The Effects of Off-Season and In-Season Training on Lactate Threshold in NCAA Division III Female Soccer Players

Soccer requires a significant amount of aerobic and anaerobic training to improve one’s performance. Because lactate threshold (LT) is an important component of endurance sport performance, testing the LT of soccer players in response to their off-season and in-season training regimens could help to gauge the success of those programs in improving or maintaining fitness levels. This study evaluated the effects of off-season training and in-season training types on LT in 11 NCAA Division III female soccer players (age 19.5 +/- 1.3 years). Off-season training was comprised of aerobic and anaerobic workouts, while in-season training was more sport-specific, and involved playing soccer six days a week. Each athlete performed two LT tests on a cycle ergometer after off-season training and in-season training were completed. There were no significant differences in mean LT levels between off-season training and in-season training (125.5 +/- 18.9 Watts vs. 119.5 +/- 13.4 Watts, respectively, p=0.33). It was concluded that LT levels were maintained, but not improved, by in-season, sport-specific training when compared to off-season training. Other metrics, such as shuttle run performance or VO2max testing, may be more useful in assessing the differences between the two training types

Comparison of methods for evaluating horizontal-plane sound localization

This study compared three methods for evaluating sound localization abilities in normal hearing listeners and listeners with unilateral hearing loss. Rear-facing localization performance with the Direct Connect (DC) Binaural Test System was compared to front- and rear-facing soundfield localization. Behavioral chance performance in rear-facing DC and soundfield testing was established, as well as test-retest reliability for all three localization test setups

Photophysical Characterization of Newly-Synthesized Emissive Materials

One key element in chemistry is understanding the chemical properties of a molecule so that its interactions with itself, other atoms or molecules, or its environment is well known. This knowledge alone allows the chemist to innovate and invent and thereby change the world. Light surrounds and sustains our lives; thus it is vital to understand how light interacts with common and newly synthesized materials. In this thesis the photophysical properties of newly synthesized materials will be discussed to give an overview of the many ways in which light interacts with the chemical materials composing our everyday lives. General photophysical phenomena will be discussed along with the spectroscopic devices and techniques used to explore said phenomena. The molecules to be discussed are Indolizine-Squaraine based dyes with potential use as a biological imaging dye, fac-tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium(III) or Ir(ppy)3, and BisMethoxyMethylPhenyl BoraFluorene (BMMBBF) with potential use as an OLED (organic light emitting diode). The spectroscopic properties such as absorption, emission, fluorescent lifetime, stokes shift, quantum yield, molar absorptivity, and vibrational modes will be explored through the use UV-Vis-NIR, Raman, and IR spectroscopy. The molecules will be studied in the solid and solution state and environmental effects will be surveyed. The molecules studied were found to be appropriate for their desired purposes according to their photophysical properties

The François Tomb in Context

&nbsp; The famous Etruscan Fran&ccedil;ois tomb is analyzed holistically in order to better understand the intentions and influences of Saties family that built the tomb. As this was a dynastic monument built at a time of political upheaval in Vulci, the myriad of frescoes both glorified the ancestors of the Saties and simultaneously offered a set of guidelines for their descendants to live by to also achieve such a status. The grave goods recovered were scattered throughout Europe after the tomb's initial excavation in 1857. They have therefore been largely left out of scholarship. This results in scholars typically only analyzing the tomb at the moment in which the frescoes were painted and not the nearly 400 years in which the tomb was in use. </p

Research Mentoring and Scientist Identity: Insights from Undergraduates and their Mentors

Background Mentored research apprenticeships are a common feature of academic outreach programs that aim to promote diversity in science fields. The current study tests for links between three forms of mentoring (instrumental, socioemotional, and negative) and the degree to which undergraduates psychologically identify with science. Participants were 66 undergraduate-mentor dyads who worked together in a research apprenticeship. The undergraduate sample was predominantly composed of women, first-generation college students, and members of ethnic groups that are historically underrepresented in science. Results Findings illustrated that undergraduates who reported receiving more instrumental and socioemotional mentoring were higher in scientist identity. Further, mentors who reported engaging in higher levels of negative mentoring had undergraduates with lower scientist identity. Qualitative data from undergraduates’ mentors provided deeper insight into their motivation to become mentors and how they reason about conflict in their mentoring relationships. Conclusions Discussion highlights theoretical implications and details several methodological recommendations

Influence of Habitual Physical Activity and Acute Exercise on Lipid Metabolism and Insulin Action.

Although a physically active lifestyle is clearly an important contributor to long-term health and disease prevention, it remains unclear how much of these health benefits stem from the acute effects of the most recent session(s) of exercise, and how much can be attributed to physiologic adaptations accrued as a result of habitual active. Importantly, the time course for adaptations that occur in the early stages of adopting a habitually active lifestyle is not clearly understood. Therefore, my dissertation projects were designed to examine key metabolic adaptations that occur in response to a more physically active lifestyle in obese adults who are at risk for developing chronic metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes. The major findings of my dissertation studies included: In STUDY#1, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we found that insulin sensitivity was significantly associated with the amount of time participants were engaged in physical activity behaviors (P=0.03), but not with their level of cardiorespiratory fitness. In STUDY #2, contrary to our hypothesis, Insulin Sensitivity Index (ISI) was significantly higher in a group of overweight adults who exercise regularly compared with a well-matched cohort of sedentary overweight adults, even though the regular exercisers abstained from exercise for 3 days. In this study we also found that a single session of moderate-intensity exercise was sufficient to increase ISI the day after exercise by nearly 25% in the previously sedentary overweight adults – but not in the regular exercisers, eliminating the difference in ISI between the groups that was evident at baseline. In STUDY #3, although ISI was not improved in the hours after the first low-intensity exercise training session, after 2 weeks of training, post-exercise ISI was enhanced. We also discovered that a single session of exercise at 50%VO2max (i.e., maximal oxygen uptake) for 40 min may be below a “threshold” for exercise stimulus required to improve insulin sensitivity into the next day in obese adults. These studies provide important new information for optimizing the design of lifestyle interventions specifically aimed at enhancing metabolic health in overweight and obese individuals.PHDKinesiologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/99871/1/rkweese_1.pd

Targeted Educational Interventions to Increase Knowledge and Influence Attitudes about Nutritional Concepts in School-Aged Children

Good nutritional habits have been linked to increased overall health and wellness, therefore working with children has the greatest impact on their overall lifestyle and lifelong habits. Nutritional interventions decrease the risk of future health complications that can result in premature death. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge base of school-aged children sampled from an existing after-school nutrition education program and measure the efficacy of an additional two-step intervention. Our two-step intervention includes a content knowledge educational intervention on day one and a play-based learning intervention on day two to allow for knowledge acquisition and subsequent application of knowledge to improve retention. The intervention will be analyzed with a pre- and post-survey to evaluate the impact on the experimental group and to compare the intervention to a control group. We hope this intervention will yield positive attitudes toward healthy food choices. If so, similar interventions can be implemented in school and/or in after-school programs to help improve nutritional knowledge in children

An Integrated Engineering Model for Advising

This evidence-based practice paper describes the theoretical foundations of the supportive advising practices used by the Integrated Engineering Department (IE) at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The driving motivation for the advising model is to support the development of student engineers as whole people. Generally in academia, faculty in traditional professor roles serve as formal advisors, mentors, facilitators, evaluators, and coaches and are joined by full-time staff that serve in roles to support student development. Integrated Engineers at Minnesota State University, Mankato are supported to become the engineer they want to be. This paper describes the unique model employed by IE of mentoring and advising that incorporates not just faculty but staff, industry mentors or facilitators, and peers that bring different perspectives to student support. Evidence of effectiveness includes high graduation rates, career placement rates of students, and student perceptions of preparation for meeting our program educational objectives. Perspectives from faculty new to the program and current and former students illustrate the personal impact of the model

Characterizing the gut microbiome in trauma: significant changes in microbial diversity occur early after severe injury.

Background:Recent studies have demonstrated the vital influence of commensal microbial communities on human health. The central role of the gut in the response to injury is well described; however, no prior studies have used culture-independent profiling techniques to characterize the gut microbiome after severe trauma. We hypothesized that in critically injured patients, the gut microbiome would undergo significant compositional changes in the first 72 hours after injury. Methods:Trauma stool samples were prospectively collected via digital rectal examination at the time of presentation (0 hour). Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (n=12) had additional stool samples collected at 24 hours and/or 72 hours. Uninjured patients served as controls (n=10). DNA was extracted from stool samples and 16S rRNA-targeted PCR amplification was performed; amplicons were sequenced and binned into operational taxonomic units (OTUs; 97% sequence similarity). Diversity was analyzed using principle coordinates analyses, and negative binomial regression was used to determine significantly enriched OTUs. Results:Critically injured patients had a median Injury Severity Score of 27 and suffered polytrauma. At baseline (0 hour), there were no detectable differences in gut microbial community diversity between injured and uninjured patients. Injured patients developed changes in gut microbiome composition within 72 hours, characterized by significant alterations in phylogenetic composition and taxon relative abundance. Members of the bacterial orders Bacteroidales, Fusobacteriales and Verrucomicrobiales were depleted during 72 hours, whereas Clostridiales and Enterococcus members enriched significantly. Discussion:In this initial study of the gut microbiome after trauma, we demonstrate that significant changes in phylogenetic composition and relative abundance occur in the first 72 hours after injury. This rapid change in intestinal microbiota represents a critical phenomenon that may influence outcomes after severe trauma. A better understanding of the nature of these postinjury changes may lead to the ability to intervene in otherwise pathological clinical trajectories. Level of evidence:III. Study type:Prognostic/epidemiological

Screening and Assessment in Trauma-Informed Care: An Evidence-Based Practice Project

This Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) project examined the following question: What interprofessional and occupational therapy screening and assessment measures are used in trauma-informed care and what are their psychometric characteristics