Left Ventricle Myocardium Segmentation from 3D Cardiac MR Images using Combined Probabilistic Atlas and Graph Cut-based Approaches

Medical imaging modalities, including Computed Tomography (CT) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Ultrasound (US) are critical for the diagnosis and progress monitoring of many cardiac conditions, planning, visualization and delivery of therapy via minimally invasive intervention procedures, as well as for teaching, training and simulation applications. Image segmentation is a processing technique that allows the user to extract the necessary information from an image dataset, in the form of a surface model of the region of interest from the anatomy. A wide variety of segmentation techniques have been developed and implemented for cardiac MR images. Despite their complexity and performance, many of them are intended for specific image datasets or are too specific to be employed for segmenting classical clinical quality Magnetic Resonance (MR) images. Graph Cut based segmentation algorithms have been shown to work well in regards to medical image segmentation. In addition, they are computationally efficient, which scales well to real time applications. While the basic graph cuts algorithms use lower-order statistics, combining this segmentation approach with atlas-based methods may help improve segmentation accuracy at a lower computational cost. The proposed technique will be tested at each step during the development by assessing the segmentation results against the available ground truth segmentation. Several metrics will be used to quantify the performance of the proposed technique, including computational performance, segmentation accuracy and fidelity assessed via the Sørensen-Dice Coefficient (DSC), Mean Absolute Distance (MAD) and Hausdorff Distance (HD) metrics

Poetic Leadership, A Territory of Aesthetic Consciousness and Change

Poetic leadership is a new theoretical construct that views leadership as an activity that unites a lyrical intellect with keenly felt emotion for the purpose of producing changes in the consciousness of self and others. This change begins within the interiority of self, moving surely to broader realms of one\u27s surroundings and society, provoking movement that impacts the developing potential of the individual and the cultural milieu in which they exist. Emotion is the primary trace into consciousness used in this dissertation, which serves to unite experiences of the heart with experiences of the mind. The unification of these disparate parts of self provides the foundation for the aesthetic experience, which transcends temporal and cultural boundaries, and, when consciously produced within the self, produces a poetic consciousness which in turn allows for the experience of poetic leadership. As activity that is situated within the experience of individual consciousness, yet is directed to external concerns, poetic leadership moves deeply into the territory of the group. Group consciousness thus becomes a concern, and so is defined as a scholarly construct unique to the field of leadership and change. Influence, ethical conduct, and cultural responsibility are all examined as key considerations impacting group processes, and are situated as primary concerns of poetic leadership processes. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible at the OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

Poetic Leadership, A Territory of Aesthetic Consciousness and Change

Poetic leadership is a new theoretical construct that views leadership as an activity that unites a lyrical intellect with keenly felt emotion for the purpose of producing changes in the consciousness of self and others. This change begins within the interiority of self, moving surely to broader realms of one\u27s surroundings and society, provoking movement that impacts the developing potential of the individual and the cultural milieu in which they exist. Emotion is the primary trace into consciousness used in this dissertation, which serves to unite experiences of the heart with experiences of the mind. The unification of these disparate parts of self provides the foundation for the aesthetic experience, which transcends temporal and cultural boundaries, and, when consciously produced within the self, produces a poetic consciousness which in turn allows for the experience of poetic leadership. As activity that is situated within the experience of individual consciousness, yet is directed to external concerns, poetic leadership moves deeply into the territory of the group. Group consciousness thus becomes a concern, and so is defined as a scholarly construct unique to the field of leadership and change. Influence, ethical conduct, and cultural responsibility are all examined as key considerations impacting group processes, and are situated as primary concerns of poetic leadership processes. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible at the OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

CuriPilot

The drone industry has rapidly grown over the last three years and many large companies have determined that the phenomenon is worth investing in. Recently, Intel has shown interest in this growing industry. Intel developed a next generation processor to be used in drones in addition to investing in the Chinese drone hardware company, Yuneec. Contracted by Intel, the CuriPilot team laid the foundation for linking the hardware and software layers of Intel\u27s drone technology by designing the stabilization control system for the next generation of processors and drones. The CuriPilot team built a foundation for future drone development and gave Intel valuable feedback on both the hardware and software being used with the Curie processor. Looking forward, future development can easily be started with the new EarHart boards and existing drone frames. The elusive system bugs have been fixed and the EarHart board provides a stable environment to continue autopilot development

Collision Tumor of the Stomach: A Case of an Adenocarcinoma and a Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor

A collision tumor of the stomach is a rare event. We report the case of a collision tumor of the stomach consisting of an adenocarcinoma and a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). This is, to our knowledge, the second report in the literature of such a case. A 71-year-old man with abdominal discomfort underwent an esophagogastroduodenoscopy which revealed a tumor of the oesophagogastric junction. A total gastrectomy was performed. Histologic examination showed a mixed tumor consisting of a primary adenocarcinoma and multiple nodules of GIST. The adenocarcinoma showed both diffuse and intestinal growth, angio-invasion and metastasis to lymph nodes. The GIST tumor cells were strongly immunoreactive to CD117 and CD34. Based on mitotic index, size and cytonuclear details, the biological behavior of this GIST tumor was supposed to be benign. This case reports the rare finding of a collision tumor consisting of an adenocarcinoma and a GIST with an unknown etiology

Intervención psicológica en víctimas de violencia de género a través de la terapia de aceptación y compromiso y atención plena

La violencia de género es una problemática grave en la sociedad actual, en la cual la mujer sufre física y psicológicamente. Como consecuencia, aparece una variedad sintomatológica (estrés, ansiedad, depresión, etc.) que se interpone en la vida de estas mujeres repercutiendo negativamente en su autoconcepto y regulación emocional. Las víctimas tienden a llevar a cabo la evitación experiencial por lo que los pensamientos, sensaciones y emociones ligados a experiencia traumática, se convierten en un ciclo vicioso del cual necesitan ayuda psicológica para salir. Así pues, este proyecto pretende llevar a cabo una intervención psicológica mediante terapias denominadas de tercera generación: psicoeducación, terapia de aceptación y compromiso (ACT) y Mindfulness basado en la reducción de estrés (MBSR). El tratamiento está dirigido a mujeres, entre los 18 y 40 años, víctimas de la violencia de género que sufren un Trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT). Durante seis meses se llevarán a cabo dos sesiones semanales grupales, con las cuales se pretende que las pacientes aprendan a vivir con el sufrimiento que conlleva su pasado, aprender a canalizarlo y aceptarlo sin juzgar lo ocurrido. Consecuentemente, conseguirán vivir el presente, en el «aquí y ahora». Con la combinación de estas terapias, las pacientes conseguirán establecer metas realistas y seguir llevando a cabo ejercicios a lo largo de sus vidas. Conseguirán beneficiarse y salir reforzadas del programa de intervención, puesto que observarán que sus niveles de sufrimiento se habrán reducido y sus niveles de bienestar habrán aumentado.Gender violence is a serious problem in today’s society, in which women suffer physically and psychologically. Consequently, there are a variety of symptoms (stress, anxiety, depression, etc.) within the lives of these women which have negative repercussions on their identities and emotional stability. The victims tend to avoid thinking of their confrontations, so their thoughts, feelings and emotions, which are linked to their traumatic experience, become a vicious circle from which they need psychological help to overcome. Therefore, this project aims to carry out a psychological intervention through therapies known as third wave cognitive behavioural therapy: psychoeducation, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness Based on Stress Reduction (MBSR). The treatment is aimed at women between the ages of 18 and 40, victims of gender violence who suffer from Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. For six months biweekly group sessions will be carried out, which aim to teach them to learn to channel and accept their past without judgement. Consequently, they will achieve how to live in the present, in the “here and now”. With a combination of these therapies, the patients will be able to establish realistic goals and continue these exercises/therapies for the rest of their lives. They will continue to benefit and emerge stronger from the intervention programme once they observe that their levels of well-being have increased.Psicologí