Exposing the myth of the 1:5:200 ratio relating initial cost, maintenance and staffing costs of office buildings

In an attempt to focus clients' minds on the importance of considering the construction and maintenance costs of a commercial office building (both as a factor in staff productivity and as a fraction of lifetime staff costs) there is an often-quoted ratio of costs of 1:5:200, where for every one pound spent on construction cost, five are spent on maintenance and building operating costs and 200 on staffing and business operating costs. This seems to stem from a paper published by the Royal Academy of Engineering, in which no data is given and no derivation or defence of the ratio appears. The accompanying belief that higher quality design and construction increases staff productivity, and simultaneously reduces maintenance costs, how ever laudable, appears unsupported by research, and carries all the hallmarks of an "urban myth". In tracking down data about real buildings, a more realistic ratio appears to depend on a huge variety of variables, as well as the definition of the number of "lifetime" years. The ill-defined origins of the original ratio (1:5:200) describing these variables have made replication impossible. However, by using published sources of data, we have found that for three office buildings, a more realistic ratio is 1:0.4:12. As there is nothing in the public domain about what comprised the original research that gave rise to 1:5:200, it is not possible to make a true comparison between these new calculations and the originals. Clients and construction professionals stand to be misled because the popularity and widespread use of the wrong ratio appears to be mis-informing important investment and policy decisions.

Estudo de adulteração em méis brasileiros através de razão isotópica do carbono

Neste trabalho, objetivou-se analisar isotopicamente méis comercializados nas regiões Sul e Sudeste do Brasil, para a detecção de fraude. Foram colhidas amostras comerciais com registro no Serviço de Inspeção Federal, Estadual ou Municipal. As amostras foram submetidas à combustão no Analisador Elementar EA 1108 CHN e analisadas no espectrômetro de massas de razão isotópica DELTA-S (Finningan Mat). Os valores isotópicos (δ13C) dos méis in natura foram comparados aos de suas respectivas proteínas (padrão interno). Foram consideradas adulteradas as amostras cuja diferença entre o valor isotópico da proteína e do mel foi igual ou inferior a -1 . As amostras consideradas adulteradas pela análise isotópica foram submetidas a testes químicos qualitativos que não foram capazes de indicar adulteração para algumas delas. Das 61 amostras analisadas, 18,0% encontram-se adulteradas, sendo 11,5% na Região Sudeste e 6,5% na Região Sul. Ao contrário dos testes químicos, a análise isotópica mostrou-se eficaz em identificar e quantificar a adulteração de méis comerciais.

Pedagogia Freinet: a construção de uma práxis em turmas de 5ª a 8ª séries

Ce travail que nous venons de présenter apport une systématisation sur la viabilité de la praxis de l´éducateur français Célestin Freinet (1896-1996). Il s´agit d´une étude qualificative, recherche-action, développée dans une école coopérative l´ École Freinet à Natal/RN Brésil, auprès des élèves du 5ème et 8ème séries de l´Enseignement Fondamental. Le problème central que nous a amené à cette recherche, a été le fait de vérifier les progressions dans la production scientifique et dans les pratiques des enseignants qui ont à la charge l´Éducation Infantine et les premières séries de l´Enseignement Fondamental. Tout cela en tenant compte en concevoir l´élève en tant que sujet actif de son apprentissage et coresponsable à l´organisation du travail scolaire. Toutefois, qaund-il s´agit des quatre dernières séries de l´Enseignement Fondamental (5ème au 8ème séries), les propositions progressistes sont prises comme quelque chose pratiquement impossible d´en mettre en marche. Pour attenuer la lacune théorique sur le sujet, nous avons offert un texte significatif pour les enseignants d´une façon générale, les chercheurs de l´académie et pour l´écolechamp de la recherché. Tout cela par le fait de ne pas donner de priorité à une technique ou à un principe, en particulier. Cette pédagogie est discutée autant que possible dans son contexte global et aussi sur le comment s´est manifestée dans sa práxis . Nous avons mis en relief les aspects importants pour le fonctionnement de la salle de classe, aussi que les estratégies utilisées pour la construction, communication et documentation des connaissances L´intervention nous a permis de construire l´objet par la réflexion en action, à partir des données obtenues pendant les observations, les entretiens, les enterviews, les moments d´études et de la quête des textes écrits. L´analyse a été faite à la lumière de la methodologie comprehensive (Kaufmann, 1996), entrelacée au materiau empirique et à la théorie. Cette forme d´analyse nous a permis d´obtenir la logique dans l´ensemble comme nous crayons que doit caracteriser la recherche aux Sciences Humaines et Sociales. Les considérations finales mettent l´accent d´un côté sur l´efficacité de la pédagogie Freinet, pour orienter le processus de l´enseignement apprentissage, en tous les dégres de l´enseignement et de l´autre côté nous montre la nécessité urgente de l´équipe de l´école champ de la recherche, de qualifier sa pratique à partir des références théoriques-pratiques de la pédagogie Freinet

Dispositivos MIS à base de Ftalocianina e óxido de alumínio produzidos por impressão jato de tinta em substrato flexível

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Separation of particles leading either to decay or unlimited growth of energy in a driven stadium-like billiard

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Produção de cerveja, utilizando méis de diferentes origens botânicas como adjuntos

This study aimed to produce beer, using different botanical origins of honeys (orange, eucalyptus and wild), as malt adjuncts, and their Physical-chemical and sensorial characterizations. The production was made with malt, water, hops and honey. All musts were adjusted to 12 Brix, and the concentration of honey in the formulation was 45% (based on the extract), except for the control (0%). The physical and chemical analysis were performed on malt (extract content), honey (pH, free acidity, lactonic acidity, total acidity, color, turbidity, extract content, moisture content, reducing sugar, total reducing sugar and sucrose) in wort (content extract, pH, color, turbidity, fermentability ,bitterness and total acidity) and beer apparent extract, apparent fermentability, real extract, real fermentability, alcohol content, pH, total acidity, total foam, foam density , bitterness, carbon dioxide, color and turbidity). Sensory analysis was performed by nine-points hedonic scale testing. The attributes evaluated were appearance, aroma, flavor and overall. The results were submitted to ANOVA and means compared by Tukey testing at a 5% of probability. Beer with honey as adjuncts’ had high fermentability and low content of fat, compared to the pure malt beer. The addition of honey as an adjunct did not affect the majority of the physical-chemical parameters, except for turbidity, whereas beer with honey showed the highest value for this feature, in addition, it has also presented their biterness differences the values for beer with honey were lower. The different types of honeys did not affect the acceptability of beer, however, the beer with honey showed greater acceptance between beer with malt and honey

Millennial and sub-millennial scale climatic variations recorded in polar ice cores over the last glacial period

Since its discovery in Greenland ice cores, the millennial scale climatic variability of the last glacial period has been increasingly documented at all latitudes with studies focusing mainly on Marine Isotopic Stage 3 (MIS 3; 28–60 thousand of years before present, hereafter ka) and characterized by short Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events. Recent and new results obtained on the EPICA and NorthGRIP ice cores now precisely describe the rapid variations of Antarctic and Greenland temperature during MIS 5 (73.5–123 ka), a time period corresponding to relatively high sea level. The results display a succession of abrupt events associated with long Greenland InterStadial phases (GIS) enabling us to highlight a sub-millennial scale climatic variability depicted by (i) short-lived and abrupt warming events preceding some GIS (precursor-type events) and (ii) abrupt warming events at the end of some GIS (rebound-type events). The occurrence of these sub-millennial scale events is suggested to be driven by the insolation at high northern latitudes together with the internal forcing of ice sheets. Thanks to a recent NorthGRIP-EPICA Dronning Maud Land (EDML) common timescale over MIS 5, the bipolar sequence of climatic events can be established at millennial to sub-millennial timescale. This shows that for extraordinary long stadial durations the accompanying Antarctic warming amplitude cannot be described by a simple linear relationship between the two as expected from the bipolar seesaw concept. We also show that when ice sheets are extensive, Antarctica does not necessarily warm during the whole GS as the thermal bipolar seesaw model would predict, questioning the Greenland ice core temperature records as a proxy for AMOC changes throughout the glacial period.

The Amplifier - v. 5, no. 1

In this issue...Glee Club, Naranche Stadium, Circle K club, Coffee Shop, Fulbright Scholarship, U.S. Civil Service, Phil Judd, Frank H. Kelly, Butte High School

Vegetation responses to rapid warming and to minor climatic fluctuations during the Late-Glacial Interstadial (GI-1) at Gerzensee (Switzerland)

High-resolution pollen analyses made on the same samples on which the ratios of oxygen isotopes were measured that provided the time scale and a temperature proxy after correlation to NorthGRIP. (1) A primary succession: The vegetation responded to the rapid rise of temperatures around 14,685 yr BP, with a primary succession on a decadal to centennial time scale. The succession between ca 15,600 and 13,000 yr BP included: (1.1.) The replacement of shrub-tundra by woodland of Juniperus and tree birch (around 14,665 yr BP) (1.2.) The response of Juniperus pollen to the shift in oxygen isotopes in less than 20 yr, (1.3.) A sequence of population increases of Hippophaë rhamnoides (ca 14,600 yr BP), Salix spp. (ca 14,600 yr BP), Betula trees (ca.14,480 yr BP), Populus cf. tremula (ca. 14,300 yr BP), and Pinus cf. sylvestris (ca. 13,830 yr BP). (2) Biological processes: Plants responded to the rapid increase of summer temperatures on all organisational levels: (2.1) Individuals may have produced more pollen (e.g. Juniperus); (2.2) Populations increased or decreased (e.g. Juniperus, Betula, later Pinus), and (2.3) Populations changed their biogeographical range and may show migrational lags. (2.4) Plant communities changed in their composition because the species pools changed through immigration and (local) extinction. Some plant communities may have been without modern analogue.These mechanisms require increasing amounts of time. (2.5) Processes on the level of ecosystems, with species interactions, may involve various time scales. Besides competition and facilitation, nitrogen fixation is discussed. (3) The minor fluctuations of temperature during the Late-Glacial Interstadial, which are recorded in δ18O, resulted in only very minor changes in pollen during the Aegelsee Oscillation (Older Dryas biozone, GI-1d) and the Gerzensee Oscillation (GI-1b). (4) Biodiversity: The afforestation at the onset of Bølling coincided with a gradual increase of taxonomic diversity up to the time of the major Pinus expansion.

Chronostratigraphic framework at sites GeoB14403 and GeoB14414 from the Gela Basin, Sicily Channel

A multi-proxy chronological framework along with sequence-stratigraphic interpretations unveils composite Milankovitch cyclicity in the sedimentary records of the Last GlacialeInterglacial cycle at NE Gela Basin on the Sicilian continental margin. Chronostratigraphic data (including foraminifera-based eco-biostratigraphy and d18O records, tephrochronological markers and 14C AMS radiometric datings) was derived from the shallow-shelf drill sites GeoB14403 (54.6 m recovery) and GeoB14414 (27.5 m), collected with both gravity and drilled MeBo cores in 193 m and 146 m water depth, respectively. The recovered intervals record Marine Isotope Stages and Substages (MIS) from MIS 5 to MIS 1, thus comprising major stratigraphic parts of the progradational deposits that form the last 100-ka depositional sequence. Calibration of shelf sedimentary units with borehole stratigraphies indicates the impact of higher-frequency (20-ka) sea level cycles punctuating this 100-ka cycle. This becomes most evident in the alternation of thick interstadial highstand (HST) wedges and thinner glacial forced-regression (FSST) units mirroring seaward shifts in coastal progradation. Albeit their relatively short-lived depositional phase, these subordinate HST units form the bulk of the 100-ka depositional sequence. Two mechanisms are proposed that likely account for enhanced sediment accumulation ratios (SAR) of up to 200 cm/ka during these intervals: (1) intensified activity of deep and intermediate Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) associated to the drowning of Mediterranean shelves, and (2) amplified sediment flux along the flooded shelf in response to hyperpycnal plumes that generate through extreme precipitation events during overall arid conditions. Equally, the latter mechanism is thought to be at the origin of undulated features resolved in the acoustic records of MIS 5 Interstadials, which bear a striking resemblance to modern equivalents forming on late-Holocene prodeltas of other Mediterranean shallow-shelf settings.

Mis dos dificultades como filósofo

Fil: Roig, Arturo Andrés.

High-resolution multi-proxy record of the last glacial period from Lake Van, eastern Anatolian high plateau, Turkey

Detailed analyses of the Lake Van pollen, Ca/K ratio and stable oxygen isotope record allow the identification of millennial-scale vegetation and environmental changes in eastern Anatolia throughout the last glacial (~75-15 ka BP). The climate within the last glacial was cold and dry, with low arboreal pollen (AP) levels. The driest and coldest period corresponds to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 (~28-14.5 ka BP) dominated by the highest values of xerophytic steppe vegetation. Our high-resolution multi proxy record shows rapid expansions and contractions of tree populations that reflects variability in temperature and moisture availability. This rapid vegetation and environmental changes can be linked to the stadial-interstadial pattern of the Dansgaard-Oeschger (DO) events as recorded in the Greenland ice cores. Periods of reduced moisture availability were characterized by enhanced xerophytic species and high terrigenous input from the Lake Van catchment area. Furthermore, comparison with the marine realm reveals that the complex atmosphere-ocean interaction can be explained by the strength and position of the westerlies, which is responsible for the supply of humidity in eastern Anatolia. Influenced by diverse topography of the Lake Van catchment, larger DO interstadials (e.g. DO 19, 17-16, 14, 12 and 8) show the highest expansion of temperate species within the last glacial. However, Heinrich events (HE), characterized by highest concentrations of ice-rafted debris (IRD) in marine sediments, are identified in eastern Anatolia by AP values not lower and high steppe components not more abundant than during DO stadials. In addition, this work is a first attempt to establish a continuous microscopic charcoal record over the last glacial in the Near East, which documents an initial immediate response to millennial-scale climate and environmental variability and enables us to shed light on the history of fire activity during the last glacial.

Sea surface temperatures during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11

The Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11 (424-374 ka) was characterized by a protracted deglaciation and an unusually long climatic optimum. It remains unclear to what degree the climate development during this interglacial reflects the unusually weak orbital forcing or greenhouse gas trends. Previously, arguments about the duration and timing of the MIS11 climatic optimum and about the pace of the deglacial warming were based on a small number of key records, which appear to show regional differences. In order to obtain a global signal of climate evolution during MIS11, we compiled a database of 78 sea surface temperature (SST) records from 57 sites spanning MIS11, aligned these individually on the basis of benthic (N = 28) or planktonic (N = 31) stable oxygen isotope curves to a common time frame and subjected 48 of them to an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. The analysis revealed a high commonality among all records, with the principal SST trend explaining almost 49% of the variability. This trend indicates that on the global scale, the surface ocean underwent rapid deglacial warming during Termination V, in pace with carbon dioxide rise, followed by a broad SST optimum centered at ~410 kyr. The second EOF, which explained ~18% of the variability, revealed the existence of a different SST trend, characterized by a delayed onset of the temperature optimum during MIS11 at ~398 kyr, followed by a prolonged warm period lasting beyond 380 kyr. This trend is most consistently manifested in the mid-latitude North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea and is here attributed to the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation. A sensitivity analysis indicates that these results are robust to record selection and to age-model uncertainties of up to 3-6 kyr, but more sensitive to SST seasonal attribution and SST uncertainties >1 °C. In order to validate the CCSM3 (Community Climate System Model, version 3) predictive potential, the annual and seasonal SST anomalies recorded in a total of 74 proxy records were compared with runs for three time slices representing orbital configuration extremes during the peak interglacial of MIS11. The modeled SST anomalies are characterized by a significantly lower variance compared to the reconstructions. Nevertheless, significant correlations between proxy and model data are found in comparisons on the seasonal basis, indicating that the model captures part of the long-term variability induced by astronomical forcing, which appears to have left a detectable signature in SST trends.

Los trazos de la experiencia en la literatura testimonial del exilio republicano español : Alambradas. Mis nueve meses por los campos de concentración de Francia [1941], de Manuel García Gerpe

La literatura y la cultura españolas de los últimos setenta años no pueden comprenderse de manera completa si no se consideran las consecuencias derivadas de la Guerra Civil de 1936, entre las cuales el exilio de miles de republicanos opuestos al régimen franquista ocupa un espacio de gran relevancia. Pero ese exilio presenta una geografía disímil y heterogénea en todos los niveles, por lo que todavía queda mucho por profundizar. Esta propuesta penetra en uno de sus capítulos más angustiantes: la experiencia de los campos de concentración habilitados en el sur de Francia a principios de 1939 para la reclusión de los españoles, del cual ha surgido desde entonces y hasta la actualidad una densa cantidad de textos testimoniales que la relatan. Uno de ellos es Alambradas. Mis nueve meses por los campos de concentración de Francia, publicado en 1941 por Manuel García Gerpe, quien se estableció en Buenos Aires luego de pasar por los campos. En esta oportunidad, la comunicación se hace eco de uno de los objetivos pendientes: recuperar para el análisis interpretativo los discursos de aquellos sujetos que se han mantenido en la periferia del canon y de los criterios específicos con que se ha abordado el corpus de la literatura exiliada

El vivía con mis amigos : Resignificación de la trayectoria política y de vida de una militante de la izquierda peronista de los años 70

Fil: Basile, Tristán Pablo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.