Digital Commons Network^™

Picturing Your Goals: Examining Imagery Perspective And Self-Concordance In Goal Motivation, Cana J. Reuber

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Mental imagery is often used as a strategy to increase motivation and support goal pursuit, but it remains unclear when different forms of imagery are most effective. Prior work suggests that adopting a third-person imagery perspective may enhance goal striving by promoting more abstract, identity-relevant processing. In line with this work, we predicted that third-person imagery would be most beneficial for self-concordant goals. The present research tested this prediction across three studies. In Study 1 (N = 273), participants identified a personal goal, visualized themselves pursuing and attaining it from either a first- or third-person perspective, and reported their …

Exploring Religious-Spiritual Struggles Among Muslim Immigrants In The Canadian Context, Ayse Erenay

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Migration to a new culture and adaptation to a different lifestyle may cause emotional and psychological stress. In some cases, immigrants may experience religious and/or spiritual (R/S) struggles due to challenges to their beliefs and practices in the country they have immigrated to. Based on Pargament (2007, 2013)’s R/S struggle framework, these struggles may include questions about the ultimate meaning of life, one’s relationship with God, or doubt about one’s belonging within a religious or spiritual community. Muslim immigrants face unique struggles since Islamic teachings require Muslims to visibly practice their faith and reflect on God’s presence as a central …

Sex Differences In The Use Of Cognitive Strategies In Brown-Headed Cowbirds (Molothrus Ater), Nicole E. Robinson Ms.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Cognition is widely believed to be adaptive, yet few studies directly show that variation in cognitive performance is related to fitness. Brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) provide a powerful system for addressing this gap because brood parasitism creates strikingly different reproductive problems for females and males. Females face the spatial demands of nest-prospecting, whereas males face social and competitive demands associated with access to mates. Across five experiments, cowbirds were tested on an outdoor foraging task designed as an analogue of nest prospecting, with manipulations of retention interval, cue conflict, and breeding condition, followed by observations of reproductive behaviour. …

The Power Of Letting Go: The Role Of Goal Adjustment Capacities Across Future And Daily Perspectives Of Chronic Illness, Alexandra Dagher, Meaghan Barlow

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Goal adjustment capacities are self-regulatory processes that protect psychological well-being by allowing individuals to disengage from unattainable goals and reengage in new attainable ones. Although research has shown that these capacities are beneficial in the context of chronic illness, little is known about how their effectiveness may differ across various aspects of the chronic illness experience. The present research consisted of two distinct yet complementary studies examining the role of goal adjustment capacities in two chronic illness contexts. Study 1 (N = 149) prompted participants to imagine the future progression of a chronic illness, whereas Study 2 (N …

Mixed Methods Insights Into Understandings Of And Stigma Towards Autism In Children And Young Adults, Natalia Gc Van Esch

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

BACKGROUND: Autism is widely stigmatized and misunderstood. Existing research using methods such as questionnaires finds that autistic individuals are often evaluated more negatively than their non-autistic counterparts. Unfortunately, this approach provides limited insight into the underlying representations of autism that individuals hold. The present study seeks to examine how children and adults define, describe, and represent autism, and how these representations relate to stigma. METHODS: In Part I, children participated in a semi-structured interview in which they defined autism and created autistic and non-autistic characters using a guided character-building task. Children then rated their characters on a series of social …

Permafrost Microtopography And Active Layer Hydrology In The Western Canadian Arctic, Tobias L. Leonhard

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The growing interest in Arctic regions will likely increase the use of nuclear energy in the Arctic. While this energy source has a high potential to improve economic opportunities in the Arctic, it also increases the release of radioactive material (radionuclides). Radionuclides are already found in the Arctic and are traced back to natural as well as anthropogenic sources. Water is one of the dominant transport vectors for solutes such as radionuclides or other contaminants. Therefore, improving our understanding of Arctic hydrology is important for assessing future environmental risks such as the release of radionuclides. Topographic and microtopographic features are …

The Effects Of Appearance Change And Partial Face Visibility On Eyewitness Identification, Raina-Lynn A. Brock M.A., Judy Eaton Ph.D.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

There is limited research examining the possibility of a temporary appearance change (e.g. a black eye) between exposure to a perpetrator at the time of a crime and later identification attempts by eyewitnesses. Across two experimental studies, this research examines how eyewitness identification decisions are impacted by an appearance change and how lineup procedures can influence eyewitness accuracy. Study 1 examined how a transient facial feature, a black eye, affects the accuracy of eyewitnesses’ identification decisions, while manipulating the severity of the black eye (prominent bruising, faded bruising, no bruising). Participants (N=403) were exposed to a 43-second mock crime video …

Fear Across The Map: A Cross-Municipal Analysis Of Fear Of Crime In Canada, Muhammad Ali

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study examines the predictors of fear of crime (FOC) across three Canadian municipalities: Hamilton, Ontario; Brantford, Ontario; and North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Data from 1,956 survey responses were analyzed to understand how certain factors shape FOC across different municipal contexts in Canada. This study uses descriptive statistics, reliability analyses, correlation matrices, and Ordinary Least Squares regression models to examine whether FOC, and the predictors of FOC, operate consistently across municipalities. The findings indicate that the predictors of FOC are relatively reliable across municipal contexts. However, the influence of the predictors of FOC can vary across municipalities. Importantly, the level of …

Evops: Evolutionary Patch Selection In The Embedding Space Of Whole Slide Images, Saya Hashemian

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Computational pathology increasingly relies on the analysis of Whole-Slide Images (WSIs), which capture tissue specimens at gigapixel resolution. Because a single slide is far too large to process directly, the

prevailing paradigm decomposes each WSI into thousands of small patches and encodes them as high- dimensional feature embeddings using deep learning backbones. While effective, this paradigm carries a

substantial cost: the resulting collections of patch embeddings are computationally expensive to store and process, and they are frequently dominated by redundant, homogeneous, or otherwise uninformative tissue regions that dilute the diagnostic signal. Existing patch selection methods largely depend on heuristic or …

Timing, Targets, And Teaching: How Employee Help-Seeking Influences Downward Knowledge Sharing, Nicholle E. Kovach

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Knowledge sharing between managers and employees is critical for employee development and organizational performance. However, managers differ in whether they share knowledge, and in the type of knowledge shared. While solution-oriented knowledge offers immediate answers to improve short-term performance, process-oriented knowledge promotes long-term learning and employee development. The purpose of my dissertation is to investigate factors that influence managers’ knowledge-sharing decisions.

I conduct two studies to investigate my predictions. In Study 1, I examine how the timing of employee help-seeking requests, the source of performance targets and employee historical performance influence the type and quality of managers’ knowledge-sharing responses. Drawing …

Concordance Of Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization, Whole-Exome Sequencing, And Chromosomal Microarray For Evaluating High-Risk Molecular Features In Meningiomas, Brenndan Crumley, Emilie Russler-Germain, Sonika Dahiya

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Meningiomas are the most common primary intracranial tumors, classified into three WHO grades based on histologic and/or molecular criteria. cIMPACT-NOW Update 8 underscores the increasing importance of molecular testing in grading and risk stratification, noting that morphologically WHO grade 1 tumors with concurrent 1p and 22q losses demonstrate clinical behavior comparable to WHO grade 2 meningiomas. This study aimed to assess the concordance of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA), and whole-exome sequencing (WES) in defining the molecular risk profile of meningiomas.

METHODS: A total of 113 meningiomas were analyzed by WHO grade to assess the …

Immortalization And Characterization Of Schwann Cell Lines Derived From Nf1-Associated Cutaneous Neurofibromas, Hua Li, Angela Hirbe, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant condition in which patients are heterozygous for a disruptive pathogenic variant in the NF1 gene. The most characteristic feature of the condition NF1 is the neurofibroma, a benign, multi-cellular tumor which initiates when a cell of the Schwann cell lineage gains a somatic pathogenic variant of the other NF1 allele. Neurofibromas developing at nerve termini in the skin are termed "cutaneous" neurofibromas (cNFs), while those developing within larger nerves are termed "plexiform." Most patients develop cNFs beginning in late childhood or early adulthood, continuing throughout life at variable rates. Some patients may …

Spatial Variation In Socio-Economic Vulnerability To Influenza-Like Infection For The Us Population, Shrabani S. Tripathy, Joseph V. Puthussery, Taveen S Kapoor, John R. Cirrito, Rajan K. Chakrabarty

2020-Current year OA Pubs

This study aims to quantify environmental health impacts and assess risk by understanding the disproportionate burden of infectious diseases, specifically Influenza-like Illness (ILI), across regions with varying socio-economic characteristics. We introduce a novel vulnerability-based approach to better understand the complex relationship between socio-economic factors and ILI burden. We develop a machine-learning-driven framework to assess and map state-level socio-economic vulnerability to ILI in the United States. A vulnerability index was created by integrating 39 diverse socio-economic and health indicators from the latest CENSUS. A Random Forest Regression model then weighed these indicators to quantify each state's vulnerability for the ILI values …

Characterization Of The Spatiotemporal Representations Of Visual, Semantic, And Memorability Features In The Human Brain, Yue Wang, Peter Brunner, Jon T. Willie, Runnan Cao, Shuo Wang

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Object recognition requires integrated processing that extends beyond the visual cortex, incorporating semantic and memory-related processes. However, it remains unclear how different attributes, such as visual, semantic, and memorability features, are encoded and interact during perception. Here, we recorded intracranial electroencephalography from 5,143 channels while participants viewed natural object images. We systematically characterized the spatiotemporal patterns of neural encoding for visual, semantic, and memorability attributes and showed that memorability was encoded in a distributed manner, which can be dissociated from visual and semantic coding. While the ventral temporal cortex (VTC) was engaged in encoding all three attributes, the representations were …

Evaluation Of Mycoplasma Genitalium Positivity And Co-Infection With Chlamydia Trachomatis And/Or Neisseria Gonorrhoeae At Various Care Sites Across The United States, Rebecca Lillis, Stacey House, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) positivity and co-infection with Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and/or Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), based on results from a trial assessing clinical performance of the Cobas® Liat CT/NG/MG point-of-care test.

METHODS: A prospective, US, multicenter, noninterventional study assessed MG positivity in prospective urine samples (male) and clinician-collected vaginal swabs (female) from symptomatic/asymptomatic patients aged ≥14 years attending various clinical settings. Participants were designated positive or negative for MG, CT, and NG based on combined results from three US Food and Drug Administration-approved assays and one laboratory-developed test. MG co-infection with CT and/or NG was assessed.

RESULTS: Among …

An Integrated Analysis Of Three Medulloblastoma Clinical Trials Refines Risk-Stratification Approaches For Reducing Toxicity And Improving Survival, Kyle S Smith, Jeff M Michalski, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: The identification of clinical and molecular heterogeneity in medulloblastoma has produced risk-stratified therapy, but establishing the most effective yet least toxic regimens has remained elusive owing to numerous treatment options. To improve risk-stratification, we performed an integrated analysis from three clinical trials.

METHODS: Medulloblastoma patients from ACNS0331/NCT00085735, ACNS0332/NCT00392327, and SJMB03/NCT00085202 were included if they had methylation profiling. Molecular groups [WNT, SHH, Group 3 (G3), and Group 4 (G4)], subgroups, and copy number variations were procured from methylation profiles and mutations from next-generation sequencing. Data was assembled into an interactive portal to capture patient characteristics. Cross-trial comparisons, univariable, and multivariable …

Influence Of Obesity And Insulin Resistance With Hepatic Steatosis On The Human Plasma Lipidome, Max C Petersen, Gordon I Smith, Aaron M Armando, Xiong Su, Oswald Quehenberger, Edward A Dennis, Samuel Klein

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Insulin resistance accompanied by hepatic steatosis is a common complication of obesity. In an effort to identify plasma lipids that could be biomarkers or causes of insulin resistance with steatosis in people with obesity, we evaluated the plasma lipidome in three distinct groups separated by adiposity, hepatic steatosis, and insulin sensitivity, assessed by using the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp procedure: i) insulin-sensitive lean (ISL, n = 13); ii) insulin-sensitive obese (ISO, n = 14); and iii) insulin-resistant obese with hepatic steatosis (IROS, n = 13). We evaluated 759 complex lipid species in 16 subclasses (including phospholipids, glycerolipids, sphingolipids, acylcarnitines, and cholesteryl esters) …

Identifying Disparities In Same-Day Surgery Cancellations: Impact Of Race And Socioeconomic Factors In A Pediatric Health System, Nicole M Santucci, Daniel Alligood, Amanda Maytin-Hevia, Danyi Wang, Kelly Chilson, Jesse Vrecenak, Andrew Yeh, Colin A Martin

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: Same-day surgery (SDS) cancellations have significant implications on patients and hospitals. This study aimed to identify demographic and socioeconomic factors that impact SDS cancellations across a single pediatric health system.

METHODS: A case-control retrospective review captured patients (age < 18) who underwent SDS procedures from July 2022 to August 2024. Patients were included if they underwent any procedure at three operative sites: a tertiary pediatric academic hospital (PAH) and two outpatient surgery centers (OSC). Patients whose SDS was cancelled (n = 2,034) were compared to those whose surgeries proceeded as scheduled (n = 25,573). Patient zip codes were matched to Child Opportunity Index (COI) 2.0 data.

RESULTS: The overall SDS cancellation rate was 7.37 %, with a significantly higher rate observed at the PAH compared to OSC (11.4 % vs 53 %, p < 0.001). Patients with cancelled cases were more likely to identify as Black and have the lowest quintile COI (p < 0.001). Cancelled in preop and no shows were two reasons with the most racial disparities. In a sub-analysis comparing cancelled cases between operating sites, PAH cancelled patients tended to be Black (23.8 % vs 11.7 %, p < 0.001) and have very low COI (20.1 % vs. 10.6 %, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: SDS cancellation rates are significantly higher amongst patients who identify as Black and reside in low opportunity neighborhoods. Disparities in cancellation rate are more significant in patients scheduled at the urban PAH compared …

Beyond Restless Sleep: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Risk, Aging Biomarkers, And Chronic Low Back Pain, Khalid W Freij, Fiona Bat Agbor, Philemon Domoyeri, Kiari R Kinnie, Asia M Wiggins, Demario S Overstreet, Tammie L Quinn, Shivraj S Grewal, S Justin Thomas, Walid W Freij, Shameka L Cody, Michael A Owens, Robert E Sorge, Burel R Goodin, Edwin N Aroke

2020-Current year OA Pubs

This secondary data analysis aimed to determine the nature of the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk, biological age acceleration, and nonspecific chronic low back pain (CLBP). In total, 199 adults aged 18-82 years who filled both STOPBANG and pain questionnaires subsetted for secondary analysis. Based on the STOPBANG questionnaire, 104 had a low OSA risk and 95 had an intermediate or high OSA risk. Dunedin Pace of Aging Computed from the Epigenome (DunedinPACE), Horvath's, Hannum's, PhenoAge, and GrimAge clocks were used to determine biological age and pace of biological aging. Individuals with low OSA risk reported increased DunedinPACE …

An Integrated View Of The Structure And Function Of The Human 4d Nucleome, Job Dekker, Ting Wang, Daofeng Li, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The dynamic three-dimensional (3D) organization of the human genome (the 4D nucleome) is linked to genome function. Here we describe efforts by the 4D Nucleome Project

Lost Before Forgetting: Objective Driving Metrics Track Navigation Deficits Tied To Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease, Yiqi Zhu, Ramkrishna K Singh, Semere Bekena, David C Brown, Chen Chen, Matthew Blake, Jean-François Trani, Ganesh M Babulal

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Navigation is a complex, multisensory process in which subtle changes may emerge before the onset of symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study investigated whether navigation abilities were associated with amyloid and tau pathology in cognitively normal older adults.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Among 285 cognitively unimpaired older adults, navigation and objective driving behaviors were assessed using the self-reported Santa Barbara Sense of Direction Scale (SBSOD) and a datalogger, respectively. Amyloid and tau burden were quantified using PET-MRI 2 years post-initial driving data collection. Linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate the associations between biomarker status and longitudinal …

Abnormalities In Sensorimotor Brain Function Are Related To Chronicity Of Low Back Pain, Jo Armour Smith, Rongwen Tain, Kelli G Sharp, Laura M Glynn, Linda R Van Dillen, Jesse V Jacobs, Steven C Cramer

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Maladaptive plasticity in the brain may contribute to chronic low back pain (LBP) and underlie the altered postural control of the lumbopelvic musculature that is evident in some individuals with LBP. We recently described an MRI-compatible leg-raise paradigm to measure brain activity associated with lumbopelvic postural control. The objective of this study was to compare brain function in young adults with and without a history of LBP and to determine relationships between brain function, pain, and postural control characteristics. We recruited 55 participants with a history of LBP, who were asymptomatic when studied, and 30 healthy controls. Postural control during …

Clinical Outcomes Following Mechanical Thrombectomy In Pulmonary Embolism Response Team-Consulted Patients: A Retrospective Analysis, Ryan Nolan, Maanasi Samant, Suresh Vedantham, Westley Ohman, Nathan Droz, Kristen Sanfilippo, Pavan Kavali

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: To determine if use of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) impacts survival and additional outcomes in patients with acute intermediate-high-risk and high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) who were evaluated by a Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT).

METHODS: This retrospective, single-center study included patients with intermediate-high-risk and high-risk PE who received PERT evaluation over 3.5 years and were treated with anticoagulation (AC) alone or MT + AC. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality, measured with inverse probability of treatment weighting. Exploratory outcomes included survival during the study period, PE-associated/caused mortality, hospital length of stay (LOS), supplemental oxygen at discharge, and MT-related metrics. …

Modeling Clinical Relevance And Risk In Yttrium-90 Radioembolization Of The Liver: Lung Shunt Fraction Variability According To Imaging Modality, Cancer Type, And Tumor Size, M Allan Thomas, Tharun Alamuri, Ryan C Lee, Dan Giardina, John Karageorgiou, Naganathan Mani, Daniel A Braga, Christopher D Malone

2020-Current year OA Pubs

PURPOSE: To test the hypothesis that lung shunt fraction (LSF) in yttrium-90 (

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of 354 consecutive cases from a 34-month period at a single institution. Cancer type (hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC] vs non-HCC) and maximum tumor size were tracked. LSF was computed from planar imaging (LSF

RESULTS: Median LSF was significantly different (all P < .001) among LSF

CONCLUSIONS: Despite significant variations with imaging modality and correction methods, consistent trends in LSF magnitude with cancer type and tumor size were still uncovered. The relative risk of observing clinically relevant LSF can be modeled for different liver tumor …

Psychological And Clinical Risk Factors For Substance Use In People With And Without Hiv, Joanna M Hobson, Shameka L Cody, Shannon R Gilstrap, Michael A Owens, Myles D Moody, Dyan M White-Gilliam, Stephen Justin Thomas, Emily J Bartley, Burel R Goodin

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BackgroundDespite growing concerns, limited research has demonstrated how psychological factors influence substance use in people with HIV (PWH). Therefore, we examined the association between heightened vigilance and substance use outcomes in people with (PWH) and without HIV (PWoH), while accounting for key risk factors.MethodsParticipants (n = 138) were recruited from an HIV clinic and the surrounding community, completing a urine drug screener (UDS) and questionnaires.ResultsPWH reported greater insomnia (

Nanoparticle Albumin-Bound Paclitaxel And Nivolumab For Pd-1 Inhibitor-Refractory Recurrent Or Metastatic Head And Neck Squamous-Cell Carcinoma, Douglas Adkins, Jessica C Ley, Christine Auberle, Brendan Knapp, Jesse Zaretsky, Jingxia Liu, Peter Oppelt

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Standard therapy for PD-1 inhibitor-refractory recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma (RM-HNSCC) has limited activity. Drugs bound to albumin selectively target cancer cells with upregulated macropinocytosis, a process driven by constitutively hyper-activated EGFR/RAS/PIK3CA signaling, which is common in HNSCC. Nanoparticle albumin-bound (nab)-paclitaxel is active in PD-1 inhibitor-naïve RM-HNSCC and alters immune cells to potentially prime tumor response and reverse resistance to PD-1 inhibitors.

METHODS: In a single-arm phase 2 trial, patients with PD-1 inhibitor-refractory RM-HNSCC received nab-paclitaxel and nivolumab given in 28-day cycles. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR), using RECIST1.1. Key secondary endpoints were …

Prediction Of Continuous Amyloid Positron Emission Tomography With Fluid Measures Of Phosphorylated Tau And Β-Amyloid, Niklas Mattsson-Carlgren, Linda Karlsson, Weizhong Tang, Kaj Blennow, Henrik Zetterberg, Randall J Bateman, Suzanne E Schindler, Nicolas Barthelemy, Sebastian Palmqvist, Erik Stomrud, Shorena Janelidze, Oskar Hansson

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Brain amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology is a core feature of Alzheimer disease (AD) and can be quantified using positron emission tomography (PET). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma biomarkers detect abnormal Aβ, but it is unclear to what degree they can predict quantitative Aβ-PET. We explored plasma and CSF biomarkers in relation to Aβ-PET in the BioFINDER-2 study (N = 1053), and the BioFINDER-1 study (N = 238). We developed a machine learning pipeline to predict Aβ-PET using CSF and plasma measures. The best models achieved R

Application Of Machine Learning To Blood-Based Biomarkers Of Alzheimer's Disease In Down Syndrome, Patrick H Luckett, Melissa Petersen, Sid O'Bryant, Mark Mapstone, Brad T Christian, Benjamin Handen, Elizabeth Head, Beau M Ances, Alzheimer's Biomarker Consortium‐Down Syndrome

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Blood-based biomarkers can improve Alzheimer's disease (AD) characterization in Down syndrome (DS). This study applied hierarchical clustering and machine learning-based feature selection to identify biomarkers associated with disease progression.

METHODS: Cross-sectional blood-based biomarkers were analyzed from 211 DS participants (

RESULTS: The strongest predictors overall were neurofilament light chain (NfL), tau/amyloid beta (Aβ)40, Aβ42/Aβ40, alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M), and interleukin (IL)-10. Within the CS group, NfL, tau/Aβ40, A2M, and IL-10 were strong predictors. In MCI, Aβ42/Aβ40, NfL, A2M, and IL-10 were strong predictors. In DS-AD, Aβ42/Aβ40, NfL, and tau/Aβ40 were the top predictors. Cluster membership varied based on disease stage.

DISCUSSION: …

Perception Of Dementia Risk Among Black Adults: An Ecological Analysis Of Causal Loop Diagrams With A Structural And Social Determinant Of Health Composite Index, Jean-Francois Trani, Ramkrishna K Singh, Alexis Ib Walker, Semere Bekena, Yiqi Zhu, Ganesh M Babulal, Robbie Hart

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: To investigate drivers of dementia risk disparities among older Black Americans using a community-based system dynamics (CBSD) approach.

METHODS: Over 18 months, 234 participants created 36 causal loop diagrams (CLDs) on dementia risk. An ecological analysis compared structural differences across groups based on scores on a structural and social determinants of health composite index (S/SDOH-CI).

RESULTS: Groups in the highest SDOH-CI quantile were more likely to identify key protective pathways linking mental health, substance use, exercise, medication, and community support to reduce dementia risk. In contrast, fewer than 25% of low-SDOH-CI groups identified these connections, and under 15% recognized …

Towards Precision Functional Brain Network Mapping In Parkinson's Disease, Jacob Chernicky, Ally Dworetsky, Sarah Grossen, Emma Carr, Abdulmunaim Eid, Meghan C Campbell, Caterina Gratton

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative condition that leads to widespread disruption of large-scale brain networks and is further complicated by substantial individual variability in symptomology, progression rates, and treatment response. Consequently, the investigation of individual differences in networks measured via resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) may provide insight. However, most RSFC studies are unable to identify interindividual differences due to poor reliability and group average network definitions. "Precision" RSFC addresses these shortcomings through extended data collection, strict denoising, and individual network definition, but remains untested in PD.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility and reliability of precision RSFC …