School Building Heritage: Energy Efficiency, Thermal and Lighting Comfort Evaluation Via Virtual Tour

Abstract Since the Italian school buildings cause huge energy waste, it is increasingly compelling to identify, quantify and eliminate energy deficits through integrated audits and coordinated actions of energy saving and retrofit. We developed a methodology that is based on a holistic approach that correlates students' post occupancy evaluation with instrumental survey and software simulations and, at the same time, we examined an innovative use of virtual tour to make the energy audit results friendly available to school managers and community. This methodology, validated on a school building of the 20s-30s, identified energy saving and retrofitting actions according to cost levels

Decision support tools for car sharing systems with flexible return time and stations.

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Regionally distributed architecture for dynamic e-learning environment (RDADeLE)

e-Learning is becoming an influential role as an economic method and a flexible mode of study in the institutions of higher education today which has a presence in an increasing number of college and university courses. e-Learning as system of systems is a dynamic and scalable environment. Within this environment, e-learning is still searching for a permanent, comfortable and serviceable position that is to be controlled, managed, flexible, accessible and continually up-to-date with the wider university structure. As most academic and business institutions and training centres around the world have adopted the e-learning concept and technology in order to create, deliver and manage their learning materials through the web, it has become the focus of investigation. However, management, monitoring and collaboration between these institutions and centres are limited. Existing technologies such as grid, web services and agents are promising better results. In this research a new architecture has been developed and adopted to make the e-learning environment more dynamic and scalable by dividing it into regional data grids which are managed and monitored by agents. Multi-agent technology has been applied to integrate each regional data grid with others in order to produce an architecture which is more scalable, reliable, and efficient. The result we refer to as Regionally Distributed Architecture for Dynamic e-Learning Environment (RDADeLE). Our RDADeLE architecture is an agent-based grid environment which is composed of components such as learners, staff, nodes, regional grids, grid services and Learning Objects (LOs). These components are built and organised as a multi-agent system (MAS) using the Java Agent Development (JADE) platform. The main role of the agents in our architecture is to control and monitor grid components in order to build an adaptable, extensible, and flexible grid-based e-learning system. Two techniques have been developed and adopted in the architecture to build LOs' information and grid services. The first technique is the XML-based Registries Technique (XRT). In this technique LOs' information is built using XML registries to be discovered by the learners. The registries are written in Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) format. The second technique is the Registered-based Services Technique (RST). In this technique the services are grid services which are built using agents. The services are registered with the Directory Facilitator (DF) of a JADE platform in order to be discovered by all other components. All components of the RDADeLE system, including grid service, are built as a multi-agent system (MAS). Each regional grid in the first technique has only its own registry, whereas in the second technique the grid services of all regional grids have to be registered with the DF. We have evaluated the RDADeLE system guided by both techniques by building a simulation of the prototype. The prototype has a main interface which consists of the name of the system (RDADeLE) and a specification table which includes Number of Regional Grids, Number of Nodes, Maximum Number of Learners connected to each node, and Number of Grid Services to be filled by the administrator of the RDADeLE system in order to create the prototype. Using the RST technique shows that the RDADeLE system can be built with more regional grids with less memory consumption. Moreover, using the RST technique shows that more grid services can be registered in the RDADeLE system with a lower average search time and the search performance is increased compared with the XRT technique. Finally, using one or both techniques, the XRT or the RST, in the prototype does not affect the reliability of the RDADeLE system.Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu - Directorate General For Jubail Project Kingdom of Saudi Arabi

Bringing the Neighbours into Infill

Bringing the Neighbours Into Infill provides analysis of two case studies of innovative public engagment processes in the Metro Vancouver region, both of which resulted in a significant change in resident attitudes toward infill and smaller housing development.&nbsp

Rethinking the Needs of the Invisible Society through Empowerment

This thesis addresses the issue of homelessness and is intended to spark an open conversation about how we can redefine our perceptions of families who experience homelessness. The proposal aims to explore and establish an transitional intervention for “invisible” families to live and develop into contributing residents of society. In the United States, the most vulnerable population are families with children, accounting for 33% of the homeless population. As Covid19 cases continue to rise, and policies continue to neglect affordable housing options, the number of families experiencing homelessness will continue to grow in the future. Through the analysis of case studies, and research of the psychological hierarchy of needs, the thesis aims to propose an intervention that cohesively integrates health, education, and training services driven by equity. The project seeks to provide a trauma free environment, increase educational and training independency, and impart greater inclusion into the lives of families experiencing homelessness

Development of a mixed reality application to perform feasibility studies on new robotic use cases

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia e Gestão IndustrialManufacturing companies are trying to affirm their position in the market by introducing new concepts and processes to their production systems. For this purpose, new technologies must be employed to ensure better performance and quality of their processes. Robotics has evolved a lot in the past years, creating new hardware and software technologies to answer the increasing demands of the markets. Collaborative robots are seen as one of the emerging and most promising technologies to answer industry 4.0 necessities. However, the expertise needed to implement these robots is not often found in small and medium-sized enterprises that represent a large share of the existing manufacturing companies. At the same time, mixed reality represents a new and immersive way to test new processes without physically deploying them. To tackle this problem, a mixed reality application is developed from top to bottom, aiming to facilitate the research and feasibility studies of new robotic use cases in the pre-study implementation phase. This application serves as a proof-of-concept, and it is not developed for the end user. First, the application's requirements are set to answer the manufacturing companies’ needs, providing two testing robots, an intuitive robot placement method, a trajectory modeling and parameterization system, and a result framework. Then the development of the application’s functionalities is explained, answering the requirements previously established. A collision detection system was defined and developed to perceive self and environmental collisions. Furthermore, a novel process to configure the robot based on imitation learning was developed. In the end, a painting tool was integrated into the robot's 3D model and used for a use-case study of a painting task. Then, the results were registered, and the application was accessed according to the non-functional requirements. Finally, a qualitative analysis was made to evaluate the fields where this new concept can help manufacturing companies improve the implementation success of new robotic applications.As empresas de manufatura estão a tentar afirmar sua posição no mercado introduzindo novos conceitos e processos nos seus sistemas de produção. Para isso, novas tecnologias devem ser empregues para garantir um melhor desempenho e qualidade dos seus processos. O campo da robótica evoluiu bastante nos últimos anos, criando novas tecnologias de hardware e software para atender à crescente procura dos mercados. Neste sentido, os robots colaborativos surgem como uma das tecnologias mais promissoras para atender às necessidades da indústria 4.0. No entanto, o conhecimento necessário para implementar este tipo de robots não é frequentemente encontrado em pequenas e médias empresas que representam grande parte das empresas de manufatura existentes. Ao mesmo tempo, a realidade mista representa uma maneira nova e imersiva de testar novos processos sem implementá-los fisicamente. Para fazer face ao problema, uma aplicação de realidade mista é desenvolvida com o objetivo de facilitar a pesquisa e realização de estudos de viabilidade de novos casos de uso de robótica na fase de pré-estudo da sua implementação. A aplicação serve como prova de conceito e não é desenvolvida para o utilizador final. Primeiramente, os requisitos da aplicação são definidos de acordo com as necessidades das empresas de manufatura, sendo fornecidos dois robots de teste, um método intuitivo de posicionamento, um sistema de modelagem e parametrização de trajetórias e uma estrutura de resultados. Em seguida é apresentado o processo de desenvolvimento das funcionalidades da aplicação, tendo em conta os requisitos previamente estabelecidos. Um sistema de deteção de colisões foi pensado e desenvolvido para localizar e representar colisões do robot com a sua própria estrutura física e com o ambiente real. Além disso, foi desenvolvido um novo processo para definir a pose inicial do robot baseado na aprendizagem por imitação. No final, uma ferramenta de pintura foi desenvolvida e integrada no modelo 3D do robot com o objetivo de estudar o desempenho da aplicação numa tarefa de pintura. Em seguida, os resultados foram registados e a aplicação avaliada de acordo com os requisitos não funcionais. Por fim, foi realizada uma análise qualitativa para avaliar os campos em que este novo conceito pode ajudar as empresas de manufatura a melhorar o sucesso da implementação de novas aplicações robóticas

The Mediating Role of Dynamic Capability on the Relationship between E-Leadership Qualities and Innovation Management: Insights from Malaysia’s Medical Ice Industry

The current research plans to investigate the role of e-leadership qualities in managing innovation with dynamic capability as a mediator with the aim to assess and measure how the rapidly changing demands are fulfilled for business sustainability through innovation management. Data have been obtained from a quantitative survey of 145 respondents using the stratified random sampling method. The samples were obtained from the medical device manufacturers located and registered in Malaysia. Data analysis was performed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show a significant influence of e-leadership qualities on innovation management indirectly with the mediating role of dynamic capabilities. Dynamic capabilities have a strong relationship with innovation management. This research shows the importance of different dimensions of e-leadership qualities in managing innovation for policy makers and practitioners and the impact of dynamic capabilities. Policy makers and managers can use these findings to use their resources to enhance their qualities and capabilities to perform better in managing innovation, which is among the top priorities of Malaysia at the national level. The results extend the literature on e-leadership qualities by empirically testing the relationship between innovation management and dynamic capability and by adding new contextual knowledge to the medical device industr

Enhancing an urban neighborhood’s collective efficacy through community garden design

Master of Landscape ArchitectureDepartment of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community PlanningHyung Jin KimCollective efficacy, which can be broken down to social cohesion and informal social control, is a crucial component in the healthy social life of urban neighborhoods. On a neighborhood level, collective efficacy correlates with shared community trust and the ability to speak out about crime or disorderly physical characteristics. Community gardens have been acknowledged for their collective efficacy building potential because they specifically promote collaboration and active participation, both of which are necessary for social cohesion and informal social control. Community gardens can vary greatly in size, function, location, and involvement making it unclear whether a community garden by itself is sufficient to enhance the surrounding residents’ collective efficacy or whether specific programming is needed. This project explores how a community garden can enhance collective efficacy in an urban neighborhood. Through community collaboration in a garden design process, the project examines the community garden environmental factors that can contribute to neighborhood-wide collective efficacy. It also analyzes the community’s ability to create their own collective efficacy through active design processes. The result is a projective community garden design that is intended to enhance collective efficacy in surrounding neighborhoods. Data from paper surveys, online surveys, and focus group sessions was collected over several weeks in the target area. Participants’ current collective efficacy levels were assessed as well as their opinions about the importance of certain community garden elements and ideas for future garden design. While community garden presence in a neighborhood was not always associated with higher collective efficacy, gardens that were multi-functional and met social needs were more likely to be associated with higher levels. Respondents that participate in community gardening for job training and inter-cultural communication reported the highest levels of collective efficacy, suggesting that the reason behind garden participation is significant. The data suggests that gardens with a diverse range of functions and participants are the most conducive to fostering neighborhood collective efficacy

Vers une évaluation analytique des interfaces homme machine développées dans le contexte des habitats intelligents

Concevoir des interfaces homme-machine en respectant les normes ergonomiques et suivant des démarches rigoureuses et systématiques constitue une préoccupation majeure pour les concepteurs des systèmes informatiques. Le besoin accru des interfaces accessibles et facilement utilisables a poussé les chercheurs dans ce domaine à créer des méthodes et des modèles qui permettent d'évaluer ces interfaces tout en mettant l'accent sur les aspects d'utilité et d'utilisabilité. Deux approches différentes sont actuellement utilisées pour évaluer les interfaces homme machine, des approches empiriques qui nécessitent l'association de l'utilisateur dans tout le processus de développement de l'interface et des approches analytiques qui ne font pas nécessairement appel à l'utilisateur pendant le processus de développement de l'interface. L'objectif de ce projet de maîtrise est d'évaluer analytiquement et simuler l'interface homme machine d'un assistant contextuel domiciliaire (ACD), développé pour assister les personnes atteintes de troubles cognitifs à réaliser les tâches de la vie quotidienne. Cette évaluation est basée sur trois méthodes analytiques largement utilisées dans ce domaine, qui sont: l'architecture cognitive ACT-R, le modèle GOMS et la loi de Fitts. Ces méthodes nous permettront d'évaluer des interfaces en mettant l'accent d'une part, sur l'aptitude de ces méthodes à prédire le temps d'exécution des tâches pour atteindre des buts spécifiés, et d'autre part, sur l'analyse et la description des tâches impliquées dans la réalisation de ces buts. Afin de valider les trois modèles développés, les résultats obtenus ont été comparés avec des données provenant d'une étude expérimentale menée au sein du laboratoire DOMUS

October 2, 2003

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia