Association of Researchers in Construction Management

The purported benefits of Building Information Modelling (BIM) have resulted in its widespread advocacy across the industry. However, the realities of its implementation are often misunderstood and overlooked. BIM is a complex and unbounded technology, therefore trying to apply it to a project without consideration of the associated organisational changes is likely to end in failure or lower than predicted returns. Factors such as professional development and technical support, the technology learning curve, positive and negative feelings towards the technology, and strategy effectiveness can all help and hinder implementation. This paper draws on a set of interviews with members of a BIM implementation board within a large multifaceted construction company. The purpose of the interviews was to establish the 'as-is' position of the organisation in terms of BIM use, focussing on current practices and cases studies of previous and on-going projects and their utilisation of both BIM processes and sustainable design activities. However, thematic analysis highlighted significant barriers to the successful implementation of BIM within the organisation: lack of top-level support, misunderstanding across the organisation over BIM capabilities, regional differences in implementation support, and a predominant focus on the bottom-line preventing effective resource allocation. It is therefore argued that the organisational context and conditions of technology, process, and actor interaction are a necessary precursor to successful BIM implementation and should be taken into account when assessing performance on a BIM-enabled project, in order to comprehensively inform and support change management initiatives

Influence of Maternal Protein Restriction in Primiparous Heifers During Mid- and/or Late-gestation on Meat Quality and Fatty Acid Profile of Progeny

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of metabolizable protein (MP) restriction in mid- and/or late-gestation on meat quality, fatty acid profile, and carcass composition of progeny

Performance, Carcass Characteristics, and Life Cycle Assessment of Cattle Grown Utilizing Different Combinations of Growth Promoting Technologies

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of different combinations of growth promoting technologies on live animal performance, carcass characteristics, and environmental outcomes

Space reactor electric systems: system integration studies, Phase 1 report

This report presents the results of preliminary space reactor electric system integration studies performed by Rockwell International's Energy Systems Group (ESG). The preliminary studies investigated a broad range of reactor electric system concepts for powers of 25 and 100 KWe. The purpose of the studies was to provide timely system information of suitable accuracy to support ongoing mission planning activities. The preliminary system studies were performed by assembling the five different subsystems that are used in a system: the reactor, the shielding, the primary heat transport, the power conversion-processing, and the heat rejection subsystems. The subsystem data in this report were largely based on Rockwell's recently prepared Subsystem Technology Assessment Report. Nine generic types of reactor subsystems were used in these system studies. Several levels of technology were used for each type of reactor subsystem. Seven generic types of power conversion-processing subsystems were used, and several levels of technology were again used for each type. In addition, various types and levels of technology were used for the shielding, primary heat transport, and heat rejection subsystems. A total of 60 systems were studied

Acer rubrum Wats.

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/herbarium_specimens_byname/21742/thumbnail.jp

Arenavirus budding resulting from viral-protein-associated cell membrane curvature

Viral replication occurs within cells, with release (and onward infection) primarily achieved through two alternative mechanisms: lysis, in which virions emerge as the infected cell dies and bursts open; or budding, in which virions emerge gradually from a still living cell by appropriating a small part of the cell membrane. Virus budding is a poorly understood process that challenges current models of vesicle formation. Here, a plausible mechanism for arenavirus budding is presented, building on recent evidence that viral proteins embed in the inner lipid layer of the cell membrane. Experimental results confirm that viral protein is associated with increased membrane curvature, whereas a mathematical model is used to show that localized increases in curvature alone are sufficient to generate viral buds. The magnitude of the protein-induced curvature is calculated from the size of the amphipathic region hypothetically removed from the inner membrane as a result of translation, with a change in membrane stiffness estimated from observed differences in virion deformation as a result of protein depletion. Numerical results are based on experimental data and estimates for three arenaviruses, but the mechanisms described are more broadly applicable. The hypothesized mechanism is shown to be sufficient to generate spontaneous budding that matches well both qualitatively and quantitatively with experimental observations

Measurements of 12C(→γ,pp) photon asymmetries for Eγ= 200–450 MeV

The 12C (→γ ,pp) reaction has been studied in the photon energy range 200-450 MeV at the Mainz microtron MAMI-C, where linearly polarised photons were energy-tagged using the Glasgow-Mainz Tagged Photon Spectrometer and protons were detected in the Crystal Ball detector. The photon asymmetry Σ has been measured over a wider Eγ range than previous measurements. The strongest asymmetries were found at low missing energies where direct emission of nucleon pairs is expected. Cuts on the difference in azimuthal angles of the two ejected protons increased the magnitude of the observed asymmetries. At low missing energies the Σ data exhibit a strong angular dependence, similar to deuteron photodisintegration

Tissue Microenvironments Define and Get Reinforced by Macrophage Phenotypes in Homeostasis or during Inflammation, Repair and Fibrosis

Current macrophage phenotype classifications are based on distinct in vitro culture conditions that do not adequately mirror complex tissue environments. In vivo monocyte progenitors populate all tissues for immune surveillance which supports the maintenance of homeostasis as well as regaining homeostasis after injury. Here we propose to classify macrophage phenotypes according to prototypical tissue environments, e.g. as they occur during homeostasis as well as during the different phases of (dermal) wound healing. In tissue necrosis and/or infection, damage- and/or pathogen-associated molecular patterns induce proinflammatory macrophages by Toll-like receptors or inflammasomes. Such classically activated macrophages contribute to further tissue inflammation and damage. Apoptotic cells and antiinflammatory cytokines dominate in postinflammatory tissues which induce macrophages to produce more antiinflammatory mediators. Similarly, tumor-associated macrophages also confer immunosuppression in tumor stroma. Insufficient parenchymal healing despite abundant growth factors pushes macrophages to gain a profibrotic phenotype and promote fibrocyte recruitment which both enforce tissue scarring. Ischemic scars are largely devoid of cytokines and growth factors so that fibrolytic macrophages that predominantly secrete proteases digest the excess extracellular matrix. Together, macrophages stabilize their surrounding tissue microenvironments by adapting different phenotypes as feed-forward mechanisms to maintain tissue homeostasis or regain it following injury. Furthermore, macrophage heterogeneity in healthy or injured tissues mirrors spatial and temporal differences in microenvironments during the various stages of tissue injury and repair. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base