Product Systems and Product Delivery provide useful but incomplete insight for decision makers in such projects. This work seeks a deeper understanding of capability building through collaborative technology projects by conceiving of the projects as complex, socio-technical systems with architectures. The architecture of a system is the assignment of form to execute a function along a series of dimensions. The research questions explore the architecture of collaborative satellite projects, the nature of capability building during such projects, and the relationship between architecture and capability building. The research design uses inductive, exploratory case studies to investigate six collaborative satellite development projects. Data collection harnesses international field work driven by interviews, observation, and documents. The data analysis develops structured narratives, architectural comparison and capability building assessment. The architectural comparison reveals substantial variation in project implementation, especially in the areas of project initiation, technical specifications of the satellite, training approaches and the supplier selection process. The individual capability building assessment shows that most trainee engineers gradually progressed from no experience with satellites through theoretical training to supervised experience; a minority achieved independent experience. At the organizational level, the emerging space organizations achieved high levels of autonomy in project definition and satellite operation, but they were dependent on foreign firms for satellite design, manufacture, test and launch. The case studies can be summarized by three archetypal projects defined as "Politically Pushed," "Structured," and "Risk Taking." Countries in the case studies tended to start in a Politically Pushed mode, and then moved into either Structured or Risk Taking mode. Decision makers in emerging satellite programs can use the results of this dissertation to consider the broad set of architectural options for capability building. Future work will continue to probe how specific architectural decisions impact capability building outcomes in satellite projects and other technologies. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, libraries.mit.edu/docs - docs@mit.edu)

Accuracy Assessment in Determining the Location of Corners of Building Structures Using a Combination of Various Measurement Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krzyżek, Robert; Przewięźlikowska, Anna

2017-12-01

When surveys of corners of building structures are carried out, surveyors frequently use a compilation of two surveying methods. The first one involves the determination of several corners with reference to a geodetic control using classical methods of surveying field details. The second method relates to the remaining corner points of a structure, which are determined in sequence from distance-distance intersection, using control linear values of the wall faces of the building, the so-called tie distances. This paper assesses the accuracy of coordinates of corner points of a building structure, determined using the method of distance-distance intersection, based on the corners which had previously been determined by the conducted surveys tied to a geodetic control. It should be noted, however, that such a method of surveying the corners of building structures from linear measures is based on the details of the first-order accuracy, while the regulations explicitly allow such measurement only for the details of the second- and third-order accuracy. Therefore, a question arises whether this legal provision is unfounded, or whether surveyors are acting not only against the applicable standards but also without due diligence while performing surveys? This study provides answers to the formulated problem. The main purpose of the study was to verify whether the actual method which is used in practice for surveying building structures allows to obtain the required accuracy of coordinates of the points being determined, or whether it should be strictly forbidden. The results of the conducted studies clearly demonstrate that the problem is definitely more complex. Eventually, however, it might be assumed that assessment of the accuracy in determining a location of corners of a building using a combination of two different surveying methods will meet the requirements of the regulation [MIA, 2011), subject to compliance with relevant baseline criteria, which have been presented in this study. Observance of the proposed boundary conditions would allow for frequent performance of surveys of building structures by surveyors (from tie distances), while maintaining the applicable accuracy criteria. This would allow for the inclusion of surveying documentation into the national geodetic and cartographic documentation center database pursuant to the legal bases.

Kinematical simulation of robotic complex operation for implementing full-scale additive technologies of high-end materials, composites, structures, and buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antsiferov, S. I.; Eltsov, M. Iu; Khakhalev, P. A.

2018-03-01

This paper considers a newly designed electronic digital model of a robotic complex for implementing full-scale additive technologies, funded under a Federal Target Program. The electronic and digital model was used to solve the problem of simulating the movement of a robotic complex using the NX CAD/CAM/CAE system. The virtual mechanism was built and the main assemblies, joints, and drives were identified as part of solving the problem. In addition, the maximum allowed printable area size was identified for the robotic complex, and a simulation of printing a rectangular-shaped article was carried out.

A new approach to flood vulnerability assessment for historic buildings in England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephenson, V.; D'Ayala, D.

2014-05-01

The recent increase in frequency and severity of flooding in the UK has led to a shift in the perception of risk associated with flood hazards. This has extended to the conservation community, and the risks posed to historic structures that suffer from flooding are particularly concerning for those charged with preserving and maintaining such buildings. In order to fully appraise the risks in a manner appropriate to the complex issue of preservation, a new methodology is presented here that studies the nature of the vulnerability of such structures, and places it in the context of risk assessment, accounting for the vulnerable object and the subsequent exposure of that object to flood hazards. The testing of the methodology is carried out using three urban case studies and the results of the survey analysis provide guidance on the development of fragility curves for historic structures exposed to flooding. This occurs through appraisal of vulnerability indicators related to building form, structural and fabric integrity, and preservation of architectural and archaeological values. Key findings of the work include determining the applicability of these indicators to fragility analysis, and the determination of the relative vulnerability of the three case study sites.

A new approach to flood loss estimation and vulnerability assessment for historic buildings in England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephenson, V.; D'Ayala, D.

2013-10-01

The recent increase in frequency and severity of flooding in the UK has led to a shift in the perception of risk associated with flood hazards. This has extended to the conservation community, and the risks posed to historic structures that suffer from flooding are particularly concerning for those charged with preserving and maintaining such buildings. In order to fully appraise the risks in a manner appropriate to the complex issue of preservation, a new methodology is proposed that studies the nature of vulnerability of such structures, and places it in the context of risk assessment, accounting for the vulnerable object and the subsequent exposure of that object to flood hazards. The testing of the methodology is carried out using three urban case studies and the results of the survey analysis provide key findings and guidance on the development of fragility curves for historic structures exposed to flooding. This occurs through appraisal of key vulnerability indicators related to building form, structural and fabric integrity, and preservation of architectural and archaeological values. This in turn facilitates the production of strategies for mitigating and managing the losses threatened by such extreme climate events.

DART Support for Hurricane Matthew

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-18

Hurricane Matthew tore away a section of wall on a support building in the Launch Complex 39 area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Assessments and repairs are in progress at various structures and facilities across the spaceport, part of the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Matthew, which passed to the east of Kennedy on Oct. 6 and 7, 2016. The center received some isolated roof damage, damaged support buildings, a few downed power lines, and limited water intrusion. Beach erosion also occurred, although the storm surge was less than expected.

DART Support for Hurricane Matthew

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-18

A broken window caused by Hurricane Matthew is seen inside a support building in the Launch Complex 39 area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Assessments and repairs are in progress at various structures and facilities across the spaceport, part of the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Matthew, which passed to the east of Kennedy on Oct. 6 and 7, 2016. The center received some isolated roof damage, damaged support buildings, a few downed power lines, and limited water intrusion. Beach erosion also occurred, although the storm surge was less than expected.

DART Support for Hurricane Matthew

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-18

Siding damage caused by Hurricane Matthew is seen inside a support building in the Launch Complex 39 area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Assessments and repairs are in progress at various structures and facilities across the spaceport, part of the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Matthew, which passed to the east of Kennedy on Oct. 6 and 7, 2016. The center received some isolated roof damage, damaged support buildings, a few downed power lines, and limited water intrusion. Beach erosion also occurred, although the storm surge was less than expected.

Automatic Generation of Issue Maps: Structured, Interactive Outputs for Complex Information Needs

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

much can result in behaviour similar to the shortest-path chains. 24 Ronald Goldman Neil Lewis Judge Lance Ito 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 jury...Connecting the Dots has also been explored in non-textual domains. The authors of [ Heath et al., 2010] propose building graphs, called Image Webs, to...could imagine a metro map summarizing a dataset of medical records. 2. Images: In [ Heath et al., 2010], Heath et al build graphs called Image Webs to rep

DART Support for Hurricane Matthew

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-26

Following Hurricane Matthew, repairs have been made to the roof of the Operations Support Building (OSB) II in the Launch Complex 39 area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Assessments and repairs continue on various structures and facilities across the spaceport, part of the ongoing recovery from the storm, which passed to the east of Kennedy on Oct. 6 and 7, 2016. The center received some isolated roof damage, damaged support buildings, a few downed power lines, and limited water intrusion. Beach erosion also occurred, although the storm surge was less than expected.

DART Support for Hurricane Matthew

NASA Image and Video Library

2016-10-18

Ceiling and furniture damage caused by Hurricane Matthew is seen inside a support building in the Launch Complex 39 area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Assessments and repairs are in progress at various structures and facilities across the spaceport, part of the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Matthew, which passed to the east of Kennedy on Oct. 6 and 7, 2016. The center received some isolated roof damage, damaged support buildings, a few downed power lines, and limited water intrusion. Beach erosion also occurred, although the storm surge was less than expected.

Wind Tunnel Complex at the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory

NASA Image and Video Library

1945-09-21

This aerial photograph shows the entire original wind tunnel complex at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory. The large Altitude Wind Tunnel (AWT) at the center of the photograph dominates the area. The Icing Research Tunnel to the right was incorporated into the lab’s design to take advantage of the AWT’s powerful infrastructure. The laboratory’s first supersonic wind tunnel was added to this complex just prior to this September 1945 photograph. The AWT was the nation’s only wind tunnel capable of studying full-scale engines in simulated flight conditions. The AWT’s test section and control room were within the two-story building near the top of the photograph. The exhauster equipment used to thin the airflow and the drive motor for the fan were in the building to the right of the tunnel. The unique refrigeration equipment was housed in the structure to the left of the tunnel. The Icing Research Tunnel was an atmospheric tunnel that used the AWT’s refrigeration equipment to simulate freezing rain inside its test section. A spray bar system inside the tunnel was originally used to create the droplets. The 18- by 18-inch supersonic wind tunnel was built in the summer of 1945 to take advantage of the AWT’s powerful exhaust system. It was the lab’s first supersonic tunnel and could reach Mach 1.91. Eventually the building would house three small supersonic tunnels, referred to as the “stack tunnels” because of the vertical alignment. The two other tunnels were added to this structure in 1949 and 1951.

Learning surface molecular structures via machine vision

DOE PAGES

Ziatdinov, Maxim; Maksov, Artem; Kalinin, Sergei V.

2017-08-10

Recent advances in high resolution scanning transmission electron and scanning probe microscopies have allowed researchers to perform measurements of materials structural parameters and functional properties in real space with a picometre precision. In many technologically relevant atomic and/or molecular systems, however, the information of interest is distributed spatially in a non-uniform manner and may have a complex multi-dimensional nature. One of the critical issues, therefore, lies in being able to accurately identify (‘read out’) all the individual building blocks in different atomic/molecular architectures, as well as more complex patterns that these blocks may form, on a scale of hundreds andmore » thousands of individual atomic/molecular units. Here we employ machine vision to read and recognize complex molecular assemblies on surfaces. Specifically, we combine Markov random field model and convolutional neural networks to classify structural and rotational states of all individual building blocks in molecular assembly on the metallic surface visualized in high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy measurements. We show how the obtained full decoding of the system allows us to directly construct a pair density function—a centerpiece in analysis of disorder-property relationship paradigm—as well as to analyze spatial correlations between multiple order parameters at the nanoscale, and elucidate reaction pathway involving molecular conformation changes. Here, the method represents a significant shift in our way of analyzing atomic and/or molecular resolved microscopic images and can be applied to variety of other microscopic measurements of structural, electronic, and magnetic orders in different condensed matter systems.« less

Color from hierarchy: Diverse optical properties of micron-sized spherical colloidal assemblies.

PubMed

Vogel, Nicolas; Utech, Stefanie; England, Grant T; Shirman, Tanya; Phillips, Katherine R; Koay, Natalie; Burgess, Ian B; Kolle, Mathias; Weitz, David A; Aizenberg, Joanna

2015-09-01

Materials in nature are characterized by structural order over multiple length scales have evolved for maximum performance and multifunctionality, and are often produced by self-assembly processes. A striking example of this design principle is structural coloration, where interference, diffraction, and absorption effects result in vivid colors. Mimicking this emergence of complex effects from simple building blocks is a key challenge for man-made materials. Here, we show that a simple confined self-assembly process leads to a complex hierarchical geometry that displays a variety of optical effects. Colloidal crystallization in an emulsion droplet creates micron-sized superstructures, termed photonic balls. The curvature imposed by the emulsion droplet leads to frustrated crystallization. We observe spherical colloidal crystals with ordered, crystalline layers and a disordered core. This geometry produces multiple optical effects. The ordered layers give rise to structural color from Bragg diffraction with limited angular dependence and unusual transmission due to the curved nature of the individual crystals. The disordered core contributes nonresonant scattering that induces a macroscopically whitish appearance, which we mitigate by incorporating absorbing gold nanoparticles that suppress scattering and macroscopically purify the color. With increasing size of the constituent colloidal particles, grating diffraction effects dominate, which result from order along the crystal's curved surface and induce a vivid polychromatic appearance. The control of multiple optical effects induced by the hierarchical morphology in photonic balls paves the way to use them as building blocks for complex optical assemblies--potentially as more efficient mimics of structural color as it occurs in nature.

Learning surface molecular structures via machine vision

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ziatdinov, Maxim; Maksov, Artem; Kalinin, Sergei V.

Recent advances in high resolution scanning transmission electron and scanning probe microscopies have allowed researchers to perform measurements of materials structural parameters and functional properties in real space with a picometre precision. In many technologically relevant atomic and/or molecular systems, however, the information of interest is distributed spatially in a non-uniform manner and may have a complex multi-dimensional nature. One of the critical issues, therefore, lies in being able to accurately identify (‘read out’) all the individual building blocks in different atomic/molecular architectures, as well as more complex patterns that these blocks may form, on a scale of hundreds andmore » thousands of individual atomic/molecular units. Here we employ machine vision to read and recognize complex molecular assemblies on surfaces. Specifically, we combine Markov random field model and convolutional neural networks to classify structural and rotational states of all individual building blocks in molecular assembly on the metallic surface visualized in high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy measurements. We show how the obtained full decoding of the system allows us to directly construct a pair density function—a centerpiece in analysis of disorder-property relationship paradigm—as well as to analyze spatial correlations between multiple order parameters at the nanoscale, and elucidate reaction pathway involving molecular conformation changes. Here, the method represents a significant shift in our way of analyzing atomic and/or molecular resolved microscopic images and can be applied to variety of other microscopic measurements of structural, electronic, and magnetic orders in different condensed matter systems.« less

Color from hierarchy: Diverse optical properties of micron-sized spherical colloidal assemblies

PubMed Central

Vogel, Nicolas; Utech, Stefanie; England, Grant T.; Shirman, Tanya; Phillips, Katherine R.; Koay, Natalie; Burgess, Ian B.; Kolle, Mathias; Weitz, David A.; Aizenberg, Joanna

2015-01-01

Materials in nature are characterized by structural order over multiple length scales have evolved for maximum performance and multifunctionality, and are often produced by self-assembly processes. A striking example of this design principle is structural coloration, where interference, diffraction, and absorption effects result in vivid colors. Mimicking this emergence of complex effects from simple building blocks is a key challenge for man-made materials. Here, we show that a simple confined self-assembly process leads to a complex hierarchical geometry that displays a variety of optical effects. Colloidal crystallization in an emulsion droplet creates micron-sized superstructures, termed photonic balls. The curvature imposed by the emulsion droplet leads to frustrated crystallization. We observe spherical colloidal crystals with ordered, crystalline layers and a disordered core. This geometry produces multiple optical effects. The ordered layers give rise to structural color from Bragg diffraction with limited angular dependence and unusual transmission due to the curved nature of the individual crystals. The disordered core contributes nonresonant scattering that induces a macroscopically whitish appearance, which we mitigate by incorporating absorbing gold nanoparticles that suppress scattering and macroscopically purify the color. With increasing size of the constituent colloidal particles, grating diffraction effects dominate, which result from order along the crystal’s curved surface and induce a vivid polychromatic appearance. The control of multiple optical effects induced by the hierarchical morphology in photonic balls paves the way to use them as building blocks for complex optical assemblies—potentially as more efficient mimics of structural color as it occurs in nature. PMID:26290583

Bottom-up construction of a superstructure in a porous uranium-organic crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Peng; Vermeulen, Nicolaas A.; Malliakas, Christos D.; Gómez-Gualdrón, Diego A.; Howarth, Ashlee J.; Mehdi, B. Layla; Dohnalkova, Alice; Browning, Nigel D.; O'Keeffe, Michael; Farha, Omar K.

2017-05-01

Bottom-up construction of highly intricate structures from simple building blocks remains one of the most difficult challenges in chemistry. We report a structurally complex, mesoporous uranium-based metal-organic framework (MOF) made from simple starting components. The structure comprises 10 uranium nodes and seven tricarboxylate ligands (both crystallographically nonequivalent), resulting in a 173.3-angstrom cubic unit cell enclosing 816 uranium nodes and 816 organic linkers—the largest unit cell found to date for any nonbiological material. The cuboctahedra organize into pentagonal and hexagonal prismatic secondary structures, which then form tetrahedral and diamond quaternary topologies with unprecedented complexity. This packing results in the formation of colossal icosidodecahedral and rectified hexakaidecahedral cavities with internal diameters of 5.0 nanometers and 6.2 nanometers, respectively—ultimately giving rise to the lowest-density MOF reported to date.

Modeling of fracture of protective concrete structures under impact loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radchenko, P. A.; Batuev, S. P.; Radchenko, A. V.; Plevkov, V. S.

2015-10-01

This paper presents results of numerical simulation of interaction between a Boeing 747-400 aircraft and the protective shell of a nuclear power plant. The shell is presented as a complex multilayered cellular structure consisting of layers of concrete and fiber concrete bonded with steel trusses. Numerical simulation was performed three-dimensionally using the original algorithm and software taking into account algorithms for building grids of complex geometric objects and parallel computations. Dynamics of the stress-strain state and fracture of the structure were studied. Destruction is described using a two-stage model that allows taking into account anisotropy of elastic and strength properties of concrete and fiber concrete. It is shown that wave processes initiate destruction of the cellular shell structure; cells start to destruct in an unloading wave originating after the compression wave arrival at free cell surfaces.

Enhancements to AERMOD's building downwash algorithms based on wind-tunnel and Embedded-LES modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monbureau, E. M.; Heist, D. K.; Perry, S. G.; Brouwer, L. H.; Foroutan, H.; Tang, W.

2018-04-01

Knowing the fate of effluent from an industrial stack is important for assessing its impact on human health. AERMOD is one of several Gaussian plume models containing algorithms to evaluate the effect of buildings on the movement of the effluent from a stack. The goal of this study is to improve AERMOD's ability to accurately model important and complex building downwash scenarios by incorporating knowledge gained from a recently completed series of wind tunnel studies and complementary large eddy simulations of flow and dispersion around simple structures for a variety of building dimensions, stack locations, stack heights, and wind angles. This study presents three modifications to the building downwash algorithm in AERMOD that improve the physical basis and internal consistency of the model, and one modification to AERMOD's building pre-processor to better represent elongated buildings in oblique winds. These modifications are demonstrated to improve the ability of AERMOD to model observed ground-level concentrations in the vicinity of a building for the variety of conditions examined in the wind tunnel and numerical studies.

Robust hydrogen-bonded self-assemblies from biimidazole complexes. Synthesis and structural characterization of [M(biimidazole)2(OH2)2]2+ (M = Co2+, Ni2+) complexes and carboxylate modules.

PubMed

Atencio, Reinaldo; Chacón, Mirbel; González, Teresa; Briceño, Alexander; Agrifoglio, Giuseppe; Sierraalta, Anibal

2004-02-21

A robust heteromeric hydrogen-bonded synthon [R2(2) (9)-Id] is exploited to drive the modular self-assembly of four coordination complexes [M(H2biim)2(OH2)2]2+ (M = Co2+, Ni2+) and carboxylate counterions. This strategy allowed us to build molecular architectures of 0-, 1-, and 2-dimensions. A hydrogen-bonded 2D-network with cavities has been designed, which maintains its striking integrity after reversible water desorption-resorption processes.

The building blocks of economic complexity

PubMed Central

Hidalgo, César A.; Hausmann, Ricardo

2009-01-01

For Adam Smith, wealth was related to the division of labor. As people and firms specialize in different activities, economic efficiency increases, suggesting that development is associated with an increase in the number of individual activities and with the complexity that emerges from the interactions between them. Here we develop a view of economic growth and development that gives a central role to the complexity of a country's economy by interpreting trade data as a bipartite network in which countries are connected to the products they export, and show that it is possible to quantify the complexity of a country's economy by characterizing the structure of this network. Furthermore, we show that the measures of complexity we derive are correlated with a country's level of income, and that deviations from this relationship are predictive of future growth. This suggests that countries tend to converge to the level of income dictated by the complexity of their productive structures, indicating that development efforts should focus on generating the conditions that would allow complexity to emerge to generate sustained growth and prosperity. PMID:19549871

10 CFR 455.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... administrative control or services for a group of institutions within a State and which acts on behalf of such... pursuant to § 455.20(k), to conduct an energy audit. Building means any structure, including a group of... regulation of the Department of Energy (10 CFR part 1040). Complex means a closely situated group of...

Facilitating Learners' Web-Based Information Problem-Solving by Query Expansion-Based Concept Mapping

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Yueh-Min; Liu, Ming-Chi; Chen, Nian-Shing; Kinshuk; Wen, Dunwei

2014-01-01

Web-based information problem-solving has been recognised as a critical ability for learners. However, the development of students' abilities in this area often faces several challenges, such as difficulty in building well-organised knowledge structures to support complex problems that require higher-order skills (e.g., system thinking). To…

The Western Sydney Rustbelt: Recognizing and Building on Strengths in Pre-Service Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naidoo, Loshini; D'warte, Jacqueline Ann

2017-01-01

Preparing pre-service teachers to address the disparities in educational attainment that occur in settings with complex demographics such as high poverty and super diversity (Vertovec, 2007) require a theoretically driven contextual and spacial (Soja, 1996) understanding of disadvantage. This understanding highlights the structural and systemic…

Proportional Reasoning of Preservice Elementary Education Majors: An Epistemic Model of the Proportional Reasoning Construct.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fleener, M. Jayne

Current research and learning theory suggest that a hierarchy of proportional reasoning exists that can be tested. Using G. Vergnaud's four complexity variables (structure, content, numerical characteristics, and presentation) and T. E. Kieren's model of rational number knowledge building, an epistemic model of proportional reasoning was…

A Method for Predicting Protein Complexes from Dynamic Weighted Protein-Protein Interaction Networks.

PubMed

Liu, Lizhen; Sun, Xiaowu; Song, Wei; Du, Chao

2018-06-01

Predicting protein complexes from protein-protein interaction (PPI) network is of great significance to recognize the structure and function of cells. A protein may interact with different proteins under different time or conditions. Existing approaches only utilize static PPI network data that may lose much temporal biological information. First, this article proposed a novel method that combines gene expression data at different time points with traditional static PPI network to construct different dynamic subnetworks. Second, to further filter out the data noise, the semantic similarity based on gene ontology is regarded as the network weight together with the principal component analysis, which is introduced to deal with the weight computing by three traditional methods. Third, after building a dynamic PPI network, a predicting protein complexes algorithm based on "core-attachment" structural feature is applied to detect complexes from each dynamic subnetworks. Finally, it is revealed from the experimental results that our method proposed in this article performs well on detecting protein complexes from dynamic weighted PPI networks.

Evidence that the assembly of the yeast cytochrome bc1 complex involves the formation of a large core structure in the inner mitochondrial membrane.

PubMed

Zara, Vincenzo; Conte, Laura; Trumpower, Bernard L

2009-04-01

The assembly status of the cytochrome bc(1) complex has been analyzed in distinct yeast deletion strains in which genes for one or more of the bc(1) subunits were deleted. In all the yeast strains tested, a bc(1) sub-complex of approximately 500 kDa was found when the mitochondrial membranes were analyzed by blue native electrophoresis. The subsequent molecular characterization of this sub-complex, carried out in the second dimension by SDS/PAGE and immunodecoration, revealed the presence of the two catalytic subunits, cytochrome b and cytochrome c(1), associated with the noncatalytic subunits core protein 1, core protein 2, Qcr7p and Qcr8p. Together, these bc(1) subunits build up the core structure of the cytochrome bc(1) complex, which is then able to sequentially bind the remaining subunits, such as Qcr6p, Qcr9p, the Rieske iron-sulfur protein and Qcr10p. This bc(1) core structure may represent a true assembly intermediate during the maturation of the bc(1) complex; first, because of its wide distribution in distinct yeast deletion strains and, second, for its characteristics of stability, which resemble those of the intact homodimeric bc(1) complex. By contrast, the bc(1) core structure is unable to interact with the cytochrome c oxidase complex to form respiratory supercomplexes. The characterization of this novel core structure of the bc(1) complex provides a number of new elements clarifying the molecular events leading to the maturation of the yeast cytochrome bc(1) complex in the inner mitochondrial membrane.

Evidence that assembly of the yeast cytochrome bc1 complex involves formation of a large core structure in the inner mitochondrial membrane

PubMed Central

Zara, Vincenzo; Conte, Laura; Trumpower, Bernard L.

2009-01-01

The assembly status of the cytochrome bc1 complex has been analyzed in distinct yeast deletion strains in which genes for one or more of the bc1 subunits had been deleted. In all the yeast strains tested a bc1 sub-complex of about 500 kDa was found when the mitochondrial membranes were analyzed by blue native electrophoresis. The subsequent molecular characterization of this sub-complex, carried out in the second dimension by SDS-PAGE and immunodecoration, revealed the presence of the two catalytic subunits cytochrome b and cytochrome c1, associated with the non catalytic subunits core protein 1, core protein 2, Qcr7p and Qcr8p. Altogether these bc1 subunits build up the core structure of the cytochrome bc1 complex which is then able to sequentially bind the remaining subunits, such as Qcr6p, Qcr9p, the Rieske iron-sulfur protein and Qcr10p. This bc1 core structure may represent a true assembly intermediate during the maturation of the bc1 complex, first because of its wide distribution in distinct yeast deletion strains and second for its characteristics of stability which resemble those of the intact homodimeric bc1 complex. Differently from this latter, however, the bc1 core structure is not able to interact with the cytochrome c oxidase complex to form respiratory supercomplexes. The characterization of this novel core structure of the bc1 complex provides a number of new elements for clarification of the molecular events leading to the maturation of the yeast cytochrome bc1 complex in the inner mitochondrial membrane. PMID:19236481

Architectural design of the science complex at Elizabeth City State University

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jahromi, Soheila

1993-01-01

This paper gives an overall view of the architectural design process and elements in taking an idea from conception to execution. The project presented is an example for this process. Once the need for a new structure is established, an architect studies the requirements, opinions and limits in creating a structure that people will exist in, move through, and use. Elements in designing a building include factors such as volume and surface, light and form changes of scale and view, movement and stasis. Some of the other factors are functions and physical conditions of construction. Based on experience, intuition, and boundaries, an architect will utilize all elements in creating a new building. In general, the design process begins with studying the spatial needs which develop into an architectural program. A comprehensive and accurate architectural program is essential for having a successful building. The most attractive building which does not meet the functional needs of its users has failed at the primary reason for its existence. To have a good program an architect must have a full understanding of the daily functions that will take place in the building. The architectural program along with site characteristics are among a few of the important guidelines in studying the form, adjacencies, and circulation for the structure itself and also in relation to the adjacent structures. Conceptual studies are part of the schematic design, which is the first milestone in the design process. The other reference points are design development and construction documents. At each milestone, review and coordination with all the consultants is established, and the user is essential in refining the project. In design development phase, conceptual diagrams take shape, and architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical systems are developed. The final phase construction documents convey all the information required to construct the building. The design process and elements described were applied in the following project.

Autonomous exploration and mapping of unknown environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owens, Jason; Osteen, Phil; Fields, MaryAnne

2012-06-01

Autonomous exploration and mapping is a vital capability for future robotic systems expected to function in arbitrary complex environments. In this paper, we describe an end-to-end robotic solution for remotely mapping buildings. For a typical mapping system, an unmanned system is directed to enter an unknown building at a distance, sense the internal structure, and, barring additional tasks, while in situ, create a 2-D map of the building. This map provides a useful and intuitive representation of the environment for the remote operator. We have integrated a robust mapping and exploration system utilizing laser range scanners and RGB-D cameras, and we demonstrate an exploration and metacognition algorithm on a robotic platform. The algorithm allows the robot to safely navigate the building, explore the interior, report significant features to the operator, and generate a consistent map - all while maintaining localization.

Modular Assembly of Hierarchically Structured Polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leophairatana, Porakrit

The synthesis of macromolecules with complex yet highly controlled molecular architectures has attracted significant attention in the past few decades due to the growing demand for specialty polymers that possess novel properties. Despite recent efforts, current synthetic routes lack the ability to control several important architectural variables while maintaining low polydispersity index. This dissertation explores a new synthetic scheme for the modular assembly of hierarchically structured polymers (MAHP) that allows virtually any complex polymer to be assembled from a few basic molecular building blocks using a single common coupling chemistry. Complex polymer structures can be assembled from a molecular toolkit consisting of (1) copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC), (2) linear heterobifunctional macromonomers, (3) a branching heterotrifunctional molecule, (4) a protection/deprotection strategy, (5) "click" functional solid substrates, and (6) functional and responsive polymers. This work addresses the different challenges that emerged during the development of this synthetic scheme, and presents strategies to overcome those challenges. Chapter 3 investigates the alkyne-alkyne (i.e. Glaser) coupling side reactions associated with the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) synthesis of alkyne-functional macromonomers, as well as with the CuAAC reaction of alkyne functional building blocks. In typical ATRP synthesis of unprotected alkyne functional polymers, Glaser coupling reactions can significantly compromise the polymer functionality and undermine the success of subsequent click reactions in which the polymers are used. Two strategies are reported that effectively eliminate these coupling reactions: (1) maintaining low temperature post-ATRP upon exposure to air, followed by immediate removal of copper catalyst; and (2) adding excess reducing agents post-ATRP, which prevents the oxidation of Cu(I) catalyst required by the Glaser coupling mechanism. Post-ATRP Glaser coupling was also influenced by the ATRP synthesis ligand used. The order of ligand activity for catalyzing Glaser coupling was: linear bidentate > tridentate > tetradentate. Glaser coupling can also occur for alkynes held under CuAAC reaction conditions but again can be eliminated by adding appropriate reducing agents. With the strategy presented in Chapter 3, alkyne-terminated polymers of high-functionality were produced without the need for alkyne protecting groups. These "click" functional building blocks were employed to investigate the overall efficiency of the CuAAC "click" coupling reactions between alkyne- and azide-terminated macromonomers as discussed in Chapter 4. Quantitative convolution modeling of the entire molecular weight distribution post-CuAAC indicates a CuAAC efficiency of about 94% and an azide substitution efficiency of >99%. However, incomplete functionality of the azide-terminated macromonomer (˜92%) proves to be the largest factor compromising the overall efficacy of the coupling reactions, and is attributed primarily to the loss of bromine functionality during synthesis by ATRP. To address this issue, we discuss in Chapter 6 the development of a new set of molecular building blocks consisting of alkyne functional substrates and heterobifunctional degradable linkers that allow the growth and subsequent detachment of polymers from the solid substrate. Complex polymeric structures are created by progressive cycles of CuAAC and deprotection reactions that add building blocks to the growing polymer chain ends. We demonstrate that these building blocks were completely stable under both CuAAC and deprotection reaction conditions. Since the desired product is covalently bound to the solid surface, the unreacted monomers/macromonomers and by-products (i.e. non-functional building blocks) can be easily separated from the product via removal of the polymer-tethered solid substrate in one step. Chapter 5 discusses how MAHP was employed to prepare a variety of hierarchically structured polymers and copolymers with controlled branching architectures. alpha-azido,o-TIPS-alkyne-heterobifunctional and heterotrifunctional building blocks were first prepared via ATRP and organic synthesis. Preliminary NMR and SEC studies demonstrated that these building blocks all satisfied the criteria necessary for MAHP: (1) the TIPS protecting group is stable during ATRP and CuAAC, (2) the "click" functionality is completely regenerated during the deprotection step, and (3) the CuAAC reaction of branching macromonomers is quantitative (>94%). To demonstrate the concept, poly(n-butyl acrylate)-b-dipolystyrene- b-dipoly(tert-butyl acrylate) penta-block branching copolymacromer was prepared via MAHP and quantitively characterized with SEC and NMR. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).

Molecular engineering of chiral colloidal liquid crystals using DNA origami

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siavashpouri, Mahsa; Wachauf, Christian H.; Zakhary, Mark J.; Praetorius, Florian; Dietz, Hendrik; Dogic, Zvonimir

2017-08-01

Establishing precise control over the shape and the interactions of the microscopic building blocks is essential for design of macroscopic soft materials with novel structural, optical and mechanical properties. Here, we demonstrate robust assembly of DNA origami filaments into cholesteric liquid crystals, one-dimensional supramolecular twisted ribbons and two-dimensional colloidal membranes. The exquisite control afforded by the DNA origami technology establishes a quantitative relationship between the microscopic filament structure and the macroscopic cholesteric pitch. Furthermore, it also enables robust assembly of one-dimensional twisted ribbons, which behave as effective supramolecular polymers whose structure and elastic properties can be precisely tuned by controlling the geometry of the elemental building blocks. Our results demonstrate the potential synergy between DNA origami technology and colloidal science, in which the former allows for rapid and robust synthesis of complex particles, and the latter can be used to assemble such particles into bulk materials.

Molecular engineering of chiral colloidal liquid crystals using DNA origami.

PubMed

Siavashpouri, Mahsa; Wachauf, Christian H; Zakhary, Mark J; Praetorius, Florian; Dietz, Hendrik; Dogic, Zvonimir

2017-08-01

Establishing precise control over the shape and the interactions of the microscopic building blocks is essential for design of macroscopic soft materials with novel structural, optical and mechanical properties. Here, we demonstrate robust assembly of DNA origami filaments into cholesteric liquid crystals, one-dimensional supramolecular twisted ribbons and two-dimensional colloidal membranes. The exquisite control afforded by the DNA origami technology establishes a quantitative relationship between the microscopic filament structure and the macroscopic cholesteric pitch. Furthermore, it also enables robust assembly of one-dimensional twisted ribbons, which behave as effective supramolecular polymers whose structure and elastic properties can be precisely tuned by controlling the geometry of the elemental building blocks. Our results demonstrate the potential synergy between DNA origami technology and colloidal science, in which the former allows for rapid and robust synthesis of complex particles, and the latter can be used to assemble such particles into bulk materials.

The second phase in creating the cardiac center for the next generation: beyond structure to process improvement.

PubMed

Woods, J

2001-01-01

The third generation cardiac institute will build on the successes of the past in structuring the service line, re-organizing to assimilate specialist interests, and re-positioning to expand cardiac services into cardiovascular services. To meet the challenges of an increasingly competitive marketplace and complex delivery system, the focus for this new model will shift away from improved structures, and toward improved processes. This shift will require a sound methodology for statistically measuring and sustaining process changes related to the optimization of cardiovascular care. In recent years, GE Medical Systems has successfully applied Six Sigma methodologies to enable cardiac centers to control key clinical and market development processes through its DMADV, DMAIC and Change Acceleration processes. Data indicates Six Sigma is having a positive impact within organizations across the United States, and when appropriately implemented, this approach can serve as a solid foundation for building the next generation cardiac institute.

Inorganic anion-dependent assembly of zero-, one-, two- and three-dimensional Cu(II)/Ag(I) complexes under the guidance of the HSAB theory: Synthesis, structure, and magnetic property

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Yaru; Xing, Zhiyan; Zhang, Xiao

To systematically explore the influence of inorganic anions on building coordination complexes, five novel complexes based on 1-(benzotriazole-1-methyl)−2-propylimidazole (bpmi), [Cu(bpmi){sub 2}(Ac){sub 2}]·H{sub 2}O (1), [Cu(bpmi){sub 2}(H{sub 2}O){sub 2}]·2NO{sub 3}·2H{sub 2}O (2), [Cu(bpmi)(N{sub 3}){sub 2}] (3), [Ag(bpmi)(NO{sub 3})] (4) and [Cu{sub 3}(bpmi){sub 2}(SCN){sub 4}(DMF)] (5) (Ac{sup −}=CH{sub 3}COO{sup −}, DMF=N,N-Dimethylformamide) are synthesized through rationally introducing Cu(II) salts and Ag(I) salt with different inorganic anions. X-ray single-crystal analyses reveal that these complexes show interesting structural features from mononuclear (1), one-dimensional (2 and 3), two-dimensional (4) to three-dimensional (5) under the influence of inorganic anions with different basicities. The structural variation can bemore » explained by the hard-soft-acid-base (HSAB) theory. Magnetic susceptibility measurement indicates that complex 3 exhibits an antiferromagnetic coupling between adjacent Cu(II) ions. - Graphical abstract: Five new Cu(II)/Ag(I) complexes show interesting structural features from mononuclear, one-dimension, two-dimension to three-dimension under the influence of inorganic anions. The structural variation can be explained by the HSAB theory. - Highlights: • Five inorganic anion-dependent complexes are synthesized. • Structural variation can be explained by the hard-soft-acid-base (HSAB) theory. • The magnetic property of complex has been studied.« less

Protection of Landscape Values of Historical Post Military Objects - Complexes in Spatial, Urban and Architectural Planning of Polish Cities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gawryluk, Dorota; Zagroba, Marek

2017-12-01

Within the borders of modern Poland there are numerous barracks units erected at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries by the invaders from Russia, Austria and Prussia. Former barracks are a clear element of the history of the place. Historical complexes have a strong influence on the urban landscape and on building their former and contemporary identity. The analysis of functional and landscape absorption of postmodern complexes allows for their adaptation and modern use without limiting the readability of historical values. For this reason, their landscape should be protected comprehensively within the scope of subsequent exposure scales. The aim of the work is to justify the conditions of comprehensive protection of the fortified landscape of the former barracks of the former Russian partition in the landscape of contemporary Polish cities. The article contains a review of the literature on the protection, supplement and access to fortified buildings from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in contemporary Poland. A review of current research conducted at various academic centres in Poland, concerning the exposition of fortified buildings in the landscape, is presented. Particular attention was paid to the scales and forms of exposition, proposed for the fortifications and barracks. The paper presents justification for the protection of barracks complexes from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in the landscape of Polish cities of the former Russian partition area. Protection of the landscape was proposed in the following scales: superregional, landscape (panorama of the centre), urban (urban structure of the complex in the context of the urban space), architectural and landscape interiors of the complex (WAK) such as alleys, alarm squares, greenery) and detail (view of the building from the outside), interior of the building (characteristic interior spaces, e.g. home chapels, staircases). Taking account of exposures analysis of individual scales should result in appropriate records at all levels of planning documents to protect the fortified landscape of the historic barracks. The article points to the use of greenery as a means to correct barracks exposures and to improve the standard of using historic complexes for new, contemporary functions.

Template-Based Modeling of Protein-RNA Interactions

PubMed Central

Zheng, Jinfang; Kundrotas, Petras J.; Vakser, Ilya A.

2016-01-01

Protein-RNA complexes formed by specific recognition between RNA and RNA-binding proteins play an important role in biological processes. More than a thousand of such proteins in human are curated and many novel RNA-binding proteins are to be discovered. Due to limitations of experimental approaches, computational techniques are needed for characterization of protein-RNA interactions. Although much progress has been made, adequate methodologies reliably providing atomic resolution structural details are still lacking. Although protein-RNA free docking approaches proved to be useful, in general, the template-based approaches provide higher quality of predictions. Templates are key to building a high quality model. Sequence/structure relationships were studied based on a representative set of binary protein-RNA complexes from PDB. Several approaches were tested for pairwise target/template alignment. The analysis revealed a transition point between random and correct binding modes. The results showed that structural alignment is better than sequence alignment in identifying good templates, suitable for generating protein-RNA complexes close to the native structure, and outperforms free docking, successfully predicting complexes where the free docking fails, including cases of significant conformational change upon binding. A template-based protein-RNA interaction modeling protocol PRIME was developed and benchmarked on a representative set of complexes. PMID:27662342

Fuel-Mediated Transient Clustering of Colloidal Building Blocks.

PubMed

van Ravensteijn, Bas G P; Hendriksen, Wouter E; Eelkema, Rienk; van Esch, Jan H; Kegel, Willem K

2017-07-26

Fuel-driven assembly operates under the continuous influx of energy and results in superstructures that exist out of equilibrium. Such dissipative processes provide a route toward structures and transient behavior unreachable by conventional equilibrium self-assembly. Although perfected in biological systems like microtubules, this class of assembly is only sparsely used in synthetic or colloidal analogues. Here, we present a novel colloidal system that shows transient clustering driven by a chemical fuel. Addition of fuel causes an increase in hydrophobicity of the building blocks by actively removing surface charges, thereby driving their aggregation. Depletion of fuel causes reappearance of the charged moieties and leads to disassembly of the formed clusters. This reassures that the system returns to its initial, equilibrium state. By taking advantage of the cyclic nature of our system, we show that clustering can be induced several times by simple injection of new fuel. The fuel-mediated assembly of colloidal building blocks presented here opens new avenues to the complex landscape of nonequilibrium colloidal structures, guided by biological design principles.

Practical Implementation of Semi-Automated As-Built Bim Creation for Complex Indoor Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, S.; Jung, J.; Heo, J.

2015-05-01

In recent days, for efficient management and operation of existing buildings, the importance of as-built BIM is emphasized in AEC/FM domain. However, fully automated as-built BIM creation is a tough issue since newly-constructed buildings are becoming more complex. To manage this problem, our research group has developed a semi-automated approach, focusing on productive 3D as-built BIM creation for complex indoor environments. In order to test its feasibility for a variety of complex indoor environments, we applied the developed approach to model the `Charlotte stairs' in Lotte World Mall, Korea. The approach includes 4 main phases: data acquisition, data pre-processing, geometric drawing, and as-built BIM creation. In the data acquisition phase, due to its complex structure, we moved the scanner location several times to obtain the entire point clouds of the test site. After which, data pre-processing phase entailing point-cloud registration, noise removal, and coordinate transformation was followed. The 3D geometric drawing was created using the RANSAC-based plane detection and boundary tracing methods. Finally, in order to create a semantically-rich BIM, the geometric drawing was imported into the commercial BIM software. The final as-built BIM confirmed that the feasibility of the proposed approach in the complex indoor environment.

Stigmergic construction and topochemical information shape ant nest architecture

PubMed Central

Khuong, Anaïs; Gautrais, Jacques; Perna, Andrea; Sbaï, Chaker; Combe, Maud; Kuntz, Pascale; Jost, Christian; Theraulaz, Guy

2016-01-01

The nests of social insects are not only impressive because of their sheer complexity but also because they are built from individuals whose work is not centrally coordinated. A key question is how groups of insects coordinate their building actions. Here, we use a combination of experimental and modeling approaches to investigate nest construction in the ant Lasius niger. We quantify the construction dynamics and the 3D structures built by ants. Then, we characterize individual behaviors and the interactions of ants with the structures they build. We show that two main interactions are involved in the coordination of building actions: (i) a stigmergic-based interaction that controls the amplification of depositions at some locations and is attributable to a pheromone added by ants to the building material; and (ii) a template-based interaction in which ants use their body size as a cue to control the height at which they start to build a roof from existing pillars. We then develop a 3D stochastic model based on these individual behaviors to analyze the effect of pheromone presence and strength on construction dynamics. We show that the model can quantitatively reproduce key features of construction dynamics, including a large-scale pattern of regularly spaced pillars, the formation and merging of caps over the pillars, and the remodeling of built structures. Finally, our model suggests that the lifetime of the pheromone is a highly influential parameter that controls the growth and form of nest architecture. PMID:26787857

An action research approach for developing research and innovation in nursing and midwifery practice: building research capacity in one NHS foundation trust.

PubMed

Moore, Jenny; Crozier, Kenda; Kite, Katharine

2012-01-01

The National Health Service in the United Kingdom is committed to a process of reform centred on quality care and innovative practice. Central to this process is the need for research capacity building within the workforce. The aim of this study was to develop an infrastructure for research capacity building within one National Health Service Foundation Trust. Using an Action Research methodology, sixteen individuals were purposefully selected from a population of nurses and midwives to participate in the study. This nonprobability sampling method enabled the researchers to select participants on the basis of who would be most informative about existing research capacity building structures and processes within the Trust. Data were collected in the form of semi-structured individual interviews with each participant. The main findings were that research activity was not embedded in the culture of the organisation, and initiating and undertaking change was a complex process. As a result, a range of structures and processes which were considered necessary to enable the Trust move forward in developing capacity and capability for research were developed and implemented. This paper reports the first two stages of this process, namely: the findings from the pre-step and an outline of how these findings were used to create an infrastructure to support research capacity building within one NHS Foundation Trust Hospital in the United Kingdom. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stigmergic construction and topochemical information shape ant nest architecture.

PubMed

Khuong, Anaïs; Gautrais, Jacques; Perna, Andrea; Sbaï, Chaker; Combe, Maud; Kuntz, Pascale; Jost, Christian; Theraulaz, Guy

2016-02-02

The nests of social insects are not only impressive because of their sheer complexity but also because they are built from individuals whose work is not centrally coordinated. A key question is how groups of insects coordinate their building actions. Here, we use a combination of experimental and modeling approaches to investigate nest construction in the ant Lasius niger. We quantify the construction dynamics and the 3D structures built by ants. Then, we characterize individual behaviors and the interactions of ants with the structures they build. We show that two main interactions are involved in the coordination of building actions: (i) a stigmergic-based interaction that controls the amplification of depositions at some locations and is attributable to a pheromone added by ants to the building material; and (ii) a template-based interaction in which ants use their body size as a cue to control the height at which they start to build a roof from existing pillars. We then develop a 3D stochastic model based on these individual behaviors to analyze the effect of pheromone presence and strength on construction dynamics. We show that the model can quantitatively reproduce key features of construction dynamics, including a large-scale pattern of regularly spaced pillars, the formation and merging of caps over the pillars, and the remodeling of built structures. Finally, our model suggests that the lifetime of the pheromone is a highly influential parameter that controls the growth and form of nest architecture.

Capturing complexity in work disability research: application of system dynamics modeling methodology.

PubMed

Jetha, Arif; Pransky, Glenn; Hettinger, Lawrence J

2016-01-01

Work disability (WD) is characterized by variable and occasionally undesirable outcomes. The underlying determinants of WD outcomes include patterns of dynamic relationships among health, personal, organizational and regulatory factors that have been challenging to characterize, and inadequately represented by contemporary WD models. System dynamics modeling (SDM) methodology applies a sociotechnical systems thinking lens to view WD systems as comprising a range of influential factors linked by feedback relationships. SDM can potentially overcome limitations in contemporary WD models by uncovering causal feedback relationships, and conceptualizing dynamic system behaviors. It employs a collaborative and stakeholder-based model building methodology to create a visual depiction of the system as a whole. SDM can also enable researchers to run dynamic simulations to provide evidence of anticipated or unanticipated outcomes that could result from policy and programmatic intervention. SDM may advance rehabilitation research by providing greater insights into the structure and dynamics of WD systems while helping to understand inherent complexity. Challenges related to data availability, determining validity, and the extensive time and technical skill requirements for model building may limit SDM's use in the field and should be considered. Contemporary work disability (WD) models provide limited insight into complexity associated with WD processes. System dynamics modeling (SDM) has the potential to capture complexity through a stakeholder-based approach that generates a simulation model consisting of multiple feedback loops. SDM may enable WD researchers and practitioners to understand the structure and behavior of the WD system as a whole, and inform development of improved strategies to manage straightforward and complex WD cases.

Self-assembly of five 8-hydroxyquinolinate-based complexes: tunable core, supramolecular structure, and photoluminescence properties.

PubMed

Yuan, Guozan; Shan, Weilong; Qiao, Xuelong; Ma, Li; Huo, Yanping

2014-07-01

Five new Zn(II) complexes, namely [Zn(3)(L)(6)] (1), [Zn(2)(Cl)(2)(L)(2) (py)(2)] (2), [Zn(2)(Br)(2) (L)(2)(py)(2)] (3), [Zn(L)(2)(py)] (4), and [Zn(2)(OAc)(2)(L)(2)(py)(2)] (5), were prepared by the solvothermal reaction of ZnX(2) (X(-) =Cl(-), Br(-), F(-), and OAc(-)) salts with a 8-hydroxyquinolinate ligand (HL) that contained a trifluorophenyl group. All of the complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, and powder and single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The building blocks exhibited unprecedented structural diversification and their self-assembly afforded one mononuclear, three binuclear, and one trinuclear Zn(II) structures in response to different anions and solvent systems. Complexes 1-5 featured four types of supramolecular network controlled by non-covalent interactions, such as π⋅⋅⋅π-stacking, C-H⋅⋅⋅π, hydrogen-bonding, and halogen-related interactions. Investigation of their photoluminescence properties exhibited disparate emission wavelengths, lifetimes, and quantum yields in the solid state. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Automated building of organometallic complexes from 3D fragments.

PubMed

Foscato, Marco; Venkatraman, Vishwesh; Occhipinti, Giovanni; Alsberg, Bjørn K; Jensen, Vidar R

2014-07-28

A method for the automated construction of three-dimensional (3D) molecular models of organometallic species in design studies is described. Molecular structure fragments derived from crystallographic structures and accurate molecular-level calculations are used as 3D building blocks in the construction of multiple molecular models of analogous compounds. The method allows for precise control of stereochemistry and geometrical features that may otherwise be very challenging, or even impossible, to achieve with commonly available generators of 3D chemical structures. The new method was tested in the construction of three sets of active or metastable organometallic species of catalytic reactions in the homogeneous phase. The performance of the method was compared with those of commonly available methods for automated generation of 3D models, demonstrating higher accuracy of the prepared 3D models in general, and, in particular, a much wider range with respect to the kind of chemical structures that can be built automatically, with capabilities far beyond standard organic and main-group chemistry.

Carbohydrate structure: the rocky road to automation.

PubMed

Agirre, Jon; Davies, Gideon J; Wilson, Keith S; Cowtan, Kevin D

2017-06-01

With the introduction of intuitive graphical software, structural biologists who are not experts in crystallography are now able to build complete protein or nucleic acid models rapidly. In contrast, carbohydrates are in a wholly different situation: scant automation exists, with manual building attempts being sometimes toppled by incorrect dictionaries or refinement problems. Sugars are the most stereochemically complex family of biomolecules and, as pyranose rings, have clear conformational preferences. Despite this, all refinement programs may produce high-energy conformations at medium to low resolution, without any support from the electron density. This problem renders the affected structures unusable in glyco-chemical terms. Bringing structural glycobiology up to 'protein standards' will require a total overhaul of the methodology. Time is of the essence, as the community is steadily increasing the production rate of glycoproteins, and electron cryo-microscopy has just started to image them in precisely that resolution range where crystallographic methods falter most. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Textile-reinforced concrete using composite binder based on new types of mineral raw materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lesovik, V. S.; Glagolev, E. S.; Popov, D. Y.; Lesovik, G. A.; Ageeva, M. S.

2018-03-01

To determine the level of development of science, it is necessary to start with a particular stage in the development of society. At present, the purpose of building materials science is to create composites, which ensure safety of buildings and structures, including their protection against certain natural and man-made impacts. A new stage in construction materials science envisages the development of a technology for creating composites comfortable for a particular person. To implement this, a new paradigm for designing and synthesizing building materials with a new raw material base is needed. The optimization of the “human-material-habitat” system is a complex task, for the solution of which transdisciplinary approaches are required.

Predicting the microbial exposure risks in urban floods using GIS, building simulation, and microbial models.

PubMed

Taylor, Jonathon; Biddulph, Phillip; Davies, Michael; Lai, Ka man

2013-01-01

London is expected to experience more frequent periods of intense rainfall and tidal surges, leading to an increase in the risk of flooding. Damp and flooded dwellings can support microbial growth, including mould, bacteria, and protozoa, as well as persistence of flood-borne microorganisms. The amount of time flooded dwellings remain damp will depend on the duration and height of the flood, the contents of the flood water, the drying conditions, and the building construction, leading to particular properties and property types being prone to lingering damp and human pathogen growth or persistence. The impact of flooding on buildings can be simulated using Heat Air and Moisture (HAM) models of varying complexity in order to understand how water can be absorbed and dry out of the building structure. This paper describes the simulation of the drying of building archetypes representative of the English building stock using the EnergyPlus based tool 'UCL-HAMT' in order to determine the drying rates of different abandoned structures flooded to different heights and during different seasons. The results are mapped out using GIS in order to estimate the spatial risk across London in terms of comparative flood vulnerability, as well as for specific flood events. Areas of South and East London were found to be particularly vulnerable to long-term microbial exposure following major flood events. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiple pickering emulsions stabilized by microbowls.

PubMed

Nonomura, Yoshimune; Kobayashi, Naoto; Nakagawa, Naoki

2011-04-19

Some researchers have focused on the adsorption of solid particles at fluid-fluid interfaces and prepared emulsions and foams called "Pickering emulsions/foams". However, while several reports exist on simple spherical emulsions, few reports are available on the formation of more complex structures. Here, we show that holes on particle surfaces are a key factor in establishing the variety and complexity of mesoscale structures. Microbowls, which are hollow particles with holes on their surfaces, form multiple emulsions (water-in-oil-in-water and oil-in-water-in-oil emulsions) by simply mixing them with water and oil. Furthermore, stable potato-like or coffee-bean-like emulsions are also obtained, although nonspherical emulsions are usually unstable because of their larger interfacial energies. These findings are useful in designing the building blocks of complex supracolloidal systems for pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic products. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Stuccoed building within greenhouse complex, north and west (front) sides, ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Stuccoed building within greenhouse complex, north and west (front) sides, looking south towards building no. 121 (tennis courts) across W. Pennington Ave. - Fitzsimons General Hospital, Greenhouse, West Pennington Avenue, East of Building No. 139, Aurora, Adams County, CO

Tools for Model Building and Optimization into Near-Atomic Resolution Electron Cryo-Microscopy Density Maps.

PubMed

DiMaio, F; Chiu, W

2016-01-01

Electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM) has advanced dramatically to become a viable tool for high-resolution structural biology research. The ultimate outcome of a cryoEM study is an atomic model of a macromolecule or its complex with interacting partners. This chapter describes a variety of algorithms and software to build a de novo model based on the cryoEM 3D density map, to optimize the model with the best stereochemistry restraints and finally to validate the model with proper protocols. The full process of atomic structure determination from a cryoEM map is described. The tools outlined in this chapter should prove extremely valuable in revealing atomic interactions guided by cryoEM data. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling of fracture of protective concrete structures under impact loads

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Radchenko, P. A., E-mail: radchenko@live.ru; Batuev, S. P.; Radchenko, A. V.

This paper presents results of numerical simulation of interaction between a Boeing 747-400 aircraft and the protective shell of a nuclear power plant. The shell is presented as a complex multilayered cellular structure consisting of layers of concrete and fiber concrete bonded with steel trusses. Numerical simulation was performed three-dimensionally using the original algorithm and software taking into account algorithms for building grids of complex geometric objects and parallel computations. Dynamics of the stress-strain state and fracture of the structure were studied. Destruction is described using a two-stage model that allows taking into account anisotropy of elastic and strength propertiesmore » of concrete and fiber concrete. It is shown that wave processes initiate destruction of the cellular shell structure; cells start to destruct in an unloading wave originating after the compression wave arrival at free cell surfaces.« less

Bottom-up construction of a superstructure in a porous uranium-organic crystal

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Peng; Vermeulen, Nicolaas A.; Malliakas, Christos D.

Bottom-up construction of highly intricate structures from simple building blocks remains one of the most difficult challenges in chemistry. We report a structurally complex, mesoporous uranium-based metal-organic framework (MOF) made from simple starting components. The structure comprises 10 uranium nodes and seven tricarboxylate ligands (both crystallographically nonequivalent), resulting in a 173.3-angstrom cubic unit cell enclosing 816 uranium nodes and 816 organic linkers—the largest unit cell found to date for any nonbiological material. The cuboctahedra organize into pentagonal and hexagonal prismatic secondary structures, which then form tetrahedral and diamond quaternary topologies with unprecedented complexity. This packing results in the formation ofmore » colossal icosidodecahedral and rectified hexakaidecahedral cavities with internal diameters of 5.0 nanometers and 6.2 nanometers, respectively—ultimately giving rise to the lowest-density MOF reported to date.« less

The improvement of thermal characteristics of autoclave aerated concrete for energy efficient high-rise buildings application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khavanov, Pavel; Fomina, Ekaterina; Kozhukhova, Natalia

2018-03-01

Nowadays, the problem of energy saving is very relevant. One of the ways to reduction energy consumption in construction materials production and construction of civil and industrial high-rise buildings is the application of claddings with heat-insulating performance. The concept of energy efficiency of high-rise buildings is closely related to environmental aspect and sustainability of applied construction materials; reducing service costs; energy saving and microclimate comfortability. A complexity of architectural and structural design as well as aesthetic characteristics of construction materials are also should be considered. The high interest focused on materials with combined properties. This work is oriented on the study of energy efficiency of buildings by improving heat-insulation and strength performance of autoclave aerated concrete. The applied method of sulfate activation of lime allows monitoring phase and structure formation in aerated concrete. The optimal mix design of aerated concrete with the compressive strength up to 8.5 MPa and decreased density up to 760 kg/m3 was proposed. Analysis of structure at macro-and microscale was performed as well as the criteria of an optimal porosity formation was considered a number, size, shape of pore and density of interior partition. SEM analysis and BET method were performed in this research work. The research results demonstrated the correlation between structure and vapor permeability resistance, also it was found that the increase of strength can lead to reduction of thermal conductivity.

A morphospace for synthetic organs and organoids: the possible and the actual.

PubMed

Ollé-Vila, Aina; Duran-Nebreda, Salva; Conde-Pueyo, Núria; Montañez, Raúl; Solé, Ricard

2016-04-18

Efforts in evolutionary developmental biology have shed light on how organs are developed and why evolution has selected some structures instead of others. These advances in the understanding of organogenesis along with the most recent techniques of organotypic cultures, tissue bioprinting and synthetic biology provide the tools to hack the physical and genetic constraints in organ development, thus opening new avenues for research in the form of completely designed or merely altered settings. Here we propose a unifying framework that connects the concept of morphospace (i.e. the space of possible structures) with synthetic biology and tissue engineering. We aim for a synthesis that incorporates our understanding of both evolutionary and architectural constraints and can be used as a guide for exploring alternative design principles to build artificial organs and organoids. We present a three-dimensional morphospace incorporating three key features associated to organ and organoid complexity. The axes of this space include the degree of complexity introduced by developmental mechanisms required to build the structure, its potential to store and react to information and the underlying physical state. We suggest that a large fraction of this space is empty, and that the void might offer clues for alternative ways of designing and even inventing new organs.

Hemojuvelin-hepcidin axis modeled and analyzed using Petri nets.

PubMed

Formanowicz, Dorota; Kozak, Adam; Głowacki, Tomasz; Radom, Marcin; Formanowicz, Piotr

2013-12-01

Systems biology approach to investigate biological phenomena seems to be very promising because it is capable to capture one of the fundamental properties of living organisms, i.e. their inherent complexity. It allows for analysis biological entities as complex systems of interacting objects. The first and necessary step of such an analysis is building a precise model of the studied biological system. This model is expressed in the language of some branch of mathematics, as for example, differential equations. During the last two decades the theory of Petri nets has appeared to be very well suited for building models of biological systems. The structure of these nets reflects the structure of interacting biological molecules and processes. Moreover, on one hand, Petri nets have intuitive graphical representation being very helpful in understanding the structure of the system and on the other hand, there is a lot of mathematical methods and software tools supporting an analysis of the properties of the nets. In this paper a Petri net based model of the hemojuvelin-hepcidin axis involved in the maintenance of the human body iron homeostasis is presented. The analysis based mainly on T-invariants of the model properties has been made and some biological conclusions have been drawn. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Terminating DNA Tile Assembly with Nanostructured Caps.

PubMed

Agrawal, Deepak K; Jiang, Ruoyu; Reinhart, Seth; Mohammed, Abdul M; Jorgenson, Tyler D; Schulman, Rebecca

2017-10-24

Precise control over the nucleation, growth, and termination of self-assembly processes is a fundamental tool for controlling product yield and assembly dynamics. Mechanisms for altering these processes programmatically could allow the use of simple components to self-assemble complex final products or to design processes allowing for dynamic assembly or reconfiguration. Here we use DNA tile self-assembly to develop general design principles for building complexes that can bind to a growing biomolecular assembly and terminate its growth by systematically characterizing how different DNA origami nanostructures interact with the growing ends of DNA tile nanotubes. We find that nanostructures that present binding interfaces for all of the binding sites on a growing facet can bind selectively to growing ends and stop growth when these interfaces are presented on either a rigid or floppy scaffold. In contrast, nucleation of nanotubes requires the presentation of binding sites in an arrangement that matches the shape of the structure's facet. As a result, it is possible to build nanostructures that can terminate the growth of existing nanotubes but cannot nucleate a new structure. The resulting design principles for constructing structures that direct nucleation and termination of the growth of one-dimensional nanostructures can also serve as a starting point for programmatically directing two- and three-dimensional crystallization processes using nanostructure design.

24 CFR 1003.602 - Relocation and real property acquisition.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... may occupy a suitable, decent, safe, and sanitary dwelling in the building/complex following... dwelling unit who moves from the building/complex permanently after the submission to HUD of an application... project. (iii) A tenant-occupant of a dwelling who moves from the building/complex permanently, after the...

Boxes of Model Building and Visualization.

PubMed

Turk, Dušan

2017-01-01

Macromolecular crystallography and electron microscopy (single-particle and in situ tomography) are merging into a single approach used by the two coalescing scientific communities. The merger is a consequence of technical developments that enabled determination of atomic structures of macromolecules by electron microscopy. Technological progress in experimental methods of macromolecular structure determination, computer hardware, and software changed and continues to change the nature of model building and visualization of molecular structures. However, the increase in automation and availability of structure validation are reducing interactive manual model building to fiddling with details. On the other hand, interactive modeling tools increasingly rely on search and complex energy calculation procedures, which make manually driven changes in geometry increasingly powerful and at the same time less demanding. Thus, the need for accurate manual positioning of a model is decreasing. The user's push only needs to be sufficient to bring the model within the increasing convergence radius of the computing tools. It seems that we can now better than ever determine an average single structure. The tools work better, requirements for engagement of human brain are lowered, and the frontier of intellectual and scientific challenges has moved on. The quest for resolution of new challenges requires out-of-the-box thinking. A few issues such as model bias and correctness of structure, ongoing developments in parameters defining geometric restraints, limitations of the ideal average single structure, and limitations of Bragg spot data are discussed here, together with the challenges that lie ahead.

The methodology of multi-viewpoint clustering analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mehrotra, Mala; Wild, Chris

1993-01-01

One of the greatest challenges facing the software engineering community is the ability to produce large and complex computer systems, such as ground support systems for unmanned scientific missions, that are reliable and cost effective. In order to build and maintain these systems, it is important that the knowledge in the system be suitably abstracted, structured, and otherwise clustered in a manner which facilitates its understanding, manipulation, testing, and utilization. Development of complex mission-critical systems will require the ability to abstract overall concepts in the system at various levels of detail and to consider the system from different points of view. Multi-ViewPoint - Clustering Analysis MVP-CA methodology has been developed to provide multiple views of large, complicated systems. MVP-CA provides an ability to discover significant structures by providing an automated mechanism to structure both hierarchically (from detail to abstract) and orthogonally (from different perspectives). We propose to integrate MVP/CA into an overall software engineering life cycle to support the development and evolution of complex mission critical systems.

Distributed Cooperation Solution Method of Complex System Based on MAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weijin, Jiang; Yuhui, Xu

To adapt the model in reconfiguring fault diagnosing to dynamic environment and the needs of solving the tasks of complex system fully, the paper introduced multi-Agent and related technology to the complicated fault diagnosis, an integrated intelligent control system is studied in this paper. Based on the thought of the structure of diagnostic decision and hierarchy in modeling, based on multi-layer decomposition strategy of diagnosis task, a multi-agent synchronous diagnosis federation integrated different knowledge expression modes and inference mechanisms are presented, the functions of management agent, diagnosis agent and decision agent are analyzed, the organization and evolution of agents in the system are proposed, and the corresponding conflict resolution algorithm in given, Layered structure of abstract agent with public attributes is build. System architecture is realized based on MAS distributed layered blackboard. The real world application shows that the proposed control structure successfully solves the fault diagnose problem of the complex plant, and the special advantage in the distributed domain.

Hierarchical analytical and simulation modelling of human-machine systems with interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braginsky, M. Ya; Tarakanov, D. V.; Tsapko, S. G.; Tsapko, I. V.; Baglaeva, E. A.

2017-01-01

The article considers the principles of building the analytical and simulation model of the human operator and the industrial control system hardware and software. E-networks as the extension of Petri nets are used as the mathematical apparatus. This approach allows simulating complex parallel distributed processes in human-machine systems. The structural and hierarchical approach is used as the building method for the mathematical model of the human operator. The upper level of the human operator is represented by the logical dynamic model of decision making based on E-networks. The lower level reflects psychophysiological characteristics of the human-operator.

DReAM: Demand Response Architecture for Multi-level District Heating and Cooling Networks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bhattacharya, Saptarshi; Chandan, Vikas; Arya, Vijay

In this paper, we exploit the inherent hierarchy of heat exchangers in District Heating and Cooling (DHC) networks and propose DReAM, a novel Demand Response (DR) architecture for Multi-level DHC networks. DReAM serves to economize system operation while still respecting comfort requirements of individual consumers. Contrary to many present day DR schemes that work on a consumer level granularity, DReAM works at a level of hierarchy above buildings, i.e. substations that supply heat to a group of buildings. This improves the overall DR scalability and reduce the computational complexity. In the first step of the proposed approach, mathematical models ofmore » individual substations and their downstream networks are abstracted into appropriately constructed low-complexity structural forms. In the second step, this abstracted information is employed by the utility to perform DR optimization that determines the optimal heat inflow to individual substations rather than buildings, in order to achieve the targeted objectives across the network. We validate the proposed DReAM framework through experimental results under different scenarios on a test network.« less

Modal mass estimation from ambient vibrations measurement: A method for civil buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acunzo, G.; Fiorini, N.; Mori, F.; Spina, D.

2018-01-01

A new method for estimating the modal mass ratios of buildings from unscaled mode shapes identified from ambient vibrations is presented. The method is based on the Multi Rigid Polygons (MRP) model in which each floor of the building is ideally divided in several non-deformable polygons that move independent of each other. The whole mass of the building is concentrated in the centroid of the polygons and the experimental mode shapes are expressed in term of rigid translations and of rotations. In this way, the mass matrix of the building can be easily computed on the basis of simple information about the geometry and the materials of the structure. The modal mass ratios can be then obtained through the classical equation of structural dynamics. Ambient vibrations measurement must be performed according to this MRP models, using at least two biaxial accelerometers per polygon. After a brief illustration of the theoretical background of the method, numerical validations are presented analysing the method sensitivity for possible different source of errors. Quality indexes are defined for evaluating the approximation of the modal mass ratios obtained from a certain MRP model. The capability of the proposed model to be applied to real buildings is illustrated through two experimental applications. In the first one, a geometrically irregular reinforced concrete building is considered, using a calibrated Finite Element Model for validating the results of the method. The second application refers to a historical monumental masonry building, with a more complex geometry and with less information available. In both cases, MRP models with a different number of rigid polygons per floor are compared.

STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, at KSC LC pad 39B

NASA Image and Video Library

1988-07-04

S88-42101 (15 July 1988) --- STS-26 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, awaits further processing at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch complex (LC) pad 39B. OV-103 arrived at LC pad 39B after a six-hour journey from the vehicle assembly building (VAB). The rotating service structure is retracted.

75 FR 34137 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection Renewals; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-16

... 17th Street Building (located on F Street), on business days between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. All comments.... 3064-0147); and Complex Structured Finance Transactions (OMB No. 3064-0079). DATES: Comments must be.... Gregorie (202-898-3719), Counsel, Room F- 1064, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 550 17th Street, NW...

ETR COMPLEX. CAMERA FACING SOUTH. FROM BOTTOM OF VIEW TO ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

ETR COMPLEX. CAMERA FACING SOUTH. FROM BOTTOM OF VIEW TO TOP: MTR, MTR SERVICE BUILDING, ETR CRITICAL FACILITY, ETR CONTROL BUILDING (ATTACHED TO ETR), ETR BUILDING (HIGH-BAY), COMPRESSOR BUILDING (ATTACHED AT LEFT OF ETR), HEAT EXCHANGER BUILDING (JUST BEYOND COMPRESSOR BUILDING), COOLING TOWER PUMP HOUSE, COOLING TOWER. OTHER BUILDINGS ARE CONTRACTORS' CONSTRUCTION BUILDINGS. INL NEGATIVE NO. 56-4105. Unknown Photographer, ca. 1956 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Reactor Area, Materials & Engineering Test Reactors, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Drift Reliability Assessment of a Four Storey Frame Residential Building Under Seismic Loading Considering Multiple Factors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sil, Arjun; Longmailai, Thaihamdau

2017-09-01

The lateral displacement of Reinforced Concrete (RC) frame building during an earthquake has an important impact on the structural stability and integrity. However, seismic analysis and design of RC building needs more concern due to its complex behavior as the performance of the structure links to the features of the system having many influencing parameters and other inherent uncertainties. The reliability approach takes into account the factors and uncertainty in design influencing the performance or response of the structure in which the safety level or the probability of failure could be ascertained. This present study, aims to assess the reliability of seismic performance of a four storey residential RC building seismically located in Zone-V as per the code provisions given in the Indian Standards IS: 1893-2002. The reliability assessment performed by deriving an explicit expression for maximum roof-lateral displacement as a failure function by regression method. A total of 319, four storey RC buildings were analyzed by linear static method using SAP2000. However, the change in the lateral-roof displacement with the variation of the parameters (column dimension, beam dimension, grade of concrete, floor height and total weight of the structure) was observed. A generalized relation established by regression method which could be used to estimate the expected lateral displacement owing to those selected parameters. A comparison made between the displacements obtained from analysis with that of the equation so formed. However, it shows that the proposed relation could be used directly to determine the expected maximum lateral displacement. The data obtained from the statistical computations was then used to obtain the probability of failure and the reliability.

Seismic response and damage detection analyses of an instrumented steel moment-framed building

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rodgers, J.E.; Celebi, M.

2006-01-01

The seismic performance of steel moment-framed buildings has been of particular interest since brittle fractures were discovered at the beam-column connections in a number of buildings following the M 6.7 Northridge earthquake of January 17, 1994. A case study of the seismic behavior of an extensively instrumented 13-story steel moment frame building located in the greater Los Angeles area of California is described herein. Response studies using frequency domain, joint time-frequency, system identification, and simple damage detection analyses are performed using an extensive strong motion dataset dating from 1971 to the present, supported by engineering drawings and results of postearthquake inspections. These studies show that the building's response is more complex than would be expected from its highly symmetrical geometry. The response is characterized by low damping in the fundamental mode, larger accelerations in the middle and lower stories than at the roof and base, extended periods of vibration after the cessation of strong input shaking, beating in the response, elliptical particle motion, and significant torsion during strong shaking at the top of the concrete piers which extend from the basement to the second floor. The analyses conducted indicate that the response of the structure was elastic in all recorded earthquakes to date, including Northridge. Also, several simple damage detection methods employed did not indicate any structural damage or connection fractures. The combination of a large, real structure and low instrumentation density precluded the application of many recently proposed advanced damage detection methods in this case study. Overall, however, the findings of this study are consistent with the limited code-compliant postearthquake intrusive inspections conducted after the Northridge earthquake, which found no connection fractures or other structural damage. ?? ASCE.

Gaseous Elemental Mercury and Total and Leached Mercury in Building Materials from the Former Hg-Mining Area of Abbadia San Salvatore (Central Italy)

PubMed Central

Vaselli, Orlando; Nisi, Barbara; Rappuoli, Daniele; Cabassi, Jacopo; Tassi, Franco

2017-01-01

Mercury has a strong environmental impact since both its organic and inorganic forms are toxic, and it represents a pollutant of global concern. Liquid Hg is highly volatile and can be released during natural and anthropogenic processes in the hydrosphere, biosphere and atmosphere. In this study, the distribution of Gaseous Elemental Mercury (GEM) and the total and leached mercury concentrations on paint, plaster, roof tiles, concrete, metals, dust and wood structures were determined in the main buildings and structures of the former Hg-mining area of Abbadia San Salvatore (Siena, Central Italy). The mining complex (divided into seven units) covers a surface of about 65 ha and contains mining structures and managers’ and workers’ buildings. Nine surveys of GEM measurements were carried out from July 2011 to August 2015 for the buildings and structures located in Units 2, 3 and 6, the latter being the area where liquid mercury was produced. Measurements were also performed in February, April, July, September and December 2016 in the edifices and mining structures of Unit 6. GEM concentrations showed a strong variability in time and space mostly depending on ambient temperature and the operational activities that were carried out in each building. The Unit 2 surveys carried out in the hotter period (from June to September) showed GEM concentrations up to 27,500 ng·m−3, while in Unit 6, they were on average much higher, and occasionally, they saturated the GEM measurement device (>50,000 ng·m−3). Concentrations of total (in mg·kg−1) and leached (in μg·L−1) mercury measured in different building materials (up to 46,580 mg·kg−1 and 4470 mg·L−1, respectively) were highly variable, being related to the edifice or mining structure from which they were collected. The results obtained in this study are of relevant interest for operational cleanings to be carried out during reclamation activities. PMID:28420130

Robustness and percolation of holes in complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Andu; Maletić, Slobodan; Zhao, Yi

2018-07-01

Efficient robustness and fault tolerance of complex network is significantly influenced by its connectivity, commonly modeled by the structure of pairwise relations between network elements, i.e., nodes. Nevertheless, aggregations of nodes build higher-order structures embedded in complex network, which may be more vulnerable when the fraction of nodes is removed. The structure of higher-order aggregations of nodes can be naturally modeled by simplicial complexes, whereas the removal of nodes affects the values of topological invariants, like the number of higher-dimensional holes quantified with Betti numbers. Following the methodology of percolation theory, as the fraction of nodes is removed, new holes appear, which have the role of merger between already present holes. In the present article, relationship between the robustness and homological properties of complex network is studied, through relating the graph-theoretical signatures of robustness and the quantities derived from topological invariants. The simulation results of random failures and intentional attacks on networks suggest that the changes of graph-theoretical signatures of robustness are followed by differences in the distribution of number of holes per cluster under different attack strategies. In the broader sense, the results indicate the importance of topological invariants research for obtaining further insights in understanding dynamics taking place over complex networks.

Development and Application of Agglomerated Multigrid Methods for Complex Geometries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nishikawa, Hiroaki; Diskin, Boris; Thomas, James L.

2010-01-01

We report progress in the development of agglomerated multigrid techniques for fully un- structured grids in three dimensions, building upon two previous studies focused on efficiently solving a model diffusion equation. We demonstrate a robust fully-coarsened agglomerated multigrid technique for 3D complex geometries, incorporating the following key developments: consistent and stable coarse-grid discretizations, a hierarchical agglomeration scheme, and line-agglomeration/relaxation using prismatic-cell discretizations in the highly-stretched grid regions. A signi cant speed-up in computer time is demonstrated for a model diffusion problem, the Euler equations, and the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for 3D realistic complex geometries.

Building macromolecular assemblies by information-driven docking: introducing the HADDOCK multibody docking server.

PubMed

Karaca, Ezgi; Melquiond, Adrien S J; de Vries, Sjoerd J; Kastritis, Panagiotis L; Bonvin, Alexandre M J J

2010-08-01

Over the last years, large scale proteomics studies have generated a wealth of information of biomolecular complexes. Adding the structural dimension to the resulting interactomes represents a major challenge that classical structural experimental methods alone will have difficulties to confront. To meet this challenge, complementary modeling techniques such as docking are thus needed. Among the current docking methods, HADDOCK (High Ambiguity-Driven DOCKing) distinguishes itself from others by the use of experimental and/or bioinformatics data to drive the modeling process and has shown a strong performance in the critical assessment of prediction of interactions (CAPRI), a blind experiment for the prediction of interactions. Although most docking programs are limited to binary complexes, HADDOCK can deal with multiple molecules (up to six), a capability that will be required to build large macromolecular assemblies. We present here a novel web interface of HADDOCK that allows the user to dock up to six biomolecules simultaneously. This interface allows the inclusion of a large variety of both experimental and/or bioinformatics data and supports several types of cyclic and dihedral symmetries in the docking of multibody assemblies. The server was tested on a benchmark of six cases, containing five symmetric homo-oligomeric protein complexes and one symmetric protein-DNA complex. Our results reveal that, in the presence of either bioinformatics and/or experimental data, HADDOCK shows an excellent performance: in all cases, HADDOCK was able to generate good to high quality solutions and ranked them at the top, demonstrating its ability to model symmetric multicomponent assemblies. Docking methods can thus play an important role in adding the structural dimension to interactomes. However, although the current docking methodologies were successful for a vast range of cases, considering the variety and complexity of macromolecular assemblies, inclusion of some kind of experimental information (e.g. from mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, cryoelectron microscopy, etc.) will remain highly desirable to obtain reliable results.

The dawn of the RNA World: Toward functional complexity through ligation of random RNA oligomers

PubMed Central

Briones, Carlos; Stich, Michael; Manrubia, Susanna C.

2009-01-01

A main unsolved problem in the RNA World scenario for the origin of life is how a template-dependent RNA polymerase ribozyme emerged from short RNA oligomers obtained by random polymerization on mineral surfaces. A number of computational studies have shown that the structural repertoire yielded by that process is dominated by topologically simple structures, notably hairpin-like ones. A fraction of these could display RNA ligase activity and catalyze the assembly of larger, eventually functional RNA molecules retaining their previous modular structure: molecular complexity increases but template replication is absent. This allows us to build up a stepwise model of ligation-based, modular evolution that could pave the way to the emergence of a ribozyme with RNA replicase activity, step at which information-driven Darwinian evolution would be triggered. PMID:19318464

Cells and cell biochemistry.

PubMed

Farley, Alistair; Hendry, Charles; McLafferty, Ella

This article, which forms part of the life sciences series, aims to promote understanding of the basic structure and function of cells. It assists healthcare professionals to appreciate the complex anatomy and physiology underpinning the functioning of the human body. Several introductory chemical concepts and terms are outlined. The basic building blocks of all matter, atoms, are examined and the way in which they may interact to form new compounds within the body is discussed. The basic structures and components that make up a typical cell are considered.

BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF THE COMPLEX, VIEW LOOKING NORTHWEST, WITH ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF THE COMPLEX, VIEW LOOKING NORTHWEST, WITH THE FOREST PRACTICES BUILDING IN THE FOREGROUND, THE K.O.G. BUILDING TO THE RIGHT OF VIEW, AND THE BRIDGE AND THE OREGON STATE FORESTER'S OFFICE BUILDING IN THE BACKGROUND. - Oregon State Forester's Office Complex, 2600 State Street, Salem, Marion, OR

ETR AND MTR COMPLEXES IN CONTEXT. CAMERA FACING NORTHERLY. FROM ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

ETR AND MTR COMPLEXES IN CONTEXT. CAMERA FACING NORTHERLY. FROM BOTTOM TO TOP: ETR COOLING TOWER, ELECTRICAL BUILDING AND LOW-BAY SECTION OF ETR BUILDING, HEAT EXCHANGER BUILDING (WITH U SHAPED YARD), COMPRESSOR BUILDING. MTR REACTOR SERVICES BUILDING IS ATTACHED TO SOUTH WALL OF MTR. WING A IS ATTACHED TO BALCONY FLOOR OF MTR. NEAR UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF VIEW IS MTR PROCESS WATER BUILDING. WING B IS AT FAR WEST END OF COMPLEX. NEAR MAIN GATE IS GAMMA FACILITY, WITH "COLD" BUILDINGS BEYOND: RAW WATER STORAGE TANKS, STEAM PLANT, MTR COOLING TOWER PUMP HOUSE AND COOLING TOWER. INL NEGATIVE NO. 56-4101. - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Reactor Area, Materials & Engineering Test Reactors, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Design and optimization of the micro-engine turbine rotor manufacturing using the rapid prototyping technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vdovin, R. A.; Smelov, V. G.

2017-02-01

This work describes the experience in manufacturing the turbine rotor for the micro-engine. It demonstrates the design principles for the complex investment casting process combining the use of the ProCast software and the rapid prototyping techniques. At the virtual modelling stage, in addition to optimized process parameters, the casting structure was improved to obtain the defect-free section. The real production stage allowed demonstrating the performance and fitness of rapid prototyping techniques for the manufacture of geometrically-complex engine-building parts.

Center for the Built Environment: Research on Controls and Information

Science.gov Websites

Foundation Complex Case Study Publications Research Area : Sustainability, Whole Building Energy, and Other commercial building energy use. Krege Foundation Complex Case Study Analyzing performance of LEED platinum criteria for high performance buildings. Building test equipment The first in-depth case study was

Research on application of intelligent computation based LUCC model in urbanization process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zemin

2007-06-01

Global change study is an interdisciplinary and comprehensive research activity with international cooperation, arising in 1980s, with the largest scopes. The interaction between land use and cover change, as a research field with the crossing of natural science and social science, has become one of core subjects of global change study as well as the front edge and hot point of it. It is necessary to develop research on land use and cover change in urbanization process and build an analog model of urbanization to carry out description, simulation and analysis on dynamic behaviors in urban development change as well as to understand basic characteristics and rules of urbanization process. This has positive practical and theoretical significance for formulating urban and regional sustainable development strategy. The effect of urbanization on land use and cover change is mainly embodied in the change of quantity structure and space structure of urban space, and LUCC model in urbanization process has been an important research subject of urban geography and urban planning. In this paper, based upon previous research achievements, the writer systematically analyzes the research on land use/cover change in urbanization process with the theories of complexity science research and intelligent computation; builds a model for simulating and forecasting dynamic evolution of urban land use and cover change, on the basis of cellular automation model of complexity science research method and multi-agent theory; expands Markov model, traditional CA model and Agent model, introduces complexity science research theory and intelligent computation theory into LUCC research model to build intelligent computation-based LUCC model for analog research on land use and cover change in urbanization research, and performs case research. The concrete contents are as follows: 1. Complexity of LUCC research in urbanization process. Analyze urbanization process in combination with the contents of complexity science research and the conception of complexity feature to reveal the complexity features of LUCC research in urbanization process. Urban space system is a complex economic and cultural phenomenon as well as a social process, is the comprehensive characterization of urban society, economy and culture, and is a complex space system formed by society, economy and nature. It has dissipative structure characteristics, such as opening, dynamics, self-organization, non-balance etc. Traditional model cannot simulate these social, economic and natural driving forces of LUCC including main feedback relation from LUCC to driving force. 2. Establishment of Markov extended model of LUCC analog research in urbanization process. Firstly, use traditional LUCC research model to compute change speed of regional land use through calculating dynamic degree, exploitation degree and consumption degree of land use; use the theory of fuzzy set to rewrite the traditional Markov model, establish structure transfer matrix of land use, forecast and analyze dynamic change and development trend of land use, and present noticeable problems and corresponding measures in urbanization process according to research results. 3. Application of intelligent computation research and complexity science research method in LUCC analog model in urbanization process. On the basis of detailed elaboration of the theory and the model of LUCC research in urbanization process, analyze the problems of existing model used in LUCC research (namely, difficult to resolve many complexity phenomena in complex urban space system), discuss possible structure realization forms of LUCC analog research in combination with the theories of intelligent computation and complexity science research. Perform application analysis on BP artificial neural network and genetic algorithms of intelligent computation and CA model and MAS technology of complexity science research, discuss their theoretical origins and their own characteristics in detail, elaborate the feasibility of them in LUCC analog research, and bring forward improvement methods and measures on existing problems of this kind of model. 4. Establishment of LUCC analog model in urbanization process based on theories of intelligent computation and complexity science. Based on the research on abovementioned BP artificial neural network, genetic algorithms, CA model and multi-agent technology, put forward improvement methods and application assumption towards their expansion on geography, build LUCC analog model in urbanization process based on CA model and Agent model, realize the combination of learning mechanism of BP artificial neural network and fuzzy logic reasoning, express the regulation with explicit formula, and amend the initial regulation through self study; optimize network structure of LUCC analog model and methods and procedures of model parameters with genetic algorithms. In this paper, I introduce research theory and methods of complexity science into LUCC analog research and presents LUCC analog model based upon CA model and MAS theory. Meanwhile, I carry out corresponding expansion on traditional Markov model and introduce the theory of fuzzy set into data screening and parameter amendment of improved model to improve the accuracy and feasibility of Markov model in the research on land use/cover change.

Intelligent building system for airport

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ancevic, M.

1997-11-01

The Munich airport uses a state-of-the-art intelligent building management system to control systems such as HVAC, runway lights, baggage handling, etc. Planning the new Munich II international airport provided a unique opportunity to use the latest state-of-the-art technical systems, while integrating their control through a single intelligent building management system. Opened in 1992, the airport is Germany`s second-largest airport after Frankfurt. The airport is staffed by 16,000 employees and can handle 17 million passengers a year. The sprawling site encompasses more than 120 buildings. The airport`s distributed control system is specifically designed to optimize the complex`s unique range of functions,more » while providing a high degree of comfort, convenience and safety for airport visitors. With the capacity to control 200,000 points, this system controls more than 112,000 points and integrates 13 major subsystems from nine different vendors. It provides convenient, accessible control of everything including the complex`s power plant, HVAC Control, the terminal`s people-moving functions, interior lighting controls, runway lights, baggage forwarding systems, elevators, and boarding bridges. The airport was named 1993 intelligent building of the year by the Intelligent Buildings Institute Foundation. Its building management system is a striking example of the degree to which a building complex`s functions can be integrated for greater operational control and efficiency.« less

Self-organization of network dynamics into local quantized states

DOE PAGES

Nicolaides, Christos; Juanes, Ruben; Cueto-Felgueroso, Luis

2016-02-17

Self-organization and pattern formation in network-organized systems emerges from the collective activation and interaction of many interconnected units. A striking feature of these non-equilibrium structures is that they are often localized and robust: only a small subset of the nodes, or cell assembly, is activated. Understanding the role of cell assemblies as basic functional units in neural networks and socio-technical systems emerges as a fundamental challenge in network theory. A key open question is how these elementary building blocks emerge, and how they operate, linking structure and function in complex networks. Here we show that a network analogue of themore » Swift-Hohenberg continuum model—a minimal-ingredients model of nodal activation and interaction within a complex network—is able to produce a complex suite of localized patterns. Thus, the spontaneous formation of robust operational cell assemblies in complex networks can be explained as the result of self-organization, even in the absence of synaptic reinforcements.« less

Self-organization of network dynamics into local quantized states.

PubMed

Nicolaides, Christos; Juanes, Ruben; Cueto-Felgueroso, Luis

2016-02-17

Self-organization and pattern formation in network-organized systems emerges from the collective activation and interaction of many interconnected units. A striking feature of these non-equilibrium structures is that they are often localized and robust: only a small subset of the nodes, or cell assembly, is activated. Understanding the role of cell assemblies as basic functional units in neural networks and socio-technical systems emerges as a fundamental challenge in network theory. A key open question is how these elementary building blocks emerge, and how they operate, linking structure and function in complex networks. Here we show that a network analogue of the Swift-Hohenberg continuum model-a minimal-ingredients model of nodal activation and interaction within a complex network-is able to produce a complex suite of localized patterns. Hence, the spontaneous formation of robust operational cell assemblies in complex networks can be explained as the result of self-organization, even in the absence of synaptic reinforcements.

Self-organization of network dynamics into local quantized states

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nicolaides, Christos; Juanes, Ruben; Cueto-Felgueroso, Luis

Self-organization and pattern formation in network-organized systems emerges from the collective activation and interaction of many interconnected units. A striking feature of these non-equilibrium structures is that they are often localized and robust: only a small subset of the nodes, or cell assembly, is activated. Understanding the role of cell assemblies as basic functional units in neural networks and socio-technical systems emerges as a fundamental challenge in network theory. A key open question is how these elementary building blocks emerge, and how they operate, linking structure and function in complex networks. Here we show that a network analogue of themore » Swift-Hohenberg continuum model—a minimal-ingredients model of nodal activation and interaction within a complex network—is able to produce a complex suite of localized patterns. Thus, the spontaneous formation of robust operational cell assemblies in complex networks can be explained as the result of self-organization, even in the absence of synaptic reinforcements.« less

Impact of Interlayer Dwell Time on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Nickel and Titanium Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, B. K.; Beese, A. M.; Keist, J. S.; McHale, E. T.; Palmer, T. A.

2017-09-01

Path planning in additive manufacturing (AM) processes has an impact on the thermal histories experienced at discrete locations in simple and complex AM structures. One component of path planning in directed energy deposition is the time required for the laser or heat source to return to a given location to add another layer of material. As structures become larger and more complex, the length of this interlayer dwell time can significantly impact the resulting thermal histories. The impact of varying dwell times between 0 and 40 seconds on the microstructural and mechanical properties of Inconel® 625 and Ti-6Al-4V builds has been characterized. Even though these materials display different microstructures and solid-state phase transformations, the addition of an interlayer dwell generally led to a finer microstructure in both materials that impacted the resulting mechanical properties. With the addition of interlayer dwell times up to 40 seconds in the Inconel® 625 builds, finer secondary dendrite arm spacing values, produced by changes in the thermal history, correspond to increased yield and tensile strengths. These mechanical properties did not appear to change significantly, however, for dwell times greater than 20 seconds in the Inconel® 625 builds, indicating that longer dwell times have a minimal impact. The addition of interlayer dwell times in Ti-6Al-4V builds resulted in a slight decrease in the measured alpha lath widths and a much more noticeable decrease in the width of prior beta grains. In addition, the yield and tensile values continued to increase, nearly reaching the values observed in the rolled plate substrate material with dwell times up to 40 seconds.

Welding at the Kennedy Space Center.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clautice, W. E.

1973-01-01

Brief description of the nature of the mechanical equipment at a space launch complex from a welding viewpoint. including an identification of the major welding applications used in the construction of this complex. The role played by welding in the ground support equipment is noted, including the welded structures and systems required in the vehicle assembly building, the mobile launchers, transporters, mobile service structure, launch pad and launch site, the propellants system, the pneumatics system, and the environmental control system. The welding processes used at the Kennedy Space Center are reviewed, and a particularly detailed account is given of the design and fabrication of the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen storage spheres and piping. Finally, the various methods of testing and inspecting the storage spheres are cited.

Ylide Ligands as Building Blocks for Bioactive Group 11 Metal Complexes.

PubMed

Gimeno, M Concepción; Johnson, Alice; Marzo, Isabel

2018-05-22

The reactivity of the phosphonium salt, (cyanomethyl)triphenylphosphonium chloride, and the ylide, triphenylphosphoniumcyanomethylide, towards group eleven metal complexes is described. Mononuclear neutral gold(I) and gold(III) complexes of the type [AuX{CH(CN)PPh3}] or [AuX3{CH(CN)PPh3}], and cationic derivatives such as [AuL{CH(CN)PPh3}]X have been prepared. Surprisingly the cationic gold species could only be prepared with ligands with a large steric hindrance such as bulky NHCs or the JohnPhos phosphine, in contrast with silver and copper derivatives which have dimeric structures with coordination to the cyano group of the ylide. Bis(ylide)metal complexes have been synthesised in which a different structure is observed for gold compared to copper and silver. While gold shows mononuclear species, the silver complex presents a bidimensional polymeric structure as a result of further coordination of the silver centre to the nitrogen of the cyano group. These complexes possess two chiral centres and the gold compound is obtained as a mixture of diastereoisomers, whereas the copper and silver derivatives afford only one diastereroisomer. These compounds were screened for the in vitro cytotoxic activity against the human lung carcinoma cell line (A549). The IC50 values reveal an excellent cytotoxic activity for these metal complexes compared with cisplatin. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Intelligent classifier for dynamic fault patterns based on hidden Markov model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Bo; Feng, Yuguang; Yu, Jinsong

2006-11-01

It's difficult to build precise mathematical models for complex engineering systems because of the complexity of the structure and dynamics characteristics. Intelligent fault diagnosis introduces artificial intelligence and works in a different way without building the analytical mathematical model of a diagnostic object, so it's a practical approach to solve diagnostic problems of complex systems. This paper presents an intelligent fault diagnosis method, an integrated fault-pattern classifier based on Hidden Markov Model (HMM). This classifier consists of dynamic time warping (DTW) algorithm, self-organizing feature mapping (SOFM) network and Hidden Markov Model. First, after dynamic observation vector in measuring space is processed by DTW, the error vector including the fault feature of being tested system is obtained. Then a SOFM network is used as a feature extractor and vector quantization processor. Finally, fault diagnosis is realized by fault patterns classifying with the Hidden Markov Model classifier. The importing of dynamic time warping solves the problem of feature extracting from dynamic process vectors of complex system such as aeroengine, and makes it come true to diagnose complex system by utilizing dynamic process information. Simulating experiments show that the diagnosis model is easy to extend, and the fault pattern classifier is efficient and is convenient to the detecting and diagnosing of new faults.

Synthesis, structure, and luminescent properties of microporous lanthanide metal-organic frameworks with inorganic rod-shaped building units.

PubMed

Guo, Xiaodan; Zhu, Guangshan; Sun, Fuxing; Li, Zhongyue; Zhao, Xiaojun; Li, Xiaotian; Wang, Hanchang; Qiu, Shilun

2006-03-20

A series of microporous lanthanide metal-organic frameworks, Tb3(BDC)(4.5)(DMF)2(H2O)3.(DMF)(H2O) (1) and Ln3(BDC)(4.5)(DMF)2(H2O)3.(DMF)(C2H5OH)(0.5)(H2O)(0.5) [Ln = Dy (2), Ho (3), Er (4)], have been synthesized by the reaction of the lanthanide metal ion (Ln3+) with 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid and triethylenetetramine in a mixed solution of N,N'-dimethylformamide (DMF), water, and C(2)H(5)OH. X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that they are extremely similar in structure and crystallized in triclinic space group P. An edge-sharing metallic dimer and 4 metallic monomers assemble with 18 carboxylate groups to form discrete inorganic rod-shaped building units [Ln6(CO2)18], which link to each other through phenyl groups to lead to three-dimensional open frameworks with approximately 4 x 6 A rhombic channels along the [0,-1,1] direction. A water sorption isotherm proves that guest molecules in the framework of complex 1 can be removed to create permanent microporosity and about four water molecules per formula unit can be adsorbed into the micropores. These complexes exhibit blue fluorescence, and complex 1 shows a Tb3+ characteristic emission in the range of 450-650 nm.

a Line-Based 3d Roof Model Reconstruction Algorithm: Tin-Merging and Reshaping (tmr)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rau, J.-Y.

2012-07-01

Three-dimensional building model is one of the major components of a cyber-city and is vital for the realization of 3D GIS applications. In the last decade, the airborne laser scanning (ALS) data is widely used for 3D building model reconstruction and object extraction. Instead, based on 3D roof structural lines, this paper presents a novel algorithm for automatic roof models reconstruction. A line-based roof model reconstruction algorithm, called TIN-Merging and Reshaping (TMR), is proposed. The roof structural line, such as edges, eaves and ridges, can be measured manually from aerial stereo-pair, derived by feature line matching or inferred from ALS data. The originality of the TMR algorithm for 3D roof modelling is to perform geometric analysis and topology reconstruction among those unstructured lines and then reshapes the roof-type using elevation information from the 3D structural lines. For topology reconstruction, a line constrained Delaunay Triangulation algorithm is adopted where the input structural lines act as constraint and their vertex act as input points. Thus, the constructed TINs will not across the structural lines. Later at the stage of Merging, the shared edge between two TINs will be check if the original structural line exists. If not, those two TINs will be merged into a polygon. Iterative checking and merging of any two neighboured TINs/Polygons will result in roof polygons on the horizontal plane. Finally, at the Reshaping stage any two structural lines with fixed height will be used to adjust a planar function for the whole roof polygon. In case ALS data exist, the Reshaping stage can be simplified by adjusting the point cloud within the roof polygon. The proposed scheme reduces the complexity of 3D roof modelling and makes the modelling process easier. Five test datasets provided by ISPRS WG III/4 located at downtown Toronto, Canada and Vaihingen, Germany are used for experiment. The test sites cover high rise buildings and residential area with diverse roof type. For performance evaluation, the adopted roof structural lines are manually measured from the provided stereo-pair. Experimental results indicate a nearly 100% success rate for topology reconstruction was achieved provided that the 3D structural lines can be enclosed as polygons. On the other hand, the success rate at the Reshaping stage is dependent on the complexity of the rooftop structure. Thus, a visual inspection and semi-automatic adjustment of roof-type is suggested and implemented to complete the roof modelling. The results demonstrate that the proposed scheme is robust and reliable with a high degree of completeness, correctness, and quality, even when a group of connected buildings with multiple layers and mixed roof types is processed.

Specific features of modern multifunctional high-rise building construction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manukhina, Lyubov; Samosudova, Natal'ja

2018-03-01

The article analyzes the main reasons for the development of high-rise building construction the most important of which-is a limitation of the urban areas and, consequently, the high price of land reserved for construction. New engineering and compositional solutions for the creation of new types of buildings are considered - complex technical designs of a large number of storeys completely meet the new requirements for safety and comfort. Some peculiarities of designing high-rise buildings and searching for optimal architectural and planning solutions are revealed since, with external architectural simplicity, high-rise buildings have complex structural and technological and space-planning solutions. We consider the specific features of a high-rise housing in various countries around the world, including Russia, such as the layout of the multi-storey residential buildings, depending on the climatic characteristics of the regions, assessment of the geological risk of the construction site, the choice of parameters and functional purpose of the sections of the territory of high-rise construction, location of the town-planning object for substantiating the overall dimensions of the building, assessment of changes aeration and engineering and hydrological conditions of the site. A special place in the article on the problems of improvement of the territory, the device of courtyards, landscaping, the device of playing and sports grounds. The main conclusion in the article is the following problem - when developing high-rise housing construction, the development of high-rise housing, and an increase in the population density in the territory of large cities of Russia, necessary to create a comfortable and safe level of residents living and not a decrease, but an improvement in the quality of the urban environment.

Characterisation of a complex thin walled structure fabricated by selective laser melting using a ferritic oxide dispersion strengthened steel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boegelein, Thomas, E-mail: t.boegelein@liv.ac.uk; Louvis, Eleftherios; Dawson, Karl

2016-02-15

Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys exhibit superior mechanical and physical properties due to the presence of nanoscopic Y(Al, Ti) oxide precipitates, but their manufacturing process is complex. The present study is aimed at further investigation of the application of an alternative, Additive Manufacturing (AM) technique, Selective Laser Melting (SLM), to the production of consolidated ODS alloy components. Mechanically alloyed PM2000 (ODS-FeCrAl) powders have been consolidated and a fine dispersion of Y-containing precipitates were observed in an as built thin-walled component, but these particles were typically poly-crystalline and contained a variety of elements including O, Al, Ti, Cr and Fe. Applicationmore » of post-build heat treatments resulted in the modification of particle structures and compositions; in the annealed condition most precipitates were transformed to single crystal yttrium aluminium oxides. During the annealing treatment, precipitate distributions homogenised and localised variations in number density were diminished. The resulting volume fractions of those precipitates were 25–40% lower than have been reported in conventionally processed PM2000, which was attributed to Y-rich slag-like surface features and inclusions formed during SLM. - Highlights: • A wall structure was grown from ODS steel powder using selective laser melting. • A fine dispersion of nano-precipitates was apparent in as-build material. • Precipitates were multi-phased containing several elements, e.g. O, Ti, Al, Fe, Cr, Y. • Post-build annealing changed those into typically single-crystalline Y–Al–O. • The anneal also reduced and stabilised the volume fraction of precipitates to ~ 0.006.« less

KSC-98pc1059

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-08-06

This Shuttle/Gantry mockup and Post Show Dome anchor the northeast corner of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The Astronaut Memorial is located just above. Sprawling across 70 acres on Florida's Space Coast, the complex is located off State Road 405, NASA Parkway, six miles inside the Space Center entrance. The building at the upper left is the Theater Complex. Other exhibits and buildings on the site are the Center for Space Education, Cafeteria, Space Flight Exhibit Building, Souvenir Sales Building, Spaceport Central, Ticket Pavilion and Center for Space Education

Designed Single-Step Synthesis, Structure, and Derivative Textural Properties of Well-Ordered Layered Penta-Coordinate Silicon Alcoholate Complexes

PubMed Central

Li, Xiansen; Michaelis, Vladimir K.; Ong, Ta-Chung; Smith, Stacey J.; Griffin, Robert G.; Wang, Evelyn N.

2014-01-01

The controllable synthesis of well-ordered layered materials with specific nanoarchitecture poses a grand challenge in materials chemistry. We report the solvothermal synthesis of two structurally analogous 5-coordinate organosilicate complexes via a novel transesterification mechanism. Since the polycrystalline nature of the intrinsic hypervalent Si complex thwarts the endeavor in determining its structure, a novel strategy concerning the elegant addition of a small fraction of B species as an effective crystal growth mediator and a sacrificial agent is proposed to directly prepare diffraction-quality single crystals without disrupting the intrinsic elemental type. In the determined crystal structure, two monomeric primary building units (PBUs) self-assemble into a dimeric asymmetric secondary BU via strong Na+-O2− ionic bonds. The designed one-pot synthesis is straightforward, robust, and efficient, leading to a well-ordered (10ī)-parallel layered Si complex with its principal interlayers intercalated with extensive van der Waals gaps in spite of the presence of substantial Na+ counterions as a result of unique atomic arrangement in its structure. On the other hand, upon fast pyrolysis, followed by acid leaching, both complexes are converted into two SiO2 composites bearing BET surface areas of 163.3 and 254.7 m2 g−1 for the pyrolyzed intrinsic and B-assisted Si complexes, respectively. The transesterification methodology merely involving alcoholysis but without any hydrolysis side reaction is designed to have generalized applicability for use in synthesizing new layered metal-organic compounds with tailored PBUs and corresponding metal oxide particles with hierarchical porosity. PMID:24737615

Precast concrete unit assessment through GPR survey and FDTD modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campo, Davide

2017-04-01

Precast concrete elements are widely used within United Kingdom house building offering ease in assembly and added values as structural integrity, sound and thermal insulation; most common concrete components include walls, beams, floors, panels, lintels, stairs, etc. The lack of respect of the manufacturer instruction during assembling, however, may induce cracking and short/long term loss of bearing capacity. GPR is a well-established not destructive technique employed in the assessment of structural elements because of real-time imaging, quickness of data collecting and ability to discriminate finest structural details. In this work, GPR has been used to investigate two different precast elements: precast reinforced concrete planks constituting the roof slab of a school and precast wood-cement blocks with insulation material pre-fitted used to build a perimeter wall of a private building. Visible cracks affected both constructions. For the assessment surveys, a GSSI 2.0 GHz GPR antenna has been used because of the high resolution required and the small size of the antenna case (155 by 90 by 105mm) enabling scanning up to 45mm from any obstruction. Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) numerical modelling was also performed to build a scenario of the expected GPR signal response for a preliminary real-time interpretation and to help solve uncertainties due to complex reflection patterns: simulated radargrams were built using Reflex Software v. 8.2, reproducing the same GPR pulse used for the surveys in terms of wavelet, nominal frequency, sample frequency and time window. Model geometries were derived from the design projects available both for the planks and the blocks; the electromagnetic properties of the materials (concrete, reinforcing bars, air-filled void, insulation and wooden concrete) were inferred from both values reported in literature and a preliminary interpretation of radargrams where internal layer interfaces were clearly recognizable and univocally interpretable. Simulated and real radargrams comparison demonstrated that, in both cases, manufacturer instructions were not fully respected and confirmed GPR as a fast and effective structural assessment technique with the support of FDTD modelling as data interpretation validating method when complex reflection patterns are observed. GPR findings will be then used to address the intrusive coring necessary to evaluate the compressive strength of the concrete and, in synergy with the intrusive survey results, to plan properly corrective actions to ensure the stability of the structures and guarantee the usability.

Architectural design influences the diversity and structure of the built environment microbiome

PubMed Central

Kembel, Steven W; Jones, Evan; Kline, Jeff; Northcutt, Dale; Stenson, Jason; Womack, Ann M; Bohannan, Brendan JM; Brown, G Z; Green, Jessica L

2012-01-01

Buildings are complex ecosystems that house trillions of microorganisms interacting with each other, with humans and with their environment. Understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes that determine the diversity and composition of the built environment microbiome—the community of microorganisms that live indoors—is important for understanding the relationship between building design, biodiversity and human health. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene to quantify relationships between building attributes and airborne bacterial communities at a health-care facility. We quantified airborne bacterial community structure and environmental conditions in patient rooms exposed to mechanical or window ventilation and in outdoor air. The phylogenetic diversity of airborne bacterial communities was lower indoors than outdoors, and mechanically ventilated rooms contained less diverse microbial communities than did window-ventilated rooms. Bacterial communities in indoor environments contained many taxa that are absent or rare outdoors, including taxa closely related to potential human pathogens. Building attributes, specifically the source of ventilation air, airflow rates, relative humidity and temperature, were correlated with the diversity and composition of indoor bacterial communities. The relative abundance of bacteria closely related to human pathogens was higher indoors than outdoors, and higher in rooms with lower airflow rates and lower relative humidity. The observed relationship between building design and airborne bacterial diversity suggests that we can manage indoor environments, altering through building design and operation the community of microbial species that potentially colonize the human microbiome during our time indoors. PMID:22278670

Hidden multidimensional social structure modeling applied to biased social perception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maletić, Slobodan; Zhao, Yi

2018-02-01

Intricacies of the structure of social relations are realized by representing a collection of overlapping opinions as a simplicial complex, thus building latent multidimensional structures, through which agents are, virtually, moving as they exchange opinions. The influence of opinion space structure on the distribution of opinions is demonstrated by modeling consensus phenomena when the opinion exchange between individuals may be affected by the false consensus effect. The results indicate that in the cases with and without bias, the road toward consensus is influenced by the structure of multidimensional space of opinions, and in the biased case, complete consensus is achieved. The applications of proposed modeling framework can easily be generalized, as they transcend opinion formation modeling.

Illustrating Catalysis with Interlocking Building Blocks: Correlation between Structure of a Metallocene Catalyst and the Stereoregularity of Polypropylene

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horikoshi, Ryo; Kobayashi, Yoji; Kageyama, Hiroshi

2013-01-01

Catalysis with transition-metal complexes is a part of the inorganic chemistry curriculum and a challenging topic for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students. A hands-on teaching aid has been developed for use during conventional lectures to help students understand these catalytic reactions. A unique method of illustrating the…

Applying Hand-Held 3D Printing Technology to the Teaching of VSEPR Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dean, Natalie L.; Ewan, Corrina; McIndoe, J. Scott

2016-01-01

The use of hand-held 3D printing technology provides a unique and engaging approach to learning VSEPR theory by enabling students to draw three-dimensional depictions of different molecular geometries, giving them an appreciation of the shapes of the building blocks of complex molecular structures. Students are provided with 3D printing pens and…

Build-a-Brain Project: Students Design and Model the Brain of an Imaginary Animal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demetrikopoulos, Melissa K.; Pecore, John; Rose, Jordan D.; Fobbs, Archibald J., Jr.; Johnson, John I.; Carruth, Laura L.

2006-01-01

The brain is a truly fascinating structure! It controls the body and allows everyone to think, learn, speak, move, feel, remember, and experience emotions. Although the brain is a single organ, it is very complex and has several regions, each having a specific function. These functionally diverse regions work together to allow for coordination of…

Development Problems With Component Construction. Proceedings of Conference of the Building Research Institute, Division of Engineering and Industrial Research (Fall 1959).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council, Washington, DC.

Publication of conference papers includes--(1) an overview of the ceiling system complex by a lighting manufacturer, (2) review of problems influencing the development of roofing systems, (3) description of cooperative research within the cement industry, and (4) description of joint research development of structural ceramic panels. Included…

Management adaptation to fires in the wildland-urban risk areas in Spain

Treesearch

Gema Herrero-Corral

2013-01-01

Forest fires not only cause damage to ecosystems but also result in major socio-economic losses and in the worst cases loss of human life. Specifically, the incidence of fires in the overlapping areas between building structures and forest vegetation (wildland-urban interface, WUI) generates highly-complex emergencies due to the presence of people and goods....

Capillarics: pre-programmed, self-powered microfluidic circuits built from capillary elements.

PubMed

Safavieh, Roozbeh; Juncker, David

2013-11-07

Microfluidic capillary systems employ surface tension effects to manipulate liquids, and are thus self-powered and self-regulated as liquid handling is structurally and chemically encoded in microscale conduits. However, capillary systems have been limited to perform simple fluidic operations. Here, we introduce complex capillary flow circuits that encode sequential flow of multiple liquids with distinct flow rates and flow reversal. We first introduce two novel microfluidic capillary elements including (i) retention burst valves and (ii) robust low aspect ratio trigger valves. These elements are combined with flow resistors, capillary retention valves, capillary pumps, and open and closed reservoirs to build a capillary circuit that, following sample addition, autonomously delivers a defined sequence of multiple chemicals according to a preprogrammed and predetermined flow rate and time. Such a circuit was used to measure the concentration of C-reactive protein. This work illustrates that as in electronics, complex capillary circuits may be built by combining simple capillary elements. We define such circuits as "capillarics", and introduce symbolic representations. We believe that more complex circuits will become possible by expanding the library of building elements and formulating abstract design rules.

Construction of high-rise buildings in the Far East of Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kudryavtsev, Sergey; Bugunov, Semen; Pogulyaeva, Evgeniya; Peters, Anastasiya; Kotenko, Zhanna; Grigor'yev, Danil

2018-03-01

The construction of high-rise buildings on plate foundation in geotechnical conditions of the Russian Far East is a complicated problem. In this respect foundation engineering becomes rather essential. In order to set a firm foundation it is necessary to take into account the pressure distribution at the structure base, in homogeneity of building deformation, which is due to collaborative geotechnical calculations complicated by a number of factors: actual over-placement of soils, the complex geometry of the building under construction, spatial work of the foundation ground with consideration for physical nonlinearity, the influence of the stiffness of the superstructure (reinforced concrete framing) upon the development of foundation deformations, foundation performance (the performance of the bed plate under the building and stairwells), the origination of internal forces in the superstructure with differential settlement. The solution of spatial problems regarding the mutual interaction between buildings and foundations with account of the factors mentioned above is fully achievable via the application of numerical modeling methodology. The work makes a review of the results of high-rise plate building numerical modeling in geotechnical conditions of the Russian Far East by way of the example of Khabarovsk city.

Complex assessment of urban housing energy sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popova, Olga; Glebova, Julia; Karakozova, Irina

2018-03-01

The article presents the results of a complex experimental-analytical research of residential development energy parameters - survey of construction sites and determination of calculated energy parameters (resistance to heat transfer) considering their technical condition. The authors suggest a methodology for assessing residential development energy parameters on the basis of construction project's structural analysis with the use of advanced intelligent collection systems, processing (self-organizing maps - SOM) and data visualization (geo-informational systems - GIS). SOM clustering permitted to divide the housing stock (on the example of Arkhangelsk city) into groups with similar technical-operational and energy parameters. It is also possible to measure energy parameters of construction project of each cluster by comparing them with reference (normative) measures and also with each other. The authors propose mechanisms for increasing the area's energy stability level by implementing a set of reproduction activities for residential development of various groups. The analysis showed that modern multilevel and high-rise construction buildings have the least heat losses. At present, however, ow-rise wood buildings is the dominant styles of buildings of Arkhangelsk city. Data visualisation on the created heat map showed that such housing stock covers the largest urban area. The development strategies for depressed areas is in a high-rise building, which show the economic, social and environmental benefits of upward growth of the city. An urban regeneration programme for severely rundown urban housing estates is in a high-rise construction building, which show the economic, social and environmental benefits of upward growth of the city.

Compliance of secondary production and eco-exergy as indicators of benthic macroinvertebrates assemblages' response to canopy cover conditions in Neotropical headwater streams.

PubMed

Linares, Marden Seabra; Callisto, Marcos; Marques, João Carlos

2018-02-01

Riparian vegetation cover influences benthic assemblages structure and functioning in headwater streams, as it regulates light availability and autochthonous primary production in these ecosystems.Secondary production, diversity, and exergy-based indicators were applied in capturing how riparian cover influences the structure and functioning of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in tropical headwater streams. Four hypotheses were tested: (1) open canopy will determine the occurrence of higher diversity in benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages; (2) streams with open canopy will exhibit more complex benthic macroinvertebrate communities (in terms of information embedded in the organisms' biomass); (3) in streams with open canopy benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages will be more efficient in using the available resources to build structure, which will be reflected by higher eco-exergy values; (4) benthic assemblages in streams with open canopy will exhibit more secondary productivity. We selected eight non-impacted headwater streams, four shaded and four with open canopy, all located in the Neotropical savannah (Cerrado) of southeastern Brazil. Open canopy streams consistently exhibited significantly higher eco-exergy and instant secondary production values, exemplifying that these streams may support more complex and productive benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages. Nevertheless, diversity indices and specific eco-exergy were not significantly different in shaded and open canopy streams. Since all the studied streams were selected for being considered as non-impacted, this suggests that the potential represented by more available food resources was not used to build a more complex dissipative structure. These results illustrate the role and importance of the canopy cover characteristics on the structure and functioning of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in tropical headwater streams, while autochthonous production appears to play a crucial role as food source for benthic macroinvertebrates. This study also highlights the possible application of thermodynamic based indicators as tools to guide environmental managers in developing and implementing policies in the neotropical savannah. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relative significance of heat transfer processes to quantify tradeoffs between complexity and accuracy of energy simulations with a building energy use patterns classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidarinejad, Mohammad

This dissertation develops rapid and accurate building energy simulations based on a building classification that identifies and focuses modeling efforts on most significant heat transfer processes. The building classification identifies energy use patterns and their contributing parameters for a portfolio of buildings. The dissertation hypothesis is "Building classification can provide minimal required inputs for rapid and accurate energy simulations for a large number of buildings". The critical literature review indicated there is lack of studies to (1) Consider synoptic point of view rather than the case study approach, (2) Analyze influence of different granularities of energy use, (3) Identify key variables based on the heat transfer processes, and (4) Automate the procedure to quantify model complexity with accuracy. Therefore, three dissertation objectives are designed to test out the dissertation hypothesis: (1) Develop different classes of buildings based on their energy use patterns, (2) Develop different building energy simulation approaches for the identified classes of buildings to quantify tradeoffs between model accuracy and complexity, (3) Demonstrate building simulation approaches for case studies. Penn State's and Harvard's campus buildings as well as high performance LEED NC office buildings are test beds for this study to develop different classes of buildings. The campus buildings include detailed chilled water, electricity, and steam data, enabling to classify buildings into externally-load, internally-load, or mixed-load dominated. The energy use of the internally-load buildings is primarily a function of the internal loads and their schedules. Externally-load dominated buildings tend to have an energy use pattern that is a function of building construction materials and outdoor weather conditions. However, most of the commercial medium-sized office buildings have a mixed-load pattern, meaning the HVAC system and operation schedule dictate the indoor condition regardless of the contribution of internal and external loads. To deploy the methodology to another portfolio of buildings, simulated LEED NC office buildings are selected. The advantage of this approach is to isolate energy performance due to inherent building characteristics and location, rather than operational and maintenance factors that can contribute to significant variation in building energy use. A framework for detailed building energy databases with annual energy end-uses is developed to select variables and omit outliers. The results show that the high performance office buildings are internally-load dominated with existence of three different clusters of low-intensity, medium-intensity, and high-intensity energy use pattern for the reviewed office buildings. Low-intensity cluster buildings benefit from small building area, while the medium- and high-intensity clusters have a similar range of floor areas and different energy use intensities. Half of the energy use in the low-intensity buildings is associated with the internal loads, such as lighting and plug loads, indicating that there are opportunities to save energy by using lighting or plug load management systems. A comparison between the frameworks developed for the campus buildings and LEED NC office buildings indicates these two frameworks are complementary to each other. Availability of the information has yielded to two different procedures, suggesting future studies for a portfolio of buildings such as city benchmarking and disclosure ordinance should collect and disclose minimal required inputs suggested by this study with the minimum level of monthly energy consumption granularity. This dissertation developed automated methods using the OpenStudio API (Application Programing Interface) to create energy models based on the building class. ASHRAE Guideline 14 defines well-accepted criteria to measure accuracy of energy simulations; however, there is no well-accepted methodology to quantify the model complexity without the influence of the energy modeler judgment about the model complexity. This study developed a novel method using two weighting factors, including weighting factors based on (1) computational time and (2) easiness of on-site data collection, to measure complexity of the energy models. Therefore, this dissertation enables measurement of both model complexity and accuracy as well as assessment of the inherent tradeoffs between energy simulation model complexity and accuracy. The results of this methodology suggest for most of the internal load contributors such as operation schedules the on-site data collection adds more complexity to the model compared to the computational time. Overall, this study provided specific data on tradeoffs between accuracy and model complexity that points to critical inputs for different building classes, rather than an increase in the volume and detail of model inputs as the current research and consulting practice indicates. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

1. OBLIQUE VIEW OF THE COMPLEX OF BUILDINGS INCLUDING THE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. OBLIQUE VIEW OF THE COMPLEX OF BUILDINGS INCLUDING THE MESS HALL BUILDING 220 IN THE FOREGROUND, LOOKING NORTH-NORTHEAST. - Mill Valley Air Force Station, Mess Hall, East Ridgecrest Boulevard, Mount Tamalpais, Mill Valley, Marin County, CA

Physicians' perceptions of capacity building for managing chronic disease in seniors using integrated interprofessional care models.

PubMed

Lee, Linda; Heckman, George; McKelvie, Robert; Jong, Philip; D'Elia, Teresa; Hillier, Loretta M

2015-03-01

To explore the barriers to and facilitators of adapting and expanding a primary care memory clinic model to integrate care of additional complex chronic geriatric conditions (heart failure, falls, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and frailty) into care processes with the goal of improving outcomes for seniors. Mixed-methods study using quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews) methods. Ontario. Family physicians currently working in primary care memory clinic teams and supporting geriatric specialists. Family physicians currently working in memory clinic teams (n = 29) and supporting geriatric specialists(n = 9) were recruited as survey participants. Interviews were conducted with memory clinic lead physicians (n = 16).Statistical analysis was done to assess differences between family physician ratings and geriatric specialist ratings related to the capacity for managing complex chronic geriatric conditions, the role of interprofessional collaboration within primary care, and funding and staffing to support geriatric care. Results from both study methods were compared to identify common findings. Results indicate overall support for expanding the memory clinic model to integrate care for other complex conditions. However, the current primary care structure is challenged to support optimal management of patients with multiple comorbidities, particularly as related to limited funding and staffing resources. Structured training, interprofessional teams, and an active role of geriatric specialists within primary care were identified as important facilitators. The memory clinic model, as applied to other complex chronic geriatric conditions, has the potential to build capacity for high-quality primary care, improve health outcomes,promote efficient use of health care resources, and reduce healthcare costs.

Optimizing structure of complex technical system by heterogeneous vector criterion in interval form

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lysenko, A. V.; Kochegarov, I. I.; Yurkov, N. K.; Grishko, A. K.

2018-05-01

The article examines the methods of development and multi-criteria choice of the preferred structural variant of the complex technical system at the early stages of its life cycle in the absence of sufficient knowledge of parameters and variables for optimizing this structure. The suggested methods takes into consideration the various fuzzy input data connected with the heterogeneous quality criteria of the designed system and the parameters set by their variation range. The suggested approach is based on the complex use of methods of interval analysis, fuzzy sets theory, and the decision-making theory. As a result, the method for normalizing heterogeneous quality criteria has been developed on the basis of establishing preference relations in the interval form. The method of building preferential relations in the interval form on the basis of the vector of heterogeneous quality criteria suggest the use of membership functions instead of the coefficients considering the criteria value. The former show the degree of proximity of the realization of the designed system to the efficient or Pareto optimal variants. The study analyzes the example of choosing the optimal variant for the complex system using heterogeneous quality criteria.

A serials of sandwich-like trinuclear and one-dimensional chain cyanide-bridged iron(III)-copper(II) complexes: Syntheses, crystal structures and magnetic properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Jingwen; Lan, Wenlong; Ren, Yanjie; Liu, Qingyun; Liu, Hui; Dong, Yunhui; Zhang, Daopeng

2018-04-01

Four pyridinecarboxamide trans-dicyanideiron(III) building blocks and one macrocyclic copper(II) compound have been employed to assemble cyanide-bridged heterometallic complexes, resulting in a serials of cyanide-bridged FeIII-CuII complexes with different structure types. The series of complexes can be formulated as: {[Cu(Cyclam)][Fe(bpb)(CN)2]2}·4H2O (1), {{[Cu(Cyclam)][Fe(bpb)(CN)2]}ClO4}n·nH2O (2), and {[Cu(Cyclam)][Fe(bpmb)(CN)2]2}·4H2O (3), {[Cu(Cyclam)][Fe(bpClb)(CN)2]2}·4H2O (4) and {{[Cu(Cyclam)][Fe(bpdmb)(CN)2]}ClO4}n·2nCH3OH (5) (bpb2- = 1,2-bis(pyridine-2-carboxamido)benzenate, bpmb2- = 1,2-bis(pyridine-2-carboxamido)-4-methyl-benzenate, bpClb2- = 1,2-bis(pyridine-2-carboxamido)-4-chloro-benzenate, bpdmb2- = 1,2-bis(pyridine-2-carboxamido)-4,5-dimethyl-benzenate, Cyclam = 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane). All the complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra and structural determination. Single X-ray diffraction analysis shows the similar neutral sandwich-like structures for complexes 1, 3 and 4, in which the two cyano precursors acting as monodentate ligand through one of their two cyanide groups were coordinated face to face to central Cu(II) ion. The complexes 2 and 5 can be structurally characterized as one-dimensional cationic single chain consisting of alternating units of [Cu(Cyclam)]2+ and [Fe(bpb/bpdmb)(CN)2]- with free ClO4- as balanced anion. Investigation over magnetic properties of the whole serials of complexes reveals the antiferromagnetic magnetic coupling between the neighboring cyanide-bridged Fe(III) and Cu(II) ions in complexes 3 and 4 and the ferromagnetic interaction in complexes 1, 2 and 5, respectively.

Building a flagellum in biological outer space.

PubMed

Evans, Lewis D B; Hughes, Colin; Fraser, Gillian M

2014-02-01

Flagella, the rotary propellers on the surface of bacteria, present a paradigm for how cells build and operate complex molecular 'nanomachines'. Flagella grow at a constant rate to extend several times the length of the cell, and this is achieved by thousands of secreted structural subunits transiting through a central channel in the lengthening flagellum to incorporate into the nascent structure at the distant extending tip. A great mystery has been how flagella can assemble far outside the cell where there is no conventional energy supply to fuel their growth. Recent work published by Evans et al. [ Nature (2013) 504: 287-290], has gone some way towards solving this puzzle, presenting a simple and elegant transit mechanism in which growth is powered by the subunits them selves as they link head-to-tail in a chain that is pulled through the length of the growing structure to the tip. This new mechanism answers an old question and may have resonance in other assembly processes.

Assessment of Masonry Buildings Subjected to Landslide-Induced Settlements: From Load Path Method to Evolutionary Optimization Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palmisano, Fabrizio; Elia, Angelo

2017-10-01

One of the main difficulties, when dealing with landslide structural vulnerability, is the diagnosis of the causes of crack patterns. This is also due to the excessive complexity of models based on classical structural mechanics that makes them inappropriate especially when there is the necessity to perform a rapid vulnerability assessment at the territorial scale. This is why, a new approach, based on a ‘simple model’ (i.e. the Load Path Method, LPM), has been proposed by Palmisano and Elia for the interpretation of the behaviour of masonry buildings subjected to landslide-induced settlements. However, the LPM is very useful for rapidly finding the 'most plausible solution' instead of the exact solution. To find the solution, optimization algorithms are necessary. In this scenario, this article aims to show how the Bidirectional Evolutionary Structural Optimization method by Huang and Xie, can be very useful to optimize the strut-and-tie models obtained by using the Load Path Method.

Toward Scalable Fabrication of Hierarchical Silica Capsules with Integrated Micro-, Meso-, and Macropores.

PubMed

Zhou, Weizheng; Tong, Gangsheng; Wang, Dali; Zhu, Bangshang; Ren, Yu; Butler, Michael; Pelan, Eddie; Yan, Deyue; Zhu, Xinyuan; Stoyanov, Simeon D

2016-04-06

Hierarchical porous structures are ubiquitous in biological organisms and inorganic systems. Although such structures have been replicated, designed, and fabricated, they are often inferior to naturally occurring analogues. Apart from the complexity and multiple functionalities developed by the biological systems, the controllable and scalable production of hierarchically porous structures and building blocks remains a technological challenge. Herein, a facile and scalable approach is developed to fabricate hierarchical hollow spheres with integrated micro-, meso-, and macropores ranging from 1 nm to 100 μm (spanning five orders of magnitude). (Macro)molecules, micro-rods (which play a key role for the creation of robust capsules), and emulsion droplets have been successfully employed as multiple length scale templates, allowing the creation of hierarchical porous macrospheres. Thanks to their specific mechanical strength, these hierarchical porous spheres could be incorporated and assembled as higher level building blocks in various novel materials. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Mesoscale Graphene-like Honeycomb Mono- and Multilayers Constructed via Self-Assembly of Coclusters.

PubMed

Hou, Xue-Sen; Zhu, Guo-Long; Ren, Li-Jun; Huang, Zi-Han; Zhang, Rui-Bin; Ungar, Goran; Yan, Li-Tang; Wang, Wei

2018-02-07

Honeycomb structure endows graphene with extraordinary properties. But could a honeycomb monolayer superlattice also be generated via self-assembly of colloids or nanoparticles? Here we report the construction of mono- and multilayer molecular films with honeycomb structure that can be regarded as self-assembled artificial graphene (SAAG). We construct fan-shaped molecular building blocks by covalently connecting two kinds of clusters, one polyoxometalate and four polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes. The precise shape control enables these complex molecules to self-assemble into a monolayer 2D honeycomb superlattice that mirrors that of graphene but on the mesoscale. The self-assembly of the SAAG was also reproduced via coarse-grained molecular simulations of a fan-shaped building block. It revealed a hierarchical process and the key role of intermediate states in determining the honeycomb structure. Experimental images also show a diversity of bi- and trilayer stacking modes. The successful creation of SAAG and its stacks opens up prospects for the preparation of novel self-assembled nanomaterials with unique properties.

Flow-pattern identification and nonlinear dynamics of gas-liquid two-phase flow in complex networks.

PubMed

Gao, Zhongke; Jin, Ningde

2009-06-01

The identification of flow pattern is a basic and important issue in multiphase systems. Because of the complexity of phase interaction in gas-liquid two-phase flow, it is difficult to discern its flow pattern objectively. In this paper, we make a systematic study on the vertical upward gas-liquid two-phase flow using complex network. Three unique network construction methods are proposed to build three types of networks, i.e., flow pattern complex network (FPCN), fluid dynamic complex network (FDCN), and fluid structure complex network (FSCN). Through detecting the community structure of FPCN by the community-detection algorithm based on K -mean clustering, useful and interesting results are found which can be used for identifying five vertical upward gas-liquid two-phase flow patterns. To investigate the dynamic characteristics of gas-liquid two-phase flow, we construct 50 FDCNs under different flow conditions, and find that the power-law exponent and the network information entropy, which are sensitive to the flow pattern transition, can both characterize the nonlinear dynamics of gas-liquid two-phase flow. Furthermore, we construct FSCN and demonstrate how network statistic can be used to reveal the fluid structure of gas-liquid two-phase flow. In this paper, from a different perspective, we not only introduce complex network theory to the study of gas-liquid two-phase flow but also indicate that complex network may be a powerful tool for exploring nonlinear time series in practice.

Natural and engineered biosynthesis of nucleoside antibiotics in Actinomycetes.

PubMed

Chen, Wenqing; Qi, Jianzhao; Wu, Pan; Wan, Dan; Liu, Jin; Feng, Xuan; Deng, Zixin

2016-03-01

Nucleoside antibiotics constitute an important family of microbial natural products bearing diverse bioactivities and unusual structural features. Their biosynthetic logics are unique with involvement of complex multi-enzymatic reactions leading to the intricate molecules from simple building blocks. Understanding how nature builds this family of antibiotics in post-genomic era sets the stage for rational enhancement of their production, and also paves the way for targeted persuasion of the cell factories to make artificial designer nucleoside drugs and leads via synthetic biology approaches. In this review, we discuss the recent progress and perspectives on the natural and engineered biosynthesis of nucleoside antibiotics.

WIRM: An Open Source Toolkit for Building Biomedical Web Applications

PubMed Central

Jakobovits, Rex M.; Rosse, Cornelius; Brinkley, James F.

2002-01-01

This article describes an innovative software toolkit that allows the creation of web applications that facilitate the acquisition, integration, and dissemination of multimedia biomedical data over the web, thereby reducing the cost of knowledge sharing. There is a lack of high-level web application development tools suitable for use by researchers, clinicians, and educators who are not skilled programmers. Our Web Interfacing Repository Manager (WIRM) is a software toolkit that reduces the complexity of building custom biomedical web applications. WIRM’s visual modeling tools enable domain experts to describe the structure of their knowledge, from which WIRM automatically generates full-featured, customizable content management systems. PMID:12386108

Crystallographic and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Analysis of Escherichia Coli Dihydroneopterin Aldolase

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blaszczyk, Jaroslaw; Lu, Zhenwei; Li, Yue

2014-09-01

To understand the structural basis for the biochemical differences and further investigate the catalytic mechanism of DHNA, we have determined the structure of EcDHNA complexed with NP at 1.07-Å resolution [PDB:2O90], built an atomic model of EcDHNA complexed with the substrate DHNP, and performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulation analysis of the substrate complex. EcDHNA has the same fold as SaDHNA and also forms an octamer that consists of two tetramers, but the packing of one tetramer with the other is significantly different between the two enzymes. Furthermore, the structures reveal significant differences in the vicinity of the active site, particularlymore » in the loop that connects strands β3 and β4, mainly due to the substitution of nearby residues. The building of an atomic model of the complex of EcDHNA and the substrate DHNP and the MD simulation of the complex show that some of the hydrogen bonds between the substrate and the enzyme are persistent, whereas others are transient. The substrate binding model and MD simulation provide the molecular basis for the biochemical behaviors of the enzyme, including noncooperative substrate binding, indiscrimination of a pair of epimers as the substrates, proton wire switching during catalysis, and formation of epimerization product.« less

Historical Buildings Models and Their Handling via 3d Survey: from Points Clouds to User-Oriented Hbim

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiabrando, F.; Sammartano, G.; Spanò, A.

2016-06-01

This paper retraces some research activities and application of 3D survey techniques and Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the environment of Cultural Heritage. It describes the diffusion of as-built BIM approach in the last years in Heritage Assets management, the so-called Built Heritage Information Modelling/Management (BHIMM or HBIM), that is nowadays an important and sustainable perspective in documentation and administration of historic buildings and structures. The work focuses the documentation derived from 3D survey techniques that can be understood like a significant and unavoidable knowledge base for the BIM conception and modelling, in the perspective of a coherent and complete management and valorisation of CH. It deepens potentialities, offered by 3D integrated survey techniques, to acquire productively and quite easilymany 3D information, not only geometrical but also radiometric attributes, helping the recognition, interpretation and characterization of state of conservation and degradation of architectural elements. From these data, they provide more and more high descriptive models corresponding to the geometrical complexity of buildings or aggregates in the well-known 5D (3D + time and cost dimensions). Points clouds derived from 3D survey acquisition (aerial and terrestrial photogrammetry, LiDAR and their integration) are reality-based models that can be use in a semi-automatic way to manage, interpret, and moderately simplify geometrical shapes of historical buildings that are examples, as is well known, of non-regular and complex geometry, instead of modern constructions with simple and regular ones. In the paper, some of these issues are addressed and analyzed through some experiences regarding the creation and the managing of HBIMprojects on historical heritage at different scales, using different platforms and various workflow. The paper focuses on LiDAR data handling with the aim to manage and extract geometrical information; on development and optimization of semi-automatic process of segmentation, recognition and modelling of historical shapes of complex structures; on communication of historical heritage by virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) in a 3D reconstruction of buildings aggregates from a LiDAR and UAV survey. The HBIM model have been implemented and optimized to be managed and browse by mobile devices for not only touristic or informative scopes, but also to ensure that HBIM platforms will become more easy and valuable tools helping all professionals of AEC involved in the documentation and valorisation process, that nowadays more and more distinguish CH policies.

Building the Nonuniversity, Tertiary Care Center Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery Practice: Structural and Financial Considerations.

PubMed

Baker, Erin H; Siddiqui, Imran; Vrochides, Dionisios; Iannitti, David A; Martinie, John B; Rorabaugh, Lauren; Jeyarajah, D Rohan; Swan, Ryan Z

2016-12-01

Early in their careers, many new surgeons lack the background and experience to understand essential components needed to build a surgical practice. Surgical resident education is often devoid of specific instruction on the business of medicine and practice management. In particular, hepatobiliary and pancreatic (HPB) surgeons require many key components to build a successful practice secondary to significant interdisciplinary coordination and a scope of complex surgery, which spans challenging benign and malignant disease processes. In the following, we describe the required clinical and financial components for developing a successful HPB surgery practice in the nonuniversity tertiary care center. We discuss significant financial considerations for understanding community need and hospital investment, contract establishment, billing, and coding. We summarize the structural elements and key personnel necessary for establishing an effectual HPB surgical team. This article provides useful, essential information for a new HPB surgeon looking to establish a surgical practice. It also provides insight for health-care administrators as to the value an HPB surgeon can bring to a hospital or health-care system.

[Provision of building maintenance services in healthcare facilities].

PubMed

Amorim, Gláucia Maria; Quintão, Eliana Cardoso Vieira; Martelli Júnior, Hercílio; Bonan, Paulo Rogério Ferreti

2013-01-01

The scope of this paper was to evaluate the provision of building maintenance services in health units, by means of a descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional study, considering the five types of facilities (Primary Health, Emergency, Specialty, Hospital and Mental Health Units). The research was approved by the Research Ethics Comittee of FHEMIG with the Terms of Agreement signed with the Unified Health System of Betim. Comparative analysis was conducted by checking the requirements of "Physical-Functional Structure Management" of the "Brazilian Hospital Accreditation Manual" of the National Accreditation Organization. Nonconformities were noted in the physical-functional management of the health centers, especially the primary health units. The assessment was important, considering that compliance with formal, technical and structural requirements, welfare activities, according to the service organization and appropriate to the profile and complexity, can collaborate to minimize the risks of users. To improve the quality of health care establishments, it is essential that managers, backed by "top management," prioritize financial, human and material resources in planning to ensure compliance with security requirements of users in buildings.

Numerical simulation of deformation and fracture of space protective shell structures from concrete and fiber concrete under pulse loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radchenko, P. A.; Batuev, S. P.; Radchenko, A. V.; Plevkov, V. S.

2015-11-01

This paper presents results of numerical simulation of interaction between aircraft Boeing 747-400 and protective shell of nuclear power plant. The shell is presented as complex multilayered cellular structure comprising layers of concrete and fiber concrete bonded with steel trusses. Numerical simulation was held three-dimensionally using the author's algorithm and software taking into account algorithms for building grids of complex geometric objects and parallel computations. The dynamics of stress-strain state and fracture of structure were studied. Destruction is described using two-stage model that allows taking into account anisotropy of elastic and strength properties of concrete and fiber concrete. It is shown that wave processes initiate destruction of shell cellular structure—cells start to destruct in unloading wave, originating after output of compression wave to the free surfaces of cells.

Magnetic Characterization of Direct-Write Free-Form Building Blocks for Artificial Magnetic 3D Lattices

PubMed Central

Al Mamoori, Mohanad K. I.; Keller, Lukas; Pieper, Jonathan; Winkler, Robert; Plank, Harald; Müller, Jens

2018-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) nanomagnetism, where spin configurations extend into the vertical direction of a substrate plane allow for more complex, hierarchical systems and the design of novel magnetic effects. As an important step towards this goal, we have recently demonstrated the direct-write fabrication of freestanding ferromagnetic 3D nano-architectures of ferromagnetic CoFe in shapes of nano-tree and nano-cube structures by means of focused electron beam induced deposition. Here, we present a comprehensive characterization of the magnetic properties of these structures by local stray-field measurements using a high-resolution micro-Hall magnetometer. Measurements in a wide range of temperatures and different angles of the externally applied magnetic field with respect to the surface plane of the sensor are supported by corresponding micromagnetic simulations, which explain the overall switching behavior of in part rather complex magnetization configurations remarkably well. In particular, the simulations yield coercive and switching fields that are in good quantitative correspondence with the measured coercive and switching fields assuming a bulk metal content of 100 at % consisting of bcc Co3Fe. We show that thermally-unstable magnetization states can be repetitively prepared and their lifetime controlled at will, a prerequisite to realizing dynamic and thermally-active magnetic configurations if the building blocks are to be used in lattice structures. PMID:29439553

Self-assembly of multi-stranded RNA motifs into lattices and tubular structures

DOE PAGES

Stewart, Jaimie Marie; Subramanian, Hari K. K.; Franco, Elisa

2017-02-16

Rational design of nucleic acidmolecules yields selfassembling scaffolds with increasing complexity, size and functionality. It is an open question whether design methods tailored to build DNA nanostructures can be adapted to build RNA nanostructures with comparable features. We demonstrate the formation of RNA lattices and tubular assemblies from double crossover (DX) tiles, a canonical motif in DNA nanotechnology. Tubular structures can exceed 1 m in length, suggesting that this DX motif can produce very robust lattices. Some of these tubes spontaneously form with left-handed chirality. We obtain assemblies by using two methods: a protocol where gel-extracted RNA strands are slowlymore » annealed, and a one-pot transcription and anneal procedure. We then identify the tile nick position as a structural requirement for lattice formation. These results demonstrate that stable RNA structures can be obtained with design tools imported from DNA nanotechnology. These large assemblies could be potentially integrated with a variety of functional RNA motifs for drug or nanoparticle delivery, or for colocalization of cellular components.« less

Self-assembly of multi-stranded RNA motifs into lattices and tubular structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stewart, Jaimie Marie; Subramanian, Hari K. K.; Franco, Elisa

Rational design of nucleic acidmolecules yields selfassembling scaffolds with increasing complexity, size and functionality. It is an open question whether design methods tailored to build DNA nanostructures can be adapted to build RNA nanostructures with comparable features. We demonstrate the formation of RNA lattices and tubular assemblies from double crossover (DX) tiles, a canonical motif in DNA nanotechnology. Tubular structures can exceed 1 m in length, suggesting that this DX motif can produce very robust lattices. Some of these tubes spontaneously form with left-handed chirality. We obtain assemblies by using two methods: a protocol where gel-extracted RNA strands are slowlymore » annealed, and a one-pot transcription and anneal procedure. We then identify the tile nick position as a structural requirement for lattice formation. These results demonstrate that stable RNA structures can be obtained with design tools imported from DNA nanotechnology. These large assemblies could be potentially integrated with a variety of functional RNA motifs for drug or nanoparticle delivery, or for colocalization of cellular components.« less

Self-assembly of multi-stranded RNA motifs into lattices and tubular structures

PubMed Central

Stewart, Jaimie Marie; Subramanian, Hari K. K.

2017-01-01

Abstract Rational design of nucleic acid molecules yields self-assembling scaffolds with increasing complexity, size and functionality. It is an open question whether design methods tailored to build DNA nanostructures can be adapted to build RNA nanostructures with comparable features. Here we demonstrate the formation of RNA lattices and tubular assemblies from double crossover (DX) tiles, a canonical motif in DNA nanotechnology. Tubular structures can exceed 1 μm in length, suggesting that this DX motif can produce very robust lattices. Some of these tubes spontaneously form with left-handed chirality. We obtain assemblies by using two methods: a protocol where gel-extracted RNA strands are slowly annealed, and a one-pot transcription and anneal procedure. We identify the tile nick position as a structural requirement for lattice formation. Our results demonstrate that stable RNA structures can be obtained with design tools imported from DNA nanotechnology. These large assemblies could be potentially integrated with a variety of functional RNA motifs for drug or nanoparticle delivery, or for colocalization of cellular components. PMID:28204562

Two Decades of Structure Building

PubMed Central

Gernsbacher, Morton Ann

2014-01-01

During the past decade I have been developing a very simple framework for describing the cognitive processes and mechanisms involved in discourse comprehension. I call this framework the Structure Building Framework, and it is based on evidence provided during the first decade of discourse processing research. According to the Structure Building Framework, the goal of comprehension is to build coherent mental representations or structures. Comprehenders build each structure by first laying a foundation. Comprehenders develop mental structures by mapping on new information when that information coheres or relates to previous information. However, when the incoming information is less related, comprehenders shift and attach a new substructure. The building blocks of mental structures are memory nodes, which are activated by incoming stimuli and controlled by two cognitive mechanisms: suppression and enhancement. In this article, first I review the seminal work on which the Structure Building Framework is based (the first decade of structure building research); then I recount the research I have conducted to test the Structure Building Framework (the second decade of structure building research). PMID:25484476

Complex Hollow Nanostructures: Synthesis and Energy-Related Applications.

PubMed

Yu, Le; Hu, Han; Wu, Hao Bin; Lou, Xiong Wen David

2017-04-01

Hollow nanostructures offer promising potential for advanced energy storage and conversion applications. In the past decade, considerable research efforts have been devoted to the design and synthesis of hollow nanostructures with high complexity by manipulating their geometric morphology, chemical composition, and building block and interior architecture to boost their electrochemical performance, fulfilling the increasing global demand for renewable and sustainable energy sources. In this Review, we present a comprehensive overview of the synthesis and energy-related applications of complex hollow nanostructures. After a brief classification, the design and synthesis of complex hollow nanostructures are described in detail, which include hierarchical hollow spheres, hierarchical tubular structures, hollow polyhedra, and multi-shelled hollow structures, as well as their hybrids with nanocarbon materials. Thereafter, we discuss their niche applications as electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries and hybrid supercapacitors, sulfur hosts for lithium-sulfur batteries, and electrocatalysts for oxygen- and hydrogen-involving energy conversion reactions. The potential superiorities of complex hollow nanostructures for these applications are particularly highlighted. Finally, we conclude this Review with urgent challenges and further research directions of complex hollow nanostructures for energy-related applications. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Human infants' learning of social structures: the case of dominance hierarchy.

PubMed

Mascaro, Olivier; Csibra, Gergely

2014-01-01

We tested 15-month-olds' capacity to represent social-dominance hierarchies with more than two agents. Our results showed that infants found it harder to memorize dominance relations that were presented in an order that hindered the incremental formation of a single structure (Study 1). These results suggest that infants attempt to build structures incrementally, relation by relation, thereby simplifying the complex problem of recognizing a social structure. Infants also found circular dominance structures harder to process than linear dominance structures (Study 2). These expectations about the shape of structures may facilitate learning. Our results suggest that infants attempt to represent social structures composed of social relations. They indicate that human infants go beyond learning about individual social partners and their respective relations and form hypotheses about how social groups are organized.

Simulating Vibrations in a Complex Loaded Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cao, Tim T.

2005-01-01

The Dynamic Response Computation (DIRECT) computer program simulates vibrations induced in a complex structure by applied dynamic loads. Developed to enable rapid analysis of launch- and landing- induced vibrations and stresses in a space shuttle, DIRECT also can be used to analyze dynamic responses of other structures - for example, the response of a building to an earthquake, or the response of an oil-drilling platform and attached tanks to large ocean waves. For a space-shuttle simulation, the required input to DIRECT includes mathematical models of the space shuttle and its payloads, and a set of forcing functions that simulates launch and landing loads. DIRECT can accommodate multiple levels of payload attachment and substructure as well as nonlinear dynamic responses of structural interfaces. DIRECT combines the shuttle and payload models into a single structural model, to which the forcing functions are then applied. The resulting equations of motion are reduced to an optimum set and decoupled into a unique format for simulating dynamics. During the simulation, maximum vibrations, loads, and stresses are monitored and recorded for subsequent analysis to identify structural deficiencies in the shuttle and/or payloads.

The prediction of crystal structure by merging knowledge methods with first principles quantum mechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceder, Gerbrand

2007-03-01

The prediction of structure is a key problem in computational materials science that forms the platform on which rational materials design can be performed. Finding structure by traditional optimization methods on quantum mechanical energy models is not possible due to the complexity and high dimensionality of the coordinate space. An unusual, but efficient solution to this problem can be obtained by merging ideas from heuristic and ab initio methods: In the same way that scientist build empirical rules by observation of experimental trends, we have developed machine learning approaches that extract knowledge from a large set of experimental information and a database of over 15,000 first principles computations, and used these to rapidly direct accurate quantum mechanical techniques to the lowest energy crystal structure of a material. Knowledge is captured in a Bayesian probability network that relates the probability to find a particular crystal structure at a given composition to structure and energy information at other compositions. We show that this approach is highly efficient in finding the ground states of binary metallic alloys and can be easily generalized to more complex systems.

Gravitational instantons admit hyper-Kähler structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aliev, A. N.; Nutku, Y.

1999-01-01

We construct the explicit form of three almost-complex structures that a Riemannian manifold with self-dual curvature admits and show that their Nijenhuis tensors vanish so that they are integrable. This proves that gravitational instantons with self-dual curvature admit hyper-Kähler structure. In order to arrive at the three vector-valued 1-forms defining almost-complex structure, we give a spinor description of real four-dimensional Riemannian manifolds with Euclidean signature in terms of two independent sets of two-component spinors. This is a version of the original Newman-Penrose formalism that is appropriate to the discussion of the mathematical, as well as physical properties of gravitational instantons. We shall build on the work of Goldblatt who first developed an NP formalism for gravitational instantons but we shall adopt it to differential forms in the NP basis to make the formalism much more compact. We shall show that the spin coefficients, connection 1-form, curvature 2-form, Ricci and Bianchi identities, as well as the Maxwell equations naturally split up into their self-dual and anti-self-dual parts corresponding to the two independent spin frames. We shall give the complex dyad as well as the spinor formulation of the almost-complex structures and show that they reappear under the guise of a triad basis for the Petrov classification of gravitational instantons. Completing the work of Salamon on hyper-Kähler structure, we show that the vanishing of the Nijenhuis tensor for all three almost-complex structures depends on the choice of a self-dual gauge for the connection which is guaranteed by virtue of the fact that the curvature 2-form is self-dual for gravitational instantons.

Aerial view of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

This Shuttle/Gantry mockup and Post Show Dome anchor the northeast corner of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The Astronaut Memorial is located just above. Sprawling across 70 acres on Florida's Space Coast, the complex is located off State Road 405, NASA Parkway, six miles inside the Space Center entrance. The building at the upper left is the Theater Complex. Other exhibits and buildings on the site are the Center for Space Education, Cafeteria, Space Flight Exhibit Building, Souvenir Sales Building, Spaceport Central, Ticket Pavilion and Center for Space Education.

Facades structure detection by geometric moment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Diqiong; Chen, Hui; Song, Rui; Meng, Lei

2017-06-01

This paper proposes a novel method for extracting facades structure from real-world pictures by using local geometric moment. Compared with existing methods, the proposed method has advantages of easy-to-implement, low computational cost, and robustness to noises, such as uneven illumination, shadow, and shade from other objects. Besides, our method is faster and has a lower space complexity, making it feasible for mobile devices and the situation where real-time data processing is required. Specifically, a facades structure modal is first proposed to support the use of our special noise reduction method, which is based on a self-adapt local threshold with Gaussian weighted average for image binarization processing and the feature of the facades structure. Next, we divide the picture of the building into many individual areas, each of which represents a door or a window in the picture. Subsequently we calculate the geometric moment and centroid for each individual area, for identifying those collinear ones based on the feature vectors, each of which is thereafter replaced with a line. Finally, we comprehensively analyze all the geometric moment and centroid to find out the facades structure of the building. We compare our result with other methods and especially report the result from the pictures taken in bad environmental conditions. Our system is designed for two application, i.e, the reconstruction of facades based on higher resolution ground-based on imagery, and the positional system based on recognize the urban building.

Effect of Damping and Yielding on the Seismic Response of 3D Steel Buildings with PMRF

PubMed Central

Haldar, Achintya; Rodelo-López, Ramon Eduardo; Bojórquez, Eden

2014-01-01

The effect of viscous damping and yielding, on the reduction of the seismic responses of steel buildings modeled as three-dimensional (3D) complex multidegree of freedom (MDOF) systems, is studied. The reduction produced by damping may be larger or smaller than that of yielding. This reduction can significantly vary from one structural idealization to another and is smaller for global than for local response parameters, which in turn depends on the particular local response parameter. The uncertainty in the estimation is significantly larger for local response parameter and decreases as damping increases. The results show the limitations of the commonly used static equivalent lateral force procedure where local and global response parameters are reduced in the same proportion. It is concluded that estimating the effect of damping and yielding on the seismic response of steel buildings by using simplified models may be a very crude approximation. Moreover, the effect of yielding should be explicitly calculated by using complex 3D MDOF models instead of estimating it in terms of equivalent viscous damping. The findings of this paper are for the particular models used in the study. Much more research is needed to reach more general conclusions. PMID:25097892

Improved disparity map analysis through the fusion of monocular image segmentations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perlant, Frederic P.; Mckeown, David M.

1991-01-01

The focus is to examine how estimates of three dimensional scene structure, as encoded in a scene disparity map, can be improved by the analysis of the original monocular imagery. The utilization of surface illumination information is provided by the segmentation of the monocular image into fine surface patches of nearly homogeneous intensity to remove mismatches generated during stereo matching. These patches are used to guide a statistical analysis of the disparity map based on the assumption that such patches correspond closely with physical surfaces in the scene. Such a technique is quite independent of whether the initial disparity map was generated by automated area-based or feature-based stereo matching. Stereo analysis results are presented on a complex urban scene containing various man-made and natural features. This scene contains a variety of problems including low building height with respect to the stereo baseline, buildings and roads in complex terrain, and highly textured buildings and terrain. The improvements are demonstrated due to monocular fusion with a set of different region-based image segmentations. The generality of this approach to stereo analysis and its utility in the development of general three dimensional scene interpretation systems are also discussed.

A Computational Workflow for the Automated Generation of Models of Genetic Designs.

PubMed

Misirli, Göksel; Nguyen, Tramy; McLaughlin, James Alastair; Vaidyanathan, Prashant; Jones, Timothy S; Densmore, Douglas; Myers, Chris; Wipat, Anil

2018-06-05

Computational models are essential to engineer predictable biological systems and to scale up this process for complex systems. Computational modeling often requires expert knowledge and data to build models. Clearly, manual creation of models is not scalable for large designs. Despite several automated model construction approaches, computational methodologies to bridge knowledge in design repositories and the process of creating computational models have still not been established. This paper describes a workflow for automatic generation of computational models of genetic circuits from data stored in design repositories using existing standards. This workflow leverages the software tool SBOLDesigner to build structural models that are then enriched by the Virtual Parts Repository API using Systems Biology Open Language (SBOL) data fetched from the SynBioHub design repository. The iBioSim software tool is then utilized to convert this SBOL description into a computational model encoded using the Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML). Finally, this SBML model can be simulated using a variety of methods. This workflow provides synthetic biologists with easy to use tools to create predictable biological systems, hiding away the complexity of building computational models. This approach can further be incorporated into other computational workflows for design automation.

Effect of damping and yielding on the seismic response of 3D steel buildings with PMRF.

PubMed

Reyes-Salazar, Alfredo; Haldar, Achintya; Rodelo-López, Ramon Eduardo; Bojórquez, Eden

2014-01-01

The effect of viscous damping and yielding, on the reduction of the seismic responses of steel buildings modeled as three-dimensional (3D) complex multidegree of freedom (MDOF) systems, is studied. The reduction produced by damping may be larger or smaller than that of yielding. This reduction can significantly vary from one structural idealization to another and is smaller for global than for local response parameters, which in turn depends on the particular local response parameter. The uncertainty in the estimation is significantly larger for local response parameter and decreases as damping increases. The results show the limitations of the commonly used static equivalent lateral force procedure where local and global response parameters are reduced in the same proportion. It is concluded that estimating the effect of damping and yielding on the seismic response of steel buildings by using simplified models may be a very crude approximation. Moreover, the effect of yielding should be explicitly calculated by using complex 3D MDOF models instead of estimating it in terms of equivalent viscous damping. The findings of this paper are for the particular models used in the study. Much more research is needed to reach more general conclusions.

Crystallography of metal–organic frameworks

PubMed Central

Gándara, Felipe; Bennett, Thomas D.

2014-01-01

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are one of the most intensely studied material types in recent times. Their networks, resulting from the formation of strong bonds between inorganic and organic building units, offer unparalled chemical diversity and pore environments of growing complexity. Therefore, advances in single-crystal X-ray diffraction equipment and techniques are required to characterize materials with increasingly larger surface areas, and more complex linkers. In addition, whilst structure solution from powder diffraction data is possible, the area is much less populated and we detail the current efforts going on here. We also review the growing number of reports on diffraction under non-ambient conditions, including the response of MOF structures to very high pressures. Such experiments are important due to the expected presence of stresses in proposed applications of MOFs – evidence suggesting rich and complex behaviour. Given the entwined and inseparable nature of their structure, properties and applications, it is essential that the field of structural elucidation is able to continue growing and advancing, so as not to provide a rate-limiting step on characterization of their properties and incorporation into devices and applications. This review has been prepared with this in mind. PMID:25485136

NMR approaches in structure-based lead discovery: Recent developments and new frontiers for targeting multi-protein complexes

PubMed Central

Dias, David M.; Ciulli, Alessio

2014-01-01

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a pivotal method for structure-based and fragment-based lead discovery because it is one of the most robust techniques to provide information on protein structure, dynamics and interaction at an atomic level in solution. Nowadays, in most ligand screening cascades, NMR-based methods are applied to identify and structurally validate small molecule binding. These can be high-throughput and are often used synergistically with other biophysical assays. Here, we describe current state-of-the-art in the portfolio of available NMR-based experiments that are used to aid early-stage lead discovery. We then focus on multi-protein complexes as targets and how NMR spectroscopy allows studying of interactions within the high molecular weight assemblies that make up a vast fraction of the yet untargeted proteome. Finally, we give our perspective on how currently available methods could build an improved strategy for drug discovery against such challenging targets. PMID:25175337

Macromolecular structures probed by combining single-shot free-electron laser diffraction with synchrotron coherent X-ray imaging.

PubMed

Gallagher-Jones, Marcus; Bessho, Yoshitaka; Kim, Sunam; Park, Jaehyun; Kim, Sangsoo; Nam, Daewoong; Kim, Chan; Kim, Yoonhee; Noh, Do Young; Miyashita, Osamu; Tama, Florence; Joti, Yasumasa; Kameshima, Takashi; Hatsui, Takaki; Tono, Kensuke; Kohmura, Yoshiki; Yabashi, Makina; Hasnain, S Samar; Ishikawa, Tetsuya; Song, Changyong

2014-05-02

Nanostructures formed from biological macromolecular complexes utilizing the self-assembly properties of smaller building blocks such as DNA and RNA hold promise for many applications, including sensing and drug delivery. New tools are required for their structural characterization. Intense, femtosecond X-ray pulses from X-ray free-electron lasers enable single-shot imaging allowing for instantaneous views of nanostructures at ambient temperatures. When combined judiciously with synchrotron X-rays of a complimentary nature, suitable for observing steady-state features, it is possible to perform ab initio structural investigation. Here we demonstrate a successful combination of femtosecond X-ray single-shot diffraction with an X-ray free-electron laser and coherent diffraction imaging with synchrotron X-rays to provide an insight into the nanostructure formation of a biological macromolecular complex: RNA interference microsponges. This newly introduced multimodal analysis with coherent X-rays can be applied to unveil nano-scale structural motifs from functional nanomaterials or biological nanocomplexes, without requiring a priori knowledge.

[DNA complexes, formed on aqueous phase surfaces: new planar polymeric and composite nanostructures].

PubMed

Antipina, M N; Gaĭnutdinov, R V; Rakhnianskaia, A A; Sergeev-Cherenkov, A N; Tolstikhina, A L; Iurova, T V; Kislov, V V; Khomutov, G B

2003-01-01

The formation of DNA complexes with Langmuir monolayers of the cationic lipid octadecylamine (ODA) and the new amphiphilic polycation poly-4-vinylpyridine with 16% of cetylpyridinium groups (PVP-16) on the surface of an aqueous solution of native DNA of low ionic strength was studied. Topographic images of Langmuir-Blodgett films of DNA/ODA and DNA/PVP-16 complexes applied to micaceous substrates were investigated by the method of atomic force microscopy. It was found that films of the amphiphilic polycation have an ordered planar polycrystalline structure. The morphology of planar DNA complexes with the amphiphilic cation substantially depended on the incubation time and the phase state of the monolayer on the surface of the aqueous DNA solution. Complex structures and individual DNA molecules were observed on the surface of the amphiphilic monolayer. Along with quasi-linear individual bound DNA molecules, characteristic extended net-like structures and quasi-circular toroidal condensed conformations of planar DNA complexes were detected. Mono- and multilayer films of DNA/PVP-16 complexes were used as templates and nanoreactors for the synthesis of inorganic nanostructures via the binding of metal cations from the solution and subsequent generation of the inorganic phase. As a result, ultrathin polymeric composite films with integrated DNA building blocks and quasi-linear arrays of inorganic semiconductor (CdS) and iron oxide nanoparticles and nanowires were obtained. The nanostructures obtained were characterized by scanning probe microscopy and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The methods developed are promising for investigating the mechanisms of structural organization and transformation in DNA and polyelectrolyte complexes at the gas-liquid interface and for the design of new extremely thin highly ordered planar polymeric and composite materials, films, and coatings with controlled ultrastructure for applications in nanoelectronics and nanobiotechnology.

Wireless Laser Range Finder System for Vertical Displacement Monitoring of Mega-Trusses during Construction

PubMed Central

Park, Hyo Seon; Son, Sewook; Choi, Se Woon; Kim, Yousok

2013-01-01

As buildings become increasingly complex, construction monitoring using various sensors is urgently needed for both more systematic and accurate safety management and high-quality productivity in construction. In this study, a monitoring system that is composed of a laser displacement sensor (LDS) and a wireless sensor node was proposed and applied to an irregular building under construction. The subject building consists of large cross-sectional members, such as mega-columns, mega-trusses, and edge truss, which secured the large spaces. The mega-trusses and edge truss that support this large space are of the cantilever type. The vertical displacement occurring at the free end of these members was directly measured using an LDS. To validate the accuracy and reliability of the deflection data measured from the LDS, a total station was also employed as a sensor for comparison with the LDS. In addition, the numerical simulation result was compared with the deflection obtained from the LDS and total station. Based on these investigations, the proposed wireless displacement monitoring system was able to improve the construction quality by monitoring the real-time behavior of the structure, and the applicability of the proposed system to buildings under construction for the evaluation of structural safety was confirmed. PMID:23648650

A diffusivity model for predicting VOC diffusion in porous building materials based on fractal theory.

PubMed

Liu, Yanfeng; Zhou, Xiaojun; Wang, Dengjia; Song, Cong; Liu, Jiaping

2015-12-15

Most building materials are porous media, and the internal diffusion coefficients of such materials have an important influences on the emission characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The pore structure of porous building materials has a significant impact on the diffusion coefficient. However, the complex structural characteristics bring great difficulties to the model development. The existing prediction models of the diffusion coefficient are flawed and need to be improved. Using scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) tests of typical porous building materials, this study developed a new diffusivity model: the multistage series-connection fractal capillary-bundle (MSFC) model. The model considers the variable-diameter capillaries formed by macropores connected in series as the main mass transfer paths, and the diameter distribution of the capillary bundles obeys a fractal power law in the cross section. In addition, the tortuosity of the macrocapillary segments with different diameters is obtained by the fractal theory. Mesopores serve as the connections between the macrocapillary segments rather than as the main mass transfer paths. The theoretical results obtained using the MSFC model yielded a highly accurate prediction of the diffusion coefficients and were in a good agreement with the VOC concentration measurements in the environmental test chamber. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interpretation of architecture changes by combined use of historical sources, IR Termography and GPR: the study case of San Francesco convent near Montella (AV), Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geraldi, Edoardo; Loperte, Antonio; Dolce, Carmen

2010-05-01

In order to reconstruct architectural changes during the centuries often we are forced to trust merely on the evidences of documentary and iconographical sources which could sometimes supply the description of the monument or of a specifically building phase. Such approach does not solve all the questions related to the interpretation of historical data (graphics, descriptions) useful for finding previous configurations of the building. The historical building structure and shape, as they appear at the present are often the final result of a stratification of different phases deeply connected with artistic and technological features of the age during which the building has been designed and realized. Stylistic features, building techniques and functional aspects change in time leaving often written traces in archive sources such as on the building masonry texture (sometimes hidden by plaster) or under the floor. In such situation the Non Destructive Testing investigations by means of infrared thermography and GPR could be useful to characterize masonry, to survey inhomogeneities in the masonry as well as to detect buried walls belongings to ancient building phases. This paper deals with the emblematic study case of San Francisco convent near Montella in Southern Italy. Its complex vicissitudes experienced in last centuries have been the reason of radical transformations of the church and its surrounding buildings. Historical research provided important information on structural interventions and planimetric transformations carried out between the 17th and 18th century. Such data have been correlated with the results obtained by infrared thermography surveys on plastered facades of the convent and GPR profiles carried out under the stone paved floor of the church and cloister, thus improving the knowledge of historical building phases of the monument. The integrated use of building analysis techniques based on NDT techniques together with historical and archaeological records show the enormous potential of the use of this interdisciplinary approach.

COVARIANCE ESTIMATION USING CONJUGATE GRADIENT FOR 3D CLASSIFICATION IN CRYO-EM.

PubMed

Andén, Joakim; Katsevich, Eugene; Singer, Amit

2015-04-01

Classifying structural variability in noisy projections of biological macromolecules is a central problem in Cryo-EM. In this work, we build on a previous method for estimating the covariance matrix of the three-dimensional structure present in the molecules being imaged. Our proposed method allows for incorporation of contrast transfer function and non-uniform distribution of viewing angles, making it more suitable for real-world data. We evaluate its performance on a synthetic dataset and an experimental dataset obtained by imaging a 70S ribosome complex.

Nanodiamonds: The ways forward

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamburri, Emanuela; Orlanducci, Silvia; Reina, Giacomo; Lavecchia, Teresa; Angjellari, Mariglen; Rossi, Marco; Terranova, Maria Letizia

2015-06-01

We present here a short overview of the main classes of methods used to generate diamond nanostructures. The described methodologies, namely the CVD techniques, the explosive reactions, the laser-induced processes and the plasma treatments, offer the feasibility to produce nanosized diamonds in forms of powders or films, to modulate size, shape and structure of individual nanograins or of nanodiamond aggregates, to build complex architectures. A proper design and a subsequent controlled production of diamond structures at the nanoscale are strict requirements for the transition from fundamental material research to real-world applications.

Computer aided drug design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, A.

2017-08-01

Computer based method can help in discovery of leads and can potentially eliminate chemical synthesis and screening of many irrelevant compounds, and in this way, it save time as well as cost. Molecular modeling systems are powerful tools for building, visualizing, analyzing and storing models of complex molecular structure that can help to interpretate structure activity relationship. The use of various techniques of molecular mechanics and dynamics and software in Computer aided drug design along with statistics analysis is powerful tool for the medicinal chemistry to synthesis therapeutic and effective drugs with minimum side effect.

Self-folding with shape memory composites at the millimeter scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Felton, S. M.; Becker, K. P.; Aukes, D. M.; Wood, R. J.

2015-08-01

Self-folding is an effective method for creating 3D shapes from flat sheets. In particular, shape memory composites—laminates containing shape memory polymers—have been used to self-fold complex structures and machines. To date, however, these composites have been limited to feature sizes larger than one centimeter. We present a new shape memory composite capable of folding millimeter-scale features. This technique can be activated by a global heat source for simultaneous folding, or by resistive heaters for sequential folding. It is capable of feature sizes ranging from 0.5 to 40 mm, and is compatible with multiple laminate compositions. We demonstrate the ability to produce complex structures and mechanisms by building two self-folding pieces: a model ship and a model bumblebee.

Designing collective behavior in a termite-inspired robot construction team.

PubMed

Werfel, Justin; Petersen, Kirstin; Nagpal, Radhika

2014-02-14

Complex systems are characterized by many independent components whose low-level actions produce collective high-level results. Predicting high-level results given low-level rules is a key open challenge; the inverse problem, finding low-level rules that give specific outcomes, is in general still less understood. We present a multi-agent construction system inspired by mound-building termites, solving such an inverse problem. A user specifies a desired structure, and the system automatically generates low-level rules for independent climbing robots that guarantee production of that structure. Robots use only local sensing and coordinate their activity via the shared environment. We demonstrate the approach via a physical realization with three autonomous climbing robots limited to onboard sensing. This work advances the aim of engineering complex systems that achieve specific human-designed goals.

Genre Complexes in Popular Music.

PubMed

Silver, Daniel; Lee, Monica; Childress, C Clayton

2016-01-01

Recent work in the sociology of music suggests a declining importance of genre categories. Yet other work in this research stream and in the sociology of classification argues for the continued prevalence of genres as a meaningful tool through which creators, critics and consumers focus their attention in the topology of available works. Building from work in the study of categories and categorization we examine how boundary strength and internal differentiation structure the genre pairings of some 3 million musicians and groups. Using a range of network-based and statistical techniques, we uncover three musical "complexes," which are collectively constituted by 16 smaller genre communities. Our analysis shows that the musical universe is not monolithically organized but rather composed of multiple worlds that are differently structured-i.e., uncentered, single-centered, and multi-centered.

Promoting evaluation capacity building in a complex adaptive system.

PubMed

Lawrenz, Frances; Kollmann, Elizabeth Kunz; King, Jean A; Bequette, Marjorie; Pattison, Scott; Nelson, Amy Grack; Cohn, Sarah; Cardiel, Christopher L B; Iacovelli, Stephanie; Eliou, Gayra Ostgaard; Goss, Juli; Causey, Lauren; Sinkey, Anne; Beyer, Marta; Francisco, Melanie

2018-04-10

This study provides results from an NSF funded, four year, case study about evaluation capacity building in a complex adaptive system, the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net). The results of the Complex Adaptive Systems as a Model for Network Evaluations (CASNET) project indicate that complex adaptive system concepts help to explain evaluation capacity building in a network. The NISE Network was found to be a complex learning system that was supportive of evaluation capacity building through feedback loops that provided for information sharing and interaction. Participants in the system had different levels of and sources of evaluation knowledge. To be successful at building capacity, the system needed to have a balance between both centralized and decentralized control, coherence, redundancy, and diversity. Embeddedness of individuals within the system also provided support and moved the capacity of the system forward. Finally, success depended on attention being paid to the control of resources. Implications of these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Data communication network at the ASRM facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moorhead, Robert J., II; Smith, Wayne D.; Nirgudkar, Ravi; Zhu, Zhifan; Robinson, Walter

1993-01-01

The main objective of the report is to present the overall communication network structure for the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) facility being built at Yellow Creek near Iuka, Mississippi. This report is compiled using information received from NASA/MSFC, LMSC, AAD, and RUST Inc. As per the information gathered, the overall network structure will have one logical FDDI ring acting as a backbone for the whole complex. The buildings will be grouped into two categories viz. manufacturing critical and manufacturing non-critical. The manufacturing critical buildings will be connected via FDDI to the Operational Information System (OIS) in the main computing center in B 1000. The manufacturing non-critical buildings will be connected by 10BASE-FL to the Business Information System (BIS) in the main computing center. The workcells will be connected to the Area Supervisory Computers (ASCs) through the nearest manufacturing critical hub and one of the OIS hubs. The network structure described in this report will be the basis for simulations to be carried out next year. The Comdisco's Block Oriented Network Simulator (BONeS) will be used for the network simulation. The main aim of the simulations will be to evaluate the loading of the OIS, the BIS, the ASCs, and the network links by the traffic generated by the workstations and workcells throughout the site.

UAV-based urban structural damage assessment using object-based image analysis and semantic reasoning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandez Galarreta, J.; Kerle, N.; Gerke, M.

2015-06-01

Structural damage assessment is critical after disasters but remains a challenge. Many studies have explored the potential of remote sensing data, but limitations of vertical data persist. Oblique imagery has been identified as more useful, though the multi-angle imagery also adds a new dimension of complexity. This paper addresses damage assessment based on multi-perspective, overlapping, very high resolution oblique images obtained with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). 3-D point-cloud assessment for the entire building is combined with detailed object-based image analysis (OBIA) of façades and roofs. This research focuses not on automatic damage assessment, but on creating a methodology that supports the often ambiguous classification of intermediate damage levels, aiming at producing comprehensive per-building damage scores. We identify completely damaged structures in the 3-D point cloud, and for all other cases provide the OBIA-based damage indicators to be used as auxiliary information by damage analysts. The results demonstrate the usability of the 3-D point-cloud data to identify major damage features. Also the UAV-derived and OBIA-processed oblique images are shown to be a suitable basis for the identification of detailed damage features on façades and roofs. Finally, we also demonstrate the possibility of aggregating the multi-perspective damage information at building level.

Data communication network at the ASRM facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moorhead, Robert J., II; Smith, Wayne D.; Nirgudkar, Ravi; Zhu, Zhifan; Robinson, Walter

1993-02-01

The main objective of the report is to present the overall communication network structure for the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) facility being built at Yellow Creek near Iuka, Mississippi. This report is compiled using information received from NASA/MSFC, LMSC, AAD, and RUST Inc. As per the information gathered, the overall network structure will have one logical FDDI ring acting as a backbone for the whole complex. The buildings will be grouped into two categories viz. manufacturing critical and manufacturing non-critical. The manufacturing critical buildings will be connected via FDDI to the Operational Information System (OIS) in the main computing center in B 1000. The manufacturing non-critical buildings will be connected by 10BASE-FL to the Business Information System (BIS) in the main computing center. The workcells will be connected to the Area Supervisory Computers (ASCs) through the nearest manufacturing critical hub and one of the OIS hubs. The network structure described in this report will be the basis for simulations to be carried out next year. The Comdisco's Block Oriented Network Simulator (BONeS) will be used for the network simulation. The main aim of the simulations will be to evaluate the loading of the OIS, the BIS, the ASCs, and the network links by the traffic generated by the workstations and workcells throughout the site.

Upending the social ecological model to guide health promotion efforts toward policy and environmental change.

PubMed

Golden, Shelley D; McLeroy, Kenneth R; Green, Lawrence W; Earp, Jo Anne L; Lieberman, Lisa D

2015-04-01

Efforts to change policies and the environments in which people live, work, and play have gained increasing attention over the past several decades. Yet health promotion frameworks that illustrate the complex processes that produce health-enhancing structural changes are limited. Building on the experiences of health educators, community activists, and community-based researchers described in this supplement and elsewhere, as well as several political, social, and behavioral science theories, we propose a new framework to organize our thinking about producing policy, environmental, and other structural changes. We build on the social ecological model, a framework widely employed in public health research and practice, by turning it inside out, placing health-related and other social policies and environments at the center, and conceptualizing the ways in which individuals, their social networks, and organized groups produce a community context that fosters healthy policy and environmental development. We conclude by describing how health promotion practitioners and researchers can foster structural change by (1) conveying the health and social relevance of policy and environmental change initiatives, (2) building partnerships to support them, and (3) promoting more equitable distributions of the resources necessary for people to meet their daily needs, control their lives, and freely participate in the public sphere. © 2015 Society for Public Health Education.

Controlled iterative cross-coupling: on the way to the automation of organic synthesis.

PubMed

Wang, Congyang; Glorius, Frank

2009-01-01

Repetition does not hurt! New strategies for the modulation of the reactivity of difunctional building blocks are discussed, allowing the palladium-catalyzed controlled iterative cross-coupling and, thus, the efficient formation of complex molecules of defined size and structure (see scheme). As in peptide synthesis, this development will enable the automation of these reactions. M(PG)=protected metal, M(act)=metal.

Complex small-molecule architectures regulate phenotypic plasticity in a nematode.

PubMed

Bose, Neelanjan; Ogawa, Akira; von Reuss, Stephan H; Yim, Joshua J; Ragsdale, Erik J; Sommer, Ralf J; Schroeder, Frank C

2012-12-07

Chemistry the worm's way: The nematode Pristionchus pacificus constructs elaborate small molecules from modified building blocks of primary metabolism, including an unusual xylopyranose-based nucleoside (see scheme). These compounds act as signaling molecules to control adult phenotypic plasticity and dauer development and provide examples of modular generation of structural diversity in metazoans. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A New Education Scheme for Japan: Importing Education PPP Structures from England and Scotland (Part 2)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tachioka, Hiroshi; Campbell, Joel R.

2006-01-01

There are very few PFI projects in Japan that are specifically designed for education, but there are a few hybrid or complex PFIs that includes education in their facilities and services. In this article, the authors discuss the Ichikawa City Seventh District Junior High School building (an education PFI), which includes a school lunch room,…

A high-resolution large-eddy simulation of turbulent flow within and above urban-like canopies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maché, M.; Calmet, I.; Sini, J.-F.

2009-09-01

The urban microclimate is a result of the interactions between regional climatology, morphology of urban fabric and thermo-radiative and hydric properties of the materials constituting the urban surfaces. Modern urban planning tries to compact cities for avoiding spreading of the town area in order to reduce the need of transports. The climatic effects of this politic are not well known yet. This work is the first step of a study whose main purpose is to propose an urban planning politic which considers the urban heat island within the context of the climate change. Therefore it aims to understand the effects of building configuration on the momentum, heat and humidity turbulent transfers. Urban structures are quite heterogeneous and complex. To analyse the interactions between urban canopies and the atmosphere, the resolution has to be high enough that mean flow characteristics between the buildings can be observed as well as turbulent structures that develop above roof level. For that purpose, the Large-Eddy Simulation atmospheric model ARPS (Advanced Regional Prediction System) is employed. The subgrid scales are modelled by means of the resolution of an equation for the subgrid-scale turbulent kinetic energy. The version used is this study is based on the developments of Dupont & Brunet (2008) who introduced a drag force approach to simulate the influence of the vegetal covers on the low atmosphere. The application of this model on urban canopies requires adjusting the drag coefficient (Cd) in function of the frontal density (Af) and of the building arrangement. Its dependency on configuration (staggered or aligned arrays) and on frontal density is investigated. In order to put in light the main characteristics of the flow field and to validate the model in urban configurations, the turbulent flow above arrays of obstacles is investigated here for different arrangements and packing densities. The grid spacing is set to a few tens of meters in both horizontal directions and one meter in vertical direction, within the canopy. Above the canopy, grids are stretched vertically to reach four meters in average. The surface density Af is calculated in function of the geometry of the obstacles present in a grid cell. The effect of Cd values on the turbulent statistics is compared with results from wind tunnel experiments or building resolving simulations. The ability of the model to reproduce the major turbulent organized structures above the canopy and the influence of the building configuration is also studied, in terms of intensity, size and orientation of the structures. Further research will be done to investigate the effect of configuration of buildings with more complex geometries, like variable building height, on turbulent flow characteristics. To understand the climatologic features of a real city this approach will be completed by the introduction of a parametrization for heat and humidity exchanges inside the canopy.

Mesoscale assembly of chemically modified graphene into complex cellular networks

PubMed Central

Barg, Suelen; Perez, Felipe Macul; Ni, Na; do Vale Pereira, Paula; Maher, Robert C.; Garcia-Tuñon, Esther; Eslava, Salvador; Agnoli, Stefano; Mattevi, Cecilia; Saiz, Eduardo

2014-01-01

The widespread technological introduction of graphene beyond electronics rests on our ability to assemble this two-dimensional building block into three-dimensional structures for practical devices. To achieve this goal we need fabrication approaches that are able to provide an accurate control of chemistry and architecture from nano to macroscopic levels. Here, we describe a versatile technique to build ultralight (density ≥1 mg cm−3) cellular networks based on the use of soft templates and the controlled segregation of chemically modified graphene to liquid interfaces. These novel structures can be tuned for excellent conductivity; versatile mechanical response (elastic-brittle to elastomeric, reversible deformation, high energy absorption) and organic absorption capabilities (above 600 g per gram of material). The approach can be used to uncover the basic principles that will guide the design of practical devices that by combining unique mechanical and functional performance will generate new technological opportunities. PMID:24999766

Environmental projects. Volume 4: Asbestos survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kushner, L.

1988-01-01

The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex (GDSCC), near Barstow, California, operates in support of six large parabolic dish antennas. Many of the buildings and structures at the GDSCC were erected before it became known that asbestos posed a hazard to human health. Thus, because of concern with asbestos, two field surveys were conducted at the GDSCC in October/November 1986 and in September 1987 to locate, classify, and quantify all asbestos-containing materials in buildings, structures, roofs and boilers. The report describes the results of the two surveys and describes methods for both asbestos management and asbestos abatement. The surveys found that GDSCC practices involving asbestos are conscientious and forward-thinking. A program, due to start in FY 1988 and to be completed in FY 1990, is planned to remove all friable (easily pulverized) asbestos-containing materials discovered during the two field surveys for asbestos at the GDSCC.

Thermographic mapping of a complex vernacular settlement: the case study of Casalnuovo District within the Sassi of Matera (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardinale, Tiziana; Balestra, Alessandro; Cardinale, Nicola

2015-04-01

Never as in the Sassi of Matera (Italy), the parties have a volumetric material identity and a special construction condition for which, first of all, you need to know the whole to which they give life, and then the individual components and their connections. The distribution of these building artifacts in symbiotic connection with the connective calcareous texture that hosts them, resulted in a spontaneously harmonious figurative balance that characterizes the constructive expedients employed and the distributive and morphological solutions. This is the reason why the Sassi, and the overlooking Park of Rupestrian Churches of Matera Murgia have been entered in 1993 in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Our research focuses on a largely abandoned area within the Casalnuovo District, situated in the extreme south of the city, probably the place of the future Demoethnoanthropological Museum. It is known today that the particular shape of the area is made up of settlements mainly in cave; during the time architectures above ground, in a very limited number, filled almost completely the limited building space. Here there are the most archaic types and forms of building and wine cellars within the Sassi, essentially derive from the natural cave only slightly structured by man. The exterior construction complete the elementary cave and it is called lamione. The complexity of a built space like this one determines the need for a non-traditional approach, so you have to combine last generation tools and canonical ones for survey and energy diagnosis within a dialectic between memory, tradition and innovation, in order to identify solutions for an environment friendly recover of a cultural heritage such this one. Since the evaluation of the historical buildings conservation state using destructive techniques should be avoided to prevent the integrity of the cultural heritage, the development of non-destructive and non-contact techniques is very important. For this reason, an appropriate cognitive apparatus has been set up for the entire technical process, first of all making use of infrared thermography. It is an affordable, fast and hence widespread method to detect temperature distributions on the surfaces of buildings. In the investigation of historical structures, where a restoration or conservation treatment can cause irreversible damage to the structure, it is considered to be of most importance. So we have made a thermographic mapping and we have analyzed the thermal conditions of approximately 15 caves, with the presence of rising moisture and condensation moisture. The ability to investigate a so complex reality offers an important opportunity for the knowledge, valorization and fruition of the cultural landscape of Matera, where you can disassemble the constituents of full and empty spaces with the consideration that the whole is not merely the sum of the parts.

Microstructural and micromechanical characterization of IN718 theta shaped specimens built with electron beam melting

DOE PAGES

Cakmak, Ercan; Kirka, Michael M.; Watkins, Thomas R.; ...

2016-02-23

Theta-shaped specimens were additively manufactured out of Inconel 718 powders using an electron beam melting technique, as a model complex load bearing structure. We employed two different build strategies; producing two sets of specimens. Microstructural and micro-mechanical characterizations were performed using electron back-scatter, synchrotron x-ray and in-situ neutron diffraction techniques. In particular, the cross-members of the specimens were the focus of the synchrotron x-ray and in-situ neutron diffraction measurements. The build strategies employed resulted in the formation of distinct microstructures and crystallographic textures, signifying the importance of build-parameter manipulation for microstructural optimization. Large strain anisotropy of the different lattice planesmore » was observed during in-situ loading. Texture was concluded to have a distinct effect upon both the axial and transverse strain responses of the cross-members. In particular, the (200), (220) and (420) transverse lattice strains all showed unexpected overlapping trends in both builds. This was related to the strong {200} textures along the build/loading direction, providing agreement between the experimental and calculated results.« less

Additional adjoint Monte Carlo studies of the shielding of concrete structures against initial gamma radiation. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beer, M.; Cohen, M.O.

1975-02-01

The adjoint Monte Carlo method previously developed by MAGI has been applied to the calculation of initial radiation dose due to air secondary gamma rays and fission product gamma rays at detector points within buildings for a wide variety of problems. These provide an in-depth survey of structure shielding effects as well as many new benchmark problems for matching by simplified models. Specifically, elevated ring source results were obtained in the following areas: doses at on-and off-centerline detectors in four concrete blockhouse structures; doses at detector positions along the centerline of a high-rise structure without walls; dose mapping at basementmore » detector positions in the high-rise structure; doses at detector points within a complex concrete structure containing exterior windows and walls and interior partitions; modeling of the complex structure by replacing interior partitions by additional material at exterior walls; effects of elevation angle changes; effects on the dose of changes in fission product ambient spectra; and modeling of mutual shielding due to external structures. In addition, point source results yielding dose extremes about the ring source average were obtained. (auth)« less

Simulating Fire Disturbance and Plant Mortality Using Antecedent Eco-hydrological Conditions to Inform a Physically Based Combustion Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atchley, A. L.; Linn, R.; Middleton, R. S.; Runde, I.; Coon, E.; Michaletz, S. T.

2016-12-01

Wildfire is a complex agent of change that both affects and depends on eco-hydrological systems, thereby constituting a tightly linked system of disturbances and eco-hydrological conditions. For example, structure, build-up, and moisture content of fuel are dependent on eco-hydrological regimes, which impacts fire spread and intensity. Fire behavior, on the other hand, determines the severity and extent of eco-hydrological disturbance, often resulting in a mosaic of untouched, stressed, damaged, or completely destroyed vegetation within the fire perimeter. This in turn drives new eco-hydrological system behavior. The cycles of disturbance and recovery present a complex evolving system with many unknowns especially in the face of climate change that has implications for fire risk, water supply, and forest composition. Physically-based numerical experiments that attempt to capture the complex linkages between eco-hydrological regimes that affect fire behavior and the echo-hydrological response from those fire disturbances help build the understanding required to project how fire disturbance and eco-hydrological conditions coevolve over time. Here we explore the use of FIRETEC—a physically-based 3D combustion model that solves conservation of mass, momentum, energy, and chemical species—to resolve fire spread over complex terrain and fuel structures. Uniquely, we couple a physically-based plant mortality model with FIRETEC and examine the resultant hydrologic impact. In this proof of concept demonstration we spatially distribute fuel structure and moisture content based on the eco-hydrological condition to use as input for FIRETEC. The fire behavior simulation then produces localized burn severity and heat injures which are used as input to a spatially-informed plant mortality model. Ultimately we demonstrate the applicability of physically-based models to explore integrated disturbance and eco-hydrologic response to wildfire behavior and specifically map how fire spread and intensity is affect by the antecedent eco-hydrological condition, which then affects the resulting tree mortality patterns.

Software packager user's guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, John R.

1995-01-01

Software integration is a growing area of concern for many programmers and software managers because the need to build new programs quickly from existing components is greater than ever. This includes building versions of software products for multiple hardware platforms and operating systems, building programs from components written in different languages, and building systems from components that must execute on different machines in a distributed network. The goal of software integration is to make building new programs from existing components more seamless -- programmers should pay minimal attention to the underlying configuration issues involved. Libraries of reusable components and classes are important tools but only partial solutions to software development problems. Even though software components may have compatible interfaces, there may be other reasons, such as differences between execution environments, why they cannot be integrated. Often, components must be adapted or reimplemented to fit into another application because of implementation differences -- they are implemented in different programming languages, dependent on different operating system resources, or must execute on different physical machines. The software packager is a tool that allows programmers to deal with interfaces between software components and ignore complex integration details. The packager takes modular descriptions of the structure of a software system written in the package specification language and produces an integration program in the form of a makefile. If complex integration tools are needed to integrate a set of components, such as remote procedure call stubs, their use is implied by the packager automatically and stub generation tools are invoked in the corresponding makefile. The programmer deals only with the components themselves and not the details of how to build the system on any given platform.

Bim-Based Indoor Path Planning Considering Obstacles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, M.; Wei, S.; Zlatanova, S.; Zhang, R.

2017-09-01

At present, 87 % of people's activities are in indoor environment; indoor navigation has become a research issue. As the building structures for people's daily life are more and more complex, many obstacles influence humans' moving. Therefore it is essential to provide an accurate and efficient indoor path planning. Nowadays there are many challenges and problems in indoor navigation. Most existing path planning approaches are based on 2D plans, pay more attention to the geometric configuration of indoor space, often ignore rich semantic information of building components, and mostly consider simple indoor layout without taking into account the furniture. Addressing the above shortcomings, this paper uses BIM (IFC) as the input data and concentrates on indoor navigation considering obstacles in the multi-floor buildings. After geometric and semantic information are extracted, 2D and 3D space subdivision methods are adopted to build the indoor navigation network and to realize a path planning that avoids obstacles. The 3D space subdivision is based on triangular prism. The two approaches are verified by the experiments.

Building Blocks of Psychology: on Remaking the Unkept Promises of Early Schools.

PubMed

Gozli, Davood G; Deng, Wei Sophia

2018-03-01

The appeal and popularity of "building blocks", i.e., simple and dissociable elements of behavior and experience, persists in psychological research. We begin our assessment of this research strategy with an historical review of structuralism (as espoused by E. B. Titchener) and behaviorism (espoused by J. B. Watson and B. F. Skinner), two movements that held the assumption in their attempts to provide a systematic and unified discipline. We point out the ways in which the elementism of the two schools selected, framed, and excluded topics of study. After the historical review, we turn to contemporary literature and highlight the persistence of research into building blocks and the associated framing and exclusions in psychological research. The assumption that complex categories of human psychology can be understood in terms of their elementary components and simplest forms seems indefensible. In specific cases, therefore, reliance on the assumption requires justification. Finally, we review alternative strategies that bypass the commitment to building blocks.

Toward Generalization of Iterative Small Molecule Synthesis

PubMed Central

Lehmann, Jonathan W.; Blair, Daniel J.; Burke, Martin D.

2018-01-01

Small molecules have extensive untapped potential to benefit society, but access to this potential is too often restricted by limitations inherent to the customized approach currently used to synthesize this class of chemical matter. In contrast, the “building block approach”, i.e., generalized iterative assembly of interchangeable parts, has now proven to be a highly efficient and flexible way to construct things ranging all the way from skyscrapers to macromolecules to artificial intelligence algorithms. The structural redundancy found in many small molecules suggests that they possess a similar capacity for generalized building block-based construction. It is also encouraging that many customized iterative synthesis methods have been developed that improve access to specific classes of small molecules. There has also been substantial recent progress toward the iterative assembly of many different types of small molecules, including complex natural products, pharmaceuticals, biological probes, and materials, using common building blocks and coupling chemistry. Collectively, these advances suggest that a generalized building block approach for small molecule synthesis may be within reach. PMID:29696152

Computer aided flexible envelope designs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Resch, R. D.

1975-01-01

Computer aided design methods are presented for the design and construction of strong, lightweight structures which require complex and precise geometric definition. The first, flexible structures, is a unique system of modeling folded plate structures and space frames. It is possible to continuously vary the geometry of a space frame to produce large, clear spans with curvature. The second method deals with developable surfaces, where both folding and bending are explored with the observed constraint of available building materials, and what minimal distortion result in maximum design capability. Alternative inexpensive fabrication techniques are being developed to achieve computer defined enclosures which are extremely lightweight and mathematically highly precise.

Fusion of monocular cues to detect man-made structures in aerial imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shufelt, Jefferey; Mckeown, David M.

1991-01-01

The extraction of buildings from aerial imagery is a complex problem for automated computer vision. It requires locating regions in a scene that possess properties distinguishing them as man-made objects as opposed to naturally occurring terrain features. It is reasonable to assume that no single detection method can correctly delineate or verify buildings in every scene. A cooperative-methods paradigm is useful in approaching the building extraction problem. Using this paradigm, each extraction technique provides information which can be added or assimilated into an overall interpretation of the scene. Thus, the main objective is to explore the development of computer vision system that integrates the results of various scene analysis techniques into an accurate and robust interpretation of the underlying three dimensional scene. The problem of building hypothesis fusion in aerial imagery is discussed. Building extraction techniques are briefly surveyed, including four building extraction, verification, and clustering systems. A method for fusing the symbolic data generated by these systems is described, and applied to monocular image and stereo image data sets. Evaluation methods for the fusion results are described, and the fusion results are analyzed using these methods.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, XS; Michaelis, VK; Ong, TC

The controllable synthesis of well-ordered layered materials with specific nanoarchitecture poses a grand challenge in materials chemistry. Here the solvothermal synthesis of two structurally analogous 5-coordinate organosilicate complexes through a novel transesterification mechanism is reported. Since the polycrystalline nature of the intrinsic hypervalent Si complex thwarts the endeavor in determining its structure, a novel strategy concerning the elegant addition of a small fraction of B species as an effective crystal growth mediator and a sacrificial agent is proposed to directly prepare diffraction-quality single crystals without disrupting the intrinsic elemental type. In the determined crystal structure, two monomeric primary building unitsmore » (PBUs) self-assemble into a dimeric asymmetric secondary BU via strong Na+O2- ionic bonds. The designed one-pot synthesis is straightforward, robust, and efficient, leading to a well-ordered (10)-parallel layered Si complex with its principal interlayers intercalated with extensive van der Waals gaps in spite of the presence of substantial Na+ counter-ions as a result of unique atomic arrangement in its structure. However, upon fast pyrolysis, followed by acid leaching, both complexes are converted into two SiO2 composites bearing BET surface areas of 163.3 and 254.7m(2)g(-1) for the pyrolyzed intrinsic and B-assisted Si complexes, respectively. The transesterification methodology merely involving alcoholysis but without any hydrolysis side reaction is designed to have generalized applicability for use in synthesizing new layered metal-organic compounds with tailored PBUs and corresponding metal oxide particles with hierarchical porosity.« less

3D printing PLA and silicone elastomer structures with sugar solution support material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamidi, Armita; Jain, Shrenik; Tadesse, Yonas

2017-04-01

3D printing technology has been used for rapid prototyping since 1980's and is still developing in a way that can be used for customized products with complex design and miniature features. Among all the available 3D printing techniques, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is one of the most widely used technologies because of its capability to build different structures by employing various materials. However, complexity of parts made by FDM is greatly limited by restriction of using support materials. Support materials are often used in FDM for several complex geometries such as fully suspended shapes, overhanging surfaces and hollow features. This paper describes an approach to 3D print a structure using silicone elastomer and polylactide fiber (PLA) by employing a novel support material that is soluble in water. This support material is melted sugar which can easily be prepared at a low cost. Sugar is a carbohydrate, which is found naturally in plants such as sugarcane and sugar beets; therefore, it is completely organic and eco-friendly. As another advantage, the time for removing this material from the part is considerably less than other commercially available support materials and it can be removed easily by warm water without leaving any trace. Experiments were done using an inexpensive desktop 3D printer to fabricate complex structures for use in soft robots. The results envision that further development of this system would contribute to a method of fabrication of complex parts with lower cost yet high quality.

Report: Vapor Intrusion Health Risks at Bannister Federal Complex Not a Concern for Buildings 50 and 52, Unknown for Other Buildings

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Report #11-P-0048, January 5, 2011. Testing at Bannister Federal Complex in February 2010 revealed elevated levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the soil vapor beneath the foundations of buildings 50 and 52.

Two Types of 2D Layered Iodoargentates Based on Trimeric [Ag3I7] Secondary Building Units and Hexameric [Ag6I12] Ternary Building Units: Syntheses, Crystal Structures, and Efficient Visible Light Responding Photocatalytic Properties.

PubMed

Lei, Xiao-Wu; Yue, Cheng-Yang; Zhao, Jian-Qiang; Han, Yong-Fang; Yang, Jiang-Tao; Meng, Rong-Rong; Gao, Chuan-Sheng; Ding, Hao; Wang, Chun-Yan; Chen, Wan-Dong; Hong, Mao-Chun

2015-11-16

With mixed transition-metal-complex, alkali-metal, or organic cations as structure-directing agents, a series of novel two-dimensional (2D) layered inorganic-organic hybrid iodoargentates, namely, Kx[TM(2,2-bipy)3]2Ag6I11 (TM = Mn (1), Fe (2), Co (3), Ni (4), Zn (5); x = 0.89-1) and [(Ni(2,2-bipy)3][H-2,2-bipy]Ag3I6 (6), have been solvothermally synthesized and structurally characterized. All the title compounds feature 2D microporous layers composed by [Ag3I7] secondary building units based on AgI4 tetrahedra. Differently, the [Ag3I7] trimers are directly interconnected via corner-sharing to form the 2D [Ag6I11](5-) layer in compounds 1-5, whereas two neighboring [Ag3I7] trimers are initially condensed into a hexameric [Ag6I12] ternary building unit as a new node, which further self-assembles, leading to the 2D [Ag6I10](4-) layer in compound 6. The UV-vis diffuse-reflectance measurements reveal that all the compounds possess proper semiconductor behaviors with tunable band gaps of 1.66-2.75 eV, which lead to highly efficient photocatalytic degradation activities over organic pollutants under visible light irradiation compared to that of N-dotted P25. Interestingly, all the samples feature distinct photodegradative speeds at the same reaction conditions, and compound 1 features the highest photocatalytic activity among the title phases. The luminescence properties, band structures, and thermal stabilities were also studied.

@TOME-2: a new pipeline for comparative modeling of protein-ligand complexes.

PubMed

Pons, Jean-Luc; Labesse, Gilles

2009-07-01

@TOME 2.0 is new web pipeline dedicated to protein structure modeling and small ligand docking based on comparative analyses. @TOME 2.0 allows fold recognition, template selection, structural alignment editing, structure comparisons, 3D-model building and evaluation. These tasks are routinely used in sequence analyses for structure prediction. In our pipeline the necessary software is efficiently interconnected in an original manner to accelerate all the processes. Furthermore, we have also connected comparative docking of small ligands that is performed using protein-protein superposition. The input is a simple protein sequence in one-letter code with no comment. The resulting 3D model, protein-ligand complexes and structural alignments can be visualized through dedicated Web interfaces or can be downloaded for further studies. These original features will aid in the functional annotation of proteins and the selection of templates for molecular modeling and virtual screening. Several examples are described to highlight some of the new functionalities provided by this pipeline. The server and its documentation are freely available at http://abcis.cbs.cnrs.fr/AT2/

@TOME-2: a new pipeline for comparative modeling of protein–ligand complexes

PubMed Central

Pons, Jean-Luc; Labesse, Gilles

2009-01-01

@TOME 2.0 is new web pipeline dedicated to protein structure modeling and small ligand docking based on comparative analyses. @TOME 2.0 allows fold recognition, template selection, structural alignment editing, structure comparisons, 3D-model building and evaluation. These tasks are routinely used in sequence analyses for structure prediction. In our pipeline the necessary software is efficiently interconnected in an original manner to accelerate all the processes. Furthermore, we have also connected comparative docking of small ligands that is performed using protein–protein superposition. The input is a simple protein sequence in one-letter code with no comment. The resulting 3D model, protein–ligand complexes and structural alignments can be visualized through dedicated Web interfaces or can be downloaded for further studies. These original features will aid in the functional annotation of proteins and the selection of templates for molecular modeling and virtual screening. Several examples are described to highlight some of the new functionalities provided by this pipeline. The server and its documentation are freely available at http://abcis.cbs.cnrs.fr/AT2/ PMID:19443448

Observing Consistency in Online Communication Patterns for User Re-Identification.

PubMed

Adeyemi, Ikuesan Richard; Razak, Shukor Abd; Salleh, Mazleena; Venter, Hein S

2016-01-01

Comprehension of the statistical and structural mechanisms governing human dynamics in online interaction plays a pivotal role in online user identification, online profile development, and recommender systems. However, building a characteristic model of human dynamics on the Internet involves a complete analysis of the variations in human activity patterns, which is a complex process. This complexity is inherent in human dynamics and has not been extensively studied to reveal the structural composition of human behavior. A typical method of anatomizing such a complex system is viewing all independent interconnectivity that constitutes the complexity. An examination of the various dimensions of human communication pattern in online interactions is presented in this paper. The study employed reliable server-side web data from 31 known users to explore characteristics of human-driven communications. Various machine-learning techniques were explored. The results revealed that each individual exhibited a relatively consistent, unique behavioral signature and that the logistic regression model and model tree can be used to accurately distinguish online users. These results are applicable to one-to-one online user identification processes, insider misuse investigation processes, and online profiling in various areas.

A new way to see RNA

PubMed Central

Keating, Kevin S.; Humphris, Elisabeth L.; Pyle, Anna Marie

2015-01-01

Unlike proteins, the RNA backbone has numerous degrees of freedom (eight, if one counts the sugar pucker), making RNA modeling, structure building and prediction a multidimensional problem of exceptionally high complexity. And yet RNA tertiary structures are not infinite in their structural morphology; rather, they are built from a limited set of discrete units. In order to reduce the dimensionality of the RNA backbone in a physically reasonable way, a shorthand notation was created that reduced the RNA backbone torsion angles to two (η and θ, analogous to ϕ and ψ in proteins). When these torsion angles are calculated for nucleotides in a crystallographic database and plotted against one another, one obtains a plot analogous to a Ramachandran plot (the η/θ plot), with highly populated and unpopulated regions. Nucleotides that occupy proximal positions on the plot have identical structures and are found in the same units of tertiary structure. In this review, we describe the statistical validation of the η/θ formalism and the exploration of features within the η/θ plot. We also describe the application of the η/θ formalism in RNA motif discovery, structural comparison, RNA structure building and tertiary structure prediction. More than a tool, however, the η/θ formalism has provided new insights into RNA structure itself, revealing its fundamental components and the factors underlying RNA architectural form. PMID:21729350

Software-engineering challenges of building and deploying reusable problem solvers.

PubMed

O'Connor, Martin J; Nyulas, Csongor; Tu, Samson; Buckeridge, David L; Okhmatovskaia, Anna; Musen, Mark A

2009-11-01

Problem solving methods (PSMs) are software components that represent and encode reusable algorithms. They can be combined with representations of domain knowledge to produce intelligent application systems. A goal of research on PSMs is to provide principled methods and tools for composing and reusing algorithms in knowledge-based systems. The ultimate objective is to produce libraries of methods that can be easily adapted for use in these systems. Despite the intuitive appeal of PSMs as conceptual building blocks, in practice, these goals are largely unmet. There are no widely available tools for building applications using PSMs and no public libraries of PSMs available for reuse. This paper analyzes some of the reasons for the lack of widespread adoptions of PSM techniques and illustrate our analysis by describing our experiences developing a complex, high-throughput software system based on PSM principles. We conclude that many fundamental principles in PSM research are useful for building knowledge-based systems. In particular, the task-method decomposition process, which provides a means for structuring knowledge-based tasks, is a powerful abstraction for building systems of analytic methods. However, despite the power of PSMs in the conceptual modeling of knowledge-based systems, software engineering challenges have been seriously underestimated. The complexity of integrating control knowledge modeled by developers using PSMs with the domain knowledge that they model using ontologies creates a barrier to widespread use of PSM-based systems. Nevertheless, the surge of recent interest in ontologies has led to the production of comprehensive domain ontologies and of robust ontology-authoring tools. These developments present new opportunities to leverage the PSM approach.

Software-engineering challenges of building and deploying reusable problem solvers

PubMed Central

O’CONNOR, MARTIN J.; NYULAS, CSONGOR; TU, SAMSON; BUCKERIDGE, DAVID L.; OKHMATOVSKAIA, ANNA; MUSEN, MARK A.

2012-01-01

Problem solving methods (PSMs) are software components that represent and encode reusable algorithms. They can be combined with representations of domain knowledge to produce intelligent application systems. A goal of research on PSMs is to provide principled methods and tools for composing and reusing algorithms in knowledge-based systems. The ultimate objective is to produce libraries of methods that can be easily adapted for use in these systems. Despite the intuitive appeal of PSMs as conceptual building blocks, in practice, these goals are largely unmet. There are no widely available tools for building applications using PSMs and no public libraries of PSMs available for reuse. This paper analyzes some of the reasons for the lack of widespread adoptions of PSM techniques and illustrate our analysis by describing our experiences developing a complex, high-throughput software system based on PSM principles. We conclude that many fundamental principles in PSM research are useful for building knowledge-based systems. In particular, the task–method decomposition process, which provides a means for structuring knowledge-based tasks, is a powerful abstraction for building systems of analytic methods. However, despite the power of PSMs in the conceptual modeling of knowledge-based systems, software engineering challenges have been seriously underestimated. The complexity of integrating control knowledge modeled by developers using PSMs with the domain knowledge that they model using ontologies creates a barrier to widespread use of PSM-based systems. Nevertheless, the surge of recent interest in ontologies has led to the production of comprehensive domain ontologies and of robust ontology-authoring tools. These developments present new opportunities to leverage the PSM approach. PMID:23565031

What do we gain from simplicity versus complexity in species distribution models?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merow, Cory; Smith, Matthew J.; Edwards, Thomas C.; Guisan, Antoine; McMahon, Sean M.; Normand, Signe; Thuiller, Wilfried; Wuest, Rafael O.; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.; Elith, Jane

2014-01-01

Species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used to explain and predict species ranges and environmental niches. They are most commonly constructed by inferring species' occurrence–environment relationships using statistical and machine-learning methods. The variety of methods that can be used to construct SDMs (e.g. generalized linear/additive models, tree-based models, maximum entropy, etc.), and the variety of ways that such models can be implemented, permits substantial flexibility in SDM complexity. Building models with an appropriate amount of complexity for the study objectives is critical for robust inference. We characterize complexity as the shape of the inferred occurrence–environment relationships and the number of parameters used to describe them, and search for insights into whether additional complexity is informative or superfluous. By building ‘under fit’ models, having insufficient flexibility to describe observed occurrence–environment relationships, we risk misunderstanding the factors shaping species distributions. By building ‘over fit’ models, with excessive flexibility, we risk inadvertently ascribing pattern to noise or building opaque models. However, model selection can be challenging, especially when comparing models constructed under different modeling approaches. Here we argue for a more pragmatic approach: researchers should constrain the complexity of their models based on study objective, attributes of the data, and an understanding of how these interact with the underlying biological processes. We discuss guidelines for balancing under fitting with over fitting and consequently how complexity affects decisions made during model building. Although some generalities are possible, our discussion reflects differences in opinions that favor simpler versus more complex models. We conclude that combining insights from both simple and complex SDM building approaches best advances our knowledge of current and future species ranges.

An Agent-Based Optimization Framework for Engineered Complex Adaptive Systems with Application to Demand Response in Electricity Markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haghnevis, Moeed

The main objective of this research is to develop an integrated method to study emergent behavior and consequences of evolution and adaptation in engineered complex adaptive systems (ECASs). A multi-layer conceptual framework and modeling approach including behavioral and structural aspects is provided to describe the structure of a class of engineered complex systems and predict their future adaptive patterns. The approach allows the examination of complexity in the structure and the behavior of components as a result of their connections and in relation to their environment. This research describes and uses the major differences of natural complex adaptive systems (CASs) with artificial/engineered CASs to build a framework and platform for ECAS. While this framework focuses on the critical factors of an engineered system, it also enables one to synthetically employ engineering and mathematical models to analyze and measure complexity in such systems. In this way concepts of complex systems science are adapted to management science and system of systems engineering. In particular an integrated consumer-based optimization and agent-based modeling (ABM) platform is presented that enables managers to predict and partially control patterns of behaviors in ECASs. Demonstrated on the U.S. electricity markets, ABM is integrated with normative and subjective decision behavior recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The approach integrates social networks, social science, complexity theory, and diffusion theory. Furthermore, it has unique and significant contribution in exploring and representing concrete managerial insights for ECASs and offering new optimized actions and modeling paradigms in agent-based simulation.

Coming to Grips with Ambiguity: Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry for Protein Quaternary Structure Assignment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eschweiler, Joseph D.; Frank, Aaron T.; Ruotolo, Brandon T.

2017-10-01

Multiprotein complexes are central to our understanding of cellular biology, as they play critical roles in nearly every biological process. Despite many impressive advances associated with structural characterization techniques, large and highly-dynamic protein complexes are too often refractory to analysis by conventional, high-resolution approaches. To fill this gap, ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) methods have emerged as a promising approach for characterizing the structures of challenging assemblies due in large part to the ability of these methods to characterize the composition, connectivity, and topology of large, labile complexes. In this Critical Insight, we present a series of bioinformatics studies aimed at assessing the information content of IM-MS datasets for building models of multiprotein structure. Our computational data highlights the limits of current coarse-graining approaches, and compelled us to develop an improved workflow for multiprotein topology modeling, which we benchmark against a subset of the multiprotein complexes within the PDB. This improved workflow has allowed us to ascertain both the minimal experimental restraint sets required for generation of high-confidence multiprotein topologies, and quantify the ambiguity in models where insufficient IM-MS information is available. We conclude by projecting the future of IM-MS in the context of protein quaternary structure assignment, where we predict that a more complete knowledge of the ultimate information content and ambiguity within such models will undoubtedly lead to applications for a broader array of challenging biomolecular assemblies. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Development and modeling of self-deployable structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neogi, Depankar

Deployable space structures are prefabricated structures which can be transformed from a closed, compact configuration to a predetermined expanded form in which they are stable and can bear loads. The present research effort investigates a new family of deployable structures, called the Self-Deployable Structures (SDS). Unlike other deployable structures, which have rigid members, the SDS members are flexible while the connecting joints are rigid. The joints store the predefined geometry of the deployed structure in the collapsed state. The SDS is stress-free in both deployed and collapsed configurations and results in a self-standing structure which acquires its structural properties after a chemical reaction. Reliability of deployment is one of the most important features of the SDS, since it does not rely on mechanisms that can lock during deployment. The unit building block of these structures is the self-deployable structural element (SDSE). Several SDSE members can be linked to generate a complex building block such as a triangular or a tetrahedral structure. Different SDSE and SDS concepts are investigated in the research work, and the performance of SDS's are experimentally and theoretically explored. Triangular and tetrahedral prototype SDS have been developed and presented. Theoretical efforts include modeling the behavior of 2-dimensional SDSs. Using this design tool, engineers can study the effects of different packing configurations and deployment sequence; and perform optimization on the collapsed state of a structure with different external constraints. The model also predicts if any lockup or entanglement occurs during deployment.

DNA-Directed Assembly of Capture Tools for Constitutional Studies of Large Protein Complexes.

PubMed

Meyer, Rebecca; Faesen, Alex; Vogel, Katrin; Jeganathan, Sadasivam; Musacchio, Andrea; Niemeyer, Christof M

2015-06-10

Large supramolecular protein complexes, such as the molecular machinery involved in gene regulation, cell signaling, or cell division, are key in all fundamental processes of life. Detailed elucidation of structure and dynamics of such complexes can be achieved by reverse-engineering parts of the complexes in order to probe their interactions with distinctive binding partners in vitro. The exploitation of DNA nanostructures to mimic partially assembled supramolecular protein complexes in which the presence and state of two or more proteins are decisive for binding of additional building blocks is reported here. To this end, four-way DNA Holliday junction motifs bearing a fluorescein and a biotin tag, for tracking and affinity capture, respectively, are site-specifically functionalized with centromeric protein (CENP) C and CENP-T. The latter serves as baits for binding of the so-called KMN component, thereby mimicking early stages of the assembly of kinetochores, structures that mediate and control the attachment of microtubules to chromosomes in the spindle apparatus. Results from pull-down experiments are consistent with the hypothesis that CENP-C and CENP-T may bind cooperatively to the KMN network. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Physicians’ perceptions of capacity building for managing chronic disease in seniors using integrated interprofessional care models

PubMed Central

Lee, Linda; Heckman, George; McKelvie, Robert; Jong, Philip; D’Elia, Teresa; Hillier, Loretta M.

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective To explore the barriers to and facilitators of adapting and expanding a primary care memory clinic model to integrate care of additional complex chronic geriatric conditions (heart failure, falls, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and frailty) into care processes with the goal of improving outcomes for seniors. Design Mixed-methods study using quantitative (questionnaires) and qualitative (interviews) methods. Setting Ontario. Participants Family physicians currently working in primary care memory clinic teams and supporting geriatric specialists. Methods Family physicians currently working in memory clinic teams (n = 29) and supporting geriatric specialists (n = 9) were recruited as survey participants. Interviews were conducted with memory clinic lead physicians (n = 16). Statistical analysis was done to assess differences between family physician ratings and geriatric specialist ratings related to the capacity for managing complex chronic geriatric conditions, the role of interprofessional collaboration within primary care, and funding and staffing to support geriatric care. Results from both study methods were compared to identify common findings. Main findings Results indicate overall support for expanding the memory clinic model to integrate care for other complex conditions. However, the current primary care structure is challenged to support optimal management of patients with multiple comorbidities, particularly as related to limited funding and staffing resources. Structured training, interprofessional teams, and an active role of geriatric specialists within primary care were identified as important facilitators. Conclusion The memory clinic model, as applied to other complex chronic geriatric conditions, has the potential to build capacity for high-quality primary care, improve health outcomes, promote efficient use of health care resources, and reduce health care costs. PMID:25932482

SKIRT: The design of a suite of input models for Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baes, M.; Camps, P.

2015-09-01

The Monte Carlo method is the most popular technique to perform radiative transfer simulations in a general 3D geometry. The algorithms behind and acceleration techniques for Monte Carlo radiative transfer are discussed extensively in the literature, and many different Monte Carlo codes are publicly available. On the contrary, the design of a suite of components that can be used for the distribution of sources and sinks in radiative transfer codes has received very little attention. The availability of such models, with different degrees of complexity, has many benefits. For example, they can serve as toy models to test new physical ingredients, or as parameterised models for inverse radiative transfer fitting. For 3D Monte Carlo codes, this requires algorithms to efficiently generate random positions from 3D density distributions. We describe the design of a flexible suite of components for the Monte Carlo radiative transfer code SKIRT. The design is based on a combination of basic building blocks (which can be either analytical toy models or numerical models defined on grids or a set of particles) and the extensive use of decorators that combine and alter these building blocks to more complex structures. For a number of decorators, e.g. those that add spiral structure or clumpiness, we provide a detailed description of the algorithms that can be used to generate random positions. Advantages of this decorator-based design include code transparency, the avoidance of code duplication, and an increase in code maintainability. Moreover, since decorators can be chained without problems, very complex models can easily be constructed out of simple building blocks. Finally, based on a number of test simulations, we demonstrate that our design using customised random position generators is superior to a simpler design based on a generic black-box random position generator.

Host-guest complexes of mixed glycol-bipyridine cryptands: prediction of ion selectivity by quantum chemical calculations, part V.

PubMed

Begel, Svetlana; Puchta, Ralph; van Eldik, Rudi

2013-01-01

The selectivity of the cryptands [2.2.bpy] and [2.bpy.bpy] for the endohedral complexation of alkali, alkaline-earth and earth metal ions was predicted on the basis of the DFT (B3LYP/LANL2DZp) calculated structures and complex-formation energies. The cavity size in both cryptands lay between that for [2.2.2] and [bpy.bpy.bpy], such that the complexation of K(+), Sr(2+) and Tl(3+) is most favorable. While the [2.2.bpy] is moderately larger, preferring Rb(+) complexation and demonstrating equal priority for Sr(2+) and Ba(2+), the slightly smaller [2.bpy.bpy] yields more stable cryptates with Na(+) and Ca(2+). Although the CH2-units containing molecular bars fixed at the bridgehead nitrogen atoms determine the flexibility of the cryptands, the twist angles associated with the bipyridine and glycol building blocks also contribute considerably.

Dynamic Covalent Synthesis of Aryleneethynylene Cages through Alkyne Metathesis: Dimer, Tetramer, or Interlocked Complex?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Qi; Yu, Chao; Zhang, Chenxi

A dynamic covalent approach towards rigid aryleneethynylene covalent organic polyhedrons (COPs) was explored. Our study on the relationship of the COP structures and the geometry of their building blocks reveals that the topology of aryleneethynylene COPs strongly depends on the size of the building blocks. A tetramer (D2h symmetric), dimer, or interlocked complex can be formed from monomers with the same face-to-edge angle but in different sizes. As alkyne metathesis is a self-exchange reaction and non-directional, the cyclooligomerization of multi-alkyne monomers involves both intramolecular cyclization and intermolecular metathesis reaction, resulting in complicated thermodynamic process disturbed by kinetic competition. Although amore » tetrahedron-shaped tetramer (Td symmetric) has comparable thermodynamic stability to a D2h symmetric tetramer, its formation is kinetically disfavored and was not observed experimentally. Aryleneethynylene COPs consist of purely unsaturated carbon backbones and exhibit large internal cavities, which would have interesting applications in host-guest chemistry and development of porous materials.« less

Lock and Key Colloids through Polymerization-Induced Buckling of Monodispersed Silicon Oil Droplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sacanna, Stefano; Irvine, William T. M.; Chaikin, Paul M.; Pine, David J.

2010-03-01

Colloidal particles can spontaneously associate into larger structured aggregates when driven by selective and directional interactions. Colloidal organization can be programmed by engineering shapes and interactions of basic building blocks in a manner similar to molecular self-assembly. Examples of successful strategies that allow non-trivial assembly of particles include template-directed patterning, capillary forces and, most commonly, the functionalization of the particle surfaces with ``sticky patches'' of biological or synthetic molecules. The level of complexity of the realizable assemblies, increases when particles with well defined shape anisotropies are used. In particular depletion forces and specific surface treatments in combination with non spherical particles have proven to be powerful tools to self-assembly complex microstructures. We describe a simple, high yield, synthetic pathway to fabricate monodisperse hybrid silica spheres with well defined cavities. Because the particle morphologies are reproducible and tunable with precision, the resulting particles can be used as basic building blocks in the assembly of larger monodisperse clusters. This is demonstrated using depletion to drive the self-assembly.

Implementation of Basic and Universal Gates In a single Circuit Based On Quantum-dot Cellular Automata Using Multi-Layer Crossbar Wire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhowmik, Dhrubajyoti; Saha, Apu Kr; Dutta, Paramartha; Nandi, Supratim

2017-08-01

Quantum-dot Cellular Automata (QCA) is one of the most substitutes developing nanotechnologies for electronic circuits, as a result of lower force utilization, higher speed and smaller size in correlation with CMOS innovation. The essential devices, a Quantum-dot cell can be utilized to logic gates and wires. As it is the key building block on nanotechnology circuits. By applying simple gates, the hardware requirements for a QCA circuit can be decreased and circuits can be less complex as far as level, delay and cell check. This article exhibits an unobtrusive methodology for actualizing novel upgraded simple and universal gates, which can be connected to outline numerous variations of complex QCA circuits. Proposed gates are straightforward in structure and capable as far as implementing any digital circuits. The main aim is to build all basic and universal gates in a simple circuit with and without crossbar-wire. Simulation results and physical relations affirm its handiness in actualizing each advanced circuit.

Building information modelling review with potential applications in tunnel engineering of China.

PubMed

Zhou, Weihong; Qin, Haiyang; Qiu, Junling; Fan, Haobo; Lai, Jinxing; Wang, Ke; Wang, Lixin

2017-08-01

Building information modelling (BIM) can be applied to tunnel engineering to address a number of problems, including complex structure, extensive design, long construction cycle and increased security risks. To promote the development of tunnel engineering in China, this paper combines actual cases, including the Xingu mountain tunnel and the Shigu Mountain tunnel, to systematically analyse BIM applications in tunnel engineering in China. The results indicate that BIM technology in tunnel engineering is currently mainly applied during the design stage rather than during construction and operation stages. The application of BIM technology in tunnel engineering covers many problems, such as a lack of standards, incompatibility of different software, disorganized management, complex combination with GIS (Geographic Information System), low utilization rate and poor awareness. In this study, through summary of related research results and engineering cases, suggestions are introduced and an outlook for the BIM application in tunnel engineering in China is presented, which provides guidance for design optimization, construction standards and later operation maintenance.

Emerging Technologies for Assembly of Microscale Hydrogels

PubMed Central

Kavaz, Doga; Demirel, Melik C.; Demirci, Utkan

2013-01-01

Assembly of cell encapsulating building blocks (i.e., microscale hydrogels) has significant applications in areas including regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and cell-based in vitro assays for pharmaceutical research and drug discovery. Inspired by the repeating functional units observed in native tissues and biological systems (e.g., the lobule in liver, the nephron in kidney), assembly technologies aim to generate complex tissue structures by organizing microscale building blocks. Novel assembly technologies enable fabrication of engineered tissue constructs with controlled properties including tunable microarchitectural and predefined compositional features. Recent advances in micro- and nano-scale technologies have enabled engineering of microgel based three dimensional (3D) constructs. There is a need for high-throughput and scalable methods to assemble microscale units with a complex 3D micro-architecture. Emerging assembly methods include novel technologies based on microfluidics, acoustic and magnetic fields, nanotextured surfaces, and surface tension. In this review, we survey emerging microscale hydrogel assembly methods offering rapid, scalable microgel assembly in 3D, and provide future perspectives and discuss potential applications. PMID:23184717

Building information modelling review with potential applications in tunnel engineering of China

PubMed Central

Zhou, Weihong; Qin, Haiyang; Fan, Haobo; Lai, Jinxing; Wang, Ke; Wang, Lixin

2017-01-01

Building information modelling (BIM) can be applied to tunnel engineering to address a number of problems, including complex structure, extensive design, long construction cycle and increased security risks. To promote the development of tunnel engineering in China, this paper combines actual cases, including the Xingu mountain tunnel and the Shigu Mountain tunnel, to systematically analyse BIM applications in tunnel engineering in China. The results indicate that BIM technology in tunnel engineering is currently mainly applied during the design stage rather than during construction and operation stages. The application of BIM technology in tunnel engineering covers many problems, such as a lack of standards, incompatibility of different software, disorganized management, complex combination with GIS (Geographic Information System), low utilization rate and poor awareness. In this study, through summary of related research results and engineering cases, suggestions are introduced and an outlook for the BIM application in tunnel engineering in China is presented, which provides guidance for design optimization, construction standards and later operation maintenance. PMID:28878970

Building information modelling review with potential applications in tunnel engineering of China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Weihong; Qin, Haiyang; Qiu, Junling; Fan, Haobo; Lai, Jinxing; Wang, Ke; Wang, Lixin

2017-08-01

Building information modelling (BIM) can be applied to tunnel engineering to address a number of problems, including complex structure, extensive design, long construction cycle and increased security risks. To promote the development of tunnel engineering in China, this paper combines actual cases, including the Xingu mountain tunnel and the Shigu Mountain tunnel, to systematically analyse BIM applications in tunnel engineering in China. The results indicate that BIM technology in tunnel engineering is currently mainly applied during the design stage rather than during construction and operation stages. The application of BIM technology in tunnel engineering covers many problems, such as a lack of standards, incompatibility of different software, disorganized management, complex combination with GIS (Geographic Information System), low utilization rate and poor awareness. In this study, through summary of related research results and engineering cases, suggestions are introduced and an outlook for the BIM application in tunnel engineering in China is presented, which provides guidance for design optimization, construction standards and later operation maintenance.

Risk Management in Complex Construction Projects that Apply Renewable Energy Sources: A Case Study of the Realization Phase of the Energis Educational and Research Intelligent Building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krechowicz, Maria

2017-10-01

Nowadays, one of the characteristic features of construction industry is an increased complexity of a growing number of projects. Almost each construction project is unique, has its project-specific purpose, its own project structural complexity, owner’s expectations, ground conditions unique to a certain location, and its own dynamics. Failure costs and costs resulting from unforeseen problems in complex construction projects are very high. Project complexity drivers pose many vulnerabilities to a successful completion of a number of projects. This paper discusses the process of effective risk management in complex construction projects in which renewable energy sources were used, on the example of the realization phase of the ENERGIS teaching-laboratory building, from the point of view of DORBUD S.A., its general contractor. This paper suggests a new approach to risk management for complex construction projects in which renewable energy sources were applied. The risk management process was divided into six stages: gathering information, identification of the top, critical project risks resulting from the project complexity, construction of the fault tree for each top, critical risks, logical analysis of the fault tree, quantitative risk assessment applying fuzzy logic and development of risk response strategy. A new methodology for the qualitative and quantitative risk assessment for top, critical risks in complex construction projects was developed. Risk assessment was carried out applying Fuzzy Fault Tree analysis on the example of one top critical risk. Application of the Fuzzy sets theory to the proposed model allowed to decrease uncertainty and eliminate problems with gaining the crisp values of the basic events probability, common during expert risk assessment with the objective to give the exact risk score of each unwanted event probability.

Nucleoporins and chromatin metabolism.

PubMed

Ptak, Christopher; Wozniak, Richard W

2016-06-01

Mounting evidence has implicated a group of proteins termed nucleoporins, or Nups, in various processes that regulate chromatin structure and function. Nups were first recognized as building blocks for nuclear pore complexes, but several members of this group of proteins also reside in the cytoplasm and within the nucleus. Moreover, many are dynamic and move between these various locations. Both at the nuclear envelope, as part of nuclear pore complexes, and within the nucleoplasm, Nups interact with protein complexes that function in gene transcription, chromatin remodeling, DNA repair, and DNA replication. Here, we review recent studies that provide further insight into the molecular details of these interactions and their role in regulating the activity of chromatin modifying factors. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Chemical composition of donor-acceptor complexes of hydroxyoxo(5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphinato)molybdenum(V) with 3,5-dimethylpyrazole and equilibrium constants for their formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motorina, E. V.; Lomova, T. N.

2017-11-01

The results from a quantitative study of reactions between hydroxyoxo(5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphinato)molybdenum(V) (O=Mo(OH)TPP) and 3,5-dimethylpyrazole, a biologically active base, in toluene are presented. The chemical structure and key parameters of intermediates and reaction products are determined by spectral means. The equilibrium constant ( K = 51.3 L/mol) is calculated and a full kinetic description of simple reactions that occur in this system during complex transformation is obtained. The prospect of using a mixed porphyrin-containing complex as a receptor for 3,5-dimethylpyrazole, a building block for alkaloids and pharmaceutical preparations, is substantiated.

Exploring the Complexities of Children's Inquiries in Science: Knowledge Production Through Participatory Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siry, Christina

2013-12-01

Beginning with the assumption that young children are capable of producing unprecedented knowledges about science phenomena, this paper explores the complexities of children's inquiries within open-ended investigations. I ask two central questions: (1) how can we (teachers, researchers, and children themselves) use and build upon children's explorations in science in practice? and (2) what pedagogical approaches can position children as experts on their experiences to facilitate children's sense of ownership in the process of learning science? Six vignettes from a Kindergarten classroom are analyzed to elaborate the central claim of this work, which is that when children are engaged in collaborative open-ended activities, science emerges from their interactions. Open-ended structures allowed for teachers and children to facilitate further investigations collaboratively, and participatory structures mediated children's representations and explanations of their investigations. Evidence of children's interactions is used to illustrate the complexities of children's explorations, and pedagogical approaches that create the spaces for children to create knowledge are highlighted.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McCann, Billy W.; Silva, Nuwan De; Windus, Theresa L.

Computer-aided molecular design and high-throughput screening of viable host architectures can significantly reduce the efforts in the design of novel ligands for efficient extraction of rare earth elements. This paper presents a computational approach to the deliberate design of bis-phosphine oxide host architectures that are structurally organized for complexation of trivalent lanthanides. Molecule building software, HostDesigner, was interfaced with molecular mechanics software, PCModel, providing a tool for generating and screening millions of potential R 2(O)P-link-P(O)R 2 ligand geometries. The molecular mechanics ranking of ligand structures is consistent with both the solution-phase free energies of complexation obtained with density functional theorymore » and the performance of known bis-phosphine oxide extractants. For the case where link is -CH 2-, evaluation of the ligand geometry provides the first characterization of a steric origin for the ‘anomalous aryl strengthening’ effect. The design approach has identified a number of novel bis-phosphine oxide ligands that are better organized for lanthanide complexation than previously studied examples.« less

Surface tension driven aggregation of organic nanowires via lab in a droplet.

PubMed

Gu, Jianmin; Yin, Baipeng; Fu, Shaoyan; Feng, Man; Zhang, Ziming; Dong, Haiyun; Gao, Faming; Zhao, Yong Sheng

2018-06-05

Directing the architecture of complex organic nanostructures is desirable and still remains a challenge in areas of materials science due to their structure-dependent collective optoelectronic properties. Herein, we demonstrate a simple and versatile solution strategy that allows surface tension to drive low-dimensional nanostructures to aggregate into complex structures via a lab in a droplet technique. By selecting a suitable combination of a solvent and an anti-solvent with controllable surface tension difference, the droplets can be automatically cracked into micro-droplets, which provides an aggregation force directed toward the centre of the droplet to drive the low-dimensional building blocks to form the special aggregations during the self-assembly process. This synthetic strategy has been shown to be universal for organic materials, which is beneficial for further optimizing the optoelectronic properties. These results contribute to gaining an insightful understanding on the detailed growth mechanism of complex organic nanostructures and greatly promoting the development of organic nanophotonics.

Nanoscale integration is the next frontier for nanotechnology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Picraux, Samuel T

2009-01-01

Nanoscale integration of materials and structures is the next critical step to exploit the promise of nanomaterials. Many novel and fascinating properties have been revealed for nanostructured materials. But if nanotechnology is to live up to its promise we must incorporate these nanoscale building blocks into functional systems that connect to the micro- and macroscale world. To do this we will inevitably need to understand and exploit the resulting combined unique properties of these integrated nanosystems. Much science waits to be discovered in the process. Nanoscale integration extends from the synthesis and fabrication of individual nanoscale building blocks, to themore » assembly of these building blocks into composite structures, and finally to the formation of complex functional systems. As illustrated in Figure 1, the building blocks may be homogeneous or heterogeneous, the composite materials may be nanocomposite or patterned structures, and the functional systems will involve additional combinations of materials. Nanoscale integration involves assembling diverse nanoscale materials across length scales to design and achieve new properties and functionality. At each stage size-dependent properties, the influence of surfaces in close proximity, and a multitude of interfaces all come into play. Whether the final system involves coherent electrons in a quantum computing approach, the combined flow of phonons and electrons for a high efficiency thermoelectric micro-generator, or a molecular recognition structure for bio-sensing, the combined effects of size, surface, and interface will be critical. In essence, one wants to combine the novel functions available through nanoscale science to achieve unique multi-functionalities not available in bulk materials. Perhaps the best-known example of integration is that of combining electronic components together into very large scale integrated circuits (VLSI). The integrated circuit has revolutionized electronics in many ways, from exploiting field-effect transistor devices and low power complementary logic to enable the electronic watch and hand calculator in the 1970's, to today's microprocessors and memories with billions of devices and a computational power not imagined a few decades ago. The manipulation of charges on a chip, the new concepts in combining devices for logic functions, and the new approaches to computation, information processing, and imaging have all emerged from Kilby and Noyce's simple concept of integrating devices on a single chip. Moving from hard to soft materials, a second more recent example of integration is the DNA microarray. These microarrays, with up to millions of elements in a planar array that can be optically read out, can simultaneously measure the expression of 10's of thousands of genes to study the effects of disease and treatment, or screen for single nucleotide polymorphisms for uses ranging from forensics to predisposition to disease. While still at an early stage, microarrays have revolutionized biosciences by providing the means to interrogate the complex genetic control of biological functions. Just as integrated circuits and microarrays have led to completely new functionalities and performance, the integration of nanoscale materials and structures is anticipated to lead to new performance and enable the design of new functionalities not previously envisioned. The fundamental questions underlying integration go beyond just complex fabrication or the engineering of known solutions; they lead to new discoveries and new science. The scientific challenges around nanoscale integration necessitate the development of new knowledge that is central to the advance of nanotechnology. To move forward one must address key science questions that arise in nanoscience integration and go beyond a single system or materials area. New science and discoveries especially await around three questions. How does one: (1) Control energy transfer and other interactions across interfaces and over mUltiple length scales? (2) Understand and control the interactions between nanoscale building blocks to assemble specific integrated structures? (3) Design and exploit interactions within assembled structures to achieve new properties and specific functionalities? These high level questions can serve to drive research, and to advance understanding of the complex phenomena and multifunctionality that may emerge from integration. For example, in photonics there is considerable effort to understand and control the response of nanoscale conducting structures on dielectrics, to allow one to localize, manipulate, and control electromagnetic energy in integrated systems such as in the field known as metamaterials. Essential to this area is a fundamental understanding of energy transfer across multiple length scales (question 1 above).« less

A Taxonomy of Network Centric Warfare Architectures

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

mound structure emerges as a result of the termites following very simple rules, and exchanging very simple pheromone signals (Solé & Goodwin 2000...only fairly simple decisions.” For example, in far northern Australia, “magnetic termites ” build large termite mounds which are oriented north-south...and contain a complex ventilation system which controls temperature, humidity, and oxygen levels. But termite brains are too small to store a plan

Mapping Network Centric Operational Architectures to C2 and Software Architectures

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

Instead, the termite mound structure emerges as a result of the termites following very simple rules, and exchanging very simple pheromone signals...Each worker need make only fairly simple decisions.” For example, in far northern Australia, “magnetic termites ” build large termite mounds which are...oriented north-south and contain a complex ventilation system which controls temperature, humidity, and oxygen levels. But termite brains are too

Structure-property-glass transition relationships in non-isocyanate polyurethanes investigated by dynamic nanoindentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weyand, Stephan; Blattmann, Hannes; Schimpf, Vitalij; Mülhaupt, Rolf; Schwaiger, Ruth

2016-07-01

Newly developed green-chemistry approaches towards the synthesis of non-isocyanate polyurethane (NIPU) systems represent a promising alternative to polyurethanes (PU) eliminating the need for harmful ingredients. A series of NIPU systems were studied using different nanoindentation techniques in order to understand the influence of molecular parameters on the mechanical behavior. Nanoindentation revealed a unique characteristic feature of those materials, i.e. stiffening with increasing deformation. It is argued that the origin of this observed stiffening is a consequence of the thermodynamic state of the polymer network, the molecular characteristics of the chemical building blocks and resulting anisotropic elastic response of the network structure. Flat-punch nanoindentation was applied in order to characterize the constitutive viscoelastic nature of the materials. The complex modulus shows distinct changes as a function of the NIPU network topology illustrating the influence of the chemical building blocks. The reproducibility of the data indicates that the materials are homogeneous over the volumes sampled by nanoindentation. Our study demonstrates that nanoindentation is very well-suited to investigate the molecular characteristics of NIPU materials that cannot be quantified in conventional experiments. Moreover, the technique provides insight into the functional significance of complex molecular architectures thereby supporting the development of NIPU materials with tailored properties.

A Review of Influence of Various Types of Structural Bracing to the Structural Performance of Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razak, S. M.; Kong, T. C.; Zainol, N. Z.; Adnan, A.; Azimi, M.

2018-03-01

Excessive lateral drift can contribute significantly towards crack formation, leading to structural damage. The structural damage will in turn reduce the capacity of the structure and weaken it from the intended design capacity. Generally, lateral drift is more pronounced in higher and longer structure, such as high rise buildings and bridges. A typical method employed to control lateral drift is structural bracing, which works by increasing stiffness and stability of structure. This paper reviews the influence of various types of structural bracing to structural performance of buildings. The history of structural bracing is visited and the differences between numerous structural bracing in term of suitability to different types of buildings and loading, mechanisms, technical details, advantages and limitations, and the overall effect on the structural behaviour and performance are dissected. Proper and efficient structural bracing is pertinent for each high rise building as this will lead towards safer, sustainable and more economical buildings, which are cheaper to maintain throughout the life of the buildings in the future.

Towards a Framework for Evolvable Network Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, Hoda; Eltarras, Ramy; Eltoweissy, Mohamed

The layered Internet architecture that had long guided network design and protocol engineering was an “interconnection architecture” defining a framework for interconnecting networks rather than a model for generic network structuring and engineering. We claim that the approach of abstracting the network in terms of an internetwork hinders the thorough understanding of the network salient characteristics and emergent behavior resulting in impeding design evolution required to address extreme scale, heterogeneity, and complexity. This paper reports on our work in progress that aims to: 1) Investigate the problem space in terms of the factors and decisions that influenced the design and development of computer networks; 2) Sketch the core principles for designing complex computer networks; and 3) Propose a model and related framework for building evolvable, adaptable and self organizing networks We will adopt a bottom up strategy primarily focusing on the building unit of the network model, which we call the “network cell”. The model is inspired by natural complex systems. A network cell is intrinsically capable of specialization, adaptation and evolution. Subsequently, we propose CellNet; a framework for evolvable network design. We outline scenarios for using the CellNet framework to enhance legacy Internet protocol stack.

BIM applied in historical building documentation and refurbishing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, H.-M.; Yang, W.-B.; Yen, Y.-N.

2015-08-01

Historical building conservation raises two important issues which are documentation and refurbishing. For the recording and documentation, we already have developed 3d laser scanner and such photogrammetry technology those represent a freeze object of virtual reality by digital documentation. On the other hand, the refurbished engineering of historic building is a challenge for conservation heritage which are not only reconstructing the damage part but also restoring tangible cultural heritage. 3D digital cultural heritage models has become a topic of great interest in recent years. One reason for this is the more widespread use of laser scanning and photogrammetry for recording cultural heritage sites. These technologies have made it possible to efficiently and accurately record complex structures remotely that would not have been possible with previous survey methods. In addition to these developments, digital information systems are evolving for the presentation, analysis and archival of heritage documentation.

Complexity and compositionality in fluid intelligence.

PubMed

Duncan, John; Chylinski, Daphne; Mitchell, Daniel J; Bhandari, Apoorva

2017-05-16

Compositionality, or the ability to build complex cognitive structures from simple parts, is fundamental to the power of the human mind. Here we relate this principle to the psychometric concept of fluid intelligence, traditionally measured with tests of complex reasoning. Following the principle of compositionality, we propose that the critical function in fluid intelligence is splitting a complex whole into simple, separately attended parts. To test this proposal, we modify traditional matrix reasoning problems to minimize requirements on information integration, working memory, and processing speed, creating problems that are trivial once effectively divided into parts. Performance remains poor in participants with low fluid intelligence, but is radically improved by problem layout that aids cognitive segmentation. In line with the principle of compositionality, we suggest that effective cognitive segmentation is important in all organized behavior, explaining the broad role of fluid intelligence in successful cognition.

Complex network construction based on user group attention sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Gaowei; Xu, Lingyu; Wang, Lei

2018-04-01

In the traditional complex network construction, it is often to use the similarity between nodes, build the weight of the network, and finally build the network. However, this approach tends to focus only on the coupling between nodes, while ignoring the information transfer between nodes and the transfer of directionality. In the network public opinion space, based on the set of stock series that the network groups pay attention to within a certain period of time, we vectorize the different stocks and build a complex network.

Determination of ground structures of the Suleymaniye complex and the Selimiye madrasa with GPR in Damaskus-Syria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadioglu, Selma; Kadioglu, Yusuf K.

2010-05-01

Suleymaniye complex located on the banks of the Barada River was built by Sultan Suleyman I of the Ottoman Empire or Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566) between 1554 and 1560, locally known as the Takiyya. This complex represents a direct implantation of architectural style of the Ottoman capital, Istanbul, in the plan of its buildings with their exterior configurations and decorative features. Its main part composes of a mosque, caravanserai, public kitchen and hospice, was designed by Sinan (the 'Great Architect Sinan'), In 1566 a madrasa including a mosque called Selimiye Madrasa was added to the East of the group of buildings by Selim II (1566-1574) of the Ottoman Empire and was linked to the Suleymaniye complex by a souk (arasta). Basic elements of architectural iconography of the complex and the madrasa are hemispherical lead-covered dome, cylindrical minaret, domed portico, courtyard, a large regtangular pool in the courtyard. First restoration was done in the mosque during French occupation in Syria. But then the dome was inclined about 56 cm in 1920. The second restoration was done and the colons were fastened by hawsers to avoid collapsing of the dome in 1928. The network of the drainage around the complex has been changed 25 years ago. After 5 years passed, according to the Syrian engineers saying, the first subsidence deformations have started on the courtyards and the porticos surface and some fractures have been occupied on the wall of the buildings of the madrasa and the Suleymaniye complex. Now these subsidences threaten the madrasa. The aim of the study was to determine the reason of the subsidences in the courtyards especially in the madrasa. Therefore ground penetrating radar (GPR) method was used to reveal ground structure of the whole complex, to determine buried drainage locations, and In addition to research basement of the Suleymaniye mosque. Two dimensional (2D) GPR data were acquired on the parallel GPR profiles on the courtyards around of the pools in the Selimiye madrasa and Suleymaniye complex, arasta, and some special areas around the complex using 500 MHz shielded antennas. Secondly, the GPR data measurements were also carried out on spaced 1 m parallel profiles in the Suleymaniye mosque. The results showed that the first very shallow ductile layer was approximately 1 m thick and included some water pipes or drain pipes. The second layer was until 2.5 m depth and included buried human made structures in the Suleymaniye courtyard. They could be restoration traces in the early time or could be archaeological remains. The third layer was a more compact layer seen until the end of profile sections. However, it was seen on the profile section that third layer included more effective vertical fracture groups and some of them reached to the surface in the courtyard and the portico of the Selimiye madrasa. This result could be the reason of the deformation in the courtyard and the portico. There was no important anomaly in the profile sections of the Suleymaniye mosque to find the reason of the fractures on its dome. This study were supported by Turkish International Cooperation and Development Acency (TIKA) and Earth Sciences Application and Research Center of Ankara University (YEBIM).

Gis-Hbim Integration for the Management of Historical Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vacca, G.; Quaquero, E.; Pili, D.; Brandolini, M.

2018-05-01

As is well known, Italy's very consistent buildings stock has become the major field for real estate investments and for the related projects and actions. It is a heritage that is often barely known and extremely complex, whose management has until now been addressed in a rather casual and uninformed manner, with unsatisfactory and sometimes disastrous outcomes. The situation is worse in the case of buildings of particular historical, artistic and architectural value so frequent within the heritage of our country. This paper shows the findings of an ongoing research which is aimed at structuring the cognitive process and assessing enhancement and re-functionalisation scenarios of our historical and architectural heritage through the use and integration of information systems such as BIM and the GIS. The work led to the development of a workflow able to integrate the contribution of the HBIM and GIS methodologies in the structuring and management of a wide range of digital data and information useful for its management. The research, focused on "La Gran Torre di Oristano, is aimed at creating the best conditions for an integrated and multidisciplinary strategy of requalification and refunctionalisation of historical and architectural heritage.

Bio-Organic Nanotechnology: Using Proteins and Synthetic Polymers for Nanoscale Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Molnar, Linda K.; Xu, Ting; Trent, Jonathan D.; Russell, Thomas P.

2003-01-01

While the ability of proteins to self-assemble makes them powerful tools in nanotechnology, in biological systems protein-based structures ultimately depend on the context in which they form. We combine the self-assembling properties of synthetic diblock copolymers and proteins to construct intricately ordered, three-dimensional polymer protein structures with the ultimate goal of forming nano-scale devices. This hybrid approach takes advantage of the capabilities of organic polymer chemistry to build ordered structures and the capabilities of genetic engineering to create proteins that are selective for inorganic or organic substrates. Here, microphase-separated block copolymers coupled with genetically engineered heat shock proteins are used to produce nano-scale patterning that maximizes the potential for both increased structural complexity and integrity.

Using Lattice Topology Information to Investigate Persistent Scatterers at Facades in Urban Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schack, L.; Soergel, U.

2013-05-01

Modern spaceborne SAR sensors like TerraSAR-X offer ground resolution of up to one meter in range and azimuth direction. Buildings, roads, bridges, and other man-made structures appear in such data often as regular patterns of strong and temporally stable points (Persistent Scatterer, PS). As one step in the process of unveiling what object structure actually causes the PS (i.e., physical nature) we compare those regular structures in SAR data to their correspondences in optical imagery. We use lattices as a common data representation for visible facades. By exploiting the topology information given by the lattices we can complete gaps in the structures which is one step towards the understanding of the complex scattering characteristics of distinct facade objects.

Structurally Ordered Nanowire Formation from Co-Assembly of DNA Origami and Collagen-Mimetic Peptides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jiang, Tao; Meyer, Travis A.; Modlin, Charles

In this paper, we describe the co-assembly of two different building units: collagen-mimetic peptides and DNA origami. Two peptides CP ++ and sCP ++ are designed with a sequence comprising a central block (Pro-Hyp-Gly) and two positively charged domains (Pro-Arg-Gly) at both N- and C-termini. Co-assembly of peptides and DNA origami two-layer (TL) nanosheets affords the formation of one-dimensional nanowires with repeating periodicity of similar to 10 nm. Structural analyses suggest a face-to-face stacking of DNA nanosheets with peptides aligned perpendicularly to the sheet surfaces. We demonstrate the potential of selective peptide-DNA association between face-to-face and edge-to-edge packing by tailoringmore » the size of DNA nanostructures. Finally, this study presents an attractive strategy to create hybrid biomolecular assemblies from peptide and DNA-based building blocks that takes advantage of the intrinsic chemical and physical properties of the respective components to encode structural and, potentially, functional complexity within readily accessible biomimetic materials.« less

Growth-dissolution-regrowth transitions of Fe3O4 nanoparticles as building blocks for 3D magnetic nanoparticle clusters under hydrothermal conditions.

PubMed

Lin, Mouhong; Huang, Haoliang; Liu, Zuotao; Liu, Yingju; Ge, Junbin; Fang, Yueping

2013-12-10

Magnetic nanoparticle clusters (MNCs) are a class of secondary structural materials that comprise chemically defined nanoparticles assembled into clusters of defined size. Herein, MNCs are fabricated through a one-pot solvothermal reaction featuring self-limiting assembly of building blocks and the controlled reorganization process. Such growth-dissolution-regrowth fabrication mechanism overcomes some limitations of conventional solvothermal fabrication methods with regard to restricted available feature size and structural complexity, which can be extended to other oxides (as long as one can be chelated by EDTA-2Na). Based on this method, the nanoparticle size of MNCs is tuned between 6.8 and 31.2 nm at a fixed cluster diameter of 120 nm, wherein the critical size for superparamagnetic-ferromagnetic transition is estimated from 13.5 to 15.7 nm. Control over the nature and secondary structure of MNCs gives an excellent model system to understand the nanoparticle size-dependent magnetic properties of MNCs. MNCs have potential applications in many different areas, while this work evaluates their cytotoxicity and Pb(2+) adsorption capacity as initial application study.

Impact force as a scaling parameter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poe, Clarence C., Jr.; Jackson, Wade C.

1994-01-01

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAR PART 25) requires that a structure carry ultimate load with nonvisible impact damage and carry 70 percent of limit flight loads with discrete damage. The Air Force has similar criteria (MIL-STD-1530A). Both civilian and military structures are designed by a building block approach. First, critical areas of the structure are determined, and potential failure modes are identified. Then, a series of representative specimens are tested that will fail in those modes. The series begins with tests of simple coupons, progresses through larger and more complex subcomponents, and ends with a test on a full-scale component, hence the term 'building block.' In order to minimize testing, analytical models are needed to scale impact damage and residual strength from the simple coupons to the full-scale component. Using experiments and analysis, the present paper illustrates that impact damage can be better understood and scaled using impact force than just kinetic energy. The plate parameters considered are size and thickness, boundary conditions, and material, and the impact parameters are mass, shape, and velocity.

The Structure of Coronal Loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antiochos, Spiro K.

2009-01-01

It is widely believed that the simple coronal loops observed by XUV imagers, such as EIT, TRACE, or XRT, actually have a complex internal structure consisting of many (perhaps hundreds) of unresolved, interwoven "strands". According to the nanoflare model, photospheric motions tangle the strands, causing them to reconnect and release the energy required to produce the observed loop plasma. Although the strands, themselves, are unresolved by present-generation imagers, there is compelling evidence for their existence and for the nanoflare model from analysis of loop intensities and temporal evolution. A problem with this scenario is that, although reconnection can eliminate some of the strand tangles, it cannot destroy helicity, which should eventually build up to observable scales. we consider, therefore, the injection and evolution of helicity by the nanoflare process and its implications for the observed structure of loops and the large-scale corona. we argue that helicity does survive and build up to observable levels, but on spatial and temporal scales larger than those of coronal loops. we discuss the implications of these results for coronal loops and the corona, in general .

Structurally Ordered Nanowire Formation from Co-Assembly of DNA Origami and Collagen-Mimetic Peptides

DOE PAGES

Jiang, Tao; Meyer, Travis A.; Modlin, Charles; ...

2017-09-26

In this paper, we describe the co-assembly of two different building units: collagen-mimetic peptides and DNA origami. Two peptides CP ++ and sCP ++ are designed with a sequence comprising a central block (Pro-Hyp-Gly) and two positively charged domains (Pro-Arg-Gly) at both N- and C-termini. Co-assembly of peptides and DNA origami two-layer (TL) nanosheets affords the formation of one-dimensional nanowires with repeating periodicity of similar to 10 nm. Structural analyses suggest a face-to-face stacking of DNA nanosheets with peptides aligned perpendicularly to the sheet surfaces. We demonstrate the potential of selective peptide-DNA association between face-to-face and edge-to-edge packing by tailoringmore » the size of DNA nanostructures. Finally, this study presents an attractive strategy to create hybrid biomolecular assemblies from peptide and DNA-based building blocks that takes advantage of the intrinsic chemical and physical properties of the respective components to encode structural and, potentially, functional complexity within readily accessible biomimetic materials.« less

Replacing Nitrogen by Sulfur: From Structurally Disordered Eumelanins to Regioregular Thiomelanin Polymers

PubMed Central

Iacomino, Mariagrazia; Mancebo-Aracil, Juan; Guardingo, Mireia; Martín, Raquel; Perfetti, Marco; Manini, Paola; Crescenzi, Orlando; Busqué, Félix; Sedó, Josep; Ruiz-Molina, Daniel

2017-01-01

The oxidative polymerization of 5,6-dihydroxybenzothiophene (DHBT), the sulfur analog of the key eumelanin building block 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI), was investigated to probe the role of nitrogen in eumelanin build-up and properties. Unlike DHI, which gives a typical black insoluble eumelanin polymer on oxidation, DHBT is converted to a grayish amorphous solid (referred to as thiomelanin) with visible absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance properties different from those of DHI melanin. Mass spectrometry experiments revealed gradational mixtures of oligomers up to the decamer level. Quite unexpectedly, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis of the early oligomer fractions indicated linear, 4-, and 7-linked structures in marked contrast with DHI, which gives highly complex mixtures of partially degraded oligomers. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations supported the tendency of DHBT to couple via the 4- and 7-positions. These results uncover the role of nitrogen as a major determinant of the structural diversity generated by the polymerization of DHI, and point to replacement by sulfur as a viable entry to regioregular eumelanin-type materials for potential applications for surface functionalization by dip coating. PMID:29039817

Understanding multi-scale structural evolution in granular systems through gMEMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, David M.; Tordesillas, Antoinette

2013-06-01

We show how the rheological response of a material to applied loads can be systematically coded, analyzed and succinctly summarized, according to an individual grain's property (e.g. kinematics). Individual grains are considered as their own smart sensor akin to microelectromechanical systems (e.g. gyroscopes, accelerometers), each capable of recognizing their evolving role within self-organizing building block structures (e.g. contact cycles and force chains). A symbolic time series is used to represent their participation in such self-assembled building blocks and a complex network summarizing their interrelationship with other grains is constructed. In particular, relationships between grain time series are determined according to the information theory Hamming distance or the metric Euclidean distance. We then use topological distance to find network communities enabling groups of grains at remote physical metric distances in the material to share a classification. In essence grains with similar structural and functional roles at different scales are identified together. This taxonomy distills the dissipative structural rearrangements of grains down to its essential features and thus provides pointers for objective physics-based internal variable formalisms used in the construction of robust predictive continuum models.

Structural syntactic prediction measured with ELAN: evidence from ERPs.

PubMed

Fonteneau, Elisabeth

2013-02-08

The current study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate how and when argument structure information is used during the processing of sentences with a filler-gap dependency. We hypothesize that one specific property - animacy (living vs. non-living) - is used by the parser during the building of the syntactic structure. Participants heard sentences that were rated off-line as having an expected noun (Who did the Lion King chase the caravan with?) or an unexpected noun (Who did Lion King chase the animal with?). This prediction is based on the animacy properties relation between the wh-word and the noun in the object position. ERPs from the noun in the unexpected condition (animal) elicited a typical Early Left Anterior Negativity (ELAN)/P600 complex compared to the noun in the expected condition (caravan). Firstly, these results demonstrate that the ELAN reflects not only grammatical category violation but also animacy property expectations in filler-gap dependency. Secondly, our data suggests that the language comprehension system is able to make detailed predictions about aspects of the upcoming words to build up the syntactic structure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The influence of micro-topography and external bioerosion on coral-reef-building organisms: recruitment, community composition and carbonate production over time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallela, Jennie

2018-03-01

The continued health and function of tropical coral reefs is highly dependent on the ability of reef-building organisms to build large, complex, three-dimensional structures that continue to accrete and evolve over time. The recent deterioration of reef health globally, including loss of coral cover, has resulted in significant declines in architectural complexity at a large, reef-scape scale. Interestingly, the fine-scale role of micro-structure in initiating and facilitating future reef development and calcium carbonate production has largely been overlooked. In this study, experimental substrates with and without micro-ridges were deployed in the lagoon at One Tree Island for 34 months. This study assessed how the presence or absence of micro-ridges promoted recruitment by key reef-building sclerobionts (corals and encrusters) and their subsequent development at micro (mm) and macro (cm) scales. Experimental plates were examined after 11 and 34 months to assess whether long-term successional and calcification processes on different micro-topographies led to convergent or divergent communities over time. Sclerobionts were most prevalent in micro-grooves when they were available. Interestingly, in shallow lagoon reef sites characterised by shoals of small parrotfish and low urchin abundance, flat substrates were also successfully recruited to. Mean rates of carbonate production were 374 ± 154 (SD) g CaCO3 m-2 yr-1 within the lagoon. Substrates with micro-ridges were characterised by significantly greater rates of carbonate production than smooth substrates. The orientation of the substrate and period of immersion also significantly impacted rates of carbonate production, with CaCO3 on cryptic tiles increasing by 28% between 11 and 34 months. In contrast, rates on exposed tiles declined by 35% over the same time. In conclusion, even at sites characterised by small-sized parrotfish and low urchin density, micro-topography is an important settlement niche clearly favouring sclerobiont early life-history processes and subsequent carbonate production.

Calculation of Prestressed Pressure Vessel Taking into Account the Concrete Temperature Inhomogeneity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreev, Vladimir

2018-03-01

The paper deals with the problem of determining the stress state of the pressure vessel (PV) with considering the concrete temperature inhomogeneity. Such structures are widely used in heat power engineering, for example, in nuclear power engineering. The structures of such buildings are quite complex and a comprehensive analysis of the stress state in them can be carried out either by numerical or experimental methods. However, a number of fundamental questions can be solved on the basis of simplified models, in particular, studies of the effect on the stressed state of the inhomogeneity caused by the temperature field.

Structure and biodiversity of coralligenous assemblages dominated by the precious red coral Corallium rubrum over broad spatial scales

PubMed Central

Casas-Güell, Edgar; Cebrian, Emma; Garrabou, Joaquim; Ledoux, Jean-Baptiste; Linares, Cristina; Teixidó, Núria

2016-01-01

Data on species diversity and structure in coralligenous outcrops dominated by Corallium rubrum are lacking. A hierarchical sampling including 3 localities and 9 sites covering more than 400 km of rocky coasts in NW Mediterranean, was designed to characterize the spatial variability of structure, composition and diversity of perennial species inhabiting coralligenous outcrops. We estimated species/taxa composition and abundance. Eight morpho-functional groups were defined according to their life span and growth to characterize the structural complexity of the outcrops. The species composition and structural complexity differed consistently across all spatial scales considered. The lowest and the highest variability were found among localities (separated by >200 km) and within sites (separated by 1–5 km), respectively supporting differences in diversity indices. The morpho-functional groups displayed a consistent spatial arrangement in terms of the number, size and shape of patches across study sites. These results contribute to filling the gap on the understanding of assemblage composition and structure and to build baselines to assess the response of this of this highly threatened habitat to anthropogenic disturbances. PMID:27857209

A neighboring structure reconstructed matching algorithm based on LARK features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Taobei; Han, Jing; Zhang, Yi; Bai, Lianfa

2015-11-01

Aimed at the low contrast ratio and high noise of infrared images, and the randomness and ambient occlusion of its objects, this paper presents a neighboring structure reconstructed matching (NSRM) algorithm based on LARK features. The neighboring structure relationships of local window are considered based on a non-negative linear reconstruction method to build a neighboring structure relationship matrix. Then the LARK feature matrix and the NSRM matrix are processed separately to get two different similarity images. By fusing and analyzing the two similarity images, those infrared objects are detected and marked by the non-maximum suppression. The NSRM approach is extended to detect infrared objects with incompact structure. High performance is demonstrated on infrared body set, indicating a lower false detecting rate than conventional methods in complex natural scenes.

Synthesis, crystal structure, catalytic and anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity of a new chromium(III) complex containing bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)methane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurtado, John; Ibarra, Laura; Yepes, David; García-Huertas, Paola; Macías, Mario A.; Triana-Chavez, Omar; Nagles, Edgar; Suescun, Leopoldo; Muñoz-Castro, Alvaro

2017-10-01

The reaction of CrCl36H2O with the ligand bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)methane (L) yielded the cationic complex [(Cr(L)(H2O)2Cl2]+, which crystallized as the chloride trihydrate [(Cr(L)(H2O)2Cl2]Cl·3H2O. The chromium complex was characterized by elemental analysis, electrical conductivity, Infrared and Ultraviolet/Visible spectroscopy. The crystal structure determination using single-crystal X-ray diffraction showed a chromium center in a distorted octahedral coordination sphere. In the crystal, the packing was directed by Osbnd H⋯(O,Cl) hydrogen bonds and weak Csbnd H⋯O interactions to build a monoclinic P21/c supramolecular structure. The complex showed excellent properties as an initiator for the ring opening polymerization of є-caprolactone (CL) under solvent-free conditions. The obtained polymer showed high crystallinity (89.9%) and a decomposition temperature above 475 °C. In addition, the new complex was evaluated against epimastigotes from Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) strains. The results indicated that this complex has a high activity against this parasite with a minimum inhibitory concentration 50 (MIC50) of 1.08 μg/mL. Interestingly, this compound showed little effect on erythrocytes, indicating that it is not cytotoxic. These results provide interesting contributions to the design of metal complexes by using simple and accessible ligands with activity against T. cruzi and with potential applications in the polymerization of CL.

Carbon Nanotubes: Molecular Electronic Components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivastava, Deepak; Saini, Subhash; Menon, Madhu

1997-01-01

The carbon Nanotube junctions have recently emerged as excellent candidates for use as the building blocks in the formation of nanoscale molecular electronic networks. While the simple joint of two dissimilar tubes can be generated by the introduction of a pair of heptagon-pentagon defects in an otherwise perfect hexagonal graphene sheet, more complex joints require other mechanisms. In this work we explore structural characteristics of complex 3-point junctions of carbon nanotubes using a generalized tight-binding molecular-dynamics scheme. The study of pi-electron local densities of states (LDOS) of these junctions reveal many interesting features, most prominent among them being the defect-induced states in the gap.

[3,3]-Sigmatropic rearrangements: recent applications in the total synthesis of natural products†

PubMed Central

Ilardi, Elizabeth A.; Stivala, Craig E.

2014-01-01

Among the fundamental chemical transformations in organic synthesis, the [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement occupies a unique position as a powerful, reliable, and well-defined method for the stereoselective construction of carbon–carbon or carbon–heteroatom bonds. While many other reactions can unite two subunits and create a new bond, the strengths of sigmatropic rearrangements derive from their ability to enable structural reorganization with unmatched build-up of complexity. Recent applications that illustrate [3,3]-sigmatropic processes as a key concept in the synthesis of complex natural products are described in this tutorial review, covering literature from about 2001 through early 2009. PMID:19847347

Scaffold Diversity Synthesis Delivers Complex, Structurally, and Functionally Distinct Tetracyclic Benzopyrones

PubMed Central

Sankar, Muthukumar G.; Roy, Sayantani; Tran, Tuyen Thi Ngoc; Wittstein, Kathrin; Bauer, Jonathan O.; Strohmann, Carsten; Ziegler, Slava

2018-01-01

Abstract Complexity‐generating chemical transformations that afford novel molecular scaffolds enriched in sp 3 character are highly desired. Here, we present a highly stereoselective scaffold diversity synthesis approach that utilizes cascade double‐annulation reactions of diverse pairs of zwitterionic and non‐zwitterionic partners with 3‐formylchromones to generate highly complex tetracyclic benzopyrones. Each pair of annulation partners adds to the common chroman‐4‐one scaffold to build two new rings, supporting up to four contiguous chiral centers that include an all‐carbon quaternary center. Differently ring‐fused benzopyrones display different biological activities, thus demonstrating their immense potential in medicinal chemistry and chemical biology research. PMID:29721402

Conformational analysis of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides using molecular dynamics simulations.

PubMed

Frank, Martin

2015-01-01

Complex carbohydrates usually have a large number of rotatable bonds and consequently a large number of theoretically possible conformations can be generated (combinatorial explosion). The application of systematic search methods for conformational analysis of carbohydrates is therefore limited to disaccharides and trisaccharides in a routine analysis. An alternative approach is to use Monte-Carlo methods or (high-temperature) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to explore the conformational space of complex carbohydrates. This chapter describes how to use MD simulation data to perform a conformational analysis (conformational maps, hydrogen bonds) of oligosaccharides and how to build realistic 3D structures of large polysaccharides using Conformational Analysis Tools (CAT).

Modular and Orthogonal Synthesis of Hybrid Polymers and Networks

PubMed Central

Liu, Shuang; Dicker, Kevin T.; Jia, Xinqiao

2015-01-01

Biomaterials scientists strive to develop polymeric materials with distinct chemical make-up, complex molecular architectures, robust mechanical properties and defined biological functions by drawing inspirations from biological systems. Salient features of biological designs include (1) repetitive presentation of basic motifs; and (2) efficient integration of diverse building blocks. Thus, an appealing approach to biomaterials synthesis is to combine synthetic and natural building blocks in a modular fashion employing novel chemical methods. Over the past decade, orthogonal chemistries have become powerful enabling tools for the modular synthesis of advanced biomaterials. These reactions require building blocks with complementary functionalities, occur under mild conditions in the presence of biological molecules and living cells and proceed with high yield and exceptional selectivity. These chemistries have facilitated the construction of complex polymers and networks in a step-growth fashion, allowing facile modulation of materials properties by simple variations of the building blocks. In this review, we first summarize features of several types of orthogonal chemistries. We then discuss recent progress in the synthesis of step growth linear polymers, dendrimers and networks that find application in drug delivery, 3D cell culture and tissue engineering. Overall, orthogonal reactions and modulular synthesis have not only minimized the steps needed for the desired chemical transformations but also maximized the diversity and functionality of the final products. The modular nature of the design, combined with the potential synergistic effect of the hybrid system, will likely result in novel hydrogel matrices with robust structures and defined functions. PMID:25572255

Development of a national system for prevention and mitigation of earthquake damages to people and properties, and the reduction of costs related to earthquakes for the Italian Government

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Console, R.; Greco, M.; Colangelo, A.; Cioè, A.; Trivigno, L.; Chiappini, M.; Ponzo, F.

2015-12-01

Recognizing that the Italian territory is prone to disasters in connection with seismic and hydro-geological risk, it has become necessary to define novel regulations and viable solutions aimed at conveying the economical resources of the Italian Government, too often utilized for the management of post-event situations, towards prevention activities. The work synthetically presents the project developed by the CGIAM together with the INGV, and open to collaboration with other Italian and International partners. This project is aimed at the development of a National System for prevention and mitigation of the earthquakes damages, through the definition of a model that achieves the mitigation of the building collapsing risk and the consequent reduction of casualties. Such a model is based on two main issues a) a correct evaluation of risk, defined as a reliable assessment of the hazard expected at a given site and of the vulnerability of civil and industrial buildings, b) setting up of novel strategies for the safety of buildings. The hazard assessment is pursued through the application of innovative multidisciplinary geophysical methodologies and the application of a physically based earthquake simulator. The structural vulnerability of buildings is estimated by means of simplified techniques based on few representative parameters (such as different structural typologies, dynamic soil-structure interaction, etc.) and, for detailed studies, standard protocols for model updating techniques. We analyze, through numerical and experimental approaches, new solutions for the use of innovative materials, and new techniques for the reduction of seismic vulnerability of structural, non-structural and accessorial elements, including low cost type. The project activities are initially implemented on a study area in Southern Italy (Calabria) selected because of its tectonic complexity. The results are expected to be applicable for other hazardous seismic areas of Italy.

Angular selective window systems: Assessment of technical potential for energy savings

DOE PAGES

Fernandes, Luis L.; Lee, Eleanor S.; McNeil, Andrew; ...

2014-10-16

Static angular selective shading systems block direct sunlight and admit daylight within a specific range of incident solar angles. The objective of this study is to quantify their potential to reduce energy use and peak demand in commercial buildings using state-of-the art whole-building computer simulation software that allows accurate modeling of the behavior of optically-complex fenestration systems such as angular selective systems. Three commercial systems were evaluated: a micro-perforated screen, a tubular shading structure, and an expanded metal mesh. This evaluation was performed through computer simulation for multiple climates (Chicago, Illinois and Houston, Texas), window-to-wall ratios (0.15-0.60), building codes (ASHRAEmore » 90.1-2004 and 2010) and lighting control configurations (with and without). The modeling of the optical complexity of the systems took advantage of the development of state-of-the-art versions of the EnergyPlus, Radiance and Window simulation tools. Results show significant reductions in perimeter zone energy use; the best system reached 28% and 47% savings, respectively without and with daylighting controls (ASHRAE 90.1-2004, south facade, Chicago,WWR=0.45). As a result, angular selectivity and thermal conductance of the angle-selective layer, as well as spectral selectivity of low-emissivity coatings, were identified as factors with significant impact on performance.« less

Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis of Butenolides and Butyrolactones

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

γ-Butenolides, γ-butyrolactones, and derivatives, especially in enantiomerically pure form, constitute the structural core of numerous natural products which display an impressive range of biological activities which are important for the development of novel physiological and therapeutic agents. Furthermore, optically active γ-butenolides and γ-butyrolactones serve also as a prominent class of chiral building blocks for the synthesis of diverse biological active compounds and complex molecules. Taking into account the varying biological activity profiles and wide-ranging structural diversity of the optically active γ-butenolide or γ-butyrolactone structure, the development of asymmetric synthetic strategies for assembling such challenging scaffolds has attracted major attention from synthetic chemists in the past decade. This review offers an overview of the different enantioselective synthesis of γ-butenolides and γ-butyrolactones which employ catalytic amounts of metal complexes or organocatalysts, with emphasis focused on the mechanistic issues that account for the observed stereocontrol of the representative reactions, as well as practical applications and synthetic potentials. PMID:28640622

Structural Design and Monitoring Analysis of Foundation Pit Support in Yiwu Huishang Tiandi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chunsu

2017-08-01

Huishang Tiandi deep foundation pit in Yiwu is a two-story basement,which is located in the downtown area and adjacent to the city center main traffic trunk. The surrounding environment is too com-plex to slope. The excavation depth is large, the formation is weak and complex, and the groundwater level is high.In order to ensure the safety of the foundation wall and the surrounding environment, the deformation of the foundation pit support is strictly controlled, and the deformation and internal force of the foundation supporting structure and the surrounding building are monitored.The deformation law of the foundation pit is obtained through the analysis of the horizontal displacement, the deformation rate of the supporting struc-ture, the surrounding environment of the foundation pit and the internal force of the anchor cable. The relia-bility and rationality of the design of foundation pit support are verified. It is of reference value for the de-sign and construction of other deep foundation pit engineering in Yiwu area.

Data communication network at the ASRM facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moorhead, Robert J., II; Smith, Wayne D.

1993-08-01

This report describes the simulation of the overall communication network structure for the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) facility being built at Yellow Creek near Iuka, Mississippi as of today. The report is compiled using information received from NASA/MSFC, LMSC, AAD, and RUST Inc. As per the information gathered, the overall network structure will have one logical FDDI ring acting as a backbone for the whole complex. The buildings will be grouped into two categories viz. manufacturing intensive and manufacturing non-intensive. The manufacturing intensive buildings will be connected via FDDI to the Operational Information System (OIS) in the main computing center in B_1000. The manufacturing non-intensive buildings will be connected by 10BASE-FL to the OIS through the Business Information System (BIS) hub in the main computing center. All the devices inside B_1000 will communicate with the BIS. The workcells will be connected to the Area Supervisory Computers (ASCs) through the nearest manufacturing intensive hub and one of the OIS hubs. Comdisco's Block Oriented Network Simulator (BONeS) has been used to simulate the performance of the network. BONeS models a network topology, traffic, data structures, and protocol functions using a graphical interface. The main aim of the simulations was to evaluate the loading of the OIS, the BIS, and the ASCs, and the network links by the traffic generated by the workstations and workcells throughout the site.

Data communication network at the ASRM facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moorhead, Robert J., II; Smith, Wayne D.

1993-01-01

This report describes the simulation of the overall communication network structure for the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) facility being built at Yellow Creek near Iuka, Mississippi as of today. The report is compiled using information received from NASA/MSFC, LMSC, AAD, and RUST Inc. As per the information gathered, the overall network structure will have one logical FDDI ring acting as a backbone for the whole complex. The buildings will be grouped into two categories viz. manufacturing intensive and manufacturing non-intensive. The manufacturing intensive buildings will be connected via FDDI to the Operational Information System (OIS) in the main computing center in B_1000. The manufacturing non-intensive buildings will be connected by 10BASE-FL to the OIS through the Business Information System (BIS) hub in the main computing center. All the devices inside B_1000 will communicate with the BIS. The workcells will be connected to the Area Supervisory Computers (ASCs) through the nearest manufacturing intensive hub and one of the OIS hubs. Comdisco's Block Oriented Network Simulator (BONeS) has been used to simulate the performance of the network. BONeS models a network topology, traffic, data structures, and protocol functions using a graphical interface. The main aim of the simulations was to evaluate the loading of the OIS, the BIS, and the ASCs, and the network links by the traffic generated by the workstations and workcells throughout the site.

Structural insights into NHEJ: building up an integrated picture of the dynamic DSB repair super complex, one component and interaction at a time

PubMed Central

Williams, Gareth J.; Hammel, Michal; Radhakrishnan, Sarvan Kumar; Ramsden, Dale; Lees-Miller, Susan P.; Tainer, John A.

2014-01-01

Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is the major pathway for repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in human cells. NHEJ is also needed for V(D)J recombination and the development of T and B cells in vertebrate immune systems, and acts in both the generation and prevention of non-homologous chromosomal translocations, a hallmark of genomic instability and many human cancers. X-ray crystal structures, cryo-electron microscopy envelopes, and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) solution conformations and assemblies are defining most of the core protein components for NHEJ: Ku70/Ku80 heterodimer; the DNA dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs); the structure-specific endonuclease Artemis along with polynucleotide kinase/phosphatase (PNKP), aprataxin and PNKP related protein (APLF); the scaffolding proteins XRCC4 and XLF (XRCC4-like factor); DNA polymerases, and DNA ligase IV (Lig IV). The dynamic assembly of multi-protein NHEJ complexes at DSBs is regulated in part by protein phosphorylation. The basic steps of NHEJ have been biochemically defined to require: 1) DSB detection by the Ku heterodimer with subsequent DNA-PKcs tethering to form the DNA-PKcs-Ku-DNA complex (termed DNA-PK), 2) lesion processing, and 3) DNA end ligation by Lig IV, which functions in complex with XRCC4 and XLF. The current integration of structures by combined methods is resolving puzzles regarding the mechanisms, coordination and regulation of these three basic steps. Overall, structural results suggest the NHEJ system forms a flexing scaffold with the DNA-PKcs HEAT repeats acting as compressible macromolecular springs suitable to store and release conformational energy to apply forces to regulate NHEJ complexes and the DNA substrate for DNA end protection, processing, and ligation. PMID:24656613

Clathrate colloidal crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Haixin; Lee, Sangmin; Sun, Lin; Spellings, Matthew; Engel, Michael; Glotzer, Sharon C.; Mirkin, Chad A.

2017-03-01

DNA-programmable assembly has been used to deliberately synthesize hundreds of different colloidal crystals spanning dozens of symmetries, but the complexity of the achieved structures has so far been limited to small unit cells. We assembled DNA-modified triangular bipyramids (~250-nanometer long edge, 177-nanometer short edge) into clathrate architectures. Electron microscopy images revealed that at least three different structures form as large single-domain architectures or as multidomain materials. Ordered assemblies, isostructural to clathrates, were identified with the help of molecular simulations and geometric analysis. These structures are the most sophisticated architectures made via programmable assembly, and their formation can be understood based on the shape of the nanoparticle building blocks and mode of DNA functionalization.

THE INTEGRATION OF A PROPOSED ZONE CLOSURE APPROACH FOR THE PLUTONIUM FINISHING PLANT (PFP) DECOMMISSIONING & THE PFP ZONE HANFORD SITE WASHINGTON

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

HOPKINS, A.M.

2005-02-23

The Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) and associated processing facilities are located in the 200 area of the Hanford Site in Eastern Washington. This area is part of what is now called the Central Plateau. In order to achieve closure of the contaminated facilities and waste sites at Hanford on the Central Plateau (CP), a geographic re-districting of the area into zones has been proposed in the recently published Plan for Central Plateau Closure. One of the 22 zones proposed in the Central Plateau encompasses the PFP and ancillary facilities. Approximately eighty six buildings are included in the PFP Zone. Thismore » paper addresses the approach for the closure of the PFP Zone within the Central Plateau. The PFP complex of buildings forms the bulk of the structures in the PFP Zone. For closure of the above-grade portion of structures within the PFP complex, the approach is to remove them to a state called ''slab-on-grade'' per the criteria contained in PFP End Point Criteria document and as documented in action memoranda. For below-grade portions of the structures (such as below-grade rooms, pipe trenches and underground ducts), the approach is to remove as much residual contamination as practicable and to fill the void spaces with clean fill material such as sand, grout, or controlled density fill. This approach will be modified as planning for the waste sites progresses to ensure that the actions of the PFP decommissioning projects do not negatively impact future planned actions under the CERCLA. Cribs, settling tanks, septic tanks and other miscellaneous below-grade void spaces will either be cleaned to the extent practicable and filled or will be covered with an environmental barrier as determined by further studies and CERCLA decision documents. Currently, between two and five environmental barriers are proposed to be placed over waste sites and remaining building slabs in the PFP Zone.« less

Analysis Thermal Comfort Condition in Complex Residential Building, Case Study: Chiangmai, Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juangjandee, Warangkana

2017-10-01

Due to the increasing need for complex residential buildings, it appears that people migrate into the high-density urban areas because the infrastructural facilities can be easily found in the modern metropolitan areas. Such rapid growth of urbanization creates congested residential buildings obstructing solar radiation and wind flow, whereas most urban residents spend 80-90% of their time indoor. Furthermore, the buildings were mostly built with average materials and construction detail. This causes high humidity condition for tenants that could promote mould growth. This study aims to analyse thermal comfort condition in complex residential building, Thailand for finding the passive solution to improve indoor air quality and respond to local conditions. The research methodology will be in two folds: 1) surveying on case study 2) analysis for finding the passive solution of reducing humidity indoor air The result of the survey indicated that the building need to find passive solution for solving humidity problem, that can be divided into two ways which raising ventilation and indoor temperature including increasing wind-flow ventilation and adjusting thermal temperature, for example; improving building design and stack driven ventilation. For raising indoor temperature or increasing mean radiant temperature, daylight can be passive solution for complex residential design for reducing humidity and enhance illumination indoor space simultaneous.

Global industrial impact coefficient based on random walk process and inter-country input-output table

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Lizhi; Dong, Xianlei; Guan, Jun

2017-04-01

Input-output table is very comprehensive and detailed in describing the national economic system with lots of economic relationships, which contains supply and demand information among industrial sectors. The complex network, a theory and method for measuring the structure of complex system, can describe the structural characteristics of the internal structure of the research object by measuring the structural indicators of the social and economic system, revealing the complex relationship between the inner hierarchy and the external economic function. This paper builds up GIVCN-WIOT models based on World Input-Output Database in order to depict the topological structure of Global Value Chain (GVC), and assumes the competitive advantage of nations is equal to the overall performance of its domestic sectors' impact on the GVC. Under the perspective of econophysics, Global Industrial Impact Coefficient (GIIC) is proposed to measure the national competitiveness in gaining information superiority and intermediate interests. Analysis of GIVCN-WIOT models yields several insights including the following: (1) sectors with higher Random Walk Centrality contribute more to transmitting value streams within the global economic system; (2) Half-Value Ratio can be used to measure robustness of open-economy macroeconomics in the process of globalization; (3) the positive correlation between GIIC and GDP indicates that one country's global industrial impact could reveal its international competitive advantage.

Synchronization invariance under network structural transformations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arola-Fernández, Lluís; Díaz-Guilera, Albert; Arenas, Alex

2018-06-01

Synchronization processes are ubiquitous despite the many connectivity patterns that complex systems can show. Usually, the emergence of synchrony is a macroscopic observable; however, the microscopic details of the system, as, e.g., the underlying network of interactions, is many times partially or totally unknown. We already know that different interaction structures can give rise to a common functionality, understood as a common macroscopic observable. Building upon this fact, here we propose network transformations that keep the collective behavior of a large system of Kuramoto oscillators invariant. We derive a method based on information theory principles, that allows us to adjust the weights of the structural interactions to map random homogeneous in-degree networks into random heterogeneous networks and vice versa, keeping synchronization values invariant. The results of the proposed transformations reveal an interesting principle; heterogeneous networks can be mapped to homogeneous ones with local information, but the reverse process needs to exploit higher-order information. The formalism provides analytical insight to tackle real complex scenarios when dealing with uncertainty in the measurements of the underlying connectivity structure.

NMR approaches in structure-based lead discovery: recent developments and new frontiers for targeting multi-protein complexes.

PubMed

Dias, David M; Ciulli, Alessio

2014-01-01

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a pivotal method for structure-based and fragment-based lead discovery because it is one of the most robust techniques to provide information on protein structure, dynamics and interaction at an atomic level in solution. Nowadays, in most ligand screening cascades, NMR-based methods are applied to identify and structurally validate small molecule binding. These can be high-throughput and are often used synergistically with other biophysical assays. Here, we describe current state-of-the-art in the portfolio of available NMR-based experiments that are used to aid early-stage lead discovery. We then focus on multi-protein complexes as targets and how NMR spectroscopy allows studying of interactions within the high molecular weight assemblies that make up a vast fraction of the yet untargeted proteome. Finally, we give our perspective on how currently available methods could build an improved strategy for drug discovery against such challenging targets. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Query-Structure Based Web Page Indexing

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-11-01

the massive amount of data present on the web. In our third participation in the web track at TREC 2012, we explore the idea of building an...the ad-hoc and diversity task. 1 INTRODUCTION The rapid growth and massive quantities of data on the Internet have increased the importance and...complexity of information retrieval systems. The amount and the diversity of the web data introduce shortcomings in the way search engines rank their

The Budget Scoring Alternatives Financing Methods for Defense Requirements

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-30

The government grants a franchise to a private partner to finance, design, build and operate a facility for a specific period of time. Ownership of...of an automobile from Avis implies no ownership . However, leases can be structured in an almost limitless number of complex arrangements in which...satisfy the following stringent criteria: Ownership of the asset remains with the lessor during the term of the lease and is not transferred to the

Broadband seismic and acoustic observations of volcanic seismicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aster, R.; Lees, J.; Neuberg, J.

2000-08-01

It has been frequently noted (e.g. Aki, 1992) that volcanoes present some of the most difficult challenges in seismology due to a plethora of complex source and structural issues. The broadband seismo-acoustic study of active volcanoes is still in its adolescence, and the papers in this volume primarily describe first-order attempts to understand these signals and to build on a much longer history of short-period seismic observations and interpretations.

AIM for Allostery: Using the Ising Model to Understand Information Processing and Transmission in Allosteric Biomolecular Systems.

PubMed

LeVine, Michael V; Weinstein, Harel

2015-05-01

In performing their biological functions, molecular machines must process and transmit information with high fidelity. Information transmission requires dynamic coupling between the conformations of discrete structural components within the protein positioned far from one another on the molecular scale. This type of biomolecular "action at a distance" is termed allostery . Although allostery is ubiquitous in biological regulation and signal transduction, its treatment in theoretical models has mostly eschewed quantitative descriptions involving the system's underlying structural components and their interactions. Here, we show how Ising models can be used to formulate an approach to allostery in a structural context of interactions between the constitutive components by building simple allosteric constructs we termed Allosteric Ising Models (AIMs). We introduce the use of AIMs in analytical and numerical calculations that relate thermodynamic descriptions of allostery to the structural context, and then show that many fundamental properties of allostery, such as the multiplicative property of parallel allosteric channels, are revealed from the analysis of such models. The power of exploring mechanistic structural models of allosteric function in more complex systems by using AIMs is demonstrated by building a model of allosteric signaling for an experimentally well-characterized asymmetric homodimer of the dopamine D2 receptor.

Building co-management as a process: problem solving through partnerships in Aboriginal country, Australia.

PubMed

Zurba, Melanie; Ross, Helen; Izurieta, Arturo; Rist, Philip; Bock, Ellie; Berkes, Fikret

2012-06-01

Collaborative problem solving has increasingly become important in the face of the complexities in the management of resources, including protected areas. The strategy undertaken by Girringun Aboriginal Corporation in north tropical Queensland, Australia, for developing co-management demonstrates the potential for a problem solving approach involving sequential initiatives, as an alternative to the more familiar negotiated agreements for co-management. Our longitudinal case study focuses on the development of indigenous ranger units as a strategic mechanism for the involvement of traditional owners in managing their country in collaboration with government and other interested parties. This was followed by Australia's first traditional use of marine resources agreement, and development of a multi-jurisdictional, land to sea, indigenous protected area. In using a relationship building approach to develop regional scale co-management, Girringun has been strengthening its capabilities as collaborator and regional service provider, thus, bringing customary decision-making structures into play to 'care for country'. From this evolving process we have identified the key components of a relationship building strategy, 'the pillars of co-management'. This approach includes learning-by-doing, the building of respect and rapport, sorting out responsibilities, practical engagement, and capacity-building.

Building Co-Management as a Process: Problem Solving Through Partnerships in Aboriginal Country, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zurba, Melanie; Ross, Helen; Izurieta, Arturo; Rist, Philip; Bock, Ellie; Berkes, Fikret

2012-06-01

Collaborative problem solving has increasingly become important in the face of the complexities in the management of resources, including protected areas. The strategy undertaken by Girringun Aboriginal Corporation in north tropical Queensland, Australia, for developing co-management demonstrates the potential for a problem solving approach involving sequential initiatives, as an alternative to the more familiar negotiated agreements for co-management. Our longitudinal case study focuses on the development of indigenous ranger units as a strategic mechanism for the involvement of traditional owners in managing their country in collaboration with government and other interested parties. This was followed by Australia's first traditional use of marine resources agreement, and development of a multi-jurisdictional, land to sea, indigenous protected area. In using a relationship building approach to develop regional scale co-management, Girringun has been strengthening its capabilities as collaborator and regional service provider, thus, bringing customary decision-making structures into play to `care for country'. From this evolving process we have identified the key components of a relationship building strategy, `the pillars of co-management'. This approach includes learning-by-doing, the building of respect and rapport, sorting out responsibilities, practical engagement, and capacity-building.

Developing Theory to Guide Building Practitioners’ Capacity to Implement Evidence-Based Interventions

PubMed Central

Leeman, Jennifer; Calancie, Larissa; Kegler, Michelle C.; Escoffery, Cam T.; Herrmann, Alison K.; Thatcher, Esther; Hartman, Marieke A.; Fernandez, Maria

2017-01-01

Public health and other community-based practitioners have access to a growing number of evidence-based interventions (EBIs), and yet EBIs continue to be underused. One reason for this underuse is that practitioners often lack the capacity (knowledge, skills, and motivation) to select, adapt, and implement EBIs. Training, technical assistance, and other capacity-building strategies can be effective at increasing EBI adoption and implementation. However, little is known about how to design capacity-building strategies or tailor them to differences in capacity required across varying EBIs and practice contexts. To address this need, we conducted a scoping study of frameworks and theories detailing variations in EBIs or practice contexts and how to tailor capacity-building to address those variations. Using an iterative process, we consolidated constructs and propositions across 24 frameworks and developed a beginning theory to describe salient variations in EBIs (complexity and uncertainty) and practice contexts (decision-making structure, general capacity to innovate, resource and values fit with EBI, and unity vs. polarization of stakeholder support). The theory also includes propositions for tailoring capacity-building strategies to address salient variations. To have wide-reaching and lasting impact, the dissemination of EBIs needs to be coupled with strategies that build practitioners’ capacity to adopt and implement a variety of EBIs across diverse practice contexts. PMID:26500080

Development of weightage for criteria affecting in retrofitting of existing building in Higher Learning Institution with clean energy initiatives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izie Adiana Abidin, Nur; Aminuddin, Eeydzah; Zakaria, Rozana; Mazzuana Shamsuddin, Siti; Sahamir, Shaza Rina; Shahzaib, Jam; Nafis Abas, Darul

2018-04-01

Campus university building is the Higher Learning Institution (HLI) involves complex activities and operations, conserving the energy has become paramount important. There are several efforts taken by universities to improve its current energy use such as policy development, education, and adaption of energy conservation solution through retrofitting. This paper aims to highlight the importance of the criteria affecting in retrofitting of existing buildings with clean energy in order to achieve zero energy balance in buildings. The focus is given to the development of criteria for solar photovoltaic (solar PV), wind turbines and small-scale hydropower. A questionnaire survey was employed and distributed to the green building expert practitioner. Factor Analysis, Factor Score, and Weightage Factor were adapted as a method of analysis in order to produce the final result with weightage output for prioritization and ranking of the relevant criteria. The result performed assists to provide the stakeholders an overview of the important criteria that should be considered especially during the decision making to retrofit the existing buildings with clean energy resources. The criteria developed are also to establish a structured decision-making process and to ensure the selection of the decision or alternatives achieve the desired outcome.

Developing Theory to Guide Building Practitioners' Capacity to Implement Evidence-Based Interventions.

PubMed

Leeman, Jennifer; Calancie, Larissa; Kegler, Michelle C; Escoffery, Cam T; Herrmann, Alison K; Thatcher, Esther; Hartman, Marieke A; Fernandez, Maria E

2017-02-01

Public health and other community-based practitioners have access to a growing number of evidence-based interventions (EBIs), and yet EBIs continue to be underused. One reason for this underuse is that practitioners often lack the capacity (knowledge, skills, and motivation) to select, adapt, and implement EBIs. Training, technical assistance, and other capacity-building strategies can be effective at increasing EBI adoption and implementation. However, little is known about how to design capacity-building strategies or tailor them to differences in capacity required across varying EBIs and practice contexts. To address this need, we conducted a scoping study of frameworks and theories detailing variations in EBIs or practice contexts and how to tailor capacity-building to address those variations. Using an iterative process, we consolidated constructs and propositions across 24 frameworks and developed a beginning theory to describe salient variations in EBIs (complexity and uncertainty) and practice contexts (decision-making structure, general capacity to innovate, resource and values fit with EBI, and unity vs. polarization of stakeholder support). The theory also includes propositions for tailoring capacity-building strategies to address salient variations. To have wide-reaching and lasting impact, the dissemination of EBIs needs to be coupled with strategies that build practitioners' capacity to adopt and implement a variety of EBIs across diverse practice contexts.

UML as a cell and biochemistry modeling language.

PubMed

Webb, Ken; White, Tony

2005-06-01

The systems biology community is building increasingly complex models and simulations of cells and other biological entities, and are beginning to look at alternatives to traditional representations such as those provided by ordinary differential equations (ODE). The lessons learned over the years by the software development community in designing and building increasingly complex telecommunication and other commercial real-time reactive systems, can be advantageously applied to the problems of modeling in the biology domain. Making use of the object-oriented (OO) paradigm, the unified modeling language (UML) and Real-Time Object-Oriented Modeling (ROOM) visual formalisms, and the Rational Rose RealTime (RRT) visual modeling tool, we describe a multi-step process we have used to construct top-down models of cells and cell aggregates. The simple example model described in this paper includes membranes with lipid bilayers, multiple compartments including a variable number of mitochondria, substrate molecules, enzymes with reaction rules, and metabolic pathways. We demonstrate the relevance of abstraction, reuse, objects, classes, component and inheritance hierarchies, multiplicity, visual modeling, and other current software development best practices. We show how it is possible to start with a direct diagrammatic representation of a biological structure such as a cell, using terminology familiar to biologists, and by following a process of gradually adding more and more detail, arrive at a system with structure and behavior of arbitrary complexity that can run and be observed on a computer. We discuss our CellAK (Cell Assembly Kit) approach in terms of features found in SBML, CellML, E-CELL, Gepasi, Jarnac, StochSim, Virtual Cell, and membrane computing systems.

166. GENERAL VIEW DOWN 4TH AVENUE. VIEW NORTHEAST DOWN 4TH ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

166. GENERAL VIEW DOWN 4TH AVENUE. VIEW NORTHEAST DOWN 4TH AVE. FROM BUILDING 44 SHOWING, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, BUILDING 46, 48, 55, AND 50 (PART OF ENLISTED BARRACKS COMPLEX), AND BUILDINGS 17, 16, 484, 483, 374, AND 375 (IN THE WAREHOUSE COMPLEX). - Quonset Point Naval Air Station, Roger Williams Way, North Kingstown, Washington County, RI

Hybrid Materials Based on the Embedding of Organically Modified Transition Metal Oxoclusters or Polyoxometalates into Polymers for Functional Applications: A Review

PubMed Central

Carraro, Mauro; Gross, Silvia

2014-01-01

The covalent incorporation of inorganic building blocks into a polymer matrix to obtain stable and robust materials is a widely used concept in the field of organic-inorganic hybrid materials, and encompasses the use of different inorganic systems including (but not limited to) nanoparticles, mono- and polynuclear metal complexes and clusters, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS), polyoxometalates (POM), layered inorganic systems, inorganic fibers, and whiskers. In this paper, we will review the use of two particular kinds of structurally well-defined inorganic building blocks, namely transition metals oxoclusters (TMO) and polyoxometalates (POM), to obtain hybrid materials with enhanced functional (e.g., optical, dielectric, magnetic, catalytic) properties. PMID:28788659

Perspectives of HIV agencies on improving HIV prevention, treatment, and care services in the USA.

PubMed

Khosla, Nidhi; Zachary, Iris

2016-10-01

HIV healthcare services in the USA are made available through a complex funding and delivery system. We present perspectives of HIV agencies on improvements that could lead to an ideal system of HIV prevention, treatment and care. We conducted semi-structured interviews with representatives from 21 HIV agencies offering diverse services in Baltimore, MD. Thematic analysis revealed six key themes: (1) Focusing on HIV prevention, (2) Establishing common entry-points for services, (3) Improving information availability, (4) Streamlining funding streams, (5) Removing competitiveness and (6) Building trust. We recommend that in addition to addressing operational issues regarding service delivery and patient care, initiatives to improve HIV service systems should address underlying social issues such as building trust.

Tailoring Spin Textures in Complex Oxide Micromagnets

DOE PAGES

Lee, Michael S.; Wynn, Thomas A.; Folven, Erik; ...

2016-09-12

Engineered topological spin textures with submicron dimensions in magnetic materials have emerged in recent years as the building blocks for various spin-based memory devices. Examples of these magnetic configurations include magnetic skyrmions, vortices, and domain walls. Here in this paper, we show the ability to control and characterize the evolution of spin textures in complex oxide micromagnets as a function of temperature through the delicate balance of fundamental materials parameters, micromagnet geometries, and epitaxial strain. These results demonstrate that in order to fully describe the observed spin textures, it is necessary to account for the spatial variation of the magneticmore » parameters within the micromagnet. This study provides the framework to accurately characterize such structures, leading to efficient design of spin-based memory devices based on complex oxide thin films.« less

Photochemical Approaches to Complex Chemotypes: Applications in Natural Product Synthesis.

PubMed

Kärkäs, Markus D; Porco, John A; Stephenson, Corey R J

2016-09-14

The use of photochemical transformations is a powerful strategy that allows for the formation of a high degree of molecular complexity from relatively simple building blocks in a single step. A central feature of all light-promoted transformations is the involvement of electronically excited states, generated upon absorption of photons. This produces transient reactive intermediates and significantly alters the reactivity of a chemical compound. The input of energy provided by light thus offers a means to produce strained and unique target compounds that cannot be assembled using thermal protocols. This review aims at highlighting photochemical transformations as a tool for rapidly accessing structurally and stereochemically diverse scaffolds. Synthetic designs based on photochemical transformations have the potential to afford complex polycyclic carbon skeletons with impressive efficiency, which are of high value in total synthesis.

Direct Georeferencing of Uav Data Based on Simple Building Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tampubolon, W.; Reinhardt, W.

2016-06-01

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) data acquisition is more flexible compared with the more complex traditional airborne data acquisition. This advantage puts UAV platforms in a position as an alternative acquisition method in many applications including Large Scale Topographical Mapping (LSTM). LSTM, i.e. larger or equal than 1:10.000 map scale, is one of a number of prominent priority tasks to be solved in an accelerated way especially in third world developing countries such as Indonesia. As one component of fundamental geospatial data sets, large scale topographical maps are mandatory in order to enable detailed spatial planning. However, the accuracy of the products derived from the UAV data are normally not sufficient for LSTM as it needs robust georeferencing, which requires additional costly efforts such as the incorporation of sophisticated GPS Inertial Navigation System (INS) or Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) on the platform and/or Ground Control Point (GCP) data on the ground. To reduce the costs and the weight on the UAV alternative solutions have to be found. This paper outlines a direct georeferencing method of UAV data by providing image orientation parameters derived from simple building structures and presents results of an investigation on the achievable results in a LSTM application. In this case, the image orientation determination has been performed through sequential images without any input from INS/IMU equipment. The simple building structures play a significant role in such a way that geometrical characteristics have been considered. Some instances are the orthogonality of the building's wall/rooftop and the local knowledge of the building orientation in the field. In addition, we want to include the Structure from Motion (SfM) approach in order to reduce the number of required GCPs especially for the absolute orientation purpose. The SfM technique applied to the UAV data and simple building structures additionally presents an effective tool for the LSTM application at low cost. Our results show that image orientation calculations from building structure essentially improve the accuracy of direct georeferencing procedure adjusted also by the GCPs. To gain three dimensional (3D) point clouds in local coordinate system, an extraction procedure has been performed by using Agisoft Photo Scan. Subsequently, a Digital Surface Model (DSM) generated from the acquired data is the main output for LSTM that has to be assessed using standard field and conventional mapping workflows. For an appraisal, our DSM is compared directly with a similar DSM obtained by conventional airborne data acquisition using Leica RCD-30 metric camera as well as Trimble Phase One (P65+) camera. The comparison reveals that our approach can achieve meter level accuracy both in planimetric and vertical dimensions.

Contextual view of building, with building #12 in right background ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Contextual view of building, with building #12 in right background and building #11 in right foreground. Camera facing east-southeast - Naval Supply Center, Broadway Complex, Administration Storehouse, 911 West Broadway, San Diego, San Diego County, CA

Anticipative management for coral reef ecosystem services in the 21st century.

PubMed

Rogers, Alice; Harborne, Alastair R; Brown, Christopher J; Bozec, Yves-Marie; Castro, Carolina; Chollett, Iliana; Hock, Karlo; Knowland, Cheryl A; Marshell, Alyssa; Ortiz, Juan C; Razak, Tries; Roff, George; Samper-Villarreal, Jimena; Saunders, Megan I; Wolff, Nicholas H; Mumby, Peter J

2015-02-01

Under projections of global climate change and other stressors, significant changes in the ecology, structure and function of coral reefs are predicted. Current management strategies tend to look to the past to set goals, focusing on halting declines and restoring baseline conditions. Here, we explore a complementary approach to decision making that is based on the anticipation of future changes in ecosystem state, function and services. Reviewing the existing literature and utilizing a scenario planning approach, we explore how the structure of coral reef communities might change in the future in response to global climate change and overfishing. We incorporate uncertainties in our predictions by considering heterogeneity in reef types in relation to structural complexity and primary productivity. We examine 14 ecosystem services provided by reefs, and rate their sensitivity to a range of future scenarios and management options. Our predictions suggest that the efficacy of management is highly dependent on biophysical characteristics and reef state. Reserves are currently widely used and are predicted to remain effective for reefs with high structural complexity. However, when complexity is lost, maximizing service provision requires a broader portfolio of management approaches, including the provision of artificial complexity, coral restoration, fish aggregation devices and herbivore management. Increased use of such management tools will require capacity building and technique refinement and we therefore conclude that diversification of our management toolbox should be considered urgently to prepare for the challenges of managing reefs into the 21st century. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Real longitudinal data analysis for real people: building a good enough mixed model.

PubMed

Cheng, Jing; Edwards, Lloyd J; Maldonado-Molina, Mildred M; Komro, Kelli A; Muller, Keith E

2010-02-20

Mixed effects models have become very popular, especially for the analysis of longitudinal data. One challenge is how to build a good enough mixed effects model. In this paper, we suggest a systematic strategy for addressing this challenge and introduce easily implemented practical advice to build mixed effects models. A general discussion of the scientific strategies motivates the recommended five-step procedure for model fitting. The need to model both the mean structure (the fixed effects) and the covariance structure (the random effects and residual error) creates the fundamental flexibility and complexity. Some very practical recommendations help to conquer the complexity. Centering, scaling, and full-rank coding of all the predictor variables radically improve the chances of convergence, computing speed, and numerical accuracy. Applying computational and assumption diagnostics from univariate linear models to mixed model data greatly helps to detect and solve the related computational problems. Applying computational and assumption diagnostics from the univariate linear models to the mixed model data can radically improve the chances of convergence, computing speed, and numerical accuracy. The approach helps to fit more general covariance models, a crucial step in selecting a credible covariance model needed for defensible inference. A detailed demonstration of the recommended strategy is based on data from a published study of a randomized trial of a multicomponent intervention to prevent young adolescents' alcohol use. The discussion highlights a need for additional covariance and inference tools for mixed models. The discussion also highlights the need for improving how scientists and statisticians teach and review the process of finding a good enough mixed model. (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effects of build parameters on linear wear loss in plastic part produced by fused deposition modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, Omar Ahmed; Masood, Syed Hasan; Bhowmik, Jahar Lal

2017-07-01

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is one of the prominent additive manufacturing technologies for producing polymer products. FDM is a complex additive manufacturing process that can be influenced by many process conditions. The industrial demands required from the FDM process are increasing with higher level product functionality and properties. The functionality and performance of FDM manufactured parts are greatly influenced by the combination of many various FDM process parameters. Designers and researchers always pay attention to study the effects of FDM process parameters on different product functionalities and properties such as mechanical strength, surface quality, dimensional accuracy, build time and material consumption. However, very limited studies have been carried out to investigate and optimize the effect of FDM build parameters on wear performance. This study focuses on the effect of different build parameters on micro-structural and wear performance of FDM specimens using definitive screening design based quadratic model. This would reduce the cost and effort of additive manufacturing engineer to have a systematic approachto make decision among the manufacturing parameters to achieve the desired product quality.

Wind Extraction for Natural Ventilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fagundes, Tadeu; Yaghoobian, Neda; Kumar, Rajan; Ordonez, Juan

2017-11-01

Due to the depletion of energy resources and the environmental impact of pollution and unsustainable energy resources, energy consumption has become one of the main concerns in our rapidly growing world. Natural ventilation, a traditional method to remove anthropogenic and solar heat gains, proved to be a cost-effective, alternative method to mechanical ventilation. However, while natural ventilation is simple in theory, its detailed design can be a challenge, particularly for wind-driven ventilation, which its performance highly involves the buildings' form, surrounding topography, turbulent flow characteristics, and climate. One of the main challenges with wind-driven natural ventilation schemes is due to the turbulent and unpredictable nature of the wind around the building that impose complex pressure loads on the structure. In practice, these challenges have resulted in founding the natural ventilation mainly on buoyancy (rather than the wind), as the primary force. This study is the initial step for investigating the physical principals of wind extraction over building walls and investigating strategies to reduce the dependence of the wind extraction on the incoming flow characteristics and the target building form.

Contextual view of building, with building #11 in right foreground. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Contextual view of building, with building #11 in right foreground. Camera facing east - Naval Supply Center, Broadway Complex, Administration Storehouse, 911 West Broadway, San Diego, San Diego County, CA

1. GENERAL VIEW OF COMPLEX, SHOWING FACTORY BUILDING IN LEFT ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

1. GENERAL VIEW OF COMPLEX, SHOWING FACTORY BUILDING IN LEFT FOREGROUND, GRINDING PLATFORM AT REAR OF FACTORY, AND STABLE AREA AND OVERSEER'S HOUSE TO RIGHT - Caneel Bay Plantation, General Views, Cruz Bay, St. John, VI

General view of Antenna Array and building complex, looking northeast ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

General view of Antenna Array and building complex, looking northeast - Over-the-Horizon Backscatter Radar Network, Tulelake Radar Site Receive Sector Six Antenna Array, Unnamed Road West of Double Head Road, Tulelake, Siskiyou County, CA

General view of Antenna Array and building complex, looking southwest ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

General view of Antenna Array and building complex, looking southwest - Over-the-Horizon Backscatter Radar Network, Tulelake Radar Site Receive Sector Six Antenna Array, Unnamed Road West of Double Head Road, Tulelake, Siskiyou County, CA