Digital creativity - an investigation into architectural design in the electronic age

A dissertation submitted to the University of Bedfordshire in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy.This study explores approaches to architectural creativity and collaborative design in the contemporary digital design context. The thesis identifies key trends and developments in the historical and present-day evolution of the creative use of computers by architects in education and practice. It examines the current manifestations of digitally supported architectural design, and investigates the ways in which computers and electronic communication technologies are being utilised in the design process. In the context of, and informed by, this investigative survey the author evolves three key models or analogues for the application of computer based techniques in the creative design process. Each design analogue has been tested with the collaboration of undergraduate architecture students and their academic teaching staff through experimental pedagogic design projects, which have been used to evaluate their validity and effectiveness. The working principles developed through these projects have also been applied in a realworld context, through a live professional case study architectural project undertaken by the author in commercial architectural practice. The concluding section examines the current state of play in the relationship between theoretical ideas and the practice of architectural design using digital techniques, to assess the methodological validity of the design analogues in the educational and practice spheres, and to make recommendations for future areas of research

Compensating for Missing Data from Longitudinal Studies Using WinBUGS

Missing data is a common problem in survey based research. There are many packages that compensate for missing data but few can easily compensate for missing longitudinal data. WinBUGS compensates for missing data using multiple imputation, and is able to incorporate longitudinal structure using random effects. We demonstrate the superiority of longitudinal imputation over cross-sectional imputation using WinBUGS. We use example data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. We give a SAS macro that uses WinBUGS to analyze longitudinal models with missing covariate date, and demonstrate its use in a longitudinal study of terminal cancer patients and their carers.

Design of heliostat system for demonstration of fabrication and functionality

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 31).There has been considerable amount of interest in the use of solar thermal power as an alternative source of energy. A promising option is the use of arrays of heliostats combined with a central receiver. A heliostat is a structure that tracks the position of the sun in two axes to direct sunlight to a central target point with the use of a mirror. In this project, I have designed and built a system of heliostats in order to demonstrate their functionality and fabrication. The main point is that the fabrication is reproducible for high school students using the available machinery in high school facilities. The stability of the heliostats is demonstrated with calculations that I developed to ensure that the structure does not flip over under the weight of the mirror that it must hold. Furthermore, the theoretical heat exchange analysis of the system will support the design parameters, specifically the size of the mirror that is to be used. The designs of the other parts of the structure rely on the size of the mirror. Then, I give an in-depth description of the fabrication process.by Adrian A. Dobson.S.B

Distonija kao manifestacija korea-akantocitoze

The aim of this article is to present two Slovenian chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc) siblings with an unusual predominantly dystonic ChAc phenotype. For diagnostic purposes, the genomic DNA was screened for VPS13A mutations. Movement disorder was evaluated and scored according to the Dystonia Movement and Disability Scale (DMDS) in order to evaluate the effects of L-dopa on dystonia. Brain imaging was performed with the use of magnetic resonance imaging scan and 99m Tc-ethyl cysteinate dimmer single photon emission computed tomography (Tc-ECD SPECT). Clinical neurological examination disclosed gait dystonia. Marked swallowing difficulty due to tongue and feeding dystonia was observed. Both siblings were found to be heterozygous for a substitution in exon 22 (c.2191C>T) and for a deletion in exon 35 (c.3995_3996delinsA) leading to mutation in VPS13A. After being administered L-dopa for three months, both subjects showed significant symptomatic improvement documented by reduced DMDS scores. It is concluded that VPS13A mutation testing may improve diagnosis of dystonia and recognition of atypical ChAc phenotypes. It seems that L-dopa could be effective in the treatment of dystonia due to VPS13A mutations.Prikazuje se dvoje slovenskih bolesnika, brat i sestra, s koreom-akantocitozom, s neuobičajenim pretežito distoničnim fenotipom korea-akantocitoze. Proveden je dijagnostički probir genomske DNA na mutacije VPS13A. Poremećaj kretanja procijenjen je i ocijenjen prema Dystonia Movement and Disability Scale (DMDS) kako bi se procijenili učinci L-dopa na distoniju. Slikovni prikazi mozga napravljeni su pomoću magnetske rezonance i Tc-ECD SPECT (99m Tc-ethyl cysteinate dimmer single photon emission computed tomography). Klinički neurološki pregled otkrio je distoniju hoda. Zapažene su znatne teškoće pri gutanju zbog distonije jezika i distonija hranjenja. I brat i sestra bili su heterozigotni za supstituciju u eksonu 22 (c.2191C>T) i za deleciju u eksonu 35 (c.3995_3996delinsA), koje uzrokuju mutaciju u VPS13A. Nakon davanja L-dopa kroz tri mjeseca oboje je pokazalo značajno poboljšanje simptoma, što je dokumentirano sniženim zbirom na DMDS. Zaključuje se da testiranje na mutaciju VPS13A može pomoći u dijagnosticiranju distonije i prepoznavanju atipičnih fenotipova korea-akantocitoze. Čini se da bi L-dopa mogla biti učinkovita u liječenju distonije uzrokovane mutacijama VPS13A

Integrated Modelling to Support Analysis of COVID-19 Impacts on London's Water System and In-river Water Quality

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, citizens of the United Kingdom were required to stay at home for many months in 2020. In the weeks before and months following lockdown, including when it was not being enforced, citizens were advised to stay at home where possible. As a result, in a megacity such as London, where long-distance commuting is common, spatial and temporal changes to patterns of water demand are inevitable. This, in turn, may change where people's waste is treated and ultimately impact the in-river quality of effluent receiving waters. To assess large scale impacts, such as COVID-19, at the city scale, an integrated modelling approach that captures everything between households and rivers is needed. A framework to achieve this is presented in this study and used to explore changes in water use and the associated impacts on wastewater treatment and in-river quality as a result of government and societal responses to COVID-19. Our modelling results revealed significant changes to household water consumption under a range of impact scenarios, however, they only showed significant impacts on pollutant concentrations in household wastewater in central London. Pollutant concentrations in rivers simulated by the model were most sensitive in the tributaries of the River Thames, highlighting the vulnerability of smaller rivers and the important role that they play in diluting pollution. Modelled ammonia and phosphates were found to be the pollutants that rivers were most sensitive to because their main source in urban rivers is domestic wastewater that was significantly altered during the imposed mobility restrictions. A model evaluation showed that we can accurately validate individual model components (i.e., water demand generator) and emphasised need for continuous water quality measurements. Ultimatly, the work provides a basis for further developments of water systems integration approaches to project changes under never-before seen scenarios

The Effect of Ambient Air Pollution during Early Pregnancy on Fetal Ultrasonic Measurements during Mid-Pregnancy

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade there has been mounting evidence that ambient air pollution during pregnancy influences fetal growth. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to examine possible associations between fetal ultrasonic measurements collected from 15,623 scans (13–26 weeks gestation) and ambient air pollution during early pregnancy. METHODS: We calculated mothers ’ average monthly exposures over the first 4 months of pregnancy for the following pollutants: particulate matter < 10 µm aerodynamic diameter (PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. We examined associations with fetal femur length (FL), biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), and abdominal circumference (AC). Final analyses included scans from only those women within 2 km of an air pollution monitoring site. We controlled for long-term trend, season, temperature, gestation, mother’s age, socioeconomic status, and fetal sex. RESULTS: A reduction in fetal AC was associated with O3 during days 31–60 [–1.42 mm; 95 % confidence interval (CI), –2.74 to –0.09], SO2 during days 61–90 (–1.67 mm; 95 % CI, –2.94 to –0.40), and PM10 during days 91–120 (–0.78 mm; 95 % CI, –1.49 to –0.08). Other results showed a reduction in BPD (–0.68 mm; 95 % CI, –1.09 to –0.27) associated with SO2 during days 0–30, a reduction in HC (–1.02 mm; 95 % CI, –1.78 to –0.26) associated with PM10 during days 91–120, and a reduction in FL associated with PM10 during days 0–30 (–0.28 mm; 95 % CI, –0.48 to –0.08) and 91–120 (–0.23; 95 % CI, –0.42 to –0.04). CONCLUSION: We found strong effects of ambient air pollution on ultrasound measures. Future research, including more individually detailed data, is needed to confirm our results. KEY WORDS: air pollution, fetal growth, pregnancy, temperature, ultrasound. Environ Health Perspect 116:362–369 (2008). doi:10.1289/ehp.10720 available vi

Clinical and genetic analysis of 29 Brazilian patients with Huntington’s disease-like phenotype

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by chorea, behavioral disturbances and dementia, caused by a pathological expansion of the CAG trinucleotide in the HTT gene. Several patients have been recognized with the typical HD phenotype without the expected mutation. The objective of this study was to assess the occurrence of diseases such as Huntington’s disease-like 2 (HDL2), spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) 1, SCA2, SCA3, SCA7, dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) and choreaacanthocytosis (ChAc) among 29 Brazilian patients with a HD-like phenotype. In the group analyzed, we found 3 patients with HDL2 and 2 patients with ChAc. The diagnosis was not reached in 79.3% of the patients. HDL2 was the main cause of the HD-like phenotype in the group analyzed, and is attributable to the African ancestry of this population. However, the etiology of the disease remains undetermined in the majority of the HD negative patients with HD-like phenotype. Key words: Huntington’s disease, Huntington’s disease-like, chorea-acanthocytosis, Huntington’s disease-like 2

Volatile Analysis by Pyrolysis of Regolith for Planetary Resource Exploration

The extraction and identification of volatile resources that could be utilized by humans including water, oxygen, noble gases, and hydrocarbons on the Moon, Mars, and small planetary bodies will be critical for future long-term human exploration of these objects. Vacuum pyrolysis at elevated temperatures has been shown to be an efficient way to release volatiles trapped inside solid samples. In order to maximize the extraction of volatiles, including oxygen and noble gases from the breakdown of minerals, a pyrolysis temperature of 1400 C or higher is required, which greatly exceeds the maximum temperatures of current state-of-the-art flight pyrolysis instruments. Here we report on the recent optimization and field testing results of a high temperature pyrolysis oven and sample manipulation system coupled to a mass spectrometer instrument called Volatile Analysis by Pyrolysis of Regolith (VAPoR). VAPoR is capable of heating solid samples under vacuum to temperatures above 1300 C and determining the composition of volatiles released as a function of temperature

Combined Influence of Waist and Hip Circumference on Risk of Death in a Large Cohort of European and Australian Adults

Background - Waist circumference and hip circumference are both strongly associated with risk of death; however, their joint association has rarely been investigated. Methods and Results - The MONICA Risk, Genetics, Archiving, and Monograph (MORGAM) Project was conducted in 30 cohorts from 11 countries; 90 487 men and women, aged 30 to 74 years, predominantly white, with no history of cardiovascular disease, were recruited in 1986 to 2010 and followed up for up to 24 years. Hazard ratios were estimated using sex‐specific Cox models, stratified by cohort, with age as the time scale. Models included baseline categorical obesity measures, age, total and high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, antihypertensive drugs, smoking, and diabetes mellitus. A total of 9105 all‐cause deaths were recorded during a median follow‐up of 10 years. Hazard ratios for all‐cause death presented J‐ or U‐shaped associations with most obesity measures. With waist and hip circumference included in the same model, for all hip sizes, having a smaller waist was strongly associated with lower risk of death, except for men with the smallest hips. In addition, among those with smaller waists, hip size was strongly negatively associated with risk of death, with ≈20% more people identified as being at increased risk compared with waist circumference alone. Conclusions - A more complex relationship between hip circumference, waist circumference, and risk of death is revealed when both measures are considered simultaneously. This is particularly true for individuals with smaller waists, where having larger hips was protective. Considering both waist and hip circumference in the clinical setting could help to best identify those at increased risk of death