BIM and its impact upon project success outcomes from a Facilities Management perspective

The uptake of Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been increasing, but some of its promoted potential benefits have been slow to materialise. In particular, claims that BIM will revolutionise facilities management (FM) creating efficiencies in the whole-life of building operations have yet to be achieved on a wide scale, certainly in comparison to tangible progress made for the prior design and construction phases. To attempt to unravel the factors at play in the adoption of BIM during the operational phase, and in particular, understand if adoption by facilities managers (FMs) is lagging behind other disciplines, this study aims to understand if current BIM processes can ease the challenges in this area faced by facilities management project stakeholders. To do this, success from a facilities management viewpoint is considered and barriers to facilities management success are explored, with focused BIM use proposed as a solution to these barriers. Qualitative research was undertaken, using semi structured interviews to collect data from a non-probability sample of 7 project- and facilities- management practitioners. Key results from this study show that the main barrier to BIM adoption by facilities managers is software interoperability, with reports that facilities management systems are unable to easily import BIM data produced during the design and construction stages. Additionally, facilities managers were not treated as salient stakeholders by Project Managers, further negatively affecting facilities management project success outcomes. A µresistance to change was identified as another barrier, as facilities managers were sceptical of the ability of current BIMenabled systems promoted as being FM compatible to be able to replicate their existing Computer Aided Facility Management (CAFM) legacy software and its user required capabilities. The results of this study highlight that more work is needed to ensure that BIM benefits the end user, as there was no reported use of BIM data for dedicated facilities management purposes. Further investigation into the challenges of interoperability could add significant value to this developing research area.The uptake of Building Information Modelling (BIM) has been increasing, but some of its promoted potential benefits have been slow to materialise. In particular, claims that BIM will revolutionise facilities management (FM) creating efficiencies in the whole-life of building operations have yet to be achieved on a wide scale, certainly in comparison to tangible progress made for the prior design and construction phases. To attempt to unravel the factors at play in the adoption of BIM during the operational phase, and in particular, understand if adoption by facilities managers (FMs) is lagging behind other disciplines, this study aims to understand if current BIM processes can ease the challenges in this area faced by facilities management project stakeholders. To do this, success from a facilities management viewpoint is considered and barriers to facilities management success are explored, with focused BIM use proposed as a solution to these barriers. Qualitative research was undertaken, using semi structured interviews to collect data from a non-probability sample of 7 project- and facilities- management practitioners. Key results from this study show that the main barrier to BIM adoption by facilities managers is software interoperability, with reports that facilities management systems are unable to easily import BIM data produced during the design and construction stages. Additionally, facilities managers were not treated as salient stakeholders by Project Managers, further negatively affecting facilities management project success outcomes. A µresistance to change was identified as another barrier, as facilities managers were sceptical of the ability of current BIMenabled systems promoted as being FM compatible to be able to replicate their existing Computer Aided Facility Management (CAFM) legacy software and its user required capabilities. The results of this study highlight that more work is needed to ensure that BIM benefits the end user, as there was no reported use of BIM data for dedicated facilities management purposes. Further investigation into the challenges of interoperability could add significant value to this developing research area

Knowles, Kolb, & Google: Prior Learning Assessment as a Model for 21st-Century Learning

For adult students who have committed anew to completing a four-year bachelor’s degree, prior learning assessment (PLA) can be a surprising bonus that affirms their previous life experiences, shortens the degree completion pathway, and ultimately lowers tuition dollars. What students typically do not realize as they enter the process, however, is that PLA can be much more than simply a road to a diploma: When designed with an intentional framework of andragogical principles and experiential emphases, PLA can provide adult students with a lifelong model for self-assessment and higher-level learning in a 21st-century Google era

Ski2LRT uses Systemic Design to transform winter community in Edmonton

Edmonton is very lucky for many reasons. Light Rail Transit (LRT) and extensive green space are just two reasons. During the winter months, however, the green belts that surround our neighborhoods and run along our utility corridors become white belts. We’ve seen attempts to battle the cold and recreate warm-weather commuting: increased ped-ways, large malls, heated bus terminals, and other mechanisms. Yet the more we treat winter as something to be accommodated and worked around, the more we retreat, hibernate, and use our cars, the greater our negativity about winter. And so the question remains: How can we shift our thinking around winter and reclaim our abundant public space and corridors in a way that is inherently meaningful for Edmontonians? What if we could ski to work, or to the LRT? Systems mapping, using rich picture as a design method, helped a group of community enthusiasts understand commuting practices and available green space (white space) in the area. What we found was a vast amount of interconnected white space linked to the train line. The group used causal layered analysis to better understand the systemic causes, worldviews, and mental model underlying why these two transportation systems had never interacted before. As the group dove into an understanding of these two systems, what became clear was a common link around a broader overarching system: winter. The group framed a new mental model for how to tap into this potential. From this premise, a participatory, community based initiative, #Ski2LRT, was formed. #Ski2LRT launched as an emergent movement that attempted to shift mindsets around three concepts: Winter, cross-country skiing in urban settings and LRT usage. A simple Facebook page was designed and a cross-country ski rack was placed at the Century Park LRT station. What happened next and the unintended ripple effects went beyond the original intention. It was unknown that neighborhood ski enthusiasts felt isolated. Unintentionally, this initiative connected a community and gave like-minded individuals a space to convene. This initiative and shift impacted the identity of the city and a new municipal group called “SkiWay” formed, connecting the ski clubs in the city, alongside urban transportation initiatives, to reinvigorate cross country skiing in the city

A study of functionality of anti-embolism stockings

The use of pressure has been understood for centuries to treat venous disorders. Antiembolism stockings (AES) represent one of the preferred modalities of pressure treatment due to their ability to prevent further complications, such as deep vein thrombosis, whilst in a hospital setting in the supine position. AES are typically mass manufactured on circular knitting machines with nylon and elastane. The scattered political and geographical influence upon medical products, test methods, test machinery, standards and Class, creates confusion over the application of AES for medical practicioners. As the world population continues to grow at a rapid rate, the need for a simplified and unified approach to medical products would prevent the incorrect use of AES and potentially remove barriers to enable increased usage of AES. The marketplace is complex, with a multitude and of brands, sizes, classes and no standard labelling or approach to pressure adherence. The hypothesis of this thesis is that a single product (one yarn and one structure) should be able to provide the British Standard pressure range of 10-18mmHg across the British Standard ankle measurement (172-288mm). The properties of three Brands; Saphena, Preventex and Ted Covidien have been fully explored and showed that different brands use different structures and yarns to create AES and therefore, subsequently exert different pressures on the body. The main test methods used in the medical world were also explored and a comparative cross laboratory study was carried out. This investigation also explored the use of 16 different structures and 6 elastane yarns and their pressure delivering capabilities. During this investigation it was found that it is possible to have one AES yarn combination of T902 285dtex and 44/34/2 Bulked Nylon which exerts the British standard acceptable pressures at the ankle (10-18mmHg) and calf (8-14mmHg) across the whole range of British Standard leg sizes at ankle 172-288mm and calf 282-446mm. It was also found that it was possible to predict the pressures on the midpoint of leg circumference to ±2mmHg which could save a significant amount of time in the development of new AES or compression products

Employer Health Benefits 2016 Annual Survey

This annual survey of employers provides a detailed look at trends in employer-sponsored health coverage including premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing provisions, and employer opinions. The 2016 survey included almost 1,900 interviews with non-federal public and private firms.Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage reached $18,142 this year, up 3 percent from last year, with workers on average paying$5,277 towards the cost of their coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Education Trust 2016 Employer Health Benefits Survey. The 2016 survey includes information on the use of incentives for employer wellness programs, plan cost-sharing as well as firm offer rate. Survey results are released here in a variety of ways, including a full report with downloadable tables on a variety of topics, summary of findings, and an article published in the journal Health Affairs

International monetary relations between the United States, France, and West Germany in the 1970s

The United States acted unilaterally to terminate the Bretton Woods monetary system in August 1971, and international exchange rate management went from a regime of fixed to floating parities, much to the displeasure of the membership of the European Community. The Nixon, Ford, and Carter administrations adopted policies that heavily benefited U.S. reform objectives and domestic economic goals, which frequently clashed with allied concerns, and damaged American monetary relations with France and West Germany. Yet, the inability of France and the Federal Republic of Germany to form cohesive economic and monetary policies throughout international negotiations or within the European Community (EC), allowed American desires to dictate the path and pace of European integration. France and Germany attempted, with limited success, to influence U.S. monetary policy through bilateral diplomacy during years of exchange rate fluctuations, dollar devaluations, oil shocks, and payments deficits. Finally, President Valery Giscard d'Estaing and Chancellor Helmut Schmidt created the European Monetary System (EMS) in 1979, reversing the trend of half-hearted attempts at European integration so relevant the decade before. The EMS detached the EC's currencies from the dollar's control, was compatible with the reformed international monetary system, advanced a more independent European monetary identity, and formed the base for future monetary integration. As a result, the EMS, as the birthplace of the Euro, the single European currency launched in 2002, may soon rival the dollar's position as the primary reserve currency. American monetary policies designed to improve the health of the dollar during the 1970s were a catalyst for European integration. However, as the European Union deepens its economic integration and the Euro grows in strength, it seems that U.S. policies created a regime and a currency that will challenge its dominant position in international monetary affairs

Ecosystem sustainability and resource-based tourism : linkages and indicators

The landscape of northern Ontario provides an ideal setting for resource-based tourism and, in recent years, the focus on tourism has increased due to the popularity of outdoor recreation and the notion that tourism can increase community sustainability. Resource-based tourism is based on a wide range of activities which are both consumptive and non-consumptive. As an industry, tourism can have significant impacts on natural, physical or social environments and it is important that the industry be managed sustainably. Currently, there is no generally accepted approach for examining the sustainability of the resource-based tourism industry and ensuring that resources are managed in the interests of future generations. The international forestry and tourism industries have adopted the concept of sustainability indicators. Their initiatives provide guidance for the development of a regional framework for resource-based tourism. Through a workshop and mail survey, members of the Northern Ontario Tourism Outfitters Association (NOTO) identified values that they believe are essential to the sustainability of resource-based tourism. This input, combined with data collected through a literature review, was utilized to develop a suite of indicators of sustainable resource-based tourism. An evaluation of each indicator was conducted and a revised framework of 23 indicators reflecting on ecological, economic and social values is presented. The framework will be useful to resource managers and the tourism industry

Mitotic Defects Lead to Pervasive Aneuploidy and Accompany Loss of RB1 Activity in Mouse LmnaDhe Dermal Fibroblasts

Lamin A (LMNA) is a component of the nuclear lamina and is mutated in several human diseases, including Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD; OMIM ID# 181350) and the premature aging syndrome Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS; OMIM ID# 176670). Cells from progeria patients exhibit cell cycle defects in both interphase and mitosis. Mouse models with loss of LMNA function have reduced Retinoblastoma protein (RB1) activity, leading to aberrant cell cycle control in interphase, but how mitosis is affected by LMNA is not well understood.We examined the cell cycle and structural phenotypes of cells from mice with the Lmna allele, Disheveled hair and ears (Lmna(Dhe)). We found that dermal fibroblasts from heterozygous Lmna(Dhe) (Lmna(Dhe/+)) mice exhibit many phenotypes of human laminopathy cells. These include severe perturbations to the nuclear shape and lamina, increased DNA damage, and slow growth rates due to mitotic delay. Interestingly, Lmna(Dhe/+) fibroblasts also had reduced levels of hypophosphorylated RB1 and the non-SMC condensin II-subunit D3 (NCAP-D3), a mitosis specific centromere condensin subunit that depends on RB1 activity. Mitotic check point control by mitotic arrest deficient-like 1 (MAD2L1) also was perturbed in Lmna(Dhe/+) cells. Lmna(Dhe/+) fibroblasts were consistently aneuploid and had higher levels of micronuclei and anaphase bridges than normal fibroblasts, consistent with chromosome segregation defects.These data indicate that RB1 may be a key regulator of cellular phenotype in laminopathy-related cells, and suggest that the effects of LMNA on RB1 include both interphase and mitotic cell cycle control

Preface

The University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics (PWPL) is an occasional series published by the Penn Linguistics Club, the graduate student organization of the Linguistics Department of the University of Pennsylvania. The series has included volumes of previously unpublished work, or work in progress, by linguists with an ongoing affiliation with the Department, as well as volumes of papers from the NWAVE conference and the Penn Linguistics Colloquium. The current PWPL series editors are Jim Alexander, Alexis Dimitriadis, Na-­‐Rae Han, Elsi Kaiser, Michelle Minnick Fox, Christine Moisset, and Alexander Williams