An open, integrated modular format - for flexible & intelligible AEC design & production

The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector is fragmented and its computer aided design (CAD) systems suffer data loss, and errors in workflow between design and realisation. An open source, integrated, modular format is proposed to address the technological nature of these problems. Accordingly, this research updates the notion of the modular format as a more flexible and intelligible computational design method by leveraging knowledge from the computer science and manufacturing sectors where the design and realisation process is intentional and explicit. The research design of this paper comprises a theoretical approach combined with an empirical case study. Principles of modularity are extracted from the computer science and manufacturing sectors to assist with a better definition of AEC CAD processes that use materials and resources more efficiently and sustainably. The methodology of the modular format contributes to the emerging concept of a building lifecycle management (BLM) system for the AEC sector

Cloning and characterisation of the S.pombe rad15 gene, a homologue to the S.cerevisiae RAD3 and human ERCC2 genes

The RAD3 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes an ATP-dependent 5' - 3' DNA helicase, which is involved in excision repair of ultraviolet radiation damage. By hybridisation of a Schizosaccharomyces pombe genomic library with a RAD3 gene probe we have isolated the S.pombe homologue of RAD3. We have also cloned the rad15 gene of S.pombe by complementation of radiation-sensitive phenotype of the rad15 mutant. Comparison of the restriction map and DNA sequence, shows that the S.pombe rad15 gene is identical to the gene homologous to S.cerevisiae RAD3, identified by hybridisation. The S.pombe rad15.P mutant is highly sensitive to UV radiation, but only slightly sensitive to ionising radiation, as expected for a mutant defective in excision repair. DNA sequence analysis of the rad15 gene indicates an open reading frame of 772 amino acids, and this is consistent with a transcript size of 2.6kb as detected by Northern analysis. The predicted rad15 protein has 65% identity to RAD3 and 55% identity to the human homologue ERCC2. This homology is particularly striking in the regions identified as being conserved in a group of DNA helicases. Gene deletion experiments indicate that, like the S.cerevisiae RAD3 gene, the S.pombe rad15 gene is essential for viability, suggesting that the protein product has a role in cell proliferation and not solely in DNA repair

Can the boundaries of community management be extended beyond rural areas? Lessons from Ghana

Community management, a central part of community development, has gained wide acceptance among service intermediaries such as governmental agencies, NGOs and donor organizations mainly as a result of the failure of the top-down approach to development. Policy instruments therefore aim at a bottom-up approach in basic service delivery such as water supply and sanitation. Operationally, the extent to which community management can be inserted into development strategies has remained elusive giving rise to instances where it has produced mixed results. Vast documentation exists, though, on the success of community management in rural settings. Can the boundaries of community management be extended from rural areas to larger communities? Case studies from the water sector in Ghana support a paradigm shift for community development in larger communities? The results and the implications for community development are discussed

Mending the Gaps: An Exercise in Identifying and Understanding Diverse and Multicultural Team Faultlines

The Faultlines Exercise, an experiential activity, introduces students to concepts of diversity attributes (surface and deep levels), social identity, and team faultlines. Through individual reflection and team discussion, students apply these concepts to their own diverse multicultural class teams with the goals of (a) preventing negative outcomes that may develop from faultlines and (b) improving team performance. Plenary class discussions reinforce key learning points that can be applied to teamwork throughout the course. Students in both face-to-face and online classes report that the exercise helps improve team performance and helps to identify and resolve problems. Instructions for facilitating classroom discussion and student handouts are provided, as are suggestions for adapting the exercise to other constructs

Electronic inhomogeneity and Ag:Sb imbalance of Ag1−yPb18Sb1+zTe20 high-performance thermoelectrics elucidated by 125Te and 207Pb NMR

Using magic-angle spinning 125Te and 207Pb NMR, we have discovered the presence of two phases of approximately tenfold different free-electron concentration, n, in high-performance thermoelectrics Ag1−yPb18Sb1+zTe20 (“LAST-18”), proven by pairs of Knight-shifted NMR peaks and biexponential spin-lattice relaxation. The ratio of the phases is typically 2:1 with n ≈ 2 × 1019 cm−3 and 0.2 × 1019 cm−3, respectively, determined from the spin-lattice relaxation times. 125Te NMR spectra show that both phases contain similar concentrations of Sb. The low-n component is assigned to Ag-rich regions with Ag-Sb pairing (but not AgSbTe2), the dominant high-n component to PbTe:Sb resulting from the excess of Sb relative to Ag. The electronic inhomogeneity observed here must be considered in the search for a better understanding of high performance thermoelectric materials

Conservative Therapy of Patient with Dyspareunia in a Post-menopausal State with Co-morbidities Including Previous Breast Cancer and Valve Replacement: A Case Report

Dyspareunia is defined as persistent pain in the vaginal area before, during, or after sexual intercourse.1,2 The etiology is uncertain in the medical literature, but evidence proposes that pain and dysfunction of pelvic floor muscles (PFM) can contribute to dyspareunia and other forms of chronic pelvic pain.1,2 The information contained in this case report is clinically relevant because it presents evidence that dyspareunia can be treated safely with physical therapy techniques on a patient with a complex medical history.https://soar.usa.edu/casmfall2018/1003/thumbnail.jp

Magnetic aspect sensitivity of high‐latitude E region irregularities measured by the RAX‐2 CubeSat

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106761/1/jgra50801.pd

Iris: an Extensible Application for Building and Analyzing Spectral Energy Distributions

Iris is an extensible application that provides astronomers with a user-friendly interface capable of ingesting broad-band data from many different sources in order to build, explore, and model spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Iris takes advantage of the standards defined by the International Virtual Observatory Alliance, but hides the technicalities of such standards by implementing different layers of abstraction on top of them. Such intermediate layers provide hooks that users and developers can exploit in order to extend the capabilities provided by Iris. For instance, custom Python models can be combined in arbitrary ways with the Iris built-in models or with other custom functions. As such, Iris offers a platform for the development and integration of SED data, services, and applications, either from the user's system or from the web. In this paper we describe the built-in features provided by Iris for building and analyzing SEDs. We also explore in some detail the Iris framework and software development kit, showing how astronomers and software developers can plug their code into an integrated SED analysis environment.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Computin

Radar detection of a localized 1.4 Hz pulsation in auroral plasma, simultaneous with pulsating optical emissions, during a substorm

Many pulsating phenomena are associated with the auroral substorm. It has been considered that some of these phenomena involve kilometer-scale Alfvén waves coupling the magnetosphere and ionosphere. Electric field oscillations at the altitude of the ionosphere are a signature of such wave activity that could distinguish it from other sources of auroral particle precipitation, which may be simply tracers of magnetospheric activity. Therefore, a ground based diagnostic of kilometer-scale oscillating electric fields would be a valuable tool in the study of pulsations and the auroral substorm. In this study we attempt to develop such a tool in the Poker Flat incoherent scatter radar (PFISR). The central result is a statistically significant detection of a 1.4 Hz electric field oscillation associated with a similar oscillating optical emission, during the recovery phase of a substorm. The optical emissions also contain a bright, lower frequency (0.2 Hz) pulsation that does not show up in the radar backscatter. The fact that higher frequency oscillations are detected by the radar, whereas the bright, lower frequency optical pulsation is not detected by the radar, serves to strengthen a theoretical argument that the radar is sensitive to oscillating electric fields, but not to oscillating particle precipitation. Although it is difficult to make conclusions as to the physical mechanism, we do not find evidence for a plane-wave-like Alfvén wave; the detected structure is evident in only two of five adjacent beams. We emphasize that this is a new application for ISR, and that corroborating results are needed

A Serratia marcescens OxyR Homolog Mediates Surface Attachment and Biofilm Formation

OxyR is a conserved bacterial transcription factor with a regulatory role in oxidative stress response. From a genetic screen for genes that modulate biofilm formation in the opportunistic pathogen Serratia marcescens, mutations in an oxyR homolog and predicted fimbria structural genes were identified. S. marcescens oxyR mutants were severely impaired in biofilm formation, in contrast to the hyperbiofilm phenotype exhibited by oxyR mutants of Escherichia coli and Burkholderia pseudomallei. Further analysis revealed that OxyR plays a role in the primary attachment of cells to a surface. Similar to what is observed in other bacterial species, S. marcescens OxyR is required for oxidative stress resistance. Mutations in oxyR and type I fimbrial genes resulted in severe defects in fimbria-associated phenotypes, revealing roles in cell-cell and cell-biotic surface interactions. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the absence of fimbria-like surface structures on an OxyR-deficient strain and an enhanced fimbrial phenotype in strains bearing oxyR on a multicopy plasmid. The hyperfimbriated phenotype conferred by the multicopy oxyR plasmid was absent in a type I fimbrial mutant background. Real-time reverse transcriptase PCR indicated an absence of transcripts from a fimbrial operon in an oxyR mutant that were present in the wild type and a complemented oxyR mutant strain. Lastly, chromosomal Plac-mediated expression of fimABCD was sufficient to restore wild-type levels of yeast agglutination and biofilm formation to an oxyR mutant. Together, these data support a model in which OxyR contributes to early stages of S. marcescens biofilm formation by influencing fimbrial gene expression