Overview of building information modelling in healthcare projects

In this paper, we explore how BIM functionalities together with novel management concepts and methods have been utilized in thirteen hospital projects in the United States and the United Kingdom. Secondary data collection and analysis were used as the method. Initial findings indicate that the utilization of BIM enables a holistic view of project delivery and helps to integrate project parties into a collaborative process. The initiative to implement BIM must come from the top down to enable early involvement of all key stakeholders. It seems that it is rather resistance from people to adapt to the new way of working and thinking than immaturity of technology that hinders the utilization of BIM

A review of tertiary BIM education for advanced engineering communication with visualization

SPECT with Tc-99m-labeled agents is better able to detect viability after nitrate administration. Nitrates induce vasoclilation and may increase blood flow to severely hypoperfused but viable myocardium, thereby enhancing tracer delivery and improving the detection of viability. Quantitative data on the changes in blood flow are lacking in SPECT but can be provided by PET. The aim of the present study was to use PET to evaluate whether nitrate administration increases blood flow to chronically dysfunctional but viable myocardium. Methods: N-13-Ammonia PET was used to quantitatively assess blood flow, and F-18-FDG PET was used as the gold standard to detect viable myocardium. Twenty-five patients with chronic ischemic left ventricular dysfunction underwent N-13-ammonia PET at rest and after nitrate administration. Results: A significant increase in nitrate-enhanced blood flow was observed in viable segments (from 0.55 +/- 0.15 to 0.68 +/- 0.24 mL/min/g, P <0.05). No statistically significant change in blood flow was observed in nonviable segments (0.60 +/- 0.20 vs. 0.55 +/- 0.18 mL/min/g). A ratio of at least 1.1 for nitrate-enhanced flow to resting flow allowed optimal detection of viable myocardium, yielding a sensitivity of 82% with a specificity of 100%. Conclusion: N-13-Ammonia PET showed a significant increase in nitrate-enhanced blood flow in viable myocardium, whereas blood flow remained unchanged after nitrate administration in nonviable myocardium. Nitrate use during myocardial perfusion imaging will lead to improved assessment of myocardial viability

BB0172, a Borrelia burgdorferi Outer Membrane Protein That Binds Integrin Α3Β1

Lyme disease is a multisystemic disorder caused by Borrelia burgdorferi infection. Upon infection, some B. burgdorferi genes are upregulated, including members of the microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecule (MSCRAMM) protein family, which facilitate B. burgdorferi adherence to extracellular matrix components of the host. Comparative genome analysis has revealed a new family of B. burgdorferi proteins containing the von Willebrand factor A (vWFA) domain. In the present study, we characterized the expression and membrane association of the vWFA domain-containing protein BB0172 by using in vitro transcription/translation systems in the presence of microsomal membranes and with detergent phase separation assays. Our results showed evidence of BB0172 localization in the outer membrane, the orientation of the vWFA domain to the extracellular environment, and its function as a metal ion-dependent integrin-binding protein. This is the first report of a borrelial adhesin with a metal ion-dependent adhesion site (MIDAS) motif that is similar to those observed in eukaryotic integrins and has a similar function

Dissociation between Mature Phenotype and Impaired Transmigration in Dendritic Cells from Heparanase-Deficient Mice

To reach the lymphatics, migrating dendritic cells (DCs) need to interact with the extracellular matrix (ECM). Heparanase, a mammalian endo-β-D-glucuronidase, specifically degrades heparan sulfate proteoglycans ubiquitously associated with the cell surface and ECM. The role of heparanase in the physiology of bone marrow-derived DCs was studied in mutant heparanase knock-out (Hpse-KO) mice. Immature DCs from Hpse-KO mice exhibited a more mature phenotype; however their transmigration was significantly delayed, but not completely abolished, most probably due to the observed upregulation of MMP-14 and CCR7. Despite their mature phenotype, uptake of beads was comparable and uptake of apoptotic cells was more efficient in DCs from Hpse-KO mice. Heparanase is an important enzyme for DC transmigration. Together with CCR7 and its ligands, and probably MMP-14, heparanase controls DC trafficking

We’ve got something for everyone: How individual differences predict different blogging motivations

The principal aims of this study were to develop a Blogging Motivations Questionnaire (BMQ) and to test the hypothesis that sex, age, and personality would be associated with individual blogging motivations. One hundred and sixty bloggers completed the BMQ and the International Personality Item Pool (Goldberg, 1999). Six motivations for writing blogs were confirmed: personal revelation, emotional outlet, creative outlet, selective disclosure, social networking and advertising. Conscientiousness predicted the ‘social networking’ motivation, Agreeableness predicted ‘selective disclosure’ and Openness ‘creative outlet’. Women were motivated by ‘selective disclosure’, and men for ‘advertising’ and as an ‘emotional outlet’. Finally, older bloggers were motivated to use their blogs as a ‘creative outlet’. With reference to the Uses and Gratifications paradigm, it is likely that bloggers actively construct blogs to satisfy very personal needs. Moreover, the types of needs that one wishes to satisfy are likely to vary with personality type and with one’s age and sex.University of Wolverhampto

Anti-Heparanase Aptamers as Potential Diagnostic and Therapeutic Agents for Oral Cancer

Peer reviewe

Building information modeling education for construction engineering and management. I: Industry requirements, state of the art, and gap analysis

As building information modeling (BIM) becomes increasingly standard practice in the construction industry, universities providing construction engineering and management education seek to incorporate BIM concepts and skills in their degree programs. The goal of this research was to compile a framework for BIM education that lays out the necessary topics and the levels of achievement required at each stage of degree programs. Industry's requirements for graduate engineers were elicited through surveys, workshops, analyses of job advertisements, and in-depth interviews. An outline of 39 topics in three broad classifications was established. Targets for competency in each topic were developed using the cognitive domain of Bloom's taxonomy, which expresses the learning objectives on six levels (from understand to evaluate). Gap analysis, which compared the state of the art in leading universities to industry requirements, led to the compilation of a framework for the development of BIM content for undergraduate and graduate construction engineering and management degree programs. The requirements and framework are intended to provide educators with essential knowledge as they develop and implement BIM content in their programs. © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers

Building information modeling education for construction engineering and management. II: Procedures and implementation case study

The construction industry needs graduate engineers with knowledge and skills in building information modeling (BIM). A detailed set of 39 topics required for BIM competence in construction management, together with specific targets for competency in each topic, was recently compiled on the basis of research into the needs of industry. However, only a handful of universities have introduced BIM topics into their curricula for construction engineering and management (CEM) students. A set of guidelines for the integration of BIM topics into CEM curricula has been developed and tested at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. The BIM education interventions in four out of seven courses were planned, implemented, and evaluated over three semesters. The experiments showed that BIM should be introduced not only as a topic in its own right, but more importantly, also as a tool for performing the engineering tasks taught within design, analysis, and management courses. Further, knowledge of the soft skills of information sharing and knowledge management, professional roles, commercial context, etc. are as important as the technology aspects. The work contributes a set of procedures that educators can use to identify their local requirements and build comprehensive BIM education into their CEM degree programs. © 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers

Go or no-go decisions at the construction workface: Uncertainty, perceptions of readiness, making ready and making-do

Construction work is performed at the end of a chain of decisions made by the individuals involved in planning the work at increasingly detailed levels of resolution. At each step planners make decisions based on their perception of the state of readiness, or maturity, of the work, but there is always, by definition, some residual uncertainty. Therefore, fine-grained planning decisions are often required even after commitments are made in weekly work planning using the Last Planner® System. These decisions can result in abandoning (or stopping) the planned work or improvisation or 'making-do'. However, the motivations and context of these decisions are not well understood. Empirical data collected over eleven weeks at a large residential construction project enabled synthesis of a taxonomy of scenarios and proposal of a candidate flow chart of the decision-making process at the operational level. In doing so, we define questions for future research concerning the impact of uncertainty on decision-making in this context

When smaller is better: leaf hydraulic conductance and drought vulnerability correlate to leaf size and venation density across four Coffea arabica L. genotypes

Leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf) and drought vulnerability in terms of leaf water potential inducing 50% loss of Kleaf (P50), were assessed in four genotypes of Coffea arabica L. We tested three hypotheses: (1) leaf P50 is lower in small leaves with higher vein densities; (2) lower P50 translates into lower Kleaf, limiting gas exchange rates and higher leaf mass per unit area (LMA); (3) P50 values are coordinated with symplastic drought tolerance. We found partial support for Hypotheses 1 and 3, but not for Hypothesis 2. Significant correlations existed among leaf size, vein network and drought resistance. Smaller leaves displayed higher major vein density, higher Kleaf and more negative P50. Kleaf was correlated with leaf gas exchange rates. A negative relationship was observed between Kleaf and LMA, whereas P50 was found to be positively correlated with LMA. Across coffee genotypes, reduced leaf surface area and increased vein density shifts P50 towards more negative values while not translating into higher LMA or lower Kleaf. Breeding crop varieties for both increased safety of the leaf hydraulic system towards drought-induced dysfunction and high gas exchange rates per unit of leaf area is probably a feasible target for future adaptation of crops to climate change scenarios