Curtains and the Soft Architecture of the American Postwar Domestic Environment

This article investigates the role of “soft architecture” and interior effects—including window treatments, textiles, and electric lighting—in the physcial and social construction of the postwar domestic environment in the USA. In this period the American home became an increasingly visual and visible space, defined more by the view out and the view in than by traditional conditions of domestic enclosure. Popular how-to columns and home decoration articles offered homemakers a variety of mechanisms for sustaining the appearance and psychological comfort of the modern domestic setting. Examining a range of popular decorative strategies used to mediate residential picture windows and window walls, this study challenges the deep-seated cultural and disciplinary biases associated with both the design and study of domestic architecture and interiors. Drawing upon historical documents and contemporary theorizations of the interior, this paper argues for the agency of “soft architecture” in the domestication of modern residential architecture.

On the biomechanical significance of inter-lamellar interfaces in the intervertebral disc

The intervertebral disc (IVD) is a unique soft tissue structure which provides structural support and flexibility in the axial skeleton of vertebrates. From a structural perspective, the disc behaves somewhat like a thick walled pressure vessel, where the walls are comprised of a series of composite annular rings (lamellae). However, a prior study (Marchand and Ahmed, 1990) found a high proportion of circumferentially discontinuous lamellae in human lumbar IVDs. The presence of these discontinuities raises important structural questions, because discontinuous lamellae cannot withstand high nucleus pressures via the generation of circumferential (hoop) stress. A possible alternative mechanism may be that inter-lamellar cohesion allows shear stress transfer between adjacent annular layers. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate the importance of inter-lamellar shear resistance in the intervertebral disc. This work found that inter-lamellar shear resistance has a strong influence on the compressive stiffness of the intervertebral disc, with a change in interface condition from tied (no slip) to frictionless (no shear resistance) reducing disc compressive stiffness by 40%. However, it appears that substantial inter-lamellar shear resistance is present in the bovine tail disc. Decreases in inter-lamellar shear resistance due to degradation of bridging collagenous or elastic fibre structures could therefore be an important part of the process of disc degeneration.

Enriching architectural design education through interactive displays and local community engagement

Designers have a social responsibility to deal with the needs, issues, and problems that their clients and communities are confronted with. Students of design require opportunities to reflect on their role as social facilitators to develop an attitude towards community engagement through different phases and aspects of their careers. However, current design courses are challenged by compressed timeframes and fragmented scenarios of different academic requirements that do not actively teach community engagement. This paper outlines a participatory and technological approach that was employed to address these issues within the teaching of Architecture and Urban Design at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. A multi-phase community based research project with actual stakeholders was implemented over a two-year period. Approximately 150 students in the final year of the Bachelor of Design-Architecture; 10 students in the Master of Architecture and 15 students in the Master of Design-Urban Design have informed and influenced each others’ learning through the teaching and research nexus facilitated by this project. The technical approach was implemented in form of a bespoke digital platform that supported the display and discussion of digital media on a series of interactive touch walls. The platform allowed students to easily upload their final designs onto large interactive surfaces, where visitors could explore the media and provide comments. Through the use of this technical platform and the introduction of neogeography, students have been able to broaden their level of interaction and support their learning experience through external structured and unstructured feedback from the local community. Students have not only been exposed to community representatives, but they also have been working in parallel on a specific case study providing each other, across different years and courses, material for reflection and data to structure their design activities.

New evidence of the reproductive organs of Glossopteris based on permineralized fossils from Queensland, Australia. II: pollen-bearing organ Ediea gen. nov

Ediea homevalensis H. Nishida, Kudo, Pigg & Rigby gen. et sp. nov. is proposed for permineralized pollen-bearing structures from the Late Permian Homevale Station locality of the Bowen Basin, Queensland, Australia. The taxon represents unisexual fertile shoots bearing helically arranged leaves on a central axis. The more apical leaves are fertile microsporophylls bearing a pair of multi-branched stalks on their adaxial surfaces that each supports a cluster of terminally borne pollen sacs. Proximal to the fertile leaves there are several rows of sterile scale-like leaves. The pollen sacs (microsporangia) have thickened and dark, striate walls that are typical of the Arberiella type found in most pollen organs presumed to be of glossopterid affinity. An examination of pollen organs at several developmental stages, including those containing in situ pollen of the Protohaploxypinus type, provides the basis for a detailed analysis of these types of structures, which bear similarities to both compression/impression Eretmonia-type glossopterid microsporangiate organs and permineralized Eretmonia macloughlinii from Antarctica. These fossils demonstrate that at least some Late Permian pollen organs were simple microsporophyll-bearing shoot systems and not borne directly on Glossopteris leaves.

Integrating LED lighting design strategies with side daylighting systems to improve interior lighting design of office buildings

A high contrast ratio between windows and surrounding walls may lead to office workers visual discomfort that could negatively affect their satisfaction and productivity. Consequently, occupants may try to adapt their working environment by closing blinds and/ or turning on the lights to enhance indoor visual comfort, which can reduce predicted energy savings. The hypothesis of this study is that reducing luminance contrast ratio on the window wall will improve window appearance which potentially will reduce visual discomfort and decrease workers interventions. Thus, this PhD research proposes a simple strategy to diminish the luminance contrast on the window wall by increasing the luminance of the areas surrounding the windows using supplementary light emitting diode (LED) systems. To test the hypothesis, this investigation will involve three experiments in different office layouts with various window types and orientations in Brisbane, Australia. It will assess user preferences for different luminance patterns in windowed offices featuring flexible, lowpower LED lighting installations that allows multiple lighting design options on the window wall. Detailed luminance and illuminance measures will be used to match quantitative lighting design assessment to user preferences.

A water model study of the flow asymmetry inside a continuous slab casting mold

The work studies the extent of asymmetric flow in water models of continuous casting molds of two different configurations. In the molds where fluid is discharged through multiple holes at the bottom, the flow pattern in the lower portion depends on the size of the lower two recirculating domains. If they reach the mold bottom, the flow pattern in the lower portion is symmetrical about the central plane; otherwise, it is asymmetrical. On the other hand, in the molds where the fluid is discharged through the entire mold cross section, the flow pattern is always asymmetrical if the aspect ratio is 1:6.25 or more. The fluid jet swirls while emerging through the nozzle. The interaction of the swirling Jets with the wide sidewalls of the mold gives rise to asymmetrical flow inside the mold. In the molds with lower aspect ratios, where the jets do not touch the wide side walls, the flow pattern is symmetrical about the central plane.

The effect of surface tension in porous wave maker problems

Using a mixed-type Fourier transform of a general form in the case of water of infinite depth and the method of eigenfunction expansion in the case of water of finite depth, several boundary-value problems involving the propagation and scattering of time harmonic surface water waves by vertical porous walls have been fully investigated, taking into account the effect of surface tension also. Known results are recovered either directly or as particular cases of the general problems under consideration.

Comparative leaf anatomy and micromorphology of the Chilean Myrtaceae: Taxonomic and ecological implications

The family Myrtaceae in Chile comprises 26 species in 10 genera. The species occur in a diverse rangeof environments including humid temperate forests, swamps, riparian habitats and coastal xeromorphicshrublands. Most of these species are either endemic to Chile or endemic to the humid temperate forestsof Chile and Argentina. Although many taxa have very restricted distributions and are of conservationconcern, little is known about their biology and vegetative anatomy. In this investigation, we describe andcompare the leaf anatomy and micromorphology of all Chilean Myrtaceae using standard protocols forlight and scanning electron microscopy. Leaf characters described here are related to epidermis, cuticle,papillae, stomata, hairs, mesophyll, crystals, secretory cavities and vascular system. Nearly all the specieshave a typical mesophytic leaf anatomy, but some species possess xerophytic characters such as doubleepidermis, hypodermis, pubescent leaves, thick adaxial epidermis and straight epidermal anticlinal walls,which correlate with the ecological distribution of the species. This is the first report on leaf anatomyand micromorphology in most of these species. We identified several leaf characters with potential tax-onomic and ecological significance. Some combinations of leaf characters can reliably delimitate genera,while others are unique to some species. An identification key using micromorphological and anatomicalcharacters is provided to distinguish genera and species.

Unsteady Natural Convection Flow in a Square Cavity Filled with a Porous Medium Due to Impulsive Change in Wall Temperature

Unsteady natural convection flow in a two- dimensional square cavity filled with a porous material has been studied. The flow is initially steady where the left- hand vertical wall has temperature T-h and the right- hand vertical wall is maintained at temperature T-c ( T-h > T-c) and the horizontal walls are insulated. At time t > 0, the left- hand vertical wall temperature is suddenly raised to (T-h) over bar ((T-h) over bar > T-h) which introduces unsteadiness in the flow field. The partial differential equations governing the unsteady natural convection flow have been solved numerically using a finite control volume method. The computation has been carried out until the final steady state is reached. It is found that the average Nusselt number attains a minimum during the transient period and that the time required to reach the final steady state is longer for low Rayleigh number and shorter for high Rayleigh number.

Oxygen transport in a three-dimensional microvascular network incorporated with early tumour growth and preexisting vessel cooption: Numerical simulation study

We propose a dynamic mathematical model of tissue oxygen transport by a preexisting three-dimensional microvascular network which provides nutrients for an in situ cancer at the very early stage of primary microtumour growth. The expanding tumour consumes oxygen during its invasion to the surrounding tissues and cooption of host vessels. The preexisting vessel cooption, remodelling and collapse are modelled by the changes of haemodynamic conditions due to the growing tumour. A detailed computational model of oxygen transport in tumour tissue is developed by considering (a) the time-varying oxygen advection diffusion equation within the microvessel segments, (b) the oxygen flux across the vessel walls, and (c) the oxygen diffusion and consumption with in the tumour and surrounding healthy tissue. The results show the oxygen concentration distribution at different time points of early tumour growth. In addition, the influence of preexisting vessel density on the oxygen transport has been discussed. The proposed model not only provides a quantitative approach for investigating the interactions between tumour growth and oxygen delivery, but also is extendable to model other molecules or chemotherapeutic drug transport in the future study.

In vivo non-invasive high resolution MR-based method for the determination of the elastic modulus of arterial vessels

The mechanical properties of arterial walls have long been recognized to play an essential role in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Early detection of variations in the elastic modulus of arteries would help in monitoring patients at high cardiovascular risk stratifying them according to risk. An in vivo, non-invasive, high resolution MR-phase-contrast based method for the estimation of the time-dependent elastic modulus of healthy arteries was developed, validated in vitro by means of a thin walled silicon rubber tube integrated into an existing MR-compatible flow simulator and used on healthy volunteers. A comparison of the elastic modulus of the silicon tube measured from the MRI-based technique with direct measurements confirmed the method's capability. The repeatability of the method was assessed. Viscoelastic and inertial effects characterizing the dynamic response of arteries in vivo emerged from the comparison of the pressure waveform and the area variation curve over a period. For all the volunteers who took part in the study the elastic modulus was found to be in the range 50-250 kPa, to increase during the rising part of the cycle, and to decrease with decreasing pressure during the downstroke of systole and subsequent diastole.

Flow through a plateau border of cellular foam

Experimentally measured average velocities through plateau borders of stationary cellular foam, when compared with those calculated with the assumption of rigid Plateau Border walls, show that the assumption of rigid walls severely underestimates the velocities. An analysis of the situation wherein plateau border walls have velocities, as decided by the surface viscosity of the system, is presented here. The plateau border is idealized as a pipe of equilateral triangular cross-section with vertices of the triangle having zero velocity. The pertinent form of Navier-Stoke's equations with inhomogeneous boundary conditions and its solution through a procedure of successive approximations is presented in dimensionless form. The solution reduces to the known solution of slow steady flow through a triangular pipe, when surface viscosity is infinite. Results indicate that the assumption of rigid plateau border walls is valid only when value of the inverse of dimensionless surface viscosity is less than 0.044. Beyond that the assumption severely underestimates the flow and the effect of nonrigidity of the wall must be considered.

Jacopo Bassano freskomaalarina : Cartiglianon ja Enegon kirkkojen freskot: konteksti, rekonstruktio ja tulkinta

The object of this study is Jacopo Bassano (c. 1510 1592) as a fresco painter and the significance of frescoes in his late production. The research focuses on the only surviving cycle of frescoes of his later years in the Cartigliano parish church, bearing the date 1575. The other cycle studied here was painted for the 16th century parish church of Enego. It contained one of the most extensive fresco decorations executed by Jacopo Bassano together with his eldest son Francesco. However, nothing has survived of the fresco cycle and the ceiling paintings of the church, nor is any visual documentation of them left. Only the small altarpiece attributed to Jacopo Bassano and depicting Saints Justine, Sebastian, Anthony Abbott, and Roch (dated to c. 1555/1560) has been preserved. I have suggested that the frescoes of the Cartigliano parish church should be examined in the interpretational context of the spirituality of the post-Tridentine period. This period frames the historical context for the frescoes and functions as a basis for the iconographical interpretation that I have proposed. I have shown that the iconographic programme of the frescoes in the choir of the Cartigliano parish church has obvious points of contact with the Catholic doctrines reconfirmed by the Council of Trent (1545 1563). I also argue that the fresco cycle and the ceiling paintings of the Enego church should be placed in the same interpretational context as the frescoes of Cartigliano. I present a reconstruction of the frescoes in the choir attributed to Jacopo Bassano and of those on the walls of the nave attributed to his son Francesco Bassano. According to my reconstruction, the frescoes in the choir and nave walls formed a coherent cycle with a unitary iconographic programme which included the 28 paintings with Old Testament subjects in the nave ceiling. The reconstruction includes the dating and the iconography of the fresco programme and its interpretative basis. The reconstruction is based on visitation records and inventories from the 16th and 17th centuries as well as on the oldest relevant literature, namely the descriptions offered by Carlo Ridolfi (1648) and G. B. Verci (1775). I also consider the relationship of the large compositional sketches attributed to Jacopo Bassano and depicting Christological subjects to the lost frescoes in Enego. These studies have been executed with coloured chalks, and many of them are also dated 1568 or 1569 by the painter. I suggest in this study that these large studies in coloured chalks were preparatory drawings for the fresco cycle in Enego, depicting scenes from the life and suffering of Christ. All the subjects of the aforesaid drawings were included in the Enego cycle.

Effect of simulated rock dumping on geotextile

The use of geotextiles in coastal structures such as revetments and bund walls has become a common practice. The performance of these structures during their lifetime depends on the durability of geotextile used. During construction of these coastal structures, geotextiles are subjected to a drop load with high impact stress and that can damage the geotextile. In the current design practice, index tests are insufficient in predicting the performance of the geotextile. This puts the stability and performance of the coastal structures at risk. The current geotextile design guidelines are based on index tests and there is no standard procedure to account for the potential loss in the geotextile’s mechanical properties during installation (construction).This study aims to develop a standard procedure to estimate the properties of geotextile after its installation and using these properties for designing the performance of these structures. This paper describes the laboratory method of simulating large scale rock dumping on non-woven geotextiles and how to quantify the retained strength of damaged geotextiles. Results show that the reduction in retained strength of geotextile could extent up to 26% during installation.

Toxic effects of Pb2+ on growth of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)

A concentration as low as 1 μM lead (Pb) is highly toxic to plants, but previous studies have typically related plant growth to the total amount of Pb added to a solution. In the present experiment, the relative fresh mass of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) was reduced by 10% at a Pb2+ activity of 0.2 μM for the shoots and at a Pb2+ activity of 0.06 μM for the roots. The primary site of Pb2+ toxicity was the root, causing severe reductions in root growth, loss of apical dominance (shown by an increase in branching per unit root length), the formation of localized swellings behind the root tips (due to the initiation of lateral roots), and the bending of some root tips. In the root, Pb was found to accumulate primarily within the cell walls and intercellular spaces.