Eco-City Projects: Incorporating Sustainability Requirements during Pre-Project Planning

International standards exist for evaluating building or neighborhood sustainability. Nonetheless, they are still not available for large-scale developments. Of special interest to practitioners is how to ensure that sustainability requirements of large-scale projects are well integrated in a master plan. This paper provides design managers of new eco-cities with a framework to integrate sustainability in the pre-project planning phase. A case study of a planned eco-city is investigated to delineate its pre-project planning practices, compare them to the proposed framework, and infer lessons learned. The case study highlights the importance of regular interactions between business planners and master planners to incorporate sustainability requirements at early planning phases.     

The Search for Neutron-Induced Hard Errors in VLSI Structures

Results of analytical and experimental studies of the mechanisms of neutron effects on VLSI structures are described in this paper. The issue of whether a single neutron-produced defect cluster can produce a significant amount of permanent damage ("hard error") in a VLSI cell is addressed. Properties of average defect clusters in silicon are calculated as a function of neutron energy, including dimensions, defect densities, and local electrical properties. The expected effects of a single cluster on MOS and bipolar VLSI geometries are described, and predictions are made of the neutron fluence required to produce a cluster at a critical location in an integrated circuit. Experimental results obtained for 14-MeV neutron-irradiated small-geometry bipolar test chips are described and compared with predictions based on cluster calculations. Much of the present data is accounted for satisfactorily in terms of an average cluster model. The present results suggest that hard errors will occur in VLSI structures at relatively modest neutron fluences. This situation may cause lower bounds to be placed on device sizes for applications requiring radiation tolerance.     

Transient and Permanent Effects of Neutron Bombardment on a Commercially Available N-Buried-Channel CCD

A study of the effects of neutron bombardment on a commercially available n-buried-channel CCD (the Fairchild CCD 321A) has been performed. Both transient and permanent changes in dark current density and charge transfer inefficiency were examined. Considerable shortterm annealing of dark current was observed at room temperature for times up to ~104 sec following pulsed neutron irradiation, but negligible annealing of the transfer inefficiency was noted over the period from 1.5 sec to 1000 hours. This transient annealing difference suggests that transfer inefficiency increases are dominated by isolated, as opposed to clustered, defects under the present experimental conditions. Transfer inefficiency data obtained over the range 208-303° K yield trap energy levels with respect to the conduction band of 0.54 eV before irradiation and 0.33 eV after irradiation. The trap introduction rate was determined to be ~2.6 n-1 cm-1. In studies at cryogenic temperatures, a dependence of transfer inefficiency on clock frequency to the one-half power was noted. This dependence is attributed to a trap-limited diffusion process, with trapping occurring at the As donor level. Neutron irradiation at 77° K caused the transfer inefficiency to decrease, and a qualitative model for such behavior is given.     

Online inferential product attribute estimation for optimal operation of emulsion terpolymerisation: Application to styrene/MMA/MA

An advanced model for process design and control of emulsion terpolymerisation was developed. A test case of emulsion terpolymerisation of styrene (Sty), methyl methacrylate (MMA) and methyl acrylate (MA) was investigated on state of the art facilities for predicting, optimising and control end-use product properties including global and individual conversions, terpolymer composition, the average particle diameter and concentration, glass transition temperature, molecular weight distribution, the number- and weight-average molecular weights and particle size distribution.The model equations include diffusion-controlled kinetics at high monomer conversions, where transition from a ‘zero-one’ to a ‘pseudo-bulk’ regime occurs. Transport equations are used to describe the system transients for batch and semi-batch processes. The particle evolution is described by population balance equations which comprised a set of integro-partial differential and nonlinear algebraic equations. Backward finite difference approximation method is used to discretise the population equation and converts them from partial differential equations to ordinary differential equations. The model predictions were experimentally validated in the laboratory and were found to be in excellent agreement, thus paving the way for further application of the model.     

Career Planning and Progression for Engineering Management Graduates: An Exploratory Study

Abstract:

When faced with the decision of selecting an advanced degree, many engineers opt for management related studies rather than further specialization in a technical field. This article attempts to highlight the reasons behind such choices, and explores the role that a Master's degree in Engineering Management (MEM) plays in career planning and progression. A survey of 58 MEM graduates, who completed their studies at a prominent university in Lebanon between 1992 and 2009, reveals that the majority of the respondents follow a linear career path, rapidly paving the way towards managerial positions. For most of the respondents, earning a graduate degree in engineering management played a primary role in, or at least contributed to, making this shift. The article concludes with a diagram sketching the possible career paths for MEM graduates. By showing the number of years spent at different career stages, the diagram serves as a career-planning tool for MEM graduates, engineers, managers, and researchers.     

Nicotine, cotinine, and myosmine determination using polymer films of tailor-designed zinc porphyrins as recognition units for piezoelectric microgravimetry chemosensors

Two electropolymerizable zinc porphyrins with receptor sites tailor-designed for selective recognition of the nicotine, cotinine, or myosmine alkaloids were synthesized. These were 5-(2-phenoxyacetamide)-10,15,20-tris(triphenylamino)porphyrinato zinc(II) 1 and 5-(2,5-phenylene-bis(oxy)diacetamide)-10,15,20-tris(triphenylamino)porphyrinato zinc(II) 2 featuring one and two pendant amide side "pincers", respectively, and three triphenylamine substituents at the meso positions of the porphyrin macrocycles capable of electrochemical polymerization. Thin polymerfilms of these porphyrins served for recognition and the piezoelectric microgravimetry (PM) for analytical signal transduction of a new chemical sensor devised for determination of these alkaloids. The films were deposited by potentiodynamic electropolymerization on the 10 MHz quartz resonators of the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) without affecting the electronic structure of the porphyrin macrocycles. Under favorable flow injection analysis (FIA) conditions, the alkaloid analytes were determined at the concentration level of 0.1 mM with high sensitivity and selectivity. Affinity toward the analytes of the polymer of 2 was higher than that of 1 due to the higher binding ability offered by two pendant pincers of the former. Because of the selective receptors and PM applied under FIA conditions, the developed procedure offered an alternative to the time-consuming and relatively expensive high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), capillary electrophoresis (CE), and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) methods of detection and quantification of these alkaloids.     

Autologous transplantation of mobilized peripheral blood CD34+ cells selected by immunomagnetic procedures in patients with multiple myeloma

In the use of autologous PBPC transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma, contamination of PBPC with myeloma cells is commonly observed. Enrichment for CD34+ cells has been employed as a method of reducing this contamination. In this study the reduction of myeloma cells in PBPC was accomplished by the positive selection of CD34+ cells using immunomagnetic bead separation (Isolex 300 system). PBPC were mobilized from 18 patients using cyclophosphamide (4.5 g/m2) and G-CSF (10 microg/kg/day). A median of two leukaphereses and one selection was performed per patient. The median number of mononuclear cells processed was 3.50 x 10(10) with a recovery of 1.11 x 10(8) cells after selection. The median recovery of CD34+ cells was 48% (range 17-78) and purity was 90% (29-99). The median log depletion of CD19+ cells was 3.0. IgH rearrangement, assessed by PCR, was undetectable in 13 of 24 evaluable CD34+ enriched products. Patients received 200 mg/m2 of melphalan followed by the infusion of a median of 2.91 x 10(6)/kg CD34+ cells (1.00-16.30). The median time to absolute neutrophil count >0.5 x 10(9)/l was 11 days, and sustained platelet recovery of >20 x 10(9)/l was 14 days. We conclude that immunomagnetic-based enrichment of CD34+ cells results in a marked reduction in myeloma cells without affecting engraftment kinetics.     

What Does the Construction Industry Value in Its Workers?

This paper briefly characterizes today’s United States (U.S.) construction workforce, and attempts to provide evidence for what the construction industry most values in its workers. It presents the social and demographic characteristics of a sample of 862 construction workers, from 19 project sites that were interviewed in 2002, as part of a research effort at the University of Texas at Austin, and compares them with broader-based Bureau of Labor Statistics data to establish the degree to which they represent the U.S. construction workforce. Via statistical analysis, the paper explores the relationships between workers’ attributes and how the industry compensates them as reflected in both hourly wages and average annual incomes. The statistical results reinforce what is known about the importance of years of experience; however, it also provides evidence of the importance of number of crafts each worker possessed, and computer knowledge. Less, but significant, evidence was obtained for the importance of the number of years spent with his/her current firm, craft training hours, age, or self-assessed performance.     

Use of the Nippon-Zeon pneumatic ventricular assist device as a bridge to cardiac transplantation

The Nippon-Zeon (NZ) ventricular assist device is a sac type, air driven, heterotopic, external pump. Its performance has been evaluated in Japan as a bridge to myocardial recovery. Few data are available on the device as a bridge to heart transplantation. Since 1991, 10 patients (9 men) were bridged to heart transplantation with NZ, all in biventricular support. The mean age was 39 +/- 13 years (range, 21-60 years), mean body weight was 75 +/- 13 kg (range, 51-95 kg). Five patients had a dilated cardiopathy, and five were ischemic (three acute myocardial infarctions). Despite maximal inotropic support, including enoximone in seven, epinephrine in three, and intraaortic balloon pumping in one, eight patients were anuric, three were in acute hepatic failure, and three were intubated. Preoperative hemodynamic and biologic values were: cardiac index, 1.57 +/- 0.4 l/min/m2; pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, 34 +/- 5 mmHg; creatinine, 200 +/- 80 mumol/l; blood urea nitrogen, 17.5 +/- 8 mmol/l; total bilirubin 36 +/- 6 mumol/l; aspartate aminotransferase, 1,000 +/- 2,000 IU/l. In all patients, a biventricular assist device was implanted without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. Improvement occurred immediately in all but one. Mean left ventricular flow was 4.5 +/- 0.8 l/min. Anticoagulation was maintained with intravenous heparin. Recently for bleeding was required in one case (10%), and two patients had positive blood cultures that were successfully treated. There was no mechanical failure. Hemolysis was not significant (lactate dehydrogenase, 378 +/- 50 IU/l; plasma-free hemoglobin below 10 mg/dl). Each device was free of thrombi and deposits at time of explantation. One patient died while on assist. Nine patients (90%) were transplanted after 11 +/- 8 days (range, 1-32 days). Three died early after transplantation, one of graft failure, two of sepsis. Six patients (66%) could be discharged. The follow-up ranges from 7 to 28 months. NZ is a simple, reliable, pneumatic device driven by a light, silent console; it can be rapidly implanted without cardiopulmonary bypass in patients in desperate condition who are awaiting cardiac transplantation. The difficulty of patient rehabilitation while using this device should limit the duration of support to weeks to allow the patient to be in optimal condition for heart transplantation.     

Inferential Conversion and Composition Monitoring via Microcalorimetric Measurements in Emulsion Terpolymerization

Online calorimetry was used to estimate the conversion and the cumulative terpolymer composition in free radical emulsion polymerization of styrene/methyl methacrylate (MMA)/methyl acrylate (MA) within batch and semi-batch stirred tank reactors. The model includes the mass and energy balance equations over the reactor and its peripherals. Energy balance equations include the heat of reaction, internal and external heat transfer effects, as well as external heat losses. Experiments were conducted in conjunction with a reactor instrumented with platinum resistance thermal transducers and gravimetric conversion measurement devices. The experiments were conducted at variable operational conditions of feed rate, temperature and monomer feed ratios. The estimated values of conversion and terpolymer composition obtained from calorimetric data were compared with measurements of conversion and cumulative terpolymer composition by gravimetry and NMR techniques. Good agreement was observed between the inferential calorimetric estimation and corresponding process measurements. We established that online calorimetry is suitable for use as a soft sensor for the prediction of the rate of reaction, conversion and terpolymer composition.