This paper outlines the design of a high-precision graphic audio equalizer with digital filters in parallel, along with its implementation in MATLAB App Designer. The equalizer is comprised of 31 bands separated with a one-third octave frequency ratio, and its frequency response is controlled by 63 filters. Furthermore, the application can process audio signals, in real time, recorded by microphone and from audio files. While processing, it displays an FFT plot of the output sound, also in real time, equipped with a knob by which the refreshing pace can be adjusted. The actual frequency response proved to match the desired one accurately, but the matching is computationally demanding for the computer. An even higher accuracy would entail a computational complexity beyond the power of ordinary computers, and was thus concluded to be inappropriate. As a result, the final application manages to provide most laptops with both high precision and proper functionality.

Yes / The number of benzodiazepines appearing as new psychoactive substances (NPS) is continually increasing. Information about the pharmacological parameters of these compounds is required to fully understand their potential effects and harms. One parameter that has yet to be described is the blood-to-plasma ratio. Knowledge of the pharmacodynamics of designer benzodiazepines is also important, and the use of quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) modelling provides a fast and inexpensive method of predicting binding affinity to the GABAA receptor. Methods: In this work, the blood-to-plasma ratios for six designer benzodiazepines (deschloroetizolam, diclazepam, etizolam, meclonazepam, phenazepam, and pyrazolam) were determined. A previously developed QSAR model was used to predict the binding affinity of nine designer benzodiazepines that have recently appeared. Results: Blood-to-plasma values ranged from 0.57 for phenazepam to 1.18 to pyrazolam. Four designer benzodiazepines appearing since 2017 (fluclotizolam, difludiazepam, flualprazolam, and clobromazolam) had predicted binding affinities to the GABAA receptor that were greater than previously predicted binding affinities for other designer benzodiazepines. Conclusions: This work highlights the diverse nature of the designer benzodiazepines and adds to our understanding of their pharmacology. The greater predicted binding affinities are a potential indication of the increasing potency of designer benzodiazepines appearing on the illicit drugs market. / Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. / Research Development Fund Publication Prize Award winner, Feb 2022.

Behovet av bostäder ökar i takt med befolkningsökningen, samtidigt som tillgången på råmaterial för byggmaterial minskar. Samhället genomgår en grön omställning där varje bransch undersöker sätt att minska klimatpåverkan. I byggbranschen är cement en stor bidragande orsak till koldioxidutsläpp. Studien syftar till att utforska nya dimensioneringsregler för klimatreducerad och cirkulär betong enligt betongstandarder, samt hur konstruktörer och materialtillverkare arbetar med dessa. Studien genomförs som en kombinerad litteraturstudie och intervjustudie. Intervjustudien består av tre intervjuer med konstruktörer, materialtillverkare och projektutvecklare som bidrar med sina perspektiv kring att ta fram och arbete med klimatreducerad och cirkulär betong. I litteraturstudien ingår att jämföra nya och äldre standarder som beskriver dimensioneringsregler och materialegenskaper för beståndsdelarna i klimatreducerad betong. Litteraturstudien görs också för att ge mer översiktlig kunskap i ämnet och för att kunna jämföra och bekräfta data från intervjuerna. Resultaten visar att utvecklingen går framåt när det gäller att nå målet med klimatneutral betong år 2030. Nya material och produkter utvecklas ständigt och möjliggör mer klimatvänlig betong. Materialstandarden och dimensioneringsstandarden för betong ger möjligheter för cirkulering av återvunnen betong, medan cementstandarden beskriver hur tillsatsmaterial för cement kan användas. Intervjuerna indikerar att konstruktörerna har en liten roll när det gäller att påverka byggnaden ur ett hållbart perspektiv, men medvetenhet finns. Beslut kring materialval, funktionskrav och kravställning på materialen görs ofta tidigt i projekten, innan konstruktören är inkopplad. Resultaten överensstämmer med andra examensarbeten som visar att konstruktörer kommer in för sent i processen med idéframtagning för att bidra med kunskap i hållbarhetsfrågor i projekten. Det finns förhoppningar om att den nya standarden tillsammans med lagen om klimatdeklaration för byggnader och Boverkets nya byggregler ”möjligheternas byggregler” ska bidra ytterligare till utveckling av hållbart samhällsbyggande. Huruvida detta kommer bidra med att konstruktören får en större roll återstår att se. / The need for housing is increasing with population growth, while the availability of raw materials for construction materials is declining. Society is undergoing a green transition, with each industry exploring ways to reduce climate impact. In the construction industry, cement is a major contributor to carbon dioxide emissions. This study aims to explore new dimensioning rules for climate-reduced and circular concrete according to concrete standards, and how designers and material manufacturers work with these. The study is conducted as a combined literature review and interview study. The interview study consists of three interviews with designers, material manufacturers, and project developers contributing their perspectives on developing and working with climate-reduced and circular concrete. The literature review includes comparing new and older standards describing dimensioning rules and material properties for components in climate-reduced concrete. The literature review is also conducted to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the subject and to compare and confirm data from the interviews. The results show that progress is being made towards the goal of climate-neutral concrete by 2030. New materials and products are constantly being developed, enabling more climate-friendly concrete. The material standard and dimensioning standard for concrete provide opportunities for the circulation of recycled concrete, while the cement standard describes how cement admixtures can be used. The interviews indicate that designers have a small role in influencing building sustainability, but awareness exists. Decisions regarding material selection, functional requirements, and specification of materials are often made early in projects, before the designer is engaged. The results are consistent with other theses showing that designers enter the process too late in the ideation stage to contribute knowledge on sustainability issues in projects. There are hopes that the new standard, together with the law on climate declaration for buildings and the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building, and Planning's new building regulations "building regulations of opportunities," will further contribute to the development of sustainable community construction. Whether this will result in the designer having a larger role remains to be seen.

Humans are exposed to a variety of chemicals including environmental pollutants, cosmetics, food preservatives and drugs. Some of these substances might be harmful to the human body. Traditional toxicological and behavioural investigations performed in animal models are not suitable for the screening of a large number of compounds for potential toxic effects. There is a need for simple and robust in vitro cellular models that allow high-throughput toxicity testing of chemicals, as well as investigation of specific mechanisms of cytotoxicity. The overall aim of the thesis has been to evaluate neuronally differentiated mouse embryonal carcinoma P19 cells (P19 neurons) as a model for such testing. The model has been compared to other cellular models used for neurotoxicity assessment: retinoic acid-differentiated human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and nerve growth factor-treated rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. The chemicals assessed in the studies included the neurotoxicants methylmercury, okadaic acid and acrylamide, the drug of abuse MDMA (“ecstasy”) and a group of piperazine derivatives known as “party pills”. Effects of the chemicals on cell survival, neurite outgrowth and mitochondrial function have been assessed. In Paper I, we describe a fluorescence-based microplate method to detect chemical-induced effects on neurite outgrowth in P19 neurons immunostained against the neuron-specific cytoskeletal protein βIII-tubulin. In Paper II, we show that P19 neurons are more sensitive than differentiated SH-SY5Y and PC12 cells for detection of cytotoxic effects of methylmercury, okadaic acid and acrylamide. Additionally, in P19 neurons and differentiated SH-SY5Y cells, we could demonstrate that toxicity of methylmercury was attenuated by the antioxidant glutathione. In Paper III, we show a time- and temperature-dependent toxicity produced by MDMA in P19 neurons. The mechanisms of MDMA toxicity did not involve inhibition of the serotonin re-uptake transporter or monoamine oxidase, stimulation of 5-HT2A receptors, oxidative stress or loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. In Paper IV, the piperazine derivatives are evaluated for cytotoxicity in P19 neurons and differentiated SH-SY5Y cells. The most toxic compound in both cell models was TFMPP. In P19 neurons, the mechanism of action of TFMPP included loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. In conclusion, P19 neurons are a robust cellular model that may be useful in conjunction with other models for the assessment of chemical-induced neurotoxicity.

Increased concerns have been raised regarding the lack of coherence between interior design education and its industry in China. Although this phenomenon persists, there have been limited research studies addressing the issue. The underlying causes of the lack of coherence remains, and the industry's expectations remain unclear. Therefore, the overall aim of this study is to explore the interactive dynamics in client-designer relationships during the design process, in order to define the industry's expectations on essential designer skills that will enable the closure of the gap between education and practice. In-depth interviews were conducted as the data collection method in this study. Twelve participants comprising six clients and six designers were selected under a purposive sampling procedure. Data collection, analysis and limitations of the study were explored. The current industry context was identified from the literature. Five broad themes were identified from the findings: progression in design perceptions; interactive dynamics; power relations; client-designer relationship; and features in design process. The inter-relations between the current industry context and themes were examined and a framework for interior designer training and ‘model' skills for interior designers are proposed, and the industry's expectations and situated influences were identified that addressed the long standing knowledge gap between education and practice. The framework comprises three aspects of client-designer relationships that reflect different designer's roles in the current industry context. The ‘model' skills may serve as sets of criteria to support or examine the conditions. The framework and its ‘model' skills could be adapted into strategic plans and developed into practical client-management techniques; this may help designers or organizations operating proactively, to be prepared to encounter either familiar or challenging situations.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-29T16:27:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Laudemiro Roriz.pdf: 5445825 bytes, checksum: a4577ab71b723f0ad376342fa5bc0f70 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-09-22 / The present work consists of the result of a research, whose objective age to identify the historical and stylistic influences that act in the furniture of designer Augusto Thomé, who got his architectural formation and acts professionally in Goiânia. The region of the city and its outskirts are furniture polar region of national representation. The study of the history of the city, in its foundation and marked moment of its growth, which happened with the construction of Brasília, it was necessary for the agreement of the lines traced in design of Thomé. In Goiânia, characteristics of art déco in the urbanistic plant, in monuments and historical buildings, dated of its foundation, and the modernist monumentalism of Brasília, they determine the formal references of the associations between volumes, plans and lines that generate the identity of the creation of Thomé. The architectural and furniture conceptions of these moments, analyzed in a world-wide context of influence on our culture, are gifts here, as parts of the formation of our social values and aspirations of development. / O presente trabalho constitui-se no resultado de uma pesquisa, cujo objetivo era identificar as influências históricas e estilísticas que atuam no mobiliário do designer Augusto Thomé, que obteve sua formação arquitetônica e atua profissionalmente em Goiânia. A região da cidade e seus arredores são pólo moveleiro de representatividade nacional. O estudo da história da cidade, na sua fundação e momento mais marcante de seu crescimento, que aconteceu com a construção de Brasília, foi necessário para o entendimento das linhas traçadas no design de Thomé. Em Goiânia, características do art déco na planta urbanística, em monumentos e prédios históricos, datados de sua fundação, e o monumentalismo modernista de Brasília, determinam os referenciais formais das associações entre volumes, planos e linhas que geram a identidade da criação de Thomé. As concepções arquitetônicas e moveleiras desses momentos, analisados em um contexto mundial de influência sobre a nossa cultura, estão aqui presentes, como partes da formação dos nossos valores sociais e aspirações de desenvolvimento.

Este trabalho pesquisa as aplicações da iluminação cênica em alguns coletivos teatrais paulistanos no período de 2011-2012, para entender a prática do desenho da luz, constatando a utilização ou não de novos equipamentos e técnicas. Para isso, fez-se o estudo de peças produzidas e apresentadas no período mencionado, e entrevistas com iluminadores, diretores e outros profissionais da cena ligados a grupos filiados à Cooperativa Paulista de Teatro e contemplados com o Programa de Fomento ao Teatro da Cidade de São Paulo. Outra preocupação deste trabalho foi a análise da formação dos profissionais de iluminação desses coletivos. / This work researches the aplication of Lighting designer in Drama groups from São Paulo between 2011 and 2012, for understand the pratice of light shape and the using of modern equipments and technics. Therefore, a study was made about plays produced and presented in the mentioned period, and interviews with lighting designers, directors and other professionals in the area related of groups affiliate with the São Paulo Drama Company e benefit from the Program of Promotion of the Theater in the city of São Paulo. Another of this work was a analysis of the formation of the Light Designers of this groups.

Liminal sites are those on the verge of change, between boundaries and in a temporary state of ambiguity. Throughout my practice as an architect I was aware of the existence of such spaces. I was also aware that they were rarely the product of my intentional design effort. Because of that to me these spaces were precious. They represent moments in space of ambiguous function and questionable beauty but also moments I sought out everyday. This masters research is my way of refocusing my practice to engage with these types of spaces. The sense that this search will take me outside of my understanding of architecture lead me to chose to undertake it as a masters in landscape architecture. My main research question is: How can a designer construct a liminal site? The research concentrates on four central themes - development of a definition of the term

Increasing competition and technological improvements have created new challenges for the firms. In Turkey, low-tech small and medium scale furniture industry does not seem to be well equipped to compete in this respect due to their weak economic and cultural capital. Necessity of innovative and distinguishing design-led policies has already arisen for improving the position of the low-tech small and medium scale furniture producers. However, to generate effective policies for them, it is essential to understand the design process and production domain related to cultural factors which affect the position of design and the designer. Within this perspective, this thesis examines the position of design and the designer within the product development process in eight cases of small and medium scale furniture companies based on the data gathered from, firstly, in-depth interviews with the owners, and secondly, product development stories narrated by the owner, the designers and head of the production departments of the companies.

The ground source resources are becoming more and more popular and now the ground source heat pumps are frequently used for heating and cooling different types of buildings. This thesis aims at giving a contribution in the development of the thermal modelling of borehole heat storage systems. Furthermore, its objective is to investigate the possibility of implementing of a GSHP (ground source heat pump) with vertical boreholes, in order to deliver the heating and cooling demand for a passive house and to emphasize some certain advantages of this equipment even in the case of a small building (e.g. residential house). A case study is presented to a suitable modelling tool for the estimation of the thermal behaviour of these systems GSHP by combining the outcome from different modelling programs. In order to do that, a very efficient residential solar house (EFden House – a passive residential single-family house, which was projected and built in Bucharest with academic purposes) is being analysed. The numerical results are produced using the software DesignBuilder, EED (Earth Energy Designer) and a sizing method for the length of the boreholes (ASHRAE method). The idea of using 2 different modelling programs and another sizing method for the borehole heat exchanger design (ASHRAE method) is to make sure that all the calculations and results are valid and reliable when analysing such a system theoretically (in the first phases of implementing a project), before performing a geotechnical study or a thermal response test in order to assess the feasibility of such a project beforehand. The results highlight that the length of the borehole, which is the main design parameter and also a good index in estimating the cost of the system, is directly influenced by the other fundamental variables like thermal conductivity of the grout, of the soil and the heat carrier fluid. Also, some correlations between these parameters and the COP (coefficient of performance) of the system were made. The idea of sizing the length of boreholes using two different methods shows the reliability of the modelling tool. The results showed a difference of only 2.5%.  Moreover, the length of borehole is very important as it was calculated that can trigger a difference in electricity consumption of the GSHP up to 28%. It also showed the fact that the design of the whole system can be done beforehand just using modelling tools, without performing tests in-situ. The method aims at being considered as an efficient tool to estimate the length of the borehole of a GSHP system using several modelling tools. / <p>The presentation was made via Skype due to the programme being online based</p>