Socio-spatial interactions of a cluster-house concept apartment in mehr als wohnen project in Zurich,Switzerland

This article explores the socio-spatial interactions of a micro-community in a cluster-house concept apartment. The apartment has been designed for retreat and co-living by mehr als wohnen housing cooperative in Zurich, Switzerland. The methodology of investigation is a qualitative case study, through which housing narratives of three residents as representatives of this communal household are analyzed. In addition, on-site visits and observations, document analyses, and desktop studies are conducted. The originality of the research is in its approach of examining a micro-society through the residential community's authentic stories, which are in the context of normal times and the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings reveal that the social bonds of the studied cluster cohousing community are significantly maintained through the intermediate zones of the cluster-house arrangement. This socio-spatial interaction has activated the potentials of social innovation and housing resilience in an urban context. The research also highlights points of conflicts and insights for future cluster-concept apartment developments.     

A critical review on the cellular and molecular interactions at the interface of zirconia-based biomaterials

In the past few years, zirconia has gained a great attention among biomedical scientists due to its extraordinary strength and fracture toughness, negligible thermal conductivity, good biocompatibility and chemical inertness. In this regard, there is still room for the manipulation of zirconia-based biomaterials regarding the protein adsorption and subsequently cell responses to the surface. Protein adsorption on biomaterials surfaces start interpreting the construction and also arranging the surface characteristics into a biological language. In this review, the role of adsorbed proteins as key players in starting interactions between cells and zirconia-based biomaterials will be discussed in detail. The discussion will then highlight discussions on the implementation of innovative strategies to engineer the physiochemical properties of this class of biomaterials. It is expected that these promising solutions can better control proteins adsorption and cellular functions after implantation in the body.     

Combined effect of organosolv delignification/polymerization on the set recovery of densified poplar wood

European Journal of Wood and Wood Products - According to recent literature, delignification could be a new approach to enhance mechanical properties of densified wood. In the present study, the...     

Using STROBE checklist to assess the reporting quality of observational studies affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences,and its correlates: a scientometric study from Iran

Scientometrics - The reporting quality of Observational Studies (OSs) is an important measure of their overall quality. We aim to assess the reporting quality of OSs of Shiraz University of Medical...     

Identification of novel nonedible oil seeds via scanning electron microscopy for biodiesel production

Exploration of substitute energy feed‐stocks is the much‐debated topic in the scientific society due to increasing power crises and related ecological concerns. As a source of sustainable energy, biodiesel turns out to be the best alternative to petro fuels. In this context, nonedible oil‐producing seeds might be a potential source for biodiesel production owing to their environment‐friendly nature and cost‐effectiveness. The current study, consequently, deals with the investigation and identification of micro‐morphological characters between six novel nonedible oil‐bearing seeds employing scanning electron microscopy as possible biodiesel feed‐stocks. Light microscopic examinations show that seed size varies from 0.3 to 1.3 cm in width and 0.5 to 1.5 cm in. Additionally, a large difference in seed color ranges from dark brown, black, and various shades of light brown was also witnessed. The FFA content of the seeds ranges in 0.3–4.1 mg KOH/g, and the seed oil content fall in 30–65% (w/w) range. SEM‐mediated seed ultrastructure investigations displays greater variation in seed size, shape, color, periclinal wall shape, and sculpturing and so on. All the seeds differ from rounded, ovoid, ovate, oblong, flattened, and elliptical shape. Greater variation in seed wall structure has been seen from angular, entire, irregular, straight, elongated, smooth, and polygonal. The periclinal wall arrangements show alteration from flat, depressed, elevated, smooth, pentagonal, bullate, and coarse seed margins. The results obtained from the current study suggest that scanning electron microscopy could be a beneficial tool in vitalizing the hidden micromorphological characters among various nonedible oil producing seeds, which eventually helps in exploration, correct identification, seed classification, and authentication in future.     

FJND-based fuzzy rate control of scalable video for streaming applications

Multimedia Tools and Applications - A fuzzy rate controller with buffer constraint in combination with a perceptual quality controller is proposed for streaming applications of the AVC/H.264...     

Investigation on structure and characteristics of alpaca-based wet-spun polyacrylonitrile composite fibers by utilizing natural textile waste

The composite alpaca/acrylic fibers were auspiciously produced through a wet spinning technique to reduce the consumption of petroleum-based polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and to enhance the thermal stability and moisture properties of the fibers. The waste alpaca fibers were converted into powder using a mechanical milling method without applying any chemicals. Alpaca powders were then blended with the PAN dope solution in different weight ratios of alpaca: PAN (10:90, 20:80, and 30:70) to wet spin the composite fibers. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that all the composite fibers possess the functional groups of both alpaca and PAN. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy confirmed the presence of typical carbonyl carbon (CO) and nitrile carbon (C≡N) peaks of protein and PAN, respectively. The differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis revealed the enhanced thermal stability of alpaca/PAN composite fibers. The moisture properties of the composite fibers were subsequently found to increase with the incorporation of alpaca, more than three times that of pure PAN fibers. These results revealed a potential green pathway to producing composite acrylic fibers with improved thermal and moisture properties by applying textile waste materials. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48370.