Multimedia techniques for construction education and training

The current profession of civil engineering often focuses education and training on code compliance rather than constructability and construction techniques. Also, it is well accepted that it takes a decade or more for engineers to develop a high-level project construction understanding and many state departments of transportation rely on in-field training for entry-level inspectors, with little or no education provisions for contractors. This research investigated the use of time-lapse photography to develop training and education material that will improve the understanding of project construction and crucial quality control specifications of an entry-level engineer, contractor, or inspector. Overall, the project team has deployed more than 160 time-lapse cameras to capture and document various construction activities since the project inception in May 2015 on over 25 construction sites throughout the state of Indiana. This document uses time-lapse photography and other media forms to monitor construction projects such as roadway construction on US 31 in Carmel and Westfield, construction of mechanically stabilized earth walls, roundabout construction, and bridge demolition in West Lafayette and Cedar Grove in order to develop educational and training materials for engineering students, construction inspectors, and contractors. This is accomplished in this document through construction case studies, time-lapse images, YouTube videos, and references to relevant INDOT Standard Specifications. Additionally, the project team has acquired quantitative data on the effectiveness of utilizing time-lapse photography to better educate in a classroom setting. The project team discovered that time-lapse photography did indeed enhance the lecture and following its use, students showed improvement

A Content Analysis of Graphical Literacy Skills Instruction in Fifth Grade Core Reading Programs

The purpose of this content analysis study was to identify the affordances embedded in core reading program (CRP) teacher’s manuals that facilitate graphical literacy skills as a component of literacy instruction. In the informational text selections of selected CRPs, graphic category, type, function, and connection to text were assessed to determine the kinds of graphics used to convey information. The instructional guidance associated with these graphics was then evaluated for type of instruction (no instruction, reference, and teach) and explicit instruction elements. The results from this study indicate that representation photographs and general images are the most prevalent type of graphic in informational texts. Complex graphics, such as diagrams, maps, and timelines, are rarely used. The data also indicate that most of the graphics in the informational texts of CRPs are not indicated for graphical literacy skills instruction. For the limited number of graphics that have instructional guidance, explicit instruction was usually discussion. Recommendations for CRP publishers, teacher educators, and teachers is addressed in relation to these findings

Optimal energy allocation to ovaries after spawning

For iteroparous organisms in which fecundity is positively related to body size, a trade-off exists between allocation of energy to gonads, thus ensuring some reproductive output, and allocation to somatic growth, thus increasing potential fecundity in the future. This tradeoff can influence several life-history patterns, including when, for organisms that grow after maturity, allocation to gonads begins following the previous reproductive event. White crappie Pomoxis annularis, a spring-spawning freshwater fish, began allocating energy to ovaries in autumn at the expense of continued somatic growth and higher potential fecundity. Within five populations, the amount of early allocation varied between years. We combined dynamic programming with an individual-based model to determine how summer and spring feeding conditions interact to influence when allocation to reproduction should begin. Model results indicated that autumn allocation to ovaries was in response to future spring feeding conditions rather than recent summer feeding conditions. At least a 10% probability of poor spring feeding conditions resulted in ovary investment patterns that matched field observations. The model was unable to explain the inter-annual variation in autumn energy observed in the field. Early allocation of energy to ovaries is probably an evolutionary adaptation to the possibility of poor spring feeding conditions.This research was funded in part by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Project F69- P, administered jointly by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife

p53 Keeps Bystanders at the Gates

The inappropriate expansion of self-reactive “bystander” T cells can contribute to autoimmune disease. In this issue of Immunity, Watanabe et al. (2014) demonstrate that the tumor suppressor p53 prevents the cytokine-dependent proliferation of T cells in the absence of cognate antigens

Multimedia Techniques for Construction Education and Training

The current profession of civil engineering often focuses education and training on code compliance rather than constructability and construction techniques. Also, it is well accepted that it takes a decade or more for engineers to develop a high-level project construction understanding, that and many state departments of transportation rely on in-field training for entry-level inspectors, with little or no education provisions for contractors. This research investigated the use of time-lapse photography to develop training and education material that will improve the understanding of project construction and crucial quality control specifications of an entry-level engineer, contractor, or inspector. Overall, the project team has deployed more than 160 time-lapse cameras to capture and document various construction activities since the project inception in May 2015 on over 25 construction sites throughout the state of Indiana. This document uses time-lapse photography and other media forms to monitor construction projects such as roadway construction on US 31 in Carmel and Westfield, construction of mechanically stabilized earth walls, roundabout construction, and bridge demolition in West Lafayette and Cedar Grove in order to develop educational and training materials for engineering students, construction inspectors, and contractors. This is accomplished in this document through construction case studies, time-lapse images, YouTube videos, and references to relevant INDOT Standard Specifications. Additionally, the project team has acquired quantitative data on the effectiveness of utilizing time-lapse photography to better educate in a classroom setting. The project team discovered that time-lapse photography did indeed enhance the lecture and following its use, students showed improvement

Clinical and preclinical translation of cell-based therapies using adipose tissue-derived cells

Adipose tissue is now recognized as an accessible, abundant, and reliable site for the isolation of adult stem cells suitable for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. The past decade has witnessed an explosion of preclinical data relating to the isolation, characterization, cryopreservation, differentiation, and transplantation of freshly isolated stromal vascular fraction cells and adherent, culture-expanded, adipose-derived stromal/stem cells in vitro and in animal models. This body of work has provided evidence supporting clinical translational applications of adipose-derived cells in safety and efficacy trials. The present article reviews the case reports and phase I-III clinical evidence using autologous adipose-derived cells that have been published, to date, in the fields of gastroenterology, neurology, orthopedics, reconstructive surgery, and related clinical disciplines. Future directions and challenges facing the field are discussed and evaluated

Cold, Northern Winters: The Importance of Temperature to Overwinter Mortality of Age-0 White Crappies

Survival during the first winter of life can influence the recruitment of many fishes. We used field sampling and laboratory experiments to explore the mechanisms underlying first winter growth and survival of white crappie Pomoxis annularis, which exhibits variable recruitment. We sampled age-0 white crappies from four Ohio reservoirs before winter to evaluate whether large individuals had a greater energy density (kJ/g) than small ones and whether mean energy density differed among reservoirs. Energy density increased with fish size in all reservoirs, suggesting that small fish could die earlier if energy stores become limiting during winter. Mean energy density varied among reservoirs as well, suggesting that prewinter energy reserves could influence recruitment variability across reservoirs through their effects on winter starvation. Our laboratory experiment evaluated how fish size (small or large), feeding level (starved or fed), and winter severity (mild or severe) interact to influence the growth and survival of age-0 white crappies. The two winter severity treatments represented two extremes for Ohio winters (i.e., mild and severe). We calculated daily individual growth rates for all fish, energy density for a subset of fish, and percent survival across treatments. Winter severity strongly influenced survival: only 47% of all white crappies survived the severe winter, whereas 97% survived the mild winter. In the severe winter, neither size nor feeding level influenced mortality. Bomb calorimetry revealed energy density to be similar among fish that died and those that survived the severe winter, suggesting that energy depletion did not cause mortality. Rather, osmoregulatory failure may have occurred during exposure to temperatures colder than 4°C for at least 1 week. Thus, the availability of warm (≥4°C), oxygenated water during winter may be critical to the survival of age-0 white crappies. In the northern portion of their range, winter temperatures may account for some of the recruitment variability common to white crappie populations.This research was funded by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Project F-69-P, administered jointly by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, and the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at the Ohio State University

Prey resources before spawning influence gonadal investment of female, but not male, white crappie

In this study, an outdoor pool experiment was used to evaluate the effect of prey resources during 4 months before spawning on the gonadal investments of male and female white crappie Pomoxis annularis, a popular freshwater sportfish that exhibits erratic recruitment. Fish were assigned one of three feeding treatments: starved, fed once every 5 days (intermediate) or fed daily (high). All measurements of male testes (i.e. wet mass, energy density and spermatocrit) were similar across treatments. Conversely, high-fed females produced larger ovaries than those of intermediate-fed and starved fish, and invested more energy in their ovaries than starved fish. Compared to pre-experiment fish, starved and intermediate-fed females appeared to increase their ovary size by relying on liver energy stores (‘capital’ spawning). Conversely, high-fed females increased liver and gonad mass, implying an ‘income’-spawning strategy (where gonads are built from recently acquired energy). Fecundity did not differ among treatments, but high-fed fish built larger eggs than those starved. Females rarely 'skipped' spawning opportunities when prey resources were low, as only 8% of starved females and 8% of intermediate-fed females lacked vitellogenic eggs. These results suggest that limited prey resources during the months before spawning can limit ovary production, which, in turn, can limit reproductive success of white crappies.This research was funded by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Project F-69-P, administered jointly by United States Fish and Wildlife Service and Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, and the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at The Ohio State University

Lipedema: A Painful Adipose Tissue Disorder

Lipedema is a painful fat disease of loose connective tissue usually misdiagnosed as lifestyle-induced obesity that affects ~10% of women of European descent as well as other populations. Lipedema is characterized by symmetric enlargement of the buttocks, hips, and legs due to increased loose connective tissue; arms are also affected in 80% of patients. Lipedema loose connective tissue is characterized by hypertrophic adipocytes, inflammatory cells, and dilated leaky blood and lymphatic vessels. Altered fluid flux through the tissue causes accumulation of fluid, protein, and other constituents in the interstitium resulting in recruitment of inflammatory cells, which in turn stimulates fibrosis and results in difficulty in weight loss. Inflammation and excess interstitial substance may also activate nerve fibers instigating the painful lipedema fat tissue. More research is needed to characterize lipedema loose connective tissue structure in depth, as well as the form and function of blood and lymphatic vessels. Understanding the pathophysiology of the disease will allow healthcare providers to diagnose the disease and develop treatments