Inclusion of an Introduction to Infrastructure Course in a Civil and Environmental Engineering Curriculum

Civil infrastructure refers to the built environment (sometimes referred to as public works) and consists of roads, bridges, buildings, dams, levees, drinking water treatment facilities, wastewater treatment facilities, power generation and transmission facilities, communications, solid waste facilities, hazardous waste facilities, and other sectors. Although there is a need to train engineers who have a holistic view of infrastructure, there is evidence that civil and environmental engineering (CEE) programs have not fully addressed this increasingly recognized need. One effective approach to address this educational gap is to incorporate a course related to infrastructure into the curriculum for first-year or second-year civil and environmental engineering students. Therefore, this study assesses the current status of teaching such courses in the United States and identifies the incentives for, and the barriers against, incorporating an introduction to infrastructure course into schools’ current CEE curricula. Two distinct activities enabled these objectives. First, a questionnaire was distributed to CEE programs across the United States, to which 33 responses were received. The results indicated that although the majority of participants believe that offering such a course will benefit students by increasing the breadth of the curriculum and by providing a holistic view of CEE, barriers such as the maximum allowable credits for graduation, the lack of motivation within a department—either because such a course did not have a champion or because the department had no plans to revise their curriculum—and a lack of expertise among faculty members inhibited inclusion of the course in curricula. Second, three case studies demonstrating successful inclusion of an introduction to infrastructure course into the CEE curriculum were evaluated. Cases were collected from Marquette University, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and West Point CEE programs, and it was found that the key to success in including such a course is a motivated team of faculty members who are committed to educating students about different aspects of infrastructure. The results of the study can be used as a road map to help universities successfully incorporate an introduction to infrastructure course in their CEE programs

Iranian Dietary Patterns and Risk of Colorectal Cancer

Background: Role of diet on colorectal cancer (CRC) has been considered in terms of single foods and nutrients, but less frequently in terms of dietary patterns in Iran. The objective of this study was to determine the association between Iranian dietary patterns and CRC. Methods: This case-control study was conducted in four hospitals in Tabriz City of Iran including 414 participants aged 35-75 years: 207 cases with CRC confirmed by pathology and colonoscopy findings were selected and 207 controls free of neoplastic conditions and diet-related chronic diseases (from the same hospital at the same period for the cases). Dietary data were assessed using a 123-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Two dietary patterns were found by using of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method;"Healthy pattern" and "Iranian pattern". Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (OR) for relationship between dietary patterns and colorectal cancer. Results: After adjusting for confounding factors, the Iranian dietary pattern was significantly associated with an increased odds of colorectal cancer (OR=1.46; 95 Confidenec Interval (CI)=1.05-2.19) while a reduced odds of colorectal cancer was observed with the Healthy dietary pattern (OR=0.18; 95 CI=0.091-0.47). Conclusion: Iranian dietary pattern (IDP) seems to increase the odds of colorectal cancer and protective effect of Healthy dietary pattern

The properties of nanofiber scaffolds of polyurethane-Cinnamomum zeylanicum against pathogens of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus

This study designed to investigate the properties of antibacterial nanofiber scaffolds of polyurethane-Cinnamomum zeylanicum against virulence gene expression inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus that are important in burn wounds. With attention to burn wound infections in hospitals and mortality increase in patients, it is necessary to design nanodressing. Clinical isolates were confirmed by biochemical and microbiological tests. DNA of isolates was extracted and PCR used to confirm the alp gene of P. aeruginosa and Pv gene of S. aureus. Polyurethane nanofiber and cinnamon polymers were used to prepare the scaffold under the electrospinning process. Infrared spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and mechanical tensile tests were used to confirm the scaffolds. The susceptibility testing and minimum inhibitory concentration of polyurethane-cinnamon nanofiber scaffold were determined against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. For confirmation of polyurethane-cinnamon nanofiber scaffold were used the cytotoxicity test (MTT), FTIR, mechanical tensile test, and a scanning electron microscope. The expression of virulence genes was investigated using the real-time RT-PCR technique. The results of the susceptibility testing indicated that P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were susceptible to polyurethane-cinnamon nanofiber scaffold. The MTT, FTIR, mechanical tensile test, and SEM confirmed the different features of the polyurethane-cinnamon nanofiber scaffold. Results of real-time PCR demonstrated that the expression levels of p�v and alp genes after treatment decreased, respectively, 2.71- and 1.06-fold. Results indicated that the electrospun polyurethane-cinnamon nanofiber scaffold for the first time could inhibit both important pathogens of the hospital and the expression of the virulence genes. Considering the susceptibility of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus to and its inhibitory effect on an alp and p�v genes, this system could probably be a candidate in wound dressing for commercial purposes to burn healing and infection inhibition. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

Improving the hyperpolarization of (31)p nuclei by synthetic design

Traditional (31)P NMR or MRI measurements suffer from low sensitivity relative to (1)H detection and consequently require longer scan times. We show here that hyperpolarization of (31)P nuclei through reversible interactions with parahydrogen can deliver substantial signal enhancements in a range of regioisomeric phosphonate esters containing a heteroaromatic motif which were synthesized in order to identify the optimum molecular scaffold for polarization transfer. A 3588-fold (31)P signal enhancement (2.34% polarization) was returned for a partially deuterated pyridyl substituted phosphonate ester. This hyperpolarization level is sufficient to allow single scan (31)P MR images of a phantom to be recorded at a 9.4 T observation field in seconds that have signal-to-noise ratios of up to 94.4 when the analyte concentration is 10 mM. In contrast, a 12 h 2048 scan measurement under standard conditions yields a signal-to-noise ratio of just 11.4. (31)P-hyperpolarized images are also reported from a 7 T preclinical scanner

A method for determining the distribution of carbon nanotubes in nanocomposites by electric conductivity

Carbon nanotube (CNT) polymer nanocomposites are one of the most promising materials due to their remarkable mechanical properties as well as the electrical conductivity, which offers the capability of monitoring the deformation and damage of composite structures by measuring the related conductivity variations. However, quantifying the distribution of CNTs inside the material remains a challenge with respects to both experimental and numerical works. In the current study, the electrical conductivity was used to determine the microstructure of CNT-reinforced polymer. By introducing a modified parameter related to the polar angle of CNTs, the mechanical properties as well as the electrical conductivity change with respect to deformation of nanocomposites can be replicated. After validation by experimental data from the multi-walled CNT/polymer nanocompo sites under tensile loading, the capability of the current method was then studied for composites with various weight fractions of nanotubes. (C) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V

Perceived Social support and compliance with stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 outbreak: Evidence from Iran

Background: Strong evidence demonstrates that social support plays a key role in facilitating preventive health behaviors. The major aim of the current study was to assess the effects of perceived social support on compliance with stay-at-home advice in response to a COVID-19 outbreak during the Persian New Year (Nowruz) holydays, since Nowruz holidays of 2020 coincided with the peak of the coronavirus epidemic in Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was carried out based on phone interviews of 1073 adults aged over 18 years from 4 to 12 April 2020 in Mashhad, Khorasan-Razavi Province, as the second largest city of Iran. A systematic random sampling was carried out using fixed phone number lists provided by Telecommunication Company of Khorasan-Razavi Province. Phone interviews were carried out by four trained interviewers from the Iranian Students Polling Agency (ISPA) at various times of the day. The survey included sociodemographic questions, perceived social support scale (MSPSS) and questions about self-isolation. Statistical analysis included Chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis and multivariate logistic regression. Results: 20.5% of participants reported poor compliance with self-isolation during the first two weeks of Nowruz. Clear social gradients were not found in people’s compliance with self-isolation. When controlling sociodemographic factors, perceived social support, interestingly, both fostered and hindered personal compliance with self-isolation, depending on the source of support from family members (OR = .875, 95% CI = .800, .957, p < .005), friends (OR = 1.147, 95% CI = 1.073, 1.223, p < .001) and a significant other person (OR = .916, 95% CI = .833, 1.007, p = .069). Conclusions: Public health messaging may need to emphasize the role that friends and families can play in helping to protect those in their friendship/family groups by promoting compliance with social distancing. Further in-depth studies are recommended to evaluate how this kind of messaging can most effectively encourage people to engage in social distancing practices.This study was supported by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences [grant No. 981846]. The funding body had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation of data, or writing the manuscript

Concomitant lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and plasma cell myeloma, a diagnostic challenge

BACKGROUND: Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and plasma cell myeloma are two B cell lymphoproliferative neoplasms derived from mature B-lymphocytes in different differentiation stages. The coexistence of these two tumors in the same patient is exceedingly rare and can be difficult to diagnose. CASE PRESENTATION: A 76-year-old male presented with a pathologic fracture after a fall. Radiography showed a lytic lesion in the pelvis. Serum immunofixation showed distinct IgM kappa and IgA kappa monoclonal protein bands. Bone marrow examination revealed aggregates of small, mature lymphoid cells with admixed plasma cells. Immunohistochemical studies and flow cytometric analysis showed the lymphoid cells were CD10-/CD5- kappa restricted monoclonal B cells. The plasma cells were monoclonal with kappa light chain restriction. The majority of plasma cells were positive for IgA and cyclin D1 with a few plasma cells positive for IgM. Additional studies showed the presence of both a positive MYD88 L265P mutation and a CCND1/IGH fusion. A diagnosis of concomitant lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and plasma cell myeloma was rendered. CONCLUSION: Concomitant lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and plasma cell myeloma can be rarely encountered and is diagnostic challenging. It is commonly associated with biclonal monoclonal proteins. This case demonstrates the importance of a comprehensive work-up in the diagnosis of this disease combination and highlights the diagnostic role of MYD88 mutation study

The Influence of Visual Provenance Representations on Strategies in a Collaborative Hand-off Data Analysis Scenario

Conducting data analysis tasks rarely occur in isolation. Especially in intelligence analysis scenarios where different experts contribute knowledge to a shared understanding, members must communicate how insights develop to establish common ground among collaborators. The use of provenance to communicate analytic sensemaking carries promise by describing the interactions and summarizing the steps taken to reach insights. Yet, no universal guidelines exist for communicating provenance in different settings. Our work focuses on the presentation of provenance information and the resulting conclusions reached and strategies used by new analysts. In an open-ended, 30-minute, textual exploration scenario, we qualitatively compare how adding different types of provenance information (specifically data coverage and interaction history) affects analysts' confidence in conclusions developed, propensity to repeat work, filtering of data, identification of relevant information, and typical investigation strategies. We see that data coverage (i.e., what was interacted with) provides provenance information without limiting individual investigation freedom. On the other hand, while interaction history (i.e., when something was interacted with) does not significantly encourage more mimicry, it does take more time to comfortably understand, as represented by less confident conclusions and less relevant information-gathering behaviors. Our results contribute empirical data towards understanding how provenance summarizations can influence analysis behaviors.Comment: to be published in IEEE Vis 202

Fluorescence-based high-throughput functional profiling of ligand-gated ion channels at the level of single cells

Ion channels are involved in many physiological processes and are attractive targets for therapeutic intervention. Their functional properties vary according to their subunit composition, which in turn varies in a developmental and tissue-specific manner and as a consequence of pathophysiological events. Understanding this diversity requires functional analysis of ion channel properties in large numbers of individual cells. Functional characterisation of ligand-gated channels involves quantitating agonist and drug dose-response relationships using electrophysiological or fluorescence-based techniques. Electrophysiology is limited by low throughput and high-throughput fluorescence-based functional evaluation generally does not enable the characterization of the functional properties of each individual cell. Here we describe a fluorescence-based assay that characterizes functional channel properties at single cell resolution in high throughput mode. It is based on progressive receptor activation and iterative fluorescence imaging and delivers >100 dose-responses in a single well of a 384-well plate, using α1-3 homomeric and αβ heteromeric glycine receptor (GlyR) chloride channels as a model system. We applied this assay with transiently transfected HEK293 cells co-expressing halide-sensitive yellow fluorescent protein and different GlyR subunit combinations. Glycine EC values of different GlyR isoforms were highly correlated with published electrophysiological data and confirm previously reported pharmacological profiles for the GlyR inhibitors, picrotoxin, strychnine and lindane. We show that inter and intra well variability is low and that clustering of functional phenotypes permits identification of drugs with subunit-specific pharmacological profiles. As this method dramatically improves the efficiency with which ion channel populations can be characterized in the context of cellular heterogeneity, it should facilitate systems-level analysis of ion channel properties in health and disease and the discovery of therapeutics to reverse pathological alterations