Music therapy, knowledge of music and architecture: the effect of music on grief caused by mourning in Ilam Chamri religion

Background: The art of music and architecture are one of the most visible manifestations of culture and ethnicity in every historical period, and music has historically played a valuable role in softening human perception and spirits; thus, can play a decisive role in health life for a long time. Methods: Non-pharmacological therapies, have the potential to supplement medical treatment alternatives to aid recovery and well-being in health care. Music therapy is a relatively new discipline of musicology that has lately been able to assist individuals in the treatment of ailments that are inextricably linked to architecture. Is it possible for music and architecture, which have an unbreakable link with the past, to retain this bond and build a relationship of abuse and violation with the science of psychology and counselling? Results: This essay was written in a combined-analytical (comparative, descriptive, and analytical) style, using data collected via documentary, library, and field research approaches. The findings of this study reveal that music and architecture may have a similar effect on the human psyche, and the science of music therapy has been able to capitalize on these similarities in medicine. Conclusion: The current article first introduces the commonalities of music and architecture and expresses the importance of these two arts' commonalities, after which it will be addressed how these commonalities in an ancient ritual called Chamri, which is held in Ilam province

Earthquake risk assessment using an integrated Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process with Artificial Neural Networks based on GIS: A case study of Sanandaj in Iran

Earthquakes are natural phenomena, which induce natural hazard that seriously threatens urban areas, despite significant advances in retrofitting urban buildings and enhancing the knowledge and ability of experts in natural disaster control. Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and analyze the extent of earthquake vulnerability in relation to demographic, environmental, and physical criteria. An earthquake risk assessment (ERA) map was created by using a Fuzzy-Analytic Hierarchy Process coupled with an Artificial Neural Networks (FAHP-ANN) model generating five vulnerability classes. Combining the application of a FAHP-ANN with a geographic information system (GIS) enabled to assign weights to the layers of the earthquake vulnerability criteria. The model was applied to Sanandaj City in Iran, located in the seismically active Sanandaj-Sirjan zone which is frequently affected by devastating earthquakes. The Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) model was implemented in the IDRISI software and 250 points were validated for grades 0 and 1. The validation process revealed that the proposed model can produce an earthquake probability map with an accuracy of 95%. A comparison of the results attained by using a FAHP, AHP and MLP model shows that the hybrid FAHP-ANN model proved flexible and reliable when generating the ERA map. The FAHP-ANN model accurately identified the highest earthquake vulnerability in densely populated areas with dilapidated building infrastructure. The findings of this study are useful for decision makers with a scientific basis to develop earthquake risk management strategies

Investigation of the preparation method and its effect on the mechanical properties of fiber-reinforced Hydrogels

This work aims to study the mechanical properties of two kinds of hydrogels, the first is based on natural polymers derived from decellularized bovine cartilage tissue and the second is based on synthetic polymers namely polyethyleneglycole dimethacrylate. In this project, we tried on the one hand to reinforce the hydrogels using fibers and on the other hand to optimize the mechanical properties by studying the influence of the mixing parameters. The first study focused on Polyethylene glycol di-methacrylate hydrogel. We found that higher mixing time resulted in increased strength and stiffness of this hydrogel with a rate of 11%. In a second study we investigated the influence of different NFC fiber concentrations on the young modulus of decellularied extracellular matrix based hydrogels

Annex 65, Long-Term Performance of Super-Insulating-Materials in Building Components and Systems. Report of Subtask III: Practical Applications – Retrofitting at the Building Scale – Field scale

More than 80% of the energy consumption will be influenced by the existing building stock. Accordingly, building renovation has a high priority in many countries. Furthermore, several studies have shown that the most efficient way to curb the energy consumption in the building sector (new & existing) remain the reduction of the heat loss by improving the insulation of the building envelope (roof, floor, wall & windows). All since the first oil crisis in 1973-1974, the national building regulations require improvement of the thermal performance of the building envelope to significantly reduce the energy use for space heating. Following the regulations, the energy efficiency of new buildings has improved. In Europe, targeting to an average U-value close to 0.2 W/m2\ub7K is optimal. Using traditional insulation materials this means an insulation thickness of about 20 cm. Thus, the thickness of internal and/or external insulation layers becomes a major issue of concern for retrofitting projects and even for new building projects in cities. Therefore, there is a growing interest in the so-called super-insulating materials (SIM). The scope of the present work covers two different types of SIMs:• Advanced Porous Materials (APM), where the gaseous heat transfer is hindered significantly by the fine structure in the sub-micrometre range, and• Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP), where the contribution of gaseous conductivity to the total heat transfer is suppressed by evacuation.For Advanced Porous Materials (APM) one might distinguish between• porous silica e.g. based on fumed silica, and• aerogels.For Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP) one might distinguish between:• different core materials: fumed silica, glass fibre, PU, EPS, others;• different envelopes: metalized film, aluminium laminate, stainless steel, glass, or combinations;• with or without a getter and/or a desiccant.The objective of this Annex 65 Subtask 3 report is to define the application areas of SIM and to describe the conditions of the intended use of the products. Indeed, it’s clear that the requested performance of the SIM will strongly depend on the temperature, humidity and load conditions. For building applications, storage, handling and implementation requirements are also described. Common and specific numerical calculations will be performed at the building scale to assess the impact of SIM on the performance of the building envelope.SIM was used in almost all building components with different environmental condition (boundary condition) and in different climate zone. The moisture and temperature conditions in building components can cause moisture/temperature induced stresses and the stresses can cause damage in sensitive super insulation material e.g. VIPs. Thus, to convince the conservative market of construction, it needs, in addition to laboratory measurements, real condition/environmental measurements of commercially realized objects (new buildings as well as refurbishments) under several years of operation.The long-term performance of super insulation materials has to be determined based on case studies in field and laboratory. Full scale experiments provide knowledge of practical and technical difficulties as well as data for service life estimation. For certain conclusions to be drawn from the case studies, monitoring is essential. Unfortunately, monitoring is only performed in few case studies. In this report these experiences are gathered and evaluated from a long-term performance perspective.APMs have been commercially successful in the building industry in niche applications typically with space restrictions since the early 2000s. Therefore, over the last years, a number of state-of-the-art reviews have focused on applications of advanced porous materials, such as aerogels, used as thermal insulation in buildings. VIPs, on the other hand, have also been used in other applications than buildings, such as refrigerators and transport boxes. The different applications areas have been identified by numerous researchers. However, in most studies of VIPs available in the literature, it was only the thermal performance of the assembly that was investigated. However, also the moisture performance is important to consider since changes to existing structures will influence the risk for moisture damages.In the Annex, the gathered case studies cover a wider range of SIM i.e. aerogel blankets, AB, (7 case studies), silica-based boards, SB, (3 case studies) and VIP (22 case studies). The aim was to gather information from projects where SIMs were used in different assemblies. Some of the projects have been monitored, i.e. sensors were installed to monitor the temperature, relative humidity or heat flux through the assemblies, while only three have been followed up, i.e. where a third party have analysed the results of the monitoring. The case studies are presented and specific and general conclusions from each application are made.The case studies showed that aerogel blankets are possible to install in up to five layers (50 mm) without too much difficulty. The evaluations showed that the performance of the aerogel blankets was maintained over the evaluation period. For VIPs, it is difficult to evaluate the performance when installed in the wall. In one of the case studies in the report, the external air space made it impossible to identify the different panels by thermography. Only indirect methods, like evaluation of the measured temperatures in the wall, can be used to follow the long-term performance of the panels. In another case study, hybrid insulated district heating pipes were installed at two locations in a district heating system with temperatures up to 90\ub0C. Measurements during the period 2012 to 2015 showed no sign of deterioration of the VIPs and the temperature profile over the pipes was constant. An existing masonry wall was insulated with VIP-foam sandwich (XPS-VIP-XPS). It showed satisfactory and promising performance for a period of six years (2011-present). The analysis of the data obtained from continuous temperature monitoring across each insulation layer indicated the aging of VIP remains insignificant.In the framework of IEA EBC Annex 65 a common simulation-based procedure was introduced with the scope to identify potential critical hygrothermal working conditions of the SIM, which were identified as main drivers of the ageing effect. The study highlights that some physical phenomena (such as thermal bridging effects, the influence of temperature on the thermal conductivity and the decay of performance over time depending on the severity of the boundaryconditions) should be carefully evaluated during the design phase in order to prevent the mismatch between expected/predicted and the actual thermal performance.As general guidelines to mitigate the severity of the operating conditions of VIP, a list of recommendation are in the following summarised:• For the external wall insulation with VIP in solar exposed fa\ue7ade, the adoption of ventilated air layer could dramatically reduce the severity of the VIP operating conditions. Alternatively, light finishing colour are warmly encouraged to mitigate the surface temperature.• The protection of VIP with thin traditional insulation layer is always encouraged.• The application of VIP behind heater determines high value of surface temperature field which could potentially lead to a fast degradation of the panel. A possible solution to mitigate the severity of the boundary conditions could be the coupling of VIP with a radiant barrier, or the protection of VIP with thin insulation layer when it is possible.• In roof application, light colour (cool roof), performant water proof membrane, ventilated airspace and gravel covering layer (flat roof) represent effective solutions to mitigate the severe exposure.• In presence of wall subjected to high driving rain, it is preferable to adopt ventilated fa\ue7ade working as rain-screen to prevent the water absorption.Furthermore, to provide designers, engineers, contractors and builders with guidelines for the applications of vacuum insulation panels (VIPs) and Advanced Porous Materials (APMs) examples are given of methods that may be used to verify the quality and thermal performance of SIMs after installation. A comprehensive account of transport, handling, installation and quality check precures are presented. The main purpose of the descriptions is to promote safe transport, handling and installation. In the case of VIPs the primary issue is that of protecting the panels whereas the main concern for APMs is the safety in handling of the material.During the work of the Annex several questions regarding the long-term performance of SIMs on the building scale have been identified and discussed. Four main challenges were identified:• Knowledge and awareness among designers concerning using SIM• Conservative construction market• Cost versus performance• Long-term performance of SIMsFinally, SIMs for building applications have been developed in the recent decades. Theoretical considerations and first practical tests showed that VIP, especially those with fumed silica core, are expected to fulfil the requirements on durability in building applications for more than 25 years. Both VIPs and APMs have been successfully installed over the past 15 years in buildings. However, real experience from practical applications exceeding 15 years is still lacking, especially when considering third-party monitoring and follow up of demonstrations

Robust and Durable Vacuum Insulation Technology for Buildings

Today’s buildings are responsible for 40% of the world’s energy use and also a substantial share of the Global Warming Potential (GWP). In Sweden, about 21% of the energy use can be related to the heat losses through the climatic envelope. The “Million Program” (Swedish: Miljonprogrammet) is a common name for about one million housing units, erected between 1965 and 1974 and many of these buildings suffer from poor energy performance. An important aim of this study was to access the possibilities of using Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIPs) in buildings with emphasis on the use of VIPs for improving the thermal efficiency of the “Million Program” buildings. The VIPs have a thermal resistance of about 8-10 times better than conventional insulations and offer unique opportunities to reduce the thickness of the thermal insulation. This thesis is divided into three main subjects. The first subject aims to investigate new alternative VIP cores that may reduce the market price of VIPs. Three newly developed nanoporous silica were tested using different steady-state and transient methods. A new self-designed device, connected to a Transient Plane Source (TPS) instrument was used to determine the thermal conductivity of granular powders at different gaseous pressure combined with different mechanical loads. The conclusion was that the TPS technique is less suitable for conducting thermal conductivity measurements on low-density nanoporous silica powders. However, deviations in the results are minimal for densities above a limit at which the pure conduction becomes dominant compared to heat transfer by radiation. The second subject of this work was to propose a new and robust VIP mounting system, with minimized thermal bridges, for improving the thermal efficiency of the “Million Program” buildings. On the basis of the parametric analysis and dynamic simulations, a new VIP mounting system was proposed and evaluated through full scale measurements in a climatic chamber. The in situ measurements showed that the suggested new VIP technical solution, consisting of 20mm thick VIPs, can improve the thermal transmittance of the wall, up to a level of 56%. An improved thermal transmittance of the wall at centre-of-panel coordinate of 0.118 to 0.132 W m-2K-1 and a measured centre-of-panel thermal conductivity (λcentre-of-panel) of 7 mW m-1K-1 were reached. Furthermore, this thesis includes a new approach to measure the thermal bridge impacts due to the VIP joints and laminates, through conducting infrared thermography investigations. An effective thermal conductivity of 10.9 mW m-1K-1 was measured. The higher measured centre-of-panel and effective thermal conductivities than the published centre-of-panel thermal conductivity of 4.2 mW m-1K-1 from the VIP manufacturer, suggest that the real thermal performance of VIPs, when are mounted in construction, is comparatively worse than of the measured performance in the laboratory. An effective thermal conductivity of 10.9 mW m-1K-1 will, however, provide an excellent thermal performance to the construction. The third subject of this thesis aims to assess the environmental impacts of production and operation of VIP-insulated buildings, since there is a lack of life cycle analysis of whole buildings with vacuum panels. It was concluded that VIPs have a greater environmental impact than conventional insulation, in all categories except Ozone Depilation Potential. The VIPs have a measurable influence on the total Global Warming Potential and Primary Energy use of the buildings when both production and operation are taken into account. However, the environmental effect of using VIPs is positive when compared to the GWP of a standard building (a reduction of 6%) while the PE is increased by 20%. It was concluded that further promotion of VIPs will benefit from reduced energy use or alternative energy sources in the production of VIP cores while the use of alternative cores and recycling of VIP cores may also help reduce the environmental impact. Also, a sensitivity analysis of this study showed that the choice of VIPs has a significant effect on the environmental impacts, allowing for a reduction of the total PE of a building by 12% and the GWP can be reduced as much as 11% when considering both production and operation of 50 yes. Finally, it’s possible to conclude that the VIPs are very competitive alternative for insulating buildings from the Swedish “Million Program”. Nevertheless, further investigations require for minimizing the measurable environmental impacts that acquired in this LCA study for the VIP-insulated buildings.Dagens byggnader ansvarar för omkring 40% av världens energianvändning och  står också för en väsentlig del av utsläppen av växthusgaser. I Sverige kan ca 21 % av energianvändningen relateras till förluster genom klimatskalet. Miljonprogrammet är ett namn för omkring en miljon bostäder som byggdes mellan 1965 och 1974, och många av dessa byggnader har en dålig energiprestanda efter dagens mått. Huvudsyftet med denna studie har varit att utforska möjligheterna att använda vakuumisoleringspaneler (VIP:ar) i byggnader med viss fokus på tillämpning i Miljonprogrammets byggnader. Med en värmeledningsförmåga som är ca 8 - 10 gånger bättre än för traditionell isolering erbjuder VIP:arna unika möjligheter till förbättrad termisk prestanda med minimal isolerings tjocklek. Denna avhandling hade tre huvudsyften. Det första var att undersöka nya alternativ för kärnmaterial som bland annat kan reducera kostnaden vid produktion av VIP:ar. Tre nyutvecklade nanoporösa kiselpulver har testats med olika stationära och transienta metoder. En inom projektet utvecklad testbädd som kan anslutas till TPS instrument (Transient Plane Source sensor), har använts för att mäta värmeledningsförmågan hos kärnmaterial för VIP:ar, vid varierande gastryck och olika mekaniska laster. Slutsatsen blev att transienta metoder är mindre lämpliga för utföra mätningar av värmeledningsförmåga för nanoporösa kiselpulver låg densitet. Avvikelsen i resultaten är dock minimal för densiteter ovan en gräns då värmeledningen genom fasta material blir dominerande jämfört med värmeöverföring genom strålning. Det andra syftet har varit att föreslå ett nytt monteringssystem för VIP:ar som kan användas för att förbättra energieffektiviteten i byggnader som är typiska för Miljonprogrammet. Genom parametrisk analys och dynamiska simuleringar har vi kommit fram till ett förslag på ett nytt monteringssystem för VIP:ar som har utvärderats genom fullskaleförsök i klimatkammare. Resultaten från fullskaleförsöken visar att den nya tekniska lösningen förbättrar väggens U-värde med upp till 56 %. En förbättrad värmegenomgångskoefficienten för väggen i mitten av en VIP blev mellan 0.118 till 0,132 W m-2K-1 och värmeledningstalet centre-av-panel 7 mW m-1K-1 uppnåddes. Detta arbete innehåller dessutom en ny metod för att mäta köldbryggor i anslutningar med hjälp av infraröd termografi. En effektiv värmeledningsförmåga för 10.9 mW m-1K-1 uppnåddes. Resultaten tyder även på att den verkliga termiska prestandan av VIP:ar i konstruktioner är något sämre än mätvärden för paneler i laboratorium. En effektiv värmeledningsförmåga av 10.9 mW m-1K-1 ger dock väggkonstruktionen en utmärkt termisk prestanda. Det tredje syftet har varit att bedöma miljöpåverkan av en VIP-isolerad byggnad, från produktion till drift, eftersom en livscykelanalys av hela byggnader som är isolerade med vakuumisoleringspaneler inte har gjorts tidigare. Slutsatsen var att VIP:ar har en större miljöpåverkan än traditionell isolering, i alla kategorier förutom ozonnedbrytande potential. VIP:ar har en mätbar påverkan på de totala utsläppen av växthusgaser och primärenergianvändningen i byggnader när både produktion och drift beaktas. Miljöpåverkan av de använda VIP:arna är dock positiv jämfört med GWP av en standardbyggnad (en minskning med 6 %) medan primärenergianvändningen ökade med 20 %. Slutsatsen var att ytterligare användning av VIP:ar gynnas av reducerad energiförbrukning och alternativa energikällor i produktionen av nanoporösa kiselpulver medan användningen av alternativa kärnmaterial och återvinning av VIP kärnor kan hjälpa till att minska miljöpåverkan. En känslighetsanalys visade att valet av VIP:ar har en betydande inverkan på miljöpåverkan, vilket ger möjlighet att reducera den totala användningen av primärenergi i en byggnad med 12 % och utsläppen av växthusgaser kan vara minska, så mycket som 11 % när det gäller både produktion och drift under 50 år. Avslutningsvis är det möjligt att dra slutsatsen att VIP:ar är ett mycket konkurrenskraftigt alternativ för att isolera byggnader som är typiska för Miljonprogrammet. Dock krävs ytterligare undersökningar för att minimera de mätbara miljöeffekter som förvärvats i denna LCA-studie för VIP-isolerade byggnader.QC 20151109Simulations of heat and moisture conditions in a retrofit wall construction with Vacuum Insulation PanelsTextural and thermal conductivity properties of a low density mesoporous silica materialA study of the thermal conductivity of granular silica materials for VIPs at different levels of gaseous pressure and external loadsEvaluation of the thermal conductivity of a new nanoporous silica material for VIPs – trends of thermal conductivity versus densityA comparative study of the environmental impact of Swedish residential buildings with vacuum insulation panelsETICS with VIPs for improving buildings from the Swedish million unit program “Miljonprogrammet

Design and Development of Injectable, Tough and Intrinsically-Adhesive Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

Despite the development of hydrogels with a wide range of mechanical properties, insufficient adhesion between these materials and biological surfaces limits their use in the biomedical applications. Most recent advancements in highly adhesive hydrogel systems are focused on the preformed hydrogel patches and dry tapes. In the past proposed strategies for highly adhesive hydrogels, the developed materials are not intrinsically adhesive, but adhere to the targeted tissues thanks to specific developments such as chemically modifying the contacting surface. Therefore, hydrogels that exhibit both sufficient intrinsic adhesion to various biological surfaces and proper injectability, has yet to be demonstrated. The need for design, fabrication and characterization of adhesive hydrogel systems with broad physicochemical properties has remained a central challenge in the biomedical field. In the first part, by controlling toughening processes, we design a composite double-network hydrogel with high water content, which creates a dissipative interface and robustly adheres to soft tissues. No tissue surface modification was needed to obtain high adhesion properties of the developed hydrogel. Instead, mechanistic principles were used to control interfacial cracks propagation. The integration of the dissipative polymeric network on the soft tissue surfaces allowed increasing significantly the adhesion strength. Our findings highlight the significant role of controlling hydrogel structure and dissipation processes for toughening the interface. In the second part, we propose a universal framework for the design of injectable hydrogels that are intrinsically adhesive to various tissues. We fabricate a family of original polymeric backbones using a two-step functionalization process in order to make new hydrogels with available adhesive sites and the capability to form hybrid networks, as well as further enhancements through the fiber reinforcement for stronger synergetic effects. To achieve that, our approach (i) provides strong chemical bonds with nucleophiles at interface, immediately upon contact with tissues thanks to the designed available adhesive bonding sites, and (ii) forms a hybrid network by covalent and physical interactions between our engineered chains, so that the interfacial bonds and the hydrogel capability of dissipating energy produce a synergic effect for achieving high adhesion. In addition to high level of adhesion performance, the injectable hydrogel system presents a broad and tunable range of physicochemical properties. This is particularly important for biomedical applications which require superior material properties, such as for cartilage tissue engineering. Fast adhesion formation and one-pot polymerization are achieved while the biosafety concerns, which are crucial for many clinical applications, are satisfied. Finally, with various in vitro, ex vivo, and preliminary in vivo studies, the biocompatibility and potential biomedical applications of our injectable adhesive hydrogels are demonstrated for cells scaffolding, soft tissues repair and tissue sealing. This is a design strategy which has potent implication in the way hydrogels are designed to reach high tissue adhesion, as it is not only a way towards synthesis of new biomaterials, but a general design approach based on an understanding of adhesion mechanism. Our approach can even further be used to fabricate more advanced adhesive systems with novel performances

Triple C Algorithm

Triple C Algorithm is implemented in MATLAB software environment. To run it, call all m_files in the software. and put the address of the shape file in the manage_allocat file. Finally, run manage_allocat.</p

Experimental and numerical analyses of progressive damage in non-circular metal/composite hybrid vessels under internal pressure

status: publishe