A Conceptual Framework for Designing Interactive Human-Centred Building Spaces to Enhance User Experience in Specific-Purpose Buildings

Human/User interaction with buildings are mostly restricted to interacting with building automation systems through user-interfaces that mainly aim to improve energy efficiency of buildings and ensure comfort of occupants. This research builds on the existing theories of Human-Building Interaction (HBI) and proposes a novel conceptual framework for HBI that combines the concepts of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Ambient Intelligence (AmI). The proposed framework aims to study the needs of occupants in specific-purpose buildings, which is currently undermined. Specifically, we explore the application of the proposed HBI framework to improve the learning experience of students in academic buildings. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted among students who are considered primary occupants of Goodwin Hall, a flagship smart engineering building at Virginia Tech. Qualitative coding and concept mapping were used to analyze the qualitative data and determine the impact of occupant-specific needs on the learning experience of students in academic buildings. The occupant-specific problem that was found to have the highest direct impact on learning experience was finding study space and highest indirect impact was Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ). We discuss new ideas for designing Intelligent User Interfaces (IUI), e.g. Augmented Reality (AR), increase the perceivable affordances for building occupants and considering a context-aware ubiquitous analytics-based strategy to provide services that are tailored to address the identified needs

Project Schedule Compression Considering Multi-objective Decision Environment

This research aims to present a new method to circumvent the limitations of current schedule compression methods, which reduce schedule crashing to the traditional time-cost trade-off analysis, where only cost is considered. In this research the schedule compression process is modeled as a multi-attributed decision making problem in which different factors contribute to priority setting for activity crashing. For this purpose, a modified format of the Multiple Binary Decision Method (MBDM) and an iterative crashing process are utilized. The developed method is implemented in Visual Basic 2010 environment, with a dynamic link to MS-Project to facilitate the needed iterative rescheduling of project activities. To demonstrate the use of the developed method and to highlight its capabilities, 3 case examples drawn from literature were analyzed. When considering cost only, the generated results were in good agreement with those generated using the Harmony Search method, Genetic Algorithms and iterative crashing process used in original examples, particularly in capturing the project least-cost duration. However, when other factors in addition to cost were considered, as expected, different project least-cost and associated durations were obtained. The novelty of the developed method lies in its capacity to allow for the consideration of a number of factors in addition to cost. Also through its allowance for possible variations in the relative importance of these factors at the individual activity level, it provides contractors with a number of compression execution plans and assists them in identifying the most suitable plan. Accordingly, it enables the integration of contractors’ judgment and experience in the crashing process and permits consideration of different project environments and constraints

Effects of Growth Stages on Forage Quality of Specific Halophytes (Limonium Iranicum & Reaumuria Fruticosa) in the Bajestan Desert of Korasan Province, Iran

Limited water resources, increased salinity, and lack of food sources in arid areas affect livestock productivity. Thus, the production potential of halophytes in saline habitats as an alternative source is of particular importance. In addition, forage quality is one of the factors determining the nutritional requirements of livestock and subsequently the grazing capacity of rangelands, and it needs to be evaluated in line with introducing the halophytes as livestock forage. In the present study, the two dominant halophytes, Limonium iranicum and Reaumuria fruticosa, were selected in the Bajestan Desrt and forage quality traits were measured at vegetative growth, flowering, and seed maturity stages. Forage quality traits including DMD, CP, CF, WSC, ASH, and ADF were measured by NIR. Data were analyzed using a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with SAS software. Mean comparisons were conducted using Duncan's Multiple Range test. According to the obtained results, forage quality traits showed significant differences at three phenological stages (P<0.01). Limonium iranicum showed the highest value of crude protein at vegetative growth stage, while for Reaumuria fruticosa, the highest value of CP was recorded at flowering and seed maturity stages, indicating a higher forage quality. Our results clearly showed that the forage quality of the halophytes studied here differed, depending on species composition and growth stage which should be considered for livestock feed management.

Evaluation of Forage Quality Indicators Using Multivariate Methods (Case Study: Rangelands of Karsanak, Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari Province)

In most studies on forage quality, the rank of species and the interaction effect between species and time (grazing months) has not been analyzed for forage quality (Meshkani 1986). An additive main effect and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model is able to analyse the interaction of species in the environment. Studies on stability of forage production have been carried out using the AMMI model (Farshadfar et al. 2010). The objective of the current research was to determine the forage quality indicators of range species through AMMI models in semi-steppe rangelands of Karsanak area of Iran

Habitat Conditions of the Most Important Medicinal Plants from Lamiaceae Family in Mazandaran Province

The production and proper utilization of medicinal plants in natural habitats need to review and identify the natural conditions and climate of the habitat of these plants and separating them from harmful and poisonous plants. The current study was aimed to introduce and determine the distribution of medicinal plants from Lamiaceae family in Mazandaran province as well as the introduction of natural habitats in order to provide information for executive agencies and administrators of land use plan to be used for optimal utilization of potentials of natural resources. In this study, after collecting the documents, the aromatic and medicinal species (wild species) of Mazandaran province were identified and their distribution was investigated. According to the obtained results, the medicinal species of Lamiaceae family in Mazandaran province contain 23 species, belonging to 11 genera among which Stachys spp. with seven species is known as the riches genus in Lamiaceae family, distributed in an area of 16322 km2 in Mazandaran province. As a result of this study, the distributionmap of natural habitats, habitat conditions, life form, and utilizable organs of medicinal species belonging to Lamiaceae family in Mazandaran province have been provided. According to the rich flora of Mazandaran province, the results of this study could help in financing, planning, cultivation and production of medicinal plants at industrial levels. In addition, the production of herbal medicines could be used in pharmaceutical, medical and food industries

Advanced control algorithm for FADEC systems in the next generation of turbofan engines to minimize emission levels

New propulsion systems in aircrafts must meet strict regulations and emission limitations. The Flightpath 2050 goals set by the Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe (ACARE) include reductions of 75%, 90%, and 65% in CO2, NOx, and noise, respectively. These goals are not fully satisfied by marginal improvements in gas turbine technology or aircraft design. A novel control design procedure for the next generation of turbofan engines is proposed in this paper to improve Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) systems and reduce the emission levels to meet the Flightpath 2050 regulations. Hence, an Adaptive Network–based Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS), nonlinear autoregressive network with exogenous inputs (NARX) techniques, and the block-structure Hammerstein–Wiener approach are used to develop a model for a turbofan engine. The Min–Max control structure is chosen as the most widely used practical control algorithm for gas turbine aero engines. The objective function is considered to minimize the emission level for the engine in a pre-defined maneuver while keeping the engine performance in different aspects. The Genetic Algorithm (GA) is applied to find the optimized control structure. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach in emission reduction for the next generation of turbofan engines

Modeling Organizational Embeddedness in Digital Infrastructures of the Banking Industry (A case study of Central Bank of Islamic Republic of Iran)

Purpose: Most of the reasons that result in high staff turnover and cost a lot of money on new employees are rooted in the lack of current job embeddedness and finding a way to keep employees in their current job has always been a concern for Central Bank managers. So the question is how to find a suitable model of human resource management in this regard? Method: Developmental research was designed with a qualitative approach and the strategy of the ground theory. Data were collected from in-depth interviews conducted with 25 expert managers of the Central Bank based on purposeful sampling and continued until reaching theoretical saturation. Using data analysis and coding, the initial conceptual model was created using the opinions of experts. In the quantitative section, 346 lower-ranking employees were selected by stratified random sampling method to answer the questionnaire. Qualitative data analysis was done using the thematic analysis method. Quantitative data analysis by using confirmatory factor analysis was analyzed and coded with the help of SPSS, and AMOS software. Each of them was evaluated separately, based on the systematic method of Strauss and Corbin. Findings: Eventually, a model was created for organization embeddedness that could be helpful for the organization to reduce costs and increase employee productivity. Conclusion: Organizations and the community should hire staff only by holding exams and obtaining the necessary quorum for this aim. They should not discriminate against applicants and all should be in the same conditions to qualify and compete so do best to succeed in own job

Effects of Growth Stages on Forage Quality of Specific Halophytes (Limonium Iranicum & Reaumuria Fruticosa) in the Bajestan Desert of Korasan Province, Iran

Limited water resources, increased salinity, and lack of food sources in arid areas affect livestock productivity. Thus, the production potential of halophytes in saline habitats as an alternative source is of particular importance. In addition, forage quality is one of the factors determining the nutritional requirements of livestock and subsequently the grazing capacity of rangelands, and it needs to be evaluated in line with introducing the halophytes as livestock forage. In the present study, the two dominant halophytes, Limonium iranicum and Reaumuria fruticosa, were selected in the Bajestan Desrt and forage quality traits were measured at vegetative growth, flowering, and seed maturity stages. Forage quality traits including DMD, CP, CF, WSC, ASH, and ADF were measured by NIR. Data were analyzed using a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with SAS software. Mean comparisons were conducted using Duncan's Multiple Range test. According to the obtained results, forage quality traits showed significant differences at three phenological stages (P<0.01). Limonium iranicum showed the highest value of crude protein at vegetative growth stage, while for Reaumuria fruticosa, the highest value of CP was recorded at flowering and seed maturity stages, indicating a higher forage quality. Our results clearly showed that the forage quality of the halophytes studied here differed, depending on species composition and growth stage which should be considered for livestock feed management.

Enhancement of biodegradable polymer properties by physical and chemical revisited method

Recently, interested in compound production has moved towards using natural polymers as strengthening due to the environmental advantages. The use of Bio-degradable matrices is worth considering since this will result in fully biodegradable compound. In to evaluate the most appropriate array plastic, one has to know the property of available plastics. Since information tends to be dispersed over several sources and are very rare in comparison to the traditional polymer materials, it is the goal of this article to provide an overview of the most relevant property of the range are biodegradable polymeric. A review like the one shown here can provide a helpful guide to establish the best balance between the comparing properties requirements

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles using Juglans regia green husk (walnut) water extract and evaluationantibacterial activity

Biosynthesis of Ag-NPs at room temperature by using Juglans regia (J. regia) green husk extract which acts as reductant and stabilizer, simultaneously. The Ag/J. regia were characterized by using UV–visible, zeta potential, TEM, and AFM. Formation of Ag/ J. regia was determined by UV–vis spectroscopy, where absorption maxima surface plasmon at 400-460 nm. The zeta potential analysis indicated that J. regia green husk extract was negative and increasing in Ag/ J. regia. TEM images show the mean particle size was 31.37 nm with the standard deviation of 7.1 nm, where confirm by AFM measurements. The XRD study indicates the crystalline nature of the Ag-NPs. The antibacterial activity of Ag-NPs was investigated against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by the disc diffusion method were found to have high antibacterial activity. These results show that Ag-NPs can be useful in different biologic research and biomedical applications