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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Does Practice Of Multi-Directional Stepping With Auditory Stimulation Improve Movement Performance In Patients With Parkinson's Disease, Zahra Kadivar Jan 2009

Does Practice Of Multi-Directional Stepping With Auditory Stimulation Improve Movement Performance In Patients With Parkinson's Disease, Zahra Kadivar

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder causing many physical limitations. Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) influences motor complications not alleviated by medicine and has been used to modify straight line walking in this population. However, motor complications are exacerbated during more complex movements including those involving direction changes. Thus immediate RAS effects on direction switch duration (DSD) and other kinematic measures during a multi-directional step task were investigated in PD patients. Long term RAS application was also explored by evaluating functional gait and balance and kinematic step measures before and after 6 weeks of multi-directional stepping either with (Cue, …


Development And Application Of An Optimization Model For Elite Level Shot Putting, Michael Young Jan 2009

Development And Application Of An Optimization Model For Elite Level Shot Putting, Michael Young

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Shot putting is one of the most ancient forms of athletic competition. Considerable research has been performed on the event. Despite this fact, research examining performance in the women’s shot put and using the spin technique is very limited. Also, only one attempt has been made to optimize the movement of elite shot putting and no attempts have been made to use the optimization model as a standard for technical training intervention. A series of three experiments were used to explore the development of an optimization model for shot putting and its application as a basis for technical intervention for …


Motivating Middle School Students To Be Physically Active: The Role Of Supportive Environments, Tao Zhang Jan 2009

Motivating Middle School Students To Be Physically Active: The Role Of Supportive Environments, Tao Zhang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

It is clearly documented that promoting regular physical activity participation at young ages increases the likelihood that school-aged students will lead active lifestyles as adults. Unfortunately, more than a third of school-aged students do not engage in sufficient amounts of physical activity necessary to produce significant health benefits (USDHHS, 2000, 2008). Public health officials and physical educators highlight the importance of promoting motivation for physical activity by creating a supportive physical activity environment that should positively influence students’ choices to be physically active. The major objective of this dissertation was to explore the roles of supportive social environments and physical …


Identification Of Falls Risk Factors In Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Validation Of The Comprehensive Falls Risk Screening Instrument, Jennifer Marie Fabre Jan 2009

Identification Of Falls Risk Factors In Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Validation Of The Comprehensive Falls Risk Screening Instrument, Jennifer Marie Fabre

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Identifying risk factors and those at risk for falls is necessary. The first purpose of the dissertation was to validate the Comprehensive Falls Risk Screening Instrument (CFRSI) that weights falls risk factors and includes the subscale scores of history, physical, vision, medication, and environment, and a total falls risk score. The CFRSI total falls risk score was compared to subscale scores, physical activity, physical function, health-related quality of life (HRQL), and history of falls (Study 1). The second purpose of the dissertation was to determine associations between the CFRSI total falls risk score, race, education, and income (Study 2). Data …


A Critical Examination Into Motivation And Gender In Youth Physical Fitness Testing, Elizabeth A. Domangue Jan 2009

A Critical Examination Into Motivation And Gender In Youth Physical Fitness Testing, Elizabeth A. Domangue

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fitness testing in physical education classes has emerged as an important component in efforts to assess and address health concerns related to children’s physical inactivity. To date, motivational aspects of fitness testing, especially in regard to students’ future intention to participate in fitness-related activities, have not been closely examined. Fitness testing practices have been identified as a dominant discourse in physical education that continue to separate girls’ and boys’ physicalities along gendered lines. This lack of understanding about the motivational implications of fitness testing programs, coupled with concerns related to the gendered nature of fitness testing, emphasize the significance of …


Effects Of Exercising With A Weighted Vest On The Output Of Lower Limb Joints In Countermovement Jumping, Behdad Tahayori Jan 2009

Effects Of Exercising With A Weighted Vest On The Output Of Lower Limb Joints In Countermovement Jumping, Behdad Tahayori

LSU Master's Theses

The effect of exercising with a weighted vest equal to 15% of body mass on vertical jump height was assessed. It was hypothesized that the defined treatment protocol could enhance jumping performance by increasing hip, knee and ankle joint power. The findings of this study showed that the defined active stretching protocol significantly increases jump height in male participants (0.3364 m compared to0. 3456 m from pre to post exercise respectively) but did not yield a significant increase in females. No significant changes in joint angle, torque, power or velocity were observed between the pre and post exercise jumping. However, …


A Comparison Of Isotonic And Elastic Resistance Exercise On Trapezius Muscle Balance In Overhead Athletes, Phillip Page Jan 2009

A Comparison Of Isotonic And Elastic Resistance Exercise On Trapezius Muscle Balance In Overhead Athletes, Phillip Page

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The scaption exercise (elevation of the arm in the scapular plane) is often performed in shoulder rehabilitation and preventive exercise programs. Three studies were performed to better understand the activation characteristics of the upper trapezius (UT) and lower trapezius (LT) muscles during scaption. The purpose of these studies was to 1) quantify and compare trapezius muscle activation ratios and onset of activation in normal subjects, 2) compare the findings from normal subjects with overhead athletes, and 3) compare the activation ratios and onset of the trapezius with 2 modes of resistance (elastic and isotonic) in overhead athletes. Methods. Healthy college-aged …


Does Acute Passive Stretching Alter The Optimum Height For Drop Jumping?, Jonathan Samuel Ritchie Jan 2009

Does Acute Passive Stretching Alter The Optimum Height For Drop Jumping?, Jonathan Samuel Ritchie

LSU Master's Theses

The application of static stretching (SS) has previously been shown to limit performance in force production, reaction time, balance and vertical jump height. When looking at the effect of SS on jump performance, researchers have previously used changes in jump height, in squat jumps (SQ), countermovement jumps (CMJ) and drop jumping (DJ) from self selected heights. To date no one has looked at the effect of SS across a range of drop heights. 30 subjects (15 male and 15 female) participated in 1 familiarization trial and four performance trials. All subjects undertook two days of stretching (ST) and two days …


A Divided-Attention Timed Stepping Accuracy Task As A Procedural Learning Intervention Improves Balance And Functional Performance In Healthy Older Adults, Susan Joy Leach Jan 2009

A Divided-Attention Timed Stepping Accuracy Task As A Procedural Learning Intervention Improves Balance And Functional Performance In Healthy Older Adults, Susan Joy Leach

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

For both healthy individuals and individuals at high risk of falling, certain environments, such as a dual-task situation, require more resources than others to prevent a loss of balance. Stepping assessment tasks can be used to predict falls, and it has been suggested that impaired voluntary stepping may be a contributing factor to falls (Lord & Fitzpatrick, 2001). In this research, a stepping task was used not as an assessment, but as a therapeutic intervention. The purpose of this research was to determine how training with a task that provides a procedural learning environment can affect balance and functional outcomes. …


An Evaluation Of Endurance And Combined Endurance And Resistance Training On Fitness And C-Reactive Protein, Laura A. Daray Jan 2009

An Evaluation Of Endurance And Combined Endurance And Resistance Training On Fitness And C-Reactive Protein, Laura A. Daray

LSU Master's Theses

PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine whether endurance or endurance + resistance training would influence circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and if these changes are related to alterations in aerobic fitness and/or body composition. METHODS: Fifty eight healthy young adults aged 18-24 yrs (78% female) were assigned to one of three groups: 1) endurance training (E) (n=18), 2) endurance + resistance training (ER) (n=11), or 3) active control (AC) (n=29). The E group completed 15 weeks of endurance training for either a half marathon (n=6) or full marathon (n=12). The ER group performed 15 weeks of periodized resistance training …


Carotid Intima-Media Thickness And Physical And Cognitive Function In Elderly Men And Women: Role Of Physical Activity, John Brent Jr. Rhodes Jan 2009

Carotid Intima-Media Thickness And Physical And Cognitive Function In Elderly Men And Women: Role Of Physical Activity, John Brent Jr. Rhodes

LSU Master's Theses

The incidence of cognitive impairment in the aging population remains one of the most common morbidities in the elderly, often associated with a decrease in physical function, institutionalization, and death. Several different mechanisms have been proposed, including age-related changes to the vasculature. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between physical activity, carotid intima-media thickness and other vascular measures, and measures of cognitive and physical function in older adults. Measures of daily physical activity, vascular structure and function, and cognitive and physical function were examined in 109 participants [age=81±11 yrs]. Daily physical activity was assessed using the …


Comparison Of Brachial Artery Vasoreactivity In Elite Athletes And Age-Matched Controls, Paul Joseph Blalock Jan 2009

Comparison Of Brachial Artery Vasoreactivity In Elite Athletes And Age-Matched Controls, Paul Joseph Blalock

LSU Master's Theses

The ability to distribute blood from areas with low demand to areas with high demand, such as occurs during exercise, is a critical function of the circulatory system. PURPOSE: To compare the resting diameter and vasoreactivity of the brachial artery in elite strength athletes to those of age-matched controls. We hypothesized that the brachial arteries of strength athletes would have larger diameters at rest, and show greater vasoreactivity in response to cuff occlusion and a cold pressor test than in untrained individuals. METHODS: Eight elite strength athletes (age, 23 ± 2 years) and ten age-matched controls (age, 22 ± 1 …