163 research outputs found
Implications for leaflet behaviour in heavily calcified patient-specific aortic roots: simulation of transcatheter aortic valve implantation
No full textAs life expectancy increases, there are more and more cases of age-related disease presenting to medical attention. Aortic stenosis (AS) is a common age-related heart condition in which there is a thickening and distortion of the valve leaflets together with calcium deposition in the aortic root and valve. Surgical valve replacement (SVR) of the calcified valve is the current default treatment for AS. However, due to the invasive nature of the procedure, a large population of patients are deemed too high risk to undergo SVR. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) was developed as a percutaneous alternative to SVR.TAVI is a purely mechanical process beyond the initial positioning of the device, that is, there is no decision making. As a result it can be computationally modelled using finite element analysis (FEA). This thesis describes how FEA has been used to analyse the stresses within the prosthetic leaflets during and post-deployment. Further, the application of patient-specific deployment simulation for predicting adverse effects post TAVI was explored.FEA simulation of TAVI deployment is challenging as a realistic aortic root model must be developed. This was accomplished by extracting data from patient specific medical images. The TAVI device itself, in particular the leaflets, are subjected to elevated stresses and deformation during deployment. Creating an FEA model robust enough to withstand the deployment process was achieved by modelling the leaflets in a planar orientation, then using a preliminary simulation to manipulate the leaflets into a functional position while maintaining a highly regular mesh.The key findings in this thesis concern device orientation and how it influences the operating stress of the valve. Sub-optimal device orientation can result in an average stress increase of 25%, which could potentially reduce the lifespan of the device. Patient-specific deployment simulations were also shown to have application outside of device orientation assessment as regions of potential paravalvular aortic regurgitation were identifiable
Historical legacies, competition and dispersal control patterns of invasion by a non-native grass, Microstegium vimineum Trin. (A. Camus)
No full textBiological invasions can be controlled by a number of factors, and the importance of these factors for individual species can change depending on the spatial scale under consideration. Furthermore, the long-term legacies of past land use may be among the major factors structuring contemporary communities. This study was designed to merge these two lines of thought by observing the processes influencing invasion success of an exotic grass species, Microstegium vimineum. Plots within twenty hardwood forest stands of different ages (40 years old to [greater than] 100 years) were surveyed in central New Jersey for the presence and abundance of this species, and the data was analyzed using simple, multiple linear and logistic regressions, as well as regression trees. At the stand scale, M. vimineum abundance was influenced by age, slope, shrub cover and forest connectivity, with far more predictable responses in younger stands than in old. On the plot scale, forest age and prior use were again the dominant influences on abundance of the invasive. Invasion in old forests was most promoted by thinner canopy cover, while younger stands were most influenced by soil type and distance to forest edge. Further studies along dispersal corridors (streams and trails) in these stands consistently showed more invasion in younger stands than older, but also found the intensity of invasion to be higher along such corridors than through areas without them. Observation of isolated patches confirmed that seed dispersal is mostly short-range without dispersal conduits, with most seeds germinating less than a meter from their parent patch boundaries. Finally, an experimental study of the role of understory shrub cover and litter depth on seed germination and seedling growth showed that shade from shrubs strongly limits survival and growth. Seeds also need to be in contact with mineral soil to establish, but otherwise litter depth does not influence growth. These studies demonstrate that the establishment and spread of this invasive species is affected by complex hierarchies of factors that differ in stands with different land use histories. Land managers can use these differences to design targeted control programs that are more effective and stand-specific.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-159)
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Oriental enlightenment: the problematic military experiences and cultural claims of Count Maurice Auguste comte de Benyowsky in Formosa during 1771
No full textMaurice Benyowsky's colourful version of his global adventures during the heady, expansive days of the late-Enlightenment remains still as an historical account, and is perhaps destined for reification at a time of romantic, postmodernist cultural affirmation. Yet this paper argues that within it there lies a virile and possibly dangerous Orientalism, one at least partially based upon a lurid, opportunistic and self-seeking fabrication of his visit to Taiwan (Formosa) in the year 1771. This paper examines the veracity, provenance and historiography of the Benyowsky account of late-eighteenth century Formosa, both as an exercise in one facet of Taiwanese history and as some exploration of the origin and maintenance of European views of the "other" and of the "orient" as they were transforming during the late-Enlightenment period. Furthermore a principal task is to provide an historiographical analysis that illustrates both the initial reasons for the acceptance of Benyowsky's lurid account as well as the wider contexts of its long life as a seemingly reliable and authentic tale. Questions remain as to the cultural contexts of any general acceptance of otherwise doubtful stories, experiments, claims and "adventures". Here there is little doubt that the original Memoirs were given greater credence by Benyowsky's talent in self-fashioning his character and status as those of a reliable gentleman
Re-Visioning Reality: Quantum Superposition in Visual Art
No full textThe counterintuitive phenomenon of quantum superposition requires a radical review of our ideas of reality. The author suggests that translations of quantum concepts into visual art may assist in provoking such a revision. This essay first introduces the concept of quantum superposition and points out its divergence from conventional perceptions of reality. The author then discusses how visual art might provide insight into quantum superposition. Finally she discusses the visual representation of quantum superposition by contemporary artists Jonathon Keats, Julian Voss-Andreae, Antony Gormley and Daniel Crooks; the problematic and paradoxical nature of such representations; and how these works might provoke a revision of our views of physical reality.Arts, Education & Law Group, Queensland College of ArtFull Tex
Art, Biography, Sexuality: Patrick Procktor and Keith Vaughan
No full textThis critical review forms a reflection on the research published within the following publications:
Patrick Procktor: Art and Life (Unicorn Press, 2010)
Keith Vaughan: The Mature Oils 1946-1977, (Sansom & Co., 2012)
The research is on two artists, Patrick Procktor (1936-2003), and Keith Vaughan (1912-1977). The monograph on Procktor – previously one of the least documented of the generation of artists who came to prominence in London in the Sixties – positions him in a history of art from which he had been notably absent. The research on Vaughan asserts a new reading of his work, one that is both deeper and more nuanced in its analysis of the ways in which personal experience and sexuality are encoded autobiographically within his work. Crucially, in both artists biography and work are symbiotically linked; the research therefore examines the links between life and art.
Revisionary in intent, the work examines trajectories of experience of gay British (or rather, English) artists in the twentieth century, artists who sought to express themselves and forge careers within the constraints of a heteronormative society, albeit one in which attitudes to sexuality were undergoing change. As gay men, both were constrained by the social mores of their times, and each used painting as a means to affirm personal and sexual identities. A key research interest is in the ways in which sexuality and persona are reflected in critical responses to the artist’s work: in Vaughan, Procktor and other gay male artists of the period. The writing on both Procktor and Vaughan examines the relationship between their personal and professional/artistic lives, framed within a broader socio-political and art historical context. It asserts the place of biography as a means to understand and form new readings of the work. The work adds substantially to the literature and wider discourse on post-war British painting and social history
Public health workforce survey data (2016–2021) related to employee turnover: proposed methods for harmonization and triangulation
No full textIntroduction: Public health workforce numbers are unsustainable at best and dire at worst: based on 2017 and 2019 data, 80,000 FTEs needed to be hired by health departments to provide basic public health foundational services before COVID-19 hit, suggesting that the situation is worse after the mass exodus of public health officials due to the pandemic. As such, a better understanding of public health workforce turnover is critical to improving recruitment and retention in the discipline.
Methods: This methods report details how the authors harmonized four public health workforce surveys—the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS), the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Profile, the NACCHO Forces of Change survey, and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) Profile—in order to examine employee turnover.
Results: We found that 31% of the public health workforce reported considering leaving their positions at some time in the future. Furthermore, the majority of agencies reported that zero vacancies had been filled in both 2018 and 2019.
Discussion: These findings suggest that retention, recruitment, and onboarding may be areas upon which to focus evaluation and quality improvement endeavors, allowing public health organizations to better attract and retain the most qualified candidates.The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This project was supported by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration under awards U81HP47167 and UR2HP47371 (total amount $1,121,814). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by CDC, HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.Weiss, Nicole M.; Martin, Skky; Onal, Sezen O.; McDaniel, Nicole; Leider, Jonathon P.. (2024). Public health workforce survey data (2016–2021) related to employee turnover: proposed methods for harmonization and triangulation. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1306274
105 - Alex M Fout
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.This poster was presented at the 2017 Colorado State University Graduate Student Showcase, 9 November 2017.Determining the interface between two interacting proteins can help illuminate cellular biology, improve our understanding of disease, and aid pharmaceutical research. Such determination is expensive and time consuming using wet-lab experiments, which has motivated the development of computational methods. Inspired by the success of deep learning in image processing and other application areas, we adapt convolutional neural networks to work with irregularly structured data, such as proteins. We construct a novel pairwise classification architecture which is trained and tested with data from the Docking Benchmark Dataset versions 4.0 and 5.0. This outperforms the existing state-of-the-art prediction method, PAIRpred.Graduate Student Council - New Graduate Student - Research Top Scholar
WHO BENEFITS FROM MICROFINANCE? THE IMPACT EVALUATION OF LARGE SCALE PROGRAMS IN BANGLADESH
No full textThis paper evaluates the impact of microfinance on household consumption using a new, large and unique cross-section data set from Bangladesh. The richness of the data and program eligibility criterion allow the use of a number of non-experimental impact evaluation techniques, in particular instrumental variable (IV) estimation and propensity score matching (PSM). Estimates from both IV and PSM strategies have been interpreted as average causal effects that are valid for various groups of participants in microfinance. The overall results indicate that the effects of micro loans are not robust across all groups of poor household borrowers. It appears that the poorest of the poor participants are among those who benefit most. The impact estimates are lower, or sometimes even negative, for those households marginal to the participation decision. The effects of participation are, in general, stronger for male borrowers. These results hold across different specifications and methods, including correction for various sources of selection bias (including possible spill-over effects).Microfinance, treatment effect, Matching, Consumption.
Experiences of bodily disorder in French books 1573-1592
No full textMary Douglas, in Purity and Danger and Elizabeth Grosz, in Volatile Bodies concur that the human body whose boundaries are traversed or transgressed is troubling, threatening and risky. The threats to which Douglas and Grosz separately refer are largely ideological and cultural threats, but their identification of the problematic nature of ruptured or unusual bodily boundaries is nevertheless relevant to the analysis of the actual bodily disorder with which this thesis is concerned. Disease, cannibalism and monstrosity are forms of bodily behaviour or conditions in which boundaries are inherently, or are rendered, unclear, and in the sixteenth-century books of Ambroise Paré, Jean de Léry and Michel de Montaigne, the question of the disorderly nature of these three physical phenomena is addressed. A fundamental feature of the books produced by these three writers is the emphasis on the experience of the form of bodily disorder in question on which the written account is based. Paré, a surgeon, treated plague patients and dissected monstrous specimens before writing about his experiences in his Œuvres completes', Léry observed the practice of cannibalism in Brazil before returning to Europe and witnessing the consumption of human flesh during the siege of Sancerre; and Montaigne, whose final essay is significantly entitled 'De ľexperience', develops a method of writing, or essaying, which involves the writer attempting to evaluate critically all received experiences and information before arriving at his own conclusion. The depiction of cannibalism, monstrosity and disease in the books of these three writers will be examined using a methodology developed around the principles of Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of dialogism. The particular relevance of this literary theory to the theme of the disordered body in French sixteenth-century books is the emphasis that Bakhtm also places on the writer's experience of his subject matter. In addition, Bakhtm argues that writers experience an impulse to consummate, in other words to define, explain and contextualise, and present as complete the world they observe. This thesis argues that the question of bodily boundaries raised by Douglas and Grosz can be addressed by Bakhtinian theory, and seeks to illustrate the ways in which Paré, Léry and Montaigne exhibit an awareness of the problem of the disordered body, and develop narrative strategies to overcome it which correspond to the functions of a Bakhtinian Author
Building Adaptive Leaders: A Formative Evaluation of the Region V Public Health Leadership Institute Using Ripple Effect Mapping and Focus Groups
No full textObjectives: The Region V Public Health Training Center implemented an inaugural Leadership Institute (RVPHLI) from January to June 2023. This paper outlines a formative evaluation of the program to qualitatively assess its potential outcomes and influence on participants’ leadership capacity.
Design, Setting, and Participants: Thirty-eight public health and primary care professionals participated in 40 hours of online learning activities focused on adaptive leadership themes.
Main Outcome Measure: We conducted ripple effect mapping (REM) exercises and focus group discussions with 32 participants.
Results: REM analysis using the Community Capitals Framework suggested benefits to participants’ cultural, social, and human capital. The following themes emerged as takeaways from the focus groups: leaders as collaborators, new approaches to work and leadership, better understanding of individual leadership qualities and skills, current challenges, and validated existing definitions of leadership.
Conclusions: REM analysis showed participants gaining confidence and skills. They identified beneficiaries beyond themselves and shared challenges and resources. Findings will shape future RVPHLI iterations and potentially enhance development of other leadership programs in both the public health and primary care sectors.The Region V Public Health Training Center is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31684 Public Health Training Centers ($929 475). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by Region V PHTC, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.Karnik, Harshada; Barbiero, Julieta; Zemmel, Danielle J.; Weiss, Nicole M.; Kulik, Phoebe K.G.; Power, Laura E.; Leider, Jonathon P.. (2025). Building Adaptive Leaders: A Formative Evaluation of the Region V Public Health Leadership Institute Using Ripple Effect Mapping and Focus Groups. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, 10.1097/PHH.0000000000002150
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