Search

New Building Information Modelling (BIM) – enabled performance metrics are gaining importance in Building Performance Simulation (BPS). However, scarce work was published featuring holistic metricsfor prototypical designs in hot arid climate. Thus, this research presents a BIM-enabled sustainable early-design decision support tool, whose optimizationvariables are building orientation and Window-to-Wall Ratio (WWR). The mode’s objective is reaching optimum building Sustainability Combined Score (SCS); the holistic value of performance parameters considered by the user. To demonstrate the methodology, the daylighting and thermal comfort metrics areconsidered: (1) Day-Lit Area (DLA); (2) Daylight Autonomy (DA); (3) Mean Daylight Factor (µDF); (4) Useful Daylight Index (UDI); (5) Temperature Discomfort Hours (TDH); and (6) Humidity Discomfort Hours (HDH).BIM simulation is carried out for various combinations of building orientations and WWR, metrics are converted into percentages then into criteria scores based upon expert-determined criteria rating scales. Next, using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Criteria Relative Weights (CRW’s) are determined, using a Pairwise Comparison Matrix (PCM). SCS’s are computed for each scenario, as a function of criteria scores and CRW’s. The verification of the AHP Module is done arithmetically using consistency indices. After screening all valid scenarios considering site constraints, accessibility and design codes, the scenario with optimum SCS is obtained. Three cases of prototypical designs, comprising a school building, a civil defense facility and a congregational building are presented. All cases are located in the hot desert climate ofQatar. The validation of the SCS Module output is carried out using expert survey. اکتسب قياس معدلات أداء المنشآت باستخدام نمذجة معلومات البناء زخما کبيرا في کل من التصميم المعماري المستدام ومحاکاة البناء، وبالرغم من ذلک، قلما نشر من أبحاث تتناول معدلات مجمعة لقياس أداء المنشآت، ولاسيما فيما يتعلق بالتصميمات النمطية في المناطق ذات المناخ الصحراوي الجاف، ومن هذا المنطلق، يقدم هذا البحث أداة مبتکرة لدعم اتخاذ القرار ,والوصول لأفضل المعدلات أثناء مرحلة التصميم المبدئي، حيث تتماشى تلک الأداة المقترحة مع نظم نمذجة معلومات البناء، کما تعتمد تلک الأطروحة على تحليلالحالات الممکنة للمتغيرين:زاوية توجيه المنشأ ونسبة النوافذ إلى الحوائط، بهدف التوصل إلى أفضل قيمة للدرجة الکلية للاستدامة، والتي تمثل قيمة موحدة لکافة مؤشرات الأداء المختارة من قبل المستخدم. وبغرض عرض تلک الأطروحة، تم الاعتماد على هذه المجموعة من مؤشرات أداء الإضاءة الطبيعية والراحة الحرارية: (1) المساحة المضاءة طبيعيا، (2) متوسط معامل الإضاءة الطبيعية ، (3) استقلالية الإضاءة الطبيعية، (4) مؤشر الإضاءة الطبيعية، (5) ساعات درجة الحرارة السنوية غير المستوفاة، (6) ساعات الرطوبة النسبية غير المستوفاة. يتم إذا القيام بالمحاکاة المعتمدة على نمذجة معلومات البناء لکل من السيناريوهات الممکنة لزاوية توجيه المبنى مع نسبة النوافذ إلى الحوائط، ويتم تحويل مخرجات تلک الخطوة، وهي القياسات المنفصلة، إلى نسب مئوية، يتم تحويلها بدروها إلى درجات قياسية استنادا إلى مقياس تم تحديده بواسطة ورشة عمل ضمت مجموعة من الخبراء، وهکذا فإنه باستخدام طريقة التحليل الهرمي يتم التوصل إلى الأوزان النسبية لمعدلات الأداء المختارة، وذلک بتطبيق مصفوفة المقارنة الثنائية على تلک المعدلات، وبناء على ذلک يتم تقدير القيم الخاصة بالدرجة الکلية للاستدامة، والتي تعتمد بالأساس على الدرجات القياسية والأوزان النسبيةلمعدلات الأداء، کما يتم التحقق من منظومة التحليل الهرمي رياضيا باستخدام مؤشرات الاتساق، وبالإضافة إلى ذلک، فبعد إتمام عملية التدقيق لکل سيناريو مقترح - من حيث زاوية التوجيه ونسبة النوافذ إلى الحوائط- في ضوءطبيعة الموقع وأکواد البناء المحلية وغيرها من خصائص المشروع، وقد تم تناول ثلاثة مشروعات ذات تصميمات نمطية، تشمل مبنى تعليميا ومنشأة للدفاع المدني ودارا للعبادة، کأمثلة لتطبيق الأداة المقترحة، تقع کلها في المنطقة المناخية الصحراوية الحارة بدولةقطر، مع عرض النتائج التي تم التوصل إليها، وقد تم التحقق من المنظومة الخاصة بدرجة الاستدامة الکلية بواسطة استقصاء موجه إلى نخبة من المعماريين المتخصصين في مجال الاستدامة ونمذجة معلومات البناء، وتم التوصل بالأخير إلى أن المنشآت ذات المساحات الکبيرة عکست دقة أکثر في عملية محاکاة مؤشرات الاستدامة، وأظهرت قدرا أکبر من التأثر بالتغيير في القيم المدخلة من زاوية توجيه المنشأ أو نسبة النوافذ إلى الحوائط، مقارنة بالمنشآت الأصغر مساحة التي لم تتأثر نتائجهابنفس عند تغيير قيم المتغيرات.

Wood has been used in construction has for several millennia; however, global warming has created situations in which the wood needs to be utilized in a more eco-friendly, sustainable, and cost-effective manner. Using wood from trees farmed on wastewater is an ideal option that has been found to be sound for this use. Casuarina glauca wood has been farmed on wastewater for years, making it eco-friendly and cost effective, in addition to being of relatively high strength when compared to soft woods. Hence, within this research, Casuarina glauca wood is used within a hybrid wood-soil system. A scaled model of the structure was constructed and tested structurally until failure in two horizontal planes: the lateral and transverse. The points of weakness in the connections were identified in order to adjust the design, which mainly involved the nails connecting the studs to the upper and lower beams. The adjusted model was constructed including additional X-braces and tested structurally, and was proven to have sufficient strength compared to the wind loads according to the Egyptian Code of Loading. The design was compared to its reinforced concrete alternative to assess its cost-effectiveness and eco-friendliness in terms of the cost per unit area and the carbon emissions per unit area. The system proved to be more cost-effective and eco-friendly when compared to its reinforced concrete counterpart.

(1) Background: Altered levels of autoantibodies (aab) and their networks have been identified as biomarkers for various diseases. Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is a leading cause for central vision loss worldwide with highly variable inter- and intraindividual disease courses. Certain aab networks could help in daily routine to identify patients with a high disease activity who need to be visited and treated more regularly. (2) Methods: We analyzed levels of aab against Angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1-receptor), Protease-activated receptors (PAR1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) -A, VEGF-B, and VEGF-receptor 2 in sera of 164 nAMD patients. In a follow-up period of five years, we evaluated changes in functional and morphological characteristics. Using correlation analyses, multiple regression models, and receiver operator characteristics, we assessed whether the five aab have a clinical significance as biomarkers that correspond to the clinical properties. (3) Results: Neither the analyzed aab individually nor taken together as a network showed statistically significant results that would allow us to draw conclusions on the clinical five-year course in nAMD patients. (4) Conclusions: The five aab that we analyzed do not correspond to the clinical five-year course of nAMD patients. However, larger, prospective studies should reevaluate different and more aab to gain deeper insights.

Space syntax involves a set of techniques for analyzing the spatial configurations of various spaces at building and urban scales. Religious spaces, such as prayer halls, are examples of buildings where observers experience space mostly from a single point of view. Furthermore, traditional space syntax is mainly used in the analysis of visibility and space cognition in terms of isovists and graph-based measures. The other aspects of space cognition, such as day lighting, artificial lighting, and glare, are carried in the isolation of the space syntax analysis. This paper proposes the scaling of the space syntax field for the inclusion of other parameters, such as daylighting, and integration of the associated performative measures to space syntax analysis of the mosque typology to aid in the studying of overall space cognition based on comfort and environmental parameters. We present a case study on a typical mosque layout using multi-objective optimization. The analysis presented in the paper has implications for the architectural designs of spaces with respect to glare management and daylight potential. Moreover, it is unique and builds on our previous work for the exploration of comfort, visibility, and proximity thresholds for stationary observers. Keywords: Space syntax, Daylighting, Mosque, Cognition, Multi-objective optimization, Genetic algorithms (GA)

Minimizing building construction and operation costs is always a major concern for buildingstakeholders. Therefore, it is crucial to select an appropriate technique to evaluate theeconomic performance of the building’s component. While economic evaluation techniquesvary, including the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) of the building has proved to be an effectivemeasure in reducing the total cost throughout the building’s life. In this paper, 3 LCCevaluation techniques are utilized in a comparative case study to determine the best exteriorwall assembly choice for a school building. The case study illustrates that each economicevaluation technique can result in a different favorable choice order, even though all LCCevaluation techniques resulted in the best choice. Moreover, including the energy andoperation cost can greatly affect the assembly choice. The more thermal resistance anassembly has, the more LCC savings occur, until a certain resistance value, where it becomesless feasible. يعد الحد من تکاليف البناء والتشغيل مشکلة رئيسية لأعضاء فريق البناء . لذلک ، من المھم اختيار تقنية مناسبة لتقييم الأداءالاقتصادي لمکونات المبنى . على الرغم من اختلاف أساليب التقييم الاقتصادي ، بما في ذلک تکاليف دورة الحياة ، فقد ثبتأن ھذا الإجراء فعال في تقليل التکلفة الإجمالية لحياة المبنى . في ھذا البحث ، تم استخدام 3 تقنيات لتقييم تکلفة دورة الحياةفي دراسة حالة لتحديد أفضل أنواع الجدران الخارجية لمبنى مدرسة . توضح دراسة الحالة أن کل أسلوب تقييم اقتصادييمکن أن يؤدي إلى ترتيب اختيار مواد مختلف ، على الرغم من أن جميع تقنيات تقييم تکلفة دورة الحياة أسفرت عن أفضلخيار . أيضا تکاليف الطاقة والتشغيل يمکن أن تؤثر بشکل کبير على اختيار نوع الجدار ، کلما ازد ادت مقاومة الجدارالحرارية ، کلما حدث توفير في تکلفة دورة الحياة ، حتى تصل إلى قيمة مقاومة معينة ، حيث يصبح الخيار أقل جدوىاقتصاديا.

Today Urban Cities faces energy and environmental challenges due to increased population, higher urbanization. The building sector has a big responsibility as it acquires high consumption rates in global energy and environmental scenarios. It is thought that the built environment in Egypt is responsible for 26% of the total overall national energy consumption, 62% of the total electricity consumption and around 70% of resultant CO2 emissions. The increased use of electrical appliances causes Urban Heat Island effect (UHI), which affect major urban centres. Adding green elements to any urban area is proved to be an effective strategy with numerous benefits to enhance the city's ecosystem, also mitigate the urban heat island measures. In this research Green roofs/walls can regulate outdoor air temperature by 10°C and improve outdoor thermal comfort by 2 Predicted Mean Value (PMV) values. The modelling of green strategy models can take into consideration design developments in areas with hot and dry climatic zones. The properties of green walls can directly affect the results of thermal comfort as leafs absorbs, reflects and transmits solar radiation, and increases the evapotranspiration.

Formwork is a very important component in the construction industry and can have major impacts on a project’s budget. The process of selecting a suitable formwork system becomes very import...

According to the container recycling institute, nearly a million plastic beverage bottles are sold every minute around the world. Plastic bottles are considered as an urban junk, however, it has shape characteristics which make them usable in construction in lieu of conventional bricks. This research promotes the use of recycled plastic bottles as eco-bricks by substituting it with the typical construction bricks. It evaluates the thermal performance of sand filled plastic bottle-walls in a comparative analysis with traditional composite brick walls. The thermal performance of the plastic bottle walls was evaluated through COMSOL® Multi-physics and the results are noted.

Wood, or timber, is light, cheap, and easy to transport and work with. On the contrary, reinforced concrete is more expensive, heavy & difficult to transport and slower to build. Previous research has proven that relatively cheap Casuarina Glauca wood could have sufficiently high strength that makes it a strong candidate for structural usage. In the construction field in Egypt, most of the used wood is blockboard composed from imported wood. The importing of wood represents a significant segment and Egypt invests a lot of its money in this segment, thus a research such as this one would significantly help Egypt to save money in the import business. This research aims to produce and test Egyptian blockboard made from Casuarina Glauca wood farmed in Egypt. The blockboards were produced and tested for their mechanical properties and compared to their imported counterparts. Moreover, these blockboards proved to be of a sufficiently high strength. Based on the results, this engineered wood product could be a structurally sound alternative for structural usage.

Adequate cost estimation at the planning phase is an integral part of a construction project’s success. Many uncertainties disturb the planners’ initial estimations and lead to cost overrun...

Wood is classified as one of the most common building materials due to its diverse nature. Casuarina is considered one of the fast-growing trees in relatively arid countries such as Egypt. ...

The line-of-balance (LOB) technique is considered as an effective tool for planning and scheduling linear repetitive construction projects. One of the main assumptions of the LOB technique is the uniformity and constancy of production rate for an activity. Moreover, some aspects of the LOB technique can be modified in order to suit the nature of construction projects. This paper proposes a hybrid approach for scheduling linear projects that optimizes resource allocation using the LOB scheduling technique. The paper presents an optimization model for resolving resource constraint dilemmas in linear scheduling projects. The proposed model utilizes a Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) code using graph theory as a searching algorithm to automate the model formulation. The novelty of the model is that it supports decision makers in formulating the optimal crews routing among various activities and also considering the allocation of multitasking skilled crews. A case study for a repetitive 4-km sewage pipeline installation is used to test the capabilities of the proposed model. Results show that the model can feasibly reduce the number of crews employed in linear repetitive construction projects.

Clinical ophthalmology Volume 11, 621-629 (2017). doi:10.2147/OPTH.S123513, Published by Dove Medical Press, Auckland, New Zealand

Engineered wood products including wood–plastic composites have been manufactured with different mix designs and different manufacturing techniques within the last years. However, there are...

The Nrf2-Keap1 pathway regulates transcription of a wide array of antioxidant and cytoprotective genes and offers critical protection against oxidative stress. This pathway has demonstrated benefit for a variety of retinal conditions. Retinal ischemia plays a pivotal role in many vision threatening diseases. Retinal vascular endothelial cells are an important participant in ischemic injury. In this setting, Nrf2 provides a protective pathway via amelioration of oxidative stress and inflammation. In this study, we investigated a potent small molecule inhibitor of the Nrf2-Keap1 protein-protein interaction (PPI), CPUY192018, for its therapeutic potential in retinal cells and retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury. In human retinal endothelial cells (HREC), treatment with CPUY192018 increased Nrf2 protein levels and nuclear translocation, stimulated Nrf2-ARE-induced transcriptional capacity, and induced Nrf2 target gene expression. Furthermore, CPUY192018 protected HREC against oxidative stress and inflammatory activation. CPUY192018 also activated Nrf2 and suppressed inflammatory response in macrophages. In the retinal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) model, administration of CPUY192018 induced Nrf2 target gene activation in the retina. Both systemic and topical treatment with CPUY192018 rescued visual function after ischemia-reperfusion injury. Taken together, these findings indicate that small molecule Keap1-Nrf2 PPI inhibitors can activate the Nrf2 pathway in the retina and provide protection against retinal ischemic and inflammatory injury, suggesting Keap1-Nrf2 PPI inhibition in the treatment of retinal conditions.