Hub Central: utilising co-created 'space design' to produce peer interaction across diverse student groups

Planning interaction between students needs to start as part of the space design. The University of Adelaide opened ‘Hub Central’ in September 2011. A 42 million dollar project co-created with students has seen an area of 10,500 square metres that has built its own unique community that embraces diverse interaction. Staff working with international students have been socially engineering opportunities or creating ‘programs’ that aim to foster interaction between diverse groups for years. Experience shows that these programs often support interaction between a diverse range of international students but are not so successful in promoting interaction between international and domestic students. A new approach has been used at Hub Central. Students were used in the co-creation of a space that has been designed to promote academic achievement by enhancing the student experience. By reflecting on their own needs, roles and contributions, a space has been delivered that is multifunctional, allows repurposing and fosters students developing their own approaches to interaction. A space largely with a philosophy of self management by students and filled with staff that are student centric has resulted in a community with an overall heightened sense of awareness and empathy towards the goals of their peers. Hub Central is the complete package as a student space. The Hub includes 11 bookable student project rooms, 13 student projects booths, 290 fixed student computers, training rooms, Wi-Fi, a student kitchen, 3 commercial food outlets, a general store, the Maths and Writing Centres and Student and IT Support Services operating extended hours (8am to 10pm weekdays, 10am to 5pm weekends). The collocation of all this has provided a greater feeling of belonging and encouraged the students to interact in diverse groups beyond the classroom. The paper aims to provide real world examples of how ‘space’ can be designed and utilised for enhancing student support services and interaction between all students, staff and community.Hedley Rebergerhttp://www.proceedings.com.au/isana/2012.htm

Binder content and storing conditions of inorganically-bound foundry cores determine the intensity and onset time of gas release in metal casting

Organically-bound foundry cores are substituted by inorganically-bound cores increasingly. This trend is due to regulatory efforts, workplace safety issues, and increasing costs for waste deposits. Changing the binder system reduces the emissions to mostly water vapor, solving health and safety issues. Yet, the difference in the behavior of the gas phase, namely, the condensation potential of water, changes the casting process drastically. In contrast with the continuous generation and discharge of combustion products in the case of organic binders, water accumulates within the foundry core. Only once the cold spots of the core reach boiling temperature noteworthy amounts of vapor are created, increasing the chance for gas defects of the cast parts. Countermeasures have to be taken when designing the core’s geometry. We conducted the following research to improve the understanding of core gas release and its interactions with the foundry core’s binder content and storage conditions. Both binder content and relative humidity during storage were varied in three steps. Their influence on the core gas amount, time of gas generation, and gas permeability of the cores were investigated. The experiments were performed in the institute’s Induction Analysis Furnace and an aluminum melt bath. We found a strong dependency of storage humidity, further increased by increasing binder content on the gas amount and time of the gas release

Localization of cavities in cast components via impulse excitation and a finite element analysis

In this work, the acoustic resonance testing method has been extended by a finite element analysis of the examined component to localize cavities within die casting parts. This novel method aims at a fast and efficient quality inspection which allows hidden cavities in cast components to be detected, which is only possible with X-ray technology at the moment. The promising results show that this method enables the localization of shrinkage cavities. Furthermore, the influence of product scatter has been analyzed regarding the accuracy of the calculated position of artificial defects

A test stand for quantifying the core gas release and the gas permeability of inorganically-bound foundry cores

Environmental and work safety aspects necessitate a radical change in the foundry industry. Organic binder systems for foundry sand cores create toxic combustion products and are, therefore, more and more often substituted by inorganic binder systems. While providing an environmental advantage by mainly releasing water vapor, inorganic binder systems impose new challenges for the casting process. The gas release of inorganically-bound foundry cores can lead to increased gas porosity in the cast parts and thus to high scrap rates. The present work aims to gain more understanding of the gas generation and transport in inorganic sand binder systems. We developed a test stand to measure the temperature-dependent core gas release in inorganically-bound foundry cores and their gas permeability. Samples were prepared in a core blowing process and analyzed using the test stand. The measurement results are in good agreement with validation experiments and existing literature

The subcortical-allocortical-neocortical continuum for the emergence and morphological heterogeneity of pyramidal neurons in the human brain

Human cortical and subcortical areas integrate emotion, memory, and cognition when interpreting various environmental stimuli for the elaboration of complex, evolved social behaviors. Pyramidal neurons occur in developed phylogenetic areas advancing along with the allocortex to represent 70–85% of the neocortical gray matter. Here, we illustrate and discuss morphological features of heterogeneous spiny pyramidal neurons emerging from specific amygdaloid nuclei, in CA3 and CA1 hippocampal regions, and in neocortical layers II/III and V of the anterolateral temporal lobe in humans. Three-dimensional images of Golgi-impregnated neurons were obtained using an algorithm for the visualization of the cell body, dendritic length, branching pattern, and pleomorphic dendritic spines, which are specialized plastic postsynaptic units for most excitatory inputs. We demonstrate the emergence and development of human pyramidal neurons in the cortical and basomedial (but not the medial, MeA) nuclei of the amygdala with cells showing a triangular cell body shape, basal branched dendrites, and a short apical shaft with proximal ramifications as “pyramidal-like” neurons. Basomedial neurons also have a long and distally ramified apical dendrite not oriented to the pial surface. These neurons are at the beginning of the allocortex and the limbic lobe. “Pyramidal-like” to “classic” pyramidal neurons with laminar organization advance from the CA3 to the CA1 hippocampal regions. These cells have basal and apical dendrites with specific receptive synaptic domains and several spines. Neocortical pyramidal neurons in layers II/III and V display heterogeneous dendritic branching patterns adapted to the space available and the afferent inputs of each brain area. Dendritic spines vary in their distribution, density, shapes, and sizes (classified as stubby/wide, thin, mushroom-like, ramified, transitional forms, “atypical” or complex forms, such as thorny excrescences in the MeA and CA3 hippocampal region). Spines were found isolated or intermingled, with evident particularities (e.g., an extraordinary density in long, deep CA1 pyramidal neurons), and some showing a spinule. We describe spiny pyramidal neurons considerably improving the connectional and processing complexity of the brain circuits. On the other hand, these cells have some vulnerabilities, as found in neurodegenerative Alzheimer’s disease and in temporal lobe epilepsy

Technical Information to Support Double Shell Tank (DST) Emergency Annulus Pumping [SEC 1 and 2]

This document provides the design calculations for the DST Annulus Emergency Pumping Project. This document also contains essential information relative to DST annulus emergency pumping that may not be found in other documents. This information consists of the following: Index drawing for annulus pumping; References to the Acceptance Test Report, DST Emergency Pumping Guide, Time Deployment study, etc.; Statements of work; and Reference CEIS and RMIS numbers. A Vendor Information document, VI-50121, is not included in this document, but a copy can be obtained by contacting Document Control Services. This document contains various information regarding the Hydrostar pumps, such as the air motor, cylinder size, pump installation and operation manual. It also contains information regarding the Flygt BS2060 submersible pump, such as parts list, pump handling, preventative maintenance, overhaul and repair. In addition, this document also has information on 3-way PM ball valves, electrical skid components and the alternate Gurman-Rupp stainless steel submersible pump

Hub Central: utilising co-created ‘space design’ to foster a sense of belonging across diverse First Year student groups

Hub Central is an area of 10,500 square metres that has built its own unique community that embraces diverse interaction and supports the first year experience. Students were used in the co-creation of a space that has been designed to promote academic achievement by enhancing the student experience. By reflecting on their own needs, roles and contributions, a space has been delivered that is multifunctional, allows repurposing and fosters students developing their own approaches to interaction. A space largely with a philosophy of self management by students and filled with staff that are student centric has resulted in a community with an overall heightened sense of awareness and empathy towards the goals of their peers. The Hub includes 11 bookable student project rooms, 13 student projects booths, 290 fixed student computers, training rooms, Wi-Fi, a student kitchen, 3 commercial food outlets, a general store, the Maths Learning, PASS and Writing Centres and Student and IT Support Services operating extended hours (8am to 10pm weekdays, 10am to 5pm weekends). The collocation of all this has provided a greater feeling of belonging and encouraged the students to interact in diverse groups beyond the classroom. The paper aims to provide real world examples to encourage discussion of how ‘space’ can be designed and utilised for fostering a sense of belonging for first year students.Hedley Reberge

Time Deployment Study for Annulus Pumping

Radioactive wastes from processing irradiated uranium fuels have been stored as alkaline slurries in underground tanks at the Hanford Site. Single-shell tanks (SST) and double-shell tanks (DST) of various sizes were used for waste storage. Of the total 177 tanks, there are 28 DSTs. DSTs are located in AN, AP, AW, AY, AZ, and SY tank farms in the 200 East (200E) and 200-West (200W) Areas. The storage capacities of the DSTs vary from 980,000 to 1,140,000 gal. DSTs are designed and constructed as an integral steel structure, i.e., an inner shell within an outer shell, so that any leak from the inner shell is confined within the annulus without impacting the environment. The inner shell provides primary containment for the wastes and the outer shell provides secondary containment in the form of an annulus. The annulus of a DST is equipped with a pump pit, leak detection probes, and other accessories. The existing annulus pumps in the DSTs need to be revamped with a new system to reduce operating costs and reduce the time to deploy a pumping system. The new pumping system will minimize the likelihood of a release of waste into the environment; improve capability of waste removal to the maximum extent possible to comply with Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 173-303-640 and Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 40 CFR 265.193. This study addresses the time required to deploy an annulus pumping system designed to fit any DST after detection of a leak in the inner shell of the DST

DOUBLE SHELL TANK (DST) EMERGENCY PUMPING GUIDE

This document provides preplanning necessary to expeditiously remove any waste that may leak from the primary tank to the secondary tank for Hanford's 28 DSTs. The strategy is described, applicable emergency procedures are referenced, and transfer routes and pumping equipment for each tank are identified

Is hostel care good for you? Quality of life measures in older people moving into residential care

Objectives: For many older adults, moving into hostel accommodation can be a stressful and traumatic process. The impact of this move on the quality of life and function after a three month adjustment period was evaluated in this study. Method: A Folstein Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), Short Form 36 (SF-36) and demographic information was collected prior to entry to hostel accommodation. The SF-36 was repeated three months after admission. The SF-36 has eight domains: physical functioning, role physical, bodily pain, role emotional, mental health, vitality, general health, and social functioning. Results: Fifty subjects met the inclusion criteria and moved into hostel accommodation during the study period. The MMSE had a mean ± sd 26.6± 3.29 (highest cognition score = 30) and the MBI 93.4 ± 5.71 (highest level of independence score = 100), with no gender or age effect. The SF-36 improved in 7/8 domains (p<0.05) after admission to hostel, with only mental health not improving significantly. Despite improving, physical functioning remained below the age and gender matched Australian norm for the SF-36 in both males and females aged over 75. For women there also continued to be a reduction in social function, general health and mental health. Conclusions: This study showed that both men and women had an overall increase in their quality of Life after admission to hostel care. A comparison of our group to the Australian age and gender matched norms for quality of life illustrated that for many in our group their quality of life compared favourably to people living in the community, and that moving into hostel accommodation had been shown to be a valuable option