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A detailed study of the behaviour of concrete-filled rectangular tubular flange girders (CFRFGs) was undertaken. The CFRFGs were steel beams in which the top flange plate is replaced with a concrete-filled steel section, resulting in greater load-carrying capacity and lateral torsional buckling resistance compared with a regular steel beam of similar proportions. They are complex members and their behaviour is governed by several interrelated parameters, which were studied in this work. Using the Abaqus program, a three-dimensional finite-element (FE) model was developed to investigate the flexural behaviour of simply supported CFRFGs. Using available experimental results, the computational model was validated and then used to study the influence of the most salient properties on the overall response. Based on a fundamental assessment of the behaviour, a simplified analytical model was developed to predict the capacity of these types of section in a way that is suitable for designers. The results were compared with those from the FE analysis and it was found that the analytical model is capable of providing an accurate depiction of the behaviour and the bending moment capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempts to investigate the effect of the BRB distribution on the seismic performance of retrofitted multi-story RC tall bridge bents. Different BRB distributions were compared, from which the most efficient one was identified. The results showed that uniform distribution was not necessarily an efficient retrofit option. By controlling the same damage, using triangular cumulative distribution to design multi-story BRBs led to the least consumption of brace material. Alternatively speaking, with the same consumption of BRBs, the triangular cumulative distribution of braces was the most effective in controlling the damage of the tall bridge bents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, increased public interest in pollution caused by fossil fuels has prompted studies on various renewable energy sources. As it is important to ensure power generation efficiency in energy harvesting, research in this area continues. Therefore, this paper presents the results of a numerical analysis to calculate the efficiency of an energy harvesting generator that uses pendulum resonance. The Lagrange equation was used to derive the numerical model of the pendulum, which in turn was used to derive the angle of power generation and time required to reach this angle. The power generation efficiency was derived by calculating the input and output work using the power generation angle and time obtained from the numerical model. In addition, the effect of design variables, such as the mass of the pendulum, the length of the pendulum, and angle at which power generation starts, on the efficiency is considered by presenting an efficiency map. The efficiency map presented in this study is expected to be an important reference for designing highly efficient energy harvesting devices using pendulum resonance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Railway Science & Engineering is the property of Journal of Railway Science & Engineering Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Simple Summary: NHS-Galleri is a randomised controlled trial that will assess how well a blood test can reduce the number of late-stage cancers by helping to find cancers early. The test looks at patterns in blood samples to detect a cancer signal. NHS-Galleri has enrolled over 140,000 people, invited from the general population of England aged 50–77 years who did not have or were not being investigated for cancer. Blood is being collected up to three times: first when people join the study and again 12 and 24 months later. Half the participants (chosen at random) will have their blood tested and half will have their blood stored. Participants will not be told whether their blood will be tested or stored. Participants with a cancer signal detected result will be sent for further diagnostic testing in the NHS. The trial will help the NHS decide whether to introduce screening using this test. We report the design of the NHS-Galleri trial (ISRCTN91431511), aiming to establish whether a multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test that screens asymptomatic individuals for cancer can reduce late-stage cancer incidence. This randomised controlled trial has invited approximately 1.5 million persons and enrolled over 140,000 from the general population of England (50–77 years; ≥3 years without cancer diagnosis or treatment; not undergoing investigation for suspected cancer). Blood is being collected at up to three annual visits. Following baseline blood collection, participants are randomised 1:1 to the intervention (blood tested by MCED test) or control (blood stored) arm. Only participants in the intervention arm with a cancer signal detected have results returned and are referred for urgent investigations and potential treatment. Remaining participants in both arms stay blinded and return for their next visit. Participants are encouraged to continue other NHS cancer screening programmes and seek help for new or unusual symptoms. The primary objective is to demonstrate a statistically significant reduction in the incidence rate of stage III and IV cancers diagnosed in the intervention versus control arm 3–4 years after randomisation. NHS-Galleri will help determine the clinical utility of population screening with an MCED test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whereas the number of alternatives per choice set in a labeled discrete choice experiment is often determined by the number of available labels, the choice set size in unlabeled choice experiments can be set more freely by the researcher. Determining the number of alternatives that will both yield enough information about the preferences and not overload the choice task for the respondents is, however, not an easy task. If the number of choice sets is restricted, the statistical efficiency of the designed experiment can be increased by increasing the number of alternatives per choice set. On the other hand, large choice sets are complex to deal with and could therefore lead to early fatigue and/or a plethora of screening heuristics that are hard to model. Moreover, although there is no compelling reason to keep the choice set size fixed in unlabeled discrete choice experiments, designs with varying choice set sizes have scarcely been studied. In this paper, we compute and investigate efficient designs with varying choice set sizes. We show that such designs can also be very efficient and we conjecture that such choice experiments are less monotonous for the respondents making it more likely that they will remain attentive. We report on two choice experiments that we conducted to check whether this assertion is correct. We compare designs with equal choice set sizes, with increasing choice set sizes and with random choice set sizes. The post-survey questions indicate that varying choice set sizes are indeed appreciated by the respondents while not reducing the statistical information obtained. • We investigate DCE's in which the choice set size is not kept constant. • We show that DCE's with varying choice set sizes can also be very efficient. • We compare DCE's with fixed, with increasing and with random choice set sizes. • We investigate whether varying choice set sizes are valued by respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well accepted that randomized controlled trials provide the greatest quality of evidence about effectiveness and safety of new interventions. In neurosurgery, randomized controlled trials face challenges, with their use remaining relatively low compared with other clinical areas. Adaptive designs have emerged as a method for improving the efficiency and patient benefit of trials. They allow modifications to the trial design to be made as patient outcome data are collected. The benefit they provide is highly variable, predominantly governed by the time taken to observe the primary endpoint compared with the planned recruitment rate. They also face challenges in design, conduct, and reporting. We provide an overview of the benefits and challenges of adaptive designs, with a focus on neurosurgery applications. To investigate how often an adaptive design may be advantageous in neurosurgery, we extracted data on recruitment rates and endpoint lengths for ongoing neurosurgery trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. We found that a majority of neurosurgery trials had a relatively short endpoint length compared with the planned recruitment period and therefore may benefit from an adaptive trial. However, we did not identify any ongoing ClinicalTrials.gov registered neurosurgery trials that mentioned using an adaptive design. Adaptive designs may provide benefits to neurosurgery trials and should be considered for use more widely. Use of some types of adaptive design, such as multiarm multistage, may further increase the number of interventions that can be tested with limited patient and financial resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background We consider the design of stepped wedge trials with continuous recruitment and continuous outcome measures. Suppose we recruit from a fixed number of clusters where eligible participants present continuously, and suppose we have fine control over when each cluster crosses to the intervention. Suppose also that we want to minimise the number of participants, leading us to consider “incomplete” designs (i.e. without full recruitment). How can we schedule recruitment and cross-over at different clusters to recruit efficiently while achieving good precision? Methods The large number of possible designs can make exhaustive searches impractical. Instead we consider an algorithm using iterative improvements to hunt for an efficient design. At each iteration (starting from a complete design) a single participant – the one with the smallest impact on precision – is removed, and small changes preserving total sample size are made until no further improvement in precision can be found. Results Striking patterns emerge. Solutions typically focus recruitment and cross-over on the leading diagonal of the cluster-by-time diagram, but in some scenarios clusters form distinct phases resembling before-and-after designs. Conclusions There is much to be learned about optimal design for incomplete stepped wedge trials. Algorithmic searches could offer a practical approach to trial design in complex settings generally.

Recently, increased public interest in pollution caused by fossil fuels has prompted studies on various renewable energy sources. As it is important to ensure power generation efficiency in energy harvesting, research in this area continues. Therefore, this paper presents the results of a numerical analysis to calculate the efficiency of an energy harvesting generator that uses pendulum resonance. The Lagrange equation was used to derive the numerical model of the pendulum, which in turn was used to derive the angle of power generation and time required to reach this angle. The power generation efficiency was derived by calculating the input and output work using the power generation angle and time obtained from the numerical model. In addition, the effect of design variables, such as the mass of the pendulum, the length of the pendulum, and angle at which power generation starts, on the efficiency is considered by presenting an efficiency map. The efficiency map presented in this study is expected to be an important reference for designing highly efficient energy harvesting devices using pendulum resonance.

Crack detection in civil infrastructures has seen impressive accuracy achieved by Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Transformers. However, practical deployments demand models that are not only highly accurate and robust but also efficient. This paper presents PoolingCrack, a novel and efficient Transformer-based model that leverages a hierarchical structure to capture local and global information in visual data, enabling accurate recovery of crack maps in various conditions. The encoder incorporates an average pooling design that enhances computational efficiency compared to traditional self-attention modules in Transformers, whereas the decoder deploys feature alignment, which improves the feature fusion accuracy. Asphalt, concrete, and masonry crack segmentation results show that the proposed model can reach 0.4% to 6.8% higher mDS than the representative models despite requiring 36–62% fewer parameters and achieving more robustness and effectiveness, with up to 52% higher mDS against noises and other artifacts. • An efficient Transformer-based model is proposed for robust crack segmentation. • Convolutional embedding and pooling blocks are leveraged for an efficient design. • Feature alignment module is employed to fix feature fusion deviation. • The designed model achieves higher accuracy and robustness than the representative large models. • The developed model reduces 36% to 62% parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cluster randomised trials, like individually randomised trials, may benefit from a baseline period of data collection. We consider trials in which clusters prospectively recruit or identify participants as a continuous process over a given calendar period, and ask whether and for how long investigators should collect baseline data as part of the trial, in order to maximise precision. Methods: We show how to calculate and plot the variance of the treatment effect estimator for different lengths of baseline period in a range of scenarios, and offer general advice. Results: In some circumstances it is optimal not to include a baseline, while in others there is an optimal duration for the baseline. All other things being equal, the circumstances where it is preferable not to include a baseline period are those with a smaller recruitment rate, smaller intracluster correlation, greater decay in the intracluster correlation over time, or wider transition period between recruitment under control and intervention conditions. Conclusion: The variance of the treatment effect estimator can be calculated numerically, and plotted against the duration of baseline to inform design. It would be of interest to extend these investigations to cluster randomised trial designs with more than two randomised sequences of control and intervention condition, including stepped wedge designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Spanish Ministry of Defense is currently attempting to reduce the amount of energy that is consumed by its military bases and has therefore raised concerns about how to make their facilities more energy efficient. To fulfill this objective, the Spanish army has developed various studies and projects, as well as a technical prescription sheet that defines the thermal transmittance values of the materials that are to be used to construct the different elements of the containers that make up the temporary housing units at Spanish military camps. Both governments and private entities have developed initiatives that are aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings, which are classified into two groups: those aimed at the development of mandatory building codes and those that are based on voluntary certification programs. The use of passive strategies is one of the key actions that is being implemented to achieve the NZEB category, as its first requirement is to be a “very low energy consumption building”. This paper compares the energy efficiency requirements of the tents and containers that are used in military camps and the energy-efficient design requirements that are demanded by the energy efficiency standards for buildings in the civil sector. Through this comparison, we determine how energy efficient the current living spaces in military camps are in order to define strategies that can be implemented to improve the design requirements of these living spaces so to reduce the consumption and operation logistics and to improve both operability and safety in military camp facilities.

The present work highlights how the constructal law is implemented in the search for buildings' performance from a thermal lookout. The authors reviewed some of their research efforts through two applications: radiant cooling panels and thermochemical energy storage in buildings. In a deterministic approach, it was demonstrated that the overall performance of such systems could be anticipated. Under the same operating conditions, cooling panel with dendritic flow configurations exhibited better global performance compared to the design with a serpentine flow layout. Two configurations of elemental reactors for thermochemical energy storage were studied: reactive material in beds layers and impregnated within a tube. A theoretical approach allowed to predict the impact of the Bejan number on the sensible heat output for the first configuration, when numerical experiments allowed to determine how to morph the tube shape to increase thermal performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Car sharing is an emerging mode of transport that enhances the mobility of individuals. However, evidence regarding how car sharing affects travel behavior is still limited. This paper analyzes how individuals value various characteristics of car sharing services and substitution patterns between car sharing and traditional transport modes (private cars, public transport and bike). We present the results from a stated preference mode choice experiment conducted in Copenhagen. The design of the choice experiment is pivoted with respect to revealed trips from respondents in order to imitate realistic choice situations. The survey is distributed online primarily within a university environment to facilitate oversampling of young and educated individuals, who are more likely to consider car sharing as a mode of transport. We analyze the data using a mixed logit model and derive the willingness-to-pay for vehicle reservation, parking availability and convenient access to car sharing vehicles. The results show that willingness-to-pay measures for these characteristics are relatively high and could have an important effect on car sharing adaption for the segment represented by our sample. In addition, results show that free-floating car sharing is a strong competitor of public transport and bike trips and to a lesser degree of private car trips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with classical image processing, quantum image processing provides a possible solution for faster image processing, which has been widely concerned. Quantum image binarization is a basic operation and plays an important role in image processing. Hence, we proposed an efficient design of quantum image binarization using quantum comparator. To reduce quantum cost and quantum delay, the comparator was optimized by rearranging the quantum gates. Then, a complete circuit implementation of quantum image binarization was designed using the comparator. Furthermore, we analyzed the performance of our design in terms of quantum cost, quantum delay and ancillary bits. Finally, the simulation verifies the correctness of our design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, some aspects of design optimality on the basis of spring balance weighing designs are considered. The properties of D‑optimal and D‑efficiency designs are studied. The necessary and sufficient conditions determining the mentioned designs and some new construction methods are introduced. The methods of determining designs that have the required properties are based on a set of incidence matrices of balanced incomplete block designs and group divisible designs.

Abstract Introduction Transfers in multimodal urban trips imply a disutility for travellers, who perceive them as a penalty when using public transport. It is therefore important to estimate the utility associated to transfers and the main factors affecting it, to allow policymakers to reduce users’ perceived disutility and enhance their intention to use public transport. The aim of this paper is to develop a Stated Preference experiment to estimate the penalty perceived by commuters (workers and students) when making transfers in multimodal urban trips. Method A web-based survey combining a Revealed Preferences and Stated Preferences survey was created using Ngene software, and an efficient design was applied to estimate multinomial logit models. We present here the first stage of the research: the design and results of the pilot survey of commuters travelling by metro or urban bus in the city of Madrid, Spain. Results The findings reveal a pure transfer penalty, independent of in-vehicle time, walking and waiting time and crowding. This pure penalty increases with the number of transfers. Crowded transfers cause a high disutility for commuters, which rises with the number of transfers in the total trip. Conclusions This paper highlights the importance of conducting a pilot survey when designing the final survey. Transfer penalties vary between cities, so pilot studies are encouraged to obtain more accurate results. Further research is needed to consolidate the pilot results with those of a final survey.

Given the current expansion in the use of cold‐formed steel, the emergence of increasingly complex cross‐sectional shapes, the continual advances in manufacturing and the increasingly important quest for efficient and sustainable construction solutions, the optimization of cold‐formed steel products is an exceedingly relevant research field. The prolific publication of research papers in this area encountered over the past decade is testament to this. This paper aims to explore the general state‐of‐the art of this research field, as well as present a summary of research conducted at the University of Sheffield over the past five years and place it in a wider context. Further advancements needed in this field are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amount of radar's raw echo data is usually very large. At the same time, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging system needs rapid transpose efficiency to improve the real‐time performance of the system. Therefore, modern real‐time SAR system requires high‐speed and large‐capacity devices which are usually SDRAM chips to store raw echo data and to solve the corner turning problem by efficient matrix transpose method. By designing data interleaved patterns and controlling command cycles of SDRAM chips in a reasonable way, this paper presents a novel matrix transpose method which can be used to improve the efficiency of corner turning memory (CTM) for real‐time SAR imaging system. After board‐level verification, the efficiency of this new matrix transpose method can be greatly improved to >99%, which is greater than other typical SDRAM‐based CTM design methods and is more suitable for real‐time SAR imaging system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the time of creating an experimental design for a stated choice experiment, the analyst often does not precisely know which model, or decision rule, he or she will estimate once the data are collected. This paper presents two new software tools for creating stated choice experimental designs that are simultaneously efficient for regret minimisation and utility maximisation decision rules. The first software tool is a lean, easy-to-use and free-of-charge experimental design tool, which is dedicated to creating designs that incorporate regret minimisation and utility maximisation decision rules. The second tool constitutes a newly developed extension of Ngene – a widely used and richly featured software tool for the generation of experimental designs. To facilitate the use of the new software tools, this paper presents clear worked examples. It focusses on practical issues encountered when generating such decision rule robust designs, such as how to obtain priors and how to deal with alternative specific parameters. Furthermore, we analyse the robustness of the designs that we created using the new software tools. Our results provide evidence that designs optimised for one decision rule can be inefficient for another – highlighting the added value of decision rule robust designs. • Presents two software tools for creating decision rule robust experimental designs. • Software tool 1 -called RDG-is lean, easy-to-use and free-of-charge. • Software tool 2 constitutes an Ngene extension and provides full user flexibility. • We show that decision rule robust designs are efficient for both RUM and RRM. • We show that designs optimised for RUM can be inefficient for RRM, and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Axial flux switched reluctance machines (AFSRMs) exhibit unique characteristics that specify their superiority over other topologies in specific applications. A number of researchers have studied the efficient design and constructed structures in different types of AFSRMs. Each of such studies seeks to produce a motor with improved characteristics. Here, a comprehensive study is performed in AFSRMs, including their design considerations, sizing equations and the structural changes. The sensitivity of parameters for efficient operation is investigated. Also, the comparisons among topologies are provided for each of the identified metrics. This study ends with a comparison summary, which shows the performance indices evaluation of different topologies to utilise in various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Mexico, agriculture has an allowance of 76% of the available water (surface and underground), although the average application efficiencies are below 50%. Despite the fact that in recent years modern pressurized irrigation systems have been the best option to increase the water-use efficiency (WUE), the gravity irrigation system continues to be the most used method to provide water to crops. This work was carried out during the 2014–2019 period in three crops, namely, barley, corn, and sorghum, in an irrigation district, showing the results of a methodology applied to gravity irrigation systems to increase the WUE. The results show that, with an efficient design, by means of irrigation tests, characterization of the plot, and the calculation of the optimal flow through an analytical formula, it was possible to reduce the irrigation times per hectare and the irrigation depth applied. Application efficiencies increased from 43% to 95%, while the WUE increased by 27, 38, and 47% for sorghum, barley, and corn, respectively. With this methodology, farmers are more attentive in irrigation because the optimal flow in each furrow or border is, in general, higher than that applied in the traditional way and they take less time to irrigate their plots. For farmers to adopt this methodology, the following actions are required: (a) be aware that the water that comes from dams is as valuable as the water from wells; (b) increase the irrigation quota; (c) seek government support to increase the WUE; and (d) show them that with less water they can have better yields.

The concept of linear impactor electromechanical converter combined type with a single inductor excited by capacitive energy storage aperiodic pulse is proposed. The concept combines induction and electromagnetic converters. For the synthesis of the converter parameters the Monte Carlo method is used. As the objective function is selected the maximum value of the total pulse the electrodynamic and electromagnetic force acting on the combined anchor. The features and characteristics of electro-magnetic field converters are identified. Considered several of selection policies and by means of integral index identified the most and least efficient design of the converter circuit.

Christchurch, one of New Zealand’s major cities, has been dealing with a housing shortage after a series of major earthquakes struck in 2010 and 2011, causing extensive damage to the city. Consequently, two distinct types of housing development appeared in the suburban areas of Christchurch: low-density single-use neighbourhoods and higher-density mixed-use neighbourhoods. The latter type is relatively new for Christchurch suburban areas where low population densities dominated prior to 2011. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the preferences of the residents of Christchurch and its surrounding districts for living in mixed-use neighbourhoods. Specifically, it sought to identify the weights that those residents place on the costs of house purchase and transport, versus neighbourhood costs associated with mixed-use development, when purchasing a residential property in the suburban areas of Christchurch. For this, a stated preference survey was developed, using the efficient design method, and mixed-logit models were estimated using the data. The results show that most of those residents prefer to live in low-density single-use neighbourhoods rather than in higher-density mixed-use neighbourhoods, and are sensitive to increases in the land price, density of development and diversity of land use in the areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For existing timber structures that require renovation or modification, the fast identification of critical zones that need special attention, further inspection, or reinforcement is of major importance. This article proposes a simple and efficient methodology that allows, crossed with other assessment tools, to identify these critical zones. The methodology is based on a dimensionless reformulation of the eurocode 5 design ULS and SLS critera, allowing to draw “Zd curves” that avoid long calculations, quickly highlight the structural capacity of the beam, and point out which criterion prevails (bending, shear, short term and long term deflection). This approach is thus likely to provide an efficient and simple tool in order to facilitate the discussion between the stakeholders of a renovation project, whatever their global assessment methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We estimated the benefits associated with reducing fatal and severe injuries from traffic accidents using a stated choice experiment where choice situations were generated through a statistically efficient design. Specifically, the risk variables were defined as the expected annual number of vehicle car-users that suffered their death or were severely injured in a traffic accident. In addition, and differing from previous research, the number of pedestrians that died or were severely injured in traffic accidents per year was also included as a risk attribute in the choice experiment, to attempt at measuring drivers’ willingness to pay to reduce the risk of hitting pedestrians in a crash. The empirical setting was a choice of route for a particular trip that a sample of car drivers periodically undertakes in Tenerife, Spain. Models were estimated accounting for random taste heterogeneity and pseudo-panel data correlation. The median of the distribution of simulated parameters was used to obtain a representative measure for the monetary valuation of risk reductions. We found that the ratio between the values of reducing the risk of suffering a serious injury and that of reducing a fatality was approximately 18 %. Further, and quite novel, we also found that the value of reducing a pedestrian fatality was 39 % of the value of reducing a car occupant fatality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of bio-inspired design has been explored extensively in some engineering disciplines. However, biomimicry remains an area under development for geotechnics. One natural system that has been the focus of recent work is tree roots. Those structures are able to provide compressive and tensile support for substantial loads through an anchorage system that is more efficient than common manmade piles. Roots have been able to adapt and improve according to their environment, resulting in relatively shallow foundation systems if compared to piles, which require the use of more material to extend to greater depths. This study explores different proposed pile designs based on tree roots and their effects on bearing and uplift capacity. The root structure–soil interaction during loading is visualized using a synthetic transparent sand and 3D-printed tree root inspired models. The transparent soil is made of fused quartz and a mixture of mineral oils with matching refractive indices. Spatial displacements within the supporting soils were obtained by tracking the movements of the speckle pattern created by the interaction of the fused quartz and a laser light sheet. Images were captured throughout the experiments and then analyzed using Digital Image Correlation, which also provided strain fields. The results were used to identify potentially more effective configurations for the design of bio-inspired deep foundations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The streamlined shapes of airborne radomes tend to cause severe degradation of the electromagnetic (EM) performance, which can be compensated by properly designing the radome thickness profile. Conventional variable thickness radomes based on optimization method yield excellent EM performance at the expense of 1) considerable design time consumed by the inevitable optimization process and 2) potential manufacturing difficulties as thickness profile tends to vary dramatically in the entire range of the radome. In this communication, we present an efficient thickness profile design method through introducing the concept of half-wave thickness under average incident angle. No optimization process is involved and gentle thickness profile variation is naturally guaranteed by the gradual variation of radome shape which determines the average incident angle. Both 2-D and 3-D cases are considered in computing the average incident angle. Results of a tangent-ogival airborne radome validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search for energy efficient construction solutions is still pending in the agro-food industry, in which a large amount of energy is often consumed unnecessarily when storing products. The main objective of this research is to promote high energy efficiency built environments, which aim to reduce energy consumption in this sector. We analyze the suitability of using the thermal inertia of the ground to provide an adequate environment for the storage and conservation of agro-food products. This research compares different construction solutions based on the use of ground thermal properties, analyzing their effectiveness to decrease annual outdoor variations and provide adequate indoor conditions. The analysis undertaken is based on over five million pieces of data, obtained from an uninterrupted four year monitoring process of various constructions with different levels of thermal mass, ranging from high volume constructions to others lacking this resource. It has been proven that constructive solutions based on the use of ground thermal inertia are more effective than other solutions when reducing the effects of outdoor conditions, even when these have air conditioning systems. It is possible to reach optimal conditions to preserve agro-food products such as wine, with a good design and an adequate amount of terrain, without having to use air conditioning systems. The results of this investigation could be of great use to the agro-food industry, becoming a reference when it comes to the design of energy efficient constructions.

Recovering plant nutrients from human excreta streams through circular bioeconomy initiatives like co-composting may offer a cross-sectoral solution to waste management, sanitation, and agriculture. However, the failure of composting innovations is attributed to a lack of a ready market for the compost produced. The current study hypothesizes that improving the desirable attributes of compost to the market through pelletization, fortification, packaging (with labelling), and certification of co-compost could enhance the market demand for co-compost. Socioeconomic variables such as income, religiosity, and environmental attitudes as measured by the new ecological paradigm, were also hypothesized to influence the willingness to pay for co-compost. Based on Lancaster's characteristics demand theory, the efficient Bayesian design, and the discrete choice experiment, we administered a mobile-based survey to 341 rural farmers. The conditional logit, random parameters, and latent class models show that the rural farmers were willing to pay for all the attributes included, especially certification by relevant authorities (ZAR1.70/kg) and fortification with inorganic mineral fertilizers (ZAR1.49/kg). The findings also indicate the influence of income, religiosity, and environmental attitudes on farmers' willingness to pay for co-compost. The results demonstrate the importance of addressing perceived and actual health risk through certification and the complementary role of co-compost in enhancing the agronomic efficiency of chemical fertilizers through fortification in farming systems. Redesigning compost to include the identified attributes could enhance its market appeal. Mainstreaming dissemination strategies and targeting customer segments could improve social acceptance of human excreta-derived compost in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge on human behaviour in emergency is crucial to increase the safety of buildings and transportation systems. Decision making during evacuations implies different choices, of which one of the most important concerns is the escape route. The choice of a route may involve local decisions on alternative exits from an enclosed environment. This study investigates the effect of environmental (presence of smoke, emergency lighting and distance of exit) and social factors (interaction with evacuees close to the exits and with those near the decision-maker) on local exit choice. This goal is pursued using an online stated preference survey carried out making use of non-immersive virtual reality. A sample of 1503 participants is obtained and a mixed logit model is calibrated using these data. The model shows that the presence of smoke, emergency lighting, distance of exit, number of evacuees near the exits and the decision-maker and flow of evacuees through the exits significantly affect local exit choice. Moreover, the model indicates that decision making is affected by a high degree of behavioural uncertainty. Our findings support the improvement of evacuation models and the accuracy of their results, which can assist in designing and managing building and transportation systems. The main aim of this study is to enrich the understanding of how local exit choices are made and how behavioural uncertainty affects these choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers a modular approach to the design of integrated social surveys. The approach consists of grouping variables into 'modules', each of which is then allocated to one or more 'instruments'. Each instrument is then administered to a random sample of population units, and each sample unit responds to all modules of the instrument. This approach offers a way of designing a system of integrated social surveys that balances the need to limit the cost and the need to obtain sufficient information. The allocation of the modules to instruments draws on the methodology of split questionnaire designs. The composition of the instruments, that is, how the modules are allocated to instruments, and the corresponding sample sizes are obtained as a solution to an optimisation problem. This optimisation involves minimisation of respondent burden and data collection cost, while respecting certain design constraints usually encountered in practice. These constraints may include, for example, the level of precision required and dependencies between the variables. We propose using a random search algorithm to find approximate optimal solutions to this problem. The algorithm is proved to fulfil conditions that ensure convergence to the global optimum and can also produce an efficient design for a split questionnaire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Resumen Desde tiempos romanos se han utilizado calentadores para hacer más confortables los espacios habitados. El hipocausto romano, un tipo de radiador utilizado en la construcción, se encuentra descrito en el siglo XV a.C. Después de la caída del Imperio Romano, la calefacción volvió como chimeneas más primitivas durante casi mil años. El uso de vapor en las máquinas de potencia al comienzo de la Revolución Industrial y los conocimientos adquiridos en el manejo de fluidos fue un avance significativo. Más tarde, el vapor fue sustituido por el agua y el carbón y la madera por gas. El radiador de calefacción que contribuyó de manera significativa a los sistemas de calefacción central moderna fue inventado por Franz San Galli en una forma temprana , entre 1855 y 1857. Joseph Nason y Robert Brigss también diseñaron y produjeron un radiador utilizando tubos de hierro forjado verticales atornillados en una base de fundición de hierro en 1863. El progreso en los últimos años en esta técnica es el responsable de las instalaciones de calefacción y calentadores modernos. Hoy en día, han experimentado una evolución desde simples diseños funcionales sin preocuparse por aspectos estéticos, hasta nuestro tiempo en que se exigen nuevos diseños más estéticos y eficientes. Abstract Since Romans times heaters have been used to make more confortable the inhabited spaces. The Roman hypocaust, a type of radiator for building space heating, was described in 15 AD. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, heating reverted to more primitive fireplaces for almost a thousand years. The use of vapour in the power machines at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the knowledge gained in the fluid handling was a significant progress. Later on, the vapour was substituted by water, and the coal and wood by gas. The heating radiator that significantly contributed to modern central heating systems was invented by Franz San Galli in an early form, between 1855 and 1857. Joseph Nason and Robert Brigss also designed and produced a radiator using vertical wrought iron tubes screwed into a cast iron base in 1863. The progress during the last years in this technique is responsible of the modern heating installations and heaters. Nowadays, they have experienced an evolution from mere functional designs, lack of aesthetics, until now where new designs more aesthetic and efficient are demanded.

Highlights: [•] The energy performance assessment method was based on TS 825 and EN ISO 13790. [•] The majority of the buildings were in Energy Class B and C and in CO2 Class G. [•] None of the buildings used renewable energy resources and were in Energy Class A. [•] The best energy performed-buildings were attached/intermediate in north/south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]