Kinesiology Commons^™

Discovering Motor Phenotypes In Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Syndrome Approach, Daniel Edwin Lidstone

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a behavioral phenotype characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction accompanied by restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, or activities. Currently in the US, approximately 2.5% of children have a diagnosis of ASD. The etiology of ASD is complex, however the disorder does have a strong genetic basis. Specific genetic mutations can lead to neuroanatomical and neurophysiological changes during development resulting in a behavioral phenotype that falls along the ASD spectrum and may result in a diagnosis of ASD. The severity of ASD-specific behaviors falls on a continuum …

Tunnel-Tube And Fourier Methods For Measuring Three-Dimensional Medium Reaction Force In Burrowing Animals, Alexis Moore Crisp, Clinton J. Barnes, David V. Lee

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Subterranean digging behaviors provide opportunities for protection, access to prey, and predator avoidance for a diverse array of vertebrates, yet studies of the biomechanics of burrowing have been limited by the technical challenges of measuring kinetics and kinematics of animals moving within a medium. We describe a new system for measuring 3D reaction forces during burrowing, called a ‘tunnel-tube’, which is composed of two, separately instrumented plastic tubes: an ‘entry tube’ with no medium, in series with a ‘digging tube’ filled with medium. Mean reaction forces are measured for a digging bout and Fourier analysis is used to quantify the …

Relation Between Relative Handgrip Strength, Chronological Age And Physiological Age With Lower Functional Capacity In Older Women, Wylker Souza Saraiva, Jonato Prestes, Silvana Schwerz Funghetto, James Wilfred Navalta, Ramires Alsamir Tibana, Dahan Da Cunha Nascimento

Integrated Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Purpose: Relative handgrip strength (RHGS), Aged Based on Exercise Stress Testing (A-BEST), and chronological age were evaluated as predictors of impaired mobility in older women. Methods: Participants included 88 older women (mean age 68.13±6.02 years) referred for exercise stress testing. Estimated physiological age was computed based on exercise capacity, chronotropic reserve index, heart rate recovery, and medication that could affect heart rate. RHGS was measured using a validated handgrip hydraulic dynamometer and mobility was evaluated by timed up and go test (TUG-test). A hierarchical multiple regression predicted TUG-test performance from A-BEST, chronological age and RHGS. Results: After adjustment for diabetes, …

Introducing A Practitioner-Focused Publication In Exercise Science And Kinesiology, James W. Navalta, Scott Lyons, Whitley J. Stone

Topics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology

• The purpose is to introduce Topics in Exercise and Science Kinesiology (TESK) as an outlet for practical information.
• We searched available journals in the field to determine practitioner-focused options, we also determined the percentage of presented abstracts at a popular meeting compared to the number of published papers in a leading peer-reviewed scientific journal.
• Point of application 1: Only 2% of publication options in kinesiology or exercise science have a practitioner focus.
• Point of application 2: A relatively small number of peer-reviewed conference abstracts (less than 10%) are deemed publication-worthy following journal peer-review.
• Point of application 3: …

Optimization Of Motor Performance, Lee-Kuen Chua

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

According to the OPTIMAL (Optimizing Performance Through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention of Learning) theory of motor learning, enhanced expectancies (EE), autonomy support (AS), and external focus (EF) augment the coupling of a person’s actions to intended movement goals. This goal-action coupling is postulated to boost a person’s focus on goal-related aspects of the motor task while reducing the person’s self-related thoughts, resulting in enhanced performance of skilled movements as well as in improving the acquisition outcomes for the learning of motor skills. The three studies in this compilation report were aimed at providing empirical evidence for the motor performance benefits …

Triglyceride Metabolism Following Oral Fat Tolerance Tests Of Varying Fat Content In Adults, Nathaniel Glen Bodell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: Investigations of lipid metabolism commonly utilize an oral fat tolerance test (OFTT) to elicit a dramatic increase in serum triglycerides (TG). Although this is common practice there does not currently exist an agreed upon formula for an OFTT. Nor has there been in investigation as to the reliability among commonly used OFTT. Furthermore, the effects of sex and activity level are mixed among the literature. The purpose of this investigation is to discover an ideal OFTT for research and clinical purposes, evaluate the effects of activity and sex on TG metabolism, and to test each OFTT concentration for reliability. …

Optimizing Back Squat Performance, Arthur Hockwald

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The back squat is a task commonly used to train and test performance levels in competitive sports and strength based performance events. The purpose of this study was to analyze the potential performance benefits for a 1-repetition max (1RM) back squat under conditions in which the three key factors of OPTIMAL theory of motor learning (Wulf & Lewthwaite, 2016) are present: Enhanced expectancies (EE), autonomy support (AS), and an external focus (EF) of attention. Participants (N = 23) were assigned to either an optimized condition, which included EE AS, and EF, or a control condition. They were asked to perform …

College Student Depression: An Examination Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Gender And Sexual Orientation Diversity, And Help-Seeking Willingness, Sharon Jalene

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Depression is a serious illness characterized by persistent low mood, reduced cognitive capacity, and fatigue. Although treatable, depression is the leading cause of disability and ill-health worldwide and a significant contributor to suicide, the second leading cause of death for young Americans. In any given two-week period, 8.1% of adults in the United States had moderate to severe depression (2013-2016). The rate of depression for females was twice that of males and compared to the majority, sexual and gender minorities (SGM) were at a threefold risk. Furthermore, evidence suggests that depression incidence is three times higher in college students than …

Workload Position Evaluation To Determine Efficient Training Load For Optimal Competition Performance Of Female Collegiate Soccer Players, Michaela Kelsey

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction. The purpose of this study was to describe player workload between competition and training of female collegiate soccer players; as well as to determine workload between positions to better our understanding of the mechanical and physical demands of a full soccer match of collegiate female soccer players. Methods. The study sample was comprised of 20 female Division 1 Collegiate soccer players in 7 positions: goalkeeper (n = 1), Attacking Midfielders (n = 2), Defensive Midfielders (n = 3), Center Backs (n = 3), Outside Backs (n = 4), Strikers (n = 2), and Wingers (n = 5). 19 training …

Wearable Technology Devices: Heart Rate And Step Count Analysis, Jeffrey Montes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The overarching purpose of this dissertation was to evaluate and analyze heart rate and/or step count measurements for six popular wearable technology devices: the Samsung Gear 2, FitBit Surge, Polar A360, Garmin Vivosmart HR+, Leaf Health Tracker, and the Scosche Rhythm+ in four separate conditions: free motion walking, free motion jogging, treadmill walking, and treadmill jogging. The four studies presented here utilized one test design and data collection protocol in which many measurements could be addressed simultaneously. Currently, there is no accepted standardized protocol to evaluate wearable technology devices. The test design utilized for this research series was introduced as …

Optimizing Cycle Exercise Performance During Normobaric Hypoxia Exposure, Cierra Brittany Ugale

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: The purpose of the present study was to examine whether implementing factors of OPTIMAL Theory: Enhanced Expectancies (EE), Autonomy Support (AS), and External Focus (EF) during a cycle exercise bout at a simulated altitude of 21,000 feet elevation had an effect on exercise performance and EPOC response in comparison to a control condition.

Methods: Sixteen participants (n = 8 women, n = 8 men) completed resting oxygen measurements (resting metabolic rate) between 6:00 A.M. and 8:00 A.M. Cycle exercise to fatigue at a constant workload was performed (100 W) while breathing air with reduced oxygen content to simulate exercising …

The Effects Of Injury On Running Status And Gait Biomechanics, Kristyne Wiegand

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Over the past several decades, endurance running has grown steadily as a popular form of physical activity. Running is easily accessible, does not require expensive equipment, and can be performed without specific skill training. Individuals who run also experience health benefits like increased cardiovascular health and reduced risk of all-cause morbidity. Despite these benefits, running is also associated with high rates of musculoskeletal injury. Although researchers have attempted to identify injury risks and mitigate the incidence of running injury, there is still no consensus as to why runners become injured. Research has also attempted to identify biomechanical movement patterns that …

Practice Variability Promotes An External Focus Of Attention And Enhances Motor Skill Learning, Lee-Kuen Chua, Maria Katrina Dimapilis, Takehiro Iwatsuki, Reza Abdollahipour, Rebecca Lewthwaite, Gabriele Wulf

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Publications

Variability in practice has been shown to enhance motor skill learning. Benefits of practice variability have been attributed to motor schema formation (variable versus constant practice), or more effortful information processing (random versus blocked practice). We hypothesized that, among other mechanisms, greater practice variability might promote an external focus of attention on the intended movement effect, while less variability would be more conducive to a less effective internal focus on body movements. In Experiment 1, the learning of a throwing task was enhanced by variable versus constant practice, and variable group participants reported focusing more on the distance to the …

Electronic Measurement Of Plantar Contact Area During Walking Using An Adaptive Thresholding Method For Medilogic Pressure-Measuring Insoles, Daniel E. Lidstone, Jessica Deberardinis, Janet S. Dufek, Mohamed B. Trabia

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Pressure-measuring insoles have the potential to measure plantar contact area (PA) during walking. However, they are not widely used for this purpose because of the need for a reliable process that can convert the insole output into PA. The purposes of this study were to: (1) develop an adaptive-threshold method for pressure-measuring insoles that can improve the accuracy of the PA measurements during walking, and (2) experimentally assess the accuracy and generalizability of this method. Methods: A sample of 42 healthy, ambulatory, young adults (age = 24.3 ± 3.2 years, mass = 67.2 ± 16.9 kg, height = 1.63 …