Harvest data are typically used to evaluate mesocarnivore population dynamics in many states, including Kentucky. While relatively easy to collect, these data are subject to reporting biases, and inferences about population trends can often only be made at coarse spatial scales. Gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), bobcat (Lynx rufus), and coyote (Canis latrans) populations in Kentucky are managed primarily through harvest data used to establish future harvest quotas. Increasingly, noninvasive survey methods have been used to characterize a number of population parameters for a variety of species; however, successful use of these methods is often site-specific. We assessed the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of two noninvasive survey methods, scat detection dogs and rub-pad hair snares, for surveying mesocarnivore species at two sites in the mixed-mesophytic forest of northeastern Kentucky. We sampled 100 hair snares covering approximately 100km2 and 27 transects covering approximately 27km2 from which 7 hair samples and 261 scat samples were collected respectively. Hair snares cost $397/sample at 6.4 hours/day, while scat detection dogs cost $47/sample at 4.9 hours/day. Genetic methods were used to identify biological samples to species and individual. Our findings should prove useful to state wildlife managers in comparatively evaluating methods for future mesocarnivore monitoring.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Akron, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, 2006. / "May, 2006." Title from electronic thesis title page (viewed 01/16/2008) Advisor, Dale Mugler; Co-Advisor, Bruce Taylor; Committee member, Daniel Sheffer; Department Chair, Daniel Sheffer; Dean of the College, George K. Haritos; Dean of the Graduate School, George R. Newkome. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.) OGI School of Science & Engineering at OHSU, July 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 202-216).

abstract: Noninvasive neuromodulation could help treat many neurological disorders, but existing techniques have low resolution and weak penetration. Ultrasound (US) shows promise for stimulation of smaller areas and subcortical structures. However, the mechanism and parameter design are not understood. US can stimulate tail and hindlimb movements in rats, but not forelimb, for unknown reasons. Potentially, US could also stimulate peripheral or enteric neurons for control of blood glucose. To better understand the inconsistent effects across rat motor cortex, US modulation of electrically-evoked movements was tested. A stimulation array was implanted on the cortical surface and US (200 kHz, 30-60 W/cm2 peak) was applied while measuring changes in the evoked forelimb and hindlimb movements. Direct US stimulation of the hindlimb was also studied. To test peripheral effects, rat blood glucose levels were measured while applying US near the liver. No short-term motor modulation was visible (95% confidence interval: -3.5% to +5.1% forelimb, -3.8% to +5.5% hindlimb). There was significant long-term (minutes-order) suppression (95% confidence interval: -3.7% to -10.8% forelimb, -3.8% to -11.9% hindlimb). This suppression may be due to the considerable heating (+1.8°C between US/non-US conditions); effects of heat and US were not separable in this experiment. US directly evoked hindlimb and scrotum movements in some sessions. This required a long interval, at least 3 seconds between US bursts. Movement could be evoked with much shorter pulses than used in literature (3 ms). The EMG latency (10 ms) was compatible with activation of corticospinal neurons. The glucose modulation test showed a strong increase in a few trials, but across all trials found no significant effect. The single motor response and the long refractory period together suggest that only the beginning of the US burst had a stimulatory effect. This would explain the lack of short-term modulation, and suggests future work with shorter pulses could better explore the missing forelimb response. During the refractory period there was no change in the electrically-evoked response, which suggests the US stimulation mechanism is independent of normal brain activity. These results challenge the literature-standard protocols and provide new insights on the unknown mechanism. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Bioengineering 2015

INTRODUCTION: Age-related functional declines in the body and brain pose significant challenges to mobility and postural control. Older individuals are at increased risk for injury from a fall. Declines in gait and balance control make older adults more likely to suffer a fall or recurrent falls. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of injury related death among adults age 65 years and older. (Important Facts about Falls | Home and Recreational Safety | CDC Injury Center, 2019) One out of three older adults falls annually and the likelihood of falling increases with age. (Stevens et al., 2008). In the US alone, the number of individuals living aged 65 and older is estimated at 46 million persons and is expected to reach 74 million by 2030. (Healthy Aging in Action: Advancing the National Prevention Strategy, 2019) Fall death rates in the United States increased by 30% from 2007 to 2016, and if this trend continues, it is expected that by 2030 there will be 7 deaths due to falls every hour. (Important Facts about Falls | Home and Recreational Safety | CDC Injury Center, 2019) Interventions designed to improve gait and balance control in the geriatric population can mitigate fall risk and positively impact these trends. OBJECTIVE: Gait and balance control, traditionally regarded as automatic motor processes, have since been determined to be complex motor functions reliant on executive function. (Hausdorff et al., 2005; Woollacott & Shumway-Cook, 2002) Normal walking and balance control are attentionally demanding and require shifting of attentional resources to frontal brain regions in order to maintain upright stance. This ability to dual-task is impaired in older adults. A single session of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a form of noninvasive brain stimulation, targeting the excitability of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l-dlPFC) has been found to reduce dual-task costs to gait and balance in both young and healthy older adults. (Manor et al., 2016; Zhou et al., 2014) However, little is known about how tDCS influences electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns and if changes in EEG are associated with functional outcomes. The specific aims of this study were to determine whether 1, 20-minute session tDCS targeting the l-dlPFC reduces the slow-wave/fast-wave frequency power ratio in EEG and absolute EEG power and whether these reductions are associated with changes in measures of postural control. METHODS: The data from this study was analyzed as part of a larger clinical trial testing multiple tDCS stimulation montages in combination with batteries of cognitive, gait, and balance assessments. Twenty-two older adults (median age=71 years) who were free of overt illness or disease were included in the analysis. Participants were outfitted with wireless movement sensors and a wireless 32-electrode EEG cap configured according to the 10-20 system. Participants completed a dual-task of serial subtraction by 3’s from a randomized three-digit number while standing for 60 seconds. EEG was simultaneously recorded during the 60 second trials. One, 20-minute tDCS stimulation targeting the l-dlPFC followed the balance assessment. EEG and dual-task assessments were repeated following the stimulation. EEG was not recorded simultaneously with tDCS. EEG data was processed and analyzed with Cartool EEG software. (Brunet et al., 2011) Spectral analysis of the EEG power values pre and post stimulation was conducted using a paired t-test. Power ratios of slow wave (4-8Hz) to fast wave (12-30Hz) were calculated for pre and post stimulation and analyzed for significant changes. Additionally, absolute power values in theta and beta frequency range were calculated. Postural sway velocity and postural sway area were also assessed and analyzed for changes following stimulation. RESULTS: Spectral analysis showed significant reductions in absolute power values across low theta frequency ranges following stimulation. This significant reduction in power was localized, but not exclusive, to frontal electrodes measuring activity of the l-dlPFC in the 4-8Hz frequency range. Most notably electrode F3, which has been found to correspond to the location and activity of the l-dlPFC using both the 10-20 electrode placement system and MRI guided neuronavigation. (Beam et al., 2009; De Witte et al., 2018) In addition to a significant reduction in power values, there was a reduction in slow-fast EEG ratios following stimulation. The percent reduction in EEG ratio was associated with a reduction in postural sway area (m2/s4) and sway velocity (m/s). CONCLUSION: tDCS is used to facilitate the excitability of cortical neurons. The l-dLPFC is a critical component of executive function. Due to the role of executive function in mediating attentional requirements of gait and balance, the l-dlPFC was chosen as a target to enhance dual-tasking capabilities, and thereby improve gait and postural control. The reduction in the slow wave-fast wave ratio and theta power indicates that participants had higher power in the fast wave relative to the slow wave after tDCS administration. The reduction in slow wave power may be indicative of less cognitive attentional effort required to complete a simultaneous dual-task involving postural control. This is supported by the associated reductions in postural sway following tDCS stimulation. These results further current research of tDCS as a viable intervention for improving balance and cognition in older adults and offers additional information about optimizing the efficacy of noninvasive brain stimulation to improve functional outcomes in this population.

Aims: The peak transmitral velocity/peak mitral annular velocity (E/e′) ratio has been used as a left ventricular (LV) filling pressure (LVFP) correlate. However, the E/e′ and its changes with haemodynamic alterations have not always correlated with changes in LVFP's. We hypothesized that indexing E/e′ to a measure of LV filling volume may enhance the correlation with LVFP and LVFP changes. Methods and results: We summarized previously obtained haemodynamic and Doppler echo data in 137 dogs with coronary microsphere embolization induced-chronic LV dysfunction prior to and following haemodynamic induced alterations in LVFP's. E/e′ values were obtained as E∗tau where tau is the inverse logarithmic LV pressure decay. E∗tau was indexed to LV filling volume by dividing by the diastolic time velocity integral (DVI) and correlated with LV mean diastolic pressure (LVmDP). Similarly, the relationship of E/e′ and E/e′/DVI to LV pre A wave pressure was evaluated in 84 patients by invasive haemodynamics and Doppler echo. Combining data from all interventions, LVmDP correlated with E∗tau (r = 0.408) but more strongly with E∗tau/DVI (r = 0.667, z = 3.03, P = 0.0008). The change in LVmDP correlated with the change in E∗tau/DVI (r = 0.742) more strongly than E∗Tau (r = 0.187, Z = 4.01, P < 0.0001). In the patient cohort, E/e′ was modestly correlated with LV pre A wave pressure (r = 0.301) but more strongly correlated with E/e′/DVI (r = 0.636, z = 2.36, P = 0.0161). Conclusion: Indexing E to both LV relaxation and filling volume results in a more robust relation with LVFP's and with LVFP changes.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Non-invasive brain stimulation is valuable for studying neural circuits and treating various neurological disorders in human. However, current technologies of noninvasive brain stimulation usually have low spatial and temporal precision and poor brain penetration, which greatly limit their application. A new class of nanoparticles known as magneto-electric nanoparticles (MENs) is highly efficient in coupling an externally applied magnetics wave with generating local electric fields for neuronal activity modulation. Here, a new type of MENs was developed that consisted of CoFe2O4- BaTiO3 and had excellent magneto-electrical coupling properties. Calcium imaging technique was used to demonstrate their efficacy in evoking neuronal activity in organotyic and acute cortical slices that expressed GCaMP6 protein. For in vivo noninvasive delivery of MENs to brain, fluorescently labeled MENs were intravenously injected and attracted to pass through blood brain barrier to a targeted brain region by applying a focal magnet field. Magnetic wave (~450 G at 10 Hz) applied to mouse brain was able to activate cortical network activity, as revealed by in vivo two-photon and mesoscopic imaging of calcium signals at both cellular and global network levels. The effect was further confirmed by the increased number of c-Fos expressing cells after magnetic stimulation. Histological analysis indicated that neither brain delivery of MENs nor the subsequent magnetic stimulation caused any significant increases in the numbers of GFAP and IBA1 positive astrocytes and microglia in the brain. MENs stimulation also show high efficacy in short-term pain relieve when tested with a tibial nerve injury mouse model. The study demonstrates the feasibility of using MENs as a novel efficient and non-invasive technique of brain stimulation, which may have great potential for translation.

Athletic performance is improved by increasing training loads but it is difficult to determine an athlete's response to a training load and the amount of stress incurred. This makes athletes susceptible to overtraining, leading to decreased performance levels, due to physical exhaustion and oxidative stress. Past studies have observed a myriad of biomarkers without conclusively identifying a clinically specific marker for overtraining due to oxidative stress. These methods require invasive testing and lengthy result times, making real-time adjustments of training programs to prevent overtraining difficult. The use of an electronic nose (enose) as a non-invasive evaluation tool will provide immediate feedback on training stress, allowing for real-time training adjustments for performance optimization. Two long distance runners (one male and one female) completed a pilot study. Both performed a short run and the female performed a long run. Blood samples were collected from each athlete before and after each run and analyzed for catalase and GPx activity. Breath samples were also collected before and after each run and analyzed by an enose. Multivariate analyses of combined blood data yielded better results than individual analyses. Although data was limited for this pilot study, canonical discriminant analyses (CDA) showed separation between before and after run and between short and long run breath samples. Cross validations also found up to a 77.8 percent prediction accuracy for the enose. Results indicate an enose is feasible for detecting changes in the breath occurring after physically demanding exercise perhaps due to oxidative stress incurred during the exercise. / Master of Science

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting over 35 million people. Early diagnosis and intervention are crucial for improving outcomes. Digital Cognitive Biomarkers (DCBs) offer a promising approach for early detection and disease management, quantifying cognitive processes of encoding and retrieval through a hierarchical Bayesian cognitive processing model using wordlist memory tests. We hypothesize that DCBs will correlate with classic AD cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers (Aβ42, T-tau, p-tau) in patients with varying cognitive decline levels compared to healthy elderly controls. Using Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) data and paired Pearson correlation coefficient analysis, our results support the hypothesis, indicating that DCBs correlate with CSF biomarkers and demonstrating their potential as a noninvasive diagnostic tool for AD. Furthermore, DCBs exhibited improved diagnostic accuracy compared to classic AD CSF biomarkers, as indicated by the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve analysis. DCBs hold promise for monitoring disease progression, response to therapeutics, and identifying patients at earlier disease stages. Future research should validate these findings in diverse populations and conduct longitudinal studies to assess DCBs' potential in tracking disease progression and treatment response. Integrating DCBs with other diagnostic approaches, such as neuroimaging, could enhance overall AD diagnosis accuracy and provide a comprehensive understanding of an individual's cognitive health. In conclusion, DCBs may offer a valuable, noninvasive tool for early diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's Disease, supporting the initial hypothesis.

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