Morphocontinuity in the work of Eero Saarinen

Continuity as the mathematical tool in the creation of architectural forms is known as morphocontinuity. In the present work, we explain how morphocontinuity appears on the work of Eero Saarinen and discuss its correspondence with its environmental (physical, social and cultural) contexts.     

An econometric study of illegal electricity connections in the urban favelas of Belo Horizonte,Brazil

The data from the project “Conviver,” launched in 2006 in Belo Horizonte (Brazil), provides a unique opportunity to study illegal electricity connections. Based on an original dataset of 15,279 low-income households, this paper studies the incidence and determinants of illegality in the context of low-income urban favelas. The probability of engaging in illegal behavior is explained not just by low income, but by a combination of concurring factors: sub-standard energy provision and equipment; inefficient/incorrect use of domestic electric appliances and running an informal in-house business. These recurrent issues in the urban favelas aggravate a sense of exclusion from growth, which is generally recognized as a trigger of illegality. The impact of energy demand on energy-related illegality is carefully analyzed, and different empirical strategies adopted to circumvent some simultaneity problem between both decision processes. The effectiveness of consumption-based energy subsidies is also explored. In spite of some contrary arguments in the literature, in the context of peri-urban slums, such measures may exert a positive impact in mitigating illegal access and use of energy. Effectiveness will be enhanced by accompanying measures such as: perceivable improvements of equipment, metering and maintenance, promotion of beneficiaries’ awareness of energy usage, and energy-saving behaviors.     

Optimization of piers for retaining walls

The ultimate strength design of reinforced concrete members under flexure and axial loads is well known, with solutions dating back to the 1950s. There is little motivation for engineers to change solution approaches in the absence of a clear benefit, particularly given that current solution approaches are well-known and do not raise controversy. Recently, a different solution approach has been presented in the form of Reinforcement Sizing Diagrams and Optimal Domains, but applications to rectangular sections were limited and thus the approach has been mainly of academic or theoretical interest. This paper presents an application to circular sections, which allow the advantages to be realized in the commonly encountered situation of retaining walls supported by circular section piers. Using the approach presented herein, longitudinal reinforcement can be reduced up to 50% compared with traditional designs, allowing significant financial savings while also reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the reinforcement component of reinforced concrete construction.     

Pressure drop during air flow in aluminum foams

This paper aims at investigating experimentally the pressure drop during air flow in six different aluminum open-cell foam samples with different number of pores per inch (PPI) and different porosity under a wide range of air mass flow rate. Three imposed heat fluxes are considered for each foam sample. The collected pressure drop data are analysed with reference to models available in the literature. A new simple pressure drop model, based on present data, has then been developed. The consistency of the proposed model is finally checked by comparison to data available in the literature from different laboratories.     

A one-pot ultrasound-assisted water extraction/cyclodextrin encapsulation of resveratrol from Polygonum cuspidatum

The ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of resveratrol and other polyphenols from Polygonum cuspidatum has been carried out with the aim of developing an efficient and eco-friendly extraction process. The finely milled roots were sonicated (titanium horn, 19.5 kHz) in methanol, in different cyclodextrin water solutions [β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) or hydroxypropyl β-CD (HPβ-CD)] and also in pure water. UAE dramatically increased the yields and cut down extraction times compared to conventional extraction under stirring. Outstanding results have been achieved with the β-CD solution (1.5% w/w); in fact HPLC analysis showed that the selective inclusion properties of CDs toward phenolic stilbenes gave a much cleaner analytical extract profile. This green method gave 7.51 mg of total resveratrol (free + cleaved polydatin glucoside) per gram of dry plant. Thanks to polyphenol encapsulation within CDs, this extract showed excellent water dispersibility, higher stability and an antioxidant power which is comparable to that of the MeOH extract (DPPH, ORAC_FL). These important features should pave the road for its application in food supplements or phytochemical preparations.     

Consideration of the influence of aging process,type of wine and oenological classic parameters on the levels of wood volatile compounds present in red wines

The contents of the volatile compounds extracted from wood: cis- and trans-whiskylactones, vanillin, syringaldehyde, furfural, 5-methylfurfural, eugenol, guaiacol, p-ethyl-phenol and p-ethylguaicol have been studied in 12 single-variety wines aged in new American oak barrels. The concentration of these compounds were determined after the following combinations of time in wood and time in bottle: 0 months in wood plus 18 months in bottle, 4 months in wood  + 14 months in bottle, 9 months in wood + 9 moths in bottle and 12 months in wood + 6 months in bottle. According to the composition of the wines, it is possible to conclude in general, that, the extraction of these compounds was faster during the first four or 9 months of aging in wood, depending on the wines. After 12 months of oak maturation, the extraction of these compounds slowed down. Furthermore, the final concentrations of these volatile compounds were different among studied wines. These differences could be related to some of the values of some of their oenological parameters, such as the contents of tartaric acid and sulphur dioxide of each wine.     

Nucleation and Crystallization of a Lithium Aluminosilicate Glass

An aluminosilicate glass of composition 61SiO₂6Al₂O₃10MgO6ZnO·12Li₂O·5TiO₂ (mol%) has been prepared by a melting process and investigated as far as crystallization is concerned. Glass-ceramic is easily obtained because glass shows a high tendency to crystallize starting from 700°C. The crystalline phases evolve with temperature, showing the aluminosilicates to be the main phase up to 1050°C, followed by metasilicates and silicates, some of which have lower melting points. The titanates of Mg and Zn develop from the phase-separated glass, soon after T _g, and grow to form nucleation centers for the other crystalline phases. The evolution from phase-separated glass to glass-ceramic has been followed by many thermal, diffractometric, spectroscopic, and microscopic techniques.     

Effect of frozen storage of hake,sardine and mixed minces on natural actomyosin extracted in salt solutions

Natural actomyosin extracted in salt solutions from mixtures of hake and sardine minces (3:1; 1:1 and 1:3 w/w) stored frozen for up to 1 year differed in the amount extracted and in the characteristics of the extracts. In the mixed minces the amount of natural actomyosin extracted decreased during frozen storage at a higher rate than that theoretically corresponding to the amount of hake in the mixes. With increasing storage time and proportion of sardine a lower percentage of myosin heavy chain and actin was observed by electrophoresis. An increased size of aggregates was also observed by electrophoresis and transmission electron microscopy. The stability of emulsions was enhanced when aggregates appeared in the extracts. The decrease in the amount of natural actomyosin extracted does not explain the changes observed in the texture of the minces during frozen storage. This may indicate that the size of the aggregates unextractable in salt solutions, independently of the type of bonds that bind the proteins in the aggregates, plays an important role in the textural changes observed. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Dispersing Behavior of Hydroxyapatite Powders Produced by Wet-Chemical Synthesis

Three hydroxyapatite powders with different surface properties were produced by wet-chemical synthesis and characterized. The electrokinetic properties of powders dispersed in water were investigated by electroacoustic spectroscopy measurements. The different surface reactivity (pH_iep and ζ potential versus pH curves) was related to the interplay of dissolution and adsorption of Ca²⁺ ions. With a view toward the preparation of porous bodies by sponge impregnation, the behavior of powder suspensions was studied. Four deflocculants were tested, and the optimum dispersing conditions for each powder were found. Anionic polyelectrolytes resulted in the best effective dispersing agent, with different optimum amounts added to the suspensions.