Values in urban design: A design studio teaching approach

Since 2000, research into the value of urban design has been utilised in consultancy and policy-making with regard to understanding the value of public investment. This research informs an emerging approach to teaching urban design appraisal within a MA urban design studio, in which variations of the residual method are deployed to assess developer value, private good and public good. Here, the relationship of the appraisal and design elements is articulated by an iterative model of design decision and design judgement making. By situating this approach in a broader theory of societal value, we reconceptualise from first principles, the concept of ‘value in urban design’. This also suggests a corresponding definition of urban design in terms of value

Waddling on the Dark Side: Ambient Light Affects Attendance Behavior of Little Penguins

Visible light on Earth largely comes from the sun, including light reflected from the moon. Predation risk is strongly determined by light conditions, and some animals are nocturnal to reduce predation. Artificial lights and its consequent light pollution may disrupt this natural behavior. Here, we used 13 years of attendance data to study the effects of sun, moon, and artificial light on the attendance pattern of a nocturnal seabird, the little penguin Eudyptula minor at Phillip Island, Australia. The little penguin is the smallest and the only penguin species whose activity on land is strictly nocturnal. Automated monitoring systems recorded individually marked penguins every time they arrived (after sunset) at or departed (before sunrise) from 2 colonies under different lighting conditions: natural night skylight and artificial lights (around 3 lux) used to enhance penguin viewing for ecotourism around sunset. Sunlight had a strong effect on attendance as penguins arrived on average around 81 min after sunset and departed around 92 min before sunrise. The effect of moonlight was also strong, varying according to moon phase. Fewer penguins came ashore during full moon nights. Moon phase effect was stronger on departure than arrival times. Thus, during nights between full moon and last quarter, arrival times (after sunset) were delayed, even though moonlight levels were low, while departure times (before sunrise) were earlier, coinciding with high moonlight levels. Cyclic patterns of moon effect were slightly out of phase but significantly between 2 colonies, which could be due to site-specific differences or presence/absence of artificial lights. Moonlight could be overridden by artificial light at our artificially lit colony, but the similar amplitude of attendance patterns between colonies suggests that artificial light did not mask the moonlight effect. Further research is indeed necessary to understand how seabirds respond to the increasing artificial night light levels.Peer reviewe

GaAs(111)A and B in hydrazine sulfide solutions : extreme polarity dependence of surface adsorption processes

Chemical bonds formed by hydrazine-sulfide treatment of GaAs(111) were studied by synchrotron photoemission spectroscopy. At the B surface, the top arsenic atoms are replaced by nitrogen atoms, while GaAs(111)A is covered by sulfur, also bonded to underlying gallium, despite the sulfide molar concentration being 103 times smaller than that of the hydrazine. This extreme dependence on surface polarity is explained by competitive adsorption processes of HS- and OH- anions and of hydrazine molecules, on Ga- adsorption sites, which have distinct configurations on the A and B surfaces

A Detailed Geochemical Study of a Shallow Arc-related Laccolith; the Torres del Paine Mafic Complex (Patagonia)

The shallow crustal Torres del Paine Intrusive Complex in southern Patagonia offers an opportunity to understand the chemical evolution and timing of crystallization processes in shallow plutonic rocks. It is characterized by hornblende-gabbros, gabbronorites, monzodiorites and granitic plutonic rocks. The exceptional exposure of the intrusion permits the identification of two structurally and petrographically different zones. Layered gabbronorite, olivine-bearing pyroxene-hornblende gabbronorite and monzodiorite forming vertical sheets and stocks in the west are referred to here as the feeder zone. These mafic rocks are in vertical contact with younger granitic rocks on their eastern border. The eastern part is a laccolith complex. It is characterized by three major units (I, II, III) of granitic rocks of over 1000 m vertical thickness; these are underlain in places by a sequence of hornblende-gabbro sills intermingled with evolved monzodiorite granite. Chilled, crenulated margins as well as flame structures between gabbroic rocks and monzodiorites suggest that the mafic sill complex remained partially molten during most of its construction. Bulk-rock major and trace element data indicate that the Paine mafic rocks follow a high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic differentiation trend. The parental magmas were basaltic trachyandesite liquids, with variable H2O and alkali contents. The majority of the feeder zone gabbronorites have high Al2O3 contents and positive Eu and Sr anomalies, consistent with accumulation of plagioclase and efficient extraction of intercumulus melt. The mafic sill complex largely lacks these cumulate signatures. Comparisons of the intercumulus groundmass in the hornblende-gabbros with intra-sill dioritic stocks and pods reveal similar rare earth element patterns and trace element ratios indicating incomplete extraction of evolved interstitial liquids. The Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of the mafic and granitic rocks exhibit ranges of 87Sr/86Sr of 0·704-0·708, εNd +3·8 to −1·2, 206Pb/204Pb 18·61-18·77, 207Pb/204Pb 15·67-15·67 and 208Pb/204Pb 38·56-38·77. Crystal fractionation and assimilation-fractional crystallization modelling, combined with high-precision U-Pb dating of zircons, indicates that the western feeder zone gabbronorites are linked to the uppermost Paine granite (granite I), whereas the mafic sill complex is younger and not directly related to the voluminous granite units II and III. These results are interpreted to indicate that crystal-liquid separation is facilitated in subvertical, dynamic feeder systems whereas subhorizontal sill complexes are inefficient in separating large volumes of mafic cumulates and complementary felsic rock

A soft, synergy-based robotic glove for grasping assistance

This paper presents a soft, tendon-driven, robotic glove designed to augment grasp capability and provide rehabilitation assistance for postspinal cord injury patients. The basis of the design is an underactuation approach utilizing postural synergies of the hand to support a large variety of grasps with a single actuator. The glove is lightweight, easy to don, and generates sufficient hand closing force to assist with activities of daily living. Device efficiency was examined through a characterization of the power transmission elements, and output force production was observed to be linear in both cylindrical and pinch grasp configurations. We further show that, as a result of the synergy-inspired actuation strategy, the glove only slightly alters the distribution of forces across the fingers, compared to a natural, unassisted grasping pattern. Finally, a preliminary case study was conducted using a participant suffering from an incomplete spinal cord injury (C7). It was found that through the use of the glove, the participant was able to achieve a 50% performance improvement (from four to six blocks) in a standard Box and Block test

Diet segregation between two colonies of little penguins Eudyptula minor in southeast Australia

We studied foraging segregation between two different sized colonies of little penguins Eudyptula minor with overlapping foraging areas in pre-laying and incubation. We used stomach contents and stable isotope measurements of nitrogen (δ 15N) and carbon (δ 13C) in blood to examine differences in trophic position, prey-size and nutritional values between the two colonies. Diet of little penguins at St Kilda (small colony) relied heavily on anchovy while at Phillip Island (large colony), the diet was more diverse and anchovies were larger than those consumed by St Kilda penguins. Higher δ 15N values at St Kilda, differences in δ 13C values and the prey composition provided further evidence of diet segregation between colonies. Penguins from each colony took anchovies from different cohorts and probably different stocks, although these sites are only 70km apart. Differences in diet were not reflected in protein levels in the blood of penguins, suggesting that variation in prey between colonies was not related to differences in nutritional value of the diet. Anchovy is currently the only available prey to penguins throughout the year and its absence could have a negative impact on penguin food supply, particularly at St Kilda where the diet is dominated by this species. While it is difficult to establish whether diet segregation is caused by inter- or intra-colony competition or spatial differences in foraging areas, we have shown that colonies with broadly overlapping foraging ranges could have significant differences in trophic position, diet composition and prey size while maintaining a diet of similar nutritional value. © 2011 The Authors. Austral Ecology © 2011 Ecological Society of Australia.Peer Reviewe

Global approaches and local strategies for phase unwrapping

Phase unwrapping, i.e. the retrieval of absolute phases from wrapped, noisy measures, is a tough problem because of the presence of rotational inconsistencies (residues), randomly generated by noise and undersampling on the principal phase gradient field. These inconsistencies prevent the recovery of the absolute phase field by direct integration of the wrapped gradients. In this paper we examine the relative merit of known global approaches and then we present evidence that our approach based on “stochastic annealing” can recover the true phase field also in noisy areas with severe undersampling, where other methods fail. Then, some experiments with local approaches are presented. A fast neural filter has been trained to eliminate close residue couples by joining them in a way which takes into account the local phase information. Performances are about 60–70% of the residues. Finally, other experiments have been aimed at designing an automated method for the determination of weight matrices to use in conjunction with local phase unwrapping algorithms. The method, tested with the minimum cost flow algorithm, gives good performances over both simulated and real data

Measuring the impact of spatial network layout on community social cohesion: A cross-sectional study

Background: There is now a substantial body of research suggesting that social cohesion, a collective characteristic measured by the levels of trust, reciprocity and formation of strong social bonds within communities, is an important factor in determining health. Of particular interest is the extent to which factors in the built environment facilitate, or impede, the development of social bonds. Severance is a characteristic of physical environments which is hypothesized to inhibit cohesion. In the current study we test a number of characteristics of spatial networks which could be hypothesized to relate either to severance, or directly to community cohesion. Particular focus is given to our most promising variable for further analysis (Convex Hull Maximum Radius 600 m).Methods: In the current study we analysed social cohesion as measured at Enumeration District level, aggregated from a survey of 10,892 individuals aged 18 to 74 years in the Caerphilly Health and Social Needs Cohort Study, 2001. In a data mining process we test 16 network variables on multiple scales. The variable showing the most promise is validated in a test on an independent data set. We then conduct a multivariate regression also including Townsend deprivation scores and urban/rural status as predictor variables for social cohesion.Results: We find convex hull maximum radius at a 600 m scale to have a small but highly significant correlation with social cohesion on both data sets. Deprivation has a stronger effect. Splitting the analysis by tertile of deprivation, we find that the effect of severance as measured by this variable is strongest in the most deprived areas. A range of spatial scales are tested, with the strongest effects being observed at scales that match typical walking distances.Conclusion: We conclude that physical connectivity as measured in this paper has a significant effect on social cohesion, and that our measure is unlikely to proxy either deprivation or the urban/rural status of communities. Possible mechanisms for the effect include intrinsic navigability of areas, and the existence of a focal route on which people can meet on foot. Further investigation may lead to much stronger predictive models of social cohesion. © 2014 Cooper et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Zircon U-Pb, geochemical and isotopic constraints on the age and origin of A- and I-type granites and gabbro-diorites from NW Iran

Highlights • There are Late Cretaceous granitoids and Paleocene A-type granites in NW Iran. • Different mechanisms are suggested for genesis of granitoids and A-type granites. • Subduction initiation and extension generated granitoids during the Late Cretaceous. Abstract The continental crust of NW Iran is intruded by Late Cretaceous I-type granites and gabbro-diorites as well as Paleocene A-type granites. SIMS and LA-ICPMS U-Pb analyses of zircons yield ages of 100–92 Ma (Late Cretaceous) for I-type granites and gabbro-diorites and 61–63 Ma (Paleocene) for A-type granites. Late Cretaceous gabbro-diorites (including mafic microgranular enclaves; MMEs) from NW Iran show variably evolved signatures. They show depletion in Nb and Ta on N-MORB-normalized trace-element spider-diagrams and have high Th/Yb ratios, suggesting their precursor magmas were generated in a subduction-related environment. Gabbro-diorites have variable zircon εHf(t) values of +1.2 to +8, δ18O of 6.4 to 7.4‰ and bulk rock εNd(t) of −1.4 to ~ +4.9. The geochemical and isotopic data attest to melting of subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) to generate near-primitive gabbros with radiogenic Nd isotopes (εNd(t) = ~ +4.9) and high Nb/Ta and Zr/Hf ratios, similar to mantle melts (Nb/Ta ~ 17 and Zr/Hf ~ 38). These mafic melts underwent further fractionation and mixing with crustal melts to generate Late Cretaceous evolved gabbro-diorites. Geochemical data for I-type granites indicate both Nb-Ta negative and positive anomalies along with enrichment in light REEs. These rocks are peraluminous and have variable bulk-rock εNd(t) (−1.4 to +1.3), zircon εHf(t) (+2.8 to +10.4) and δ18O (4.7–7.3‰) values, but radiogenic bulk rock Pb isotopes. The geochemical and isotopic signatures of these granites suggest interaction of mantle-derived mafic magmas (similar to near-primitive Oshnavieh gabbros) with middle-upper crust through assimilation-fractional crystallization (AFC) to produce Late Cretaceous I-type granites. Paleocene A-type granites have distinctive geochemical features compared to I-type granitoids, including enrichment in Nb-Ta, high bulk rock εNd(t) (+3.3 to +3.9) and zircon εHf(t) (+5.1 − +9.9) values. Alkaline granites are ferroan; they have low MgO, CaO, Sr, Ba and Eu concentrations and high total Fe2O3, K2O, Na2O, Al2O3, Ga, Zr, Nb-Ta, Th and rare earth element (REE) abundances and Ga/Al ratios. These rocks might be related to fractionation of a melt derived from a sub-continental lithospheric mantle, but which interacted with asthenosphere-derived melts. We suggest that subduction initiation and the resultant slab roll-back caused extreme extension in the overlying Iranian plate, induced convection in the mantle wedge and led to the decompression melting of SCLM. Rising mantle-derived magmas assimilated middle-upper crustal rocks. Fractionating mantle-derived magmas and contamination with crustal components produced evolved gabbro-diorites and I-type granites. In contrast, asthenospheric upwelling during the Paleocene provided heat for melting and interaction with SCLM to generate the precursor melts to the A-type granites