Towards a conceptual framework to manage BIM/COBie asset data using a standard project management methodology

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate a systematic methodology to manage asset data flow between building stakeholders throughout building life cycle using the Construction Operation Building Information Exchange (COBie) standard. / Design/methodology/approach: A literature review of the relevant building information modelling (BIM) for facilities management (FM) studies including the gaps and challenges of producing COBie data is analysed. Then a standard project management methodology by Project Management Institute (PMI) is introduced as a theoretical framework to map the different areas of managing COBie data as a project in coordination with Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Plan of work. This theoretical background is coupled with an inductive approach through the placement within a construction company (Bouygues, UK) in the UCLH construction project to produce the conceptual framework that is aligned with industry needs. / Findings: The lack of well-structured approach to manage COBie data throughout building life cycle causes many problems and confusions about the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders in creating and managing asset data. This confusion in turn results in incomplete and low-quality COBie data at the handover phase which hinders the ability of facility managers to use these data effectively in the operations phase. The proposed conceptual framework provides a standard project management process to systemise the data flow among all stakeholders. / Practical implications: The proposed framework is developed in liaison with a large construction company, so it is well aligned with an actual industry approach to managing COBie data. Furthermore, it provides a systematic step-by-step approach to managing COBie as a project that could be easily implemented in actual construction projects. / Originality/value: The paper introduced a novel approach to manage COBie data using a standard project management methodology based on an actual live construction project perspective coupled with project management theory

Fatty infiltration of the pancreas: a systematic concept analysis

Fatty infiltration of the pancreas (FIP) has been recognized for nearly a century, yet many aspects of this condition remain unclear. Regular literature reviews on the diagnosis, consequences, and management of FIP are crucial. This review article highlights the various disorders for which FIP has been established as a risk factor, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), pancreatitis, pancreatic fistula (PF), metabolic syndrome (MS), polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and pancreatic duct adenocarcinoma (PDAC), as well as the new investigation tools. Given the interdisciplinary nature of FIP research, a broad range of healthcare specialists are involved. This review article covers key aspects of FIP, including nomenclature and definition of pancreatic fat infiltration, history and epidemiology, etiology and pathophysiology, clinical presentation and diagnosis, clinical consequences, and treatment. This review is presented in a detailed narrative format for accessibility to clinicians and medical students

"The role of technology as an enabler for agile workplace strategy: A case study of implementing agile working in the headquarters of a construction company in Central London"

The ever-increasing global competition in today’s business world has made it critical for organisations to rethink their business practices and value proposition to maintain their competitive advantage. Organisations look for agile strategies to strike an adequate balance between employee satisfaction, wellbeing and productivity in one side and the efficiency and effectiveness of utilising the space on the other side. The fast pace of technology development is considered an enabler for agile working. However, there are very few studies done on analysing the interconnected relationship between the social and technical/technological aspects of agile working. This case study was undertaken on three floors of the headquarter building of a construction and property development company in Central London. The study involved introducing agile working concept in the workplace, including adding social spaces, flexible open plan workstations monitored by Internet of things (IoT) technology i.e. occupancy sensors, implementing a new system of monitoring and managing meeting spaces to maximise the efficiency of space utilisation, and introducing a new Information technology and cybersecurity strategy to allow for this change. The study will analyse the factors that influenced this workplace change such as limitations of space, technology development, and the need for maximising the efficiency of the workplace. It will also analyse the lessons learned from implementing the agile working concept, regarding the role of technology, the social aspects, the business value of this implementation and the relationship between these factors

A Proposed Model for Digital Transformation of Requirements Management in the Design of Healthcare Facilities

The design complexity of healthcare buildings is ever-increasing, and due to the various codes, regulations, and client requirements that these buildings must comply with, the process of manual requirement management across the asset lifecycle becomes costly, labour intensive, error-prone and time-consuming. This paper proposes a theoretical process model for the digital transformation of requirements management for healthcare facilities. The model is titled “Automated Rule-Based Code Checking” (ARBCC). ARBCC process model is based on a comprehensive review of related academic work, commercial software, and government initiatives that investigated the automation of requirements management. ARBCC’s approach is based on transferring the healthcare project requirements into rules that are machine readable, and can be checked using computer software, then use Building Information Models (BIM) to check if these rules have been correctly adhered to in the design of the healthcare facility at hand. The model consists of four phases: 1- Initiation: In which we identified and collated the rules and regulations of healthcare buildings in the UK. 2- Planning: In this phase, the extracted rules should be classified according to the RIBA stage, then the rules should be either extracted or written for each requirement, and the required BIM Level of Development (LOD) should be identified to check each rule. 3- Implementation: In this phase, the actual automated check of the created rules is performed versus the BIM model. 4-Assessment phase: In which the results of the check is analysed and any non-compliance is automatically reported using the compliance check software. This paper forms the initial theoretical base of an ongoing study that investigates the digital transformation of requirements management. The next phase of the study will be to implement the ARBCC model for a sample of the identified healthcare codes and regulations and analyse the findings

Flow Lattice Model for the simulation of chemistry dependent transport phenomena in cementitious materials

This study presents the formulation and validation of a three-dimensional Flow Lattice Model (FLM) with application to the Hygro-Thermo-Chemical (HTC) model for analysis of moisture transport and heat transfer in cementitious materials. The FLM is a discrete transport model formulated in association with meso-mechanical models, such as the Lattice Discrete Particle Model. This enables the simulation of transport phenomena at the length scale at which the material exhibits intrinsic heterogeneity. The HTC theoretical formulation is based on mass and energy conservation laws, written using humidity and temperature as primary variables, and considering explicitly various chemical reactions, for example, cement hydration and silica fume reaction, as internal variables. In this work, the HTC formulation was extended to include the effect of temperature on the sorption isotherm. The FLM solutions were compared with those of a continuum finite element implementation of the HTC model and experimental data available from the literature; the overall agreement demonstrates the reliability of the proposed approach in reproducing phenomena such as cement hydration, self-desiccation and temperature-dependent moisture drying

Rational design of a 2D TiO2-MoO3 step-scheme heterostructure for boosted photocatalytic overall water splitting

The design of step-scheme (S-scheme) heterostructure photocatalysts is a promising strategy for the high utilization of photogenerated charge carriers. Herein, a novel S-scheme two-dimensional (2D) TiO2-MoO3 heterojunction photocatalyst is fabricated by a facile electrochemical method for high water splitting photocatalytic efficiency. According to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) assessment, electrons are transported from TiO2 to MoO3 upon close contact, creating an internal electric field (IEF) directed from TiO2 to MoO3. Hence, upon light irradiation, the photogenerated electrons in MoO3 move toward TiO2 under the IEF effect, as revealed by EPR analysis, implying that the S-scheme heterojunction was established in the TiO2-MoO3 heterostructure and significantly promoted the separation of electron-hole pairs to enhance efficient photocatalytic water splitting. Thanks to the 2D morphology of the TiO2-MoO3 heterojunction and the significantly improved redox capability of the charge carriers in the S-scheme system, the photocatalytic water splitting efficiency of the optimized TiO2-MoO3 is higher than those of both pure MoO3 and TiO2 and commercial TiO2-P25. This study, for the first time, presents the charge transfer pathways in the TiO2-MoO3 heterostructure photocatalyst via an S-scheme system. It will shed new light on the design and fabrication of novel step-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts for overall water splitting

Ameliorating the Adverse Effects of <i>Tomato mosaic tobamovirus</i> Infecting Tomato Plants in Egypt by Boosting Immunity in Tomato Plants Using Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles

Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) is one of the economically damageable Tobamovirus infecting the tomato in Egypt that has caused significant losses. It is therefore of great interest to trigger systemic resistance to ToMV. In this endeavor, we aimed to explore the capacity of ZnO-NPs (zinc oxide nanoparticles) to trigger tomato plant resistance against ToMV. Effects of ZnO-NPs on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) growth indices and antioxidant defense system activity under ToMV stress were investigated. Noticeably that treatment with ZnO-NPs showed remarkably increased growth indices, photosynthetic attributes, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants compared to the challenge control. Interestingly, oxidative damage caused by ToMV was reduced by reducing malondialdehyde, H2O2, and O2 levels. Overall, ZnO-NPs offer a safe and economic antiviral agent against ToMV