Potential of fire extinguisher powder as a filler in bituminous mixes

Fire extinguishers must be maintained at regular intervals and many problems arise when fire-resistant dry powders need replacement. We analyze the potential of fire extinguisher powder (termed REP) as a filler in bituminous mixes. REP and REP-admixed bituminous mixes were subjected to chemical analysis, and the mechanical properties and environmental performances of the mixes were tested. Mixes with different REP contents were prepared. Mechanical performance was adequate and environmental compatibility was achieved. Practical applications and perspectives in rehabilitation, maintenance, and research are outlined.     

Interactivity at the Centre of Avant-Garde Architectural Research

The onset of digital technologies is often cited as the determining force behind the recent paradigm shift in architecture. Here, Antonino Saggio makes the case for interactivity. He argues that it is interactivity rather than hardware or software that has been the essential catalyst, providing the fundamental precepts underlying contemporary communications and bringing with it a new configuring of relationships in which the subject takes centre stage and shifts the object to the periphery. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nanostructured materials for advanced energy conversion and storage devices

New materials hold the key to fundamental advances in energy conversion and storage, both of which are vital in order to meet the challenge of global warming and the finite nature of fossil fuels. Nanomaterials in particular offer unique properties or combinations of properties as electrodes and electrolytes in a range of energy devices. This review describes some recent developments in the discovery of nanoelectrolytes and nanoelectrodes for lithium batteries, fuel cells and supercapacitors. The advantages and disadvantages of the nanoscale in materials design for such devices are highlighted.     

Golden Space–Time Trellis Coded Modulation

In this paper, we present a multidimensional trellis coded modulation scheme for a high rate 2times2 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system over slow fading channels. Set partitioning of the Golden code is designed specifically to increase the minimum determinant. The branches of the outer trellis code are labeled with these partitions and Viterbi algorithm is applied for trellis decoding. In order to compute the branch metrics, a sphere decoder is used. The general framework for code design and optimization is given. Performance of the proposed scheme is evaluated by simulation and it is shown that it achieves significant performance gains over the uncoded Golden code     

On the development of evolutionary artificial artists

The creation and the evaluation of aesthetic artifacts are tasks related to design, music and art, which are highly interesting from the computational point of view. Nowadays, Artificial Intelligence systems face the challenge of performing tasks that are typically human, highly subjective, and eventually social. The present paper introduces an architecture which is capable of evaluating aesthetic characteristics of artifacts and of creating artifacts that obey certain aesthetic properties. The development methodology and motivation, as well as the results achieved by the various components of the architecture, are described. The potential contributions of this type of systems in the context of digital art are also considered.     

Introduction: Techniques and Tools for Parallel and Distributed Program Analysis,Development and Run-Time Support

The Journal of Supercomputing -     

Unravelling the Adaptation Mechanisms to High Pressure in Proteins

Life is thought to have appeared in the depth of the sea under high hydrostatic pressure. Nowadays, it is known that the deep biosphere hosts a myriad of life forms thriving under high-pressure conditions. However, the evolutionary mechanisms leading to their adaptation are still not known. Here, we show the molecular bases of these mechanisms through a joint structural and dynamical study of two orthologous proteins. We observed that pressure adaptation involves the decoupling of protein–water dynamics and the elimination of cavities in the protein core. This is achieved by rearranging the charged residues on the protein surface and using bulkier hydrophobic residues in the core. These findings will be the starting point in the search for a complete genomic model explaining high-pressure adaptation.