Case Methods in Civil Engineering Teaching

English: There have been significant changes in undergraduate civil engineering curricula in the last two decades. Key issues for university curriculum committees are selection and transference of appropriate skills and attributes for students to succeed in the industry. Despite significant changes occurring in teaching theories, civil engineering education still relies heavily on deductive instruction. Case-based teaching is one of the most widespread forms of inductive learning and this paper describes the differences between two of the most familiar types: \u27case-histories\u27 and \u27case-studies\u27. These methods are presented using the Kansas City Hyatt Regency walkway collapse as an exemplar. The benefits of using this approach are improved retention of knowledge, better reasoning and analytical skills, development of higher-order skills, greater ability to identify relevant issues and recognize multiple perspectives, higher motivation and awareness of non-technical issues. Many of these outcomes are part of the expected attributes of civil engineers outlined by professional bodies. French: Les programmes d\u27enseignement de premier cycle en génie civil ont subi de grands changements au cours des deux dernières décennies. Les questions clés pour les comités de programmes universitaires sont la sélection et le transfert des connaissances et des qualités appropriées aux étudiants pour qu\u27ils réussissent dans l\u27industrie. Malgré des changements importants dans les théories d\u27enseignement, l\u27éducation en génie civil est encore grandement fondée sur l\u27apprentissage déductif. L\u27enseignement basé sur des cas est l\u27une des formes les plus étendues de l\u27apprentissage inductif et le présent article décrit les différences entre les deux types les plus familiers : l\u27étude des dossiers individuels et la méthode des cas. Ces méthodes sont présentées en utilisant l\u27exemple de l\u27effondrement de la passerelle du Hyatt Regency de Kansas City. Les avantages d\u27utiliser cette approche sont une rétention améliorée des connaissances, de meilleures capacités analytiques et de raisonnement, le développement de capacités d\u27ordre supérieur, une meilleure capacité à identifier les questions pertinentes et à reconnaître les multiples points de vue, une meilleure motivation et une sensibilisation aux questions non techniques. Plusieurs de ces résultats font partie des qualités escomptées chez les ingénieurs civils, tels que soulignées par les corps professionnels

Advanced cancer patient preferences for receiving molecular profiling results

Objective: This study aimed to discern preferences for receiving somatic molecular profiling (MP) results in cancer patients who have given consent to undergo testing. Methods: We conducted a mixed‐methods study to explore patients’ views on which MP results they would like to receive and why. Advanced cancer patients (n=1299) completed questionnaires after giving consent to participate in a parent genomics study and undergoing MP. A subset of patients (n=20) participated in qualitative interviews. Results: Almost all (96%) participants were interested in receiving results which would direct cancer treatment (i.e. were actionable). A smaller majority wanted to access results which were not actionable (64%) or were variants of unknown significance (60%). Most (86%) were interested in finding out about germline findings, though not as a priority. Themes identified in interview data were: 1) Cancer is the focus; 2) Trust in clinicians; and 3) Respect for a right not to know. Conclusions: The majority of advanced cancer patients undergoing MP prioritised results which would lead to treatment options. They trusted their oncologists to help them navigate the results return process. While there was interest in knowing about other results, this was a lesser priority. Nevertheless, given high levels of interest in receiving all results, ethical aspects of not providing uninformative results requires further research, including a consideration of patient rationales for desiring this information and what health professionals can and should do to support patients in the absence of meaningful information being available. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Estrogen and COVID-19 symptoms: Associations in women from the COVID Symptom Study

It has been widely observed that adult men of all ages are at higher risk of developing serious complications from COVID-19 when compared with women. This study aimed to investigate the association of COVID-19 positivity and severity with estrogen exposure in women, in a population based matched cohort study of female users of the COVID Symptom Study application in the UK. Analyses included 152,637 women for menopausal status, 295,689 women for exogenous estrogen intake in the form of the combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), and 151,193 menopausal women for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Data were collected using the COVID Symptom Study in May-June 2020. Analyses investigated associations between predicted or tested COVID-19 status and menopausal status, COCP use, and HRT use, adjusting for age, smoking and BMI, with follow-up age sensitivity analysis, and validation in a subset of participants from the TwinsUK cohort. Menopausal women had higher rates of predicted COVID-19 (P = 0.003). COCP-users had lower rates of predicted COVID-19 (P = 8.03E-05), with reduction in hospital attendance (P = 0.023). Menopausal women using HRT or hormonal therapies did not exhibit consistent associations, including increased rates of predicted COVID-19 (P = 2.22E-05) for HRT users alone. The findings support a protective effect of estrogen exposure on COVID-19, based on positive association between predicted COVID-19 with menopausal status, and negative association with COCP use. HRT use was positively associated with COVID-19, but the results should be considered with caution due to lack of data on HRT type, route of administration, duration of treatment, and potential unaccounted for confounders and comorbidities

Case Methods in Civil Engineering Teaching

English: There have been significant changes in undergraduate civil engineering curricula in the last two decades. Key issues for university curriculum committees are selection and transference of appropriate skills and attributes for students to succeed in the industry. Despite significant changes occurring in teaching theories, civil engineering education still relies heavily on deductive instruction. Case-based teaching is one of the most widespread forms of inductive learning and this paper describes the differences between two of the most familiar types: \u27case-histories\u27 and \u27case-studies\u27. These methods are presented using the Kansas City Hyatt Regency walkway collapse as an exemplar. The benefits of using this approach are improved retention of knowledge, better reasoning and analytical skills, development of higher-order skills, greater ability to identify relevant issues and recognize multiple perspectives, higher motivation and awareness of non-technical issues. Many of these outcomes are part of the expected attributes of civil engineers outlined by professional bodies. French: Les programmes d\u27enseignement de premier cycle en génie civil ont subi de grands changements au cours des deux dernières décennies. Les questions clés pour les comités de programmes universitaires sont la sélection et le transfert des connaissances et des qualités appropriées aux étudiants pour qu\u27ils réussissent dans l\u27industrie. Malgré des changements importants dans les théories d\u27enseignement, l\u27éducation en génie civil est encore grandement fondée sur l\u27apprentissage déductif. L\u27enseignement basé sur des cas est l\u27une des formes les plus étendues de l\u27apprentissage inductif et le présent article décrit les différences entre les deux types les plus familiers : l\u27étude des dossiers individuels et la méthode des cas. Ces méthodes sont présentées en utilisant l\u27exemple de l\u27effondrement de la passerelle du Hyatt Regency de Kansas City. Les avantages d\u27utiliser cette approche sont une rétention améliorée des connaissances, de meilleures capacités analytiques et de raisonnement, le développement de capacités d\u27ordre supérieur, une meilleure capacité à identifier les questions pertinentes et à reconnaître les multiples points de vue, une meilleure motivation et une sensibilisation aux questions non techniques. Plusieurs de ces résultats font partie des qualités escomptées chez les ingénieurs civils, tels que soulignées par les corps professionnels

A Numerical Approach to Estimate Natural Frequency of Trees with Variable Properties

Free vibration analysis of a Euler-Bernoulli tapered column was conducted using the finite element method to identify the vibration modes of an equivalent tree structure under a specified set of conditions. A non-prismatic elastic circular column of height L was analysed, taking distributed self-weight into account. Various scenarios were considered: column taper, base fixity, radial and longitudinal stiffness (E) and density (ρ) and crown mass. The effect on the first natural frequency was assessed in each case. Validation against closed form solutions of benchmark problems was conducted satisfactorily. The results show that column taper, base fixity and E/ρ ratio are particularly important for this problem. Comparison of predictions with field observations of natural sway frequency for almost 700 coniferous and broadleaved trees from the published literature showed that the model worked well for coniferous trees, but less well for broadleaved trees with their more complicated crown architecture. Overall, the current study provides an in-depth numerical investigation of material properties, geometric properties and boundary conditions to create further understanding of vibration behaviour in trees

Temperature compensation techniques for resonantly enhanced sensors and devices based on optical microcoil resonators

It is well known that environmental effects have a major influence on the optical stability of resonantly enhanced sensors and devices based on optical microfiber, namely in the configuration of a microcoil resonator. We propose a geometric design to reduce such effects by chirping the refractive index of successive paired turns in the microcoil resonator. The resistance to external effects such as temperature drifts can be considerably improved by optimizing the coupling coefficients and chirping profile, such that the wavelength span of the resonant condition is maximized without compensating its sensitivity to the desired measurand. We also demonstrate another technique based on resonant wavelength tuning using a compact piezoelectric ceramic disk measuring 3mm in diameter and 1mm in thickness, attaining tunability as high as 6.5pm/100V