SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: Current Topics

SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: Current Topics Datta, Shoumen Low-cost, non-invasive, detection, and diagnostic platform for surveillance of infections in humans, and animals. The system embraces the IoT “digital by design” metaphor by incorporating elements of connectivity, data sharing and (secure) information arbitrage. Can we use an array of aptamers to bind viral targets which may help in detection, diagnostics, and potentially prevention in case of SARS-CoV-2? The ADD tool may become part of a broader platform approach in molecular epidemiology and serve as another public health risk mitigation strategy. The proposal pertaining to SARS-CoV-2 ("ADD") also includes a suggestion for SARS-CoV-2 breathalyzer (see Figure 18 in "ADD") and one reason for advocating this approach may be gleaned from the legend to Figure 20 (in the pdf "ADD"). The article "ADD" is included in chapter 6 of the book "IoT is a Metaphor" (PDF in this collection).

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P3 - Porous Pareto Partition

P3 - Porous Pareto Partition Datta, Shoumen Unsustainable and Misaligned Economics of Technology triggers a Porous Pareto Partition Between the Haves and the Have Nots: Can Democratization of Distributed Data act as a Catalyst for the Dissemination of Digital Dividends? This essay aspires to inform that tools and data related to the affluent world are not a template to be “copied” or applied to systems in the remaining (80%) parts of the world which is under economic constraints. We need different thinking that resists the inclination of the affluent 20% of the world to treat the rest of the world (80% of the population) just as a market. The 80/20 distribution evokes the Pareto theme in this essay.

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PEAS - Making Meaningful Sense of Sensor Data and Information

PEAS - Making Meaningful Sense of Sensor Data and Information Datta, Shoumen; McLamore, Eric Exploring convergence of ideas to transform data into meaningful information. Collaboration of thoughts and ideas with Eric McLamore et al

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Research Brief: Evolving the C-S-H Packing Density at the Microscale

Research Brief: Evolving the C-S-H Packing Density at the Microscale Petersen, Thomas; Ulm, Franz-Josef Cement paste is a complex multiphase material, roughly 50 percent of which, by volume, is composed of calcium-silicate-hydrates (C-S-H). The C-S-H phase, which lends the material its rigidity, appears to be a dispersion of nanometer-sized particles that densify during the course of the hydration reaction (Ioannidou et al., PNAS 2016). Because the mechanical properties, early-age internal stresses, and microstructure are critically dependent on the distribution of the high density (HD) and low density (LD) C-S-H product, research efforts are underway to better understand nanoparticle packing density at the scale of hundreds of micrometers, where a binary mixture of clinker grains and saturated pore space evolve into a porous hydrated gel. This research brief displays simulated snapshots of cement paste at varying hydration degrees and predicts the evolution of the HD and LD peaks for the distribution of the indentation modulus also observed in nanoindentation experiments. One page research brief

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Digital Transformation

Digital Transformation Datta, Shoumen Digital Economics is approaching and the "new economy" will need new rules, new changes and new thinking. Digital Transformation is a step toward Digital Economy. In this article, we haven't even scratched the surface of the imminent digital tsunami. Infrastructure and innovation must converge with tools and technologies, where systems must connect and communicate to meet the customer at the point of consumption. This will be an immense change which will turn paradoxes to paradigms. Please scroll down to download the pdf "Digital Transformation" Digital Transformation is a convergence of multiple tools, technologies and ideas. A few of these elements are discussed in this article/blog. Please download the pdf (please scroll down) and review Parts I through VII.

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 Evaluation of the Albedo-induced Radiative Forcing and CO2 Equivalence Savings: A Case Study on Reflective Pavements in Four Selected U.S. Urban Areas

 Evaluation of the Albedo-induced Radiative Forcing and CO2 Equivalence Savings: A Case Study on Reflective Pavements in Four Selected U.S. Urban Areas Xu, Xin; Gregory, Jeremy; Kirchain, Randolph There is a growing interest in developing cool pavement strategies to mitigate pavement’s impact on the global warming in recent years. One of the mitigation strategies is by increasing the solar reflectance (or albedo) of the pavement surface, which directly contributes to global cooling by adjusting radiative forcing and potentially reduces the energy demand in the urban areas. In this paper, the radiative energy budgets in four urban areas are investigated based on the data derived from NASA satellite measurements. The radiative forcing (RF) due to the change of urban surface albedo as a result of reflective pavements is estimated using a simplified engineering model. The carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalence savings are also calculated with reference to the 100-year global warming potential of CO2. Results show that the implementation of reflective pavement has a great potential to reduce global warming. The CO2 reduction is significant in the urban areas but also affects the surrounding regions to some extent. In the end, we recommend using a climate model incorporating site-specific information that enables the visualization of the outputs through spatial maps. The results from this work would be useful for guiding the implementation of the cool pavement strategies.

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How to Improve Pavement Life Cycle Cost Analysis: A Case Study of Minnesota

How to Improve Pavement Life Cycle Cost Analysis: A Case Study of Minnesota Akbarian, Mehdi; Swei, Omar; Gregory, Jeremy; Kirchain, Randy Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) frameworks are used by some transportation agencies for economic assessment, but there have been challenges implementing the approach, particularly in the characterization of initial and future costs of materials, as well as their associated uncertainties. This research brief presents a case study which focused on characterizing initial and future pay item costs as a function of project size for a probabilistic LCCA of the entire life cycle including user cost impacts.

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Air leakage has strong influence on building life cycle impacts

Air leakage has strong influence on building life cycle impacts Hester, Joshua; Gregory, Jeremy; Kirchain, Randolph Making informed decisions at the earliest stages of the design process can lead to improved building performance. There are many aspects of a building’s design that can influence overall energy consumption. This research identifies air leakage as influential in determining the life cycle impacts of a residential building. This brief presents results from an analysis using the CSHub’s streamlined building life cycle assessment (LCA) tool, the Building Attribute to Impact Algorithm (BAIA).

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Intelligence ? in AI ?

Intelligence ? in AI ? Datta, Shoumen The elusive quest for intelligence in artificial intelligence. In about a quarter century, we have witnessed the winter of AI (1990) being transformed and transported to the zenith of tabloid fodder about AI (2015). The discussion at hand is about the elements that constitute the canonical idea of intelligence.

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Digital Twins

Digital Twins Datta, Shoumen Multiple forms of digital transformation are imminent. Digital Twins represent one concept. It is gaining momentum because it may offer real-time transparency. Rapid diffusion of digital duplicates faces hurdles due to lack of semantic interoperability between architectures, standards and ontologies. The technologies necessary for automated discovery are in short supply. Progression of the field depends on convergence of information technology, operational technology and protocol-agnostic telecommunications. Making sense of the data, ability to curate data and perform data analytics at the edge (or mist rather than in the fog or cloud) is key to value. Delivering engines to the edge are crucial for analytics at the edge when latency is critical. The confluence of these and other factors may chart the future path for Digital Twins. The number of unknown unknowns and the known unknowns in this process makes it imperative to create global infrastructures and organize groups to pursue the development of fundamental building blocks and new ideas through research.

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Cybersecurity - An Agents based Approach?

Cybersecurity - An Agents based Approach? Datta, Shoumen Personal Security Agents as Modular Models representing People, Process, Atoms and Bits The DDoS attack using an internet device on October 21, 2016, generated a flurry of suggestions from vast number of pundits. What if the attacks were not limited to social media sites but instead targeted heart monitors to deliver shocks to patients with cardiac arrhythmia? In this article the potential of personal security agents (PSA) is suggested as a modular tool to model people, process, bits and atoms (objects) with layers to address trust, privacy and security. Can we explore the potential of creating wrappers within these layers to include cognitive firewalls?

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Healthcare and Medical IoT

Healthcare and Medical IoT Datta, Shoumen Detection of analytes in the context of nano-diagnostics for preventive medicine and global public health. 11 million children die each year from preventable causes. 70% of the deaths are due to 6 well documented diseases/causes. The mortality is concentrated in 10 countries. We have the tools and technologies to address this problem.

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Research Brief: Quantifying the impact of pavement reflectivity on radiative forcing and building energy demand in neighborhoods

Research Brief: Quantifying the impact of pavement reflectivity on radiative forcing and building energy demand in neighborhoods Xu, Xin; Gregory, Jeremy; Kirchain, Randolph Albedo is the measure of the fraction of solar energy reflected by the Earth’s surface. High-albedo surfaces, which are lighter in color, absorb less sunlight energy and reflect more shortwave radiation. The change in radiative energy balance, which is called radiative forcing (RF), reduces nearby air temperatures and impacts the surrounding building energy demand (BED) including heating and cooling energy loads. The impact of reflective surfaces on RF and BED has been investigated by researchers through modeling and observational studies, however previous studies have not assessed RF and BED impacts under the same context and therefore cannot be directly compared. Here, we take a more comprehensive approach in assessing the net impacts of pavement albedo modification strategies in urban areas.

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Internet of Things Collaborative Research Initiative (ICRI) at MIT Auto-ID Labs

Internet of Things Collaborative Research Initiative (ICRI) at MIT Auto-ID Labs Datta, Shoumen MIT Auto ID Labs continues the digital revolution started by the MIT Auto ID Center in 1999. The IoT Collaborative Research Initiative (ICRI) at the MIT Auto ID Labs owes its origin to the MIT Auto ID Center which coined the term IoT (internet of things) to represent a digital-by-design metaphor. The mission of ICRI is to develop and contribute to the next big vision in digital transformation. Sweeping changes are imminent due to connectivity spawned by adopting IoT as a design metaphor. Big ideas pay big dividends but must begin, often, modestly. The launch of the IoT Collaborative Research Initiative (ICRI) at MIT Auto-ID Labs expect academic-industry relationships to fuel, support and prepare the stage for quantum leaps. The electric light was not a result of incremental improvement of candles. By addressing basic principles which are fundamentally different, we can aspire to shine the light on new roads, new lines of business and new advances for the future of the networked physical world and the networked social fabric.

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Research Brief: A break-even hazard mitigation metric

Research Brief: A break-even hazard mitigation metric Miller, T. Reed; Gregory, Jeremy; Kirchain, Randy CSHub researchers developed the Break Even Mitigation Percent (BEMP) to answer the question: “How much should be invested in mitigation for a particular building?”

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Research Brief: Minimizing Thermal Cracks in Concrete Pavements

Research Brief: Minimizing Thermal Cracks in Concrete Pavements Louhghalam, Arghavan; Ulm, Franz-Josef; Petersen, Thomas This brief examines the risk of fracture of concrete pavements due to thermal cycles. CSHub researchers model the risk of fracture due to temperature changes and propose a method for estimating the risk of thermal cracking in transient-state conditions (when pavement is still undergoing a change in temperature) and steady-state conditions.

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Research Brief: Examining Freeze-Thaw Damage at the Microscopic Scale

Research Brief: Examining Freeze-Thaw Damage at the Microscopic Scale Zhou, Edmond; Bazant, Martin Z.; Pellenq, Roland Jm Researchers conducted both theoretical and numerical studies on the microscopic phenomena in cement paste pores to reveal the important roles that ions and electrolytes play in freeze-thaw damage.

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Towards Understanding Cement Paste Creep: Implications from Glass Studies

Towards Understanding Cement Paste Creep: Implications from Glass Studies Cao, Penghui; Yip, Sidney This research brief presents foundational work toward understanding the mechanics of the complex process of creep by evaluating the phenomena occurring at the nano-scale in metallic glass, a model material, to better understand what causes creep in C-S-H. Research brief

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Critical Issues When Comparing Whole Building & Building Product Environmental Performance

Critical Issues When Comparing Whole Building & Building Product Environmental Performance Miller, T. Reed; Gregory, Jeremy; Kirchain, Randolph Guides, standards, product category rules, and environmental product declarations have emerged to evaluate environmental impacts within the buildings sector. These efforts have certainly moved the field forward, but as of yet still do not ensure comparability among building products or whole buildings. In this paper, we aim to address critical issues and make recommendations to practitioners and those developing guidance to enable more robust comparisons of building products and whole buildings.

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Life Cycle Assessment for Residential Buildings: A Literature Review and Gap Analysis (Revised)

Life Cycle Assessment for Residential Buildings: A Literature Review and Gap Analysis (Revised) Ghattas, Randa; Gregory, Jeremy; Noori, Mehdi; Miller, T. Reed; Olivetti, Elsa; Greene, Suzanne What is the environmental impact of a house throughout its lifetime? This report summarizes recent research on life cycle assessment of residential buildings in order to identify gaps in understanding as well as best practices for LCA methodology.

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