Decision Making in the 4th Dimension—Exploring Use Cases and Technical Options for the Integration of 4D BIM and GIS during Construction

In both the Geospatial (Geo) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) domains, it is widely acknowledged that the integration of geo-data and BIM-data is beneficial and a crucial step towards solving the multi-disciplinary challenges of our built environment. The result of this integration—broadly termed GeoBIM—has the potential to be particularly beneficial in the context of the construction of large infrastructure projects, which could make use of data relating to the larger spatial extents typically handled in geographical information systems (GIS) as well as the detailed models generated by BIM. To date, GeoBIM integration has mainly been explored for buildings, in a 3D context and for small projects. This paper demonstrates the results of the next level of integration, exploring the addition of the fourth dimension by linking project schedule information to create 4D GeoBIM, examining interoperability challenges and benefits in the context of a number of use cases relating to the enabling works for a major commercial infrastructure project. The integrating power of location and time—knowing where and when data relate to—allows us to explore data interoperability challenges relating to linking real world construction data, created using commercial software, with other data sources; we are then able to demonstrate the benefits of 4D GeoBIM in the context of three decision making scenarios: examining the potential for prioritisation of noise mitigation interventions by identifying apartments closest to the noisiest construction process; development of a 4D location-enabled risk register allowing, for example, work to continue underground if a risk is specific to the top of a building; ensuring construction safety by using 3D buffering to ensure that the required distances between moving construction equipment and surrounding infrastructure are not breached. Additionally, once integrated, we are able to ‘democratize’ the data—make it accessible beyond the BIM and GIS expert group—by embedding it into a 3D/4D open source Web GIS tool

How Can 3D GIS Be Used to Better Store, Integrate and Communicate Results of Environmental Impact Assessments

In the United Kingdom, the process of conducting the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a legal requirement for projects of considerable size or those that can affect the environment. EIA results are presented as an Environmental Statement, which includes multiple long reports often covering thousands of pages on large developments and includes complex information that is hard to understand for the intended audience of planners and the general public. To facilitate understanding, environmental professionals often use 2D maps. However, this approach is only partially useful, as it is difficult to locate specific information or to identify information related to a specific location on a very large site. This paper presents a pilot study into whether 3D GIS provide an alternative to better present, integrate and communicate the EIA results, with specific focus on three core environmental datasets: noise, air quality and bats’ flight paths, in relation to the building model of a real world development site. We focus in particular on off-the-shelf technologies that would be available to a standard Environmental Consultancy not having access to bespoke development, and will be usable by the planners, public and other decision makers, and look at tasks including 3D georeferencing, integration and visualisation of the data to be explored. It was concluded that while 3D GIS has a potential for environmental modelling, current technology and standards of data collection limit the practical use of 3D GIS at this stage

HOW CAN 3D GIS BE USED TO BETTER STORE, INTEGRATE AND COMMUNICATE RESULTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTS?

In the United Kingdom, the process of conducting the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a legal requirement for projects of considerable size or those that can affect the environment. EIA results are presented as an Environmental Statement, which includes multiple long reports often covering thousands of pages on large developments and includes complex information that is hard to understand for the intended audience of planners and the general public. To facilitate understanding, environmental professionals often use 2D maps. However, this approach is only partially useful, as it is difficult to locate specific information or to identify information related to a specific location on a very large site. This paper presents a pilot study into whether 3D GIS provide an alternative to better present, integrate and communicate the EIA results, with specific focus on three core environmental datasets: noise, air quality and bats’ flight paths, in relation to the building model of a real world development site. We focus in particular on off-the-shelf technologies that would be available to a standard Environmental Consultancy not having access to bespoke development, and will be usable by the planners, public and other decision makers, and look at tasks including 3D georeferencing, integration and visualisation of the data to be explored. It was concluded that while 3D GIS has a potential for environmental modelling, current technology and standards of data collection limit the practical use of 3D GIS at this stage

Donor human milk in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit — to whom, how much and how long?

Objectives: The aim of the study was to present the variability of patients who received donor human milk (DHM) during Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) hospitalization, including time of its usage and volume of portions.  Material and methods: A retrospective analysis of data was conducted for all infants admitted to the NICU at the University Hospital during the first year of the Human Milk Bank operation. One-way analysis of variance in the intergroup scheme, Kruskal-Wallis variance analysis with the Jonckheere-Tepstra test, correlation analysis using Pearson’s r and Spearmann’s rho, frequency analysis using the Fisher’s exact test were used to conduct analyses.  Results: 133 newborns received DHM. 3 groups of neonates were identified: < 32 0/7 weeks, 32 0/7–36 6/7 weeks and > 37 0/7 weeks of gestational age (GA). Time of DHM supplementation was similar in all groups and does not differ depending on the GA but preterm infants received the smallest total volume of DHM. However, infants > 37 weeks of GA had almost a threefold greater chance of abandoning breastfeeding than the others (odds ratio (OR) = 2.89, 95% CI: 0.69–12.20). There was a statistically significant, weak negative correlation between period of total parenteral nutrition and the volume of milk from the bank: rho = –0.194; p = 0.026.  Conclusions: The DHM supply did not have a negative impact on lactation and breastfeeding. Stimulation of lactation was necessary for 5–7 days. The time of DHM supply was the same regardless of GA. The majority of infants were breastfed or received only MOM on the day of discharge from the hospital

Semi-Automatic And Automatic Ki-67 Index Examination In Whole Slide Images Of Meningiomas

Introduction/ Background Histological examination of tissue subjects by immunohistochemical staining is the basic method of recognizing types of cancer and it provides valuable indicators concerning choice of optimal therapy or defining the prognosis. One of a most important markers is the mitotic receptor Ki-67, among others, in meningiomas [1]. According to examination guidelines, ROI’s (Region of interest) whose fields correspond with the high positive receptors’ reaction should be selected. Aims The aim of this paper is a compare of Ki-67 index examination in meningioma specimens performed on the whole slide images(WSI) in two ways: with selection of hot-spot regions by the experts, and with automatic se- lection of hot-spots. Using both ways we have analyzed variability of results between two experts and between the experts and the automatic procedure, also in respect of Ki-67 level.   Methods The fifty cases of meningiomas were stained with the ready-to-use FLEX Ki-67 antigen (Dako, code IR626) in Dako Autostainer Link. Acquisition of WSIs was carried out by the 3DHistech Pannoramic 250 Flash II scanner under the 20x magnification of lens. The selection of hot-spots was done manually by two experts and automatically with the proposed method of automatic hot-spot detection. The suggested WSI processing scheme was based on the following steps: • defining the map of specimen using the thresholding procedure and morphological filtering, • eliminating the areas containing blood cells (hemorrhages) by the texture analysis (Unser features) and classification, • eliminating the specinem folds by the texture analysis (Unser and Local Binary Patterns) and classification, • selecting sequential fields of the hot-spots based  on cells segmentation and the punishment function to avoid excessive proximity, and it is the extention of idea presented in paper [2]. The final analysis of Ki-67 index was performed on the full resolution images with the same procedure of image analysis.   Results The results indicated that the mean difference between the Ki-67 index of Expert A and Expert B was -0.6065% (SD ±1.27%). Comparison between the results of Automatic system and Expert A gives mean difference 0.5207% (SD 1.18%) whereas in relation to the Exert B, it was -0.0858% (SD 1.21%). No significant skewness was observed in any of Bland-Altman plots.   The determination analysis gives R2 equals 0.947 (Expert A to Expert B), 0.947 (System to Expert A), and 0.944 (System to Expert B), all p<0.000001. The automatic procedure for the hot-spot detection in meningioma WSI gives the high concordance of results with the expert’s examinations. The differences between the automatic and both experts’ results are included in the range of variability of experts’ results. The presented results confirm that the proposed automatic procedure can be introduced to the multicenter verification process for practical applicability in histopathological diagnosis in the near future. This work has been supported by the National Centre for Research and Development (PBS2/ A9/21/2013 grant), Poland.

Occupational asthma caused by cobalt chloride in a diamond polisher after cessation of occupational exposure: a case report

Objectives: The inspiration of cobalt containing dust leads to various respiratory symptoms, including asthma and interstitial lung disease. Occupational asthma caused by cobalt chloride has been diagnosed in a 35-year-old patient, who worked as a diamond polishing disc former. The patient presented a 2-year history of dyspnea, cough and symptoms of rhinitis. Materials and Methods: The patient underwent a medical history interview, skin prick tests with common and occupational allergens (cobalt and nickel chloride), and pulmonary function testing both before and after the nasal provocation with 0.05% cobalt chloride. Additionally, the authors analyzed morphological and biochemical changes before and after the specific nasal challenge test. Cell proliferation analysis was also carried out. Results: Skin prick tests (SPTs) with common environmental allergens were found to be negative, while SPTs with cobalt chloride were positive for all applied solutions. The provocation with cobalt chloride caused a significant increase in the proportion of eosinophils, basophils and albumin during the late allergic reaction. The positive lymphocyte transformation caused by cobalt was also observed. Conclusions: Cobalt salts may induce occupational asthma. The mechanism of this asthma may be IgE-mediated. The cobalt-sensitized lymphocytes may play an important role in this disease

An agenda for ethics and justice in adaptation to climate change

As experts predict that at least some irreversible climate change will occur with potentially disastrous effects on the lives and well-being of vulnerable communities around the world, it is paramount to ensure that these communities are resilient and have adaptive capacity to withstand the consequences. Adaptation and resilience planning present several ethical issues that need to be resolved if we are to achieve successful adaptation and resilience to climate change, taking into consideration vulnerabilities and inequalities in terms of power, income, gender, age, sexuality, race, culture, religion, and spatiality. Sustainable adaptation and resilience planning that addresses these ethical issues requires interdisciplinary dialogues between the natural sciences, social sciences, and philosophy, in order to integrate empirical insights on socioeconomic inequality and climate vulnerability with ethical analysis of the underlying causes and consequences of injustice in adaptation and resilience. In this paper, we set out an interdisciplinary research agenda for the inclusion of ethics and justice theories in adaptation and resilience planning, particularly into the Sixth Assessment Report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR6). We present six core discussions that we believe should be an integral part of these interdisciplinary dialogues on adaptation and resilience as part of IPCC AR6, especially Chapters 2 (“Terrestial and freshwater ecosystems and their services”), 6 (“Cities, settlements and key infrastructure”), 7 (“Health, wellbeing and the changing structure of communities”), 8 (“Poverty, livelihoods and sustainable development”), 16 “Key risks across sectors and regions”), 17 (“Decision-making options for managing risk”), and 18 (“Climate resilient development pathways”).: (i) Where does ‘justice’ feature in resilience and adaptation planning and what does it require in that regard?; (ii) How can it be ensured that adaptation and resilience strategies protect and take into consideration and represent the interest of the most vulnerable women and men, and communities?; (iii) How can different forms of knowledge be integrated within adaptation and resilience planning?; (iv) What trade-offs need to be made when focusing on resilience and adaptation and how can they be resolved?; (v) What roles and responsibilities do different actors have to build resilience and achieve adaptation?; (vi) Finally, what does the focus on ethics imply for the practice of adaptation and resilience planning

Mitochondrial Succinate Metabolism and Reactive Oxygen Species Are Important but Not Essential for Eliciting Carotid Body and Ventilatory Responses to Hypoxia in the Rat

From MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-05-21, pub-electronic 2021-05-25Publication status: PublishedFunder: Wellcome Trust; Grant(s): Institutional Strategic Support Fund AwardFunder: Umm Al-Qura University (Makkah, Saudi Arabia); Grant(s): PhD Scholarship, PhD ScholarshipReflex increases in breathing in response to acute hypoxia are dependent on activation of the carotid body (CB)—A specialised peripheral chemoreceptor. Central to CB O2-sensing is their unique mitochondria but the link between mitochondrial inhibition and cellular stimulation is unresolved. The objective of this study was to evaluate if ex vivo intact CB nerve activity and in vivo whole body ventilatory responses to hypoxia were modified by alterations in succinate metabolism and mitochondrial ROS (mitoROS) generation in the rat. Application of diethyl succinate (DESucc) caused concentration-dependent increases in chemoafferent frequency measuring approximately 10–30% of that induced by severe hypoxia. Inhibition of mitochondrial succinate metabolism by dimethyl malonate (DMM) evoked basal excitation and attenuated the rise in chemoafferent activity in hypoxia. However, approximately 50% of the response to hypoxia was preserved. MitoTEMPO (MitoT) and 10-(6′-plastoquinonyl) decyltriphenylphosphonium (SKQ1) (mitochondrial antioxidants) decreased chemoafferent activity in hypoxia by approximately 20–50%. In awake animals, MitoT and SKQ1 attenuated the rise in respiratory frequency during hypoxia, and SKQ1 also significantly blunted the overall hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) by approximately 20%. Thus, whilst the data support a role for succinate and mitoROS in CB and whole body O2-sensing in the rat, they are not the sole mediators. Treatment of the CB with mitochondrial selective antioxidants may offer a new approach for treating CB-related cardiovascular–respiratory disorders