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Mapping The Subcortical Connectome Using In Vivo Diffusion Mri: Feasibility And Reliability, Jason Kai, Ali R. Khan, Roy Am Haast, Jonathan C. Lau

Neuroscience Institute Publications

Tractography combined with regions of interest (ROIs) has been used to non-invasively study the structural connectivity of the cortex as well as to assess the reliability of these connections. However, the subcortical connectome (subcortex to subcortex) has not been comprehensively examined, in part due to the difficulty of performing tractography in this complex and compact region. In this study, we performed an in vivo investigation using tractography to assess the feasibility and reliability of mapping known connections between structures of the subcortex using the test-retest dataset from the Human Connectome Project (HCP). We further validated our observations using a separate …

An In Vivo Investigation Of Short-Ranged Structural Connectivity In The Human Brain, Jason Kai

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Short-ranged connectivity comprise the majority of connections throughout the brain, joining together nearby regions and contributing to important networks that facilitate complex function and cognition. Despite constituting the majority of white matter in the brain and their importance, studies examining short-ranged connections have thus far been limited in part due to the challenges associated with identifying and validating them. Tractography, a computational technique for reconstructing axon trajectories from diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, has been commonly used to identify and study major white connections (e.g. corticospinal tract), which are easier to identify relative to the short-ranged connections. The use of additional …

Three-Dimensional Ultrasound Imaging For Characterization Of Synovitis In First Carpometacarpal Osteoarthritis, Carla Du Toit

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

First carpometacarpal osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of OA and is a significant source of pain and disability for patients. Discrepancies between traditional imaging modalities and patient reported outcomes have led galvanized researchers to developing objective point of care based imaging tools for assessing OA progression and treatment response. This thesis aims to describe the development and validation of a semi-submerged mechanical three-dimensional ultrasound device against magnetic resonance imaging. The validation of the 3D US device was conducted on a series of imaging phantoms, as well as ten CMC1 OA patients. Two-raters manually segmented areas of synovial …

Reliability, Reproducibility, And Advantages Of Measuring Carotid Total Plaque Area, M. Reza Azarpazhooh, Ellisiv Mathiesen, Tatjana Rundek, Michel Romanens, Ansgar Adams, Luis Armando, Hernan Perez, Hugo Villafañe, Nestor H. Garcia, Borja Ibañez, Chrysi Bogiatzi, Reza Tabrizi, Valentín Fuster, J. David Spence

Neuroscience Institute Publications

No abstract provided.

The Natural History Of Modic Changes - A 5- And 15-Year Follow-Up Study, Parnian Saremi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Modic changes (MCs), defined as bone marrow lesions adjacent to the vertebral endplate seen on MRI, have been associated with back pain. There are different types of MCs, with different histopathological correlates. This community-based study sample comprised 110 men from the Twin Spine Study, with baseline, 5-year, and 15-year follow-up MRIs. Following training and reliability testing, 1320 endplates (T12-S1) were evaluated for MC presence, type, and dimensions at each time point. Results demonstrated that Type 2 Modic Changes (MC2) were the most common type, with approximately half located at the two lowest disc levels. However, Type 1 Modic Changes (MC1) …

Assessing The Reliability Of Template-Based Clustering For Tractography In Healthy Human Adults, Jason Kai, Ali R. Khan

Neuroscience Institute Publications

Tractography is a non-invasive technique to investigate the brain’s structural pathways (also referred to as tracts) that connect different brain regions. A commonly used approach for identifying tracts is with template-based clustering, where unsupervised clustering is first performed on a template in order to label corresponding tracts in unseen data. However, the reliability of this approach has not been extensively studied. Here, an investigation into template-based clustering reliability was performed, assessing the output from two datasets: Human Connectome Project (HCP) and MyConnectome project. The effect of intersubject variability on template-based clustering reliability was investigated, as well as the reliability of …

Assessment Of Tropical Cyclone Wind And Wave Hazards And Their Effect On The Reliability Of Wind Turbines, Chao Sheng

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Tropical cyclone (TC) induces strong winds, heavy rainfalls, and storm surge. They cause fatalities and property damages, especially in the coastal regions that are prone to TC hazards. The TC wind or wave assessments were reported in the literature. The assessment provides the required hazard characterizations for assessing the reliability and risk of structures such as onshore and offshore wind turbines (WTs). The present study considered sites near the coastline of mainland China. It is focused on 1) the assessment of using different historical best-track datasets on the development of stochastic TC track models and on the estimated TC wind …

Overprotection And Overcontrol In Childhood: An Evaluation On Reliability And Validity Of 33-Item Expanded Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Ctq-33), Chinese Version, Zhipeng Wu, Zhening Liu, Zhengqian Jiang, Xingzi Fu, Qian Deng, Lena Palaniyappan, Zhibiao Xiang, Danqing Huang, Yicheng Long

Neuroscience Institute Publications

Overprotection and overcontrol from parents or other family members, which are not rare in the Chinese culture, have been suggested to be traumatic experiences for some children. However, research on overprotection/overcontrol is much rarer in China compared with other childhood trauma subtypes. One of the possible reasons for this is the lack of easy and feasible screening tools. In this study, we therefore translated and validated a Chinese version of the 33-item Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-33), which was expanded from the widely-used 28-item CTQ with an additional overprotection/overcontrol subscale. A total of 248 young healthy participants were recruited and completed …

Uncertainties In Internal Pressure Of Oil Pipelines And Implications For The Reliability Analysis, Yue Liu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The internal pressure is the most important operational load for oil and gas pipelines. The maximum operating pressure (MOP) is the maximum pressure the pipeline is qualified to be operated according to a given standard. In deterministic fitness-for-service (FFS) assessment of in-service pipelines containing flaws such as corrosion defects and cracks, the remaining pressure containment capacity of the pipeline is evaluated and compared with MOP multiplied by a factor of safety to determine if immediate rehabilitation actions for the pipeline are necessary. However, the actual internal pressure of an in-service pipeline is however uncertain and fluctuates with time. Due to …

Functional Performance Testing In Ice Hockey: The Role Of The Single Leg, Medial Countermovement Jump, Anthony S. Donskov

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Due to the physical nature of the game, injuries are common in ice hockey. Injury rates have been difficult to interpret due to the inconsistencies in the definitions of injury and athlete exposure. Consensus statements on injury definitions have been developed for sports such as soccer and rugby but have not been established in ice hockey. Furthermore, many different off-ice tests are performed, but a hockey-specific performance test has not been promoted. Accordingly, the objective for this thesis was to investigate injury rates, injury definition, athlete exposure and injury type in men’s ice hockey, and providing information on a practical …

Older Adult Care Transition Experience Following Inpatient Rehabilitation, Patricia Versteegh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The internationally used 15 item Care Transition Measure (CTM-15) has been primarily used to assess the care transition experience among adults transitioning from acute care to home. Although the CTM-15’s psychometric properties have been established in this population, the ability of the CTM-15 to reliably discriminate a good from a bad care transition experience among older adults (60 or more years of age) moving from an inpatient rehabilitation setting to home is unclear. The purpose of this prospective observational cohort study was to: 1) evaluate the psychometric properties of the CTM-15 when used among older adults transitioning from an inpatient …

Reproducibility: Reliability And Agreement Parameters Of The Revised Short Mcgill Pain Questionnaire Version-2 For Use In Patients With Musculoskeletal Shoulder Pain, Samuel U. Jumbo, Joy C. Macdermid, Tara L. Packham, George S. Athwal, Kenneth J. Faber

Bone and Joint Institute

© 2020, The Author(s). Background: The Revised Short McGill Pain Questionnaire Version-2 (SF-MPQ-2) is a multidimensional outcome measure designed to capture, evaluate and discriminate pain from neuropathic and non-neuropathic sources. A recent systematic review found insufficient psychometric data with respect to musculoskeletal (MSK) health conditions. This study aimed to describe the reproducibility (test–retest reliability and agreement) and internal consistency of the SF-MPQ-2 for use among patients with musculoskeletal shoulder pain. Methods: Eligible patients with shoulder pain from MSK sources completed the SF-MPQ-2: at baseline (n = 195), and a subset did so again after 3–7 days (n = 48), if …

Assessment Of Intrinsic Hand Neuromuscular Physiology, Philemon Tsang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Alterations to the peripheral nervous system and neuromuscular physiology may impact hand function in a typical or clinical population, such as individuals with ulnar neuropathy. The mechanisms that influence these positive and negative changes are still not well understood. The three studies within my thesis aim to validate the reliability of decomposition-based quantitative electromyography (DQEMG) measurements and explore the changes in intrinsic hand neuromuscular physiology in a typical aging population and individuals recovering from a surgical intervention for severe ulnar neuropathy.

The purpose of the first study was to determine the test-retest reliability of near-fibre (NF) jiggle, a measure of …

Impressions On Reliability And Students’ Perceptions Of Learning In A Peer-Based Osce, Rishad Khan, Saad Chahine, Steven Macaluso, Ricardo Viana, Caitlin Cassidy, Thomas Miller, Debra Bartley, Michael Payne

Paediatrics Publications

Background: Peer assessment of performance in the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is emerging as a learning instrument. While peers can provide reliable scores, there may be a trade-off with students’ learning. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a peer-based OSCE as a viable assessment instrument and its potential to promote learning and explore the interplay between these two roles. Methods: A total of 334 medical students completed an 11-station OSCE from 2015 to 2016. Each station had 1–2 peer examiners (PE) and one faculty examiner (FE). Examinees were rated on a 7-point scale across 5 dimensions: Look, …

Fatigue In Young People With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Basmah El-Aloul, Kathy N Speechley, Yi Wei, Piotr Wilk, Craig Campbell

Paediatrics Publications

AIM: To describe fatigue in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) from patients' and parents' perspectives and to explore risk factors for fatigue in children and adolescents with DMD.

METHOD: A multicentre, cross-sectional study design was used. Seventy-one patients (all males; median age 12y, age range 5-17y) identified via the Canadian Neuromuscular Disease Registry, and their parents completed questionnaires. Subjective fatigue was assessed using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Multidimensional Fatigue Scale by child self-report and parent proxy-report.

RESULTS: Patients with DMD across ages and disease stages experienced greater fatigue compared to typically developing controls from published data. Sleep disturbance symptoms …

Feasibility And Reliability Of A Commercially Available Stretch-Sensitive Sensor For Neck Movement, Iyad Al-Nasri

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The ability to move the neck is usually a good indicator of neck health. However, the tools currently available to measure neck range of motion rely on gravity and the clinician's ability to accurately line the instruments on specific landmarks of the body. This study explored whether a commercially available wearable sensor, C-Stretch® that is flexible and lightweight can capture the functional performance of cervical motion across testing sessions. Furthermore, an assessment of the C-Stretch® against Aurora NDI, an electromagnetic tracking system was explored to determine the feasibility of transforming raw capacitance data into degrees of motion. Finally, a survey …

Determining Known-Group Validity And Test-Retest Reliability In The Peq (Personalized Exercise Questionnaire), Isabel B. Rodrigues, Jonathan D. Adachi, Karen A. Beattie, Arthur Lau, Joy C. Macdermid

Bone and Joint Institute

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: To determine the known-group validity, a type of construct validity, and the test-retest reliability of a newly developed tool, the Personalized Exercise Questionnaire (PEQ), that assesses the barriers, facilitators, and preferences to exercise in individuals with low bone mass and osteoporosis. Methods: A comparative design was used to assess known-group validity and a test-retest design to examine the reproducibility. Ninety-five participants with low bone mass and osteoporosis were recruited from an outpatient clinic in Hamilton, Ontario. The questionnaire was administered to 95 participants at baseline and a subset of 42 participants completed the survey again …

The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study Emotional Behavioural Scales (Ochs-Ebs) Part I: A Checklist For Dimensional Measurement Of Selected Dsm-5 Disorders, Laura Duncan, Katholiki Georgiades, Li Wang, Jinette Comeau, Mark A. Ferro, Ryan J. Van Lieshout, Peter Szatmari, Kathryn Bennett, Harriet L. Macmillan, Ellen L. Lipman, Magdalena Janus, Anna Kata, Michael H. Boyle

Paediatrics Publications

Objectives: To describe the development and psychometric properties of the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study Emotional Behavioural Scales (OCHS-EBS) for dimensional measurement of 7 disorders based on criteria from the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). Methods: Scale items were selected by agreement among 19 child psychologists and psychiatrists rating the correspondence between item descriptions and DSM-5 symptoms. Psychometric evaluation of the item properties and parent/caregiver and youth scales came from a general population study of 10,802 children and youth aged 4 to 17 years in 6537 families. Test-retest reliability data were collected from …

The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study Emotional Behavioural Scales (Ochs-Ebs) Part Ii: Psychometric Adequacy For Categorical Measurement Of Selected Dsm-5 Disorders, Michael H. Boyle, Laura Duncan, Katholiki Georgiades, Li Wang, Jinette Comeau, Mark A. Ferro, Ryan J. Van Lieshout, Peter Szatmari, Harriet L. Macmillan, Kathryn Bennett, Magdalena Janus, Ellen L. Lipman, Anna Kata

Paediatrics Publications

Objectives: To compare the reliability and convergent validity of parent assessments from the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID—a structured diagnostic interview) and the Ontario Child Health Study Emotional Behavioural Scales (OCHS-EBS) symptom checklist for classifying conduct disorder (CD), conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder (CD-ODD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and separation anxiety disorder (SAD) based on DSM-5 criteria. Methods: Data came from 283 parent-youth dyads aged 9 to 18 years. Parents and youth completed the assessments separately on 2 different occasions 7 to 14 days apart. After converting …

Aversion And Warning Factors For Assessing Existing Reinforced Concrete Structures, Marcie Van Weerdhuizen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In a world of aging infrastructure, sustainability initiatives require additional investment in the assessment of existing reinforced concrete structures. Reliability-based assessment should minimize costs by reducing conservatism, while ensuring levels of safety equivalent to those for new designs. Current Canadian and US provisions assign target reliability levels for structural assessment based on criteria including occupancy type, expected failure behaviour, and the effect of element failure on the overall structural integrity. These criteria are defined using discrete and qualitative parameter values. It is shown that the true structural conditions can be better represented by verifying the applicability and completeness of these …

Validity And Reliability Of The Clinician Rated Drop Vertical Jump Scale In Patients Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction, Morgan Jennings

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Clinician Rated Drop Vertical Jump Scale (CR-DVJS) in a population of patients following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Patients completed two drop vertical jump tasks at 6 and/or 12-months post-operative. One task was recorded using a motion capture system. Four individuals of varying clinical experience served as raters for the CR-DVJS. Rater scores of valgus collapse did not correlate strongly with motion capture measures of knee abduction moment or angle. However, CR-DVJS scores of trunk and knee flexion did demonstrate an association with 3D measures of …

Psychometric Properties Of The Zephyr Bioharness Device: A Systematic Review, Goris Nazari, Pavlos Bobos, Joy C. Macdermid, Kathryn E. Sinden, Julie Richardson, Ada Tang

Bone and Joint Institute

© 2018 The Author(s). Background: Technological development and improvements in Wearable Physiological Monitoring devices, have facilitated the wireless and continuous field-based monitoring/capturing of physiologic measures in healthy, clinical or athletic populations. These devices have many applications for prevention and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal disorders, assuming reliable and valid data is collected. The purpose of this study was to appraise the quality and synthesize findings from published studies on psychometric properties of heart rate measurements taken with the Zephyr Bioharness device. Methods: We searched the Embase, Medline, PsycInfo, PuMed and Google Scholar databases to identify articles. Articles were appraised for quality using …

Partial Material Strength Reduction Factors For Aci 318, Tong Zhang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The strength reduction factors, phi, defined in ACI 318-14 for different structural actions and elements lead to inconsistent results. This study proposes partial material strength reduction factors for concrete, phi_c, and reinforcing steel, phi_s, that yield similar design strengths and more consistent reliability indices. Three structural actions are investigated: moment; shear; and, combined moment and axial force. The first-order, second-moment method is used to compute reliability indices for moment and shear, and Monte Carlo simulation is used for combined moment and axial force. The statistical parameters assumed for the professional factor for shear strength significantly impact …

Reliability And Validity Of The Star Excursion Balance Test For Patients With Chronic Patellar Instability, Andrew D. Firth

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) is an eight-direction, maximal-reach balance test whose measurement properties are unknown in participants with chronic patellar instability. We designed an observational study with repeated measures to evaluate the test-retest reliability, cross-sectional and longitudinal construct validity, sensitivity to change and responsiveness of the SEBT in this population. Fifteen patients completed the SEBT and reported outcomes at baseline and two weeks and four patients completed testing three months later at the Fowler Kennedy Sports Medicine Clinic.

Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) for the SEBT were fair to good, ranging from 0.66-0.84. The SEBT demonstrates good cross-sectional construct …

Development And Initial Validation Of Novel Multi-Planar Neck Strength Assessment And Neuromuscular Training Protocols, Theo H. Versteegh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Concussions are a serious health concern in today’s active society. There are many contributing factors to concussions but one that is starting to draw significant attention is the potential role the neck muscles play in mitigating concussive forces. There is evidence that stronger neck muscles may decrease an individual’s concussion risk. In order to fully define this role, an appropriate outcome measure for assessing neck strength is required. Once this is established, methods of training to improve neck strength can be evaluated for their effect on neck strength and subsequently effect on concussion risk. This thesis included three studies. Chapter …

Global Assessment Of The Severity Of Epilepsy (Gase) Scale In Children: Validity, Reliability, Responsiveness, Cindy Jauhrur Chan, Guangyong Zou, Samuel Wiebe, Kathy Nixon Speechley

Paediatrics Publications

Summary Objective The Global Assessment of Severity of Epilepsy (GASE) Scale is a single-item, 7-point global rating scale designed for neurologist-report of overall severity of epilepsy in children. Building on previous preliminary evidence of its validity and reliability for research and clinical use, this study evaluated the GASE Scale's construct validity, reliability, and responsiveness to changes in severity of epilepsy. Methods Data used for the study arose from the Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy Study (HERQULES), a 2-year multicenter prospective cohort study (n = 374) with observations taken at baseline, and 6, 12, and 24 months after …

Feasibility Of Using Arterial Spin Labeling For Detecting Longitudinal Changes In Cerebral Blood Flow, Tracy Ssali

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The ability of the perfusion MRI technique, arterial spin labeling (ASL), to quantify cerebral blood flow (CBF) makes it attractive for longitudinal studies of changes in brain function, such as those related to chronic pain. However, ASL's poor spatial resolution makes image alignment between sessions difficult, leading to increased variance and greater Type-I errors. In addition, variability due to differences in basal blood flow between sessions and confounding effects such as the arterial transit time (ATT) have the potential to reduce reproducibility over time. The focus of this thesis is to investigate the ability of ASL to detect long-term changes …

Inter-Rater Reliability Of The Mckenzie System Of Mechanical Diagnosis And Therapy In The Examination Of The Knee, Sean Willis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Objective: The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the inter-rater reliability of the McKenzie System of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) when classifying patients with musculoskeletal knee pain using clinical vignettes. Methods: This study was divided into two phases. First, ten clinicians experienced in the use of MDT were randomly recruited to write a total of 60 clinical vignettes based upon the initial assessment of past patients with knee pain. Second, six different MDT raters were recruited to rate 53 selected vignettes and reliability was determined using Fleiss Kappa. Results: There was “substantial agreement” among six MDT raters …

Asking The Right Questions: Insights Into Assessing Intercultural Sensitivity, Anjana Balakrishnan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Intercultural sensitivity represents a well-studied interdisciplinary construct which is measured using multiple tools. However, more effective measurement methods are possible and also needed. This study was intended to refine a well-known tool, i.e., the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale-ISS. New items were written and tested with existing items. 269 undergraduate students completed questionnaires assessing Big Five personality variables, emotional intelligence, Honesty-Humility, intercultural sensitivity, social desirability, and social dominance orientation. Exploratory factor analyses suggested two plausible final scales: 30-items with four-factors (RISS-V1) and 25-items with three-factors (RISS-V2). Both RISS versions demonstrated full scale, subscale, and test-retest reliability. Social dominance orientation correlated negatively while …

Reliability Of Three Landmarking Methods For Dual Inclinometry Measurements Of Lumbar Flexion And Extension, Joy C. Macdermid, Vanitha Arumugam, Joshua I. Vincent, Kimberly L. Payne, Aubrey K. So

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

Background

To examine the intra and inter-rater reliability of lumbar flexion and extension measurements attained using three landmarking methods for dual inclinometry.

Methods

This was a repeated measures reliability study. Convenience sampling was used to obtain forty volunteer subjects. Two assessors measured a series of lumbar flexion and extension movements using the J-Tech™ dual inclinometer. Three different landmarking methods were used: 1) straight palpation of PSIS and L1, 2) palpation of PSIS and the site of the nearest 5 cm interval point closest to L1 and 3) location of PSIS and 15 cm cephalad. Upon landmarking, adhesive tape was used …