Adaptation and Calibration of the Faulting Model for Thin Concrete Pavements

Joint faulting is a pavement distress that affects the comfort level of jointed plain concrete pavements. The appearance of joint faulting usually occurs in areas of high traffic of trucks at high speed. Variables such as level of rainfall and the erodibility of the subbase increases the magnitude of this phenomenon. To predict joint faulting in Thin Concrete Pavements, the design software OptiPave2, launched in 2012, used the same model developed for the Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG), which uses an energy differential model. After 6 years of the release of the software and after 10 years since the construction of some thin concrete pavement projects, there are pavements with clear signs of joint faulting and others without. For this reason, the OptiPave2 model was reviewed and compared with field data, concluding that the faulting model needed to be adjusted This new model was calibrated with the data from existing concrete pavement projects.

Plan implementation and medium density housing outcomes: measuring the effect of Wellington City District Plan Change 56

<p>The Wellington City District Plan, operative since the year 2000, set goals for housing intensification. Residential development is encouraged within the existing footprint of the urban area of Wellington City. Intensification means housing development must incorporate a greater mix of housing typologies denser than the currently predominant low density single detached dwellings. To deliver intensification, planning in Wellington aims to incorporate medium density housing typologies that result in more dwellings while using less land. In 2007 Plan Change 56: Managing the Quality of Infill Housing was introduced. The plan change responded to concerns about the quality of housing outcomes being delivered by intensification. The implementation framework was amended through changing and adding a number of policies and rules and the Multiunit Developments Design Guide was replaced with the Residential Design Guide. The Plan Change kept policies for intensification, while policies controlling quality of medium density housing were amended. This research measured the effect of Plan Change 56 on the quality of medium density housing outcomes. Success in planning was found to be defined by the way plan implementation contributes to built outcomes meeting a plan’s goals and objectives. To measure outcomes, a method of assessing case studies was applied based on a range of prior New Zealand research. The Ministry for the Environment’s Medium-density Housing Case Study Assessment Methodology was used to assess and compare Wellington case studies of medium density housing from the periods before and after Plan Change 56. The selected case studies give evidence that Plan Change 56 did not cause an improvement in the quality of medium density housing outcomes. The key finding is that the treatment of open space is significant in defining the quality of medium density housing outcomes. Plan Change 56 made a number of amendments to the District Plan in terms of the way open space is treated around dwellings. Despite this, it was the most significant reason for post-Plan change case studies achieving low quality outcomes. Detailed comparison showed that changes to the District Plan rules for open space did not cause the quality of outcomes to improve. The application of the Residential Design Guide was compared to the superseded Multi Unit Developments Design Guide. The most significant amendments by Plan Change 56 related to guidelines for the design of building along street frontages in terms of volumes, orientation, and façade treatments. The case study results showed there was little difference in the way each design guide was used to assess Resource Consent applications. The results conclusively show that Plan Change 56 did not cause an improvement in the quality of medium density housing outcomes in Wellington.</p>

Plan implementation and medium density housing outcomes: measuring the effect of Wellington City District Plan Change 56

<p>The Wellington City District Plan, operative since the year 2000, set goals for housing intensification. Residential development is encouraged within the existing footprint of the urban area of Wellington City. Intensification means housing development must incorporate a greater mix of housing typologies denser than the currently predominant low density single detached dwellings. To deliver intensification, planning in Wellington aims to incorporate medium density housing typologies that result in more dwellings while using less land. In 2007 Plan Change 56: Managing the Quality of Infill Housing was introduced. The plan change responded to concerns about the quality of housing outcomes being delivered by intensification. The implementation framework was amended through changing and adding a number of policies and rules and the Multiunit Developments Design Guide was replaced with the Residential Design Guide. The Plan Change kept policies for intensification, while policies controlling quality of medium density housing were amended. This research measured the effect of Plan Change 56 on the quality of medium density housing outcomes. Success in planning was found to be defined by the way plan implementation contributes to built outcomes meeting a plan’s goals and objectives. To measure outcomes, a method of assessing case studies was applied based on a range of prior New Zealand research. The Ministry for the Environment’s Medium-density Housing Case Study Assessment Methodology was used to assess and compare Wellington case studies of medium density housing from the periods before and after Plan Change 56. The selected case studies give evidence that Plan Change 56 did not cause an improvement in the quality of medium density housing outcomes. The key finding is that the treatment of open space is significant in defining the quality of medium density housing outcomes. Plan Change 56 made a number of amendments to the District Plan in terms of the way open space is treated around dwellings. Despite this, it was the most significant reason for post-Plan change case studies achieving low quality outcomes. Detailed comparison showed that changes to the District Plan rules for open space did not cause the quality of outcomes to improve. The application of the Residential Design Guide was compared to the superseded Multi Unit Developments Design Guide. The most significant amendments by Plan Change 56 related to guidelines for the design of building along street frontages in terms of volumes, orientation, and façade treatments. The case study results showed there was little difference in the way each design guide was used to assess Resource Consent applications. The results conclusively show that Plan Change 56 did not cause an improvement in the quality of medium density housing outcomes in Wellington.</p>

A spatial analysis of the physical properties of Sivas Cumhuriyet University Campus

Research problem/aim: This study aimed to reveal the physical characteristics of the Sivas Cumhuriyet University Campus. University campuses are equipped with highly diversified physical qualities in terms of the design and planning stages. The quality and property of the physical space are the values that enrich and develop the livable, accessible, and perceptible features of the campus space. In this study, the basic physical components that make up a university campus were identified in order to analyze their qualities. Method: The method was based on fieldwork documentation tools such as observation, on-site examination, photography, and drawing. Accordingly, the Sivas Cumhuriyet University campus was evaluated in terms of its basic physical characteristics such as borders, building usage patterns, morphology, occupancy-vacancy, common areas, and green areas. Findings: It was determined that the campus space has a scattered and disjointed group of relationships, and individual and independent spatial arrangements present a fragmented appearance throughout the built environment. Accordingly, it was determined that the common and green areas and the occupancy-vacancy relations were disturbed, and a morphologically unstable and scattered physical space presentation emerged. Conclusions: Ultimately, this study, which analyzed the current physical environment of the campus, proposed the preparation of an urgent design guide for the campus in order to transform the built environmental components that have been constructed in a disconnected, dispersed, fragmented and unrelated manner into holistic, coherent and continuous spatial organizations.

Design CRISPR-Cas9 Guide RNA and Donor Oligo to Introduce Pathogenic Mutation into Mice

CRISPR-Ca9 system is a newly developed gene-editing technology, which is widely used in biology and medical research. In this project, we want to knock-in a mutation found in a human pedigree into mice through CRISPR-Cas9 technology to validate its pathogenic effect. We download corresponding mice genomic sequences and design guide RNA and donor oligo sequences according to CRISPR-Cas9 target principles. Following experiments confirm that this set of sequences is effective in mice cell line.