Occupational Therapy Interventions for Activities of Daily Living in Adults Post-Traumatic Brain Injury with Visual Symptoms: A Systematic Review

https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/cahp_ot_sysrev/1006/thumbnail.jp

Exploring the attentional processes of expert performers and the impact of priming on motor skill execution

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 24/11/2010.It is widely acknowledged that under situations of heightened pressure, many expert athletes suffer from performance decrements. This phenomenon has been termed ‘choking under pressure’ and has been the subject of extensive research in sport psychology. Despite this attention, gaps in the literature remain leaving opportunities for further advancements in knowledge about the phenomenon, particularly in relation to its underlying processes and the development of appropriate interventions that can be adopted in order to alleviate, or even prevent choking. The present programme of research, in general terms, aimed to develop and test the efficacy of an intervention tool, based on priming, to alleviate choking under pressure. It was acknowledged that such a tool should be matched to the mechanisms that underlie the choking process and although an abundance of research has provided valuable information about these mechanisms, it was identified that there still remains a lack of consensus regarding the most appropriate explanatory theory. Therefore the initial study in this thesis aimed to provide further insight into the processes that govern choking by examining accounts from elite international swimmers of their experiences of performing under high levels of pressure. The results provided further support for the postulation that choking under pressure occurs as a result of a combination of conscious processing hypothesis (Masters, 1992) and processing efficiency theory (Eysenck & Calvo, 1992) and that an optimum level of skill-focused attention is beneficial to performance. The following studies utilised this information as well as that of the existent theories of choking, to develop and examine an effective priming based intervention tool (a scrambled sentence task). Specifically, Studies 2, 3 and 4 examined the amount of residual working memory available after activation of the prime, the optimisation of the priming task and the efficacy of the tool in promoting performance under high pressure respectively. Results revealed support for the efficacy of the tool in reducing online skill-focused attention and promoting performance under both low- and high-pressure conditions. Finally, the general themes that emerged throughout the whole programme of study are discussed, as well as the limitations and recommendations for future research. Implications for coaches, athletes and practitioners are also presented

Preparation and Performance of a Twentieth Century Operatic Monologue

Celebrated as having written “songs for the ages”, twentieth century American composer Lee Hoiby is known for having composed tonal, lyrical music in a time when his peers were exploring serialism and atonality. Now regarded as a monumental contributor to American music, he composed songs, operas, and choral works as well as instrumental and chamber music. Hoiby’s compositions are especially revered by singers, many of whom state that Hoiby was gifted at writing highly crafted songs because he “knew the voice”. Although his works did not achieve as much fame in his lifetime as the atonal works of his contemporaries, Hoiby’s death in March 2010 sparked a renewal of interest and acclaim for his music. The purpose of this thesis is to present the process for preparing an operatic role inspired by a celebrity public figure in a twentieth century operatic monologue: character study, examination of musical style, and the use of staging. These elements of preparation and performance will be manifested both in the methods chapter of this thesis as well as through a public performance. Lee Hoiby’s operatic monologue delivered by an actress portraying Julia Child entitled Bon Appétit! will be the focus of this project. As an opera performer, it is imperative for one to be able to assume a character with different physical and vocal mannerisms from her own. I will present information on Julia Child and traits of her persona that I observe in watching footage of her cooking show The French Chef, and I will use this research to build a recognizable character. I will transcribe portions of the text of Bon Appétit! using the International Phonetic 2 Alphabet so that I may more accurately imitate the vocal sounds of Julia Child. I will analyze Hoiby’s musical style and attempt to make connections between his compositional choices and the character of Julia Child. I will also research previous performances of the work to obtain ideas about how to stage the work and how to effectively utilize the comedic aspects of the opera’s text. The process of preparing this opera role will be presented through research, preparation, and the performance of Lee Hoiby’s Bon Appétit!

Investigating the role of centrosome amplification in extracellular vesicle secretion in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

PhD thesisPancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is characterised by a dense desmoplastic reaction that is attributed to the activation of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) in the stroma. This alteration of the tumour microenvironment is thought to contribute to PDAC aggressiveness and resistance to therapy. Recent studies have shown that exosomes (a subgroup of secreted extracellular vesicles) secreted by cancer cells facilitate cross talk between tumour cells and the microenvironment. However, the mechanisms that lead to the secretion of these vesicles remains elusive. Here, we report for the first time, a novel role for centrosome amplification, a common feature of human tumours, in the secretion of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs). We show that centrosome amplification significantly correlates with and is sufficient to induce the elevated secretion of sEVs in PDAC cell lines. Furthermore, we demonstrate that oxidative stress in cells with supernumerary centrosomes is the driving force behind this altered sEV secretion. An analysis of centrosome amplification-associated increases in cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) demonstrated an impaired lysosome function and the prevention of MVB/lysosome fusion events. The results indicate that centrosome amplification induced ROS induces sEV secretion by preventing MVB degradation by the lysosome, shifting their fate to fusion with the plasma membrane and subsequent secretion of their intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) as exosomes. To understand if exosomes secreted from cells with amplified centrosomes could impact the tumour microenvironment, we subsequently investigated the role of these sEVs on the activation of PSCs, as measured by the formation of fibres containing alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). We found that sEVs isolated from cells with supernumerary centrosomes elicit significantly stronger activation of PSCs compared to sEVs isolated from cells with a normal centrosome number, suggesting a difference in their biological cargo. SILAC based-proteomic analysis revealed the gain or loss of 6 EV protein in sEVs isolated from cells upon the induction of centrosome amplification, that may have a role in the activation of PSCs. We hypothesise, that further understanding the role of centrosome amplification in sEV-mediated PSC activation may help us to identify innovative ways to block PSC activation and prevent the progression of PDAC, which could have major clinical implications for patients with this devastating disease

An examination of feedback recipients\u27 reactions to multisource feedback

Despite the growing popularity of multisource feedback programs, there has been limited research on employees\u27 reactions to multisource feedback regarding their work performance. The current study examined how the characteristics of the performance ratings that were received were related to affective (satisfaction with the feedback process), cognitive (acceptance of feedback), and behavioral reactions (intentions to improve work performance) to multisource feedback. The study proposed that employees\u27 affective and cognitive reactions to feedback would be motivated by self enhancement biases, while behavioral reactions to feedback would be motivated by self regulation processes.The current study was conducted as part of a developmental multisource feedback program in a large southeastern utility company. Data collection occurred in two waves and included information from 401 feedback recipients (employees) and 2881 feedback givers (managers, direct reports, peers, and self-raters). In the first wave, feedback givers provided performance ratings for the target employees. In the second wave, afterfeedback recipients received their multisource feedback reports, they completed feedback reaction questionnaires.The results indicated that multisource feedback ratings were unrelated to feedback recipients\u27 satisfaction with the feedback process. Other ratings (managers, direct reports,and peers) and self-ratings were positively related to feedback recipients\u27 acceptance of feedback. In addition, an interaction was obtained between self-ratings and manager ratings indicating that the degree of discrepancy between self-ratings and manager ratings was positively related to acceptance of performance feedback from managers.Within-source rating agreement for direct reports and peers was positively related to acceptance of feedback. However, the prediction that the relationship between feedback acceptance and within-source rating agreement would be stronger for low performance ratings was not supported.Results further revealed that ratings from managers and direct reports were not related to feedback recipients\u27 intentions to improve work performance. However, marginally significant negative relationship was revealed between peer ratings and intentions to improve work performance, meaning that employees who received lowerratings from their peers were more likely to say that they would improve their performance. Self-ratings and efficacy to improve work performance were both positively related to intentions to improve work performance. In other words, employees who gave themselves higher ratings, and employees who believed they could improve their performance, were more likely to indicate that they intended to improve their work performance. Additionally, an interaction between efficacy to improve work performance and self-ratings was obtained. The interaction revealed that when efficacy to improve work performance was high, the relationship between self-ratings and intentions to improve work performance was positive. However, when efficacy was low.the relationship between self-ratings and intentions to improve work performance was negative. Contrary to predictions, the degree of discrepancy between self-ratings and ratings from others was not related to behavioral reactions.Limitations of the present study are presented. Practical and theoretical implications of the study\u27s findings are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed

A Tale of Two Sylamores: Understanding Relationships Among Land Use, Nutrients, and Aquatic Communities Across a Subsidy-Stress Gradient

Agricultural land use is known to degrade aquatic systems with high inputs of nutrients, sediments, and pesticides. Increased nutrients can lead to increased algal growth and thus possible hypoxic conditions in slow moving water, while increased sediment loads have been shown to obstruct light and reduce substrate stability. These conditions negatively impact primary producers, macroinvertebrates, and fish. However, small-scale changes in land use can subsidize an aquatic ecosystem instead, where an increase in nutrients allows nutrient-limited biota to flourish, and minor increases in sedimentation may help support populations of collector-filterers. The stimulation in performance caused by small disturbances is part of the subsidy-stress gradient, where increasing perturbation subsidizes an ecosystem until a certain threshold is reached, at which a decline in performance and increased variability starts to occur. The North and South Sylamore watersheds in north Arkansas provide a useful template to investigate the subsidy-stress gradient in relation to land use. North Sylamore flows through the Ozark National Forest and has a heavily forested catchment, while South Sylamore flows through mostly private land, some of which is pasture (23%). Physicochemical, macroinvertebrate, and fish data were collected from multiple sites within each watershed to determine if South Sylamore is exhibiting a response to pasture/agriculture characteristic of a subsidy-stress gradient. Sites within South Sylamore had significantly higher nitrate levels, larger macroinvertebrate populations dominated by collector-filterers, and greater abundance of algivorous fish, suggesting South Sylamore may be subsidized by the surrounding pastoral lands. However, South Sylamore also had a significantly lower proportional abundance of sensitive macroinvertebrate taxa and more unique tolerant fish taxa, suggesting South Sylamore is experiencing stress as well. Habitat quality of South Sylamore could be improved by restoration of trees within the riparian zone. Monitoring aquatic systems for subsidy-stress responses can inform restoration/management decisions and guide intervention prior to watersheds and aquatic communities becoming overly stressed

Consequences of sexual selection within and between species of phyllostomid bats

To understand the myriad effects of sexual selection in the evolution and diversification of life, we must investigate variation within and among diverse animal taxa. Here, I study sexual selection in phyllostomid bats (Family Phyllostomidae), a diverse radiation comprised of 216 species that vary widely in their social behavior and roosting ecology, but whose mating behavior is largely unknown. First, I investigate whether socio-ecological traits predict variation in the intensity of sexual selection among phyllostomid species. In the absence of behavioral data, I use measures of sexual dimorphism as an indicator of precopulatory sexual selection and testes size as a proxy for postcopulatory competition. Taking a phylogenetic approach, I find that roosting aggregation size, but not roost structure permanence, explains family-wide variation in both pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection. Next, I examine the distribution of extra-group paternity in a single species, Phyllostomus hastatus, whose social mating system of female-defense polygyny has been well described. Through molecular parentage assignment of 241 offspring from three wild colonies in Trinidad, West Indies, I find that most harem-holding males are unable to monopolize mating in their social groups, resulting in paternity by extra-group males. Furthermore, variation in the rate of extra-group paternity is associated with harem male body condition as well as the composition of the female group. Finally, I investigate the variation in a male-specific chemical signal found in P. hastatus, which has been implicated in male-male competition and female choice of this species. Results show that in addition to individual variation, harem males have significantly different chemical profiles from males found roosting in all-male groups (bachelors). Through the examination of both family-wide and species-specific patterns, we can broaden our understanding of how sexual selection has contributed to the diversity within the Phyllostomidae

The Metaphysics of Divine Causation

It is something of an orthodoxy that the nature of causation can be characterised by the following metaphysical theses: that causes do not necessitate their effects, that causes must temporally precede their effects, that causation is governed by laws of nature, that causation entails counterfactual dependence, and that causation is not systematically overdetermined. Two further commonly accepted metaphysical claims are that causal notions give us the correct tools to properly understand agency, and that the causes of actions are mental events. Classical theism, however, is comprised by certain commitments which seem to be in direct tension with each of these metaphysical theses. God is understood to be causally efficacious – a divine being who creates, sustains, and intervenes in worldly affairs – and so who is, indeed the, paradigmatic causal agent. Further, God is said to be atemporal, non-physical, and such that he exists independently of all else. The God of classical theism is also characterised as being omnipotent, at least in the sense that whatever he wills to be the case cannot fail to be the case. The apparent tension between these metaphysical theses which concern causation and those which concern God thus threaten the very coherence of the notion of divine causality. The goal of this thesis is therefore to examine these prima facie theistically problematic theses concerning causation, and to consider ways of making room for a coherent notion of divine causality. In some cases, it will argue that certain causal theses ought to be rejected, in others, it will find ways of resolving the tension