Architecture Commons^™

Sustainable Sensing With Paper Microfluidics: Applications In Health, Environment, And Food Safety, Sanjay Kumar, Jyoti B. Kaushal, Heow Pueh Lee

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This manuscript offers a concise overview of paper microfluidics, emphasizing its sustainable sensing applications in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and food safety. Researchers have developed innovative sensing platforms for detecting pathogens, pollutants, and contaminants by leveraging the paper’s unique properties, such as biodegradability and affordability. These portable, low-cost sensors facilitate rapid diagnostics and on-site analysis, making them invaluable tools for resource-limited settings. This review discusses the fabrication techniques, principles, and applications of paper microfluidics, showcasing its potential to address pressing challenges and enhance human health and environmental sustainability.

Modeling And Design Parameter Optimization To Improve The Sensitivity Of A Bimorph Polysilicon-Based Mems Sensor For Helium Detection, Sulaiman Mohaidat, F. M. Alsaleem

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Helium is integral in several industries, including nuclear waste management and semiconductors. Thus, developing a sensing method for detecting helium is essential to ensure the proper operation of such facilities. Several approaches can be used for helium detection, including based on the high thermal conductivity of helium, which is several times higher than air. This work utilizes the high thermal conductivity of helium to design and analyze a bimorph MEMS sensor for helium sensing applications. COMSOL Multiphysics software (version 6.2) is used to carry out this investigation. The sensor is constructed from poly-silicon and SiO₂ materials with a trenched …

Seasonal Comparison Of Air Quality Variables And Evaluation Of Carbon Dioxide And Particulate Measurement Period In Classrooms, Daud Nosham

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Indoor air quality and thermal environmental variables were measured in 55 classrooms in the mid-western United States spanning a full academic year. The studied air quality and environmental factors included carbon dioxide, temperature, relative humidity, particle counts, air velocity, formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone.

Carbon dioxide and Particulate matter concentrations were measured for a four-day measurement period. Then one-day, two-day, and four-day occupied time average concentrations were calculated which were then compared statistically to figure out an appropriate measurement period for these air quality variables. Kruskal Wallis test and Wilcoxon test were used to …

Spatial Hearing In Simulated Reverberant Classroom Environments, Gabriel Seth Evan Weeldreyer

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Spatial hearing provides access to auditory spatial cues that promote speech perception in noisy listening situations. However, reverberation degrades auditory spatial cues and limits listeners’ ability to utilize these cues for segregating target speech from competing babble. Hence, spatial unmasking—an intelligibility benefit from a spatial separation between a target and masker—is reduced in reverberant environments as compared to free field. This work tests the hypothesis that interaural decorrelation, the result of increasing reverberation, will broaden the perceived auditory source width with a cascading effect of reduced auditory spatial acuity and subsequently poorer spatial unmasking. To understand the perceptual consequences of …

Opportunities And Challenges Of Generative Ai In Construction Industry: Focusing On Adoption Of Text-Based Models, Prashnna Ghimire, Kyungki Kim, Manoj Acharya

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

In the last decade, despite rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) transforming many industry practices, construction largely lags in adoption. Recently, the emergence and rapid adoption of advanced large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s GPT, Google’s PaLM, and Meta’s Llama have shown great potential and sparked considerable global interest. However, the current surge lacks a study investigating the opportunities and challenges of implementing Generative AI (GenAI) in the construction sector, creating a critical knowledge gap for researchers and practitioners. This underlines the necessity to explore the prospects and complexities of GenAI integration. Bridging this gap is fundamental to optimizing GenAI’s …

Diagnosis Of Disease Affecting Gait With A Body Acceleration‑Based Model Using Reflected Marker Data For Training And A Wearable Accelerometer For Implementation, Mohammad Ali Takallou, Farahnaz Fallahtafti, Mahdi Hassan, Ali Al‑Ramini, Basheer Qolomany, Iraklis I. Pipinos, Sara A. Myers, F. M. Alsaleem

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This paper demonstrates the value of a framework for processing data on body acceleration as a uniquely valuable tool for diagnosing diseases that affect gait early. As a case study, we used this model to identify individuals with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and distinguish them from those without PAD. The framework uses acceleration data extracted from anatomical reflective markers placed in different body locations to train the diagnostic models and a wearable accelerometer carried at the waist for validation. Reflective marker data have been used for decades in studies evaluating and monitoring human gait. They are widely available for many …

Spatial Release From Masking In Anechoic And Reverberant Environments, Drake Andrew Hintz

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Listening with both ears provides children with access to binaural and monaural cues that are helpful for understanding speech in competing babbles. Specifically, when the target and masker are spatially separated, children can gain an intelligibility benefit which is known as spatial release from masking (SRM). Recent work [Peng et al., 2021 JASA] suggested that school-age children demonstrated immature SRM using binaural cues that are distorted by reverberation. In this follow-up study, we further investigate the effect of reverberant distortion on individual auditory spatial cues, namely binaural and monaural head shadow cues. We compare SRM between adults and school-age children …

Classifying Diseases Affecting Gait With Body Acceleration-Based Machine Learning Models, Mohammad Ali Takallou

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This Ph.D. dissertation introduces a comprehensive framework designed to harness acceleration data as a uniquely valuable tool for early disease classification, specifically focusing on gait-related diseases. In the modern healthcare landscape, timely and accurate classification of such diseases is paramount, as it can significantly impact treatment outcomes and patient quality of life. As a compelling case study, we conducted a meticulous experiment to identify individuals afflicted with peripheral artery disease (PAD) and classify them from those without PAD. Our framework leverages acceleration data extracted from strategically placed anatomical reflective markers, including locations such as the sacrum, to train sophisticated classification …

Organic Electronics In Biosensing: A Promising Frontier For Medical And Environmental Applications, Jyoti Bala Kaushal, Pratima Raut, Sanjay Kumar

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

The promising field of organic electronics has ushered in a new era of biosensing technology, thus offering a promising frontier for applications in both medical diagnostics and environmental monitoring. This review paper provides a comprehensive overview of organic electronics’ remarkable progress and potential in biosensing applications. It explores the multifaceted aspects of organic materials and devices, thereby highlighting their unique advantages, such as flexibility, biocompatibility, and low-cost fabrication. The paper delves into the diverse range of biosensors enabled by organic electronics, including electrochemical, optical, piezoelectric, and thermal sensors, thus showcasing their versatility in detecting biomolecules, pathogens, and environmental pollutants. Furthermore, …

Continuous Time Recurrent Network For Human Activity Detection, Abdallah Al Zubi

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Human activity detection is crucial to personalize the control of the building environment. For example, understanding certain human activities (e.g., walking, sitting, etc.) for an occupant in a building helps provide the proper thermal comfort control. However, these applications require large-scale neural networks that are challenging to implement and train.

In this thesis, we implemented a continuous-time recurrent neural network implementation (CTRNN) network that can solve real-time human activity detection with a smaller-size network. The CTRNN uses differential equations with a time constant to describe the neuron equations. It was implemented and trained for the first time using TensorFlow. Specifically, …

Ten Questions Concerning Smart And Healthy Built Environments For Older Adults, Sanjay Kumar, Samuel H. Underwood, Julie L. Masters, Natalie A. Manley, Iason Konstantzos, Josephine Lau, Ryan Haller, Lily M. Wang

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

In the past decade, the term ‘global aging’ has gained much attention among researchers, policymakers, civil societies, and governments worldwide. The continuous decline in fertility rates and increased life expectancy have resulted in an ongoing demographic transition where the share of adults aged 65 or older is increasing and outnumbering children younger than five years. In the United States and other developed countries, this rapid demographic transition is expected to continue to strain the existing health infrastructure as it becomes increasingly challenging to ensure healthy living environments for older adults. The ten questions and answers in this paper have been …

Framework Development For Evaluating The Impacts Of Nursing Home Acoustics On Older Adults, Brian J. Puckett

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nursing homes are complex, multi-faceted environments which provide necessary medical supervision and housing for older adults in need of long-term care. With cognitive and sensory impairments being common adversities faced throughout the aging process, research is needed to better understand characteristics of the built environment which may contribute to difficulties for nursing home residents. Noise, in particular, has been shown to be problematic for nursing home residents in a variety of ways including disrupting sleep, associating with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, and leading to increased readmission to hospitals due to verbal communication misunderstandings. As the older adult population …

Data-Driven Framework For Predicting And Scheduling Household Charging Of Evs, Ahmad Almaghrebi

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The increasing prevalence of EV charging poses challenges for power grid stability and quality due to high charging load demands. Without effective energy management strategies for EV charging, the simultaneous power demand from numerous EVs can strain the electric grid, impacting power quality and the wholesale electricity market. To address these challenges, this dissertation presents a comprehensive framework comprising five critical tasks: analyzing EV charging behavior, optimizing charging schedules, developing predictive models, analyzing aggregated impacts, and evaluating implications of predicted user behavior on scheduling. By examining EV charging behavior at household and public charging stations, this study aims to understand …

Signal Classification Based On Analog Computing Using Mems Network, Mohammad Okour

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The rising complexity of machine learning algorithms and Artificial Intelligence in many applications, such as smart building, has prompted the development of alternate computing options. Because of their compact size, low power consumption, and diverse functionality, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have emerged as a possible candidate. This thesis focuses on using MEMS networks as computing units to classify a simple signal classification task using neural network methodology. The study intends to show the potential of using MEMS as an analog computing unit by discussing the advantage of the bi-stability pull-in behavior and hysteresis to create an accurate classifier of these waveforms. …

Toward Low Carbon Footprint And Lightweight Masonry Alkali-Activated Material, Zina Ebrahim, Mohammad Mastali, Marc Maguire

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

The portland cement concrete industry and the masonry industry are undergoing changes in response to skilled labor shortages and concerns over climate and pollution. There may be interest from parts of the industry in lower carbon footprint and lightweight masonry products. Toward this aim, the use of hemp shiv--the woody core of the hemp plant--in alkali-activated concrete was investigated herein and shown to have a wide range of impacts on the hardened state characteristics of a material suitable for structural concrete masonry units (CMUs) in accordance with ASTM C90 requirements. Hemp shiv is well known for its use in hempcrete, …

Incentivizing Electric Vehicle Adoption Through State And Federal Policies: Reviewing Influential Policies, Joshua Sabata, Subhaditya Shom, Ahmad Almaghrebi, Anne Mccollister, Mahmoud Alahmad

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

All-electric vehicles (EVs), battery-powered EVs (BEVs), and plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVS) are gaining market share and increasing in popularity with the buying public because the battery range (longer) and cost (lower) have reached sweet spots, the charging infrastructure is more robust, and concern with global cli­mate change is high. In 2013, only 100,000 EVs were sold in the United States, but by 2022, approximately 800,000 have been purchased. A similar growth is seen in EV sup­ply equipment (EVSE), i.e., EV charging stations, with 19,742 documented EV charging station locations in the United States in 2013 to 50,054 documented EV charging …

Out-Of-Plane Flexural Behavior Of Insulatedwall Panels Constructed With Large Insulation Thicknesses, Jacob Luebke, Fray F. Pozo-Lora, Salam Al-Rubaye, Marc Maguire

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Insulated concrete sandwich wall panels (ICSWPs) are gaining popularity as energy regulations become stricter worldwide. ICSWPs are now being constructed with thinner wythes and thicker insulation to keep up with the changing market, which is reducing material costs and increasing thermal and structural efficiency. However, there is a need for adequate experimental testing to validate the current design methods for these new panels. This research aims to provide that validation by comparing the predictions of four different methods with experimental data obtained from six large-scale panels. The study found that while current design methods adequately predict the behavior of thin …

Simplified Engineering For Architects And Builders, 13th Edition, Sharon Kuska, Patrick Tripeny, James Ambrose

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

The twelfth edition of the Work was published by the Publisher under the agreement between the Publisher and Patrick Tripeny dated February 24, 2014 (the “Twelfth Edition”).

The Publisher and the Author wish to work together to achieve the professional standards and success that they each desire from the Work, and agree as follows:

Energy Efficient Integrated Mems Neural Network For Simultaneous Sensing And Computing, Hamed Nikfarjam, Mohammad Megdadi, Mohammad Okour, Siavash Pourkamali, F. M. Alsaleem

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Biological systems seamlessly combine multiple functions in lightweight and energy-efficient structures. Such capability in synthetic structures would be desirable in numerous engineering applications such as aerospace, robotics and wearable devices. Here we report an integrated silicon-based structure configured to sense, perform different classification algorithms, and produce an action signal within the same physical layer. The algorithms are coded in the mechanical responses of the sensing elements of multiple coupled micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), simultaneously capturing acceleration measurements to produce an actuated signal. This all-in-one structure operates with zero circuitry and low power consumption. As a demonstration, we designed and fabricated a …

Reconfigurable Metatiles With Circular Maze-Like Space-Coiling-Based Acoustic Metastructure For Low-To-Mid Frequency Sound Attenuation, Sanjay Kumar, Heow Pueh Lee

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This study presents a compact, lightweight, and reconfigurable acoustic metatile for sound mitigation applications. The metatile prototype is designed based on a circular maze-like acoustic metastructure, which utilizes a space-coiling technique for enhanced acoustic performance in low-to-mid frequencies. The proposed labyrinthine acoustic metadisk structure comprises a central hollow front face sheet and two coiling-up backing cavities. Experimental results show that the metadisk has high absorption peaks of 0.81 and 0.75 at 574 and 1436 Hz, respectively, and exhibits high sound transmission loss (STL) values (≥25 dB) in separate wide frequency bands between 100–580 Hz and 820–1600 Hz. Based on the …

Structural Testing Of Concrete Walls On-Edge With Combined Axial And Out-Of-Plane Loading, Salam Al-Rubaye, Marc Maguire

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Full-scale testing of structural components can be time consuming and difficult. The design of full- scale slender concrete walls is highly influenced and controlled by second-order and out-of-plane bending loads. Previous experiments on out-plane bending of slender walls and insulated walls have been performed with bending in the direction of gravity (with or against). Additionally, most of the research considering out-of-plane bending does not include an axial load and suffers from inaccurate results due to not simulating the actual loading and constraining conditions or safety issues. This testing method was developed expressly for the determination of slender wall behavior in …

Relationships Between Residence Characteristics And Nursing Home Compare Database Quality Measures, Brian J. Puckett, Erica E. Ryherd, Natalie Manley, Carey S. Ryan

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Objective: This study evaluated relationships between physical characteristics of nursing home residences and quality-of-care measures.

Design: This was a cross-sectional ecologic study. The dependent variables were 5 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Nursing Home Compare database long-stay quality measures (QMs) during 2019: percentage of residents who displayed depressive symptoms, percentage of residents who were physically restrained, percentage of residents who experienced 1 or more falls resulting in injury, percentage of residents who received antipsychotic medication, and percentage of residents who received anti-anxiety medication. The independent variables were 4 residence characteristics: ownership type, size, occupancy, and region …

Design Of Wythe Connectors For Concentrated Out-Of-Plane Loading Of Insulated Walls, Ammar Al-Maabreh, Fray F. Pozo, Marc Maguire

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Partially composite concrete insulated wall panels must be designed to handle different types of loading, including out-of-plane concentrated loads. Currently, there is a lack of information that describes and helps engineers analyze the mechanics of axial load transfer for insulated wall panels for concentrated out-of-plane loads that may occur from lifting, handling, or floor/roof reactions. Such loading generates axial and shear forces in the wythe connectors, making it important to choose the type and quantity of connectors in the design process. This paper aims to develop a better understanding of out-of-plane point load mechanics on concrete sandwich wall panels. A …

Inter-Wythe Slip Design Criteria For Non-Composite Insulated Walls, Abdelrahman Awawdeh, Fray F. Pozo-Lora, Marc Maguire

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Non-composite insulated wall connector design is governed by ICC-ES AC320. This standard works entirely in the loading domain, asking the engineer to prevent connector failure due to tension and shear loading. In this paper, the authors discuss additional criteria related to thermal loading and out-of-plane wind loading that create displacement demand in the non-composite connectors. Loads suitable for such analyses are not well defined. Loads are assumed and demonstrated herein and shown to cause significant displacement demand on connectors. Limited non-composite wythe connector testing is available, and some results are presented here. A comparison indicates that outright failure of non-composite …

Analysis And Design Of Lateral Framing Systems For Multi-Story Steel Buildings, Husam Al Dughaishi, Jawad Al Lawati, Moad Alosta, Shaker Mahmood, Mohamed Faisal Al-Kazee, Nur Izzi Md Yusoff, Abdalrhman Milad

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This study focused on identifying the most appropriate structural system for multi-story buildings and analyzing its response to lateral loads. The study analyzed and compared the different structural systems to determine the most suitable option. The study aims to utilize three lateral framing systems (moment, braced, and diagrid) in order to investigate which system needs the least amount of steel to meet the design requirements. Thus, in order to determine the estimated steel savings of this system as compared to the moment and braced frames, the four-story and eight-story buildings that are 96' × 96' in the plane and utilize …

Airborne Infection Risks From Covid-19 In Meat Processing Plants And Different Solutions To Mitigate The Risks, Debayan Shom

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Meat processing plants are linked to the rapid spread of COVID-19 cases. A related literature review shows a lack of proper ventilation standards for the meat processing plants for workers’ health and safety. Ventilation rates in these plants are considered adequate if the meat products are unadulterated. Thus, the air distribution and ventilation rate experiments were conducted in three meat processing plants. These measured ventilation rates were either compared to ASHRAE Std. 62.1 (2019) for a similar space or the design values provided by the plant’s administration. The measured values were low in common spaces, such as the cafeteria and …

A Framework To Predict Variability Characteristics In Building Load Profiles, Sam Moayedi, Andrew Parker, Kevin James, Xiaoyue Cheng, Michael Hempel, Hamid Sharif, Mahmoud A. Alahmad

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

The expansion of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) has provided building operators and researchers detailed information on building energy consumption. The majority of AMI systems, however, record data at relatively low resolutions of 15, 30, or 60 minutes, due to cost, storage and bandwidth limitations. Emerging applications in power flow analysis, Quasi-Static Time-Series Simulation (QSTS), smart grid integration and load matching, however, require data at higher resolutions. Short-term energy demand can deviate significantly from long-term averages, with an unknown magnitude and frequency when only low-resolution load profile data is available. This paper presents a novel data-driven approach to predict characteristics of …

Integration Of Real-Time Semantic Building Map Updating With Adaptive Monte Carlo Localization (Amcl) For Robust Indoor Mobile Robot Localization, Matthew Peavy, Pileun Kim, Hafiz Oyediran, Kyungki Kim

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

A robot can accurately localize itself and navigate in an indoor environment based on information about the operating environment, often called a world or a map. While typical maps describe structural layouts of buildings, the accuracy of localization is significantly affected by nonstructural building elements and common items, such as doors, appliances, and furniture. This study enhances the robustness and accuracy of indoor robot localization by dynamically updating the semantic building map with non-structural elements detected by sensors. We propose modified Adaptive Monte Carlo Localization (AMCL), integrating object recognition and map updating into the traditional probabilistic localization. With the proposed …

Dissipated Hysteretic Energy Reconstruction For High-Resolution Seismic Monitoring Of Instrumented Buildings, Milad Roochi, Eric M. Hernández, David V. Rosowsky

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This paper proposes a high-resolution seismic monitoring framework that employs dissipated energy as a feature for damage detection and localization in instrumented building structures. The the methodology consists of (1) implementing a nonlinear state observer to reconstruct the dynamic response at all degrees of freedom (DoF) of a structural model, (2) employing the reconstructed response to estimate element-by-element forces and displacements, and (3) using estimated displacement, forces, and constitutive laws to estimate elementlevel dissipated energy. The main advantages of the proposed energy-based approach are that i) the proposed feature is physically meaningful and correlates well with the level of cyclic …

Integrating Life-Cycle Analysis Into Civil Infrastructure Resilience Decision Making: Illustrative Application To Seismic Resilience Modeling Of Us Communities, Milad Roohi, Jiate Li, W. Van De Lindt

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

This paper aims to integrate life-cycle analysis into civil infrastructure resilience modeling and decision-making in seismic-prone communities. To achieve this aim, the authors present a methodology for modeling seismic life-cycle resilience of interdependent buildings and lifeline systems and subsequently informing resilience decisions directly related to the maintenance and retrofit of interdependent infrastructure to enhance a community’s physical, social, and economic systems. The methodology consists of 1) community data collection, 2) seismic hazard analysis, 3) physical damage analysis, and 4) system-level functionality and restoration analysis, 5) socio-economic impact analysis, 6) life-cycle optimization and retrofit decisionmaking. The methodology begins by developing geospatial …