Tind Technologies (Norway)
Hes-so: ArODES Open Archive (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland / Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale / FH Westschweiz)Not a member yet
15764 research outputs found
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Highlighting the impact of uncertainties on top-down carbon budget calculations for buildings
No full textAligning construction activities with climate goals requires the use of carbon budgets. However, uncertainties and allocation choices surrounding these budgets, such as fairness principles and development assumptions (e.g., rate of new constructions and renovations or share of imports), pose challenges. The research questions of this study address the extent of uncertainties’ influence on building-level targets and how to effectively consider them at a policy level. The study employs a sensitivity analysis on input parameters defining top-down building budgets. Results show that fairness principles significantly impact budget allocations and target definitions; nevertheless, the choice remains at political and societal level. In Switzerland, embodied targets are highly sensitive to the share of emissions from imported materials making it a controversial parameter in the model. The volume and impact variability of new construction and renovation activities moderately affect the building-level targets and are interdependent (the more budget for new constructions, the lower for renovations). The constructive consequences of the uncertainties behind carbon budgets allocation mean that design options can either be restricted to unfeasible constraints or be viable to laxed construction practices. Carbon budgets for buildings are crucial for aligning construction activities with net-zero pathways, but they must be responsive to market changes and policy developments. Stakeholders should employ a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches to comprehensively evaluate targets’ viability and inform decision-making. Understanding and managing the inherent variability of uncertainties are vital for effective decision-making throughout the design process
Sailor ::automating distributed training over dynamic, heterogeneous, and geo-distributed clusters
No full textThe high GPU demand of ML training makes it hard to allocate large homogeneous clusters of high-end GPUs in a single availability zone. Leveraging heterogeneous GPUs available within and across zones can improve throughput at a reasonable cost. However, training ML models on heterogeneous resources introduces significant challenges, such as stragglers and a large search space of possible job configurations. Current systems lack support for efficiently training models on heterogeneous resources. We present Sailor, a system that automates distributed training over heterogeneous, geo-distributed, and dynamically available resources. Sailor combines an efficient search space exploration algorithm, accurate runtime and memory footprint simulation, and a distributed training framework that supports different types of heterogeneity to optimize training throughput and cost
Impact of CO2 visualization on classroom air quality
No full textClassroom air quality is crucial for children’s health, comfort, and cognitive performance. This study examines whether educational CO2 sensors displaying concentration levels and risk indicators encourage air renewal adjustments. CO2 monitors were installed in 48 classrooms across 24 schools, with continuous year-round monitoring with discrete sensors (no display) and two one-week periods of educational sensor use (with display) in summer and winter. Results show no significant CO2 levels during summer periods, likely due to naturally low CO2 levels (565 ppm on average) from frequent window openings. In winter, however, CO2 levels dropped within four weeks of educational sensor installation – from 1025 ppm to 880 ppm in naturally ventilated classrooms, and from 710 to 530 ppm in mechanically ventilated ones – suggesting increased awareness of ventilation needs. These findings indicate that educational CO2 sensors are associated with lower winter-time CO2 concentrations, and consequently, they have the potential to drive positive changes and have an effective role in indoor air quality management
L’accompagnement du droit de visite ::des espaces d’opportunité en termes de coéducation ?
No full textL’article examine l’accompagnement du droit de visite, principe fondamental du droit familial en Suisse. Il analyse comment ce droit s’articule avec la notion de coéducation, en particulier dans les situations où l’intervention des services de protection de l’enfance est nécessaire. La recherche s’appuie sur une approche méthodologique plurielle intégrant des données issues de différents terrains professionnels liés à la protection de l’enfance. Elle met en lumière les tensions et les défis rencontrés par les professionnels dans leur collaboration avec les parents, en explorant les espaces potentiels de coéducation qui peuvent émerger dans ces contextes complexes. L’objectif est d’identifier des pistes pour favoriser une alliance éducative entre parents et professionnels centrée sur l’intérêt supérieur de l’enfant, même dans des situations d’aide contrainte.Facilitating parental visitation: Opportunities for co-upbringing? This article examines the support provided for the exercise of parental visitation rights, a fundamental principle of family law in Switzerland. It analyzes how this right relates to the notion of co-upbringing, particularly in situations where the intervention of child protection services is required. The research is based on a multifaceted methodological approach, integrating data from different professional fields related to child protection. It highlights the tensions and challenges professionals face in working with parents and explores the potential opportunities for co-upbringing that can emerge in these complex contexts. The aim is to identify ways of fostering an educational alliance between parents and professionals, centered on the best interests of the child, even in situations of mandated support
SPARKLE ::structured parsing for arabic resource knowledge and language extraction
No full textThis paper proposes an ontology-based method for extracting semantic triples from Arabic news articles, addressing unique challenges of Arabic text processing. Our approach combines named entity recognition, part-of-speech tagging, dependency parsing, and sentiment analysis, mapped to a domain ontology designed for conflict analytics. Our methodology enhances Arabic NLP tools with domain-specific rules, implementing a hybrid architecture integrating CAMeL Tools and FARASA for improved entity extraction. Experimental results on 5,000 Modern Standard Arabic news articles demonstrate 96.06% named entity coverage, with balanced recognition across locations (43.5%), organizations (25.7%), and persons (24.8%). Network analysis reveals hierarchical information patterns, with news articles serving as central nodes and locations as contextual anchors, forming distinct communities of entities. Furthermore, sentiment analysis shows predominant neutral (51.3%) and positive (45.3%) polarities despite the conflict context, reflecting journalistic objectivity. Despite current limitations in Arabic NLP tools and resources, our approach demonstrates effective semantic knowledge extraction through combined ontological and sentiment frameworks
Towards an engineering station for performing space-debris remediation by means of high-power laser radiation
No full textIn this paper, we present an ongoing ESA Space Safety Programme activity called “Orbit Maintenance via Laser Momentum Transfer”, OMLET). The OMLET project is performing a Phase A/B1 study for the development of a Laser Momentum Transfer (LMT) Engineering Station. The Engineering Station, once built, will enable exten sive testing and in-orbit demonstrations in preparation for a future operational network of LMT station for laser based collision avoidance. Focus is given to the LMT Engineering Station as a system, explaining the various subsystems that are needed. Development needs for crit ical technology (e.g. laser sources, beam combination, AO correction of atmospheric effects) are identified. Fi nally, a preliminary concept of operations will be pre sented, followed by a discussion on legal and regulatory aspects for conducting LMT operations/services
Occurrence and toxicological risk characterization of 6-PPD, 6-PPDQ, and related rubber-associated chemicals in fruits and vegetables
No full textRubber-related antioxidants and vulcanisation accelerators are high-production-volume chemicals widely used in tire manufacturing. Through tire and road wear particles, these substances can enter the environment and contaminate crops via atmospheric deposition, irrigation, or soil uptake. This study reports the occurrence of six such compounds - N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6-PPD), its quinone transformation product (6-PPDQ), benzothiazole (BTH), diphenylguanidine (DPG), 1,3-dicyclohexylurea (DCU), and N,N′-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPPD) - in fresh fruits and vegetables. Using a QuEChERS–LC–MS/MS approach, the compounds were screened across multiple commodities, revealing DPG and BTH as the most frequently detected analytes, whereas 6-PPD was consistently below quantification limits. Estimated daily intakes (EDIs) were derived for adults and children, and a hazard quotient (HQ) approach was applied to characterize potential dietary risks. Across all scenarios, HQs remained well below 1.0, indicating negligible risk from fruit- and vegetable-mediated exposure. These findings highlight the low dietary relevance of these compounds compared with other exposure routes and support the need for integrated assessments that consider inhalation, dust, and other non-dietary pathways. Importantly, this study also demonstrates the practical value of applying a QuEChERS–LC–MS/MS workflow to this specific combination of analytes and food matrices, providing a robust basis for future monitoring and risk-assessment efforts
Fire Performances of SFRC-Insulated Panels and Slabs for Modular Construction: An Experimental Study
No full textFire safety is a crucial issue for buildings, especially with the rise of modular construction, which demands materials that combine lightness with mechanical performance and stability. This study investigates a new concept for single-story modular constructions, made up of 3D cells assembled from thermally and acoustically pre-insulated concrete panels. These panels comprising four walls and two slabs forming the module, are stiffened, with thicknesses of only 5 cm for the walls and 7 cm for the slabs. Their constituent material is a self-compacting, high-volume steel-fiber concrete, containing 80 kg/m3 of steel fibers and 0.3 kg/m3 of polypropylene fibers. Experimental tests on a full-scale wall and slab revealed that adding 0.3 kg/m3 of polypropylene fibers effectively prevents concrete from splintering and achieves the necessary 30 min fire resistance. Standardized full-scale fire tests on walls and slabs confirmed that these thin structures meet fire resistance, insulation, and airtightness standards. The high volume of steel fibers provides ductility, maintaining structural integrity despite concrete spalling. The maximum spalling depth observed in some areas ranged 35 to 50 mm, without compromising structural performance. Overall, the modular system satisfies the fire safety requirements for structural stability (no collapse) and performance in single-story modular construction