Life Sciences Commons^™

Safety Of Blood Flow Restriction Training For Musculoskeletal Disorders: An Evidence-To-Practice Review, Breanna Ferguson, Erica Schulman, Matthew Zimmerman, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Blood flow restriction training (BFRT) is low-level resistance training while partially occluding proximal blood flow. It is well documented that this style of training leads to increased muscle size as well as strength. It is theorized that these size and strength gains are due in part to the decreased oxygen environment. This results in increased muscular stress without the need for increased external load making this style of resistance training ideal for individuals who have restrictions due to musculoskeletal disorders. The guiding systematic review examined the safety of BFRT when used as a therapeutic intervention for patients with a variety …

Graston Technique® Combined With Therapeutic Intervention As An Alternative Treatment For A Grade Iii Ucl Thumb Sprain: A Disablement Model Case Study, Raul Anaya Jr., Kim Bacalla, Annette D. Monk

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Nonoperative measures have been shown to have positive effects on thumb ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) sprains considered less than complete. This case presents evidence supporting Graston Technique® (GT) plus therapeutic exercise in order to decrease pain and stiffness in a collegiate football athlete who sustained a grade III UCL sprain. The results showed that there was a reduction in pain level above the minimal clinically importance difference, and ROM improved throughout the three-week intervention. The findings of this case study provide minimal support for an alternative treatment to reduce pain and stiffness in a grade III UCL sprain, with further …

Using The Mulligan Mobilization With Movement And Fibular Repositioning To Treat High School Patients With A Grade One Lateral Ankle Sprain, Alexander Zettlemoyer, Rich Patterson, Russell Baker, Alan Nasypany

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Ankle injuries are common among high school athletics with the highest incidence rates in boys and girls basketball and boys football. Novel treatment paradigms like the Mulligan Mobilization with Movement (MWM) in conjunction with fibular repositioning tape have shown promising results in reducing pain, disability, and time lost due to lateral ankle sprains (LAS). However, research focusing on Mulligan treatment strategies and ankle swelling following a LAS is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this case series was to evaluate the combined effects of the MWM and fibular repositioning taping on swelling, function, and pain in high school patients with an …

Hiring Practices Among Ncaa Division Iii Head Athletic Trainers, J P. Goza, S A. Cage, Z K. Winkelmann, B J. Warner, M Mckenney

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Context: Limited empirical evidence exists on how athletic trainers (ATs) are hired by NCAA institutions. Current legislation protects many demographics from discrimination during hiring, but these laws may not be enforced by institutions. Thus, the purpose of this study was to describe potential factors that might influence the hiring practices of NCAA Division III Head Athletic Trainers. Methods: We used a web-based survey (Qualtrics) that was distributed by email to 329 NCAA Division III Head Athletic Trainers. A total of 114 ATs completed the survey (response and completion rate=34.7%). The survey included a prompt for hiring an assistant athletic trainer …

Herpes Zoster As An Incidental Finding During Treatment For Thoracic Back Pain In A Collegiate Baseball Player, L E. Trail, B J. Warner, R L. Peebles, R M. Galbraith, C Cox, S A. Cage

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Background: A 21-year-old male collegiate baseball pitcher reported to the athletic training staff complaining of thoracic back pain when throwing during the non-traditional season. The patient did not recall a specific mechanism of injury, and noted that his pain had gradually increased over time. The patient reported no previous history of thoracic or lumbar spine injury. Further evaluation revealed multiple myofascial adhesions that did not resolve with conservative treatments. After the failure of conservative treatment, the patient was referred to the team physician for further evaluation.. Differential Diagnosis: Myofascial adhesions, Rib subluxation, Thoracic Disc Herniation Treatment: Upon referral, the team …

Synthesized Copper Oxide Nanoparticles Via The Green Route Act As Antagonists To Pathogenic Root-Knot Nematode, Meloidogyne Incognita, Amir Khan, Manar Fawzi Bani Mfarrej, Mohtaram Danish, Mohammad Shariq, Mohd Farhan Khan, Moh Sajid Ansari, Mohamed Hashem, Saad Alamri, Faheem Ahmad

All Works

This investigation explains the green synthesis, characterization and biocontrol potential of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) against second-stage juveniles (J2s) of root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita infesting chickpea. Mono-disperse, spherical, pure CuONPs were synthesized from Jatropha curcas leaf with particle sizes ranging from 5 to 15 nm in diameter. Antagonistic activities of synthesized CuONPs were studied against Meloidogyne incognita. The highest mortality of J2s was found in the 200 ppm concentration of CuONPs at 24 h of exposure. The exact concentration also showed maximum inhibition of J2s hatching from egg masses after six days of exposure. It was worth noting that 25 …

An Analysis Of The Spatial Genetic Structure Of A Hybrid Zone Between Two Species Of Killifish, Fundulus Heteroclitus And F. Grandis, Andrew Lee Hardy

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hybridization offers unique insight into the evolutionary process of speciation and the forces that maintain barriers to reproduction. In northeast Florida, a hybrid zone between two species of killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus and F. grandis, has been identified near Flagler Beach, FL, although the exact boundaries of the hybrid zone remain unknown (Gonzalez et al. 2009). This study aims to determine the fine-scale spatial genetic patterns of the hybrid zone and test the hypothesis that species ranges are influenced by changes in dominant vegetation. Results from an ADMIXTURE analysis and F_ST data indicated the boundary of the area of …

Analysis Of The Antimicrobial Activity Of The Novel Chemotherapeutic Drug, Tpp1, Against Pseudomonas Aeruginosa And The Hydrogel Delivery Of Water-Soluble Antimicrobial Compounds, Alex Gasper

Senior Independent Study Theses

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world, and it is commonly linked with bacterial infections that often complicate treatments. Recently, chemotherapeutics have been developed that are able to act as anti-cancer agents using delocalized lipophilic cations (DLCs) that are able to specifically target mitochondrial membranes of cancer cells. TPP1 is a newly developed chemotherapeutic drug that has activity against bladder cancer and melanoma cell lines in vitro. In order to determine if TPP1 has antimicrobial activity, TPP1 was tested against a common bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, to determine if antimicrobial activity was present. This testing was …

The Effects Of Venlafaxine And Voluntary Exercise On Chronic Unpredictable Stress Induced Anxiety, Marly Mcgowan

Senior Independent Study Theses

Anxiety disorders can impair cognition and emotional control, particularly in the face of novel situations, which is concerning due to the high prevalence of such diagnoses. Exposure to unpredictable chronic stress can provide a way to induce anxiety-like behaviors in rodents by disrupting the stress response systems, including the HPA axis and autonomic nervous system. Pharmacological treatments, including SNRIs like venlafaxine, and voluntary exercise are both anxiolytic treatments that can alleviate the impacts of chronic stress. Using unpredictable chronic stress to mimic the human condition, and exposure to venlafaxine and exercise to mitigate the stress, the open field and elevated …

Time Flies: An Analysis Of Circadian Impact Upon Cell Cycle Regulation Using Boolean Modeling And A Developmental Drosophila Model, Emma Elizabeth Davidson

Senior Independent Study Theses

No abstract provided.

Microplastics As Carrier Of Pahs Released From Oil Spills: Measuring Ingestion And Bioaccumulation Rates In Copepods, Manasi Desai

Senior Independent Study Theses

Microplastics (MP; plastics < 5mm) are a growing problem in the marine environment due to a large influx of plastics entering the marine environment through rivers, wastewater and litter from land. MP are known to adsorb nonpolar compounds in the water including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) released from oil spills. In this study, I quantified the ingestion rates of a marine copepod (Calanus finmarchicus) on clean polystyrene MP beads (12 um) and phenanthrene loaded MP beads (0.8 pg PAH pellet -1). I measured the phenanthrene load in copepods ingesting phenanthrene sorbed MPs and copepods exposed to phenanthrene only to measure the role of MP as a vector for PAHs into marine food webs. Additionally, I examined the fecal pellets to check the presence of MPs and if phenanthrene was still adsorbed to them. The results showed that microplastics do not act as vectors as there was no significant difference between the body load of phenanthrene in copepods from ingestion of PAH sorbed MPs and the body load from passive uptake of phenanthrene in solution. Copepods ate significantly lower phenanthrene loaded MP (1.81 x 104 beads cop-1 day-1) than microplastics only (2.67 x 104 beads cop-1 day-1) suggesting that copepods can reject particles based on chemical content. Accumulation of phenanthrene within the copepods (GC-MS analysis) showed individual copepods can accumulate between 3.48 to 4.11 ng of PAH which potentially can biomagnify in the marine food web upon predation. Fecal pellet analysis showed that an average of 2013 MP beads are present with a mean phenanthrene load of 0.15 pg bead-1. For the social science research, I conducted a literature review examining the current Indian plastic waste management strategies, legislations and its implementation. My results find that the Indian government over the years has progressively enacted and amended its policies to try to keep pace with the issue of plastic pollution. However, key challenges in the implementation such as poor enforcement, inadequate training for recycling lack of plastic alternatives and proper waste disposal infrastructure all contribute to the unsuccessful management of waste. Usage of plastic in road construction has shown to be a viable option in reducing plastic waste in India and also improving road conditions.

Differentiating The Effects Of Two Non-Native Fish In The Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Sarah Richardson

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

This study seeks to determine the individual effects of two non-native fish, the brook stickleback, Culaea inconstans, and pumpkinseed, Lepomis gibbosus, on the aquatic invertebrates and food webs of Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR). Ten ponds were analyzed and compared with stable isotope analysis and invertebrate abundance data. Three ponds were chosen to represent each of the following categories: fishless, brook stickleback invaded (BS), and coinvaded, along with a single pumpkinseed (PS) pond. Overall, δ[superscript]13C and δ[superscript]15N values increased in invaded ponds, indicating shifts in the zooplankton community structure and the carbon source of predatory invertebrates. Mean δ[superscript]13C was the …

Investigating How Bat Ectoparasites Influence The Skin Microbiome Diversity And Composition In Washington State Bats, Dana E. Colley

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

White-Nose Syndrome (WNS), caused by the psychrophilic pathogenic fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), has killed millions of bats in the eastern United States since its initial introduction in 2006 and recent expansion into the western U.S. Understanding factors that contribute to the spread of Pd and risk of infection is crucial for management of WNS. Bat ectoparasites, including bat mites and bat flies, are omnipresent in bat populations, yet the relationship between these ectoparasites and bat health is still unknown. We examined the relationship between bat ectoparasites and the skin microbiome in relation to WNS infection risk in Washington State bats. …

Role Of Seed Mixes, Biochar Soil Amendment, And The Soil Seed Bank In Improving Palouse Prairie Restoration, Kristine Snyder

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

The Palouse Prairie Ecoregion of Eastern Washington and Idaho is critically endangered. Eastern Washington University (EWU) has begun a ~120 acre campus prairie restoration; however, there is considerable uncertainty about the most effective restoration approach. Annual seeds and soil organic matter are important for succession and soil moisture, but their roles are unknown for Palouse prairie restoration. Additionally, the soil seedbank of the Palouse ecoregion is widely unknown but could provide insight into methods or species to use for restoration. My research aimed to determine the effects of seed mix diversity, annual seed addition, and soil organic matter (as biochar) …

Quality Improvement: Implementation Of Individualized Concussion Patient Education And Rehabilitation Treatment Plans, Briana Burgette, Tamara C. Valovich Mcleod

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Concussion is a significant health issue at all levels of sports participation. At Saint Luke’s Health System (SLHS) in Kansas City, Missouri, the sports medicine and concussion team discovered an issue with dissemination of patient education for concussion rehabilitation plans. A quality improvement project was launched in August 2019 to develop concussion educational rehabilitation plans, incorporating cluster symptoms into concussion profiles and improving communication during follow-up care. The project promoted improvement of patient understanding of individualized rehabilitation plans and effective communication for the treatment management team. Three cycles of a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement project were completed over 6 months. …

Characteristics Of Sickle Cell Trait Policies And Procedures At Ncaa Division I Institutions, H Parker, B J. Warner, D M. Gallegos, S A. Cage

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Context: In 2010, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) introduced a proposal addressing sickle cell trait screening. This proposal later became a policy that required student-athletes in their first year of eligibility to provide their institution with accurate information regarding their sickle cell trait status. There does not appear to be a recent study published that has examined the sickle cell trait policies and procedures currently being used by NCAA Division I institutions. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of sickle cell trait policies and procedures at NCAA Division I institutions. Methods: We used a web-based …

Characteristics Of Sickle Cell Trait Policies And Procedures At Ncaa Division Iii Institutions, M A. Eilers, B J. Warner, D M. Gallegos, J A. Clark, S A. Cage

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Context: In 2010, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) introduced a proposal addressing sickle cell trait screening. This proposal later became a policy that required student-athletes in their first year of eligibility to provide their institution with accurate information regarding their sickle cell trait status. There does not appear to be a recent study published that has examined the sickle cell trait screening policy and procedures currently being used by NCAA Division III Institutions. Thus, the purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of sickle cell trait policies and procedures at NCAA Division III institutions. Methods: We used …

The Effects Of Body Tempering On Force Production, Flexibility And Muscle Soreness In Collegiate Football Athletes, Christopher B. Taber, Roy Colter, Jair J. Davis, Patrick A. Seweje, Dustin P. Wilson, Jonathan Z. Foster, Justin J. Merrigan

Exercise Science Faculty Publications

There has been limited research to explore the use of body tempering and when the use of this modality would be most appropriate. This study aimed to determine if a body tempering intervention would be appropriate pre-exercise by examining its effects on perceived soreness, range of motion (ROM), and force production compared to an intervention of traditional stretching. The subjects for this study were ten Division 1 (D1) football linemen from Sacred Heart University (Age: 19.9 ± 1.5 years, body mass: 130.9 ± 12.0 kg, height: 188.4 ± 5.1 cm, training age: 8.0 ± 3.5 years). Subjects participated in three …

Twelve Week Calcium Collagen Chelate Or Calcium Plus Vitamin D Supplementation Does Not Affect Bone Metabolism In Trained Cyclists, Beau K. Greer, Christopher Mojock, Bahram Arjmandi, Jeong-Su Kim, Michael Ormsbee, Lynn Panton

Exercise Science Faculty Publications

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether 12 weeks of calcium collagen chelate (CCC) supplementation during habitual training would affect body composition, bone mineral density (BMD), and biomarkers of bone metabolism in competitive cyclists. Twenty trained (maximal aerobic capacity > 50 ml/kg/min, mean training volume: 28 h/wk) male cyclists performed maximal exercise testing and 40-km time trials (TT) on an electronically braked cycle ergometer. BMD of the whole body, lumbar spine (L1-L4), and both hips were measured via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The cyclists were assigned to one of two groups: 1) 6 g/d of CCC with 600 …

The Landscape Of Accessible Chromatin In Quiescent Cardiac Fibroblasts And Cardiac Fibroblasts Activated After Myocardial Infarction, Chaoyang Yi, Jiangwen Sun, Qianglin Liu, Sanjeeva Dodlapati, Hao Ming, Leshan Wang, Yuxia Li, Rui Li, Zongliang Jiang, Joseph Francis, Xing Fu

Computer Science Faculty Publications

After myocardial infarction, the massive death of cardiomyocytes leads to cardiac fibroblast proliferation and myofibroblast differentiation, which contributes to the extracellular matrix remodelling of the infarcted myocardium. We recently found that myofibroblasts further differentiate into matrifibrocytes, a newly identified cardiac fibroblast differentiation state. Cardiac fibroblasts of different states have distinct gene expression profiles closely related to their functions. However, the mechanism responsible for the gene expression changes during these activation and differentiation events is still not clear. In this study, the gene expression profiling and genome-wide accessible chromatin mapping of mouse cardiac fibroblasts isolated from the uninjured myocardium and the …

Soil Organic Carbon Accumulation In Restored Native Prairies Over Time, Samrin Shahnaz

Honors Program Theses

With the recent focus on the causes and effects of climate change, the relationship between agriculture and climate change has become an important concern. Conventional farming maximizes crop production at the expense of ecosystem services like soil carbon storage. As the human population grows, it is vital to develop practices that balance crop production and ecosystem services.

We investigated organic carbon accumulation in restored prairie soil over the course of a decade. Our goal was to determine how organic carbon levels and soil bulk density changed over time, and how that change was influenced by species diversity and soil depth. …

The Development Of A Photographic Atlas Of Plant Adaptations For Pollination, Bethany Van Dusseldorp

Honors Program Theses

Plants have biotic, abiotic, or both biotic and abiotic adaptations for pollination, depending on how they are structured and the attraction between the plant and pollinator. The main focus for this project was biotic adaptations for pollination, and how various plants are specifically structured for the insect, bird, or mammal to pick up the pollen and carry it to the next plant. Documentation, using image/focus stacking and macro photography, was done of the structures of various plants from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Botanical Center to support the reason for why plants are structured the way they are. While …

Developing Methods To Assess The Role Of Lumbricus Terrestris On Seed Predation In Prairie Restoration, Jacey R. Meier

Honors Program Theses

Tallgrass prairie used to cover Iowa and much of the midwest, but now only a small percentage of it remains. Many prairie restoration efforts are in place to revitalize Iowa’s former prairie landscape. Native prairie seed that is genetically diverse and regionally appropriate is expensive, and only 5-10% of the seeds planted germinate into seedlings. Ungerminated seed loss can occur many ways, one being due to seed predation. The common earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris, is a seed predator that has been observed to be present at prairie restoration sites by its numerous middens. The goal was to develop methods that would …

An Exploration On Apts In Biocybersecurity And Cyberbiosecurity, Xavier-Lewis Palmer, Lucas Potter, Saltuk Karahan

School of Cybersecurity Faculty Publications

Novel and complex digital threats that are increasingly interwoven with means and products of biology that can affect society. Much work in Biocybersecurity/Cyberbiosecurity (BCS/CBS) discuss vulnerabilities, but few deeply address malicious actor varieties as attacks at this intersection are new. The path to those attacks remains mostly theoretical, presenting considerable difficulty to accomplish in practical scenarios. In terms of advanced persistent threats (APTs) this of course needs to change as biomanufacturing facilities are at risk, considering Covid-19 and other potential pandemics. Further attacks are not out of reach and thus we must start to imagine how BCS APTs may appear. …

Prairie Strips: The Roadman Farm, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Tallgrass Prairie Publications and Reports

Report on the implementation of prairie plants in contour farming on a farm in Grundy County, Iowa.

Intensity Of Adoption Of Integrated Pest Management Practices In Rwanda: A Fractional Logit Approach, Vincent Gadamba Misango, Jonathan Makau Nzuma, Patrick Irungu, Menale Kassie

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The push-pull technology (PPT) is considered as an alternative integrated pest management strategy for the control of fall armyworm and stemborer, among smallholder maize farmers in sub-Sahara African to conventional pesticides. However, the extent of PPT use in Rwanda where the technology was introduced in 2017 remains largely unexplored. This paper employed a fractional logit model to assess the factors influencing the intensity of adoption of PPT among smallholder maize farmers in Gatsibo and Nyagatare districts of Rwanda using survey data obtained from 194 PPT adopter households selected using a cluster sampling technique. While only 5 percent of smallholder farmers …

How Does Flow Alteration Propagate Across A Large, Highly Regulated Basin? Dam Attributes, Network Context, And Implications For Biodiversity, Albert Ruhi, Jeongwoo Hwang, Naresh Devineni, Sudarshana Mukhopadhyay, Hemant Kumar, Lise Comte, Scott Worland, A. Sankarasubramanian

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Large dams are a leading cause of river ecosystem degradation. Although dams have cumulative effects as water flows downstream in a river network, most flow alteration research has focused on local impacts of single dams. Here we examined the highly regulated Colorado River Basin (CRB) to understand how flow alteration propagates in river networks, as influenced by the location and characteristics of dams as well as the structure of the river network—including the presence of tributaries. We used a spatial Markov network model informed by 117 upstream-downstream pairs of monthly flow series (2003–2017) to estimate flow alteration from 84 intermediate-to-large …

Forecasting The Outcomes Of Managing A Rare Endemic Plant At Its Elevational Limit Under Climate Change Scenarios, Ethan Reibsome

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Lupinus constancei (Lassics lupine) is an exceptionally rare forb with a population that in 2020 consisted of 1,300 individuals located on two adjacent mountaintops in northwestern California, USA. Past work has demonstrated the species is threatened by high levels of seed predation by small mammals, which is likely the result of fire exclusion and the subsequent vegetation encroachment that both increases small mammal habitat and directly reduces suitable habitat for the species. Because of this, active management through caging of reproductive individuals to reduce seed consumption has been conducted every year since 2003. In addition, growing season temperatures have increased …

Legal Recognition Of Animal Sentience: The Case For Cautious Optimism, Jane Kotzmann

Animal Sentience

Rowan et al.’s target article provides a valuable indication of the work that was required to reach the point where animals are recognised as sentient in various laws. To ensure this work was not in vain, the language of sentience needs to be used as a moral currency to demand further cultural change involving greater human respect for animals.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery For Pituitary Adenomas: A Review Of Literature, Kaynat Siddiqui, Saqib Kamran Bakhshi, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim

Section of Neurosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a choice of treatment for pituitary adenomas (PA), particularly for residual or recurrent disease, apart from surgery. It has a progression free survival and endocrine remission rate comparable to surgery, with fewer side effects, making it an ideal tool for dealing with PA. In this review, we have discussed the role of SRS for primary as well as post-operative residual/ recurrent PA, and have assessed its safety and outcomes.