NEW CAMPUS LIFE CENTER FIRE PROTECTION EVALUATION

This project report is a fire and life safety evaluation of a newly constructed building. The new Campus Life Center (CLC) building is located on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The CLC is a student center where students, staff, and guests can gather to socialize, study, eat and attend conferences. The prescriptive requirements were based on the Georgia State Fire Codes, adopted on January 2014 and served as code of record for this facility. Occupant classification was established from both International Building Code (IBC) and Life Safety Code (LSC), NFPA 101, to determine construction type, interior finish and egress requirements. Building elements such as walls, doors, and floors were identified and verified that the elements met the construction type and interior finish requirements as specified in the building codes. Egress component widths were verified and exceeded the capacity width needed for the classified occupancy densities in the building. Incoming fire water line provided sufficient capacity for the automatic wet-sprinkler system without the need for a fire pump based on the calculated demand of the remote sprinkler area. This facility is equipped with an addressable fire alarm – mass notification system. The system was installed to monitor the automatic wet-sprinkler system, provide automatic and manual detection, and notify occupants of an emergency event including, fire, weather, and active shooter in the building. The smoke management design in this building was based on powering down mechanical equipment to reduce smoke movement throughout the building. A performance-based analysis was performed and documented in this report. A computer-generated movement model was created to determine occupant evacuation. The total time for all occupants to egress the building is defined as the required safe escape time (RSET) and was six-minutes. Tenability was established by a set value limit of visibility, temperature and the amount of carbon monoxide in a given space for occupants to safely escape during a fire event. Two design fires were selected and analyzed using fire dynamics simulator (FDS) and SmokeView. The first design fire was located on the second level, centrally positioned in a double story, 30-feet tall space with a concentrated assembly occupancy. The design fire was modeled in the space with stackable polypropylene chairs with steel frame as the fuel source. It took less than 200 seconds to evacuate this space. During that time there was no issues with getting close to untenable conditions while the fire grew in this space. The second design fire was located in the University Emporium, also located on the second level. In the mercantile occupancy, the store shelves with paper and plastics products were the main fuel source for the fire. Tenable conditions became close to their limit for occupants to egress the space. At 30-seconds, occupants were able to evacuate this space but not the entire floor. Recommendations based on the prescriptive and performance-based analysis for this student center are to provide clear pathways throughout the emporium so occupants can leave under 30-seconds. In commons area, furniture placement during functions that support large occupant capacities should be analyzed to limit queuing in egress pathways. Smoke detection in the double high space would provide earlier notification to occupants in other parts of the building

A phase 3, multi-center, multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of levofloxacin inhalation solution (APT-1026) in stable cystic fibrosis patients

Rationale For patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), the use of inhaled antibiotics has become standard of care to suppress chronic Pseudomonas airways infection. There are limited antibiotic options formulated and approved for inhaled use and antibiotic efficacies attenuate over time, making additional inhaled antibiotic classes desirable. APT-1026 (levofloxacin inhalation solution, LIS) is a fluoroquinolone in development for management of chronic P. aeruginosa airways infection in patients with CF. Objectives To compare the safety and efficacy of a 28-day course of treatment with LIS 240 mg or placebo BID in persons ≥ 12 years old with CF and chronic P. aeruginosa infection. Methods A multinational, randomized (2:1), double-blinded study of LIS and placebo over 28 days in CF patients ≥ 12 years with chronic P. aeruginosa infection. Time to exacerbation was the primary endpoint. FEV1 (% predicted) and patient-reported quality of life were among secondary endpoints. Main results Baseline demographics for 330 subjects (LIS = 220) were similar although significantly more patients randomized to LIS had experienced multiple exacerbations in the year prior to study entry. There was no statistically significant difference in protocol-defined pulmonary exacerbations between treatment arms. Relative change in FEV1% predicted from baseline was significantly greater for patients randomized to LIS compared to those randomized to placebo (mean difference 1.31%, p = 0.01 [95% CI 0.27, 2.34%]). LIS was well-tolerated, with dysguesia the most frequent adverse event. Conclusions LIS did not demonstrate a difference in time to next exacerbation when compared to placebo. Reasons for this result are discussed but may be due to an imbalance in the frequency of prior pulmonary exacerbations between the two groups. An improvement in FEV1 (% predicted) at 28 days was observed and LIS was well tolerated. LIS is safe and has a potential role in the management of CF patients with chronic P. aeruginosa

Memory, metamemory, and false memory for features of the Apple logo

Our memory for common, easily recognizable logos, like the Apple logo, is surprisingly poor because of attentional saturation, where we stop attending to details of frequently encountered objects. This lack of attention to details may leave us susceptible to misinformation effects. Across four experiments, we tested recognition memory for the Apple logo after incidentally encoding an accurate or altered version of the logo (Experiments 1–3), or after no incidental encounter of the logo prior to the surprise test (Experiment 4). Additionally, participants rated how much they liked the logo as a measure of processing fluency. Results demonstrated that incidentally viewing an altered version of the Apple logo can disrupt subsequent recognition of the correct logo, but this effect may diminish following a short delay. Considering our frequent exposure to everyday stimuli, we show conditions in which memory for a ubiquitous stimulus can be disrupted when incidentally presented with inaccurate information

Production of the Green Leaf Volatile (Z)-3-Hexenal by a Zea mays Hydroperoxide Lyase

Plant-produced volatile compounds play important roles in plant signaling and in the communication of plants with other organisms. Many plants emit green leaf volatiles (GLVs) in response to damage or attack, which serve to warn neighboring plants or attract predatory or parasitic insects to help defend against insect pests. GLVs include aldehydes, esters, and alcohols of 6-carbon compounds that are released rapidly following wounding. One GLV produced by maize (Zea mays) is the volatile (Z)-3-hexenal; this volatile is produced from the cleavage of (9Z,11E,15Z)-octadecatrienoic acid by hydroperoxide lyases (HPLs) of the cytochrome P450 CYP74B family. The specific HPL in maize involved in (Z)-3-hexenal production had not been determined. In this study, we used phylogenetics with known HPLs from other species to identify a candidate HPL from maize (ZmHPL). To test the ability of the putative HPL to produce (Z)-3-hexenal, we constitutively expressed the gene in Arabidopsis thaliana ecotype Columbia-0 that contains a natural loss-of-function mutant in AtHPL and examined the transgenic plants for restored (Z)-3-hexenal production. Volatile analysis of leaves from these transgenic plants showed that they did produce (Z)-3-hexenal, confirming that ZmHPL can produce (Z)-3-hexenal in vivo. Furthermore, we used gene expression analysis to show that expression of ZmHPL is induced in maize in response to both wounding and the insect pests Spodoptera frugiperda and Spodoptera exigua. Our study demonstrates that ZmHPL can produce GLVs and highlights its likely role in (Z)-3-hexenal production in response to mechanical damage and herbivory in maize

Commercial hybrids and mutant genotypes reveal complex protective roles for inducible terpenoid defenses in maize.

Plant defense research is facilitated by the use of genome-sequenced inbred lines; however, a foundational knowledge of interactions in commercial hybrids remains relevant to understanding mechanisms present in crops. Using an array of commercial maize hybrids, we quantified the accumulation patterns of defense-related metabolites and phytohormones in tissues challenged with diverse fungal pathogens. Across hybrids, Southern leaf blight (Cochliobolus heterostrophus) strongly elicited specific sesqui- and diterpenoid defenses, namely zealexin A4 (ZA4) and kauralexin diacids, compared with the stalk-rotting agents Fusarium graminearum and Colletotrichum graminicola. With respect to biological activity, ZA4 and kauralexin diacids demonstrated potent antimicrobial action against F. graminearum. Unexpectedly, ZA4 displayed an opposite effect on C. graminicola by promoting growth. Overall, a negative correlation was observed between total analyzed terpenoids and fungal growth. Statistical analyses highlighted kauralexin A3 and abscisic acid as metabolites most associated with fungal suppression. As an empirical test, mutants of the ent-copalyl diphosphate synthase Anther ear 2 (An2) lacking kauralexin biosynthetic capacity displayed increased susceptibility to C. heterostrophus and Fusarium verticillioides. Our results highlight a widely occurring defensive function of acidic terpenoids in commercial hybrids and the complex nature of elicited pathway products that display selective activities on fungal pathogen species

Commercial hybrids and mutant genotypes reveal complex protective roles for inducible terpenoid defenses in maize

Plant defense research is facilitated by the use of genome-sequenced inbred lines; however, a foundational knowledge of interactions in commercial hybrids remains relevant to understanding mechanisms present in crops. Using an array of commercial maize hybrids, we quantified the accumulation patterns of defense-related metabolites and phytohormones in tissues challenged with diverse fungal pathogens. Across hybrids, Southern leaf blight (Cochliobolus heterostrophus) strongly elicited specific sesqui- and diterpenoid defenses, namely zealexin A4 (ZA4) and kauralexin diacids, compared with the stalk-rotting agents Fusarium graminearum and Colletotrichum graminicola. With respect to biological activity, ZA4 and kauralexin diacids demonstrated potent antimicrobial action against F. graminearum. Unexpectedly, ZA4 displayed an opposite effect on C. graminicola by promoting growth. Overall, a negative correlation was observed between total analyzed terpenoids and fungal growth. Statistical analyses highlighted kauralexin A3 and abscisic acid as metabolites most associated with fungal suppression. As an empirical test, mutants of the ent-copalyl diphosphate synthase Anther ear 2 (An2) lacking kauralexin biosynthetic capacity displayed increased susceptibility to C. heterostrophus and Fusarium verticillioides. Our results highlight a widely occurring defensive function of acidic terpenoids in commercial hybrids and the complex nature of elicited pathway products that display selective activities on fungal pathogen species.ISSN:1460-2431ISSN:0022-095

Campus Branding/ Sustainability Image (Semester Unknown) IPRO 311: Campus Branding Sustainability Image IPRO 311 Poster1 F08

The overall aim of the project is to improve and enhance the image of Illinois Institute of Technology, both as an institution and a physical campus, in regards to sustainability and “green” practices. To that end, the current semester is focused on several design projects based on concepts generated in the previous semesters along with input from the current semesters to enhance a new “green” campus. We will also be spreading information how IIT is currently acting in a sustainable fashion and how students on campus can contribute to our image as a sustainable campus.Deliverable

Campus Branding/ Sustainability Image (Semester Unknown) IPRO 311: Campus Branding Sustainability Image IPRO 311 Poster2 F08

The overall aim of the project is to improve and enhance the image of Illinois Institute of Technology, both as an institution and a physical campus, in regards to sustainability and “green” practices. To that end, the current semester is focused on several design projects based on concepts generated in the previous semesters along with input from the current semesters to enhance a new “green” campus. We will also be spreading information how IIT is currently acting in a sustainable fashion and how students on campus can contribute to our image as a sustainable campus.Deliverable

Campus Branding/ Sustainability Image (Semester Unknown) IPRO 311: Campus Branding Sustainability Image IPRO 311 Brochure F08

The overall aim of the project is to improve and enhance the image of Illinois Institute of Technology, both as an institution and a physical campus, in regards to sustainability and “green” practices. To that end, the current semester is focused on several design projects based on concepts generated in the previous semesters along with input from the current semesters to enhance a new “green” campus. We will also be spreading information how IIT is currently acting in a sustainable fashion and how students on campus can contribute to our image as a sustainable campus.Deliverable