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Detection of hypoglycemia is important to reduce risk and optimize glucose in T1D. Noninvasive glucose detection methods have not been fully explored. Exhaled breath isoprene, a component of sterol metabolism, has been associated with hypoglycemia in controlled studies in a limited population in the laboratory setting. Home-monitoring of breath isoprene levels may permit noninvasive hypoglycemia detection. We conducted an exploratory study measuring exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in breath samples collected during hypoglycemia (CBG Disclosure E.A. Los: Advisory Panel; Self; Medtronic. W.L. Stone: None. G. Ford: None. Funding East Tennessee State University (18-025M)

Much of the construction literature that examines safety culture and safety climate ignores the unique characteristics of construction workplaces. Therefore, existing safety culture and cli...

This article reports on an examination of the distinctive second-generation challenges and opportunities faced by an early institutional adopter of the Boyer model of scholarship. Following the first cohort of faculty to be reviewed for tenure and promotion based on these criteria, we report the results of a survey designed to determine the perceptions of faculty and administrators of the degree to which emerging forms of scholarship had been integrated into the university culture including factors such as institutional identity, support structures, and faculty participation. This case study sheds light on the process of adaptation at this single institution and provides glimpses of how cultural change might occur across higher education.

To evaluate the embodied environmental impact of buildings, major building tasks and materials which contribute to these impacts should be analyzed in advance according to the characteristics of buildings and regional environment. Such evaluation, for which techniques are currently being developed, may be used to reduce these impacts. This study aimed to analyze major building tasks and materials in order to evaluate the embodied environmental impacts of apartment buildings in Korea. Six apartment buildings (three types of structure: wall, rigid-frame, and flat-plate) recently constructed in Seoul, Korea were quantitatively evaluated based on a life cycle assessment method in terms of embodied environmental impacts (i.e., global warming, acidification, eutrophication, ozone layer depletion, photochemical oxidation, and abiotic depletion potentials). The results were analyzed based on building tasks and materials according to the structure type of the apartment building. As a result, five major building tasks (reinforced concrete work, masonry work, glass work, plaster work, and carpentry work) and six major building materials (ready-mixed concrete, rebar, insulating materials, concrete bricks, glass, and gypsum boards) were identified, accounting for more than 95% of the values of six environmental impact categories.

Bifacial photovoltaic (PV) modules offer potentially enhanced power output over conventional modules due to their reported ability to harvest reflected radiation, increasing output up to an additional 30%. However, this enhancement has yet to be confirmed in the literature. This paper reports on a study comparing the power output of two nominally identical 700 W photovoltaic arrays utilizing equivalent system components and data logging equipment with varying configurations of reflecting geometries and materials. This study was undertaken at the Appalachian State University Solar Research Laboratory in Boone, NC, which houses two Class 1 pyranometers and pyrheliometer. PV power was reported under well-quantified irradiance conditions, including direct beam fraction. Six trials over six months (November-April) with varying reflective materials and geometries revealed that different reflecting materials did not significantly change power output. Mounting an array at 0˚ did adversely affect power output compared to the array at a 36° angle relative to horizontal using the same reflective material. Additional studies with varied materials, panel locations and geometries different from those tested may improve the power output.

Carbon emission reduction policies demand tighter building Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) qualification standards. However, it is widely believed that it will be difficult to efficiently reduce the carbon emissions of buildings with only a fragmentary revision of the qualification standards. For this reason, the Korean government has developed the Green Building Index Certification System (GBI certification system), which is a certification framework based primarily upon the carbon emissions of a building. There is currently no assessment program tailored to the GBI certification system. The purpose of this study is to develop the Building Life Cycle Carbon Emissions Assessment Program (BEGAS 2.0) to support Korea׳s GBI certification system. With a theoretical consideration of the GBI certification system, the building LCA qualification standards of other international green building certification systems were analyzed. These analyses enabled development of BEGAS 2.0 that reflects the characteristics of the GBI certification system and the current state of Korea׳s construction industry. Consequently, an appropriate building life cycle carbon emissions assessment program was developed, which can support Korea׳s GBI certification system effectively.

Meteorological and atmospheric models are being extended up to 80 km altitude but there are very few observing techniques that can measure stratospheric–mesospheric winds at altitudes between 20 and 80 km to verify model datasets. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of horizontal wind profile measurements using ground-based passive millimetre-wave spectroradiometric observations of ozone lines centred at 231.28, 249.79, and 249.96 GHz. Vertical profiles of horizontal winds are retrieved from forward and inverse modelling simulations of the line-of-sight Doppler-shifted atmospheric emission lines above Halley station (75°37′ S, 26°14′ W), Antarctica. For a radiometer with a system temperature of 1400 K and 30 kHz spectral resolution observing the ozone 231.28 GHz line we estimate that 12 h zonal and meridional wind profiles could be determined over the altitude range 25–74 km in winter, and 28–66 km in summer. Height-dependent measurement uncertainties are in the range 3–8 m s−1 and vertical resolution ∼ 8–16 km. Under optimum observing conditions at Halley a temporal resolution of 1.5 h for measuring either zonal or meridional winds is possible, reducing to 0.5 h for a radiometer with a 700 K system temperature. Combining observations of the 231.28 GHz ozone line and the 230.54 GHz carbon monoxide line gives additional altitude coverage at 85 ± 12 km. The effects of clear-sky seasonal mean winter/summer conditions, zenith angle of the received atmospheric emission, and spectrometer frequency resolution on the altitude coverage, measurement uncertainty, and height and time resolution of the retrieved wind profiles have been determined.

The purpose of this study is to construct a database of sustainable building technologies considering the performance of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions. Through analysis of various sustainable green building certifications such as G-SEED, LEED, BREEAM, and CASBEE, sustainable technology factor categories associated with GHG reduction technologies were derived. Environmental performance and economic characteristics according to the considered sustainable building technology was examined and a model was generated. This model will be used to determine the best sustainable technologies which will support optimum building design to reduce national GHG emissions in Korea, enhance energy efficiency and preserve natural resources.

주택 및 사회기반구조를 파괴하고 심각한 재정손실을 야기하는 재해들은 인류의 삶속에서 급속하게 증가하고 있다. 게다가 몇몇 자연 재해들은 주택의 손상으로 인해 많은 이주민들을 만들거나 인류의 생명을 빼앗아가기도 하였다. 정부가 재해이후 주택관련 문제들에 대해 대처하고 파괴 또는 손실된 주택의 완전한 재건 전까지 지낼 임시 주택을 이주민에게 제공하는 일은 매우 중요하다. 재해의 결과로 주택을 잃을 거주민들을 위한 충분한 임시주택을 제공하기 위해 정부는 재해후 임시주택 모형을 개발해야 한다. 기존의 정부는 자연재해 임시주택 제공은 단층 모듈러 주택, 컨테이너를 이용한 주택으로 한정되었다. 하지만 뉴욕과 서울의 도심지에서 인구밀도가 높고 토지가 부족하여 이런 방법들을 적용하기에는 한계가 있다. 본 연구는 이주민에게 빠른 설치뿐 아니라 쾌적한 생활공간과 환경, 에너지 효율성을 가진 주택을 제공할 수 있는 재해 후 도시주택모형을 파악하는데 그 목적을 두었다. ‘뉴욕에서 재해후도시주택모형’이라는 프로젝트의 사례연구가 설계전문가, 공학자, 계약자, 뉴욕위기관리사무소, 미국공병, 그리고 임시주택 거주자들과 심층 면담을 통하여 이루어졌다. 지역사회에서 이주민들이 삶의 터전을 지키고 이웃과 살아갈 수 있는 적절한 재해주택 프로그램이 개발되었다.

Objectives. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between Internet use among retired older adults in the United States and changes in a commonly used predictor of depression (the CES-D).

This article presents the results of an analysis of hourly data obtained from forty-three photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in North America. Energy data collected from these systems were organized according to monthly output in an effort to identify factors which are effective in predicting energy generation. Independent variables such as system capacity, shading, longitude, latitude, seasonal variation, and orientation were considered. Multiple regression analysis was used to quantify the kilowatt-hours that can be expected from a change in the independent variables. Results show that all six independent variables are significant predictors which can be used in a regression model to estimate system output with a high level of confidence. The analysis shows that approximately 83% of the variation in the amount of energy generated monthly by the forty-three solar panels is explained by the independent variables and the derived equation. Results of the study may prove helpful to solar panel system users who may need to consider less than optimum conditions during a PV panel installation and service life.

Background/Aims: The newborn screening (NBS) program in Oregon, USA, collects two routine specimens in all infants. The aim of our study was to determine the incidence of permanent versus transient congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in infants detected on the first versus second screening test. Methods: Thyroid function was determined in infants after the age of 3 years diagnosed with CH and born in Oregon between 2005 and 2011. Permanent hypothyroidism was defined as a TSH rise >10 mIU/ml after the first year on treatment or a TSH rise >6 mIU/ml with temporary discontinuation of l-thyroxine after the age of 3 years. Results: Of the cases detected on the first test, 72 of 87 (83%) were permanent and 15 of 87 (17%) were transient, while of the cases detected on the second test, 5 of 22 (23%) were permanent and 17 of 22 (77%) were transient (OR 16.3, p < 0.001). There was a female preponderance detected on the first screen versus a male preponderance on the second screen. Blood spot and serum thyroid function tests at diagnosis, before treatment, were not meaningfully different between the two groups. The mean l-thyroxine dose at the age of 3 years was greater on the first screen: 61.2 versus 36.6 μg/day. Conclusions: Infants detected on the second NBS specimen have a higher incidence of transient CH.

Meteorological and atmospheric models are being extended up to 80 km altitude but there are very few observing techniques that can measure stratospheric-mesospheric winds at altitudes between 20 km and 80 km to verify model data-sets. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of horizontal wind profile measurements using ground-based passive millimetre-wave spectroradiometric observations of ozone lines centred at 231.28 GHz, 249.79 GHz, and 249.96 GHz. Vertical profiles of horizontal winds are retrieved from forward and inverse modelling simulations of the line-of-sight Doppler-shifted atmospheric emission lines above Halley station (75°37’S, 26°14’W), Antarctica. For a radiometer with a system temperature of 1400 K and 30 kHz spectral resolution observing the ozone 231.28 GHz line we estimate that 12hr zonal and meridional wind profiles could be determined over the altitude range 25–74 km in winter, and 28–66 km in summer. Height-dependent measurement uncertainties are in the range 3–8 m s–1 and vertical resolution ~8–16 km. Under optimum observing conditions at Halley a temporal resolution of 1.5hrs for measuring either zonal or meridional winds is possible, reducing to 0.5hr for a radiometer with a 700 K system temperature. Combining observations of the 231.28 GHz ozone line and the 230.54 GHz carbon monoxide line gives additional altitude coverage at 85±12 km. The effects of clear-sky seasonal mean winter/summer conditions, zenith angle of the received atmospheric emission, and spectrometer frequency resolution on the altitude coverage, measurement uncertainty, and height and time resolution of the retrieved wind profiles have been determined.

An optimization system that supports the production of concrete while minimizing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions or costs is presented that incorporates an evolution algorithm for the materials’ mix design stage, a trigonometric function for the transportation stage, and a stochastic model for the manufacturing stage. A case study demonstrates that applying the optimization system reduced CO2 emissions by 34% compared to the standard concrete production processes typically used. When minimizing the cost of concrete production was prioritized, the cost dropped by 1% compared to the cost of conventional concrete production. These findings confirm that this optimization system helps with the design of the concrete mix and the choice of a material supplier, thus reducing both CO2 emissions and costs.

The growing demands on high-speed data transmission over long distances require optimized communication systems with bandwidth efficient modulation techniques like Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM). However, the various design parameters of these QAM based systems conflict each other and the complex interdependence makes it difficult and time consuming to appropriately tune the parameters towards an optimal solution for a given set of constraints. Therefore, throughout this paper we analyze various conflicting design parameters of QAM and derive objective optimized trade-offs. More specifically, we study in detail the effects and interdependencies of parameters in the matched filter, the Forward Error Correction (FEC) code pair and the modulation order and span the design and solution space through experimental and numerical results. We discuss the observed effects and show how a selection of parameters can be concluded under various constraints. Furthermore, a pareto optimality search on our design space points out the best combinations of modulation order, filter and FEC design parameters for maximizing the performance under various Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) conditions of the channel. For instance, if the channel is constrained by a SNR of 10dB and the tolerable Bit Error Rate (BER) is 10−3, then 16-QAM with a required 2/3 FEC yields 33.3% higher performance than 64-QAM with a required 1/3 FEC. Thus, the outcomes of this paper are a comprehensive elaboration on the cross-effects of conflicting design parameters and a set of optimized solutions under various constraints.

“At no time in our history has the need been greater for connecting the work of the academy to the social and environmental changes beyond the campus. And yet, the rich diversity and potential of American higher education cannot be realized if campus missions are too narrowly defined or if the faculty reward system is inappropriately restricted. It seems clear that while research is crucial, we need a renewed commitment to service, too.” – Ernest Boyer – Scholarship Reconsidered (1990) The coauthors of this forum are currently involved in a project that applies a faculty member’s expertise, provides students with a hands-on learning experience, and provides a resource constrained municipality a valuable service. The Village of Forest Hills (The Village) is a small (population less than 400) municipality located in Jackson County, North Carolina. The Village does not employ a town engineer, planner, or manager. The Village does maintain a small road system. Being located in the Appalachian Mountains, the topography dictates the need for many culverts throughout The Village. The Village has no inventory of culverts and other drainage structures, no condition report of roads and drainage structures, which ultimately results in a rather poor process for managing The Village’s infrastructure. To improve this process, with the approval of the City Council, Council member Dr. Ronald Mau (coauthor) approached Dr. George Ford (coauthor) about starting a systematic approach to documenting The Village’s infrastructure and condition of the infrastructure to assist in managing, budgeting, and improving The Village’s infrastructure. The Village of Forest Hills is not unique. There are many small municipalities lacking the resources to employ professional staff on a full-time basis, and on a project-by-project basis professional fees may be a burden. Obviously, some projects will require paying for the necessary professional services. However, there are many ways the expertise of engineering and construction management faculty can be used to assist small municipalities and provide educational opportunities for their students. However, in some cases the incentives within institutions of higher learning do little to encourage this assistance. The application of a faculty member’s expertise that improves the region and surrounding communities near a campus are not traditionally valued in the tenure and promotion process. The trend in higher education as pointed out in a piece published in ASCE’s Leadership and Management in Engineering by Yates (2012) is for small and medium-sized universities to move away from being teaching universities to moving toward being more research-intensive institutions. In addition, some of these universities have stated Ernest Boyer’s model of scholarship provides the guiding principles for scholarship at their particular university. When fully considering Boyer’s model, the trend toward a more research-intensive focus and the statements endorsing Boyer’s model appear to be in conflict. The institutionalizing of Boyer’s model appears to be difficult for administrators to fully grasp and incorporate in the tenure and promotion process. Implementing processes described by Braxton et al. (2002) may be too aggressive for some administrators to adopt. The public, governments, students, and prospective students all seem to have a renewed interest in the research versus teaching dilemma as state budgets are cut, tuition continues to rise, and student debt increases. The popular press often mentions the limited use of rather esoteric academic research and the need to better employ the resources within institutions of higher learning. Boyer’s model seems to be more relevant than ever, yet few institutions appear to be ready to fully incorporate the model and evaluate faculty accordingly. Civil engineering and construction management faculty possess a skill set that could play a larger role in improving their communities, providing real-world projects to their students, and ultimately provide what many would argue is a better use of a university’s greatest asset, its faculty. These faculties possess many skills that many municipalities (particularly smaller municipalities) may lack. However, without the proper incentives, the ability to leverage these resources will continue to be more limited than necessary. The traditional approach of research and the focus on research dollars dominates the view of many administrators. Institutions historically have attempted to move-up in the Carnegie classification where the research-intensive institution is considered the highest level (McCormick and Zhao 2005). However, as budgets become tighter and available research dollars shrink, the competition for research dollars becomes more intense and faculty at smaller schools have an increasingly harder time competing with faculty at highly regarded Research I institutions. Several issues appear to be on a collision course (budgets, research dollars, institutional mission, and tenure processes). Administrators need to carefully consider the external environment, the mission of their perspective university, their universities niche in the student body as well as research capabilities, resources, support, and faculties’ strengths, abilities, and competence. “Finally, we need a climate in which colleges and universities are less imitative, taking pride in their uniqueness. It’s time to end the suffocating process in which colleges and universities measure themselves far too frequently by external status rather than values determined by their own distinctive mission” (Boyer 1990, xiii) The faculty is the heart of any educational program. According to Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology Engineering Accreditation Commission (ABET EAC 2012) criteria, “The faculty must be of sufficient number; and must have the competencies to cover all of the curricular areas of the program. There must be sufficient faculty to accommodate adequate levels of studentfaculty interaction, student advising and counseling, university service activities, professional development, and interactions with industrial and professional practitioners, as well as employers of students. The program faculty must have appropriate qualifications

Dear Editor: Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is a syndrome of reduced responsiveness of target tissues to thyroid hormone (TH). It is characterized by elevated TH levels (free thyroxine [fT4] and commonly free triiodothyronine [fT3]), in association with a high or normal thyrotropin (TSH) level, in the absence of intercurrent illness, drugs, or alterations of serum TH transporter proteins. In the majority of cases, the molecular basis of RTH is a mutation in the nuclear TH receptor beta (THRB) gene (1). The estimated prevalence of RTH is 1 in 40,000 (1). The clinical and biochemical manifestations of RTH are the result of impaired gene regulation by the mutant thyroid hormone receptor (TR) β, as well as interference of the mutant TRβ with the function of the wild type (WT) TRβ. Since the first description of the syndrome in 1967, more than 170 mutations of the THRB gene have been identified (1) but far fewer have been published. This discrepancy is the result of the requirement for labor-intensive functional testing (mutant receptor: affinity to T3, transactivation properties, interaction with transcriptional co-activators, etc.). We identified two unrelated patients with clinical and biochemical features of RTH who were found to harbor an identical THRB gene mutation (S350L). Since this mutation had not been identified in the literature, we performed in silico modeling to predict the effect of this mutation on the TRβ receptor.

According to the Hartford Institute there are about 350,000 churches in the United States (US). Churches generally operate fewer hours per week than commercial or industrial facilities. Congregations are generally small with a median size of 75 with annual budgets of $90,000. About 90% of all American congregations are 350 or less, but 50% of all church participants attend churches larger than 350 attendees. In light of recent increases in energy costs many churches in the US consume significant portions of their operating budgets for lighting, heating and cooling. Graduate students in the Master of Construction Management program at Western Carolina University in North Carolina performed energy audits of churches during the spring semester of 2013. Eighteen churches were audited. Average energy bills amounted to nearly $20,000 per year per church. Recurring energy wasting issues were noted and categorized. A list of common, low cost energy conserving strategies was formulated based upon the recurring themes of the audits performed. Inefficient incandescent lighting was still used in twelve of the churches surveyed. Weather stripping and caulking issues were noted in nine churches. Motion sensors for lighting control were recommended for nine churches. Programmable thermostats were recommended for ten churches.

Detection by newborn screening (NBS) and treatment of babies with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) has largely eliminated the intellectual disability caused by this disorder. Lowering of the screening TSH cutoff and changes in birth demographics have been associated with an approximate doubling of the incidence of CH, from 1:3500 to 1:1714. The additional cases detected by lowering of the TSH cutoff tend to have milder hypothyroidism, with imaging often demonstrating a eutopic, "gland in-situ", and some cases turn out to have transient CH. Based on our search for current screening programs, approximately 71 percent of babies worldwide are not born in an area with an established NBS program, despite the existence of screening for over five decades in developed countries. Thus, the majority of babies with CH worldwide are not detected and treated early, such that the economic burden of retardation owing to CH remains a significant public health challenge.

Rain delays can prove costly to construction contractors and significantly affect longterm profitability if not carefully considered during the planning stages of a project. This paper includes a short literature review of technology related to predicting construction project rain delays and an analysis of rainfall event probabilities for the Asheville, North Carolina region. An analysis methodology is provided in a step-bystep discussion which illustrates how to determine statistical probabilities of significant rainfall events to forecast construction project delays. Local rainfall data for Asheville, NC is analyzed to determine rainfall frequency to provide an example of the forecasting methodology for the reader.

As predicted by Svante Arrhenius in 1896, global warming is taking place as evidenced by documented rises in average sea level of about 1.7 mm/year during the 20th century. There have been naturally occurring cycles of global warming and cooling throughout the history of the world. Much has been written about the catastrophe that global warming would present to humankind, but the effects of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations upon ambient annual mean temperatures at the local level in western North Carolina are not easily recognized at this time. Observation of annual mean temperatures in western NC did not immediately indicate a detectable temperature increase over the period of analysis. However, annual weather data for Asheville, North Carolina from 1965 until 2006 indicated an upward trend in annual mean surface temperatures of about 1.3°F (0.72°C) while global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations have risen about 62 ppm. This paper will present an examination of regional ambient annual surface temperature trends in western North Carolina relative to global atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. The focus will be on analysis of data to determine cyclical patterns.

Per British thermal unit (BTU), in the United States, gasoline currently costs about 7.6 times as much as coal. Due to the prevalence of coal fired electricity generating stations in the country, electrically powered vehicles may provide a fuel cost savings over similar gasoline powered vehicles. Fuel costs for electric vehicles have been reported to cost about $0.045 per mile to operate. Higher efficiency, gasoline operated automobiles such as the Toyota Corolla have reported fuel costs of about $0.093 per mile. This paper provides a first glance examination of electrically powered and gasoline powered vehicles in the United States. While gasoline costs continue to rise, a cheap, environmentally safe transportation alternative is needed to maintain the flexible lifestyle currently enjoyed by Americans. The cycle energy efficiency of coal produced electricity for personal transportation is much lower than the energy efficiency of gasoline, but the large cost differences between these two forms of fossil fuels may provide a temporary fix to a looming transportation crisis in the United States. The long-term environmental effects of an electrically powered, private transportation fleet could prove catastrophic due to increased use of coal and accompanying combustion product air pollution, but clean, renewable, electricity producing technologies may support more prolific long-term use of electrically powered transportation modes.Copyright © 2008 by ASME