Utilising Building Component Data from BIM for Formwork Planning

Advancements in the computing realm have assisted the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry to progress significantly by automating several design tasks and activities. Building Information Modelling (BIM) authoring tools have played a significant role in automating design tasks and reducing the efforts required by the designer in redundant, repetitive or production-oriented activities. This paper explores one such approach that, with the help of BIM authoring tool and its Application Programming Interface (API), reduces the efforts expended on formwork design for concrete structures. The paper utilises the concept of using BIM data as input to compute the quantity of formwork, and generate visualisations and schedule of formwork. The developed approach first takes data input from semantic BIM to the API environment for computation and design of formwork systems, which is then placed within the BIM model, to generate visualisation and prepare schedules. The research work utilises a structural concrete wall as an example to demonstrate the presented approach. The approach will be influential in streamlining the formwork design process in the BIM environment and reducing efforts required by the designer and the planning engineer. Since the formwork elements are generated as 3-Dimensional (3D) solids and smart BIM elements, the generated model of formwork can be used for resolving clashes, scheduling, and resource planning

Orthotopic liver transplantation in U.S. veterans under primary tacrolimus immunosupression.

The evolution and refinement of surgical techniques, per ioperative patient care, and immunosuppression hav~ estab~ished orthoto~ic li~er transplantation (OLTX) as a ~ighly successful therapeutic modality for patients wrth end-stage hver disease. In February 1989,Tacrohmus (Prograf®, formerly FK 506)was first used successfully at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to treat patients with rejection refractory to cyclosporine-based immunosuppression." Clinical trials utilizing Tacrolimus in solid organ transplantation followed, and in April of 1994 it was approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration

Integrating rules of modular coordination to improve model authoring in BIM

As the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) becomes pervasive and its level of application matures, the need to incorporate domain-specific knowledge in BIM authoring tools is also increasing. Rule-based scripts that assist and guide the modeller in model authoring are needed to enhance the level of usage of BIM. The authors developed a framework for incorporation of rule-driven domain knowledge into BIM authoring tools. With the objective of customizing the modelling process using a set of rules, the approach presented in this paper combines rules of modular coordination in prefabricated building with BIM. Modular coordination, a dimensional coordination system for sizing and placing building elements within a three-dimensional (3D) reference system, is translated into rules that are incorporated into the BIM authoring tool through object-level and process-level interventions. The study explores various options of parametric modelling for integration of identified modular coordination rules. The aim of integrating modular coordination rules is to assist the user during the modelling process. The proposed approach has the potential of reducing inconsistencies and time spent in modelling and documentation allowing the designer to spend more effort on value-adding design tasks. With the help of a case study and an experiment, capabilities of the proposed framework are demonstrated and validated

Nested evolutionary algorithms for computationally expensive bilevel optimization problems: Variants and their systematic analysis

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. Bilevel optimization problems involve a hierarchical model where an upper level optimization problem is solved with a constraint on the optimality of a nested lower level problem. The use of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) and other metaheuristics has been gaining attention to solve bilevel problems, especially when they contain non-linear/black-box objective(s) and/or constraint(s). However, EAs typically operate in a nested mode wherein a lower level optimization is executed for each upper level solution. Evidently, this process requires excessive number of function evaluations, which might become untenable if the underlying functions are computationally expensive. In order to reduce this expense, the use of approximations (also referred to as surrogates or meta-models) has been suggested previously. However, the previous works have focused only on the use of surrogates for the lower level problem, whereas the computational expense of the upper level problem has not been considered. In this paper, we aim to make two contributions to address this research gap. The first is to introduce an improved nested EA which uses surrogate-assisted search at both levels in order to solve bilevel problems using limited number of function evaluations. The second is the revelation and a systematic investigation of a previously overlooked aspect of bilevel search – that the objective/constraints at the upper and lower levels may involve different computational expense. Consideration of this aspect can help in deciding a suitable strategy, i.e., in which level is the use of surrogates most appropriate for the given problem. Towards this end, four different nested strategies – with surrogate at either level, none or at both levels, are compared under various experimental settings. Numerical experiments are presented on a wide range of problems to demonstrate the efficacy and utility of the proposed contributions

Comparative assessment of air pollution tolerance index (APTI) in the industrial (Rourkela) and non industrial area (Aizawl) of India: An ecomanagement approach

Science for phyto-technologies has got immense application in air pollution science. The present study focuses on the determination of air pollution tolerance indices (APTI) from six common road side plant species growing along industrial (Rourkela) and non industrial area (Aizawl), India. The APTI was determined by synthesizing the four different physiological and biochemical parameters, that is, leaf relative water content (RWC), ascorbic acid content (AA), total leaf chlorophyll (TCh) and pH of leaf extract. The plant species selected for the study were Ficus bengalensis, Mangifera indica, Bougainvillea spectabilis, Psidium guajava, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Lantana camara. Reduction in total chlorophyll content and pH was found in the leaf samples of all selected plants collected from Industrial site (Rourkela) when compared with samples from non industrial site (Aizawl) whereas APTI, ascorbic acid and RWC were found to be higher in the plant samples of Industrial site (Rourkela) as compared to non industrial site (Aizawl). On the basis of APTI, F. bengalensis was found to be tolerant (8.64) in industrial site (Rourkela) and M. indica (7.95) in non industrial site (Aizawl). Plant species such as M. indica and B. spectabilis, showing minimum difference in their APTI values may be considered as tolerant for both (industrial and non industrial) sites.Key words: Air pollution tolerance indices (APTI), biochemical parameters, Ficus bengalensis, roadside plants

von Willebrand factor/ADAMTS13 ratio at presentation of acute ischemic brain injury is predictive of outcome

Acute ischemic stroke (IS) and transient ischemic attack (TIA) are associated with raised von Willebrand factor (VWF) and decreased ADAMTS13 activity (ADAMTS13Ac). Their impact on mortality and morbidity is unclear. We conducted a prospective investigation of the VWF-ADAMTS13 axis in 292 adults (acute IS, n = 103; TIA, n = 80; controls, n = 109) serially from presentation until >6 weeks. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Score (NIHSS) and modified Rankin scale (mRS) were used to assess stroke severity. Presenting median VWF antigen (VWF:Ag)/ADAMTS13Ac ratios were: IS, 2.42 (range, 0.78-9.53); TIA, 1.89 (range, 0.41-8.14); and controls, 1.69 (range, 0.25-15.63). Longitudinally, the median VWF:Ag/ADAMTS13Ac ratio decreased (IS, 2.42 to 1.66; P = .0008; TIA, 1.89 to 0.65; P 2.6 predicted mortality (odds ratio, 6.33; range, 2.22-18.1). Those with a VWF:Ag/ADAMTS13Ac ratio in the highest quartile (>3.091) had 31% increased risk mortality. VWF:Ag/ADAMTS13Ac ratio at presentation of ischemic brain injury was associated with higher mRS (P = .021) and NIHSS scores (P = .029) at follow-up. Thrombolysis resulted in prompt reduction of the VWF:Ag/ADAMTS13Ac ratio and significant improvement in mRS on follow-up. A raised VWF:Ag/ADAMTS13Ac ratio at presentation of acute IS or TIA is associated with increased mortality and poorer functional outcome. A ratio of 2.6 seems to differentiate outcome. Prompt reduction in the ratio in thrombolysed patients was associated with decreased mortality and morbidity. The VWF:Ag/ADAMTS13Ac ratio is a biomarker for the acute impact of an ischemic event and longer-term outcome

RepSeq-A database of amino acid repeats present in lower eukaryotic pathogens

BACKGROUND Amino acid repeat-containing proteins have a broad range of functions and their identification is of relevance to many experimental biologists. In human-infective protozoan parasites (such as the Kinetoplastid and Plasmodium species), they are implicated in immune evasion and have been shown to influence virulence and pathogenicity. RepSeq http://repseq.gugbe.com is a new database of amino acid repeat-containing proteins found in lower eukaryotic pathogens. The RepSeq database is accessed via a web-based application which also provides links to related online tools and databases for further analyses. RESULTS The RepSeq algorithm typically identifies more than 98% of repeat-containing proteins and is capable of identifying both perfect and mismatch repeats. The proportion of proteins that contain repeat elements varies greatly between different families and even species (3 - 35% of the total protein content). The most common motif type is the Sequence Repeat Region (SRR) - a repeated motif containing multiple different amino acid types. Proteins containing Single Amino Acid Repeats (SAARs) and Di-Peptide Repeats (DPRs) typically account for 0.5 - 1.0% of the total protein number. Notable exceptions are P. falciparum and D. discoideum, in which 33.67% and 34.28% respectively of the predicted proteomes consist of repeat-containing proteins. These numbers are due to large insertions of low complexity single and multi-codon repeat regions. CONCLUSION The RepSeq database provides a repository for repeat-containing proteins found in parasitic protozoa. The database allows for both individual and cross-species proteome analyses and also allows users to upload sequences of interest for analysis by the RepSeq algorithm. Identification of repeat-containing proteins provides researchers with a defined subset of proteins which can be analysed by expression profiling and functional characterisation, thereby facilitating study of pathogenicity and virulence factors in the parasitic protozoa. While primarily designed for kinetoplastid work, the RepSeq algorithm and database retain full functionality when used to analyse other species

Diagnostic and prognostic utility of an inexpensive rapid on site malaria diagnostic test (ParaHIT f) among ethnic tribal population in areas of high, low and no transmission in central India

BACKGROUND: Malaria presents a diagnostic challenge in most tropical countries. Rapid detection of the malaria parasite and early treatment of infection still remain the most important goals of disease management. Therefore, performance characteristics of the new indigenous ParaHIT f test (Span diagnostic Ltd, Surat, India) was determined among ethnic tribal population in four districts of different transmission potential in central India to assess whether this rapid diagnostic test (RDT) could be widely applied as a diagnostic tool to control malaria. Beyond diagnosis, the logical utilization of RDTs is to monitor treatment outcome. METHODS: A finger prick blood sample was collected from each clinically suspected case of malaria to prepare blood smear and for testing with the RDT after taking informed consent. The blood smears were read by an experienced technician blinded to the RDT results and clinical status of the subjects. The figures for specificity, sensitivity, accuracy and predictive values were calculated using microscopy as gold standard. RESULTS: The prevalence of malaria infection estimated by RDT in parallel with microscopy provide evidence of the type of high, low or no transmission in the study area. Analysis revealed (pooled data of all four epidemiological settings) that overall sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the RDT were >90% in areas of different endemicity. While, RDT is useful to confirm the diagnosis of new symptomatic cases of suspected P. falciparum infection, the persistence of parasite antigen leading to false positives even after clearance of asexual parasitaemia has limited its utility as a prognostic tool. CONCLUSION: The study showed that the ParaHIT f test was easy to use, reliable and cheap. Thus this RDT is an appropriate test for the use in the field by paramedical staff when laboratory facilities are not available and thus likely to contribute greatly to an effective control of malaria in resource poor countries

The Impact of Marketing Mix on the Consumer Purchase Decision in the Surabaya - Indonesia Hotel Residence

The hospitality business is rapidly growing and has caused fierce competition in this industry. It can be seen from the number of new hotels particularly for the 2 and 3-star hotels, and budget hotels in Surabaya. The hotels applied various strategies in acquiring new customers and retain loyal customers in the pursuit of a high level of occupancy in order to maintain business continuity. Performing appropriate marketing tactics is one of the ways to enable the hotel to increasing occupancy rates. Marketing strategy is associated with the products, prices, promotions, and distribution. This study aims at seeking the impact of the product, prices, promotion, and distribution on the consumer purchasing decisions. The population is all visitors to budget hotels located in the city of Surabaya. The data collection was conducted by distributing the self-administered questionnaire to 150 visitors. Of the 150, 125 questionnaires were valid for further analysis. The sampling frame uses judgmental sampling techniques. Data processing used multiple linear regression using SPSS software. The results showed that hotel products have an influence on consumer purchasing decisions; prices have an influence on consumer purchasing decisions. The location of the hotel affects the purchase decision. Promotion performed by the hotel influence the purchase decision by the consumer. This research model needs to be developed by providing service process variables and employee competencies in hotels in Surabay