High-resolution wind-driven rain measurements on a low-rise building—experimental data for model development and model validation

With the specific intention to provide experimental data for model development and model validation, a new measurement setup for wind, rain and wind-driven rain (WDR) has been designed and installed at the Laboratory of Building Physics (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven). This paper focuses on the new measurement setup and on the obtained measurement results. The CFD-based design and the installation of the measurement setup are outlined and samples of the database containing the wind, rain and high-resolution WDR measurements are provided and discussed. This paper also provides the link to a website from which the experimental WDR database can be downloaded. Finally, the use of these data to determine WDR coefficients and their use in WDR assessment are briefly addressed.     

Burnout Prevention Through Personal Growth.

This study evaluated the effects of a burnout prevention program based on insights from transpersonal psychology, notably psychosynthesis. It examined the effects of the program on burnout, happiness, spirituality, emotional intelligence, and relative deprivation with respect to one's career. Thirty-eight individuals, mostly with a background in engineering, participated in a 10-day program over 3 months. A comparison group of similar age and work experience was recruited of colleagues from the same firms and departments. Both groups filled out questionnaires at 3 time points: before the start of the program, immediately after the program (3 months later), and 9 months later. Results showed that a psychosynthesis-based prevention program might be an effective instrument in reducing burnout and enhancing happiness, emotional intelligence, and feelings of spirituality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ciclopirox delivery into the human nail plate using novel lipid diffusion enhancers

Context: Onychomycosis is a common fungal infection of the nail plate and bed that affects up to 14% of the population and can have a substantial impact on the quality of life of those affected.

Objective: This study compared the onychopharmacokinetics, nail absorption, nail distribution, and nail penetration of [¹⁴C]-ciclopirox dissolved in novel lipid diffusion enhancers with that of a commercial ciclopirox nail lacquer using the in vitro finite dose model.

Materials and methods: The penetration rate of ciclopirox was determined by applying doses of topical formulation twice daily to human nail plates for 11?d. Drug absorption was then measured by monitoring its rate of appearance in each nail layer and in the cotton pad/nail supporting bed.

Results: After a multiple day treatment, cumulative concentrations of ciclopirox formulated with lipid enhancers in the deep nail layer and the nail bed were significantly greater than cumulative concentrations of the commercial ciclopirox lacquer (p?Conclusion: When formulated with lipid enhancers, the amount of ciclopirox in the ventral/intermediate layer and supporting bed dramatically exceed the inhibitory concentration of ciclopirox for the most common onychomycosis organisms. These results suggest that topical ciclopirox with lipid enhancers has the potential to be an effective topical treatment for onychomycosis, and the lipidic pathway of the nail can be utilized as a means of effective transungual delivery.     

Synthesis of Diverse Azolo[c]quinazolines by Palladium(II)‐ Catalyzed Aerobic Oxidative Insertion of Isocyanides

We report the palladium(II)‐catalyzed aerobic oxidative coupling of isocyanides with various (2‐aminophenyl)azoles using air as the stoichiometric oxidant. A diverse range of medicinally valuable azolo[c]quinazolines was obtained by this new approach.

     

Catalyst Design by NH4OH Treatment of USY Zeolite

Hierarchical zeolites are a class of superior catalysts which couples the intrinsic zeolitic properties to enhanced accessibility and intracrystalline mass transport to and from the active sites. The design of hierarchical USY (Ultra‐Stable Y) catalysts is achieved using a sustainable postsynthetic room temperature treatment with mildly alkaline NH₄OH (0.02 m ) solutions. Starting from a commercial dealuminated USY zeolite (Si/Al = 47), a hierarchical material is obtained by selective and tuneable creation of interconnected and accessible small mesopores (2–6 nm). In addition, the treatment immediately yields the NH₄⁺ form without the need for additional ion exchange. After NH₄OH modification, the crystal morphology is retained, whereas the microporosity and relative crystallinity are decreased. The gradual formation of dense amorphous phases throughout the crystal without significant framework atom leaching rationalizes the very high material yields (>90%). The superior catalytic performance of the developed hierarchical zeolites is demonstrated in the acid‐catalyzed isomerization of α‐pinene and the metal‐catalyzed conjugation of safflower oil. Significant improvements in activity and selectivity are attained, as well as a lowered susceptibility to deactivation. The catalytic performance is intimately related to the introduced mesopores, hence enhanced mass transport capacity, and the retained intrinsic zeolitic properties.     

Envelope computation in the plane by approximate implicitization

Given a rational family of planar rational curves in a certain region of interest, we are interested in computing an implicit representation of the envelope. The points of the envelope correspond to the zero set of a function (which represents the envelope condition) in the parameter space combining the curve parameter and the motion parameter. We analyze the connection of this function to the implicit equation of the envelope. This connection enables us to use approximate implicitization for computing the (exact or approximate) implicit representation of the envelope. Based on these results, we formulate an algorithm for computing a piecewise algebraic approximation of low degree and illustrate its performance by several examples.     

Reed canary grass yield and fuel quality in Estonian farmers’ fields

Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) is one of the possible raw materials for bioenergy production in northern Europe. Its cultivation is favoured because its high productivity and local origin. However, problems with the biomass quality for combustion have been reported. Usually delayed harvest in spring is suggested to improve the quality and decrease the moisture content of biomass. On the other hand, the feasibility of spring harvest depends on local climatic conditions and may cause yield losses. In current paper we studied reed canary grass fields in Estonia locating on different soil types and cultivated with various varieties. The influence of several fertilisation schemes on biomass yield was analysed. Our results indicated that production was higher on mineral soils than on the organic soil of abandoned peat extraction sites. Even different types of fertilisation did not increase the production on organic soils to the level comparable to those on mineral soils. Among studied varieties ‘Venture’ had the highest production. The highest yield per area was obtained late in the autumn (12.7 t d.w. per ha and 7.2 t d.w. per ha on mineral and organic soils, respectively). By spring the amount of biomass had decreased in all studied sites. Due to wet soil some of the fields remained unharvested, the others had high yield losses during practical harvesting. The chemical analyses did not reveal significant differences in the composition of biomass between late autumn and spring. Therefore we conclude that late autumn harvest should be preferred in local climatic conditions.     

Effect of local structural defects on the precipitation of as in the vicinity of InAs quantum dots in a GaAs matrix

Electron-microscopy studies of GaAs structures grown by the method of molecular-beam epitaxy and containing arrays of semiconductor InAs quantum dots and metallic As quantum dots are performed. An array of InAs quantum dots is formed using the Stranski-Krastanow mechanism and consists of five layers of vertically conjugated quantum dots divided by a 5-nm-thick GaAs spacer layer. The array of As quantum dots is formed in an As-enriched GaAs layer grown at a low temperature above an array of InAs quantum dots using postgrowth annealing at temperatures of 400–600°C for 15 min. It is found that, during the course of structure growth near the InAs quantum dots, misfit defects are formed; these defects are represented by 60° or edge dislocations located in the heterointerface plane of the semiconductor quantum dots and penetrating to the surface through a layer of “low-temperature” GaAs. The presence of such structural defects leads to the formation of As quantum dots in the vicinity of the middle of the InAs conjugated quantum dots beyond the layer of “low-temperature” GaAs.