Modelling sustainable lighting with eyetracker and spatial syntax techniques

This research provides an integrated methodological approach based on the combined use of spatial syntax modelling and eyetracker analysis techniques for lighting sustainability aimed to adaptive reuse of all the spaces with high historical, architectural, philological value of Cultural Heritage (CH). MosLESS (Modelling Sustainable Lighting with Eyetracker and Spatial Syntax techniques) is the proposed method, that can suggest fundamental guidelines for dynamic and static lighting in the museographic and museological areas, but also for reuse, conservation and enhancement of historical and CH buildings integrated with efficient energy management and conservation and protection needs. The National Museum of San Matteo in Pisa (Italy) was the pilot project. Particular environments were chosen for the experimental measurement campaigns carried out to assess dynamic and static visual fields, vision and perception. Methodological approach and results can be useful tools for exhibition planning with important energy, social and cultural effects. A further objective of the research will be to facilitate cultural exchanges, communication and new procedures for the digital management of the transmission or modification of museographic and exhibition projects, up to relations with public clients, as well as integrated management of information and decision-making processes

The IR has Two Faces: Positioning Institutional Repositories for Success

This article will describe ongoing efforts at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Libraries to evolve the role of the institutional repository (IR) and to effectively position it within the context of the Libraries’ collections, research support, and scholarly communication services. A major component of this process is re-examining the fundamental aims of the IR and aligning it to the Libraries and the campus strategic goals. The authors situate UNLV Libraries’ experience within the context of the current literature to provide background and reasoning for our decision to pursue two, at times conflicting, aims for the IR: one for scholarly communication and another for research administration

E-finance-lab at the House of Finance : about us

The financial services industry is believed to be on the verge of a dramatic [r]evolution. A substantial redesign of its value chains aimed at reducing costs, providing more efficient and flexible services and enabling new products and revenue streams is imminent. But there seems to be no clear migration path nor goal which can cast light on the question where the finance industry and its various players will be and should be in a decade from now. The mission of the E-Finance Lab is the development and application of research methodologies in the financial industry that promote and assess how business strategies and structures are shared and supported by strategies and structures of information systems. Important challenges include the design of smart production infrastructures, the development and evaluation of advantageous sourcing strategies and smart selling concepts to enable new revenue streams for financial service providers in the future. Overall, our goal is to contribute methods and views to the realignment of the E-Finance value chain. ..

EVM.net : an extensive tool for web content management

By the late 90’s Brazil experienced the “boom” of Internet although its use was restricted to the universities and large companies. On this context the Parliament of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Southern Brazil) has sponsored the development of a tool for publishing its contents. That tool should have some characteristics like be portable, “plug-and-play”. Responding to the demand has emerged EVM.net (acronym for modular virtual structure on the Internet), a GPL integrated solution for publishing and managing web contents. EVM.net follows a distributed information architecture, each user is responsible for maintaining his contents. The system has been conceived to be scaleable: its architecture has been planned following the metaphor of a building. The foundations contain the security tools and the persistence model, while the other stages are customized for each demand. EVM.net also contains algorithms for query optimization and phonetic search for Brazilian Portuguese Recently the tool had been used to implement the Extensive Communication Model, which is based on interactivity, hypertextuality, and hypermediation. Currently, EVM.net is being used at many institutions like the University of Brasilia, the Federal Senate of Brazil and the Brasilia’s Federation of Industries

Digital Transformation in Developing Countries: A Study into BIM Adoption in Thai Design and Engineering SMEs

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the major technological trend among built environment organisations. Digitalising businesses and operations, BIM brings forth a digital transformation in any built environment industry. The adoption of BIM presents challenges for organisations, especially Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The main problem for built environment SMEs is the lack of project actors with adequate BIM competences. The research highlights learning in projects as the key and explores into the learning of BIM in projects of designers and engineers within Thai design and engineering SMEs. The study uncovers three impeding attributes which are: a) lack of English proficiency; b) unfamiliarity with digital technologies; and c) absence of public standards. This research expands on the literature of BIM competences and adoption

Abuse and maltreatment in the elderly

Introduction: The aging population is increasing worldwide, but the abuse and mistreatment in the elderly (often silenced forms) has also been increasing, with strong implications for their quality of life. Objective: To identify forms of abuse and ill-treatment in the elderly, as well as the determinants of these abuses. Methodology: This is a quantitative study, of the non-experimental, descriptive, cross-sectional type attended by 135 Portuguese elderly. It uses the Family APGAR Scale and the Question to Elicit Elder Abuse (QEEA), which was applied between January and June 2013, in the elderly residing in the central of Portugal. Results: The data shows that 23.5% of the elderly have suffered some kind of abuse, these being especially of the emotional kind and neglect. We also found that the most abused elders were unmarried and widows, those who had lower academic qualifications, those who reported feeling lonely and less healthy and even those who perceive to integrate families with some degree of dysfunction. Conclusion: We found that the abuse and mistreatment are present in the everyday life of many seniors and are a difficult subject to approach. The evidence, invite us to reflect on the development of intervention strategies, particularly at the levels of emotional abuse, neglect, promotion of health and family functioning in order to contribute to the reduction or extinction of abuse and ill-treatment in the elderly.Resumo Introdução: O envelhecimento da população tem vindo a aumentar a nível mundial, contudo também têm aumentado os abusos e maus-tratos nos idosos, (muitas vezes em formas silenciadas), com fortes implicações na sua qualidade de vida. Objetivo: Identificar formas de abusos e maus-tratos em idosos, assim como os fatores determinantes desses abusos. Metodologia: Trata-se de um estudo quantitativo, do tipo não experimental, descritivo e transversal, no qual participaram 135 idosos portugueses. Foi utilizada uma escala de APGAR-Familiar e o Question to Elicit Elder Abuse (QEEA) que foi aplicada entre Janeiro e Junho de 2013, em idosos que residem na região centro do país e na comunidade. Resultados: Os dados mostram que 23,5% dos idosos já sofreu algum tipo de maus tratos, sendo estes sobretudo do tipo emocional e negligencia. Verificámos ainda que os idosos mais abusados eram os solteiros e viúvos, os que possuíam menores habilitações académicas, aqueles que referiam sentir solidão e menor saúde e ainda os que percepcionam integrar famílias com alguma disfunção. Conclusão: Verificámos que os abusos e maus tratos estão presentes no quotidiano de muitos idosos e constituem tema de difícil abordagem. As evidências encontradas, convidam-nos à reflexão sobre o desenvolvimento de estratégias de intervenção, sobretudo aos níveis dos abusos emocionais, negligência, promoção da saúde e funcionalidade familiar no sentido de contribuir para a diminuição ou extinção dos abusos e maus-tratos em idosos

Application of openBIM for the Management of Existing Railway Infrastructure: Case Study of the Cancello - Benevento Railway Line

In the field of infrastructure, the development and application of the openBIM (open Building Information Modeling) approach and related standards (principally Industry Foundation Classes) remain limited with regard to processes in O&M (Operation and Maintenance) phases, as well as the broader context of AM (Asset Management). This article deals with the activities carried out as part of a pilot project based on the need to manage the operation and assess the condition and value of existing infrastructure along the Cancello–Benevento railway line. The principal goal was to systematize information by digitalizing the infrastructure, in order to enable the assessment of possible performance gaps (compared to national railway standards) in the event of integration within the national infrastructure. In compliance with the project requirements, a digitalization strategy was designed for the definition of surveying activities and the implementation of openBIM systems for the development of an object library and a federated digital model, structured within the collaborative platform that was used, and allowing management, maintenance, and subsequent financial evaluation in the broader context of asset management. The project involved the collaboration of railway operators, a university, and a software company that implemented innovative concepts concerning IFC (specifically, IFC4x2 was used) through the development of dedicated software solutions. The digital solution we proposed enabled the use of digital models as access keys to survey and maintenance information (ERP platforms used by the railway operators) that was available in real time. This project was nominated at the buildingSMART awards 2021 and was one of three finalists in the “Asset Management Using openBIM” category

Association of Researchers in Construction Management

Building information modelling (BIM) has been proposed as a technology enabled process for the realisation of the performance ambitions of the construction industry through integrated management of information in virtual 3-D formats. Significant challenges however exist which undermine its implementation within the construction industry. The identification of these challenges is an imperative precondition for successful implementation of BIM given the associated risk. The design phase has particularly been cited as a significant beneficiary of process improvement and efficiency gains expected from the deployment of BIM. Despite the critical role of the design phase to project delivery and consequently BIM usage, few studies have sought to interrogate the challenges faced by designers. A qualitative approach was adopted through semi-structured interviews to solicit perspectives of UK design firms on the implementation challenges being faced. Findings reveal a categorisation of challenges as design-specific, team-orientated, project-related, technology related (BIM specific), industry-wide challenges and cost. This categorisation is used as a basis for identifying critical challenges which include: design process lag and loss of time; lack of understanding by clients regarding requirements for the BIM model; lack of learning feedback from projects on which BIM has been used; and lack of supply chain integration. Variation in the challenges across different maturity levels of firms is also confirmed in this study, particularly in relation to cost of implementation. Awareness of these challenges provides opportunities for identifying effective solutions for their mitigation

STRATEGIES AND OUTCOMES OF BIM EDUCATION: ITALIAN EXPERIENCES

The growing need on the part of operators in the construction sector for expertise in digital management of construction information processes has been answered since 2015 in the first level master course called BIM Master, from the Department of Planning Design and Technology of Architecture of Sapienza University of Rome. The training course is now in its fifth edition, registering a growing number of students. It has evolved in terms of content delivery methods, and always provides opportunities for internships in client, designers and construction organizations, achieving significant results in terms of placement. The BIM Master is one of the most consolidated national experiences, and has been proposed since the first edition as a training opportunity that links the needs of the market and the expectations of students. It is configured as a project in continuous development that adapts itself year after year to the evolutionary dynamics of the digital construction market, also resulting from the recent national regulatory innovations (UNI 11337). The complexity of BIM training also increases in relation to the different nature and needs of the operators in the sector: owners; designers; builders; and managers, who lead the need for articulated training courses in relation to the role played in the construction supply chain. This paper critically examines, also on the basis of the results of past editions, the training experience of the BIM Master course of Sapienza University of Rome, analyzing the structure, examining the articulation of the main training modules, assessing the results produced by the students, measuring the critical points and, at the same time, identifying the drivers of greater effectiveness in the transfer of skills of a theme that lends itself to ambiguous interpretations at this history time by operators in the construction industry