Contributions of Motor Learning in the Physical Therapy of a Working Dog: A Case Report

This case report presents the unique contributions of physical therapy using principles of motor learning in the rehabilitation of a canine patient post C5-C6 ventral slot procedure and subsequent rhizotomy of C6, with a secondary central cord infarct. This case describes an eight-year old, MN, Rottweiler who presented to the physical therapy department as tetraparetic following a diagnosis of cervical intervertebral disc disease. Baseline assessment revealed a very low functioning dog, incapable of independent voluntary motor activity and requiring maximal assistance for all transfers and activities of daily living. Principles of motor learning were incorporated into intense physical therapy treatments to promote neuroplasticity, including part-task practice, repetitions, specificity of tasks that are novel and challenging, and neuromuscular re-education models, such as proprioceptive, balance and perturbation training. This dog returned to independence and normal activities of daily living on a horse farm with minimal residual neurologic deficits. This report is interesting because it describes a dog with severe cervical neurological comorbidities, whose prognosis was described as ‘poor’ for return to function by referring veterinarians. Additional studies need to be conducted to better understand how various motor learning approaches affect neuroplasticity and affect the overall functional outcome of canine cervical patients

Kathy Speaks with Tiffany

Interactions and interviews between older adult mentor and University of North Georgia student. Mentor shares lived experiences, talks about living through difficult times, and provides lessons for future generations.https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/gen2gen/1038/thumbnail.jp

Gloria Speaks with Veronica

Interactions and interviews between older adult mentor and University of North Georgia student. Mentor shares lived experiences, talks about living through difficult times, and provides lessons for future generations.https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/gen2gen/1032/thumbnail.jp

The effect of an isometric trunk training during spinning in a child with Cerebral Palsy: A case report

Objective: There is limited evidence to fully justify a constant speed whole body spinning intervention for children with cerebral palsy to improve trunk stability and gross motor function. The purpose of this case report is to investigate the impact of an isometric trunk training during use of the Allcore 360 seated core muscle trainer on functional abilities and independence in a child with cerebral palsy. Participant and Method: An 11-year-old girl with cerebral palsy classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level V participated in an isometric trunk training with constant speed twice per week for 14-weeks. Assessments were performed at baseline, 7 weeks and 14 weeks of intervention using the Gross Motor Function Measure-88 (Dimensions A & B), Modified Functional Reach test, sitting posture in the wheelchair and response to trunk perturbation. Results: Following the constant speed spinning intervention, improvements were found in trunk control, lower extremity coordination and sitting posture as well as increases in GMFM-88 and Modified Functional Reach Test Scores. Positive outcomes from the spinning training were obtained beyond improvements in trunk stability, since improvements in functional motor performance were also achieved. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the constant speed spinning intervention have been effective for improving trunk stability and physical performance in this child. However, further investigation should be needed to quantify and verify the positive result of the experiment in a larger population

Catholic Adaptation, Irish Conversion: The Postcolonial Graham Greene in Neil Jordan’s The End of the Affair

During his two-decade film career, Academy Award-winning writer/director Neil Jordan has transcended conventions and crossed national boundaries to create an oeuvre of critically acclaimed films in a variety of genres. However, despite his reputation as an internationally recognized author and filmmaker whose projects have received financing from both American and European production companies, Jordan has remained, first and foremost, an Irish artist, injecting his interpretations of the struggle for Irish identity into both his film and fiction work. In a body of films so concerned with formulating a coherent Irish identity, Jordan’s adaptation of Graham Greene’s 1951 novel The End of the Affair (1999) initially appears as an anomaly. Detailing a four-year long affair between author Maurice Bendrix and Sarah Miles, the wife of a British civil servant, against the backdrops of pre- and post-World War II London, the novel never deviates from its English setting, eschewing direct references to Britain’s relationship with the Irish and the other colonial holdings over which the waning British Empire was losing its dominion. Yet, while Jordan’s film appears to maintain an overarching fidelity to Greene’s novel, its differential reconstruction of the source text’s London narrative serves as a strategy to interrogate the complex web of relationships between colonial discourse, Irish independence, and the global film industry. In the adaptation, Jordan cultivates a through line of imperial force from the British Empire to contemporary Hollywood, subtly altering the last two books of the novel by reframing the narrative’s preoccupations with the Catholic faith and the state of the British Empire after World War II through the lens of an Irish perspective that not only criticizes Britain’s suppression of Irish-Catholicism but also refracts literary and cinematic stereotypes of the Irish in its construction of mid-century London

[2] FriendIndeed Branding

A few months ago, my dog ate a chocolate chip cookie. My dog is 8 years old, and he is not small, but I was concerned. I did some googling, but it was impossible to find an answer about whether he would be okay or not. One source said he was fine, another said it was an emergency and I should contact a veterinarian. I couldn’t call the vet, as it was 9 pm. I found out that the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has a poison control phone number, and thought this was my saving grace. I called them, but soon found out that they needed a credit card number to proceed, and that the fee was $75. I thought, how is that fair? I’m just trying to find out if my dog is going to survive eating a chocolate chip cookie. After an hour of searching the web for something to help me, I found out that Chewy.com has a free vet resource for people who use their autoship feature, and fortunately I do. Luckily enough, they were available for another hour. I was able to talk to a vet and he said that my dog would be fine. I may have overreacted, but my dog is my best friend, and after 8 years of keeping him alive, I thought, could this be it? That is not a fun thought to have. That’s the main reason why I created FriendIndeed. It’s a platform for any and all information a person could need, always available and always free. All I needed was a simple chart to tell me how much chocolate would hurt a dog of his size. There were a lot of sites that had confusing or contradicting information, and FriendIndeed would be a way to counteract the confusion. The site isn’t only for pets, though. Throughout my life, I have found a stray kitten in my backyard, a random bunny’s nest in the ground, and a nest of baby birds in my garage. Luckily, my mom was a veterinarian’s assistant, and knew how to handle these situations, but not everyone has a veterinarian in their life that they can rely on. Also, taking these animals to a vet when it might not be necessary can cost a lot. FriendIndeed has answers to common questions that might arise, including whether or not you should take them to seek care. FriendIndeed’s goal is to provide information about animals for free, so that everyone can be informed, and to possibly help save an animal’s life.https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/seniorexhibitfall2021/1003/thumbnail.jp

[2.3] Finding Your Why

When viewing a new piece of artwork, many people attempt to draw their own conclusions, make assumptions, and create a meaning for a piece that they had no hand in making. Yes, individual interpretation is an essential aspect of visual art, but how often do you stop and ask the artist “why?” Why did you make this piece? What inspired you? Why do you make art? Why are you like this? Who hurt you? Who loved you? What was your favorite color in third grade and why did you name your fish after a Disney princess? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? This research project, this documentation, this body of work, this zine is an exploration of the artist’s mind. It is meant to both inform the viewer of the deeper aspects of why an artist makes a piece, series, body, or exhibit and to raise new questions. I want you to question everything. I want you to ask why I did this. I want you to question every single decision you have ever made and then hate me for it because you can’t stop. My interest in the “why” stems from my constant and insufferable overthinking about my interactions and other people’s interactions. I hyper-analyze, I question everything, and I try to understand people. So, this topic really gives me the opportunity to do that. Through my research and documentation, I hope to have inspired those presented in my work to question their work and Find the Why in their practice. All rights associated with the works displayed in this zine remain with their respective creators.https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/seniorexhibspring2021/1039/thumbnail.jp

[1.7] Finding Your Why

When viewing a new piece of artwork, many people attempt to draw their own conclusions, make assumptions, and create a meaning for a piece that they had no hand in making. Yes, individual interpretation is an essential aspect of visual art, but how often do you stop and ask the artist “why?” Why did you make this piece? What inspired you? Why do you make art? Why are you like this? Who hurt you? Who loved you? What was your favorite color in third grade and why did you name your fish after a Disney princess? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? This research project, this documentation, this body of work, this zine is an exploration of the artist’s mind. It is meant to both inform the viewer of the deeper aspects of why an artist makes a piece, series, body, or exhibit and to raise new questions. I want you to question everything. I want you to ask why I did this. I want you to question every single decision you have ever made and then hate me for it because you can’t stop. My interest in the “why” stems from my constant and insufferable overthinking about my interactions and other people’s interactions. I hyper-analyze, I question everything, and I try to understand people. So, this topic really gives me the opportunity to do that. Through my research and documentation, I hope to have inspired those presented in my work to question their work and Find the Why in their practice. All rights associated with the works displayed in this zine remain with their respective creators.https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/seniorexhibspring2021/1033/thumbnail.jp

[3] Rimba

A story is an account of events that can be imaginary or true. Whether fictitious or not, stories are what connect all living beings to the past, present and to each other. Encountering stories that provoke an emotional reaction have, in turn, motivated me to use my work as a vehicle for lesser represented narratives. In my body of work I desire to enlighten the average viewer on issues of environmental decline, social inequality, and overall life through animated tales. The emotional impact of my work is meant to inspire change throughout one’s life. Whether that change be large or small, I want the purpose of each story I tell to cling to the mind of any viewer. Rimba is a 3D animated short film that follows a young orangutan’s day in the Indonesian jungle as he realizes the environment around him is being destroyed for the collection of palm oil. Palm oil is a versatile oil used in cosmetics, as a frying agent, and in pre-packaged food around the world. Since the 90s, the production of palm oil has increased by 600 percent and largely affects the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia, which house endangered species with populations under 3,000. Although the palm oil industry benefits the global economy, the resulting deforestation and inevitable destruction of endangered species is a global concern.https://digitalcommons.northgeorgia.edu/seniorexhibspring2021/1044/thumbnail.jp