Roadmap on Biological Pathways for Electronic Nanofabrication and Materials

Conventional microchip fabrication is energy and resource intensive. Thus, the discovery of new manufacturing approaches that reduce these expenditures would be highly beneficial to the semiconductor industry. In comparison, living systems construct complex nanometer-scale structures with high yields and low energy utilization. Combining the capabilities of living systems with synthetic DNA-/protein-based self-assembly may offer intriguing potential for revolutionizing the synthesis of complex sub-10 nm information processing architectures. The successful discovery of new biologically based paradigms would not only help extend the current semiconductor technology roadmap, but also offer additional potential growth areas in biology, medicine, agriculture and sustainability for the semiconductor industry. This article summarizes discussions surrounding key emerging technologies explored at the Workshop on Biological Pathways for Electronic Nanofabrication and Materials that was held on 16–17 November 2016 at the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, CA

Designing for Embodied Energy: An Examination of BIM integrated LCA using Residential Architecture in Rochester, NY

The energy consumed by a building can be divided into two types. Operational energy (use phase) and embodied energy (energy consumed during the production, construction and replacement of building components). Typically, overshadowed by operational energy, embodied energy has slowly increased for a variety of reasons. A major reason for the increase in embodied energy is the surge in the Low-Energy and Net Zero Energy Building movement. One of the primary tools used to measure embodied energy in buildings is through whole building Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA modeling in architecture is a complex and timeconsuming process, that presents a variety of challenges. Typically used in conjunction with green building certification, LCA modeling typically occurs in that late stages of the design process where changes can become costly and time consuming. Whereas design decisions made during the early stages of the design process can have the greatest impacts in terms of reducing embodied impacts. This thesis will examine the existing and future housing stock within the City of Rochester, NY through the lens of embodied energy. Utilizing data gathered through a housing stock analysis, in conjunction with the most recent residential energy code, a typical housing unit will be developed as a baseline. Using design strategies aimed at reducing embodied, the opportunities presented by BIM integrated LCA will be examined through the development of a prototype housing unit. Whole building LCA and material analyses will examine the effectiveness of integrating LCA into the early stages of the design process

A principle based system architecture framework applied for defining, modeling & designing next generation smart grid systems

Thesis (S.M. in Engineering and Management)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 81).A strong and growing desire exists, throughout society, to consume electricity from clean and renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and others. Due to the intermittent and variable nature of electricity from these sources, our current electricity grid is incapable of collecting, transmitting, and distributing this energy effectively. The "Smart Grid" is a term which has come to represent this 'next generation' grid, capable of delivering, not only environmental benefits, but also key economic, reliability and energy security benefits as well. Due to the high complexity of the electricity grid, a principle based System Architecture framework is presented as a tool for analyzing, defining, and outlining potential pathways for infrastructure transformation. Through applying this framework to the Smart Grid, beneficiaries and stakeholders are identified, upstream and downstream influences on design are analyzed, and a succinct outline of benefits and functions is produced. The first phase of grid transformation is establishing a robust communications and measurement network. This network will enable customer participation and increase energy efficiency through smart metering, real time pricing, and demand response programs. As penetration of renewables increases, the high variability and uncontrollability of additional energy sources will cause significant operation and control challenges. To mitigate this variability reserve margins will be adjusted and grid scale energy storage (such as compressed air, flow batteries, and plugin hybrid electric vehicles or PHEV's) will begin to be introduced. Achieving over 15% renewable energy penetration marks the second phase of transformation. The third phase is enabling mass adoption, whereby over 40% of our energy will come from renewable sources. This level of penetration will only be achieved through fast supply and demand balancing controls and large scale storage. Robust modeling must be developed to test various portfolio configurations.by Gregory Sachs.S.M.in Engineering and Managemen

An Evidence-based Roadmap for IoT Software Systems Engineering

Context: The Internet of Things (IoT) has brought expectations for software inclusion in everyday objects. However, it has challenges and requires multidisciplinary technical knowledge involving different areas that should be combined to enable IoT software systems engineering. Goal: To present an evidence-based roadmap for IoT development to support developers in specifying, designing, and implementing IoT systems. Method: An iterative approach based on experimental studies to acquire evidence to define the IoT Roadmap. Next, the Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge life cycle was used to organize the roadmap and set temporal dimensions for IoT software systems engineering. Results: The studies revealed seven IoT Facets influencing IoT development. The IoT Roadmap comprises 117 items organized into 29 categories representing different concerns for each Facet. In addition, an experimental study was conducted observing a real case of a healthcare IoT project, indicating the roadmap applicability. Conclusions: The IoT Roadmap can be a feasible instrument to assist IoT software systems engineering because it can (a) support researchers and practitioners in understanding and characterizing the IoT and (b) provide a checklist to identify the applicable recommendations for engineering IoT software systems

Networking Architecture and Key Technologies for Human Digital Twin in Personalized Healthcare: A Comprehensive Survey

Digital twin (DT), refers to a promising technique to digitally and accurately represent actual physical entities. One typical advantage of DT is that it can be used to not only virtually replicate a system's detailed operations but also analyze the current condition, predict future behaviour, and refine the control optimization. Although DT has been widely implemented in various fields, such as smart manufacturing and transportation, its conventional paradigm is limited to embody non-living entities, e.g., robots and vehicles. When adopted in human-centric systems, a novel concept, called human digital twin (HDT) has thus been proposed. Particularly, HDT allows in silico representation of individual human body with the ability to dynamically reflect molecular status, physiological status, emotional and psychological status, as well as lifestyle evolutions. These prompt the expected application of HDT in personalized healthcare (PH), which can facilitate remote monitoring, diagnosis, prescription, surgery and rehabilitation. However, despite the large potential, HDT faces substantial research challenges in different aspects, and becomes an increasingly popular topic recently. In this survey, with a specific focus on the networking architecture and key technologies for HDT in PH applications, we first discuss the differences between HDT and conventional DTs, followed by the universal framework and essential functions of HDT. We then analyze its design requirements and challenges in PH applications. After that, we provide an overview of the networking architecture of HDT, including data acquisition layer, data communication layer, computation layer, data management layer and data analysis and decision making layer. Besides reviewing the key technologies for implementing such networking architecture in detail, we conclude this survey by presenting future research directions of HDT

Control of Effluent Organic Matter and Disinfection Byproducts with Biofiltration for Potable Reuse

Water scarcity is driving an increasing need for potable reuse of municipal wastewater effluent, but appropriate and affordable treatment is not well-established. Carbon-based advanced treatment (CBAT) with ozone, biofiltration, and granular activated carbon is a cost-effective advanced treatment alternative, but adoption is hindered by knowledge gaps regarding control of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). DBPs form through unintended reactions between chemical disinfectants and dissolved organic matter. Many unregulated DBPs, especially brominated and nitrogenous species, are more toxic at lower concentrations than regulated DBPs and have high formation potential in wastewater effluent. This dissertation&rsquo;s objective was to systematically evaluate the potential for biofiltration, in combination with other CBAT processes, to remove wastewater effluent organic matter (EfOM) and control regulated and unregulated DBPs in potable reuse water. In the first study, a biofiltration model was developed from a meta-analysis of 42 wastewater effluents. It describes the impact of operational conditions on EfOM removal; up to 40% removal can typically be achieved biologically by using pre-ozonation, longer empty bed contact times, and biological activated carbon media. Next, filter bioactivity was quantified and found to be impacted by EfOM character and filter operation, and to follow a strong pseudo-first order relationship with biodegradable EfOM removal. In the second study, experimental evaluation of EfOM removal using biofiltration and other CBAT processes showed lower DBP-associated toxicity, achieved by preferential removal of DBP precursors within EfOM despite a concurrent shift towards more-toxic brominated species. That tradeoff was then evaluated by developing and applying a quantitative toxicity-based DBP speciation metric. In the third study, experimental evaluation of pre-formed DBP removal using biofiltration showed significant removal (&gt;80%) from pre-chlorinated wastewater effluents, especially when EfOM removal was high. The biodegradation potential of pre-formed haloacetonitriles, haloacetamides, and haloacetaldehydes was identified and found to be related to EfOM but not ammonia removal (heterotrophic primary substrate utilization). Further, haloacetonitriles were found to undergo biological hydrolysis, unlike regulated DBPs, and to yield haloacetamides and haloacetic acids. Overall, these systematic studies can be used to inform data-driven biofilter design and help practitioners understand and maximize the utility of biofiltration for DBP control in potable reuse.</p

A Comprehensive Environmental Assessment of Bucknell University

This report is the result of research conducted by dozens of students, faculty and staff over the period from September 2007 to September 2008. At the project’s opening summit in September 2007, ten assessment teams were formed, and each was provided with a detailed list of questions to answer. Collectively, these questions addressed nearly every conceivable aspect of the University’s environmental sustainability. This document is intended to take an honest and objective look at the sustainability of Bucknell’s policies and practices in a way that will encourage creative solutions

CHOReOS perspective on the Future Internet and initial conceptual model (D1.2)

The D1.2 deliverable outlines the CHOReOS perspective on the Future Internet and its conceptualization. In particular, the deliverable focuses on: - Definition of the Future Internet and related Future Internet of Services and (Smart) Things, as considered within CHOReOS, further stressing the many dimensions underpinning the Ultra-Large Scale of the Future Internet; - Definition of the initial conceptual model of the CHOReOS Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) for the Future Internet, identifying the impact of the ULS dimensions upon the traditional SOA paradigms and associated infrastructure