21147 research outputs found
Sort by
Determinants of Knee Motion in Health, Disease, and Repair
No full textThe human knee joint is a complex and intricate structure, enabling a wide range of motions and facilitating various dynamic activities throughout a person\u27s lifetime. The combination of the knee\u27s complexity and its role as a primary load-bearing joint has made it susceptible to regular wear and tear, leading to pain and the development of Osteoarthritis (OA), to which, the only treatment currently is total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Despite TKA being a mature procedure, 20% of patients receiving a TKA are dissatisfied with their “new” knee. To reduce that 20% dissatisfaction and improve surgical outcomes, orthopedic companies are developing advanced surgical robotics systems for TKA. These robots have been effective at reducing surgical procedure outliers and early reports have been favorable for patient outcomes while providing a wealth of data collected during the surgery. However, the additional data and accuracy provided by surgical robotics will be ineffective unless we can identify appropriate targets to address the pathology and underlying mechanism of OA development to restore pain free motion and quality of life to patients. Thus, this work aims to provide tools to study and investigate the mechanisms that influence knee kinematics across the 3 stages of the knee lifecycle: health, disease, and repair. These objectives were achieved through four distinct projects. The first study focused on the health stage, which aimed to collect and distribute a comprehensive high-fidelity dataset of 6 subjects (12 knees) for development of patient-specific musculoskeletal models. The second and third studies focused on the repair stage, where the use of surgical robotics were utilized to determine the surgical parameters that had the greatest influence on important postoperative measures of successful knee function across a wide range of activities of daily living. The fourth and final project focused on the disease stage, where in-vivo joint laxity and progression of OA disease were investigated for their effect on knee function prior to surgery. Overall, the goal of this dissertation is to investigate the determinants of knee motion to identify potential mechanisms of OA development and leverage high-fidelity data to inform improved targets for surgical correction and planning
Overcoming Barriers to Connection Between People with Schizophrenia and Their Caregivers
No full textThe purpose of this doctoral project is to bring together existing literature on relational barriers between patients and caregivers, and strategies for overcoming them, for one reason: to help clinicians facilitate connection within families and households where one person has schizophrenia. It is therefore comprised of two parts: this paper containing a three-part literature review on barriers to connection including social skill deficits characteristic of the disease of schizophrenia, environmental factors, and caregiver burden and expressed emotion within families, as well as protective factors and strategies for overcoming them. The second component of this project is a psychoeducational module geared towards clinicians working with caregivers, which may also be of use to patients and caregivers. The module summarizes the content of this literature review in a video format, making it digestible to a wider audience. The module can be found here: https://youtu.be/VKp1jAKb2-8
Exosome Isolation from Brain Tissue of the 3xTgAD Mouse Model for Alzheimer\u27s Disease
No full textAlzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that occurs with the accumulation of amyloid-beta plaques and tau protein in the brain. Exosomes, small, cargo-carrying vesicles released by cells, have been thought to be possible contributors to the spread of these pathogenic proteins throughout the brain. This study further explores the role of exosomes in the neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease by establishing a protocol for exosome isolation from 3xTgAD mice brain tissue. Four immunoaffinity-based isolation techniques were used, followed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dot blotting, nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), and western blotting to validate the isolated extracellular vesicles (EVs) as exosomes. Out of the four methods explored, sequentially isolating astrocyte-derived exosomes (ADEs) using streptavidin-bound magnetic beads and biotinylated glutamate aspartate transporter (GLAST) antibody yielded the comparatively purest and most populated sample of isolated exosomes. Deriving exosomes directly from brain tissue allows for close study of their role in the spread of pathogenic amyloid-beta and tau proteins through the brain. This protocol opens the door for downstream biomarker analysis of exosomes, particularly for exosome cargo indicative of neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation, and extends the applicability of known exosome isolation techniques from biological fluids to brain tissue. Furthermore, the capacity to directly isolate exosomes from brain tissue is highly relevant to understanding how these vesicles contribute not just to Alzheimer’s disease, but also to other types of neurodegenerative diseases with differentially localized pathologies within the brain
Spatial Analysis of PM2.5 Pollution Using Crowdsourced Data in Chicago, Illinois
No full textAir pollution is a significant contributor to disease and premature death in populations worldwide. It is a particularly prevalent problem in urban environments, where high levels of polluting activities in densely populated areas lead to air pollution exposure in large numbers of people. Recently developed technology for assessing air quality, including low-cost monitors (LCMs) and crowdsourced data, have increased the feasibility and accessibility of air pollution analysis. This study uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to perform spatial analysis of crowdsourced air pollution data and map intra-urban variation in air pollutant concentration in the city of Chicago, Illinois. Observed patterns may lead to increased understanding of the variables that contribute to air pollution and the characteristics of areas with the highest levels of exposure
Developing a Public Integrated Web GIS Hub Portal for Summit County, Colorado
No full textThis capstone and project implementation plan is for the government of Summit County, Colorado’s geographic information systems department. Summit County’s geographic information systems department has existed since 1993, and the department wanted to incorporate additional functionality for their geospatial products. Residents of the county as well as other stakeholders expressed the need for a variety of geospatial resources in a central location. This document detailed plans for a hub with information relating to what city/jurisdiction parcels and addresses are in, zoning, tax areas, flood zones, and wetland classifications. The beneficiaries are Summit County Government, private citizens, real-estate investors, and insurance companies. The hub allows interested parties to find information without having to search through many different data providers
A Developmental Evaluation of a Dental Hygiene Program and a Community Health Partnership
No full textToday, dental hygiene education commonly occurs in community college settings which are removed from dental schools thus dental hygiene students graduate with relatively little to no exposure to dentistry or directly with a clinically practicing dentist. With dental hygiene workforce shortages at an extremely high level, locally and nationally, it is imperative to matriculate students who are poised to be successful in the changing landscape of healthcare.
The purpose of this program evaluation was to investigate via the developmental program evaluation model, the perceived benefits of a potential collaboration between the Colorado Mountain College (CMC) dental hygiene program and a dentist within a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) system. The two evaluation questions that form the basis for the study include:
1. What contributions does a community healthcare partner, specifically a FQHC dentist, make to the dental hygiene student at CMC?
2. What characteristics are needed from the evaluand (CMC) and the strategic partner (FQHC) to be successful academic-community partners in a shared oral health clinic?
My framework aligned with Patton (1994) and the developmental program evaluation. Developmental evaluation is an especially appropriate approach when programs are emerging (Fagan et al., 2011-09), which was the circumstance for the Colorado Mountain College dental hygiene program.
Since this academic-community collaboration was an uncharted model, the significance of this program evaluation may lead to a paradigm shift in dental hygiene clinical educational models both locally and nationally
Eating and Body Image Concerns for Transgender and Non-Binary Post-Collegiate Athletes
No full textEating disorders (EDs) and disordered eating behaviors disproportionately impact transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive (TNG) individuals, yet traditional ED treatment models often fail to address the unique causes and manifestations of disordered eating in this population. Collegiate athletes are also at elevated risk for disordered eating due to performance and appearance pressures reinforced by sport culture. For TNG athletes, these risks are compounded by gender dysphoria, conflict between sport-based body expectations and gender expression, and a lack of access to affirming, culturally responsive care. This qualitative study explored the experiences of five TNG former collegiate athletes, focusing on their relationships with food and their bodies. Through semi-structured interviews, the study examined how sport culture, team dynamics, and coaching environments shaped participants’ experiences of disordered eating and body image during and after college athletics. Seven core themes emerged from their college experiences: (a) sport as protective, (b) visibility and validation of queer identities, (c) supportive team and community, (d) chest dysphoria, (e) uniforms and body image, (f) gender expression, and (g) weight stigma. Six post-college themes were identified: (a) positive connection to the body, (b) dysphoria versus dysmorphia, (c) intersectional gender-affirming care, (d) gender legibility and misgendering, (e) grief and conflict in sport, and (f) recovery, community, and post-college reflections. Findings reveal that cisnormative sport environments often intensified body-related distress and disordered eating, yet participants also described meaningful healing through affirming care, and community. This study expands the literature by centering the voices and lived experiences of TNG collegiate athletes
Group Psychotherapy Treatment Manual for Limb Loss
No full textAt present, there are no evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions designed specifically for people with limb loss (PwLL). There is evidence demonstrating a multitude of challenges related to mental health that can emerge after limb loss, such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, grief, adjustment to disability/medical diagnosis, chronic pain, disturbed sleep, struggles with relationships and sexuality, disruptions to identity and body image, and more. The etiology of limb loss such as congenital versus acquired, traumatic injury versus non- traumatic chronic medical illness, alongside a complex interplay of psychosocial factors such as age, socioeconomic status, prior mental health diagnoses and more, play a role in both the genesis and maintenance of mental health symptoms. Due to an absence of interventions to address these concerns, the goal of this treatment manual is to develop a group psychotherapy curriculum specifically for PwLL. The curriculum is made up of evidenced- based approaches shown to be effective in populations who struggle with similar experiences as PwLL. However, the interventions have not been studied, yet, for limb loss. Thus, this paper will provide the reader with foundational information about limb loss and mental health, a group psychotherapy curriculum and its clinical rationale, structure for a pilot study to measure the intervention’s effectiveness, and pertinent resources. Hopefully, the information and interventions within this manual can be used by clinicians and researchers to promote positive adaptions to limb loss and help PwLL improve quality of life
Mentor Teachers as Leaders in Rural Schools: A Case Study in Retention and Renewal
No full textTeacher recruitment and retention remain critical issues for rural schools in Colorado. This study explores the role that leadership development for mentor teachers may play in addressing the retention of veteran teachers and new/novice teachers alike. Rural veteran teachers are resilient leaders who introduce new teachers to the unique challenges of rural schools and their community contexts. By identifying and training mentor teachers, districts can simultaneously elevate veteran teacher expertise, celebrate their community contributions, and create capacity for leading induction programs. Ultimately, these can increase teacher retention in rural settings where teachers are most needed
Soundscapes, Pioneers, and Practices: Laying the Foundations of the Russian Guitar
No full textA review of The Seven-String Guitar in Russia: Its Origins, Repertoire, and Performance Practice, 1800–50, by Oleg Timofeyev (Cambridge Scholars, Newcastle upon Tyne, 2023), Worldcat, publisher\u27s websit