ABSTRACT
Although founding and directing an independent research laboratory is often expected of faculty at American universities, there are several barriers to successful completion of this important task. There is little guidance in the literature regarding exactly how to go about starting a research laboratory. The guidance that does exist for faculty often focuses on running research labs in the "hard sciences,” such as biomedical science and engineering, leaving social and behavioral scientists out of such considerations. Additionally, smaller or teaching-focused universities often have little infrastructure or support for starting a research lab, so faculty at these institutions may not know where to begin. These barriers are significant concerns for junior faculty, who are often unprepared for the realities and challenges of starting a successful research lab while obtaining other milestones required of promotion and tenure. We present two examples of recently-formed gerontology research laboratories begun by junior faculty, one in the psychology department of a research university and one in public health at a teaching-focused university. Our case studies present the audience with specific examples, lessons learned, and guidance for starting their own gerontology research laboratory in higher education, as well as recommendations on maintaining its functioning during a global pandemic (COVID-19).
ABSTRACT
Digital technologies have enabled design sketching to expand into new applications and domains. Inevitably, these new forms of visualisation require re-evaluating how we use drawing to see, visualise, understand, and fabricate products and services in design education and the profession. This paper presents a selection of discoveries after the authors performed research, made presentations and mediated workshops when face-to-face collaborations and travel were impossible because of the Covid-19 epidemic restrictions. Findings add to work intending to build a modern taxonomy for design sketching and visual knowledge while accounting for immersive virtual collaboration and distributed workflows from sketching to 3D CAD and 3D printing. These are among the first indications of a drive towards synthesising historically demarked design process stages into a singularity of actions that merge and move simultaneously among ideation, design, and production. Participants in two international conference workshops shared ideas and discussed their local circumstances relating to the potential use and acceptance of new technologies already researched and adopted in other disciplines such as computer science and entertainment. A critical consensus was that the challenge of new technologies for our design education and profession is not as much about technology and its tools as the process and steps that enable change. Significantly, conversation pointed towards a strategy that enhances and augments habits in design education and the profession as the means to modify and transform culture and practice. © Proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education: Disrupt, Innovate, Regenerate and Transform, E and PDE 2022. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The Australian and New Zealand governments have released smartphone-based apps to complement contact tracing in the event that they face a resurgence of COVID-19 infections. The apps form part of both countries’ policies to support a return to social and economic engagement following extended lockdowns. This paper aims to investigate the extent to which the two approaches are fit for purpose and compare their functional characteristics. Design/methodology/approach: Using process mapping and analysis, this paper evaluates the potential of the two apps to improve the performance of existing contact tracing systems across a range of efficiency and effectiveness criteria with an emphasis on the framework proposed by Verrall (2020). Findings: The Bluetooth-based Australian app appears likely to assist that country’s contact tracing system to perform more efficiently and effectively in the event of a resurgence of the virus and should increase confidence in re-engagement. The New Zealand QR code-based app, however, is not well-aligned with these objectives. Its interaction with a range of other regulations and obligations, combined with the inconvenience it imposes on its users, is likely to militate against its use. Bluetooth-based apps based on interactions between individuals likely better support these population-based objectives than QR code-based location-specific apps. Originality/value: This paper provides an original and extensive analysis of the functionality and effectiveness of Australia and New Zealand’s official contact-tracing apps. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with a severe inflammatory response. Inflammation affects atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability and promotes a thrombogenic environment. We report a series of 6 patients with COVID-19 with acute ischemic stroke due to intraluminal carotid artery thrombus presenting during an 8-day period. Six patients were included (5 men) with a mean age of 65.8 years (range, 55-78 years). COVID-19 was diagnosed by detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 in 5 patients and was presumed due to typical clinical and imaging findings in 1 patient. All patients had vascular risk factors including diabetes (83%), hyperlipidemia (100%), and smoking (17%). Four patients presented with large infarcts with initial NIHSS scores of 24-30. During their hospitalization, all patients had elevated D-dimer and C-reactive protein levels, 5 patients had elevated lactate dehydrogenase and ferritin levels, 3 had elevated interleukin-6 levels, and 2 had elevated troponin levels. Inflammation related to COVID-19 may result in rupture of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques, resulting in thrombosis and acute ischemic stroke.