Hazard ontology and 4D benchmark model for facilitation of automated construction safety requirement analysis

Over the last two decades, numerous approaches have been developed for automating construction safety assessment, that is, prevention through design and planning (PtD/P), that overcome the limitations of a purely manual safety assessment process. Despite this, such automated approaches are yet to be widely adopted in practice. Barriers include a lack of standardization of construction safety concepts within regulatory frameworks and a lack of confidence in automated approaches on the part of practitioners. This work presents a freely available 4D BIM-based benchmark model (3D Building Information Model and 68 schedules) and construction safety ontology covering the two most frequent and severe construction site accidents: falls from height and struck-by falling object hazards. The benchmark model and ontology enable the construction safety community to test and compare the performance of alternative automated approaches. Moreover, they are utilized in our PtD/P tool SafeConAI, and empirical evaluation results show how the safety situation changes among different construction schedules of the same project.     

Erster und zweiter Rettungsweg in Wohngebäuden

First and second escape ways in residential buildings The existence of two redundant escape ways is a fundamental concept to ensure a safe egress of occupants in the event of fire. Fire safety requirements for means of egress are defined by the state specific building codes in Germany. This publication focuses on a further clarification of existing requirements and amongst others explains why some means of egress, such as permanent installed ladders are not suitable for this purpose. However, in contrast to this fire service equipment can also provide the second escape way in particularly for residential buildings. Different means are used depending on the applied strategy and infrastructure of the fire service. A summary of reported fire incidents of the Berlin fire service in the years 2012 and 2013 shows that smoke filled stairwells were also used to evacuate trapped occupants. In order to protect these occupants from smoke intoxication, escape hoods or positive pressure ventilation fans, to allow for a smoke free stairwell, have been used.     

Physiologically-Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling of the Postbiotic Supplement Urolithin A Predicts its Bioavailability Is Orders of Magnitude Lower than Concentrations that Induce Toxicity,but also Neuroprotective Effects

Scope

A range of health benefits are attributed to consuming urolithin A (UA), such as improved muscle health, anti-aging activity, and neuroprotection, whereas few studies raise possible adverse effects at high doses, including genotoxicity and estrogenic effects. Therefore, understanding UA bioactivity and safety depends on its pharmacokinetics. However, there is no physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model available for UA, thus limiting reliable assessment of effects observed from in vitro experimentation.

Methods and results

We characterizes glucuronidation rates of UA by human S9 fractions. Partitioning and other physicochemical parameters are predicted using quantitative structure–activity relationship tools. Solubility and dissolution kinetics are determined experimentally. These parameters are used to construct a PBPK model, and results are compared with data from human intervention studies. We evaluates how different supplementation scenarios may influence UA plasma and tissue concentrations. Concentrations at which either toxic or beneficial effects are previously observed in vitro appear unlikely to be achieved in vivo.

Conclusion

A first PBPK model for UA is established. It enables prediction of systemic UA concentrations and is critical for extrapolating in vitro results to in vivo uses. Results support the safety of UA, but also challenge the potential for readily achieving beneficial effects by postbiotic supplementation.     

Electroplasticity Mechanisms in hcp Materials

Herein, the mechanisms of the electroplastic effect (EPE) in different hexagonal close-packed (hcp) metals under varying loading conditions and current densities through the analysis of flow curves and microstructural changes are investigated. The investigations show a significant change in the forming behavior of the hcp materials as a result of superimposed electric current impulses. This behavior could be attributed to two effects. On the one hand, additional dislocation types are activated; on the other hand, new characteristic twin bands are formed. This is shown for all three hcp materials under investigation: Ti, Mg, and Zn. Furthermore, the hypothesis of the existence of a critical value of the current density at which a significant change in the plastic behavior occurs is verified by the experiments. The magnitude of this critical value for the analyzed hcp materials corresponds approximately to the theoretical values reported to be in the range of 1.6 to 2.0 kA mm⁻². In addition to the current density, the duration of the pulses also has an influence on the EPE. Understanding the correlation between the individual activated deformation mechanisms during electric pulse treatment can be crucial for controlling the electroplastic forming processes in a systematic and targeted manner.     

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers as Synthetic Antibodies for Protein Recognition: The Next Generation

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are chemical antibody mimics obtained by nanomoulding the 3D shape and chemical functionalities of a desired target in a synthetic polymer. Consequently, they possess exquisite molecular recognition cavities for binding the target molecule, often with specificity and affinity similar to those of antigen-antibody interactions. Research on MIPs targeting proteins began in the mid-90s, and this review will evaluate the progress made till now, starting from their synthesis in a monolith bulk format through surface imprinting to biocompatible soluble nanogels prepared by solid-phase synthesis. MIPs in the latter format will be discussed more in detail because of their tremendous potential of replacing antibodies in the biomedical domain like in diagnostics and therapeutics, where the workforce of antibodies is concentrated. Emphasis is also put on the development of epitope imprinting, which consists of imprinting a short surface-exposed fragment of a protein, resulting in MIPs capable of selectively recognizing the whole macromolecule, amidst others in complex biological media, on cells or tissues. Thus selecting the ‘best’ peptide antigen is crucial and in this context a rational approach, inspired from that used to predict peptide immunogens for peptide antibodies, is described for its unambiguous identification.     

Effects of enactment in virtual reality: a comparative experiment on memory for action

Virtual Reality - Virtual reality (VR) is thought of as a promising educational medium, especially for learning actions, as it enables learning by enactment. Learning by enactment is associated...     

Carrier Localization on the Nanometer-Scale limits Transport in Metal Oxide Photoabsorbers

Metal oxides are considered as stable and low-cost photoelectrode candidates for hydrogen production by photoelectrochemical solar water splitting. However, their power conversion efficiencies usually suffer from poor transport of photogenerated charge carriers, which has been attributed previously to a variety of effects occurring on different time and length scales. In search for common understanding and for a better photo-conducting metal oxide photoabsorber, CuFeO₂, α-SnWO₄, BaSnO₃, FeVO₄, CuBi₂O₄, α-Fe₂O₃, and BiVO₄ are compared. Their kinetics of thermalization, trapping, localization, and recombination are monitored continuously 100 fs–100 µs and mobilities are determined for different probing lengths by combined time-resolved terahertz and microwave spectroscopy. As common issue, we find small mobilities < 3 cm²V^-1s^-1. Partial carrier localization further slows carrier diffusion beyond localization lengths of 1–6 nm and explains the extraordinarily long conductivity tails, which should not be taken as a sign of long diffusion lengths. For CuFeO₂, the localization is attributed to electrostatic barriers that enclose the crystallographic domains. The most promising novel material is BaSnO₃, which exhibits the highest mobility after reducing carrier localization by annealing in H₂. Such overcoming of carrier localization should be an objective of future efforts to enhance charge transport in metal oxides.     

Darstellung und selektive Komplexbildung von Bisorganylsulfiden auf [2.2.2]Paracyclophan‐Basis

The synthesis of a variety of novel functionalized bisorganyl sulfides 2 – 10 based on the [2.2.2]paracyclophane skeleton is described. The aim was to increase the endohedral silver(I) complexation of the unsubstituted [2.2.2]paracyclophane 1 by combining the cyclophane framework with a sulfur containing pendant arm bearing an additional π‐donor. The complexation behaviour of the new ligands was studied by liquid–liquid extraction from aqueous into organic solution. The new ligands reveal a higher extraction with a decreased selectivity for silver(I) compared to 1 caused by preferential interactions with the sulfur donor atoms in the molecule. Molecular modeling calculations show the different coordination patterns for the 1:1‐, 1:2‐ and 2:1‐complexes (M:L) formed in the organic phase.