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Predicting Sequential Bilateral Cochlear Implantation Performance In Postlingually Deafened Adults: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Yvette E. Smulders, Thomas Hendriks, Inge Stegeman, Robert H. Eikelboom, Cathy Sucher, Gemma Upson, Ronel Chester Browne, Dona Jayakody, Peter L. Santa Maria, Marcus D. Atlas, Peter L. Friedland

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Objective: To identify which preoperative patient characteristics influence sequential bilateral cochlear implantation performance and to create a statistical model that predicts benefit.

Design: Multicentre retrospective cohort study.

Setting: All patients were operated in four academic teaching hospitals in Perth, Australia, and followed up by audiologists of the Ear Science Institute Australia.

Participants: A total of 92 postlingually deafened adult patients who had undergone sequential cochlear implantations between 19 June 1990 and 14 March 2016 were included. Patients were excluded if the 12-month follow-up consonant-nucleus-consonant (CNC) phoneme score was missing.

Main outcome measure: The effect of 18 preoperative factors on the …

Prevalence Of Internet Addiction Disorder In Chinese University Students: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Of Observational Studies, Lu Li, Dan-Dan Xu, Jing-Xin Chai, Di Wang, Lin Li, Ling Zhang, Li Lu, Chee H. Ng, Gabor S. Ungvari, Song-Li Mei, Yu-Tao Xiang

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Background and aims: Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is common in university students. A number of studies have examined the prevalence of IAD in Chinese university students, but the results have been inconsistent. This is a meta-analysis of the prevalence of IAD and its associated factors in Chinese university students.

Methods: Both English (PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase) and Chinese (Wan Fang Database and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure) databases were systematically and independently searched from their inception until January 16, 2017.

Results: Altogether 70 studies covering 122,454 university students were included in the meta-analysis. Using the random-effects model, the pooled overall prevalence …

Inpatient Rehabilitation Did Not Positively Affect 6-Month Patient-Reported Outcomes After Hip Or Knee Arthroplasty, Adam G. Hutchinson, Benjamin Gooden, Matthew C. Lyons, Justin P. Roe, Michael D. O'Sullivan, Lucy J. Salmon, Kaka Martina, Leo Pinczewski

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Background: The aim of this study was to compare patient-reported outcomes 6 months after hip or knee arthroplasty in subjects who were discharged to home compared to those who attended inpatient rehabilitation.

Methods:

Seven hundred and forty-eight consecutive total hip or knee replacement patients were identified from a prospective database. Preoperative and 6-month post-operative patient-reported outcome measures were recorded. Forty-four patients discharged directly to home were cohort matched by age, gender, procedure and surgeon to 44 patients from the cohort who received inpatient care. Patient outcomes were compared using SPSS version 24 software.

Results: Both cohorts saw significant improvements from …

The Importance Of Left Atrial Volume Assessment In Identifying The Cause Of Ischemic Stroke, David Playford, Sarah Bowler, Max Bulsara, David J. Blacker, Timothy R. Bates, James P. Codde

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Separating cardioembolic from large artery stroke has important treatment implications. We investigated whether echocardiography could improve Cardioembolic Stroke (CES) prediction compared with traditional measures and cholesterol biomarkers.

Data from 40 consecutive patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke which included brain and carotid imaging, ECG, echo, serum cholesterol and apolipoproteins were independently reviewed. Patients were classified into two groups: a) CES, defined by sustained or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and <50% stenosis of a perfusing cerebral artery; b) Large artery stroke (LAS) defined as > 50% stenosis of an ipsilateral perfusing cerebral artery, with no evidence of AF on monitoring or evidence of small artery disease on neuroimaging and confirmed by an independent neurologist.

Other than the …

Improving Household Surveys And Use Of Data To Address Health Inequities In Three Asian Cities: Protocol For The Surveys For Urban Equity (Sue) Mixed Methods And Feasibility Study, Helen Elsey, Ak Narayan Poudel, Tim Ensor, Tolib Mirzoev, James Nicholas Newell, Joseph Paul Hicks, Christopher Cartwright, David Wong, Caroline Tait, Sushil Baral, Radheshyam Bhattarai, Sudeepa Khanal, Rajeev Dhungel, Subash Gajurel, Shraddha Manandhar, Saidur Mashreky, Junnatul Ferdoush, Rumana Huque, Tarana Ferdous, Shammi Nasreen, Hoang Van Minh, Duong Minh Duc, Bao Ngoc, Dana Thomson, Hilary Wallace

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Introduction: As rapid urbanisation transforms the sociodemographic structures within cities, standard survey methods, which have remained unchanged for many years, under-represent the urban poorest. This leads to an overly positive picture of urban health, distorting appropriate allocation of resources between rural and urban and within urban areas. Here, we present a protocol for our study which (i) tests novel methods to improve representation of urban populations in household surveys and measure mental health and injuries, (ii) explores urban poverty and compares measures of poverty and ‘slumness’ and (iii) works with city authorities to understand, and potentially improve, utilisation of …

Buprenorphine Versus Morphine In Paediatric Acute Pain: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Nathan Murray, Utsav Malla, Ruan Vlok, Alice Scott, Olivia Chua, Thomas Melhuish, Leigh White

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Introduction: In lab-based studies, buprenorphine appears to have a ceiling effect on respiratory depression but not on analgesia. There is increasing evidence in adult patients that buprenorphine has no ceiling effect on analgesia or side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and adverse effects of buprenorphine versus morphine in paediatric acute pain.

Methods: A systematic review of five databases was performed until May 2018. Only randomised controlled trials were eligible for inclusion. The outcomes of interest included pain, respiratory depression, nausea, sedation, dizziness, and pruritus.

Results: Four randomized controlled trials (n = 195) were …

Study Of Route Optimization Considering Bottlenecks And Fairness Among Partial Paths, Toshihiro Matsui, Marius Silaghi, Katsutoshi Hirayama, Makoto Yokoo, Hiroshi Matsuo

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Route optimization is an important problem for single agents and multi-agent systems. In route optimization tasks, the considered challenges generally belong to the family of shortest path problems. Such problems are solved using optimization algorithms, such as the A∗algorithm, which is based on tree search and dynamic programming. In several practical cases, cost values should be as evenly minimized for individual parts of paths as possible. These situations are also considered as multi-objective problems for partial paths. Since dynamic programming approaches are employed for the shortest path problems, different types of criteria which can be decomposed with dynamic programming might …

A New Approach To Multiplanar, Real-Time Simulation Of Physiological Knee Loads And Synthetic Knee Components Augmented By Local Composition Control In Fused Filament Fabrication, Joshua Taylor Green

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Despite numerous advances in biomedical engineering, few developments in surgical simulation have been made outside of computational models. Cadavers remain the primary media on which surgical research and simulation is conducted. Most attempts to quantify the effects of orthopedic surgical methods fail to achieve statistical significance due to limited quantities of cadaver specimen, large variations among the cadaver population, and a lack of repeatability among measurement techniques. The general purpose of the research covered in this dissertation is to develop repeatable simulation of physiological loads and develop techniques to fabricate a synthetic-based replacement of cadaver specimens. Future work applying this …

Development And Validation Of A Measure Assessing Blind Patients' Perceptions Of Their Healthcare Providers' Stereotype Content, Nazanin Mina Heydarian

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

People with disabilities (PWDs) constitute about 15-20% of the total population. Health disparities among PWD's are due, in part, to stereotypes about PWDs as incompetent. These stereotypes may lead some healthcare providers (HCP) to patronize PWDs, over-focus on the PWDs' impairments and potentially neglect their presenting problem. Moreover, if the PWD violates stereotypical assumptions, the HCP may actively interfere with the PWD's goals. This Dissertation focused on the blind population because this is a large, stigmatized and understudied subpopulation of PWDs. In Study 1, the content of stereotypes about blind patients in the clinical setting were examined from the patient …

Fight The Dead, Fear Reality: A Fantasy Theme Analysis Of The Walking Dead, Katherine Elizabeth Alanis Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this study is to use the television show The Walking Dead and fantasy theme analysis in order to assess its significance in contemporary culture. This analysis is a means to discover the importance of fantasy theme analysis and how it could be used in the future to analyze other forms of entertainment media. The analysis spotlights inequalities that can be seen in the real world in terms of issues like race, gender, and sexuality that are likewise found in themes within the television series. Through fantasy theme analysis, it is possible to determine that topics like rape, …

Comparison Of Stride Length And Stride Frequency Patterns Of Sprint Performance In Overground Vs Motorized Treadmill Sprinting., Fayon Kamieka Gonzales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between different kinematic parameters when maximal effort sprints are performed overground and on a motorized treadmill by recreationally trained and collegiate level sprinters. To accomplish the goals of this study, we measured stride length, stride frequency, contact time, and flight time overground and on a motorized treadmill to determine what differences or similarities can be identified. Anthropometric measurements such as the height, body weight, lower limb length, and lower limb circumference were also recorded. Subjects' performance of a 60 meter sprint (50 meter acceleration, 10 meter maximal velocity) was measured …

"Ok Girls, The Fbi Is Here- Look Your Best!": The Defining Of Postfeminism In Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Jennifer Lynn Handrop

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This is a qualitative study on E! Entertainment's Keeping Up with the Kardashians. This study explores if and how KUWTK contributes to the definition of postfeminist theory in popular culture and the media. Additionally, this study explores any potential class issues that intersect with postfeminism in KUWTK.

Spherical Minimum Description Length, Trevor Herntier, Koffi Eddy Ihou, Anthony Smith, Anand Rangarajan, Adrian Peter

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

We consider the problem of model selection using the Minimum Description Length (MDL) criterion for distributions with parameters on the hypersphere. Model selection algorithms aim to find a compromise between goodness of fit and model complexity. Variables often considered for complexity penalties involve number of parameters, sample size and shape of the parameter space, with the penalty term often referred to as stochastic complexity. Current model selection criteria either ignore the shape of the parameter space or incorrectly penalize the complexity of the model, largely because typical Laplace approximation techniques yield inaccurate results for curved spaces. We demonstrate how the …

Opioids Delay Healing Of Spinal Fusion: A Rabbit Posterolateral Lumbar Fusion Model, Nikhil Jain, Khaled Himed, Jeffrey M. Toth, Karen C. Briley, Frank M. Phillips, Safdar N. Khan

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background Context

Opioid use is prevalent in the management of pre- and postoperative pain in patients undergoing spinal fusion. There is evidence that opioids downregulate osteoblasts in vitro, and a previous study found that morphine delays the maturation and remodeling of callus in a rat femur fracture model. However, the effect of opioids on healing of spinal fusion has not been investigated before. Isolating the effect of opioid exposure in humans would be limited by the numerous confounding factors that affect fusion healing. Therefore, we have used a well-established rabbit model to study the process of spinal fusion healing that …

Crawler Inspection Robot With Machine Vision (Lifelong Endevour), Francisco Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The presence of foreign objects (FO) in an aircraft can mean failure to achieve a mission's objective, loss of aircraft, or a catastrophic failure such as loss of life. Currently, Lockheed Martin inspection methods for foreign objects include a person accessing very tight areas that have the potential for FO to be present. There is a need that has been identified to remove the person from this very tight/potentially hazardous area that is being inspected and placing them behind the control center of a remote inspection system that can identify, objectively, whether or not FO is present or not. The …

Prevalence Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (Mrsa) Colonization In Medical Students At The El Paso/Cd. Juarez Border Region, Samantha Michelle Meza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Due to the constant use, misuse, and over-prescription of antibiotics, antibiotic resistance has become a global public health threat. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) continues to prevail in healthcare settings and is the cause of many nosocomial infections worldwide. A risk factor for developing an active MRSA infection is the colonization of the pathogen in the anterior nares. Over the past two decades, MRSA infections have increased in both the hospital and the community setting, often infecting healthy individuals lacking common risk factors. Healthcare workers with constant exposure to MRSA are more likely to be colonized and can potentially serve …

The Role Of Circulating Mirnas As Clinical Biomarkers Of Insulin Sensitivity And Exercise Adaptation In Young Offpsring Of Type 2 Diabetes Patients, Cesar Arturo Meza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: A family history of Type 2 Diabetes (FH) is considered a risk factor for development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Exercise training is an effective strategy to improve insulin resistance. Recently, micro-RNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as mediators of various intracellular processes, including insulin signaling, and may act as signaling molecules when released into circulation. The miRNAs -29a, -133a and -155 have been implicated in the regulation of insulin sensitivity, however their roles in exercise training-induced improvements in insulin sensitivity are yet to be elucidated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether circulating miRNA-29a, miRNA-29b, miRNA-29c, miRNA-133a, miRNA-133b …

Economic And Environmentally Efficient Energy Management System For Optimal Microgrid Operation, Olayinka Samuel Obafemi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this Thesis is to study and understand the economic analysis of integrating renewable energy resources for the purpose of improving the system grid, identifying and monetizing benefits and cost. This Thesis discusses the approach taken and solution created to tackle the current problems facing the production and consumption of electricity and how the microgrid has become a platform for improvement in power system operation. A microgrid in islanded and connected mode are simulated using Homer Pro for optimization and its results help gain an insight into analyzing and monetizing cost and benefits with one common goal in …

Arthropod Diets In Chihuahuan Desert Snakes, Victor Manuel Parga

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over the past century, studies in herpetology regarding snake diets have been commonly focused on those species that feed or specialize in vertebrate prey items. For those that feed primarily on invertebrates however, little work has been done in determining diet specializations and comparing diets within a community of species. This Thesis focuses on small species of snakes that feed primarily on arthropods in a Chihuahuan Desert community, and will investigate if these are diet generalists or specialists. To this end, stomach contents were examined from preserved specimens of the following species: Rena humilis and Rena dissecta (Leptotyphlopidae), Gyalopion canum …

Using Baby Sign As A Facilitating Technique To Segment Speech With 4-18-Month-Old Monolingual And Bilingual Hearing Infants-An Extension Study, Johanna Puga-Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The intricacies involved in learning language are astounding, nonetheless, infants are more than capable of accomplishing this feat within their first few years of life. This unbelievable achievement is carried out through numerous milestones and exposure to multiple modalities of stimuli all around them. Through the use of these modalities, be it auditory or visual, infants begin their journey to learn language with the task of extracting words from fluent speech, speech segmentation. Researchers have found that infants as young as 6-months can segment words from the speech stream by using their own name or highly familiar words like momma …

Fracture Mechanics Of Heterogeneous Composites, Md Fazle Rabbi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The increasing application of composite materials due to their ubiquitous advance in terms of mechanical and thermal properties has brought attention to the fracture mechanics of the materials possessing heterogeneity. Recent investigations have focused on the micro- and macro-mechanism of fracture in heterogeneous composites (HCs). In this study, the fracture mechanics of the two HCs: Polymer bonded explosive (PBX) simulant and hot mixed asphalt (HMA) are evaluated on the macroscopic scale. It is an interest of Sandia National Laboratory to examine the fracture resistance of PBXs, particularly those of varying composition and subjected to aging. In this research, a batch …

Novel Therapeutic Approaches For Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection, Caresse Lynn Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) is the causative agent of Chagas disease (ChD), an emerging illness prevalent in South and Central America. Presently, benznidazole and nifurtimox are the only two clinically available drugs against T. cruzi, which have high toxicity and limited efficacy in the chronic phase of the disease. This ailment affects 8-10 million people and has become an emerging concern in the U.S leading to an urgent need for the discovery of new treatments. Despite all efforts, there is no human vaccine available. Therapeutic vaccines are a possible option for chronic ChD in which the vaccine is used after …

People Detection From Time-Of-Flight Imagery With Inpainting-Based Preprocessing, Basavarajaiah Totada

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Thesis describes a method of detection and tracking of people using depth images captured by a Time-of-Flight (ToF) camera, such as those obtained with a Microsoft Kinect V2. Key advantages of this approach are that the identity of people is not disclosed, and the system can operate in low-light conditions. The automated approach developed here is inspired by cell-tracking methods as implemented in the well-known biomedical imaging software called CellProfiler. Our approach involves significant preprocessing of the depth images by a combination of adaptive center weighted median filtering and iterative inpainting. The next step is detection of each person's …

An Evaluation Of Interprofessional Knowledge And Attitudes In Graduate Students From Six Programs In Health Sciences After An Interprofessional Education Workshop Experience, Joanna Velasco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Interprofessional Education (IPE) occurs when two or more disciplines learn about, from, and with each other to provide interprofessional patient-centered care which ultimately improves patient health care outcomes (WHO, 2010). Through collaboration, students not only bring their own expertise, but are given an opportunity to learn what the other disciplines can offer for the same patient. Although IPE's importance is highly recognized, many universities do not engage in IPE practice because of scheduling difficulties, lack of faculty involvement, implementation challenges for various levels of competency, and uncertainty of how to measure the effectiveness of IPE activities (Johnson et al., 2015). …

Glycoconjugate-Based Vaccines For Chagas Disease, Brenda Guadalupe Zepeda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chagas disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. About 6–8 million people are estimated to be infected worldwide. It is a blood borne pathogen and transmitted to humans by the insect vector (kissing bug), blood transfusion, organ transplant, contaminated foods and juices, and by congenital contagion. The chemotherapy is partially effective in chronic phase of the disease, and the drugs cause several side effects. There is no vaccine to prevent or treat Chagas disease. The great majority of experimental vaccines have employed whole parasite extracts, purified or recombinant proteins, synthetic peptides, or DNA; however, most of them provide …

Estimating The Optimal Cutoff Point For Logistic Regression, Zheng Zhang

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Binary classification is one of the main themes of supervised learning. This research is concerned about determining the optimal cutoff point for the continuous-scaled outcomes (e.g., predicted probabilities) resulting from a classifier such as logistic regression. We make note of the fact that the cutoff point obtained from various methods is a statistic, which can be unstable with substantial variation. Nevertheless, due partly to complexity involved in estimating the cutpoint, there has been no formal study on the variance or standard error of the estimated cutoff point.

In this Thesis, a bootstrap aggregation method is put forward to estimate the …

Community And Clinical Epidemiology Of Borderline Personality Disorder, William D. Ellison, Lia Rosenstein, T. A. Morgan, Mark Zimmerman

Psychology Faculty Research

Several studies of the prevalence of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in community and clinical settings have been carried out to date. Although results vary according to sampling method and assessment method, median point prevalence of BPD is roughly 1%, with higher or lower rates in certain community subpopulations. In clinical settings, BPD prevalence is around 10-12% in outpatient psychiatric clinics and 20-22% among inpatient clinics. Further research is needed to identify the prevalence and correlates of BPD in other clinical settings (e.g., primary care) and to investigate the impact of demographic variables on BPD prevalence.

The Role Of Emotion Regulation Difficulties In The Connection Between Childhood Emotional Abuse And Borderline Personality Features, Lia Rosenstein, William D. Ellison, E. Walsh, Iwona Chelminski, Kristy Dalrymple, Mark Zimmerman

Psychology Faculty Research

In the present report from the Rhode Island Methods to Improve Diagnostic Assessment and Services project, we examined the role of emotion dysregulation as a mediator between childhood abuse and borderline personality disorder (BPD) feature severity among a sample of 964 adults presenting for treatment at an outpatient clinic. A structural equation model suggested that emotional abuse relates to BPD features both directly and through difficulties with emotion regulation, whereas physical abuse showed only a weak indirect relation with BPD features. There was no link between sexual abuse and BPD feature severity in the model. Results add specificity to etiological …

Formulation Of Nanoparticle Systems For Drug Delivery Application In Biomedical Sciences, Victor Alfredo Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria may result in serious infections which are difficult to treat. In addition, the poor antibiotic pipeline has also contributed to the crisis. Recently, the complex of furosemide and silver (Ag-FSE) has been reported as a potential antibacterial agent. However, its poor aqueous solubility is limiting its activity as an effective antibacterial agent. The purpose of this study was to encapsulate Ag-FSE into chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) and evaluate antibacterial efficacy. Ag-FSE CSNPs were prepared using ionic gelation technique. The particle size, polydispersity index and zeta potential of Ag-FSE CSNPs were determined using dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique. …

Geophysical Investigations Of Southcentral Alaska, Felix Dziedzorm Ziwu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Castle Mountain Fault (CMF) is the closest (<50 km) active fault to Anchorage, Alaska and is known to be capable of producing earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 â?? 7.1. While several mapping and trenching studies have been conducted along the CMF, geophysical investigations along the fault zone have been limited. We use over 700 recently collected, closely spaced gravity observations, in addition to existing regional gravity, aeromagnetic, seismic reflection, well log data, and geologic information, to develop new 2D models of the deeper structure of the CMF system. We developed four 2D integrated forward models across the Castle Mountain Fault. These models indicate differences between the western and eastern segments of the Castle Mountain Fault. The models show a thick sequence of Tertiary to Mesozoic sediments overlying the Peninsular terrane basement at varying depths within the area. We identified two main intrusive granitic rocks based on the varying susceptibilities. These granitic rocks share a possible fault contact with the Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. The model also shows that the CMF cuts through the Mesozoic sediments at depth. These rocks can create strong coupling along the fault and with the decreasing eastward angle of subduction, it is highly for fluid migration to the eastern edge of the subducting Yakutat microplate. Seismic events plotted along the profiles supports the Holocene motion along the western CMF (WCMF) and indicates a deeper extent of the CMF into the crust. The eastern CMF shows high rate of deformation based on the structures associated with the Mesozoic rocks.