A study on the development of a cost model based on the owner's decision making at the early stages of a construction project

Decision making at the early stages of a construction project has a significant impact on the project, and various scenarios created based on the owner's requirements should be considered for the decision making. At the early stages of a construction project, the information regarding the project is usually limited and uncertain. As such, it is difficult to plan and manage the project (especially cost planning). Thus, a cost model that could be varied according to the owner's requirements was developed. The cost model that was developed in this study is based on the case‐based reasoning (CBR) methodology. The model suggests cost estimation with the most similar historical case as a basis for the estimation. In this study, the optimization process was also conducted, using genetic algorithms that reflect the changes in the number of project characteristics and in the database of the model according to the owner's decision making. Two optimization parameters were established: (1) the minimum criteria for scoring attribute similarity (MCAS); and (2) the range of attribute weights (RAW). The cost model proposed in this study can help building owners and managers estimate the project budget at the business planning stage. Santruka Sprendimu priemimas ankstyvuoju statybos projekto etapu turi didele itaka projektui ir ivairiems scenarijams, remiantis savininko reikalavimais, kuriu turi būti laikomasi priimant sprendimus. Ankstyvaisiais statybos projekto etapais informacijos apie projekta paprastai yra nedaug ir ji nera patikima. Del to sudetinga planuoti ir taisyti projekta (ypač išlaidu planavima). Todel šio tyrimo metu buvo sukurtas kainos modelis, kuris galetu būti keičiamas atsižvelgiant i savininko poreikius. Kainos modelis, kuris buvo sukurtas šio tyrimo metu, remiasi atveju analize, pagrista argumentu metodika (angl. CBR). Modelis siūlo samatinius skaičiavimus su panašiausiais ankstesniais atvejais, kurie yra skaičiavimo pagrindas. Šio tyrimo metu procesas buvo optimizuotas naudojant genetinius algoritmus, rodančius projektu skaičiaus kitima tam tikro modelio duomenu bazeje pagal savininko priimamus sprendimus. Buvo nustatyti du optimizavimo parametrai: 1) minimalūs kriterijai veiksniu panašumui ivertinti (angl. MCAS); 2) veiksniu svoriu vertinimo intervalas (angl. RAW). Kainos modelis, pasiūlytas šiame tyrime, gali padeti pastatu savininkams ir valdytojams ivertinti projekto biudžeta verslo planavimo etape. First Published Online: 18 Oct 201

Detection of sarcocystic infection in a wild rodent (Apodemus agrarius chejuensis) captured on Jeju island

Sarcocystis spp is a causative agent of sarcocystosis. They have a characteristic life cycle infecting both prey and predator. Sarcocystis can cause myositis, atrophy of the adjacent cells and abortion in cattle. In mice, sarcocystosis causes mild cellular reactions without clinical disease. Severe haemorrhage and abortion were also reported. For monitoring the disease in wild rodents of the Korean peninsula, we captured Apodemus agrarius chejuensis on Jeju island and examined the specimen histopathologically. Intramuscular cysts were found and diagnosed as Sarcocystis. Sarcocystic infection has been reported in worldwide. There have been many reported infections in cattle and pigs in Korea. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Sarcocystis in Apodemus agrarius chejuensis captured in Korea

Roles of Arrest-Defective Protein 1225 and Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1α in Tumor Growth and Metastasis

Background Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), a critical mediator of tumor angiogenesis, is a well-characterized target of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1). Murine arrest-defective protein 1A (mARD1A225) acetylates HIF-1??, triggering its degradation, and thus may play a role in decreased expression of VEGFA.Methods We generated ApcMin/+/mARD1A225 transgenic mice and quantified growth of intestinal polyps. Human gastric MKN74 and murine melanoma B16F10 cells overexpressing mARD1A225 were injected into mice, and tumor growth and metastasis were measured. VEGFA expression and microvessel density in tumors were assessed using immunohistochemistry. To evaluate the role of mARD1A 225 acetylation of Lys532 in HIF-1??, we injected B16F10-mARD1A225 cell lines stably expressing mutant HIF-1??/K532R into mice and measured metastasis. All statistical tests were two-sided, and P values less than. 05 were considered statistically significant.Results ApcMin/+/mARD1A225 transgenic mice (n = 25) had statistically significantly fewer intestinal polyps than Apc Min/+ mice (n = 21) (number of intestinal polyps per mouse: Apc Min/+ mice vs ApcMin/+/mARD1A225 transgenic mice, mean = 83.4 vs 38.0 polyps, difference = 45.4 polyps, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 41.8 to 48.6; P <. 001). The growth and metastases of transplanted tumors were also statistically significantly reduced in mice injected with mARD1A225-overexpressing cells than in mice injected with control cells (P <. 01). Moreover, overexpression of mARD1A 225 decreased VEGFA expression and microvessel density in tumor xenografts (P <. 04) and ApcMin/+ intestinal polyps (P =. 001). Mutation of lysine 532 of HIF-1?? in B16F10-mARD1A225 cells prevented HIF-1?? degradation and inhibited the antimetastatic effect of mARD1A225 (P <. 001).Conclusion mARD1A225 may be a novel upstream target that blocks VEGFA expression and tumor-related angiogenesis

Prevalence of Neuropathic Pain and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Korean Adults with Chronic Low Back Pain Resulting from Neuropathic Low Back Pain

Study DesignA noninterventional, multicenter, cross-sectional study.PurposeWe investigated the prevalence of neuropathic pain (NP) and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of the quality of life (QoL) and functional disability in Korean adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP).Overview of LiteratureAmong patients with CLBP, 20%–55% had NP.MethodsPatients older than 20 years with CLBP lasting for longer than three months, with a visual analog scale (VAS) pain score higher than four, and with pain medications being used for at least four weeks before enrollment were recruited from 27 general hospitals between December 2014 and May 2015. Medical chart reviews were performed to collect demographic/clinical features and diagnosis of NP (douleur neuropathique 4, DN4). The QoL (EuroQoL 5-dimension, EQ-5D; EQ-VAS) and functional disability (Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale, QBPDS) were determined through patient surveys. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to compare PROs between the NP (DN4≥4) and non-NP (DN4<4) groups.ResultsA total of 1,200 patients (females: 65.7%; mean age: 63.4±13.0 years) were enrolled. The mean scores of EQ-5D, EQ-VAS, and QBPDS were 0.5±0.3, 55.7±19.4, and 40.4±21.1, respectively. Among all patients, 492 (41.0%; 95% confidence interval, 38.2%–43.8%) suffered from NP. The prevalence of NP was higher in male patients (46.8%; p<0.01), in patients who had pain based on radiological and neurological findings (59.0%; p<0.01), and in patients who had severe pain (49.0%; p<0.01). There were significant mean differences in EQ-5D (NP group vs. non-NP group: 0.4±0.3 vs. 0.5±0.3; p<0.01) and QBPDS (NP group vs. non-NP group: 45.8±21.2 vs. 36.3±20.2; p<0.01) scores. In the multiple linear regression, patients with NP showed lower EQ-5D (β=−0.1; p<0.01) and higher QBPDS (β=7.0; p<0.01) scores than those without NP.ConclusionsNP was highly prevalent in Korean patients with CLBP. Patients with CLBP having NP had a lower QoL and more severe dysfunction than those without NP. To enhance the QoL and functional status of patients with CLBP, this study highlights the importance of appropriately diagnosing and treating NP

Electrophysiologic disturbances during daytime in patients with restless legs syndrome: Further evidence of cognitive dysfunction?

Backgrounds: It has been reported that patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) may have cognitive deficit. The authors performed EEG and ERP analysis during daytime to identify electrophysiologic relations with cognitive dysfunction in unmedicated RLS patients.Methods: Seventeen drug naive RLS patients (53.7 +/- 9.6 years) and 13 age-matched healthy controls participated in the present study. EEG was recorded during the waking-resting state and during a visual odd-ball task. RLS seventies were determined using the International RLS Severity Scale. Stanford sleepiness scale (SSS) and bothersomeness visual analog scale (VAS) scores were determined immediately after ERP sessions. EEG power spectra and P300 amplitude and latency were compared for patients and controls. Clinical variables were correlated with P300 findings.Results: Waking-resting EEG showed that RLS patients had significantly higher beta activity in frontocentral regions than controls. SSS scores were not different in the two groups. But the bothersomeness VAS scores of RLS patients were significantly higher than those of controls. Furthermore, P300 latency was significantly longer in patients, and patients had significantly lower P300 amplitudes in frontal and central locations. In addition, P300 latency was found to be significantly correlated with bothersomeness during the ERP test, whereas P300 amplitude showed no such tendency.Conclusions: Our study supports the notion that RLS patients have an underlying cognitive dysfunction. Significant correlations found between P300 latency and bothersomeness, a lack of sleepiness during the ERP test, and increased beta activity in resting state EEGs suggest that a combination of inattention and cortical dysfunction underlie cognitive dysfunction in RLS.OAIID:oai:osos.snu.ac.kr:snu2011-01/102/2014017262/3SEQ:3PERF_CD:SNU2011-01EVAL_ITEM_CD:102USER_ID:2014017262ADJUST_YN:YEMP_ID:A079623DEPT_CD:801CITE_RATE:3.4DEPT_NM:의학과SCOPUS_YN:YCONFIRM: