The Chicago Black Dance Legacy Project: A Coalitional Lakou Approach to Dancemaking

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Does simultaneous alloplastic temporomandibular joint reconstruction affect the accuracy of Le Fort I osteotomy?

Simultaneous alloplastic temporomandibular joint reconstruction (ATMJR) with Le Fort I osteotomy (LFI) may be indicated when significant temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pathology accompanies dentofacial deformities. Currently, the impact of concomitant ATMJR on LFI accuracy is not known. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of patient-fitted ATMJR on the accuracy of simultaneous LFI. In this retrospective cohort study, patients undergoing LFI with and without ATMJR were enrolled. Preoperative and postoperative cone-beam computed tomography was analyzed using regional voxel-based registration. The primary predictor variable was use of ATMJR, and others included impaction at the maxillary central incisor (U1), age, and sex. The primary outcome variable was the mediolateral/superoinferior/anteroposterior absolute linear surgical error at U1 (U1AE). The secondary outcome variable was the three-dimensional surgical error at U1. In 20 subjects (eight ATMJR, 12 non-ATMJR), median U1AE ranged from 0.50 to 1.30 mm and median three-dimensional surgical error from 1.37 to 2.17 mm. ATMJR was associated with higher anteroposterior U1AE (median difference 0.8 mm, P = 0.012) and under-impaction (mean 0.86 mm, P = 0.036). Simultaneous ATMJR is associated with greater anteroposterior surgical error and a tendency towards under-impaction. Appropriate case selection and planning modifications should be considered as appropriate.</p

Responsiveness to city service requests, life satisfaction, and horizontal inequality: Does good local governance improve subjective well-being for all?

This research was presented at the 23rd annual conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies on July 23, 2025 in Luxembourg. It focused on answering two questions: (1) does good governance improve subjective well-being (SWB)? and (2) does good governance improve SWB for all? To answer (1), the case of Chicago, IL was investigated, modeling the correlation between local good governance (independent variable) and self-reported life satisfaction (dependent variable). To answer (2), the research further modeled the moderating impact of neighborhood-level racial demographics on the relationship in (1). The research found that good local governance does have a significant, positive impact on life satisfaction, but the relationship is significantly stronger in white neighborhoods than in Black and Latino neighborhoods. This research was later published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health at the citation below:Tharakan, D. P. L., & Ford, T. N. (2026). Responsiveness to City Service Requests, Life Satisfaction, and Horizontal Inequality: Does Good Local Governance Improve Subjective Well-Being for All? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 23(1), 132. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph23010132</p

Anonymized Focus Group Discussion Transcripts from Powwer Health Study

These anonymized transcripts come from four focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted with women and nine conducted with men in Kenya in 2025. The women were participants in a single arm trial assessing the impact of menstrual cups on the vaginal microbiome, BV, and STIs, and the male participants are sex partners. The FGDs assess experiences and perspectives from women on using menstrual cups, and impacts on health and finances, and sexual life. FGDs with men assesses their knowledge and awareness of menstrual cups, perceived or actual impact on their sexual life.</p

Emotion Regulation and Executive Functions: Impacts on Women with ADHD

This poster describes the impact of emotion regulation (ER) on executive functions (EF) between women with and without ADHD. Compared to women without ADHD, women with ADHD exhibited significantly greater EF deficits [t(106) = -12.94, p d = 2.6], poorer ER [t(106) = 3.04, p = .002, d = .6], poorer perceived cognitive flexibility (CFp) [t(106) = 3.07, p = .003, d = .6], and poorer actual cognitive flexibility (CFa) [t(106) = 2.38, p = .019, d = .5]. Furthermore, ER emerged as a significant predictor of EF [b = -.17, p < .001], demonstrating that as ER increases, difficulties associated with EF decrease. Overall, this research illustrates that women with ADHD have severe difficulties regulating their emotions compared to their counterparts without ADHD. Additionally, women with ADHD struggle more with executive functioning than those without ADHD, indicating difficulties with planning, focusing, organizing, and managing time in daily life. Women with ADHD also presented more difficulties with cognitive flexibility than women without ADHD, suggesting difficulties with multitasking, switching tasks, and adapting to change. Further research is crucial to explore the unique difficulties faced by women with ADHD to improve earlier intervention and inform individualized treatment.</p

Validation of surface-based registration for genioplasty osteotomies: comparison with regional voxel-based registration

Despite lower reported accuracy of genioplasty osteotomies, significant variation exists in the accuracy analysis techniques, without full validation. The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of surface-based registration (SBR) and regional voxel-based registration (R-VBR) for genioplasty osteotomies, to allow greater rigor in scrutinizing accuracy data. In a retrospective cross-sectional study of consecutive genioplasty patients at a single-center over a 5-year period, postoperative cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were collected. The CBCTs were oriented to a known pitch/roll/yaw and set as the reference, and compared with the unoriented raw volumes. Both volumes were segmented to surface models, and SBR was performed using the genioplasty segment as the mutual region of interest. Angular (°) and linear (mm) errors at the pogonion and menton were measured, and compared with those of R-VBR, with accuracy thresholds of 0.5° and 0.3 mm. In 34 eligible subjects, angular errors ranged from 0.32° to 0.64°, and linear errors ranged from 0.11 to 0.44 mm for SBR (P </p

<b>Strengthening Health Systems for NCD Care in LMICs: Examining Pharmaceutical Industry Multisectoral Partnerships Beyond the Provision of Medicines</b>

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) pose a major global health challenge, with 77% of NCDs-related deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Weak health systems and system barriers worsen inequities in NCDs management, hindering progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In response, international organizations like the WHO and UN have called for multisectoral collaborations, including private sector engagement.The pharmaceutical industry is increasingly acknowledged for its potential to contribute to addressing these system challenges and strengthen health systems. In the current state, there is evidence suggesting that the pharmaceutical industry recognizes the value of strategic multisectoral partnerships and has initiated efforts in this area. However, significant practice gaps remain, including limited insights into the industry’s conceptual understanding of health equity, health system strengthening, and multisectoral partnerships, as well as its motivations and current approaches to partnership design. Existing research also provides little business-specific evidence or recommendations for future industry partnerships.This research aims to address these gaps by examining and informing the pharmaceutical industry’s approach to serving as a health system partner in LMICs. Through real-world examples of industry-led strategic multisectoral partnerships as well as insights from industry executives and health systems, the research seeks to answer three key questions: (1) What is the context for pharmaceutical industry partnerships with health systems to improve NCD care in LMICs? (2) How does the industry currently design these partnerships? (3) How can the industry improve its partnership approaches to enhance equitable NCD care?This research was guided by a conceptual framework based on the Bergen Model of Collaborative Functioning (BMCF), enriched with constructs from R = MC², Collective Impact, and the Social Ecological Model. The framework examined partnership context, inputs, throughput, and outputs, providing a comprehensive lens for understanding and improving pharmaceutical industry collaboration with LMIC health systems.An exploratory, multi-method, industry-level case study design was employed, focusing on four sub-units. Health system perspectives were included as an external unit to provide a more comprehensive and diverse view of the industry’s partnership efforts.Data collection included document analysis and semi-structured interviews with pharmaceutical executives and health system representatives. Findings were derived through integration across industry sub-units and triangulation with health system perspectives.By revealing evidence from real-world practice and proposing a mutual value-loop model for future partnership design, this research provides an initial step toward guiding the pharmaceutical industry to invest in and position itself as a health system partner. In doing so, it highlights how long-term business interests can be aligned with global health objectives in addressing system-level challenges and improving equitable NCD care in LMICs. Ultimately, such efforts contribute to the broader goal of “ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all”, as outlined in SDG 3.</p

Long-term Exposure to Air Pollution and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in the Nurses’ Health Study and Nurses’ Health Study II

Background: Research has detected associations between air pollution exposure and type 2 diabetes (T2DM), but findings from large cohort studies are needed to ascertain the most influential pollutants, susceptible subpopulations, and low-level exposure associations. Our aim was to prospectively evaluate the association between long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and T2DM incidence in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII) cohorts of U.S. women.Methods: Monthly PM2.5 and NO2 exposures were predicted from spatiotemporal models and linked to participants’ residential addresses. We used Cox proportional hazards models to assess the association between 24-month moving average PM2.5 and NO2 exposure and self-reported, clinician diagnosed T2DM from 1992-2019. We adjusted for time-varying lifestyle factors, reproductive hormonal factors, and individual and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES). Results were meta-analyzed. We evaluated whether relationships persisted at levels below the current U.S. EPA National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Lastly, we examined multiplicative and additive interactions by body mass index (BMI), smoking status, physical activity, neighborhood SES, and region.Results: Over follow-up, there were 19,083 incident T2DM cases among the 208,733 women in NHS and NHSII. In fully-adjusted single pollutant models, the HR for an interquartile range (IQR=4.9 µg/m3) higher 24-month average PM2.5 exposure was 1.05 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.08) for incident T2DM. The HR for an IQR (7.3 ppb) higher NO2 exposure was 1.05 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.09). Both associations were robust to co-adjustment. Associations remained stable when restricting to PM2.5 levels below the NAAQS as compared to the full dataset. Stronger associations were observed in individuals who had a BMI ≥30, were physically active, and resided in the Northeast.Conclusions: Our results showed a positive association between T2DM and long-term exposure to PM2.5 and NO2, persisting even at levels below the current EPA NAAQS. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP15673</p

Aluminum Nitride (AlN) Ceramic Surfaces for Enhanced Dropwise Condensation

Condensation is ubiquitous in a wide variety of industrial applications ranging from heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), to harvesting water from the atmosphere and thermal management of many devices. Dropwise (DwC) and filmwise (FwC) condensation are the two primary modes of condensation, and their dominance is governed by the wettability of the cooled surface. In DwC, the condensate forms droplets, which eventually coalesce with each other and leave the surface by gravity (if the surface is inclined). In FwC, a film of liquid is formed on the surface. From well-known theories of wetting and condensation, it has been established that DwC is more efficient than FwC. Therefore, surface engineering is warranted to enhance condensation heat transfer by promoting DwC. While numerous studies, including our own, have explored the role of wettability in condensation, creation of hydrophobic ceramic surfaces presents an interesting challenge. Ceramics, like Aluminum Nitride (AlN) (which are attractive due to their high thermal conductivity and combined high electrical resistance), are hard, brittle and chemically resistant, which presents difficulties in creating micro or nano scale roughness necessary to impart specific surface properties. In this study, the wettability (hydrophobic/ superhydrophilic) characteristics of AlN are modified with ultimate goal to obtain the desired mode of condensation and increase the heat transfer from the surface. An environmental chamber is used to investigate the condensation performance of wettability-altered AlN plates over a range of wettability and environmental conditions. The temperature and relative humidity of the chamber are set at desired levels and the condensation heat transfer coefficients are estimated using the Inverse Heat Transfer (IHT) methodology. The study provides a step towards efficient and reliable wettability engineering of ceramic surfaces, which can be used in numerous scenarios that require thermally conductive, chemically resistant or hard surfaces that do not wear over extended periods of operation.</p

Lived experiences of social isolation and meaningful relationships among older adults living with HIV with a concurrent mental health diagnosis: A Heideggerian phenomenological approach

Background/Objectives: Meaningful social connections are critical for well-being in later life, yet older adults living with HIV frequently experience social isolation and loneliness, compounded by stigma, mental health conditions, and systemic inequities. This study aimed to explore how older adults living with HIV and a concurrent mental health diagnosis experience social isolation and cultivate meaningful relationships, situating these experiences within Social Convoy Theory. Methods: Using a Heideggerian phenomenological approach, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 33 adults aged 50 and older in Ontario, Canada, who self-identified as living with HIV and a diagnosed mental health condition. Participants were recruited through community-engaged strategies and snowball sampling. Data were analyzed iteratively, combining descriptive and interpretive coding to identify patterns in social isolation, relational meaning, and the influence of intersecting social, structural, and health determinants. Results: Participants described social isolation as both a physical and existential experience, influenced by stigma, mental health challenges, and contextual factors such as urban versus rural settings. Meaningful relationships were characterized by authenticity, trust, emotional safety, and reciprocity, often formed within peer networks sharing similar lived experiences. Community engagement and virtual platforms facilitated connection, while rural or suburban environments often intensified isolation. Relationships providing validation, agency, and continuity of experience were particularly impactful on participants’ well-being. Conclusions: Social isolation among older adults living with HIV and mental health conditions extends beyond objective network measures to include emotional and identity-related dimensions. Interventions should prioritize affirming, context-sensitive spaces that support disclosure, trust, and reciprocal relationships, recognizing the nuanced needs of this population for both social and existential connectedness.</p