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Flexural Behaviour Of Superelastic Shape Memory Alloy Reinforced Concrete Beams During Loading And Unloading Stages, Yamen Ibrahim Elbahy, Maged Youssef

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

Trend of using smart structures, which can adjust when exposed to severe unexpected loading, is increasing. One of the methods to achieve such structures relies on smart materials. For example, replacing conventional steel reinforcing bars in Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures with superelastic Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) bars significantly reduces the residual deformations caused by post-yielding behaviour. This paper provides in-depth understanding of the flexural behaviour of SMA RC beams. A sectional analysis method, which predicts the flexural behaviour of SMA RC beams during both loading and unloading stages, is adopted and validated using available experimental data. An extensive parametric study …

Seismic Performance Of Reinforced Concrete Frames Retrofitted Using External Superelastic Shape Memory Alloy Bars, Yamen Ibrahim Elbahy, Maged A. Youssef, Mohamed E. Meshaly

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

Pre-1970s designed and built reinforced concrete frame structures are considered unsafe when subjected to seismic loads. Insufficient anchorage of the beam reinforcement in the beam-column joints of these structures is considered a main deficiency. Newly built frame structures are seismically designed for safety, where high inelastic deformations can occur under moderate to strong earthquakes. Minimizing these inelastic deformations makes the structure repairable. One way to minimize these residual deformations is by using smart materials such as superelastic shape memory alloys (SMAs). In this paper, the seismic performance of RC frames retrofitted using external superelastic SMA bars is investigated and compared …

Rape Myths In Digital Spaces: An Analysis Of High-Profile Sexual Assault Cases On Twitter, Madelaine E. Coelho

2019 Undergraduate Awards

As demonstrated through the #metoo and Time’s up Movements, sexual assault has proven to be an inescapable facet of everyday life. While sexual assault literature has expanded to explore the digitization of sexual violence and rape culture, there has been less attention to how rape myths permeate digital spaces such as Twitter. To explore rape myths in online spaces, this paper analyzes over 10,000 tweets related to high-profile sexual assault cases in order to understand what Twitter users are saying about high-profile cases of sexual violence. Furthermore, these tweets are analyzed to understand their meaning in the context of rape …

Triggering Depolymerization: Progress And Opportunities For Self-Immolative Polymers, Rebecca Yardley, Amir Rabiee Kenaree, Elizabeth Gillies

Chemistry Publications

Polymers that depolymerize end-to-end upon cleavage of their backbones or end-caps, often referred to as “self-immolative” polymers (SIPs), have garnered significant interest in recent years. They can be distinguished from other degradable and stimuli-responsive polymers by their ability to provide amplified responses to stimuli, as a single bond cleavage event is translated into the release of many small molecules through a cascade of reactions. Here, the synthesis and properties of the major classes of SIPs including poly(benzyl carbamate)s, poly(benzyl carbonate)s, polyphthalaldehydes, polyglyoxylates, polyglyoxylamides, poly(olefin sulfone)s, and poly(benzyl ether)s are presented. In addition, their advantages and limitations as well as their …

Reliability, Validity, And Agreement Of The Short-Form Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale In People With Lower Extremity Amputations., Katherine Fuller, Humberto Adolfo Omaña Moreno, Courtney Frengopoulos, Michael W Payne, Ricardo Viana, Susan W. Hunter

Physical Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: Clinicians use the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale to understand balance confidence. A short-form Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale, was developed using the six most difficult tasks from the original Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale; however, short-form the short-form scale psychometrics and agreement with the original scale have yet to be explored in people with lower extremity amputations.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative and absolute reliability, construct validity, and agreement of the short-form Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale.

STUDY DESIGN: Test-retest with a 2-week interval.

METHODS: Analysis for relative reliability and internal consistency was intraclass correlation coefficient and Cronbach's

RESULTS: The short-form Activities-specific …

Relationship Between Body Image And Physical Functioning Following Rehabilitation For Lower-Limb Amputation, Jessica Desrochers, Courtney Frengopoulos, Michael W.C. Payne, Ricardo Viana, Susan W. Hunter

Physical Therapy Publications

The aim of the present study was to evaluate change in body image and the association between body image at discharge and mobility 4 months after rehabilitation. A prospective cohort comprising adults older than or equal to 50 years of age undergoing rehabilitation for first major lower-limb amputation at an inpatient prosthetic rehabilitation program were assessed at discharge and 4 months after rehabilitation. Paired t-tests compared total Amputee Body Image Scale (ABIS), gait velocity, and L-test scores between discharge (T1) and 4 months (T2). Multivariable linear regression assessed relationship between ABIS scores and mobility. Nineteen participants completed assessments …

A Virtual-Reality Training Simulator For Cochlear Implant Surgery, Blake Jones, Seyed Alireza Rohani, Nelson Ong, Tarek Tayeh, Hanif M. Ladak, Ahmad Chalabi, Sumit K. Agrawal

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

No abstract provided.

Building And Maintaining Lgbtq+ Picture Book Collections, Alissa Droog, Danielle Bettridge, Alyssa R. Martin, Ashleigh Yates-Mackay

FIMS Publications

The LGBTQ+ community has had to continuously fight for their rights, including their right to be represented in the library. This toolkit provides instruction on how to develop and manage a library collection of LGBTQ+ children’s picture books. It is split into four sections that include a guide to evaluating materials, recommended picture books, a guide to fighting censorship, and a list of recommended resources.

Digital Segregation: Gender, Occupation, And Access To Politics, Amanda Friesen, Ryan Burge, Kylee Britzman

Political Science Publications

In the United States, women often show less interest in politics, and under some conditions, perform worse than men on political knowledge tests. In an age where education levels have reached parity, we suggest one of the explanations for gender differences in political engagement might be due to selection of occupation. Past research has shown women and men segregate into different occupations due to early gender socialization, differences in interest, and structural barriers. It is possible that due to these segregation effects, women in traditional female occupations (e.g., education, health care, service work) may have less access to personal Internet …

Thermo-Responsive And Covalently Cross-Linkable Hydrogels For Intra-Articular Drug Delivery, Andy Prince, Ian J. Villamagna, Aneta Borecki, Frank Beier, John R. De Bruyn, Mark Hurtig, Elizabeth Gillies

Chemistry Publications

The local delivery of drugs to joints is a recognized strategy in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Hydrogels, particularly those that can be injected as liquids but undergo gelation in the joint, are promising platforms for intra-articular drug delivery. However, their properties must be carefully designed and tuned to achieve sustained drug release, which has been a challenge with previous hydrogels. We describe here the use of a combination of non-covalent thermal gelation and covalent cross-linking with poly(caprolactone-co-lactide)(PCLA)-poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG)-PCLA triblock copolymers to achieve hydrogels with sustained drug release in joints. The hybrid cross-linking approach afforded higher viscoelastic and compression …

Polyglyoxylamides: Tuning Structure And Properties Of Self- Immolative Polymers, Quinton E.A. Sirianni, Amir Rabiee Kenaree, Elizabeth Gillies

Chemistry Publications

Self-immolative polymers (SIPs) are a class of stimuli-responsive materials that undergo controlled end-to-end depolymerization in response to stimuli. Their unique degradation and amplification properties have made them of interest for a diverse array of applications including sensors, vehicles for controlled release, and transient objects. Thus far, a limited number of SIP backbones exists, each with its own advantages and limitations. We report here the preparation and study of polyglyoxylamides (PGAms) as a new class of SIPs. PGAms were synthesized by simple post-polymerization modifications of poly(ethyl glyoxylate) (PEtG). While retaining the important stimuli-responsive depolymerization properties of polyglyoxylates, PGAms exhibited much different …

Fabrication And In-Situ Cross-Linking Of Carboxylic Acid-Functionalized Poly(Ester Amide) Scaffolds For Tissue Engineering, Kai Cao, Derek S. Flegg, Shigang Lin, Francois Lagugne-Labarthet, Kibret Mequanint, Elizabeth Gillies

Chemistry Publications

Three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds are important tools for tissue engineering, and should ideally provide both biochemical cues and biomechanical support for cells. Poly(ester amide)s (PEAs) have emerged as promising materials for the preparation of tissue engineering scaffolds and the pendant side chains of residues such as ʟ-lysine and ʟ-aspartic acid can provide sites for the conjugation of biochemical signals. However, it has been challenging to combine scaffold morphological stability with the presentation of reactive groups on PEA scaffolds. We describe here a new approach involving the functionalization of a ʟ-lysine-containing PEA with maleic anhydride to simultaneously introduce cross-linkable alkenes and carboxylic …

Probiotics: Reiterating What They Are And What They Are Not, Azza A. Gadir, Raja Dhir, Gregor Reid

Microbiology & Immunology Publications

It has been over seventeen years since the scientific definition of probiotics was crafted, along with guidelines ensuring the appropriate use of the term. This definition is now used globally, yet on a consistent basis scientists, media and industry misrepresent probiotics or make generalized statements that illustrate a misunderstanding of their utility and limitations. The rate of discovery of novel organisms with potentially therapeutic benefit for both human and environmental health is progressing at an unprecedented rate. However, the term “probiotic” is often misapplied to describe any microbe with plausible therapeutic utility in the human host. It is argued that …

Blood Pressure Gradients In The Brain: Their Importance To Understanding Pathogenesis Of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease, J. David Spence

Department of Medicine Publications

The term “lacunar infarction” referred to small infarctions in the basal ganglia, internal capsule, thalamus, and brainstem, due to hypertensive small vessel disease. However, it has become common to refer to all small infarctions as “vascular centrencephalon”, where short straight arteries with few branches transmit high blood pressure straight through to end-arterioles. The cortex is supplied by long arteries with many branches, so there is a very large blood pressure gradient in the brain. When blood pressure in the brachial artery is 117/75 mmHg, the pressure in the lenticulostriate artery would be 113/73, and the pressure in small parietal arterioles …

Harm With High Levels Of Serum B12 In Elderly Persons, J. David Spence

Department of Medicine Publications

No abstract provided.

White Matter Integrity Is Associated With Gait Impairment And Falls In Mild Cognitive Impairment. Results From The Gait And Brain Study, Jonatan A. Snir, Robert Bartha, Manuel Montero-Odasso

Medical Biophysics Publications

© 2019 The Authors Background: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is an intermediate state between normal cognition and dementia that is associated with twice the risk of falls. It is unknown whether white matter integrity (WMI) is associated with increased risk of falls in MCI. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if early changes in WMI were associated with gait impairment and falls. Methods: Forty-three participants with MCI from the Gait and Brain Study underwent standardized assessment of cognition, gait performance under single and dual-task conditions (walking while talking), and WMI using 3 Tesla diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Macro-structural …

Detection Of Active Caspase-3 In Mouse Models Of Stroke And Alzheimer's Disease With A Novel Dual Positron Emission Tomography/Fluorescent Tracer [ 68 Ga]Ga-Tc3-Ogdota, Valeriy G. Ostapchenko, Jonatan Snir, Mojmir Suchy, Jue Fan, M. Rebecca Cobb, Blaine A. Chronik, Michael Kovacs, Vania F. Prado, Robert H.E. Hudson, Stephen H. Pasternak, Marco A.M. Prado, Robert Bartha

Medical Biophysics Publications

© 2019 Valeriy G. Ostapchenko et al. Apoptosis is a feature of stroke and Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet there is no accepted method to detect or follow apoptosis in the brain in vivo. We developed a bifunctional tracer [ 68 Ga]Ga-TC3-OGDOTA containing a cell-penetrating peptide separated from fluorescent Oregon Green and 68 Ga-bound labels by the caspase-3 recognition peptide DEVD. We hypothesized that this design would allow [ 68 Ga]Ga-TC3-OGDOTA to accumulate in apoptotic cells. In vitro, Ga-TC3-OGDOTA labeled apoptotic neurons following exposure to camptothecin, oxygen-glucose deprivation, and β-amyloid oligomers. In vivo, PET showed accumulation of [ 68 Ga]Ga-TC3-OGDOTA in …

The Canadian Dementia Imaging Protocol: Harmonization Validity For Morphometry Measurements, Olivier Potvin, Isabelle Chouinard, Louis Dieumegarde, Robert Bartha, Pierre Bellec, D. Louis Collins, Maxime Descoteaux, Rick Hoge, Joel Ramirez, Christopher J.M. Scott, Eric E. Smith, Stephen C. Strother, Sandra E. Black, Simon Duchesne

Medical Biophysics Publications

© 2019 The Authors The harmonized Canadian Dementia Imaging Protocol (CDIP) has been developed to suit the needs of a number of co-occurring Canadian studies collecting data on brain changes across adulthood and neurodegeneration. In this study, we verify the impact of CDIP parameters compliance on total brain volume variance using 86 scans of the same individual acquired on various scanners. Data included planned data collection acquired within the Consortium pour l'identification précoce de la maladie Alzheimer - Québec (CIMA-Q) and Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) studies, as well as opportunistic data collection from various protocols. For images …

Linked Mri Signatures Of The Brain's Acute And Persistent Response To Concussion In Female Varsity Rugby Players, Kathryn Y. Manning, Alberto Llera, Gregory A. Dekaban, Robert Bartha, Christy Barreira, Arthur Brown, Lisa Fischer, Tatiana Jevremovic, Kevin Blackney, Timothy J. Doherty, Douglas D. Fraser, Jeff Holmes, Christian F. Beckmann, Ravi S. Menon

Medical Biophysics Publications

© 2018 The Authors Acute brain changes are expected after concussion, yet there is growing evidence of persistent abnormalities well beyond clinical recovery and clearance to return to play. Multiparametric MRI is a powerful approach to non-invasively study structure-function relationships in the brain, however it remains challenging to interpret the complex and heterogeneous cascade of brain changes that manifest after concussion. Emerging conjunctive, data-driven analysis approaches like linked independent component analysis can integrate structural and functional imaging data to produce linked components that describe the shared inter-subject variance across images. These linked components not only offer the potential of a …

The Neural Basis Of External Responsiveness In Prolonged Disorders Of Consciousness, Clara A. Stafford, Adrian M. Owen, Davinia Fernández-Espejo

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

Objective: To investigate the structural integrity of fibre tracts underlying overt motor behaviour in PDOC. Methods: This cross-sectional study examined 15 PDOC patients and 22 healthy participants. Eight PDOC patients met the criteria for the vegetative state, 5 met the criteria for the minimally conscious state and 2 met the criteria for emerging from the minimally conscious state. We used fibre tractography to reconstruct the white matter fibres known to be involved in voluntary motor execution (i.e., those connecting thalamus with M1, M1 with cerebellum, and cerebellum with thalamus) and used fractional anisotropy (FA) as a measure of their integrity. …