Building Materials Management Research Articles

Evaluating the impact of material service life on embodied energy of residential villas in the United Arab Emirates

PurposeRecently, there has been a shift toward the embodied energy assessment of buildings. However, the impact of material service life on the life-cycle embodied energy has received little attention. We aimed to address this knowledge gap, particularly in the context of the UAE and investigated the embodied energy associated with the use of concrete and other materials commonly used in residential buildings in the hot desert climate of the UAE.Design/methodology/approachUsing input–output based hybrid analysis, we quantified the life-cycle embodied energy of a villa in the UAE with over 50 years of building life using the average, minimum, and maximum material service life values. Mathematical calculations were performed using MS Excel, and a detailed bill of quantities with >170 building materials and components of the villa were used for investigation.FindingsFor the base case, the initial embodied energy was 57% (7390.5 GJ), whereas the recurrent embodied energy was 43% (5,690 GJ) of the life-cycle embodied energy based on average material service life values. The proportion of the recurrent embodied energy with minimum material service life values was increased to 68% of the life-cycle embodied energy, while it dropped to 15% with maximum material service life values.Originality/valueThe findings provide new data to guide building construction in the UAE and show that recurrent embodied energy contributes significantly to life-cycle energy demand. Further, the study of material service life variations provides deeper insights into future building material specifications and management considerations for building maintenance.

City‐scale assessment of the material and environmental footprint of buildings using an advanced building information model: A case study from Canberra, Australia

AbstractAs cities grow, demand for urban materials is set to rise. Meeting sustainability targets will require transformative changes to how cities are constructed. Yet, accurate information on embodied building materials and their environmental impacts at the city scale is still lacking. We use Light Detection and Ranging data, building archetype information, and statistical models to estimate the embodied materials in buildings in Canberra, Australia, and their energy, carbon, and water footprint. In 2015, 57 million tonnes (Mt) of materials were embodied in 140,805 buildings. By weight, concrete was the most used material (44%), followed by sand and stone (32%), and ceramics (11%). Current population growth and building construction trends indicate a need for 2.4 times the building materials stock of 2015 by 2060. Producing such materials would require 1.6 thousand TJ of energy and 793 thousand megaliters of water and emit 48 Mt of CO2e—an environmental footprint 1.6 times the one in 2015. If the additional population were to live only in new single houses, material demand would be 4% higher than under current trends and the environmental footprint 5% higher. Housing new residents in low‐rise apartments would reduce from current trends the material demand by 5% and the environmental footprint by 12%. Using only apartments of four or more stories would reduce material demand by 28% and the environmental footprint by 14%. This research can inform circular economy efforts to improve building materials management by helping estimate the implications of alternative configurations of the urban built environment.

Research on building material design in circular economy based on improved neural network

Material management technology has always been the basic and core technology of traditional construction projects. But now, because traditional material management consumes more resources and has low efficiency, it has gradually been replaced by modern material management systems represented by computer technology, thus saving a lot of enterprise input costs and reducing the impact of traditional material management technology on enterprise operating income. Based on this background, this paper introduces improved neural network technology to adapt to the circular economy environment, so as to complete the construction and improvement of the building materials data management system. The system can be used to complete building materials management, basic data management, etc., and can be optimized for the system itself. Through network technology, the client can be connected to the server switch, and Ajax technology and JSP programming language can be used for compatibility processing, so that the system can run better in the Windows environment. According to the simulation experiment designed for the system, the output sample value of the system is close to the measured value, with good prediction accuracy, small error and high stability. Therefore, the application of AdaBoost ANN algorithm can effectively realize the prediction of building materials. In addition, other functions of the system, such as interactive page design, operation interface and database, can better adapt to the circular economy environment and actual user needs. In this paper, the improved neural network is applied to the field of building material design under the environment of circular economy, thus completing the system optimization.

The marketing strategy of the business complex-case study of Xi Ying Men

In recent years, due to the government's increased supervision on the real estate industry, the growth rate of the commercial real estate market has slowed down, and it is difficult to de inventory in some regions, and the structural contradiction has become increasingly prominent. With the rise and development of e-commerce, traditional integrated commercial entities are facing a severe development situation. Xiyingmen Building Materials and Home Furnishings Plaza was founded in 1997 and headquartered in Shanghai. It specializes in the development, operation and management of urban complex and building materials and furniture plaza projects. Because of its early start and perfect supporting facilities, it also achieved good financial performance in the early stage. However, with the continuous emergence of large commercial complexes, the pattern of new and old business districts has changed significantly, and the competition between commercial complexes has become increasingly fierce. The financial performance of Xiyingmen Building Materials and Home Furnishing Plaza has declined year by year. Therefore, it is urgent to carry out special research, propose feasible measures, summarize effective experience, which is conducive to promoting the sustainable development of the industry, bringing better benefits to the operation of the industry, and can provide theoretical reference for the formulation of marketing strategies for many similar commercial complexes.
 From the perspective of the demand and service of target merchants and consumers, this paper first analyzes the macro environment analysis, regional business development analysis, competitor comparison analysis, project positioning analysis, SWOT analysis and other aspects of Xiyingmen Building Materials and Home Furnishing Plaza, which provides a solid foundation and reference value for the project to formulate marketing strategies.

Characterizing Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) Compliance in New Jersey: 2008-2017.

The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) became a law in 1986, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) was mandated to promulgate rules to regulate the inspection, management, and abatement of asbestos-containing building materials (ACBM) in schools. This study describes 10 years (2008-2017) of AHERA compliance site inspection data conducted by the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH). To establish the level to which inspected NJ schools comply with AHERA regulations, to characterize compliance deficiencies including those that may lead to increased asbestos exposure risk to students and school employees, and to determine whether age, type, and geographic location of school impacted the likelihood of noncompliance. Information collected during 456 unique inspections between 2008 and 2017 was analyzed. Inspections were conducted at public and private schools in New Jersey. These included elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as charter and vocational/technical schools. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression modeling of 3 factors, school type, geographical region, and school age. NJDOH inspectors found damage to friable ACBM in 50% (n = 229) of the schools and fiber release episodes in 27% of inspections (n = 121). The case of schools failing to attach warning labels on or immediately adjacent to ACBM was the most frequently noted compliance deficiency over the 10-year period. The modeling output showed that compliance was associated with the type of school and geographical region. Inspected schools during the 10-year period were in serious noncompliance with AHERA regulations. This included deficiencies that demonstrate a potential exposure to asbestos such as missing ACBM in management plans, damaged ACBM, lack of protection of short-term workers and custodial staff, and the identification of fiber release episodes. Modeling results of specific school characteristics can help direct limited resources to mitigate potential asbestos exposures.

PRODUCTIVITY ANALYSIS OF SPLIT STONE PRODUCTION USING OBJECTIVE MATRIX (OMAX) METHOD (A Case Study)

One of the building materials that has a high business prospect is split stone. Some building material management companies in one of their departments produce split stone, which in its production there are several types of products based on size to meet various consumer demands. In production, especially in the 2021 period, there will be fluctuating or uneven production levels, where in one month there will be high production, and in another period there will be a decrease in production. Based on this, this study aims to analyze the calculation of productivity to identify what factors cause the productivity of split stone production to fluctuate. This research was assisted by using the objective matrix (OMAX) and fault tree analysis (FTA) methods. the results of the productivity recapitulation found that the attendance data component obtained an average score of 2.3 which is the lowest average when compared to other components. therefore with these results, attendance is the strongest factor affecting fluctuating productivity.

Item Layout for Building Materials Management with Apriori Algorithm

The initial stage of opening a business is one of the business activities that can have an impact on the economy. TB. Jasa Manis is a trading business that sells various kinds of building materials, electrical equipment, materials and others. A sales strategy is needed to maintain business and marketing. Data Mining answers this problem by analyzing customer transaction data, then creating a certain rule, pattern or model. Products that are frequently purchased by customers will be used as a reference point in viewing consumer spending patterns. The association technique that can be used is an a priori algorithm designed to find item combinations. The a priori algorithm is guided by the min support and min confidence values. The combination pattern of sales transaction data itemset for two months on TB. Jasa Manis, it can be found that with a combination pattern the minimum support value is 14% and the minimum confidence is 40%. The rules for the highest association or goods that are often purchased together by customers are found in the Lotus Geese/LBR and Roof Nails. Through the analysis of customer shopping habits obtained, the layout of building materials can be adjusted to the customer's shopping pattern. With the data mining socialization rules, patterns of consumer shopping behavior can be identified and can increase sales at TB. Sweet Service

Introducing "Embedded Toxicity": A Necessary Metric for the Sound Management of Building Materials.

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVViewpointNEXTIntroducing “Embedded Toxicity”: A Necessary Metric for the Sound Management of Building MaterialsJonathan BlumenthalJonathan BlumenthalDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, CanadaMore by Jonathan Blumenthalhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4399-0422, Miriam L. Diamond*Miriam L. DiamondDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, CanadaSchool of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3B1, Canada*(M.L.D.) Email: [email protected]More by Miriam L. DiamondView Biographyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6296-6431, Gang Liu*Gang LiuSDU Life Cycle Engineering, Department of Green Technology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense, Denmark*(G.L.) Email: [email protected]More by Gang LiuView Biographyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7613-1985, and Zhanyun Wang*Zhanyun WangEmpa − Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Technology and Society Laboratory, 9014 St. Gallen, SwitzerlandChair of Ecological Systems Design, Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland*(Z.W.) Email: [email protected]More by Zhanyun WangView Biographyhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9914-7659Cite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 2022, 56, 14, 9838–9841Publication Date (Web):July 5, 2022Publication History Published online5 July 2022Published inissue 19 July 2022https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c03128Copyright © 2022 American Chemical SocietyRIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views1033Altmetric-Citations-LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (1010 KB) Get e-AlertsSUBJECTS:Environmental pollution,Materials,Phenyls,Toxicity,Wastes Get e-Alerts

Application of Environmental Protection and Energy Saving Technology in Building Decoration Engineering

On the road to sustainable development, the concepts of energy saving and environmental protection are deeply rooted in people’s hearts, and their technology has penetrated into all aspects of life. Like the construction industry, with the advancement of environmental protection and energy-saving technologies, the prospects for development will also be huge. Many materials used in construction projects can cause pollution. Although environmental protection technology is supported, its technology cannot remain unchanged. Technical researchers must reduce the risks of materials and continue to innovate and develop environmentally friendly technologies. Only in this way can we continue to make progress, ensure that we have a high-quality construction project, and ensure that energy conservation is consistent with social development. Therefore, to use the qualified construction methods adopted for the renovation project, you can use what you have now and ensure its ecological and human safety. Reduce material costs and reduce environmental pollution caused by indoor raw materials. As a basic framework, it combines the definitions of modern environmental protection and energy-saving technologies, and effectively applies environmental protection and energy efficiency technologies. Decoration and decoration of energy-efficient buildings. Adopt environmental protection technology, rationally use various energy-saving and environmental-friendly materials, and raise awareness of energy conservation and environmental protection. In addition, in-depth discussion and analysis of energy-saving management of building materials and equipment are also conducted. The goal is to improve the awareness of energy conservation and environmental protection in building decoration projects and lay a solid foundation for creating an environmentally friendly and energy-saving living environment. Experimental research results show that people do not know enough about the application of environmental protection and energy-saving technologies in building decoration projects. Therefore, we must increase publicity to let people know better, and we must also increase efforts to innovate in order to better implement and apply. People and regions have better development.

Advanced 3D-printed phase change materials

Advanced 3D-printed phase change materials

Application of BIM in green building materials management

Under the background of green building development, aiming at the characteristics of green building materials life cycle management, it has become a trend to apply building information modeling(BIM) to green building materials management. The research shows that BIM Technology can meet the needs of green building materials fine management, realize the information sharing and exchange among all participants in the whole life cycle management of green building materials, and effectively promote the management level of green building materials informatization in green building projects. This paper analyzes the application points and problems of BIM in the management of green building materials, and puts forward corresponding suggestions for discussion.

Impact of Information and Communication Technology on Sustainable Supply Chain and Cost Reducing of Waste Management in Slovak Construction

Sustainability in construction can be perceived across several areas. Sustainable supply chain and cost management are two of them. If this issue is addressed in the management of sustainable building materials and waste management in the implementation of construction projects, in the context of sustainability, cost management and supply chain management affect the overall success of construction projects. The aspect of sustainability is based on reducing costs and, thus, also material items. At the same time, there is a focus on the use of waste or its economic and ecological disposal. Finally, sustainability means the setting up of logistics processes. Information and communication technologies can significantly help supply chain and cost management and construction waste management. This means, on the one hand, minimizing the consumption of materials and, thus, also costs, and on the other hand, by optimally setting up the supply chain and logistics, using materials and funds efficiently and optimizing waste management. The research discusses the impact of information and communication technology on a sustainable chain and cost management on various construction projects in Slovakia. The research aims to analyze information and communication technology’s influence on a sustainable chain and cost savings of waste in construction projects. The main research hypothesis is based on the assumption that information and communication technology positively affect sustainable chain and cost management of waste in the Slovak construction industry. Data collection was performed through an online questionnaire. It contained three primary areas of data collection: The first part contained questions about the characteristics of the research sample. The second concerned the use of information and communication technologies and the third pertained to their impact on sustainability and reducing the costs of the waste management process in construction. The research samples consisted primarily of foreign companies operating in Slovakia. From the point of view of the participants in the construction project, these were developers, contractors, sub-contractors and designers. The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to confirm this hypothesis. The research provides an overview of information and communication technologies and their impact on supply chain and cost management of waste in construction.

A Data-Driven Approach to Assess the Risk of Encountering Hazardous Materials in the Building Stock Based on Environmental Inventories

The presence of hazardous materials hinders the circular economy in construction and demolition waste management. However, traditional environmental investigations are costly and time-consuming, and thus lead to limited adoption. To deal with these challenges, the study investigated the possibility of employing registered records as input data to achieve in situ hazardous building materials management at a large scale. Through characterizing the eligible building groups in question, the risk of unexpected cost and delay due to acute abatement could be mitigated. Merging the national building registers and the environmental inventory from renovated and demolished buildings in the City of Gothenburg, a training dataset was created for data validation and statistical operations. Four types of inventories were evaluated to identify the building groups with adequate data size and data quality. The observations’ representativeness was described by plotting the distribution of building features between the Gothenburg dataset and the training dataset. Evaluating the missing data and the positive detection rates affirmed that reports and protocols could locate hazardous materials in the building stock. The asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-containing materials with high positive detection rates were highlighted and discussed. Moreover, the potential inventory types and building groups for future machine learning prediction were delineated through the cross-validation matrix. The novel study contributes to the method development for assessing the risk of residual hazardous materials in buildings.

On the optimization of building energy, material, and economic management using soft computing

This paper provides energy and economic analysis relevant to the cooling season in building enclosures. For a whole year, an Energy Plus thermal transfer model has been created and simulated. Simulations were made from the cities in five different areas of climate in China using weather data files. Energy savings were done from natural cold (e.g., outdoor air), and electricity reductions were performed from air-conditioning electricity devices. This research has investigated the relationship between the cost and building energy while finding a strong and positive correlation. This study has used the Artificial Intelligence (AI) model as Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) and Teaching Learning Based Optimization (TLBO) to calculate the accurate measurement. Three regression models as Pearson correlation coefficient (r), root mean square (RMSE), and coefficient of determination (R2) was used to calculate the results. Following the results of (R2) and RMSE, ELM has shown its higher performance in predicting the strength, energy, and cost of building materials. Based on the simulation results, for office buildings situated in cold areas, the energy savings resulting from phase change materials (PCM) are more prevalent. The test findings demonstrate that the energy savings from PCM applications for the cool area and hot summers and cold winter office buildings were increased. Simple payback time indicated that PCMBs in inhabited buildings could be used costeffectively in a mild temperature environment.

Wireless management system of prefabricated construction materials based on BIM technology

The primary goal of material management is to arrange the use of materials reasonably, which is particularly important for the construction industry. Wireless communication can transmit a lot of information in time in production, which can promote the management and arrangement of building materials. In order to explore the management method of prefabricated materials, this paper compares the prefabricated building materials management based on BIM with the traditional method and the management method combining BIM and wireless communication through sampling survey and sand table simulation. This paper compares the material procurement, storage and quality in the construction stage and analyzes the material management differences of different technical methods in different stages. The results show that the average inventory turnover rate of BIM-based management method is 6 times, and that of conventional method is 4 times. However, in the construction stage, the gap between the two methods is narrowed. The combination of wireless communication and BIM leads the whole process in inventory turnover rate. The turnover times of prefabricated building materials management method based on BIM Technology is reduced to 3 times, and that of conventional method is reduced to 2 times. However, the turnover times of BIM combined with wireless communication is more than 4 times. Therefore, BIM-based prefabricated building materials management can reduce the use of funds and the occupation of warehouse, and control the quality of materials better than the traditional methods. However, the combination of BIM and wireless communication can achieve better results.

Materials passport's review: challenges and opportunities toward a circular economy building sector

PurposeReuse and recycling building materials depend on an efficient set of information and tracking, which can be obtained by the materials passport (MP) tool. Although MP introduces principles of circular economy (CE) and brings environmental, social and economic benefits, it is little-explored in the construction sector. The purpose of this study is to explore the adoption of the MP in the sector to raise awareness about this tool. This analysis leads to the conception of a model and identifies the main challenges and opportunities to increase MP implementation in the sector.Design/methodology/approachThrough a systematic literature review, based on the descriptive and thematic analysis, articles were selected, and analyzed to (1) review the MP state-of-the-art in the construction sector; (2) propose a materials passport model and (3) list the main challenges and opportunities to MP adoption.FindingsThe studies about MP were concentrated on strategies to implement general concepts and business opportunities. The MP model was proposed to overcome the lack of studies and understanding showed in the review. The model aimed to improve the recovery and reuse of materials across a building's life cycle. Challenges and opportunities were raised to direct decision-makers and support the development of this tool. A systematic regulation in the construction value chain and policy systems is crucial for creating digital platforms for data management of buildings' material.Originality/valueThis study developed an MP model to enable the management of building materials at different stages of the building's life cycle and contributes to future developments of the studies on this knowledge domain.

Machine Learning in Hazardous Building Material Management: Research Status and Applications

Assessment of the presence of hazardous materials in buildings is essential for improving material recyclability, increasing working safety, and lowering the risk of unforeseen cost and delay in demolition. In light of these aspects, machine learning has been viewed as a promising approach to complement environmental investigations and quantify the risk of finding hazardous materials in buildings. In view of the increasing number of related studies, this article aims to review the research status of hazardous material management and identify the potential applications of machine learning. Our exploratory study consists of a two-fold approach: science mapping and critical literature review. By evaluating the references acquired from a literature search and complementary materials, we have been able to pinpoint and discuss the research gaps and opportunities. While pilot research has been conducted in the identification of hazardous materials, source separation and collection, extensive adoption of the available machine learning methods was not found in this field. Our findings show that (1) quantification of asbestos-cement roofing is possible from the combination of remote sensing and machine learning algorithms, (2) characterization of buildings with asbestos-containing materials is progressive by using statistical methods, and (3) separation and collection of asbestos-containing wastes can be addressed with a hybrid of image processing and machine learning algorithms. Analysis from this study demonstrates the method applicability and provides an orientation to the future implementation of the European Union Construction and Demolition Waste Management Protocol. Furthermore, establishing a comprehensive environmental inventory database is a key to facilitating a transition toward hazard-free circular construction.

Analysis of the construction site waste management plans in Bulgaria, adopted in the period 2015-2017

At the end of 2017, a new “Ordinance on construction and demolition waste management and use of recycled building materials” was adopted in Bulgaria without assessing the application of the existing one. Then and until now, there is no reliable public data available on construction and demolition waste, based on which to make a statistical assessment and make management decisions. To clarify the manner of preparation and implementation of construction site waste management plans, a study of existing accepted projects was conducted. They were evaluated based on their content, chosen measures, and recognition of the application of priority order (hierarchy) in the management of the generated construction and demolition waste. Based on the analysis, it is argued that to make the Ordinance on construction and demolition waste management more effective, it should be accompanied by increasing the reliability and quality of waste data, implementing specific management decisions based on knowledge of material flows, development of a market for reused construction products and specialization of the designers of these plans.

FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST EFFECTIVE BUILDING MATERIALS MANAGEMENT (EBMM) IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Building construction projects are carried out using various material resources. These materials have to be managed to enhance value, minimize waste and ensure that time and cost related goals are attained. The research looked at the factors militating against effective building materials management (EBMM) in order to identify major factors leading to material wastage in construction project delivery in the FCT Abuja, Nigeria. The study adopted purposive sampling method to distribute 100 copies of survey questionnaire to some selected professionals from both consulting and contracting firms in the study area. 86 copies of questionnaire retrieved were analyzed to know the implication of these factors on the process and delivery of construction projects. 25 identified factors militating against EBMM were ranked using RII. The finding of the study revealed that lack of compliance to materials specification and standards (RII=0.81), little knowledge on materials specifications and standards (RII=0.80), poor communication system (RII=0.79), were the top factors militating against materials management. The findings further indicate that delay and abandonment of project (RII=0.82), cost overrun (RII=0.81) and ineffective allocation of materials (RII=0.79), were the three major implications these will have on EBMM. The study concluded that for the EBMM, professional involved in building production processes should understand the importance of specifications and standards to avoid disastrous effects on building materials usage and management in the construction projects delivery.

Quality Management of Building Materials and Building Productions Based on the Using of Real Estimates of Measurement Accuracy

The most important direction of quality improvement in construction is to increase the accuracy of measurements of parameters of building products and construction products, as well as the parameters of the technological process of construction and of production of building materials. Currently used standard estimates of measurement accuracy provide guaranteed but underestimated accuracy estimates. Although in fact, with the correct measurement methods and the use of a posteriori information, it is possible to build more realistic estimates of accuracy. The accuracy of such estimates is several times higher than the accuracy of standard estimates. The article investigated the problem of increasing the accuracy of measurements through the use of a posteriori information. An example of the application of the Bayesian approach in the conditions of the possibility of obtaining additional information and its use in order to build effective estimates of measurement accuracy is presented. It is assumed that the measurement result is the sum of the actual value of the parameter being measured and the measurement error. For the case of a uniform distribution of the real value of the measured parameter and measurement error, explicit analytical formulas were obtained for the differential distribution function of the measurement result and the conditional distribution of the real value for a known measurement result. These analytical dependencies, obtained as a result of integrating fractional rational expressions, are composite functions, which in different parts of the argument are specified using different analytical formulas. The analysis of the obtained analytical dependencies. Using numerical integration, we plotted the dependence of the square of the standard deviation of the real value of the measured parameter on the observed value of the random variable. It is shown that in the case when the standard deviation of the measuring device is less than three times or more than the standard deviation of the actual value of the parameter, the use of a posteriori information allows us to construct more realistic estimates of accuracy. The accuracy of the measurements can be obtained several times higher. It is noted that in the case of normal and exponential distribution of the real value and measurement error, the use of a posteriori information does not lead to an increase in measurement accuracy. The results obtained can be applied in the development of measurement methods, in the development of methods for verification and calibration of measurement instruments.