Diversity in Engineering Technology Students

In the US, there are two academic pathways to a career in engineering: Engineering and Engineering Technology (ET). Engineering Technology attracts more African American and Latin American students than traditional engineering programs. Nationally, African American students are more than twice as likely to enroll in an ET program versus Engineering. We suspect it may be due to traditional Engineering programs’ requirement of higher levels of math and science classes, often lacking in under-privileged or underserved urban or rural high schools. Recently published research by the New York Equity Coalition supports this supposition. Understanding the reasons for the higher representation of these students in ET can provide insights on the background of these students for developing effective practices and programming to improve retention of this cohort. It would also provide useful information for increasing the diversity of traditional engineering programs. This paper presents initial findings from a work in progress that is part of a multi-institution study to understand the factors that influence initial matriculation into and retention in engineering technology programs

Engineering Technology Undergraduate Students: A Survey of Demographics and Mentoring

A report published by a group of engineering technology practitioners and others interested in engineering technology called “Engineering Technology Education in the United States” was released in early 2017. The report provided recommendations of areas for further study related to engineering technology students to increase our understanding of the population. These specifically suggested focusing on the students in comparison to other students in similar and different fields of study. Following these recommendations, a team of engineering technology education researchers has been collaborating to gather information in these areas. The team obtained institutional approval and distributed two surveys throughout the United States. The first survey was directed towards undergraduate students and the other towards those who have already completed their undergraduate degrees. This paper is focused on a high-level review of the results of the undergraduate survey, with future, in-depth publications focused on the issues identified by the report. The survey was designed to address the issues described in the report focused on matriculation, retention, and graduation from engineering technology. In this case, we are examining the demographics of undergraduate engineering technology students, mentoring, and other issues that participants self-reported, as related to their peers in other STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) majors. Later work will focus more on program (2-year vs 4-year) comparisons, socioeconomic issues, and level of preparation for the various majors categorized as STEAM. This paper is not intended to provide responses to the recommendations of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) report, but rather provide an overview of the responses to the inquiry focused on addressing this topic. The undergraduate engineering technology student subset of the STEAM survey respondents is about 68% male and 30% female. This is as expected, recognizing that engineering technology and related disciplines tend to be male dominated. The reporting students most frequently identified as white, followed by Asian and Hispanic. Most students attended a suburban, public high school and about 47% of students reported receiving no support as they prepared to attend college

Engineering Technology Graduates: A Survey of Demographics and Mentoring

Early in 2017, a team of engineering technology practitioners along with others interested in the state of engineering technology published a report entitled “Engineering Technology Education in the United States.” This report garnered a list of recommendations and things that needed to be investigated to further our understanding of this student population; specifically focusing on the students and how they relate to other students studying both similar and different material. A team of like-minded engineering technology education researchers have been working together to ascertain the answers to the findings. They prepared two surveys, obtained institutional approval, and distributed it throughout the United States. One survey was designed to query undergraduate students and the other student graduates or those who have already graduated. This paper is intended to provide a high-level review of what was found in the graduate survey, while future journal publications will take a deeper look into some of the prevailing issues identified by the report. The survey was designed to address issues described in the report as “loose coupling” of completed degrees and employment. In this case, we are examining the demographics of graduates and potential influences of their career and academic choices. Later work will focus more on salaries and other factors that influence engineering technology graduates and their lives post-graduation. Responding graduates are closely aligned to the graduate demographic with nearly 57% male and nearly 42% female. Since STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) graduates were polled, the number is expected to be closer to par, representing the general graduate population. Most students were white, followed by Hispanic and Asian; other races are far fewer in number. Nearly 17% of the graduates began their studies in a two-year institution, and the balance at a 4-year institution. Thirty-three percent of the respondents stated they had a graduate degree. This paper will focus on the engineering technology graduate subset of the STEAM graduate survey respondents

Fall prevention and vitamin D in the elderly: an overview of the key role of the non-bone effects

Preventing falls and fall-related fractures in the elderly is an objective yet to be reached. There is increasing evidence that a supplementation of vitamin D and/or of calcium may reduce the fall and fracture rates. A vitamin D-calcium supplement appears to have a high potential due to its simple application and its low cost. However, published studies have shown conflicting results as some studies failed to show any effect, while others reported a significant decrease of falls and fractures. Through a 15-year literature overview, and after a brief reminder on mechanism of falls in older adults, we reported evidences for a vitamin D action on postural adaptations - i.e., muscles and central nervous system - which may explain the decreased fall and bone fracture rates and we underlined the reasons for differences and controversies between published data. Vitamin D supplementation should thus be integrated into primary and secondary fall prevention strategies in older adults

Higher Vitamin D Dietary Intake Is Associated With Lower Risk of Alzheimer's Disease: A 7-Year Follow-up

Background. Hypovitaminosis D is associated with cognitive decline among older adults. The relationship between vitamin D intakes and cognitive decline is not well understood. Our objective was to determine whether the dietary intake of vitamin D was an independent predictor of the onset of dementia within 7 years among women aged 75 years and older. Methods. Four hundred and ninety-eight community-dwelling women (mean, 79.8 ± 3.8 years) free of vitamin D supplements from the EPIDemiology of OSteoporosis Toulouse cohort study were divided into three groups according to the onset of dementia within 7 years (ie, no dementia, Alzheimer's disease [AD], or other dementias). Baseline vitamin D dietary intakes were estimated from self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Age, body mass index, initial cognitive performance, education level, physical activity, sun exposure, disability, number of chronic diseases, hypertension, depression, use of psychoactive drugs, and baseline season were considered as potential confounders. Results. Women who developed AD (n = 70) had lower baseline vitamin D intakes (mean, 50.3 ± 19.3 μg/wk) than nondemented (n = 361; mean intake = 59.0 ± 29.9 μg/wk, p = .027) or those who developed other dementias (n = 67; mean intake = 63.6 ± 38.1 μg/wk, p = .010). There was no difference between other dementias and no dementia (p = .247). Baseline vitamin D dietary intakes were associated with the onset of AD (adjusted odds ratio = 0.99 [95% confidence interval = 0.98-0.99], p = .041) but not with other dementias (p = .071). Being in the highest quintile of vitamin D dietary intakes was associated with a lower risk of AD compared with the lower 4 quintiles combined (adjusted odds ratio = 0.23 [95% confidence interval = 0.08-0.67], p = .007). Conclusions. Higher vitamin D dietary intake was associated with a lower risk of developing AD among older wome

Data-driven models of dominantly-inherited Alzheimer’s disease progression

Dominantly-inherited Alzheimer's disease is widely hoped to hold the key to developing interventions for sporadic late onset Alzheimer's disease. We use emerging techniques in generative data-driven disease-progression modelling to characterise dominantly-inherited Alzheimer’s disease progression with unprecedented resolution, and without relying upon familial estimates of years until symptom onset (EYO). We retrospectively analysed biomarker data from the sixth data freeze of the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network observational study, including measures of amyloid proteins and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain, regional brain volumes and cortical thicknesses, brain glucose hypometabolism, and cognitive performance from the Mini-Mental State Examination (all adjusted for age, years of education, sex, and head size, as appropriate). Data included 338 participants with known mutation status (211 mutation carriers: 163 PSEN1; 17 PSEN2; and 31 APP) and a baseline visit (age 19–66; up to four visits each, 1·1±1·9 years in duration; spanning 30 years before, to 21 years after, parental age of symptom onset). We used an event-based model to estimate sequences of biomarker changes from baseline data across disease subtypes (mutation groups), and a differential-equation model to estimate biomarker trajectories from longitudinal data (up to 66 mutation carriers, all subtypes combined). The two models concur that biomarker abnormality proceeds as follows: amyloid deposition in cortical then sub-cortical regions (approximately 24±11 years before onset); CSF p-tau (17±8 years), tau and Aβ42 changes; neurodegeneration first in the putamen and nucleus accumbens (up to 6±2 years); then cognitive decline (7±6 years), cerebral hypometabolism (4±4 years), and further regional neurodegeneration. Our models predicted symptom onset more accurately than EYO: root-mean-squared error of 1·35 years versus 5·54 years. The models reveal hidden detail on dominantly-inherited Alzheimer's disease progression, as well as providing data-driven systems for fine-grained patient staging and prediction of symptom onset with great potential utility in clinical trials

Association between body mass index and response to duloxetine for aromatase inhibitor‐associated musculoskeletal symptoms in SWOG S1202

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149517/1/cncr32024.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149517/2/cncr32024_am.pd

Successful Protein Extraction from Over-Fixed and Long-Term Stored Formalin-Fixed Tissues

One of the major breakthroughs in molecular pathology during the last decade was the successful extraction of full-length proteins from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) clinical tissues. However, only limited data are available for the protein extraction efficiency of over-fixed tissues and FFPE blocks that had been stored for more than 15 years in pathology archives. In this study we evaluated the protein extraction efficiency of FFPE tissues which had been formalin-fixed for up to 144 hours and tissue blocks that were stored for 20 years, comparing an established and a new commercial buffer system. Although there is a decrease in protein yield with increasing fixation time, the new buffer system allows a protein recovery of 66% from 144 hours fixed tissues compared to tissues that were fixed for 6 hours. Using the established extraction procedure, less than 50% protein recovery was seen. Similarly, the protein extraction efficiency decreases with longer storage times of the paraffin blocks. Comparing the two buffer systems, we found that 50% more proteins can be extracted from FFPE blocks that were stored for 20 years when the new buffer system is used. Taken together, our data show that the new buffer system is superior compared to the established one. Because tissue fixation times vary in the routine clinical setting and pathology archives contain billions of FFPE tissues blocks, our data are highly relevant for research, diagnosis, and treatment of disease

Critical care staffing ratio and outcome of COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care unit admission during the first pandemic wave: a retrospective analysis across Switzerland from the RISC-19-ICU observational cohort

STUDY AIM: The surge of admissions due to severe COVID-19 increased the patients-to-critical care staffing ratio within the ICUs. We investigated whether the daily level of staffing was associated with an increased risk of ICU mortality (primary endpoint), length of stay (LOS), mechanical ventilation and the evolution of disease (secondary endpoints). METHODS: We employed a retrospective multicentre analysis of the international Risk Stratification in COVID-19 patients in the ICU (RISC-19-ICU) registry, limited to the period between March 1 and May 31, 2020, and to Switzerland. Hierarchical regression models were used to investigate crude and adjusted effects of the critical care staffing ratio on study endpoints. We adjusted for disease severity and weekly caseload. RESULTS: Among the 38 participating Swiss ICUs, 17 recorded staffing information. The study population included 437 patients and 2,342 daily assessments of patient-to-critical care staffing ratio. Median of daily patient-to-nurse ratio started at 1.0 [IQR 0.5–1.5; calendar week 9] and peaked at 2.4 (IQR 0.4–2.0; calendar week 16), while the median of daily patient-to-physician ratio started at 4.0 (IQR 2.1–5.0; calendar week 9) and peaked at 6.8 (IQR 6.3–7.3; calendar week 19). Neither the patient-to-nurse (adjusted OR 1.28, 95% CI 0.85–1.93; doubling of ratio) nor the patient-to-physician ratio (adjusted OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.87–1.32; doubling of ratio) were associated with ICU mortality. We found no association of daily critical care staffing on the secondary endpoints in adjusted models. CONCLUSION: We found no association of reduced availability of critical care staffing resources in Swiss ICUs with overall ICU length of stay nor mortality. Whether long-term outcome of critically ill patients with COVID-19 have been affected remains to be studied

Critical care staffing ratio and outcome of COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care unit admission during the first pandemic wave: a retrospective analysis across Switzerland from the RISC-19-ICU observational cohort.

STUDY AIM The surge of admissions due to severe COVID-19 increased the patients-to-critical care staffing ratio within the ICUs. We investigated whether the daily level of staffing was associated with an increased risk of ICU mortality (primary endpoint), length of stay (LOS), mechanical ventilation and the evolution of disease (secondary endpoints). METHODS We employed a retrospective multicentre analysis of the international Risk Stratification in COVID-19 patients in the ICU (RISC-19-ICU) registry, limited to the period between March 1 and May 31, 2020, and to Switzerland. Hierarchical regression models were used to investigate crude and adjusted effects of the critical care staffing ratio on study endpoints. We adjusted for disease severity and weekly caseload. RESULTS Among the 38 participating Swiss ICUs, 17 recorded staffing information. The study population included 437 patients and 2,342 daily assessments of patient-to-critical care staffing ratio. Median of daily patient-to-nurse ratio started at 1.0 [IQR 0.5-1.5; calendar week 9] and peaked at 2.4 (IQR 0.4-2.0; calendar week 16), while the median of daily patient-to-physician ratio started at 4.0 (IQR 2.1-5.0; calendar week 9) and peaked at 6.8 (IQR 6.3-7.3; calendar week 19). Neither the patient-to-nurse (adjusted OR 1.28, 95% CI 0.85-1.93; doubling of ratio) nor the patient-to-physician ratio (adjusted OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.87-1.32; doubling of ratio) were associated with ICU mortality. We found no association of daily critical care staffing on the secondary endpoints in adjusted models. CONCLUSION We found no association of reduced availability of critical care staffing resources in Swiss ICUs with overall ICU length of stay nor mortality. Whether long-term outcome of critically ill patients with COVID-19 have been affected remains to be studied