Integrated Open Source Design for Architecture in High Density Housing Practice

High-density housing can be interpreted as collections of individual units, which inevitably results in the dilemma between the global standardization designed by architects and local customization implemented by users. However, it is impossible to reflect the users’ various needs in the conceptual design stage for high-density housing because of the economic, industrial and time constrains. In response to this challenge, this research paper outlines a different high-density housing design approach that can adopt users’ individual customization in the conceptual design stage during the housing design practice. Hence, the design process would be an open-ended evolutionary and transparent process rather than deterministic executions as we have now in most high-density cities, such as Hong Kong. In order to overcome the deficiency in addressing future uncertainties of different users and address the issues of one-off developments without iterating users’ feedback in the housing practice, this essay proposes IOSDA (integrated open source design for architecture) for the design practice of high-density housing, through collective data and parametric connectivity between users and architects. IOSDA reflects a different design attitude towards the future, i.e., to shift from architects’ heroic prediction of the future to collective engagement of the present with more robust capacities for new possibilities.published_or_final_versio

The study of microstrip antenna arrays and related problems

The work on rectangular microstrip antennas for dual frequency operation is reported on. The principle of this approach is based on the excitation of a patch for two or more different modes which correspond to different frequencies. However, for a given geometry, the modal frequencies have a fixed relationship; therefore, the usefulness of such a design is greatly limited. In this study three different methods have been contrived to control the frequency ratio over a wide range. First, as found prevously, if shorting pins are inserted at certain locations in the patch, the low frequency can be raised substantially. Second, if slots are cut in the patch, the high frequency can be lowered considerably. By using both techniques, the two frequency ratio can be varied approximately from 3 to 1.3. After that, the addition of more pins or slots becomes ineffective

Breaking an image encryption algorithm based on chaos

Recently, a chaos-based image encryption algorithm called MCKBA (Modified Chaotic-Key Based Algorithm) was proposed. This paper analyzes the security of MCKBA and finds that it can be broken with a differential attack, which requires only four chosen plain-images. Performance of the attack is verified by experimental results. In addition, some defects of MCKBA, including insensitivity with respect to changes of plain-image/secret key, are reported.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Behavior of a Breakwater on Soft Sediments – Failure and Success

The observed responses during the staged construction of an unreinforced section and a reinforced section of a breakwater founded on soft sediments are presented. Both sections were instrumented and the unreinforced section approached instability at the end of Stage I construction. A series of Class \u27C\u27 predictions were made with three different analytical methods. It was particularly difficult to predict the impending instability of the unreinforced section. A fully coupled finite element analysis, with close modelling of the construction sequence and using a strain softening model for the foundation clay, was needed to predict all the observations

Iterative learning control method for improving the effectiveness of upper limb rehabilitation

In rehabilitation, passive control mode is common used at early stages of the post-stroke therapy, when the impaired limb is usually unresponsive. The simplest is the use of a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) feedback control which usually regulates the position or the interaction force along a known reference. Nonetheless PID method cannot achieve an ideal tracking performance due to dynamical uncertainties and unknown time-varying periodic disturbances from the environment. In order to minimize steady-state error with respect to uncertainties in exoskeleton passive control, Iterative Learning Control(ILC) and Neural PID control are proposed to improve the control effective of conventional linear PID. In this paper, two different control algorithms are introduced. Moreover, an experimental study on a 5-DOF upper limb exoskeleton with them is addressed for comparison

Influence of thermal strains on the electrocaloric and dielectric properties of ferroelectric nanoshells

Author name used in this publication: Veng Cheong Lo2009-2010 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Experimental investigation into the kinetics of Falcon UF concentration: Implications for fluid dynamic-based modelling

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Centrifugal gravity separators, such as the Falcon UltraFine (UF) concentrator, are the most common gravity concentration techniques used for fine particles processing. Hence, understanding the kinetics and separation mechanisms at play within these separators is of paramount interest. Recent research yielded a predictive physical model for the Falcon UF which however does not explain some results obtained with industrial ores. The Falcon UF kinetics have been investigated through the processing of fine-grained ores from the Altenberg tin deposit (Germany), the Tabuaço tungsten deposit (Portugal), a synthetic iron ore as well as results from previous studies on kaolin residues. Results have shown an evolution of Falcon UF performance with time/feed mass in contradiction with the stationary separation hypothesis on which the physical model was based. In terms of Falcon UF separation timing, four phases can be distinguished. First, upon initial feeding of the bowl, particles are trapped or rejected depending on their settling velocity. It yields a relatively ineffective selection according to density so that only ultrafine particles are ejected from the bowl, resulting in the quick growth of the concentrate bed. When the bed reaches a critical size, recovery and enrichment continue to increase through selective resuspension phenomenon that favours the concentration of dense particles and the ejection of larger particles. This way, the bed builds up while the content of concentrate bed surface evolves until resuspension balances the stream of dense material reaching the bed and recovery drops. The evolution of partition curves over time confirmed the low recovery of ultrafine particles during the whole operation but also showed a decrease of coarse particles recovery with time. It suggests that the second separation mechanism is less sensible to particle size compared to the first one and that size even has a negative impact on recovery. Furthermore, erosion figures in furrows are observed in the concentrate bed which may play locally an active role in the separation. These observations suggest that two separation mechanisms are at play. Firstly, differential particles settling within the flowing film which is already accounted for in the existing physical model. Secondly, resuspension of particles from the concentrate bed by the action of a lift force acting preferentially on coarse particles deposited at the surface of the bed and resulting in the rejection of coarser and lower-density particles. The addition of a lift force component to the existing model is discussed and a resuspension criterion is proposed as a guidance of the physics involved in this second separation mechanism. Future developments will require a dynamic model which would need to integrate the evolution of the concentrate bed content over time.European Union Horizon 2020French National Research Agenc

A balanced homodyne detector for high-rate Gaussian-modulated coherent-state quantum key distribution

We discuss excess noise contributions of a practical balanced homodyne detector in Gaussian-modulated coherent-state (GMCS) quantum key distribution (QKD). We point out the key generated from the original realistic model of GMCS QKD may not be secure. In our refined realistic model, we take into account excess noise due to the finite bandwidth of the homodyne detector and the fluctuation of the local oscillator. A high speed balanced homodyne detector suitable for GMCS QKD in the telecommunication wavelength region is built and experimentally tested. The 3dB bandwidth of the balanced homodyne detector is found to be 104MHz and its electronic noise level is 13dB below the shot noise at a local oscillator level of 8.5*10^8 photon per pulse. The secure key rate of a GMCS QKD experiment with this homodyne detector is expected to reach Mbits/s over a few kilometers.Comment: 22 pages, 11 figure