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Except for conventional functions, special textiles doped with nanoscale particles have shown quite attractive properties, such as antibacterial activity, deodorization, hydrophobicity, and ultraviolet/electromagnetic protection. However, facile and reliable methods for quality assessment of those functional nano-textiles are remarkably demanded for market surveillance and consumer protection. Herein, a novel detection method of silver in textiles was established for the comprehensive detection and a practical flow chart was also demonstrated as an experimental pathway including pretreatment, qualitative and quantitative analysis. The optimal ashing parameter (450°C for 1 h) in the pretreatment process was explored to improve detection sensitivity. The qualitative analysis was performed through X-ray diffraction for crystallinity, scanning electron microscopy for morphology, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) for elements. The real existent status of the silver components could be decided via the flow chart. As shown with the detected sample, the content was calculated by the weight loss at 1050–1500°C from thermogravimetric analysis measurement and the accuracy of the quantitative process was also checked via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Finally, the detection limit of the method was investigated up to μg/g. The obvious advantage of the reported method was facile and reliable to achieve comprehensive identification from the dimension scale and crystal form to the component. Moreover, this analytical strategy could be also applied for the detection of other nanoscale metals or metal oxides in functional textiles.

N-nitrosamines (nitrosamines) are attracting increased attention because of their high toxicity and wide distribution. They have been strictly restricted by regulations in many fields. Researchers around the world have conducted substantial work on nitrosamine detection. This paper reviews the progress of research on nitrosamine detection methods with emphasis on biological-matrix samples. After introducing the category, toxicity, regulatory limit and source of nitrosamines, the paper discusses the most commonly used sample-preparation techniques and instrumental-detection techniques for nitrosamine detection, including some typical application cases.

Building information modeling (BIM) has been advocated as a potential solution to many challenges of asset management, such as missing data, incompatible software, and unclear business process. However, its current implementation in infrastructure projects has only accounted for technology application and digital information delivery without considering system compatibility or information need. More significantly, BIM implementation requires compatible development of various aspects of a business, a gap in which can lead to different implementation levels or even project failure. Limited research is available on the key factors and challenges of BIM implementation in infrastructure projects. Therefore, this study aims to present a case study with particular emphasis on interviews with key stakeholders to explore the main challenges and solutions of BIM implementation. It starts with the development of interview questionnaires based on literature review and feedback from a research team composed of key stakeholders. Interviews were conducted with 37 professionals from stakeholders of the owner, designers, contractors, and software vendors. Four main factors and challenges, along with potential solutions, were identified from content analysis of the interviews: (i) isolation of project phases (process factor), (ii) incompatibility of project technologies and interfaces (technology factor), (iii) unclear definition of requirements and responsibilities of project stakeholders (people factor), and (iv) imperfect information collection and sharing (information factor). The four factors dictate “when,”“how,” and “what” information should be collected and communicated by “whom,” which are mutually interdependent, and focusing on limited factors instead of all four can compromise the successful implementation of BIM.

Some individuals with acute pancreatitis (AP) suffer from pancreatic necrosis. Diabetes affects the severity of AP, but whether diabetes influences pancreatic necrosis is unclear. This study aims to investigate the clinical characteristics of AP patients with and without diabetes as well as analyze the risk factors of pancreatic necrosis. A total of 625 AP patients participated in the study. Clinical and laboratory data were retrieved. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for pancreatic necrosis. ROC curves assess the accuracy of indicators for predicting pancreatic necrosis in AP. AP patients with diabetes had high BMI, CTSI scores, pancreatitis severity, WBC, neutrophil, CRP, triacylglycerols and glucose levels. Diabetes, serum calcium and D-dimer were independent risk factors for pancreatic necrosis. Pancreatic necrosis in diabetes patients is also associated with sex and age. D-dimer is a better predictor of pancreatic necrosis in AP patients than serum calcium. Diabetic patients are more likely to suffer severe AP. Serum calcium and D-dimer are independent predictors for pancreatic necrosis. Furthermore, low serum calcium, high D-dimer levels, younger age and female sex are independent risk factors for pancreatic necrosis in AP patients with diabetes.

Although mesocrystals with ordered building units have great potential in many fields because of the large amount of organic molecules used as structure-directing agents during their synthesis process, severe matrix interference makes their surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties rarely understood. Herein, a rapid (20 s) and green microwave synthetic route is developed for the 100 g scale preparation of plasmonic W18O49 mesocrystals with no additives. The ultrathin (1.5 nm) and oxygen vacancy-rich W18O49 nanowires as a building unit greatly improve the interface charge transfer, while the periodic mesocrystal structure significantly enhances the localized surface plasmon resonance effect and creates high-density electromagnetic hot spots among the nanowires. An outstanding enhancement factor of 1.2 × 107 and an ultralow detectable limit of 10-11 M are achieved, and the single-molecule imaging is also realized on this mesocrystal-based SERS substrate. Moreover, the relative standard deviation of the fabricated large-area (2.2 cm2) SERS substrate is only 6.8%.

The rapid and broad shift to Work from Home (WFH) caused by the COVID-19 creates great changes for construction-related employees, which may impact their mental and physical health and further influence organizational management. Demographic indicators are also critical factors influencing mental and physical health. However, the impacts of WFH on mental health were unclear. Also, limited studies explored specific health-related symptoms and demographic differences for construction-related employees considering WFH. This study aims to explore the mental and physical health of construction-related employees considering WFH and demographic indicators using an online survey in the U.S. Based on responses from 73 construction-related employees, two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) results showed that age had a significant impact on depression, pain in the neck, shoulders, or back, and eyestrain symptoms, while WFH, gender, and marital status were not significant factors. Employees between 40 – 59 years old had worse mental and physical health, while participants older than 60 years old reported the best mental and physical health. The potential reason is the differences in pressures, abilities, and past experiences among age groups. The findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of construction-related employees’ health and its related factors. The study also helps construction- related employees to improve mental and physical health under the WFH arrangements considering demographic differences and prepare them for future challenges.

Purpose Personal lifestyle, work environments and work-related factors can significantly affect occupant productivity. Although many studies examine the affecting factors of occupant productivity in offices, explorations for the home-based work environment, which is designed mainly for living purposes, are still scarce. Moreover, current pandemic has made work from home a new normal for workers around the world. Therefore, it is important to identify key causal factors of occupant productivity when working from home. Design/methodology/approach This study employed descriptive analysis and regression analysis method to explore the relationship among personal lifestyle, indoor environmental quality and work-related factors toward occupant productivity. A questionnaire including a comprehensive list of key measures was designed and 189 valid responses were collected from more than 13,000 participants. Findings Results show that a healthy lifestyle, the perceived satisfaction of visual and acoustic environment, communication, interest in work, workload, flexible schedule and privacy positively affect occupant productivity when working from home, while coffee consumption, outside views and windows have negative effect. Originality/value Opportunities to enhance occupants' home-based work productivity include developing a healthy lifestyle by taking advantage of flexible schedule, equipping a working room at home with advanced and intelligent environment control systems, and improving communication, workload and schedule by changing the policy of companies.

Although mesocrystals with ordered building units have great potential in many fields because of the large amount of organic molecules used as structure-directing agents during their synthesis process, severe matrix interference makes their surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties rarely understood. Herein, a rapid (20 s) and green microwave synthetic route is developed for the 100 g scale preparation of plasmonic W

Building Information Modeling (BIM) can provide solutions to many challenges of asset management, such as missing data, incompatible software, and an unclear business process. However, current implementation of BIM in infrastructure projects has only considers limited factors, such as technology application and digital information delivery, while issues of system compatibility and information needs are still missing. Different aspects of a business are interdependent and an incompatible development of various factors might result in different levels of BIM implementation or even project failure. Comprehensive research is needed to explore the key factors and challenges of BIM implementation in infrastructure projects. This study conducted interviews and surveys with key stakeholders of infrastructure projects to explore the challenges and potential solutions of BIM implementation. Interviews were conducted with 37 professionals and surveys were conducted with 102 professional stakeholders, including owners, designers, contractors, and software vendors. Four main factors, challenges, and potential solutions were identified from content analysis of the interviews and further validated by the surveys. These factors include process factor (when), technology factor (how), people factor (who), and information factor (what). Corresponding solutions are proposed to refine the current workflow and practices.

Most companies in the United States (U.S.) have asked their employees to work from home (WFH) since the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, work environment changed from office to home. However, home environment is designed for living purpose instead of working purpose. People may experience different levels of comfort visually, thermally, etc. when WFH. Because occupants can be affected differently by indoor environmental quality factors in office (e.g., difficult temperature adjustment based on personal preference) and at home (e.g., easy temperature adjustment), which could increase the experience of sick building syndrome (SBS). Evaluation of occupant comfort and health in office environment was widely explored before. Less research was conducted to explore occupant comfort and health when WFH. Therefore, this study compiled a comprehensive list of key factors and indicators of occupant comfort and health from previous literature. Then, a survey was designed and distributed in the U.S. to evaluate occupants’ satisfaction of home-based work or study environment and experience of SBS. The demographic analysis shows that diverse types of occupants were covered. Then, occupants’ satisfaction and experience of SBS when WFH were compared with regular work or study. The findings show that occupants’ satisfaction slightly increased while experience of SBS slightly decreased when WFH. More importantly, ocular symptoms were the top concern in regular work or study and WFH. This study shows the differences of satisfaction and experience of SBS between regular work or study and WFH, which also indicates a direction for future technologies to improve home environment, well-being, and health.

Labor is one of the most critical resources in the construction industry due to its impact on the productivity, safety, quality, and cost of a construction project. Ergonomic assessment, as a tool and method for analyzing human activities and their interactions with the surrounding environment, is thus crucial for designing operations and workplaces that achieve both high productivity and safety. In construction, however, the constantly changing work environments and laborious tasks cause traditional approaches to ergonomic analysis, such as manual observations and measurements, to require substantial time and effort to yield reliable results. Therefore, to simplify and automate the assessment processes, this study explores the adaptation and integration of various existing methods for data collection, analysis, and output representation potentially available for comprehensive ergonomic analysis. The proposed framework integrates sensing for data collection, action recognition and simulation modeling for productivity and ergonomic analysis, and point cloud model generation and human motion animation for output visualization. The proposed framework is demonstrated through a case study using data from an off-site construction job site. The results indicate that integrating the various techniques can facilitate the assessment of manual operations and thereby enhance the implementation of ergonomic practices during a construction project by reducing the time, effort, and complexity required to apply the techniques.