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Item
Open Access
Hypercapnic Hemotherapy to Stabilize Blood Flow in the Acute Phase of Spinal Cord Injury
(2024-04-22) Grewal, Haskirat; Phillips, Aaron; Whelan, Patrick; Gordon, Grant; Larkin-Kaiser, Kelly
Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in disturbances to sensory, motor, and/or autonomic function and impairs quality of life. There is a lack of standardized management strategies after SCI due to the lack of consensus regarding the use of corticosteroids, optimal timing of surgical intervention, and the type and timing of rehabilitation, amongst other things. Secondary damage after the initial trauma involves ischemia, hypoxia, and vascular damage, amongst other effects. This secondary insult during the acute phase of SCI has been shown to underlie approximately half of the final injury severity. There are no current therapies targeting the acute phase of SCI that could help reduce the severity of final injury. My project is focused on addressing this gap in finding an effective intervention during the acute phase of SCI to mitigate the severity of the final injury. My thesis aimed to characterize how hemodynamic parameters are impaired during the acute phase of SCI and if inspired carbon dioxide (CO2) could increase these hemodynamic parameters. We aimed to develop a method to stabilize blood flow (BF) using closed-loop during the acute phase of SCI in mice. I showed that penumbral BF and related hemodynamic parameters are impaired during the acute phase of SCI and that hypercapnia can stabilize these parameters to pre-SCI levels. I then developed a closed-loop system that titrated CO2 to keep penumbral BF around a pre-determined setpoint during the acute phase of SCI. The methods established in this study are Laser Doppler Flowmetry, Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, and O2 MicroOptode technology which have never all been studied in a SCI mouse model. This novel methodology will lead the way for future studies that aim to investigate hemodynamic parameters in a SCI mouse model. This project is significant because a closed-loop system has the potential to be an early therapy targeting the acute phase of SCI.
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Open Access
Applying Felten's Principles of SoTL Practice to Transform Informal Learning Spaces for Indigenous Students
(2022-11-04) Jeffs, Cheryl; Hayden, K. Alix; Beatty, Susan; Rutherford, Shauna
Felton’s (2013) Principles of good practice in SoTL were applied to a study with Indigenous students’ learning experiences in informal settings. The principles: Inquiry focused on student learning (P1); Grounded in context (P2); Methodologically sound (P3); Conducted in partnership with students (P4); and Going public (P5).
P1: As a collaborative team of academic librarians and educators, we were curious “how do Indigenous students learn in informal spaces?” We set out to explore Indigenous undergraduate students’ experiences, preferences, and approaches to learning in informal spaces.
P2: This SoTL inquiry was conducted at the University of Calgary, a research-intensive Canadian university, with a population of approximately 900 self-identified Indigenous students (2.7 % of the student population). Situated within our University’s Indigenous Strategy this commitment to transformation supports enhanced understanding of Indigenous students’ learning (Brown, 2019).
P3: Methodologically sound: Participatory photography, including Photovoice and photo-elicitation methods, was selected as a research framework to explore with Indigenous students (Castleden et. al., 2008). As researchers and co-researchers, we learned together. Photovoice provided students the opportunity to actively engage by taking photos of spaces, documenting and reflecting on their learning and experiences. Photo-elicitation expanded on this with additional participants reflecting on how they learn in various spaces depicted in photos.
P4: We intentionally recruited Indigenous students to be co-researchers and made this explicit (Cullinane & O'Sullivan, 2020). As partners we generated the research question, identified how we would work together, and planned the dissemination of our work.
P5: The authors have presented at local, national, and international conferences, published two proceedings, and the open-access university platform. An e-book will be written and published by the researchers and student co-researchers.
With the knowledge gained in this SoTL research we have data to implement the process of change at our university which advances the goals of the Indigenous strategy.
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Open Access
Map of 19th Century Writers
(arcgis.com, 2024) Jacobson, Dan; Falahatkar, Hawjin; Brosz, John; Bourrier, Karen
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Open Access
Input Visualization: Collecting and Modifying Data with Visual Representations
(ACM, 2024-05-11) Bressa, Nathalie; Louis, Jordan; Willett, Wesley; Huron, Samuel
We examine input visualizations, visual representations that are designed to collect (and represent) new data rather than encode preexisting datasets. Information visualization is commonly used to reveal insights and stories within existing data. As a result, most contemporary visualization approaches assume existing datasets as the starting point for design, through which that data is mapped to visual encodings. Meanwhile, the implications of visualizations as inputs and as data sources have received little attention—despite the existence of visual and physical examples stretching back centuries. In this paper, we present a design space of 50 input visualizations analyzing their visual representation, data, artifact, context, and input. Based on this, we identify input modalities, purposes of input visualizations, and a set of design considerations. Finally, we discuss the relationship between input visualization and traditional visualization design and suggest opportunities for future research to better understand these visual representations and their potential.
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Embargo
The Clinical Utility of a Novel Multi-Modal Assessment Battery for Acute Sport-Related Concussion
(2024-04-19) Bertagnolli, Jalena Ashley; Benson, Brian; Dukelow, Sean; Smith, David; Richer, Lawrence
Objective: To determine the clinical utility of a novel, multimodal, assessment battery in detecting acute post-concussion impairment relative to baseline performance. Study Design: Prospective observational cohort study. Subjects: Four hundred thirty-one elite ice hockey, alpine and freestyle ski, artistic swimming and luge athletes (mean age: 15.7 years (range: 14-36 years), male: 349, female: 82) over one athletic season (2022-2023). Observation Technique: Standardized multimodal baseline assessments including electroencephalography (EEG) utilizing the NeuroCatch® 1.0 device, postural sway using the tri-axial accelerometer Protxx® device, cardiovascular exercise from a bicycle ergometer and sustained handgrip strength were completed in the pre-season and then repeated for any athlete sustaining a sport-related concussion within seven days of injury. Outcome Measures: Directional bootstrap paired t-tests and binomial tests adjusting for multiplicity using Bonferroni correction were used to assess changes in performance between baseline and post-concussion test results for the following four primary assessments of interest: 1) quantitative EEG event-related potentials (N100, P300, and N400 amplitude and latency) (NeuroCatch), 2) quantitative assessment of postural sway with eyes open and eyes closed using a physiological vibration acceleration (phybrata) sensor (Protxx), 3) concussion symptom exacerbation (≥1 on a 10-point visual analogue rating scale) during a submaximal bicycle ergometer assessment, and 4) change in heart rate during a 30-second, 30% maximal handgrip strength contraction. Results: Forty-six athletes were diagnosed with a concussion by a sport medicine physician during the study period. Neither amplitude nor latency for N100, P300 or N400 event-related potentials demonstrated a significant group difference between baseline and post-concussion assessments. Athletes demonstrated a significant group difference in postural sway between baseline and post-concussion timepoints using the phybrata sensor for sway power ratio, with a moderate effect size (dav= 0.491) (baseline: 1.4 ±0.5W, post-concussion: 1.9 ±1.4W, p=0.005). Fifteen (68.2%) of the 22 athletes completing post-concussion exercise assessments experienced worsening symptoms, with two additional athletes unable to initiate exercise due to significant symptom burden (p<0.001, large effect size PR= 0.972). Furthermore, no significant difference was observed for change in heart rate during the handgrip strength task. Conclusions: A novel phybrata motion sensor objectively evaluating postural sway and standardized submaximal cardiovascular assessment evaluating symptom exacerbation demonstrated significant clinical utility in detecting impairment within seven days of an acute sport-related concussion, while event-related potentials (N100, P300, N400) and heart rate change during a sustained handgrip task did not.