Older Veteran Experiences of using Technology during a Multicomponent Telerehabilitation Program: A Convergent Mixed Methods Study.

Less than half of U.S. veterans meet physical activity guidelines. Even though changing physical activity can be challenging, prior studies have demonstrated that it is possible. Older adults are using technology to aid in such behavior change. However, research that explores the mechanisms of how technology can aid in behavior change is lacking, especially among older veterans. Thus, the purpose of this secondary, convergent mixed methods study was to explore how older veterans engaged with technologies that were used during a multicomponent telerehabilitation program. The study included veterans aged ≥60 years with ≥3 chronic medical conditions and physical function limitation. Quantitative data were collected during the primary randomized controlled trial, and qualitative data were collected via individual interviews following completion of the telerehabilitation program. Data were merged and then analyzed by high vs. low technology engagement groups. Key similarities and differences between groups were identified in five domains: satisfaction with the virtual environment, coping self-efficacy, perceptions of Annie (automated text messaging platform), experiences using the activity monitor, and self-management skills. Findings can help inform the successful integration of similar technologies into physical rehabilitation programs. Further study is warranted to understand additional factors and mechanisms that influence technology engagement in telerehabilitation.

Probing tissue interaction with laser-based cauterization in the early developing Drosophila embryo.

Tissue morphogenesis is governed by mechanical forces generated by cell cytoskeletal networks. It has been shown that subcellular forces are responsible for cell shape changes. Nevertheless cells in a developing organism do not act in isolation: cells contact and adhere one another, and forces are transmitted from cell-to-cell throughout tissues. Understanding how forces are integrated at the tissue level and finally at the full animal scale is nowadays a major challenge that will allow shedding new light on how embryo morphogenesis takes place. In this chapter, I present a new laser-based technique to probe tissue coupling in a living Drosophila embryo. Such technique allows generating mechanical fix boundaries that can eventually impair or modulate cell flows and tissue displacements to probe tissue interaction.

Probing cell mechanics with subcellular laser dissection of actomyosin networks in the early developing Drosophila embryo.

Laser dissection is a useful tool in developmental biology to probe mechanical forces from the subcellular to the tissue/embryo scale. During tissue morphogenesis, cells are equipped with networks of actomyosin that generate forces. Here we present a technique based on near-infrared (NIR) femtosecond (fs) pulsed laser dissection that allows subcellular ablation of actomyosin networks. This technique allows to selectively ablate actomyosin networks while preserving cell plasma membrane. The resulting relaxation of the remaining network after laser dissection is imaged and analyzed to deduce local forces responsible for tissue morphogenesis in the developing Drosophila embryo.