The Scholarship Horizons in Engineering Technology: Choosing the Best Path

The issue of scholarship in Engineering Technology (ET) is becoming an important topic of discussion within the ET community due to the evolving missions of many institutions that host Engineering Technology programs. Many of these institutions now require some form of documented scholarship from their ET faculty for promotion and tenure purposes, and it is incumbent upon the ET community to support these faculty by defining not only the meaning of scholarship in ET, but also the yardstick by which such scholarship will be assessed. This issue is pertinent to ET because our programs are traditionally of an applied nature with a focus on practice-oriented education. It is therefore logical to expect that ET scholarship should take on an applied flavor and involve our constituencies (students and industry) in meaningful ways. To define ET scholarship from within the ET community and to develop an appropriate ET faculty workload model, the Engineering Technology Council (ETC) formed a Task Force on ET Scholarship at the ETLI Conference in October 2002 in Norfolk, Virginia. The group was charged to report back to the ETC by June of 2003 at the ASEE Annual Conference in Nashville. In this paper, the authors will discuss what ET scholarship involves, the importance and relevance of ET scholarship, appropriate Evaluation of ET scholarship, Faculty Workload (teaching, scholarship and service) Model(s), and the Challenges and Opportunities of ET scholarship. A web-based literature survey is carried out to determine the faculty workload policy that currently exists at various colleges and universities across the country, and this information is used in developing the proposed ET faculty workload model presented in this paper

Effects of naltrexone and LY255582 on ethanol maintenance, seeking, and relapse responding by alcohol-preferring (P) rats

Research indicates opioid antagonists can reduce alcohol drinking in rodents. However, tests examining the effects of opioid antagonists on ethanol seeking and relapse behavior have been limited. The present study examined the effects of two opioid antagonists on ethanol maintenance, seeking, and relapse responding by alcohol-preferring (P) rats. Adult P rats were self-trained in two-lever operant chambers to self-administer 15% (vol/vol) ethanol on a fixed-ratio 5 (FR5) versus water on a FR1 concurrent schedule of reinforcement in daily 1-h sessions. After 10 weeks, rats underwent extinction training, followed by 2 weeks in their home cages. Rats were then returned to the operant chambers without ethanol or water to measure responses on the ethanol and water levers for four sessions. After a subsequent 2 weeks in the home cage, without access to ethanol, rats were returned to the operant chambers with ethanol and water available. Effects of antagonists on maintenance responding were tested after several weeks of daily 1-h sessions. Naltrexone (NAL; 1–10 mg/kg, subcutaneously [s.c.]; n = 8/dose), LY255582 (LY; 0.03–1 mg/kg, s.c.; n = 8/dose), or vehicle were injected 30 min before the first session (in the absence of ethanol), following 2 weeks in their home cages, and for four consecutive sessions of ethanol self-administration under maintenance and relapse conditions. Both NAL and LY reduced responses on the ethanol lever without any fluids present, and ethanol self-administration under relapse and on-going drinking conditions, with LY being more potent than NAL. Both NAL and LY were less effective in reducing responding in the absence of ethanol than in reducing ethanol self-administration. Overall, the results indicate that the opioid system is involved in mediating ethanol seeking, and ethanol self-administration under relapse and on-going alcohol drinking, but that different neurocircuits may underlie these behaviors

Cauchy's infinitesimals, his sum theorem, and foundational paradigms

Cauchy's sum theorem is a prototype of what is today a basic result on the convergence of a series of functions in undergraduate analysis. We seek to interpret Cauchy's proof, and discuss the related epistemological questions involved in comparing distinct interpretive paradigms. Cauchy's proof is often interpreted in the modern framework of a Weierstrassian paradigm. We analyze Cauchy's proof closely and show that it finds closer proxies in a different modern framework. Keywords: Cauchy's infinitesimal; sum theorem; quantifier alternation; uniform convergence; foundational paradigms.Comment: 42 pages; to appear in Foundations of Scienc

Toward True Security: A U.S. Nuclear Posture for the Next Decade

This report proposes a nuclear weapons policy for the United States for the next decade that reflects today’s political and strategic realities. By contrast, the official policies and doctrines of both the United States and Russia are mired in Cold War patterns of thought. Eleven years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, both countries still maintain massive nuclear arsenals ready for nearly instant use. Although nuclear war plans differ in size and detail from those drawn up 20 or more years ago, their basic structure remains unchanged. The US nuclear arsenal and doctrine were designed to deter a deliberate large-scale Soviet nuclear attack on the United States and a massive Soviet conventional attack on US European allies, as well as to preserve the option of a disarming first strike against Soviet nuclear forces. This force structure and doctrine are obsolete and jeopardize American national security.Federation of American Scientists, Natural Resources Defense Council, Union of Concerned Scientist

Investigation of VRK1 Point Variants

Vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1) is a protein kinase that phosphorylates a variety of transcription factors and is associated with the regulation of cellular processing. The kinase activity of the VRK1 protein is largely controlled by the substitute folding of the C-terminal tail. Multiple point mutations in VRK1 are associated with degenerative neuromuscular disorders, including L195V, R89Q and Y213H. These mutations have been studied clinically in patients but have seldom been studied in vitro with purified proteins to determine changes in molecular activity and folding. Y213 is located in the functionally important region of the kinase called the activation loop; it is hypothesized that the Y213H mutation may reduce kinase stability and/or substrate binding. R89 is located in the functionally important C-helix, and the R89Q mutation is hypothesized to cause an unstable C-terminal tail conformation in the inactive form of VRK1, resulting in VRK1 being active at inappropriate times during cellular division. L195 is located in the core of the protein near the active site, and the mutant L195V may facilitate interactions with ATP; this mutant has been previously associated with increased phosphorylation of VRK1, p53, and histone H3. In vitro experiments are needed to examine the molecular-level reasons why these mutations cause these known physiological effects. VRK1 L195V, R89Q and Y213H mutations were made to plasmids containing a His-tagged construct of the VRK1 kinase domain. The point mutant proteins were purified and then analyzed by circular dichroism and thermal denaturation to determine their stability and nucleotide affinity. Protein modeling in PyMOL and other programs was used for the conceptual visualization of the kinase and its associated changes due to these mutations. Faculty Mentor: Emily Ruf

Analysis of Factors Contributing to Antenatal Corticosteroid Administration in Threatened Preterm Labor

INTRODUCTION: Antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) are recommended for pregnant persons at risk for imminent preterm delivery within 7 days. Many diagnosed with threatened preterm labor (tPTL) are given ACS but do not deliver until term. The objective of this study was to analyze characteristics of those seen for tPTL who receive ACS to better understand clinical decision-making. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study consisted of patients seen in triage at an urban hospital caring for underserved patients in 2021 for tPTL during pregnancy. Demographic variables (maternal age, race and ethnicity, prior preterm delivery) and obstetric variables (cervical dilation, effacement, membrane rupture, tocolytic administration) were evaluated against the primary outcome of ACS administration. RESULTS: Two hundred ninety pregnant people with 372 unique encounters for tPTL were identified. The mean gestational age at presentation was 33.5 weeks. 107 patients in 111 encounters received ACS, which was associated with lower body mass index (BMI), greater cervical dilation and effacement, membrane rupture, and more frequent contractions (all P<.01). Logistic regression, limited to first encounter in triage, found that BMI (odds ratio 0.91, 95% CI 0.87–0.95), cervical dilation 2 cm or greater (2.49, 1.12–5.35), and cervical effacement 50% or higher (4.80, 2.25–10.24) were significantly associated with patients receiving ACS. Forty-four percent of those receiving ACS delivered within 7 days, compared to 11% of those who did not receive ACS (P<.001). CONCLUSION: Greater cervical dilation and effacement and a lower BMI were associated with ACS administration, although most patients receiving ACS did not deliver within 7 days. These findings will contribute to developing a clinical decision model for administering ACS

Genetic Background and Sex: Impact on Generalizability of Research Findings in Pharmacology Studies

Animal models consisting of inbred laboratory rodent strains have been a powerful tool for decades, helping to unravel the underpinnings of biological problems and employed to evaluate potential therapeutic treatments in drug discovery. While inbred strains demonstrate relatively reliable and predictable responses, using a single inbred strain alone or as a background to a mutation is analogous to running a clinical trial in a single individual and their identical twins. Indeed, complex etiologies drive the most common human diseases, and a single inbred strain that is a surrogate of a single genome, or data generated from a single sex, is not representative of the genetically diverse patient populations. Further, pharmacological and toxicology data generated in otherwise healthy animals may not translate to disease states where physiology, metabolism, and general health are compromised. The purpose of this chapter is to provide guidance for improving generalizability of preclinical studies by providing insight into necessary considerations for introducing systematic variation within the study design, such as genetic diversity, the use of both sexes, and selection of appropriate age and disease model. The outcome of implementing these considerations should be that reproducibility and generalizability of significant results are significantly enhanced leading to improved clinical translation

Analysis of Factors Contributing to Antenatal Corticosteroid Administration in Threatened Preterm Labor

Introduction: Antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) are recommended for pregnant persons who are between 24 and 36+6/7 weeks’ gestational age (GA) and at risk for imminent delivery within 7 days. Many individuals diagnosed as having threatened preterm labor (tPTL) are given ACS but do not deliver until they reach term. This study aimed to describe characteristics of those seen for tPTL who receive ACS to better understand clinical decision-making. Methods: This retrospective cohort study consisted of mothers seen in triage at Eskenazi Hospital in 2021 for tPTL during pregnancy. Multiple demographic variables were evaluated against the primary outcome of ACS administration including maternal age, race/ethnicity, and prior preterm delivery, as well as obstetrical variables such as cervical dilation, effacement, membrane rupture, and tocolytic administration. Results: After exclusions, a cohort of 290 pregnant people with 372 unique encounters remained. The average maternal age was 26.7, and 15.6% of patients had a history of prior preterm birth. 107 patients in 111 encounters received ACS, which were associated with lower BMI, greater cervical dilation, greater effacement, membrane rupture, and more frequent contractions (all p<0.01). The mean GA at triage was 33.5 weeks. Logistic regression, adjusting for significant factors in the univariable analysis, found that BMI (OR 0.93, 0.89-0.97), cervical dilation (OR 1.34, 1.07-1.71), and cervical effacement (OR 1.02, 1.01-1.03) were significantly associated with giving ACS. 44% of those receiving ACS delivered within 7 days, compared to 11% of those who did not receive ACS (p<0.001). Conclusion: Greater cervical dilation and effacement and a lower BMI were associated with ACS administration, though most patients receiving ACS still did not deliver within 7 days. These findings will be further categorized and used to develop a clinical decisional model for administering ACS in those likely to imminently deliver preterm. Presentation recording available online: https://media.dlib.indiana.edu/media_objects/3b592200