28653 research outputs found
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Synergistic effects of MSCS and IPSCS in myocardial regeneration
No full textCardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of mortality, creating an urgent need for
regenerative solutions that can restore functional heart tissue. This proposal aims to explore
the co-culture of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with induced
pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes to enhance cellular maturation and
functionality. Extensive literature review has guided the selection of a Wnt-modulated
differentiation protocol. It is anticipated that the co-cultured cardiomyocytes will exhibit
significant increases in cardiac markers, with Troponin T levels expected to rise from 200 in
iPSCs alone to 350 in co-culture, and α-Actinin from 150 to 300, suggesting enhanced cardiac
differentiation. Functional assessments are projected to reveal notable improvements, with
spontaneous beating frequency expected to increase from 50 beats/min on day 0 to 150
beats/min by day 4, and contraction amplitude from 5 μm to 25 μm. Statistical analyses will
assess these expected outcomes, supporting MSC co-culture as a potential strategy for cardiac
tissue regeneration and advancing regenerative medicine.M. A
Community catalyst: designing for a sustainable urban future
No full textIn a 2008 article, architect Terri Meyer Boake proposed that architects must quickly adapt to the increasing issue of climate change. She proposed a more holistic approach to sustainability, one that favored net-zero energy and carbon neutrality as the baseline for architects. However, as cities and cultures continue to change it becomes increasingly evident that architects must expand upon this concept of holistic sustainability. Modern sustainability must not only include building efficiencies and environmental impact, but also look to the social and intrapersonal aspects of architecture, integrating building performance with active community interactions and occupant experiences. As a demonstration of this view of holistic sustainability, a community park is proposed in the underdeveloped neighborhood of Monon Yard in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Sitting along the Monon Trail and adjacent to multiple community features, this development will serve as a catalyst for the neighborhood through the demonstration of community-focused sustainability, community programs that actively engage the public and residents of the neighborhood, and the presence of a carbon-neutral community center.Thesis (B. Arch.)College of Architecture and Plannin
Liming as Black Methodology: Black Early Career Scholars Engage Black Humanity in Research
No full textThis paper builds on decolonizing educational research discourse. Rich, generative, and diverse forms of knowledge production, includes that of the Caribbean. Specifically, the paper uses the Black Caribbean method of Liming, which is an indigenous methodology. The paper illustrates how educational research practices can be enriched by Black and Caribbean ways of thinking, being and knowing. This diversity would support a pivot from Western methods. The author employs reflections from her dissertation writing
and research experience, while highlighting the dire need to incorporate and institutionalize methods from Black scholars, Black communities, and the Global South. Via this paper, I illustrate how Liming has allowed for greater discourse, and learning with the diverse communities served. Liming’s contributions are beneficial in educational research as well its utility for other areas of research. Lastly, this paper processes the idea that Caribbean, African-centric, and Black, knowledge-making such as Liming are liberatory
Quantitative metric density and applications
No full textWe begin by discussing the Lebesgue Density Theorem. Then, we show why a possible
statement of a “Quantitative Lebesgue Density Theorem” is false, by providing a
counterexample using dyadic intervals. Finally, we prove a “Quantitative Metric Density
Theorem” on doubling metric measure spaces and provide applications. The first application
uses the Quantitative Metric Density and the Hausdorff distance to show that
if one moves a closed ball, there won’t be many large gaps that the balls has to skip
over. The second application is using the Quantitative Metric Density and applying it
on Dyadic Cubes in Rn to show that one may form a path between two points by making
small jumps onto points in a measurable set.M. S
Inclusion & access of CrossFit for ID athletes
No full textExercise is crucial for preventing diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and obesity.
CrossFit offers a unique approach to fitness by combining gymnastics, weightlifting, and cardio
sports into one program. Moreover, all CrossFit movements can be modified to fit anyone’s skill
level. For people in their 70s to teenagers, CrossFit is intended to serve the masses. However, a
major gap still exists: CrossFit spaces are not fully inclusive for athletes with intellectual
disabilities [ID] due to a lack of knowledgeable and experienced coaches. Currently, there are
few resources to help coaches modify workouts for their athletes and even fewer resources to
help them coach ID athletes. I bridge this gap by creating a mobile app designed to help coaches
learn to adapt CrossFit movements and coach the ID population. By using design thinking
methods, I created X-Adapt, an app that helps coaches work with intellectually disabled athletes.M. A
The impact of Biosound technology on mental recovery, stress, burnout, and sleep quality in student-athletes and reserve officers' training corps (ROTC)
No full textCollege student-athletes and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) tactical athletes
are expected to perform at optimal levels physically and mentally, while simultaneously
balancing academic and social demands. Consequently, these populations experience high
physical and mental strain resulting in fatigue, overtraining, burnout, and injury (Balk et al.,
2021). Physical recovery has been investigated to address these issues (Campbell et al., 2018);
however, mental recovery has been sparingly researched. Biosound© is an emerging technology
that could facilitate mental recovery as previous research has shown that this technology reduces
stress, racing thoughts, depressed feelings, anxiety, muscle tension, body aches, and headaches
among substance misuse patients (Secor et al., 2017). The present study is the first to investigate
the impact of a 4-week Biosound© intervention on mental recovery, burnout, stress perception,
sleep quality, and cardiac coherence among a student-athlete and ROTC population. Twentyseven
participants (21 women, 6 men, Mage = 20.00, SD = 1.76) were randomly assigned to the
Biosound© intervention group or the control group and completed pre-and post-measures of
cardiac coherence, general and sport-specific stress/recovery, burnout, perceived stress, and sleep quality. At the end of the intervention, participants in the intervention group were asked about
their experience using the technology. Results revealed significant improvements in cardiac
coherence (p = .010) in the intervention group compared to the control group, and a time effect
demonstrating increased general recovery across both groups (p = .049). Intervention group
participants reported experiencing improved relaxation, stress reduction, breathing regulation,
improved sleep quality, increased mindfulness, and increased positive thoughts. These findings
may guide athletes, coaches, ROTC programs, and mental performance consultants regarding
evidenced-based strategies to promote mental recovery and reduce negative outcomes of chronic
stress.M. S
Machine learning algorithms for risk stratification: addressing the challenges of imbalanced response in predictive analytics
No full textIn the fields of healthcare, finance, and insurance, the process of risk stratification
plays a pivotal role in decision-making and resource allocation. Traditional models for
risk assessment, however, are often limited by their simplistic approaches, failing to
adequately account for the complexity and dynamism inherent in risk factors. This
shortfall leads to sub-optimal outcomes, including inefficient use of resources and
compromised patient safety. Particularly in healthcare, hospital readmission serves
as an indicator of these challenges, not only endangering patient health but also
imposing additional costs and tarnishing the reputation of medical institutions. In
this thesis project, we aim to bridge the existing gap in predictive analytics by using
machine learning (ML) techniques to enhance the accuracy and effectiveness of risk
stratification models. Our objective is to predict hospital readmission within 30 days.
Accurate prediction of hospital readmission helps identify the high-risk patient group.
Through a comparative analysis of various machine learning algorithms—including
classification tree, bagging, random forest, gradient boosting, Adaptive Boosting
(AdaBoost), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) and neural network— this study
evaluates their efficacy in predicting hospital readmission risks. We addressed the
issue of imbalanced response variable using random under-sampling, and random
over-sampling techniques. The findings of our research demonstrate that, in terms
of Recall, Precision, F1-score, Roc AUC , the XGBoost performed better than all
the other methods.M. S
Seasons in a cycle: a musical theatre song cycle an analysis of the compositional process
No full textMy Creative Project, partially fulfilling the requirements for a Master of Music degree in
Composition, is Seasons in a Cycle, which is a musical theatre song cycle consisting of four
songs about depression through the four seasons. I wrote the lyrics in addition to the music. The
music is for one unnamed tenor and piano. In order, the titles are the following: “Spring in the
Dark,” “Summer Contemplations,” “Moments in Fall,” and “Winter Introspection.” The subject
material follows my experience with seasonal depression. In “Spring in the Dark,” the character
reflects on memories while on a walk in the park that progresses into a dark mental spiral.
“Summer Contemplations” is the aftermath of the Spring, and he sings about his negative
reflection of his life leading into thoughts of suicide. After surviving the past two seasons, he
reflects on the nature of life in “Moments in Fall” and realizes how there can be hope and life
amid decay. He ends his revelations in “Winter Introspection” when he realizes he has a lot to be
thankful for and can sit in peace. The music supports the lyrical matter through key changes,
dissonant harmonies, and tonal clusters, musically suggesting ambiguity of the tenor’s thoughts.
The piano sets the mood of the tenor and carries suggestive themes seen in each of the pieces as
references to previous thoughts. The vocals are text-driven and have loose rhyming schemes.M. M
Transport and deposition of microplastics at the water-sediment interface of the White River, Muncie, Indiana
No full textMicroplastics (MPs), particles less than 5 mm, are an emerging environmental issue. Rivers are crucial MP (MP) conduits from land to sea. Effective MP pollution mitigation in rivers requires an understanding of river dynamics and its relationship to MP deposition in sediments. This study investigates MP movement and deposition at the water-sediment interface of the White River in Muncie, Indiana, in particular, hydrodynamics and sediment parameters which affect MP fate and transport. Three sites along the river were sampled for sediment: White River Woods (Upstream), Westside Park (Mid-Stream), and Morrow's Meadow (Downstream). These locations were chosen to capture spatial variations in MP deposition. At each site, twelve cross-sectional sediment samples were collected at intervals of 10 ft using the Ponar bottom grab sampler. Samples were evaluated for sediment grain size distribution, density separation, microscopic identification, and polymer analysis via Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), facilitating MP quantification and characterization. A significant variation in MP concentrations and types was determined across the sampled locations, with the highest concentrations observed upstream, suggesting proximity to MP sources, e.g., agricultural run-off. Fragment concentrations were consistent across sites; however, concentrations of films and fibers differed greatly, suggesting that other environmental, geological, or anthropogenic variables may influence MP distributions. Polymer analysis identified polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as the predominant polymers, reflecting common consumer and industrial plastic usage. Statistical analysis further highlighted the influence of river flow dynamics and sediment characteristics on MP distribution, underscoring the complex interaction between physical, chemical, and biological factors in determining the fate of MPs in freshwater systems.M. S
Impact of indoor courtyard gardens on seniors' health in nursing homes
No full textThe garden setting that is available throughout all seasons will promote and stimulate
exercise, social interaction, and mental acuity with anyone that interacts with this type of
environment. The presence of live plants has been associated with decreasing stress and
stabilizing sleep wake cycles among seniors. The interaction of working with plants will
improve the physical activity, social activity, and health of anyone, especially seniors in
nursing homes. Given that the elderly have declining health, it is essential that this type of
environment is installed within all nursing homes. The goal of this research is to increase the
health and wellbeing of the elderly living in nursing homes. The hypothesis will be testing if
there is an impact between indoor year-round courtyards gardens in nursing homes on
residents emotional, social, and physical wellbeing, compared to outdoor gardens that can be
utilized only a few months out of the year.M. A