The Michigan Department of Attorney General: The Status of the Law at the End of a Legacy.

Article published in the Michigan State University School of Law Student Scholarship Collection

Locomotive Training for Motor-Incomplete SCI in the Sub-Acute Setting: A Case Study

Background: Each year there are about 17,000 new cases of spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United States. For individuals who suffer a SCI, the restoration of walking consistently ranks as a top priority. Currently, there is strong evidence to support the use of locomotive training for recovery of ambulation following an incomplete spinal cord injury in the sub-acute setting. The purpose of this case report is to demonstrate the application of multiple locomotive training interventions and discuss recommendations for locomotive training following a motor-incomplete SCI. Case description: The patient was a 32-year old male 4 months post motor-incomplete spinal cord injury with an ASIA C classification. His injury occurred at the spinal level C5. At baseline, he presented with a Walking Index for Spinal Cord Injury (WISCI) II score of 6 and was unable to complete the 10-meter walk test (10MWT). Interventions: In this study, multiple locomotive training interventions (Ekso GT, Zero-G dynamic body weight support, HydroWorx, and over ground training) were implemented to facilitate task-specific, massed practice gait training. These interventions were strategically employed to maximize the training dose to optimally influence ambulation recovery. Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measures used in this case were the WISCI II and the 10MWT. The secondary outcome measure used was walking distance. At discharge, the patient demonstrated clinically important improvements in all three outcomes. Discussion: This report was able to demonstrate the utilization of several locomotive training techniques and provide clinicians examples of possible gait training parameters following SCI. There is currently not enough data to synthesize gait training prescription guidelines for individuals with sub-acute SCI thus driving the need for additional large-scale data collection

New Chapter in Missouri Percolating Groundwater Law: The Non-Severability of Water Rights from Land, A

Although the State of Missouri may be rich in groundwater resources, Missouri case law is decidedly barren in percolating groundwater decisions. For the past twenty years, no Missouri court has dealt with this topic in the context of a dispute between adjoining landowners over a shared water supply. This Note will answer that question in the course of analyzing the most recent Missouri court decision in this area

IMPULSE GENERATION DURING JUMPING AND LANDING MOVEMENTS

Every foot contact provides an athlete with an opportunity to change the magnitude and/or direction of their total body momentum. During jumping and landing tasks, the body position relative to the reaction force, momentum at touchdown, the mechanical objective of the task, the individual’s self selected control strategy, and the properties of the surface influence the reaction force-time characteristics applied to the musculoskeletal system during foot contact. How the reaction force impulse applied at the feet is distributed will influence both performance and mechanical loading experienced by the musculoskeletal system

The effect of the Internet on the civic engagement and voting behavior of young Americans

Election returns from 2004 show increased voter turnout amongst 18 to 29 year olds. Is this reversal symptomatic of a larger trend? This paper examines what, if any, connection exists between the Internet, civic engagement, and turnout of young citizens. I test the hypothesis that increased use of the Internet to obtain news and political information will have a positive effect on civic engagement and voter turnout

ADAPTATION OF THE STREPTOCOCCAL COLLAGEN-LIKE PROTEIN 1, SCL1, OF GROUP A STREPTOCOCCUS TO RECOGNIZE FIBRONECTIN TYPE III REPEATS

Background: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is responsible more than 700 million infections worldwide each year. Most of these infections start with initial colonization of the throat and skin, which is augmented by surface adhesins. The streptococcal collagen-like protein 1 (Scl1) is a major adhesin expressed by GAS that contains an N-terminal sequence-variable (V) domain, protruded away from the cell surface by the collagen domain. The Scl-V domain is comprised of three pairs of anti-parallel α-helices interconnected by surface-exposed loops. For attachment, GAS adhesins require a portal of entry, such as a wound or breach in the epithelium, to enter the body. Within the wound, host cells deposit a provisional extracellular matrix (ECM) rich in cellular fibronectin (cFn) isoforms that contain fibronectin type III (FnIII) repeats, including unique extra domains A (EDA) and B (EDB), that are absent in plasma fibronectin. Tenascin-C (TnC) is another ECM component, which is substantially deposited within the wound microenvironment and contains FnIII repeats. In addition to healing wounds, EDA/EDB-cFn and TnC are found in tumor microenvironments. Our early work showed that the Scl1-V domain binds to cFn via EDA. Our work here has focused on understanding this selective binding of Scl1 to wound-associated ECM and how this interaction contributes to GAS pathogenesis. Hypothesis: The Scl1-V domain has adapted the capability to bind to wound-associated FnIII repeats, EDA and EDB in cFn, and in TnC. Results: First, we discovered that surface-exposed loops of the Scl1-V domain, surrounding an acidic patch, participate in EDA binding. Both structural characteristics were conserved among phylogenetically distant Scl1 variants. We next discovered that Scl1 also binds to EDB in cFn, as well as to the FnIII repeats in TnC. Using defined recombinant proteins, we show that loop-region of the Scl1-V domain mediates Scl1 binding to EDB and to the TnC FnIII repeats. Moreover, Scl1-FnIII binding promotes GAS attachment and biofilm formation in vitro. We also developed a more complex heterogeneous in vitro matrix-system, deposited by cancer-associated fibroblasts, to demonstrate the selective binding of Scl1 to EDA/EDB-cFn isoforms and to TnC FnIII repeats within this matrix. Conclusions: Scl1 binds to wound-associated FnIII repeats in both cFn and TnC. This work has implications in GAS wound-colonization and infers Scl1-FnIII binding in modulating host wound-healing responses. This work lays a foundation for the development of strategies to target GAS during wound infections, as well as provides a rationale for the use of Scl1 in targeting cancerous tissues

COORDNIATION OF CENTER OF MASS VELOCITY AND UPPER EXTREMITY KINEMATICS DURING BASKETBALL SHOTS FROM TWO DISTANCES

The purpose of this study was to analyze the coordination patterns for individual players when shooting from different distances. Seven experienced basketball players attempted at least 10 shots from 4.19 m and 6.02 m from the hoop. The coordination between the player’s center of mass vertical velocity, upper arm angular velocity, and forearm angular velocity were characterized using phase-plane analysis. Within player, coordination of center of mass vertical velocity and arm kinematics were found to be unique to each individual and comparable between shot distances, particularly during the shot preparation phase. Deviations in coordination patterns between shot distances were attributed to increases in center of mass vertical velocity at ground departure and ball release, consistent with the need for a greater ball velocity at release at further shot distances

Funding Public Streetscape Improvements in a Heritage City: A Willingness to Pay Survey

How to finance downtown redevelopment activities can be problematic for city planners since the viability of .a plan to make improvements often rests with the willingness of merchants to pay for them. this article describes and illustrates two methodologies that are particularly well suited for such assessment purposes. The first is the contingent valuation survey methodology that elicits stakeholders\u27 improvement priorities and their willingness to contribute towards those improvements. The second is the design charrette process that embellishes upon such survey results and invites further consensus building. Since the initial stage of a redevelopment project is at best speculative, these methods are useful tools for planners since they can be performed quickly with minimum costs and allow all stakeholders a say in the planning process