Extracting Influential Factors for Building Energy Consumption via Data Mining Approaches

To effectively analyze building energy, it is important to utilize the environmental data that influence building energy consumption. This study analyzed outdoor and indoor data collected from buildings to find out the conditions of rooms that had a significant effect on heating and cooling energy consumption. To examine the conditions of the rooms in each building, the energy consumption importance priority was derived using the Gini importance of the random forest algorithm on external and internal environmental data. The conditions that had a significant effect on energy consumption were analyzed to be: (i) conditions related to the building design—wall, floor, and window area ratio, the window-to-wall ratio (WWR), the window-to-floor area ratio (WFR), and the azimuth, and (ii) the internal conditions of the building—the illuminance, occupancy density, plug load, and frequency of room utilization. The room conditions derived through analysis were considered in each sample, and the final influential building energy consumption factors were derived by using them in a decision tree as being the WFR, window area ratio, floor area ratio, wall area ratio, and frequency of use. Furthermore, four room types were classified by combining the room conditions obtained from the key factor classifications derived in this study.

Electrochromic Glass system in Norwegian Climate: Control strategies and Impact on the indoor thermal conditions

This work investigates by simulations the impact of the use of Electrochromic (EC) windows in a modern wooden cabin with large window area in a colder climate. The climatic areas considered are 4 different locations in Norway. Three different automatic control systems were used and compared. The windows were alternatively equipped with a textile integrated external blind and an EC glass. The results show that the use of EC glass has a quantifiable impact in term of reduction of peak temperature by 2°C and reduction of number of hours with high indoor temperature. The control system that seems to perform better is based on external solar radiation. In the particular situation of a cabin, where the visual comfort and the surrounding view has the greatest importance, a more complex control algorithm needs to be developed.

Interpretation of Mineralization in the Western Carpathians (Polish Segment)—A Tectonic Mélange Approach

Quartz, carbonates and other minerals as e.g., realgar are present in veins and caverns in sedimentary rocks in the Western Carpathians. In the Polish segment, they have been characterized from the mineralogical, petrologic, and geochemical points of view, as well as fluid inclusions. Their characters are discussed from perspective of a description of particular types of chaotic complexes—the tectonic mélange zones, distinguished in the Western Carpathian area over the last two decades. The mélange zones are considered to be geochemical systems open to fluid flow, a site for mineral crystallization and/or migration zones of hydrocarbons and mineralized waters. In this context the tectonic mélange in the Jabłonki/Rabe vicinity (SE Poland, the Bieszczady region) in comparison to that of the Mszana Dolna tectonic window area are proposed as the examples. The trapping conditions of fluids (brine and methane) in the minerals in the mélange zones appear to have been 180–205 °C and ~550–570 bars, and 220 °C and 500 bars for calcite and quartz, respectively. The general trend of the increase in temperatures and pressures from west towards east and south-east in the mélange zones points to an increase in the degree of exhumation of different parts of the Carpathians.

Role of Architectural Design in Creating Circadian-Effective Interior Settings

Daylight variability throughout the day makes it an ideal light source for the stimulation of humans’ circadian systems. However, the key criteria, including proper quantity, quality, and hours of access to daylight, are not always present inside the built environment. Therefore, artificial light is necessary to complement the human’s visual and non-visual needs for light. Architectural design parameters, such as window area, orientation, glazing material, and surface reflectance alter the characteristics of both daylight and artificial light inside buildings. These parameters and their impact on lighting design should be considered from the early design stages to attain a circadian-effective design. In response to this need, a design approach called Human-Centric Lighting (HCL) was introduced. HCL places humans, and their visual and non-visual needs, in the center of the design process. It manipulates the light-related factors, such as spectrum and intensity, within the built environment for circadian benefits. The effect of HCL on lighting energy efficiency is still not clear. This paper reviews essential architectural design parameters and their impacts on circadian lighting design, considers the HCL design process and explores the most widely used circadian lighting metrics and standards.

A Magnetic Geothermometer in Moderately Buried Shales

Shales contain magnetic minerals generally at very low concentrations. In the early stages of diagenesis, the inherited magnetic minerals are altered, while magnetic nanominerals are formed. In this study, we proposed a study of shales over a stratigraphic thickness of 1.3 km from a borehole in the Paris basin (Borehole EST 433, France), and shales from the same formation (Opalinus Clay) collected in seven boreholes in the Jura molasse basin (Swiss). Magnetic measurements at experimental temperatures <30 K allowed the formation of a proxy of magnetite nanograins named PM. We showed that some of these nanograins formed around the pyrite grains, probably under the action of temperature and organic matter. PM was then compared to the maturity values of the organic matter. We found a correlation between PM and the percentage of reflectance of vitrinite. The shales from both Paris and molassic Swiss basins showed very comparable magnetic characteristics for a given maturity level. The magnetic study therefore provided constraints on the maturity level of the shales in the oil window area. Our study showed that PM can be used as a geothermometer in shales in which CaCO3 is lower than 60%.

Natural Ventilation of Toilet Units in K–12 School Restrooms Using CFD

In this study, the influence of architectural design parameters (the exterior window area, the wall height at a corridor-side, and the door gap of a toilet unit) on the airflow patterns and malodorous volatile substance (acetic acid) distributions within toilet units were investigated via computational fluid dynamics (CFD), with the restrooms in K–12 public schools (kindergarten through grade 12) of Taiwan as research objects. The results show that when there is a 2 m/s north wind in winter, all the cases exceed the required 12 air changes per hour (ACH), and most are above 43.75 ACH. When there is a 0.5 m/s south wind in summer, nearly half of the cases fail to reach 12 ACH. Maintaining an adequate natural ventilation rate and an acceptable level of odor pollution through passive design and architectural design is difficult. Thinking about how to improve the ventilation efficiency of toilet units with the aid of simple, appropriate, and energy-saving mechanical ventilation approaches is necessary.

Logistic Regression Analysis of Relationship between Changes of Cerebrospinal Fluid and Communicating Hydrocephalus after Decompressive Craniectomy in Craniocerebral Injury under Computed Tomography Images

This paper aimed to explore the application value of CT imaging in the correlation analysis of communicating hydrocephalus (CH) after decompressive craniectomy (DC) of craniocerebral injury (CI). 410 patients with craniocerebral trauma who were admitted to the hospital from October 2015 to October 2019 were taken as subjects, among which 130 patients suffered from CH. All patients underwent craniocerebral CT examination, and logistic regression was applied to analyze the risk factors of hydrocephalus in CI and hydrocephalus after DC surgery. The results showed that the coma time (OR = 5.1283, P = 0.001 ), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) (OR = 7.6543, P = 0.020 ), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score no more than 8 points (OR = 3.5480, P = 0.001 ), intraventricular hemorrhage (OR = 2.2653, P = 0.003 ), cerebral contusion and laceration (OR = 1.036, P = 0.002 ), and subdural hemorrhage (OR = 2.4376, P = 0.001 ) were independent risk factors for CH. Bilateral DC (OR = 15.342, P = 0.023 ), second surgery (OR = 7.021, P = 0.004 ), bone window height (OR = 6.543, P = 0.041 ), and bone window area (OR = 1.035, P = 0.012 ) were independent risk factors for CH after DC surgery. It suggested that CT imaging technology could be utilized in the diagnosis of CI. The risk factors of CH included coma time, SAH, GCS score no more than 8, intraventricular hemorrhage, brain contusion, subdural hematoma, bilateral DC, bone window height, bone window area, and second surgery.

DAYLIGHT INVESTIGATION IN CAMPUS LECTURE THEATERS. CASE STUDY: SOUTH WEST COAST UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA

Appropriate day lighting design saves lighting power energy (LPE) and reduces LPE cost. This research investigates daylight contribution of in selected north campus lecture theaters in a South West Coast University of Nigeria. TES 1332A lux meter was used for lux level determination. The window area to wall area (AWD to AW) ratio was determined using reliable algorithms. In the three studied buildings, the daylight contribution varies from 12 lux to 3803 lux; AWD to AW varies from 14 % to 22 % to 37 %; 22 % AWD to AW is considered moderate while 37 % AWD to AW is considered more suitable in the studied buildings.

Drivers of fatal bird collisions in an urban center

Millions of nocturnally migrating birds die each year from collisions with built structures, especially brightly illuminated buildings and communication towers. Reducing this source of mortality requires knowledge of important behavioral, meteorological, and anthropogenic factors, yet we lack an understanding of the interacting roles of migration, artificial lighting, and weather conditions in causing fatal bird collisions. Using two decades of collision surveys and concurrent weather and migration measures, we model numbers of collisions occurring at a large urban building in Chicago. We find that the magnitude of nocturnal bird migration, building light output, and wind conditions are the most important predictors of fatal collisions. The greatest mortality occurred when the building was brightly lit during large nocturnal migration events and when winds concentrated birds along the Chicago lakeshore. We estimate that halving lighted window area decreases collision counts by 11× in spring and 6× in fall. Bird mortality could be reduced by ∼60% at this site by decreasing lighted window area to minimum levels historically recorded. Our study provides strong support for a relationship between nocturnal migration magnitude and urban bird mortality, mediated by light pollution and local atmospheric conditions. Although our research focuses on a single site, our findings have global implications for reducing or eliminating a critically important cause of bird mortality.

Using Calibrated Simulation to Quantify The energy Savings From Residential Passive Solar Design in Canada

Energy savings from passive solar design applied to a typical Canadian house were quantified using calibrated whole building energy simulation. A detailed energy simulation model was created for a research house which represents a typical Canadian tract house with basic passive solar measures. The model was calibrated to measured furnace gas consumption data. Eight design scenarios were evaluated for eight climate locations. Design parameters included increased thermal mass, increased south window area, and high performance windows. In addition, an advanced house scenario was evaluated which featured optimized geometry, a further increase in south window area, high thermal mass, advanced glazing, and no north facing windows. For the typical house predicted solar heating fractions ranged from 20% to 34% with basic passive solar measures, and 35% to 52% for more aggressive passive solar measures. For the advanced house predicted solar fractions ranged from 40% to 69%.