Highly accurate detection of ovarian cancer using CA125 but limited improvement with serum matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry profiling

Objectives: Our objective was to test the performance of CA125 in classifying serum samples from a cohort of malignant and benign ovarian cancers and age-matched healthy controls and to assess whether combining information from matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight profiling could improve diagnostic performance. Materials and Methods: Serum samples from women with ovarian neoplasms and healthy volunteers were subjected to CA125 assay and MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS) profiling. Models were built from training data sets using discriminatory MALDI MS peaks in combination with CA125 values and tested their ability to classify blinded test samples. These were compared with models using CA125 threshold levels from 193 patients with ovarian cancer, 290 with benign neoplasm, and 2236 postmenopausal healthy controls. Results: Using a CA125 cutoff of 30 U/mL, an overall sensitivity of 94.8% (96.6% specificity) was obtained when comparing malignancies versus healthy postmenopausal controls, whereas a cutoff of 65 U/mL provided a sensitivity of 83.9% (99.6% specificity). High classification accuracies were obtained for early-stage cancers (93.5% sensitivity). Reasons for high accuracies include recruitment bias, restriction to postmenopausal women, and inclusion of only primary invasive epithelial ovarian cancer cases. The combination of MS profiling information with CA125 did not significantly improve the specificity/accuracy compared with classifications on the basis of CA125 alone. Conclusions: We report unexpectedly good performance of serum CA125 using threshold classification in discriminating healthy controls and women with benign masses from those with invasive ovarian cancer. This highlights the dependence of diagnostic tests on the characteristics of the study population and the crucial need for authors to provide sufficient relevant details to allow comparison. Our study also shows that MS profiling information adds little to diagnostic accuracy. This finding is in contrast with other reports and shows the limitations of serum MS profiling for biomarker discovery and as a diagnostic tool

IT implementation in the construction organization

Organizational issues are inhibiting the implementation and strategic use of information technologies (IT) in the construction sector. This paper focuses on these issues and explores processes by which emerging technologies can be introduced into construction organizations. The paper is based on a case study, conducted in a major house building company that was implementing a virtual reality (VR) system for internal design review in the regional offices. Interviews were conducted with different members of the organization to explore the introduction process and the use of the system. The case study findings provide insight into the process of change, the constraints that inhibit IT implementation and the relationship between new technology and work patterns within construction organizations. They suggest that (1) user-developer communications are critical for the successful implementation of non-diffused innovations in the construction industry; and (2) successful uptake of IT requires both strategic decision-making by top management and decision-making by technical managers.

Implementation of VR systems: a comparison between the early adoption of CAD and current uptake of VR

Use of new technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), is important to corporations, yet understanding of their successful implementation is insuf. ciently developed. In this paper a case study is used to analyse the introduction of VR use in a British housebuilding company. Although the implementation was not successful in the manner initially anticipated, the study provides insight into the process of change, the constraints that inhibit implementation and the relationship between new technology and work organization. Comparison is made with the early use of CAD and similarities and differences between empirical . ndings of the case study and the previous literature are discussed.

Virtual reality as a visualisation tool: benefits and constraints

The benefits and applications of virtual reality (VR) in the construction industry have been investigated for almost a decade. However, the practical implementation of VR in the construction industry has yet to reach maturity owing to technical constraints. The need for effective information management presents challenges: both transfer of building data to, and organisation of building information within, the virtual environment require consideration. This paper reviews the applications and benefits of VR in the built environment field and reports on a collaboration between Loughborough University and South Bank University to overcome constraints on the use of the overall VR model for whole lifecycle visualisation. The work at each research centre is concerned with an aspect of information management within VR applications for the built environment, and both data transfer and internal data organisation have been investigated. In this paper, similarities and differences between computer-aided design (CAD) and VR packages are first discussed. Three different approaches to the creation of VR models during the design stage are identified and described, with a view to providing sharing understanding across the interdiscipliary groups involved. The suitable organisation of building information within the virtual environment is then further investigated. This work focused on the visualisation of the degradation of a building, through its lifespan, with the view to provide a visual aid for developing an effective and economic project maintenance programme. Finally consideration is given to the potential of emerging standards to facilitate an integrated use of VR. The convergence towards similar data structures in VR and other construction packages may enable visualisation to be better utilised in the overall lifecycle model.

Perspectives on an integrated construction project model

This paper reviews the growing interest in an integrated construction project model, and examines the fundamental concept of an integrated project model by discussing the various definitions that have evolved as well as the various approaches to its development. The nature of collaborative communications that the integrated project model needs to support is also discussed, as are the enabling information and communications technologies that may have a role in the realization of the model. The paper concludes with some thoughts on the future development of the integrated construction project model.

From CAD to virtual reality: modelling approaches, data exchange and interactive 3D building design tools

Virtual reality has the potential to improve visualisation of building design and construction, but its implementation in the industry has yet to reach maturity. Present day translation of building data to virtual reality is often unidirectional and unsatisfactory. Three different approaches to the creation of models are identified and described in this paper. Consideration is given to the potential of both advances in computer-aided design and the emerging standards for data exchange to facilitate an integrated use of virtual reality. Commonalities and differences between computer-aided design and virtual reality packages are reviewed, and trials of current system, are described. The trials have been conducted to explore the technical issues related to the integrated use of CAD and virtual environments within the house building sector of the construction industry and to investigate the practical use of the new technology.