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Metabolic Foundations Of Exercise-Induced Cardiac Growth., Kyle Fulghum Dec 2022

Metabolic Foundations Of Exercise-Induced Cardiac Growth., Kyle Fulghum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Regular aerobic exercise promotes physiological cardiac growth, which is an adaptive response thought to enable the heart to meet higher physical demands. Cardiac growth involves coordination of catabolic and anabolic activities to support ATP generation, macromolecule biosynthesis, and myocyte hypertrophy. Although previous studies suggest that exercise-induced reductions in cardiac glycolysis are critical for physiological myocyte hypertrophy, it remains unclear how exercise influences the many interlinked pathways of metabolism that support adaptive remodeling of the heart. In this thesis project, we tested the general hypothesis that aerobic exercise promotes physiological cardiac growth by coordinating myocardial metabolism to promote glucose-supported anabolic pathway …


The Effects Of Mindful Meditation On Body Image In Female Collegiate Athletes During The Late Luteal And Early Follicular Phases Of The Menstrual Cycle, Katherine Jankevicius Jul 2022

The Effects Of Mindful Meditation On Body Image In Female Collegiate Athletes During The Late Luteal And Early Follicular Phases Of The Menstrual Cycle, Katherine Jankevicius

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Body image has been studied in previous research but there is a gap in research with the consideration of body image changes during the phases of the menstrual cycle. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a mindful meditation intervention on body image during the late luteal and early follicular phases of the menstrual cycle in collegiate female athletes. Eight female collegiate athletes (age: 20.5 ± 1.8 years, height: 1.7 ± 0.1 m, weight: 62.4 ± 8.9 kg, body fat: 26.4 ± 6.9%) participated in both the control and mindful meditation intervention with each taking three …


2-Day Vs. 4-Day Training Cessation Following A Step Taper In Competitive And Recreational Powerlifters, Benjamin Burke May 2022

2-Day Vs. 4-Day Training Cessation Following A Step Taper In Competitive And Recreational Powerlifters, Benjamin Burke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare differences in maximal strength, perceived recovery and stress state, and body composition alterations in powerlifters undergoing a 2-day or 4-day period of training cessation following a step taper. Ten participants completed a 6-week powerlifting specific training protocol. Body composition, perceived recovery and stress state, and maximal strength in the back squat (BS), bench press (BP), and deadlift (DL) were assessed prior to the overreach week (week 5) and either 2-days or 4-days after the taper. Alpha criterion was set at p≤0.05. There were statistically significant increases in BP (pp=0.03) …


The Development Of A Novel Throwing Assessment For Children With Cerebral Palsy, Cory Cribb Jan 2022

The Development Of A Novel Throwing Assessment For Children With Cerebral Palsy, Cory Cribb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Cerebral palsy is one of childhood's most common developmental disabilities. Cerebral palsy leads to dysfunction in the upper extremities due to symptoms such as low muscle power, spasticity, and increased tone. A modified throwing assessment was constructed to examine throwing performance as a measure of upper extremity function. Purpose: To determine if the modified throwing assessment is a reliable measure of throwing performance and if the modified throwing assessment is a valid measure of upper extremity power in children with CP. Methods: The study employed a test-retest design aimed at determining the reliability of a modified throwing assessment. Seven …


Stress, Stress Appraisal And Coping In Athletic Trainers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lawson Holton Jan 2022

Stress, Stress Appraisal And Coping In Athletic Trainers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Lawson Holton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: There have been many studies conducted on the stress and mental health of frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) over the past months since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Very limited literature has examined the effect of the pandemic on athletic trainers (ATs). Objective: The aim of this investigation was to examine the stress, stress appraisal, and coping measures of ATs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants were recruited members from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA). The Perceived Stress Scale-10 was used to measure stress, the Stress Appraisal Measure was used to measure stress appraisal, and the Brief COPE was used …


Effects Of Various Golf Bag Loading Strategies On Perceived Exertion And Vertical Jump Performance, Austen Arnold Jan 2022

Effects Of Various Golf Bag Loading Strategies On Perceived Exertion And Vertical Jump Performance, Austen Arnold

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: The sport of golf is increasing in popularity among both novice and skilled players alike. A round of golf necessitates players to cope with a range of physically demanding movement patterns. At the collegiate level, golfers must transport their clubs by loading them onto the body. Previous literature has yet to determine how different golf bag carrying positions influence periodic, unloaded jump performance and perceived exertion of the load carrying task. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to investigate how different golf bag load carriage methods may influence vertical jump performance and perceived exertion. METHODS: Five golf bag …


The Impact Of Gloves And Simulated Occupational Tasks On Handgrip Strength In Structural Firefighters, Sarah Lanham Jan 2022

The Impact Of Gloves And Simulated Occupational Tasks On Handgrip Strength In Structural Firefighters, Sarah Lanham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adequate handgrip strength (HGS) is important to safely and effectively perform fireground tasks. However, there is limited research describing the deleterious impact of glove use and fatigue from occupational tasks on HGS. Therefore, the aims of this investigation were to quantify the impact of glove use and occupational tasks on HGS, to explore the relationship between HGS versus the glove and task-induced decrement in HGS, and to evaluate the relationship between HGS and decrement in HGS versus occupational performance. Fourteen (Males: n=13) career structural firefighters performed a maximal isometric HGS assessment with and without gloves before and immediately following completion …


The Relationship Between Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter, Carotid Artery Pulsatility Index, And Blood Pressure In Healthy Adults, Rachel Marie Stone Jan 2022

The Relationship Between Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter, Carotid Artery Pulsatility Index, And Blood Pressure In Healthy Adults, Rachel Marie Stone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Monitoring intracranial pressure (ICP) has become an important practice in patients with elevated ICP (e.g., traumatic brain injury) to improve patient outcome. However, little information exists surrounding chronic, but sub-clinical elevations in ICP, which may stem from classic cardiovascular risk factors, such as elevated blood pressure (BP). The current methods to assess ICP are invasive and costly; but optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) and blood flow pulsatility (pulsatility index; PI) are promising non-invasive techniques, both of which have been reported to strongly correlate with invasive measures of ICP in pathology. However, the interactions of BP, ONSD and PI in otherwise …


Showcasing Strengths Of People With Disability To Stimulate Social Change, Kelly Carr Jan 2022

Showcasing Strengths Of People With Disability To Stimulate Social Change, Kelly Carr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The overarching purpose of this dissertation was to understand the potential to stimulate social change through exposure to strengths-based contexts where people with disabilities displayed their skills. Through the intentional dismissal of a traditional, deficits-based approach to disability-related research, this dissertation highlighted the strengths of people with impairment as a means to resist disabling assumptions. As such, the actions of people with disability within these studies exist outside of imaginable possibilities produced by dominant social structures, and possess the capacity to shape the social world. By examining the impact of exposure to these three contexts, this dissertation sought to …


“The Vehicle Was A Hockey Game”: A Holistic Approach To Aging For Older Men, Ryan Tomaselli Jan 2022

“The Vehicle Was A Hockey Game”: A Holistic Approach To Aging For Older Men, Ryan Tomaselli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The many benefits of physical activity are well established. Nonetheless, there remains a need for qualitative research on aging and sports focused on the normalization of sport for older adults, and the increased opportunity for sport participation in older age. Aging and sport research, which has primarily focussed on older elite athletes, has found older adults value health-related benefits, social interaction, and resistance of the aging process through sport participation. However, research examining a broader scope of specific sport participation, such as hockey, in older age may provide a distinguished understanding of participation tied to meaning and lifestyle factors. Therefore, …


Characterizing Endothelial Notch1 Release In Response To Changes In Vascular Wall Shear Stress, Matthew Indiana Badour Jan 2022

Characterizing Endothelial Notch1 Release In Response To Changes In Vascular Wall Shear Stress, Matthew Indiana Badour

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Murine and cell culture models have identified Notch1 as a novel endothelial mechanosensor that may exert a protective role for vascular adjustments in response to changes in vascular wall shear stress. However, in vivo studies in humans are lacking. Accordingly, we sought to characterize the concentrations of Notch1 extracellular domain (ECD) prior to, during, and following 20-min of altered shear stress in the brachial artery of ten young and healthy adults (6M/4F). Alterations in shear were induced by placing a pneumatic cuff inflated to 220mmHg around the left wrist. Cuffs were also placed below the axilla of both arms and …


Hand-Arm Vibration Exposure In Drummers, Dylan Durward Jan 2022

Hand-Arm Vibration Exposure In Drummers, Dylan Durward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the physically intense nature of the activity, drummers (i.e., percussionists who play the drum set) are exposed to a variety of factors, including hand-arm vibration (HAV), that put them at increased risk of developing playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs). The purpose of this study was to examine HAV exposure in drummers through realistic playing scenarios. Specifically, this study examined vibrations (i.e., frequency-weighted RMS accelerations) recorded at the hands. Six male drummers played three songs of their choosing with one accelerometer placed on the right hand, then repeated the same three songs with the accelerometer placed on the left hand …


An Investigation Of Drummers’ Trunk And Upper Limb Muscle Activation Profiles During High-Velocity Cymbal Crashes, Nicolas Latreille Jan 2022

An Investigation Of Drummers’ Trunk And Upper Limb Muscle Activation Profiles During High-Velocity Cymbal Crashes, Nicolas Latreille

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drumming is a physically demanding activity, and skilled drummers share many physical and cognitive attributes with elite athletes. The “double pulse” muscle activation (DPMA) pattern is a motor control strategy that has been observed in athletes of sports involving ballistic movements, such as baseball, golf, and elite Mixed Martial Arts fighters. The two pulses are believed to function to increase striking velocity and effective mass, thus increasing force transfer onto the target. The purpose of this study was to examine the muscle activation patterns of highly skilled drummers for evidence of a DPMA during high-velocity cymbal crashes. Three highly skilled …