Concepts and tools to improve the thermal energy performance of buildings and urban districts - diagnosis, assessment, improvement strategies and cost-benefit analyses

Retrofitting existing buildings to optimize their thermal energy performance is a key factor in achieving climate neutrality by 2045 in Germany. Analyzing buildings in their current condition is the first step toward preparing effective and efficient energy retrofit measures. A high-quality building analysis helps to evaluate whether a building or its components are suitable for retrofitting or replacement. Subsequently, appropriate combinations of retrofit measures that create financial and environmental synergies can be determined. This dissertation is a cumulative work based on nine papers on the thermal analysis of existing buildings. The focus of this work and related papers is on thermography with drones for building audits, intelligent processing of thermographic images to detect and assess thermal weaknesses, and building modeling approaches to evaluate thermal retrofit options. While individual buildings are usually the focus of retrofit planning, this dissertation also examines the role of buildings in the urban context, particularly on a district level. Multiple adjacent buildings offer numerous possibilities for further improving retrofits, such as the economies of scale for planning services and material procurement, neighborhood dynamics, and exchange of experiences between familiar building owners. This work reveals the opportunities and obstacles for panorama drone thermography for building audits. It shows that drones can contribute to a quick and structured data collection, particularly for large building stocks, and thus complement current approaches for district-scale analysis. However, the significant distance between the drone camera and building, which is necessary for automated flight routes, and varying recording angles limit the quantitative interpretability of thermographic images. Therefore, innovative approaches were developed to process image datasets generated using drones. A newly designed AI-based approach can automate the detection of thermal bridges on rooftops. Using generalizations about certain building classes as demonstrated by buildings from the 1950s and 1960s, a novel interpretation method for drone images is suggested. It enables decision-making regarding the need to retrofit thermal bridges of recorded buildings. A novel optimization model for German single-family houses was developed and applied in a case study to investigate the financial and ecological benefits of different thermal retrofit measures. The results showed that the retrofitting of building façades can significantly save energy. However, they also revealed that replacing the heating systems turns out to be more cost-effective for carbon dioxide savings. Small datasets, limited availability of technical equipment, and the need for simplified assumptions for building characteristics without any information were the main challenges of the approaches in this dissertation

Structure and in Situ Stress Analysis of the Tazhong Uplift, NW China: Implications for Fault Reactivation

The Tarim Basin in northwest China is an intracratonic, poly-phase basin with a subsurface structure that records a protracted tectonic history associated with crustal accretion and amalgamation. Currently, the basin is bounded by actively deforming mountain belts but displays little evidence of active deformation within the basin. Here, detailed interpretation of 3D seismic reflection data and analysis of drilling-induced deformation in deep boreholes (e.g. borehole breakouts) are used to resolve uncertainties about the timing and distribution of past deformation, the effect of pre-existing structures on subsequent deformation, and the current in situ stress state in the Tazhong Uplift of the Central Tarim Basin. The geometry and kinematics of Ordovician thrust faults and folds, Silurian-Permian strike-slip faults, and Triassic igneous bodies and normal faults, along with stratigraphic relationships, suggest that creation of new faults, and reactivation of pre-existing faults occurred during tectonic events in the Paleozoic and Early Mesozoic; however, no evidence of faulting is observed in Late Mesozoic or Cenozoic strata in the Tazhong Uplift. The current in situ stress should favor extensional and strike-slip tectonics with maximum horizontal compression directed NE, which contrasts with past stress states in the basin inferred from Paleozoic and Mesozoic structures. In situ differential stress magnitude in the Tazhong Uplift (ranging from 94 to 170 MPa) is insufficient to reactivate the most optimally-oriented faults in the Central Tarim Basin, even though the basin is bounded by the active Tian Shan and Kunlun Shan thrust belts to the north- and south-west, and the left-lateral strike-slip Altyn Tagh fault to the south, all associated with the ongoing Himalayan-Tibetan orogeny. The low differential stress may be understood if the basin-bounding faults (particularly the Altyn Tagh fault) operate at low absolute shear stress, similar to continental transform faults such as the San Andreas fault, CA

An Integrated Micro- and Macroarchitectural Analysis of the Drosophila Brain by Computer-Assisted Serial Section Electron Microscopy

A new software package allows for dense electron microscopy reconstructions of neuronal networks in the fruit fly brain, and reveals specific differences in microcircuits between insects and vertebrates

Early Inception of the Laramide Orogeny in Southwestern Montana and Northern Wyoming: Implications for Models of Flat‐Slab Subduction

Timing and distribution of magmatism, deformation, exhumation, and basin development have been used to reconstruct the history of Laramide flat-slab subduction under North America during Late Cretaceous-early Cenozoic time. Existing geodynamic models, however, ignore a large (40,000-km(2)) sector of the Laramide foreland in southwestern Montana. The Montana Laramide ranges consist of Archean basement arches (fault-propagation folds) that were elevated by thrust and reverse faults. We present new thermochronological and geochronological data from six Laramide ranges in southwestern Montana (the Beartooth, Gravelly, Ruby and Madison Ranges, and the Tobacco Root and Highland Mountains) that show significant cooling and exhumation during the Early to mid-Cretaceous, much earlier than the record of Laramide exhumation in Wyoming. These data suggest that Laramide-style deformation-driven exhumation slightly predates the eastward sweep of magmatism in western Montana, consistent with geodynamic models involving initial strain propagation into North American cratonic rocks due to stresses associated with a northeastward expanding region of flat-slab subduction. Our results also indicate various degrees of Cenozoic heating and cooling possibly associated with westward rollback of the subducting Farallon slab, followed by Basin-and-Range extension. Plain Language Summary The Laramide region in the western U.S. is characterized by some of the highest topography in North America including the Wind River Range in WY and the Beartooth Range of WY and Montana. These ranges have fed detritus to surrounding basins for millions of years and contributed to modern ecosystems. These high topographic features and basins have significantly impacted paleoenvironmental conditions over geological time. The formation of these high-relief ranges has been linked to deep Earth, geodynamic, processes involving subduction of a flat slab under the North American Plate. Models of flat-slab subduction rely on the timing and pattern of deformation and exhumation of Laramide ranges, which remains poorly understood. Our study provides new data on the timing of deformation and exhumation of Laramide ranges in SW Montana and northern WY capable of testing current models of flat-slab subduction.NSF-Tectonics [EAR-1524151]6 month embargo; published online: 9 January 2019This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Non-Invasive Investigation of Human Foot Muscles Function

Appropriate functioning of the human foot is fundamental for good quality of life. The intrinsic foot muscles (IFM) are a crucial component of the foot, but their natural behaviour and contribution to good foot health is currently poorly understood. Recording muscle activation from IFM has been attempted with invasive techniques, but these generally only allow assessment of one muscle at a time and are not much used in many clinical populations (e.g. children, patients with peripheral neuropathy or on blood thinning medication). Here a novel application of multi-channel surface electromyography (sEMG) electrodes is presented to non-invasively, record sEMG and quantify activation patterns of IFMs from across the plantar region of the foot. sEMG (13×5 array), kinematics and force plate data were recorded from 30 healthy adult volunteers who completed six postural balance tasks (e.g. bipedal stance, one-foot stance, two-foot tip-toe). Linear (amplitude based) and non-linear (entropy based) methodologies were used to evaluate the physiological features of the sEMG, the patterns of activation, the association with whole body and foot biomechanics and the neuromuscular drive to the IFM. EMG signals features (amplitude and frequency) were shown to be in the physiological ranges reported in the literature (Basmajian and De Luca, 1985), with spatially clustered patterns of high activation corresponding to the Flexor digitorum brevis muscle. IFMs responded differently based on the direction of postural sway, with greater activations associated with sways in the mediolateral direction. Entropy based, non-linear analysis revealed that neuromuscular drive to IFM depends on the balance demand of the postural task, with greater drive evident for more challenging tasks (i.e. standing on tiptoe). Combining non-invasive measures of IFM activation and entropy based assessment of temporal organisation (or structure) of EMG signal variability is therefore revealing of IFM function and will enable a more detailed assessment of IFM function across healthy and clinical populations

Remote Sensing methods for power line corridor surveys

AbstractTo secure uninterrupted distribution of electricity, effective monitoring and maintenance of power lines are needed. This literature review article aims to give a wide overview of the possibilities provided by modern remote sensing sensors in power line corridor surveys and to discuss the potential and limitations of different approaches. Monitoring of both power line components and vegetation around them is included. Remotely sensed data sources discussed in the review include synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, optical satellite and aerial images, thermal images, airborne laser scanner (ALS) data, land-based mobile mapping data, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data. The review shows that most previous studies have concentrated on the mapping and analysis of network components. In particular, automated extraction of power line conductors has achieved much attention, and promising results have been reported. For example, accuracy levels above 90% have been presented for the extraction of conductors from ALS data or aerial images. However, in many studies datasets have been small and numerical quality analyses have been omitted. Mapping of vegetation near power lines has been a less common research topic than mapping of the components, but several studies have also been carried out in this field, especially using optical aerial and satellite images. Based on the review we conclude that in future research more attention should be given to an integrated use of various data sources to benefit from the various techniques in an optimal way. Knowledge in related fields, such as vegetation monitoring from ALS, SAR and optical image data should be better exploited to develop useful monitoring approaches. Special attention should be given to rapidly developing remote sensing techniques such as UAVs and laser scanning from airborne and land-based platforms. To demonstrate and verify the capabilities of automated monitoring approaches, large tests in various environments and practical monitoring conditions are needed. These should include careful quality analyses and comparisons between different data sources, methods and individual algorithms