Ten Points Toward Architecture

Hermetic worlds entice. Between womb and grave the yearning to define a limited universe within which we exist pulls at us with a siren\u27s call. Architects, more than most, tend to fall victim to this song

Light, texture and sound in a training centre for the blind and visually impaired

Includes bibliographical references.KENGO KUMA suggests that fashion driven architecture is a thing of the past as occupants begin to demand more from the space that they inhabit. This project aims for an architecture that connects building and occupant through the use of light, and materials, and the connection of them and the human body. Programme: a training centre for the blind and visually impaired that aims to assist the reintegration of the non-sighted and sighted communities through their economic independence. The building would also offer spaces such as a cafe and a conference centre that would generate funds, making the running of the building itself self-reliant

Something borrowed: sequence alignment and the identification of similar passages in large text collections

The following article describes a simple technique to identify lexically-similar passages in large collections of text using sequence alignment algorithms. Primarily used in the field of bioinformatics to identify similar segments of DNA in genome research, sequence alignment has also been employed in many other domains, from plagiarism detection to image processing. While we have applied this approach to a wide variety of diverse text collections, we will focus our discussion here on the identification of similar passages in the famous 18th-century Encyclopédie of Denis Diderot and Jean d'Alembert. Reference works, such as encyclopedias and dictionaries, are generally expected to "reuse" or "borrow" passages from many sources and Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopédie was no exception. Drawn from an immense variety of source material, both French and non-French, many, if not most, of the borrowings that occur in the Encyclopédie are not sufficiently identified (according to our standards of modern citation), or are only partially acknowledged in passing. The systematic identification of recycled passages can thus offer us a clear indication of the sources the philosophes were exploiting as well as the extent to which the intertextual relations that accompanied its composition and subsequent reception can be explored. In the end,we hope this approach to "Encyclopedic intertextuality" using sequence alignment can broaden the discussion concerning the relationship of Enlightenment thought to previous intellectual traditions as well as its reuse in the centuries that followed

Rheumatoid Arthritis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease: Diagnostic Dilemma

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is an increasingly recognized complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) contributing to significantly increased morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis can be challenging since patients are unlikely to report dyspnea due to an overall decrease in physical activity with advanced arthritic symptoms. Additionally, infections, drug toxicity, and environmental toxins can mimic ILD, creating significant diagnostic dilemmas for the clinician. In this paper we will explore an effective clinical algorithm for the diagnosis of RA-ILD. We will also discuss features of drug-related toxicities, infections, and environmental toxins that comprise the main entities in the differential diagnosis of RA-ILD. Finally, we will explore the known and experimental treatment options that may have some benefit in the treatment of RA-ILD

Remotely Accessible Laboratory for Teaching and Research on Solar Thermal Collectors

This paper discusses a new test platform for evaluating the performance of solar thermal collectors that was recently designed and constructed on the roof of the Applied Energy Laboratory at Purdue University, located at 40.4 °N and 86.9 °W. The test platform is mainly used for teaching undergraduate students about applications of thermodynamics and renewable energy, but it can also be used for comparative evaluations of solar thermal collector designs according to an established test standard. The entire system is monitored and controlled by a web-based Building Automation System that automatically tracks and trends both weather data and the performance of individual solar collectors. The online data is particularly helpful for undergraduate education because large numbers of students, including international partners, can access real-time data to learn about solar energy applications. The weather at this location varies significantly by season, which has a substantial impact on the performance of the solar thermal collectors. ASHRAE designates this location as climate zone that experiences both hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. The solar intensity also varies by season, with longer and more sunny days during the summer and shorter and more cloudy days during the winter. Not surprisingly, evaluations of solar collector performance vary seasonally too. Solar collector efficiency, the ratio of thermal energy collected to the solar energy available, varies from 10% to 80%. Solar energy factor, the ratio of thermal energy collected to the source energy (electricity) to circulate the fluid, varies from 10 to 150. Both performance terms (efficiency and energy factor) are needed to get a complete picture of solar collector performance

HOUSEHOLDS' EXPERIENCES WITH THE RED IMPORTED FIRE ANT IN SOUTH CAROLINA

The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), abbreviated as RIFA, is believed to have been brought by accident to Mobile, Alabama in the 1930s via ship ballast from South America. The RIFA was first reported in Charleston and Orangeburg counties in South Carolina in 1952 and has since spread to all 46 counties in the state. The RIFA has had adverse impacts on the environments it has infested. In natural environments, the young of ground-nesting insects, reptiles, birds and mammals are subject to RIFA predation. In agriculture, the RIFA damages crops and livestock. The RIFA poses a health threat to humans, as it is aggressive and has a venomous sting. To learn more about the current impacts of the RIFA, a random sample of South Carolina households was conducted between November 1998 and January 1999. This report summarizes the survey results.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Automated tension infiltrometer

An automated tension infiltrometer including a soil contacting base to which is mounted a porous plate for interfacing the infiltrometer with the soil to be analyzed. A Marriotte column is positioned in the base so that its open bottom end abuts the porous plate. A bubble tower is also positioned in the base and has a bubbling tube operatively connected between its interior and interior of the Marriotte column. The bubble tower is adjustable to provide variable tension to the Marriotte column. First and second transducers are positioned at the upper and lower parts of the Marriotte column and continuously measure pressure changes at those positions while water from the column infiltrates into the soil. By correlating these measurements, improved precision in measuring water level is achieved, which in turn allows improved results regarding deriving soil characteristic information