Technology enhanced construction technology teaching

Design studio has been the heart of architectural education since late 18th C and thus students often consider other courses as peripheral to studio. In a majority of schools, the nature of the design studio pedagogy and the way that other courses are taught appear as two systems. Courses 'supporting studio' have been very much a teacher-centered didactic exercise, traditionally delivered in lectures. Understanding this background, this study examined the success of teaching technical courses such as construction technology by adapting different strategies mediated through a Web-based approach. This paper reports the findings of the study funded by The University of Hong Kong and the Universities Grants Commission of Hong Kong.published_or_final_versio

Low-mass star formation in bright rimmed clouds

AbstractBright Rimmed Clouds (BRCs) are clouds that have been compressed by an external ionization-shock front which focuses the neutral gas into compact globules. The boundary layer between the neutral gas and the gas ionized by the incident photons is often called "bright rim" but the clumps are sometimes classified also as speck globules or cometary globules depending on their appearance. Small globules with bright rims have been considered to be potential sites of star formation and have been studied in several individual regions. We present the first high resolution VLA observations of 20 of these BRCs, but only three detections were obtained. The low detection rate seems to support the idea that BRCs produce mostly low-luminosity objects, for which maser emission is weak and episodic, and that the embedded sources are in a more advanced evolutionary phase than class 0 objects

A multiple-trait analysis of ecohydrological acclimatisation in a dryland phreatophytic shrub

Water is the main limiting factor for groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) in drylands. Predicted climate change (precipitation reductions and temperature increases) and anthropogenic activities such as groundwater drawdown jeopardise the functioning of these ecosystems, presenting new challenges for their management. We developed a trait-based analysis to examine the spatiotemporal variability in the ecophysiology of Ziziphus lotus, a long-lived phreatophyte that dominates one of the few terrestrial GDEs of semiarid regions in Europe. We assessed morpho-functional traits and stem water potential along a naturally occurring gradient of depth-to-groundwater (DTGW, 2–25 m) in a coastal aquifer, and throughout the species-growing season. Increasing DTGW and salinity negatively affected photosynthetic and transpiration rates, increasing plant water stress (lower predawn and midday water potential), and positively affected Huber value (sapwood cross-sectional area per leaf area), reducing leaf area and likely, plant hydraulic demand. However, the species showed greater salt-tolerance at shallow depths. Despite groundwater characteristics, higher atmospheric evaporative demand in the study area, which occurred in summer, fostered higher transpiration rates and water stress, and promoted carbon assimilation and water loss more intensively at shallow water tables. This multiple-trait analysis allowed us to identify plant ecophysiological thresholds related to the increase in salinity, but mostly in DTGW (13 m), and in the evaporative demand during the growing season. These findings highlight the existence of tipping points in the functioning of a long-lived phreatophyte in drylands and can contribute to the sustainable management of GDEs in southern Europe, paving the way for further studies on phreatophytic species

In vitro and in vivo effects of lutein against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity

This is peer reviewed version of the following article Experimental and Toxicologic Pathology 68.4 (2016): 197-204, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.etp.2016.01.003Introduction: Cisplatin is a commonly prescribed drug that produces ototoxicity as a side effect. Lutein is a carotenoid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties previously tested for eye, heart and skin diseases but not evaluated to date in ear diseases. Aim: To evaluate the protective effects of lutein on HEI-OC1 auditory cell line and in a Wistar rat model of cisplatin ototoxicity. Materials and Methods: In vitro study: Culture HEI-OC1 cells were exposed to lutein (2.5-100 μM) and to 25 μM cisplatin for 24 h. In vivo study: Twenty eight female Wistar rats were randomized into three groups. Group A (n = 8) received intratympanic lutein (0.03 mL) (1 mg/mL) in the right ear and saline solution in the left one to determine the toxicity of lutein. Group B (n = 8) received also intraperitoneal cisplatin (10 mg/kg) to test the efficacy of lutein against cisplatin ototoxicity. Group C (n = 12) received intratympanic lutein (0.03 mL) (1 mg/mL) to quantify lutein in cochlear fluids (30 min, 1 h and 5 days after treatment). Hearing function was evaluated by means of Auditory Steady-State Responses before the procedure and 5 days after (groups A and B). Morphological changes were studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results: In vitro study: Lutein significantly reduced the cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity in the HEI-OC1 cells when they were pre-treated with lutein concentrations of 60 and 80 μM. In vivo study: Intratympanic lutein (1 mg/mL) application showed no ototoxic effects. However it did not achieve protective effect against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in Wistar rats. Conclusions: Although lutein has shown beneficial effects in other pathologies, the present study only obtained protection against cisplatin ototoxicity in culture cells, but not in the in vivo model. The large molecule size, the low dose administered, and restriction to diffusion in the inner ear could account for this negative result.Research supported by a Spanish FIS Grant EI 11/00742

Preliminary results on the application of the aminoacid racemization technique in the Murcia Region (SE Iberian Peninsula) and their interest in paleoseismological research

Geochronology is a critical issue in paleoseismological research. The aminoacid racemization technique shows important advantages respect to more traditional dating methods; not just for the lower costs and promptness, also because the object to analyze is relatively frequent, in this study: terrestrial gastropods. Furthermore, the costs of the analysis are by far faster and cheaper compared to other dating techniques. Racemization results allow comparing the relative age from different sedimentary units from one trench to another.Additionally, the racemization technique can also be used as a geochronological tool, provided a calibration curve has been first obtained for the particular climate for the area and, ideally, for a particular genus. In this study we show the results obtained from the analysis of 40 samples of terrestrial gastropods from 7 different trenches located in the Murcia Region (SE Spain). Making use of the D/L ratio of aspartic acid we show the coherence found between relative stratigraphic ages and the racemization age. Finally, we show a provisional conversion equation between age of racemization, obtained from Torres et al. (1997) algorithm, and the likely age of the samEl control geocronológico es una cuestión crítica en los estudios de paleosismología. La técnica de racemización de aminoácidos ofrece importantes ventajas respecto a otros métodos de datación, tanto en los costes y rapidez, como en la facilidad de encontrar el objeto de análisis; en este estudio, gasterópodos terrestres. Los resultados permiten comparar la edad relativa entre unidades sedimentarias diferentes de unas zanjas a otras. La técnica de racemización también es una herramienta geocronológica, si bien es necesario primero establecer una curva de calibración para el ambiente climático de la zona e, idealmente, para un género concreto. En este estudio se muestran los resultados obtenidos en 40 muestras de gasterópodos terrestres recogidas en 7 zanjas de investigación paleosismológica en la Región de Murcia. Haciendo uso de la relación D/L del ácido aspártico mostramos la coherencia entre las edades relativas estratigráficas y su edad de racemización. Finalmente, proponemos una relación provisional de conversión entre las edades de racemización obtenidas por el algoritmo de Torres et al. (1997) para gasterópodos de la zona central de la Península Ibérica y la edad probable de las muestra

Selective Hydrogenation of Furfural in a Proton Exchange Membrane Reactor Using Hybrid Pd/Pd Black on Alumina

Conventional thermocatalytic hydrogenation employs high temperatures and pressures and often exhibits low selectivity toward desired products. Electrochemical hydrogenation can reduce energy input by operating at ambient conditions and improving process control and selectivity; however, electrocatalysts face stability and conductivity limitations. To overcome these obstacles, we physically mixed a traditional electrocatalyst (Pd black) with a hydrogenation‐active metal (Pd) supported on a conventional metal oxide support (alumina, Al2O3) and investigated electrochemical hydrogenation of furfural, a model biomass compound. Experiments were conducted in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) reactor, in which synthesized electrocatalysts were used as cathodes. Catalysts with Pd black and varying loadings of Pd on Al2O3 were used to determine the impact of hydrogen spillover on electrocatalytic hydrogenation mechanisms, selectivity, and rates. Observed hydrogenation rates and selectivities were linked to structural and compositional properties of the catalyst mixtures. Of the Pd black cathodes tested, 5 wt % Pd/Al2O3 exhibited production rates as high as pure Pd black and higher selectivity towards completely hydrogenated products. Improved selectivity and rates were attributed to a synergistic interaction between Pd black and 5 wt % Pd/Al2O3 in which Pd/Al2O3 increased the number of active sites, while Pd black provided stable conductivity.Breaking away from convention: The performance of hybrid cathodes, consisting of a traditional electrocatalyst (Pd black) with a hydrogenation‐active metal (Pd) supported on a conventional metal oxide support (Al2O3), is investigated using electrochemical hydrogenation of furfural in a proton exchange membrane reactor. Varying loadings of Pd on Al2O3 within the hybrid cathode elucidates the impact of structural and compositional properties of the catalyst mixtures on hydrogenation rates and selectivities.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152702/1/celc201901314-sup-0001-misc_information.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152702/2/celc201901314.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152702/3/celc201901314_am.pd