2016 ASC Bidding Competition – Heavy Civil

We represent the 2016 Montana Tech Heavy Civil team. Our senior design project consisted of competing in the Region 6 ASC (Associated Schools of Construction) Heavy Civil Bidding Competition in Reno, Nevada. The competition required a full year of preparation. The Fall semester was dedicated to planning, practicing, and gathering resources, while the second semester involved traveling to Reno and performing in the competition. Our preparation involved performing practice bids where various aspects of heavy civil construction were studied. We also devoted a significant amount of time developing our presentation skills, and team building exercises were implemented to encourage unit cohesion. Industry professionals were consulted to enhance our knowledge base and give us new perspective on how to look at a project. Finally, our preparation culminated with a simulated competition where we estimated a project and presented our solution to a mock panel of judges. The competition involved a 16-hour time-frame where we developed our bid and solution for the given problem statement. We were then given 8 hours to prepare for a 20 minute presentation which was followed by a 10 minute Q&A session. Our efforts placed us 5th out of 12 teams

Employment outcomes of people with Long Covid symptoms:community-based cohort study

Background: Evidence on the long-term employment consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection is lacking. We used data from a large, community-based sample in the UK to estimate associations between Long Covid and employment outcomes.Methods: This was an observational, longitudinal study using a pre-post design. We included survey participants from 3 February 2021 to 30 September 2022 when they were aged 16-64 years and not in education. Using conditional logit modelling, we explored the time-varying relationship between Long Covid status ≥12 weeks after a first test-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (reference: pre-infection) and labour market inactivity (neither working nor looking for work) or workplace absence lasting ≥4 weeks.Results: Of 206,299 participants (mean age 45 years, 54% female, 92% white), 15% were ever labour market inactive and 10% were ever long-term absent during follow-up. Compared with pre-infection, inactivity was higher in participants reporting Long Covid 30 to <40 weeks (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.81) or 40 to <52 weeks (aOR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.72) post-infection. Combining with official statistics on Long Covid prevalence, and assuming a correct statistical model, our estimates translate to 27,000 (95% CI: 6,000 to 47,000) working-age adults in the UK being inactive because of Long Covid in July 2022.Conclusions: Long Covid is likely to have contributed to reduced participation in the UK labour market, though it is unlikely to be the sole driver. Further research is required to quantify the contribution of other factors, such as indirect health effects of the pandemic

The Somatic Genomic Landscape of Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma

We describe the landscape of somatic genomic alterations of 66 chromophobe renal cell carcinomas (ChRCCs) based on multidimensional and comprehensive characterization, including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and whole genome sequencing. The result is consistent that ChRCC originates from the distal nephron compared to other kidney cancers with more proximal origins. Combined mtDNA and gene expression analysis implicates changes in mitochondrial function as a component of the disease biology, while suggesting alternative roles for mtDNA mutations in cancers relying on oxidative phosphorylation. Genomic rearrangements lead to recurrent structural breakpoints within TERT promoter region, which correlates with highly elevated TERT expression and manifestation of kataegis, representing a mechanism of TERT up-regulation in cancer distinct from previously-observed amplifications and point mutations

Health disparities faced by female caregivers when caring for older adults and children in middle-income countries

Project files are comprised of 1 page pdf and presentation recording in mp4 format.Health Disparities faced by female caregivers when caring for older adults and children in middle-income countries JANAE H. HOUSTON1, ALICIA M. DELOUIZE1, J. JOSH SNODGRASS1 1Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon; 2World Health Organization (Switzerland); 3Research Centre for Generational Health and Ageing, University of Newcastle (Australia) As middle-income populations age there has been a push to improve health in this demographic because they account for much of the world’s population. The relationship between caregiving and poor health requires further investigation. We analyzed data of female caregivers between 18-50 years old (N = 15975) responsible for children or older adults in Ghana, South Africa, Mexico, Russia, and India. We tested the following hypotheses; 1) Caregiving will be associated with overall poorer health in all 5 countries; 2) difficulties associated with caregiving would be affiliated with overall worse self-reported health due to less sustainable income, lived in rural areas, and were not married. Between 4.0 and 14.3 percent of the populations in each country are caregivers, with older caregivers in our sample often caring for children. Caregiving was associated with poor health in all countries except Mexico (where caregiving was not associated with health) and Russia (where caregiving was positively associated with health; t’s = -1.74 to 1.90, p’s = .03 to .26), and reported difficulties associated with caregiving were associated with poor health in caregivers in Ghana, India, and Russia (β’s = .09 to .27, p’s = < .001 to .45). It was shown that low income status was a significant factors associated with poorer health in caregivers across all nations except Ghana (β’s = -0.26 to -0.06, p’s = .01 to .03). Since there are differences in the relationship between caregiver difficulties and health across nations, investigating what leads to these differences could improve outcomes for this population globally. Funding Citation: NIH NIA Interagency Agreement YA1323-08-CN-0020; NIH R01-AG034479; WHO; Ministry of Health in Mexico; Shanghai CDC in China; NDH in South Africa; University of Ghana Medical School; USAID; University of Oregon Bray Fellowship.NIH NIA Interagency Agreement YA1323-08-CN-0020; NIH R01-AG034479; WHO; Ministry of Health in Mexico; Shanghai CDC in China; NDH in South Africa; University of Ghana Medica

A Virtual Necropsy: Applications of 3D Scanning for Marine Mammal Pathology and Education

Stranded large whales represent an opportunity to learn about the anatomy and health of these cryptic free-ranging animals. However, where time and access is frequently limited, law enforcement and management priorities often take precedence over research, outreach, and educational uses. On 14 March 2021, a dead female adult humpback whale was reported stranded on an uninhabited island 15 miles west of Sitka, Alaska. The whale was three-dimensionally scanned using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and photogrammetry before, during, and at multiple time points after a necropsy, including full decomposition 17 days later (NOAA Fisheries permit 18786-01). These scans were organized and displayed on the site Sketchfab with annotations and made publically available as a “4D virtual necropsy” (the fourth dimension is time). After one month, our user survey indicated widespread interest in the platform by both the local community and worldwide by stranding professionals, researchers, and educators. We are unaware of another 3D scan involving a large whale with soft tissue for teaching, research, or public display, despite the ease of 3D scanning with current technologies and the wide-ranging applications

Employment outcomes of people with Long Covid symptoms: community-based cohort study

Background: evidence on the long-term employment consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection is lacking. We used data from a large, community-based sample in the UK to estimate associations between Long Covid and subsequent employment outcomes.Methods: this was an observational, longitudinal study using a pre-post design. We included UK COVID-19 Infection Survey participants who completed questionnaires on Long Covid from 3 February 2021 to 30 September 2022 when they were aged 16 to 64 years and not in full-time education. We used conditional logit modelling to explore the time-varying relationship between Long Covid status ≥12 weeks after a first test-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (reference: pre-infection) and labour market inactivity (neither working nor looking for work) or workplace absence lasting ≥4 weeks.Results: of 206,299 included participants (mean age 45 years, 54% female, 92% white), 15% were ever inactive in the labour market and 10% were ever long-term absent during follow-up. Compared with pre-infection, inactivity was higher in participants reporting Long Covid 30 to &lt;40 weeks (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.45; 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.81) or 40 to &lt;52 weeks (1.34; 1.05 to 1.72) post-infection. Compared with pre-infection, reporting Long Covid was also associated with increased odds of long-term absence 18 to &lt;24 weeks (1.40; 1.04 to 1.90) and 24 to &lt;30 weeks (1.45; 1.03 to 2.04) post-infection, but not beyond 30 weeks. Combining with official statistics on Long Covid prevalence, our estimates translate to 27,000 (95% CI: 6,000 to 47,000) working-age adults in the UK being inactive because of their Long Covid symptoms in July 2022.Conclusions: Long Covid is likely to have contributed to reduced levels of participation in the UK labour market, though it is unlikely to be the sole driver. Further research is required to quantify the contribution of other factors, such as indirect health effects of the pandemic

Employment outcomes of people with Long Covid symptoms: community-based cohort study

Background Evidence on the long-term employment consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection is lacking. We used data from a large, community-based sample in the UK to estimate associations between Long Covid and employment outcomes. Methods This was an observational, longitudinal study using a pre–post design. We included survey participants from 3 February 2021 to 30 September 2022 when they were aged 16–64 years and not in education. Using conditional logit modelling, we explored the time-varying relationship between Long Covid status ≥12 weeks after a first test-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (reference: pre-infection) and labour market inactivity (neither working nor looking for work) or workplace absence lasting ≥4 weeks. Results Of 206 299 participants (mean age 45 years, 54% female, 92% white), 15% were ever labour market inactive and 10% were ever long-term absent during follow-up. Compared with pre-infection, inactivity was higher in participants reporting Long Covid 30 to <40 weeks [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 1.45; 95% CI: 1.17–1.81] or 40 to <52 weeks (aOR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.05–1.72) post-infection. Combining with official statistics on Long Covid prevalence, and assuming a correct statistical model, our estimates translate to 27 000 (95% CI: 6000–47 000) working-age adults in the UK being inactive because of Long Covid in July 2022. Conclusions Long Covid is likely to have contributed to reduced participation in the UK labour market, though it is unlikely to be the sole driver. Further research is required to quantify the contribution of other factors, such as indirect health effects of the pandemic.</p