Climate Responsive Design and the Milam Residence

Energy conservation and efficiency is an essential area of focus in contemporary building design. The perception that the designers of buildings during the Modernist period of architecture ignored these principles is a false one. The present study, an examination of Paul Rudolph’s Milam Residence, a masterpiece of American residential architecture, is part of a larger project endeavoring to create a knowledge base of the environmental performance of iconic modernist homes. A critical examination of the Milam House allows insight into specific design characteristics that impact energy efficiency and conservation. Located in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, the Milam Residence was constructed in 1962. It was the last of a series of Florida residences designed by Rudolph, Chairman of the Department of Architecture at Yale University (1958–1965). The structure’s form is strongly related to its location on a subtropical beachfront. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the building’s solar responsiveness. Specifically, we examine design strategies such as orientation and sunscreening and their effect on daylighting, shading, and heat gain. The analysis is based on parametric energy modeling studies using Autodesk’s Ecotect, an environmental analysis tool that allows simulation of building performance. While the initial target of the program was early design, the program allows the input of complex geometries and detailed programming of zones, materials, schedules, etc. The program\u27s excellent analyses of desired parameters are augmented by visualizations that make it especially valuable in communicating results. Our findings suggest that the building, as built and situated on the site, does take advantage of daylighting and solar shading and does so in both expected and unexpected ways

Language Movement Museum and Library, Dhaka, Bangladesh

The project aims to restore the cultural and historical richness of Bengali nation in urban scale and preserve the historical site of the area which contains some glorious memories of our Language Movement. To pass the history to new generation and to establish our cultural richness, a Language Movement Museum and a Library are proposed to be designed in the Shaheed Minar (Martyr Monument) Complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This museum and library will represent the movement of 21 February, 1952 that depicts our love for the mother tongue which is an unprecedented event for the whole world

Governance: Exploring the Islamic Approach and its Relevance for the Modern Context

Managing this wealth (amanah) leads to the basic concept of Islamic accountability where proper disclosure and transparency in every business transaction or service is encouraged. This paper attempts to explore the characteristics and application of the principles of Islamic governance. Using qualitative research methods, this study further focuses on trust and accountability with respect to governance mechanisms as required by Islamic principles and in light of today's world affairs. As a doctrinal research, the researcher reviews the relevant literature to identify the main features of government such as shura, caliphate, accountability, transparency, justice and equality as well as the current need for trust in public and private government. The findings of this study are that the Koran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) have provided many guidelines in the field of constitutional affairs that can help the government system. The Qur'an is flexible enough not to mention the details and details that are left for Muslims to formulate according to their particular circumstances. Finally, the aim of this paper is to inform policy makers and practitioners about the main doctrines that have been proposed by the Qur'an and which can be applied for the effective management of our affair

Evaluating the effectiveness of Baker's procedure in restoring functionality in neglected Achilles tendon injuries

Background: Neglected Achilles tendon injuries present a significant challenge in orthopedic practice, often requiring complex surgical interventions for effective treatment. This study aims to evaluate the functional outcomes of patients with neglected Achilles tendon injuries treated using Baker's procedure, a surgical technique designed for complex cases. Methods: This prospective interventional study was conducted at multiple medical centers in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from January 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013. It included 42 patients aged 18 to 60 years with signs of old Tendo-Achilles rupture. Participants were selected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria and underwent Baker's Procedure. Postoperative assessments included pain levels, ankle stiffness, calf-muscle weakness, footwear restrictions, range of motion, and patient satisfaction, evaluated using the Juhana Leppilahti modified score. Result: The majority of patients (85.71%) reported no pain post-treatment, while 14.29% experienced mild pain. Ankle stiffness was absent in 71.43% of the patients and mild in 28.57%. Calf-muscle weakness varied, with 64.29% showing no weakness, 28.57% mild weakness, and 7.14% moderate weakness. Footwear restrictions were minimal, with 92.86% reporting no restrictions. Active range of motion was normal (≤5°) in 64.29% of patients and mildly limited (6-10°) in 35.71%. Patient satisfaction was high, with 71.43% being 'Very satisfied' with their treatment outcomes. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that Baker's Procedure is an effective surgical intervention for neglected Achilles tendon injuries, leading to significant pain relief, restored functional mobility, and high patient satisfaction. These findings suggest that with appropriate surgical and rehabilitative care, patients with complex Achilles tendon injuries can achieve favorable outcomes, emphasizing the importance of tailored surgical approaches in orthopedic practice

A Belief Rule Based Expert System for Datacenter PUE Prediction under Uncertainty

A rapidly emerging trend in the IT landscape is the uptake of large-scale datacenters moving storage and data processing to providers located far away from the end-users or locally deployed servers. For these large-scale datacenters, power efficiency is a key metric, with the PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) and DCiE (Data Centre infrastructure Efficiency) being important examples. This article proposes a belief rule based expert system to predict datacenter PUE under uncertainty. The system has been evaluated using real-world data from a data center in the UK. The results would help planning construction of new datacenters and the redesign of existing datacenters making them more power efficient leading to a more sustainable computing environment. In addition, an optimal learning model for the BRBES demonstrated which has been compared with ANN and Genetic Algorithm; and the results are promising

Occupational stress and the laws in selected jurisdictions

In the contemporary modern and globalised world, it is common for the majority of employers to draw a great attention to the productivity of the workforce rather than the employees working capability and physical and mental conditions. Businesses and industries have always been striving towards maximising profit and minimising the cost. As a result, employees of uncountable organisations suffer from the alarming occupational stress in catching up with the respective schedule of productions, shipments and services. The question arises here is that whether there should be some regulatory measures to relief the occupational stress of the workforce? Accordingly, this article examines the laws relating to the occupational safety and health in selected jurisdictions, namely, Malaysia, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand in order to evaluate whether these laws protect workers’ mental health. It is found that the existing legislations on occupational health and safety in the selected jurisdictions do not explicitly address on the emotional and mental health of employees. Therefore, authors propose that a specific legislation is warranted to regulate occupational stress closely and carefully in order to provide better work-life balance to the workforce