An Integrative Theory of Urban Design

The ideas that inform urban design usually coalesce around contending approaches, each associated with one or two leading writers. This article finds that these approaches share an intellectual foundation: They implicitly acknowledge the “noncommodifiability” of the human experience across property boundaries. They share the view that good design seeks to reintegrate the human experience of urban form in the face of real estate markets that would treat land and buildings as discrete commodities. The great writers on urban design have more or less explicitly defended this intellectual position by appeal to the nebulous concept of the “organic.” Rather than just asserting that everything is part of an organic whole, this article identifies the integrative principles through which urban environments can transcend commodification. These principles include good form, legibility, vitality, and meaning.     

Young adults and the decline of the urban English pub: issues for planning

The numbers of English public houses or “pubs” have reduced significantly in the last two decades. Politicians have called on the planning system to resist their closure but, at the same time, demand further controls over high-street bars. This paper explores the reasons for the decline and the rationale for supporting the continuation of the “traditional” English pub. Using evidence drawn from a wider study of the relationships between places and youth drinking cultures, the paper discusses young adults' use of pubs. While recognising the adverse effects of heavy drinking, arguments are put forward in support of the traditional pub as a site for restrained and responsible social interaction for young adults. The paper discusses the issues this raises for the UK planning system in the context of responsibilities for social sustainability and public health.     

Manufacturing of advanced smart tooling for metal forming

Forming is widely used due to its high efficiency in material utilization and its high production rate in general. Most forming processes control the geometry of final products through a set of tooling. The increasing demands on lightweight products have challenged the performances and functionalities of tooling. This paper provides a systematic review of recent advancements related to tooling performance and functionalities, including tool materials, tooling fabrication processes (e.g., machining, heat treatment, coating, surface texturing, and additive manufacturing), sensing, and data analytics. Finally, recommendations on future research directions for metal forming tooling are provided.     

Germanium-antimony-selenium-tellurium thin films: Clusters formation by laser ablation and comparison with clusters from mixtures of elements

Quaternary germanium-antimony-selenium-tellurium (Ge-Sb-Se-Te) thin films deposited from Ge_19.4Sb_16.7Se_63.9−xTe_x (x = 5, 10, 15, and 20) glass-ceramics targets by radio frequency magnetron sputtering were studied using laser ablation quadrupole ion trap time of flight mass spectrometry. Binary, ternary, and quaternary Ge_aSb_bSe_cTe_d clusters were formed and their stoichiometry was determined. By comparison of the clusters obtained from quaternary Ge-Sb-Se-Te thin films and those from ternary Ge-Sb-Te materials, we found that Ge-Te species are not detected from the quaternary system. Furthermore, Ge-Se and Se-Te species are missing in mass spectra generated from Ge-Sb-Se-Te thin films. From the Ge-Sb-Se-Te thin films, 16 clusters were detected while ternary Ge-Sb-Se glasses yielded 26 species. This might be considered as a signal of higher stability of Ge-Sb-Se-Te thin films which is increasing with a higher content of Te. The missing (Se₂⁺, Ge_aSb⁺ (a = 1–4), and GeSe_c⁺ (c = 1, 2)) and new (Ge⁺ and Sb_bTe⁺ (b = 1–3)) clusters may indicate that some of the structural features of the films (Ge₂Se_6/2 and Se₂Sb-SbSe₂) were replaced by (GeSe_4−xTe_x and SbSe_3−xTe_x) ones. In addition, when comparing the stoichiometry of clusters formed from Ge-Sb-Se-Te thin films with those from the mixtures of the elements, only Sb₃⁺ and SbSe⁺ were observed in both cases. The knowledge gained concerning clusters stoichiometry contributes to the elucidation of the processes proceeding during plasma formation used for the chalcogenide thin films deposition.     

Platinum on nitrogen doped graphene and tungsten carbide supports for ammonia electro-oxidation reaction

Ammonia electrooxidation reaction involving multistep electron-proton transfer is a significant reaction for fuel cells, hydrogen production and understanding nitrogen cycle. Platinum has been established as the best electrocatalyst for ammonia oxidation in aqueous alkaline media. In this study, Pt/nitrogen-doped graphene (NDG) and Pt/tungsten monocarbide (WC)/NDG are synthesized by a wet chemistry method and their ammonia oxidation activities are compared to commercial Pt/C. Pt/NDG exhibits a specific activity of 0.472 mA∙cm^–2, which is 44% higher than commercial Pt/C, thus establishing NDG as a more effective support than carbon black. Moreover, it is demonstrated that WC as a support also impacts the activity with further 30% increase in comparison to NDG. Surface modification with Ir resulted in the best electrocatalytic activity with Pt-Ir/WC/NDG having almost thrice the current density of commercial Pt/C. This work adds insights regarding the role of NDG and WC as efficient supports along with significant impact of Ir surface modification.     

Mass‐transfer enhancement by a reversible chemical reaction across the interface of a bubble rising under Stokes flow

Mass transfer around a bubble rising in a liquid under Stokes regime is investigated when a reversible chemical reaction, , is taken into account. Four dimensionless parameters control the interfacial transfer rate: the Péclet and Damköhler numbers, the ratio of the diffusion coefficient of both species, and the reaction equilibrium constant. The mass‐transfer equations are solved numerically with a finite element technique. A boundary layer approach is also proposed and solved with a coupled technique of finite difference and Chebyshev‐spectral method. The equilibrium constant and the ratio of diffusion coefficients have a strong influence on the coupling between the chemical reaction and mass transfer leading to an increase of the Sherwood number. The interaction between the chemical reaction and advection is clearly established by the simulations. Conditions corresponding to Péclet number larger than the Damköhler number reduces the effect of the chemical reaction. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 3376–3388, 2014     

Fabrication and characterization of poly(methyl methacrylate)/CaCu3Ti4O12 composites

Composites comprising Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA) and CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) via melt mixing followed by hot pressing were fabricated. These were characterized using X‐ray diffraction, thermo gravimetric, scanning electron microscopy, and Impedance analyzer for their structural, morphology, and dielectric properties. Composites were found to have better thermal stability than that of pure PMMA. The composite, with 38 Vol % of CCTO (in PMMA), exhibited remarkably low dielectric loss at high frequencies and the low frequency relaxation is attributed to the space charge polarization/MWS effect. Theoretical models were employed to rationalize the dielectric behavior of these composites. At higher temperatures, the relaxation peak shifts to higher frequencies, due to the merging of both β and α relaxations into a single dielectric dispersion peak. The AC conductivity in the high frequency region was attributed to the electronic polarization. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:551–558, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers