Pressure estimation of ultra-high frequency ultrasound using gas vesicles.

Acoustic microscopy uses ultra-high frequency (UHF) ultrasound transducers over 80 MHz to perform high-resolution imaging. The pressure output of these transducers is unknown, as commercial calibrated hydrophones can measure pressure for transducers with frequencies only up to 80 MHz. This study used gas vesicle nanostructures (GVs) that collapse at 571 kPa to estimate the pressure of UHF transducers at 40, 80, 200, and 375 MHz.

'Ain't I a Nurse', implementing a digital illustration of resistance when challenging anti-Black racism in nursing education.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing reports have highlighted the urgency of addressing anti-Black racism within Canada's healthcare system. The paucity of research within a Canadian context has created growing concerns among Millennials and Generation Zs for healthcare to address growing health disparities and health inequities that are attributed to institutional and structural racism. Recognizing the paradigm shift that has occurred because of the pandemic and the sleuth of racial killings, the nursing classroom has witnessed a change and a need for nursing education to be relevant for the cohort of nursing students who are seeking answers.

Towards Design Optimization of Compliant Mechanisms: A Hybrid Pseudo-Rigid-Body Model-Finite Element Method Approach and an Accurate Empirical Compliance Equation for Circular Flexure Hinges.

Innovative designs such as morphing wings and terrain adaptive landing systems are examples of biomimicry and innovations inspired by nature, which are actively being investigated by aerospace designers. Morphing wing designs based on Variable Geometry Truss Manipulators (VGTMs) and articulated helicopter robotic landing gear (RLG) have drawn a great deal of attention from industry. Compliant mechanisms have become increasingly popular due to their advantages over conventional rigid-body systems, and the research team led by the second author at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) has set their long-term goal to be exploiting these systems in the above aerospace applications.

Factors influencing nurse practitioner panel size in team-based primary care: a qualitative case study.

Background: Lack of access to health care is a worldwide public health crisis. In primary care it has led to increases in the implementation of nurse practitioners and heightened interest in their patient panel capacity. The aim of this study was to examine factors influencing nurse practitioner patient panel size in team-based primary care in Ontario, Canada.

Fabrication of Isotope-Enriched Nanostructures Using Ultrafast Laser Pulses under Ambient Conditions for Biomolecular Sensing.

Recent advances in the use of stable isotopes necessitate novel synthesis techniques for isotope separation and enrichment that are scalable and offer high throughput. Stable-isotope-enriched nanostructures can offer unique advantages as nanomedicines, safe tracers, and labels and are critical for applications in various industrial processes, metabolic research, and medicine. So far, there exists no method to synthesize miniature isotope-enriched materials at the nanoscale.

Accumulation of antibiotics in the environment: Have appropriate measures been taken to protect Canadian human and ecological health?

In Canada, every day, contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) are discharged from waste treatment facilities into freshwaters. CECs such as pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs), personal care products (PCPs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and microplastics are legally discharged from sewage treatment plants (STPs), water reclamation plants (WRPs), hospital wastewater treatment plants (HWWTPs), or other forms of wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs). In 2006, the Government of Canada established the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) to classify chemicals based on a risk-priority assessment, which ranked many CECs such as PhACs as being of low urgency, therefore permitting these substances to continue being released into the environment at unmonitored rates.

Patient-related factors associated with patient retention and non-completion in psychosocial treatment of borderline personality disorder: A systematic review.

The potential efficacy of psychosocial interventions in the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is impacted by significant treatment non-completion (TNC), with meta-analytic studies reporting rates of attrition of between 25% and 28%. Increasing patient retention could facilitate outcomes and improve resource utilization, given limited healthcare services. A systematic search of PsycINFO, CINAHL, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and Web of Science Core Collection identified 33 articles that met the criteria for inclusion.

A Phosphenotron Device for Sensoric Spatial Resolution of Phosphenes within the Visual Field Using Non-Invasive Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation.

This study presents phosphenotron, a device for enhancing the sensory spatial resolution of phosphenes in the visual field (VF). The phosphenotron employs a non-invasive transcranial alternating current stimulation (NITACS) to modulate brain activity by applying weak electrical currents to the scalp or face. NITACS's unique application induces phosphenes, a phenomenon where light is perceived without external stimuli.

Pure Vision Transformer (CT-ViT) with Noise2Neighbors Interpolation for Low-Dose CT Image Denoising.

Convolutional neural networks (CNN) have been used for a wide variety of deep learning applications, especially in computer vision. For medical image processing, researchers have identified certain challenges associated with CNNs. These challenges encompass the generation of less informative features, limitations in capturing both high and low-frequency information within feature maps, and the computational cost incurred when enhancing receptive fields by deepening the network.

The High Impact of Low Intensity: Effectiveness of the BounceBack Program for Depression and Anxiety in Ontario.

High costs, long wait times, and lack of access to mental health supports in Ontario are leaving millions with unmet treatment needs. To address this need, Ontario launched BounceBack, a large-scale coach-supported intervention grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to target symptoms of anxiety, depression, and functional impairment. The objective of this program evaluation was to examine the effectiveness of the BounceBack program in Ontario by exploring (a) changes in participants' depression and anxiety symptoms and functional impairment (as measured by the PHQ-9, GAD-7, and WSAS, respectively); and (b) rates for recovery and reliable improvement.

Signal-difference-to-noise comparison of temporal subtraction, kV-switching dual-energy and photon-counting dual-energy x-ray angiography.

Background: Dual-energy (DE) x-ray angiography with photon-counting detectors (PCDs) may enable single-exposure DE imaging of coronary vasculature.

Purpose: To compare the iodine signal-difference-to-noise ratio (SDNR) of single-exposure DE angiography with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and kV-switching DE angiography for matched patient x-ray exposure.

Methods: In a phantom study, we determined the technique parameters that maximized the iodine SDNR per root entrance air kerma for DSA, kV-switching DE angiography and single-exposure DE angiography.

Feasibility testing of an interprofessional education intervention to support collaborative practice in home care for older stroke survivors with multiple chronic conditions.

This mixed-methods study examined the feasibility of implementing a new six-month, theory-based, interprofessional education intervention, and explored its effects and impact on collaborative practice among home care providers caring for older adult stroke survivors (≥65) with multiple chronic conditions. The evaluation utilized a qualitative descriptive and one group repeated measures design which included participant questionnaires, focus groups and field notes. Participants included 37 home care providers (registered nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, personal support workers, care coordinators, and their supervisors) in Ontario, Canada.

Non-invasive transcranial alternating current stimulation of spatially resolved phosphenes.

This study focused on the use of Non-Invasive Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (NITACS) to induce and map phosphenes (spark-like percepts in the visual field) in healthy individuals. The study found optimal stimulation parameters to induce reliable phosphenes without skin irritation or pain. The results suggest NITACS can be used as a tool to investigate the relationship between facial stimulation location and phosphene localization within the field of vision (FOV) and raise questions about the origin of phosphenes generated through NITACS.

Computer simulation as a macroergonomic approach to assessing nurse workload and biomechanics related to COVID-19 patient care.

This study uses Digital Human Modelling (DHM) and Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to examine how caring for COVID-19-positive (C+) patients affects nurses' workload and care-quality. DHM inputs include: nurse anthropometrics, task postures, and hand forces. DES inputs include: unit-layout, patient care data, COVID-19 status & impact on tasks, and task execution-logic.

The CathCam: A Novel Angioscopic Solution for Endovascular Interventions.

Peripheral arterial diseases are commonly managed with endovascular procedures, which often face limitations in device control and visualization under X-ray fluoroscopy guidance. In response, we developed the CathCam, an angioscope integrated into an expandable cable-driven parallel mechanism to enhance real-time visualization, precise device positioning and catheter support for successful plaque crossing. The primary objective of this study was to assess and compare the performance of the novel CathCam with respect to conventional catheters and the CathPilot (i.

Implementation of a Cervical Cancer Screening Intervention for Under- or Never-Screened Women in Ontario, Canada: Understanding the Acceptability of HPV Self-Sampling.

With appropriate screening, cervical cancer can be prevented. In Ontario, Canada, some groups of women have low screening rates. South Asian, Middle Eastern and North African women are particularly at risk of under-screening.

Broken Promises: Racism and Access to Medicines in Canada.

Background: Discriminatory policies, attitudes, and practices have had deleterious impacts on the health of Black, Indigenous, and other racialized groups. The aim of this study was to investigate racism as barrier to access to medicines in Canada. The study investigated the characteristics of structural racism and implicit biases that affect medicines access.

The potential benefits of "community champions" in the healthcare system.

In a study to understand acceptability and uptake of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) self-sampling, we engaged community champions to lead recruitment and other study activities. This article describes qualitative findings relevant to the role of the community champion. We found that community champions were critical to promoting awareness about and encouraging cervical screening and HPV self-sampling.

Robust Global stabilization of aerial continuum manipulation systems via hybrid feedback.

In this paper, the control problem of aerial continuum manipulation systems (ACMSs) is considered. This study introduces a new platform for ACMSs in which a quadrotor is equipped with a tendon-bent concentric tube continuum robot. The decoupled dynamic modeling of ACMSs is utilized to derive the proposed feedback control law.

The Embodiment of Contempt: Ontario Provincial Prison Food.

Prison food is central to the prison experience and is a physically invasive manifestation of carceral power. This article draws on 61 interviews with individuals with lived experience of provincial prisons in Ontario, Canada. Participants reported that the food was unhealthy, small-portioned, bland, and steamed to the point that they could not discern what they were eating.

Air-Coupled Photoacoustic Detection of Airborne Particulates.

In this study, we present a novel method to detect airborne particulates using air-coupled photoacoustics, with a goal toward detecting viral content in respiratory droplets. The peak photoacoustic frequency emitted from micrometer-sized particulates is over 1000 MHz, but at this frequency, the signals are highly attenuated in air. Measurements were taken using a thin planar absorber and ultrasound transducers with peak sensitivity between 50 kHz and 2000 kHz and a 532 nm pulsed laser to determine the optimum detection frequency.

Social interactions in trauma disclosure: A multi-informant and multiconstruct investigation.

Research has established that social factors are integral to trauma recovery. Yet, there is relatively little data on the association between social interactions from different supports and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Moreover, few studies have measured these factors from multiple informants.