Containerised transport and housing systems

The high costs of transport limit the feasibility of most industrialised building systems to markets within fairly close reach of the producing factory. Much of the greatest need for simple, low cost housing is in areas which cannot sustain a sufficiently large market for a locally based production unit. In this article Professor Majzub discusses two new concepts in packaged housing which considerably reduce transport costs and extend the range at which it is still economical to deliver to site from a central factory. Whilst influenced by North American concepts of housing, the suggestions may have wider relevance.     

Distribution and Sources of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Surface Sediments from the Northern Part of the Persian Gulf (Hormuzgan Province)

Sediments from the intertidal areas of Hormuzgan province in northern part of Persian Gulf (Iran) were investigated for the levels and possible sources of 15 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Samples of sediments were collected from twelve sampling sites and analyzed for PAHs by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that the total concentrations of PAHs ranged from 765 to 1898 ng/g dry weight. Composition pattern in the sediment samples from 12 sampling sites was dominated by 4-ring PAH compounds. Molecular indices based on ratios of PAH concentrations were used to differentiate PAHs from pyrolitic, petrogenic and mixed origins. The results of study suggested that the main sources of PAHs in the sediment were mixed with pyrolitic and petrogenic inputs. According to the US sediments quality guidelines (SQGs) (ERL/ERM) sediments of the mentioned region did not show any ecotoxicological risk for benthic organisms.     

Particle size and shell composition as effective parameters on MFFT for acrylic core–shell particles prepared via seeded emulsion polymerization

In this study, acrylic-based copolymer particles were prepared with core–shell morphology and the effect of T_g of the shell, particle size and their bimodal size distribution on minimum film formation temperature (MFFT) were investigated. The main goal was to optimize conditions to obtain latexes with low MFFT and appropriate mechanical properties. These will develop the applicability of such water-borne binders as paints and coatings at ambient conditions. A series of latexes with core–shell morphology with variable T_g of the shell from −56 to 30 °C were prepared and the MFFT, hardness and thermal behavior of the obtained films were studied. Then a series of latexes with particle sizes ranging from 46 to 960 nm were prepared and the effect of particle size on MFFT was studied too. By inducing the formation of secondary nucleation during emulsion polymerization, latexes with bimodal size distribution were obtained and the effect of presence of such particles on film formation was investigated. Results indicate that latexes with appropriate composition and bimodal particle size distribution lead to optimized performance in both mechanical and film formation properties as a proper choice for water-borne coatings.     

Isolation of a novel mutant strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by an ethyl methane sulfonate-induced mutagenesis approach as a high producer of bioethanol

In order to obtain mutant strains showing higher bioethanol production than wild-type strains, a commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae type was subjected to mutagenesis using ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS). After adding EMS to a shaken yeast suspension, the viability of yeast cells was assessed by diluted sample inoculation to solid yeast-extract peptone glucose (YEPG) medium at 15-min intervals. At 45 min, the viability of yeast cells was estimated to be about 40%. Mutagenized cells were recovered from YEPG broth after incubation at 30 degrees C for 18 h. After this period, EMS-treated yeast cells were grown on solid aerobic low-peptone (ALP) medium containing 2-12% (v/v) ethanol. All plates were incubated at 30 degrees C for 2-6 d in order to form colonies. The mutant strains that tolerated high concentrations of ethanol were selected for bioethanol production in microfuge tubes containing fermentation medium. Formation of bioethanol in small tubes was detected by the distillation-colorimetric method. In addition, trehalose content and invertase activity were determined in each mutant strain. Among many isolated mutant strains, there were six isolated colonies that grew on ALP medium supplemented with 10% (v/v) ethanol and one of them produced bioethanol 17.3% more than the wild type.     

An optimal network coding based backpressure routing approach for massive IoT network

Wireless Networks - In order to mitigate the power consumption issue for the sensor’s nodes, an efficient power optimized routing protocol is needed. Therefore, this paper proposes a network...     

Interference management issues for the future 5G network: a review

Telecommunication Systems - The future wireless Fifth Generation (5G) communication network required a higher bandwidth in order to achieve greater data rate. It will be largely characterized by...     

Effect of Cu on the Creep Behavior of Cast Al-15Si-0.5Mg Alloy

JOM - In the present article, the effect of Cu on the microstructure and creep properties of Al-15Si-0.5Mg cast alloy was studied by using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy...     

Correspondence Analysis: A New Method for Analyzing Qualitative Data in Architecture

This article aims at establishing a new application of the correspondence analysis (CA) method for analyzing qualitative data in architecture and landscape architecture. This method is primarily used in genealogy but is here, for the first time, applied to architectural studies. After introducing a qualitative method based on coding process, a practical guide for using CAQDAS (Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software) is provided. The software NVivo-8 is applied to analyze the data. CA, a multivariate statistical technique, is used to identify the underlying structure of the data and visualize the results. For the purpose of testing this method in practice, the National Garden of Tehran was selected as a case study to provide the data. The focus is on visualizing the similarities between the properties of the National Garden of Tehran and several different garden design styles. Two reliability tests were performed to verify the results, indicating that the National Garden of Tehran has many characteristics similar to those of a typical Baroque garden style. We believe that this new method may have wide application possibilities for studies on architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture.     

Silicon microring resonator waveguide-based graphene photodetector

Microsystem Technologies - Here we study and analyze the performance of a graphene-based photodetector integrated onto a silicon-on-insulator microring using optical and electrical simulations. The...