Research Methods in Life Sciences Commons^™

Animal Welfare Body Terms Of Reference, Munster Technological University, Ireland

Policies & Procedures Documents

The University recognises the necessity to uphold animal health and welfare in its education and research activities. As part of this obligation, mindful of the legal regulatory requirements , the University has set up the Animal Welfare Body (AWB) to oversee and enforce the protection of animals and promote a culture of animal care among researchers and educators.

The AWB is given the powers by the Vice President Research & Innovation to fully uphold the principles of Scientific Animal Protection within the University, ensure compliance with the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), and provide records of animal engagement for research …

Understanding Animal Introductions And Welfare In Zoos: A Scoping Review, Claudia C. Martinez, Valerie James-Aldridge, Todd J. Mcwhorter, Eduardo J. Fernandez

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Managing captive zoo species often requires modifying their social groups, but these changes can increase stress and aggression. Specifically, introductions of new animals to existing exhibits with established animals is commonplace, yet little has been published to systematically evaluate this process. This review used the PRISMA framework to evaluate published research on introductions of unfamiliar individuals in zoos, aquariums, and sanctuaries. Peer-reviewed studies from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were screened and extracted using Covidence software. Studies were included if they provided quantitative data and before-and-after comparisons. Of 25 studies meeting criteria, most focused on primates, especially western lowland …

The Science Of Sound: Studying The Cognitive, Emotional, And Physiological Effects Of Frequency, Genre, And Music, Jett Yarborough

Senior Honors Theses

Music influences emotion, physiology, and cognition, yet little is known about how the frequency it is tuned to affects these influences. Prior research has shown that music tuned to 432 Hz can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve sleep. My colleagues and I conducted two studies to investigate this. Our research found that music tuned to 432 Hz promotes a significant increase in memory retention and induces a state of focus and relaxation. These results suggest that shifting from the standard tuning frequency of 440 Hz to 432 Hz could have a profoundly positive impact on our daily lives. …

Introducing Patient-Centered Outcomes To Preceptors In Caate-Approved Athletic Training Programs, K. Judge

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

The 2020 standards set by the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) now require the incorporation of the International Classification of Function and Patient-Centered Outcomes into professional practice. These standards can be introduced initially through simulation, but to develop a competent and culturally aware professional, outcome measures should be completed during clinical experiences under the guidance of approved preceptors. As this is a relatively new standard, many preceptors did not receive this as part of their education and may be uncomfortable integrating outcomes into their practice. This lack of integration can negatively affect the learning opportunities of athletic …

Incorporating Balance Training Into Ankle Sprain Injury Prevention Programs: An Evidence-To-Practice Review, David Tomchuk, Jacob Meyer, Kyle Schneider, Ben Fox

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Ankle sprains are among the most common injuries in sports and non-sporting activities. For patients, ankle sprains can result in multiple short and long-term hardships, such as financial burdens of evaluation and treatment, absenteeism from sport and physical activity, and diminished ankle and lower extremity function. However, athletic trainers and other stakeholders are also impacted by administrative and time burdens in caring for ankle sprains and how ankle sprains affect team dynamics and performance. The 2022 guiding systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of incorporating preventive balance training exercises on the incidence of ankle sprains in soccer athletes. The search performed …

Psychological And Psychosocial Effects Of Contemplative Practices In The Athletic Population: A Systematic Review, Victoria Baker, Emily Duckett, Alison Gardiner-Shires, Lindsey Keenan

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Mental health concerns in athletes are becoming a primary focus for institutions, companies, coaches, and more. An athlete carries an abundant load of stressors due to their lifestyle. The stressors can negatively impact an athlete by producing anxiety, depression, insomnia, and other mental health concerns. Previous studies have found a connection between the use of contemplative practices on psychological and psychosocial effects in athletes, creating an opportunity to evaluate the research of contemplative practices in the athletic population. 5, 7, 8, 13-16 A systematic review was conducted using nine electronic databases. Seven studies were included in this review, each assessing …

Use Of An Electronic Dynamometer Following Pitching To Identify Fatigue In Softball Pitchers, Bethany L. Hansberger, Peter Lisman

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

This study used a case-series design to collect in-game fatigue measures for collegiate softball pitchers immediately after pitching during the competitive season. Five softball pitchers (age = 19.8 ± 1.5 years; height = 169.9±6.1 cm; body mass = 79.1±22.6 kg) from one Division I program were recruited. Isometric internal and external rotation, scaption, and grip strength measures were collected using an electronic dynamometer at the beginning and conclusion of the fall non-traditional season, and at the beginning of preseason in January. Strength measures were also obtained during the competitive season at the conclusion of pitching in a game and compared …

Concurrent Acl And Medial/Lateral Meniscal Repair In A Collegiate Soccer Player: Disablement Model Case Study, Rebecca L. Perry, Angelica Alicea, Jeanette Welch, Carl White, Emily E. Hildebrand, Peter Lisman

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

This case examines a 19-year-old female Division I collegiate soccer player who underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with medial and lateral meniscal repairs. Though meniscal tears often occur in conjunction with ACL injury, incidence of concurrent medial and lateral tears with presence of a displaced bucket-handle lesion is rare. This patient attempted to tackle an oncoming opponent in which contact caused forceful trunk rotation away from her planted right foot. Sideline evaluation revealed medial and posterior knee pain with active knee range of motion deficits. Further evaluation revealed apprehension and muscle guarding during Lachman’s, anterior drawer, and valgus stress …

Suturing Education For Athletic Trainers: An Evidence-To-Practice Review, Morgan K. Webb, Brett T. Heim, Allyson E. Ritchey, Kenya Moore, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Teaching suturing skills to medical students is a critical component of their education. Implementing suturing into a comprehensive framework is developed from how professors teach the skill. Suturing is a required skill by the General Medical Council that all medical students must have, and how it is being introduced to new students is changing. This review aimed to summarize different educational interventions and determine the most efficient and cost-effective way to teach future suturing skills. The original systematic review included 25 articles in the final data synthesis. Fourteen studies were randomized control trials, six were quasi-experimental, and five were observational. …

Impact Of A Focused Best Practice Workshop On Athletic Trainer Confidence, Jaclyn B. Arduini, Jennifer L. Volberding, Zachary A. Murray

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Athletic trainers are required to be proficient in emergency management skills, without review these skills may decay creating a potentially dangerous knowledge gap. Confidence measures of emergency management skills were taken before and after a workshop to determine if they changed due to the review of material. All 11 confidence measures increased post workshop, seven significantly, including rectal temperature, hemostatic agents, external hemostatic modalities, in-line stabilization, measurement and application of a cervical collar, football and other equipment removal. ATs should aim to incorporate emergency management review into continuing education choices.

Neuromuscular Deficits Following An Isolated Pcl Tear In A Collegiate Lacrosse Player: A Case Study, Mckenna G. Witlin, Erin R. Mcmullan, Courtney M. Meyer, Amy L. Fraley

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

This disablement model case study outlines a 21-year-old female collegiate lacrosse player attending a United States service academy who presented with a unique neuromuscular deficit following a conservative grade II PCL tear rehabilitation. Nearing the end of her rehabilitation protocol, she noticed difficulty with toe-off while running; however, she did not report to the athletic trainer due to the institution’s holiday break proximity. An unexpected transfer of care occurred when the patient returned after the holidays, and she was cleared for full participation upon return. Several days after the patient was cleared, she reported her ankle feeling “stuck.” Upon evaluation, …

Improving The Discussion Of Suicide Prevention: A Quality Improvement Project, Chelsea Reynolds, Alyssa Zeitouni, Kathryn Stephenson

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Suicide is currently the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the United States and the third leading cause of death in this age group worldwide.1,2 Suicide prevention is understandably a growing focus in pediatrics. Currently, at the Children’s Hospital Outpatient Clinic, that is staffed by pediatric resident physicians, suicidal ideation is screened for using a PHQ-9 screen. However, at the time this study was initiated and completed, the TEEN screen was utilized. After the screening is performed, regardless of type, it is up to the provider to address these findings in a safe and effective manner. The goal …

Examining Burnout Among Athletic Trainers Employed In The College And Secondary School Settings, Stephanie M. Singe, Dayna Liu, Alexandrya Cairns

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Burnout continues to be an important concern for athletic trainers working traditional employment settings. The purpose of this study was to compare the secondary school and collegiate settings in relation to burnout. Both secondary school and collegiate athletic trainers participated in a self-reported, online cross-sectional design (Qualtrics) to collect data on their experiences with burnout. Data collection occurred during the second week of October 2023 and ceased during the early weeks of November. Collegiate athletic trainers reported moderate burnout overall (54.56 ±15.89) on the CBI whereas secondary school athletic trainers reported low burnout overall (46.67 ±16.57). On the personal-related burnout …

Conservative Management Of Athletic Pubalgia In A Collegiate Beach Volleyball Athlete: A Case Study, Sydney F. Hendrick, Amy L. Fraley, Madison V. Kefferstan, Zachary K. Winkelmann

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

A 24-year-old female collegiate beach volleyball athlete experienced sharp pain in the pubis symphysis region after turning and running to reach a ball hit over her right shoulder. The patient was unable to move her lower extremities without extreme pain and required help off the court. She was referred to the student health center, where no initial imaging was performed. Differential diagnoses included osteitis pubis, abdominal strain, and athletic pubalgia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a small partial sports hernia with the shearing of the aponeurotic plate. The team physician recommended conservative management. The patient requested a consultation with a …

The Inherent Values Of Observation And Description: A Case Study In The Spiny Solanums Of Australia, Christopher T. Martine

Faculty Journal Articles

The basic exploratory effort of doing descriptive biology is an avenue by which we can deepen our knowledge about taxa and the natural phenomena that drive their diversification. As Conniff (2011) wrote in The species seekers, “we still live in the great age of discovery”, and much like that historically recognized period of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries there remains today a distinct need for the sort of work that might have been attributable to the naturalists of that time. The careful observation of how organisms go about their lives, including how they interact with one another …

Employing Seca Recombinant Protein To Generate Polyclonal Antibodies For The Rapid Identification Of Phytoplasma, Arik Arubil Fatinah, Muhaimin Rifa'i, Estri Laras Arumingtyas, Sri Widyarti

Makara Journal of Science

Phytoplasma, a plant pathogen that threatens plant health, can induce diseases such as yellow wilt, virescence, phyllody, and witches’ broom. Although early detection methods using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies have been developed, synthetic peptides offer advantages such as higher titers, predictable antigenic characteristics and superior sensitivity and specificity. Epitope mapping plays a key role in designing peptide antigens and includes gene synthesis, transformation, expression assessment, large-scale production, and purification. A study using New Zealand male White rabbits was conducted to generate antibodies against phytoplasma. The SecA (395–470) sequence, obtained from the preprotein translocase meets the criteria of being non-homologous, nonallergic, …

Evaluation Of Semen Characteristics And The Impact Of Storage Time In Dong Tao And Ho Indigenous Chickens, Phan Nhan, Nguyen Thi My Phuong

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

This study aimed to evaluate the semen quality of 2 indigenous Vietnamese chicken breeds, Dong Tao and Ho, and to assess their reproductive potential for breeding and conservation programs. Semen samples were collected from 10 roosters of each breed and analyzed for macroscopic and microscopic traits. The results indicated that both breeds exhibited semen quality within acceptable physiological ranges. Mean semen volume was 0.47 mL in Dong Tao and 0.48 mL in Ho roosters; pH values were 7.47 and 7.42, respectively. Semen color scores (2.39 vs. 2.35), sperm concentrations (2.11 vs. 1.92 × 109/mL), and mass activity scores (3.79 vs. …

Polyphenols For The Mitigation Of Vascular Calcification; In Vitro And In Vivo Studies, Abdullah Altuhami

All Theses

Globally, cardiovascular diseases, in most cases associated with calcification, are the main cause of death. However, currently, the only effective cure is to undergo surgery to augment or receive a healthy donor heart, which could be very difficult due to the long waiting list and the associated risks. The possibility of body rejection of the foreign organs is attributed to immunoreaction or the risk of infection, since the donor must be on immunosuppressant drugs that lower the body's immunity and facilitate the body's acceptance of the new organ as one of its own. Taking that into consideration, using tissue-engineered vascular …

Evaluation Of A Forest Restoration Strategy On Small Mammals In Southern Pine Ecosystems, Gage R. Grantham, Jessica L. Glasscock, Christopher M. Schalk, Kathryn R. Kiid, Reuber Antoniazzi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Industrial forestry replanted historic native pine forests (e.g., longleaf pine [Pinus palustris] and shortleaf pine [Pinus echinata]) to homogenous, high-density plantations consisting of native off-site species (e.g., loblolly pine [Pinus taeda]) after intensive harvesting for wood products. The contemporary forest structure that remains, consisting of off-site overstory compositions, can potentially serve as an ecological bridge to facilitate a gradual transition to a more desirable canopy species, thereby conserving biodiversity and ecosystem function. Understanding disturbance-sensitive small mammal communities from restoration strategies (retention) can help achieve long-term management goals for ecosystem conservation across larger scales. I …

Impact Of S-Phase Kinase Protien 2 Blockades On Hematopoetic Stem Cell Metabolism, Nicole Elmaraghy

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) quiescence is vital for the success of bone marrow transplantation, as it preserves long term self- renewal and prevents premature exhaustion (Takubo et al., 2013; Wilson et al., 2008). However, bone marrow transplant (BMT) failure remains a clinical challenge, often due to lack of long-term engraftment and insufficient stress reliance. Both of these characteristics are tightly linked to disrupted stem cell quiescence and metabolic imbalance (Anso et al., 2017; Vannini et al., 2016). One key player is S-phase kinase protein (SKP2), an E3 ubiquitin ligase that targets cell cycle inhibitors, like p27, for proteosome …