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Telemedicine is a multipurpose tool that allows medical professionals to use technology as a means to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients remotely. This paper focuses on the challenges that developing telemedicine programs face, specifically discussing target population, user experience, and physician adoption. Various users of telemedicine share their experiences overcoming

Telemedicine is a multipurpose tool that allows medical professionals to use technology as a means to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients remotely. This paper focuses on the challenges that developing telemedicine programs face, specifically discussing target population, user experience, and physician adoption. Various users of telemedicine share their experiences overcoming such challenges with the greater goal of this paper being to facilitate the growth of telemedicine programs.
ContributorsPalakodaty, Shivani Venkatasri (Author) / Liss, Julie (Thesis director) / Berisha, Visar (Committee member) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
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Description
Previous studies have found that the detection of near-threshold stimuli is decreased immediately before movement and throughout movement production. This has been suggested to occur through the use of the internal forward model processing an efferent copy of the motor command and creating a prediction that is used to cancel

Previous studies have found that the detection of near-threshold stimuli is decreased immediately before movement and throughout movement production. This has been suggested to occur through the use of the internal forward model processing an efferent copy of the motor command and creating a prediction that is used to cancel out the resulting sensory feedback. Currently, there are no published accounts of the perception of tactile signals for motor tasks and contexts related to the lips during both speech planning and production. In this study, we measured the responsiveness of the somatosensory system during speech planning using light electrical stimulation below the lower lip by comparing perception during mixed speaking and silent reading conditions. Participants were asked to judge whether a constant near-threshold electrical stimulation (subject-specific intensity, 85% detected at rest) was present during different time points relative to an initial visual cue. In the speaking condition, participants overtly produced target words shown on a computer monitor. In the reading condition, participants read the same target words silently to themselves without any movement or sound. We found that detection of the stimulus was attenuated during speaking conditions while remaining at a constant level close to the perceptual threshold throughout the silent reading condition. Perceptual modulation was most intense during speech production and showed some attenuation just prior to speech production during the planning period of speech. This demonstrates that there is a significant decrease in the responsiveness of the somatosensory system during speech production as well as milliseconds before speech is even produced which has implications for speech disorders such as stuttering and schizophrenia with pronounced deficits in the somatosensory system.
ContributorsMcguffin, Brianna Jean (Author) / Daliri, Ayoub (Thesis director) / Liss, Julie (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Description
Previous research has shown that a loud acoustic stimulus can trigger an individual's prepared movement plan. This movement response is referred to as a startle-evoked movement (SEM). SEM has been observed in the stroke survivor population where results have shown that SEM enhances single joint movements that are usually performed

Previous research has shown that a loud acoustic stimulus can trigger an individual's prepared movement plan. This movement response is referred to as a startle-evoked movement (SEM). SEM has been observed in the stroke survivor population where results have shown that SEM enhances single joint movements that are usually performed with difficulty. While the presence of SEM in the stroke survivor population advances scientific understanding of movement capabilities following a stroke, published studies using the SEM phenomenon only examined one joint. The ability of SEM to generate multi-jointed movements is understudied and consequently limits SEM as a potential therapy tool. In order to apply SEM as a therapy tool however, the biomechanics of the arm in multi-jointed movement planning and execution must be better understood. Thus, the objective of our study was to evaluate if SEM could elicit multi-joint reaching movements that were accurate in an unrestrained, two-dimensional workspace. Data was collected from ten subjects with no previous neck, arm, or brain injury. Each subject performed a reaching task to five Targets that were equally spaced in a semi-circle to create a two-dimensional workspace. The subject reached to each Target following a sequence of two non-startling acoustic stimuli cues: "Get Ready" and "Go". A loud acoustic stimuli was randomly substituted for the "Go" cue. We hypothesized that SEM is accessible and accurate for unrestricted multi-jointed reaching tasks in a functional workspace and is therefore independent of movement direction. Our results found that SEM is possible in all five Target directions. The probability of evoking SEM and the movement kinematics (i.e. total movement time, linear deviation, average velocity) to each Target are not statistically different. Thus, we conclude that SEM is possible in a functional workspace and is not dependent on where arm stability is maximized. Moreover, coordinated preparation and storage of a multi-jointed movement is indeed possible.
ContributorsOssanna, Meilin Ryan (Author) / Honeycutt, Claire (Thesis director) / Schaefer, Sydney (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
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Description

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine usage in America has experienced extreme peaks as a method of maintaining social distancing for medical staff and patients. While there have been numerous significant positive effects from increasing this practice, there are also significant risks to be explored. Patients and physicians

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine usage in America has experienced extreme peaks as a method of maintaining social distancing for medical staff and patients. While there have been numerous significant positive effects from increasing this practice, there are also significant risks to be explored. Patients and physicians have been navigating new technology, new protocols, and new dynamics at a high rate. Doctors using telemedicine are required to rely more heavily on their judgment with less data than usual to support their hypotheses. This results in a wide variety of potential complications that can be detrimental to patients and physicians alike. Though negative outcomes are not nearly the majority, it is clear that for telemedicine to function at its fullest capacity, the limitations of its technology must be defined and communicated. A survey was distributed to physicians currently practicing telemedicine to understand more about the usage increase in telemedicine and the incidence rates of telemedicine-related complications. The results showed that although the impact of telemedicine has been largely positive, there certainly are risks that must be considered and prepared for. Thus, it is the responsibility of healthcare systems to ensure that their policies are current and appropriate in proportion to their usage of telemedicine to better protect and prepare patients and doctors for this new frontier of medicine.

ContributorsRogers, Hannah (Author) / Lynch, John (Thesis director) / Grimaldi, Lisa (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2022-05
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Description
Previous research has showed that auditory modulation may be affected by pure tone
stimuli played prior to the onset of speech production. In this experiment, we are examining the
specificity of the auditory stimulus by implementing congruent and incongruent speech sounds in
addition to non-speech sound. Electroencephalography (EEG) data was recorded for eleven

Previous research has showed that auditory modulation may be affected by pure tone
stimuli played prior to the onset of speech production. In this experiment, we are examining the
specificity of the auditory stimulus by implementing congruent and incongruent speech sounds in
addition to non-speech sound. Electroencephalography (EEG) data was recorded for eleven adult
subjects in both speaking (speech planning) and silent reading (no speech planning) conditions.
Data analysis was accomplished manually as well as via generation of a MATLAB code to
combine data sets and calculate auditory modulation (suppression). Results of the P200
modulation showed that modulation was larger for incongruent stimuli than congruent stimuli.
However, this was not the case for the N100 modulation. The data for pure tone could not be
analyzed because the intensity of this stimulus was substantially lower than that of the speech
stimuli. Overall, the results indicated that the P200 component plays a significant role in
processing stimuli and determining the relevance of stimuli; this result is consistent with role of
P200 component in high-level analysis of speech and perceptual processing. This experiment is
ongoing, and we hope to obtain data from more subjects to support the current findings.
ContributorsTaylor, Megan Kathleen (Author) / Daliri, Ayoub (Thesis director) / Liss, Julie (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
Previous research demonstrated the overall efficacy of an embodied language intervention (EMBRACE) that taught pre-school children how to simulate (imagine) language in a heard narrative. However, EMBRACE was not effective for every child. To try to explain this variable response to the intervention, the video recordings made during the

Previous research demonstrated the overall efficacy of an embodied language intervention (EMBRACE) that taught pre-school children how to simulate (imagine) language in a heard narrative. However, EMBRACE was not effective for every child. To try to explain this variable response to the intervention, the video recordings made during the four-day intervention sessions were assessed and emotion was coded. Each session was emotion-coded for child emotions and for child-researcher emotions. The child specific emotions were 1) engagement in the task, this included level of participation in the activity, 2) motivation/attention to persist and complete the task, as well as stay focused, and 3) positive affect throughout the session. The child-researcher specific emotions were 1) engagement with each other, this involved how the child interacted with the researcher and under what context, and 2) researcher’s positive affect, this incorporated how enthusiastic and encouraging the researcher was throughout the session. It was hypothesized that effectiveness of the intervention would be directly correlated with the degree that the child displayed positive emotions during the intervention. Thus, the analysis of these emotions should highlight differences between the control and EMBRACE group and help to explain variability in effectiveness of the intervention. The results did indicate that children in the EMBRACE group generally had a significantly higher positive affect compared to the control group, but these results did not influence the ability for the child to effectively recall or moderate the EEG variables in the post-test. The results also showed that children who interacted with the researcher more tended to be in the EMBRACE group, whereas children who did not interact with the researcher more frequently were in the control group, showing that the EMBRACE intervention ended up being a more collaborative task.
ContributorsOtt, Lauren Ruth (Author) / Glenberg, Arthur (Thesis director) / Presson, Clark (Committee member) / Kupfer, Anne (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
In the study of the human brain’s ability to multitask, there are two perspectives: concurrent multitasking (performing multiple tasks simultaneously) and sequential multitasking (switching between tasks). The goal of this study is to investigate the human brain’s ability to “multitask” with multiple demanding stimuli of approximately equal concentration, from an

In the study of the human brain’s ability to multitask, there are two perspectives: concurrent multitasking (performing multiple tasks simultaneously) and sequential multitasking (switching between tasks). The goal of this study is to investigate the human brain’s ability to “multitask” with multiple demanding stimuli of approximately equal concentration, from an electrophysiological perspective different than that of stimuli which don’t require full attention or exhibit impulsive multitasking responses. This study investigates the P3 component which has been experimentally proven to be associated with mental workload through information processing and cognitive function in visual and auditory tasks, where in the multitasking domain the greater attention elicited, the larger P3 waves are produced. This experiment compares the amplitude of the P3 component of individual stimulus presentation to that of multitasking trials, taking note of the brain workload. This study questions if the average wave amplitude in a multitasking ERP experiment will be the same as the grand average when performing the two tasks individually with respect to the P3 component. The hypothesis is that the P3 amplitude will be smaller in the multitasking trial than in the individual stimulus presentation, indicating that the brain is not actually concentrating on both tasks at once (sequential multitasking instead of concurrent) and that the brain is not focusing on each stimulus to the same degree when it was presented individually. Twenty undergraduate students at Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University (10 males and 10 females, with a mean age of 18.75 years, SD= 1.517) right handed, with normal or corrected visual acuity, English as first language, and no evidence of neurological compromise participated in the study. The experiment results revealed that one- hundred percent of participants undergo sequential multitasking in the presence of two demanding stimuli in the electrophysiological data, behavioral data, and subjective data. In this particular study, these findings indicate that the presence of additional demanding stimuli causes the workload of the brain to decrease as attention deviates in a bottleneck process to the multiple requisitions for focus, indicated by a reduced P3 voltage amplitude with the multitasking stimuli when compared to the independent. This study illustrates the feasible replication of P3 cognitive workload results for demanding stimuli, not only impulsive-response experiments, to suggest the brain’s tendency to undergo sequential multitasking when faced with multiple demanding stimuli. In brief, this study demonstrates that when higher cognitive processing is required to interpret and respond to the stimuli, the human brain results to sequential multitasking (task- switching, not concurrent multitasking) in the face of more challenging problems with each stimulus requiring a higher level of focus, workload, and attention.
ContributorsNeill, Ryan (Author) / Brewer, Gene (Thesis director) / Peter, Beate (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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Description
Transcranial Current Stimulation (TCS) is a long-established method of modulating neuronal activity in the brain. One type of this stimulation, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), is able to entrain endogenous oscillations and result in behavioral change. In the present study, we used five stimulation conditions: tACS at three different frequencies

Transcranial Current Stimulation (TCS) is a long-established method of modulating neuronal activity in the brain. One type of this stimulation, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), is able to entrain endogenous oscillations and result in behavioral change. In the present study, we used five stimulation conditions: tACS at three different frequencies (6Hz, 12Hz, and 22Hz), transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), and a no-stimulation sham condition. In all stimulation conditions, we recorded electroencephalographic data to investigate the link between different frequencies of tACS and their effects on brain oscillations. We recruited 12 healthy participants. Each participant completed 30 trials of the stimulation conditions. In a given trial, we recorded brain activity for 10 seconds, stimulated for 12 seconds, and recorded an additional 10 seconds of brain activity. The difference between the average oscillation power before and after a stimulation condition indicated change in oscillation amplitude due to the stimulation. Our results showed the stimulation conditions entrained brain activity of a sub-group of participants.
ContributorsChernicky, Jacob Garrett (Author) / Daliri, Ayoub (Thesis director) / Liss, Julie (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
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Description
Despite the benefits of prehabilitation before surgery, many patients do not participate in these programs. Research has shown that prehab reduces the duration of hospital stays, thus the cost of hospitalization, and improves the recovery process from surgery. This paper aims to determine why prehab is not as common as

Despite the benefits of prehabilitation before surgery, many patients do not participate in these programs. Research has shown that prehab reduces the duration of hospital stays, thus the cost of hospitalization, and improves the recovery process from surgery. This paper aims to determine why prehab is not as common as rehab by evaluating its accessibility issues related to the amount of information accessible to patients, and the cost and insurance policies related to prehab. Telemedicine is also presented as a possible solution to the accessibility issues, and viewed as an alternative that can increase the number of prehab participants. Literature review and analysis of clinic websites indicates that information availability and cost presents accessibility issues to prehab. Although cost and information availability of prehab presents an accessibility problem, and telemedicine has the potential to increase the number of participants in prehab, it is found that many people still might not consider prehab as an option.
Studying prehab is interesting and it presents a unique case study of the benefits of preventative medicine. Preventative medicine is often not promoted because of the difficulty of measuring the benefits. But in the case of prehab, both the physical benefits and cost-savings are easily measurable. This paper presents an interesting and clear case study about the effectiveness of preventative medicine, and contributes important data in favor of shifting greater resources and attention to preventative medicine.
ContributorsKamucu, Damla (Author) / Brian, Jennifer (Thesis director) / Stecher, Chad (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description

This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on telemedicine-prescribed controlled substances by discussing the opinions of pharmacists holding an Arizona pharmacy license. To accommodate the rapid changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government adapted pharmacy laws to better support the healthcare community. The use of remote healthcare

This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on telemedicine-prescribed controlled substances by discussing the opinions of pharmacists holding an Arizona pharmacy license. To accommodate the rapid changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government adapted pharmacy laws to better support the healthcare community. The use of remote healthcare services such as telemedicine visits and online pharmacy services dramatically increased during the pandemic, so regulators waived tele-health restrictions like the Ryan Haight Act. This study involved structured interviews with 3 participants. The interviews revealed a positive outlook on the future of telehealth and the possibilities of modernizing healthcare and pharmacy. The study suggests that the waiving of the Ryan Haight Act was perceived somewhat positively by pharmacists, although they still had concerns regarding abandoning parts of the Act from a patient safety standpoint. The study concludes that certain pharmacy and telemedicine regulations are outdated given the positive and negative outcomes of these laws during the global pandemic. While this study offers insights on bringing various healthcare and law arguments together, the small sample size results in limited scope. The study still provides points of discussion to offer recommendations for implementation of the Ryan Haight Act and other similar tele-health and online-pharmacy regulations.

ContributorsNawara, Jihan (Author) / Martin, Thomas (Thesis director) / Maienschein, Jane (Committee member) / Ellison, Karin (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2023-05