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ItemEvaluation of Implementation Strategies of On-site Water Conserving Technologies in Three Urban Neighborhoods(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-06-27) Leigh, Nancey Green ; Lee, HeonyeongThis paper addresses a knowledge gap that exists for city- or neighborhood-wide applications of on-site water-conserving technologies, such as rainwater and gray-water systems. We develop a framework for evaluating policies requiring on-site rainwater and gray-water systems in residential units. Our framework incorporates housing stock dynamics, fixture retrofitting, and water demand models. It assesses costs and benefits of policy implementation strategies for three urban neighborhoods selected according to their built environment and socio-economic characteristics. Evaluation results identify a potential 5.4 to 37.2 percent reduction in future neighborhoods’ water demand. With the most cost-efficient water-conserving technologies, a household is expected to save $160 – $393 from their annual water bills. The cost-benefit analyses indicate substantial variation in water-saving potential and the cost-efficiency of on-site water-conserving technologies across neighborhoods. Our findings present that to maximize effectiveness, the specific choice of water conserving technology and implementation strategy needs to account for local conditions of land-use characteristics, household structure, and water fixture conditions.
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ItemIn-seat activity of wheelchair users measured over multiple epochs dataset(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019-01-18) Sprigle, Stephen ; Sonenblum, Sharon ; Feng, ChenPressure ulcers, by definition, are caused by external forces on the tissues, often in the regions of bony prominences. Wheelchair users are at risk to develop sitting-acquired pressure ulcers, which occur in the regions of the ischial tuberosities, sacrum/coccyx or greater trochanters. As a means to prevent pressure ulcers, instruction on performing pressure reliefs or weight shifts are a part of the rehabilitation process. The objective of this study was to monitor the weight shift activity of full-time wheelchair users with acute spinal cord injury over multiple epochs of time in order to determine consistency or routine within and across epochs. A second objective was to evaluate the accuracy of self-reported pressure relief frequency within each measurement epoch. A wheelchair in-seat activity monitor was used to measure weight shifts and other in-seat movement. The data was classified into multiple in-seat activity metrics using machine learning. Seventeen full-time wheelchair users with spinal cord injury were measured within multiple epochs, each lasting more than 1 week. Across all in-seat activity metrics, no consistent pattern of activity changes emerged. None of the in-seat activity metric changed in any one direction across a majority of subjects. Subjects tended to over-estimate their frequency of performing pressure reliefs. Self-reported pressure relief behaviors are not reliable, and therefore, cannot be used to evaluate preventative behaviors either clinically or within research. This study had the capability of fully investigating in-seat movements of wheelchair users. The results indicated that in-seat movement does not reflect a routine, either in pressure reliefs, weight shifts or other functional in-seat movements. This study has illustrated the complexity of assigning causation of pressure ulcer occurrence to seated behaviors of wheelchair users and identifies the need for improved clinical techniques designed to develop routine behaviors to prevent pressure ulcers.
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ItemButtock tissue response to loading in men with SCI dataset(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-01-26) Sonenblum, Sharon Eve ; Sprigle, StephenObjective/Background: Despite the fact that most people with a spinal cord injury who use a wheelchair for mobility are considered at-risk for pressure ulcer (PrU) development, there still exists a spectrum of risk amongst this group. Efforts to differentiate risk level would benefit from clinical tools that can measure or predict the buttocks response to loading. Therefore, the goal of this study was to identify how tissue compliance and blood flow were impacted by clinically-measurable risk factors in young men with SCI. Methods: Blood flow at the ischial tuberosity was measured using laser Doppler flowmetry while the seated buttock was unloaded, and loaded at lower (40-60 mmHg) and high (>200 mmHg) loads. Tissue compliance of the buttock was measured using the Myotonometer while subject were lifted in a Guldmann Net. Results: Across 28 participants, blood flow was significantly reduced at high loads, while no consistent, significant changes were found at lower loads. At 40-60 mmHg, blood flow decreased in participants with a pressure ulcer history and lower BMI, but stayed the same or increased in most other participants. The buttock displaced an average of 9.3 mm (2.7 mm) at 4.2 N, which represented 82% (7%) of maximum displacement. BMI was related to the amount of buttock tissue displacement while smoking status explained some of the variation in the percent of max displacement. Conclusion: Wide variability in tissue compliance and blood flow responses across a relatively homogeneous population indicate that differences in biomechanical risk may provide an explanation for the spectrum of PrU risk among persons with SCI.