New Ideas Concerning Science and Technology Vol. 13

The building facade plays an important role in achieving thermal comfort and energy conservation. A Double Skin Facade (DSF) is an envelope system, which has an external and internal layer that contains a buffer space used for controlled ventilation and solar protection. Due to technological advances, transparency and the use of glass has become an attractive facade option in architectural design. Building glass facades can provide outdoor views and an excellent level of natural light as well as the potential for natural ventilation. Double skin façades (DSF) are architectural elements that have increased in popularity in modern buildings. They have been developed as an alternative technology to improve the thermal performance of conventional fully glazed buildings. Also they have been widely used as a way to reduce the thermal instability of inner spaces caused by the growing use of large glazed areas in buildings. This concept has provided the possibility of improved sound insulation, pre-heating air for ventilation, and protection of solar shading in urban areas. DSF’s can achieve reduction of winter heating requirements. However, when the building is under summer conditions or located in moderate or hot climates, heat gains are predominant and the cost of cooling becomes a major issue. The improvement of the system is necessary when working under hot climatic conditions. There is a significant lack of information in the current literature to demonstrate the complexity and challenges in designing large, mechanically ventilated buildings. For these types of buildings, it is important to have the tools to evaluate a design‘s predicted performance to achieve successful natural ventilation concepts. However, with the use of glass, heat loss during the winter and solar gain during the summer will increase energy loads. This is especially true when the new double-skin facade (DSF) configuration is used as a means of conserving energy while providing superior thermal comfort.  This is specifically the case when the façade has to perform under extreme or moderate summer conditions. The characteristics of thermal overheating of a specific type of DSF with various configurations and its practical control have not been subjected to systematic experimental and computational investigations. Previous research suggested that the use of ventilated facades contributes towards the energy reduction of indoor thermal gains. The use of a ventilated channel reduces temperatures in the facade, though indoor thermal conditions have to be assessed in relation to the facade configuration as part of the compliance of the system to the building requirements. Most of the study regarding a facade and energy-comfort modeling combination are restricted to only one DSF typology. This study attempts to analyze a mechanically ventilated building with DSF configuration - building in terms of indoor thermal comfort. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of wind velocity and wind distribution on mechanically ventilated buildings with DSF configuration, to determine if a DSF configuration will provide a better thermal comfort through natural ventilation. Another aim of this study is to investigate the performance of a new DSF configuration for an - building in terms of thermal comfort in a humid climate. By using the CFD program, this study were analyzed the thermal comfort statuses of different width corridors with double skin facades. Also the thermal comfort indices, PMV and PPD values, were calculated both in FloEFD and Design Builder to study the thermal comfort inside the building.

Climate extremes threaten livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa hence the need for adaptations strategies. The objective of the study was to analyze adaptation strategies used by smallholder farmers by examining their knowledge of climate extremes and the perceived effects of climate extremes on agriculture activities. The study was conducted using survey data generated from 70 randomly selected households from Hohoe district in the Volta Region in Ghana. Information sought included household socio-economic characteristics, cropping systems, experience with climate variability and adaptation strategies to weather extremes and climate risk. Descriptive statistics were run on household characteristics, chi-square tests and analysis of variance were used to separate means (P<0.01 and 0.05) using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results showed that farmers experienced either drought or flood once in every two seasons over the past 3 years. Among the adaptation strategies currently used to reduce the impact of climate extremes were early planting, use of improved seed and soil moisture conservation techniques such as within-field ridge construction. Awareness of the climate change phenomena was high among farmers (94%), and the main sources of climate change-related information were radio, television, agricultural extension agents and local experts. Farmers perceived prevalent deforestation and forest fires as major factors contributing to climate extremes. Limited use of fertilizer, hybrid seed and lack of planned crop sequences reduced the benefits from the mixed cropping system. Low resource endowment limited effective use of improved and modern crop production technologies. Current adaptation strategies to climate extremes, especially drought, were not enough to reduce risk and loss in agricultural production. However, improved drainage infrastructure and mulching were reported to increase crop production; important innovations against droughts and floods. There was limited use of modern agricultural technologies and inputs which reduced resilience of current adaptation strategies. Low cost crop management techniques were preferred by farmers in order to overcome extreme climate extremes especially droughts caused by erratic rainfall patterns. We conclude that inputs and modern crop management techniques are key to minimizing the effects of climate extremes on crops. Delivery of high-quality weather forecasting information could better prepare farmers and improve planning of seasonal calendars. The study showed close relationships between adaptation capacity and resource endowment and rural infrastructural development. The results are important in planning intervention on climate extremes and rural agricultural development.

A stationary power plant with n Carnot-like cycles is optimized. Each cycle has the following irreversibilities: finite rate heat transfers between the working fluid and the external heat sources, internal dissipation of the working fluid, and heat leak between reservoirs. In a previous work, [1] the optimal allocation or effectiveness of the heat exchangers for this power plant were determined by the application of two design rules, alternatively: fixed internal thermal conductance or fixed areas. In this work, these optimal relations obtained are substituted in the power and the maximum power is calculated, with respect to the isentropic ratio of each one of the Carnot-like cycles of the power plant and for both design rules (using only the law of heat conduction). Also, the efficiency to maximum power is presented.

We present the ability of Mueller decomposition images to discriminate Breast tissue in order to generate scattering intensities images with different optical states of seven and four independent variables, respectively. Polarimetric imaging is an innovative technique that uses polarised light to probe tissue acceptance with various independent variable states. A polar decomposition technique effectively reveals the polarization parameters of breast tissue. With the states of seven and four independent variables, there is a change in the Mueller matrix obtained from breast tissue.

X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) on the carbon K edge of carbon nanostructures (nanotubes, nanofibers, nanowalls) is reported here. They are grown on plain SiO₂ (8 nm thick) /Si (100) sub - strates by a Plasma and Hot Filaments - enhanced Catalytic Chemical Vapor Deposition (PE HF CCVD) process. The XAS spectra are highly sensitive to a previous thermal treatment, as an intense adsorption on the outer wall of the nanotubes may strongly affect the absorption transitions. The morphology and the nature of these carbon nanostructures are characterized by SEM, TEM and Raman spectroscopy. According to conditions of catalyst preparation and DC HF CCVD process, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers (CNFs), carbon nanowalls (CNWs), carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) with different orientation of the graphene plans or shells can be prepared. From the angular dependence of the incident light and geometrical morphology of the nanostructures, wide variations of the C K - edge intensity of the transitions to the empty \(\pi\)* and \(\sigma\)* states occur. A full lineshape analysis of the XAS spectra has been carried out using a home -made soft - ware, allowing estimating the relative proportion of \(\pi\)* and \(\sigma\)* transitions. A geometrical model of the angular dependence with the incidence angle of the light and the morphology of the carbon nanostructures is derived. With normalization to the HOPG (Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite) reference case, a degree of alignment can be extracted which is representative of the localized orientation of the graphitic carbon \(\pi\) bonds, accounting not only for the overall orientation, but also for local defects like impurities incorporation, structural defects,… This degree of alignment shows good agreement with SEM observations. Thus CNTs films display degrees of alignment around 50%, depending on the occurrence of defects in the course of the growth, whereas no special alignment can be detected with CNFs and CNPs, and a weak one (about 20%) is detected on CNWs.

Recent years, we have seen the development of many fields of gas detectors. The MICROMEGAS (Micro-Mesh Gas Structure) appeared as the very promising detector. It is a major family of position detectors in High Energy Physics. This work is done in normal (NTP) based gas mixtures: neon are noble gas and isobutane and DME (dimethyl-ether) as moderators’ gas (quenchers), using ⁵⁵Fe as a radiation source (X-ray 5.9 keV). To address the modeling of MICROMEGAS detector, a descriptive model of different physical and geometrical phenomena MICROMEGAS was established by developing a simulation program to spreading the detector response. After, an analytical calculation of the potential and the electric field distribution has been presented briefly to better estimate electrical and geometric configuration. Thereafter, simulation results of electrical signals based on gas mixtures (Neon-isobutane, Neon-DME) produced by MICROMEGAS were presented. Finally, our MICROMEGAS Detector is equivalent to a current generator low signal that is why; we need an amplification device to be able to clarify the quantitative calculus. These results of amplified signal were presented and analyzed in order to improve the MICROMEGAS performance (spatial (12 µm) and temporal (0.7 ns) resolutions).

Aim: Assessing the heart and other thoracic structures radiographically is very important, in small animal practice, when decisions must be made regarding staging a patient with suspected cardiac anomaly, deciding about therapy protocols, and monitoring disease progression or response to treatment. A number of methods and measurement techniques have been developed for objective estimation of cardiac size. The present work was carried out to generate a value for radiographic measurement of heart size in the New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit by the cardiothoracic ratio (CTR). The work evaluated the heart size using dorsoventral projections of the rabbits.

Materials and Methods: Ten healthy NZW rabbits were used for the study. A dorsoventral (DV) thoracic radiograph was obtained in each of the animals. Cardiac and thoracic diameters of the ten rabbits were measured in the radiographs to determine a reference value of CTR in normal NZW rabbits.

Results: Mean plus or minus standard error of mean (M±SEM) CTR was 0.54 ± 0.01. There was not a significant difference (p\(\geq\)0.05) between male (0.54 ± 0.01) and female (0.54 ± 0.01) CTR values. There was no correlation between sex and CTR.

Conclusion: In clinical practice, the application of CTR in radiographic assessment of the heart is objective and very easy.

Aim: Cardiac and pericardial diseases are frequently associated with a change in the size of the heart. Therefore, the radiographic evaluation of the heart size is invaluable in the determination of the extent and severity of the cardiac or pericardial disorder. The importance of rabbits as a protein source and an animal model for many biomedical researches and in teaching is general knowledge and has been stated. This research was aimed at establishing reference values of vertebral heart size (VHS) of normal New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit.

Materials and Methods: Heart sizes of ten (5 females, 5 males) clinically normal NZW rabbits were studied.  A right lateral thoracic radiograph was obtained of each research animal. In each of the radiographs, the cardiac long axis (LA) was measured in centimeters, transposed onto the thoracic vertebrae from T4, and the result read in vertebral lengths. The cardiac short axis (SA) was similarly converted to lengths of thoracic vertebrae. The VHS was then obtained from the addition of the LA and SA thoracic vertebral lengths.

Results: Mean plus or minus standard error of mean (M±SEM) VHS was 8.5±0.3 vertebrae, and the difference between male and female VHS means was insignificant.

Conclusion: Clinically, VHS is objective and easily applicable in radiographic determination of heart size.

A Mexican manufacturing plant, whose main product is deodorant tablets for domestic and commercial use, requested the design, construction, and start up of an automatic machine to make 3 600 deodorant tablets per hour of Paradichlorobenzene (PDB). The tablets should have a density no less than 1 400 [kg/m³] with a weight variation of 4.5% maximum. To design the machine, it was necessary to measure energies and exerted forces during compaction of granulated PDB. The experimental data allow to determine the power needed to reach the target density in PDB tablets. Movements and compaction force in the tableting machine are performed by means of electro-pneumatic and electro-hydraulic technologies. The specification of the logic controller of the machine was realized by means of Grafcet to allow efficiency and accuracy. The result of the work generated a versatile, efficient machine with a robust control system.

With a better understanding of mechanical and thermal properties such as ductility, brittleness, and Debye temperature, technological applications of the materials can be explored up to the desired accuracy limit. The ratio K/G is used to determine whether solids are ductile or brittle in terms of fracture resistance (K) and plastic deformation (G). The state of ductility and brittleness was evaluated in this study using measured K/G values for the geophysical minerals MgO and CaO, which are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental values. We also calculated the Debye temperature ( ) for the selected samples using average sound velocity obtained from the values of fracture resistance (K) and plastic deformation (G). Both minerals are brittle, and the measured Debye temperatures are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental values. As a result, it can be inferred that the existence and Debye temperature of geophysical minerals can be predicted using only their elastic stiffness constant up to high temperatures.

This paper describes a novel perspective on the foundations of mathematics: how mathematics may be seen to be largely about “information compression (IC) via the matching and unification of patterns” (ICMUP). That is itself a novel approach to IC, couched in terms of nonmathematical primitives, as is necessary in any investigation of the foundations of mathematics. This new perspective on the foundations of mathematics reflects the facts that mathematics is almost exclusively the product of human brains, and has been developed, as an aid to human thinking, mathematics is likely to be consonant with much evidence for the importance of IC in human learning, perception, and cognition. This perspective on the foundations of mathematics has grown out of a long-term programme of research developing the SP Theory of Intelligence and its realization in the SP Computer Model, a system in which a generalised version of ICMUP—the powerful concept of SP-multiple-alignment—plays a central role. The most comprehensive account of the SP System is in the book Unifying Computing and Cognition , which includes a detailed description of the SP Computer Model with many examples of what the model can do. This paper shows with an example how mathematics, without any special provision, may achieve compression of information. Then, it describes examples showing how variants of ICMUP may be seen in widely used structures and operations in mathematics. Examples are also given to show how several aspects of the mathematics-related disciplines of logic and computing may be understood as ICMUP. Also discussed is the intimate relation between IC and concepts of probability, with arguments that there are advantages in approaching AI, cognitive science, and concepts of probability via ICMUP. Also discussed is how the close relation between IC and concepts of probability relates to the established view that some parts of mathematics are intrinsically probabilistic, and how that latter view may be reconciled with the all-or-nothing, “exact,” forms of calculation or inference that are familiar in mathematics and logic. There are many potential benefits and applications of the mathematics-as-IC perspective.