Assessment of the Minimum Sampling Frequency to Avoid Measurement Redundancy in Microclimate Field Surveys in Museum Buildings

Monitoring temperature and relative humidity of the environment to which artefacts are exposed is fundamental in preventive conservation studies. The common approach in setting measuring instruments is the choice of a high sampling rate to detect short fluctuations and increase the accuracy of statistical analysis. However, in recent cultural heritage standards the evaluation of variability is based on moving average and short fluctuations and therefore massive acquisition of data in slowly-changing indoor environments could end up being redundant. In this research, the sampling frequency to set a datalogger in a museum room and inside a microclimate frame is investigated by comparing the outcomes obtained from datasheets associated with different sampling conditions. Thermo-hygrometric data collected in the Sorolla room of the Pio V Museum of Valencia (Spain) were used and the widely consulted recommendations issued in UNI 10829:1999 and EN 15757:2010 standards and in the American Society of Heating, Air-Conditioning and Refrigerating Engineers (ASHRAE) guidelines were applied. Hourly sampling proved effective in obtaining highly reliable results. Furthermore, it was found that in some instances daily means of data sampled every hour can lead to the same conclusions as those of high frequency. This allows us to improve data logging design and manageability of the resulting datasheets.The authors would like to thank the staff of the IVCR, especially director May Perez Garcia, and the owners of the paintings. This work was partially supported by the projects HAR2013-47895-C2-1-P and HAR2013-47895-C2-2-P from MINECO. Elena Verticchio thanks Sapienza Universita di Roma for the internship mobility grant.García Diego, FJ.; Verticchio, E.; Beltrán Medina, P.; Siani, AM. (2016). Assessment of the Minimum Sampling Frequency to Avoid Measurement Redundancy in Microclimate Field Surveys in Museum Buildings. Sensors. 16(8):1291-1291. doi:10.3390/s160812911291129116

Investigation on the Use of Passive Microclimate Frames in View of the Climate Change Scenario

[EN] Passive microclimate frames are exhibition enclosures able to modify their internal climate in order to comply with paintings¿ conservation needs. Due to a growing concern about the effects of climate change, future policies in conservation must move towards affordable and sustainable preservation strategies. This study investigated the hygrothermal conditions monitored within a microclimate frame hosting a portrait on cardboard with the aim of discussing its use in view of the climate expected indoors in the period 2041¿2070. Its effectiveness in terms of the ASHRAE classification and of the Lifetime Multiplier for chemical deterioration of paper was assessed comparing temperature and relative humidity values simultaneously measured inside the microclimate frame and in its surrounding environment, first in the Pio V Museum and later in a residential building, both located in the area of Valencia (Spain). Moreover, heat and moisture transfer functions were used to derive projections over the future indoor hygrothermal conditions in response to the ENSEMBLES-A1B outdoor scenario. The adoption of microclimate frames proved to be an effective preventive conservation action in current and future conditions but it may not be sufficient to fully avoid the chemical degradation risk without an additional control over temperatureThis project received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 814624. This research was partially supported by the Plan Nacionalde I+D, Comision Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnologia (FEDER-CICYT) under project HAR2013-47895-C2-1-P.Verticchio, E.; Frasca, F.; García Diego, FJ.; Siani, AM. (2019). Investigation on the Use of Passive Microclimate Frames in View of the Climate Change Scenario. Climate. 7(8):1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/cli70800981147

Development of a compatible, low cost and high accurate conservation remote sensing technology for the hygrothermal assessment of historic walls

This article aims to properly assess the hygrothermal properties of walls located in historic buildings, this study discloses the development of a remote sensing technology compatible with an in-situ measurement implemented in Palazzo Tassoni (Italy). As required by the international recommendations adapted to cultural heritage (CH), this monitoring system balances CH conservation, performance aspects and economic costs using an integrated multidisciplinary approach. Electronics for measurement of environmental parameters is composed of sensor measurements, data acquisition system and data storage and communication system. Data acquisition system, equipped with standard modbus-rtu interface, is designed to run standalone and it is based on two cloned single board PCs to reduce the possibility of data loss. In order to reduce the costs, RaspberryPI single board PCs were chosen. These run a C/C++ software based on standard modbus library and designed to implement multi-client server TCP/IP to allow communication with other devices. Storage and communication systems are based on an industrial PC; it communicates with sensor measurements' system through a modbus-TCPIP bridge. PC runs a Labview software to provide data storage on a local database and graphical user interface to properly see all acquired data. Herein, some sensing options and approaches of measurement are described, unveiling different possible ways of enhancing the retrofit of CH with adapted technology

An energy-efficient internet of things (IoT) architecture for preventive conservation of cultural heritage

[EN] Internet of Things (IoT) technologies can facilitate the preventive conservation of cultural heritage (CH) by enabling the management of data collected from electronic sensors. This work presents an IoT architecture for this purpose. Firstly, we discuss the requirements from the artwork standpoint, data acquisition, cloud processing and data visualization to the end user. The results presented in this work focuses on the most critical aspect of the architecture, which are the sensor nodes. We designed a solution based on LoRa and Sigfox technologies to produce the minimum impact in the artwork, achieving a lifespan of more than 10 years. The solution will be capable of scaling the processing and storage resources, deployed either in a public or on-premise cloud, embedding complex predictive models. This combination of technologies can cope with different types of cultural heritage environments.This work was partially funded by the Generalitat Valenciana project AICO/2016/058 and by the Plan Nacional de I+D, Comision Interministerial de Ciencia y TecnologiA (FEDER-CICYT) under the project HAR2013-47895-C2-1-P.Perles Ivars, A.; Pérez Marín, E.; Mercado Romero, R.; Segrelles Quilis, JD.; Blanquer Espert, I.; Zarzo Castelló, M.; García Diego, FJ. (2018). An energy-efficient internet of things (IoT) architecture for preventive conservation of cultural heritage. Future Generation Computer Systems. 81:566-581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2017.06.030S5665818

A Statistical Methodology for Classifying Time Series in the Context of Climatic Data

[ES] De acuerdo con las regulaciones europeas y muchos estudios científicos, es necesario monitorear y analizar las condiciones microclimáticas en museos o edificios, para preservar las obras de arte en ellos. Con el objetivo de ofrecer herramientas para el monitoreo de las condiciones climáticas en este tipo de edificios, en esta tesis doctoral se propone una nueva metodología estadística para clasificar series temporales de parámetros climáticos como la temperatura y humedad relativa. La metodología consiste en aplicar un método de clasificación usando variables que se computan a partir de las series de tiempos. Los dos primeros métodos de clasificación son versiones conocidas de métodos sparse PLS que no se habían aplicado a datos correlacionados en el tiempo. El tercer método es una nueva propuesta que usa dos algoritmos conocidos. Los métodos de clasificación se basan en diferentes versiones de un método sparse de análisis discriminante de mínimos cuadra- dos parciales PLS (sPLS-DA, SPLSDA y sPLS) y análisis discriminante lineal (LDA). Las variables que los métodos de clasificación usan como input, corresponden a parámetros estimados a partir de distintos modelos, métodos y funciones del área de las series de tiempo, por ejemplo, modelo ARIMA estacional, modelo ARIMA- TGARCH estacional, método estacional Holt-Winters, función de densidad espectral, función de autocorrelación (ACF), función de autocorrelación parcial (PACF), rango móvil (MR), entre otras funciones. También fueron utilizadas algunas variables que se utilizan en el campo de la astronomía para clasificar estrellas. En los casos que a priori no hubo información de los clusters de las series de tiempos, las dos primeras componentes de un análisis de componentes principales (PCA) fueron utilizadas por el algoritmo k- means para identificar posibles clusters de las series de tiempo. Adicionalmente, los resultados del método sPLS-DA fueron comparados con los del algoritmo random forest. Tres bases de datos de series de tiempos de humedad relativa o de temperatura fueron analizadas. Los clusters de las series de tiempos se analizaron de acuerdo a diferentes zonas o diferentes niveles de alturas donde fueron instalados sensores para el monitoreo de las condiciones climáticas en los 3 edificios.El algoritmo random forest y las diferentes versiones del método sparse PLS fueron útiles para identificar las variables más importantes en la clasificación de las series de tiempos. Los resultados de sPLS-DA y random forest fueron muy similares cuando se usaron como variables de entrada las calculadas a partir del método Holt-Winters o a partir de funciones aplicadas a las series de tiempo. Aunque los resultados del método random forest fueron levemente mejores que los encontrados por sPLS-DA en cuanto a las tasas de error de clasificación, los resultados de sPLS- DA fueron más fáciles de interpretar. Cuando las diferentes versiones del método sparse PLS utilizaron variables resultantes del método Holt-Winters, los clusters de las series de tiempo fueron mejor discriminados. Entre las diferentes versiones del método sparse PLS, la versión sPLS con LDA obtuvo la mejor discriminación de las series de tiempo, con un menor valor de la tasa de error de clasificación, y utilizando el menor o segundo menor número de variables.En esta tesis doctoral se propone usar una versión sparse de PLS (sPLS-DA, o sPLS con LDA) con variables calculadas a partir de series de tiempo para la clasificación de éstas. Al aplicar la metodología a las distintas bases de datos estudiadas, se encontraron modelos parsimoniosos, con pocas variables, y se obtuvo una discriminación satisfactoria de los diferentes clusters de las series de tiempo con fácil interpretación. La metodología propuesta puede ser útil para caracterizar las distintas zonas o alturas en museos o edificios históricos de acuerdo con sus condiciones climáticas, con el objetivo de prevenir problemas de conservación con las obras de arte.[CA] D'acord amb les regulacions europees i molts estudis científics, és necessari monitorar i analitzar les condiciones microclimàtiques en museus i en edificis similars, per a preservar les obres d'art que s'exposen en ells. Amb l'objectiu d'oferir eines per al monitoratge de les condicions climàtiques en aquesta mena d'edificis, en aquesta tesi es proposa una nova metodologia estadística per a classificar series temporals de paràmetres climàtics com la temperatura i humitat relativa.La metodologia consisteix a aplicar un mètode de classificació usant variables que es computen a partir de les sèries de temps. Els dos primers mètodes de classificació són versions conegudes de mètodes sparse PLS que no s'havien aplicat adades correlacionades en el temps. El tercer mètode és una nova proposta que usados algorismes coneguts. Els mètodes de classificació es basen en diferents versions d'un mètode sparse d'anàlisi discriminant de mínims quadrats parcials PLS (sPLS-DA, SPLSDA i sPLS) i anàlisi discriminant lineal (LDA). Les variables queels mètodes de classificació usen com a input, corresponen a paràmetres estimats a partir de diferents models, mètodes i funcions de l'àrea de les sèries de temps, per exemple, model ARIMA estacional, model ARIMA-TGARCH estacional, mètode estacional Holt-Winters, funció de densitat espectral, funció d'autocorrelació (ACF), funció d'autocorrelació parcial (PACF), rang mòbil (MR), entre altres funcions. També van ser utilitzades algunes variables que s'utilitzen en el camp de l'astronomia per a classificar estreles. En els casos que a priori no va haver-hi información dels clústers de les sèries de temps, les dues primeres components d'una anàlisi de components principals (PCA) van ser utilitzades per l'algorisme k-means per a identificar possibles clústers de les sèries de temps. Addicionalment, els resultats del mètode sPLS-DA van ser comparats amb els de l'algorisme random forest.Tres bases de dades de sèries de temps d'humitat relativa o de temperatura varen ser analitzades. Els clústers de les sèries de temps es van analitzar d'acord a diferents zones o diferents nivells d'altures on van ser instal·lats sensors per al monitoratge de les condicions climàtiques en els edificis.L'algorisme random forest i les diferents versions del mètode sparse PLS van ser útils per a identificar les variables més importants en la classificació de les series de temps. Els resultats de sPLS-DA i random forest van ser molt similars quan es van usar com a variables d'entrada les calculades a partir del mètode Holt-winters o a partir de funcions aplicades a les sèries de temps. Encara que els resultats del mètode random forest van ser lleument millors que els trobats per sPLS-DA quant a les taxes d'error de classificació, els resultats de sPLS-DA van ser més fàcils d'interpretar.Quan les diferents versions del mètode sparse PLS van utilitzar variables resultants del mètode Holt-Winters, els clústers de les sèries de temps van ser més ben discriminats. Entre les diferents versions del mètode sparse PLS, la versió sPLS amb LDA va obtindre la millor discriminació de les sèries de temps, amb un menor valor de la taxa d'error de classificació, i utilitzant el menor o segon menor nombre de variables.En aquesta tesi proposem usar una versió sparse de PLS (sPLS-DA, o sPLS amb LDA) amb variables calculades a partir de sèries de temps per a classificar series de temps. En aplicar la metodologia a les diferents bases de dades estudiades, es van trobar models parsimoniosos, amb poques variables, i varem obtindre una discriminació satisfactòria dels diferents clústers de les sèries de temps amb fácil interpretació. La metodologia proposada pot ser útil per a caracteritzar les diferents zones o altures en museus o edificis similars d'acord amb les seues condicions climàtiques, amb l'objectiu de previndre problemes amb les obres d'art.[EN] According to different European Standards and several studies, it is necessary to monitor and analyze the microclimatic conditions in museums and similar buildings, with the goal of preserving artworks. With the aim of offering tools to monitor the climatic conditions, a new statistical methodology for classifying time series of different climatic parameters, such as relative humidity and temperature, is pro- posed in this dissertation.The methodology consists of applying a classification method using variables that are computed from time series. The two first classification methods are ver- sions of known sparse methods which have not been applied to time dependent data. The third method is a new proposal that uses two known algorithms. These classification methods are based on different versions of sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis PLS (sPLS-DA, SPLSDA, and sPLS) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). The variables that are computed from time series, correspond to parameter estimates from functions, methods, or models commonly found in the area of time series, e.g., seasonal ARIMA model, seasonal ARIMA-TGARCH model, seasonal Holt-Winters method, spectral density function, autocorrelation function (ACF), partial autocorrelation function (PACF), moving range (MR), among others functions. Also, some variables employed in the field of astronomy (for classifying stars) were proposed.The methodology proposed consists of two parts. Firstly, different variables are computed applying the methods, models or functions mentioned above, to time series. Next, once the variables are calculated, they are used as input for a classification method like sPLS-DA, SPLSDA, or SPLS with LDA (new proposal). When there was no information about the clusters of the different time series, the first two components from principal component analysis (PCA) were used as input for k-means method for identifying possible clusters of time series. In addition, results from random forest algorithm were compared with results from sPLS-DA.This study analyzed three sets of time series of relative humidity or temperate, recorded in different buildings (Valencia's Cathedral, the archaeological site of L'Almoina, and the baroque church of Saint Thomas and Saint Philip Neri) in Valencia, Spain. The clusters of the time series were analyzed according to different zones or different levels of the sensor heights, for monitoring the climatic conditions in these buildings.Random forest algorithm and different versions of sparse PLS helped identifying the main variables for classifying the time series. When comparing the results from sPLS-DA and random forest, they were very similar for variables from seasonal Holt-Winters method and functions which were applied to the time series. The results from sPLS-DA were easier to interpret than results from random forest. When the different versions of sparse PLS used variables from seasonal Holt- Winters method as input, the clusters of the time series were identified effectively.The variables from seasonal Holt-Winters helped to obtain the best, or the second best results, according to the classification error rate. Among the different versions of sparse PLS proposed, sPLS with LDA helped to classify time series using a fewer number of variables with the lowest classification error rate.We propose using a version of sparse PLS (sPLS-DA, or sPLS with LDA) with variables computed from time series for classifying time series. For the different data sets studied, the methodology helped to produce parsimonious models with few variables, it achieved satisfactory discrimination of the different clusters of the time series which are easily interpreted. This methodology can be useful for characterizing and monitoring micro-climatic conditions in museums, or similar buildings, for preventing problems with artwork.I gratefully acknowledge the financial support of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali – PUJ and Instituto Colombiano de Crédito Educativo y Estudios Técnicos en el Exterior – ICETEX who awarded me the scholarships ’Convenio de Capacitación para Docentes O. J. 086/17’ and ’Programa Crédito Pasaporte a la Ciencia ID 3595089 foco-reto salud’ respectively. The scholarships were essential for obtaining the Ph.D. Also, I gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 814624.Ramírez Buelvas, SM. (2022). A Statistical Methodology for Classifying Time Series in the Context of Climatic Data [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/181123TESI

Bat exploitation of Sitka Spruce plantations: Impacts of management on bats and nocturnal invertebrates

Plantations are widespread throughout temperate regions, and the area of plantation land cover is predicted to get larger in the future. Interest in ensuring sustainable plantation management is also growing, as it is increasingly recognised that productive areas should play a role in biodiversity conservation. Plantation landscapes can comprise the majority of forested cover in some countries, but taxon-specific guidance can be lacking, due to plantations often being under surveyed. Therefore, despite substantial incentives existing to ensure that plantations meet various ecological criteria, plantation managers lack the information necessary to implement effective management plans. Many bat species have undergone widespread declines in recent decades, attributed to habitat loss and fragmentation, particularly of forested habitat. In many temperate countries, historical deforestation has resulted in very low native tree cover, and subsequently, considerable replanting with non-native commercial coniferous plantations has taken place. Species specific habitat surveys have often demonstrated avoidance of conifer plantations by bats, which has been attributed to a lack of roosts and low invertebrate prey abundance. Furthermore, widespread lepidopteran declines have been partly attributed to afforestation with non-native conifer, but moth associations with commercial coniferous plantations are usually only studied for pest species. Bats present a particular challenge in plantation landscapes; tree cover is important to many species to a greater or lesser extent, and in the United Kingdom, destruction of a roost site is illegal, regardless of whether it was deliberate or accidental. However, the extent to which bats associate with non-native commercial plantations is relatively unexplored. This is the first study to explicitly test bat associations with Picea sitchensis plantations (using acoustic detectors, trapping and radio tracking), and shows that, contrary to expectations, they may be an important habitat for breeding populations of Pipistrellus spp., particularly P. pygmaeus. High levels of activity were recorded for both P. pygmaeus and P. pipistrellus, despite little difference in dipteran abundance between different stand types, both species preferentially foraged in felled or less dense stands. This suggests that bats preferentially forage in areas with less acoustic and physical clutter, which will increase foraging efficiency. The impacts of felling in non-native commercial coniferous plantations on foraging activity was tested, for the first time, using a Before – After – Control – Impact experimental design. Bat activity (specifically P. pipistrellus and Nyctalus) increased after felling, particularly in smaller stands. In contrast felling had significant, negative impacts on moth abundance, species richness and diversity, and these effects remain after constraining for functional trait similarity. Reductions in richness and diversity in response to felling were similarly large for both rare and abundant species. Therefore, while bats may benefit from clear fell practices, albeit as long as the size of patches is small, moth populations could benefit from a shift towards other forestry methods, iv such as continuous cover forestry. These results also have implications for the recent, but increasing practice of siting wind turbines in commercial coniferous plantations, as pre-installation preparation involves clearing small patches of forest which may attract foraging bats; post felling monitoring should be carried out to examine potential impacts on bat populations. The presence of broadleaf trees in and around plantations significantly increased moth richness, mostly through increased occurrence of rare species. Broadleaf woodlands (defined as land spanning more than 0.5 ha, with trees higher than 5m and a combined cover of shrubs, bushes and trees above 10%), also had higher functional redundancy than plantation sites. For a diverse moth population to persist in plantation landscapes, preserving remnant patches of broadleaf trees is essential. There was little difference in bat activity between broadleaf woodlands and plantation sites. However, bat abundance, particularly that of reproductively active females, was greater in broadleaf sites compared to plantations. This was particularly true for Myotis and Nyctalus spp., very few of which were trapped in commercial plantations. Therefore, although reproductively active female Myotis bats are present in the surrounding landscape, they do not appear to associate with plantations themselves. This may reflect a lack of roost availability; both P. pygmaeus and P. pipistrellus preferentially form large maternity colonies in buildings, but for Myotis and Nyctalus spp. which roost switch regularly and often use trees, it is unlikely many suitable roosts exist within the plantations themselves. Many substantial P. pygmaeus maternity colonies were identified in and around Galloway forest, with some holding more than 500 individuals. All maternity colonies were in buildings, and most inhabited (and one uninhabited) buildings within the plantation contained a roost. Although females occasionally used old or dead deciduous trees as temporary roosts, there was no evidence of roosting in crop trees such as P. sitchensis. During this study, the Forestry Commission installed 36 bat boxes; within 6 months over 90% had been used, with a number of harems found inside. This fast uptake compared with bat use of boxes in other locations reflects the paucity of appropriate structures for either roost or harem use in commercial plantations. Twelve bats were captured while foraging, tagged with small radio transmitters, and followed for between 2 and 6 nights during 2014 and 2015. All but one tagged female preferentially foraged within the plantation, with individuals selecting equally riparian habitats and felled stands. Tagged females which roosted furthest from the plantation had the largest home ranges; one individual flew nearly 40km each night to reach foraging areas distant from her roost, suggesting that the food availability within the plantation was sufficient to render such a long journey energetically viable. v These results have important implications for bat populations in and around commercial coniferous plantations. Far from being avoided by bats, plantation landscapes may constitute an important habitat type for both P. pygmaeus and P. pipistrellus, likely due to the high abundance of nematoceran diptera in plantation woodlands. Furthermore, plantation forests support a similar richness of moth species to urban and agricultural woodlands, including a number of declining species of special conservation concern. A list of management recommendations to benefit both bat and moth populations in commercial plantations is presented at the end of this thesis

Diversity and Structure of Spider Assemblages in Terai Conservation Area

Not availabl

Full Proceedings, 2018

Full conference proceedings for the 2018 International Building Physics Association Conference hosted at Syracuse University

Assessment, Diagnosis and Service Life Prediction

Service life prediction is crucial for the adoption of more sustainable solutions, allowing developers to optimize the costs and environmental impact of buildings during their life cycle. An accurate assessment of the service life of buildings requires a thorough understanding of the degradation mechanisms and behaviour of the construction materials. Building pathology assessment methods characterize the deterioration state of buildings, using specific measurable properties as indicators. Based on this information, different service life prediction methodologies can be defined to provide reliable data concerning the most probable failure time of whole buildings and individual components according to their characteristics and their age. This Special Issue provides new perspectives on the existing knowledge related with various aspects of the Assessment, Diagnosis and Service Life Prediction of buildings and their components. The ten original research studies published in this Special Issue result from research centres and university departments of Civil and Construction Engineering, Safety Management, Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, and Architecture and the Built Environment, with relevant contributions from experts from Australia, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Iran, Israel, Norway, Portugal, and Taiwan. The studies included in this Special Issue address topics related to: Building pathology assessment methods; Diagnosis of defects in buildings and components; Appropriate intervention and repair techniques; Deterministic and stochastic service life prediction models

Life on the Edge: Population and Behavioural Responses of the Native Bush Rat to Invasive Species at the Urban Edge

Invasive species are a common feature of urban edges and pose a significant threat to biodiversity globally. While it is well known that urban edges provide a point of incursion for invasive species into bushland, there is poor understanding of the effect this has on native wildlife. In this thesis I explored bush rat Rattus fuscipes responses to two invasive species, the weed lantana Lantana camara, and the black rat Rattus rattus at the urban edge. Using a multi-scaled and mechanistic approach, I examined bush rat population abundance and demographic patterns in weedy urban edge, weedy core and core macrohabitat types and used a Giving Up Density experiment to examine perceived predation risk in weedy and native habitat. I demonstrated that urban edges were poor quality habitat for bush rats, and found that dense lantana functioned as a buffer, apparently ameliorating other deleterious edge effects. Lantana reduced bush rat Perceived Predation Risk (PPR), however plant structure was more important than species as a predictor of PPR. I then explored whether competition from black rats explains poor habitat quality for bush rats at the urban edge. Contrary to prediction there were no negative associations in population abundance between black and bush rats which co-existed at several sites. This lack of evidence for inter-specific competition may be explained by the patchy distribution of black rats in the study area, or the presence of lantana which may have reduced competition by providing visual and physical barriers, facilitating co existence. My results demonstrate that invasive species do not always have a negative impact on fauna at urban edges in Australia, and in fact may enhance habitat quality at certain ecological scales. Further work into the mechanistic basis for the nature of the interactions between native and alien species at urban edges is warranted in order to balance the competing consequences of the management of entrenched alien species