scholarly journals Methodological Proposal for the Development of Insurance Policies for Building Components

CivilEng ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Miguel Macedo ◽  
Jorge de Brito ◽  
Carlos Oliveira Cruz ◽  
Ana Silva
Keyword(s):  
Prediction Models ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Insurance Coverage ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Premature Failure ◽  
Risk Premiums ◽  
Insurance Policies ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Building Components ◽  
Structured Approach

Insurance is a growing economic activity within the construction sector. Homes and buildings are perhaps the most important investment an individual makes in his/her lifetime. Nevertheless, the market for insurance coverage policies applied to the building envelope is in an embryonic stage, mainly due to the lack of knowledge in terms of risk and costs associated to the failure of these elements. This study provides an innovative and methodological approach to the development of an insurance product that targets the obsolescence of building components. In defining a structured approach to the design of insurance policies for buildings, the use of the service life prediction models proposed in this study allows establishing different types of insurance policies with different risk premiums and evaluating different losses and risks accepted by the owners, thus promoting the increase of the patrimonial value of the asset and reducing the risk of premature failure and the uncertainty of the costs of maintenance during its life cycle.

scholarly journals Methodological Proposal for the Development of Insurance Policies for Building Components

CivilEng ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Miguel Macedo ◽  
Jorge Brito ◽  
Carlos Cruz ◽  
Ana Silva
Keyword(s):  
Prediction Models ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Insurance Coverage ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Premature Failure ◽  
Risk Premiums ◽  
Insurance Policies ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Building Components ◽  
Structured Approach

Insurance is a growing economic activity within the construction sector. Homes and buildings are perhaps the most important investment an individual makes in his/her lifetime. Nevertheless, the market for insurance coverage policies applied to the building envelope is in an embryonic stage, mainly due to the lack of knowledge in terms of risk and costs associated to the failure of these elements. This study provides an innovative and methodological approach to the development of an insurance product that targets the obsolescence of building components. In defining a structured approach to the design of insurance policies for buildings, the use of the service life prediction models proposed in this study allows establishing different types of insurance policies with different risk premiums and evaluating different losses and risks accepted by the owners, thus promoting the increase of the patrimonial value of the asset and reducing the risk of premature failure and the uncertainty of the costs of maintenance during its life cycle.

scholarly journals Portable near Infrared Spectroscopy as a Tool for Fresh Tomato Quality Control Analysis in the Field

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 3209
Author(s):  
Karla R. Borba ◽  
Didem P. Aykas ◽  
Maria I. Milani ◽  
Luiz A. Colnago ◽  
Marcos D. Ferreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citric Acid ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Quality Attributes ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Control Analysis ◽  
Tomato Quality ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Fresh Tomato

Portable spectrometers are promising tools that can be an alternative way, for various purposes, of analyzing food quality, such as monitoring in a few seconds the internal quality during fruit ripening in the field. A portable/handheld (palm-sized) near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer (Neospectra, Si-ware) with spectral range of 1295–2611 nm, equipped with a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMs), was used to develop prediction models to evaluate tomato quality attributes non-destructively. Soluble solid content (SSC), fructose, glucose, titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic, and citric acid contents of different types of fresh tomatoes were analyzed with standard methods, and those values were correlated to spectral data by partial least squares regression (PLSR). Fresh tomato samples were obtained in 2018 and 2019 crops in commercial production, and four fruit types were evaluated: Roma, round, grape, and cherry tomatoes. The large variation in tomato types and having the fruits from distinct years resulted in a wide range in quality parameters enabling robust PLSR models. Results showed accurate prediction and good correlation (Rpred) for SSC = 0.87, glucose = 0.83, fructose = 0.87, ascorbic acid = 0.81, and citric acid = 0.86. Our results support the assertion that a handheld NIR spectrometer has a high potential to simultaneously determine several quality attributes of different types of tomatoes in a practical and fast way.

scholarly journals Clinical practice guidelines for high-resolution breast PET, 2019 edition

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 406-414
Author(s):  
Yoko Satoh ◽  
Masami Kawamoto ◽  
Kazunori Kubota ◽  
Koji Murakami ◽  
Makoto Hosono ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Practice Guidelines ◽  
Breast Imaging ◽  
Japanese Society ◽  
Insurance Coverage ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Positron Emission Mammography ◽  
Dedicated Breast Pet ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Different Types

AbstractBreast positron emission tomography (PET) has had insurance coverage when performed with conventional whole-body PET in Japan since 2013. Together with whole-body PET, accurate examination of breast cancer and diagnosis of metastatic disease are possible, and are expected to contribute significantly to its treatment planning. To facilitate a safer, smoother, and more appropriate examination, the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine published the first edition of practice guidelines for high-resolution breast PET in 2013. Subsequently, new types of breast PET have been developed and their clinical usefulness clarified. Therefore, the guidelines for breast PET were revised in 2019. This article updates readers as to what is new in the second edition. This edition supports two different types of breast PET depending on the placement of the detector: the opposite-type (positron emission mammography; PEM) and the ring-shaped type (dedicated breast PET; dbPET), providing an overview of these scanners and appropriate imaging methods, their clinical applications, and future prospects. The name “dedicated breast PET” from the first edition is widely used to refer to ring-shaped type breast PET. In this edition, “breast PET” has been defined as a term that refers to both opposite- and ring-shaped devices. Up-to-date breast PET practice guidelines would help provide useful information for evidence-based breast imaging.

scholarly journals The efficiency of a dynamically insulated wall in the presence of air leakages

2004 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-94
Author(s):  
Angela Kalagasidis-Sasic
Keyword(s):  
System Analysis ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Outdoor Climate ◽  
Dynamic Insulation ◽  
Building Components ◽  
Heat And Moisture ◽  
Alternative Designs ◽  
Indoor And Outdoor

The movement of air in and through the building envelope often plays a leading role in the transport of heat and moisture into the building. It is caused by pressure and temperature variations around the building envelope inbuilt ventilation system, occupancy, etc. In order to improve the energy consumption, alternative designs for the ventilation systems are considered. One of them is a dynamically insulated wall as an inlet unit for the supplying air. In order to predict the performance of a dynamically insulated wall, it is necessary to make an analysis of the building as a system. This paper presents such system analysis which takes into account the interaction between the building components and indoor and outdoor climate, both in terms of the air leakage and heat and mass transfer to and from the building components. It is shown that, in the presence of air leakages (unintentional openings) in the enclosure of the building, the efficiency of the dynamic insulation is significantly decreased.

scholarly journals Learners Demographics Classification on MOOCs During the COVID-19: Author Profiling via Deep Learning Based on Semantic and Syntactic Representations

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahani Aljohani ◽  
Alexandra I. Cristea
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Neural Networks ◽  
Deep Learning ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
High Accuracy ◽  
Directional Model ◽  
Textual Representations ◽  
The One

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become universal learning resources, and the COVID-19 pandemic is rendering these platforms even more necessary. In this paper, we seek to improve Learner Profiling (LP), i.e. estimating the demographic characteristics of learners in MOOC platforms. We have focused on examining models which show promise elsewhere, but were never examined in the LP area (deep learning models) based on effective textual representations. As LP characteristics, we predict here the employment status of learners. We compare sequential and parallel ensemble deep learning architectures based on Convolutional Neural Networks and Recurrent Neural Networks, obtaining an average high accuracy of 96.3% for our best method. Next, we predict the gender of learners based on syntactic knowledge from the text. We compare different tree-structured Long-Short-Term Memory models (as state-of-the-art candidates) and provide our novel version of a Bi-directional composition function for existing architectures. In addition, we evaluate 18 different combinations of word-level encoding and sentence-level encoding functions. Based on these results, we show that our Bi-directional model outperforms all other models and the highest accuracy result among our models is the one based on the combination of FeedForward Neural Network and the Stack-augmented Parser-Interpreter Neural Network (82.60% prediction accuracy). We argue that our prediction models recommended for both demographics characteristics examined in this study can achieve high accuracy. This is additionally also the first time a sound methodological approach toward improving accuracy for learner demographics classification on MOOCs was proposed.

scholarly journals A brief compendium of water entry results derived from laboratory tests of various types of wall assemblies

2019 ◽  
Vol 282 ◽  
pp. 02050
Author(s):  
Michael A. Lacasse ◽  
Nathan Van Den Bossche ◽  
Stephanie Van Linden ◽  
Travis V. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Moisture Transfer ◽  
Control Design ◽  
Water Entry ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Wood Frame

There is an increase in the use of hygrothermal models to complete the performance evaluation of walls assemblies, either in respect to design of new assembles or the retrofit of existing wall assemblies. To this end there are guides available in which is provided information on moisture loads to wall assemblies. This includes, for example, Criteria for Moisture-Control Design Analysis in Buildings given in ASHRAE 160, Assessment of moisture transfer by numerical simulation provided in EN 15026, and NRC’s “Guidelines for Design for Durability of the Building Envelope”. The designer of a new assembly or evaluator of an existing wall is tasked with having to determine what moisture loads to apply to the wall and where to apply this load within the assembly. Typically there is little or no information that is readily available regarding moisture loads to walls and thus the suggested hourly moisture load, as given in ASHRAE 160, is 1% by weight of the total driving rain load to the wall (i.e. kg/m2-hr). In this paper, a brief compendium of water entry test results derived from laboratory tests of various types of wall assemblies is provided from which estimates of moisture loads to different types of wall can be developed. Water entry test results are given of wood frame walls typically used in housing, but also metal-glass curtain walls and other commercial wall assemblies, where possible, in terms of driving loads to the wall.

scholarly journals On the feasibility of watertight face-sealed window-wall interfaces

2019 ◽  
Vol 282 ◽  
pp. 02015
Author(s):  
Stéphanie Van Linden ◽  
Nathan Van Den Bossche
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Full Scale Test ◽  
Structural Insulated Panels ◽  
Building Components ◽  
Scale Test ◽  
Wood Frame ◽  
Frame Construction

Watertightness is still a major source of concern in the performance of the building envelope. Even very small deficiencies can cause a significant amount of water leakage which may result in structural degradation or malfunctioning of the insulation. The risk of water infiltration is highest at joints between different building components and in particular at the window-wall interface due to the complexity of these joints. This paper focuses on the performance of different solutions to ensure the watertightness of the window-wall interface, e.g. self-adhesive foils, liquid applied coatings, prefabricated frames, self-expanding sealing strips. The performance of these solutions is evaluated for different wall assemblies, i.e. ETICS, masonry, structural insulated panels and wood-frame construction. Laboratory experiments were conducted on a full-scale test setup with a window of 1,01 m high and 0,56 m wide. Test results showed that it is not evident to obtain watertight face-sealed window-wall interfaces without an additional airtight layer or drainage possibilities. Water ingress was often recorded at lower pressure differences.

Structured Approach to Dimensioning and Tolerancing: A Comprehensive Solution Strategy

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. N. Islam
Keyword(s):  
Cost Minimization ◽  
Tolerance Allocation ◽  
Solution Strategy ◽  
Comprehensive Strategy ◽  
Dimensioning And Tolerancing ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Engineering Environment ◽  
Optimum Solution ◽  
Structured Approach ◽  
Allocation Strategies

This paper is the second of two in which a methodology is presented that provides a structured way of solving Dimensioning and Tolerancing (D&T) problems on new product design. In the previous paper, a methodology was developed for representing the D&T problems of a product in a matrix form known as a Dimensional Requirements/Dimensions (DR/D) matrix. In this paper a comprehensive strategy is presented for determining the values of dimensions and tolerances by satisfying all the relationships represented in DR/D matrix. The comprehensive strategy presented here includes: strategy for separating D&T problems into groups, for determining an optimum solution order for coupled functional equations and tolerance allocation strategies for solving different types of D&T problems. A number of commonly used cost minimization strategies such as the use of standard parts, preferred sizes, preferred fits, and preferred tolerances have also been incorporated into the proposed methodology. The methodology is interactive and suitable for use in a Concurrent Engineering environment.

Superpave Models: Predicting Performance during Design and Construction

1996 ◽  
Vol 1545 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-112
Author(s):  
Gerald A. Huber ◽  
Xishun Zhang ◽  
Robin Fontaine
Keyword(s):  
Prediction Models ◽  
Permanent Deformation ◽  
Asphalt Binder ◽  
Asphalt Mixture ◽  
Asphalt Mixtures ◽  
Engineering Properties ◽  
Design System ◽  
Widespread Application ◽  
Premature Failure ◽  
The Impact

The Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) spent $50 million researching asphalt binders and asphalt mixtures and provided three main products: an asphalt binder specification, an asphalt mixture specification, and Superpave, an asphalt mixture design system that encompasses both the binder and mixture specification. SHRP researchers have provided tools that promise more robust asphalt mixtures with reduced risk of premature failure. Implementation of the specifications and mix design system will require overcoming several obstacles. Superpave must be demonstrated to be practical and easy to use. The impact of Superpave aggregate requirements on aggregate availability must be determined. The Superpave gyratory compaction procedure has been uniquely defined and then calibrated to traffic volume. The reasonableness of this approach must be tested in widespread application. Perhaps the largest implementation hurdle exists in the performance models. Expensive test equipment is necessary to do the performance-based tests. The performance predictions must be established as reasonable to justify the cost. A highway reconstruction project containing three Superpave Level 1 mix designs is documented including quality control done with the Superpave gyratory compactor. Superpave Level 2 performance-based tests were carried out to predict permanent deformation of the design and the mixture as constructed. The performance-based engineering properties obtained from the tests are evaluated, and the reasonableness of the performance prediction models is discussed.

Doctor–patient consultations in dyadic and triadic exchanges

Interpreting ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Valero-Garcés
Keyword(s):  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
General Structure ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Institutional Discourse ◽  
Patient Interaction ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Turn Taking ◽  
Quantitative Analyses

This article presents the results of a study on doctor–patient interaction in dyadic and triadic exchanges. The analysis is based on transcripts of recordings done at healthcare centres in northern Madrid, Spain, and Minneapolis, USA. The methodological approach is that of institutional discourse analysis as developed by Drew and Heritage (Drew & Heritage 1992; Heritage 1995, 1997; Drew & Sorjonen 1997). Three different types of doctor–patient interaction are examined: (1) doctor/foreign-language patient; (2) doctor/ foreign-language patient/ad hoc interpreter; (3) doctor/ foreign-language patient/trained interpreter. Topics such as the assignment of participant roles, changes in the general structure, turn-taking, and asymmetrical relationships will be explored. The study is mainly descriptive and qualitative, but also includes some comparative quantitative analyses.

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