Kinesiology Commons^™

The Effectiveness Of Men's Lacrosse Shoulder Pads In The Attenuation Of Linear Impact Forces 2018, Ryan S. Dambach

Master's Theses

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Men’s lacrosse is a sport that is growing in popularity. The mandatory shoulder pads have no limit of use standards and are rarely studied. The purpose of the study was to measure peak impact force (IF) of new and used lacrosse shoulder pads. METHODS: Six lacrosse shoulder pads, three new models (Warrior MPG 8.0 shoulder pad, STX Jolt shoulder pad and Warrior Player’s Club Hitlyte shoulder pad) and three used models of the same shoulder pads with at least four seasons of use (Warrior MPG shoulder pad, STX Jolt shoulder pad and Warrior Player’s Club Hitlyte shoulder pad) were …

The Effects Of A Low Dose Of Caffeine On Bat Swing Performance In Fatigued And Non-Fatigued Female Softball Athletes 2018, Brianna Ferchen

Master's Theses

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if caffeine ingestion decreased time to contact (TTC), and increased peak hand speed (HS), peak bat barrel speed (BS), and power (P) during a softball bat swing by fatigued and non-fatigued female athletes from an NCAA Division III varsity softball team. Methods: A randomized, single blind counterbalanced design was used to determine if 200 mg of caffeinated gum produced an ergogenic effect on nine female softball players (mean ± SD; age: 19.4 ± 0.7 yrs; height: 169 ± 6 cm; weight: 76.85 ± 10.82 kg) during a softball swing after chewing …

Effects Of Competition Variables And Prior Attempts On Approach Run Velocity During A Pole Vaulter's Final Clearance 2018, Nathaniel S. Ashton

Master's Theses

Approach run velocity of a vaulter is strongly correlated to the highest height a vaulter clears in pole vault competition and the number of attempts taken throughout a competition influences pole vault strategy. Since approach run velocity greatly affects the crossbar height cleared and number of attempts affects time spent in the competition, perhaps a better approach to determine optimal competition strategy is to first identify how competition variables influence approach run velocity. The purpose of this study was to determine if the approach run velocity during a pole vaulter’s last clearance can be predicted by: (1) the number of …

The Relationship Between Stryd Power And Running Economy In Well-Trained Distance Runners 2018, Casey Austin

Master's Theses

A novel running wearable called the Stryd Summit footpod attaches to a runner’s right or left shoe and measures running power output. The developers of the product purport that the footpod’s power and form power measures may correlate with metabolic data gathered in a lab. PURPOSE: Explore the relationship between power output and running economy at threshold pace. METHODS: Seventeen well-trained distance runners, 9 males and 8 females, completed a running protocol at threshold pace. Participants ran two discontinuous four-minute stages: one with their self-selected cadence (SS), and one with cadence lowered by 10% (LC). Metabolic data, power, and form …

The Effects Of A Short-Term, Unilateral, Lower-Body Resistance Training Program On Balance In College-Aged Resistance-Trained Participants 2018., Daniel Semprini

Master's Theses

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a short-term, unilateral, lower-body resistance training program would significantly improve static and dynamic balance in experienced college-aged resistance-trained participants when compared to a control group’s regular, bilateral lower-body resistance training program. Participants: A total of twenty-four participants were recruited to participate in the study. Four participants ended up dropping out due to injury and time constraints, leaving the final total sample size at twenty. Methods: Participants completed a series of three questionnaires (International Fitness Scale, International Physical Activity, and Sociodemographic Questionnaire) and the informed consent. The participants were randomly divided …

Learning To Run On An Lbppt: Neuromuscular And Metabolic Adaptations 2018, Jordyn Naylon

Master's Theses

Previous research on lower body positive pressure (LBPP) treadmills have focused primarily on muscle activation (EMG), spatiotemporal variables, and metabolic differences from running on a standard treadmill. The current study aimed to establish the necessary accommodation time needed for runners to display reliable metabolic and neuromuscular responses on the LBPP treadmill. Fifteen habitually trained runners (11 males, 4 females, average± SD VO2Max=62.81 ± 5.43mL.kg-1.min-1) ran a total of 3, 15-minute trials on the AlterG® treadmill during a single testing session. For each trial, the AlterG® was set to support 30% of body weight at 70% of the speed at which …

Fifty Years Of Microneurography: Learning The Language Of The Peripheral Sympathetic Nervous System In Humans, J Kevin Shoemaker, Stephen A. Klassen, Mark B. Badrov, Paul J. Fadel

Kinesiology Publications

As a primary component of homeostasis, the sympathetic nervous system enables rapid adjustments to stress through its ability to communicate messages among organs and cause targeted and graded end organ responses. Key in this communication model is the pattern of neural signals emanating from the central to peripheral components of the sympathetic nervous system. But what is the communication strategy employed in peripheral sympathetic nerve activity (SNA)? Can we develop and interpret the system of coding in SNA that improves our understanding of the neural control of the circulation? In 1968, Hagbarth and Vallbo (Hagbarth KE, Vallbo AB. Acta Physiol …

Cancer Cachexia: Metabolic Changes That Occur In Oxidative Capacity And Carbohydrate And Lipid Metabolism Of The Liver, Sarah Ramey

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

BACKGROUND: Cancer cachexia is defined as cancer-associated muscle wasting, and is a cancer side effect that dramatically affects cancer prognosis, is thought to be at least partially mediated by increased energy expenditure, and is directly responsible for the death of 20-40% of all cancer patients. Although the liver is known to be a predominant regulator of whole body metabolism, there is little known about its relationship to the development of cancer cachexia. PURPOSE: The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate alterations in liver metabolism by examining measures of hepatic glycogen storage, oxidative phenotype and lipid content throughout the …

Changes In Hepatic Extracellular Matrix During The Development Of Cancer-Cachexia In Mice, Kyle Turner

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

CHANGES IN HEPATIC EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CANCER-CACHEXIA IN MICE

Turner K.W.¹, Rosa-Caldwell M.E.¹, Brown J.L.¹, Lee D.E.¹, Perry R.A.¹, Haynie W.A.¹ Washington T.A.¹, Wiggs M.P.², Greene N.P.¹: ¹University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas; ²Univeristy of Texas at Tyler, Tyler, Texas

BACKGROUND: Cancer is one of the most widespread and deadly diseases in recent history. Cancer-cachexia is a systemic, metabolic disorder that greatly disrupts the patient’s energy balance, causing uncontrollable weight and, specifically, skeletal muscle loss. This cancer-induced cachexia is …

Racial Disparities In Vascular Function:The Role Of Oxidative Stress, Jordan C. Patik

Kinesiology Dissertations - Archive

Hypertension disproportionately affects the black population, contributing to a greater impact of cardiovascular disease in these individuals. While multiple factors underlie the development of hypertension in this population, impaired vascular function is routinely observed in this population beginning at a young age and is a likely an early contributor to the development of high blood pressure. However, the origins of this impairment have not been elucidated. Therefore, the current set of studies aimed to determine the extent to which oxidative stress plays a role in blunted vascular function in the black population. Studies 1 and 2 (Chapters 2 and 3) …

Skeletal Muscle Oxidative Capacity In The Elderly, Susie Chung

Kinesiology Theses - Archive

Age is the greatest risk factor for chronic disease and is associated with a marked decline in functional capacity and quality of life, with loss of skeletal muscle function regarded as a key contributing factor. While the exact mechanism(s) for the loss of skeletal muscle function remains incompletely understood, age-related mitochondrial dysfunction is thought to play a major role. To explore this question further, we studied 15 independently-living seniors (age: 72 ± 5 yrs; m/f: 4/11; BMI: 27.6 ± 5.9) and 17 young volunteers (age: 25 ± 4 years; m/f: 8/9; BMI: 24.0 ± 3.3). Skeletal muscle oxidative function was …

The Effect Of Acute High Phosphate Intake On Muscle Metaboreflex Activation And Vascular Function, Brandi Yong Stephens

Kinesiology Theses - Archive

Emerging evidence suggests that long term high consumption of inorganic phosphate (Pi) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Importantly, with the growing abundance of processed foods, dietary intake of Pi in the United States has doubled the daily-recommended allowance. Recently, Mizuno et al. demonstrated that chronic high dietary Pi consumption results in significantly exaggerated increases in mean arterial pressure (MAP) in response to exercise and muscle metaboreflex activation in rodents. Whether acute high Pi influences MAP responses in humans remains unknown. Notably, acute high Pi consumption has been shown to impair vascular function in healthy men, but …

Motor Affordance For Grasping A Safety Handle, Doug W. Mcdannald

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Observation of objects in our environment can potentiate movement, a fact reflected by increased activity in motor cortical networks when participants simply view a graspable object. This suggests that specific areas in the motor cortex play an important role in processing visual information to rapidly determine an appropriate action. The present study was conducted to test if visual access to a wall-mounted safety handle results in activation of motor cortical networks. We hypothesized that the hand area of the primary motor cortex would be facilitated shortly after visual access to a safety handle versus when no handle was visible. To …

Nutrition Knowledge Among Adolescent Athletes, Caregivers, And Coaches, Ann-Kathrin Puschkasch

Theses

The thesis, Nutrition Knowledge Among Adolescent Athletes, Caregivers, and Coaches, explores the nutritional knowledge of these three groups and highlights gaps that may impact young athletes' performance and health. Conducted in Missouri, the study used customized online surveys to evaluate participants' understanding of general and sports nutrition, including macronutrients, hydration, and supplementation. A total of 306 participants, comprising 47 athletes, 117 caregivers, and 142 coaches, completed the surveys.

Findings revealed significant gaps in knowledge across all groups, though coaches scored the highest, followed by caregivers and then athletes. For example, many athletes lacked awareness of basic nutritional concepts like …

Effects Of Triphasic Training On Strength And Power On Men's Volleyball Players, Grant Kastelan

Theses

Triphasic training is a method popularized by Cal Dietz (Dietz & Peterson, 2012) which includes three different phases: accumulation, transmutation, and realization. Different goals are set for each phase with power development being the overarching theme. During the accumulation phase, the training block is split into the three muscle actions eccentric, isometric, and concentric. During each phase, one action is the emphasis of the program. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the accumulation phase of the triphasic training program on collegiate men's volleyball players I-Repetition Max strength, vertical jump, and isometric force. Additionally, the researcher …

Does Hydration Impact Memory: A Systematic Review, Kelsey Ellis-Lepard

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

With 60% of the adult human body composed of water it makes sense that maintaining proper hydration levels is important to survival as well as living a healthy life. Water has many roles throughout the human body: thermoregulation, being a carrier, being a lubricant, and acting as a reaction medium. As a carrier, water is responsible for allowing exchanges between cells, interstitial fluid and capillaries. In addition, water regulates the blood volume and allows blood circulation. Since water is responsible for these tasks, many systems in the body as well as the brain are reliant upon proper hydration levels to …

Relationships Among Actual Motor Competence, Perceived Motor Competence And Health-Related Fitness In A College-Aged Population 2018, Samantha Moss

Master's Theses

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess relationships among actual motor competence, perceived motor competence, and health-related fitness in a college-aged population. Methods: A total of 76 participants from SUNY Cortland enrolled in an undergraduate Kinesiology course completed an informed consent form. Total data were obtained on 71 participants (male = 53; female = 18). Perceived motor competence (PMC) was assessed via the Physical Self Perception Profile questionnaire, which participants completed one week prior to remaining assessments. Motor competence (MC) was assessed by maximum throw and kick speed as well as maximum distance jumped. Health-related fitness (HRF) was …

Effects Of Knee Alignments And Toe Clip On Frontal Plane Knee Biomechanics In Cycling, Guangping Shen, Songning Zhang, Hunter J. Bennett, James C. Martin, Scott E. Crouter, Eugene C. Fitzhugh

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Effects of knee alignment on the internal knee abduction moment (KAM) in walking have been widely studied. The KAM is closely associated with the development of medial knee osteoarthritis. Despite the importance of knee alignment, no studies have explored its effects on knee frontal plane biomechanics during stationary cycling. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of knee alignment and use of a toe clip on the knee frontal plane biomechanics during stationary cycling. A total of 32 participants (11 varus, 11 neutral, and 10 valgus alignment) performed five trials in each of six cycling conditions: pedaling …

Effect Of American Football Helmet Chin Strap Placement On Measures Of Blunt Impact, Terrie Lane Jackson

Honors Theses

Approximately 1.8 to 3.6 million concussions occur annually across all sports.3 Although concussion is prevalent and is a growing concern, the mechanism behind this brain injury is still vaguely understood. The purpose of this research was to determine if chinstrap attachment location effects standard measures of helmet performance associated with concussion. To test this, three Schutt F7 American Football Helmets were impacted at the front, side, and rear locations under two conditions (high and low chinstrap attachment). Each helmet was fitted to an anthropometric test device outfitted with a 3-2-2-2 accelerometer and impacted by a steel impactor head affixed to …

Head Impact Biomechanics Of Collegiate Football Players, Samantha Eshleman

Honors Theses

This research study focused on the descriptive head impact biomechanics of collegiate American football players. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were statistical differences in the frequency, peak linear acceleration, and peak rotational acceleration between player position and impact location on the helmet during practice sessions. There were 31 players from the University of Southern Mississippi’s Division I football team that participated in the study. Participants were divided into four groups based on position: defensive skill, defensive line, offensive skill, and offensive line. The Head Impact Telemetry (HIT) System was incorporated with the Sideline Response System …