How Students View the Role of Faculty Advisors in the SWE Organization

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) collegiate sections attract many men and women to the society, and they can be among the largest and most active student organizations on the university campuses. A key factor to boost membership is the active involvement of faculty advisors, who serve as the liaison between SWE collegiate sections, the university, the National SWE organization, and professional SWE members. A group of SWE faculty advisors previously conducted a survey of faculty advisors and counselors, with advisors and counselors aggregated in the results, to determine what aspects of their role they consider most significant, and how they engage with the students. The study showed that faculty advisors play an important role in providing continuity to the section, participation in and understanding of the larger organization, and in mentoring students on both general leadership and SWE leadership. This paper examines how students view the role of their faculty advisor in their SWE collegiate section. The objectives of this study are to understand the challenges that collegiate sections face and what types of support they need from their faculty advisor. A survey about the level of importance of different roles of faculty advisors was conducted. Additional ways students feel their faculty advisor could help them was also addressed. The data was analyzed to identify key factors that faculty advisors should consider while serving in these roles within student sections. The findings were then compared to the results of the self-assessment of the faculty advisors

Composition Analysis of Canola and Intermediate Wheatgrass Biomass and the Effects of Extraction

Knowing the composition of biomass is critical for determining accurate yields of renewable chemicals and fuels; however, nonstructural components can affect the results of standard composition procedures, leading to inaccurate reactant amounts. To remove these nonstructural components, solvent extractions can be done, but the impact on composition values has not been well-reported. For this study, compositional analysis was performed on as-received canola (Brassica napus) and intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium), as well as ethanol, water, and water/ethanol extracted biomasses. Water/ethanol extraction of the intermediate wheatgrass resulted in significantly lower xylose and both acid soluble and insoluble lignin amounts when compared to the as-received analysis. Since sugar was removed during the extractions, it is recommended to use the as-received composition values for glucuronoarabinoxylans; however, the extractives may interfere with the lignin analysis and therefore, the extracted lignin values are likely more reflective of the composition

Effects of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery: an international prospective cohort study an international prospective cohort study

We aimed to determine the impact of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We performed an international prospective cohort study including patients undergoing elective surgery in October 2020. Isolation was defined as the period before surgery during which patients did not leave their house or receive visitors from outside their household. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, adjusted in multivariable models for measured confounders. Pre-defined sub-group analyses were performed for the primary outcome. A total of 96,454 patients from 114 countries were included and overall, 26,948 (27.9%) patients isolated before surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded in 1947 (2.0%) patients of which 227 (11.7%) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients who isolated pre-operatively were older, had more respiratory comorbidities and were more commonly from areas of high SARS-CoV-2 incidence and high-income countries. Although the overall rates of postoperative pulmonary complications were similar in those that isolated and those that did not (2.1% vs 2.0%, respectively), isolation was associated with higher rates of postoperative pulmonary complications after adjustment (adjusted OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.05–1.36, p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses revealed no further differences when patients were categorised by: pre-operative testing; use of COVID-19-free pathways; or community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. The rate of postoperative pulmonary complications increased with periods of isolation longer than 3 days, with an OR (95%CI) at 4–7 days or ≥ 8 days of 1.25 (1.04–1.48), p = 0.015 and 1.31 (1.11–1.55), p = 0.001, respectively. Isolation before elective surgery might be associated with a small but clinically important increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Longer periods of isolation showed no reduction in the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. These findings have significant implications for global provision of elective surgical care. We aimed to determine the impact of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We performed an international prospective cohort study including patients undergoing elective surgery in October 2020. Isolation was defined as the period before surgery during which patients did not leave their house or receive visitors from outside their household. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, adjusted in multivariable models for measured confounders. Pre-defined sub-group analyses were performed for the primary outcome. A total of 96,454 patients from 114 countries were included and overall, 26,948 (27.9%) patients isolated before surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded in 1947 (2.0%) patients of which 227 (11.7%) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients who isolated pre-operatively were older, had more respiratory comorbidities and were more commonly from areas of high SARS-CoV-2 incidence and high-income countries. Although the overall rates of postoperative pulmonary complications were similar in those that isolated and those that did not (2.1% vs 2.0%, respectively), isolation was associated with higher rates of postoperative pulmonary complications after adjustment (adjusted OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.05–1.36, p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses revealed no further differences when patients were categorised by: pre-operative testing; use of COVID-19-free pathways; or community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. The rate of postoperative pulmonary complications increased with periods of isolation longer than 3 days, with an OR (95%CI) at 4–7 days or ≥ 8 days of 1.25 (1.04–1.48), p = 0.015 and 1.31 (1.11–1.55), p = 0.001, respectively. Isolation before elective surgery might be associated with a small but clinically important increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Longer periods of isolation showed no reduction in the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. These findings have significant implications for global provision of elective surgical care