Specific Design Solutions Research Articles

Principles of Green Urbanism: the Absent Value in Cairo, Egypt

Cairo is considered one of the main growing cities in the Arab world today. Conventional planning has failed to direct this growth towards creating sustainable urban environments for all, and has instead encouraged lopsided development that caters only to the affluent sections. This trend has affected public urban spaces as well, which are now centered on consumption and dependant on heavy investment in real estate and technology. This has a considerable impact on the spectrum of socio-economic groups that are able to access and use them. Taking as a starting point the principles and concept of Green Urbanism, the paper questions the prevalent situation, and focuses on three aspects that have been ignored in recent approaches in recent development plans. The first (Green Urbanism) is explored as a main principles to revitalize the second (Public Spaces), in order to achieve the third (Sustainable Model) as a long term goal. This is done using analysis and design in parallel, and results in a proposal for a new design process and through it, scale specific design solutions for Cairo public spaces that will create a high quality of life for the people of the heavily populated, demographically diverse and socio-economically fragmented city.

The retrieval of structured design rationale for the re-use of design knowledge with an integrated representation

Design knowledge can be acquired from various sources and generally requires an integrated representation for its effective and efficient re-use. Though knowledge about products and processes can illustrate the solutions created (know-what) and the courses of actions (know-how) involved in their creation, the reasoning process (know-why) underlying the solutions and actions is still needed for an integrated representation of design knowledge. Design rationale is an effective way of capturing that missing part, since it records the issues addressed, the options considered, and the arguments used when specific design solutions are created and evaluated. Apart from the need for an integrated representation, effective retrieval methods are also of great importance for the re-use of design knowledge, as the knowledge involved in designing complex products can be huge. Developing methods for the retrieval of design rationale is very useful as part of the effective management of design knowledge, for the following reasons. Firstly, design engineers tend to want to consider issues and solutions before looking at solid models or process specifications in detail. Secondly, design rationale is mainly described using text, which often embodies much relevant design knowledge. Last but not least, design rationale is generally captured by identifying elements and their dependencies, i.e. in a structured way which opens the opportunity for going beyond simple keyword-based searching. In this paper, the management of design rationale for the re-use of design knowledge is presented. The retrieval of design rationale records in particular is discussed in detail. As evidenced in the development and evaluation, the methods proposed are useful for the re-use of design knowledge and can be generalised to be used for the retrieval of other kinds of structured design knowledge.

Program understandability: feature analysis of modern approaches

One of main features of modern information technologies is the trend toward the integration and open interchange of information resources (knowledge, ontologies, publications, software development components, standards, and other documents). The usefulness of such exchanges is determined by the ability of the user to understand the implication and destination of such resources. Approaches to specifications of information resources in some most popular projects are analyzed, as well as their common and specific conceptual and design solutions and characteristics used to disclose the implication of specifications.

Effectiveness of dam construction to contain the invasive crayfish Procambarus clarkii in a Mediterranean mountain stream

Invasive crayfish are a worldwide problem for aquatic ecosystems. So far, no control method has proven successful. Field data from invaded streams have suggested that physical structures may hamper the spread rate of invasive crayfish into new areas. However, given the difficulties for carrying out dam construction in natural habitats, data about their effectiveness in incipient invading populations are practically nonexistent. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of small dams to contain the advance of an incipient population of the invasive Procambarus clarkii in a mountain stream harboring the European southernmost population of the endangered Austropotamobius pallipes. The management strategy involved the construction of 3 artificial small (<3 m high) dams that were complemented with specific design solutions to increase their theoretical efficacy. Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) obtained during monitoring surveys carried out for 4 years were used as an indicator of containment effectiveness. The dams successfully prevented Procambarus clarkii from extending its range into the area occupied by A. pallipes. In addition, regardless of whether the construction of new dams isolated the leading edge of the invading population between two dams, the CPUE declined to below detectable limits. Therefore, dams are suggested to effectively stop, or at least hinder, the advance of invasive crayfish. Long-term monitoring is recommended to verify the on-going success of the dams in preventing upstream invasion.

Function Follows Performance in Evolutionary Computational Processing-Vertical Evolution

As the title ‘Function Follows Performance in Evolutionary Computational Processing’ suggests, this paper explores the potentials of employing multiple design and evaluation criteria within one processing model in order to account for a number of performative parameters desired within varied architectural projects. At the core lies the formulation of a methodology that is based upon the idea of human and computational selection in accordance with pre-defined performance criteria that can be adapted to different requirements by the mere change of parameter input in order to reach location specific design solutions.

Large airplane crash on a nuclear plant: Design study against excessive shaking of components

The problem of the strong shaking of structures and of components in case of an aircraft impact is the subject of this study. This problem is solved in some designs by protecting the external Nuclear Island block (N.I.) by an external thick wall, capable to withstand the aircraft impact. This wall is connected to the rest of the N.I. by the common foundation slab only. The first part of this study consists of the evaluation of the order of magnitude of the vibration attenuation which can be obtained by this design scheme. Should the attenuation obtained be not sufficient for some parts of the internal structures, some additional design provision could be adopted. In order to solve this problem, a specific design solution is here suggested. It essentially consists in connecting critical parts of structures to the common foundation slab with restraints having an adequate degree of deformability, so that the transmission of high frequency impact forces from other parts of the whole structure is minimized. In a previous paper (Petrangeli, 2007), the structural protection of the reactor dome and of connected structures of a modern nuclear plant is dealt with. In the present paper, the protection of internal parts of the plant (the internal containment is chosen) in case of strong impact on lateral walls is studied. The indicative result of this study is that the enhancement of attenuation in the transmission of acceleration from the impact point to some representative point in the inner structure is of the order of 75. This result cannot be generalized, as it depends on many parameters of the structure and of the soil.

A Survey of Nurses Self-Reported Prospective Memory Tasks: What Must they Remember and What do they Forget?

Although a nurse's job is inundated with prospective memory (PM) demands, and studies show that PM failures are a key component of adverse medical events, only one study has examined prospective memory in nursing (Grundgeiger, Sanderson, MacDougall, &amp; Venkatesh, 2009). The purpose of the current study was to complement existing research with self-reports from 25 nurses on the PM tasks they must remember and those they forget. Results revealed that nurses most frequently perform episodic tasks, and these tasks can be further classified to better explain when nursing PM demands arise and what the demands consist of. A more specific categorization of nursing PM tasks enables researchers to focus on specific design solutions. We provide examples of such re-design recommendations intended to alleviate PM demands.

Using Monochromatic Design Views to Avoid a Premature Fixation on Design Solutions

This study investigates whether the availability of a monochromatic design view can prevent an early fixation on details during the preliminary stages of a design task. Design students are trained to tentatively sketch the overall form of a design concept before attending to its details. Literature suggests that using multiple colors for sketching a concept causes a gestalt-like grouping phenomenon and influences designers to adopt a contrasting strategy of adding details before sketching the overall form. An empirical study was conducted to assess the validity of these findings. In the study, 20 participants, randomly assigned to two groups, were allowed to use multiple colors to sketch a design concept within a digital sketching environment. However, only the single-color group had the ability to view a sketch, as it would appear in monochrome. Both groups parsed the design concepts into their basic components and used colors as a means of distinguishing one component from another. However, the single-color group added significantly more details than the first or the multicolor group after sketching the overall form. Verbal reports suggest that the single-color group was able to avoid an early fixation on details because the single-color view eliminated the discontinuities induced by the variation in color and allowed the participants to attend to the overall form instead of the individual components. The current findings highlight the importance of providing a monochrome design view within a sketching environment to avoid an early fixation on a specific design solution.

Tutorial 19: Obtaining pitch/roll measurements in an extreme environment

Environmental conditions so severe as to pose exceptional design risk, sometimes called extreme or hostile environments, must be addressed by special design solutions. These solutions are often constrained by power, geometry, cost, and other factors, making it particularly difficult for the designer to obtain a solution that simultaneously satisfies performance and cost targets. This tutorial illustrates the design process for extreme environments using an example taken from the HDD industry. In this example, a small battery-operated instrumentation package - the HDD sonde - must accurately determine pitch and roll orientation in an operating environment characterized by continual, often violent, and essentially unconstrained shock and vibration loads. As the tutorial example illustrates, a satisfactory design solution requires careful component selection; multiple levels of shock and vibration isolation; careful pitch and roll calibrations over the entire anticipated operating temperature range; and time-varying signal processing to adjust the pitch and roll presentation dynamics according to task requirements at different times during the bore. The sonde's battery pack must be selected and designed to meet the same design constraints if operating requirements are to be satisfied at the system level. A commercial HDD sonde is capable of providing sub-degree pitch and roll accuracy despite the temperature changes and continuous shock and vibration typical of the underground construction environment.

Balancing Three Essential Components of Evidence

Despite widespread belief that healthcare design should be evidence-based, clarity regarding the concept of evidence is still elusive. Rosenberg, Muir Gray, Haynes, and Richardson's (1996) classic definition of evidencebased medicine is one of the most widely quoted:Evidence-based medicine is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The practice of evidence-based medicine means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external evidence from systematic (p. 71).This definition of evidence-based medicine has become the foundation for nearly all disciplines, each making slight modifications to the wording to individualize it to their specific discipline and practice. Evidence-based design in healthcare is no exception. What is less recognized is that Sackett, Straus, Richardson, Rosenberg, and Haynes (2000) modified the original definition to add that evidence-based practice must consider patient values. With this new consideration, evidencebased practice in any discipline includes the interplay of three essential elements: (1) individual expertise; (2) best available evidence; and (3) the customer's values. In this context, customer could be defined as the patient in medicine or nursing, but it could also be other stakeholders in different disciplines, such as the owner, the healthcare executive team, or the board of directors in a healthcare design project.Although randomized controlled trials (RCTs), systematic reviews, and meta-analyses are the gold standards of research evidence in design practice, the use of these audacious gold standards is difficult to accomplish without years of rigorous research. Of course, when we do have such evidence, we can translate these findings into standards, protocols, practice guidelines, and other such policy to guide the practice of healthcare design. Evidence-based design is an emerging science that is constantly building new evidence through the documentation of findings from each new project; but there is more evidence to consider than research evidence.Best EvidenceSeveral articles in HERD have addressed how to search for the best evidence (Edelstein, 2008; Martin, 2009), and HERD continues to publish research studies that can be considered for application in specific projects or to guide design decisions. Yet there are some who propose that the emphasis on research evidence is too restrictive, especially if the gold standard is the RCT, the systematic review, or meta-analysis, because they neglect to recognize other sources of evidence that may also bring validity to a project (Stankos & Schwartz, 2007). The strictest definition of evidence seems to devalue knowledge other than research evidence and prioritizes the RCT and meta-analysis because they sit at the top of the evidence hierarchy. The RCT is clearly the research study design of choice when studying the effectiveness of specific treatments, interventions, or designs, but there are many design issues and questions that are not amenable to an RCT.In this context, if we are to use evidence as a basis for healthcare design, how does one justify innovation, which may not have evidence to support specific design solutions? If the best evidence answers a design question for a project but has limited generalizability because the study was conducted only at one site, how should we prioritize the research evidence in comparison to the weight of individual experience or the customer's values or preferences? In evidence-based design practice, we must hold all three elements in balance. All-research evidence, individual experience, and customer values-constitute evidence.Individual ExperienceIn the nursing world, Dr. Patricia Benner is noted for her work describing the continuum of how nurses develop knowledge and skill from novice to expert based on the Dreyfus model of skill acquisition. …

Designing sustainable alternatives for batch operations using an intelligent simulation–optimization framework

The drive towards sustainability has compelled the batch process industries to implement the concept of environmentally friendly plants. However, the temporal nature of processing in these processes obviates the application of traditional waste minimization, material recycling, or energy integration schemes. Further, most of the existing methodologies for generating sustainable alternatives are restricted to specific problems, such as reaction byproduct, wastewater, or solvent minimization. In this paper, we propose an intelligent simulation–optimization framework for identifying comprehensive sustainable alternatives for batch processes. We differentiate between wastes generated by the reaction–separation process and cleaning wastes. A P-graph-based approach is used for identifying the root cause of process waste generation and generating broad design alternatives. Specific variable-level design solutions are then identified and evaluated using process simulation. The cleaning wastes resulting from the optimized process are also minimized using a source-sink allocation method that allows design of recycle network structure. A multi-objective stochastic optimization method is used to integrate the analysis so that the overall process economic and environmental footprint is optimized. We illustrate the proposed methodology using a well-known literature case study involving reaction, distillation and washing operation.

The Domestic Architecture of Benjamin Henry Latrobe by Michael W. Fazio, Patrick A. Snadon

Book Reviews Michael W. Fazio and Patrick A. Snadon. The Domestic Architecture of Benjamin Henry Latrobe. Baltimore:TheJohns Hopkins University Press, 2006, 816 pp., 349 black-and-white photographs, 22 color plates, 241 line drawings, hardcover, $75.00, ISBN 0-8018-8104-8. B y analyzing extant building fabric, surviving drawings, primary texts, and historic photographs, Michael W. Fazio and Patrick A. Snadon address a fundamental need in architectural history: the creation of a canon of Benjamin Henry Latrobe's domestic designs. Most ofLatrobe's houses are lost, and his drawings often represent designs only partially adopted by clients. By interpreting the evidence, the authors establish an authoritative list of Latrobe's domestic work and provide insight into the design theory of this important American architect. The structure of this volume is only partially chronological. The text begins with a brief but intriguing biography of Latrobe, which is followed by detailed discussions of the designs of individual houses organized according to the location of Latrobe's practice. The epilogue recounts the disheartening preservation history of these buildings, which the authors attribute both to his unconventional designs and to urban growth. The book ends with a catalogue of the architect's domestic projects. Into this general scheme, the authors interject analytical chapters summarizing Latrobe's design theories and an overview of his career. Because these summary chapters are more narrative in style, they can be read independently. Illustrations comprise one of the book's most attractive features. Latrobe's drawings are juxtaposed with contemporary plans and historical photographs so that readers can readily follow the authors' line of reasoning. The book's reconstructed drawings represent an especially useful contribution to Latrobe scholarship. Overall, the book's organization suggests multiple audiences: specialized academic audiences can focus on specific design conditions and solutions, while a broader readership can find a more general account of Latrobe's place in English and American architectural history. Fazio and Snadon bring expertise in both design and architectural history to this work. Fazio, a professor emeritus at the School ofArchitecture at Mississippi State University, is a practicing preservation architect and a published authority on Latrobe. Snadon teaches interior design as an associate professor at the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati. Both authors earned Ph.D.'s in architectural history from Cornell University. As Latrobe might have preferred, the authors emphasize aesthetic inspiration as the most important part of the architectural process. Large portions of the voluminous text describe in detail the stylistic character and origins of the plans and elevations of Latrobe's elegant habitations. However, Fazio and Snadon also approach their subject from a less traditional perspective. They explain how Latrobe's designs responded to the economic status of individual clients and where he preferred to locate spaces inhabited by 70 ARRIS Volume Eighteen BOOK REVIEWS servants. Acknowledging Latrobe's reputation as an engineer, the authors deftly describe how he brought his innovative skills to architectural systems, such as suspended ceilings and sliding doors. The authors stress several themes in Latrobe's professional development. In addition to his consummate skill in creating picturesque interiors, Latrobe is portrayed as adept at articulating an architectural theory rooted in Enlightenment rationality, even though he was forced to compromise those ideals because ofa conservative clientele. According to the authors, Latrobe accommodated regional traditions, such as the emphasis in Virginia on dining as a theater for social hierarchy, but rejected others, such as the widespread, but not universal, preference for the central passage plan. Contrary to our present understanding of the architect's motivation, the authors argue successfully that while catering to many of his clients' social ambitions and often disparaging their lack of design sophistication, Latrobe shared their compulsion to achieve distinction through the use of accumulated wealth. Fazio and Snadon's book does not aim to replace Talbot Hamlin's outdated but wonderfully readable biography, Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1955). Likewise, it does not supplant Jeffrey A. Cohen and Charles E. Brownell's The Architectural Drawings ofBenjamin Henry Latrobe (1994), because it does not address Latrobe's civic architecture. Yet, because of its exhaustive analysis of both extant and lost domestic buildings attributed to...

Global Localization of an Indoor Mobile Robot with a Single Base Station

The navigation tasks in advanced home robotic applications incorporating reliable revisiting strategies are dependent on very low cost but nevertheless rather accurate localization systems. In this paper a localization system based on the principle of trilateration is described. The proposed system uses only a single small base station, but achieves accuracies comparable to systems using spread beacons and it performs sufficiently for map building. Thus it is a standalone system and needs no odometry or other auxiliary sensors. Furthermore a new approach for the problem of the reliably detection of areas without direct line of sight is presented. The described system is very low cost and it is designed for use in indoor service robotics. The paper gives an overview on the system concept and special design solutions and proves the possible performances with experimental results.

Design for patient safety: A review of the effectiveness of design in the UK health service

In 2002 the UK Department of Health and the Design Council jointly commissioned a scoping study to deliver ideas and practical recommendations for a design approach to reduce the risk of medical error and improve patient safety across the National Health Service (NHS). The research was undertaken by the Engineering Design Centre at the University of Cambridge, the Robens Institute for Health Ergonomics at the University of Surrey and the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre at the Royal College of Art. The research team employed diverse methods to gather evidence from literature, key stakeholders, and experts from within healthcare and other safety-critical industries in order to ascertain how the design of systems—equipment and other physical artefacts, working practices and information—could contribute to patient safety. Despite the multiplicity of activities and methodologies employed, what emerged from the research was a very consistent picture. This convergence pointed to the need to better understand the healthcare system, including the users of that system, as the context into which specific design solutions must be delivered. Without that broader understanding there can be no certainty that any single design will contribute to reducing medical error and the consequential cost thereof.

Integral Thermal-Hydraulics Tests for the Safety Evaluation of VVER-440/213 Nuclear Reactors and Safety Code Validation

The Paks nuclear power plant is equipped with pressurized water reactors of the VVER-440/213 type. These plants have a number of special features, namely, six-loop primary circuit, horizontal steam generators, loop seal in both hot and cold legs, safety injection tank setpoint pressure higher than secondary pressure, etc. As a consequence of the special design solutions, the transient behavior of such a reactor system is different from the usual pressurized water reactor system behavior. To study the transient behavior of these plants, the PMK-2 integral-type facility, a thermal-hydraulic model of the Paks nuclear power plant, was designed and constructed.A short description of the specific design solutions of the VVER-440/213-type plants is given with the modeling aspects and similarity criteria applied to the design of the PMK-2 facility. Since the startup of the facility in 1985, 48 experiments have been performed primarily in an international framework with the participation of several experts from European and overseas countries to study one- and two-phase natural circulation, loss-of-coolant accidents, special plant transients, and experiments in support of the accident management measures. The results of several experiments illustrate the system effects of special design solutions and the effectiveness of bleed-and-feed accident management measures. A brief commentary on the thermal-hydraulic system code validation is provided, and conclusions are offered.

Tissue engineering: functional assessment and clinical outcome.

The issues that should be considered as part of the design and evaluation of tissue engineering constructs with respect to their targeted clinical application are reviewed. This paper provides a general framework for the process of bringing tissue-engineering constructs from the laboratory bench to the patient's bedside, rather than presenting a detailed review of the engineering or biologic principles or mechanisms that are necessary for successful tissue engineering. Many of the principles are animated by using examples from current studies being developed in my laboratory or those of my collaborators. In all likelihood, multiple solutions or approaches will be found that lead to successful tissue-engineering constructs. The focus here is on the identification of critical parameters to be considered rather than specific design solutions. The review is therefore organized to reflect feasible sequences of activities formulated to take tissue engineering from concept to clinical reality.

Fire Safety Measures in Historic Buildings for University Use

The paper summarises the results of an investigation intended to develop guidelines for implementing fire safety measures in historic buildings converted to university use, and which can be utilised in making design decisions and assessing project feasibility. In particular, the paper focuses on the relationships between a building's historical type, the applicable regulatory and performance requirements, and the design solutions that can be adopted in a given situation. The examples of such solutions provided in the paper, which regard functional requirements as well as those for fire safety, accessibility and utilities systems, are drawn from an analysis of recent case studies of historic building conversion to university use, evaluating the design approaches which were adopted and possible alternatives. In addition, the paper presents a series of parametric appraisals of the typical costs incurred in construction and utilities installation, together with a discussion of the development and application of a risk analysis method which can be used to evaluate the overall performance of specific design solutions or construction situations.

Liquid Crystal Modulator for Fiber Commutation Channels

The results of the development and investigation of the modulation characteristics of a coaxial liquid crystal modulator are presented. The active part of the modulator under investigation is implemented on the basis of a “cylindrical geometry” Specific design solutions of such a coaxial modulator are considered. It is shown that in the case under study, the modulation depth increases 2 or 3-fold as compared with conventional LC modulators and exeeds 50%, noise level becoming lower.

AC-130U Gunship AFT-Scanner Ergonomic Review: Design Solutions for Program Office

Concerned about neck/back pain and diminished alertness attributed to awkwardness of AC-130U Spectre Gunship aft-scanner workstations, the Special Operations Forces Development System Office (SOF DSO) requested that the Crew System Ergonomics Information Analysis Center (CSERIAC) review the literature for design solutions. Aft-scanners recline face-down toward the aircraft's tail while leaning downward into a bubble window to detect launches of Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs). To scan territory below and to the sides of the Gunship, numerous head/neck movements are required. No neck/head rests exist to support the scanner during long missions over hostile territory. Diminished visual alertness can result from fatigue of maintaining the “unnatural” prone position. Long-term back and neck discomfort may follow. The comprehensive CSERIAC literature review verified adverse physiological effects and identified specific design solutions, including ones used during World War II flight tests. The DSO has already implemented several of these solutions and may implement additional solutions to increase mission effectiveness.

Design of workcards for aircraft inspection

The workcard is the primary document that controls an aircraft inspection task and serves as a major factor influencing inspection performance. The present study develops a methodology for design of workcards, based on the application of human factors knowledge to the analysis of aircraft inspection tasks. A taxonomy for design of usable documentation was developed using four basic categories: information readability, information context, information organization, and physical handling/environmental factors. Within the framework of this taxonomy two extreme representative conditions of aircraft inspection tasks, the A-check and the C-check, were analysed for usability. Issues for workcard redesign were identified within the taxonomy using data from user responses. These were then used to develop alternative design solutions offering improved usability. The increase in usability was measured using inspections of DC-9 aircraft, and proved significant. Not only does this study propose specific design solutions, it also provides a generic methodology that can be followed for design of quality documentation for other aircraft inspection tasks. This methodology is currently being extended for the design of usable information for automated workcards and hypermedia-based documentation.