Exercise Science Commons^™

Continuous Waveform Analysis Of Force, Velocity, And Power Adaptations To A Periodized Plyometric Training Program, Randall L. Jensen

Conference Papers in Published Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Role Of Satellite Cells In Long Term Fiber Type Shifts, Honglu Liu

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

Muscle fiber type shifts in respect to satellite cells, muscle stem cells, are not well understood currently. The Peterson Lab has generated a mouse model (PAX7-DTA) that ablates satellite cells to determine if these muscle stem cells contribute to mouse muscle fiber type changes over an eight week period. In the study, control and satellite-cell-ablated mouse groups were split into control and overload groups (via synergist ablation surgery) and placed under similar environmental conditions. Eight weeks post-experiment, muscles were dissected to obtain the plantaris muscles of animals from all groups. Muscle cross-sections obtained were immunohistochemically stained, imaged, quantified by fiber …

Outsmarting The Brain: Augmenting Motor Training With Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation In Order To Facilitate Plasticity-Dependent, Functional Improvement Within The Motor Cortex, Raymond Joseph Butts

Theses and Dissertations

Brain stimulation techniques capable of optimizing cortical plasticity may provide the key to improved therapeutic techniques and functional outcomes. The primary aim of this dissertation was to examine the potential of motor training (MT) augmented with intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) and anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS). The secondary aim was to investigate whether the training would also be advantageous to older-adults. We hypothesized that right-handed, college-age students exposed to the treatment (n=17) would perform better short-term (directly following MT) and long-term (24 hours and 7 days following MT) on motor-skill retention tests than students receiving sham stimulation (n=14). …

Classroom Exercise Breaks And Educational Outcomes In Elementary School Students, Erin Kaye Howie

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has shown that physical activity may have beneficial effects on cognitive performance and academic achievement in children, but the optimal type and dose are unknown. Classroom exercise breaks are one type of physical activity opportunity in schools, with the potential to reach a large number of children. The purpose of this dissertation was to describe the prevalence and characteristics of classroom exercise breaks in central South Carolina, and to determine the acute effects of classroom exercise breaks on executive functions, math performance, on-task behavior and affective responses in 9 to 12 year-old children. Additionally, the dissertation examined the …

The Effects Of A High Fat Diet On Mitochondrial Biogenesis And Inflammation In The Brain., Lauren Suzanne Vervaecke

Theses and Dissertations

INTRO: High fat diets (HFD) ingested over long periods of time have been shown to cause diet induced obesity leading to excessive adiposity and chronic low grade inflammation. Here we have shown how differing levels of saturated fats (SF), which are common storage fats, affect markers of inflammation and mitochondrial biogenesis. IL-1â and TNF-alpha are pro-inflammatory cytokines that have been shown to increase with a HFD, while molecular signalers, PGC-1alpha, cyt c, and SIRT1, related to mitochondrial biogenesis have been shown to decrease. Despite the risks of consuming a diet high in SF's, consumers continue to buy energy dense foods …

The Association Of Physical Fitness With Psychological Health Outcomes In Soldiers During Army Basic Combat Training, Shannon K. Crowley

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the current need for investigation of factors involved with soldiers' resilience to stressors in the Basic Combat Training (BCT) environment, and evidence in civilian populations that physical training is associated with psychological benefits, little is known about the relationship between physical fitness and psychological adjustment during BCT. Study one of this dissertation involved an extensive literature review of factors related to the relationship between physical fitness and psychological adjustment of soldiers during BCT. Using qualitative focus group methods, study two assessed soldiers' perceptions about their sleep, and consequences of sleep disruption during BCT at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC. …

The Mechanisms Of Posterior Shoulder Tightness And Effectiveness Of Manual Therapy, Lane Brooks Bailey

Theses and Dissertations

Posterior shoulder tightness is a common physical impairment in overhand baseball athletes presenting with injury. The etiology of this physical impairment is poorly understood and theorized to be a combination of bony, muscular, and inert soft-tissue contributions occurring at the glenohumeral joint. The ability to discriminate between each tissue's influences on shoulder range of motion is often challenging to overcome within a clinical environment. Chapter 2 of this manuscript provides a thorough review of the literature discussing the potential mechanisms of posterior shoulder tightness. Previous studies have independently accounted for the relationships between posterior shoulder tightness, and the mechanical contributions …

Associations Between Resting Metabolic Rate And Energy Storage In Young Adults, Robin Shook

Theses and Dissertations

At the most basic level obesity is the result of a chronic imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. However, the exact etiology is considerably more complex and may involve a variety of physiological and behavioral factors. Metabolic disturbances, including reduced fat oxidation as measured by the respiratory quotient (RQ) and reduced resting metabolic rate (RMR), have been identified as possible predictors of changes in body weight and body composition. RMR represents the largest component (60-80%) of caloric expenditure that contributes to total daily energy expenditure in humans and has high inter-person variability (±25%) but not within individuals (<±5%). The cause of this variability between individuals and the exact role of RMR and RQ in determining body weight and body composition are uncertain.

This …

Developing Youth's Positive View Of Physical Activity, E. Whitney G. Moore

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

Many youth start withdrawing from voluntary physical activity and physical education programs as they approach adolescence. Developmentally, this is also when youth can become more aware of their ability compared to others, and the amount of work it may take to improve their ability level. This focus on comparative performance standards can be affected by our coaching emphasis. This article highlights the characteristics and impacts of two coaching approaches. Particular emphasis is given to the specific behaviors adolescents have reported as fostering their effort, enjoyment, sportspersonship, and interest in continuing to be active.

Sex-Specific Effects Of Exercise Ancestry On Metabolic, Morphological And Gene Expression Phenotypes In Multiple Generations Of Mouse Offspring, Lisa M. Guth, Andrew T. Ludlow, Sarah Witkowski, Mallory R. Marshall, Laila C.J. Lima, Andrew C. Venezia, Tao Xiao, Mei Ling Ting Lee, Espen E. Spangenburg, Stephen M. Roth

Exercise and Sport Studies: Faculty Publications

New findings: • What is the central question of this study? How does parental exercise training directly and/or transgenerationally affect offspring phenotypes over two generations of mice? • What is the main finding and what is its importance? We observed preliminary evidence that parental exercise training can influence health-related phenotypes (e.g. body and fat mass, muscle gene expression) in mouse offspring. These findings indicate that parental exercise may be another environmental factor (like altered nutrition) capable of influencing offspring phenotypes in adulthood. Early life and preconception environmental stimuli can affect adult health-related phenotypes. Exercise training is an environmental stimulus affecting …

Integrating Movement And Science To Promote Physical Activity And Academic Performance In Middle School Children, Kevin E. Finn, Kyle Mcinnis

Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Recommendations from leading U.S. health agencies concerned with reducing childhood obesity call for increased physical activity during school and afterschool environments. Methods: We developed the Active Science curriculum, which is a variety of activity-based lessons (e.g., nature hike, dance class, walk at local park, treadmill at local YMCA) and incorporated them into traditional science classes and after school programs for middle school children in a low-income, ethnically diverse community. Following the activity experiments, students and teachers uploaded data from devices to an interactive website that provided inquiry-based exploratory learning of science content. Results: Physical activity results showed that the …

Acute Effects Of Exercise On Cognitive Performances Of Older Adults, R. Pennington, S. Hanna

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Accelerating rates of structural decline become evident during the third and fourth decades of human life, with disproportionate degeneration occurring in the frontal, parietal, and temporal brain lobes. As the structure of the brain declines, a broad array of cognitive processes involving memory, decision making, and selective attention are reduced as well (Raz 2000, Park et al. 2001). Cardiovascular exercise has been associated with improved cognitive functioning in aging humans, suggesting that increased vascular supply enhances availability of oxygen, nutrients, and other physical entities to nourish the brain. Previous experimentation on older adults revealed significant positive effects of exercise on …

Relationship Between A Proxy Of Prenatal Testosterone (2d:4d) And Determinants Of Endurance Running Performance, Simon D. Holzapfel

Online Theses and Dissertations

Low ratios of the length of the second finger to the length of the fourth finger in the right (right 2D:4D) and the left hand (left 2D:4D) have been linked to high prenatal testosterone concentrations. Low R-L 2D:4D (subtracting left 2D:4D from right 2D:4D) has been associated with high androgen sensitivity as indicated by low numbers of cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) triplet repeats on exon-1 of the androgen receptor gene. Endurance training has led to higher increases in maximal oxygen uptake capacity (VO2max) in men with relatively low numbers of CAG triplet repeats, suggesting a relationship between R-L 2D:4D and VO2max. Moreover, …

Optimal Cooperation In Joint Action Tasks, Scott Michael Blanchette

Theses and Dissertations

Joint action can be succinctly defined as an action in which two or more individuals work together for a common outcome. There have been numerous studies on the mechanisms behind joint action, but none have focused on the existence of optimal cooperators. The present study investigated if optimal cooperators, individuals who are better partners in joint action tasks, exist in the population. Individuals completed a virtual bar balancing task in dyads in which four hands were used to control the bar. Based on success rate, significant differences in performance variables were found. This study provides empirical evidence that some individuals …

Measuring Organizational Member Involvement In Physical Activity Coalitions Across The United States, Daniel Benjamin Bornstein

Theses and Dissertations

Physical inactivity has been labeled a global pandemic with enormous economic, social, environmental, and public health consequences. The vast majority of American adults and youth are insufficiently physically active. Increasing population-levels of physical activity (PA) requires broad social and environmental change. PA coalitions provide the structure through which such broad change can be achieved. An extensive literature on health-based coalitions suggests that coalition success is impacted by coalition members. Coalitions are generally comprised of member organizations. Little is known about the characteristics of PA coalitions and less is known about organizational member involvement in PA coalitions. The purpose of this …

Exploring The Role Of Culture And Race In Stroke Rehabilitation Disparities, Jennifaye Verdina Greene

Theses and Dissertations

A study found that racial differences exist in stroke rehabilitation care and outcomes between African Americans (AAs) and Caucasian Americans (CAs). In addition to health status, the rehabilitation care of AAs with stroke (AAwS) may be influenced by cultural and or racial similarities or differences that exist between themselves and their physical therapists (PTs). Distorted perceptions of culture and race in the patient-PT relationship may contribute to disparities in stroke rehabilitation care and outcomes for AAwS. Current stroke rehabilitation literature lacks qualitative research that examines racialized differences in treatment. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory research study was to investigate …

The Effect Of Cancer Cachexia Severity And Eccentric Muscle Contractions On Selected Myofiber Metabolic Properties In Mouse Skeletal Muscle, Joshua Earl Mangum

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer cachexia is a complex syndrome that induces skeletal muscle wasting and dysregulation of skeletal muscle metabolism. Alterations in area of myofibers and myofiber metabolic properties can significantly impact the function of skeletal muscle. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of cachexia severity and resistance exercise training on frequency and area of selected myofiber metabolic characteristics during cachexia-induced myofiber atrophy. Male ApcMin/+ (Min) mice were studied during the progression of cachexia (16-20 weeks of age) and stratified into groups based on the severity of cachexia. For the second study, male Min mice performed resistance exercise (RE) …

An Investigation Into The Influence Of Dietary Saturated Fat And Quercetin Supplementation On Adiposity, Macrophage Behavior, Inflammation, And Non-Alcoholic Fatty-Liver Disease, Reilly Enos

Theses and Dissertations

The overall objective of this dissertation was to examine the degree to which manipulation of the saturated fat content of a high-fat diet influenced obesity-related outcomes as well as to see if the naturally-occurring flavonoid, quercetin, could attenuate the resulting obesity and related metabolic and inflammatory side effects. Specifically, these studies examined 1) the influential role of saturated fat on macrophage function, inflammation, and other obesity-related comorbidities, including non-alcoholic fatty-liver disease, and 2) the potential benefits of quercetin supplementation. Overall, results from these studies suggest that adiposity, macrophage behavior, inflammation, insulin resistance, and non-alcoholic fatty-liver disease progression can be greatly …

Effectiveness Of A Training Program Using An Alter-G Treadmill To Improve Physiological And Psychosocial Measures In Female Breast Cancer Survivors, Ciaran Fairman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Breast survivors often experience lower bone mineral density following treatment, and may be at a higher risk for osteoporosis and consequent falls and injuries. This study aimed to build on previous research using lower impact exercise programs by using an anti-gravity (Alter-G^®) treadmill to administer cardiovascular training. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness a physical activity program, including an anti-gravity (Alter-G) treadmill at improving physiological and psychosocial measures in female breast cancer survivors. METHODS: Five female breast cancer survivors were recruited to participate in the study. A 14-week intervention using an AB-AB study …

Motives For Physical Activity And Physiological Variables As Predictors Of Exercise Intentions Following A High Intensity Interval Training Protocol In College-Age Females, Sarah Joseph

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Recent data collected on college-aged females indicates that more females are classified as insufficiently active and may have little time for physical activity (Ligouri, et al., 2011). High intensity interval training (defined as very short intense intervals, usually above 85% maximum heart rate accompanied by alternated passive recovery periods; HIIT) has become a popular alternative to the more traditional continuous training utilized by individuals due to its time efficiency. In fact, HIIT has been shown to induce many of the same physiological changes as moderate intensity training with less training time. It is possible that college-aged females may benefit from …