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This study aimed to investigate LEED, BREEAM, Green Star, and CASBEE certification systems and assess their integration potential with BIM as facilitator to test different project alternatives in order to help achieve certification system requirements. A literature review was conducted, in which 299 articles were retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases and refined using the Bibliometrix tool, resulting in a total of 271 published articles. Of these, 15 used tools to facilitate BIM-LEED integration and were therefore selected for analysis. The results indicate that integrating BIM and green building rating systems can make the process more agile and standardized. However, more research in this field is needed, especially investigating the suitability of BIM authoring tools other than Revit, and evaluating the efficiency of commercial tools and those developed in scientific research to assist in the certification process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aims: The value of using qualitative methods within clinical trials is widely recognised. How qualitative research is integrated within trials units to achieve this is less clear. This paper describes the process through which qualitative research has been integrated within Cardiff University's Centre for Trials Research (CTR) in Wales, UK. We highlight facilitators of, and challenges to, integration. Methods: We held group discussions on the work of the Qualitative Research Group (QRG) within CTR. The content of these discussions, materials for a presentation in CTR, and documents relating to the development of the QRG were interpreted at a workshop attended by group members. Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) was used to structure analysis. A writing group prepared a document for input from members of CTR, forming the basis of this paper. Results: Actions to integrate qualitative research comprised: its inclusion in Centre strategies; formation of a QRG with dedicated funding/roles; embedding of qualitative research within operating systems; capacity building/training; monitoring opportunities to include qualitative methods in studies; maximising the quality of qualitative research and developing methodological innovation. Facilitators of these actions included: the influence of the broader methodological landscape within trial/study design and its promotion of the value of qualitative research; and close physical proximity of CTR qualitative staff/students allowing sharing of methodological approaches. Introduction of innovative qualitative methods generated interest among other staff groups. Challenges included: pressure to under-resource qualitative components of research, preference for a statistical stance historically in some research areas and funding structures, and difficulties faced by qualitative researchers carving out individual academic profiles when working across trials/studies. Conclusions: Given that CTUs are pivotal to the design and conduct of RCTs and related study types across multiple disciplines, integrating qualitative research into trials units is crucial if its contribution is to be fully realised. We have made explicit one trials unit's experience of embedding qualitative research and present this to open dialogue on ways to operationalise and optimise qualitative research in trials. NPT provides a valuable framework with which to theorise these processes, including the importance of sense-making and legitimisation when introducing new practices within organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes a low-energy building in Changchun, China, as an object to test and study the characteristics of two heating modes, AC/DC (Alternative current/Direct current) switching and AC/DC synthesis, from the perspectives of temperature change, irradiation intensity, power generation, electricity consumption, etc. Firstly, the experimental research was conducted under two heating cable modes by establishing mathematical models and a test rig, and it was found that the photoelectric conversion efficiency on sunny, cloudy, and overcast days was 18%, 14.5%, and 12%, respectively. A simulation model was established by TRNSYS to run an ultra-low-energy building throughout the year. It was found that the highest and lowest monthly power generation occurred in February and July, respectively. The annual power generation of the system was 6614 kWh, and the heating season power generation was 3293.42 kWh. In the current research, the DC electricity consumption was slightly higher than the AC electricity consumption. Under conditions of similar radiation intensity and power generation, the indoor temperature of the AC/DC synthesis cable heating mode were 1.38% higher than the AC/DC switching heating able mode, and the electricity consumption were 10.9% and 4.76% higher, respectively, than those of the AC switching heating cable mode. This is of great significance for clean-energy heating, energy savings, and emissions reduction in northern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among other methods, UWB-based multi-anchor localization systems have been established for industrial indoor localization systems. However, multi-anchor systems have high costs and installation effort. By exploiting the multipath propagation of the UWB signal, the infrastructure and thus the costs of conventional systems can be reduced. Our UWB Single-Anchor Localization System (SALOS) successfully pursues this approach. The idea is to create a localization system with sophisticated signal modeling. Therefore, measured reference, like fingerprinting or training, is not required for position estimation. Although SALOS has already been implemented and tested successfully in an outdoor scenario with multipath propagation, it has not yet been evaluated in an indoor environment with challenging and hardly predictable multipath propagation. For this purpose, we have developed new algorithms for the existing hardware, mainly a three-dimensional statistical multipath propagation model for arbitrary spatial geometries. The signal propagation between the anchor and predefined candidate points for the tag position is modeled in path length and complex-valued receive amplitudes. For position estimation, these modeled signals are combined to multiple sets and compared to UWB measurements via a similarity metric. Finally, a majority decision of multiple position estimates is performed. For evaluation, we implement our localization system in a modular fashion and install the system in a building. For a fixed grid of 20 positions, the localization is evaluated in terms of position accuracy. The system results in correct position estimations for more than 73% of the measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrialized construction (IC) has been adopted worldwide for its potential benefits, and prefabricated construction (PC) has traditionally been considered the primary method for promoting and implementing IC. However, IC is not equivalent to PC, especially in the field of concrete buildings. Certain major Chinese companies have amassed valuable experience in on-site industrialized construction (OIC), providing new inspiration and direction for the implementation of IC. Nevertheless, OIC-related research has received very limited attention. Therefore, to deeply explore and decipher the key characteristics of OIC, this study adopts a case study method to review and analyze the OIC systems developed by four large construction and real estate companies in China. After analyzing findings from four cases, the eight key characteristics of OIC were identified: temporary factory, prefabrication, integration, standardization, modularization, mechanization, digitization and intelligence, and interspersed construction. Subsequently, compared with PC, in-depth analysis and discussion were conducted on each characteristic of OIC. Additionally, the study explored the relationship between IC, PC, OIC, and traditional cast-in-situ construction (TCC), incorporating both PC and OIC into the framework of IC. The main contribution is that the key characteristics of OIC reflect a series of strategies for achieving industrialization on construction sites, and thereby aid decision-makers in balancing the "prefabrication and cast-in-situ" or "off-site and on-site" trade-off. Furthermore, these findings enhance the understanding of OIC within both the industry and academia, enrich the theoretical knowledge body of IC, and provide valuable insights and alternative paths for countries and regions to implement IC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A resilience-incorporated risk assessment framework is proposed and demonstrated in this study to manifest the advantageous seismic resilience of precast concrete frame (PCF) structures with "dry" connections in terms of their low damage and rapid recovery. The framework integrates various uncertainties in the seismic hazard, fragility, capacity, demand, loss functions, and post-earthquake recovery. In this study, the PCF structures are distinguished from ordinary reinforced concrete frame (RCF) structures by characterizing multiple limit states for the PCF based on its unique damage mechanisms. Accordingly, probabilistic story-wise pushover analyses are performed to yield story-wise capacities for the predefined limit states. In the seismic resilience analysis, a step-wise recovery model is proposed to idealize the functionality recovery process, with separate considerations of the repair and non-repair events. The recovery model leverages the economic loss and downtime to delineate the stochastic post-earthquake recovery curves for the resilience loss estimation. As such, contingencies in the probabilistic post-earthquake repairs are incorporated and the empirical judgments on the recovery parameters are largely circumvented. The proposed framework is demonstrated through a comparative study between two "dry" connected PCFs and one RCF designed as alternative structural systems for a prototype building. The results from the risk quantification indicate that the PCFs show reduced loss hazards and lower expected losses relative to the RCF. Particularly, the PCF equipped with energy dissipation devices at the "dry" connections largely reduces the expected economic loss, downtime, and resilience loss by 29%, 56%, and 60%, respectively, compared to the RCF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Searches for space–time variations of fundamental constants have entered an era of unprecedented precision. New, high-quality quasar spectra require increasingly refined analytical methods. In this paper, a continuation in a series to establish robust and unbiased methodologies, we explore how convergence criteria in non-linear least-squares optimization impact on quasar absorption system measurements of the fine structure constant α. Given previous claims for high-precision constraints, we critically examine the veracity of a so-called blinding approach, in which α is fixed at the terrestrial value during the model building process, releasing it as a free parameter only after the 'final' absorption system kinematic structure has been obtained. We show that this approach results in such small consecutive parameter steps during minimization that convergence is unlikely to be reached, even after as many as 1000 iterations. The fix is straightforward: α must be treated as a free parameter from the earliest possible stages of absorption system model building. The implication of the results presented here is that all previous measurements that have used initially fixed α should be reworked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to understand the application and thermal process of solar energy storage system in building structure design, a research on the application and thermal process analysis of solar energy storage system in building structure design is put forward. This paper will take the outdoor climate conditions of residential buildings in a province as an example to conduct thermal analysis on the heat collection components and heat storage components of urban residential buildings. The building under test is a university teacher's residence located in the university campus of Chengguan District of the city. It is a multi-storey building with a total of five floors, and the building is on the top floor. The experimental results show that the heat storage effect of the thick exterior wall can effectively reduce the temperature fluctuation of the exterior wall. The difference between the maximum and minimum values of the exterior wall surface temperature is 19 °C, and the difference between the maximum and minimum values of the interior surface temperature is 5.4 °C. The difference between the maximum and minimum temperature of the north exterior wall is 4.9 °C, and the difference between the maximum and minimum temperature of the inner surface is 1.6 °C. The work of this paper lays a foundation for the quantitative research on the temperature control of building heat collection and storage components, and provides a theoretical basis for solar heat storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production quality assessment of prefabricated laminated slabs (PLS) is required to ensure the installation of components on the construction site. However, existing inspection methods are difficult to realize PLS production quality inspection during the production process, and the inspection speed cannot match the PLS production speed. To address these issues, a deep learning (DL) method based on You Only Look Once version 4 (YOLOv4) is proposed for the quality detection of PLS in production in this research. Five new measures are introduced to improve the performance of YOLOv4. The ResNet50vd backbone and deformable convolution (DCN) are used to enhance the ability of the model to capture the feature information of small targets with drastically changing morphologies in complex contexts. The k-means++ clustering algorithm is used to recalculate anchor box specifications to overcome the challenge of large differences in scales across targets as well as within the same target. Intersection over Union (IoU)-aware loss is used to optimize the loss function to improve the localization accuracy of small targets. Geometric median filtering pruning (FPGM) is used to simplify the network, and the model parameters are reduced to 44.1%, which significantly improves the detection speed of the components. The results show that the improved YOLOv4 can quickly and accurately detect laminated panels, PVC boxes, and steel bars in PLS when IoU=0.75 , which is more suitable for industrial applications, and the model achieves a mean average precision (mAP), F1 score, and FPS of 91.38%, 94.54%, and 22.91 frame rate (f/s) , respectively, which is superior to the comparison method. The proposed method can be directly applied to PLS in production to preemptively detect errors and discrepancies in the components and improve the qualification rate and quality management efficiency of the components, which has a positive effect on the rapid development of industrialized construction. Combined with the actual situation of prefabricated components production, this paper proposes a PLS production quality inspection method that is more in line with the factory production process. The new method was obtained by introducing five improvements to YOLOv4. The improved YOLOv4 can quickly and accurately detect laminated panels, PVC boxes, and steel bars in PLS when IoU=0.75 and is more suitable for industrial applications, and the model achieves a mAP, F1 score, and FPS of 91.38%, 94.54%, and 22.91 f/s , respectively. The proposed method does not require an additional inspection site and can be directly applied to the PLS production line for quality inspection of the PLS in production without interfering with the normal production process of the components and the outgoing process. By changing the posttest inspection to in-test inspection, the method can preemptively detect errors and discrepancies in PLS production and implement remedial measures in a timely manner, which effectively improves the qualification rate of components and the level of production quality management, and reduces the production cost of components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the potential of utilizing a pico‐pumped storage system (PPSH) as an energy storage solution to enhance the integration of renewable energy sources in a multi‐story building. The study seeks to evaluate the system's ability to fulfil the energy requirements of a part of a multi‐storey building, considering factors such as cost‐effectiveness, longevity, and environmental impact. Basic relationships are used to model both floating solar PV systems and pumped storage systems in MATLAB. An algorithm based on linear programming is used to generate the optimal schedule, while a particle swarm optimization‐based algorithm is employed for the optimal design of the proposed system. In order to analyze the economic feasibility, the levelized cost of solar energy and the levelized cost of stored energy are estimated. An optimally sized floating solar PV integrated pico pumped storage system with an optimal operating strategy can perform technically. However, due to practical limitations, the system's dimensions cannot accommodate real‐world storage requirements. When levelized costs are considered, a pico‐pumped storage system becomes less appealing than battery storage systems, particularly if a new storage tank is to be constructed. Compared to battery storage systems, pumped storage systems have a lower energy density, which requires more space and height, especially in buildings. Pumped storage systems, on the other hand, have a longer lifespan and a lower environmental impact. Overall, the proposed system, along with an optimal scheduling algorithm, provides a long‐term solution for energy storage, aligning with the growing global emphasis on lowering carbon emissions and embracing renewable energy sources. Although there may be a high initial investment requirement and a restricted storage capacity, the sustained advantages of energy independence and a diminished carbon footprint render it an appealing option for environmentally conscious communities and green buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European regions are currently confronted with significant challenges stemming from the green transition and technological disruption. These challenges impose growing pressure on regions to restructure their economies and transition towards more sustainable and innovative modes of production. While the existing literature extensively addresses regional transformation, less attention has been devoted to understanding how actors can effectively leverage opportunities available at different scales to facilitate regional transformation. This study focuses on the ongoing transformation of Biel/Bienne, an industrial town in Switzerland, to illustrate how regional actors have seized two institutional opportunities at the national level based on competitive calls to drive regional transformation. The study emphasizes the importance of multiscalar system-building and legitimation efforts undertaken by regional stakeholders in perceiving and leveraging these national opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of conservation and protection of heritage buildings, knowledge plays a fundamental role, emphasized by national and international rules and regulations. This aspect becomes fundamental when conducting the structural assessment of a historical building. This study envisaged a cognitive phase via the application of advanced survey and diagnostic methodologies to define the materials, construction techniques, and state of conservation of the structural system of a specific building forming part of Florence's heritage. The information complex produced formed the basis for the structural assessment and for the experimentation of the BIM methodology within the creation of databases for the management of cognitive processes of historical buildings. The case study is one of the gates of the last circle of walls of the 14th century and is the only one that has maintained its original height, despite modifications: the gate/tower of San Niccolò. The research conducted, in addition to achieving a structural assessment of the tower, has allowed the creation of a dynamic model for organizing and consulting the information, laying the groundwork for the creation of a conservation and maintenance plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production quality assessment of prefabricated laminated slabs (PLS) is required to ensure the installation of components on the construction site. However, existing inspection methods are difficult to realize PLS production quality inspection during the production process, and the inspection speed cannot match the PLS production speed. To address these issues, a deep learning (DL) method based on You Only Look Once version 4 (YOLOv4) is proposed for the quality detection of PLS in production in this research. Five new measures are introduced to improve the performance of YOLOv4. The ResNet50vd backbone and deformable convolution (DCN) are used to enhance the ability of the model to capture the feature information of small targets with drastically changing morphologies in complex contexts. The k-means++ clustering algorithm is used to recalculate anchor box specifications to overcome the challenge of large differences in scales across targets as well as within the same target. Intersection over Union (IoU)-aware loss is used to optimize the loss function to improve the localization accuracy of small targets. Geometric median filtering pruning (FPGM) is used to simplify the network, and the model parameters are reduced to 44.1%, which significantly improves the detection speed of the components. The results show that the improved YOLOv4 can quickly and accurately detect laminated panels, PVC boxes, and steel bars in PLS when IoU=0.75 , which is more suitable for industrial applications, and the model achieves a mean average precision (mAP), F1 score, and FPS of 91.38%, 94.54%, and 22.91 frame rate (f/s) , respectively, which is superior to the comparison method. The proposed method can be directly applied to PLS in production to preemptively detect errors and discrepancies in the components and improve the qualification rate and quality management efficiency of the components, which has a positive effect on the rapid development of industrialized construction. Combined with the actual situation of prefabricated components production, this paper proposes a PLS production quality inspection method that is more in line with the factory production process. The new method was obtained by introducing five improvements to YOLOv4. The improved YOLOv4 can quickly and accurately detect laminated panels, PVC boxes, and steel bars in PLS when IoU=0.75 and is more suitable for industrial applications, and the model achieves a mAP, F1 score, and FPS of 91.38%, 94.54%, and 22.91 f/s , respectively. The proposed method does not require an additional inspection site and can be directly applied to the PLS production line for quality inspection of the PLS in production without interfering with the normal production process of the components and the outgoing process. By changing the posttest inspection to in-test inspection, the method can preemptively detect errors and discrepancies in PLS production and implement remedial measures in a timely manner, which effectively improves the qualification rate of components and the level of production quality management, and reduces the production cost of components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, the operating results from an innovative, renewable, energy-based space-heating and domestic hot water (DHW) system are shown. The system used solar thermal energy as its primary source and was assisted by a shallow geothermal application in order to accommodate the space-heating and DHW needs of a domestic building in Austria. The system incorporated phase-change materials (PCMs) in specially designed containers to function as heat-storage modules and provide an energy storage capability for both the space-heating and DHW subsystems. This system was designed, implemented, and tested under real operating conditions in a building for a period of one year. The operating and energy results for the system are demonstrated in this work. The system was compared with a conventional one, and a reduction in the primary energy consumption equal to 84.3% was achieved. The maintenance and operating costs of the system were reduced by 79.7% compared to the conventional system, thus significantly contributing to the NZEB target of the building. The newly proposed system, although presenting an increased operating complexity, utilizes an innovative self-learning control system that manages all of its operations. The combination of a solar thermal energy source with thermal energy storage increases the use of renewable energy by extending the capacity of the system beyond the solar hours and using excess solar energy for space-heating needs. The thermal energy storage unit also increases the energy and economic efficiency of the geothermal heat pump by operating it during the hours of a reduced electricity tariff and using the stored energy during hours of a high electricity demand. The cost for the installation of such a system is higher than a conventional one, but due to the significantly decreased operating costs, the pay-back period was calculated to be 8.7 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) registries are resource intensive, and OPAT programs struggle to produce objective data to show the value of their work. We describe the building and validation of an automated OPAT registry within our electronic medical record and provide objective data on the value of the program. Variables and outcomes include age, sex, race, ethnicity, primary insurance payor, antibiotic names, infection syndromes treated, discharge disposition, 30-day all-cause readmission and death rates, complications, and an estimate of the hospital days saved. Records for 146 OPAT episodes were reviewed manually to validate the registry. Data were displayed in a dashboard within the electronic medical record. Over the 4-year time frame, our registry collected 3956 unique patients who completed 4710 episodes (approximately 1200 episodes per year). A total of 400 complications during OPAT were identified. All variables had an accuracy of >90% on validation. The OPAT program resulted in a reduction in hospital length of stay by 88 820 days, or roughly 22 000 days per year. We intend our registry to serve as a blueprint for similar OPAT programs with limited administrative resources. Wider application of our system would allow for easier aggregation and comparisons of OPAT practice and address the lack interinstitutional standardization of OPAT data and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variable refrigerant volume (VRV) systems operate on the principle of a cooling machine. They extract heat from one side and return it on the other, enabling them to function as a source of heat for both heating and hot water preparation, as well as a source of cold for cooling within a single building. These systems efficiently remove unnecessary excess heat outside and only introduce the required amount of heat from the outside into the building. With an appropriate configuration and setting, a VRV system can transfer heat in both directions within one system, eliminating the requirement for waste heat to be removed without use in the building. Instead, it is transferred to the desired locations where it is needed. This principle necessitates the adjustment of not only the refrigerant temperature but also its flow rate. Consequently, the VRV system can fulfil tasks that are otherwise handled by several individual systems in a building. A heat recovery VRV system was installed in a small retail store to extract waste heat generated by baking ovens during the baking process. This report provides a brief summary of electricity and energy consumption measurements taken during the summer period for cooling purposes. Sequential logic is observed and coherence is ensured, with active voice predominating for clearer and more direct communication. The parameters of interest include cooling setpoints, cooling outside of working hours, and capacity assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, energy, exergy and exergy-economic analyses of a novel system that simultaneously generates cooling effect, heat, electricity, hot water and desalinated water for a zero-energy building are presented. It is aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using a solar-geothermal system to meet the energy and water demands of a residential building using exergy-economic indexes. The multi-generation system operates based on solar and geothermal energies, and it consists of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser, PEM fuel cell, photovoltaic system, and a desalination system with a pressure exchanger. Results indicate that energy and exergy efficiencies in cooling mode are 13.27% and 32.44%, respectively, and in heating mode are 17.25% and 42.4%, respectively. The largest exergy destruction occurs in the photovoltaics and organic Rankine cycle. It is observed that the turbine and boiler have the highest portion in the exergy destruction of the organic Rankine cycle. The capital investment and operating and maintenance cost rate, and the cost of produced distilled water are 4.288 ($/h), 67.63 (c$/m3), respectively. Moreover, the unit exergy costs of power, heating and cooling effect are investigated. The exergy-economic factor and the cost of exergy destruction for the entire system are 57.38% and 4.288 ($ h) , respectively. • A novel multigeneration system for zero-energy building is proposed. • The exergy unit cost of generated power, heating and cooling are calculated. • The energy and exergy efficiencies of the system is higher in heating mode. • The exergetic performance of the system deteriorates at higher solar irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial building HVAC systems experience many sensing, mechanical, and control-related faults that increase energy consumption and impact occupant comfort. Fault detection & diagnostics (FDD) software has been demonstrated to identify and help diagnose these types of faults. Several studies have demonstrated FDD energy savings potential, but there is limited empirical data characterizing the quantity and type of faults reported by FDD tools. This paper presents results of an FDD fault reporting study, employing multi-year monitoring data for over 60,000 pieces of HVAC equipment, covering over 90 fault types, and using new metrics that we developed to characterize fault prevalence. Study results offer an unprecedented accounting of the quantity of faults reported, the most commonly occurring faults, and fault persistence. We find that 21 air handling unit (AHU) faults were reported on 20% or more AHUs in our dataset, and 18 AHU faults persisted for more than 20% of the time period covered by the data. On any given day, 40% of AHUs and 30% of air terminal units saw a reported fault of some kind. Based on in-depth analysis of these results we provide recommendations for building operators, FDD software developers, and researchers to enable more efficient commercial building operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) aims to assist all young children and their families in meeting educational, developmental and behavioral outcomes to enhance their quality of life. However, in the United States (US), the field of ECEC lags behind in policies and practices to develop and sustain quality ECEC leadership. Although international initiatives in ECEC leadership have been growing, in the United States, effective leadership practices have been few, isolated and lacking rigor, resulting in a shortage of evidence-based policies and practices in ECEC. This theoretical paper discusses leadership development and system building in ECEC through an ecological framework elaborates on current issues in preparing effective leaders, and offers recommendations to develop a leadership structure for a high-quality ECEC system. The concepts underlying these recommendations can transform the current leadership situation and create well-integrated state and local coordination in leadership development and capacity building in ECEC in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prefabricated foundations are manufactured off-site and transported for on-site installation. This type of foundation is an option to consider in new projects because its fabrication and transportation can be faster and less expensive than the construction of a traditional foundation on site. In Chile, precast reinforced concrete elements are generally used in road infrastructures such as bridges and highways. While precast foundations can be an attractive option due to their speed, it is important to keep in mind that they must be carefully designed, manufactured and installed to ensure that they are solid and safe. On the other hand, it is important to evaluate the impact of this construction method on project schedules and costs in order to contribute to the modernization of the construction process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpretation of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) maps requires building and fitting 3D atomic models of biological molecules. AlphaFold-predicted models generate initial 3D coordinates; however, model inaccuracy and conformational heterogeneity often necessitate labor-intensive manual model building and fitting into cryo-EM maps. In this work, we designed a protein model-building workflow, which combines a deep-learning cryo-EM map feature enhancement tool, CryoFEM (Cryo-EM Feature Enhancement Model) and AlphaFold. A benchmark test using 36 cryo-EM maps shows that CryoFEM achieves state-of-the-art performance in optimizing the Fourier Shell Correlations between the maps and the ground truth models. Furthermore, in a subset of 17 datasets where the initial AlphaFold predictions are less accurate, the workflow significantly improves their model accuracy. Our work demonstrates that the integration of modern deep learning image enhancement and AlphaFold may lead to automated model building and fitting for the atomistic interpretation of cryo-EM maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In practical engineering, it is common to offset the drainage system axis to avoid conflicts with beams and columns. However, such an offset could significantly affect the system's discharge capacity and drainage safety, leading to a prominent positive pressure above the offset floor. To address this issue, we propose optimizing the system by changing the elbow shapes at the offset position. In our study, we conducted comparative experiments on three elbow shapes, namely, a normal 90° elbow, double 45° elbow, and large curvature elbow, in two experimental systems. Pressure fluctuation and water seal losses were used as experimental parameters to determine the maximum discharge capacity in accordance with the Standard for Capacity Test of Vertical Pipe of the Domestic Residential Drainage System. Our experimental results show that replacing the 90° elbow with the double 45° elbow slightly reduces positive pressure. On the other hand, using the large curvature elbow effectively increases the drainage flow and reduces the positive pressure caused by the upper floor bias. Furthermore, we employed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to simulate the flow of water and air in the system, demonstrating the benefits of increasing the elbow at the connecting position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the existing buildings, in recent years the concept of maintenance has changed from corrective maintenance to preventive maintenance, which is based in part on periodic inspections. There is ample evidence that preventive maintenance is more efficient than corrective maintenance, since severe deteriorations that may represent danger to people are avoided, and also money is saved. To make periodic inspections of the buildings is useful to quantify the extent to which deteriorations are severe or not, in order to facilitate decision making and prioritise therapeutic interventions. To this purpose, many scales have been used and are used to assess the degree of severity of the deteriorations in constructive elements. But it is important to say that there is no common consensus and these scales are different between them according to the study to which they belong. Thus, the main goal of this article is to propose a methodology for calculating the degree of severity of damages in buildings, which is of widespread use. This calculation method, based on one hand in a distribution of values and on the other hand in a single value (scalar), lets to calculate the severity index of systems and of the entire building, and it is easy to use and flexible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As new algorithms incorporate occupancy count information into more sophisticated HVAC control, these technologies offer great potential for reductions in energy costs while enhancing flexibility. This study presents results from a two-year field evaluation of an occupancy-based HVAC control system installed in an office building. Two wings on each of the building's 2–11 floors were equipped with occupancy counters to learn occupancy patterns. In combination with proprietary machine learning algorithms and thermal modeling, the occupancy data were leveraged to implement optimized start, early closure, and adjustments to fan operation at the air handling unit (AHU) level. This study conducted a holistic evaluation of technical performance, cost-effectiveness analysis, and user satisfaction. Results show the platform reduced weekday AHU run times by 2 h and 35 min per AHU per day during the pandemic time period. Simulation shows that 6.1% annual whole-building savings can be achieved when the building is fully occupied. The results are compared with prior studies, and potential drivers are discussed for future opportunities. The assessment results shed light on the expected in-the-field performance for researchers and industry stakeholders and enabled practical considerations as the technology strives to move beyond research-grade pilot trials into product-grade deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time assessment of the ergonomic risks to which workers are exposed at a workstation and the provision of real-time corrective feedback intervention to workers play an essential role in improving safety in the workplace through the reduction of long-term exposure of workers to the ergonomically hazardous postures associated with physical fatigue and work-related musculoskeletal disorders. This study proposes a framework, virtual reality–based real-time ergonomics training (VR-RET), that integrates virtual reality (VR) and an inertia motion capture system to rapidly assess postures, providing the following inputs in real time: (1) full-body postural ergonomic risk assessment that deploys existing rule-based methods such as rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) and rapid entire body assessment (REBA); (2) auditory feedback, triggered when the exposure to ergonomic risks is higher than a predefined threshold; and (3) visual feedback intervention to correct ergonomically hazardous postures through the provision of recommendations during training on industrialized construction tasks. The proposed framework is verified through a pretest/posttest procedure in conjunction with a randomized control group experiment involving 37 subjects. Based on the comparison of the pretest and posttest data, a reduction of 35% in the percentage of time spent being subjected to ergonomic risks in the high-risk range is observed when training is administered using VR-RET and RULA is deployed as the risk assessment method; in contrast, a significant reduction is not observed when rapid entire body assessment is used. This study's contributions are twofold: (1) a framework for providing ergonomic and operational training through VR simulation based on real-time acquisition and processing of body motion data (with the objective of mitigating worker behaviors that increase exposure to the ergonomically hazardous postures that can lead to a work-related musculoskeletal disorder); and (2) updated evaluation of the effectiveness of real-time RULA and REBA assessments integrated with real-time auditory and visual postural feedback intervention for ergonomic risk reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the concept of an innovative control of a central heating system in a multifamily building based on the original thermodynamic model, the resulting architecture of the control system, and the originally designed and manufactured wireless temperature sensors for thermal zones. The novelty of this solution is the developed layers of the control system: distributed measurement and correction analysis, which is based on the existing infrastructure and the local HVAC controller. This approach allows for the effective use of the measured temperature data from thermal zones and finally sending the value of the calculated correction of settings to the controller. Moreover, in the analytical layer, a model was also implemented that calculates the necessary amount of energy based on data from the subsystem of temperature sensors located in the thermal zones of the building. The use of the algorithmic strategy presented in this paper extends the functionality and significantly improves the energy efficiency of the existing, classic, reference heating control algorithm by implementing additional control loops. Additionally, it enables integration with demand-side response systems. The presented concept was successfully tested, achieving real energy savings for heating by 12%. These results are described in a case-study format. The authors believe that this concept can be used in other buildings and thus will have a positive impact on the energy savings used to maintain thermal comfort in buildings and significantly reduce CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous development of society, power consumption for the lighting and the ventilation in buildings accounts for more and more proportion of the total energy supply. With the aim of relieving the conflict between the fast-growing urbanization and power limitation, a solar optical guide lighting and ventilation (SOGLV) system combining natural lighting and natural ventilation is proposed in this study. The simulations are carried out to analyze the performance of optical guiding at different times by Monte Carlo method. Meanwhile, the performance of ventilation is simulated under different absorbed heat fluxes by Fluent. It is found from the research that the SOGLV system can achieve the goal of lighting and ventilation. The average indoor illumination intensity on the ground floor first increases then decreases within a day. The heat flux on the optical guide pipe wall appears in a block pattern. The maximum velocity is linearly correlated with the average absorbed heat flux on the optical guide wall, ranging from 0.90 m/s to 1.02 m/s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of phase change materials (PCMs) in buildings leads to the reduction of energy consumption and maintaining the indoor temperature within the comfort range. The PCM performance strongly depends on the climatic conditions, causing a major challenge. To overcome this issue, the employment of a double-layer PCM system is introduced. The energy and economic assessments of various double PCM systems in the building located in different climatic conditions of Iran have been conducted for the first time. In this study, two PCM wallboards with different enthalpy and melting temperatures were embedded in the external walls of a residential building located in various climatic regions of Iran. The performance of the double-layer PCM system in five cities of Iran including Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, and Bandar Abbas during hot and cold months of the year was evaluated from energy and economic viewpoints. It was inferred that embedding a double-layer PCM system reduces the heating/cooling energy consumption compared to single-layer ones. It was concluded that the RT18/RT28 double PCM system was the best candidate to be employed in the external walls of the building located in Tehran and Shiraz, which reduced the total energy consumption of the building up to 6.26% and 5.17%. The RT18/RT22 double PCM system was the most efficient system for the building placed in Tabriz and Isfahan reducing the total energy consumption up to 4.41% and 3.87%, and the RT22/RT28 double PCM system had the best performance in the building located in Bandar Abbas, which could save 6.58% of total energy. Moreover, it was concluded that the use of a double PCM system reduced temperature fluctuations in the external walls. In addition, the economic analysis was performed using the dynamic payback period and the results revealed that the employment of a double-layer PCM system reduced the investment return period by up to 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) system is a highly intricate system characterized by multiple variables and couplings. Developing an accurate model for the SOFC independent power generation system is of paramount importance. Conducting experimental studies on the SOFC system is costly, and it carries certain risks due to the requirements for pure hydrogen, high-temperature environments, and other factors. To address these challenges, a high-performing model that precisely reflects the inherent characteristics of the SOFC is essential for dynamic static analysis and the identification of optimal operating points. This paper presents a SOFC system model based on current controls, which was implemented in the MATLAB/Simulink environment, and it utilized a nodal approach for modeling. The model incorporated a cold air bypass, which enabled the more precise control of the SOFC reactor's inlet and outlet temperatures. Furthermore, a 3D test and verification method are proposed in order to focus on the influence of input parameters on the four electrical characteristics, and four thermal characteristics, of output parameters. By conducting one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional studies of these output parameters, a more intuitive understanding of the system's response to changes in input parameters was obtained. Under conditions wherein all other variables were kept constant, the entire system attained its maximum efficiency at approximately FU = 0.8, BP = 0, and AR = 6. The outcomes of this study have significant implications for exploring the optimal operating point in the SOFC independent power generation system in an in-depth manner. It provides valuable insights for enhancing the system's efficiency and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Days with greater amounts of sunshine often have higher cooling demands. This makes solar energy one of the best solutions to mitigate the use of fossil fuels in cooling systems. On the other hand, scientific studies on ejector technology have demonstrated promising improvements in terms of enhancing the efficiencies of cooling and refrigeration systems. This work involved field testing of a solar thermal plant combined with an ejector-compression system for space cooling applications in buildings. The thermal plant uses parabolic solar collectors that focus a large area of sunlight toward tubes where circulating oil captures the energy. This energy activates the ejector system, which produces a nominal 15-kW cooling effect. A solar ejector cooling system is integrated into the CanmetENERGY Research Centre's building, covering part of its air conditioning load, and consequently decreasing the electrical consumption of the main building's chiller. The system has operated with a coefficient of performance (COP) of up to 0.27 at this location. Design characteristics of the system are presented and the mode of operation and analysis of collected data are elaborated. A practical application for ejector-based cooling systems (ECS) used in combination with solar energy is in the design of solar-powered air conditioning systems for homes or commercial buildings. These systems use solar thermal power to generate heat, which is then used to power an ejector cooling cycle that uses a combination of evaporative cooling and mechanical compression to cool the air inside the building. This can significantly reduce the need for electricity from the grid and help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Another practical application for ejector cooling systems working with solar energy is in the field of solar thermal power generation. Solar thermal power plants use mirrors to focus the sun's energy onto a fluid, which is then used to generate electricity. However, the high temperatures generated during this process can cause thermal stress on the system and reduce its efficiency. Ejector cooling systems can be used to cool the fluid and reduce thermal stress, increasing the efficiency of the power generation process. This can be done by using solar energy to power an ejector cooling cycle that uses a combination of evaporative cooling and mechanical compression to cool the fluid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote the adoption of Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems, this paper proposes and tests a photovoltaic-powered DAC system in a generic residential building located in Qatar. The proposed DAC system can efficiently reduce CO2 concentration in a living space, thus providing an incentive to individuals to adopt it. The ventilation performance of the building is determined using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, undertaken with ANSYS-CFD. The CFD model was validated using microclimate-air quality dataloggers. The simulated velocity was 1.4 m/s and the measured velocity was 1.35 m/s, which corresponds to a 3.5% error. The system decarbonizes air supplied to the building by natural ventilation or ventilation according to the ASHRAE standards. Furthermore, the performance of the photovoltaic system is analyzed using the ENERGYPLUS package of the Design Builder software. We assume that 75% of CO2 is captured. In addition, a preliminary characterization of the overall system's performance is determined. It is determined that the amount of CO2 captured by the system is 0.112 tones/year per square meter of solar panel area. A solar panel area of 19 m2 is required to decarbonize the building with natural ventilation, and 27 m2 is required in the case of ventilation according to the ASHRAE standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tempered glass is a building material often used in curtain walls and windows of high-rise buildings. Tempered glass is easily damaged by high temperature and thermal radiation in a fire, creating a channel for flame spread. The breakage mechanism of glass is rarely studied under the protection of different sprinkler system. Therefore, three sprinkler systems were used to observe their protection effect on tempered glass at different operating pressures and layouts in a full-scale (5 m (length) × 4.5 m (width) × 3.2 m (height)) compartment fire. The square pool of 1 m2 was used as the fire source, and the fuel was n-heptane. The results show that glass is not only heated by smoke, but may also directly contact with flames. There are two thermal breakage mechanisms for window glass under different protection conditions. The sprinkler system significantly reduces the temperature outside the window even if the glass cracks or bursts. The interaction of the glass boundary and the water flow trajectory has a decisive influence on the final protection effect in addition to the three key factors including the sprinkler type, operating pressure and layout. This research provides a mature and reliable tempered glass protection scheme for relevant designers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The operation of smart buildings (with solar, storage and suitable power routing infrastructure) can be optimized with the addition of parking stations for electric vehicles (EVs) with vehicle-to-everything (V2X) operations including vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-building (V2B) and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) operations. In this paper, a multi-objective optimization framework is proposed for the smart charging and discharging of EVs along with the maximization of revenue and savings of smart building (prosumers with solar power, a battery storage system and a parking station) and non-primary/ordinary buildings (consumers of electricity without solar power, a battery storage system and parking station). A mixed-integer linear program is developed to maximize the profits of smart buildings that have bilateral contracts with non-primary buildings. The optimized charging and discharging (V2X) of EVs at affordable rates utilizing solar power and a battery storage system in the smart building helps to manage the EV load during on-peak hours and prevent utility congestion. The results indicate that in addition to the 4–9% daily electricity cost reductions for non-primary buildings, a smart building can achieve up to 60% of the daily profits. Further, EVs can save 50–69% in charging costs while performing V2X operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of the current fire protection system in high-rise buildings is to extinguish fires in close proximity to the detectors. However, in the event of rapidly spreading fires, it is more effective to limit the transmission of fire and smoke. This study aims to develop an IoT-based real-time pre-response system for high-rise building fires that is capable of limiting the spread of fire and smoke. The proposed system collects fire data from sensors and transmits them to a cloud computer for real-time analysis. Based on the analysis results, the cloud computer controls the actions of alarm devices, ventilation equipment, and fine water mist nozzles. The system can dynamically adjust the entire system's behavior in real time by adopting pre-response measures to extinguish fires and limit the spread of fires and smoke. The system was tested on a simulation platform similar to actual high-rise buildings to evaluate its impact on fires and smoke. The results demonstrate the system's effectiveness in extinguishing fires and suppressing the spread of fires and smoke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design, construction, and maintenance of public infrastructures have a significant impact on the natural environment, and they are responsible for the degradation of scarce natural resources. In this respect, taking green building measures and initiatives has become a strategic concern for long-term development of nations around the world. Consequently, the study aims to develop a benchmarking green building rating system for public building projects in Ethiopia; investigate the current practice, and identify the key benefits and challenges of implementing green building schemes in the public infrastructure sector. To achieve these objectives, a questionnaire survey was employed, and mean score and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) were used to analyse the collected data from various stakeholders including clients, consultants, and contractors. Data was analysed by using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to conduct descriptive statistics and MS Excel for the AHP. The findings reveal that the top benefits of green building were identified as using renewable natural resources, enhancing and protecting ecosystem and biodiversity, and improving occupant's health and comfort. Similarly, the top challenges investigated were lack of adequate incentive for the promotion of green building, inadequate education/training about sustainable design and construction, and lack of awareness and readiness from the public. Moreover, the AHP analysis shows that the critical global weights were Site ecology (20.2%), Energy efficiency (23.33%), Water efficiency (24.7%), Indoor environmental quality (11.94%), and Transport (4.43%). The findings are believed to be helpful for various stakeholders and policy-makers in the Ethiopian construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fire safety and protection of a multistory building seems not only national, but a worldwide concern. To sort out this issue, there is a special need to pay attention towards fire safety management system of buildings. In recent decades no. of fire incidents to whole over the world increased to a very high level and yearly a large number of users died and a substantial property damage takes place. In this regard, effective fire safety management system plays an important role towards the fire safety of building and to avoid fire incidents and reduce its effects. The major aim of this article is to evaluate the existing fire safety measures by designing a fire safety audit, for a public sector multistory building, in which all the components of fire safety system will be inspected by considering relevant NFPA standards and UAE fire and life safety codes. By conducting fire safety audit, conclusions are derived and safety gaps are identified in existing fire safety management system, which may be rectified for effective fire safety controls. Accordingly, recommendations drawn on the basis of findings, analysis and conclusions for proper fire safety management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]