Curricula Management and ABET Alignment at the Lebanese International University School of Engineering

Since 2011, the School of Engineering (SoE) at the Lebanese International University has been actively engaged in the development and constant evolution of engineering programs that are aligned with an assessment protocol aimed at determining how well graduating students achieve intended learning outcomes of their respective programs.  This is all done with the intention of having programs that are fully compatible with the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and in anticipation of future accreditation. This paper highlights the curriculum management approach that has emerged from the collaboration between the various engineering departments, the development of program students’ outcomes (PSOs) and their indices, and the results from the preliminary outcomes reporting that involves the collection of data in line with best practices, well established key performance indicators and standardized benchmarking in the engineering education community.  All of which has been done as a part of education quality management and continual improvement purposes. A novel approach was adopted dependent on students’ evaluation of the PSOs.  The evaluation process is used in a feedback loop to enhance the rankings of the PSOs.  Preliminary Results indicate the usefulness of this technique.  More data will be collected in the coming years to be able to establish statistical significance. Keywords: Curricula management, ABET accreditation, PSO, KPI, benchmarking, academic assessment, reporting, engineering education

Contribution pulmonaire à l’élimination systémique du propofol chez le patient sous anesthésie générale

Diverses études cliniques ont démontré l’existence d’un métabolisme extrahépatique du propofol. Le lieu exact de ce métabolisme n’est pas encore complètement élucidé chez l’homme. Des données chez l’animal suggèreraient que le poumon pourrait contribuer à la clairance totale du propofol. Le présent projet vise à investiguer la contribution pulmonaire à l’élimination systémique du propofol chez des patients sous anesthésie générale. Quatorze patients de type ASA I ou II, âgés entre 35 et 70 ans, pour lesquels une chirurgie cardiaque de routine était prévue, ont été inclus dans la présente étude. Le protocole a été préalablement approuvé par le comité d’éthique et les patients ont tous donné par écrit leur consentement éclairé. Le recrutement des patients a eu lieu à l’hôpital Royal Victoria. Le propofol a été administré en induction sous forme de bolus intraveineux, suivi d’une perfusion continue de 50 g/kg/min. Chez un même patient, des prélèvements sanguins pré- et post pulmonaires ont été pris simultanément de l’artère radiale et de l’artère pulmonaire, sous des conditions de ventilation contrôlée ou apnéiques, dans le but de mesurer les concentrations plasmatiques du propofol. Le gradient artério-veineux a été évalué à l’état d’équilibre afin de déterminer la contribution du poumon à l’élimination totale de propofol. Nous n’avons pas pu démontrer l’existence d’une extraction pulmonaire du propofol chez l’humain. Ceci pourrait être dû à plusieurs facteurs méthodologiques.Several clinical studies have demonstrated the existence of propofol extrahepatic metabolism. The exact nature and site of this metabolism is not fully elucidated in man, however, the lung may possibly contribute to propofol total clearance as suggested by animal findings. In the present study, pulmonary contribution to total body elimination of propofol was investigated in patients during cardio-surgical anesthesia. Following informed consent and research ethic board approval, fourteen patients-ASA category I or II, between 35 and 70 years of age and scheduled for routine cardiac surgery were included in the present study. Patients were recruited at Royal-Victoria Hospital. At induction, propofol was administered as an intravenous bolus followed by a continuous infusion rate of 50 g/kg/min. Arterial and mixed-venous blood samples were drawn simultaneously from the radial artery and pulmonary artery catheters from patients under controlled ventilation or apneic conditions, for measurement of plasma propofol concentrations. Arterio-venous gradient was assessed under steady-state conditions to evaluate a potential contribution of the lung to the overall elimination of propofol. No statistically significant differences were found between both sampling sites, either under controlled ventilation or after a short period of apnea. We were unable to demonstrate the existence of propofol pulmonary extraction in the lungs in humans. This might be explained by methodological factor

A millimeter-wave inflatable frequency-agile elastomeric antenna

This letter reports a millimeter-wave frequency agile microstrip antenna printed on an ultrasoft elastomeric PDMS substrate. The microstrip patch antenna is supported by a PDMS membrane suspended over an air cavity. The distance H between the patch and the ground plane, and thus the resonant frequency of the antenna, are tuned using pneumatic actuation, taking advantage of the extreme softness of the PDMS membrane. A continuous frequency shift varying from 55.35 to 51 GHz ( ≈8%) has been obtained for a tuning range of H between 200µm and 575µm. In all configurations, the antenna remains matched and its radiation characteristics are very satisfactory

Characterization of charge collection in CdTe and CZT using the transient current technique

The charge collection properties in different particle sensor materials with respect to the shape of the generated signals, the electric field within the detector, the charge carrier mobility and the carrier lifetime are studied with the transient current technique (TCT). Using the well-known properties of Si as a reference, the focus is laid on Cadmium-Telluride (CdTe) and Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CZT), which are currently considered as promising candidates for the efficient detection of X-rays. All measurements are based on a transient-current technique (TCT) setup, which allows the recording of current pulses generated by an 241Am alpha-source. These signals will be interpreted with respect to the build-up of space-charges inside the detector material and the subsequent deformation of the electric field. Additionally the influence of different electrode materials (i.e. ohmic or Schottky contacts) on the current pulse shapes will be treated in the case of CdTe. Finally, the effects of polarization, i.e. the time-dependent degradation of the detector signals due to the accumulation of fixed charges within the sensor, are presented.Comment: 20 pages, 17 figure

CONVERSATIONAL MAXIM AS SEEN IN THE KING’S SPEECH MOVIE BY TOM HOOPER

In this study, the writer discusses the analysisnof conversational maxim as seen in The King’s Speech movie by Tom Hooper. In the King’s Speech Movie, the participants follows the rules of the conversational maxim, and a lot conversational maxim violation happens in the movie. Kinds of maxim and violation of maxim are found in the movie. The aims of this study are (1) to find out kinds of conversational maxims in The King’s Speech movie. (2) to finf out the violation of conversational maxim in the King’s Speech movie. The writer applies the theory from Frice about conversational maxim and the violation of conversational maxim. The research applies qualitative research and descriptive technique to expose and analyze data. This research throughseveral procedures. Those are collection the data and analysis the data. In collecting the data, the writer watches the movie and reads the script, collecting of some conversational maxim violationand kinds of conversational maxim is found in the conversation in The King’s Speech movie repeatedly. Then, the writer read the dialogue and marked the sentenceand events that were consisted of conversational maxim from the conversation in the movie. Finally, the writer collected, identified, and classifiedthe data collected based on the discussion formulation. From this research, the writer found the Griceans maxims were applied and violated. In applying maxim quantity is happened for 5 conversations, maxim of quality and maxim relevance are found in 4 conversations, maxim of manner is found 2 conversations. The violation of maxims are dominated from the violation of maxim quantity, in 3 conversations, maxim of quality, relevance, and manner are found in 2 conversations. The implied meaning from the violation in the maxims happens when the speaker tries to hide some information or the speaker refuses to share the information and purposely gives the false information

A millimeter-wave microstrip antenna array on ultra-flexible micromachined polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer

The use of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), an ultra flexible polymer, as a substrate for the realization of reconfigurable microwave devices in the 60-GHz band is presented. As bulk PDMS is demonstrated to be lossy at millimeter waves, membrane-supported devices are considered. A new reliable and robust technological process has been developped to micromachine membrane-supported transmission lines and microstrip antenna arrays. It is shown that transmission lines printed on 20-µm thick membranes exhibit similar performances as bulk substrates commonly used at millimeter-wave frequencies. A microstrip antenna array has been also designed and fabricated to demonstrate the feasibility of directive antennas supported by large membranes. Promising applications for mechanical beam-steering, beam forming and frequency tunable antennas are expected

Elucidating Antiproliferative Mechanisms of Grapeseed, Guava, and Juniper Berry Extracts

Plant extracts are an untapped source of medicinal potential. Even today they are used as standalone treatments and applied alongside conventional therapies. The focus of our laboratory is to identify plant extracts exhibiting antiproliferative activity in vitro, to determine which chemicals are responsible for this activity, and to elucidate mechanism(s) by which growth is slowed/inhibited by plant extracts. Specifically, we exposed five cell lines/strains to twenty-two plant extracts and measured cell proliferation. Extracts from Vinca, Juniper Berry, Guava, Grapeseed, and Yew slowed the growth of all five lines/strains in a dose dependent fashion. We are working to understand the mechanism of antiproliferation by measuring induction of apoptosis, effects on microtubule assembly, and wound healing

Wireless strain and temperature monitoring in reinforced concrete using Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) sensors

Monitoring the health of civil engineering structures using implanted deformation, temperature and corrosion sensors would further improve maintenance and extend the service life of those structures. However, sensor integration poses a number of problems, due to the presence of cables and on-board electronics. Passive, wireless SAW sensors offer a very promising solution, here. We used commercial SAW devices mounted on steel rebars to carry out an initial feasibility study. Without cables or embedded electronics, we were able to measure the deformation of a concrete beam subjected to bending load. We were also able to measure the temperature continuously over a three-week period