Morphogenetic analysis of architectural elements within the townscape

When a new form is inserted in an existing townscape, its consonance within the urban fabric is dependent on the level of attention paid to the evaluation and management of its architectural elements. However, despite the established principles and methods of urban morphology that enable the systematic analysis of the built environment, a formula for ensuring that new development relates to its context so as to achieve congruent outcomes is still lacking. This paper proposes a new method of evaluating and measuring architectural elements within evolving urban forms, with particular emphasis on a three-dimensional study of buildings. In a case study, detailed mapping of both current and past forms provides the basis for evincing predominant characteristics that have changed over time. Using this method, it is possible to demonstrate objectively how the townscape has been affected through changes in its architectural configuration.

A robot application to marine vessel inspection

Seagoing vessels have to undergo regular inspections, which are currently performed manually by ship surveyors. The main cost factor in a ship inspection is to provide access to the different areas of the ship, since the surveyor has to be close to the inspected parts, usually within arm's reach, either to perform a visual analysis or to take thickness measurements. The access to the structural elements in cargo holds, e.g., bulkheads, is normally provided by staging or by 'cherry-picking' cranes. To make ship inspections safer and more cost-efficient, we have introduced new inspection methods, tools, and systems, which have been evaluated in field trials, particularly focusing on cargo holds. More precisely, two magnetic climbing robots and a micro-aerial vehicle, which are able to assist the surveyor during the inspection, are introduced. Since localization of inspection data is mandatory for the surveyor, we also introduce an external localization system that has been verified in field trials, using a climbing inspection robot. Furthermore, the inspection data collected by the robotic systems are organized and handled by a spatial content management system that enables us to compare the inspection data of one survey with those from another, as well as to document the ship inspection when the robot team is used. Image-based defect detection is addressed by proposing an integrated solution for detecting corrosion and cracks. The systems' performance is reported, as well as conclusions on their usability, all in accordance with the output of field trials performed onboard two different vessels under real inspection conditions.

A magnetic climbing robot for marine inspection services

Currently, the inspection of sea-going vessels is performed manually. Ship surveyors do a visual inspection; in some cases they also use cameras and non-destructive testing methods. Prior to a ship surveying process a lot of scaffolding has to be provided in order to make every spot accessible for the surveyor. In this work a robotic system is presented, which is able to access many areas of a cargo hold of a ship and perform visual inspection without any scaffolding. The paper also describes how the position of the acquired data is estimated with an optical 3D tracking unit and how critical points on the hull can be marked via a remote controlled marker device. Furthermore first results of onboard tests with the system are provided.

Eruption centres of the Hamilton area of the Newer Volcanics Province, Victoria, Australia: Pinpointing volcanoes from a multifaceted approach to landform mapping

Volcanic eruption centres of the mostly 4.5 Ma-5000 BP Newer Volcanics Province in the Hamilton area of southeastern Australia were examined in detail using a multifaceted approach, including ground truthing and analysis of ArcGIS Total Magnetic Intensity and seamless geology data, NASA Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) digital elevation models and Google Earth satellite image interpretation. Sixteen eruption centres were recognised in the Hamilton area, including three previously unrecorded volcanoes-one of which, the Cas Maar, constitutes the northernmost maar-cone volcanic complex in the Western Plains subprovince. Seven previously allocated eruption centres were placed into question based on field and laboratory observations. Three phases of volcanic activity have been suggested by other authors and are interpreted to correlate with ages of >4 Ma, ca 2 Ma and <0.5 Ma, which may be further subdivided based on preservation of outcrop. Geochemical compositions of the dominantly basaltic products become increasingly alkaline and enriched in incompatible elements from Phases 1 to 2, with Phase 3 eruptions both covering the entire geochemical range and extending into increasingly enriched compositions. This research highlights the importance of a multifaceted approach to landform mapping and demonstrates that additional volcanic centres may yet be discovered in the Newer Volcanics Province

Mainstreaming EESD: Elements of rapid curriculum renewal

This keynote paper provides an overview of opportunities to rapidly renew curriculum to EESD, to meet the scale and pace of change required, in order to address the issues of our time – in time. The authors outline the key arguments of the six papers that will comprise the March 2009 special issue of the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, on a proposed preliminary framework for rapid curriculum renewal to EESD. The authors invite conference delegates to provide feedback on these papers, and to consider how other concepts and methodologies presented at EESD08 might also be rapidly mainstreamed, to contribute to systemic integration of sustainability content throughout engineering education, in every engineering department.

Brain activity during automatic semantic priming revealed by event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging

Semantic priming occurs when a subject is faster in recognising a target word when it is preceded by a related word compared to an unrelated word. The effect is attributed to automatic or controlled processing mechanisms elicited by short or long interstimulus intervals (ISIs) between primes and targets. We employed event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses associated with automatic semantic priming using an experimental design identical to that used in standard behavioural priming tasks. Prime-target semantic strength was manipulated by using lexical ambiguity primes (e.g., bank) and target words related to dominant or subordinate meaning of the ambiguity. Subjects made speeded lexical decisions (word/nonword) on dominant related, subordinate related, and unrelated word pairs presented randomly with a short ISI. The major finding was a pattern of reduced activity in middle temporal and inferior prefrontal regions for dominant versus unrelated and subordinate versus unrelated comparisons, respectively. These findings are consistent with both a dual process model of semantic priming and recent repetition priming data that suggest that reductions in BOLD responses represent neural priming associated with automatic semantic activation and implicate the left middle temporal cortex and inferior prefrontal cortex in more automatic aspects of semantic processing.

Prefrontal cortex involvement in selective letter generation: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Cerebral responses to alternating periods of a control task and a selective letter generation paradigm were investigated with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Subjects selectively generated letters from four designated sets of six letters from the English language alphabet, with the instruction that they were not to produce letters in alphabetical order either forward or backward, repeat or alternate letters. Performance during this condition was compared with that of a control condition in which subjects recited the same letters in alphabetical order. Analyses revealed significant and extensive foci of activation in a number of cerebral regions including mid-dorsolateral frontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, precuneus, supramarginal gyrus, and cerebellum during the selective letter generation condition. These findings are discussed with respect to recent positron emission tomography (PET) and fMRI studies of verbal working memory and encoding/retrieval in episodic memory.

Assessment of dynamic susceptibility contrast cerebral blood flow response to amphetamine challenge: A human pharmacological magnetic resonance imaging study at 1.5 and 4 T

Pharmacological MRI (phMRI) techniques can be used to monitor the neurophysiological effects of central nervous system (CNS) active drugs. In this study, we investigated whether dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) perfusion imaging employing the use of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Resovist) could be used to measure hemodynamic response to d-amphetamine challenge in human subjects at both 1.5 and 4 T. Significant changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) were found in focal regions associated with the nigrostriatal circuit and mesolimbic and mesocortical dopaminergic pathways. More significant CBF responses were found at higher field strength, mainly within striatal structures. The results from this study indicate that DSC perfusion imaging using Resovist can be used to assess the efficacy of CNS-active drugs and may play a role in the development of novel psychiatric therapies at the preclinical level. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Diffusion indices on magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological performance in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Background: Magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) shows promise in the early detection of microstructural pathophysiological changes in the brain. Objectives: To measure microstructural differences in the brains of participants with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared with an age-matched control group using an optimised DTI technique with fully automated image analysis tools and to investigate the correlation between diffusivity measurements and neuropsychological performance scores across groups. Methods: 34 participants (17 participants with MCI, 17 healthy elderly adults) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based DTI. To control for the effects of anatomical variation, diffusion images of all participants were registered to standard anatomical space. Significant statistical differences in diffusivity measurements between the two groups were determined on a pixel-by-pixel basis using gaussian random field theory. Results: Significantly raised mean diffusivity measurements (p<0.001) were observed in the left and right entorhinal cortices (BA28), posterior occipital-parietal cortex (BA18 and BA19), right parietal supramarginal gyrus (BA40) and right frontal precentral gyri (BA4 and BA6) in participants with MCI. With respect to fractional anisotropy, participants with MCI had significantly reduced measurements (p<0.001) in the limbic parahippocampal subgyral white matter, right thalamus and left posterior cingulate. Pearson's correlation coefficients calculated across all participants showed significant correlations between neuropsychological assessment scores and regional measurements of mean diffusivity and fractional anisotropy. Conclusions: DTI-based diffusivity measures may offer a sensitive method of detecting subtle microstructural brain changes associated with preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

Can biophilic urbanism deliver strong economic and social benefits in cities? An economic and policy invetigations into the increased use of natural elements in urban design

Biophilic urbanism, or urban design that reflects humanity’s innate need for nature, stands to make significant contributions to a range of national, state and local government policies related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, by investigating ways in which nature can be integrated into, around and on top of buildings. Potential benefits of such design include reducing the heat island effect, reducing energy consumption for thermal control, enhancing urban biodiversity, improving well being and productivity, improving water cycle management, and assisting in the response to growing needs for densification and revitalisation of cities. This report will give an overview of the concept of biophilia and consider enablers and disablers to its application to urban planning and design. The paper will present findings from stakeholder engagement and a series of detailed case studies, related to a consideration of the economics of the use of biophilic elements (direct and indirect).

Magnetic nanoparticles boosting the osmotic efficiency of a polymeric FO draw agent: Effect of polymer conformation

Poly sodium acrylate (PSA)-coated Magnetic Nanoparticles (PSA-MNPs) were synthesized as smart osmotic draw agent (SMDA) for water desalination by forward osmosis (FO) process. The PSA-coated MNPs demonstrated significantly higher osmotic pressure (~ 30 fold) as well as high FO water flux (~ 2–3 fold) when compared to their polymer (polyelectrolyte) counterpart, even at a very low concentration of ~ 0.13 wt.% in the draw solution. The PSA polymer chain conformation – coiled to extended – demonstrates a significant impact on the availability of the polymer hydrophilic groups in solution which is the driving force to attain higher osmotic pressure and water flux. When an optimum concentration of the polymer was anchored to a NP surface, the polymer chains assume an extended open conformation making the functional hydrophilic groups available to attract water molecules. This in turn boosts the osmotic pressure and FO water flux of the PSA-MNP draw agents. The low concentration of the PSA-MNP osmotic agent and the associated high water flux enhances the cost-effectiveness of our proposed SMDA system. In addition, easier magnetic separation and regeneration of the SMDA also improves its usability making it efficient, cost-effective and environment-friendly.