TEACHING GROUP DYNAMICS TO ENGINEERING FACULTY

ABSTRACT The introduction of CDIO design-build-test activities into the curriculum leads to an increased need of handling different types and also different sizes of groups of students, i.e. students have less or non experience of working in workspaces, skills of handling tools and machines differs and also sizes of groups it self could be a difficulty. Faculty members involved as supervisors for students conducting design-build-test courses often have difficulties to give proper advice and basic counselling of group dynamics issues for students. When the group doesn't work as a group, solving problems and tasks will be delayed or sometimes not solved at all and grades will be affected for the members of student group. In order to help faculty members in their professions as supervisors, two engineering programmes from Chalmers University of Technology and Royal Institute of Technology have developed a model to bring faculty members from different universities and programmes together, solving and preparing supervising group dynamics difficulties aroused from students in their work in groups. The basic idea and reason to have faculty members from different universities, was to focus on the common problem, but not only, the reason was also to build alliances and tear down barriers for talking and discussing supervising problems among faculty members. The model uses two course days of teaching and workshops. It has been used for two years and has been a success for those who have followed it. This report will present the model and a more thorough evaluation of the outcome. If and how, the impact have been to faculty members, but also how the knowledge, gained during the course, have been used both in teaching and supervising students. The evaluation also aims to find out why some faculty members have not used this opportunity to increase their supervising skills and handling students working in groups. The survey was conducted during the spring of 2006

Applicability of composite Charpy impact method for strain hardening textile reinforced cementitious composites

Since most test methods, used for strain hardening cementitious composites, are adopted from polymer composites test standards, this paper investigates the applicability of a standard impact test (ISO 179-1:2000), which is used in the polymer composites world, on a specific textile reinforced cementitious composite using an inorganic phosphate cement (IPC) as a matrix material. The aim is to provide a test method to investigate the local impact behaviour of textile reinforced cementitious composites. It was found within this work that this method is applicable to cementitious composites provided some adaptations to the specimens' dimensions. The Charpy impact strength of an IPC matrix reinforced with different kinds of fibre types is successfully investigated. This test method can be used to qualitatively rank different cementitious composite materials

Healthy and unhealthy eating after a behaviour change intervention in primary care

Background: To prevent and reduce non-communicable diseases, the Norwegian Directorate of Health encourages Healthy Life Centres (HLCs) in all municipalities. Aims: This study investigates whether the behaviour change interventions at HLCs positively affected participants’ diet and to evaluate predictors for healthy and unhealthy eating. Our data are part of the Norwegian Healthy Life Centre Study, a 6-month, pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT). Methods: Totally, 118 participants ≥18 years old were randomised to an intervention group (n 57), or a waiting list (control group) (n 61). Eighty-six participants met at the 6 months follow-up visit. We merged the participants to one cohort for predictor analyses, using linear regressions. Findings: The RCT of the HLCs’ interventions had no effect on healthy and unhealthy eating 6 months after baseline compared with controls. A short, additional healthy eating education programme produced a modest, statistically significant improvement in healthy eating compared with controls. This did not, however, reduce unhealthy eating. Higher income predicted unhealthier eating over time. Increasing body mass index and impaired physical functioning also led to an increase in unhealthy eating. Healthy eating at 6 months was predicted by self-rated health (SRH), vitality and life satisfaction, and hampered by musculo-skeletal challenges and impaired self-esteem (SE). SRH impacted improvement in healthy eating during the 6 months. The effect of interventions on healthier eating may be improved by an emphasis on developing positive self-concepts like better SRH, vitality, life satisfaction, and SE.publishedVersio

Healthy and unhealthy eating after a behaviour change intervention in primary care

Background: To prevent and reduce non-communicable diseases, the Norwegian Directorate of Health encourages Healthy Life Centres (HLCs) in all municipalities. Aims: This study investigates whether the behaviour change interventions at HLCs positively affected participants’ diet and to evaluate predictors for healthy and unhealthy eating. Our data are part of the Norwegian Healthy Life Centre Study, a 6-month, pragmatic randomised controlled trial (RCT). Methods: Totally, 118 participants ≥18 years old were randomised to an intervention group (n 57), or a waiting list (control group) (n 61). Eighty-six participants met at the 6 months follow-up visit. We merged the participants to one cohort for predictor analyses, using linear regressions. Findings: The RCT of the HLCs’ interventions had no effect on healthy and unhealthy eating 6 months after baseline compared with controls. A short, additional healthy eating education programme produced a modest, statistically significant improvement in healthy eating compared with controls. This did not, however, reduce unhealthy eating. Higher income predicted unhealthier eating over time. Increasing body mass index and impaired physical functioning also led to an increase in unhealthy eating. Healthy eating at 6 months was predicted by self-rated health (SRH), vitality and life satisfaction, and hampered by musculo-skeletal challenges and impaired self-esteem (SE). SRH impacted improvement in healthy eating during the 6 months. The effect of interventions on healthier eating may be improved by an emphasis on developing positive self-concepts like better SRH, vitality, life satisfaction, and SE.publishedVersio

Systems pathology by multiplexed immunohistochemistry and whole-slide digital image analysis

The paradigm of molecular histopathology is shifting from a single-marker immunohistochemistry towards multiplexed detection of markers to better understand the complex pathological processes. However, there are no systems allowing multiplexed IHC (mIHC) with high-resolution whole-slide tissue imaging and analysis, yet providing feasible throughput for routine use. We present an mIHC platform combining fluorescent and chromogenic staining with automated whole-slide imaging and integrated whole-slide image analysis, enabling simultaneous detection of six protein markers and nuclei, and automatic quantification and classification of hundreds of thousands of cells in situ in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. In the first proof-of-concept, we detected immune cells at cell-level resolution (n = 128,894 cells) in human prostate cancer, and analysed T cell subpopulations in different tumour compartments (epithelium vs. stroma). In the second proof-of-concept, we demonstrated an automatic classification of epithelial cell populations (n = 83,558) and glands (benign vs. cancer) in prostate cancer with simultaneous analysis of androgen receptor (AR) and alpha-methylacyl-CoA (AMACR) expression at cell-level resolution. We conclude that the open-source combination of 8-plex mIHC detection, whole-slide image acquisition and analysis provides a robust tool allowing quantitative, spatially resolved whole-slide tissue cytometry directly in formalin-fixed human tumour tissues for improved characterization of histology and the tumour microenvironment.Peer reviewe

Ovarian Cyst Fluid of Serous Ovarian Tumors Contains Large Quantities of the Brain Amino Acid N-acetylaspartate

BACKGROUND: In humans, N-acetyl L-aspartate (NAA) has not been detected in other tissues than the brain. The physiological function of NAA is yet undefined. Recently, it has been suggested that NAA may function as a molecular water pump, responsible for the removal of large amounts of water from the human brain. Ovarian tumors typically present as large cystic masses with considerable fluid accumulation. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, we demonstrated that NAA was present in a high micromolar concentration in oCF of epithelial ovarian tumors (EOTs) of serous histology, sometimes in the same range as found in the extracellular space of the human brain. In contrast, oCF of EOTs with a mucinous, endometrioid and clear cell histological subtype contained a low micromolar concentration of NAA. Serous EOTs have a cellular differentiation pattern which resembles the lining of the fallopian tube and differs from the other histological subtypes. The NAA concentration in two samples of fluid accumulation in the fallopian tube (hydrosalpinx) was in the same ranges as NAA found in oCF of serous EOTs. The NAA concentration in oCF of patients with serous EOTs was mostly 10 to 50 fold higher than their normal serum NAA concentration, whereas in patients with other EOT subtypes, serum and cyst fluid NAA concentration was comparable. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: The high concentration of NAA in cyst fluid of serous EOTs and low serum concentrations of NAA in these patients, suggest a local production of NAA in serous EOTs. Our findings provide the first identification of NAA concentrations high enough to suggest local production outside the human brain. Our findings contribute to the ongoing research understanding the physiological function of NAA in the human body

Physicochemical and rheological properties of a transparent asphalt binder modified with Nano-TiO2

Transparent binder is used to substitute conventional black asphalt binder and to provide light-colored pavements, whereas nano-TiO2 has the potential to promote photocatalytic and self-cleaning properties. Together, these materials provide multifunction effects and benefits when the pavement is submitted to high solar irradiation. This paper analyzes the physicochemical and rheological properties of a transparent binder modified with 0.5%, 3.0%, 6.0%, and 10.0% nano-TiO2 and compares it to the transparent base binder and conventional and polymer modified binders (PMB) without nano-TiO2. Their penetration, softening point, dynamic viscosity, master curve, black diagram, Linear Amplitude Sweep (LAS), Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) were obtained. The transparent binders (base and modified) seem to be workable considering their viscosity, and exhibited values between the conventional binder and PMB with respect to rutting resistance, penetration, and softening point. They showed similar behavior to the PMB, demonstrating signs of polymer modification. The addition of TiO2 seemed to reduce fatigue life, except for the 0.5% content. Nevertheless, its addition in high contents increased the rutting resistance. The TiO2 modification seems to have little effect on the chemical functional indices. The best percentage of TiO2 was 0.5%, with respect to fatigue, and 10.0% with respect to permanent deformation.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia—under the projects for Strategic Funding UIDB/04650/2020 and UIDB/04029/2020, and Nanobased concepts for Innovative and Eco-sustainable constructive material surfaces PTDC/FIS/120412/2010. Furthermore, we would like to thank the Industrial Research Fund (IOF) of the University of Antwerp for funding the PAPPoA project (IOF/SBO/41859/2020). Lastly, the first author would like to acknowledge FCT for the PhD scholarship (SFRH/BD/137421/2018