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Research into bio-based epoxy resins has intensified in recent decades. Here, it is of great importance to use raw materials whose use does not compete with food production. In addition, the performance of the newly developed materials should be comparable to that of conventional products. Possible starting materials are lignin degradation products, such as vanillin and syringaldehyde, for which new synthesis routes to the desired products must be found and their properties determined. In this article, the first synthesis of two amine hardeners, starting with vanillin and syringaldehyde, using the Smiles rearrangement reaction is reported. The amine hardeners were mixed with bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, and the curing was compared to isophorone diamine, 4-4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone, and 4-Aminonbenzylamine by means of differential scanning calorimetry. It was found that the two amines prepared are cold-curing. As TG-MS studies showed, the thermal stability of at least one of the polymers prepared with the potentially bio-based amines is comparable to that of the polymer prepared with isophorone diamine, and similar degradation products are formed during pyrolysis.
Physical exercise demonstrates a special case of aerosol emission due to its associated elevated breathing rate. This can lead to a faster spread of airborne viruses and respiratory diseases. Therefore, this study investigates cross-infection risk during training. Twelve human subjects exercised on a cycle ergometer under three mask scenarios: no mask, surgical mask, and FFP2 mask. The emitted aerosols were measured in a grey room with a measurement setup equipped with an optical particle sensor. The spread of expired air was qualitatively and quantitatively assessed using schlieren imaging. Moreover, user satisfaction surveys were conducted to evaluate the comfort of wearing face masks during training. The results indicated that both surgical and FFP2 masks significantly reduced particles emission with a reduction efficiency of 87.1% and 91.3% of all particle sizes, respectively. However, compared to surgical masks, FFP2 masks provided a nearly tenfold greater reduction of the particle size range with long residence time in the air (0.3–0.5 μm). Furthermore, the investigated masks reduced exhalation spreading distances to less than 0.15 m and 0.1 m in the case of the surgical mask and FFP2 mask, respectively. User satisfaction solely differed with respect to perceived dyspnea between no mask and FFP2 mask conditions.
This paper addresses the scope for action by municipalities in a climate emergency and places it in the framework of ecomodern (urban) policy. We analyse the way in which two German ‘climate emergency municipalities’ translate conflicts of post-fossil transformation into concrete political and planning strategies. Although more than 2,200 authorities around the world have already declared a climate emergency, research on the impact of these resolutions on the political orientation of municipalities is very limited. Our research focus is on the (potentially agonistic) treatment of conflicts in planning. We argue that in times of a socio-ecological crisis, success in conflict resolution cannot refer to appeasement and depoliticisation. Instead, we propose a framework of five criteria, based on critical theory on ecomodern strategies, planning processes and degrowth. Thus, this practice-related and explorative paper connects empirical insights from the German cities of Constance and Berlin with an innovative normative framework. The findings tell a complex story of an, at least partial, admission of the failure of previous climate mitigation strategies, a lack of social institutions of limits, an instrumental relation to nature and a disregard for social injustices. The paper discusses how municipalities, in the context of ongoing tensions over the post-fossil transformation in Germany, on the one hand hold on to business-as-usual approaches, but on the other hand also set political impulses for change.
The present article aims to provide an overview of the consequences of dynamic soil-structure interaction (SSI) on building structures and the available modelling techniques to resolve SSI problems. The role of SSI has been traditionally considered beneficial to the response of structures. However, contemporary studies and evidence from past earthquakes showed detrimental effects of SSI in certain conditions. An overview of the related investigations and findings is presented and discussed in this article. Additionally, the main approaches to evaluate seismic soil-structure interaction problems with the commonly used modelling techniques and computational methods are highlighted. The strength, limitations, and application cases of each model are also discussed and compared. Moreover, the role of SSI in various design codes and global guidelines is summarized. Finally, the advancements and recent findings on the SSI effects on the seismic response of buildings with different structural systems and foundation types are presented. In addition, with the aim of helping new researchers to improve previous findings, the research gaps and future research tendencies in the SSI field are pointed out.
Audiovisuelles Cut-Up
(2023)
Diese Forschungsarbeit bezeichnet und analysiert ein ästhetisches Phänomen audiovisueller Arbeiten mit sehr schnellen Schnitten. Der Begriff „Audiovisuelles Cut-Up“ wird vorgeschlagen um dieses Phänomen zu bezeichnen. Verschiedenste audiovisuelle Arbeiten aus unterschiedlichen Kontexten werden analysiert, welche das formale Kriterium von extrem kurzen Einstellungen erfüllen – einschließlich der eigenen Forschungsbeiträge des Autors. Die Werkzeuge und Technologien, welche die neuartige Ästhetik ermöglichten werden vorgestellt. Oftmals wurden diese von den Künstlern selbst geschaffen, da fertige Lösungen nicht verfügbar waren. Audiovisuelle Cut-Ups werden nach Kontext und Medium systematisiert und verortet. Es schließen sich Beobachtungen an, in wie fern Audio und Video sich in ihrem Charakter unterscheiden, was die kleinste wahrnehmbare Einheit ist und welche Rolle Latenzen und Antizipation bei der Wahrnehmung von audiovisuellen Medien spielen.
Drei Hauptthesen werden Aufgestellt: 1. Audiovisuelles Cut-Up hat die Kraft winzige, vormals überdeckte Details deutlich zu machen. Damit kann es das Quellmaterial verdichten aber auch den Inhalt manipulieren. 2. Technische Entwicklungen haben das audiovisuelle Cut-Up hervorgerufen. 3. Heute ist die Ästhetik als ein Stilmittel im Werkzeugkasten audiovisueller Gestaltung etabliert.
Antimicrobial resistances (AMR) are ranked among the top ten threats to public health and societal development worldwide. Toilet wastewater contained in domestic wastewater is a significant source of AMR entering the aquatic environment. The current commonly implemented combined sewer systems at times cause overflows during rain events, resulting in the discharge of untreated wastewater into the aquatic environment, thus promoting AMR. In this short research article, we describe an approach to transform combined sewer systems into source separation-modified combined sewer systems that separately treat toilet wastewater. We employ simulations for demonstrating that source separation-modified combined sewer systems reduce the emission of AMR- causing substances by up to 11.5 logarithm levels. Thus, source separation- modified combined sewer systems are amongst the most effective means of combating AMR.
KEYWORDS
The most fundamental understating of hybridization methodology takes the form of stable but dynamic notions, accumulated over time in the memory of individuals. Schematized and abstracted, the hybrids representation needs to be reproduced and reused in order to reconstruct and bring back other memories. Reinvented, or reused hybrids can support getting access to social, traditional, religious understanding of nations. In this manner, they take the form of the messenger / the mediator an innate, equivalent to the use of mental places in the art of memory. We remember mythology in order to remember other things.
From individual memory perspective, or group collective memory, the act of recollection is assumed to be an individual act, biologically based in the brain, but by definition conditioned by social collectives. Following Halbwachs, this thesis does not recognize a dichotomy between individual and collective memory as two different types of remembering. Conversely, the collective is thought of as inherent to individual thought, questioning perspectives that regard individual recollection as isolated from social settings. The individual places himself in relation to the group and makes use of the collective frameworks of thought when he localizes and reconstructs the past, whether in private or in social settings. The frameworks of social relations, of time, and of space are constructs originating in social interaction and distributed in the memory of the group members. The individual has his own perspective on the collective frameworks of the group, and the group’s collective frameworks can be regarded as a common denominator of the individual outlooks on the framework.
In acts of remembering, the individual may actualize the depicted symbols in memory, but he could also employ precepts from the environment. The latter have been referred to as material or external frameworks of memory, suggesting their similar role as catalysts for processes of remembrance such as that of the hybrids in my paintings. It is only with reference to the hybrids, who work as messengers / mediators with a dual nature, that communicate between the past and the present, the internal and external space, that individual memory and group memory is in focus.
The exhibition at the Egyptian museum in Leipzig is my practical method to create a communicative memory, using hybrids as mediators in cultural transimission, as when the act refers to informal and everyday situations in which group members informally search for the past, it takes place in the communicative
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memory. As explained in chapter one, the exhibition at the Egyptian museum in Leipzig is an act of remembering in search for the past with support of my paintings, which then can considered as part of the cultural memory.
In addition to the theoretical framework summarized above, I have applied my hypothesis practically in the form of the public exhibition, and shared the methodology with public audience from Cairo / Egypt and Leipzig / German in the form of visual art workshops and open discussions. I have also suggested an analyzed description of the meaning of hybrids in my artwork as mediators and messengers for the purpose of cultural transmission, as well as in relation to other artists’ work and use of a similar concept.
By using my hybrid creatures in my visual artwork, I am creating a bridge, mediators to represent both the past and the present, what we remember of the past, and how we understand the past. It is as explained in chapter two; that the hybridization methodology in terms of double membership represented in different cultures –Cairo / Egypt and Leipzig / Germany- can provide a framework which allows artistic discussions and could be individually interpreted, so individual cultures / individual memory can become transparent without losing their identities and turn into communicative memory. This transmission through the hybridization theoretical approech was explicitly clarified with the support of Krämer’s hypothesis. The practical attempt was examined by creating a relationship between the witness –me as an artist– and the audience –the exhibition visitors–, to cross space and time, not to bridge differences, rather to represent the contrasts transparently.
The Kin-making proposition is adopted by many academics and scholars in modern society and theoretical research; the topic was represented in the roots of the ancient Egyptian mindset and supported theoretically by similar understandings such as Haraway’s definition of kin-making. The practical implementation of kin- making can be observed in many of my artwork and was analyzed visually and artistically in chapter three.
My practical project outcome tested success by using hybrids in my paintings as mediators, it opened a communicative artistic discussion. This methodology gave a possible path of communication through paintings / visual analyses, and offered relativity through image self-interpretation.
In this work, practice-based research is conducted to rethink the understanding of aesthetics, especially in relation to current media art. Granted, we live in times when technologies merge with living organisms, but we also live in times that provide unlimited resources of knowledge and maker tools. I raise the question: In what way does the hybridization of living organisms and non-living technologies affect art audiences in the culture that may be defined as Maker culture? My hypothesis is that active participation of an audience in an artwork is inevitable for experiencing the artwork itself, while also suggesting that the impact of the umwelt changes the perception of an artwork. I emphasize artistic projects that unfold through mutual interaction among diverse peers, including humans, non-human organisms, and machines. In my thesis, I pursue collaborative scenarios that lead to the realization of artistic ideas: (1) the development of ideas by others influenced by me and (2) the materialization of my own ideas influenced by others. By developing the scenarios of collaborative work as an artistic experience, I conclude that the role of an artist in Maker culture is to mediate different types of knowledge and different positions, whereas the role of the audience is to actively engage in the artwork itself. At the same time, aesthetics as experience is triggered by the other, including living and non-living actors. It is intended that the developed methodologies could be further adapted in artistic practices, philosophy, anthropology, and environmental studies.
Urban Heat Transition in Berlin: Corporate Strategies, Political Conflicts, and Just Solutions
(2023)
In the field of urban climate policy, heat production and demand are key sectors for achieving a sustainable city. Heat production has to shift from fossil to renewable energies, and the heat demand of most buildings has to be reduced significantly via building retrofits. However, analyses of heat transition still lack its contextualization within entangled urban politico-economic processes and materialities and require critical socio-theoretical examination. Asking about the embeddedness of heat transition within social relations and its implications for social justice issues, this article discusses the challenges and opportunities of heat transition, taking Berlin as an example. It uses an urban political ecology perspective to analyze the materialities of Berlin’s heating-housing nexus, its politico-economic context, implications for relations of inequality and power, and its contested strategies. The empirical analysis identifies major disputes about the future trajectory of heat production and about the distribution of retrofit costs. Using our conceptual approach, we discuss these empirical findings against the idea of a more just heat transition. For this purpose, we discuss three policy proposals regarding cost distribution, urban heat planning, and remunicipalization of heat utilities. We argue that this conceptual approach provides huge benefits for debates around heat transition and, more generally, energy justice and just transitions.
Beyond metropolitan areas, many peripheral regions and their cities in Europe have, in manifold ways, been significantly shaped by industrialisation. In the context of the relocation of industrial production to other countries over the last decades, the question has been raised as to the role this heritage can play in futural regional development as well as the potential local identification with this history. Hence, this article seeks to analyse the perception of the industrial heritage in the Vogtland region, located alongside the border of three German federal states and the Czech Republic. It inquires as to the perception of the industrial heritage by the local population and related potential future narrations. Based on spontaneous and explorative interviews with local people as an empirical base, a discrepancy between the perception of the tangible and intangible dimensions of the industrial heritage can be observed. On the one hand, the tangible heritage like older factories and production complexes are seen as a functional legacy and an “eyesore” narrative is attributed to them. On the other hand, people often reference the personal and familial connection to the industry and highlight its importance for the historical development and the wealth of the region. But these positive associations are mainly limited to the intangible dimension and are disconnected from the material artefacts of industrial production.
The characteristic values of climatic actions in current structural design codes are based on a specified probability of exceedance during the design working life of a structure. These values are traditionally determined from the past observation data under a stationary climate assumption. However, this assumption becomes invalid in the context of climate change, where the frequency and intensity of climatic extremes varies with respect to time. This paper presents a methodology to calculate the non-stationary characteristic values using state of the art climate model projections. The non-stationary characteristic values are calculated in compliance with the requirements of structural design codes by forming quasi-stationary windows of the entire bias-corrected climate model data. Three approaches for the calculation of non-stationary characteristic values considering the design working life of a structure are compared and their consequences on exceedance probability are discussed.
Anhand der städtebaulichen und sozialen Transformation des östlichen Gründerzeitgebietes von Leipzig wird die Rolle von migrantischen Hausbesitzenden und in der Bausanierung Tätigen im Aufwertungsprozess untersucht. Der Zugang zum Gegenstand verbindet Fragen der Stadtsoziologie und der Denkmalforschung. Im sozialen Feld der Stadterneuerung wird die Revitalisierung des ehemals von Leerstand und Rückbau betroffenen Baubestandes ausgehandelt. Die Positionen der Akteur:innen im Feld werden durch ihre Ausstattung mit ökonomischem, aber auch sozialem und kulturellem Kapital bestimmt. Angehörige der Planungs- und Denkmalbehörden verfügen über institutionalisiertes Kulturkapital und stehen damit Kleineigentümer:innen, häufig Autodidakt:innen, gegenüber. Baudenkmale können über ihre Funktion als Geldanlage und Wohnraum hinaus Status repräsentieren und symbolisch angeeignet werden. Denkmalschutz dient dem öffentlichen Interesse am Erhalt historischer Bausubstanz. Bei Sanierungen bestehen die Herausforderungen der Vereinbarkeit von Konservierung und Modernisierung, der Finanzierbarkeit für Eigentümer:innen und der Sozialverträglichkeit für Bewohnende. Eine Darstellung der historischen Entwicklung des Leipziger Ostens zu Beginn der Analyse veranschaulicht die Abhängigkeit kultureller, sozialer und ökonomischer Werte des Baubestandes vom jeweiligen gesellschaftlichen Kontext. Planerische Konzepte für das Gebiet zeigen, dass eine sozioökonomische Stabilisierung und Imageverbesserung erreicht werden sollte durch das Aufgreifen von Potentialen, wie den denkmalgeschützten Bauten, dem zuziehenden alternativen Milieu und migrantischer Ökonomie. Es wird deutlich, dass nach einer initialen Ansässigkeit von Pionier:innen die öffentlichen Infrastrukturmaßnahmen und Denkmalausweisungen eine Inwertsetzung v. a. durch externe Anlegende vorbereiteten. Darauf aufbauend wurden anhand einer qualitativen Befragung die Erfahrungen von städtischen Mitarbeitenden, Fachleuten und im Quartier Engagierten denen von lokalen migrantischen Hausbesitzenden und im Bereich Sanierung Tätigen gegenübergestellt. Migrant:innengruppen haben den Stadtraum in einer Phase vorherrschender Abwanderung durch die Eröffnung von Geschäften und Institutionen sowie den Erwerb von Immobilien für sich erschlossen. Strukturelle Benachteiligungen, wie Diskriminierung auf dem Arbeitsmarkt, ihre Ansässigkeit im sozial stigmatisierten Gebiet sowie geringes ökonomisches Kapital versuchten sie durch den Einsatz von sozialem Kapital auszugleichen. Sanierungen erfolgten mit hoher Eigenleistung und Rückgriff auf private Netzwerke. Die Analyse des Erneuerungsprozesses im Leipziger Osten zeigt, dass in einer initialen Phase Pionier:innen von Planenden und der Denkmalpflege als essentiell für die Entwicklung angesehen wurden. Günstige Instandsetzungen durch Kleineigentümer:innen wurden akzeptiert, um Gebäude vor weiterem Verfall zu bewahren. Mit der zunehmenden Forderung nach Verwendung hochwertiger Materialen werden die Sanierungsleistungen nach ästhetischen und letztlich ökonomischen Kriterien bewertet. Gegenüber sozialen Folgen einer Aufwertung von Bausubstanz lässt sich eine unkritische Haltung der Denkmalpflege erkennen. Bei der Vermarktung der Bestände durch professionelle Investierende findet die Sozialgeschichte des Stadtteils wenig Berücksichtigung, positiv besetzte Merkmale des Quartiers, wie Multikulturalität werden selektiv aufgegriffen. Der Anteil migrantischer Akteur:innen an der Entwicklung wird durch die Öffentlichkeit unzureichend anerkannt. Auch die Wertschätzung von Planenden und im Quartier Engagierten erfolgt v. a. anhand des ökonomischen Status. Hohe Erwartungen an die Geschäftsstruktur und die Erscheinung des Straßenbildes können nicht erfüllt werden. Migrantische Hausbesitzende und im Bereich Sanierung Tätige benötigen für die Auseinandersetzung mit der Denkmalpflege kulturelles Kapital. Sie erkennen die Bedeutung des historischen Baubestandes für die Stadt und die Arbeit der Institution an, kritisieren jedoch Sanierungsauflagen bzw. Mitarbeitende der Denkmalpflege und können sich z. T. gegen diese behaupten. Lokale migrantische Kleineigentümer:innen leisten durch ihre Quartiersbindung einen Beitrag zur ökonomischen und sozialen Stabilisierung. Mit ihrer Aufstiegsorientierung fördern sie in der Vermietungspraxis jedoch nur bedingt die Integration anderer Migrant:innen und grenzen sich von statusniedrigen Gruppen im Quartier ab. Migrantische Hausbesitzende und Unternehmende nehmen sich selbst als erfolgreiche Vorreitende in einer heterogener werdenden ostdeutschen Stadtgesellschaft wahr. Sie erkannten frühzeitig das Entwicklungspotential und gehören zu den Initiierenden und Profitierenden der Inwertsetzung.
Search engines are very good at answering queries that look for facts. Still, information needs that concern forming opinions on a controversial topic or making a decision remain a challenge for search engines. Since they are optimized to retrieve satisfying answers, search engines might emphasize a specific stance on a controversial topic in their ranking, amplifying bias in society in an undesired way. Argument retrieval systems support users in forming opinions about controversial topics by retrieving arguments for a given query. In this thesis, we address challenges in argument retrieval systems that concern integrating them in search engines, developing generalizable argument mining approaches, and enabling frame-guided delivery of arguments.
Adapting argument retrieval systems to search engines should start by identifying and analyzing information needs that look for arguments. To identify questions that look for arguments we develop a two-step annotation scheme that first identifies whether the context of a question is controversial, and if so, assigns it one of several question types: factual, method, and argumentative. Using this annotation scheme, we create a question dataset from the logs of a major search engine and use it to analyze the characteristics of argumentative questions. The analysis shows that the proportion of argumentative questions on controversial topics is substantial and that they mainly ask for reasons and predictions. The dataset is further used to develop a classifier to uniquely map questions to the question types, reaching a convincing F1-score of 0.78.
While the web offers an invaluable source of argumentative content to respond to argumentative questions, it is characterized by multiple genres (e.g., news articles and social fora). Exploiting the web as a source of arguments relies on developing argument mining approaches that generalize over genre. To this end, we approach the problem of how to extract argument units in a genre-robust way. Our experiments on argument unit segmentation show that transfer across genres is rather hard to achieve using existing sequence-to-sequence models.
Another property of text which argument mining approaches should generalize over is topic. Since new topics appear daily on which argument mining approaches are not trained, argument mining approaches should be developed in a topic-generalizable way. Towards this goal, we analyze the coverage of 31 argument corpora across topics using three topic ontologies. The analysis shows that the topics covered by existing argument corpora are biased toward a small subset of easily accessible controversial topics, hinting at the inability of existing approaches to generalize across topics. In addition to corpus construction standards, fostering topic generalizability requires a careful formulation of argument mining tasks. Same side stance classification is a reformulation of stance classification that makes it less dependent on the topic. First experiments on this task show promising results in generalizing across topics.
To be effective at persuading their audience, users of an argument retrieval system should select arguments from the retrieved results based on what frame they emphasize of a controversial topic. An open challenge is to develop an approach to identify the frames of an argument. To this end, we define a frame as a subset of arguments that share an aspect. We operationalize this model via an approach that identifies and removes the topic of arguments before clustering them into frames. We evaluate the approach on a dataset that covers 12,326 frames and show that identifying the topic of an argument and removing it helps to identify its frames.
When predicting sound pressure levels induced by structure-borne sound sources and describing the sound propagation path through the building structure as exactly as possible, it is necessary to characterize the vibration behavior of the structure-borne sound sources. In this investigation, the characterization of structure-borne sound sources was performed using the two-stage method (TSM) described in EN 15657. Four different structure-borne sound sources were characterized and subsequently installed in a lightweight test stand. The resulting sound pressure levels in an adjacent receiving room were measured. In the second step, sound pressure levels were predicted according to EN 12354-5 based on the parameters of the structure-borne sound sources. Subsequently, the predicted and the measured sound pressure levels were compared to obtain reliable statements on the achievable accuracy when using source quantities determined by TSM with this prediction method.
This paper presents initial findings from the empirical analysis of community based social enterprise (SE) and non-profit organisation (NPO) ecosystems in Johannesburg. SEs and NPOs are widely recognised as contributors to the resilience of marginalised urban communities. However, the connection between these organisations , urban governance, and community resilience has not yet been sufficiently understood , particularly in African urban contexts. The 'Resilient Urban Communities' project focuses on Johannesburg as a case study to shed light on this under-researched topic. The key to exploring it is understanding SEs and NPOs as providers of public services, job creators, and promoters of good governance, all of which contribute to community resilience. Using this premise as a starting point, this paper investigates ecosystem conditions with a particular focus on state-civil society partnerships. Empirical data was generated through semi-struc-tured interviews and analysed with a grounded theory approach. Preliminary results of this ongoing research reveal that urban geography is a relevant ecosystem factor for SEs and NPOs from marginalised communities. We also suggest that co-production could be an opportunity for growth within the investigated state-civil society partnership.
As an optimization that starts from a randomly selected structure generally does not guarantee reasonable optimality, the use of a systemic approach, named the ground structure, is widely accepted in steel-made truss and frame structural design. However, in the case of reinforced concrete (RC) structural optimization, because of the orthogonal orientation of structural members, randomly chosen or architect-sketched framing is used. Such a one-time fixed layout trend, in addition to its lack of a systemic approach, does not necessarily guarantee optimality. In this study, an approach for generating a candidate ground structure to be used for cost or weight minimization of 3D RC building structures with included slabs is developed. A multiobjective function at the floor optimization stage and a single objective function at the frame optimization stage are considered. A particle swarm optimization (PSO) method is employed for selecting the optimal ground structure. This method enables generating a simple, yet potential, real-world representation of topologically preoptimized ground structure while both structural and main architectural requirements are considered. This is supported by a case study for different floor domain sizes.
One of the main criteria determining the thermal comfort of occupants is the air temperature. To monitor this parameter, a thermostat is traditionally mounted in the indoor environment for instance in office rooms in the workplaces, or directly on the radiator or in another location in a room. One of the drawbacks of this conventional method is the measurement at a certain location instead of the temperature distribution in the entire room including the occupant zone. As a result, the climatic conditions measured at the thermostat point may differ from those at the user's location. This not only negatively impacts the thermal comfort assessment but also leads to a waste of energy due to unnecessary heating and cooling. Moreover, for measuring the distribution of the air temperature under laboratory conditions, multiple thermal sensors should be installed in the area under investigation. This requires high effort in both installation and expense.
To overcome the shortcomings of traditional sensors, Acoustic travel-time TOMography (ATOM) offers an alternative based on measuring the transmission sound velocity signals. The basis of the ATOM technique is the first-order dependency of the sound velocity on the medium's temperature. The average sound velocity, along the propagation paths, can be determined by travel-times estimation of a defined acoustic signal between transducers. After the travel-times collection, the room is divided into several volumetric grid cells, i.e. voxels, whose sizes are defined depending on the dimension of the room and the number of sound paths. Accordingly, the spatial air temperature in each voxel can be determined using a suitable tomographic algorithm. Recent studies indicate that despite the great potential of this technique to detect room climate, few experiments have been conducted.
This thesis aims to develop the ATOM technique for indoor climatic applications while coupling the analysis methods of tomography and room acoustics. The method developed in this thesis uses high-energy early reflections in addition to the direct paths between transducers for travel time estimation. In this way, reflections can provide multiple sound paths that allow the room coverage to be maintained even when a few or even only one transmitter and receiver are used.
In the development of the ATOM measurement system, several approaches have been employed, including the development of numerical methods and simulations and conducting experimental measurements, each of which has contributed to the improvement of the system's accuracy. In order to effectively separate the early reflections and ensure adequate coverage of the room with sound paths, a numerical method was developed based on the optimization of the coordinates of the sound transducers in the test room. The validation of the optimal positioning method shows that the reconstructed temperatures were significantly improved by placing the transducers at the optimal coordinates derived from the developed numerical method. The other numerical method developed is related to the selection of the travel times of the early reflections. Accordingly, the detection of the travel times has been improved by adjusting the lengths of the multiple analysis time-windows according to the individual travel times in the reflectogram of the room impulse response. This can reduce the probability of trapping faulty travel times in the analysis time-windows.
The simulation model used in this thesis is based on the image source model (ISM) method for simulating the theoretical travel times of early reflection sound paths. The simulation model was developed to simulate the theoretical travel times up to third-order reflections.
The empirical measurements were carried out in the climate lab of the Chair of Building Physics under different boundary conditions, i.e., combinations of different room air temperatures under both steady-state and transient conditions, and different measurement setups. With the measurements under controllable conditions in the climate lab, the validity of the developed numerical methods was confirmed.
In this thesis, the performance of the ATOM measurement system was evaluated using two measurement setups. The setup for the initial investigations consists of an omnidirectional receiver and a near omnidirectional sound source, keeping the number of transducers as few as possible. This has led to accurately identify the sources of error that could occur in each part of the measuring system. The second measurement setup consists of two directional sound sources and one omnidirectional receiver. This arrangement of transducers allowed a higher number of well-detected travel times for tomography reconstruction, a better travel time estimation due to the directivity of the sound source, and better space utilization. Furthermore, this new measurement setup was tested to determine an optimal selection of the excitation signal. The results showed that for the utilized setup, a linear chirp signal with a frequency range of 200 - 4000 Hz and a signal duration of t = 1 s represents an optimal selection with respect to the reliability of the measured travel times and higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
To evaluate the performance of the measuring setups, the ATOM temperatures were always compared with the temperatures of high-resolution NTC thermistors with an accuracy of ±0.2 K. The entire measurement program, including acoustic measurements, simulation, signal processing, and visualization of measurement results are performed in MATLAB software.
In addition, to reduce the uncertainty of the positioning of the transducers, the acoustic centre of the loudspeaker was determined experimentally for three types of excitation signals, namely MLS (maximum length sequence) signals with different lengths and duration, linear and logarithmic chirp signals with different defined frequency ranges. For this purpose, the climate lab was converted into a fully anechoic chamber by attaching absorption panels to the entire surfaces of the room. The measurement results indicated that the measurement of the acoustic centre of the sound source significantly reduces the displacement error of the transducer position.
Moreover, to measure the air temperature in an occupied room, an algorithm was developed that can convert distorted signals into pure reference signals using an adaptive filter. The measurement results confirm the validity of the approach for a temperature interval of 4 K inside the climate lab.
Accordingly, the accuracy of the reconstructed temperatures indicated that ATOM is very suitable for measuring the air temperature distribution in rooms.
The release of the large language model-based chatbot ChatGPT 3.5 in November 2022 has brought considerable attention to the subject of artificial intelligence, not only to the public. From the perspective of higher education, ChatGPT challenges various learning and assessment formats as it significantly reduces the effectiveness of their learning and assessment functionalities. In particular, ChatGPT might be applied to formats that require learners to generate text, such as bachelor theses or student research papers. Accordingly, the research question arises to what extent writing of bachelor theses is still a valid learning and assessment format. Correspondingly, in this exploratory study, the first author was asked to write his bachelor’s thesis exploiting ChatGPT. For tracing the impact of ChatGPT methodically, an autoethnographic approach was used. First, all considerations on the potential use of ChatGPT were documented in logs, and second, all ChatGPT chats were logged. Both logs and chat histories were analyzed and are presented along with the recommendations for students regarding the use of ChatGPT suggested by a common framework. In conclusion, ChatGPT is beneficial for thesis writing during various activities, such as brainstorming, structuring, and text revision. However, there are limitations that arise, e.g., in referencing. Thus, ChatGPT requires continuous validation of the outcomes generated and thus fosters learning. Currently, ChatGPT is valued as a beneficial tool in thesis writing. However, writing a conclusive thesis still requires the learner’s meaningful engagement. Accordingly, writing a thesis is still a valid learning and assessment format. With further releases of ChatGPT, an increase in capabilities is to be expected, and the research question needs to be reevaluated from time to time.
Die Planungsforschung hat sich spätestens seit der „kommunikativen Wende“ intensiv damit beschäftigt, wie mit Konflikten umgegangen werden soll und wird. Ansätze der „agonistischen“ Planungstheorie widersprechen der normativen Prämisse, Konsensbildung unter den Planungsbeteiligten anzustreben. Vielmehr wollen sie widerstreitende Positionen normativ für die räumliche Entwicklung fruchtbar machen. Zugleich betonen sie eine vermeintliche Dualität von Planung und Protest, die in der neueren Protesttheorie infrage gestellt wird. Dieser Beitrag zeigt aufbauend auf einer Diskussion von planungs- und protesttheoretischen Ansätzen und einer empirischen Analyse planungsbezogener Proteste in Deutschland, dass diese Proteste von den Planungsakteuren zwar immer stärker als „Normalität“ aufgefasst werden und antagonistische Partizipation trotz zunehmender Konflikthaftigkeit und vermeintlicher Infragestellung der repräsentativen Demokratie kulturell regelgebunden bleibt. Protesthandeln ist Teil ausdifferenzierter „Partizipationsbündel“, die situationsbezogen auch Teilnahme an Beteiligungsverfahren, direktdemokratische Verfahren und Klagen umfassen. Protestierende verfolgen dabei meist eine eher reformorientierte Agenda, die keiner „Zähmung“ bedarf. Allerdings können die zugrunde liegenden Konflikte häufig gar nicht „gelöst“ werden. Planenden hingegen können auch innerhalb eines agonistischen Planungsumfelds rationalistische und deliberative Ansätze zur Verfügung stehen, die sie situationsbezogen und strategisch nutzen.
Experimental Validation of Dynamic Response of Small-Scale Metaconcrete Beams at Resonance Vibration
(2023)
Structures and their components experience substantially large vibration amplitudes at resonance, which can cause their failure. The scope of this study is the utilization of silicone-coated steel balls in concrete as damping aggregates to suppress the resonance vibration. The heavy steel cores oscillate with a frequency close to the resonance frequency of the structure. Due to the phase difference between the vibrations of the cores and the structure, the cores counteract the vibration of the structure. The core-coating inclusions are randomly distributed in concrete similar to standard aggregates. This mixture is referred to as metaconcrete. The main goal of this work is to validate the ability of the inclusions to suppress mechanical vibration through laboratory experiments. For this purpose, two small-scale metaconcrete beams were cast and tested. In a free vibration test, the metaconcrete beams exhibited a larger damping ratio compared to a similar beam cast from conventional concrete. The vibration amplitudes of the metaconcrete beams at resonance were measured with a frequency sweep test. In comparison with the conventional concrete beam, both metaconcrete beams demonstrated smaller vibration amplitudes. Both experiments verified an improvement in the dynamic response of the metaconcrete beams at resonance vibration.
This article aims to develop a social theory of violence that emphasizes the role of the third party as well as the communication between the involved subjects. For this Teresa Koloma Beck’s essay ‘The Eye of the Beholder: Violence as a Social Process’ is taken as a starting point, which adopts a social-constructivist perspective. On the one hand, the basic concepts and the benefits of this approach are presented. On the other hand, social-theoretical problems of this approach are revealed. These deficits are counteracted by expanding Koloma Beck’s approach with a communicative-constructivist framework. Thus, the role of communicative action and the ‘objectification of violence’ is emphasized. These aspects impact the perception, judgement and (de-)legitimation of violence phenomena and the emergence of a ‘knowledge of violence’. Communicative actions and objectifications form a key to understanding violent interactions and the link between the micro and macro levels. Finally, the methodological consequences for the research of violence and Communicative Constructivism are discussed. Furthermore, possible research fields are outlined, which open up by looking at communicative action and the objectifications within the ‘triads of violence’.
Object-Oriented Damage Information Modeling Concepts and Implementation for Bridge Inspection
(2022)
Bridges are designed to last for more than 50 years and consume up to 50% of their life-cycle costs during their operation phase. Several inspections and assessment actions are executed during this period. Bridge and damage information must be gathered, digitized, and exchanged between different stakeholders. Currently, the inspection and assessment practices rely on paper-based data collection and exchange, which is time-consuming and error-prone, and leads to loss of information. Storing and exchanging damage and building information in a digital format may lower costs and errors during inspection and assessment and support future needs, for example, immediate simulations regarding performance assessment, automated maintenance planning, and mixed reality inspections. This study focused on the concept for modeling damage information to support bridge reviews and structural analysis. Starting from the definition of multiple use cases and related requirements, the data model for damage information is defined independently from the subsequent implementation. In the next step, the implementation via an established standard is explained. Functional tests aim to identify problems in the concept and implementation. To show the capability of the final model, two example use cases are illustrated: the inspection review of the entire bridge and a finite-element analysis of a single component. Main results are the definition of necessary damage data, an object-oriented damage model, which supports multiple use cases, and the implementation of the model in a standard. Furthermore, the tests have shown that the standard is suitable to deliver damage information; however, several software programs lack proper implementation of the standard.
In machine learning, if the training data is independently and identically distributed as the test data then a trained model can make an accurate predictions for new samples of data. Conventional machine learning has a strong dependence on massive amounts of training data which are domain specific to understand their latent patterns. In contrast, Domain adaptation and Transfer learning methods are sub-fields within machine learning that are concerned with solving the inescapable problem of insufficient training data by relaxing the domain dependence hypothesis. In this contribution, this issue has been addressed and by making a novel combination of both the methods we develop a computationally efficient and practical algorithm to solve boundary value problems based on nonlinear partial differential equations. We adopt a meshfree analysis framework to integrate the prevailing geometric modelling techniques based on NURBS and present an enhanced deep collocation approach that also plays an important role in the accuracy of solutions. We start with a brief introduction on how these methods expand upon this framework. We observe an excellent agreement between these methods and have shown that how fine-tuning a pre-trained network to a specialized domain may lead to an outstanding performance compare to the existing ones. As proof of concept, we illustrate the performance of our proposed model on several benchmark problems.
Subscription-based news platforms (such as “Apple News+” or “Readly”) that bundle content from different publishers into one comprehensive package and offer it to media users at a fixed monthly rate are a new way of accessing and consuming digital journalism. These services have received little attention in journalism studies, although they differ greatly from traditional media products and distribution channels. This article empirically investigates the perception of journalism platforms based on eight qualitative focus group discussions with 55 German news consumers.
Results show that the central characteristics these platforms should fulfill in order to attract users are strikingly similar to the characteristics of media platforms from the music and video industries, in particular regarding price points, contract features, and modes of usage. Against this background, the potential and perspectives of a subscription-based news platform for journalism’s societal role are discussed.
Bauablaufplänen kommt bei der Realisierung von Bauprojekten eine zentrale Rolle zu. Sie dienen der Koordination von Schnittstellen und bilden für die am Projekt Beteiligten die Grundlage für ihre individuelle Planung. Eine verlässliche Terminplanung ist daher von großer Bedeutung, tatsächlich sind aber gerade Bauablaufpläne für ihre Unzuverlässigkeit bekannt.
Aufgrund der langen Vorlaufzeiten bei der Planung von Bauprojekten sind zum Zeitpunkt der Planung viele Informationen nur als Schätzwerte bekannt. Auf der Grundlage dieser geschätzten und damit mit Unsicherheiten behafteten Daten werden im Bauwesen deterministische Terminpläne erstellt. Kommt es während der Realisierung zu Diskrepanzen zwischen Schätzungen und Realität, erfordert dies die Anpassung der Pläne. Aufgrund zahlreicher Abhängigkeiten zwischen den geplanten Aktivitäten können einzelne Planänderungen vielfältige weitere Änderungen und Anpassungen nach sich ziehen und damit einen reibungslosen Projektablauf gefährden.
In dieser Arbeit wird ein Vorgehen entwickelt, welches Bauablaufpläne erzeugt, die im Rahmen der durch das Projekt definierten Abhängigkeiten und Randbedingungen in der Lage sind, Änderungen möglichst gut zu absorbieren. Solche Pläne, die bei auftretenden Änderungen vergleichsweise geringe Anpassungen des Terminplans erfordern, werden hier als robust bezeichnet.
Ausgehend von Verfahren der Projektplanung und Methoden zur Berücksichtigung von Unsicherheiten werden deterministische Terminpläne bezüglich ihres Verhaltens bei eintretenden Änderungen betrachtet. Hierfür werden zunächst mögliche Unsicherheiten als Ursachen für Änderungen benannt und mathematisch abgebildet. Damit kann das Verhalten von Abläufen für mögliche Änderungen betrachtet werden, indem die durch Änderungen erzwungenen angepassten Terminpläne simuliert werden. Für diese Monte-Carlo-Simulationen der angepassten Terminpläne wird sichergestellt, dass die angepassten Terminpläne logische Weiterentwicklungen des deterministischen Terminplans darstellen. Auf der Grundlage dieser Untersuchungen wird ein stochastisches Maß zur Quantifizierung der Robustheit erarbeitet, welches die Fähigkeit eines Planes, Änderungen zu absorbieren, beschreibt. Damit ist es möglich, Terminpläne bezüglich ihrer Robustheit zu vergleichen.
Das entwickelte Verfahren zur Quantifizierung der Robustheit wird in einem Optimierungsverfahren auf Basis Genetischer Algorithmen angewendet, um gezielt robuste Terminpläne zu erzeugen. An Beispielen werden die Methoden demonstriert und ihre Wirksamkeit nachgewiesen.
The Gated Community (GC) phenomenon in Latin American cities has become an inherent element of their urban development, despite academical debate, their approach thrives within the housing market; not surprisingly, as some of the premises on which GCs are based, namely safety, control and supervision intersperse seamlessly with the insecure conditions of the contexts from which they arise. The current security crisis in Mexico, triggered in 2006 by the so-called war on drugs, has reached its peak with the highest insecurity rates in decades, representing a unique chance to study these interactions. Although the leading term of this research, Urban Agoraphobia, implies a causal dichotomy between the rise in the sense of fear amongst citizens and housing confinement as lineal consequence, I acknowledge that GCs represent a complex phenomenon, a hub of diverse factors and multidimensional processes held on four fundamental levels: global, social, individual and state-related. The focus of this dissertation is set on the individual plane and contributes, from the analysis of the GC’s resident’s perspective, experiences and perceptions, to a debate that has usually been limited to the scrutiny of other drivers, disregarding the role of dweller’s underlying fears, motivations and concerns. Assuming that the current ruling security model in Mexico tends to empower its commodification rather than its collective quality, this research draws upon the use of a methodological triangulation, along conceptual and contextual analyses, to test the hypothesis that insecurity plays an increasingly major role, leading citizens into the belief that acquiring a household in a controlled and surveilled community represents a counterweight against the feared environment of the open city. The focus of the analysis lies on the internal hatch of community ties as potential palliative for the provision of a sense of security, aiming to transcend the unidimensional discourse of GCs as defined mainly by their defensive apparatus. Residents’ perspectives acquired through ethnographical analyses may provide the chance to gain an essential view into a phenomenon that further consolidates without a critical study of its actual implications, not only for Mexican cities, but also for the Latin American and global contexts.
Real-world labs hold the potential to catalyse rapid urban transformations through real-world experimentation. Characterised by a rather radical, responsive, and location-specific nature, real-world labs face constraints in the scaling of experimental knowledge. To make a significant contribution to urban transformation, the produced knowledge must go beyond the level of a building, street, or small district where real-world experiments are conducted. Thus, a conflict arises between experimental boundaries and the stimulation of broader implications. The challenges of scaling experimental knowledge have been recognised as a problem, but remain largely unexplained. Based on this, the article will discuss the applicability of the “typology of amplification processes” by Lam et al. (2020) to explore and evaluate the potential of scaling experimental knowledge from real-world labs. The application of the typology is exemplified in the case of the Bauhaus.MobilityLab. The Bauhaus.MobilityLab takes a unique approach by testing and developing cross-sectoral mobility, energy, and logistics solutions with a distinct focus on scaling knowledge and innovation. For this case study, different qualitative research techniques are combined according to “within-method triangulation” and synthesised in a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis. The analysis of the Bauhaus.MobilityLab proves that the “typology of amplification processes” is useful as a systematic approach to identifying and evaluating the potential of scaling experimental knowledge.
In this work, the degradation performance for the photocatalytic oxidation of eight micropollutants (amisulpride, benzotriazole, candesartan, carbamazepine, diclofenac, gabapentin, methlybenzotriazole, and metoprolol) within real secondary effluent was investigated using three different reactor designs. For all reactor types, the influence of irradiation power on its reaction rate and energetic efficiency was investigated. Flat cell and batch reactor showed almost similar substance specific degradation behavior. Within the immersion rotary body reactor, benzotriazole and methylbenzotriazole showed a significantly lower degradation affinity. The flat cell reactor achieved the highest mean degradation rate, with half time values ranging from 5 to 64 min with a mean of 18 min, due to its high catalysts surface to hydraulic volume ratio. The EE/O values were calculated for all micro-pollutants as well as the mean degradation rate constant of each experimental step. The lowest substance specific energy per order (EE/O) values of 5 kWh/m3 were measured for benzotriazole within the batch reactor. The batch reactor also reached the lowest mean values (11.8–15.9 kWh/m3) followed by the flat cell reactor (21.0–37.0 kWh/m3) and immersion rotary body reactor (23.9–41.0 kWh/m3). Catalyst arrangement and irradiation power were identified as major influences on the energetic performance of the reactors. Low radiation intensities as well as the use of submerged catalyst arrangement allowed a reduction in energy demand by a factor of 3–4. A treatment according to existing treatment goals of wastewater treatment plants (80% total degradation) was achieved using the batch reactor with a calculated energy demand of 7000 Wh/m3.
The seismic vulnerability assessment of existing reinforced concrete (RC) buildings is a significant source of disaster mitigation plans and rescue services. Different countries evolved various Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) techniques and methodologies to deal with the devastating consequences of earthquakes on the structural characteristics of buildings and human casualties. Artificial intelligence (AI) methods, such as machine learning (ML) algorithm-based methods, are increasingly used in various scientific and technical applications. The investigation toward using these techniques in civil engineering applications has shown encouraging results and reduced human intervention, including uncertainties and biased judgment. In this study, several known non-parametric algorithms are investigated toward RVS using a dataset employing different earthquakes. Moreover, the methodology encourages the possibility of examining the buildings’ vulnerability based on the factors related to the buildings’ importance and exposure. In addition, a web-based application built on Django is introduced. The interface is designed with the idea to ease the seismic vulnerability investigation in real-time. The concept was validated using two case studies, and the achieved results showed the proposed approach’s potential efficiency
Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is an established methodology to support the decision-making of multi-objective problems. For conducting an MCDA, in most cases, a set of objectives (SOO) is required, which consists of a hierarchical structure comprised of objectives, criteria, and indicators. The development of an SOO is usually based on moderated development processes requiring high organizational and cognitive effort from all stakeholders involved. This article proposes elementary interactions as a key paradigm of an algorithm-driven development process for an SOO that requires little moderation efforts. Elementary interactions are self-contained information requests that may be answered with little cognitive effort. The pairwise comparison of elements in the well-known analytical hierarchical process (AHP) is an example of an elementary interaction. Each elementary interaction in the development process presented contributes to the stepwise development of an SOO. Based on the hypothesis that an SOO may be developed exclusively using elementary interactions (EIs), a concept for a multi-user platform is proposed. Essential components of the platform are a Model Aggregator, an Elementary Interaction Stream Generator, a Participant Manager, and a Discussion Forum. While the latter component serves the professional exchange of the participants, the first three components are intended to be automatable by algorithms. The platform concept proposed has been evaluated partly in an explorative validation study demonstrating the general functionality of the algorithms outlined. In summary, the platform concept suggested demonstrates the potential to ease SOO development processes as the platform concept does not restrict the application domain; it is intended to work with little administration moderation efforts, and it supports the further development of an existing SOO in the event of changes in external conditions. The algorithm-driven development of SOOs proposed in this article may ease the development of MCDA applications and, thus, may have a positive effect on the spread of MCDA applications.
Operator Calculus Approach to Comparison of Elasticity Models for Modelling of Masonry Structures
(2022)
The solution of any engineering problem starts with a modelling process aimed at formulating a mathematical model, which must describe the problem under consideration with sufficient precision. Because of heterogeneity of modern engineering applications, mathematical modelling scatters nowadays from incredibly precise micro- and even nano-modelling of materials to macro-modelling, which is more appropriate for practical engineering computations. In the field of masonry structures, a macro-model of the material can be constructed based on various elasticity theories, such as classical elasticity, micropolar elasticity and Cosserat elasticity. Evidently, a different macro-behaviour is expected depending on the specific theory used in the background. Although there have been several theoretical studies of different elasticity theories in recent years, there is still a lack of understanding of how modelling assumptions of different elasticity theories influence the modelling results of masonry structures. Therefore, a rigorous approach to comparison of different three-dimensional elasticity models based on quaternionic operator calculus is proposed in this paper. In this way, three elasticity models are described and spatial boundary value problems for these models are discussed. In particular, explicit representation formulae for their solutions are constructed. After that, by using these representation formulae, explicit estimates for the solutions obtained by different elasticity theories are obtained. Finally, several numerical examples are presented, which indicate a practical difference in the solutions.
Multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is an established methodology to support the decision-making of multi-objective problems. For conducting an MCDA, in most cases, a set of objectives (SOO) is required, which consists of a hierarchical structure comprised of objectives, criteria, and indicators. The development of an SOO is usually based on moderated development processes requiring high organizational and cognitive effort from all stakeholders involved. This article proposes elementary interactions as a key paradigm of an algorithm-driven development process for an SOO that requires little moderation efforts. Elementary interactions are self-contained information requests that may be answered with little cognitive effort. The pairwise comparison of elements in the well-known analytical hierarchical process (AHP) is an example of an elementary interaction. Each elementary interaction in the development process presented contributes to the stepwise development of an SOO. Based on the hypothesis that an SOO may be developed exclusively using elementary interactions (EIs), a concept for a multi-user platform is proposed. Essential components of the platform are a Model Aggregator, an Elementary Interaction Stream Generator, a Participant Manager, and a Discussion Forum. While the latter component serves the professional exchange of the participants, the first three components are intended to be automatable by algorithms. The platform concept proposed has been evaluated partly in an explorative validation study demonstrating the general functionality of the algorithms outlined. In summary, the platform concept suggested demonstrates the potential to ease SOO development processes as the platform concept does not restrict the application domain; it is intended to work with little administration moderation efforts, and it supports the further development of an existing SOO in the event of changes in external conditions. The algorithm-driven development of SOOs proposed in this article may ease the development of MCDA applications and, thus, may have a positive effect on the spread of MCDA applications.
Plastic structural analysis may be applied without any difficulty and with little effort for structural member verifications with regard to lateral torsional buckling of doubly symmetric rolled I sections. Suchlike analyses can be performed based on the plastic zone theory, specifically using finite beam elements with seven degrees of freedom and 2nd order theory considering material nonlinearity. The existing Eurocode enables these approaches and the coming-up generation will provide corresponding regulations in EN 1993-1-14. The investigations allow the determination of computationally accurate limit loads, which are determined in the present paper for selected structural systems with different sets of parameters, such as length, steel grade and cross section types. The results are compared to approximations gained by more sophisticated FEM analyses (commercial software Ansys Workbench applying solid elements) for reasons of verification/validation. In this course, differences in the results of the numerical models are addressed and discussed. In addition, results are compared to resistances obtained by common design regulations based on reduction factors χlt including regulations of EN 1993-1-1 (including German National Annex) as well as prEN 1993-1-1: 2020-08 (proposed new Eurocode generation). Concluding, correlations of results and their advantages as well as disadvantages are discussed.
Vertical green system for gray water treatment: Analysis of the VertiKKA-module in a field test
(2022)
This work presents a modular Vertical Green System (VGS) for gray water treatment, developed at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. The concept was transformed into a field study with four modules built and tested with synthetic gray water. Each module set contains a small and larger module with the same treatment substrate and was fed hourly. A combination of lightweight structural material and biochar of agricultural residues and wood chips was used as the treatment substrate. In this article, we present the first 18 weeks of operation. Regarding the treatment efficiency, the parameters chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorous (TP), ortho-phosphate (ortho-P), total bound nitrogen (TNb), ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) were analyzed and are presented in this work. The results of the modules with agricultural residues are promising. Up to 92% COD reduction is stated in the data. The phosphate and nitrogen fractions are reduced significantly in these modules. By contrast, the modules with wood chips reduce only 67% of the incoming COD and respectively less regarding phosphates and the nitrogen fraction.
A vast number of existing buildings were constructed before the development and enforcement of seismic design codes, which run into the risk of being severely damaged under the action of seismic excitations. This poses not only a threat to the life of people but also affects the socio-economic stability in the affected area. Therefore, it is necessary to assess such buildings’ present vulnerability to make an educated decision regarding risk mitigation by seismic strengthening techniques such as retrofitting. However, it is economically and timely manner not feasible to inspect, repair, and augment every old building on an urban scale. As a result, a reliable rapid screening methods, namely Rapid Visual Screening (RVS), have garnered increasing interest among researchers and decision-makers alike. In this study, the effectiveness of five different Machine Learning (ML) techniques in vulnerability prediction applications have been investigated. The damage data of four different earthquakes from Ecuador, Haiti, Nepal, and South Korea, have been utilized to train and test the developed models. Eight performance modifiers have been implemented as variables with a supervised ML. The investigations on this paper illustrate that the assessed vulnerability classes by ML techniques were very close to the actual damage levels observed in the buildings.
Modern cryptography has become an often ubiquitous but essential part of our daily lives. Protocols for secure authentication and encryption protect our communication with various digital services, from private messaging, online shopping, to bank transactions or exchanging sensitive information. Those high-level protocols can naturally be only as secure as the authentication or encryption schemes underneath. Moreover, on a more detailed level, those schemes can also at best inherit the security of their underlying primitives. While widespread standards in modern symmetric-key cryptography, such as the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), have shown to resist analysis until now, closer analysis and design of related primitives can deepen our understanding.
The present thesis consists of two parts that portray six contributions: The first part considers block-cipher cryptanalysis of the round-reduced AES, the AES-based tweakable block cipher Kiasu-BC, and TNT. The second part studies the design, analysis, and implementation of provably secure authenticated encryption schemes.
In general, cryptanalysis aims at finding distinguishable properties in the output distribution. Block ciphers are a core primitive of symmetric-key cryptography which are useful for the construction of various higher-level schemes, ranging from authentication, encryption, authenticated encryption up to integrity protection. Therefore, their analysis is crucial to secure cryptographic schemes at their lowest level. With rare exceptions, block-cipher cryptanalysis employs a systematic strategy of investigating known attack techniques. Modern proposals are expected to be evaluated against these techniques. The considerable effort for evaluation, however, demands efforts not only from the designers but also from external sources.
The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is one of the most widespread block ciphers nowadays. Therefore, it is naturally an interesting target for further analysis. Tweakable block ciphers augment the usual inputs of a secret key and a public plaintext by an additional public input called tweak. Among various proposals through the previous decade, this thesis identifies Kiasu-BC as a noteworthy attempt to construct a tweakable block cipher that is very close to the AES. Hence, its analysis intertwines closely with that of the AES and illustrates the impact of the tweak on its security best. Moreover, it revisits a generic tweakable block cipher Tweak-and-Tweak (TNT) and its instantiation based on the round-reduced AES.
The first part investigates the security of the AES against several forms of differential cryptanalysis, developing distinguishers on four to six (out of ten) rounds of AES. For Kiasu-BC, it exploits the additional freedom in the tweak to develop two forms of differential-based attacks: rectangles and impossible differentials. The results on Kiasu-BC consider an additional round compared to attacks on the (untweaked) AES. The authors of TNT had provided an initial security analysis that still left a gap between provable guarantees and attacks. Our analysis conducts a considerable step towards closing this gap. For TNT-AES - an instantiation of TNT built upon the AES round function - this thesis further shows how to transform our distinguisher into a key-recovery attack.
Many applications require the simultaneous authentication and encryption of transmitted data. Authenticated encryption (AE) schemes provide both properties. Modern AE schemes usually demand a unique public input called nonce that must not repeat. Though, this requirement cannot always be guaranteed in practice. As part of a remedy, misuse-resistant and robust AE tries to reduce the impact of occasional misuses. However, robust AE considers not only the potential reuse of nonces. Common authenticated encryption also demanded that the entire ciphertext would have to be buffered until the authentication tag has been successfully verified. In practice, this approach is difficult to ensure since the setting may lack the resources for buffering the messages. Moreover, robustness guarantees in the case of misuse are valuable features.
The second part of this thesis proposes three authenticated encryption schemes: RIV, SIV-x, and DCT. RIV is robust against nonce misuse and the release of unverified plaintexts. Both SIV-x and DCT provide high security independent from nonce repetitions. As the core under SIV-x, this thesis revisits the proof of a highly secure parallel MAC, PMAC-x, revises its details, and proposes SIV-x as a highly secure authenticated encryption scheme. Finally, DCT is a generic approach to have n-bit secure deterministic AE but without the need of expanding the ciphertext-tag string by more than n bits more than the plaintext.
From its first part, this thesis aims to extend the understanding of the (1) cryptanalysis of round-reduced AES, as well as the understanding of (2) AES-like tweakable block ciphers. From its second part, it demonstrates how to simply extend known approaches for (3) robust nonce-based as well as (4) highly secure deterministic authenticated encryption.
Personalized ventilation (PV) is a mean of delivering conditioned outdoor air into the breathing zone of the occupants. This study aims to qualitatively investigate the personalized flows using two methods of visualization: (1) schlieren imaging using a large schlieren mirror and (2) thermography using an infrared camera. While the schlieren imaging was used to render the velocity and mass transport of the supplied flow, thermography was implemented to visualize the air temperature distribution induced by the PV. Both studies were conducted using a thermal manikin to simulate an occupant facing a PV outlet. As a reference, the flow supplied by an axial fan and a cased axial fan was visualized with the schlieren system as well and compared to the flow supplied by PV. Schlieren visualization results indicate that the steady, low-turbulence flow supplied by PV was able to penetrate the thermal convective boundary layer encasing the manikin's body, providing clean air for inhalation. Contrarily, the axial fan diffused the supplied air over a large target area with high turbulence intensity; it only disturbed the convective boundary layer rather than destroying it. The cased fan supplied a flow with a reduced target area which allowed supplying more air into the breathing zone compared to the fan. The results of thermography visualization showed that the supplied cool air from PV penetrated the corona-shaped thermal boundary layer. Furthermore, the supplied air cooled the surface temperature of the face, which indicates the large impact of PV on local thermal sensation and comfort.
In this article, I show why it is necessary to abolish the use of predictive algorithms in the US criminal justice system at sentencing. After presenting the functioning of these algorithms in their context of emergence, I offer three arguments to demonstrate why their abolition is imperative. First, I show that sentencing based on predictive algorithms induces a process of rewriting the temporality of the judged individual, flattening their life into a present inescapably doomed by its past. Second, I demonstrate that recursive processes, comprising predictive algorithms and the decisions based on their predictions, systematically suppress outliers and progressively transform reality to match predictions. In my third and final argument, I show that decisions made on the basis of predictive algorithms actively perform a biopolitical understanding of justice as management and modulation of risks. In such a framework, justice becomes a means to maintain a perverse social homeostasis that systematically exposes disenfranchised Black and Brown populations to risk.
Scaling of concrete due to salt frost attack is an important durability issue in moderate and cold climates. The actual damage mechanism is still not completely understood. Two recent damage theories—the glue spall theory and the cryogenic suction theory—offer plausible, but conflicting explanations for the salt frost scaling mechanism. The present study deals with the cryogenic suction theory, which assumes that freezing concrete can take up unfrozen brine from a partly frozen deicing solution during salt frost attack. According to the model hypothesis, the resulting saturation of the concrete surface layer intensifies the ice formation in this layer and causes salt frost scaling. In this study an experimental technique was developed that makes it possible to quantify to which extent brine uptake can increase ice formation in hardened cement paste (used as a model material for concrete). The experiments were carried out with low temperature differential scanning calorimetry, where specimens were subjected to freeze–thaw cycles while being in contact with NaCl brine. Results showed that the ice content in the specimens increased with subsequent freeze–thaw cycles due to the brine uptake at temperatures below 0 °C. The ability of the hardened cement paste to bind chlorides from the absorbed brine at the same time affected the freezing/melting behavior of the pore solution and the magnitude of the ice content.
Marine macroalgae such as Ulva intestinalis have promising properties as feedstock for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. However, since the quantity and quality of naturally grown algae vary widely, their exploitability is reduced – especially for producers in high-priced markets. Moreover, the expansion of marine or shore-based cultivation systems is unlikely in Europe, since promising sites either lie in fishing zones, recreational areas, or natural reserves. The aim was therefore to develop a closed photobioreactor system enabling full control of abiotic environmental parameters and an effective reconditioning of the cultivation medium in order to produce marine macroalgae at sites distant from the shore. To assess the feasibility and functionality of the chosen technological concept, a prototypal plant has been implemented in central Germany – a site distant from the sea. Using a newly developed, submersible LED light source, cultivation experiments with Ulva intestinalis led to growth rates of 7.72 ± 0.04 % day−1 in a cultivation cycle of 28 days. Based on the space demand of the production system, this results in fresh mass productivity of 3.0 kg m−2, respectively, of 1.1 kg m−2 per year. Also considering the ratio of biomass to energy input amounting to 2.76 g kWh−1, significant future improvements of the developed photobioreactor system should include the optimization of growth parameters, and the reduction of the system’s overall energy demand.
Bolted connections are commonly used in steel construction. The load-bearing behavior of bolt fittings has extensively been studied in various research activities and the bearing capacity of bolted connections can be assessed well by standard regulations for practical applications. With regard to tensile loading, the nut does not have strong influence on resistances, since the failure occurs in the bolts due to higher material strengths of the nuts. In some applications, so-called “blind holes” are used to connect plated components. In a manner of speaking, the nut is replaced by the “outer” plate with a prefabricated hole and thread, in which the bolt can be screwed and tightened. In such connections, the limit load capacity cannot solely be assessed by the bolt resistance, since the threaded hole in the base material has strong influence on the structural behavior. In this context, the available screw-in depth of the blind hole is of fundamental importance. The German National Annex of EN 1993-1-8 provides information on a necessary depth in order to transfer the full tensile capacity of the bolt. However, some connections do not allow to fabricate such depths. In these cases, the capacity of the connection is unclear and not specified. In this paper, first experiments on corresponding connections with different screw-in depths are presented and compared to limit load capacities according to the standard.
Few studies have investigated how search behavior affects complex writing tasks. We analyze a dataset of 150 long essays whose authors searched the ClueWeb09 corpus for source material, while all querying, clicking, and writing activity was meticulously recorded. We model the effect of search and writing behavior on essay quality using path analysis. Since the boil-down and build-up writing strategies identified in previous research have been found to affect search behavior, we model each writing strategy separately. Our analysis shows that the search process contributes significantly to essay quality through both direct and mediated effects, while the author's writing strategy moderates this relationship. Our models explain 25–35% of the variation in essay quality through rather simple search and writing process characteristics alone, a fact that has implications on how search engines could personalize result pages for writing tasks. Authors' writing strategies and associated searching patterns differ, producing differences in essay quality. In a nutshell: essay quality improves if search and writing strategies harmonize—build-up writers benefit from focused, in-depth querying, while boil-down writers fare better with a broader and shallower querying strategy.
In this paper we present a theoretical background for a coupled analytical–numerical approach to model a crack propagation process in two-dimensional bounded domains. The goal of the coupled analytical–numerical approach is to obtain the correct solution behaviour near the crack tip by help of the analytical solution constructed by using tools of complex function theory and couple it continuously with the finite element solution in the region far from the singularity. In this way, crack propagation could be modelled without using remeshing. Possible directions of crack growth can be calculated through the minimization of the total energy composed of the potential energy and the dissipated energy based on the energy release rate. Within this setting, an analytical solution of a mixed boundary value problem based on complex analysis and conformal mapping techniques is presented in a circular region containing an arbitrary crack path. More precisely, the linear elastic problem is transformed into a Riemann–Hilbert problem in the unit disk for holomorphic functions. Utilising advantages of the analytical solution in the region near the crack tip, the total energy could be evaluated within short computation times for various crack kink angles and lengths leading to a potentially efficient way of computing the minimization procedure. To this end, the paper presents a general strategy of the new coupled approach for crack propagation modelling. Additionally, we also discuss obstacles in the way of practical realisation of this strategy.
According to Eurocode, the computation of bending strength for steel cantilever beams is a straightforward process. The approach is based on an Ayrton-Perry formula adaptation of buckling curves for steel members in compression, which involves the computation of an elastic critical buckling load for considering the instability. NCCI documents offer a simplified formula to determine the critical bending moment for cantilevers beams with symmetric cross-section. Besides the NCCI recommendations, other approaches, e.g. research literature or Finite-Element-Analysis, may be employed to determine critical buckling loads. However, in certain cases they render different results. Present paper summarizes and compares the abovementioned analytical and numerical approaches for determining critical loads and it exemplarily analyses corresponding cantilever beam capacities using numerical approaches based on plastic zones theory (GMNIA).
Global structural analyses in civil engineering are usually performed considering linear-elastic material behavior. However, for steel structures, a certain degree of plasticization depending on the member classification may be considered. Corresponding plastic analyses taking material nonlinearities into account are effectively realized using numerical methods. Frequently applied finite elements of two and three-dimensional models evaluate the plasticity at defined nodes using a yield surface, i.e. by a yield condition, hardening rule, and flow rule. Corresponding calculations are connected to a large numerical as well as time-consuming effort and they do not rely on the theoretical background of beam theory, to which the regulations of standards mainly correspond. For that reason, methods using beam elements (one-dimensional) combined with cross-sectional analyses are commonly applied for steel members in terms of plastic zones theories. In these approaches, plasticization is in general assessed by means of axial stress only. In this paper, more precise numerical representation of the combined stress states, i.e. axial and shear stresses, is presented and results of the proposed approach are validated and discussed.
Compiling and disseminating information about incidents and disasters are key to disaster management and relief. But due to inherent limitations of the acquisition process, the required information is often incomplete or missing altogether. To fill these gaps, citizen observations spread through social media are widely considered to be a promising source of relevant information, and many studies propose new methods to tap this resource. Yet, the overarching question of whether and under which circumstances social media can supply relevant information (both qualitatively and quantitatively) still remains unanswered. To shed some light on this question, we review 37 disaster and incident databases covering 27 incident types, compile a unified overview of the contained data and their collection processes, and identify the missing or incomplete information. The resulting data collection reveals six major use cases for social media analysis in incident data collection: (1) impact assessment and verification of model predictions, (2) narrative generation, (3) recruiting citizen volunteers, (4) supporting weakly institutionalized areas, (5) narrowing surveillance areas, and (6) reporting triggers for periodical surveillance. Furthermore, we discuss the benefits and shortcomings of using social media data for closing information gaps related to incidents and disasters.
Chemical glass frosting processes are widely used to create visual attractive glass surfaces. A commonly used frosting bath mainly contains ammonium bifluoride (NH4HF2) mixed with hydrochloric acid (HCl). The frosting process consists of several baths. Firstly, the preliminary bath to clean the object. Secondly, the frosting bath which etches the rough light scattering structure into the glass surface. Finally, the washing baths to clean the frosted object. This is where the constituents of the preceding steps accumulate and have to be filtered from the sewage. In the present contribution, phosphoric acid (H3PO4) was used as a substitute for HCl to reduce the amount of ammonium (NH4+) and chloride (Cl−) dissolved in the waste water. In combination with magnesium carbonate (MgCO3), it allows the precipitation of ammonium within the sewage as ammonium magnesium phosphate (MgNH4PO4). However, a trivial replacement of HCl by H3PO4 within the frosting process causes extensive frosting errors, such as inhomogeneous size distributions of the structures or domains that are not fully covered by these structures. By modifying the preliminary bath composition, it was possible to improve the frosting result considerably. To determine the optimal composition of the preliminary bath, a semi-automatic evaluation method has been developed. This method renders the objective comparison of the resulting surface quality possible.
Utilizing Modern FIB/SEM Technology and EDS for 3D Imaging of Hydrated Alite and its Pore Space
(2021)
The exploration of cementitious materials using scanning electron microscopes (SEM) is mainly done using fractured or polished surfaces. This leads to high-resolution 2D-images that can be combined using EDX and EBSD to unveil details of the microstructure and composition of materials. Nevertheless, this does not provide a quantitative insight into the three-dimensional fine structure of for example C-S-H phases.
The focused ion beam (FIB) technology can cut a block of material in thin layers of less than 10 nm. This gives us a volume of 1000 μm³ with a voxel resolution of down to 4 x 4 x 10 nm³. The results can be combined with simultaneously acquired EDX data to improve image segmentation. Results of the investigation demonstrate that it is possible to obtain close-to-native 3D-visualisation of the spatial distribution of unreacted C3S, C-S-H and CH. Additionally, an optimized preparation method allows us to quantify the fine structure of C-S-H phases (length, aspect ratio, …) and the pore space.
Biofeedback constitutes a well-established, non-invasive method to voluntary interfere in emotional processing by means of cognitive strategies. However, treatment durations exhibit strong inter-individual variations and first successes can often be achieved only after a large number of sessions. Sham feedback constitutes a rather untapped approach by providing feedback that does not correspond to the participant’s actual state. The current study aims to gain insights into mechanisms of sham feedback processing in order to support new techniques in biofeedback therapy. We carried out two experiments and applied different types of sham feedback on skin conductance responses and pupil size changes during affective processing. Results indicate that standardized but context-sensitive sham signals based on skin conductance responses exert a stronger influence on emotional regulation compared to individual sham feedback from ongoing pupil dynamics. Also, sham feedback should forego unnatural signal behavior to avoid irritation and skepticism among participants. Altogether, a reasonable combination of stimulus features and sham feedback characteristics enables to considerably reduce the actual bodily responsiveness already within a single session.