Architecture, the City, and Nature: Part and Whole?

Despite all the differences that immediately come to mind when natural and artificial landscapes are compared, we tend to believe that they are or should be similarly whole and entire, that each is best when characterized by unity. The same is true for individual buildings: each should be all-of-a-piece

The Beginning of the Beginning: Kahn and Architectural Education in Philadelphia

Paul Philippe Cret was one of Penn’s greatest teachers and one of the city’s greatest architects. Louis I. Kahn, the University’s most well–known teacher, was one of Cret’s students. Holmes Perkins, educated at Harvard under Walter Gropius, reshaped the School and changed its orientation. The key task of the three architects was to articulate a new understanding of what is specific to the discipline, recreating its professional and intellectual center and orientation. This would not require the replacement or elimination of what had been developed in the preceding years; instead the task was to augment it with a more focused sense of what architecture itself is all about

Tools For Growth: A Case Study Processing UC Green\u27s Planting Records Using Remote Software Tools

Urban tree inventories typically require extensive field work for data collection, but a new software tool has been developed to remotely determine an urban forest’s features using publicly available online images. In this study, tree planting records from UC Green were processed for current features and environmental impacts using only remote data collection and data management tools. Trees in the organization’s planting record were first located geographically, identified by genus and species, and then algorithmically measured for diameter. After aggregating and verifying fifteen years of bi-annual planting records and processing them with the remote tools, the full record was entered into a live database to facilitate monitoring and maintenance, and then analyzed for its provision of ecosystem services. Out of 1485 street trees confirmed planted by the nonprofit, 1232 were found to be presently living with the most common species being Syringa reticulata (Japanese tree lilac), Acer rubrum (red maple), and Gleditsia triacanthos (Honey locust). Some key impacts of this work were determining the size and scope of the nonprofit’s planting accomplishments, as well as estimated ecosystem services, and the facilitation of future monitoring and planting operational performance assessment. The impacts of the UC Green’s tree plantings can be increased further as operations are augmented according to the suggested recommendations, which were based on the study’s results

Development of carbon fibre reinforced carbon-silicon carbide composites for advanced friction brake applications

In the present study, different origins of recycled carbon fibre and carbon are evaluated against virgin-based alternatives as cost-effective constituents inside carbon fibre/carbon-silicon carbide (Cf/C-SiC) composites. These include: recycled, end-of-life or reclaimed carbon fibre and pyrolytic carbon (pyC), which are investigated inside these composites for potential friction materials to replace or extend the life of current high-end automotive, industrial and aircraft brake discs. The literature review begins by investigating the differences and implications of the applications on the requirements of the carbon fibre inside the composite and documents past and current progress made. The constituents that comprise these composites were investigated and the manufacture routes were reported in terms of their advantages and disadvantages. A three-step process was identified as the most costeffective and promising route to manufacture these new Cf/C-SiC composites with suitably high mechanical properties: 1). Polymer infiltration (PI) and hot pressing (HP) to create a carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP), 2). Pyrolysis to convert the CFRP into a porous Cf/C composite, 3). Liquid silicon infiltration (LSI) to introduce the silicon carbide (SiC) matrix. Beyond this, the aims, feasibility and current progress of recycling carbon fibres were documented. It was found that current recycling technologies are in their infancy, in both academia and industry, although great commercial potential is recognised. Investigations herein revealed the capability to mechanically recycle carbon fibres from waste carbon fibre pre-pregs and CFRP spars, re-use end-of-life carbon fibre pre-pregs and reclaim carbon fibre from existing CFRP spars using pyrolysis. Testing and analysis were split into two stages: firstly, how the pre-preg architecture changes during pyrolysis and secondly, the resulting Cf/C-SiC composites: microstructural evolution after LSI; physical, mechanical and micro-mechanical properties; frictional performance. Pyrolysis of end-of-life pre-pregs revealed no significant difference in comparison to virgin carbon fibre pre-pregs. Instead, any differences were attributed to the: fibre orientation, preform architecture and resin carbon yield. Testing revealed that end-of-life pre-pregs and reclaimed CFRP’s were suitable for pyrolysis and further processing toward Cf/C-SiC composites. In addition, the architecture could be either customised or inherited from the original. Physical and mechanical property testing revealed that Cf/C-SiC composites incorporating recycled, end-of-life and re-claimed carbon fibre could achieve comparable densities, open porosities and flexural strengths compared to similarly processed virgin Cf/C-SiC composites. Microstructural examination by optical and electron microscopy revealed that the hierarchy order of the developed microstructure inside these composites by LSI was the same irrespective of the carbon fibre or carbon format. Combined TEM and XRD investigations indicated that the generated SiC and silicon belonged to the same polytypes regardless of the carbon format and that the most likely type was facecentered cubic (FCC) β 3C-SiC and cubic silicon respectively. Small-scale dyno in a disc-on-pad configuration revealed that a Cf/C-SiC composite comprising end-of-life fibre could achieve the required mechanical strength to perform dyno testing and that the surface topography had a significant influence on the coefficient of friction (COF), COF stability and wear rate

Sofia’s story in translation. Leaving Shanghai:translation and commentary

The article analyzes the French short story "Sofia's Story. Leaving Shanghai," by Isabelle Charpentier. The characters and plot are explored. It discusses the author's unique writing style which is the use of long and detailed lists that appear at interval's throughout. It presents the story's translation in English language. Also cited is a list of a different sort towards the end that encapsulates the juxtaposition and contrast that centers on Sofia's experiences

A Systematic Review of Research Evidence Reporting Educational Psychologists’ Use of Contextual Observation in Practice

Considering the apparent centrality of contextual observation within educational psychologists’ (EPs’) daily practice, it is argued here that some level of rigour should be available through review of relevant research and self-evaluation, so that contextual observation meets the professional requirement for evidence-based practice (Health and Care Professions Council, 2016). This systematic literature review used an adapted critical evaluation checklist and a bespoke analytic framework for contextual observation, created by the authors, to systematically identify and critically evaluate the research evidence of EPs’ use of contextual observation within practice. Across the studies, there were inconsistencies around which details of contextual observation were reported, which makes it difficult for the process of contextual observation to be reliably replicated across EP practice or to be communicated clearly to new entrants to the profession. The bespoke analytic framework was enhanced by incorporating features of the adapted evaluative checklist to produce an analytic framework for contextual observation which combines academic knowledge with practice-informed knowledge. This potentially provides a contribution to the evidence base for EP use of contextual observation, as well as laying a foundation for building an understanding of its process. Further research can be directed towards the development of guidelines for best practice of contextual observation in order to produce an evidence-based tool for use across the profession

Use of suppression subtractive hybridisation to extend our knowledge of genome diversity in Campylobacter jejuni

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous studies have sought to identify a link between the distribution of variable genes amongst isolates of <it>Campylobacter jejuni </it>and particular host preferences. The genomic sequence data available currently was obtained using only isolates from human or chicken hosts. In order to identify variable genes present in isolates from alternative host species, five subtractions between <it>C. jejuni </it>isolates from different sources (rabbit, cattle, wild bird) were carried out, designed to assess genomic variability within and between common multilocus sequence type (MLST) clonal complexes (ST-21, ST-42, ST-45 and ST-61).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The vast majority (97%) of the 195 subtracted sequences identified had a best BLASTX match with a <it>Campylobacter </it>protein. However, there was considerable variation within and between the four clonal complexes included in the subtractions. The distributions of eight variable sequences, including four with putative roles in the use of alternative terminal electron acceptors, amongst a panel of <it>C. jejuni </it>isolates representing diverse sources and STs, were determined.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There was a clear correlation between clonal complex and the distribution of the metabolic genes. In contrast, there was no evidence to support the hypothesis that the distribution of such genes may be related to host preference. The other variable genes studied were also generally distributed according to MLST type. Thus, we found little evidence for widespread horizontal gene transfer between clonal complexes involving these genes.</p