Interactive architecture

This chapter explores the development of concepts of interactive environments by comparing two major projects that frame the period of this book. The Fun Palace of 1960 and the Generator of 1980 both proposed interactive environments responsive to the needs and behaviour of their users, but the contrast in terms of the available technology and what it enabled could not be more marked. The Fun Palace broke new architectural, organizational and social ground and was arguably the first proposition for cybernetic architecture; the Generator demonstrated how it could be achieved. Both projects are now acknowledged as seminal architectural propositions of the twentieth century, and both were designed by Cedric Price.

A natural model for architecture : the nature of the evolutionary model 1995

John Frazer's architectural work is inspired by living and generative processes. Both evolutionary and revolutionary, it explores informatin ecologies and the dynamics of the spaces between objects. Fuelled by an interest in the cybernetic work of Gordon Pask and Norbert Wiener, and the possibilities of the computer and the "new science" it has facilitated, Frazer and his team of collaborators have conducted a series of experiments that utilize genetic algorithms, cellular automata, emergent behaviour, complexity and feedback loops to create a truly dynamic architecture. Frazer studied at the Architectural Association (AA) in London from 1963 to 1969, and later became unit master of Diploma Unit 11 there. He was subsequently Director of Computer-Aided Design at the University of Ulter - a post he held while writing An Evolutionary Architecture in 1995 - and a lecturer at the University of Cambridge. In 1983 he co-founded Autographics Software Ltd, which pioneered microprocessor graphics. Frazer was awarded a person chair at the University of Ulster in 1984. In Frazer's hands, architecture becomes machine-readable, formally open-ended and responsive. His work as computer consultant to Cedric Price's Generator Project of 1976 (see P84)led to the development of a series of tools and processes; these have resulted in projects such as the Calbuild Kit (1985) and the Universal Constructor (1990). These subsequent computer-orientated architectural machines are makers of architectural form beyond the full control of the architect-programmer. Frazer makes much reference to the multi-celled relationships found in nature, and their ongoing morphosis in response to continually changing contextual criteria. He defines the elements that describe his evolutionary architectural model thus: "A genetic code script, rules for the development of the code, mapping of the code to a virtual model, the nature of the environment for the development of the model and, most importantly, the criteria for selection. In setting out these parameters for designing evolutionary architectures, Frazer goes beyond the usual notions of architectural beauty and aesthetics. Nevertheless his work is not without an aesthetic: some pieces are a frenzy of mad wire, while others have a modularity that is reminiscent of biological form. Algorithms form the basis of Frazer's designs. These algorithms determine a variety of formal results dependent on the nature of the information they are given. His work, therefore, is always dynamic, always evolving and always different. Designing with algorithms is also critical to other architects featured in this book, such as Marcos Novak (see p150). Frazer has made an unparalleled contribution to defining architectural possibilities for the twenty-first century, and remains an inspiration to architects seeking to create responsive environments. Architects were initially slow to pick up on the opportunities that the computer provides. These opportunities are both representational and spatial: computers can help architects draw buildings and, more importantly, they can help architects create varied spaces, both virtual and actual. Frazer's work was groundbreaking in this respect, and well before its time.

Delay-dependent robust H-infinity control for uncertain systems with time-varying delay

This paper proposes a new approach for delay-dependent robust H-infinity stability analysis and control synthesis of uncertain systems with time-varying delay. The key features of the approach include the introduction of a new Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, the construction of an augmented matrix with uncorrelated terms, and the employment of a tighter bounding technique. As a result, significant performance improvement is achieved in system analysis and synthesis without using either free weighting matrices or model transformation. Examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Power network in the loop : subsystem testing using a switching amplifier

“Hardware in the Loop” (HIL) testing is widely used in the automotive industry. The sophisticated electronic control units used for vehicle control are usually tested and evaluated using HIL-simulations. The HIL increases the degree of realistic testing of any system. Moreover, it helps in designing the structure and control of the system under test so that it works effectively in the situations that will be encountered in the system. Due to the size and the complexity of interaction within a power network, most research is based on pure simulation. To validate the performance of physical generator or protection system, most testing is constrained to very simple power network. This research, however, examines a method to test power system hardware within a complex virtual environment using the concept of the HIL. The HIL testing for electronic control units and power systems protection device can be easily performed at signal level. But performance of power systems equipments, such as distributed generation systems can not be evaluated at signal level using HIL testing. The HIL testing for power systems equipments is termed here as ‘Power Network in the Loop’ (PNIL). PNIL testing can only be performed at power level and requires a power amplifier that can amplify the simulation signal to the power level. A power network is divided in two parts. One part represents the Power Network Under Test (PNUT) and the other part represents the rest of the complex network. The complex network is simulated in real time simulator (RTS) while the PNUT is connected to the Voltage Source Converter (VSC) based power amplifier. Two way interaction between the simulator and amplifier is performed using analog to digital (A/D) and digital to analog (D/A) converters. The power amplifier amplifies the current or voltage signal of simulator to the power level and establishes the power level interaction between RTS and PNUT. In the first part of this thesis, design and control of a VSC based power amplifier that can amplify a broadband voltage signal is presented. A new Hybrid Discontinuous Control method is proposed for the amplifier. This amplifier can be used for several power systems applications. In the first part of the thesis, use of this amplifier in DSTATCOM and UPS applications are presented. In the later part of this thesis the solution of network in the loop testing with the help of this amplifier is reported. The experimental setup for PNIL testing is built in the laboratory of Queensland University of Technology and the feasibility of PNIL testing has been evaluated using the experimental studies. In the last section of this thesis a universal load with power regenerative capability is designed. This universal load is used to test the DG system using PNIL concepts. This thesis is composed of published/submitted papers that form the chapters in this dissertation. Each paper has been published or submitted during the period of candidature. Chapter 1 integrates all the papers to provide a coherent view of wide bandwidth switching amplifier and its used in different power systems applications specially for the solution of power systems testing using PNIL.

The efficacy of waste management plans in Australian commercial construction refurbishment projects

Renovation and refurbishment of the existing commercial building stock is a growing area of total construction activity and a significant generator of waste sent to landfill in Australia. A written waste management plan (WMP) is a widespread regulatory requirement for commercial office redevelopment projects. There is little evidence, however, that WMPs actually increase the quantity of waste that is ultimately diverted from landfill. Some reports indicate an absence of any formal verification or monitoring process by regulators to assess the efficacy of the plans. In order to gauge the extent of the problem a survey was conducted of twenty four consultants and practitioners involved in commercial office building refurbishment projects to determine the state of current practice with regard to WMPs and to elicit suggestions with regard to ways of making the process more effective. Considerable variation in commitment to recycling policies was encountered indicating a need to revisit waste minimisation practices if the environmental performance of refurbishment projects is to be improved.

Adaptive load shedding and regional protection

The requirement for improved efficiency whilst maintaining system security necessitates the development of improved system analysis approaches and the development of advanced emergency control technologies. Load shedding is a type of emergency control that is designed to ensure system stability by curtailing system load to match generation supply. This paper presents a new adaptive load shedding scheme that provides emergency protection against excess frequency decline, whilst minimizing the risk of line overloading. The proposed load shedding scheme uses the local frequency rate information to adapt the load shedding behaviour to suit the size and location of the experienced disturbance. The proposed scheme is tested in simulation on a 3-region, 10-generator sample system and shows good performance.

Fingerprinting of complex mixtures with the use of high performance liquid chromatography, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy and chemometrics

The molecular and metal profile fingerprints were obtained from a complex substance, Atractylis chinensis DC—a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), with the use of the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) techniques. This substance was used in this work as an example of a complex biological material, which has found application as a TCM. Such TCM samples are traditionally processed by the Bran, Cut, Fried and Swill methods, and were collected from five provinces in China. The data matrices obtained from the two types of analysis produced two principal component biplots, which showed that the HPLC fingerprint data were discriminated on the basis of the methods for processing the raw TCM, while the metal analysis grouped according to the geographical origin. When the two data matrices were combined into a one two-way matrix, the resulting biplot showed a clear separation on the basis of the HPLC fingerprints. Importantly, within each different grouping the objects separated according to their geographical origin, and they ranked approximately in the same order in each group. This result suggested that by using such an approach, it is possible to derive improved characterisation of the complex TCM materials on the basis of the two kinds of analytical data. In addition, two supervised pattern recognition methods, K-nearest neighbors (KNNs) method, and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), were successfully applied to the individual data matrices—thus, supporting the PCA approach.

Small molecule–biopolymer interactions : Ultraviolet–visible and fluorescence spectroscopy and chemometrics

Interactions between small molecules with biopolymers e.g. the bovine serum albumin (BSA protein), are important, and significant information is recorded in the UV–vis and fluorescence spectra of their reaction mixtures. The extraction of this information is difficult conventionally and principally because there is significant overlapping of the spectra of the three analytes in the mixture. The interaction of berberine chloride (BC) and the BSA protein provides an interesting example of such complex systems. UV–vis and fluorescence spectra of BC and BSA mixtures were investigated in pH 7.4 Tris–HCl buffer at 37 °C. Two sample series were measured by each technique: (1) [BSA] was kept constant and the [BC] was varied and (2) [BC] was kept constant and the [BSA] was varied. This produced four spectral data matrices, which were combined into one expanded spectral matrix. This was processed by the multivariate curve resolution–alternating least squares method (MCR–ALS). The results produced: (1) the extracted pure BC, BSA and the BC–BSA complex spectra from the measured heavily overlapping composite responses, (2) the concentration profiles of BC, BSA and the BC–BSA complex, which are difficult to obtain by conventional means, and (3) estimates of the number of binding sites of BC.

Comparison of molecular markers to detect fresh sewage in environmental waters

Human-specific Bacteroides HF183 (HS-HF183), human-specific Enterococci faecium esp (HS-esp), human-specific adenoviruses (HS-AVs) and human-specific polyomaviruses (HS-PVs) assays were evaluated in freshwater, seawater and distilled water to detect fresh sewage. The sewage spiked water samples were also tested for the concentrations of traditional fecal indicators (i.e., Escherichia coli, enterococci and Clostridium perfringens) and enteric viruses such as enteroviruses (EVs), sapoviruses (SVs), and torquetenoviruses (TVs). The overall host-specificity of the HS-HF183 marker to differentiate between humans and other animals was 98%. However, the HS-esp, HS-AVs and HS-PVs showed 100% hostspecificity. All the human-specific markers showed >97% sensitivity to detect human fecal pollution. E. coli, enterococci and, C. perfringens were detected up to dilutions of sewage 10_5, 10_4 and 10_3 respectively.HS-esp, HS-AVs, HS-PVs, SVs and TVs were detected up to dilution of sewage 10_4 whilst EVs were detected up to dilution 10_5. The ability of the HS-HF183 marker to detect freshsewagewas3–4 orders ofmagnitude higher than that of the HS-esp and viral markers. The ability to detect fresh sewage in freshwater, seawater and distilled water matrices was similar for human-specific bacterial and viral marker. Based on our data, it appears that human-specific molecular markers are sensitive measures of fresh sewage pollution, and the HS-HF183 marker appears to be the most sensitive among these markers in terms of detecting fresh sewage. However, the presence of the HS-HF183 marker in environmental waters may not necessarily indicate the presence of enteric viruses due to their high abundance in sewage compared to enteric viruses. More research is required on the persistency of these markers in environmental water samples in relation to traditional fecal indicators and enteric pathogens.

A Numerical Solution Using an Adaptively Preconditioned Lanczos Method for a Class of Linear Systems Related with the Fractional Poisson Equation

This study considers the solution of a class of linear systems related with the fractional Poisson equation (FPE) (−∇2)α/2φ=g(x,y) with nonhomogeneous boundary conditions on a bounded domain. A numerical approximation to FPE is derived using a matrix representation of the Laplacian to generate a linear system of equations with its matrix A raised to the fractional power α/2. The solution of the linear system then requires the action of the matrix function f(A)=A−α/2 on a vector b. For large, sparse, and symmetric positive definite matrices, the Lanczos approximation generates f(A)b≈β0Vmf(Tm)e1. This method works well when both the analytic grade of A with respect to b and the residual for the linear system are sufficiently small. Memory constraints often require restarting the Lanczos decomposition; however this is not straightforward in the context of matrix function approximation. In this paper, we use the idea of thick-restart and adaptive preconditioning for solving linear systems to improve convergence of the Lanczos approximation. We give an error bound for the new method and illustrate its role in solving FPE. Numerical results are provided to gauge the performance of the proposed method relative to exact analytic solutions.

Synthesis and characterization of sodalite–polyimide nanocomposite membranes

Nanocomposite membranes are fabricated from sodalite nanocrystals (Sod-N) dispersed in BTDA-MDA polyimide matrices and then characterized structurally and for gas separation. No voids are found upon investigation of the interfacial contact between the inorganic and organic phases, even at a Sod-N loading of up to 35 wt.%. This is due to the functionalization of the zeolite nanocrystals with amino groups (==Si_(CH3)(CH2)3NH2), which covalently link the particles to the polyimide chains in the matrices. The addition of Sod-N increases the hydrogen-gas permeability of the membranes, while nitrogen permeability decreases. Overall, these nanocomposite membranes display substantial selectivity improvements. The sodalite–polyimide membrane containing 35 wt.% Sod-N has a hydrogen permeability of 8.0 Barrers and a H2/N2 ideal selectivity of 281 at 25 C whereas the plain polyimide membrane exhibits a hydrogen permeability of 7.0 Barrers and a H2/N2 ideal selectivity of 198 at the same testing temperature.

End-winding effect on shalft voltage in AC generators

This paper presents effects of end-winding on shaft voltage in AC generators. A variety of design parameters have been considered to calculate the parasitic capacitive couplings in the machine structure with Finite Elements simulations and mathematical calculations. End-winding capacitances have also been calculated to have a precise estimation of shaft voltage and its relationship with design parameters in AC generators.

The role of fluid and emotional intelligence in malingering

The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of fluid (gf), social (SI) and emotional intelligence (EI) in faking the Beck Depression Inventory (2nd ed., BDI-II). Twenty-two students and 26 non-students completed Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM), a social insight test, the Schutte et al. self-report EI scale, and the BDI-II under honest and faking instructions. Results were consistent with a new model of successful faking, in which a participant’s original response must be manipulated into a strategic response, which must match diagnostic criteria. As hypothesised, the BDI-II could be faked, and gf was not related to faking ability. Counter to expectations, however, SI and EI were not related to faking ability. A second study explored why EI failed to facilitate faking. Forty-nine students and 50 non-students completed the EI measure, the Marlowe-Crown Scale and the Levenson et al. Psychopathy Scale. As hypothesised, EI was negatively correlated with psychopathy, but EI showed no relationship with socially desirable responding. It was concluded that in the first experiment, high-EI people did fake effectively, but high-psychopathy people (who had low EI) were also faking effectively, resulting in a distribution that showed no advantage to high EI individuals.

New Approach on Robust Delay-Dependent H∞ Control for Uncertain T-S Fuzzy Systems With Interval Time-Varying Delay

This paper investigates the robust H∞ control for Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy systems with interval time-varying delay. By employing a new and tighter integral inequality and constructing an appropriate type of Lyapunov functional, delay-dependent stability criteria are derived for the control problem. Because neither any model transformation nor free weighting matrices are employed in our theoretical derivation, the developed stability criteria significantly improve and simplify the existing stability conditions. Also, the maximum allowable upper delay bound and controller feedback gains can be obtained simultaneously from the developed approach by solving a constrained convex optimization problem. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

An experiment in mixed compilation/interpretation

One of the classic forms of intermediate representation used for communication between compiler front-ends and back-ends are those based on abstract stack machines. It is possible to compile the stack machine instructions into machine code by means of an interpretive code generator, or to simulate the stack machine at runtime using an interpreter. This paper describes an approach intermediate between these two extremes. The front-end for a commercial Modula 2 compiler was ported to the "industry standard PC", and a partially compiling back-end written. The object code runs with the assistance of an interpreter, but may be linked with libraries which are fully compiled. The intent was to provide a programming environment on the PC which is identical to that of the same compilers on 32-bit UNIX machines. This objective has been met, and the compiler is available to educational institutions as free-ware. The design basis of the new compiler is described, and the performance critically evaluated.