What types of neighbourhoods are redlined?

This paper presents a case study of lending behaviour in the city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It shows what types of neighbourhoods are redlined by analyzing redlining data of the two largest suppliers of mortgage loans and comparing it to social-demographic and housing market data at the neighbourhood level. Although this approach cannot explain redlining, it can show which factors are related to lending behaviour. Low income, unemployment and ethnicity are strongly positively correlated to redlining. A discriminant analysis shows that the interaction between low income, unemployment or ethnicity on the one hand, and the average value of sold units on the other hand can best approximate redlining. Lastly, this paper also highlights the importance of scale. Manuel B. Aalbers formerly at: Amsterdam institute for Metropolitan and International Development Studies (AMIDSt), University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Prinsengracht 130, 1018 VZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands     

Characterization of the Fouled Ballast Layer in the Substructure of a 19th Century Railway Track Under Renewal

The purpose of these field and lab studies undertaken during rehabilitation work being done on an ancient railway line was to characterize a layer of ballast fouled with soil found in the track substructure. The field studies included the characterization of the thickness, grain size distribution and void ratio of the fouled ballast layer, as well as a large number of plate load tests, both on the fouled ballast layer and on the subgrade. The resilient behaviour of the fouled ballast was evaluated in the lab by cyclic triaxial tests on large size reconstituted specimens with distinct fouling indexes (different grain size distribution) and distinct humidity states (dry or wet). The results obtained were used as support for the decision to maintain the fouled ballast layer under the new sub-ballast in a number of stretches of the renewed line.     

Advanced model for predicting the fire response of concrete filled tubular columns

In this work, a nonlinear finite element three-dimensional model is presented and validated in order to study the behaviour of axially loaded concrete filled tubular (CFT) columns with circular cross-section exposed to fire. A realistic sequentially coupled nonlinear thermal-stress analysis is conducted for a series of columns available in the literature. The model is validated by comparing the simulation results with the real fire resistance tests. By means of this model, and extensive sensitivity analysis is performed over a wide range of aspects concerning the finite element modelling of the problem under study, including new key factors not studied previously. Based on this sensitivity analysis several modelling recommendations are given in this paper, which will be useful for future research work. The validated numerical model is furthermore employed to study and discuss the Eurocode 4 Part 1–2 simple calculation model, which is deeply analysed in this paper.     

巴拉哈斯机场

在建筑方面。设计师创造了一个让每个人都印象深刻的精美作品;与此同时,他们也实现了一个真正实用、有效、方便旅客流线组织的机场。In architectural terms they designed a wonderful building that makes an impact on everybody and created a truly functional and efficient airport that facilitates the flow of passengers through the building.概述SUMMARY巴拉哈斯机场是事务所迄今为止做过的最大的项目——总面积超过100万平方米,,预算大约10亿欧元。     

Fractional adaptive control for an automatic voltage regulator

This paper presents the application of a direct Fractional Order Model Reference Adaptive Controller (FOMRAC) to an Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR). A direct FOMRAC is a direct Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC), whose controller parameters are adjusted using fractional order differential equations. Four realizations of the FOMRAC were designed in this work, each one considering different orders for the plant model. The design procedure consisted of determining the optimal values of the fractional order and the adaptive gains for each adaptive law, using Genetic algorithm optimization. Comparisons were made among the four FOMRAC designs, a fractional order PID (FOPID), a classical PID, and four Integer Order Model Reference Adaptive Controllers (IOMRAC), showing that the FOMRAC can improve the controlled system behavior and its robustness with respect to model uncertainties. Finally, some performance indices are presented here for the controlled schemes, in order to show the advantages and disadvantages of the FOMRAC.     

A Review of Ionic Liquids for Green Molecular Lubrication in Nanotechnology

Common industrial lubricants include natural and synthetic hydrocarbons and perfluoropolyethers (PFPEs), where the latter is widely used in commercial applications requiring extreme operating conditions due to their high temperature stability and extremely low vapor pressure. However, PFPEs exhibit low electrical conductivity, making them undesirable in some nanotechnology applications. Ionic liquids (ILs) have been explored as lubricants for various device applications due to their excellent electrical conductivity as well as good thermal conductivity, where the latter allows frictional heating dissipation. Since they do not emit volatile organic compounds, they are regarded as “green” lubricants. In this article, we review the different types of ILs and their physical properties responsible for lubrication. We also discuss their suitability as lubricants, since the long-term performance of ILs as lubricants may be affected by issues such as corrosion, oxidation, tribochemical reactions, and toxicity. We present nanotribological, electrical, and spectroscopic studies of IL films along with conventional tribological investigations, recognizing that understanding the tribological performance at various length scales is a crucial step in selecting and designing effective lubricants.     

Study of PEMFC ionomers through model molecules mimicking the ionomer repeat units

The thermal and electrochemical behaviours of PEMFC ionomers based on an aromatic backbone i.e., sulfonated polysulfones, sulfonated polyetheretherketones and sulfonated polybenzimidazoles, were investigated through their model molecules. Thermal degradation was characterized by weight losses and allowed inferring ionomer thermal degradations by chain breakings that cannot be detected by thermogravimetric analysis. In addition, cyclic voltammetry was used to characterize the electroactivity of some ionomers, related to their backbone and their ionic moieties. The use of model molecules is thus a useful tool for assessing both the thermal and electrochemical stability of ionomers. Lastly, due to the high concentrations used in liquid electrolytes as compared with an electrode/membrane interface it may be considered as an electrochemical aging test.     

Enzymatic Interesterification of Extra Virgin Olive Oil with a Fully Hydrogenated Fat: Characterization of the Reaction and Its Products

The lipase-catalyzed interesterification of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and fully hydrogenated palm oil (FHPO) was studied in a batch reactor operating at 75 °C. The compositions of the semi-solid fat products depend on the reaction conditions and the initial ratio of EVOO to FHPO. The dependence of the quasi-equilibrium product TAG profile on the reaction time was determined for initial weight ratios of EVOO to FHPO from 80:20 to 20:80. Lipozyme TL IM, Lipozyme RM IM and Novozym 435 were employed as biocatalysts. The interesterification reaction was optimized with respect to the type and loading of biocatalyst. Equilibrium was approached in the shortest time with Novozym 435 (80% conversion in 4 h). The chemical, physical, and functional properties of the products were characterized. Appropriate choices of the reaction conditions and the initial ratio of EVOO to FHPO lead to TAG with melting profiles and solid fat contents similar to those of commercial products. Differences were observed in the solid fat contents, melting profiles, and oxidative stabilities of the various interesterified products and also between the indicated properties of each category of product and the corresponding physical blend of the precursor reagents.     

Soret-‘shifted’ dew-point temperatures for surfaces exposed to hydrocarbon vapors dilute in compressed nitrogen

Soret-driven species transport causes concentration non-uniformities in the immediate vicinity of ‘cold’ surfaces immersed in undersaturated vapor-containing streams. These concentration non-uniformities, in turn, alter corresponding condensation onset temperatures, often by as much as 30 K (i.e., ca. 3%) in previously studied, near-atmospheric pressure combustion systems [see, e.g., Rosner, D.E. and Nagarajan, R., 1985. Chemical Engineering Science 40 (2), 177]. Because high-pressures often cause remarkable increases in the relevant binary Soret factor, α_T,12, we investigate here the importance of these vapor phase ‘transport’ effects for ‘compressed’ N₂ streams containing dilute quantities of an alkane: C₁₂H₂₆ (n-dodecane) or C₈H₁₈ (n-octane). We invoke the virial equation of state (VES) to predict gas phase non-ideality, and its appreciable effect on previously available ideal gas Soret factors. Our illustrative numerical results, valid for, say, nominally 1000 K N₂ streams up to pressures of over 100 atm, reveal that high-pressure Soret ‘shifts’ in T_dp can amount to ca. 80%, even at surface temperatures above the equilibrium freezing points of these condensates. We conclude that these high-pressure vapor phase transport phenomena will not only influence the interpretation of such hot gas/‘cold’ surface ‘dew-point’ measurements, they will significantly raise the temperatures at which containment or immersed surfaces must be maintained to avoid the ravages of corrosive or insulating inorganic condensates [Rosner, D.E., Chen, B.K., Fryburg, G.C., Kohl, F.J., 1979. Combustion Science and Technology 20, 87; Rosner, D.E., 1988a. Invited paper, Benjamin G. Levich Memorial Issue of Journal of Physico-Chemical Hydrodynamics 10 (5/6), 663]. In principle, the present theory could itself be used to study the pressure dependence of the binary Soret factor—at least for systems with well-characterized saturation vapor pressures.