Flammability and Multi-objective Performance of Building Façades: Towards Optimum Design

Bonner, Matthew,Rein, Guillermo Council on Tall Building and Urban Habitat Korea 2018 International journal of high-rise buildings Vol.7 No.4

The façade is an important, complex, and costly part of a building, performing multiple objectives of value to the occupants, like protecting from wind, rain, sunlight, heat, cold, and sound. But the frequency of façade fires in large buildings is alarming, and has multiplied by seven times worldwide over the last three decades, to a current rate of 4.8 fires per year. High-performing polymer based materials allow for a significant improvement across several objectives of a facade (e.g., thermal insulation, weight, and construction time) thereby increasing the quality of a building. However, all polymers are flammable to some degree. If this safety problem is to be tackled effectively, then it is essential to understand how different materials, and the façade as a whole, perform in the event of a fire. This paper discusses the drivers for flammability in facades, the interaction of facade materials, and current gaps in knowledge. In doing so, it aims to provide an introduction to the field of façade fires, and to show that because of the drive for thermal efficiency and sustainability, façade systems have become more complex over time, and they have also become more flammable. We discuss the importance of quantifying the flammability of different façade systems, but highlight that it is currently impossible to do so, which hinders research progress. We finish by putting forward an integral framework of design that uses multi-objective optimization to ensure that flammability is minimized while considering other objectives, such as maximizing thermal performance or minimizing weight.

Inhibition of the Spectraplakin Protein Microtubule Actin Crosslinking Factor 1 Sensitizes Glioblastomas to Radiation

Kala Bonner,Danielle Borlay,Orica Kutten,Quincy A. Quick 대한뇌종양학회 2020 Brain Tumor Research and Treatment Vol.8 No.1

Background: Microtubule actin crosslinking factor 1 (MACF1) is a spectraplakin cytoskeletal crosslinking protein whose function and role in cancer biology has lacked investigation. Recent studies have identified MACF1 as a novel target in glioblastomas expressed in tissue from tumor patient explants but not normal brain tissue and when silenced has an antitumorigenic impact on these tumors. Radiation as a single agent therapy to treat glioblastomas has been used for decades and has done little to improve survival of individuals diagnosed with this disease. However, contemporary clinical radiotherapy protocols have provided evidence that combinatorial radiotherapy approaches confer a therapeutic benefit in glioblastoma patients. In this study MACF1 was investigated as a radiosensitization target in glioblastomas. Methods: To provide context of MACF1 in glioblastomas, The Cancer Genome Atlas expression analyses were performed in conjunction with genes associated with glioblastoma evolution, while a genetic inhibitory approach, cell migratory assays, and immunofluorescence procedures were used to evaluate responses to MACF1 suppression with radiation. Additionally, expression analyses were conducted to assess co-expression of mTOR signaling pathway regulators and MACF1 in glioblastoma patient samples Results: Our amalgamation approach demonstrated that negative regulation of MACF1, which was positively correlated with epidermal growth factor receptor and p70s6k expression, enhanced the sensitivity of glioblastoma cells to radiation as a consequence of reducing glioblastoma cell viability and migration. Mechanistically, the antitumorigenic effects on glioblastoma cell behaviors after radiation and impairing MACF1 function were associated with decreased expression of ribosomal protein S6, a downstream effector of p70s6k. Conclusion: MACF1 represents a diagnostic marker with target specificity in glioblastomas that can enhance the efficacy of radiation while minimizing normal tissue toxicity. This approach could potentially expand combinatorial radiation strategies for glioblastoma treatments via impairment of translational regulatory processes that contribute to poor patient survival.

Nutrition Evaluation Screening Tool: An Easy to Use Screening Tool for Hospitalised Children

Dokal, Kitt,Asmar, Nadia,Shergill-Bonner, Rita,Mutalib, Mohamed The Korean Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology 2021 Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition Vol.24 No.1

Purpose: Nutrition screening is vital to ensure patients are appropriately managed in hospital. In paediatrics there is currently no universally accepted nutrition screening tool. The Nutrition Evaluation Screening Tool (NEST) was developed as an easy to use and practical screening tool for hospitalised children. We aim to evaluate compliance of the NEST and assess agreement of the NEST with the already validated nutrition screening tools, Screening Tool for Risk on Nutritional Status and Growth (STRONGkids), Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Paediatrics (STAMP) and the Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment (SGNA) tool. Methods: Retrospective review of 102 patient episodes at the Evelina London Children's Hospital. Electronic records were used to assess NEST compliance and to complete the nutrition tools for each patient episode. Cohen's kappa was used to determine the level of agreement between each nutrition tool. Results: There was moderate agreement between the NEST and the two screening tools, STRONGkids (κ=0.472) and STAMP (κ=0.416) for patients on initial screening at admission. 87.2% of patient episodes were NEST compliant within 24 hours of admission to hospital. Conclusion: The moderate agreement between these two already validated screening tools enhances the NEST's validity as a paediatric screening tool. The NEST had the strongest correlation with the SGNA tool compared to other screening tools. The NEST is user friendly screening tool for hospitalised children.

Comparative study of factors influencing tension lap splices in reinforced concrete beams

Karkarna, Yakubu M.,Bahadori-Jahromi, Ali,Jahromi, Hamid Zolghadr,Bonner, Emily,Goodchild, Charles Techno-Press 2020 Advances in concrete construction Vol.10 No.4

The practice of splicing reinforcing bars in reinforced concrete structures to manage insufficient bar length is a common approach, which is mainly due to transportation limitations on bar length. The splicing of reinforcing bars side by side offers a simple and economical solution to the problem of continuity. This paper examines the influence of different structural parameters such as concrete cover, lap splice length, shear links confinement and concrete strength on the lap splices based on an extensive experimental database of laps and anchorage. The current study shows that increasing the lap splices beyond 50Ø has no additional benefit for increasing its strength. The results also show that relative to the measured stress, specimens with larger concrete side covers shows higher splice stress compared to the samples with smaller concrete covers.

BASELINE SEPARATION OF 2,4,6-TRINITROTOLUENE (TNT) AND ITS BIOTRANSFORMATION PRODUCTS USING HPLC : PRECAUTIONS FOR ANALYTES LOSS

Bum Han Bae,Robin L . Autenrieth,James S . Bonner 대한환경공학회 1999 Environmental Engineering Research Vol.4 No.2

Comparison of Microbial Biomass Estimation Techniques for the Initial Rate Kinetic Studies

Bum Han Bae,Robin L . Autenrieth,James S . Bonner 대한환경공학회 1998 Environmental Engineering Research Vol.3 No.1

$CCl_4$중에서 Thioacetamide와 N,N-Dimethylacetamide사이의 수소 결합에 관한 분광학적인 연구

이강봉,김병철,윤창주,최영상,Kang Bong Lee,Byung-Chul Kim,Chang-ju Yun,O. D. Bonner,Young-Sang Choi 대한화학회 1986 대한화학회지 Vol.30 No.6

Thioacetamide(TA)-CCl$_4$와 TA-N,N-dimethlylacetamide (DMA)-CCl$_4$ 용액에서 TA의 $v_3$ + Amide II 조합띠의 근적외선 스펙트럼을 5$^{\circ}$ ~55$^{\circ}$C 에서 얻었다. 삼성분계에서 이 조합띠는 단위체 TA, 1 : 1 TA-DMA complex and 1 : 2 TA-DMA 및 1 : 2 TA-DMA 성분으로 나타나지만, 묽은 용액에서는 단위체 TA와 1 : 1 복합체만이 나타나며 이를 컴퓨터를 사용해서 각 띠의 형태를 Lorentzian-Gaussian 곱의 함수로 보아 분리하였다. 농도 및 온도에 따른 스펙트럼을 분석하여 1 : 1복합체에 대한 평형상수와 열역학적 피라미터들을 구했으며, ${\Delta}H^{\circ}$는 -14.4 KJ mol$^{-1}$이었고 ${\Delta}S^{\circ}$는 -15.6 J mol$^{-1 }deg^{-1}$이었다. Spectra for the $v_3$+ Amide II combination band of thioacetamide(TA) were obtained in carbon tetrachloride solutions and in very dilute solutions of TA-N,N-dimethlylacetamide (DMA) in carbon tetrachloride in the range of 5~55$^{\circ}$C. The combination band in the three component system can be resolved into components due to monomeric TA, 1 : 1 TA-DMA complex and 1 : 2 TA-DMA complex. In the dilute solutions the experimental spectrum was resolved by using the computer into its two Lorentzian-Gaussian product components which have been identified with the monomeric TA and the 1 : 1 complex. The equilibrium constants and thermodynamic parameters of 1 : 1 complex were determined by analysis of concentration and temperature dependent spectra. The ${\Delta}H^{\circ}$ and ${\Delta}S^{\circ}$ for the 1 : 1 complex were -14.4 KJ mol$^{-1}$ and -15.6 J mol$^{-1}deg^{-1}$, respectively.

Layer-by-Layer Assembled Antisense DNA Microsponge Particles for Efficient Delivery of Cancer Therapeutics

Roh, Young Hoon,Lee, Jong Bum,Shopsowitz, Kevin E.,Dreaden, Erik C.,Morton, Stephen W.,Poon, Zhiyong,Hong, Jinkee,Yamin, Inbar,Bonner, Daniel K.,Hammond, Paula T. American Chemical Society 2014 ACS NANO Vol.8 No.10

<P/><P>Antisense oligonucleotides can be employed as a potential approach to effectively treat cancer. However, the inherent instability and inefficient systemic delivery methods for antisense therapeutics remain major challenges to their clinical application. Here, we present a polymerized oligonucleotides (ODNs) that self-assemble during their formation through an enzymatic elongation method (rolling circle replication) to generate a composite nucleic acid/magnesium pyrophosphate sponge-like microstructure, or DNA microsponge, yielding high molecular weight nucleic acid product. In addition, this densely packed ODN microsponge structure can be further condensed to generate polyelectrolyte complexes with a favorable size for cellular uptake by displacing magnesium pyrophosphate crystals from the microsponge structure. Additional layers are applied to generate a blood-stable and multifunctional nanoparticle <I>via</I> the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique. By taking advantage of DNA nanotechnology and LbL assembly, functionalized DNA nanostructures were utilized to provide extremely high numbers of repeated ODN copies for efficient antisense therapy. Moreover, we show that this formulation significantly improves nucleic acid drug/carrier stability during <I>in vivo</I> biodistribution. These polymeric ODN systems can be designed to serve as a potent means of delivering stable and large quantities of ODN therapeutics systemically for cancer treatment to tumor cells at significantly lower toxicity than traditional synthetic vectors, thus enabling a therapeutic window suitable for clinical translation.</P>