A Grounded Qualitative Analysis of the Effect of a Focus Group on Design Process in a Virtual Internship

A key component associated with the development of an entrepreneurial mindset is the ability to understand customerneeds and consider this when developing a product. This study sought to understand whether the inclusion of a customerfocus group as part of a virtual internship created any differences in the design processes of sophomore engineeringstudents (114 students). The Nephrotex virtual internship requires that students design a dialysis membrane by optimizinga selection of four components: membrane polymer, polymerization process, processing surfactant, and carbon nanotubepercentage. We found that sophomores who engaged in a focus group during the virtual internship Nephrotex showed(statistically) equal focus on cost versus technical measures of design performance during the focus group. Despite this,design cost was lower in the section that participated in a focus group, with no decrease in product quality. This indicatesthat customer voice may be an important factor in decreasing product cost. We also found that sophomore studentsprioritized their interviewing of customers within the focus group towards end users, such as the patient and nephrologist.Qualitative analysis of sophomore responses demonstrated that they found utility in the focus group (30% of participants)but did not necessarily believe that the customers had useful knowledge of the relevant design attributes (17% ofparticipants). Such realizations may have contributed to the equivalent quality and decreased costs associated with thedesigns of sophomores who participated in a focus group

Altering the viscoelastic properties of mucus-grown Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms affects antibiotic susceptibility

The viscoelastic properties of biofilms are correlated with their susceptibility to mechanical and chemical stress, and the airway environment in muco-obstructive pulmonary diseases (MOPD) facilitates robust biofilm formation. Hyperconcentrated, viscoelastic mucus promotes chronic inflammation and infection, resulting in increased mucin and DNA concentrations. The viscoelastic properties of biofilms are regulated by biopolymers, including polysaccharides and DNA, and influence responses to antibiotics and phagocytosis. We hypothesize that targeted modulation of biofilm rheology will compromise structural integrity and increase antibiotic susceptibility and mucociliary transport. We evaluate biofilm rheology on the macro, micro, and nano scale as a function of treatment with a reducing agent, a biopolymer, and/or tobramycin to define the relationship between the viscoelastic properties of biofilms and susceptibility. Disruption of the biofilm architecture is associated with altered macroscopic and microscopic moduli, rapid vector permeability, increased antibiotic susceptibility, and improved mucociliary transport, suggesting that biofilm modulating therapeutics will improve the treatment of chronic respiratory infections in MOPD

Influence of End Customer Exposure on Product Design within an Epistemic Game Environment

Engineering product design requires both technical aptitude and an understanding of the non-technical requirements in the marketplace, economic or otherwise. Engineering education has long focused on the technical side of product design, but there is increasing demand for market-aware engineers in industry. Market-awareness and customer-focus are also associated with entrepreneurship, which has been given increased focus in engineering education. A common tool for gauging customer interest in industry is the focus group. Herein we examine the effect of customer voice as presented in a focus group for influencing engineering product design generated by students as part of the virtual internship and epistemic game Nephrotex. We find that customer exposure is related to decreased product cost without a change in product quality. Therefore, we suggest that the injection of customer voice into the engineering curriculum is a valid method by which to improve engineering design pedagogy

Representation of MCTD imaging for transport of biofilms.

MCT occurs counterclockwise with n≥3 videos per quadrant per biofilm. Figure created with biorender.com.</p

Matrix of biofilm treatment combinations.

People with muco-obstructive pulmonary diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often have acute or chronic respiratory infections that are difficult to treat due in part to the accumulation of hyperconcentrated mucus within the airway. Mucus accumulation and obstruction promote chronic inflammation and infection and reduce therapeutic efficacy. Bacterial aggregates in the form of biofilms exhibit increased resistance to mechanical stressors from the immune response (e.g., phagocytosis) and chemical treatments including antibiotics. Herein, combination treatments designed to disrupt the mechanical properties of biofilms and potentiate antibiotic efficacy are investigated against mucus-grown Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms and optimized to 1) alter biofilm viscoelastic properties, 2) increase mucociliary transport rates, and 3) reduce bacterial viability. A disulfide bond reducing agent (tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine, TCEP), a surfactant (NP40), a biopolymer (hyaluronic acid, HA), a DNA degradation enzyme (DNase), and an antibiotic (tobramycin) are tested in various combinations to maximize biofilm disruption. The viscoelastic properties of biofilms are quantified with particle tracking microrheology and transport rates are quantified in a mucociliary transport device comprised of fully differentiated primary human bronchial epithelial cells. The combination of the NP40 with hyaluronic acid and tobramycin was the most effective at increasing mucociliary transport rates, decreasing the viscoelastic properties of mucus, and reducing bacterial viability. Multimechanistic targeting of biofilm infections may ultimately result in improved clinical outcomes, and the results of this study may be translated into future in vivo infection models.</div

HBE mucus rheology and transport as a function of concentration and treatment conditions.

A) Mucus complex viscosity distribution with % solids concentration. Data is representative of the distribution of every tracked particle complex viscosity. B) Mucus ensemble complex viscosity as a function of % solids ± treatment with 10 mM TCEP. Data is presented as the mean ± standard deviation of complex viscosity values for n≥3 separately prepared and evaluated mucus samples. Statistical significance was determined using single factor ANOVA with post hoc Tukey analysis. C) MCT rates of mucus as a function of % solids ± treatment with 10 mM TCEP. Data is presented as the mean ± standard deviation of MCT rates for n≥6 videos of mucus transport. Statistical significance was determined using single factor ANOVA with post hoc Tukey Kramer analysis. D) Power law relationship between mucus complex viscosity values and measured MCT rates in racetrack cultures.</p

This file contains supporting table and supporting figures.

This file contains supporting table and supporting figures.</p

The non-Gaussian parameter κ as a function of treatment conditions for n≥4 separately prepared and evaluated biofilms.

Larger values are associated with increasing heterogeneity.</p

Characterization of cilia beat frequency and mucociliary transport in racetrack cultures.

A) Average cilia beat frequency for each quadrant of two separate cultures. B) Overall average cilia beat frequency from five cultures. C) Mean MCT rates of beads in PBS for five separately prepared and evaluated cultures. Data is representative of the average and standard deviation of ≥3 individual measurements.</p