Multifunctional Building Research Articles

Efficient production of (R)-3-TBDMSO glutaric acid methyl monoester by manipulating the substrate pocket of Pseudozyma antarctica lipase B

Efficient production of optically pure (R)-3-substituted glutaric acid methyl monoesters, the multifunctional chiral building blocks used in the pharmaceutical industry, by manipulating the substrate pocket of Pseudozyma antarctica lipase B.

Tratamiento de residuos de agar caduco mediante el proceso de compostaje

Los residuos generados en los laboratorios de las instituciones de educación superior (IES) suelen ser considerados peligrosos por sus características fisicoquímicas, al igual de otros materiales que representan una alta carga orgánica si son dispuestos inadecuadamente. El objetivo del presente trabajo, fue tratar agar residual generado en los laboratorios de microbiología del edificio multifuncional de la División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas (DACBiol), mediante compostaje tradicional. Con la finalidad de conocer la viabilidad del proceso de compostaje, se trabajó con dos pilas de composta conformadas de 95.95 kg lodos y 141.5 kg residuos vegetales (un total de 237.45 kg), a una de ellas (pila 1), se le añadió 25 kg de agar caduco. Se monitorearon los parámetros fisicoquímicos y analíticos durante 63 días. Se obtuvo una temperatura máxima de 57.71±5.07 °C, en la pila con agar y en la segunda pila de 50.23±4.30 °C. Los valores de pH inicial fueron de 5.93±0.02 y 7.02±0.01, estabilizándose al final con valores de 8.00±0.07 y 7.95±0.11. La conductividad eléctrica presentó valores finales de 6.87±0.46 dS m-1 y 3.02±0.09 dS m-1. El compostaje es una tecnología opcional para el tratamiento de agar residual ya que los valores de pH y temperatura no se afectaron durante el proceso, solo se presenta un valor elevado de conductividad eléctrica. Además, la DACBiol, por contar con una certificación en calidad ambiental y contar con un programa de manejo de residuos de laboratorios, debe cumplir el objetivo de minimizar la generación de residuos.

Research on Smart Growth of Sustainable Cities Based on Information Entropy and Super-Efficiency DEA Model

Since the “smart growth” was put forward in the late 90s, it has become an accepted design idea and concept in the field of urban design in the world, and has been deeply studied and applied. In order to better promote “smart grown”, we set up an evaluation system, which consists of eleven indicators. In this paper, Oxford City and Fengzhen City are used as the objects of the study. Then smart growth evaluation model is established. The weight of the index is calculated by the entropy method. We use the model to evaluate the development plans of the two cities, from which to calculate the contribution of the indicators on the level of smart growth. Finally, we use the super-efficient data envelopment analysis model (DEA) to rank the importance of the indicators to the smart growth. The results show that the level of smart growth in Oxford is higher than that in Fengzhen. And “Multifunctional Building Density in Central City”, “The Density of Public Area in Central City” two indicators account for more than 36% weight. The contribution of the two indicators is also located in the top two indicators. Two cities focus on the direction of smart growth is also different. In summary, the differences between China and Western countries in urban planning are mainly focused on housing and public resources.

Controlled molecular assembly of self-propelled colloid motors and their biomedical applications

Synthetic colloid motors are the micro-/nanomachines which can harvest different types of energies into mechanical motion in the fluids. Since 2012, it has been one of important strategies for controlled fabrication of colloidal motors to combine effectively controlled molecular assembly (“bottom up”) with top-down approaches. Colloid motors based on controllable molecular assembly possess the advantages of: (1) mass production, (2) response to the external stimuli, and (3) access to multifunctionality. This review will summarize the progress on the controlled preparation, motion control, and biomedical applications of colloid motors through integrating multifunctional building blocks into assemblies. This review will also introduce the controlled preparation of bubble-propelled colloid motors based on layer-by-layer assembled microcapsules, nanotubes, shells, and two-dimensional plates, the fabrication of near-infrared-light-driven colloidal motors based on polyelectrolytic multilayer microcapsules and nanotubes, the controlled fabrication of biointerfacing colloidal motors, the effective control over the movement speeds, directions, and states of motors through integrating functional components, and the applications of motors in biomedical fields including drug targeted delivery, photothermal therapy, and biodetoxification.

Nanodevices and Novel Materials for Energy-Efficient constructions

The development of novel technologies exploiting the astonishing properties of nanomaterials is quickly advancing. Among the plethora of available innovative materials and devices, we selected aerogel, phase change materials and two specific classes of chromogenic devices, namely electrochromics and photoelectrochromics. The recent outcomes from these widely investigated fields highlight very interesting opportunities in the design of smart, multifunctional building envelopes. A critical overview of these fields of investigation is provided hereafter, with particular attention towards applications, costs and potential energy-savings.

Operational modal analysis of a high-rise multi-function building with dampers by a Bayesian approach

The field non-destructive vibration test plays an important role in the area of structural health monitoring. It assists in monitoring the health status and reducing the risk caused by the poor performance of structures. As the most economic field test among the various vibration tests, the ambient vibration test is the most popular and is widely used to assess the physical condition of a structure under operational service. Based on the ambient vibration data, modal identification can help provide significant previous study for model updating and damage detection during the service life of a structure. It has been proved that modal identification works well in the investigation of the dynamic performance of different kinds of structures. In this paper, the objective structure is a high-rise multi-function office building. The whole building is composed of seven three-story structural units. Each unit comprises one complete floor and two L shaped floors to form large spaces along the vertical direction. There are 56 viscous dampers installed in the building to improve the energy dissipation capacity. Due to the special feature of the structure, field vibration tests and further modal identification were performed to investigate its dynamic performance. Twenty-nine setups were designed to cover all the degrees of freedom of interest. About two years later, another field test was carried out to measure the building for 48h to investigate the performance variance and the distribution of the modal parameters. A Fast Bayesian FFT method was employed to perform the modal identification. This Bayesian method not only provides the most probable values of the modal parameters but also assesses the associated posterior uncertainty analytically, which is especially relevant in field vibration tests arising due to measurement noise, sensor alignment error, modelling error, etc. A shaking table test was also implemented including cases with and without dampers, which assists in investigating the effect of dampers. The modal parameters obtained from different tests were investigated separately and then compared with each other.

The Reaction Pathway of Cellulose Pyrolysis to a Multifunctional Chiral Building Block: The Role of Water Unveiled by a DFT Computational Investigation.

LAC (hydroxylactone (1R,5S)-1-hydroxy-3,6-dioxabicyclo[3.2.1]octan-2-one) is one of the most interesting products of the pyrolysis of cellulose and represents a useful chiral building block in organic synthesis. A computational investigation at the DFT level on the mechanism of formation of LAC shows that this species can be obtained following two reaction paths, path A and path B, starting from a well-known pyrolysis product (ascopyrone P). A series of internal rearrangements involving in all cases a proton transfer leads directly to LAC (path B). An alternative path (path A) can be also followed. From this path, via a "gate" connecting the two reaction channels, it is possible to reach path B and form LAC. In both cases, the rate-determining step of the process is the initial keto-enol isomerization. We found that water, which is present in the reaction mixture, "catalyzes" the reaction by assisting the proton transfers present in all the steps of the process. In particular, water lowers the barrier of the rate-determining step that becomes 40.9 kcal mol-1 (79.4 kcal mol-1 in the absence of water). The corresponding computed rate constant is 4.3×10 s-1 at 500 °C, a value which is consistent with the presence of LAC in the absence of metal catalysts. The results of this study on the non-catalyzed process underpin the important role played by water in the formation of pyrolysis products of cellulose where proton transfer is a key mechanistic step.

Integration of dye solar cells in load-bearing translucent glass fiber-reinforced polymer laminates

The encapsulation of dye solar cells in translucent, structural and lightweight glass fiber-reinforced polymer laminates was investigated with a view to designing multifunctional envelopes for daylit buildings. Small and large integrating sphere experiments and solar radiation experiments were performed to determine the light transmittance of the laminates and the electrical efficiency of the encapsulated cells. An overall cell efficiency of 3.9% (before encapsulation) only decreased to 3.4% after encapsulation below laminates of around 3-mm thickness. Thermal cycle experiments and finite element analysis allowed the thermal performance of the encapsulation for two types of cell substrates (glass and acrylic polymer) to be evaluated. Contrary to glass substrates, no delaminations were observed on acrylic substrates after 300 h of cycles +60/−20℃. A design for integrating dye solar cells into multifunctional sandwich building envelopes is proposed. A light transmittance of around 0.35 was estimated through a sandwich envelope with cell modules occupying 50% of the external face sheet. Research on the manufacturability of cells on polymeric substrates is encouraged.

The Necessity of Flexibility with Regard To User's Satisfaction in Multifunctional Buildings of Traditional Architecture of Iran (Case Study: The Home-Hussainia of Aminiha)

Nowadays importance and necessity of considering flexibility in designing spaces, especially in residential areas is more clarified. However this is not a newborn concept, in other words, it has been one of the main ideas followed by traditional architecture of many countries such as japan, china and Iran. In spite of the positive results and many benefits that evaluating manner of this concept in concern with technical weakness of those days, may lead to; Due to lack of enough and systematic observing, many aspects is still vague. In this paper, we will try to observe the idea of flexibility by a descriptive study on one of the famous traditional homes which is also used as a public gathering place for particular mourning ceremonies in special days of the year, so it needs to be adapted to changing and complex combining needs of the users by the aim of keeping them satisfied. at this point, first a framework for evaluating various characteristic of flexibility will be introduced and the study on this project will go on with regard to this system. This research indicates that some factors such as nested space, selective connectivity and disconnectivity, multiple entrances for each space and so many others can be useful for contemporary architecture of Iran . DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n4S1p133

The historical aspect of the architecture formation at the universities cultural objects

The article highlights the genesis and the development stages of the cultural objects typology in the space-planning structure of the universities around the world. The conceptual term “university” dates back to the Middle Ages, when chapels and libraries were the main cultural objects. The Renaissance period introduced the special meeting and lecture halls in the shape of amphitheaters into the structure of universities. The Baroque is characterized by the creation of music halls and theatre buildings at the universities. The next development period is connected with the colonial universities of America. The autonomous multifunctional buildings located in the open landscape became the embodiment of the colonial college. In the late XVIII century, the building project of “academic village” of Virginia University was implemented. It represented the brand new paradigm of designing educational, public and cultural space. The idea of “science city” originated from the XIX century and presupposed an integrated approach to designing university terrains with the neo-Gothic architecture being the stylistic dominant. At the turn of the XIX and XX centuries, English and later on American colleges started designing the first student union buildings. In the middle of the previous century, the idea of building students clubs with a wide range of functions and facilities depending on the socialization and college needs became popular in the USA. In the 90’s, the idea of creating interuniversity cultural center captivated the minds of social activists.

İmaret Kavramı Üzerinden Erken Osmanlı Ters T Planlı Zaviyeleri İle Aşhanelerin İlişkisi: Osmanlı Aşhanelerinin Kökenine Dair Düşünceler

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EARLY OTTOMAN MULTIFUNCTIONAL BUILDINGS AND SOUP KITCHEN OVER IMARET CONCEPT: THE THOUGHTS ON THE ORIGINS OF OTTOMAN SOUP KITCHEN This article examines two building types which were known as “imaret” in early Ottoman period. The first type “Reverse T Type Building” is a multifunctional building. According to first Ottoman’s chronicle Asikpasazade these multifunctional buildings are one of the earliest examples of the Ottoman Architecture. The second type which is called as soup kitchen was used to provide food for guests, poor people, travelers and people who worked in these building complexes. In Turk and Islamic societies some buildings were used for the food distribution. However is it not clear the similarity between Turk-Islamic and Ottoman soup kitchen. Due to the difference between Turk-Islamic and Ottoman distribution process, Ottoman soup kitchens are might be seen as unique buildings. Evliya Celebi who traveled in 18 countries for 51 years mentioned about the inexistence of the Ottoman type of imaret in the other countries. According to writer of this article it is not a coincidence the apearance of these two building at the same time and the using of same term for both. In order to proof that the food distribution in old Turk traditions have been investigated. Moreover it is also focused how this traditions was trasnfered to Ottoman culture. Also it is studied that who might stay in these multifonctional buildings and explained which plan type was used for the first Ottoman soup kitchen. Keywords: Reverse T Type Building, Soup Kitchen, Hospice, Architecture, Ottoman

Modeling of Load Test of Piles

The paper deals with design of model and verification of a pile loaded by pressure. The pile is embedded in the layered ground mass. Its model has been created using the ANSYS software system. The obtained results have been compared with results of the pile loading test performed during the construction of a multifunctional building. In the conclusion the results have been presented in graphs.

Fabrication and laboratory-based performance testing of a building-integrated photovoltaic-thermal roofing panel

A building integrated photovoltaic-thermal (BIPVT) multifunctional roofing panel has been developed in this study to harvest solar energy in the form of PV electricity as well as heat energy through the collection of warm water. As a key component of the multifunctional building envelope, an aluminum/high-density polyethylene (HDPE) functionally graded material (FGM) panel embedded with aluminum water tubes has been fabricated through the vibration-sedimentation approach. The FGM layer gradually transits material phases from well-conductive side (with aluminum dominated) to another highly insulated side (with HDPE). The heat in the PV cells can be easily transferred into the conductive side of the FGM and then collected by the water flow in the embedded tubes. Therefore, the operational temperature of the PV cells can be significantly lowered down, which recovers the PV efficiency in hot weather. In this way, the developed BIPVT panel is able to efficiently harvest solar energy in the form of both PV electricity and heat. The performance of a prototype BIPVT panel has been evaluated in terms of its thermal efficiency via warm water collection and PV efficiency via the output electricity. The laboratory test results demonstrate that significant energy conversion efficiency improvement can be achieved for both electricity generation and heat collection by the presented BIPVT roofing system. Overall, the performance indicates a very promising prospective of the new BIPVT multifunctional roofing panel.

Zinc(II) and lead(II) metal-organic networks driven by a multifunctional pyridine-carboxylate building block: Hydrothermal synthesis, structural and topological features, and luminescence properties

4-(5-Carboxypyridin-2-yl)isophthalic acid (H3L) was applied as a flexible, multifunctional N,O-building block for the hydrothermal self-assembly synthesis of two novel coordination compounds, namely 2D [Zn(μ3-HL)(H2O)]n·nH2O (1) and 3D [Pb2(μ5-HL)(μ6-HL)]n (2) coordination polymers (CPs). These compounds were obtained in aqueous medium from a mixture containing zinc(II) or lead(II) nitrate, H3L, and sodium hydroxide. The products were isolated as stable crystalline solids and were characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental, thermogravimetric (TGA), powder (PXRD) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Compound 1 possesses a 2D metal-organic layer with the fes topology, which is further extended into a 3D supramolecular framework via hydrogen bonds. In contrast, compound 2 features a very complex network structure, which was topologically classified as a binodal 5,6-connected net with the unique topology defined by the point symbol of (47.63)(49.66). Compounds 1 and 2 disclose an intense blue or green luminescent emission at room temperature.

Nanotexaphyrin: One‐Pot Synthesis of a Manganese Texaphyrin‐Phospholipid Nanoparticle for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

AbstractThe discovery and synthesis of novel multifunctional organic building blocks for nanoparticles is challenging. Texaphyrin macrocycles are capable and multifunctional chelators. However, they remain elusive as building blocks for nanoparticles because of the difficulty associated with synthesis of texaphyrin constructs capable of self‐assembly. A novel manganese (Mn)‐texaphyrin‐phospholipid building block is described, along with its one‐pot synthesis and self‐assembly into a Mn‐nanotexaphyrin. This nanoparticle possesses strong resilience to manganese dissociation, structural stability, in vivo bio‐safety, and structure‐dependent T1 and T2 relaxivities. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast enhanced visualization of lymphatic drainage is demonstrated with respect to proximal lymph nodes on the head and neck VX‐2 tumors of a rabbit. Synthesis of 17 additional metallo‐texaphyrin building blocks suggests that this novel one‐pot synthetic procedure for nanotexaphyrins may lead to a wide range of applications in the field of nanomedicines.

Nanotexaphyrin: One-Pot Synthesis of a Manganese Texaphyrin-Phospholipid Nanoparticle for Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

The discovery and synthesis of novel multifunctional organic building blocks for nanoparticles is challenging. Texaphyrin macrocycles are capable and multifunctional chelators. However, they remain elusive as building blocks for nanoparticles because of the difficulty associated with synthesis of texaphyrin constructs capable of self-assembly. A novel manganese (Mn)-texaphyrin-phospholipid building block is described, along with its one-pot synthesis and self-assembly into a Mn-nanotexaphyrin. This nanoparticle possesses strong resilience to manganese dissociation, structural stability, in vivo bio-safety, and structure-dependent T1 and T2 relaxivities. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast enhanced visualization of lymphatic drainage is demonstrated with respect to proximal lymph nodes on the head and neck VX-2 tumors of a rabbit. Synthesis of 17 additional metallo-texaphyrin building blocks suggests that this novel one-pot synthetic procedure for nanotexaphyrins may lead to a wide range of applications in the field of nanomedicines.

Phthalo-carbonitride: an ab initio prediction of a stable two-dimensional material

Using density-functional theory calculations, we identify a stable two-dimensional carbonitride polymorph which resembles the core of phthalocyanine molecules. This so-called phthalo-carbonitride is found to be the lowest-energy polymer made of tetracyanoethylene molecules. It is a two-dimensional metal in its pristine form. Functionalization of the phthalo-cores with copper or iron atoms retains the metallic character of the material, but also adds magnetization to the system. Based on these properties and the established use of phthalocyanine molecules in various applications, the growth of phthalo-carbonitride sheets can add another multi-functional building block to the research and technology of two-dimensional materials.

Multifunctional-layered materials for creating membrane-restricted nanodomains and nanoscale imaging.

Experimental platform that allows precise spatial positioning of biomolecules with an exquisite control at nanometer length scales is a valuable tool to study the molecular mechanisms of membrane bound signaling. Using micromachined thin film gold (Au) in layered architecture, it is possible to add both optical and biochemical functionalities in in vitro. Towards this goal, here, I show that docking of complementary DNA tethered giant phospholiposomes on Au surface can create membrane-restricted nanodomains. These nanodomains are critical features to dissect molecular choreography of membrane signaling complexes. The excited surface plasmon resonance modes of Au allow label-free imaging at diffraction-limited resolution of stably docked DNA tethered phospholiposomes, and lipid-detergent bicelle structures. Such multifunctional building block enables realizing rigorously controlled in vitro set-up to model membrane anchored biological signaling, besides serving as an optical tool for nanoscale imaging.

Two-dimensional honeycomb network through sequence-controlled self-assembly of oligopeptides.

The sequence of a peptide programs its self-assembly and hence the expression of specific properties through non-covalent interactions. A large variety of peptide nanostructures has been designed employing different aspects of these non-covalent interactions, such as dispersive interactions, hydrogen bonding or ionic interactions. Here we demonstrate the sequence-controlled fabrication of molecular nanostructures using peptides as bio-organic building blocks for two-dimensional (2D) self-assembly. Scanning tunnelling microscopy reveals changes from compact or linear assemblies (angiotensin I) to long-range ordered, chiral honeycomb networks (angiotensin II) as a result of removal of steric hindrance by sequence modification. Guided by our observations, molecular dynamic simulations yield atomistic models for the elucidation of interpeptide-binding motifs. This new approach to 2D self-assembly on surfaces grants insight at the atomic level that will enable the use of oligo- and polypeptides as large, multi-functional bio-organic building blocks, and opens a new route towards rationally designed, bio-inspired surfaces.

Multi-functional supramolecular building blocks with hydroxy piperidino groups: new opportunities for developing nonlinear optical ionic crystals

We report on multi-functional supramolecular building blocks for obtaining a non-centrosymmetric crystal structure, which is the essential requirement for achieving a macroscopic second-order nonlinear optical activity. The supramolecular building blocks PM (piperidin-4-ylmethanol) and PO (piperidin-4-ol) consist of a piperidino group acting as a strong electron-donating group and a hydroxyl group acting as a strong hydrogen-bonding group, which also may act as a ‘site-isolation’ group. The quinolinium crystals PMQ-T and POQ-T that introduce PM and PO blocks, respectively, exhibit a non-centrosymmetric crystal structure with nonlinear optical activity, while analogous quinolinium DAQ-T crystal with the widely used N,N-dimethylamino (DA) group exhibits a centrosymmetric crystal structure without nonlinear optical activity. Compared to the DAQ-T crystal, the PMQ-T and POQ-T crystals exhibit a lower tendency to form a hydrate phase in the crystalline state. The PMQ-T crystal exhibits a higher molecular optical nonlinearity in the crystalline state than the DAQ-T crystal, which is attributed to the ‘site-isolation’ effect resulting from the bulky PM block. In addition, the PMQ-T crystal exhibits large macroscopic optical nonlinearities with more than 3 times higher off-diagonal effective hyperpolarizability than that of benchmark stilbazolium crystals. Therefore, multi-functional supramolecular building blocks PM and PO can give new opportunities for developing non-centrosymmetric ionic crystals for nonlinear optical applications.