Spatial Dynamic Modeling and Urban Land Use Transformation:

Assessing the economic impacts of urban land use transformation has become complex and acrimonious. Although community planners are beginning to comprehend the economic trade-offs inherent in transforming the urban fringe, they find it increasingly difficult to analyze and assess the trade-offs expediently and in ways that can influence local decisionmaking. New and sophisticated spatial modeling techniques are now being applied to urban systems that can quickly assess the probable spatial outcomes of given communal policies. Applying an economic impact assessment to the probable spatial patterns can provide to planners the tools needed to quickly assess scenarios for policy formation that will ultimately help inform decision makers. This paper focuses on the theoretical underpinnings and practical application of an economic impact analysis submodel developed within the Land use Evolution and Impact Assessment Modeling (LEAM) environment. The conceptual framework of LEAM is described, followed by an application of the model to the assessment of the cost of urban sprawl in Kane County, Illinois. The results show the effectiveness of spatially explicit modeling from a theoretical and a practical point of view. The agent-based approach of spatial dynamic modeling with a high spatial resolution allows for discerning the macro-level implications of micro-level behaviors. These phenomena are highlighted in the economic submodel in the discussion of the implications of land use change decisions on individual and communal costs; low-density development patterns favoring individual behaviors at the expense of the broader community.

Land Use and Sustainability

Brian Deal - Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois. A fundamental concern as educators, as researchers, and as citizens should be in the quality and sustainability of our communities. Despite an emerging awareness of the importance of sustainable development, community development decisions are still typically hammered out in the arenas of regional politics, property rights competition, and economic development with little reference to community-oriented sustainability issues. The issuance of a suite of textbook policy formulations and technocratic interventions has not been effective in dealing with these complex issues. We must directly engage the fundamental ways of thinking that motivate the community to action in order to effectively address sustainable land use questions. In this presentation I hope to express ways of extending the planning profession's basic knowledge and operational methods of improving the long-term sustainability of human communities. I will discuss both process and tools that may help operationalize the concepts. Building upon the traditional community visioning questions - 'where have we been?', 'where are we now?', and 'where do we want to be?' - this focus is best described by the follow-on question of - 'how do we get there?'.Ope

Spatial dynamic modeling and urban land use transformation : an ecological simulation approach to assessing the costs of urban sprawl

Assessing the economic impacts of urban land use transformation has become complex and acrimonious. Although community planners are beginning to comprehend the economic trade-offs inherent in transforming the urban fringe, they find it increasingly difficult to analyze and assess the trade-offs expediently and in ways that can influence local decisionmaking. New and sophisticated spatial modeling techniques are now being applied to urban systems that can quickly assess the probable spatial outcomes of given communal policies. Applying an economic impact assessment to the probable spatial patterns can provide to planners the tools needed to quickly assess scenarios for policy formation that will ultimately help inform decision makers. This paper focuses on the theoretical underpinnings and practical application of an economic impact analysis submodel developed within the Land use Evolution and Impact Assessment Modeling (LEAM) environment. The conceptual framework of LEAM is described, followed by an application of the model to the assessment of the cost of urban sprawl in Kane County, Illinois. The results show the effectiveness of spatially explicit modeling from a theoretical and a practical point of view. The agent-based approach of spatial dynamic modeling with a high spatial resolution allows for discerning the macro-level implications of micro-level behaviors. These phenomena are highlighted in the economic submodel in the discussion of the implications of land use change decisions on individual and communal costs; low-density development patterns favoring individual behaviors at the expense of the broader community

Evaluating Practical Implementation of Geodesign and its Impacts on Resilience

Using systems thinking, geodesign offers a promising mixture of design process and strategic analysis for building more resilient landscapes. Although the scholarship and literature on geodesign is increasing rapidly (C.-L. WU & CHIANG 2018), there is little evidence of an empirical evaluation of the geodesign approach in practice. Do geodesign processes encourage more resilient outcomes? Using content analysis and multivariate regression, we evaluate 35 geodesign projects from the 2019 International Geodesign Collaboration to determine the connections between geodesign processes and resilience. The projects were submitted by academics from over 50 different places across the world as part of landscape or urban design studios. We find that most of the submitted projects include a comprehensive and explicit set of design objectives and a wide range of diverse strategies. Most projects, however, fail to address process relationships, raising concerns that this deficiency might reduce the diversity and dynamics of design outcomes. Our evaluation also found that projects with more robust and comprehensive design strategies scored higher in our resilience measures. The findings offer insights for designers, practitioners, and policymakers to better utilize the geodesign approach

Optimization of Multi-zone Building HVAC Energy Consumption by Utilizing Fuzzy Model Based Predictive Controller

The rapid improvement of living standards has led to increased energy consumption in buildings worldwide. Globally, the energy consumed in buildings accounts for 20.1% of total delivered energy (EIA 2016). Improving energy efficiency in buildings therefore is an important component for combating climate change. This paper aims to improve end use energy efficiency in multi-zoned residential buildings through the application of thermal comfort based, energy optimization algorithms. We use a case study approach with a detailed analysis of a 4-story residential apartment building in central Illinois. The study building constitutes 21 thermal zones modeled in EnergyPlus. The model is validated using monthly energy consumption data. The effectiveness of four different steam heating system control methods are evaluated and described: a) a Model Predictive Controller (MPC) design based on neuro-fuzzy temperature predictor; b) a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) tuned by fuzzy logic; c) a PID tuned by a genetic algorithm; and d) an on/off controller and the flow regulator based on indoor temperature. All are optimized for energy consumption reduction potential and thermal comfort. The main effect of the various control methods is tuning boiler feed flow by regulating the condensing cycle. A reduction in circulated steam flow results in decreased direct energy consumption and improved condensing pump efficiencies. We find that the MPC design using a neurofuzzy temperature predictor can reduce heating energy use by up to 38% in comparison with an on/off controller baseline

Remotely-sensed imagery vs. eye-level photography: Evaluating associations among measurements of tree cover density

AbstractThe easy availability and widespread use of remotely-sensed imagery, especially Google Earth satellite imagery, makes it simple for urban forestry professionals to assess a site and measure tree cover density without visiting the site. Remotely-sensed tree cover density has become the dominant criterion for urban forestry regulations in many countries, but it is unclear how much such measures match the eye-level tree cover density that people experience; or the information gained through site visits, eye-level photography, or from consulting with citizens. To address this uncertainty, we assessed associations among two remotely-sensed and three eye-level tree cover density measures for 140 community street sites across the Midwestern United States with low, medium, or high tree cover coverage by using linear regression analysis. We found significant associations among the two remotely-sensed measures and the three eye-level measures across the three levels of tree cover. The associations between any pair of remotely-sensed and eye-level measures, however, diminish dramatically as canopy cover increased. At high levels of canopy cover, all associations between the remotely-sensed measures and the eye-level measures became statistically insignificant. These findings suggest that measures from remotely-sensed imagery fail to represent the amount of tree cover people perceive at eye-level when canopy cover is medium or high at the site scale. Therefore, the current urban forestry planning regulations, which rely heavily on remotely-sensed tree cover density measurements, need to be revised. We suggest strategic spots where eye-level measures of tree cover density should be emphasized

Using an Escape Room toolbox approach to enhance pharmacology education

Background: Faculty are encouraged to use a variety of teaching/learning strategies to engage nursing students. While simulation and games are now common, there were no reports in the nursing literature using an “escape room” concept. Escape rooms use an entertainment approach as teams engage in critical thinking to solve puzzles and find clues to escape a room. In the classroom setting, this concept is modified to solve a mystery by finding various objects through a series of puzzles to locate clues. Some of these games involve finding numerical clues to open locks on a box, such as a toolbox. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of a toolbox gaming strategy based on an escape room concept to help students learn about cardiovascular medications in a pharmacology course. Methods: This pilot study employed a descriptive qualitative method to investigate an approach to pharmacology education. The sample consisted of first semester nursing students. Results: Student responses to criteria-based questions resulted in three themes: engaging, teamwork, and frustration, related to using a toolbox scenario strategy as a pathway to learning. Conclusions: This descriptive study yielded mixed results from the students who were frustrated by time constraints but engaged in the learning experience. Lessons are offered for future improvements

670-GHz Down- and Up-Converting HEMT-Based Mixers

A large category of scientific investigation takes advantage of the interactions of signals in the frequency range from 300 to 1,000 GHz and higher. This includes astronomy and atmospheric science, where spectral observations in this frequency range give information about molecular abundances, pressures, and temperatures of small-sized molecules such as water. Additionally, there is a minimum in the atmospheric absorption at around 670 GHz that makes this frequency useful for terrestrial imaging, radar, and possibly communications purposes. This is because 670 GHz is a good compromise for imaging and radar applications between spatial resolution (for a given antenna size) that favors higher frequencies, and atmospheric losses that favor lower frequencies. A similar trade-off applies to communications link budgets: higher frequencies allow smaller antennas, but incur a higher loss. All of these applications usually require converting the RF (radio frequency) signal at 670 GHz to a lower IF (intermediate frequency) for processing. Further, transmitting for communication and radar generally requires up-conversion from IF to the RF. The current state-of-the-art device for performing the frequency conversion is based on Schottky diode mixers for both up and down conversion in this frequency range for room-temperature operation. Devices that can operate at room temperature are generally required for terrestrial, military, and planetary applications that cannot tolerate the mass, bulk, and power consumption of cryogenic cooling. The technology has recently advanced to the point that amplifiers in the region up to nearly 1,000 GHz are feasible. Almost all of these have been based on indium phosphide pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistors (pHEMTs), in the form of monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs). Since the processing of HEMT amplifiers is quite differ en t from that of Schottky diodes, use of Schottky mixers requires separate MMICs for the mixers and amplifiers. Fabrication of all the down-/up-conversion circuitry on single MMICs, using a ll-HEMT circuits, would constitute a major advance in circuit simplicity

Autonomous Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Vehicle: Speedfest 2022 Charlie Div. Team 2

Aircraft fires are dangerous and can get out of control quickly. Due to the size of modern day aircraft, they can hold a large amount of fuel. This leads to a larger and hotter fire, one in fact that may be difficult for humans to approach. To decrease the risk of human life the implementation of autonomy to firefighting vehicles might be the solution.In this article, one will find the complete background, design and manufacturing processes, as well as future plans for this concept to become a reality. A team of eight engineering technology students have put together ideas, experience and effort to propose a hopeful execution for the Autonomous Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Vehicle. One will find throughout this paper that many types of data have been collected, analyses have been run, and investigative research conducted. Programming, wiring, welding, machining, and testing are among several things that have contributed to the progress of this project. Over the course of ten months, amongst complexities and successes, Team Fax is attempting to solve this real-world problem of dangerous aircraft fires. To demonstrate this concept at a scaled size, the team has competed in the Oklahoma State University 2022 Speedfest Competition. The competition required the AARFF vehicle to navigate a course of cones based on GPS locations as well as locating and extinguishing a type A jet fuel fire

Organizational culture, internal marketing, and perceived organizational support in portuguese higher education institutions

Changes imposed on public higher education institutions try to adopt some management practices in public organizations. In this study, we intend to understand how organizational culture (support, innovation, goals, rules) and internal marketing can contribute to the organizational support of employees of higher education institutions. The study was developed with a sample of 635 employees. The results show that organizational culture and internal marketing contribute to the explanation of perceived organizational support (POS). Then, through a structural equation model, it was possible to confirm the contribution of support culture and internal marketing to the explanation of POS. More studies are necessary taking students' point of view into account. These results reveal the importance of the fact that organizations need to implement a culture of support and appropriate internal communication networks that allow employees to perceive social support.FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology [UID/SOC/04020/2013