Musculoskeletal, Neural, and Ocular Physiology Commons^™

Modeling Psychological And Demographic Predictors Of Analog Astronaut Mission Participation, Christian Yeara Herrero, Frányerson R. López Ochoa, Mackenzie Thomas, Phoebe Fleshman

Student Research Symposium (SRS)

As plans accelerate to send humans into orbit and to other celestial bodies, whether to lunar outposts, Mars bases, or commercial space stations, it becomes increasingly important to understand how to maintain healthy, cohesive, and productive crews in confined, isolated environments. A practical way to study human adaptation to these conditions is through analog astronaut missions on Earth. Although imperfect, these facilities provide the closest Earth-based simulation of space mission conditions. Currently, over ten analog research centers are operating worldwide, including NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) and the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) habitats. Selecting and recruiting …

Commentary: A Patient-Specific Lower Extremity Biomechanical Analysis Of A Knee Orthotic During A Deep Squat Movement, Christine Dailey Walck

Publications

The recent study by Walck et al., titled “A Patient-Specific Lower Extremity Biomechanical Analysis of a Knee Orthotic during a Deep Squat Movement,” provides a novel insight into the biomechanical impacts of knee orthotics, particularly the non-linear spring-loaded (NLSL) knee joint orthosis (KJO)1 . This commentary aims to delve into the implications, interpretations, and evaluations of the findings, contextualizing them within the broader discourse on knee orthotics.

Bridging Biomedical Research With Aerospace Engineering In The Lab Of Tomorrow, Christine Walck

Publications

“My goal with this lab is to take biomedical research and tie it into a school that is grounded in aerospace and aeronautical engineering,” says Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach Campus, Christine Walck. “How do I make that connection? That’s the question I’ve been working on for the past couple of years with Vicon.”

Artificial Gravity Partially Protects Space-Induced Neurological Deficits In Drosophila Melanogaster, Amber M. Paul, Siddhita D. Mhatre, Janani Iyer, Juli Petereit, Roberta M. Dolling-Boreham

Publications

Spaceflight poses risks to the central nervous system (CNS), and understanding neurological responses is important for future missions. We report CNS changes in Drosophila aboard the International Space Station in response to spaceflight microgravity (SFmg) and artificially simulated Earth gravity (SF1g) via inflight centrifugation as a countermeasure. While inflight behavioral analyses of SFmg exhibit increased activity, postflight analysis displays significant climbing defects, highlighting the sensitivity of behavior to altered gravity. Multiomics analysis shows alterations in metabolic, oxidative stress and synaptic transmission pathways in both SFmg and SF1g; however, neurological changes immediately postflight, including neuronal loss, glial cell count alterations, oxidative …

Mammalian And Invertebrate Models As Complementary Tools For Gaining Mechanistic Insight On Muscle Responses To Spaceflight, Amber M. Paul, Thomas Cahill, Henry Cope, Joseph J. Bass, Eliah G. Overbey, Rachel Gilbert

Publications

Bioinformatics approaches have proven useful in understanding biological responses to spaceflight. Spaceflight experiments remain resource intensive and rare. One outstanding issue is how to maximize scientific output from a limited number of omics datasets from traditional animal models including nematodes, fruit fly, and rodents. The utility of omics data from invertebrate models in anticipating mammalian responses to spaceflight has not been fully explored. Hence, we performed comparative analyses of transcriptomes of soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) in mice that underwent 37 days of spaceflight. Results indicate shared stress responses and altered circadian rhythm. EDL showed more robust growth signals …

Estimating Infant Hip Joint Moments Using A Novel Musculoskeletal Model, Yeram Lim, Victor Huayamave, Christine Walck, Erin Mannen, Safeer Siddicky

Publications

Musculoskeletal models offer a convenient method to non-invasively study human development, function, and pathologies. While adult musculoskeletal models have been extensively studied [1], infant populations have been widely underserved. However, understanding infant joint biomechanics during the first year of life is vital considering abnormal loads may be detrimental to growth and development. Joint moments from an infant musculoskeletal model could help assess pathologies such as developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Previous computational studies involving infant biomechanics [2, 3] lacked the modeling of active muscle response which may affect musculoskeletal development [4]. As such, the purpose of this study is …

Influence Of Social Isolation During Prolonged Simulated Weightlessness By Hindlimb Unloading, Candice G.T. Tahimic, Amber M. Paul, Ann-Sofie Schreurs, Samantha M. Torres, Linda Rubinstein, Sonette Steczina

Publications

The hindlimb unloading (HU) model has been used extensively to simulate the cephalad fluid shift and musculoskeletal disuse observed in spaceflight with its application expanding to study immune, cardiovascular and central nervous system responses, among others. Most HU studies are performed with singly housed animals, although social isolation also can substantially impact behavior and physiology, and therefore may confound HU experimental results. Other HU variants that allow for paired housing have been developed although no systematic assessment has been made to understand the effects of social isolation on HU outcomes. Hence, we aimed to determine the contribution of social isolation …

Musculoskeletal Disorders In The Nursing Profession: A Case Study, Kaitlin A. Kee-Dayton

Human Factors and Applied Psychology Student Conference

Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Nursing Profession: A Case Study

Kaitlin Kee-Dayton

Beth Blickensderfer, Ph.D.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Daytona Beach, FL

This ergonomics assessment focused on a female Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and her life inside and outside of her job. In particular, this case study assessed how working as a nurse may affect the human body in terms of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs). The researcher first conducted an in-depth interview with the nurse about her workplace layout, typical daily work schedule, work habits, physical challenges, MSD injuries she has sustained, and the workplace environment/organizational culture. Next, the researcher conducted three MSD …

When Red Lights Look Yellow, Joanne M. Wood, David A. Atchison, Alex Chaparro

Publications

Purpose. Red signals are typically used to signify danger. This study was conducted to investigate a situation identified by train drivers in which red signals appear yellow when viewed at long distances (∼900 m) through progressive-addition lenses.

Methods. A laboratory study was conducted to investigate the effects of defocus, target size, ambient illumination, and surround characteristics on the extent of the color misperception of train signals by nine visually normal participants. The data from the laboratory study were validated in a field study by measuring the amounts of defocus and the distances at which the misperception of the color of …