The design and construction of high-performance buildings have emerged as a preferred solution for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, sometimes there is a considerable gap between the design performance and the actual performance of the buildings. Post Occupancy Evaluations (POE) provide tools to quantify the performance relative to the occupant's health, well-being, and comfort. POE is getting widely accepted to obtain feedback for various parameters such as water, energy, indoor environmental quality, and occupant comfort. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) can be derived based on the obtained feedback to determine the performance gaps. POE has evolved to be a robust scientific methodology; however, traditional methods of conducting POE have been proven time-consuming, inconsistent, and inefficient. This research aims to conceptualize the next generation of post occupancy evaluations that leverages cutting-edge technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Internet of Things based sensors (IoT), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and digital twins. The key contributions of this research are presented in a series of manuscripts. In the first paper, the gaps in the existing POE were determined by conducting a thorough literature review. The observed gaps were classified in data collection, analysis, and visualization categories. Broader POE definition, spot measurements of parameters, and 2D plans and charts for visualization made the existing POE procedure time-consuming. Using digital twins that combine the geometric and parametric data from BIM models and built-environment data from GIS and sensor measurements were recommended as potential solutions to address the observed gaps. The second paper explored the application of BIM-IoT-GIS integration to conduct POE. Use case scenarios were developed to derive system requirements to host the BIM-IoT-GIS-integrated POE. Four sequential tests were conducted to integrate a BIM model from Revit and sensors' data from Excel with ArcGIS pro that contained the surrounding environment data. Based on lessons learned from the tests, an optimized workflow was recommended that can be used across a variety of projects. The third paper used the BIM-IoT-GIS-integration concept to create a holistic proof of concept for digital-twin-enabled POE. The proof of concept was validated by conducting a digital-twin-based POE on the STTC building on the Red River College campus in Winnipeg. The indoor thermal comfort was visualized within the STTC digital twin developed in ArcGIS Pro. The preliminary energy consumption analysis concluded that the STTC buildings' average energy savings were approximately 70,000 KWH/year. The potential users for digital-twin-enabled POE were presented with a comparison of iv existing POE and digital-twin-based POE over a survey and a focus group discussion. Based on opinion-based feedback, the conclusion can be made that digital twins improve the overall efficiency of POE. The fourth paper recommended the digital-twin-enabled POE procedure for UVic's engineering expansion project. It established the semantics for POE, followed by a digital twin execution plan that can be used for developing a digital twin during each phase (from planning to operations) of the project. Furthermore, the benefits of the digital-twin-enabled POE procedure were demonstrated by comparison with the existing POE procedure relative to the project phases. This study concluded that conducting the POE on the UVic ECS expansion project will enable the researchers to determine the effectiveness of sustainable features by comparing the performance of existing and proposed facilities. In conclusion, BIM-IoT-GIS-integrated digital twins address the limitations of data collection, analysis, and visualization. These digital twins will enable multi-objective analysis and spatial-temporal visualization and provide deeper insights into the way these high-performance buildings function. / Graduate / 2023-05-24

Bygg- och fastighetsbranschen präglas av långsam digitaliserings takt där bristande dokumentation förekommer och i vissa fall försvårar beslutsfattningsmoment. Digitala tvillingar är kända för att effektivisera fastighetsförvaltning och bidra till bättre beslutsfattning. Trots det är det många som inte har hört talas om digitala tvillingar. Mot bakgrund av att det är ett outforskat område undersöker denna studie beslutsfattningsmomentet med digital tvilling inom bygg- och fastighetsbranschen. Studiens resultat baseras på intervjuer med ett stort byggföretag och en digital-tvilling-leverantör. Det framgår att en digital tvilling kan bestå av en eller flera av delarna: 3D- scanning, sensorer samt tilläggsfunktioner såsom analyser, styrning och olika applikationer, varav definitionen av en digital tvilling varierar. Resultatet visar att 3D scanning är särskilt lämpligt när det kommer till ombyggnationer och relationshandlingar (det verkliga utförandet av byggnaden), varav sensorer är användbara inom beslutsfattning utifrån prediktivt underhåll, mätning av nyttjande och energiuppföljning. Vidare framkommer det att tillägg av analyser kan föreslå lämpliga beslut och att styrning kan möjliggöra digital fastighetsskötsel, medan AI moduler kan ersätta den mänskliga beslutsfattningen. Utifrån det empiriska materialet som framkom tillämpades situationsmedvetenhet som teoretiskt ramverk för att förklara hur digitala tvillingar kan bidra med dokumentation som leder till bättre uppfattning och förståelse för omgivningen, vilket möjliggör mer välgrundade beslut. Slutligen konstaterar studien att utformningen av digitala tvillingar och dess funktioner avgör hur de kan användas vid beslutsfattning, något som gör kravställningen av dessa till en avgörande aspekt. / The construction and real estate industry is characterized by a slow rate of digitization and lack of documentation, which in some cases makes decision-making difficult. Digital twins are known to contribute to more efficient property management and better decision-making. Despite this, many people have not heard of digital twins. Since it is an unexplored area, this study examines the decision-making with digital twins in the construction and real estate industry. The study's results are based on interviews with a large construction company and a digital twin supplier. It appears that a digital twin can consist of one or more of the parts: 3D scanning, sensors and additional functions such as analyses, control and various applications, where the definition of a digital twin varies. The result shows that 3D scanning is particularly suitable when it comes to reconstruction and as-built documents. Sensors appear to be useful in decision-making according to predictive maintenance, measurement of utilization and energy follow-up. Furthermore, it appears that digital twin analyses can suggest appropriate decisions and that control can enable digital property management, while AI modules can replace human decision-making. Based on the empirical material, situational awareness was applied as a theoretical framework to explain how digital twins can contribute with documentation that leads to a better perception and understanding of the environment, enabling more informed decisions. The study thus states that the design of digital twins determine how they can be used in decision-making, something that makes the requirements of these a vital aspect.

<p>The written component of the dissertation accompanying the "Harmonic Resurgence" mixtape is a captivating exploration of the extraordinary lives of the Godino twins. Through meticulous research and eloquent storytelling, this written work delves deep into the experiences, struggles, and triumphs of the twins, offering a profound and thought-provoking narrative. The dissertation showcases a pioneering approach that merges music and academia, demonstrating the creator's prowess in both artistic expression and scholarly investigation.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Each chapter of the dissertation is dedicated to dissecting significant moments in the twins' lives, meticulously analyzing the emotions and themes portrayed in the mixtape's tracks. It unravels the intricacies of the twins' profound connection and individual growth, while shedding light on the innovative fusion of storytelling and music that makes "Harmonic Resurgence" an unparalleled work of art.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The written component transcends conventional norms in academic research, inviting readers on an immersive journey through the Godino twins' legacy. With meticulous attention to detail and a seamless interweaving of music and narrative, this work serves as a testament to the power of creativity and its ability to touch lives on a profound level.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Overall, the written component of the dissertation complements the "Harmonic Resurgence" mixtape, providing a comprehensive and deeply insightful perspective on the Godino twins' tale. Through this extraordinary academic exploration, their legacy is honored, celebrated, and forever etched into the hearts of those who engage with this groundbreaking work.</p>

<p>Our generation is currently at the juncture of the fourth industrial revolution - Industry 4.0. Emergent technology such as Augmented Reality (AR), Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud computing, big data, and ore are at the center of this. Amidst all these, the concept of  digital Twinning is a promising technology for realizing Industry 4.0. Simply put, a Digital Twin is a virtual representation of a real task, action, or object. This thesis explores the parameters and details required to generate a Digital Twin. Using these insights, we propose two applications that utilize digital twinning - EditAR and AnnotateXR. EditAR is an AR workflow for authoring kinesthetic instructions for spatial tasks. AnnotateXR is an Extended Reality (XR) workflow for automating data annotation to support multiple Computer Vision (CV) applications. We evaluate these systems through user studies and report the results on the usability and viability of these workflows. From an evaluation study, EditAR received an average system usability score (SUS) of 82.0. Over the course of a user study, using AnnotateXR, users were able to generate a total of 112,737 semantically segmented images and 144 videos annotated for action segmentation in 66.55 minutes. AnnotateXR received an average SUS score of 91.0.</p>

The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is known to be overwhelmed with resource planning, risk management, and logistic challenges, resulting in design defects, project delivery delays, cost overruns, and contractual disputes. These challenges have instigated research in the application of advanced machine learning algorithms such as Deep learning (DL) to help with diagnostic and prescriptive analysis of causes and preventive measures. Construction 4.0 develops through continuous innovations towards digitalization and intelligence, in order to realize a considerable boost in automation, productivity, and reliability. The Digital Twins, as the next level of planning and process control and automation towards Construction 4.0, will incorporate cognitive features that enable sensing complex and unpredicted behavior and reason about dynamic strategies for process optimization to support decision-making. However, there is still a lack of awareness regarding the real impact of DT integration, DL, and IoT, all connected to self-learning hybrid models with proactive cognitive capabilities for smart planning and construction. This study investigates the potential integration of DT and DL to facilitate smart planning and construction through an explorative analysis to identify and close this gap. Data were collected from global industry experts in a mixed approach with interviews, focus groups, and a survey focusing on the applicability and interoperability of DL integrated DT with decision-support capabilities for process optimization. Based on the results of quantitative and qualitative analyses, a conceptual model of the framework has been developed. The evaluations support that the DL integrated DT model will incorporate cognitive abilities to detect complex and unpredictable actions and reasoning about dynamic process optimization strategies to support decision-making in smart planning and construction. / Pre-study for SPARK-SBE potential project

Das Jahr 2000 wird oft als Meilenstein der Entwicklung der Humangenetik bezeichnet. Eine Relevanz für die praktische Medizin erlangt das Humangenom-Projekt jedoch erst, wenn die Funktion der einzelnen Gene in komplexen physiologischen Systemen und die genetische Variabilität aufgeklärt sind. Die hier vorgelegten Studien beruhen auf der Annahme, dass der Einfluss genetischer Variabilität nicht nur im Vergleich kranker und gesunder Menschen sichtbar wird, sondern auch in der Variabilität physiologischer Parameter in der Allgemeinbevölkerung nachweisbar ist. Grundlage aller Studien war eine medizinische Untersuchung von gesunden eineiigen und zweieiigen Zwillingspaaren. Es wurde für Kennwerte des Herz-Kreislauf-Systems die Stärke genetischer Einflüsse (Heritabilität) bestimmt. Weiterhin erfolgten Kopplungs- und Assoziationsanalysen mit ausgewählten Kandidatengenen. Der Einfluss spezifischer Gene auf die Blutdruckregulation, die Herzgröße, EKG-Parameter sowie Blutfette konnte nachgewiesen werden. Weiterhin wurde der prinzipielle Nachweis erbracht, dass die funktionelle Untersuchung einzelner Gene in unausgelesenen Stichproben realisierbar ist. / The year 2000 is often called a milestone in the history of human genetics. The knowledge of the sequence of the human genome will only become relevant for clinical medicine when the function of genes within complex physiological systems as well as the genetic variability will be revealed. The studies reported here are based on the assumption that the influence of genetic variability does not only become obvious by comparison of affected and unaffected subjects but is as well detectable in the variability of physiological parameters in the general population. All studies are based on testing healthy mono- and dizygotic twins. We determined the heritability of various cardiovascular parameters. Furthermore selected candidate genes were tested by linkage and association analyses. We could demonstrate the influence of specific genes on blood pressure regulation, heart size, ECG and lipids. These studies are a proof of principle for the functional analysis of single genes in unselected random samples.

This thesis concerns the mathematical modelling of phase transformations with a special emphasis on martensitic phase transformations and their application to the modelling of steels. In Chapter 1, we develop a framework that determines the optimal transformation strain between any two Bravais lattices and use it to give a rigorous proof of a conjecture by E.C. Bain in 1924 on the optimality of the so-called Bain strain. In Chapter 2, we review the Ball-James model and related concepts. We present some simplification of existing results. In Chapter 3, we pose a conjecture for the explicit form of the quasiconvex hull of the three tetragonal wells, known as the three-well problem. We present a new approach to finding inner and outer bounds. In Chapter 4, we focus on highly compatible, so called self-accommodating, martensitic structures and present new results on their fine properties such as estimates on their minimum complexity and bounds on the relative proportion of each martensitic variant in them. In Chapter 5, we investigate the contrary situation when self-accommodating microstructures do not exist. We determine, whether in this situation, it is still energetically favourable to nucleate martensite within austenite. By constructing different types of inclusions, we find that the optimal shape of an inclusion is flat and thin which is in agreement with experimental observation. In Chapter 6, we introduce a mechanism that identifies transformation strains with orientation relationships. This mechanism allows us to develop a simpler, strain-based approach to phase transformation models in steels. One novelty of this approach is the derivation of an explicit dependence of the orientation relationships on the ratio of tetragonality of the product phase. In Chapter 7, we establish a correspondence between common phenomenological models for steels and the Ball-James model. This correspondence is then used to develop a new theory for the (5 5 7) lath transformation in low-carbon steels. Compared to existing theories, this new approach requires a significantly smaller number of input parameters. Furthermore, it predicts a microstructure morphology which differs from what is conventionally believed.

Stena Recycling is one of the leading recycling companies in Sweden and at their facility in Halmstad, 300 tonnes of refuse are handled every day where aluminium is one of the most valuable materials they sort. Today, most of the sorting process is done automatically, but there are still parts of the refuse that are not correctly sorted. Approximately 4\% of the aluminium is currently not properly sorted and goes to waste. Earlier works have investigated using machine vision to help in the sorting process at Stena Recycling. However, consistently through all these previous works, there is a problem in gathering enough annotated data to train the machine learning models. This thesis aims to investigate how machine vision could be used in the recycling process and if pre-training models using self-supervised learning can alleviate the problem of gathering annotated data and yield an improvement. The results show that machine vision models could viably be used in an information system to assist operators. This thesis also shows that pre-training models with self-supervised learning may yield a small increase in performance. Furthermore, we show that models pre-trained using self-supervised learning also appear to transfer the knowledge learned from images created in a lab environment to images taken at the recycling plant.

THE ABSTRACT The thesis deals with sibling relationships of twins and triplets when one or more siblings suffer from some health disability or handicap. It outlines the way of life in sibling constellations of twins and triplets. It deals with the topic of a disabled person who has brothers or sisters. It defines family as a pillar of person's life and it focuses on the sibling relationships. The thesis explains the connection between multiple births and the occurrence of disability, and it considers certain aspects of family life, with the main focus on siblings, when one of the siblings suffers from some health limitation. It also describes twins and triplets and their specific features. For example, it shows the development of the identity of each of the siblings, the role of their birth order, the types of relationships that occur in a family with twins and triplets, and the way the siblings may experience the separation from one another. It draws on publications and other sources that deal with sibling constellations and the resulting relationships among the siblings, on the publications on twins and triplets, on children and adults with disability or handicap. Last not least, it draws on personal experience of the author and on the research interviews. Apart from that, the thesis clarifies how twins...

Nous avons étudié in situ et en temps réel la structure de grains du silicium multi-cristallin issue de la solidification dirigée en utilisant l’imagerie X synchrotron. La radiographie X permet de suivre l’évolution de l’interface solide/liquide et de caractériser sa dynamique et sa morphologie. La topographie X nous donne des informations sur la structure de grains formée, les contraintes et les défauts issus de la solidification. Nous avons montré l’importance la préparation de l’état initial de la solidification en particulier pour les expériences de reprise sur germe. L’analyse de la morphologie de l’interface solide/liquide nous a permis de caractériser la surfusion cinétique du front de solidification, de comprendre l’évolution des sillons de joints de grains et d’analyser les mécanismes de compétition de grains ainsi que de révéler l’impact des impuretés sur la structure de grains formée à l’issue de la solidification. Le phénomène de maclage a aussi été observé dans nos expériences et nous avons démontré que les macles dans le silicium multi-cristallin peuvent être des macles de croissance. Deux types de macles ont été identifiés et le phénomène de compétition de grains en présence de macles étudié. / We studied in situ and real-time the grain structure of multi-crystalline silicon from directional solidification using synchrotron X-ray imaging techniques. X-ray Radiography gives information on the evolution, dynamics and morphology of the solid/liquid interface. X- ray Topography gives more information on the grain structure, strains and defects that occur during solidification step. We showed the importance of the preparation of the initial stage of solidification in particular in the experiments where solidification is initiated from seed. The analysis of the solid/liquid interface morphology allowed us to characterize the kinetic undercooling of the solidification front, to understand the evolution of the grains boundary grooves and to analyze the mechanisms of grain competition and also to reveal the impurities impact on the grain structure formed at the end of the solidification. We also observed twinning phenomenon in our experiments and we demonstrated that twins in multi-crystalline silicon can be growth twins. Two kinds of silicon twins have been identified and the grain competition phenomenon with twins studied.