The location and sizing of urban freight loading/unloading lay-by areas

The volume of freight vehicles operating within city boundaries is steadily increasing, which contributes to road congestion, especially in urban areas with a parking deficit. The proper identification of the location and size of commercial parking lay-by areas, where delivery vehicles can park for a limited time to perform loading/unloading operations, can relieve road congestion. Compared to the existing literature, this paper presents an improved two-stage approach, which includes a mathematical programme and a simulation model for determining the location and sizing of lay-by areas. The robustness and soundness of the results from a methodological and practical point of view are discussed using an example application.     

材料的重要性

《材料的重要性》是《景观设计理论》的一段节选。《景观设计理论》旨在不使用专业术语或其他领域假说的前提下,结合景观设计过程向学生介绍内在理论思想。《材料的重要性》是本书的五章之一。每一章针对特定理论,解释了其基础和来源,探讨了它对设计的重要性,列举了20—21世纪与其相关的设计案例,整理了该理论的辩论(尤其是有关现代和后现代思想),最后还有相关阅读材料清单和需要学生们思考的问题。本文分为如下3个部分：第一部分,物质性,介绍“辩证唯物主义”“媒介即信息”“物质实践”和“编码”等理论及其在设计中的运用;第二部分,通过“建构表达”“地貌代理人策略”“石材的面层”“材料的暗示”“人造,但不是伪造”等理论,介绍材料的真实性及其在设计中的运用;第三部分,复写理论及应用,包括“剩余物”“复写的展示性”“未来的复写”和“虚构的复写”等内容。     

风景园林与绿色基础设施在城市流域水资源规划中的重要作用

通过绿色基础设施途径,处理美国波士顿北部的马萨诸塞州城市流域的水资源规划问题。从多个尺度为风景园林师提供水资源规划的经验与启发,探究公众对新型绿色基础设施解决方案的态度与偏好,以及公众偏好对于整体规划设计的重要作用。     

An approach to technical risk assessment

This paper describes a framework for assessment of the risk that a proposed machine or system, such as an aircraft or computer, will not operate to its required performance specifications when it is developed. The method is based upon decomposition of the system under assessment into a hierarchy of functionally or structurally defined assessment areas. Within each area, technical risks, and methods of assessing these risks, are identified. The framework provides a systematic structure for selecting assessment methods and integrating results of the use of selected methods into a coherent overall assessment of the system.     

Achievable working range for solid all-desiccant air-conditioning systems under specific space comfort requirements

Solid desiccant air-conditioning systems present a promising solution, in terms of performance level and environmental protection, pointing out their potential to be coupled with thermal solar or waste heat energy source. Nevertheless, these systems are characterized by constraints to the load they can satisfy, through the trade-off between the dehumidification cooling capacity and the latent load of the conditioned space. On that level, one has to note that, for steady environmental conditions, the conditioned space does not present unique value of load, but range of load, corresponding to an array of acceptable temperature and (usually relative) humidity values. In this work a methodology is proposed for the definition of the system's achievable working range under specific set of space (comfort) requirements. Through this approach, the systems present greater potential for covering the space requirements, thus presenting more possibilities on a design basis, and more flexible control strategies, as well. The proposed methodology is presented and discussed through the case study of a solar desiccant air-conditioning system coupled to a typical residential building.     

Trends and interactions of physical and bio-geo-chemical features in the Adriatic Sea as derived from satellite observations

Time series of satellite data, generated by the AVHRR (1981-1999), CZCS (1979-1985) and SeaWiFS (1998-2002), have been used to assess trends and interactions of physical and bio-geo-chemical features in the Adriatic Sea. The images were processed to estimate Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and Chlorophyll-like Pigment Concentration (CPC). Long-term composites and climatologies were derived, using fixed geographical grids and projections. The AVHRR data show an apparent warming trend, when plotting the sequence of seasonal cycles (monthly mean SST, averaged over the whole basin) against time, due to a steady rise of summer values. Considering 3 regions (north, central and south), split into east and west sections, the northern Adriatic shows high SST fluctuations (possibly associated with the cycle of winter cooling and summer warming, typical of the relatively shallow sub-basin), while the southern Adriatic exhibits a lower variability (possibly influenced by the periodic water incoming from, and outflowing to the Ionian Sea). During summer, an east-west gradient prevails, while during winter only a general north-south gradient can be found. The SeaWiFS-derived CPC values, distributions and trends appear to be consistent with the historical CZCS record. Persistent differences in the quantitative assessment of CPC for coastal waters is due to the use of improved algorithms, less influenced by the presence of dissolved organics and suspended sediments in the water column, for the processing of SeaWiFS data. Apparent incongruities of the space and time patterns in the SeaWiFS record with respect to the reference climatology, obtained by CZCS more than a decade before, occur chiefly when considering the spring bloom in the southern Adriatic and the summer development of the north Adriatic front. The comparison of the long-term times series of satellite data shows that there is a high correlation between patterns in the thermal field and in the colour field. This suggests that different surface waters, identified by the SST index, are also traced by different ecological features, identified by the CPC index. Both indices also show a high correlation with the classical cyclonic circulation scheme of the Adriatic Sea, proposing once again an intimate relationship between the water dynamics and its bio-geo-chemistry.     

Quality assessment of bed sediments of the Po River (Italy)

Comprehensive and contemporary evaluations of physical, chemical and toxicological endpoints have been performed on bed sediments of the Po River, the major Italian watercourse. Two extensive sampling campaigns were conducted in summer and winter low-flow conditions. Composite sediment samples were collected from ten reaches of the main river: the first was located in the upper region (ambient control), and the others downstream of the confluences of nine principal tributaries. The two sampling programs were paralleled by contemporary investigations on the macroinvertebrate community. The particle-size composition along the Po River showed a relatively uniform distribution of fine sand, a progressive downstream decrease of coarse sands and a corresponding increase of fine materials. The levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), extractable organo halides (EOX), Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined in sediment fine particles (< 63 microm), and showed marked changes across the ten river reaches. Their longitudinal trends, as those of organic carbon and total nitrogen, were very similar and largely independent of the survey season. Sediment quality benchmarks were used to evaluate sediment chemistry, and, although the overall level of contamination was from moderate to low, the reaches located downstream of the tributaries Dora Riparia, Dora Baltea, Lambro and Oglio were considered to be at risk. Sediments were tested for toxicity on Oncorhynchus mykiss, Ceriodaphnia dubia, Raphidocelis subcapitata and Vibrio fischeri. The toxicity tests were conducted both with sediment extracts and whole samples. Sediment extracts showed toxic potentials that were consistent with the spatial distribution of contaminants. Whole-sediment toxicity showed moderate/low effects which also included false positives and negatives. Alterations of the macroinvertebrate community were found for many kilometers downstream of Dora Riparia, and with a seasonal dependence, also in other reaches of the Italian river. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to describe the longitudinal and temporal changes of the Po River, and allowed the selection of the most useful and discriminating indicators.     

Towards patient‐centered packaging design: An industry perspective on processes,functions, and constraints

Medication packaging is essential to provide patients with guidance and correct use of their medicines for effective treatment. This research aims to increase knowledge about the medication packaging innovation process and its uptake towards patient‐centered packaging design. The study applied a qualitative research approach based on data from 25 in‐depth interviews with stakeholders involved in medication packaging design. The empirical data analysis revealed four themes that can improve and advance user‐centered packaging design: medication packaging innovation process, medication packaging functions and features, medication packaging design constraints, and patient‐centered medication packaging design. The findings suggest that medication packaging design is strongly affected by an emphasis on protective and safety packaging functions rather than on patients' needs. Packaging innovation usually is constrained by rigid incremental development processes, where compliance with regulations, extensive documentation, avoidance of manufacturing complexity, and considerations on cost prevail. These findings are discussed in relation to the three most evident trade‐offs for patient‐centered design: protection versus openability, utility versus cost, and complexity of manufacturability versus complexity of use. This research contributes with valuable input and additional evidence about the necessary shift to a user‐centered approach in a field that has not been design driven. This input complements previous research and provides an opportunity for industry decision makers and policy makers to lead patient‐centered packaging design that can benefit patients and relieve overloaded health care systems.     

3D floor plan recovery from overlapping spherical images

Computational Visual Media - We present a novel approach to automatically recover, from a small set of partially overlapping spherical images, an indoor structure representation in terms of a 3D...