Television as a Design Tool

Television is not only the most powerful medium of communication that our age has produced; it is also the most flexible. Yet its common role in education is that of a mere substitute, called in to mitigate the effects of the shortage of teachers or (to look at the matter historically) the excess of students. That it can be more than that is shown by two University of Nebraska faculty members, describing an experiment in the creative use of television as a tool in the development of that awareness of the characteristics of space which is among the architect's indispensable qualifications.     

Book reviews

In some parts of Europe, stone wall field boundaries pervade agricultural landscapes, yet despite their prominence there has been very little research into field boundary walls anywhere. However, these anthropogenic features within cultural landscapes may offer insights into current debates on ‘novel’ ecosystems because of their artifice, their longevity in the landscape particularly in remote or exposed regions, and their morphology. In a review of the available, published literature in Europe, it was found that no publications exist that examine or illustrate specific ecological characteristics of field boundary stone walls, despite this longevity. Using examples from Ireland, where these structures are locally abundant, this paper aims first to draw attention to the poorly representative literature on this topic, and thus stimulate research that will detail the potential ecological characteristics of these ancient forms of field boundary. It then briefly explores the potential for these walls to be considered as ‘novel’ ecosystems within current debates on the issue.     

Patrick troy: Public good and the intellectual

Abstract

The life and career of Patrick Troy reveal a remarkable consistency of purpose. He brings technical expertise and a strong commitment to social justice to bear on a range of issues concerning the natural and built environment. This overview of his life and career records his contribution to the study and implementation of equitable public policy.     

Occupational exposure and health risks of volatile organic compounds of hotel housekeepers: Field measurements of exposure and health risks

Hotel housekeepers represent a large, low-income, predominantly minority, and high-risk workforce. Little is known about their exposure to chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study evaluates VOC exposures of housekeepers, sources and factors affecting VOC levels, and provides preliminary estimates of VOC-related health risks. We utilized indoor and personal sampling at two hotels, assessed ventilation, and characterized the VOC composition of cleaning agents. Personal sampling of hotel staff showed a total target VOC concentration of 57 ± 36 µg/m³ (mean ± SD), about twice that of indoor samples. VOCs of greatest health significance included chloroform and formaldehyde. Several workers had exposure to alkanes that could cause non-cancer effects. VOC levels were negatively correlated with estimated air change rates. The composition and concentrations of the tested products and air samples helped identify possible emission sources, which included building sources (for formaldehyde), disinfection by-products in the laundry room, and cleaning products. VOC levels and the derived health risks in this study were at the lower range found in the US buildings. The excess lifetime cancer risk (average of 4.1 × 10⁻⁵) still indicates a need to lower exposure by reducing or removing toxic constituents, especially formaldehyde, or by increasing ventilation rates.     

The commercial currency of construction framework agreements

A critique is presented of construction client–main contractor framework agreements. In the midst of an unpredictable and volatile construction environment, the commercial currency of collaborative working practice, and by extension framework agreements, is being put under increasing management scrutiny. Drawing on a literature review, the guiding principles of framework agreements are examined. A dramatic downturn in construction demand has created considerable surplus in supply. Under such conditions the buyer–supplier interdependencies become imbalanced and commercial relationships fraught. Reports by construction industry analysts demonstrate a number of private sector clients rejecting framework agreements in favour of traditional competitive procurement practices. Drawing upon a neoclassical lens, three guiding principles embedded within economic orthodoxy are employed to examine business-to-business tensions within construction framework agreements, namely, individualism, instrumentalism and equilibrium. This neoclassical interpretation of construction framework agreements reveals a potential relational management bias within mainstream rhetoric. Notably, providing a complementary account of framework agreements practice should not be construed as a rejection of collaborative working practices. An alternative account of framework agreements is presented that does not rely upon the mainstream behavioural model of contemporary contracting.     

Morality and Architecture

In the 1870s and 1880s, when the establishment of schools of architecture in the United States was in its infancy, one of the main methods of architectural education for builders, carpenters and others who wished to advance in the field was to study the many books on architecture being published after the Civil War. Even professional architects had frequent recourse to books (and also periodicals) for design ideas, theory and contemporary issues.     

Pesticides in groundwater: some observations on temporal and spatial trends

Following a monitoring programme of private shallow boreholes a total of 22 different pesticides were detected in 14 shallow boreholes in the Triassic Sherwood Sandstone aquifer of south Yorkshire, UK between January 2002 and November 2003. Of the 294 positive detections made, 34% were detected in excess of the permitted concentration value (PCV) (drinking water standard) for individual pesticides. Pesticides were detected in 11 (78%) of the boreholes, and in eight (57%) at concentrations exceeding the PCV on at least one occasion. These findings were complemented by data from deeper boreholes in which concentrations exceeding the PCV were also detected. Pesticide occurrence could be related to landuse; mecoprop and isoproturon were frequently detected at several locations reflecting the arable landuse, dicamba at a golf course, and atrazine, propazine and terbutryn near a railway. Temporal variations have emerged at individual sites and across the study area as the result of extended and frequent monitoring.     

Inexpensive Improvements To Older Mass Spectrometers For Routine Organic Analysis

ABSTRACT

A DuPont-CEC 21–104 mass spectrometer has been upgraded by replacing the ion current amplifier with a low bias current operational amplifier and by adding a scanning circuit which changes the magnet current as a square root function of time. This provides linearity in mass presentation to better than 5% over a mass range of 40 to 400 Daltons. The use of lower scanning speeds and a dual-pen potentiometric recorder avoids the need for expensive, light-sensitive chart paper. These modifications have made the instrument more stable and sensitive, and the spectra are produced in a more useful format, resulting in a considerable increase in the number of samples submitted for routine analysis.     

Towards a rapid, non-contact shaping method for fibre metal laminates using a laser source

Since their initial development, fibre metal laminates (FMLs) have slowly started to be used by industry, particularly the aerospace sector. One of the reasons for the relatively slow adoption of FMLs is due to the difficulties faced in shaping them to the desired geometry. Whilst traditional processes such as roll forming are effective in shaping monolithic materials, these processes could potentially destroy the mechanical properties of the composite layer. The approached investigated here uses thermal or laser forming (LF) to shape flat panels of thermosetting glass fibre based FMLs into 2D geometries. This initial empirical investigation covers the effectiveness of the various LF processes and the effects of various parameters have on the forming process. These include laser parameters such as power and velocity and material parameters such as FML lay-up strategy, fibre orientation and comparison with monolithic materials.