Using relationship mapping to understand sustainable housing stakeholders’ actions

The production of sustainable housing requires the cooperation of a variety of participants with different goals, needs, levels of commitment and cultures. To achieve mainstream net zero energy housing objectives, there is arguably a need for a non-linear network of collaboration between all the stakeholders. In order to create and improve such collaborative networks between stakeholders, we first need to map stakeholders’ relationships, processes, and practices. This paper discusses compares and contrasts maps of the sustainable housing production life-cycle in Australia, developed from different perspectives. The paper highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each visualization, clarifying where gaps in connectivity exist within existing industry networks. Understanding these gaps will help researchers and practitioners identify how to improve the collaboration between participants in the housing industry. This in turn may improve decision making across all stakeholder groups, leading to mainstream implementation of sustainability into the housing industry.

The architecture of the psychiatric milieu

The last time a peer-reviewed volume on the future of mental health facilities was produced was in 1959, following a symposium organised by the American Psychological Association. The consensus was easy enough to follow and still resonates today: the best spaces to treat psychiatric illness will be in smaller, less restrictive units that offer more privacy and allow greater personalisation of space – possibly a converted hotel (Goshen, 1959). In some way, all those ideals have come to pass. An ideal typology was never established, but even so, units have shrunk from thousands of beds to units that typically house no more than 50 patients. Patients are generally more independent and are free to wander (within a unit) as they please. But the trend toward smaller and freer is reversing. This change is not driven by a desire to find the ideal building nor better models of care, but by growing concerns about budgets, self-harm and psychiatric violence. This issue of the Facilities comes at a time when the healthcare design is increasingly dominated by codes, statutes and guidelines. But the articles herein are a call to stop and think. We are not at the point where guidelines can be helpful, because they do not embody any depth of knowledge nor wisdom. These articles are intended to inject some new research on psychiatric/environmental interactions and also to remind planners and managers that guidelines might not tackle a core misunderstanding: fear-management about patient safety and the safety of society is not the purpose of the psychiatric facility. It is purpose is to create spaces that are suitable for improving the well-being of the mentally ill.

Conformationally Restricted Nucleocyclitols: a Study into their Conformational Preferences and Supramolecular Architecture in the Solid State

With the intent of probing the feasibility of employing annulation as a tactic to engender axial rich conformations in nucleoside analogues, two adenine-derived, ``conformationally restricted'' nucleocylitols, 9 and 10, have been conceptualized as representatives of a hitherto unexplored class of nucleic acid base-cyclitol hybrids. A general synthetic strategy, with an inherent scope for diversification, allowed rapid functionalization of indane and tetralin to furnish 9 and 10 respectively in fair yield. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the two nucleocyclitols under study, though homologous, present completely dissimilar modes of molecular packing, marked, in particular, by the nature of involvement of the adenynyl NH2 group in the supramolecular assembly. In addition, the crystal structures of 9 and 10 also exhibit two different conformations of the functionalized cyclohexane ring. Thus, while the six-membered carbocycle in cyclopenta-annulated 9 exists in the expected chair (C) conformation that in cyclohexaannulated 10, which crystallizes as a dihydrate, shows an unusual twist-boat (TB) conformation. From a close analysis of the (HNMR)-H-1 spectroscopic data recorded for 9 and 10 in CD3OD, it was possible to put forth a putative explanation for the uncanny conformational preferences of crystalline 9 and 10.

A hybrid agent architecture for modeling autonomous agents in SAGE

This paper highlights the Hybrid agent construction model being developed that allows the description and development of autonomous agents in SAGE (Scalable, fault Tolerant Agent Grooming Environment) - a second generation FIPA-Compliant Multi-Agent system. We aim to provide the programmer with a generic and well defined agent architecture enabling the development of sophisticated agents on SAGE, possessing the desired properties of autonomous agents - reactivity, pro-activity, social ability and knowledge based reasoning. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.

Genetic studies of the PRP17 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: a domain essential for function maps to a nonconserved region of the protein

The PRP17 gene product is required for the second step of pre-mRNA splicing reactions. The C-terminal half of this protein bears four repeat units with homology to the beta transducin repeat. Missense mutations in three temperature-sensitive prp17 mutants map to a region in the N-terminal half of the protein. We have generated, in vitro, 11 missense alleles at the beta transducin repeat units and find that only one affects function in vivo. A phenotypically silent missense allele at the fourth repeat unit enhances the slow-growing phenotype conferred by an allele at the third repeat, suggesting an interaction between these domains. Although many missense mutations in highly conserved amino acids lack phenotypic effects, deletion analysis suggests an essential role for these units. Only mutations in the N-terminal nonconserved domain of PRP17 are synthetically lethal in combination with mutations in PRP16 and PRP18, two other gene products required for the second splicing reaction. A mutually allele-specific interaction between Prp17 and snr7, with mutations in U5 snRNA, was observed. We therefore suggest that the functional region of Prp17p that interacts with Prp18p, Prp16p, and U5 snRNA is the N terminal region of the protein.

Architecture designed ZnO hollow microspheres with wide-range visible-light photoresponses

It is a challenge to increase the visible-light photoresponses of wide-gap metal oxides. In this study, we proposed a new strategy to enhance the visible-light photoresponses of wide-gap semiconductors by deliberately designing a multi-scale nanostructure with controlled architecture. Hollow ZnO microspheres with constituent units in the shape of one-dimensional (1D) nanowire networks, 2D nanosheet stacks, and 3D mesoporous nanoball blocks are synthesized via an approach of two-step assembly, where the oligomers or the constituent nanostructures with specially designed structures are first formed, and then further assembled into complex morphologies. Through deliberate designing of constituent architectures allowing multiple visible-light scattering, reflections, and dispersion inside the multiscale nanostructures, enhanced wide range visible-light photoresponses of the ZnO hollow microspheres were successfully achieved. Compared to the one-step synthesized ZnO hollow microspheres, where no nanostructured constituents were produced, the ZnO hollow microspheres with 2D nanosheet stacks presented a 50 times higher photocurrent in the visible-light range (λ > 420 nm). The nanostructure induced visible-light photoresponse enhancement gives a direction to the development of novel photosensitive materials.

Architecture of a polymorphic ASIC for interoperability across multi-mode H.264 decoders

Run-time interoperability between different applications based on H.264/AVC is an emerging need in networked infotainment, where media delivery must match the desired resolution and quality of the end terminals. In this paper, we describe the architecture and design of a polymorphic ASIC to support this. The H.264 decoding flow is partitioned into modules, such that the polymorphic ASIC meets the design goals of low-power, low-area, high flexibility, high throughput and fast interoperability between different profiles and levels of H.264. We demonstrate the idea with a multi-mode decoder that can decode baseline, main and high profile H.264 streams and can interoperate at run.time across these profiles. The decoder is capable of processing frame sizes of up to 1024 times 768 at 30 fps. The design synthesized with UMC 0.13 mum technology, occupies 250 k gates and runs at 100 MHz.

DIY/DIWO media architecture: The InstaBooth

Building on previous discourse regarding the ability of media architecture to be more open and accessible for the purposes of community engagement (Caldwell & Foth, 2014), this chapter explores a particular case study that was designed, constructed and implemented with the intention of allowing city users to participate in the development and creation of media architecture, the InstaBooth. In this chapter, we first explore DIY (do it yourself) and DIWO (do it with others) phenomena to examine what motivates the DIY cultures, communities, and practices. Secondly, in this chapter, we define and discuss our implementation of a DIY / DIWO media architecture example, the InstaBooth. The InstaBooth project pro-vides an opportunity to question the effectiveness of a DIY driven media architec-ture artefact to see to what extent it impacts on the experience of its users and for what benefit.

Scopophobia/Scopophilia: electric light and the anxiety of the gaze in postwar American architecture

In the years of reconstruction and economic boom that followed the Second World War, the domestic sphere encountered new expectations regarding social behaviour, modes of living, and forms of dwelling. This book brings together an international group of scholars from architecture, design, urban planning, and interior design to reappraise mid-twentieth century modern life, offering a timely reassessment of culture and the economic and political effects on civilian life. This collection contains essays that examine the material of art, objects, and spaces in the context of practices of dwelling over the long span of the postwar period. It asks what role material objects, interior spaces, and architecture played in quelling or fanning the anxieties of modernism’s ordinary denizens, and how this role informs their legacy today. Table of Contents [Book] Introduction Robin Schuldenfrei Part 1: Psychological Constructions: Anxiety of Isolation and Exposure 1. Taking Comfort in the Age of Anxiety: Eero Saarinen’s Womb Chair Cammie McAtee 2. The Future is Possibly Past: The Anxious Spaces of Gaetano Pesce Jane Pavitt 3. Scopophobia/Scopophilia: Electric Light and the Anxiety of the Gaze in American Postwar Domestic Architecture Margaret Petty Part 2: Ideological Objects: Design and Representation 4. The Allegory of the Socialist Lifestyle: The Czechoslovak Pavilion at the Brussels Expo, its Gold Medal and the Politburo Ana Miljacki 5. Assimilating Unease: Moholy-Nagy and the Wartime-Postwar Bauhaus in Chicago Robin Schuldenfrei 6. The Anxieties of Autonomy: Peter Eisenman from Cambridge to House VI Sean Keller Part 3: Societies of Consumers: Materialist Ideologies and Postwar Goods 7. "But a home is not a laboratory": The Anxieties of Designing for the Socialist Home in the German Democratic Republic 1950—1965 Katharina Pfützner 8. Architect-designed Interiors for a Culturally Progressive Upper-Middle Class: The Implicit Political Presence of Knoll International in Belgium Fredie Floré 9. Domestic Environment: Italian Neo-Avant-Garde Design and the Politics of Post-Materialism Mary Louise Lobsinger Part 4: Class Concerns and Conflict: Dwelling and Politics 10. Dirt and Disorder: Taste and Anxiety in the Working Class Home Christine Atha 11. Upper West Side Stories: Race, Liberalism, and Narratives of Urban Renewal in Postwar New York Jennifer Hock 12. Pawns or Prophets? Postwar Architects and Utopian Designs for Southern Italy Anne Parmly Toxey. Coda: From Homelessness to Homelessness David Crowley

Heritability of the network architecture of intrinsic brain functional connectivity

The brain's functional network exhibits many features facilitating functional specialization, integration, and robustness to attack. Using graph theory to characterize brain networks, studies demonstrate their small-world, modular, and "rich-club" properties, with deviations reported in many common neuropathological conditions. Here we estimate the heritability of five widely used graph theoretical metrics (mean clustering coefficient (γ), modularity (Q), rich-club coefficient (ϕnorm), global efficiency (λ), small-worldness (σ)) over a range of connection densities (k=5-25%) in a large cohort of twins (N=592, 84 MZ and 89 DZ twin pairs, 246 single twins, age 23±2.5). We also considered the effects of global signal regression (GSR). We found that the graph metrics were moderately influenced by genetic factors h2 (γ=47-59%, Q=38-59%, ϕnorm=0-29%, λ=52-64%, σ=51-59%) at lower connection densities (≤15%), and when global signal regression was implemented, heritability estimates decreased substantially h2 (γ=0-26%, Q=0-28%, ϕnorm=0%, λ=23-30%, σ=0-27%). Distinct network features were phenotypically correlated (|r|=0.15-0.81), and γ, Q, and λ were found to be influenced by overlapping genetic factors. Our findings suggest that these metrics may be potential endophenotypes for psychiatric disease and suitable for genetic association studies, but that genetic effects must be interpreted with respect to methodological choices.

From the {Cu(μ2-S)N}4 butterfly architecture to the {Cu(μ3-S)N}12 double wheel

Copper(I) complexes with {Cu(μ2-S)N}4 and {Cu(μ3-S)N}12 core portions of butterfly-shaped or double wheel architectures have been isolated in the reaction of Cu(I) with the Schiff base ligand C6H4(CHNC6H4S)2, aiso-abtâ, under different conditions. View the MathML source containing the tetranuclear electroneutral complex View the MathML source is formed by the reaction of CuI in acetonitrilic solution and recrystallization from DMF, whereas View the MathML source containing dodecanuclear View the MathML source wheels is accessible starting from CuBF4. Complexes 2 and 4 represent the first examples of cyclic complexes with the same overall stoichiometry but different ring sizes. The ligand induces two different coordination environments around copper(I) by switching between μ2- and μ3-sulfur bridging modes.

Blurring the physical boundaries of the city: Media architecture and urban informatics for community engagement

Architecture focuses on designing built environments in response to society’s needs, reflecting culture through materials and forms. The physical boundaries of the city have become blurred through the integration of digital media, connecting the physical environment with the digital. In the recent past the future was imagined as highly technological; 1982 Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is set in 2019 and introduces a world where supersized screens inject advertisements in the cluttered urban space. Now, in 2015 screens are central to everyday life, but in a completely different way in respect to what had been imagined. Through ubiquitous computing and social media, information is abundant. Digital technologies have changed the way people relate to cities supporting discussion on multiple levels, allowing citizens to be more vocal than ever before. We question how architects can use the affordances of urban informatics to obtain and navigate useful social information to inform design. This chapter investigates different approaches to engage communities in the debate on cities, in particular it aims to capture citizens’ opinions on the use and design of public places. Physical and digital discussions have been initiated to capture citizens’ opinions on the use and design of public places. In addition to traditional consultation methods, Web 2.0 platforms, urban screens, and mobile apps are used in the context of Brisbane, Australia to explore contemporary strategies of engagement (Gray 2014).

Reconfigurable Viterbi decoder on mesh connected multiprocessor architecture

In modern wireline and wireless communication systems, Viterbi decoder is one of the most compute intensive and essential elements. Each standard requires a different configuration of Viterbi decoder. Hence there is a need to design a flexible reconfigurable Viterbi decoder to support different configurations on a single platform. In this paper we present a reconfigurable Viterbi decoder which can be reconfigured for standards such as WCDMA, CDMA2000, IEEE 802.11, DAB, DVB, and GSM. Different parameters like code rate, constraint length, polynomials and truncation length can be configured to map any of the above mentioned standards. Our design provides higher throughput and scalable power consumption in various configuration of the reconfigurable Viterbi decoder. The power and throughput can also be optimized for different standards.