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Renovo’s German Heritage
No full textInvited speaker to present on the role German immigrants played during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Pennsylvania
Just a scaffold, not an architect: AI as a literature mapping tool for students
No full textGraduate students often struggle to grasp the full interdisciplinary scope of a research topic, a challenge potentially compounded by the rise of Generative AI and the unguided ways that students use these tools. In response, in a graduate writing course in the School of Computing and Information, I developed an “AI-assisted literature mapping” assignment to provide a structured, pedagogical use for GenAI. My approach seeks to break AI away from the role of an ersatz author (a drafter of plausible but deficient academic works of dubious academic integrity) and instead present GenAI to students as a “recommender engine” tool. Students use a single, highly-structured prompt that tasks the LLM to act as an interdisciplinary guide to students’ research questions, mapping related academic disciplines and generating potential library search queries for their topic. This small intervention nudges students to explore unfamiliar perspectives and engage more deeply with scholarly literature, both broadening their interdisciplinary horizons and directly scaffolding the library catalog exploration process. Students found the results of this activity to be genuinely exciting. In their reflections, my students showed a high degree of metacognitive engagement and intellectual discovery, expressing surprise and motivation to explore new research avenues they hadn't previously considered. This model offers a practical way to use GenAI to spark curiosity and build mature research habits, using the tool as a scaffold for discovery rather than an architect of the final product
Qualitative Assessment of Alcohol-Involved Sexual Violence Resources, Supports, and Programming on College Campuses
No full textAs part of our larger study that addresses alcohol involved sexual violence prevention efforts in college health and counseling centers, we created a tool to assess the availability and accessibility of supports and resources related to sexual violence (SV) and alcohol and other drugs (AOD) on participating campuses’ websites. Acknowledging that many institutions offer programming not advertised online, we conducted semi-structured interviews with staff who work in various departments related to SV prevention and AOD misuse to better understand how individual campuses addressed alcohol involved sexual violence. Engagement with practitioners and advocates informed and guided this work, demonstrating how resources and programming across college campuses are siloed and rarely address AOD and SV as interconnected issues, barriers to bridge these gaps, and exemplar campus responses. This work provides community-informed guidance on how institutions can better address alcohol involved sexual violence on their respective campuse
This is How we Do It: Lessons Learned from Three Branches of Community Engagement at Pitt
No full textThis poster will explore the synergy between academic departments and institutional efforts toward meaningful change in communities.
Drawing on lessons from experiential learning, place-based initiatives, and examples of community engaged praxis in teaching and research in three academic units, this poster will highlight shared insights on ways to foster lasting partnerships for effective community engagement
Partnering with Disability Communities for Community-Engaged Research
No full textPartnering with disability communities for community engaged research by fostering sense of belonging Project SWAY (Supporting Wellbeing with Autistic Adults through Yoga) is a community-engaged research project funded by the Pitt Momentum Funds that fosters collaboration between autistic adults, autism and yoga researchers, and community partner Open Up – an inclusive mindfulness and yoga nonprofit centering people with disabilities. Through SWAY, Pitt researchers, Open Up yoga teachers, and autistic adults collaborated to develop and study two SWAY yoga classes, which are now offered for free to the community at Open Up. Our research found that SWAY promoted better health outcomes for autistic participants. In this poster presentation, we will share activities and routines that foster a sense of belonging (the degree to which one feels accepted and valued within a given social context) for all and the ways in which sense of belonging can promote authentic engagement with disability communities in research
Dataset for Excess dietary sodium restores electrolyte and water homeostasis caused by loss of the endoplasmic reticulum molecular chaperone, GRP170, in the mouse nephron.
No full textThe maintenance of fluid and electrolyte homeostasis by the kidney requires proper folding and trafficking of ion channels and transporters in kidney epithelia. Each of these processes requires a specific subset of a diverse class of proteins termed molecular chaperones. One such chaperone is GRP170, which is an Hsp70-like, endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-localized chaperone that plays roles in protein quality control and protein folding in the ER. We previously determined that loss of GRP170 in the mouse nephron leads to hypovolemia, electrolyte imbalance, and rapid weight loss. In addition, GRP170-deficient mice develop an acute kidney injury (AKI)-like phenotype, typified by tubular injury, elevation of kidney injury markers, and induction of the unfolded protein response (UPR). By using an inducible GRP170 knockout cellular model, we confirmed that GRP170 depletion induces the UPR, triggers apoptosis, and disrupts protein homeostasis. Based on these data, we hypothesized that UPR induction underlies hyponatremia and volume depletion in these rodents and that these and other phenotypes might be rectified by sodium supplementation. To test this hypothesis, control and GRP170 tubule-specific knockout mice were provided a diet containing 8% sodium chloride. We discovered that sodium supplementation improved electrolyte imbalance and kidney injury markers in a sex-specific manner but was unable to restore weight or tubule integrity. These results are consistent with UPR induction contributing to the kidney injury phenotype in the nephron-specific GR170 knockout model and indicate that GRP170 function in kidney epithelia is essential to both maintain electrolyte balance and ER homeostasis
The State of Funding for Curriculum Materials Centers and Collections
No full textUsing Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, researchers analyzed whether there was a correlation between education student enrollment and curriculum materials center/collection (CMC) budget across eighty universities in the United States. Findings indicate that there is a positive correlation between those variables, although the relationship is weak. Universities with large education programs tend to have better-funded CMCs; however, variability across institutions is still significant. Findings suggest that many university CMCs may be comparatively underfunded based on student enrollment in education and historical trends
Secure I/O on trusted platforms with lightweight kernels.
No full textTrusted computing has become widespread and the complexity of trusted applications has increased substantially, such as in real-time patient vitals data processing or employee- free stores that continuously monitor customers. These applications differ from existing trusted computing usage in that they directly acquire and process sensitive information from sensors like cameras and microphones. Simultaneously, application demands are ex- panding to include a rich, general-purpose OS environment to provide network, filesystems, and multicomputing capabilities. An application runtime of similar capability approaches an OS in terms of complexity and would require extensive interfacing with the underlying untrusted OS anyway, so we claim that a full-stack trusted OS provides similar capabilities with a smaller, less complex trust profile. Further, current trusted OSes fail to provide this environment because they are designed to provide trusted services to untrusted applications, and the use of full-weight kernels (FWKs) like Linux is ruled out due to security concerns. We aim to solve this problem by using lightweight kernels (LWK), which strike the correct balance between security and usability and can fully exploit hardware to provide secure device I/O. Lightweight kernels are an OS design approach that presents a familiar programming environment to Linux both in userspace and in the kernel, allowing many applications to run without modification, as well as ease porting of existing device drivers. Further, hardware is more directly exposed to programmers–that is, with fewer hardware abstraction layers– enabling easy leveraging of platform hardware and peripherals. To demonstrate these design advantages we develop a LWK trusted OS for the ARM TrustZone environment on a typical IoT or edge computing hardware platform. Specifically, we extend the Kitten LWK to be TrustZone-aware, develop an I/O stack to demonstrate the viability of a camera driver, and then build a framework for securely paravirtualizing existing Linux drivers by using recent, modern TrustZone hardware
Integrating Computational and Experimental Approaches to Evaluate the Potential Hazards of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Used in Photolithography
No full textPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of thousands of synthetic chemicals used extensively across industries, including photolithography, a critical process in semiconductor manufacturing. Semiconductors are ubiquitous, with significant increasing demand in the current era of advanced artificial intelligence technology and automative industry. Effective nonfluorinated alternatives are currently unavailable for advanced manufacturing of computer chips. Due to their extensive use, PFAS have been detected in manufacturing wastewater and surrounding water bodies, yet the hazards of most PFAS, including their toxicity and bioaccumulation potentials, remain underexplored. Therefore, this dissertation aims to address these gaps by integrating in silico and in vivo approaches to evaluate the potential hazards of photolithography-relevant PFAS. First, we identified 96 photolithography-relevant PFAS and integrated molecular dynamics and docking to conduct high-throughput screening of their interactions with five target proteins: liver fatty acid binding protein (LFABP), serum albumin (SA), peroxisome proliferator activated receptors alpha and gamma (PPARa & PPARg), and transthyretin (TTR). The model, validated against empirical binding affinities, revealed that 22 of the analyzed PFAS exhibited stronger binding to at least one protein than perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), a known hazardous PFAS, suggesting potential toxicological concerns. To complement computational insights, we conducted developmental toxicity and transcriptional analyses on zebrafish larvae exposed to 9 photolithography-relevant PFAS. Findings indicated PFAS exposure led to delayed hatching, lethality, and various malformations, with specific genes, such as pparg and fgf10a, emerging as potential biomarkers for metabolic and developmental toxicity pathways. Finally, we selected the brain as a target organ for understanding PFAS impacts through integration of toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics. We reviewed 65 papers (2005-2020) on the absorption, accumulation, distribution and neurotoxic potential of PFAS in the brain from epidemiological, in vivo and in vitro perspectives. The results highlighted the need to clarify PFAS transport mechanisms into the brain and to link accumulation with neurotoxicity mechanisms. Overall, this work advances the understanding of PFAS toxicity and supports the development of safer PFAS alternatives for photolithography and related applications, contributing to sustainable semiconductor manufacturing practices
Evaluating the Effects of Carbon Nanotubes on Concrete
No full textIn this dissertation, the potential of carbon nanotubes (CNT) to enhance the properties of concrete has been extensively explored. The study focused on addressing the inherent weaknesses of traditional concrete, such as low tensile strength, susceptibility to cracking, shrinkage, and limited resistance to environmental factors. The aim was to leverage the exceptional mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of CNT to overcome these limitations and improve concrete's performance and durability.
Initially, the background and limitations of traditional concrete were reviewed, followed by an analysis of the state-of-the-art concrete research, highlighting the significant challenges posed by concrete's brittleness, shrinkage, and durability issues. The introduction of CNT was identified as a promising solution to address these challenges, given their unique characteristics and potential for reinforcing concrete at the nanoscale.
The study then proceeded to optimize the dispersion of CNT in concrete. This involved addressing the challenges associated with achieving uniform distribution of CNT, which is crucial for enhancing the mechanical properties and structural integrity of concrete. Various dispersion techniques were evaluated, including sonication and surfactant-assisted dispersion, with an emphasis on achieving homogeneous distribution without compromising the structural integrity of CNT.
Through a series of experiments and analyses, the effectiveness of CNT in enhancing concrete performance was validated. The results demonstrated significant improvements in mechanical strength, durability, and volume stability, confirming the potential of CNT as a transformative agent in concrete technology. Additionally, the study investigated the compatibility of CNT with traditional admixtures, highlighting potential conflicts and developing guidelines for integrating CNT into concrete formulations.
Overall, this dissertation provides valuable insights into using CNT in concrete, paving the way for future advancements in construction and materials science. The study highlights the potential of nanotechnology to improve the performance and durability of concrete structures, but it also acknowledges the challenges of moving from CNT-enhanced cement paste to CNT-enhanced concrete. Key issues such as achieving uniform dispersion, enhancing performance, and managing compatibility with traditional admixtures are explored in depth. This balanced view shows both the benefits and the challenges, offering promising avenues for future research and practical applications