Life Sciences Commons^™

Technique And Performance Level Comparisons Of Male And Female Hammer Throwers, Suzanne M. Konz

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was two-fold: 1) what the hammer throwing technique differences between sexes are and 2) what technique parameters help determine throw distance. The performances of the top 16 male and female throwers at the 2003 World Athletic Final and the top 13 male and female throwers from the 2003 USA Track and Field Nationals were examined. Video was captured using three Canon 60 Hz cameras. The best throws of each athlete were digitized and analyzed using the Peak Motus 8.2 motion analysis system. T-tests revealed that athlete mass, athlete height, velocity at release, timing components, and …

Effects Of Telephone Weight Loss Coaching On Body Composition In Adults: A Randomized Controlled Study, Amy Jensen Cook

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To determine the extent to which coaching over the telephone is an effective method in promoting the loss of body weight and body fat percentage. Research Methods and Procedures: Over a period of four months, in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study, 120 overweight and obese (BMI 25-35 kg/m²) adults either received telephone coaching or no coaching. In addition, each participant was randomly assigned to take a supplement or placebo daily. Body weight and body fat percentage were measured at baseline, two months, and four months. Body weight was measured on an electronic scale and body fat percentage was …

The Effects Of Wearing A Cooling Vest During The Warm-Up On Long Distance Interval Training, Andrew Robert Tegeder

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Reducing body temperature before exercise is called precooling. Past research suggests that reducing body core temperature (Tc) slightly can result in improved running performance. This study evaluated the effects that warming up, while wearing a cooling vest prior to an interval workout, had on Tc, and interval time in long-distance runners. Methods: Nineteen healthy male collegiate cross-country runners were recruited for this study. Each subject warmed up and exercised under two different conditions: (a) an experimental condition in which subjects wore a Nike PreCool® ice vest during warm-up and (b) a control condition. Subjects performed a warm-up followed by …

Contributions Of Muscle Fatigue To A Neuromuscular Neck Injury In Female Standard Ballroom Dancers, Teri Riding

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To investigate the potential etiology of a loss of neck control injury in female standard ballroom dancers. The median frequency (MF) as measured by electromyography (EMG) of the left upper trapezius (UT), left splenius capitius (SPL), and right sternocleidomastoid (SCM) of injured dancers was compared to non-injured dancers. This comparison was performed to identify whether dancers with a history of loss of neck control have a greater amount of fatigue than those with no history of this particular injury. Design and Setting: A 2 x 6 factorial design was used for this investigation. The independent variables were group (injured …

The Effects Of Hiking Poles On Performance And Physiological Variables During Mountain Climbing, Rachel Louise Duckham

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to compare performance when hiking with and without poles during a maximal effort mountain ascent. In addition, the study determined if there were differences in physiological responses, such as heart rate, estimated energy expenditure, and blood lactate accumulation. 15 physically active men and women (mean age 29±6) hiked with and without walking poles up a 4-km trail ( 426-meter elevation gain). Performance was determined by the time taken to reach the top of the mountain. In addition, differences in physiological variables including heart rate (HR), estimated energy expenditure (EE), and blood lactate accumulation …

Presence Of Burnout In Undergraduate Athletic Training Students, Tamra Sparks Riter

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To determine if undergraduate athletic training students enrolled in an athletic training education program (ATEP) and participating in a clinical assignment have burnout and if so, the possible causes.

Design and Setting: All undergraduate athletic training students enrolled in a clinical education course were surveyed twice in an eight week period. The surveys were given during the fourth week and the twelfth week of the winter 2006 semester. As part of the survey, each participant also answered eight demographic/status questions for correlation purposes.

Subjects: Fifty-one undergraduate athletic training students in a western United States university's accredited ATEP served as …

Development Of A Notational Analysis System For Selected Soccer Skills Of A Women's College Team, Camille Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to develop a notational system to evaluate passing, dribbling, first touch, and individual defensive skills as they relate to success during women's soccer games and to develop a statistical model to weight the importance of each skill on creating scoring opportunities. Sequences of skills in 10 Division I intercollegiate women's soccer games were coded using well defined performance scores and outcomes. The notational analysis system was highly reliable as demonstrated by high test-retest Spearman's correlations (>0.98) between the first and second notation of 3 games for all four skills. The importance scores calculated …

Physical Activity And Weather: The Association Of Physical Activity With Weather-Related Factors Measured On The Knoxville Third-Creek Greenway, Ryan Allen Burchfield

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the association of outdoor physical activity (PA) with weather-related factors (temperature, humidity, heat index, and precipitation) when data was measured onsite (Knoxville Third-Creek Greenway). Secondary to this research question, this study explored whether the source of weather-related data (site-specific vs. public domain) influenced the strength of association with outdoor PA. PA, the dependent variable, was measured as trail counts by an infrared trail counter. Weather-related factors were obtained by an on-site weather station and through the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a public domain weather source. Hourly PA (trail counts) …

Physical Activity And C-Reactive Protein Levels: The Confounding Role Of Body Fat Percentage, Kenric Lloyd Russell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to examine the cross-sectional relationship between physical activity and C-reactive protein (CRP) in 211 middle-aged women (43.1 + 3.0 years). A secondary objective was to determine the extent to which body fat percentage operated as a confounder in the association between physical activity and CRP. Physical activity was objectively measured using MTI accelerometers, which the subjects wore for seven continuous days. Fasting blood samples were taken, from which CRP was measured using a solid phase ELISA. Body fat percentage was assessed using the Bod Pod. Results showed that physical activity was significantly and …

Fiber Type-Specific Desmin Content In Human Single Muscle Fibers, Heidi Ghent

Theses and Dissertations

Contractile and cytoskeletal protein concentrations have been shown to differ on the basis of fiber type in whole muscle homogenates. The purpose of this study was to compare the content of the intermediate filament protein, desmin, between type I and type IIa single muscle fibers from a mixed muscle in human subjects. Biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis of six recreationally active males. Approximately 150 single muscle fibers were dissected from each sample and analyzed using SDS-PAGE to determine myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition. Following identification, muscle fibers were pooled into two groups (MHC I and MHC IIa). Desmin …

A Pilot Study To Examine A Therapeutic Exercise Intervention On Fibromyalgia Symptoms, Mara Hendricks Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Objective. To examine the feasibility of a home-based, video therapeutic exercise program on pain, fatigue, self-efficacy, and health status in fibromyalgia patients. Methods. Nine individuals who were previously diagnosed with fibromyalgia completed the study (out of an initial pool of 31). Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a group who received a home-based therapeutic exercise video and a control group who continued to undergo their current standard of care or "treatment-as-usual." The video group was instructed to conduct the exercises as prescribed in the 42-minute video at least 3 times per week for 4 weeks. The treatment-as-usual …

The Effectiveness Of A Home-Based, Patient-Specific, Functional Exercise Program On Patients With Inclusion Body Myositis (Ibm), Liam Johnson

Theses : Honours

Previous research has shown exercise to be beneficial in the treatment of myositis-affected patients. However, the potential of functional exercises to improve muscle strength and function in the absence of disease progression markers in patient's with Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) is not well understood. It is believed that the initial exercise dose and patient specificity is of paramount importance in the successful use of this modality in the routine management and long term treatment of such patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a home-based, patient-specific functional exercise programme, including aerobic exercise and resistance training, …