Tool characterisation framework for parametric building LCA

Connecting Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to parametric design has been suggested as a way of facilitating performing environmental assessments in early design stages. However, no overviews of potential approaches and tools are available within recent research. Also, no characterisation frameworks adapted for parametric LCA tools are present. In order to guide the development of workflows for environmental analysis aimed at the early design stage of buildings, the goal of this paper is to provide such a framework, and to demonstrate its use by characterising a number of available LCA plug-ins for the commonly used parametric design framework Grasshopper\uae (GH). First, a framework for classification and characterisation of tools based on workflow, adaptability, and required user knowledge was developed. Second, a tool inventory was performed, identifying 13 parametric LCA plug-ins for GH. Finally, four of these plug-ins were further investigated using the developed evaluation framework, a user persona approach, and a simplified test case. It was found that the characterisation framework was able to differentiate tools based on the level of LCA expertise integrated in the tools, and the allocation of responsibility for data entry and interpretation. A contrast was found between streamlined tools, and tools which provide more versatility. The characterisation framework, and the resulting overview of approaches can be used to guide the future development of parametric environmental analysis frameworks

A Characterisation Framework for Parametric Building Performance Simulation Tools

Implementing Building Performance Simulation (BPS) in a parametric design framework is a prevalent way of facilitating environmental assessments in early design stages. However, no up-to-date overviews of potential approaches are available, and no characterisation frameworks adapted for parametric BPS tools are present. In this study, such a framework was developed and its use demonstrated through an investigation of eleven available BPS tools for the parametric design framework Grasshopper\uae. It was found that the framework was able to successfully differentiate tools based on the level of BPS expertise integrated in the tools, and the allocation of responsibility for data entry and interpretation. A contrast was found between streamlined tools, and tools which provide more versatility. The characterisation framework, and the resulting overview of approaches, can be used to guide the future development of parametric environmental analysis frameworks for buildings

El cubo de armonización HSB Living Lab

Living Labs are fast emerging instruments for advancing user-centred innovations in various areas of human activities. Due to their large diversity in terms of thematic approaches, constellations, practices, outcomes and longevity, various methodologies have been proposed to describe and link living labs in a consistent way. The theory has so far seen few applications. The strength of the present work is that it uses an existing and comprehensive methodology, entitled Living Labs Harmonization Cube (LLHC), on a concrete and relevant example – HSB Living Lab. The characterization of HSB Living Lab by LLHC is based on the authors’ personal experience in the design, management and operation of this living lab for the last three years, which is supported by examples. The results show that HSB Living Lab has not yet reached full maturity in any of the six categories included in LLHC and identifies areas for future development.Los Living Labs están emergiendo como instrumentos de innovación en actividades centradas en el usuario. Debido al variado rango de enfoques, constelaciones, prácticas, resultados y longevidad, igualmente variadas metodologías se han usado para describir los Living Labs. Pero estas metodologías pocas veces se han llevado a la práctica. La importancia del trabajo presentado en este artículo reside en que pone en práctica una metodología extensa y establecida, llamada “‘Living Labs Harmonization Cube’ (LLHC)”, con un ejemplo concreto y relevante: el HSB Living Lab. La caracterización del HSB Living Lab según la metodología LLHC se basa en la experiencia personal de los autores durante el diseño, gestión y mantenimiento de este laboratorio en los tres últimos años, y se ilustra con ejemplos. Los resultados indican que HSB Living Lab aún no ha alcanzado la madurez en ninguna de las seis categorías de la metodología LLHC y permiten identificar áreas de mejora

Kinetic phenomena in transport of electrons and positrons in gases caused by the properties of scattering cross sections

Collisions of electrons, atoms, molecules, photons and ions are the basic processes in plasmas and ionized gases in general. This is especially valid for low temperature collisional plasmas. Kinetic phenomena in transport are very sensitivitive to the shape of the cross sections and may at the same time affect the macroscopic applications. We will show how transport theory or simulation codes, phenomenology, kinetic phenomena and transport data may be used to improve our knowledge of the cross sections, our understanding of the plasma models, application of the swarm physics in ionized gases and similar applications to model and improve gas filled traps of positrons. Swarm techniques could also be a starting point in applying atomic and molecular data in models of electron or positron therapy/diagnostics in radiation related medicine

Diagnostic potential of near-infrared Raman spectroscopy in the stomach: differentiating dysplasia from normal tissue

Raman spectroscopy is a molecular vibrational spectroscopic technique that is capable of optically probing the biomolecular changes associated with diseased transformation. The purpose of this study was to explore near-infrared (NIR) Raman spectroscopy for identifying dysplasia from normal gastric mucosa tissue. A rapid-acquisition dispersive-type NIR Raman system was utilised for tissue Raman spectroscopic measurements at 785 nm laser excitation. A total of 76 gastric tissue samples obtained from 44 patients who underwent endoscopy investigation or gastrectomy operation were used in this study. The histopathological examinations showed that 55 tissue specimens were normal and 21 were dysplasia. Both the empirical approach and multivariate statistical techniques, including principal components analysis (PCA), and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), together with the leave-one-sample-out cross-validation method, were employed to develop effective diagnostic algorithms for classification of Raman spectra between normal and dysplastic gastric tissues. High-quality Raman spectra in the range of 800–1800 cm−1 can be acquired from gastric tissue within 5 s. There are specific spectral differences in Raman spectra between normal and dysplasia tissue, particularly in the spectral ranges of 1200–1500 cm−1 and 1600–1800 cm−1, which contained signals related to amide III and amide I of proteins, CH3CH2 twisting of proteins/nucleic acids, and the C=C stretching mode of phospholipids, respectively. The empirical diagnostic algorithm based on the ratio of the Raman peak intensity at 875 cm−1 to the peak intensity at 1450 cm−1 gave the diagnostic sensitivity of 85.7% and specificity of 80.0%, whereas the diagnostic algorithms based on PCA-LDA yielded the diagnostic sensitivity of 95.2% and specificity 90.9% for separating dysplasia from normal gastric tissue. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves further confirmed that the most effective diagnostic algorithm can be derived from the PCA-LDA technique. Therefore, NIR Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with multivariate statistical technique has potential for rapid diagnosis of dysplasia in the stomach based on the optical evaluation of spectral features of biomolecules

Alunos com paralisia cerebral na escola: linguagem, comunicação alternativa e processos comunicativos

O estudo assume como problema de investigação analisar as contribuições da Comunicação Alternativa e Ampliada (CAA) aos processos comunicativos de alunos sem fala articulada no contexto da escola, destacando nesses processos o papel potencializador dos interlocutores. Fundamenta-se na abordagem de linguagem e na noção de enunciado discutidas por Bakhtin e nas contribuições de Vigotski sobre a relação entre desenvolvimento e aprendizagem, postulando que a aquisição e o desenvolvimento da linguagem ocorrem no curso das aprendizagens, ao longo da vida. As análises e reflexões empreendidas evidenciam uma discussão acerca da linguagem que se desloca da dimensão orgânica para a dimensão da constituição do sujeito como humano. Sob essa visão, outros conceitos, como os de língua, fala, interação verbal, dialogia, enunciação, aprendizagem e desenvolvimento são problematizados e também considerados como elementos fundantes e presentes nas relações comunicativas entre os sujeitos sem fala articulada e seus interlocutores. Na primeira etapa, o estudo busca conhecer as formas organizativo-pedagógicas de cinco Secretarias Municipais de Educação da Região Metropolitana de Vitória e da Secretaria de Estado da Educação no que diz respeito à identificação dos alunos com Paralisia Cerebral, sem fala articulada, ao acompanhamento técnico-pedagógico e à formação de professores que atuam na Educação Especial. Na segunda etapa, objetiva conhecer a processualidade da organização do trabalho pedagógico instituída nos contextos escolares e investiga os processos comunicativos em/com dois alunos com severos comprometimentos motores e de fala em duas escolas de Ensino Fundamental, localizadas no município de Serra e de Vitória. Nesta etapa, opta pela pesquisa-ação colaborativo-crítica por contribuir, teórica e metodologicamente, para sustentar os fazeres individuais e coletivos nos lócus de investigação. Os resultados revelam que, institucionalmente, ainda não se conhece quem são e quantos são os alunos com Paralisia Cerebral sem fala articulada no contexto de suas reais necessidades. Esse desconhecimento é atribuído pelas gestoras das Secretarias Municipais de Educação investigadas ao considerarem que, via de regra, são tomadas apenas as informações do Educacenso-INEP. As identificações pontuais, quando ocorrem, são decorrentes de estratégias internas adotadas, sendo uma delas o assessoramento pedagógico das equipes às escolas. No que tange ao ensino, à aprendizagem e à avaliação, o estudo constata que são atravessados por concepções equivocadas sobre os sujeitos com Paralisia Cerebral sustentadas, sobretudo, pela baixa expectativa e pelo pouco esforço quanto à sua escolarização. Constata também que o uso dos recursos de CAA potencializa os processos comunicativos dos alunos investigados e, movimentados pela linguagem, possibilita-lhes enunciar e fixar posições, opiniões e decisões, assegurando-lhes mais autonomia e fluidez do processo comunicacional. As formas de mediação dos interlocutores assim como as dinâmicas dialógicas por eles utilizadas com os alunos se constituem como elementos importantes nos processos de comunicação e interação. A espera do outro, o apoio e o incentivo à reformulação daquilo que se quer expressar, as modificações e alterações no jogo dialógico são exemplos dessa mediação. Quanto às ações de reorganização do trabalho pedagógico, o estudo registra maior articulação e colaboração entre professores da classe, professora da Educação Especial e estagiária no planejamento das aulas, dos conteúdos, com a inserção no notebook para um dos alunos; o uso das pranchas de comunicação, por ambos os alunos e seus interlocutores, como ação inovadora nos contextos escolares; a realização de atividades pelos alunos, com gradativa autonomia, a partir da disponibilização de recursos de TA/CAA (pasta de conteúdos temáticos, figuras imantadas, quadro metálico, ponteira, plano inclinado, notebook); a proposição de ações intencionais de alfabetização, a partir da reorganização de espaços-tempos no cotidiano da escola. Conclui que as discussões teóricas e práticas das questões relacionadas com a linguagem, com os processos cognitivos e com o uso de recursos de TA/CAA alavancam mudanças na concepção dos profissionais das escolas pesquisadas que, ainda, sob uma visão reducionista quanto às formas de comunicação e de interação verbal, impõem limites à escolarização dos alunos com deficiência

Assessing the ability of the Eulerian-Eulerian and the Eulerian-Lagrangian frameworks to capture meso-scale dynamics in bubbly flows

Bubbly flows are characterised by instabilities that appear in the form of elongated meso-scale structures aligned along the direction of gravity. The instabilities result in a non-homogeneous distribution of the gas fraction in the system where high-cluster and high-voidage regions coexist. The correct prediction of the meso-scale dynamics is fundamental to formulate more accurate closure models for coarse-grained simulations applied to design systems of industrial scale. Two different frameworks are compared to test their capability of capturing the characteristic meso-scale structures (understood as hetereogeneities in the gas fraction distribution with dimensions larger than the bubble size and smaller than the typical lengths of the system): the Eulerian-Eulerian two-fluid model and a Eulerian-Lagrangian approach. This kind of benchmark has been already applied to gas-particle flows, but based to the best of our knowledge, this is the first time when the comparison between different frameworks is used to investigate the meso-scale flow structures of bubbly suspensions. We show that the Eulerian-Eulerian simulations are affected at low bubble loadings by unphysical numerical instabilities appearing due to the lack of hyperbolicity of the governing equation system. Unfortunately, the occurrence of the numerical instabilities cannot be predicted a priori, but when they are not present in the solution, the two frameworks are able to predict the same meso-scale dynamics. Our analysis suggests that, concerning meso-scale simulations, the Eulerian-Lagrangian approach produces physically faithful results and represents an ideal framework to formulate new closure models. The well-known limit of this methodology to extract parameter-independent Eulerian statistics has been addressed linking the post-processing technique to physical phenomenologies. In particular, we show that a characteristic post-processing length scale smaller than two bubble diameters is needed to correctly capture the phenomenologies associated with bubble small-scale clusters

RAMAN SPECTRAL INVESTIGATION OF THE Hg(II)-SCN-H2OH_{2}O SYSTEM

$^{1}$. A. Tramewr, J. Chim. Phys. {\bf 59} , 232 (1962). $^{2}$. K. A. Taylor, T. V. Long and R. A. Plane, J. Chem. Phys. {\bf 47} , 138 (1966).Author Institution: Department of Physical Chemistry, University of BelgradeIn the course of extensive investigations of thiocyanate complexes of different metals, the new Raman bands have been recorded for the Hg(II)-SCN-$H_{2}O$ system, in addition to those due to free SCN ion. The new bands, located at $\sim$$240 cm^{-1}$, $\sim$$717 cm^{-1}$ and $\sim 2120 cm^{-1}$, were assumed as a consequence of Hg(II)-SCN complex formation. To obtain more evidence about the nature of species formed, a quantitative Raman spectral study combined with the mole-ratio method have been undertaken. The results are consistent with the presence of the $Hg(SCN)^{2-}_{4}$ species in solution and $Hg(SCN)_{2}$ in solid. The results were discussed and compared with those obtained $previously^{1,2}$