<p>    </p> <p>Technological advances and gaming have assisted users in becoming energy-efficient or raising awareness about energy efficiency. However, these games typically take place in schools and workplaces. Low-income households, which spend a larger percentage of income on utilities compared to average income households, exhibit greater sensitivity to energy disturbances. Despite this, there has been limited research on applying these technologies in low-income households. </p> <p><br></p> <p>The dissertation addresses the research gap concerning motivating low-income households to adopt new technologies focused on implementing energy-efficient HVAC behaviors. To achieve this objective, a gamification approach is employed, integrating a competitive social game into a cloud-based application named MySmartE. This application offers personalized eco-feedback and enables voice commands using Amazon Alexa. The game is deployed in two multi-residential low-income household communities located in Indiana. The collected data from field studies is analyzed to explore various aspects, including community interactions during the gaming seasons, technology adoption, and factors influencing participation in the social game. The findings reveal a positive correlation between increased gaming interac- tions and the adoption of MySmartE technology within these communities, underscoring the potential of gamification and technology to effectively engage low-income households in adopting energy-efficient practices. </p>

<p dir="ltr">People spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, where they are exposed to a wide variety of particle- and gas-phase air pollutants. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the chemical disinfection of high-touch surfaces in occupational workplaces and residential buildings. The use of chemical disinfectants may introduce more pollutants into the indoor environment. These intensive disinfection activities may lead to high human exposure to the released VOC mixtures and potentially adverse effects on the health of disinfection workers and occupants. Thus, it is critical to characterize the VOC mixtures and estimate human exposure during the building disinfection events with various disinfectant products and different disinfection cases and exposure scenarios. This dissertation aims to (1.) evaluate and characterize the VOC emissions during the building disinfections; (2.) assess the low-cost sensor performance to measure VOCs via the PTR-TOF-MS during building disinfections; (3.) compare the VOC measurements and human exposure between breathing zone and bulk air experiment setups; (4.) evaluate the impact of indoor emissions on human exposure during different usage cases of building disinfection.</p><p dir="ltr">To achieve these objectives, this thesis presents three studies based on a field experiment campaign conducted at the Purdue Zero Energy Design Guidance for Engineer (zEDGE) Tiny House in the fall of 2020. First, this thesis presents a study to evaluate the real-time performance of PID in sensing indoor VOC mixtures during building disinfection events through co-location measurements with a PTR-TOF-MS during spray-based disinfectants. The measurements demonstrated that the PID was successful in identifying VOC emission events during the application of the disinfectants. Thus, PIDs may be suitable for integration with building automation systems for ventilation control. The PID response was less than the PTR-TOF-MS response, suggesting that the PID could more efficiently detect many components of the emitted VOC mixtures. Detailed correlation analysis between the PID and PTR-TOF-MS responses provides a basis for improving the reliability of PIDs in estimating VOC concentrations through the application of product-specific correction factors.</p><p dir="ltr">Secondly, this thesis conducts an experimental case study to demonstrate the application of PTR-TOF-MS for mobile breathing zone (BZ) monitoring of VOCs in workplace environments during disinfection activities. Worker inhalation exposure to VOCs was evaluated by attaching the PTR-TOF-MS sampling line to the researcher’s BZ while the disinfection activity was carried out throughout the building. The results show significant spatiotemporal variations in VOC concentrations can occur in the worker’s BZ during multi-surface disinfection events. The application of high-resolution monitoring techniques, such as PTR-TOF-MS, is needed to advance the characterization of worker exposures and develop appropriate mitigation strategies for volatile disinfectant chemicals.</p><p><br></p><p dir="ltr">Lastly, this thesis provides a comprehensive evaluation study on human exposure to VOCs during PAA-based building disinfection events via real-time measurement and disinfection event modeling. The results revealed that PAA-based surface disinfection can lead to an excessive increase in PAA concentrations. BZ experiments demonstrated a spatiotemporal variation in PAA concentrations. The missing mass inhaled measured by the PAA monitor indicated that the human inhalation exposure identified by BZ experiments may be much higher than in bulk air (BA) experiments; thus, a mobile measurement in their breathing zones can better understand the occupants’ exposure to PAA during a building disinfection event. The disinfection event modeling indicated that PAA-based building disinfection may lead to excessive human exposure when using high dilution ratios and/or turning off mechanical ventilation. Such exposure could potentially leave a severe or even irreversible effect on occupant health. These findings suggested that a disinfection protection plan/protocol is necessary for workers, ensuring a required dilution for a disinfectant solution and enough ventilation rate for a safe PAA disinfection event. For the general public who may have difficulties developing professional disinfection procedures, pre-diluted disinfection products with a warning of turning on ventilation could be a more suitable alternative for PAA-based disinfection.</p>

As questões relacionadas à prática da eutanásia, que têm sido apresentadas, em nossa sociedade, especialmente através da mídia, levaram-me à realização deste estudo. A partir de aproximações com leituras do campo dos Estudos Culturais, nas suas versões pós-estruturalistas, dos Estudos da Ciência e de estudos de Michel Foucault, passei a interrogar como a rede de enunciados relacionados à vida, à morte e à eutanásia aparecem na mídia impressa. Neste estudo, estou entendendo o corpo como produção de práticas sociais; a materialidade biológica, ao ser inscrita por discursos e práticas de diferentes instâncias culturais que se articulam ou se confrontam, configura-se naquilo que nomeamos de corpo; o morrer não apenas como um fato biológico, mas também como um processo construído socialmente cujas transformações alteram comportamentos e sentimentos; e a medicina como um saber/poder que, principalmente a partir do século XIX, numa política dirigida à vida, vai incidir sobre o corpo e os fenômenos biológicos, controlando e regulamentando o indivíduo e sua vida/morte.Hoje, a mídia tem ocupado destacado lugar na veiculação e instituição de determinadas verdades, funcionando como uma importante estratégia de regulação do corpo e da vida. Nesse sentido, os enunciados que nos interpelam cotidianamente, ao serem incorporados, configuram determinados modos de pensar e agir. No estudo, analisei edições dos jornais Zero Hora (ZH), de Porto Alegre/RS, e Folha de São Paulo, de São Paulo, e da revista Veja, publicadas ao longo do ano de 2005 e 2006, que tratavam de casos relacionados à eutanásia. A partir das discussões e dos relatos apresentados pelas reportagens, percebi a ocorrência de movimentos voltados a debater e a repensar as formas como se tem exercido o poder sobre a vida das pessoas, como, por exemplo, as mobilizações da sociedade em manifestações públicas de apoio ou protesto às decisões sobre a vida/morte de pacientes com doenças terminais ou sem chance de cura, assim como a existência de embates entre médicos e advogados nabusca pela legitimação da prática médica em suspender ou limitar procedimentos e tratamentos que prolonguem ou mantenham a “vida” dos pacientes. Compreendi que, os avanços da tecnociência e da ampliação do poder de intervenção médica no “curso” da vida/morte têm atuado como estratégias para salvar e manter a vida, sem que se questionem as condições do paciente e da vida que está sendo mantida. Por fim, percebi o caráter e a força política dessas discussões e manifestações, mobilizando órgãos como o Conselho Federal de Medicina a aprovar uma Resolução favorável aos limites do saber e do poder sobre a vida, além de contribuir para a aceitação da ortotanásia na sociedade e trazer discussões sobre os alicerces em que as leis, normas e códigos brasileiros se amparam.Minha proposta foi possibilitar um outro espaço de pensar e problematizar determinadas práticas diante da possibilidade de liberdade de decisão e ação das pessoas em situações de morte e chamar a atenção para a posição hegemônica dos discursos – religioso, jurídico, médico – no gerenciamento da vida/morte. / Issues related to euthanasia practice that have been shown in our society, especially through media, motivated this study. From approximations to the Cultural Studies in its post-structuralist versions, Science Studies, and works of Michel Foucault, I have questioned how utterances related to life, death, and euthanasia have been shown in media. In this study, body is understood as a production of social practices; the biological materiality, on being inscribed by discourses and practices from different cultural instances that are articulated or confronted, conforms what we have named as body; dying is seen not only as a biological fact, but also as a process that is socially constructed, whose transformations alter behaviors and feelings; and medicine is taken as a knowledge/power that, particularly from the nineteenth century, in a policy directed towards life, has acted on the body and the biological phenomena, controlling and regulating the individual and his/her life/death. Presently, media has had a marked role in spreading and instituting certain truths, functioning as an important strategy to regulate body and life. In this sense, utterances that have stricken us daily, when they are embodied, conform certain ways of thinking and acting. In this study, I have analyzed issues of two newspapers (Zero Hora, from Porto Alegre/RS, and Folha de São Paulo, from São Paulo), and a magazine (Veja), published over the years 2005 and 2006, presenting cases related to euthanasia. From the discussions and reports considered, I have noticed the occurrence of movements to both debate and rethink the ways power has been exerted on peoples’ lives. For instance, mobilizations of society in public manifestations to either support or protest against decisions about life/death of terminal patients with no chances to be cured, as well as the existence of disputes between physicians and lawyers in search of legitimization of the medical practice to suspend or limit procedures and treatments that prolong or maintain patients’ “lives”. I have understood that, despite the great developments in techno-science and the amplification of power of medical intervention, more comprehensive reflections to show impacts of these new treatments and their possibleconsequences have not been made. Such interventions in the “course” of life/death have acted as strategies to save and maintain life, in a logic ruled by life, without questioning the conditions of either the patient or the life that is maintained. Finally, I have perceived the political character and strength of those discussions and manifests, mobilizing institutions, such as the Federal Medical Board, to approve a Resolution that favors the limits of knowledge and power over life, besides contributing towards the acceptance of orthothanasia in society and bringing about discussions on the foundations on which Brazilian laws, norms and codes are grounded. My proposal has been to provide another space to think and problematize certain practices, in relation to the possibility of freedom to decide and act of people facing death situations, as well as to draw attention to the hegemonic position of – religious, juridical, and medical – discourses in life/death management.

As questões relacionadas à prática da eutanásia, que têm sido apresentadas, em nossa sociedade, especialmente através da mídia, levaram-me à realização deste estudo. A partir de aproximações com leituras do campo dos Estudos Culturais, nas suas versões pós-estruturalistas, dos Estudos da Ciência e de estudos de Michel Foucault, passei a interrogar como a rede de enunciados relacionados à vida, à morte e à eutanásia aparecem na mídia impressa. Neste estudo, estou entendendo o corpo como produção de práticas sociais; a materialidade biológica, ao ser inscrita por discursos e práticas de diferentes instâncias culturais que se articulam ou se confrontam, configura-se naquilo que nomeamos de corpo; o morrer não apenas como um fato biológico, mas também como um processo construído socialmente cujas transformações alteram comportamentos e sentimentos; e a medicina como um saber/poder que, principalmente a partir do século XIX, numa política dirigida à vida, vai incidir sobre o corpo e os fenômenos biológicos, controlando e regulamentando o indivíduo e sua vida/morte.Hoje, a mídia tem ocupado destacado lugar na veiculação e instituição de determinadas verdades, funcionando como uma importante estratégia de regulação do corpo e da vida. Nesse sentido, os enunciados que nos interpelam cotidianamente, ao serem incorporados, configuram determinados modos de pensar e agir. No estudo, analisei edições dos jornais Zero Hora (ZH), de Porto Alegre/RS, e Folha de São Paulo, de São Paulo, e da revista Veja, publicadas ao longo do ano de 2005 e 2006, que tratavam de casos relacionados à eutanásia. A partir das discussões e dos relatos apresentados pelas reportagens, percebi a ocorrência de movimentos voltados a debater e a repensar as formas como se tem exercido o poder sobre a vida das pessoas, como, por exemplo, as mobilizações da sociedade em manifestações públicas de apoio ou protesto às decisões sobre a vida/morte de pacientes com doenças terminais ou sem chance de cura, assim como a existência de embates entre médicos e advogados nabusca pela legitimação da prática médica em suspender ou limitar procedimentos e tratamentos que prolonguem ou mantenham a “vida” dos pacientes. Compreendi que, os avanços da tecnociência e da ampliação do poder de intervenção médica no “curso” da vida/morte têm atuado como estratégias para salvar e manter a vida, sem que se questionem as condições do paciente e da vida que está sendo mantida. Por fim, percebi o caráter e a força política dessas discussões e manifestações, mobilizando órgãos como o Conselho Federal de Medicina a aprovar uma Resolução favorável aos limites do saber e do poder sobre a vida, além de contribuir para a aceitação da ortotanásia na sociedade e trazer discussões sobre os alicerces em que as leis, normas e códigos brasileiros se amparam.Minha proposta foi possibilitar um outro espaço de pensar e problematizar determinadas práticas diante da possibilidade de liberdade de decisão e ação das pessoas em situações de morte e chamar a atenção para a posição hegemônica dos discursos – religioso, jurídico, médico – no gerenciamento da vida/morte. / Issues related to euthanasia practice that have been shown in our society, especially through media, motivated this study. From approximations to the Cultural Studies in its post-structuralist versions, Science Studies, and works of Michel Foucault, I have questioned how utterances related to life, death, and euthanasia have been shown in media. In this study, body is understood as a production of social practices; the biological materiality, on being inscribed by discourses and practices from different cultural instances that are articulated or confronted, conforms what we have named as body; dying is seen not only as a biological fact, but also as a process that is socially constructed, whose transformations alter behaviors and feelings; and medicine is taken as a knowledge/power that, particularly from the nineteenth century, in a policy directed towards life, has acted on the body and the biological phenomena, controlling and regulating the individual and his/her life/death. Presently, media has had a marked role in spreading and instituting certain truths, functioning as an important strategy to regulate body and life. In this sense, utterances that have stricken us daily, when they are embodied, conform certain ways of thinking and acting. In this study, I have analyzed issues of two newspapers (Zero Hora, from Porto Alegre/RS, and Folha de São Paulo, from São Paulo), and a magazine (Veja), published over the years 2005 and 2006, presenting cases related to euthanasia. From the discussions and reports considered, I have noticed the occurrence of movements to both debate and rethink the ways power has been exerted on peoples’ lives. For instance, mobilizations of society in public manifestations to either support or protest against decisions about life/death of terminal patients with no chances to be cured, as well as the existence of disputes between physicians and lawyers in search of legitimization of the medical practice to suspend or limit procedures and treatments that prolong or maintain patients’ “lives”. I have understood that, despite the great developments in techno-science and the amplification of power of medical intervention, more comprehensive reflections to show impacts of these new treatments and their possibleconsequences have not been made. Such interventions in the “course” of life/death have acted as strategies to save and maintain life, in a logic ruled by life, without questioning the conditions of either the patient or the life that is maintained. Finally, I have perceived the political character and strength of those discussions and manifests, mobilizing institutions, such as the Federal Medical Board, to approve a Resolution that favors the limits of knowledge and power over life, besides contributing towards the acceptance of orthothanasia in society and bringing about discussions on the foundations on which Brazilian laws, norms and codes are grounded. My proposal has been to provide another space to think and problematize certain practices, in relation to the possibility of freedom to decide and act of people facing death situations, as well as to draw attention to the hegemonic position of – religious, juridical, and medical – discourses in life/death management.

As questões relacionadas à prática da eutanásia, que têm sido apresentadas, em nossa sociedade, especialmente através da mídia, levaram-me à realização deste estudo. A partir de aproximações com leituras do campo dos Estudos Culturais, nas suas versões pós-estruturalistas, dos Estudos da Ciência e de estudos de Michel Foucault, passei a interrogar como a rede de enunciados relacionados à vida, à morte e à eutanásia aparecem na mídia impressa. Neste estudo, estou entendendo o corpo como produção de práticas sociais; a materialidade biológica, ao ser inscrita por discursos e práticas de diferentes instâncias culturais que se articulam ou se confrontam, configura-se naquilo que nomeamos de corpo; o morrer não apenas como um fato biológico, mas também como um processo construído socialmente cujas transformações alteram comportamentos e sentimentos; e a medicina como um saber/poder que, principalmente a partir do século XIX, numa política dirigida à vida, vai incidir sobre o corpo e os fenômenos biológicos, controlando e regulamentando o indivíduo e sua vida/morte.Hoje, a mídia tem ocupado destacado lugar na veiculação e instituição de determinadas verdades, funcionando como uma importante estratégia de regulação do corpo e da vida. Nesse sentido, os enunciados que nos interpelam cotidianamente, ao serem incorporados, configuram determinados modos de pensar e agir. No estudo, analisei edições dos jornais Zero Hora (ZH), de Porto Alegre/RS, e Folha de São Paulo, de São Paulo, e da revista Veja, publicadas ao longo do ano de 2005 e 2006, que tratavam de casos relacionados à eutanásia. A partir das discussões e dos relatos apresentados pelas reportagens, percebi a ocorrência de movimentos voltados a debater e a repensar as formas como se tem exercido o poder sobre a vida das pessoas, como, por exemplo, as mobilizações da sociedade em manifestações públicas de apoio ou protesto às decisões sobre a vida/morte de pacientes com doenças terminais ou sem chance de cura, assim como a existência de embates entre médicos e advogados nabusca pela legitimação da prática médica em suspender ou limitar procedimentos e tratamentos que prolonguem ou mantenham a “vida” dos pacientes. Compreendi que, os avanços da tecnociência e da ampliação do poder de intervenção médica no “curso” da vida/morte têm atuado como estratégias para salvar e manter a vida, sem que se questionem as condições do paciente e da vida que está sendo mantida. Por fim, percebi o caráter e a força política dessas discussões e manifestações, mobilizando órgãos como o Conselho Federal de Medicina a aprovar uma Resolução favorável aos limites do saber e do poder sobre a vida, além de contribuir para a aceitação da ortotanásia na sociedade e trazer discussões sobre os alicerces em que as leis, normas e códigos brasileiros se amparam.Minha proposta foi possibilitar um outro espaço de pensar e problematizar determinadas práticas diante da possibilidade de liberdade de decisão e ação das pessoas em situações de morte e chamar a atenção para a posição hegemônica dos discursos – religioso, jurídico, médico – no gerenciamento da vida/morte. / Issues related to euthanasia practice that have been shown in our society, especially through media, motivated this study. From approximations to the Cultural Studies in its post-structuralist versions, Science Studies, and works of Michel Foucault, I have questioned how utterances related to life, death, and euthanasia have been shown in media. In this study, body is understood as a production of social practices; the biological materiality, on being inscribed by discourses and practices from different cultural instances that are articulated or confronted, conforms what we have named as body; dying is seen not only as a biological fact, but also as a process that is socially constructed, whose transformations alter behaviors and feelings; and medicine is taken as a knowledge/power that, particularly from the nineteenth century, in a policy directed towards life, has acted on the body and the biological phenomena, controlling and regulating the individual and his/her life/death. Presently, media has had a marked role in spreading and instituting certain truths, functioning as an important strategy to regulate body and life. In this sense, utterances that have stricken us daily, when they are embodied, conform certain ways of thinking and acting. In this study, I have analyzed issues of two newspapers (Zero Hora, from Porto Alegre/RS, and Folha de São Paulo, from São Paulo), and a magazine (Veja), published over the years 2005 and 2006, presenting cases related to euthanasia. From the discussions and reports considered, I have noticed the occurrence of movements to both debate and rethink the ways power has been exerted on peoples’ lives. For instance, mobilizations of society in public manifestations to either support or protest against decisions about life/death of terminal patients with no chances to be cured, as well as the existence of disputes between physicians and lawyers in search of legitimization of the medical practice to suspend or limit procedures and treatments that prolong or maintain patients’ “lives”. I have understood that, despite the great developments in techno-science and the amplification of power of medical intervention, more comprehensive reflections to show impacts of these new treatments and their possibleconsequences have not been made. Such interventions in the “course” of life/death have acted as strategies to save and maintain life, in a logic ruled by life, without questioning the conditions of either the patient or the life that is maintained. Finally, I have perceived the political character and strength of those discussions and manifests, mobilizing institutions, such as the Federal Medical Board, to approve a Resolution that favors the limits of knowledge and power over life, besides contributing towards the acceptance of orthothanasia in society and bringing about discussions on the foundations on which Brazilian laws, norms and codes are grounded. My proposal has been to provide another space to think and problematize certain practices, in relation to the possibility of freedom to decide and act of people facing death situations, as well as to draw attention to the hegemonic position of – religious, juridical, and medical – discourses in life/death management.

<p dir="ltr">Personalized thermal controls are beneficial for occupant comfort and productivity in office buildings. Recent research efforts on learning personal thermal comfort support the integration of personalized preferences in optimal building control and further implementation in real buildings. This Thesis presents the development and field implementation of personal preference-based thermal control in real offices, emphasizing the role of model predictive control (MPC) and low-cost local sensing. Probabilistic thermal preference profiles, a low-cost thermal sensing network and a MPC framework were integrated into a centralized building management and control system. The customized, preference-based HVAC control implemented in the offices indicated the comfort benefits of monitoring local thermal conditions (vs wall thermostats) for different preference profiles and showed 28-35% energy savings with personalized MPC (vs personalized static setpoint control).</p><p dir="ltr">Regarding the practical limitations in collecting sufficient data from occupants to train their thermal comfort model, we present a Bayesian meta-learning approach for developing reliable, data-driven personalized thermal comfort models using limited data from individuals. A high-dimensional neural network was developed, considering general thermal comfort impact factors (environmental variables, clothing level and metabolic rate) as well as personal thermal characteristics (expressed as a vector of continuous latent variables) as model inputs. The model parameters in the neural network were trained with subsets of ASHRAE RP-884 database. The trained neural network is transferrable, so that the thermal preferences of new individuals can be predicted by inferring their personal thermal characteristics using limited data. The results show that the developed Bayesian meta-learning approach to infer personal thermal comfort performs better than existing methods, especially when using limited data.</p><p dir="ltr">Moreover, this Thesis also discusses the potential of balancing thermal comfort and energy cost by setting dynamic temperature constraints in personalized MPC. A co-simulation framework of EnergyPlus and MPC is constructed using EnergyPlus Python API. Dynamic temperature constraints are selected based on personal thermal profile, weather conditions and utility rate variations. The performance of the personalized MPC with dynamic constraints demonstrates a balance between thermal comfort and energy cost in cooling season.</p>

<p>  </p> <p>Heating and cooling (HC) energy use account for about 40% of the total annual energy consumption and cost of an average household in the U.S and it is significantly affected by residents’ energy-related behavior. This is particularly important for low-income residents in the U.S. who spend a larger portion of their income (i.e., about 16%) on home energy costs compared to average-income households (i.e., 4%). To address opportunities for reducing residential HC energy usage without requiring physical building upgrades, this thesis presents a new paradigm for smart and connected energy-aware communities that leverage smart eco-feedback devices and social games to engage residents in understanding and reducing their home energy use.</p> <p><br></p> <p>First, this Thesis presents a new modeling approach for personalized eco-feedback design integrated with a collaborative social game to assist residents to enhance their thermostat use while promoting community-level energy savings. The modeling framework is integrated into a cloud-based application, MySmartE, with visual (wall-mounted tablet) and voice (Alexa) user interfaces to facilitate behavioral changes in a user-centric approach. The platform is deployed in a multi-unit residential community in Fort Wayne, IN and the experimental data are used to investigate: (i) how occupants’ thermostat behaviors changed after using the MySmartE app; (ii) how users interacted with the app during the game; and (iii) how was users’ experience with the developed platform. Despite the heterogeneous characteristics of households, the results from the field study show the positive effect of the intervention in the thermostat-adjustment behaviors, which results in an increase in the indoor temperature during the cooling season compared to the baseline period. Findings from the user interaction analysis and post-experiment interviews also reveal the significant potential to nudge households’ energy conservation behaviors with the developed platform along with the challenges that should be tackled to derive long-term behavior changes. </p> <p><br></p> <p>Second, this Thesis introduces a sociotechnical modeling approach based on utility theory to reveal causal effects in human decision-making and infer attributes affecting households’ thermostat responses during an eco-feedback intervention. This modeling approach (i) is based on a utility model that quantifies residents’ preferences over indoor temperatures given decision attributes related to their thermal environment and eco-feedback and (ii) incorporates latent parameters that are inferred to determine the unique behavioral characteristics of each household. For parameter learning, a hierarchical Bayesian model is developed with a non-centered parameterization and calibrated to the field data. Based on the calibration results, the proposed model quantifies the impact of the eco-feedback on households’ thermostat-adjustment behaviors and serves as a foundation for analyzing resident behavior in connected residential communities with eco-feedback energy-saving programs.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Finally, this Thesis presents a modeling approach for investigating the decision trends of residents in goal-oriented collaborative social games while considering their decision preferences and goal achievement capabilities. The proposed approach involves a mechanism design method that derives optimal decisions by conducting counterfactual simulations given various scenarios of goal and reward sets. This modeling approach (i) re-defines utility functions to include decision attributes that reflect user preferences on the game status; (ii) calibrates the model to learn the decision preferences of the residents; (iii) simulates the decision-making process of residents by solving the Nash Equilibrium for a given set of game scenarios. The results revealed the decision trends of the residents given the various goals and rewards along with the potential goal achievement trends and the resulting variations in the marginal community utility.</p>

<p dir="ltr">In U.S. residential buildings, space heating makes up about 43% of total energy use, with natural gas fulfilling 45% of this demand. As climate change concerns escalate, moving away from fossil fuel heating systems to more sustainable options are essential, especially in cold climates where heating needs are significant. Air-source heat pumps are a promising alternative, but their capacity and efficiency decrease as outdoor temperatures drop, impacting comfort due to lower supply temperatures (e.g., 32°C/90°F). This can lead to potential discomfort, as such temperatures feel cooler than skin temperature. Additionally, defrosting cycles pull heat from indoor spaces to clear outdoor coils. Conversely, gas furnaces provide steady heat at higher temperatures (over 49°C/120°F) without defrosting issues. Research shows that discomfort prompts occupants to raise thermostat setpoints and increase energy use.This study aims to investigate the influence of operational characteristics of various comfort delivery systems in cold weather on occupants' thermostat adjustment behaviors, identify the limitations of current heat pump systems, and develop a novel wall-embedded micro heat pump (WEMHP) radiant heating system that enhances comfort and reduces energy consumption, supporting the electrification of residential buildings. To achieve this goal, the research focuses on the following specific objectives: 1) develop a controlled laboratory testbed to emulate different thermal comfort delivery systems, including convective air and radiant systems; 2) investigate occupant setpoint preferences and thermostat adjustment behaviors under different operational modes using a residential community testbed; 3) study occupant thermostat adjustment behaviors for different types of heat pump systems through laboratory experiments; 4) develop and evaluate a novel wall-embedded micro heat pump for radiant heating in buildings; 5) design and test a prototype of the wall-embedded micro heat pump as a proof-of-concept demonstration.</p><p dir="ltr">This study first introduces the Human Building Interaction Laboratory (HBIL), a new facility with a modular design that includes reconfigurable thermally active panels for walls, floors, and ceilings. Each panel’s surface temperature can be independently controlled via a hot and cold water hydronic system, allowing the simulation of various climate zones, building conditions, and different heating/cooling systems. This setup facilitates research on localized comfort delivery, occupant comfort control, active building materials, and more.</p><p dir="ltr">Subsequently, a residential community test-bed was established within a newly built residential community in Indianapolis. A study was conducted in 30 homes to collect data on occupants' thermostat adjustments under two different operation modes: 1) a baseline mode featuring a heat pump paired with an auxiliary heater controlled by default thermostat heuristic rules, and 2) a comparison mode where the auxiliary heater was activated to provide the majority of heating. The findings showed that 8 out of 13 units preferred lower setpoints in the comparison mode, where higher supply air temperatures were utilized. Four distinct setpoint-increasing behaviors were identified, contributing to the observed setpoint differences between the two modes. Notably, two of these behaviors were closely linked to the operational characteristics of heat pumps in cold weather, specifically cases of insufficient and sufficient HP capacity.</p><p dir="ltr">To further explore the differences in setpoint preferences and the motivations behind setpoint adjustments, two scenarios were designed, and 32 experiments with human test-subjects were conducted in a controlled laboratory (Human Building Interaction Laboratory). The first case, with a single-stage heat pump and auxiliary heater, replicated the operational characteristics observed in the field study. The second case, using a variable-speed heat pump with enhanced comfort features, aimed to investigate participants' comfort preferences and provide insights for future heat pump design improvements. According to the thermal comfort survey results, 19 out of 32 participants increased their setpoints in the single-stage heat pump case, even though the heat pump had sufficient capacity to warm the indoor space. Cold air movement and indoor temperature fluctuations due to the heat pump cycling on/off were the main reasons participants reported increasing their setpoints in this case. In contrast, participants felt more comfortable with the variable-speed heat pump in the laboratory study, attributing their comfort to stable indoor temperatures and the absence of cold air movement.</p><p dir="ltr">Finally, a novel wall-embedded micro heat pump (WEMHP) was developed as a new distributed comfort delivery approach with several distinct advantages compared to alternatives: (1) A WEMHP eliminates the need for a secondary water loop and does not require separate indoor and outdoor units. Instead, a WEMHP unit operating in heating mode directly absorbs heat through an embedded heat exchanger (evaporator) at the outside wall surface and then conditions the indoor space using an embedded heat exchanger (condenser) at the indoor surface. (2) This packaged solution eliminates the need for extensive HVAC installation and on-site refrigerant charging. (3) The interior surface temperature of the exterior wall section empowered by the micro heat pump is independently controlled, allowing for distributed space conditioning and delivery of radiant heating to meet diverse occupant needs in different zones. The system performance was studied thoroughly based on energy simulation and experimental comfort study. Moreover, a prototype WEMHP was designed, assembled, and tested in a laboratory environment as a proof-of-concept demonstration. The test results demonstrated that the heating capacity under condition H1 reached around 190 W at a compressor speed of 4000 RPM with a COP of 1.67. Additionally, the system exhibited a fast thermal response, with a time constant τ₆₃ (the time it takes for the surface temperature to reach 63% of the difference between its final and initial values) of less than 0.5 hours and a τ₉₅of approximately 1.5 hours.</p>

<p>  </p> <p>Recent developments in radiative cooling paints have shown significant promise towards commercialization of the technology. Therefore, questions have been asked as to how the durability of these paints could be evaluated and improved, as well as how these paints could impact energy use and global climate change. In this work, a paint formulation was developed using nanoplatelet hBN pigments with an MP-101 binder from SDC Technologies, Inc. This formulation shows similar reflective properties to that of an hBN acrylic formulation (97.5% and 97.9% reflectance, respectively) while boosting a water droplet contact angle of as much as 120°, proving hydrophobicity and therefore self-cleaning properties. Additionally, a comprehensive study was conducted to understand the potential impact of the radiative cooling paints on the changing global climate. Three potential impacts of the paint were discussed, including capture and utilization of CO2 into the CaCO3 paint, the reduction of HVAC usage on buildings painted with the RC paints, and net cooling of the earth due to the solar reflection and thermal emission of the paint into deep space. It was discovered that all three parts had a positive impact on the global climate, regardless of which US climate zone the representative building was in. Additionally, it was found that the paints could reduce as much as an equivalent 539 lbs CO2eq from the atmosphere for each m2 of the paint applied.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Building Information Modeling (BIM) supports engineering and performance analysis for buildings and civil infrastructure from the initial design stage. BIM offers engineers access to building and infrastructure objects, along with their associated data, which can be utilized across various platforms to develop analytical models. However, the interoperability between BIM and analytical models is still limited and challenging. One such limitation and challenge is in the interoperability between BIM and Building Energy Modeling (BEM). Despite the fact that interoperability of geometry and material information between BIM and BEM has been extensively investigated, the interoperability of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) information, which is a crucial part in BEM, was underinvestigated. Another limitation is that the shared objects frequently lose their identification across different models during the processes of their creation, design iterations, and model transformation. In addition, current building and civil infrastructure projects mainly rely on Portable Document Format (PDF) plans as the official deliverables and documents to be stored, communicated, and transferred among different stakeholders. The transition from 2D PDF plans to 3D BIM remains challenging because manually creating a BIM instance model from 2D drawings can be laborious, time-intensive, and susceptible to errors.</p><p dir="ltr">To address these gaps, this dissertational research introduces new Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)-based algorithmic methods that utilize the state-of-the-art Data-driven Reverse Engineering Algorithm Development (D-READ) method and the invariant signatures of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) objects to (1) develop algorithms that can extract the information from 2D PDF drawings and reconstruct the 3D semantically segmented and enriched BIM instance models, (2) develop object mapping algorithms for interfacing BIM and analytical models (e.g., BEM, structural analysis models, etc.) by automatically mapping building objects, and (3) iteratively develop the HVAC information transformation algorithm between BIM and BEM. Following the proposed methods, algorithms were developed to (1) semi-automate the creation of semantically segmented and enriched 3D IFC-based bridge BIM instance models using 2D PDF bridge plans, (2) map space objects between BIM instance models and BEM (OpenStudio model) based on their invariant signatures, and (3) transform HVAC objects from IFC-based BIM instance models to BEM with all the necessary information for energy simulation, using (1) PDF drawings for 12 bridges located in various parts of Indiana, (2) a 2-story duplex apartment building, and (3) a 2-story office building model and a 2-story residential building model, respectively.</p><p dir="ltr">The developed algorithms were tested on three cases: (1) the PDF information extraction algorithm was tested on six bridges, which achieved 97.7% precision and 94.4% recall. In addition, it decreased the time required to create bridge BIM instance models by 94.9% compared to the manual approach; (2) the object mapping algorithm was evaluated using a 4-story office building model containing 82 spaces. The results demonstrated that the algorithm attained 90% precision and 90% recall in mapping space objects. Additionally, a 4.88% improvement in the accuracy of energy simulation results was observed when compared to simulations without space mapping; (3) the HVAC transformation algorithm was tested on two models with distinct HVAC systems: a 4-story office building model featuring a boiler radiator system and a 2-story clinic building featuring a VAV system. The algorithm achieved transformation accuracies of 97.5% and 98.7%, respectively, compared to manually created evaluation models in OpenStudio. Additionally, the algorithm-generated models demonstrated satisfactory performance with regard to precision, with less than 9.6% error in total annual energy consumption compared to the evaluation models.</p><p dir="ltr">This dissertational research introduces a new IFC-based approach to fill the forementioned research gaps in BIM interoperability for buildings and civil infrastructures. It facilitates improved accessibility compared to a proprietary workflow and will contribute to filling informational gaps (1) between 3D BIM and 2D PDF drawings, and (2) between BIM and analytical models. It builds a solid foundation for achieving (1) automated BIM reconstruction using 2D plans, and (2) smooth, accurate, and fully-automated HVAC objects transformation between BIM and BEM, for complete BIM-BEM interoperability. The proposed approach can also be leveraged to further expand BIM interoperability support by providing a novel data-driven approach for building and civil infrastructure projects.</p>