Scholarship@Western

Afas, Keith C

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Does red blood cell shape regulate oxygen supply to the body? 
Keith C. Afas 
Western University, kafas@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Afas, Keith C., "Does red blood cell shape regulate oxygen supply to the body?" (2023). Inspiring Minds – 
A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 433. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/433 
WESTERN LIBRARIES —INSPIRING MINDS
DOES RED BLOOD CELL SHAPE REGULATE OXYGEN SUPPLY TO THE
BODY?
Keith C. Afas
Capillaries, the smallest blood vessels in your body, are responsible for delivering oxygen to tissues
for metabolism. At all levels of oxygen demand, it seems blood vessels know exactly how to increase
blood flow to deliver precise amounts of oxygen required! The tiny scale of these blood vessels and
surrounding objects makes understanding this process difficult. Therefore, modern attempts to answer
these questions have used mathematical and theoretical physics simulation. It has been proposed that
the key-player responsible for communicating tissue oxygen need throughout the body, might be your
red blood cells! These cells are the subject of our research, where how they might bend, signal, and
respond, are explored using geometric techniques! These techniques if successful, might hide the key
for understanding how the body is engineered to keep itself regulated, and can potentially explore
how this system goes wrong in several diseases including diabetes and sepsis.
1


English

Does red blood cell shape regulate oxygen supply to the body?

Sikstrom, Lee

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Sensing Pressure with Light 
Lee Sikstrom 
Western University, lsikstro@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Sikstrom, Lee, "Sensing Pressure with Light" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s 
Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 436. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/436 
Sensing Pressure with Light 
My research involves developing a device to predict applied pressure on tissue using optical signals. The 
device is pressed against the tissue, emits light, and then measures the amount of reflected light from 
the tissue. The reflected light quantity is then used by the machine learning model to predict the applied 
pressure on the tissue. 
With the goal of developing a tool to assist neurosurgeons to gently handle brain tissue, this device uses 
light to sense the health and viability of tissue, alerting surgeons if tissue is being harmed by measuring 
the pressure applied to brain tissue. Limiting harm during procedures will reduce recovery times and 
improve patient outcomes.  
Recent advances in manufacturing processes have resulted in ultra miniature, cost-effective, low 
powered optical devices that can be found in smart watches and phones. I am utilizing these 
commercially available optical devices to keep the cost low. 


Sensing Pressure with Light

Kew, Teagen

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Predicting Recovery of Disorders of Consciousness 
Teagen Kew 
tkew@uwo.ca 
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Citation of this paper: 
Kew, Teagen, "Predicting Recovery of Disorders of Consciousness" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital 
Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 439. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/439 
Predicting Recovery of Disorders of Consciousness  
Teagen Kew, MSc. Physics 
When a loved one suffers a brain injury and develops a disorder of consciousness (DOC) it’s 
difficult to know what to do. It is a challenge to diagnose those with a DOC, and as a result 
patients can be misdiagnosed. It is our hope that with fMRI imaging and a proposed theory of 
consciousness, Integrated Information Theory (IIT), we can improve diagnostic tools and predict 
how a diagnosis will progress. The patients are separated into two groups: positive outcome - 
those whose diagnoses improves over a two-year period, and negative outcome - those whose 
diagnoses remain the same or have deceased. IIT aims to quantify consciousness, or perhaps 
more accurately, perception. We apply IIT to the groups’ fMRI scans, looking at specific brain 
networks. So far, we have found that the positive group tends to have a higher “consciousness 
number” and is significantly higher in four out of eleven networks. 
 


Predicting Recovery of Disorders of Consciousness

Norris, Grace I

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Empowering Care: Uncovering the Learning Needs of Personal 
Support Workers in Dementia Care 
Grace I. Norris 
Western University, gnorris4@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Norris, Grace I., "Empowering Care: Uncovering the Learning Needs of Personal Support Workers in 
Dementia Care" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, 
Scholarship and Creative Activity. 441. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/441 
Empowering Care: Uncovering the Learning Needs of Personal Support Workers in Dementia Care.  
A dementia diagnosis occurs every three seconds. Most individuals living with dementia will rely on 
long-term care services, often provided by personal support workers (PSWs). Unfortunately, when 
compared to other healthcare workers, such as nurses, PSWs receive the least comprehensive formal and 
continuous education opportunities and the lowest self-perceived confidence in providing optimal 
dementia care. Furthermore, their learning needs and perspectives on dementia care have been overlooked 
and neglected in research. My research aims to bridge this gap by exploring PSW experiences, challenges, 
and their needs for additional educational support for dementia care. The outcomes of this study will 
serve as a foundation for designing future training programs and resources tailored to meet the needs of 
PSWs. By simply identifying their needs, we can empower PSWs, enhance their confidence and 
representation within the academic literature, and ultimately improve the quality of dementia care in long-
term care.  
Word count: 146 
Submission by Grace Norris 
MSc Health and Rehabilitation Sciences  
Supervised by Dr. Marie Y. Savundranayagam 
 


Empowering Care: Uncovering the Learning Needs of Personal Support Workers in Dementia Care

Bao, Yuki

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Physiologically realistic and adaptable models of microvascular 
networks for exploring disease effects on blood flow distribution 
in tissue 
Yuki Bao 
Western University, ybao59@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Bao, Yuki, "Physiologically realistic and adaptable models of microvascular networks for exploring 
disease effects on blood flow distribution in tissue" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 458. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/458 
Experiments to collect data at multiple vessel levels in a vascular network is challenging and 
time-consuming task. Thus, microvascular network models that can be used to test hypotheses on 
the implications of known pathologies is critically important. While models have been proposed 
over the past 50 years, there is yet to be an adaptable model that is capable of supporting 
investigations across species, tissues, and disease processes. My research objective is to develop 
a simulation code that generates statistically realistic vascular network models based on 1) 
current techniques in biosimulation, and 2) established hemodynamic and physiological MV 
behaviours. The code should yield adaptable microvascular models where key parameters can be 
modified to suit specific tissues/organs in which health/disease conditions and experimental 
challenges can be simulated. Once completed, these models will allow experimenters across 
various fields to confirm results and test/refine novel hypotheses. 


Physiologically realistic and adaptable models of microvascular networks for exploring disease effects on blood flow distribution in tissue

Stephen, Alexander J

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Engaging family/care partners to promote resident health and 
well-being in Canadian long-term care homes 
Alexander J. Stephen 
asteph8@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Stephen, Alexander J., "Engaging family/care partners to promote resident health and well-being in 
Canadian long-term care homes" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate 
Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 460. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/460 
Engaging family/care partners to promote resident health and well-
being in Canadian long-term care homes 
With approximately 1 in 5 adults over the age of 65, Canada’s population is getting older. 
Eventually, many people will no longer be able to physically care for themselves and require 
transfer to a long-term care (LTC) home. With thousands currently on a waitlist for a bed, front-
line staff feeling overworked and under supported, and reports of many residents not having 
their basic care needs adequately met, Canada’s LTC sector is in crisis. Increasing the 
engagement of family members and friends of LTC residents has been suggested as a cost-
effective and practical way to help address this crisis. My research intends to determine how to 
best encourage family care/partner engagement in caring for their loved one in LTC. Findings 
will provide evidenced-based guidance to inform future policy decisions, and care interventions, 
with the goal of improving the health and well-being of Canadian LTC residents. Now, and for 
years to come. 
Submitted by: Alexander J. Stephen 


Engaging family/care partners to promote resident health and well-being in Canadian long-term care homes

Rashed, Rameeza

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Physical functioing prognostic factors in low back pain 
Rameeza Rashed 
Western University, rrashed2@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Rashed, Rameeza, "Physical functioing prognostic factors in low back pain" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A 
Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 476. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/476 
Physical factors of physical functioning as prognostic factors predicting outcomes in low back pain 
My research project focuses on prognostic factors in low back pain and their role in predicting patient 
outcomes. Low back pain has a significant impact on individuals' lives, leading to decreased quality of life, 
functional limitations, and long-term disability. Understanding the physical factors related to physical 
functioning is crucial, as it is currently an underexplored area compared to psychological and social 
aspects. By investigating these prognostic factors, my research aims to fill this gap and provide valuable 
insights into predicting the outcomes of low back pain. This knowledge will assist clinicians in developing 
targeted interventions, optimizing healthcare resource distribution, and reducing the likelihood of 
disability. Overall, this research aims to improve the lives of individuals with low back pain by enhancing 
our understanding of prognostic factors and their impact on patient outcomes. 
 


Physical functioing prognostic factors in low back pain

Babaeipour, Ramtin

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Breathing Easier: Harnessing AI for Better Lung Imaging 
Ramtin Babaeipour 
The University of Western Ontario, rbabaeip@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Babaeipour, Ramtin, "Breathing Easier: Harnessing AI for Better Lung Imaging" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A 
Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 479. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/479 
My PhD project is like providing a clearer lens to doctors when they view lung images. Using a process 
called 'deep learning', a form of artificial intelligence, I teach computers to recognize patterns in magnetic 
resonance imaging (MRI) of gases inside the lungs. This sophisticated technique allows us to identify 
areas where ventilation - the flow of air in and out of the lungs - isn't as good as it should be. These are 
called 'ventilation defects'. 
My approach involves 'transfer learning', a technique where I apply knowledge gained from a massive 
image dataset called ImageNet. This allows me to fine-tune my AI model, enhancing its ability to 
understand lung images. Think of it as providing the AI with a set of glasses to better read MRI scans. 
This innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize how we detect and understand lung diseases, 
and most importantly, breathe easier. 


Breathing Easier: Harnessing AI for Better Lung Imaging

Mill, Robert V

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Studying the Digital Transformation of Businesses 
Robert V. Mill 
bmill.msc2023@ivey.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Mill, Robert V., "Studying the Digital Transformation of Businesses" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital 
Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 500. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/500 
Studying the digital transformation of businesses 
 
Since I joined the MSc program at Ivey in September 2022, it has been an absolute blast to study the 
digital transformation of legacy industries. From trips to Silicon Valley to co-op projects with the Sick Kids 
Hospital, we have been able to empathize with global business leaders and help them transition to new 
frontier technology. One thing that stood out to me in my research was how difficult it is for large 
corporations to change the business operations because of the inertia and dominant logic within the 
corporation. Our program aims to find solutions to make organizations more agile and resilient to 
change, so they can continue to reinvent themselves and serve the community. 
 
Robert Mill 
June 2nd 2023 


Studying the Digital Transformation of Businesses

Gonder, Ainsley

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Contextualizing Compensation: The antecedents and 
consequences of executive pay disparity 
Ainsley Gonder 
Western University, agonder.phd@ivey.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Gonder, Ainsley, "Contextualizing Compensation: The antecedents and consequences of executive pay 
disparity" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity. 501. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/501 
Although growing inequality is often studied for its effects on society, relatively less attention is 
paid to where it is produced. In modern economies, most individuals earn the lion’s share of their 
incomes from employment within firms, making organizations chiefly responsible for setting and 
distributing wages. Beyond what it means for society more broadly, growing pay disparity inhibits 
collaborate and cooperation within firms. My research investigates how pay disparity emerges, 
why it persists, and how it affects firms in order to inform future academic research, policymaking, 
and governance practices. I adopt an interdisciplinary approach to place compensation in context, 
highlighting that pay disparity does not emerge in a vacuum. Rather, it is the result of a multitude 
of intersecting forces with consequences that reverberate through society.   
 
 
 
 


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