Evolution of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History of Diane McCormack

The purpose of this study was to examine the life and legacy of occupational therapist Diane McCormack. The participant was selected through purposive sampling and was interviewed for an hour and a half via a semi-structured interview. Data was collected via a participant interview and document review. Data was analyzed via coding of the interview transcription. Interview questions were pre-formatted by the project directors. The student researchers had the freedom to edit or add interview questions as deemed necessary after gaining approval from the project directors. Through transcription coding, four categories emerged from initial codes: education, experiences, relationships, and career. The findings of the study were that Diane is an ambitious person who shows intentionality and adaptability in the way she problem-solves. Her close family and community ties have supported her dedication to pediatric occupational therapy (OT) practice, willingness to take risks for what is important to her, and the pursuit of professional opportunities despite limitations from rural practice

Evolution of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History of Diane McCormack, MS, OTR/L

This is one of 31 life history interviews which are part of a larger project, Life Histories of Individuals Who Have Been Influential in Developing Occupational Therapy (OT) in North Dakota and Wyoming. The purpose of this project is to gather information about the history and evolution about occupational therapy (OT) practice in North Dakota and Wyoming through life histories of individuals who have been influential in developing OT in these two states. This study is intended to provide current and future generations of occupational therapists a view of the history and how occupational therapy practice has evolved from its inception to current practice in North Dakota and Wyoming. This life history project aimed to investigate the life, career, and professional influence of Diane McCormack.https://commons.und.edu/ot-oral-histories-posters/1044/thumbnail.jp

Impact of Informal STEM Learning

Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) has been the conceptual framework for a significant amount of research assessing changes in self-efficacy and interest in learning experiences for students (Lent, Brown & Hackett, 1994). This theory focuses on the development and influences of occupational choice (Brown & Lent, 2006) and helps to explain how one develops occupational interests to make career choices (Lent, Brown & Hackett 2002; Brown & Lent 2006). Variables that affect career development include self-efficacy beliefs, outcome expectations, and personal goals (Brown & Lent, 2006). When students have high selfefficacy and positive outcome expectations, they tend to develop interest in an activity, and subsequent goals that increases involvement in the activity (Brown & Lent, 2006). An informal STEM learning experience can be defined as “lifelong learning in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) that takes place across a multitude of designed settings and experiences outside of the formal classroom” (CAISE, 2017). These types of authentic learning experiences might lead to a greater interest, higher self-efficacy and positive outcomes in the areas of STEM, and therefore an increase in STEM academic and career decisionmaking. This study aims to determine how an informal STEM learning experience impacts interest, self-efficacy, and career intentions in STEM.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2023/1039/thumbnail.jp

A Holistic Approach to Infant Sleep

A Holistic Approach to Infant Sleep. Mackenzie Danielson, Karlie Marler, Alyssa Turner-Strong, Dr. Julie Grabanski, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 1301 N. Columbia Road, Grand Forks, ND 58202 Purpose: The purpose of this scholarly project was to analyze and review current literature to determine the key variables that impact infant sleep. Based on the literature, the authors then created an educational manual and sleep assessment for occupational therapists that holistically addresses infant sleep. Methodology: An extensive review of literature was completed on the role of occupational therapy, assessment tools, interventions, modifications of the environment, sensory aspects, positioning, safety recommendations, the effect of nutrition, behavioral training, and cultural differences. Summary: A holistic screening tool and occupational therapist educational guide were created based on the Person-Environment-Occupation Model of Occupational Performance. The Infant Sleep Questionnaire addresses all areas that could potentially affect infant sleep and assess the need for occupational therapy services. An Occupational Therapy Holistic Guide to Infant Sleep was created for occupational therapists working with infants and their caregivers to address developing a holistic treatment plan for infants and their caregivers

Quantifying Ant Populations to Measure Biodiversity in Morehead, KY

To effectively conduct conservation efforts, we can use biodiversity to assess the condition of our environment. Biodiversity has been commonly defined as the variety and variability among living organisms within an area. When our ecosystems are at their best, they clean water, purify air, maintain soil, regulate climate, recycle nutrients, and provide food. Everything within an ecosystem is interdependent, so biodiversity is an important factor and indicator of environmental health. Indicators help us to measure and monitor pressures or threats in land and water use, habitat loss or invasive species, the state of species and ecosystems, the conservation response, and the benefits to people. Many different organisms have been used to assess biodiversity, such as plants, mammals, birds, butterflies, beetles, etc. Ants are a great candidate for biodiversity research, as they are found in many types of habitats, are diverse, extremely numerous, fulfill a variety of ecological roles, are sensitive to environmental change, and are conveniently easy to collect. Our most used method of collection is sorting through leaf litter. We collected leaf litter from three sites in Rowan County: Eagle Lake, Stony Cove, and Rodburn Hollow. We used Berlese funnels to extract the specimens from the litter, organized, identified, and counted them in order to analyze the biodiversity. Over the past three years we have collected almost 7,000 ants, including 18 genera. We plan to use the Shannon and Simpson indices to better evaluate alpha and beta diversity among our three study sites using ants.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2022/1030/thumbnail.jp

A computational framework for generating patient-specific vascular models and assessing uncertainty from medical images

Patient-specific computational modeling is a popular, non-invasive method to answer medical questions. Medical images are used to extract geometric domains necessary to create these models, providing a predictive tool for clinicians. However, in vivo imaging is subject to uncertainty, impacting vessel dimensions essential to the mathematical modeling process. While there are numerous programs available to provide information about vessel length, radii, and position, there is currently no exact way to determine and calibrate these features. This raises the question, if we are building patient-specific models based on uncertain measurements, how accurate are the geometries we extract and how can we best represent a patient's vasculature? In this study, we develop a novel framework to determine vessel dimensions using change points. We explore the impact of uncertainty in the network extraction process on hemodynamics by varying vessel dimensions and segmenting the same images multiple times. Our analyses reveal that image segmentation, network size, and minor changes in radius and length have significant impacts on pressure and flow dynamics in rapidly branching structures and tapering vessels. Accordingly, we conclude that it is critical to understand how uncertainty in network geometry propagates to fluid dynamics, especially in clinical applications.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figure

From the Yellow Springs to the Land of Immortality

The Yellow Springs is a vivid metaphorical reference to the final destination of a mortal being and the dwelling place of a departed one in ancient China. In the writings of philosophers, historians, and poets during the long period of Chinese history, the Yellow Springs is not only considered as an underground physical locus where a grave is situated, but also an emotionally charged space invoke grieving, longing, and memory for the departed loved ones. The subterranean dwelling at the Yellow Springs is both a destination for a departed mortal being and an intermediary place to an ideal and imaginative realm, the land of immortality where the soul would enjoy eternity. From the Yellow Springs to the Land of Immortality is an exhibition that highlights sixteen carefully selected artworks from Gettysburg College’s Special Collections; each object embodies the perceptions and ritual practices of the rich funerary culture in the historical period in China, ranging from the late second millennium BCE to the beginning of the early twentieth century. These artifacts represent various artistic traditions and fabrication techniques — including jade carving, bronze casting, glazed pottery making — and most importantly, offer a glimpse of how art and artifacts are employed as a means to connect the living with the soul of the departed one in the Yellow Springs. Archaeo- logical discoveries in the past four decades in China have provided rich information that helps contextualize the sixteen artworks, as well as intimate knowledge about how the objects might “perform” in the life and afterlife of the individuals in the past. The practice of burying goods alongside departed loved ones has had a long tradition in China. The artworks included in this exhibition catalogue, encompassing the major dynasties in Chinese history, epitomize such a practice from a historical point of view. The bronze jue of the Shang dynasty (mid-16th c.-1046 BCE), and the miniature bell, a replica of yong bronze bell of the Zhou dynasty (1045-256 BCE), are not only ceremonial paraphernalia used by elites in ancestral sacrifices during the Bronze Age, but also material manifestations of ritual and music, the very foundations of ancient Chinese civilization. Comparable examples found in Bronze Age tombs illustrate the idea to connect the deceased, often the owner of these ritual objects, to the ancestors in the netherworld as they themselves were transitioned into the role of ancestors through a series of funerary ceremonies. [excerpt]https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/artcatalogs/1034/thumbnail.jp

Cerebral Blood Flow and Cardiovascular Risk Effects on Resting Brain Regional Homogeneity

Regional homogeneity (ReHo) is a measure of local functional brain connectivity that has been reported to be altered in a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders. Computed from brain resting-state functional MRI time series, ReHo is also sensitive to fluctuations in cerebral blood flow (CBF) that in turn may be influenced by cerebrovascular health. We accessed cerebrovascular health with Framingham cardiovascular risk score (FCVRS). We hypothesize that ReHo signal may be influenced by regional CBF; and that these associations can be summarized as FCVRS→CBF→ReHo. We used three independent samples to test this hypothesis. A test-retest sample of N = 30 healthy volunteers was used for test-retest evaluation of CBF effects on ReHo. Amish Connectome Project (ACP) sample (N = 204, healthy individuals) was used to evaluate association between FCVRS and ReHo and testing if the association diminishes given CBF. The UKBB sample (N = 6,285, healthy participants) was used to replicate the effects of FCVRS on ReHo. We observed strong CBF→ReHo links (p\u3c2.5 × 10−3) using a three-point longitudinal sample. In ACP sample, marginal and partial correlations analyses demonstrated that both CBF and FCVRS were significantly correlated with the whole-brain average (p\u3c10−6) and regional ReHo values, with the strongest correlations observed in frontal, parietal, and temporal areas. Yet, the association between ReHo and FCVRS became insignificant once the effect of CBF was accounted for. In contrast, CBF→ReHo remained significantly linked after adjusting for FCVRS and demographic covariates (p\u3c10−6). Analysis in N = 6,285 replicated the FCVRS→ReHo effect (p = 2.7 × 10−27). In summary, ReHo alterations in health and neuropsychiatric illnesses may be partially driven by region-specific variability in CBF, which is, in turn, influenced by cardiovascular factors