Characterization of a reference material for BCR-ABL (M-BCR) mRNA quantitation by real-time amplification assays:towards new standards for gene expression measurements

Monitoring of BCR-ABL transcripts has become established practice in the management of chronic myeloid leukemia. However, nucleic acid amplification techniques are prone to variations which limit the reliability of real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) for clinical decision making, highlighting the need for standardization of assays and reporting of minimal residual disease (MRD) data. We evaluated a lyophilized preparation of a leukemic cell line (K562) as a potential quality control reagent. This was found to be relatively stable, yielding comparable respective levels of ABL, GUS and BCR-ABL transcripts as determined by RQ-PCR before and after accelerated degradation experiments as well as following 5 years storage at -20 degrees C. Vials of freeze-dried cells were sent at ambient temperature to 22 laboratories on four continents, with RQ-PCR analyses detecting BCR-ABL transcripts at levels comparable to those observed in primary patient samples. Our results suggest that freeze-dried cells can be used as quality control reagents with a range of analytical instrumentations and could enable the development of urgently needed international standards simulating clinically relevant levels of MRD.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) Software Interoperability: A Review of the Construction Sector

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is continuing to evolve and develop as the construction industry progresses towards level 2 maturity. However, one of the core barriers in this progression is the aspect of interoperability between software packages. This research and paper stems from a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) where both industry and academia come together to address this shortcoming within the sector. One of the core objectives of this partnership and the aim of this study is investigating potential solutions to this barrier, while also developing best working practices to be applied in industry. Using one of the case studies from this partnership (a temporary steel structure), this paper demonstrates a potential solution to addressing interoperability within structural analysis and detailing packages, MasterSeries and Revit respectively. The findings of the research indicate that a process based approach rather than that of additional software coding as being the preferred solution. The results of this preliminary research will aid in the development of the topic of interoperability within the sector, while also developing the knowledge and competencies of the parties within the KTP. The findings are explored further, by providing an overview of the resolution process adopted in this case study, in overcoming the interoperability that arose as the project progressed. It is envisaged that this study will assist the construction sector and its adoption of BIM technologies, while also addressing the critical aspect of operability between software.

Max Weber and the First World War: Protestant and Catholic living standards in Germany, 1914-1919

We assess informal institutions of Protestants and Catholics by investigating their economic resilience in a natural experiment. The First World War constitutes an exogenous shock to living standards since the duration and intensity of the war exceeded all expectations. We assess the ability of Protestant and Catholic communities to cope with increasing food prices and wartime black markets. Literature based on Weber (1904, 1905) suggests that Protestants must be more resilient than their Catholic peers. Using individual height data on some 2,800 Germans to assess levels of malnutrition during the war, we find that living standards for both Protestants and Catholics declined; however, the decrease of Catholics’ height was disproportionately large. Our empirical analysis finds a large statistically significant difference between Protestants and Catholics for the 1915–19 birth cohort, and we argue that this height gap cannot be attributed to socioeconomic background and fertility alone.

Max Weber and the First World War: Protestant and Catholic living standards in Germany, 1915-1919

We assess informal institutions of Protestants and Catholics by investigating their economic
resilience in a natural experiment. The First World War constitutes an exogenous shock to living standards since the duration and intensity of the war exceeded all expectations. We assess the ability of Protestant and Catholic communities to cope with increasing food prices and wartime black markets. Literature based on Weber (1904, 1905) suggests that Protestants must be more resilient than their Catholic peers. Using individual height data on some 2,800 Germans to assess levels of malnutrition during the war, we find that living standards for both Protestants and Catholics declined; however, the decrease of Catholics’ height was disproportionately large. Our empirical analysis finds a large statistically significant difference between Protestants and Catholics for the 1914-19 birth cohort, and we argue that this height gap cannot be attributed to socioeconomic background and fertility alone.

Early Implementation of BIM into a Cold-Formed Steel Design/ Fabricator and an Architectural/Planning Consultancy

There is a broad consensus surrounding the ability of building information modelling (BIM) to positively impact a project by enabling greater collaboration. This paper aims to examine the development of BIM and how it can contribute to the evermore present and growing cold-formed steel (CFS) industry. This is achieved thorough a comprehensive literature review and four exploratory interviews with industry experts. Work has been carried out, for the first time, alongside one of the UK’s largest CFS Designer/Fabricators in conjunction with Northern Ireland’s leading Architectural and Town Planning Consultants in the identification and dissemination of information. The capabilities of BIM have been investigated through modeling of simple CFS structures n consultation with the project partners. By scrutinising the literature and associated interviews, the primary opportunities, as well as barriers, of BIM implementation have been investigated in the context of these companies. It is essential to develop greater understanding of the flexibility, adaptability and interoperability of BIM software as the UK construction industry faces a daunting challenge; fully collaborative 3D BIM as required by the UK Government under the “Government Construction Strategy” by 2016 in all public sector projects. This paper, and the wider study that it stems from, approaches the problem from a new angle, from sections of the construction industry that have not yet fully embedded BIM.

Deriving ecological quality standards for lakes using hypolimnetic oxygen depletion

The ecological quality of lakes and other surface water bodies in the European Union is determined by the quality of the structure and functioning of the aquatic ecosystem. The depletion rate of oxygen in the hypolimnion is an important process in thermally stratified lakes and the distribution of consumption between water and sediment an important structural characteristic. It is shown that the variation of volumetric oxygen consumption rate with trophic state can be used to select lake water total phosphorus and chlorophyll concentrations that correspond to changes in the functioning of the lake. Lake morphometry has little effect on this aspect of lake function and the relative amount of oxygen consumption in the water and sediment changes only a little with trophic state, most of the consumption being in the water. Suggestions for the reference condition, good and moderate ecological quality are made using the changes in this aspect of lake function and they are presented as lake water total phosphorus and chlorophyll concentration.

Is it time for standards and a common data exchange format for digital image analysis?

Digital image analysis is at a crossroads. While the technology has made great strides over the past few decades, there is an urgent need for image analysis to inform the next wave of large scale tissue biomarker discovery studies in cancer. Drawing parallels from the growth of next generation sequencing, this presentation will consider the case for a common language or standard format for storing and communicating digital image analysis data. In this context, image analysis data comprises more than simply an image with markups and attached key-value pair metrics. The desire to objectively benchmark competing platforms or a push for data to be deposited to public repositories much like genomics data may drive the need for a standard that also encompasses granular, cell-by-cell data.