Modular Coordination-based Generative Algorithm to Optimize Construction Waste

© 2017 The Authors. In response to the growing attention to sustainable built environment, this study aims at introducing an approach in construction waste optimization through integrating parametric design with offsite construction methodology. To this end, a generative algorithm was developed within the integrated platform of Rhino and Grasshopper software based on modular coordination rules and ASTM international standards as the design constraints in modules array. Two sets of horizontal and vertical modules were obtained from a prototype model while an evolutionary solver function was employed for optimizing the generated waste. This resulted in developing different modular design variants which generate the minimum amount of waste while being fully compliant with international standards. This study contributes to the field by presenting one of the first studies in its kind focusing on the integration of parametric design into offsite construction methodology through the lenses of construction waste optimization

The shear stiffness characteristics of four Eocene-to-Jurassic UK stiff clays

A large proportion of the southern UK is underlain by stiff clays. Improving their geotechnical characterisation is important for many current and future infrastructure projects. This paper presents an integrated study of the complex stiffness behaviour of four key medium-plasticity, highly overconsolidated strata: the Gault, Kimmeridge, Oxford and London clays. The latter were deposited between the Jurassic and the Eocene under broadly similar marine conditions. Coordinated programmes of advanced static and dynamic laboratory measurements have been undertaken on high-quality samples, concentrating on samples taken from similar depths at inland sites and including triaxial and hollow cylinder stress path experiments employing high-resolution local strain, multi-axial bender element and resonant column techniques. A new approach was employed to interpret the hollow cylinder experiments and the laboratory measurements are examined in combination with independent field shear wave data. The clays' stiffness characteristics are shown to be markedly anisotropic, pressure dependent and highly non-linear. Synthesis allows key conclusions to be drawn regarding: the relative reliability of alternative measurement approaches; the potential spread of stiffness behaviours between the clays; and whether the clays' varying geological ages and burial depths have any systematic influence on their stiffness characteristics. The results have important geotechnical engineering implications

Correlation between human papillomavirus infection and bladder transitional cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: To determine the association of human papillomavirus infection (HPV) and transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). METHODS: Using polymerase chain reaction, fifty-nine bladder tissue specimens of patients with transitional cell carcinoma of bladder compared with 20 bladder samples of cases with non-neoplastic disorders. RESULTS: Male to female ratio was similar in the two groups (50/9 vs. 16/4, P = 0.62). Mean age was 67 ± 10.8 years and 52 ± 20.3 years in the case and control groups, respectively (P = 0.6). Of the 59 tissue specimens with diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma, HPV DNA was detected in 21 (35.6%) samples, while it was present in only one sample (5%) in the control group (P = 0.008). HPV18 was the most common type of virus with the incidence rate of 17/21(81%). CONCLUSION: HPV might play a causative role in transitional cell carcinoma of bladder in our geographic area

Construct-it: A board game to enhance built environment students’ understanding of the property life cycle

This article investigates the development of a board game entitled ‘Construct-it’ as an innovative pedagogical approach (as proof of concept) to augmenting the applied knowledge and understanding of built environment students studying property life cycle analysis. A largely qualitative and inductive methodological approach is conducted to identify and investigate the various pertinent theoretical frameworks that could be adopted; conduct a critical synthesis of extant literature; and develop Construct-it, a game intuitively grounded in practice-based knowledge. The study reveals that games provide a fun, engaging and challenging means of educating students at higher education institutions. It also notes a significant dearth of literature in terms of applying games to students enrolled on built environment programmes. Construct-it can enhance the student’s learning experience and knowledge of pertinent industry practice and standards and can complement traditional classroom teaching approaches. The study concludes with directions for the future work required to enhance the development of the novel pedagogical proof of concept presented. Such work will require robust testing and validation of the game to measure its impact on the student learning experience. </jats:p

Oral poliovirus vaccine-induced programmed cell death involves both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways in human colorectal cancer cells.

PURPOSE: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common causes of cancer death throughout the world. Replication-competent viruses, which are naturally able to infect and lyse tumor cells, seem to be promising in this field. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) on human CRC cells and elucidate the mechanism of apoptosis induction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Protein and gene expression of poliovirus (PV) receptor (CD155) on four human CRC cell lines including HCT116, SW480, HT-29, and Caco-2 and normal fetal human colon (FHC) cell line as a control were examined by flow cytometry and SYBR Green Real-Time PCR, respectively. Cytotoxicity of OPV on indicated cell lines was tested using MTT assay. The ability of OPV on apoptosis induction for both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways was examined using caspase-8 and caspase-9 colorimetric assay kits. The PV propagation in mentioned cell lines was investigated, and the quantity of viral yields (cells associated and extracellular) was determined using TaqMan PCR. RESULTS: CD155 mRNA and protein were expressed significantly higher in studied CRC cell lines rather than the normal cell line (P=0). OPV induced cell death in a time- and dose-dependent manner in human CRC cells. Apoptosis through both extrinsic and intrinsic pathways was detected in CRC cells with the minimum level found in FHC. PV viral load was significantly correlated with apoptosis via extrinsic (R=0.945, P=0.0001) and intrinsic (R=0.756, P=0.001) pathways. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that OPV has potential for clinical treatment of CRC. However further studies in animal models (tumor xenografts) are needed to be certain that it is qualified enough for treatment of CRC

THE STIMULATORY EFFECTS OF TOPICAL APPLICATION OF RADIOACTIVE LANTERN MANTLE POWDER ON WOUND HEALING

Some people in different parts of Iran use burned mantles as a wound healing medicine. To perform surface area measurement, twenty rats were divided randomly into two groups of 10 animals each. The 1st group received topical burned radioactive lantern mantle powder at 1st-3rd day after making excision wounds. The 2nd group received nonradioactive lantern mantle powder. For histological study, 36 male rats randomly divided into two groups of 18 animals each. Full thickness excision wound (314±31.4 mm2) was made on the dorsal neck in all animals after inducing general anesthesia. For the first 3 days, cases received topical application of the radioactive lantern mantle powder. Finally, to measure the tensile strength, an incision was made on the dorsal neck of the rats. Surface area measurement of the wounds showed a progressive surface reduction in both groups. Histological study showed a significant statistically difference between cases and controls with respect to fibrinoid necrosis and neutrophilic exudate at the days 3 and 14. Considering the existence of granulation tissue, a significant difference was observed between case and control groups at days 3 and 7. Tensile strength study showed no significant difference between the cases and controls until 30 days after excision

The Relationship between Atopic Dermatitis and Premenstrual Syndrome in Women Referred to the Skin Clinic of Hamadan

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: One of the factors affecting dermatophyte is hormonal factors, in which atopic dermatitis is more common in adult women. Since one of the psychotic problems regarding reproductive performance of women is premenstrual syndrome, in this study, the association between premenstrual syndrome and atopic dermatitis in reproductive age women was investigated. METHODS: This case-control study was performed on 82 women aged between 15 and 49 years old in two groups of atopic dermatitis referring to Skin Clinic of Sina Hospital in Tehran and control group including healthy women for atopic dermatitis. Demographic questionnaire and (PSST) Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Test (with score 42-0) were completed and evaluated by both groups. FINDINGS: The mean age of subjects in the case group was 17.17 ± 4.45 and in the control group was 27.29 ± 8.03 years. The results showed by controlling the possible confounding factors as age, occupation and marital status the probability of having moderate or severe premenstrual syndrome in patients with atopic dermatitis is 13.26 (OR= 13.26, 95% CI: 3.31, 53.07), as compared with healthy subjects. CONCLUSION: The results showed that there is a strong relationship between moderate to severe menstrual syndrome and atopic dermatitis in women

Abrupt Onset of Second Energy Gap at Superconducting Transition of Underdoped Bi2212

The superconducting gap - an energy scale tied to the superconducting phenomena-opens on the Fermi surface at the superconducting transition temperature (TC) in conventional BCS superconductors. Quite differently, in underdoped high-TC superconducting cuprates, a pseudogap, whose relation to the superconducting gap remains a mystery, develops well above TC. Whether the pseudogap is a distinct phenomenon or the incoherent continuation of the superconducting gap above TC is one of the central questions in high-TC research. While some experimental evidence suggests they are distinct, this issue is still under intense debate. A crucial piece of evidence to firmly establish this two-gap picture is still missing: a direct and unambiguous observation of a single-particle gap tied to the superconducting transition as function of temperature. Here we report the discovery of such an energy gap in underdoped Bi2212 in the momentum space region overlooked in previous measurements. Near the diagonal of Cu-O bond direction (nodal direction), we found a gap which opens at TC and exhibits a canonical (BCS-like) temperature dependence accompanied by the appearance of the so-called Bogoliubov quasiparticles, a classical signature of superconductivity. This is in sharp contrast to the pseudogap near the Cu-O bond direction (antinodal region) measured in earlier experiments. The emerging two-gap phenomenon points to a picture of richer quantum configurations in high temperature superconductors.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, authors' version Corrected typos in the abstrac

Global burden of human brucellosis : a systematic review of disease frequency

BACKGROUND: This report presents a systematic review of scientific literature published between 1990-2010 relating to the frequency of human brucellosis, commissioned by WHO. The objectives were to identify high quality disease incidence data to complement existing knowledge of the global disease burden and, ultimately, to contribute towards the calculation of a Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY) estimate for brucellosis.METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Thirty three databases were searched, identifying 2,385 articles relating to human brucellosis. Based on strict screening criteria, 60 studies were selected for quality assessment, of which only 29 were of sufficient quality for data analysis. Data were only available from 15 countries in the regions of Northern Africa and Middle East, Western Europe, Central and South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central Asia. Half of the studies presented incidence data, six of which were longitudinal prospective studies, and half presented seroprevalence data which were converted to incidence rates. Brucellosis incidence varied widely between, and within, countries. Although study biases cannot be ruled out, demographic, occupational, and socioeconomic factors likely play a role. Aggregated data at national or regional levels do not capture these complexities of disease dynamics and, consequently, at-risk populations or areas may be overlooked. In many brucellosis-endemic countries, health systems are weak and passively-acquired official data underestimate the true disease burden.CONCLUSIONS: High quality research is essential for an accurate assessment of disease burden, particularly in Eastern Europe, the Asia-Pacific, Central and South America and Africa where data are lacking. Providing formal epidemiological and statistical training to researchers is essential for improving study quality. An integrated approach to disease surveillance involving both human health and veterinary services would allow a better understand of disease dynamics at the animal-human interface, as well as a more cost-effective utilisation of resources