Pond details

Construction As well as having a minimum depth, your pond needs a shallow area and at least
one sloping side. This allows birds to bathe, hedgehogs to drink, and amphibians like frogs to get in and out of the pond easily. Site The pond or barrel should be in an open, sunny site. Plants and water-living creatures will put up with some shade, but the pond should have full sun for at least half a day. Try not to put it near trees, as the falling leaves will decompose in the water and turn it sour. Plant around the edges of the pond to provide shelter for creatures visiting the pond.

General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)

The introduction of the GPRS represents an important step in the evolution of the GSM network. GPRS is a packet-switched system which is unlike HSCSD and is circuit-switched. The aim of GPRS is to provide Internet-type services to the mobile user, bringing closer the convergence of IP and mobility. GPRS can be considered to be an important stepping stone between GSM and UMTS. In packet-switched networks the user is continuously connected but may only be charged for the data that is transported over the network. This is quite different from circuit-switched networks, such as GSM, where a connection is established at call set-up and the user is billed for the duration of the call, irrespective of whether any information is transported. In this respect, packet-switched technology can be considered to be more spectrally efficient and economically attractive. Essentially, channel resources are made available to all users of the network. A user’s information is divided into packets and transmitted when required. Other users are also able to access the channels when necessary. A GPRS MS comprises mobile terminal (MT), which provides the mechanism for transmitting and receiving data and terminal equipment (TE), a PC-like device upon which applications run. Within a GSM/GPRS network, a GPRS MS has the capability to function in three operational modes.

Usage of used water and natural lights

In constructing buildings we need to think about water needs, and in particular about the opportunity for using ‘grey water’. Water which has been used, for example, for washing hands is quite suitable for purposes which don’t require sterile and purified water, such as flushing toilets. It is absurdly wasteful to spend a fortune sterilizing and purifying water which will be used to flush toilets or water gardens. There are opportunities to make use of water which is only mildly dirty for those sorts of activities. This principle is now being applied to some new developments in Australia; it should be a general rule. A final consideration in the design and use of buildings is lighting. We should consider the appropriate levels of lighting for particular purposes, as well as taking advantage where possible of opportunities to use natural light. Where it is essential to supplement daylight the technology for supplying light should be carefully considered. The fluorescent tube is better, and the compact fluorescent tube is better still. Using more efficient lights also reduces the need for airconditioning, as about half of the load in a large building stems from the waste heat of lights. Since the more efficient lights also last longer, they typically also produce maintenance savings in commercial buildings.

Cellular Systems

A construction engineer sure needs to know about these systems as they also form an integral part of today's structures. Cellular networks operate by dividing the service coverage area into zones or cells, each of which has its own set of resources or channels, which can be accessed by users of the network. Usually cellular coverage is represented by a hexagonal cell structure to demonstrate the concept, however, in practice the shape of cells is determined by the local topography. Sophisticated planning tools are used extensively by terrestrial cellular operators to assist with the planning of their cellular networks. The shape and boundary of a cell is determined by its base station (BS), which provides the radio coverage. A BS communicates with mobile users through signaling and traffic channels (TCH). Signals transmitted in the direction from the BS to the mobile are termed the forward link or downlink, and conversely, the reverse link or uplink is in the direction of mobile to BS. Signaling channels are used to perform administrative and management functions such as setting up a call, while TCHs are used to convey the information content of a call. The allocation of channels to a cell is therefore divided between the TCHs, which form the majority, and signalling channels. These are allocated for both forward and reverse directions. In order to increase the capacity of a network, there are three possibilities, either:
1. A greater number of channels are made available;
2. More spectrally efficient modulation and multiple access techniques are employed; or
3. The same channels are re-used, separated by a distance which would not cause an unacceptable level of co-channel interference.
Cellular networks, which are limited in terms of available bandwidth, operate using the principal of frequency re-use. This implies that the same pool of frequencies is re-used in cells that are sufficiently separated so as not to cause harmful co-channel interference. For a hexagonal cell structure, it is possible to cluster cells so that no two adjacent cells are using the same frequency.

Basics of landscaping

Planning — An Important First Step Whether you want to redesign an old landscape or start fresh with a new one, a plan is a must. The plan does not have to be elaborate but should take into consideration the exposures on the site. As a rule, south and west exposures result in the greatest water losses, especially areas near buildings or paved surfaces. You can save water in these locations simply by changing to plants adapted to reduced water use. However, don’t be too quick to rip out the sod and substitute plastic and gravel. Extensive use of rock on south and west exposures can raise temperatures near the house and result in wasteful water runoff. Slope or grade of property is another consideration. Steep slopes, especially those on south and west exposures, waste water through runoff and rapid water evaporation. A drought-resistant ground cover can slow water loss and shade the soil. Ground Cover Plants, for suggested ground covers. Strategically placed trees also can shade a severe exposure, creating cooler soil with less evaporation. Terracing slopes helps save water by slowing runoff and permitting more water to soak in.

Phases of a building project -2

Conceptual Design: During this phase of development, the architect evaluates the client’s program requirements and develops alternatives for design of the project and overall site development. A master plan may also be developed during this phase. The plan serves as the guide and philosophy for the remainder of the development of the project or for phasing, should the project be constructed in various phases or of different components.

Schematic Design: During this phase the project team, including all specialty consultants, prepares schematic design documents based on the conceptual design alternative selected by the client. Included are schematic drawings, a written description of the project, and other documents that can establish the general extent and scope of the project and the interrelationships of the various project components, sufficient for a preliminary estimate of probable construction costs to be prepared. Renderings and finished scale models may also be prepared at this time for promotional and marketing purposes.
Design Development: After client approval of the schematic design, the architect and the specialty consultants prepare design development documents to define further the size and character of the project. Included are applicable architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical systems, materials, specialty systems, interior development, and other such project components that can be used as a basis for working drawing development.

Fourth-Generation (4G) Systems

With the completion of many aspects of the standardization of 3G systems, attention has now focused on the definition and standardization of 4G technologies. The influence of the Internet will have a significant bearing on 4G capabilities, as operators move towards an all IPenvironment. In this scenario, the legacy of 2G technologies, in particular the CN and radio interface solutions will diminish, although perhaps not to the extent to which 1G influenced 3G. As technology continues to develop and evolve, the ability to deliver faster, broadband services at a premium QoS will be implicit requirements of next-generation technologies. While 3G can rightly claim to have brought forward the convergence of mobile and Internet technologies, 4G will herald the convergence of fixed, broadcast and mobile technologies. The possibility of converging UMTS and digital video broadcasting (DVB) and digital audio broadcasting (DAB) is an area for further investigation. Such a solution would allow broadcast quality television to be beamed directly to the mobile user, for example. It is in such an environment that cellular, cordless, WLL and satellite technologies will combine to open up new possibilities for the telecommunications sector. So the world is in the verge of moving to 4G, so start adapting to the new technology.

Building Basics

Basic definitions related to construction are. Building design is the process of providing all information necessary for construction of a building that will meet its owner’s requirements and also satisfy public health, welfare, and safety requirements. Architecture is the art and science of building design. Building construction is the process of assembling materials to form a building. Building design may be legally executed only by persons deemed competent to do so by the state in which the building is to be constructed. Competency is determined on the basis of education, experience, and ability to pass a written test of design skills. Architects are persons legally permitted to practice architecture. Engineers are experts in specific scientific disciplines and are legally permitted to design parts of buildings; in some cases, complete buildings. In some states, persons licensed as building designers are permitted to design certain types of buildings. Building construction is generally performed by laborers and craftspeople engaged for the purpose by an individual or organization, called a contractor. The contractor signs an agreement, or contract, with the building owner under which the contractor agrees to construct a specific building on a specified site and the owner agrees to pay for the materials and services provided.