Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Virtual Reality On Gait Variability, Dimitrios Kastavelis, Mukul Mukherjee, Leslie M. Decker, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Optic Flow (OF) plays an important role in human locomotion and manipulation of OF characteristics can cause changes in locomotion patterns. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of the velocity of optic flow on the amount and structure of gait variability. Each subject underwent four conditions of treadmill walking at their self-selected pace. In three conditions the subjects walked in an endless virtual corridor, while a fourth control condition was also included. The three virtual conditions differed in the speed of the optic flow displayed as follows – same speed (OFn), faster (OFf), and slower (OFs) …

Alterations In The Cellular Composition Of The Mouse Bladder Following Ovariectomy, Partial Bladder Outlet Obstruction, And Aging, Diane Holly Smith

Honors Scholar Theses

Detrusor underactivity (DU) increases susceptibility to urinary retention and accordingly further complicates the management of urinary incontinence. Bladder muscle stretch, a lack of estrogen, and aging are 3 notable DU risk factors. The aim of this research is to better characterize the changes in cellular composition of the bladder that result from these 3 risk factors to gain a better understanding of DU pathogenesis and pathobiology. This research focuses on the effects of a lack of estrogen while also providing an outline for determining the effects of bladder muscle stretch and aging on the cellular composition of the bladder.

Formation Of Testosterone's 5alpha-Reduced, Versus Aromatized, Products Can Have Beneficial Cognitive And Anti-Anxiety Effects Without Negative Effects On Prostate Or Sexual Behavior Of Male Rats, Daniel Dacosta

Biological Sciences

Testosterone (T) can alter sexual, social, anxiety-like, and/or cognitive behavior of male rodents and exert trophic effects on the prostate. However, whether these effects are due to actions of T, or its 5-reduced and/or aromatized metabolites, is of interest. We tested the hypothesis that T’s effects to enhance prostate proliferation, sexual, social, cognitive and/or anti-anxiety-like behavior require formation of 5-reduced and/or aromatized metabolites. Gonadectomized (GDX) or gonadally-intact rats were administered T-containing, or empty, silastic capsules in conjunction with a 5-reductase inhibitor (finasteride; Experiment 1) or an aromatase inhibitor (formestane; Experiment 2). The performance of rats in sexual, cognitive (object recognition, …

Leveraging Online Learning Resources To Teach Core Research Skills To Undergraduates At A Diverse Research University, Brian K. Mcfarlin, Whitney L. Breslin, Katie C. Carpenter, Kelley Strohacker, Randi J. Weintraub

International Journal of Exercise Science

Int J Exerc Sci 3(2) : 49-54, 2010. Today’s students have unique learning needs and lack knowledge of core research skills. In this program report, we describe an online approach that we developed to teach core research skills to freshman and sophomore undergraduates. Specifically, we used two undergraduate kinesiology (KIN) courses designed to target students throughout campus (KIN1304: Public Health Issues in Physical Activity and Obesity) and specifically kinesiology majors (KIN1252: Foundations of Kinesiology). Our program was developed and validated at the 2nd largest ethnically diverse research university in the United States, thus we believe that it would be effective …

The Effects Of Gdf8 And Activin A On Muscle Atrophy, Amy Sato '10

Honor Scholar Theses

Muscle atrophy and weakening are major health care concerns. For instance sarcopenia, which is a condition of extreme muscle loss and weakening due to aging, was estimated to have cost over 18.5 billion for the year 2000 in the US (Dirks & Leeuwenburgh, 2005). Abilities that depend upon muscle quality like strength, functional mobility, and balance are all key components for how people evaluate their self-rated health (SRH) and quality of life (QoL) (Ozcan et al., 2005; Sirola et al., 2010). Interestingly, SRH and QoL also serve as strong predictors for institutionalization, disability, and mortality for elderly populations (Marzetti & …

Exercise Prescription And The Patient With Type 2 Diabetes: A Clinical Approach To Optimizing Patient Outcomes, Greogory R. Waryasz, Ann Yelmokas Mcdermott

Kinesiology and Public Health

To review the current recommendations for physical activity in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and propose methods to optimize compliance, reduce the pharmaceutical burden, and improve the general health and well-being of patients with T2DM.

Part I: Evaluation Of Student Assessment Of Learning Gains (Salg)In Two Different Biology 100 Classes Part 2: What Biology Concepts Are Important In General Education?: Analysis Of Seventeen Core Concepts, Jessica Marie Rosenvall Howelle

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this two-part study is to examine how to improve introductory level non-majors biology courses to improve student attitude and learning gains in the sciences. The first part of this study examines the collective effect of three different pedagogies (service learning, concept mapping and guest lectures) on student attitude and learning gains in a freshman, non-majors biology course. Two classes, one with the three pedagogies, and one without, were compared. Data were collected from two classes in Fall 2008 (one treatment and one control) and two similar classes replicated in Fall 2009. Learning and attitude gains were measured …

Insights From Comparative Analyses Of Aging In Birds And Mammals, Robert Ricklefs

Biology Department Faculty Works

Many laboratory models used in aging research are inappropriate for understanding senescence in mammals, including humans, because of fundamental differences in life history, maintenance in artificial environments, and selection for early aging and high reproductive rate. Comparative studies of senescence in birds and mammals reveal a broad range in rates of aging among a variety of taxa with similar physiology and patterns of development. These comparisons suggest that senescence is a shared property of all vertebrates with determinate growth, that the rate of senescence has been modified by evolution in response to the potential life span allowed by extrinsic mortality …

Attractor Divergence As A Metric For Assessing Walking Balance, Max J. Kurz, Katerina Markopoulou, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

: Individuals with Parkinson's disease and the aged have a high prevalence of falls. Since an increase in the number of falls is associated with physical and psychological harm, it is prudent that biomechanical metrics be established that will accurately assess an individual's walking balance. In this investigation, we initially used a simple bipedal walking computer model to theoretically establish the relationship between attractor divergence and walking balance. The Lyapunov exponent was used to quantify the amount of divergence present in the walking attractor. Simulations from our model indicated that attractors that have a greater amount of divergence are more …

Fall 2010, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Variability Of Lower Extremity Joint Kinematics During Backward Walking In A Virtual Environment, Dimitrios Kastavelis, Mukul Mukherjee, Leslie M. Decker, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Backward walking (BW) shows significant differences with forward walking (FW) and these differences are potentially useful in rehabilitation. However the lack of visual cues makes BW risky. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of visual cues provided by a virtual environment on FW and BW on gait variability. Each subject underwent four conditions of treadmill walking at self-selected pace. The subjects walked backwards in three conditions and forwards in the fourth condition. A virtual corridor was displayed to the subjects in the FW condition (forward optic flow) and two of the backward conditions (forward and backward …

Attenuated Response Of Aged Mice To Respiratory Francisella Novicida Is Characterized By Reduced Cell Death And Absence Of Subsequent Hypercytokinemia, Chris A. Mares, J. Sharma, S. S. Ojeda, Q. Li, J. A. Campos, E. G. Morris, J. J. Coalson, J. M. Teale

Biology Faculty Publications (Archived)

Background: Pneumonia and pulmonary infections are major causes of mortality among the growing elderly population. Age associated attenuations of various immune parameters, involved with both innate and adaptive responses are collectively known as immune senescence. These changes are likely to be involved with differences in host susceptibility to disease between young and aged individuals. Methodology/Principal Findings: The objective of this study was to assess potential age related differences in the pulmonary host response in mice to the Gram-negative respiratory pathogen, Francisella novicida. We intranasally infected mice with F. novicida and compared various immune and pathological parameters of the pulmonary host …

Predicting Successful Aging In A Population-Based Sample Of Georgia Centenarians, Jonathan Arnold, Jianliang Dai, Lusine Nahapetyan, Ankit Arte, Mary Ann Johnson, Dorothy Hausman, Willard L. Rodgers, Robert Hensley, Peter Martin, Maurice Macdonald, Adam Davey, Ilene C. Siegler, S. Michal Jazwinski, Leonard W. Poon

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Used a population-based sample (Georgia Centenarian Study, GCS), to determine proportions of centenarians reaching 100 years as (1) survivors (43%) of chronic diseases first experienced between 0–80 years of age, (2) delayers (36%) with chronic diseases first experienced between 80–98 years of age, or (3) escapers (17%) with chronic diseases only at 98 years of age or older. Diseases fall into two morbidity profiles of 11 chronic diseases; one including cardiovascular disease, cancer, anemia, and osteoporosis, and another including dementia. Centenarians at risk for cancer in their lifetime tended to be escapers (73%), while those at risk for cardiovascular disease …

Refinement Of Biomarker Pentosidine Methodology For Use On Aging Birds, Crissa K. Cooey, Jesse A. Fallon, Michael L. Avery, James T. Anderson, Elizabeth A. Falkenstein, Hillar Klandorf

Human–Wildlife Interactions

There is no reliable method for determining age for most species of long-lived birds. Recent success using the skin chemical pentosidine as a biomarker has shown promise as an aging tool for birds. Pentosidine levels have been determined only from the breast tissue of carcasses, and we sought to refine the procedure with respect to biopsy size and location for safe and effective use on living birds. We compared pentosidine concentrations in 4 skin-size samples (4, 6, 8, and 20-mm diameter biopsies) from the breast of black vulture (Coragyps atratus) carcasses. We also compared pentosidine levels from breast …

Nonlinear Analysis Of Ambulatory Activity Patterns In Community-Dwelling Older Adults, James T. Cavanaugh, Naomi Kochi, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Background The natural ambulatory activity patterns of older adults are not well understood. User-worn monitors illuminate patterns of ambulatory activity and generate data suitable for analysis using measures derived from nonlinear dynamics.

MethodsAmbulatory activity data were collected continuously from 157 community-dwelling older adults for 2 weeks. Participants were separated post hoc into groups based on the mean number of steps per day: highly active (steps ≥ 10,000), moderately active (5,000 ≤ steps < 10,000 steps), and inactive (steps

Results All groups displayed patterns of fluctuating step count values containing complex temporal structure. DFA, ER, and ApEn parameter values increased monotonically and significantly with increasing activity …

Infants Born Preterm Exhibit Different Patterns Of Center-Of-Pressure Movement Than Infants Born At Full Term, Stacey C. Dusing, Anastasia Kyvelidou, Vicki S. Mercer, Nikolaos Stergiou

Journal Articles

Background: Infants born preterm are at risk for developmental impairments related to postural control.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether infants born preterm and infants born at full term differed in postural control at 1 to 3 weeks after term age.

Design: This study included 17 infants born preterm (mean gestational age=31.9 weeks, range=25.0–34.6) and 15 infants born at full term (mean gestational age=38.9 weeks, range=37.3–40.6). All infants were without diagnosed neurological or genetic conditions.

Measurement: Center-of-pressure (COP) data were recorded at 5 Hz while each infant was positioned supine on a pressure-sensitive mat …

Regular Physical Activity Is Correlated With A Reduced Frequency Of Senescent T-Lymphocytes In Middle-Aged Men, Guillaume Spielmann, Brian K. Mcfarlin, Paula J.W. Smith, Keith Guy, Richard J. Simpson

International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Consequences Of Recruitmentdecisions And Heterogeneity On Age-Specific Breeding Success In A Long-Lived Seabird, Lise M. Aubry, David N. Koons, Jean Yves Monnat, Emmanuelle Cam

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

An individual’s age at first reproduction and investment in successive reproductive attempts are involved in mechanisms that can impede somatic repair, resulting in a decline in reproductive abilities with age (reproductive senescence). We used long-term data from the Black-legged Kittiwake, a long-lived seabird, to address the relationship between recruitment age, age-specific breeding success (BS), and reproductive senescence, while accounting for breeding experience and temporal variation in BS. We first detected late-life improvement in BS across all recruitment groups, which we recognized as ‘‘within-generation selection’’ or the selective disappearance of ‘‘frail’’ phenotypes. When such heterogeneity was accurately accounted for, we showed …

Reliability Of Sixteen Balance Tests In Individuals With Down Syndrome, Romina Villamonte

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of sixteen balance tests in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). The following tests were performed on 21 participants with DS, aged 5-31 years of age; standing test on firm and soft surfaces with the eyes opened and closed, a balance subset of the Bruininks-Oseretsky test, full turn, timed-up-and-go test, forward reach, and sit-to-stand. Each participant completed all 16 assessments twice on one day and then again on a subsequent day for a total of four trials. Seven tests had reliability coefficients greater than 0.55; one-leg stand on floor (0.76), on …

Modulation Of Lps-Induced Activation Of Hepatic Map Kinases, Oliver Surriga

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a potent inflammagen that has been found to be primarily responsible for many symptoms caused by gram-negative bacterial infections. The LPS-initiated signal transduction pathways involve several terminal kinases, mainly p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), ultimately leading to increased expression of genes encoding such inflammatory cytokines as interleukin (IL )-1 �. IL-6 and tumor necrosis factors (TNF)-u. In this study, the effects of age on LPS-induced activation of MAPKs in the liver of rats were examined. Results show that the basal level of phosphorylated p42/44 MAPK was increased in postnatal day …

Characterization Of The Human Mixed Lineage Leukemia Protein Homolog Set1 In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Illona Savich

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Abstract not Included

Consumer Preferences: The Role Of Food Emotions In Food Choice, Jessica Glass

All Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the driving factors in food choice. The Flavor Pyramid, introduced by Steven Kaun, indicates that the foundation of consumer food choice is emotional (Kaun, 2005). This study serves as a preliminary means to validate the role of the emotional component of food choice in today's market. Four gingerbread formulas, one from 1430, 1861, 2004, and a new product, were evaluated in a sensory panel in order to collect preliminary data on the role that food emotions play in consumer preference. Nearly sixty-six percent of all panelists chose the 2004 recipe as the …

Power Training: Can It Improve Functional Performance In Older Adults? A Systematic Review, John Rice†, Justin Keogh‡

International Journal of Exercise Science

Older adults’ reduced performance in functional activities of daily living (ADL) such as gait, sit to stand or stair climbing may reflect age-related declines in muscular power more so than strength. Therefore, this review was conducted to determine if power training is effective in improving the functional ability of older adults, and if so, if it was more effective than strength training. The review was performed using Medline (PubMed), CINAHL, Sports Discus, ProQuest 5000 International and Google Scholar with the keywords “power training”, “older adult” and “elder” and all derivatives. Of the 12 eligible studies identified, nine also included a …

Physical Activity In Individuals With Down Syndrome: An Overview, And Suggestions For Appropriate Activities And Instructional Techniques, Lauren La Course

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) can benefit immensely from the physical as well as social and psychological aspects of sport and exercise. However, because their physical and mental capacities stray from the norm it can often be hard to find suitable activities for them, accessible venues and knowledgeable instructors. This paper outlines the physiological differences associated with DS in regards to the musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system, and the immune system, in addition to addressing the higher incidence of certain health conditions, such as diabetes, osteoporosis and Alzheimer’s disease, and the relationship exercise has with these conditions.

The reasons for low …

The Role Of Antioxidants In Combating The Aging Process, Kwangli Park

Inquiry Journal 2009

No abstract provided.

Age Estimates Of Two Large Misty Grouper, Epinephelus Mystacinus (Serranidae) From Bermuda With A Comparison Of The Age Of Tropical Groupers In The Western Atlantic, Brian E. Luckhurst, John M. Dean

Gulf and Caribbean Research

Misty grouper are known to attain at least 54 kg and 115 cm total length (TL) (Heemstra and Randall 1993) although a maximum size of 160 cm TL is reported (Appeldoorn et al. 1987, cited in www.FishBase.com). Recently, two specimens (152 and 157 mm TL) were landed by commercial fisherman from the edge of the Bermuda platform, providing documentation of the maximum size which may be attained by this species. There are no age and growth studies on misty grouper (Heemstra and Randall 1993; www.FishBase.com). Therefore, the age data presented here, although not validated, represent the first estimates of maximum …

Basal Autophagy Induction Without Amp-Activated Protein Kinase Under Low Glucose Conditions, Tyisha Williams, L. J. Forsberg, B. Viollet, J. E. Brenman

Biology Faculty Research

When ATP levels in a cell decrease, various homeostatic intracellular mechanisms initiate attempts to restore ATP levels. As a prominent energy sensor, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) represents one molecular gauge that links energy levels to regulation of anabolic and catabolic processes to restore energy balance. Although pharmacological studies have suggested that an AMPK activator, AIC AR (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside) may link AMPK activation to autophagy, a process that can provide short-term energy within the cell, AICAR can have AMPK-independent effects. Therefore, using a genetic-based approach we investigated the role of AMPK in cellular energy balance. We demonstrate that genetically altered cells, …

Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facilty 2008 Annual Report, Issue 7, Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facility

Biomechanics Annual Report

April 2008 - March 2009

This issue features Announcements, Featured News, Nonlinear Workshop, Projects, Collaborations, Visitors, Awards, Publications, and Support.

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. …

Ulk-Atg13-Fip200 Complexes Mediate Mtor Signaling To The Autophagy Machinery, Chang Hwa Jung, Chang Bong Jun, Seung-Hyun Ro, Young-Mi Kim, Neil Michael Otto, Jing Cao, Mondira Kundu, Do-Hyung Kim

Department of Biochemistry: Faculty Publications

Autophagy, the starvation-induced degradation of bulky cytosolic components, is up-regulated in mammalian cells when nutrient supplies are limited. Although mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is known as the key regulator of autophagy induction, the mechanism by which mTOR regulates autophagy has remained elusive. Here, we identify that mTOR phosphorylates a mammalian homologue of Atg13 and the mammalian Atg1 homologues ULK1 and ULK2. The mammalian Atg13 binds both ULK1 and ULK2 and mediates the interaction of the ULK proteins with FIP200. The binding of Atg13 stabilizes and activates ULK and facilitates the phosphorylation of FIP200 by ULK, whereas knockdown of Atg13 …