Exploring the Use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Construction Projects in Gaza Strip

Ismail Al Daoor Faculty of Applied Engineering and Urban Planning, University of Palestine, Gaza, Palestine, [email protected] Information Modeling (BIM) is a process for designing and collaborating using an intelligent 3D model across the planning, design and construction of buildings and infrastructure. It is one of the most promising recent developments in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. The objectives of this study are to investigate and explore the knowledge implementation of BIM technology in Gaza Strip (GS) among contracting companies. To achieve this aim, the research reviews the literature related to BIM includes; definition of BIM technology, its benefits and disadvantages implementation in construction industry. The study used a questionnaire that was administered by contracting companies classified at the Palestinian Contractors Union. Fifty-five questionnaires were distributed in Gaza strip and 40 questionnaires were received which makes the response rate 72.7%. The results confirm the existence of several reasons for challenges in implementing BIM in construction projects in the Gaza Strip: (1) Unawareness of BIM benefits, (2) Lack of training, (3) Lack of qualified staff to work with the software. Furthermore, results explored key factors that can promote applying BIM in the Gaza Strip construction projects, including; (1) Training of construction staff, (2) Workshops about importance of applying BIM, (3) Provide free and trial versions of the software. Finally, the study recommended several suggestions on the use of BIM technology by contractors in the Gaza Strip construction industry.University of Palestine

Thymoquinone rich fraction from Nigella sativa and thymoquinone are cytotoxic towards colon and leukemic carcinoma cell lines.

Nigella sativa has been used for centuries in Asia, Middle East and Africa to promote health and fight diseases. In this study, the anti-cancer effects of thymoquinone rich fraction (TQRF) extracted from N. sativa seeds using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) system and commercially available thymoquinone (TQ) on colon cancer (HT29), lymphoblastic leukemia (CEMSS) and promyelocytic leukemia (HL60) cells lines were investigated. The concentration that gave 50% inhibition of cell viability (IC50) of HT29, CEMSS and HL60 cells treated with TQRF were 400, 350 and 250 µg/ml, respectively. Meanwhile, the IC50 of TQ was 8, 5 and 3 µg/ml, respectively. Cell cycle analysis shows the increment of apoptosis in a time-dependent manner. However, both TQRF and TQ were not able to arrest the cell cycle phases of the cells. Apoptosis was the main mode of HT29, CEMSS and HL60 cells death induced by both TQRF and TQ. Our findings support the potential use of TQRF and TQ for the treatment of colon cancer and leukemia

Status of Bahraini Women in the Banking and Financial Sector: Challenges and Opportunities

The purpose of this study is to investigate the current status and the challenges of Bahraini women in the financial and banking sector; this sector is in continuous growth and needs to invest in human resources properly to attract talents. To enhance women’s access to senior positions in this sector, it must acknowledge the factors that influence women leadership, where the significance of this study stands out. The study presents how different factors affect the mainstreaming of women progressing to the top-level management. The study followed both quantitative and qualitative methods in data collection, and three different types of survey have been used in the study. The first questionnaire was directed towards Bahraini working women, the second questionnaire was directed towards Bahraini women who have left the sector, and these two questionnaires contained implicit references to the factors of the study. The third questionnaire was directed towards the human resource managers in the financial and banking sector. The total number of Bahraini employees in this sector is 14,675, with about 37% Bahraini women, which represents 25% of the total workforce (Bahrainis and expatriates). The results illustrated that approximately 8% of women reached the Board of Directors and 4.5% of Bahraini women among the Bahraini workforce attained the position of CEO. According to the findings of the study, the most significant factor affecting Bahraini women in the workplace was “the need for women in leadership positions”. The factor with the lowest response was “fringe benefits”. In contrast, the factor relating to “family concerns affecting women” was less significant. Recommendations were made to guide every women on workforce participation and the decision-makers to try remove all or some of the barriers that might hinder women from reaching those positions, aiming to provide women equal access opportunities to leadership positions in the this essential sectors and other sectors in the future

On the Verification of a WiMax Design Using Symbolic Simulation

In top-down multi-level design methodologies, design descriptions at higher levels of abstraction are incrementally refined to the final realizations. Simulation based techniques have traditionally been used to verify that such model refinements do not change the design functionality. Unfortunately, with computer simulations it is not possible to completely check that a design transformation is correct in a reasonable amount of time, as the number of test patterns required to do so increase exponentially with the number of system state variables. In this paper, we propose a methodology for the verification of conformance of models generated at higher levels of abstraction in the design process to the design specifications. We model the system behavior using sequence of recurrence equations. We then use symbolic simulation together with equivalence checking and property checking techniques for design verification. Using our proposed method, we have verified the equivalence of three WiMax system models at different levels of design abstraction, and the correctness of various system properties on those models. Our symbolic modeling and verification experiments show that the proposed verification methodology provides performance advantage over its numerical counterpart.Comment: In Proceedings SCSS 2012, arXiv:1307.802