Stop the Bleed! Acute Epistaxis Management

Epistaxis, the most common Otolaryngology-related emergency, is responsible for one in 200 emergency department (ED) visits in the United States (US) and one-third of otolaryngology visits.1,11 Up to 60% of the population will experience epistaxis during their lifetime, and 6% -10 % will require medical intervention.2,3 Epistaxis occurs in children and adults and has a seasonal variation. Although 85% of nosebleeds are idiopathic, they are more frequent in those on supplemental oxygen, anticoagulation, antiplatelet therapy, and in those with other conditions that may predispose them to bleeding. Most clinicians will encounter patients with acute epistaxis; therefore, it is vital to be educated on the etiology, prevention, and acute management. This CME article will review the new Clinical Practice Guidelines4 from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery regarding epistaxis and discuss newer therapies that have emerged

The Impact of Outside Stimulus on Performance in Mid Distance Athletes

Running performance is affected by multiple factors working together to produce a successful athlete. This study will examine the physiological and performance responses to varying stimuli among division III collegiate middle distance runners. Performance during this test will be partially impacted by how subjects enable themselves to keep going throughout the trials. Participants include no more than twenty males and females from the University of Lynchburg’s track team. Two eight-minute-long trials will be performed in a randomized order on a treadmill, including one with uptempo music and regular verbal encouragement and one with silence. Pre-test questions will assess participant’s headspace. Heart rate and ratings of perceived exertion will be collected throughout both trials. Participants will be blinded to the treadmill display, such that they can only see time elapsed but not speed, distance traveled, or heart rate. The treadmill’s speed is controlled freely by the participant with an incline of 0.5% held constant. Participants are instructed to run as far as they are able within the eight minute period. This study’s data collection is ongoing and will be analyzed upon completion. This research is imperative to help understand how external factors can impact the athletes’ performances

Implementation of Research based Writing Instruction in K-2

Early intervention and equipping teachers with effective writing strategies are essential for the development of writers. In this workshop, we will explore research on various writing instructional methods and how they are applied in lower elementary classrooms. Research regarding development of writing skills will be discussed, along with strategies to effectively implement in the classroom

BIOL 114: The Effect of ash on Arabidopsis thaliana growth and development

Due to recent wildfires in California and their dramatic effect on plant ecosystems, we decided to create an experiment that would compare the growth of the plant Arabidopsis with and without ash on its topsoil. We hypothesized that the plants with ash would do better and grow larger in diameter than those without. We got ash from a controlled burn of Oak wood and applied it at a consistent rate of 1 gram poured evenly on the surface on the soil surface. Four experimental conditions were created, Wild type control, Wild type ash, Mutant control, and Mutant ash. The plants were grown under the controlled conditions of light, and all watered from the bottom for 15 minutes each week. The plant\u27s growth was measured by the diameter of the two longest leaves every Monday for 6 weeks. Our results revealed that the wild type ash had a significant increase in diameter compared to wild type control, which indicates a positive effect of ash on diameter growth of Arabidopsis. But the Mutant control and Mutant ash groups had no significant difference. The wild type control showed significantly greater growth than the mutant control. Our findings suggest that ash application can promote growth in wild type Arabidopsis. The mutant gene may have some genetic modification that prevents the ash as working as an accelerant as it did with the wild type. Our study helps contribute to the understanding of wildlife response to wildfire ash. And can provide information that is applicable to larger understandings of plant recovery

The Effect of Sleep on the Overall Health of College Students

Many undergraduate college students don\u27t understand how critical sleep can be to their overall health and academic success. Some aspects of effective sleep are under the students control while others may be more challenging to modify such as mental health issues. This presentation will look at students perceptions and experiences trying to improve their sleep, including such topics as: melatonin, sleep supplements, sleep deprivation, irregular sleep patterns and paired cognitive function and immune system compromise. Additionally, a campus based sleep program will be proposed including a variety of interventions to improve the student experience

A Comparison of Muscular Strength and Power Development In Unilateral and Bilateral Lower Body Exercises

The purpose of this study was to compare neural development in the form of strength and absolute power following training programs that involve unilateral and bilateral lower body exercises. A randomized between-groups research design was used in which results from a pretest and posttest were compared across the unilateral and bilateral groups. Sled machine 1-RM testing was used as a measure of strength and CMVJ testing was used as a measure of absolute power. The exercise intervention period required participants to complete a variation of squats, sled machine pushes, deadlift, and box step-ups utilizing one or both legs. The specific variation of exercises for each participant was determined by randomized placement into one of the two groups. The training period was split into thirteen total sessions involving 1 preliminary testing session and 12 exercise sessions. The sessions were held three times per week for a total of four weeks. As the data collection process is still underway, definitive results are not yet available. Findings from this research are applicable to resistance training exercise prescription as they may suggest that the use of one kind of exercise is more effective in enhancing muscular strength and power than the other

Observing the Prevalence of Wolbachia Found in Tick Species from the Central VA Region

Research has found that ticks are considered the second highest global vector of disease. Ticks can serve as a vector for pathogens such as Rickettsia rickettsii (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever), Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme Disease), Borrelia miyamotoi (B. miyamotoi disease) and Borrelia hermsii (tick-borne relapsing fever). Tick species such as Dermacentor variabilis (American Dog ticks), Amblyomma maculatum (Gulf Coast ticks), Amblyomma americanum (Lone Star ticks), Ixodes scapulari (Black legged ticks), and Ixodes affinis can be found within the southeastern Virginia region. Ticks can also serve as a host for the endosymbiote Wolbachia. Hosts that possess Wolbachia can have their reproduction be negatively impacted through methods such as Parthenogenesis, Male Killing, Feminization, and Cytoplasmic Incompatibility. There are efforts in decreasing mosquito populations by utilizing Wolbachia. However, the method is in development. Currently, there is insufficient information and research regarding ticks and Wolbachia. The information regarding Wolbachia can be expanded upon for advancing the research involving decreasing tick populations. To better understand Wolbachia infection rates within ticks, a survey of the frequency of Wolbachia found in tick species within Central Virginia was performed. Ticks used in the study were collected from the central Virginia region. DNA extraction and isolation of each tick was performed, and then Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR) on tick DNA (CO1) and potential Wolbachia DNA (WSPEC & 16s rRNA) were amplified. 1.7% agarose gels were used to perform gel electrophoresis on amplified CO1 and WSPEC DNA