Reporting biases and survey results: evidence from European professional forecasters

Using data from the ECB's Survey of Professional Forecasters, we investigate the reporting practices of survey participants by comparing their point predictions and the mean/median/mode of their probability forecasts. We find that the individual point predictions, on average, tend to be biased towards favourable outcomes: they suggest too high growth and too low inflation rates. Most importantly, for each survey round, the aggregate survey results based on the average of the individual point predictions are also biased. These findings cast doubt on combined survey measures that average individual point predictions. Survey results based on probability forecasts are more reliable. JEL Classification: C42, E27, E47point estimates, subjective probability distributions, survey methods, Survey of Professional Forecasters (SPF)

Enfermedad de Parkinson: abordaje enfermero desde Atención Primaria

Introducción. La enfermedad de Parkinson es un trastorno crónico neurodegenerativo de inicio insidioso y de curso prolongado. Tiene una mayor incidencia en las personas de avanzada de edad, la edad media de inicio es de 57 años. Se ha realizado una revisión bibliográfica de los datos publicados hasta el momento sobre que necesidades tienen los enfermos de Parkinson en fases iniciales y que cuidados requieren. El objetivo principal del estudio, ha sido establecer los cuidados de enfermería en los pacientes de E. Parkinson recién diagnosticados en Atención Primaria. Material y método. Revisión bibliográfica en diversas bases de datos y portales. Resultados. Las necesidades más demandas en la fase inicial de la enfermedad de Parkinson, se relacionan con la movilidad, la eliminación y el sueño/reposo. Las intervenciones se programan según la necesidad de cada paciente. Conclusiones. La detención precoz del diagnóstico de la enfermedad de Parkinson mejorará la eficacia de la intervención y dará lugar a un enlentecimiento del progreso de la enfermedad. La importancia de informar y educar al paciente sobre los aspectos fundamentales y el pronóstico evolutivo de la E. Parkinson son fundamentales para mejorar la capacidad de afrontamiento del individuo.Grado en Enfermería2016-11-1

El capital social como enfoque teórico en Dirección Estratégica

[EN] The objective of this research paper is to investigate, from a theoretical point of view, the strategic relevance of social capital. In recent years, academic literature in this field has witnessed remarkable growth, recognizing social capital as a key element for companies, due to its contribution to the creation of competitive advantages. However, it might be said that its development is still emerging, given the number of discrepancies among researchers regarding its definition, measurement, and its positive or negative impact on other variables. For this reason, a set of empirical studies that show the social capital effect on diverse types of organizational results have been reviewed, taking as a reference the definition and dimensions proposed by Nahapiet and Ghoshal (1998). Additionally, different theoretical links between social capital and four related Strategic Management approaches are presented, such as the Intellectual Capital-Based View, the Knowledge-Based View, the Resource-Based View and the Dynamic Resource-Based View. A main conclusion drawn from this review is that social capital, being a knowledge-based resource, enables access to both internal and external resources and thus a firm’s competitive advantage and, consequently, its value creation can be generated from the combination of both areas. Going in depth and clarifying this strategic linkage are thus a challenge to address in future studies.[ES] El principal objetivo de este trabajo es mostrar la relevancia estratégica del capital social organizacional desde un punto de vista teórico. En los últimos años, la literatura académica relacionada con este concepto ha experimentado un notable crecimiento, reconociendo que el capital social es un elemento fundamental para que las empresas generen ventajas competitivas. Sin embargo, se podría afirmar que su desarrollo es todavía incipiente al existir multitud de discrepaciancias entre los investigadores acerca de su conceptuación, la medición de sus dimensiones o los efectos positivos o negativos que podría tener sobre otras variables. Por este motivo, tomando como referencia la definición y dimensiones propuestas por Nahapiet y Ghoshal (1998), se ha realizado una revisión de las investigaciones que, de manera empírica, han estudiado las relaciones entre el capital social y distintos tipos de resultados organizacionales. Igualmente, se exponen diferentes nexos teóricos encontrados entre el capital social y los principales enfoques en Dirección Estratégica como son Enfoque Basado en el Capital Intelectual, el Enfoque Basado en el Conocimiento, el Enfoque Basado en los Recursos y el Enfoque Basado en las Capacidades dinámicas. Se concluye que el capital social, como recurso basado en el conocimiento, podría permitir el acceso a otros recursos internos o externos, y que la creación de valor y la generación de ventajas competitivas de una empresa puede provenir de la combinación de ambos ámbitos. Así, futuros estudios deben encaminarse hacia la profundización y clarificación de este nexo estratégico

EL USO DE LAS TIC EN LA EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR. EXPERIENCIA DEL PORTAL SEDUCA EN APOYO A CURSOS PRESENCIALES EN LA FAC. DE CIENCIAS POLÍTICAS DE LA UAEM

La experiencia que nos deja realizar este análisis comparativo entre los grupos de Teoría de la Administración es que las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación son importantes en esta nueva era de la enseñanza aprendizaje, como lo manifestaron los estudiantes en las respuestas dadas solicitando que en otros cursos se pueda utilizar el portal de SEDUCA. El grupo que utiliza el portal de SEDUCA quedo satisfecho con la información que se ahí se manejó, solo solicitaron que se agregaran conferencias en tiempo real lo cual indica la importancia de recurrir a otra herramienta con las que cuenta la UAEM como son las Aulas Virtuales para complementar esta enseñanza. Por ello la incorporación de la tecnología en el aula de clases en la UAEM, como se propone en esta investigación educativa se perfila como una herramienta muy valiosa, debido a que la instalación de aulas virtuales y el uso de aplicaciones derivadas de la internet en modalidad a distancia, promueven nuevos modelos pedagógicos y entornos de aprendizaje que modifican sustancialmente la manera en como interactuamos y nos comunicamos. El aula virtual es hoy en día, el soporte tecnológico presencial que introduce innovaciones en imágenes, audio y video que revoluciona la manera de impartir educación, e internet representa la plataforma mundial de acceso a la información que ha dado origen al establecimiento de nuevos ambientes de aprendizaje y comunicación. Este enfoque de educación incorpora en la UAEM nuevos modelos pedagógicos de interactuar en el aula para convertirla en un campo abierto de conocimientos en donde el docente se convierte en un tutor virtual que facilita el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, tanto para cubrir los diferentes temas, y contenidos, como para solucionar ejercicios y plantear ideas. Por su parte los alumnos tienen acceso a grandes cantidades de información y materiales a través de cualquier computadora conectada a internet, lo cual les permite cursar programas en modalidad a distancia, comunicarse aun fuera del horario de clase, compartir puntos de vista con compañeros y llevar a cabo trabajos en grupo, todo ello mediante aplicaciones como el correo electrónico, foros de discusión, buscadores, chats y videoconferencias. Por lo tanto, el uso de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación en la UAEM hacen referencia a un conjunto de actividades con un alto ingrediente tecnológico que permite administrar procesos educativos basados en un sistema de comunicación dinámico, interactivo y flexible, lo cual brinda la posibilidad de realizar el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje en modalidad a distancia; además de posibilitar una mayor interacción entre docentes y alumnos, nuevos canales y vías de comunicación, acceso a más información, el uso de materiales dinámicos, herramientas para el manejo información, acceso a múltiples recursos educativos y entornos de aprendizaje, flexibilidad en los estudios, y el desarrollo de aplicaciones y conocimientos que hacen que la acción de educar adquiera un nuevo significado. Si bien es cierto que la UAEM tiene un gran proyecto por convertirse en una universidad digital, hay varios elementos que aún no son aplicables como lo es el recurso humano para operar los equipos que ha instalado en todos los organismo académicos y principalmente para desarrollar el uso de las tecnologías, ya que aún no cuenta con la interacción de los tutores y el alumnado en tiempo real como lo haría si se utilizaran todos los recursos con los que se cuenta en materia de infraestructura y se capacitara a los tutores para impartir la esta clase con el uso de esta herramienta y no solo subir los materiales a la red e interactuar vía correo electrónico y Chat, sin resolver dudas al instante como se ha mencionado aquí para el caso de física y química seria más enriquecedor pasar las prácticas en tiempo real.Este documento resalta la importancia de la incorporación de las TIC en la educación, particularmente en lo que se refiere al proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje, como una nueva manera de encarar la formación de los futuros profesionistas, en este caso, en la Licenciatura en Ciencias Políticas y Administración Pública. De ahí que surge la necesidad de replantear la misión de la educación superior. Para esta ocasión, y como resultado del trabajo expuesto en el 2º. Coloquio de TIC, en el 2012, se considera oportuno analizar cómo las TIC impulsan el diseño y/o rediseño de la práctica docente a fin de estar acorde a las tendencias contemporáneas, con un estudio de caso y su experiencia en el aula, al emplear una plataforma e-learning utilizada en mayor medida en la educación a distancia, pero en este caso como apoyo a los cursos presenciales, con respecto a otro grupo en el que se imparte la misma unidad de aprendizaje (Teoría de la Administración Pública), pero de manera tradicional o clásica. De esta manera, se analizan y comparan los resultados levantados entre estudiantes, para reflexionar en torno a los posibles beneficios y acercamientos que tienen estas tecnologías en la educación superior

Organizational Factors that Drive to BIM Effectiveness: Technological Learning, Collaborative Culture, and Senior Management Support

[EN] Senior management support is a key dynamic capacity for design companies in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, given the fact that they must identify changes in the competitive environment, which are increasingly becoming more and more technological. In addition, senior management support is obliged to react in the most efficient and effective way. Currently, the project design teams that have adopted building information modeling (BIM) are subject to constant changes in the technological environment, of which the activity is influenced by the behavior of senior management support. This research focuses on this issue by analyzing the role played by the variables of technological learning, collaborative culture, and support provided by senior management as precedents of BIM technology effectiveness. The data set has been obtained from 92 AEC companies in Spain. Using partial least squares (PLS), this research finds evidence of the previously mentioned relationships and the existence of partial mediation effects generated by technological learning and collaborative culture within the support of senior management in BIM technology effectiveness. In addition, this model achieves an appropriate level of predictive validation to explain BIM technology effectiveness in engineering project designs. The results highlight that senior management support needs to promote a technological learning and collaborative culture to improve the technological capabilities. The contribution and original value of the paper is to provide empirical evidence that the effectiveness of BIM factors in project design teams is influenced by the behavior of top management support.Villena-Manzanares, F.; García-Segura, T.; Pellicer, E. (2021). Organizational Factors that Drive to BIM Effectiveness: Technological Learning, Collaborative Culture, and Senior Management Support. Applied Sciences. 11(1):1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11010199S116111Kassem, M., Brogden, T., & Dawood, N. (2012). BIM and 4D planning: a holistic study of the barriers and drivers to widespread adoption. Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management, 2(4), 1-10. doi:10.6106/jcepm.2012.2.4.001Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319. doi:10.2307/249008Holden, R. J., & Karsh, B.-T. (2010). The Technology Acceptance Model: Its past and its future in health care. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 43(1), 159-172. doi:10.1016/j.jbi.2009.07.002Lee, Y., Kozar, K. A., & Larsen, K. R. T. (2003). The Technology Acceptance Model: Past, Present, and Future. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 12. doi:10.17705/1cais.01250Lee, S., & Yu, J. (2016). Comparative Study of BIM Acceptance between Korea and the United States. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 142(3), 05015016. doi:10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0001076Ahuja, R., Jain, M., Sawhney, A., & Arif, M. (2016). Adoption of BIM by architectural firms in India: technology–organization–environment perspective. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 12(4), 311-330. doi:10.1080/17452007.2016.1186589Xu, H., Feng, J., & Li, S. (2014). Users-orientated evaluation of building information model in the Chinese construction industry. Automation in Construction, 39, 32-46. doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2013.12.004Ahmed, A. L., & Kassem, M. (2018). A unified BIM adoption taxonomy: Conceptual development, empirical validation and application. Automation in Construction, 96, 103-127. doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2018.08.017Ullah, K., Lill, I., & Witt, E. (2019). An Overview of BIM Adoption in the Construction Industry: Benefits and Barriers. Emerald Reach Proceedings Series, 297-303. doi:10.1108/s2516-285320190000002052Latorre Uriz, A., Sanz, C., & Sánchez, B. (2019). Aplicación de un modelo Lean-BIM para la mejora de la productividad en redacción de proyectos de edificación. Informes de la Construcción, 71(556), 313. doi:10.3989/ic.67222Lu, N., & Korman, T. (2010). Implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Modular Construction: Benefits and Challenges. Construction Research Congress 2010. doi:10.1061/41109(373)114Gu, N., & London, K. (2010). Understanding and facilitating BIM adoption in the AEC industry. Automation in Construction, 19(8), 988-999. doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2010.09.002Gurevich, U., Sacks, R., & Shrestha, P. (2017). BIM adoption by public facility agencies: impacts on occupant value. Building Research & Information, 45(6), 610-630. doi:10.1080/09613218.2017.1289029Lee, S., & Yu, J. (2016). Discriminant model of BIM acceptance readiness in a construction organization. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 21(3), 555-564. doi:10.1007/s12205-016-0555-9VDC Use in 2007: Significant Value, Dramatic Growth, and Apparent Business Opportunityhttp://cife.stanford.eduYuan, H., Yang, Y., & Xue, X. (2019). Promoting Owners’ BIM Adoption Behaviors to Achieve Sustainable Project Management. Sustainability, 11(14), 3905. doi:10.3390/su11143905Dodgson, M. (1993). Organizational Learning: A Review of Some Literatures. Organization Studies, 14(3), 375-394. doi:10.1177/017084069301400303Xue, W., Wang, Y., & Man, Q. (2015). Research on information models for the construction schedule management based on the IFC standard. Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, 8(3). doi:10.3926/jiem.1283Lee, G., & Borrmann, A. (2020). BIM policy and management. Construction Management and Economics, 38(5), 413-419. doi:10.1080/01446193.2020.1726979Mahamadu, A.-M., Mahdjoubi, L., & Booth, C. A. (2017). Critical BIM qualification criteria for construction pre-qualification and selection. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 13(5), 326-343. doi:10.1080/17452007.2017.1296812Arayici, Y., Coates, P., Koskela, L., Kagioglou, M., Usher, C., & O’Reilly, K. (2011). BIM adoption and implementation for architectural practices. Structural Survey, 29(1), 7-25. doi:10.1108/02630801111118377Alwisy, A., Al-Hussein, M., & Al-Jibouri, S. H. (2012). BIM Approach for Automated Drafting and Design for Modular Construction Manufacturing. Computing in Civil Engineering (2012). doi:10.1061/9780784412343.0028Song, J., Migliaccio, G. C., Wang, G., & Lu, H. (2017). Exploring the Influence of System Quality, Information Quality, and External Service on BIM User Satisfaction. Journal of Management in Engineering, 33(6), 04017036. doi:10.1061/(asce)me.1943-5479.0000549Orlikowski, W. J. (2000). Using Technology and Constituting Structures: A Practice Lens for Studying Technology in Organizations. Organization Science, 11(4), 404-428. doi:10.1287/orsc.11.4.404.14600Elmualim, A., & Gilder, J. (2013). BIM: innovation in design management, influence and challenges of implementation. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 10(3-4), 183-199. doi:10.1080/17452007.2013.821399Ismail, N. A. A., Chiozzi, M., & Drogemuller, R. (2017). An overview of BIM uptake in Asian developing countries. doi:10.1063/1.5011596Hosseini, M. R., Banihashemi, S., Chileshe, N., Namzadi, M. O., Udaeja, C., Rameezdeen, R., & McCuen, T. (2016). BIM adoption within Australian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs): an innovation diffusion model. Construction Economics and Building, 16(3), 71-86. doi:10.5130/ajceb.v16i3.5159Harrison, C., & Thurnell, D. (2015). BIM implementation in a New Zealand consultingquantity surveying practice. International Journal of Construction Supply Chain Management, 5(1), 1-15. doi:10.14424/ijcscm501015-01-15Bryde, D., Broquetas, M., & Volm, J. M. (2013). The project benefits of Building Information Modelling (BIM). International Journal of Project Management, 31(7), 971-980. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2012.12.001Yilmaz, G., Akcamete, A., & Demirors, O. (2019). A reference model for BIM capability assessments. Automation in Construction, 101, 245-263. doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2018.10.022Koutamanis, A. (2020). Dimensionality in BIM: Why BIM cannot have more than four dimensions? Automation in Construction, 114, 103153. doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103153Mayouf, M., Gerges, M., & Cox, S. (2019). 5D BIM: an investigation into the integration of quantity surveyors within the BIM process. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, 17(3), 537-553. doi:10.1108/jedt-05-2018-0080Mesároš, P., Smetanková, J., & Mandičák, T. (2019). The Fifth Dimension of BIM – Implementation Survey. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 222, 012003. doi:10.1088/1755-1315/222/1/012003Ghaffarianhoseini, A., Tookey, J., Ghaffarianhoseini, A., Naismith, N., Azhar, S., Efimova, O., & Raahemifar, K. (2017). Building Information Modelling (BIM) uptake: Clear benefits, understanding its implementation, risks and challenges. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 75, 1046-1053. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2016.11.083Ragu-Nathan, B. S., Apigian, C. H., Ragu-Nathan, T. S., & Tu, Q. (2004). A path analytic study of the effect of top management support for information systems performance. Omega, 32(6), 459-471. doi:10.1016/j.omega.2004.03.001Cao, D., Wang, G., Li, H., Skitmore, M., Huang, T., & Zhang, W. (2015). Practices and effectiveness of building information modelling in construction projects in China. Automation in Construction, 49, 113-122. doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2014.10.014Sharma, & Yetton. (2003). The Contingent Effects of Management Support and Task Interdependence on Successful Information Systems Implementation. MIS Quarterly, 27(4), 533. doi:10.2307/30036548Young, R., & Jordan, E. (2008). Top management support: Mantra or necessity? International Journal of Project Management, 26(7), 713-725. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2008.06.001Rosenberg, N. (1976). On Technological Expectations. The Economic Journal, 86(343), 523. doi:10.2307/2230797Succar, B. (2009). Building information modelling framework: A research and delivery foundation for industry stakeholders. Automation in Construction, 18(3), 357-375. doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2008.10.003Baiden, B. K., Price, A. D. F., & Dainty, A. R. J. (2006). The extent of team integration within construction projects. International Journal of Project Management, 24(1), 13-23. doi:10.1016/j.ijproman.2005.05.001Chan, A. P. C., Scott, D., & Chan, A. P. L. (2004). Factors Affecting the Success of a Construction Project. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 130(1), 153-155. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-9364(2004)130:1(153)Cassel, C., Hackl, P., & Westlund, A. H. (1999). Robustness of partial least-squares method for estimating latent variable quality structures. Journal of Applied Statistics, 26(4), 435-446. doi:10.1080/02664769922322Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2013). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling: Rigorous Applications, Better Results and Higher Acceptance. Long Range Planning, 46(1-2), 1-12. doi:10.1016/j.lrp.2013.01.001Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2-24. doi:10.1108/ebr-11-2018-0203Henseler, J., Hubona, G., & Ray, P. A. (2016). Using PLS path modeling in new technology research: updated guidelines. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 116(1), 2-20. doi:10.1108/imds-09-2015-0382Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879-903. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879Reinartz, W., Haenlein, M., & Henseler, J. (2009). An empirical comparison of the efficacy of covariance-based and variance-based SEM. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 26(4), 332-344. doi:10.1016/j.ijresmar.2009.08.001Marcoulides, & Saunders. (2006). Editor’s Comments: PLS: A Silver Bullet? MIS Quarterly, 30(2), iii. doi:10.2307/25148727SmartPLS 3. Boenningstedt: SmartPLS GmbHhttp://www.smartpls.comChin, W. W., Marcolin, B. L., & Newsted, P. R. (2003). A Partial Least Squares Latent Variable Modeling Approach for Measuring Interaction Effects: Results from a Monte Carlo Simulation Study and an Electronic-Mail Emotion/Adoption Study. Information Systems Research, 14(2), 189-217. doi:10.1287/isre.14.2.189.16018Podsakoff, N. 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Estudio de la viabilidad de aceros sinterizados reforzados con malla de acero inoxidable

La idea que se lleva a cabo en este proyecto es la de introducir un nuevo tipo de refuerzo en una matriz pulvimetalúrgica y comprobar qué cambios en las propiedades sufre la matriz al añadir dicho refuerzo. Con la finalidad de mejorar sobre todo propiedades mecánicas, se le ha añadido un refuerzo a las probetas para tracción, fabricadas a base de polvos de hierro (ASC100.29 y ASC100.29+0.6%C) y a base de polvos de acero inoxidable austenítico (304LHD), introduciendo una malla metálica hecha de acero inoxidable AISI304L. Después de sinterizar las probetas con las atmósferas usuales para el tipo de matriz, se han realizado diferentes medidas y ensayos para identificar y cuantificar los efectos sobre las propiedades mecánicas y físicas que se dan al introducir esta malla metálica, además de realizar un análisis metalográfico. Se han medido la resistencia a tracción, el límite elástico, la dureza y la densidad. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________This master thesis purpose is to insert a new kind of reinforcement into a metallic powder matrix in order to check which changes take place in mechanical and physical properties. With the main purpose of improving mechanical properties, a reinforcement has been added to the tensile strength test samples. These samples were made of atomized iron (ASC100.29 and ASC100.29+0.6%C) and 304LHD stainless steel. The reinforcement is made of a metallic mesh made of AISI304L stainless steel. After sinterizing with the usual atmospheres for every kind of matrix, different tests have been made to check and measure the effects on the mechanical and physical properties which take place; furthermore, a metallographic analysis was carried out. After sinterizing, hardness (HV10), density, UTS and Yield strength have been measured and compared to the reference samples.Ingeniería Industria

An integrated targeted and untargeted approach for the analysis of ergot alkaloids in cereals using UHPLC - hybrid quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

An ultra-high performance liquid chromatography hybrid quadrupole time of flight (Q-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) method is described for the simultaneous quantitative determination of common ergot alkaloids and the screening, detection and identification of unexpected (less studied or novel) members of this class of toxic fungal secondary metabolites. The employed analytical strategy involves an untargeted data acquisition (consisting of full scan TOF MS survey and information dependent acquisition MS/MS scans) and the processing of data using both targeted and untargeted approaches. Method performance characteristics for the quantitative analysis of 6 common ergot alkaloids i.e. ergometrine, ergosine, ergotamine, ergocornine, ergocristine, ergokryptine and their corresponding epimers in rye were comparable to those previously reported for triple-quadrupole (QqQ) MS/MS. The method limits of quantification (LOQ) were in the range from 3 to 19 mu g/kg, and good linearity was observed for the different ergot alkaloids in the range from LOQ to 1000 mu g/kg. Furthermore, the method demonstrated good precision (relative standard deviations at 50 mu g/kg not higher than 14.6 and 16.2% for the intra-day and inter-day precision, respectively), and the trueness values at different concentration levels were all between 89 and 115%. The method was applied for the analysis of a set of 17 rye samples and demonstrated the presence of these ergot alkaloids in the range from <LOQ to 2,811 mu g/kg. Further mining of the same data based on a 'non-targeted peak finding' algorithm and the use of full MS and MS/MS accurate mass data allowed the detection and identification of 19 ergot alkaloids that are commonly not included in most analytical methods using QqQ instruments. Some of these alkaloids are reported for the first time in naturally contaminated samples

Contract Conditions and BIM Use Effectiveness to Improve Project Performance

From a technological point of view, a huge potential can be found in building information modeling (BIM) in order to significantly improve the performance of a project. However, the literature review could not provide conclusive results on the impact that contractual practices may have on how effective BIM may result in technological terms, as well as outcomes within a project itself. The aim of this research is to determine the impact contractual conditions have on the link between BIM use effectiveness and the performance of a project. A self-administered survey was distributed to project design managers within architecture, engineering and construction engineering (AEC) firms. Using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method, 92 answers were analyzed, finding contractual conditions to be mediating. These results show that appropriate conditions set in a contract with regard to handling BIM technology have a positive impact on the performance and outcomes of a project. The results, however, are only based on Spanish companies, meaning they may not necessarily be applied in global terms due to the cultural differences there may be within countries and continents, which should also be taken into account in the construction phase. Senior managers and policymakers could greatly benefit from the abovementioned findings with regard to improving contractual conditions in project design management in a BIM context, helping remove any source of conflict. It has been suggested by researchers that a gap has been found in BIM contractual practices literature, affecting not only BIM implementation but also project performance, thereby contributing to an improvement in BIM practices in construction contexts

Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania: Architecture, History and Intangible Culture

[EN] Romania's significant German (Saxon) heritage is perfectly conserved in southern Transylvania, where Saxons arrived in the mid-1100s from the Rhine and Moselle river regions. Highly respected for their skill and talent, this population succeeded in gaining administrative autonomy, a feat practically unrivalled through a feudal Europe of absolute monarchies. The result of almost nine centuries of existence of the Saxon (German) community in southern Transylvania is still visible today in a stunning melting pot of cultural and architectural heritage, unique in Europe. Within the framework of the project ¿3d Past, Living & virtual visiting European World Heritage¿ the set of 7 villages (Biertan, Câlnic, Dârjiu, Prejmer, Saschiz, Valea Viilor, Viscri) listed by UNESCO since 1993, have been studied in detail. Strategies for maintenance and conservation have been analysed in order to contribute to the awareness and preservation of the principles of authenticity and integrity of those sites.This paper is the result of the research project 3D Past - ¿Living & virtual visiting European World Heritage¿ [Grant Agreement Ref Nº570729-CREA-1-2016-1-PT-CULT-COOP1], which was co-funded by the European Union, under the programme Creative Europe (2016-2020).Cristini, V.; García-Soriano, L.; Vegas López-Manzanares, F. (2020). Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania: Architecture, History and Intangible Culture. International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences (Online). 44:249-254. https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLIV-M-1-2020-249-2020S2492544