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Developing an app to provide physical and mental health benefits for menopausal women
Full text linkBackground: Menopause is the end of a women’s menstrual cycle and reproductive years. For some women the transition is without major problems; others struggle with various psychological and physical symptoms. Regular walking exercise can be an easy way to maintain physical and mental health. Previous focus groups revealed that women enjoy and want the social aspect of walking groups.
Objectives: The goal of this study is to test use and effectiveness of a walking app platform specific for menopausal women that allows them to connect with each other to schedule walks in Edmonton, and track the effect of walking on their symptom changes.
Methods: Women will be recruited from the Edmonton Menopause clinics and by word of mouth. Interested and consented women receive login information to use the app to schedule and sign-up for walks. Women will complete menopause-specific QOL and symptom questionnaires at their first login and will be prompted to complete them monthly thereafter. Women will also be asked to record their walking durations and intensities. Participating women will be invited to focus groups to discuss their experience using the app. Descriptive statistics will be applied to analyze data collected at the backend from questionnaires and surveys, and qualitative content analysis will be applied to analyze the audio-recorded focus groups.
Results: A prototypic online application has been created including a user manual.
Access is restricted and all potential participants will be screened after their first login by the research team prior to gaining full access. Women will then be able to use the app features for schedules and surveys. Data collected at the back end by the researchers will determine the use and effectiveness of the app and explore the impact of social walking on menopause symptom changes.
Conclusion: This is the first social platform of this kind created specifically for menopausal women. Ultimately we hope that this platform will empower women to seek lifestyle changes such as walking exercises and connect with each other on the communality of menopause. Testing the use and effectiveness of the app will help us to improve and further develop the app
On-unit CT measures as tools for artificial intelligence to identify random vs. systematic anatomical changes in radiotherapy patients
Full text linkBackground: Although head and neck (H&N) cancer survival is steadily increasing, the close proximity of tumor volumes to organs at risk (OARs) makes radiotherapy planning and delivery challenging for these patients. Changes in patient anatomy (i.e. weight-loss, tumor shrinkage) over 7 weeks of daily radiotherapy may result in increased dosages of radiation to OARs relative to the original treatment plan, consequently hindering post-treatment quality of life. Artificial intelligence-based approaches can improve prediction and monitoring of these effects through identification of systematic changes.
Objective: To collect and perform an analysis of on-unit CT measurements as surrogate measures of dose changes. Correlations among CT measures may indicate random vs. systematic changes in dose deposition (i.e. dosimetry) and further improve artificial intelligence-based approaches that determine which patients benefit most from treatment re-planning.
Methods: 250 H&N cancer patients treated with curative chemo-radiotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. Five CT measures including face and neck diameter, chin and shoulder position, and head shift were calculated motivated by current literature. Dosimetric changes were calculated for OARs (pharyngeal constrictor, brainstem, parotid and submandibular glands) and tumour volumes. Conventional correlation analysis and hierarchical clustering were performed to assess group-wise correlations. K-medoid clustering and principal components analysis were conducted to infer groupings of the patients as random or systematic.
Results: There is a positive correlation between increased dosages to central-axis anatomical structures (spinal cord, pharyngeal constrictor, submandibular glands) and systematic weight-loss effects (change in BMI and weight loss through the face and neck). In line with current literature, clustering indicated that 30.4% of the cohort exhibited systematic anatomical changes, potentially correctable by re-planning. MANOVA confirmed that the systematic anatomical changes corresponded to the spinal cord and brain stem (p<0.005), and Mann-Whitney U tests confirmed that the measures could identify systematic dose increases to the pharyngeal constrictor (p<0.05). Further statistical analyses will be conducted.
Conclusions: On-unit CT measures appear to be able to distinguish random and systematic dosimetric effects, correlated with changes in dose as expected. These measures can be utilized to improve artificial intelligence-based patient monitoring and intervention techniques
Family Yoga For Self-Esteem and Stronger Caregiver-Child Relationships: A Pilot Study
Full text linkBackground: Children’s participation in yoga is becoming more widespread as a practice to promote physical health and psychological well-being. Previous research of yoga programs for children indicate that children respond well to yoga-based interventions and are receptive to the therapeutic benefits, both physical and emotional. There is extensive research examining the benefits of children’s yoga, however there is a paucity of research examining the potential benefits of family yoga. Objective: In this study the relationship with the primary caregiver is utilized in order to engage children and their caregivers in yoga and other mindfulness-based activities together. The purpose of this research is to assess the effectiveness of a Family Yoga program to increase children’s self-esteem and enhance caregiver-child relationships. Self-esteem and close caregiver-child relationships are strong indicators of mental wellness for children and families. As there is minimal professional intervention required for children and their caregivers to practice yoga together it is a resource worth further investigation in regards to mental wellness. Methods: For the Family Yoga program children between the ages of 7 and 9 participate in a 60-minute yoga class with their primary caregiver once a week for an eight-week period. N = 13 child; N=13 caregiver; Child Age M=8. Quantitative results are analyzed using a paired t-test to examine changes in the child’s self-esteem and the strength of the caregiver-child relationship, using both caregiver reported and child reported measures pre and post intervention. Qualitative results are analyzed using content analysis to examine the perceived benefits of the intervention from the perspective of the participants. Results: Quantitative results show a statistically significant increase in children’s self-esteem and closeness in the relationship with their primary caregiver. In the qualitative results, caregivers identified enhanced closeness in the relationship with their child, confidence of their child developing and benefiting from the opportunity to know their child better. Conclusion: The quantitative and qualitative results suggest that the Family Yoga may improve children’s self-esteem and enhance closeness in the caregiver-child relationship, leading to prospective improvements in the mental well-being of children and families
Perception of Unfamiliar English Phonemes by Native Mandarin Speakers
Full text linkIn second language acquisition, speech sounds, or phonemes, not present in a learner’s native language often pose an extra challenge for speech production. When hearing one of these unfamiliar phonemes, the learner either maps it to a similar native phoneme, perceives it as a completely foreign sound, or does not perceive it as speech at all. In the first case, the learner is unable to perceive a difference between the unfamiliar phoneme and the native phoneme to which it is mapped. This mapping difficulty potentially creates problems for the learner during word recognition. The present research investigated the extent to which English phonemes absent from the Mandarin phonological inventory impact processing of native Mandarin speakers in an auditory lexical decision task. Results of this research will expand the understanding of second language perception, especially within the context of auditory lexical decision tasks. A list of ten phonemes—/ɪ/, /æ/, /ʊ/, /ɛ/, /v/, /z/, /ʒ/, /ɵ/, /ð/, /ʤ/—present in the English phonological inventory but absent from that of Mandarin were identified as unfamiliar to native Mandarin speakers. Data from the Massive Auditory Lexical Decision (MALD) database, in which participants decided whether recorded utterances were English words or made-up words, were utilized. The effects of the proportion of unfamiliar phonemes, proportion of unfamiliar vowels, and proportion of unfamiliar consonants on reaction time, representative of processing difficulty, were then calculated using statistical techniques. It was found that the proportion of all unfamiliar phonemes in an utterance had no significant effect on the reaction time of the native Mandarin speakers. However, when the list of unfamiliar phonemes was divided into vowels and consonants, a greater proportion of unfamiliar vowels was noticed to increase reaction time, while a greater proportion of unfamiliar consonants was found to decrease reaction time. Further research in this area is required to determine a concrete explanation for these results. Interestingly, when the same analysis was performed on the data of native English speakers, similar results were observed. This may reflect a common language processing mechanism in second language learners and native speakers
Analyzing the Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and Trace Metals in Tailings
Full text linkIn the process of producing bitumen from oil sand, a by-product called tailings is produced. Tailings are a mixture of clay, fine particles, water, solvent and residual bitumen. The industry’s current approach is to leave them in tailings ponds; however, that may cause environmental impacts to the ecosystems around them due in part to the toxic trace metals found in them. Research has shown that there are also valuable rare Earth elements (REEs) present in tailings. REEs found in tailings include Cerium, Neodymium, Lanthanum etc. Iron, Titanium, and Zirconium are not considered REEs but are still valuable enough to be extracted. The objective of this research was to determine the concentration of REEs and trace metals in bitumen froth treatment tailings (FTT). Our research team used acid digestion and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) to measure the concentration of REEs and trace metals in several samples of FTT ash. We learned that Cerium was the most prevalent REE in tailings samples (>1000ppm), followed by Neodymium and Lanthanum. Zirconium was the most prevalent trace metal found in this tailings sample (>1000ppm), followed closely by Vanadium. Knowing the exact concentration of harmful trace metals in tailings will allow us to determine the extent of tailings ponds environmental effect and toxicity. Collecting and selling expensive metals found in tailings could be the start of a new precious metals economy in Alberta, which would provide new investment opportunities and jobs. This would also encourage corporations to invest in finding new ways to extract these precious metals, resulting in more purified tailings and less tailings overall going into tailings ponds
\u27X\u27 Marks the Spot: Transferring Dig Site Coordinates from Maps to Google Earth
Full text linkDinosaur Provincial Park has been a popular site for palaeontological digs for many years. Over time, the many quarries and bone beds uncovered have had their locations marked on large paper topography maps. Unfortunately, many dig sites have been lost due to poor documentation. Some sites have been abandoned for years. The high erosion levels of the park (2 – 4 mm yearly) continually both destroys dig sites and uncovers new fossils. To help recover old, unused dig sites, the coordinates of the sites marked on the old paper maps were uploaded to Google Earth Pro for easy access. Unfortunately, the points had to first be transferred to clear mylar maps, because the original paper maps lacked longitude and latitude measurements. This was accomplished by matching the topography when the scale of the maps differed, and by overlaying the clear maps on the paper maps when they did not. The distance of each point from a line of longitude or latitude was found using a ruler (each mm measured on the map representing 10 m in the park) and used to calculate their coordinates. After the coordinates were found, they were recorded in a Google SpreadSheet. Once this was completed for all 462 points, they were uploaded to Google Earth Pro. The purpose of this project was to provide more easily accessible records of dig sites and prevent further record loss as the old paper maps age and their condition deteriorates. The massive paper maps are unwieldy and impractical to use in the field, and something more compact is needed. Google Earth is easily accessed on a computer or cell phone, and the points will not be lost due to physical damage, degradation, or misplacement of the records. In addition, it takes up far less space in digital form, and thus is better for field work than the original maps
Using Computer Simulations to Plan Construction Projects Accurately
Full text linkThe three main objectives in construction projects are completing the project on time, within budget, and with good quality. Each construction project is unique and unpredictable making it beneficial to model the project before executing it. There are many ways to model a construction project; however, computer models are ideal. It is very costly and time consuming to experiment with the actual system. Therefore, by using a computer simulation, accurate data can be collected from the project without the time and cost drawbacks. The specific construction project researched is based on a real project from Fort Mcmurray Alberta, Canada. The construction project involved the delivery and erection of three different types of steel in a construction site. Once the steel has been delivered, it needs to be stored and then carried by forklift to one of two cranes to be erected. A schedule was provided for which days each type of material was expected to be delivered and erected, however this schedule did not account for the 20% chance that any delivery could be delayed by one day or the 10% chance that deliveries could be delayed by two days. A model project was created on Simphony.NET with the assumptions that work could commence the entire day (24 hours), the site has unlimited storage, and a delay in one delivery does not delay all the deliveries after it. The schedule for the project was then modified to reflect the results of the simulation. The modified schedule showed that several deliveries of materials were delayed. However, due to the model’s assumptions and the time for erection being relatively short, the planned schedule for the erection of the materials was not delayed. By using the data collected from the computer simulation it was possible to more accurately plan the schedule for this construction project
DRUGPATH: A New Database for Mapping Polypharmacology
Full text linkWhile there are existing databases that curate only drug, target, or pathway data for instance, none of these alone are exhaustive. The Drug Gene Pathway (DRUGPATH) meta database was created as a response to the complex treatment required for various diseases including Gulf War Illness (GWI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), where therapy involves using multiple drugs in combination. Here, drug-drug interactions can occur due to the promiscuous nature of pharmaceuticals, which can then lead to various side effects or can alternatively be utilized towards drug repurposing. The objective was to develop a database that maps the interactions between drugs, genes, pathways, and targets for use in the treatment of complex diseases, including the prediction of off-target interactions, otherwise known as side effects. Using MATLAB and Python scripts, interactions between known drugs, genes, targets, and pathways amalgamated from numerous expert-curated sources such as PharmGKB, DrugBank, DGIdb, ConsesusPathDB, Guide to PHARMACOLOGY, HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee, Toxin and Toxin-Target Database, repoDB, the FDA’s National Drug Code database, etc. were mapped together. The raw data was first downloaded from its source and subsequently cleaned, where extraneous information such as data from non-humans, internal identifiers, timestamps, etc. were removed. The remaining information was then integrated into an SQLite database. DRUGPATH currently contains a total of 2,632,516 unique entries, and of these, there are 54,757 unique genes, 2,632,242 unique pathways, and 31,042 unique drugs. DRUGPATH allows researchers and clinicians to discern which pathways are affected by each drug, reducing the likelihood of an adverse drug reaction occurring. The incorporation of drug, gene, target, and pathway information makes DRUGPATH a powerful resource for predicting potential side effects when designing or refining a given drug combination therapy. Not only that, but we have additionally added the FDA status, half-life, and indication for each drug whenever possible for clinical applications of this database
pARTicipate: Art as Self-Expression for Persons with Aphasia: (a Pilot Project)
Full text linkBackground
Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder resulting from a stroke or traumatic brain injury. Persons with Aphasia (PWA) have deficits in language comprehension and expression. Loss of communicative functions can be isolating for PWA as they may face barriers to accessing community-based leisure programs. Aphasia-friendly materials, visuals and simple written or oral instructions, can reduce such barriers and support communicative access.
Objective
The pARTicipate project is a student-initiated art group that was piloted with the aim of encouraging PWA to trial an art class in a communicatively accessible and low-risk environment, as part of an outpatient rehabilitation program. By using a life participation approach for aphasia, this project aimed to promote participants’ discovery, or rediscovery, of a hobby.
Methods
Four PWA completed six art projects over 9 weeks. Communicative access was enhanced by using aphasia-friendly instructions and demonstrations to teach the projects. Participants showcased their projects and taught their skills to family and community members on the final “Share Day”.
Results
Qualitative and quantitative data was gathered from satisfaction surveys. One hundred percent of the participants indicated that they enjoyed sharing their art with the community, and that they would join the group again if it was offered. Additionally, all participants indicated they would be likely to continue exploring art in the future.
Conclusions
It is expected that the skills learned by PWAs in pARTicipate may help increase their confidence about participating in other community-based art classes. As well, continuing to use these skills may help participants develop a sense of belonging to the artistic community. By learning to incorporate personal symbols, PWA can be deliberate in their use of art for self-expression in the future. Finally, PWA were empowered to assume a leadership role during “Share Day”. Having the opportunity to teach newly acquired artistic skills to their family and community members promoted positive feelings about the self and served to reveal their cometencies.
 
A Preliminary Study on the Engineering Properties of Clay Soil
Full text linkKarl Von Terzaghi, the father of soil mechanics, says, “There is no other soil which is as problematic as clay soil”. In many places across the badlands of Alberta, clay soil is known to be troublesome and cause issues with buildings and infrastructure. Climate conditions, erosion and weathering can cause the unstable clay soil to create landslides, which consequently damage many of these structures. For this reason, engineers are sent to these sites to monitor and collect data over a period of time to compare and contrast their results. The purpose of this study is to learn and understand the properties of clay soils through different classification and index tests. Two clay soils, kaolinite and bentonite, were tested for their properties and their results were compared. Some of the tests performed include the hydrometer analysis, pycnometer analysis, and atterberg limits. The hydrometer analysis is the process in determining the size of silts and clays (when sieves cannot be used). The pycnometer analysis is used to determine the specific gravity of a substance. Atterberg limits are used to determine the water content at which a soil starts to shift from liquid, plastic or semi-solid. These tests were done in two different solutions - one containing distilled water and one with saline water - to understand the effect of the solution on the liquid and plastic limits. The goal of this study was achieved and the results can be used to understand more about the engineering properties of clay soils and apply these studies to future field work. By understanding these properties, further research can be done to discover long term solutions to landslides caused by the problematic soil