Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Acute And Chronic Effects Of Highly Cushioned Shoes On Loading Characteristics In Recreational Runners, Jessica Corkin

All NMU Master's Theses

Recently, highly cushioned shoes (HCS) entered the running market, and manufacturers suggested extra cushioning potentially reduced injury rates through superior shock absorption, implying less impact upon foot strike versus other shoes. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 4-week HCS intervention on running-related impact forces in adult recreational runners. We hypothesized HCS would result in altered force attenuation compared to standard cushioned shoes (SCS) at baseline. After 4-weeks, we speculated differences would not be attenuated. Twenty-nine healthy runners (18-60 yrs of age) who had never worn HCS were randomized to either an intervention (INV) …

Post-Activation Potentiation: Decay Or Fatigue Delay, Ryan L. Meidinger

All NMU Master's Theses

Post-activation potentiation has been shown to improve jumping performance and other ballistic activities. The improvements in performance have been attributed to four main mechanisms, but the most important mechanism to the current study is the improvement in neural activity that leads to greater levels of potentiation. Post-activation potentiation has been shown to be stimulated by a maximal activity, called a conditioning contraction, and can be used as a warm up. In studies that have not shown the effects of post-activation potentiation, the proposed reason is fatigue, but the interaction of post-activation potentiation and fatigue have not been thoroughly tested. The …

A Platform For The Discovery And Characterization Of Proteins That Associate With Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Rna Polymerase, Danielle N. Brogren

All NMU Master's Theses

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen notable for its ability to colonize the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. Once the bacterium infects and colonizes humans, it is extremely difficult to eradicate. This leads to long-term infections that significantly damage the lungs and other tissues. P. aeruginosa infections are challenging to treat due to the bacterium’s natural antibiotic resistance and the rise of multidrug resistant strains. Development of novel drug treatments are a necessity.

In all organisms, the regulation of gene expression is a highly controlled process. Remarkably, in P. aeruginosa bioinformatics studies showed that 20% of its genome is …

The Effect Of Hyperthermic Whole Body Heat Stimulus (Sauna) On Heat Shock Protein 70 And Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy In Young Males During Weight Training, Brandon C. Jones Mr.

All NMU Master's Theses

The traditional Finnish steam sauna is theorized to aid skeletal muscle hypertrophy by stimulating Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70), which acts as a molecular chaperone to the folding of functional skeletal muscle. The aim of this study was to investigate if stimulating HSP70 by using a sauna (45 – 50 ͦC, 80% Humidity) three times per week, for 15 minutes, could aid skeletal muscle hypertrophy during six weeks of resistance training in a young (21.38 ± 1.9 yrs.), recreationally trained male population. Thirteen subjects were randomly distributed into 3 groups [resistance Training + sauna (RT+S, n=5), RT + Relaxation (RT+R, …

Characterization Of Transmembrane Protein 35 Expression: Considerations Of Sex And Ovarian Hormones, Amanda M. Vanderplow

All NMU Master's Theses

The recently discovered novel neuropeptide transmembrane protein 35 (TMEM35), is believed to modulate chemical signaling within the nervous system. Notably, the TMEM35 protein is detectable in humans, non-human primates and rodents, suggesting a conserved and critical function. Despite this, the functions of TMEM35 are ill-defined in the nervous system and insufficiently studied (currently only three publications). Previous work has identified high expression of TMEM35 in both the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) and the limbic circuit of the mouse brain. Due to the known functions of these two regions, this pattern of expression indicates possible roles of this neuropeptide in social behavior …

Comparison Of Clinical Versus Mechanical Measurements In Detecting Lower Limb Asymmetries Associated With A Second Acl Injury, Alicia E. Denherder

All NMU Master's Theses

Study Design: Quasi-experimental. Objectives: To compare clinical and mechanical measures in detecting lower limb asymmetries associated with second anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Background: Knee extension moment (KExtM) asymmetry is predictive of second ACL injury. Evaluation of clinical return to sport tests to assess and classify asymmetry is needed. Methods: While performing the drop vertical jump (DVJ), thirty healthy individuals underwent 3D motion analysis. Absolute difference in KExtM between limbs at initial contact of the DVJ (KExtM symmetry) was calculated separately for each trial and averaged. Subjects performed single leg hop (SLH) and Y-Balance tests (YBT). Limb symmetry index (LSI) …

Molecular Subtyping Of Staphylococcus Aureus Isolates From The U.P. Community For The Presence Of Toxin-Encoding Genes, Carol I. Kessel

All NMU Master's Theses

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of human bacterial infections; however, humans can also be asymptomatically colonized with S. aureus. Asymptomatic carriers can potentially spread S. aureus infection to others. These infections can range from mild to severe. The pathology of a S. aureus infection is often dependent on which toxins are expressed and the virulence factors with which they are associated. One goal of this study was to isolate S. aureus from healthy, consenting adult volunteers who submitted nasal swabs for culture and qRT-PCR analysis to determine which strains are present in the community. This knowledge could …