An Investigation into Augmented Reality’s Ability to Assist the Preconstruction Phase of Building Projects

This study investigated how augmented reality can support architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals during the pre-construction phase of building projects. Existing literature acknowledged the need for more comprehensive research on AEC professionals’ opinions about digital technologies, especially augmented reality (AR). To address this gap, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews to gain deeper insights into the current applications of AR in the industry, its various uses in pre-construction, and future recommendations. The study yielded three main findings. Firstly, it identified several AR applications that could be specifically applied to the AEC industry. Secondly, AEC professionals disclosed various reasons for adopting AR in their work, including its assistance in defect analysis, the design stage, and communication improvement. Finally, AEC professionals provided several future recommendations, but they argued that widespread AR adoption would require a cultural transformation among industry practitioners. These findings largely aligned with existing literature on AR usage in the AEC industry. The data gathered from the interviews could be valuable to diverse professionals within the AEC industry, particularly AEC companies contemplating investments in AR technology. The insights gained from this research shed light on the potential benefits and challenges of integrating AR into the pre-construction process of building projects....Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT), VNU-HCM

Diagnosis and Management of Atypical Mycobacterial Infection after Laparoscopic Surgery

Atypical mycobacterial infections at the laparoscopic port site are a frequent problem encountered in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery. In this study we concentrate on the clinical diagnosis, management and prevention of this problem. In this series we assess 19 patients presenting with port hole infections after laparoscopic surgery and were treated with a combination of oral clarithromycin and ciprofloxacin. Seven patients who had persistent nodules were given injections of amikacin directly into the infection foci along with standard oral therapy. Most of the patients treated with standard oral therapy for 28 days showed recovery. The patients with persistent nodules 4 weeks after completion of therapy were treated with injections of amikacin directly into the nodule which lead to resolution of symptoms. For prevention of infection, proper sterilization and storage of instruments is recommended. Laparoscopic port hole infections is a preventable problem and can also be treated by nonsurgical method

Structure and functional analysis of the IGF-II/IGF2R interaction

Embryonic development and normal growth require exquisite control of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). In mammals the extracellular region of the cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor has gained an IGF-II-binding function and is termed type II IGF receptor (IGF2R). IGF2R sequesters IGF-II; imbalances occur in cancers and IGF2R is implicated in tumour suppression. We report crystal structures of IGF2R domains 11–12, 11–12–13–14 and domains 11–12–13/IGF-II complex. A distinctive juxtaposition of these domains provides the IGF-II-binding unit, with domain 11 directly interacting with IGF-II and domain 13 modulating binding site flexibility. Our complex shows that Phe19 and Leu53 of IGF-II lock into a hydrophobic pocket unique to domain 11 of mammalian IGF2Rs. Mutagenesis analyses confirm this IGF-II ‘binding-hotspot', revealing that IGF-binding proteins and IGF2R have converged on the same high-affinity site