417 research outputs found
Spatial narratives of happiness in everyday environments
No full textThe current literature in architecture and urban studies has neglected to adequately address people’s demand for happiness. This study was conducted to better enable architects, urban designers and researchers, as well as community activists and decision makers to understand the nuances of multi-level spatial properties that affect user emotive experiences and happiness. The study informs our theoretical understanding of spatial happiness by presenting a robust reference in place-based happiness studies introducing a critical catalogue of previous work and potential connotations in other disciplines.
Additionally, a qualitative method toolkit hitherto lacking, is provided to inform our empirical understanding of people’s narratives of spatial happiness. Can urban environment make us happier? If so, to what extent and in what ways is our happiness related to the built environment? How do spatial sounds affect our moods and happiness and what are the sonic values of a happy place? What spatial elements kindle positive experiences and invite happiness for children? And finally, what is our spatial vision for the cities that will not only accommodate our physical needs but also provide a setting that will nurture strong communities and enable them to flourish? The research shows that there are no ultimate happy cities, but cities could always become happier. Happy cities, similar to the notion of happiness, are a process of becoming, and a journey rather than a destination. Happy places provide physical and emotional comfort and promote health and wellbeing while encourage positive and meaningful experiences and encounters. This study explores diverse viewpoints, narratives and approaches that promote spatial qualities such as encounter-ability or utilising wellbeing functions and visual and sonic expectations of place with emphasis on methods that can encourage systematic local approaches rather than universal remedies. The study participants provided positive narrations of flow-inducing places including places that ease the engagement of all senses as well as the natural settings including waterfronts and greenspaces. The results also shed light on the role of memories on positive or negative affect generated by users’ individual and social recollections and the happiness that could stem from familiarity, attachment or taking pride in a place. Furthermore, urban settings that facilitate social connection and provide infrastructures of citywide attempts at setting identity or expressing people’s anxieties and desires to the mechanisms of power were appreciated by the study’s participants. The significance of this study is in recognising that collaborating closely with people who have lived experience of spatial settings remains essential to ensure that the undertaking research and designing solutions fit people’s requirements and hopes. The study, involving more than 100 participants in exploratory methods, was able to put in context a set of professional practices that demonstrate the role these methods could play in design and architecture and how we can combine social and spatial values with research and intervention; for the challenging yet rewarding recognition of spatial happiness
Sustainability of underground hydro-technologies: From ancient to modern times and toward the future
No full textAn underground aqueduct is usually a canal built in the subsurface to transfer water from a starting point to a distant location. Systems of underground aqueducts have been applied by ancient civilizations to manage different aspects of water supply. This research reviews underground aqueducts from the prehistoric period to modern times to assess the potential of achieving sustainable development of water distribution in the sectors of agriculture and urban management, and provides valuable insights into various types of ancient underground systems and tunnels. The review illustrates how these old structures are a testament of ancient people’s ability to manage water resources using sustainable tools such as aqueducts, where the functionality works by using, besides gravity, only “natural” engineering tools like inverted siphons. The study sheds new light on human’s capability to collect and use water in the past. In addition, it critically analyzes numerous examples of ancient/historic/pre-industrial underground water supply systems that appear to have remained sustainable up until recent times. The sustainability of several underground structures is examined, correlated to their sound construction and regular maintenance. Moreover, several lessons can be learned from the analysis of ancient hydraulic works, particularly now, as many periodically hydrologic crises have occurred recently, overwhelmingly impacted by climate change and/or over-exploitation and degradation of available water resources.Teachers of Practice /
Towards Acceleration of Re-Use Transition in the Infrastructure Sector: A practical framework for public client organizations to link the tactical level to the operational level in implementing the re-use strategy
No full textThe existing high level of greenhouse emissions and raw material consumption are the current concerns in the infrastructure sector. On the other hand, the programs for renovating the aged and overloaded infrastructures are currently under progress as substantial national programs with circularity targets in the Dutch context, involving various public-private networks. Implementing the circularity strategy of re-use in conducting the infrastructure projects will be beneficial to reduce the amount of emissions, minimize the raw material consumption, and facilitate the formulated national programs. Currently, there are just a few re-use projects, and running a higher number of these projects and accelerating the re-use transition in the infrastructure sector are urgent topics in the global and Dutch context. Public client organizations (PCOs) have determining role in this regard, as owners and commissioners of infrastructure projects. There are wider networks of actors and extra stages to follow in re-use projects, which can create barriers and make the organizational aspects of these projects extremely important. Most attempts are locked at the tactical level of PCOs, and a gap has emerged between the tactical and operational levels of these organizations in the implementation of the re-use strategy, which prevents acceleration of the re-use projects. There is less attention in the current studies to the existing gap between the tactical and operational level of PCOS in conducting re-use projects in the infrastructure sector, the required procedures to fill that, and accelerating the re-use transition, which are zoomed in and investigated in this research. The research is conducted through a qualitative method, following three different phases of theoretical study, empirical study, and solution development in the context of a PCO. This research recognized that the existing gap between the two levels is rooted in different fields, and the most urgent ones have been identified. It revealed that tackling such gaps requires following specific organizational procedures by actors within each of the two organizational levels and between them. Following such procedures to deal with the addressed gaps can be easier through using a framework. The required framework, provided in this study for public clients including organizational procedures and their relevant re-use implementation factors embedded in certain categories. Among the existing gaps in practice, three gaps are recognized as the most urgent ones, which are placed in the two top categories of ‘culture, communication and behavior’ and ‘contract, manuals and guidelines’. The top three gaps addressed by three re-use implementation factors of ‘target formulation, follow-up & evaluation’, ‘internal & external communication’, and ‘collaboration with external parties’. The provided organizational procedures are interrelated in implementing the re-use strategy, and the result of implementing some procedures should be followed by the work of actors at the same or another level. The strategic level should also intervene to fill the gaps specifically in formulating and re-visioning the targets. Structuring the communications, collaborations, and target formulation stages through implementing the procedures recommended in the presented framework in this research, and consistency with that, will prepare the organizational context, and link the tactical and operational level of PCOs in implementing the re-use projects. As a result, the re-use activities at the operational level of public client organizations will be more structured. With well-linked tactical and operational level and structured re-use activities, the re-use transition will be facilitated and can be accelerated at the operational level of the public client organizations. To address a circular solution for the national programs of renovating infrastructures, the active networks in them can consider the networks as the national context for re-use transition, and customize the framework to structure the inter-organizational procedures between the involved parties in the tactical and operational transition levels. Through structuring collaborations & communications between tactical and operational parties, developing clear and detailed targets, and evaluating them, the re-use transition can also be accelerated on the national scale.Civil Engineering | Construction Management and Engineerin
Understanding the importance of side information in graph matching problem
No full textGraph matching algorithms rely on the availability of seed vertex pairs as side information to deanonymize users across networks. Although such algorithms work well in practice, there are other types of side information available which are potentially useful to an attacker. In this thesis, we consider the problem of matching two correlated graphs when an attacker has access to side information either in the form of community labels or an imperfect initial matching. First, we propose a naive graph matching algorithm by introducing the community degree vectors which harness the information from community labels in an e cient manner. Next, we analyze the basic percolation algorithm for graphs with community structure. Finally, we propose a novel percolation algorithm with two thresholds which uses an imperfect matching as input to match correlated graphs. We also analyze these algorithms and provide theoretical guarantees for matching graphs generated using the Stochastic Block Model.
We evaluate the proposed algorithms on synthetic as well as real world datasets using various experiments. The experimental results demonstrate the importance of communities as side information especially when the number of seeds is small and the networks are weakly correlated. These results motivate the study of other types of potential side information available to the attacker. Such studies could assist in devising mechanisms to counter the effects of side information in network deanonymization.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2018-12-01The student, Kushagra Singhal, accepted the attached license on 2016-11-22 at 11:10.The student, Kushagra Singhal, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2016-11-22 at 11:16.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2016-11-22 at 12:00.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #10224 on 2017-02-28 at 14:36:15Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-01T16:36:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
SINGHAL-THESIS-2016.pdf: 390320 bytes, checksum: 96d12f05add1e7756426924faa9c6f2d (MD5)
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Previous issue date: 2016-11-22Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 98583
Lift date: 2019-03-01T16:37:19Z
Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemU of I Only Restriction Lifted for Item 98583 on 2019-03-02T10:15:33Z
Boundary conditions for an inclusive local Peer-to-Peer energy trading market: Case studies of the Smart City demonstration projects: The Next Generation Prinsenland and Het Lage Land in Rotterdam
No full textInclusive Cities - International Planning and Developing RegionsManagement of Technology (MoT
A study of covert queueing channels in shared schedulers
No full textWe study covert queueing channels (CQCs), which are a kind of covert timing channel that may be exploited in shared queues across supposedly isolated users. In our system model, a user modulates messages to another user via his pattern of access to the shared resource. One example of such a channel is the cross-virtual network covert channel in data center networks resulting from the queueing effects of the shared resource.
First, we study a system comprising a transmitter and a receiver that share a deterministic and work-conserving first-come-first-served scheduler, and we compute the maximum reliable data transmission rate, i.e., the capacity, of this channel. Next, we extend the model to include a third user who also uses the shared resource and study the effect of the presence of this user on the information transmission rate. The solution approach presented in this extension may be applied to calculate the capacity of the covert queueing channel among any number of users.
We also study a queueing covert channel between two users sharing a round robin scheduler. Such a covert channel can arise when users share a resource such as a computer processor or a router arbitrated by a round robin policy. We present an information-theoretic framework to model and derive the capacity of this channel for both noiseless and noisy scenarios. Our results show that seemingly isolated users can communicate at a high rate over the covert channel. Furthermore, we propose a practical finite-length code construction, which achieves the capacity limit.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2018-12-01The student, Amiremad Ghassami, accepted the attached license on 2016-11-29 at 03:09.The student, Amiremad Ghassami, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2016-11-29 at 03:25.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2016-11-29 at 12:05.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #10343 on 2017-02-28 at 14:36:55Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-01T16:36:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Previous issue date: 2016-11-29Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 98606
Lift date: 2019-03-01T16:37:19Z
Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemU of I Only Restriction Lifted for Item 98606 on 2019-03-02T10:15:07Z
Recurrent high-risk pulmonary thromboembolism treated with repeated thrombolytic therapy could be helpful for certain patients: a case report and review of the literature
No full textAcute pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is considered the third most frequent acute cardiovascular syndrome behind myocardial infarction and stroke, with annual incidence rates ranging from 39 to 115 per 100,000 people and ranking high among the causes of cardiovascular mortality. High-risk PTE is characterised by haemodynamic instability and encompasses clinical manifestations such as cardiac arrest, obstructive shock and persistent hypotension. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) recommends a reperfusion strategy with systemic thrombolytic therapy for high-risk PTE under class I, level B if there are no contraindications. Overall, unsuccessful thrombolytic therapy and recurrent PTE have been reported in 8% of patients with high-risk PTE. The guidelines recommend surgical pulmonary embolectomy if thrombolysis is contraindicated or has failed. The position of repeated thrombolytic therapy as a treatment option in patients with recurrent high-risk PTE, especially in situations with a lack of surgical expertise or resources, was not mentioned in the guidelines. We report the case of a patient who suffered a recurrent high-risk PTE and was treated with repeated thrombolytic therapy that was effective and resulted in excellent outcomes
Supported on Zeolite Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIF‐8): A Highly Efficient Heterogeneous Catalyst for Oxidation of Sulfides to Sulfoxides and Sulfones.
No full textEndodontic Treatment of a Mandibular Second Premolar with Type XVII Sert and Bayirli’s Canal Anatomy
No full textFor a successful root canal treatment, it is critical for the clinician to have a complete knowledge of the root canal morphology, interprets radiographs critically and properly assesses the pulp chamber floor. Anatomical variations are critical in diagnosis and a successful treatment outcome in endodontics. Knowledge of root canal morphology and anomalies is essential to succeed in root canal therapy. Mandibular premolars are famous for their atypical morphology. But the occurrence of type XVII Sert and Bayirli’s root canal type is very rare in them. The purpose of this case report is to present treatment of a seldom root canal system in a mandibular second premolar. Reports of unusual cases cause clinicians to do an accurate clinical examination and radiographic interpretation and consider atypical root canal configurations.Keywords: Anatomy; Mandible; Root Canal; Second Premola
Shade Matching Ability and Repeatability among Dental Students and the Related Effective Factors: Shade Matching Ability in Dental Students
No full textBackground and objectives: Choosing the wrong shade is a common reason for the failure of prosthetic treatments. Shade selection ability varies from person to person and in different situations. The current study aimed to evaluate tooth shade selection ability and repeatability among dental students in the School of Dentistry, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences and to assess the effect of gender, academic year, and wearing eyeglasses, or contact lenses on shade perception.
Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, each student selected the shades of mid-cervical and mid-incisal parts of the maxillary canine tooth of a patient using the Vita Classical shade guide (Vita zahnfabrikBad, Säckingen, Germany) and their ability was evaluated as poor, moderate, or good. After one month, the shade selection was repeated for the same patients to examine shade selection repeatability. The Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were applied to analyze the data (P < 0.05).
Results: The final sample consisted of 60 students: 28 sixth-year students (12 males, 16 females) and 32 fifth-year students (12 males, 20 females). It was observed that 75% and 25% of the students had poor and moderate shade selection abilities, respectively. None of the participants showed good ability. Intra-rater repeatability was 10%. There was no statistically significant association between shade-selection ability with any of the variables of shade-selection repeatability (P = 0.16), gender (P = 0.22), academic year (P = 0.07), and the use of eyeglasses (P = 0.48) or contact lenses (P = 1.00).
Conclusion: Considering the poor shade selection ability and repeatability among dental students in Zahedan City, actions should be taken to develop educational interventions concerning shade selection. Gender, academic year, and wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses did not have a significant effect on shade perception
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