CONNECTING THE PIECES: HOW LOW BACK PAIN ALTERS LOWER EXTREMITY BIOMECHANICS AND SHOCK ATTENUATION IN ACTIVE INDIVIDUALS

Low back pain in collegiate athletes has been reported at a rate of 37% from a wide array of sports including soccer, volleyball, football, swimming, and baseball. Whereas, in a military population the prevalence of low back pain is 70% higher than the general population. Compensatory movement strategies are often used as an attempt to reduce pain. Though compensatory movement strategies may effectively reduce pain, they are often associated with altered lower extremity loading patterns. Those who suffer from chronic low back pain tend to walk and run slower and with less trunk and pelvis coordination and variability. Individuals with low back pain also tend to run with more stiffness in their knees. Moving with less joint coordination and more stiffness are potential compensatory movement patterns acting as a guarding mechanism for pain. Overall the purpose of this project was to determine how chronic low back pain influences lower extremity biomechanics and shock attenuation in active individuals compared to healthy individuals and examine how the altered lower extremity biomechanics are related to clinical outcome measures. We hypothesized that individuals who present with chronic low back pain are more likely to exhibit higher vertical ground reaction forces and less knee flexion excursion during landing, compared to healthy individuals. We also hypothesized that individuals with chronic low back pain will have a reduced ability to attenuate shock during landing compared to the healthy individuals. This study was a case control design in which physically active individuals suffering from chronic low back pain were matched to healthy controls. All participants reported for one testing session to assess self-perceived knee function in the form of the Knee Osteoarthritis Outcomes Score (KOOS), lower extremity strength and mechanics during three landing tasks. Isometric strength was assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer during hip abduction, hip extension, and knee extension. The landing tasks included a drop vertical jump, a single leg hop, and a crossover hop. A three-dimensional motion analysis system with two in-ground force plates and four inertial measurement units were used to assess lower extremity mechanics during the landing tasks. Individuals with low back pain presented with reduced KOOS scores compared to healthy individuals in four of the five subscales, including Symptoms (p=0.007), Pain (p=0.002), Activities of Daily Living (p=0.021), and Quality of Life (p=0.003). Alternatively, while there were some strength, kinematic, and kinetic between limb asymmetries noted in the low back pain group, there were not between group differences with the healthy individuals. In the low back pain group, individuals presented with greater dominant limb knee extension strength (p=0.039) and greater dominant limb ankle plantarflexion at initial contact during the drop vertical jump, compared to the non-dominant limb (p=0.022). Individuals with low back pain also presented with greater non-dominant limb tibia impact during the single limb hop (p=0.008). While we did not identify any mechanical differences between individuals suffering from chronic low back pain and those who do not, we did identify that an active population suffering from low back pain does present with decreased self-perceived knee function compared to active individuals without low back pain. As these groups biomechanically perform similarly, they do not clinically perform the same, specifically, in terms of the KOOS. Such differences should not be overlooked when treating active populations with low back pain. If this population is presenting with altered self-perceived knee function at a young age, it is likely that it will continue to decline and negatively affect their function

Plasmon-Exciton Interactions in All-Inorganic Nanocrystal Arrays

Weak coupling regimes between metallic nanoparticles and semiconductor quantum dots have been shown to increase efficiency in quantum dot solar cells by 80%. This phenomenon is also known to scale up non-linearly. Increasing the efficiency of solar cells with the use of plasmon-exciton coupling will help solar cells to become competitive with other energy sources. Another weakness of current quantum dot solar cells is the thermal, chemical, and electrical instability that ligand-terminated nanocrystals are subject to. Our new SMENA encapsulation matrix increases thermal stability of the nanocrystal array by using large band-gap semiconductor shells to cap the exciton generating core. These semiconductor shells lead to much greater thermal stability and refractive index of the film. For this Honors Project, a study of fluorescent thin films has been conducted. This study intended to utilize the SMENA methodology, as well as localized surface plasmon resonance to show that metallic nanoparticles might be used to increase NC solar cell efficiency

OER and Copyright

OER and Copyright was a presentation that was part of Building Bridges: Tools for Open Educational Resources (OER) Advocacy and Collaboration at TCUS Libraries , an online workshop held April 13th, 2021 1:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M. Eastern Time

Neural reorganization and compensation in aging

According to prominent theories of aging, the brain may reorganize in order to compensate for neural deterioration, and prevent or offset cognitive decline. A frequent and striking finding in functional imaging studies is that older adults recruit additional regions relative to young adults performing the same task. This is often interpreted as evidence for functional reorganization, suggesting that as people age, different regions or networks may support the same cognitive functions. Associations between additional recruitment and better performance in older adults have led to the suggestion that the additional recruitment may contribute to preserved cognitive function in old age, and may explain some of the variation among individuals in preservation of function. However, many alternative explanations are possible, and recent findings and methodological developments have highlighted the need for more systematic approaches to determine whether reorganization occurs with age and whether it benefits performance. We re-evaluate current evidence for compensatory functional reorganization in the light of recent moves to address these challenges

A Thematic Analysis of Faculty Advice for Doctoral Students

The present study examines advice given by the graduate faculty in a department (n=24) to new Ph.D. students in the department. The thematic analysis employed inductive coding to draw themes from the data, and seven salient themes emerged from the interviews: relationships, openness, individuality, purpose, academic work, self-care, and logistics. Grounded in a theoretical framework of social constructivism, the present study analyzes how knowledge is created as a social artifact that is passed down from faculty to graduate student and highlights the ways in which doctoral students then shape the meaning of said knowledge through their own interpretations and actions. This study analyzes the interview data to examine the ways in which systemic challenges of pressure and power are perpetuated within academia and highlights the many ways in which graduate faculty are truly invested in their students and their well-being. The findings serve as a catalyst for introspection for the various actors in academic systems, while providing an uplifting motif of genuine care for the overall wellness of doctoral students

The Extended IRTF Spectral Library: Expanded coverage in metallicity, temperature, and surface gravity

We present a $0.7-2.5\mu m$ spectral library of 284 stars observed with the medium-resolution infrared spectrograph, SpeX, at the 3.0 meter NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Maunakea, Hawaii. This library extends the metallicity range of the IRTF Cool Star library beyond solar metallicity to $-1.7 <$ [Fe/H] $< 0.6$. All of the observed stars are also in the MILES optical stellar library, providing continuous spectral coverage for each star from $0.35-2.5\mu m$. The spectra are absolute flux calibrated using Two Micron All Sky Survey photometry and the continuum shape of the spectra is preserved during the data reduction process. Synthesized $JHK_S$ colors agree with observed colors at the $1-2\%$ level, on average. We also present a spectral interpolator that uses the library to create a data-driven model of spectra as a function of $teff$, $logg$, and [Fe/H]. We use the library and interpolator to compare empirical trends with theoretical predictions of spectral feature behavior as a function of stellar parameters. These comparisons extend to the previously difficult to access low-metallicity and cool dwarf regimes, as well as the previously poorly sampled super-solar metallicity regime. The library and interpolator are publicly available.Comment: Accepted to ApJS. The website making the data publicly available will be available soon. For those interested in the meantime, contact the first autho

9th–10th Grade: English Level 2, Learning Packet #1 • Theme: Who Am I?

Day 1 • Who am I? reading comprehension, Create your own family tree, Calculating ages, Family tree vocabulary practice Day 2 • Cute features caused by gene mutations by ThoughtCo.com, adaptation by Newsela staff, Examining fingerprints, Find and complete the pattern, Practicing sequence words and phrases Day 3 • What do dominant and recessive mean? by Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff, Practicing with Punnett squares, My own dominant and recessive genetics, Graphic genetic traits Day 4 • Who am I? Barack Obama: timeline of important events, Timeline of interesting events from my life, Mirella\u27s eyes: identifying sequence language, Family vocabulary word find Day 5 • Who am I? Write your autobiography, Artists: Frida Kahlo by Evelyn Quezada, adapted by Newsela staff, Let\u27s move! My Packet Journal Reference Sheet Answer Ke

6th–8th Grade: English Level 2, Learning Packet #5 • Theme: Egypt

Day 1 • Traveling to Egypt!, Vocabulary you need to know, Where in the world are we?, Egypt\u27s flag, Pack your suitcase! What do you know? What do you want to learn? Day 2 • Vocabulary review, The desert in Egypt, Desert questions, Math practice Day 3 • Math practice. Whirling in Egypt, Good luck animals in Egypt, Your turn! Day 4 • Vocabulary practice, Pyramids in Egypt, Your turn!, Way of life in Egypt Day 5 • Make a pyramid, Falafel, Reflection activity, Goodbye, Egypt! My Packet Journal Reference Sheet Answer Key