CANSAT: Design of a Small Autonomous Sounding Rocket Payload

CanSat is an international student design-build-launch competition organized by the American Astronautical Society (AAS) and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The competition is also sponsored by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), AGI, Orbital Sciences Corporation, Praxis Incorporated, and SolidWorks. Specifically, the 2009 Virginia Tech CanSat Team is funded by BAE Systems, Incorporated of Manassas, Virginia. The objective of the 2009 CanSat competition is to complete remote sensing missions by designing a small autonomous sounding rocket payload. The payload designed will follow and perform to a specific set of mission requirements for the 2009 competition. The competition encompasses a complete life-cycle of one year which includes all phases of design, integration, testing, reviews, and launch

Construction and Demolition Waste: Challenges and Opportunities

The current production and consumption models of building materials are causing severe environmental and social problems worldwide. In this sense, construction and demolition waste (C&DW) are part of the problem and can be part of the solution, particularly in developing countries where the construction industry is growing very rapidly. Although many efforts have been made by stakeholders to increase the use of C&DW in construction materials, articulated efforts are required at global, national, and local scales to develop truly sustainable construction sectors. Therefore, this e-book, which is based on the “Special Issue on Construction and Demolition Waste: Challenges and Opportunities”, is an effort to articulate knowledge on novel and innovative building materials using C&DW and management systems to develop circular economy models (CE) for the construction sector. In this e-book, it is concluded that even though the valorization of C&DW has been developed worldwide, more incentives need to be provided to really convert the local and national construction chains in sustainable sectors, which appropriate the circular economy for production and consumption systems that imrpove, at the least, efficiency in terms of materials, water and energy use

Properties and Novel Applications of Recycled Aggregates

The aggregates used in construction are the natural resource consumed the most in the world after air and water. Due to overexploitation, all environmental laws reward the use of recycled materials to guarantee the reduction of consumption of natural aggregates. The use of reclaimed aggregates, reused aggregates, and recycled aggregates increases sustainability in construction activities. Today, they are strategic materials in the manufacturing of green concrete and mortars and as road construction eco-efficient materials. In addition, the use of recycled aggregates from industrial or mining byproducts presents great potential in construction activities as recycled aggregates and/or supplementary cementitious materials. This Special Issue is open to new experiences in construction materials and/or works made with recycled aggregates

Enduring strengths: analysing the UK’s current and potential economic strengths, and what they mean for its economic strategy, at the start of the decisive decade

Key to building a new economic strategy which can revitalise the UK economy after a decade of stagnation is understanding our current strengths, how these strengths evolve, and the trade-offs they present. The report uses global data on trade in goods and services and patenting to uncover where the UK’s relative strengths lie; we study the extent to which these strengths have changed over time and compare with international peers; and undertake several deep dives into the areas in which the UK has developed a specialism. Finally we consider what the UK’s mix of specialisms means for a wider economic strategy

Enduring strengths: Analysing the UKs current and potential economic strengths, and what they mean for its economic strategy, at the start of the decisive decade

Key to building a new economic strategy which can revitalise the UK economy after a decade of stagnation is understanding our current strengths, how these strengths evolve, and the trade-offs they present.The report uses global data on trade in goods and services and patenting to uncover where the UK's relative strengths lie; we study the extent to which these strengths have changed over time and compare with international peers; and undertake several deep dives into the areas in which the UK has developed a specialism. Finally we consider what the UK's mix of specialisms means for a wider economic strategy

New Opportunities for Integrated Formal Methods

Formal methods have provided approaches for investigating software engineering fundamentals and also have high potential to improve current practices in dependability assurance. In this article, we summarise known strengths and weaknesses of formal methods. From the perspective of the assurance of robots and autonomous systems~(RAS), we highlight new opportunities for integrated formal methods and identify threats to their adoption to be mitigated. Based on these opportunities and threats, we develop an agenda for fundamental and empirical research on integrated formal methods and for successful transfer of validated research to RAS assurance. Furthermore, we outline our expectations on useful outcomes of such an agenda

Current, Issue 05: Design Research Journal

[Health Design] Design as Collective Intelligence / Jorge Frascara & Guillermina Noël – Design Principles & Practices Conference / Lorezo Imbezi & Louise St. Pierre – Stay Safe / Jonathan Aitken, Daisy Aylott, Craig Fleisch, Deborah Shackleton & Lan Yan – Violence and Aggression in Health Care / Cheryl Li – [Sustainability] A New Recycling System / Vicky Chu – The Hometown Project / Jean Chisholm & Janine Merkl – The New Clothes / Mia Daniels – Packaging Systems for Transportation / Romney Shipway – [Systems] Design as Activism / Ann Thorpe – Meta-designing Design Education / Christopher Hethrington – [Interactivity] Emily@GROW / Kate Armstrong & Haig Armen – Evolving the Book / Adam Cristobal – Book Design for Open Humanities / Katherine Gillieson"The journal is designed, edited, produced and marketed by undergraduates in communication design with article contributions from students in both the graduate and undergraduate programs, alumni and faculty. We welcome new readers and celebrate the beginnings of a communicative venture to challenge the way we imagine process, discern the validation of the designer and explore the ethos of creative intelligence."--from website.Editors: Dr. Glen Lowry, Celeste Martin & Deborah Shackleton – Copy Editors: Montserrat Collantes, Celeste Martin &Tara Wren – Creative Directors: Carly Hodgkinson & Celeste Martin – Art Directors: Jean Chisholm & Emanuel Ilagan – Production Managers: Jacquie Shaw & Victoria Simansjah – Design & Prodution: Jocelyn Aarnoutse, Katie Dixon, Alice Jen, Lucas Lopes, Alan Maranho & Yadira Stubbs – Photography: Bernard Patacsil & Jacquie Shaw – Illustration: Jean Chisholm, Katie Dixon & Alan Maranho – Digital Video: Emanuell Ilagan & Bernard Patacsil – Cover Design: Jean Chisholm, Katie Dixon, Emanuel Ilagan & Alan Maranho – Logo Design: Evans Li – Blog: Bernard Patacsil, Jacquie Shaw & Victoria Simansjah – Web Blog Support: Grant GregsonPublished annually

Innovative Structural Applications of High Performance Concrete Materials in Sustainable Construction

Concrete is the most widely utilized construction material in the world. Thus, any action intended to enhance the sustainability of the construction industry must consider the supply chain, production, distribution demolition and eventual disposal, landfilling or recycling of this composite material. High-performance concrete may be one of the most effective options to make the construction sector more sustainable. Experience proves that the use of recycled concrete aggregates, as well as the partial replacement of ordinary Portland cement with other supplementary cementitious materials or alternative binders, are generally accepted as the most realistic solutions to reduce the environmental impacts, leading to sufficiently high mechanical performances. In structural applications such as those concerning the seismic and energy retrofitting of existing buildings, the use of high-performance cementitious composites often represents the more cost-effective solution, which allows us to minimize the costs of the intervention and the environmental impact. Eventually, the challenge of enhancing sustainability by raising durability of concrete structures is particularly relevant in those applications where maintenance is particularly expensive and impactful, in terms of both direct intervention costs and indirect costs deriving from downtime. The present Special Issue aims at providing readers with the most recent research results on the aforementioned subjects and further foster a collaboration between the scientific community and the industrial sector on a common commitment towards sustainable concrete constructions

New Frontiers in Cementitious and Lime-Based Materials and Composites

Cement and lime currently are the most common binders in building materials. However, alternative materials and methods are needed to overcome the functional limitations and environmental footprint of conventional products. This Special Issue dedicated to “New frontiers in cementitious and lime-based materials and composites” gathers selected reviews and experimental articles that showcase the most recent trends in this multidisciplinary field. Authoritative contributions from all around the world provide important insights into all areas of research related to cementitious and lime-based materials and composites, spanning from structural engineering to geotechnics, including materials science and processing technology. This Topical Collection is intended to foster innovation and help researchers and developers to identify new solutions for a more sustainable and functional built environment

SInCom 2015

2nd Baden-Württemberg Center of Applied Research Symposium on Information and Communication Systems, SInCom 2015, 13. November 2015 in Konstan