Assessment of a Cognitive-Motor Training Program in Adults at Increased Risk for Developing Dementia

With the prevalence of dementia increasing each year, preclinically implemented therapeutic interventions are critically needed. It has been suggested that cascading neural network failures may bring on behavioural deficits associated with Alzheimers disease. Previously we have shown that cognitive-motor integration (CMI) training in adults with mild cognitive impairments generalized to improved global cognitive and activities of daily living scores. Here we employ a novel movement-control based training approach involving CMI rather than traditional cognition-only brain training. We hypothesized that such training would stimulate widespread neural networks and enhance rule-based visuomotor ability in at-risk individuals. We observed a significant improvement in bimanual coordination in the at-risk training group. We also observed significant decreases in movement variability for the most complex CMI condition in the at-risk and healthy training groups. These data suggest that integrating cognition into action in a training intervention may be effective at strengthening vulnerable brain networks in asymptomatic adults at risk for developing dementia

A New Femtosecond Laser-Based 3D Tomography Technique.

Tomographic imaging has dramatically changed science, most notably in the fields of medicine and biology, by producing 3D views of structures which are too complex to understand in any other way. Current tomographic techniques require extensive time both for post-processing and data collection. Femtosecond laser based tomographic techniques have been developed in both standard atmosphere (femtosecond laser-based serial sectioning technique - FSLSS) and in vacuum (Tri-Beam System) for the fast collection (10^5 μm^3/s) of mm^3 sized 3D datasets. Both techniques use femtosecond laser pulses to selectively remove layer-by-layer areas of material with low collateral damage and a negligible heat affected zone. To the authors knowledge, femtosecond lasers have never been used to serial section and these techniques have been entirely and uniquely developed by the author and his collaborators at the University of Michigan and University of California Santa Barbara. The FSLSS was applied to measure the 3D distribution of TiN particles in a 4330 steel. Single pulse ablation morphologies and rates were measured and collected from literature. Simultaneous two-phase ablation of TiN and steel matrix was shown to occur at fluences of 0.9-2 J/cm^2. Laser scanning protocols were developed minimizing surface roughness to 0.1-0.4 μm for laser-based sectioning. The FSLSS technique was used to section and 3D reconstruct titanium nitride(TiN) containing 4330 steel. Statistical analysis of 3D TiN particle sizes, distribution parameters, and particle density were measured. A methodology was developed to use the 3D datasets to produce statistical volume elements (SVEs) for toughness modeling. Six FSLSS TiN datasets were sub-sampled into 48 SVEs for statistical analysis and toughness modeling using the Rice-Tracey and Garrison-Moody models. A two-parameter Weibull analysis was performed and variability in the toughness data agreed well with Ruggieri et al. bulk toughness measurements. The Tri-Beam system combines the benefits of laser based material removal (speed, low-damage, automated) with detectors that collect chemical, structural, and topological information. Multi-modal sectioning information was collected after many laser scanning passes demonstrating the capability of the Tri-Beam system.Ph.D.Materials Science and EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/89731/1/mechlin_1.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/89731/2/mechlin_2.pd

Shaping their own Contemporary Art ‎World: Iranian Ceramic Artists and the ‎Biennials of Contemporary Ceramics ‎1988-2020‎

For over thirty years, from 1988 to 2020, the Iranian National Biennials of Contemporary ‎Ceramics were the country’s most important showcase for ceramic art. The body of work ‎which emerged from Iranian national ceramics biennials offers a fascinating record of ‎artistic response to a unique set of political, cultural, and social influences, in which ‎opportunities for ceramic art expanded in alignment with international trends and even ‎foreshadowed the rejection of the art/craft divide happening elsewhere at the time. ‎Participation in the biennials would eventually grow to include more than five hundred ‎people and provide the impetus for the establishment of an independent professional ‎association for ceramic artists. Although they have largely been overlooked in the ‎institutional collections and academic histories of Islamic art, contemporary Iranian art, ‎and studio ceramics, they gave Iranian ceramicists a platform on which to help renegotiate ‎their identity as artists and the position of ceramics in Iranian life. This thesis details ‎events leading to the establishment of the biennials, their integration into the field of ‎contemporary art after the 1979 Iranian revolution, characteristics which emerged to ‎distinguish contemporary pottery from other types of ceramics, and the evolving ‎relationship between utilitarian form and abstract sculpture. It also covers the ‎professionalisation of the field and the influence of the biennial exhibitions on ‎contemporary studio ceramics practice. The ceramics biennials are significant events in ‎contemporary craft culture which have implications for building a more inclusive narrative ‎of global art history. It builds an interdisciplinary social and artistic history, drawing from ‎contemporary art, Islamic art, and studio ceramics, to establish a new and cohesive ‎narrative for an underrepresented aspect of global art history.

Traumatic deep vein thrombosis in a soccer player: A case study

A 42 year-old male former semi-professional soccer player sustained a right lower extremity popliteal contusion during a soccer game. He was clinically diagnosed with a possible traumatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and sent for confirmatory tests. A duplex doppler ultrasound was positive for DVT, and the patient was admitted to hospital for anticoagulation (unfractionated heparin, warfarin). Upon discharge from hospital the patient continued oral warfarin anticoagulation (six months), and the use of compression stockings (nine months). He followed up with his family doctor at regular intervals for serial coagulation measurements, and ultrasound examinations. The patient's only identified major thrombotic risk factor was the traumatic injury. One year after the initial deep vein thrombosis (DVT) the patient returned to contact sport, however he continued to have intermittent symptoms of right lower leg pain and right knee effusion. Athletes can develop vascular injuries in a variety of contact and non-contact sports. Trauma is one of the most common causes of lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT), however athletic injuries involving lower extremity traumatic DVT are seldom reported. This diagnosis and the associated risk factors must be considered during the initial physical examination. The primary method of radiological diagnosis of lower extremity DVT is a complete bilateral duplex sonography, which can be augmented by other methods such as evidence-based risk factor analysis. Antithrombotic medication is the current standard of treatment for DVT. Acute thrombolytic treatment has demonstrated an improved therapeutic efficacy, and a decrease in post-DVT symptoms. There is a lack of scientific literature concerning the return to sport protocol following a DVT event. Athletic individuals who desire to return to sport after a DVT need to be fully informed about their treatment and risk of reoccurrence, so that appropriate decisions can be made

A qualitative examination of women\u27s self-presentation and social physique anxiety during injury rehabilitation

Objective To understand women\u27s self-presentation experiences in the rehabilitation setting, and their attitudes and preferences toward the social and physical features of the rehabilitation environment. Design Qualitative study. Setting Outpatient physiotherapy clinic. Participants Ten women (age 18 to 64) with high social physique anxiety (Social Physique Anxiety Scale score ≥25) referred for physiotherapy following acute injury. Main outcome measures Semi-structured interviews were conducted prior to commencement of treatment, and again after a third treatment session. Results Participants experienced extensive self-presentational concerns that were intensified due to the nature of the physiotherapy environment. The women reported that their self-presentational anxiety did not diminish over time, and was related to others’ negative perceptions regarding their physical appearance and inability to perform exercises as well as expected. The presence of men or younger women in the clinic was identified as a barrier to appointment attendance, along with open concept clinic settings, which were associated with the most potential for evaluation. Mirrors and windows in the physiotherapy clinic were highlighted as anxiety provoking. The women suggested that they would feel apprehensive about advocating for themselves if they felt uncomfortable with the area in which they were receiving treatment, and instead used avoidance coping strategies (e.g., hiding behind equipment, preventing eye contact) to manage their anxiety. Conclusions Physique-anxious women experience extensive self-presentational concerns in the rehabilitation environment, which could affect treatment adherence. Modifying the treatment setting, providing protective self-presentational strategies such as positive self-talk, and open patient–therapist communication could be implemented to help mitigate these concerns