APPLICATION OF A MULTI-SEGMENT FOOT MODEL DURING RUNNING

Standard gait analysis using optical motion capture systems involves modeling the foot as a single segment which limits the information on inter-segmental foot motion. Foot models have been shown to be reliable, but limited research is available that uses these foot models in conjunction with shoes. There are methodology issues that arise when the subject is wearing a shoe. The primary objective of this dissertation is to develop a method to analyze the relative motion of the foot bones within multiple shoes during a variety of activities. The secondary objective is to apply this method in clinical studies to investigate the effect on foot kinematics due to shoe modifications or during different movements. Before any clinical research could be conducted, three methodology studies needed to be performed. Firstly, a method for validating holes in the shoe was developed and used to demonstrate that a 2.5 cm hole is valid for three different shoe types. Secondly, static trials from four different shoe conditions were found to exceed a minimum important difference (5°). Consequently, single static trials are important from an injury perspective since the absolute angular range is calculated. Per-condition static trials are necessary, however, if the study objective is to examine the symmetry of the range of motion around the joint. Lastly, in a single-plane fluoroscopy study, soft tissue artifact (STA) was found to range from 6.46mm and 16.72mm for the hindfoot and midfoot triad markers, which was comparable to previous values found in literature. in Two clinical studies were then conducted and demonstrated that foot kinematics are influenced by a directional change but appear to be unaffected by a change in longitudinal torsional stiffness and forefoot flexion. Many possible hypotheses for these results are discussed, including the possibility that the foot has a pre­ determined kinematic pattern while traveling in a straight line that may be controlled by a pre-determined muscle activation pattern. The hypothesis that soft tissue is susceptible to injury past its “end-of-range” is also discussed in reference to foot injuries and the use of interventions. The method used in this dissertation will assist researchers in their investigations to find the mechanisms behind how the foot adapts to perturbations

Urban Redevelopment and the Elimination of Blight: A Case Study of Missouri\u27s Chapter 353

The purpose of this Article is to consider carefully whether Chapter 353 was meant to be blight driven; that is, whether the Missouri legislature enacted Chapter 353 to remedy obvious cases of blight, or whether the legislature was equally concerned about promoting economic development within urban areas generally. Part I of the Article describes Chapter 353 and project approval under the statute. Part II examines the criticisms of the statute and several of the studies that have evaluated the effectiveness of Chapter 353. Next, Part III develops a legislative history for Chapter 353 in an effort to discern the objectives of the statute. Part IV of the Article evaluates the use of Chapter 353 in light of the public use doctrine, and Part V evaluates the use of the statute in light of legal challenges to blight determinations. Finally, Part VI of the Article develops conclusions about the proper role of blight determinations in urban renewal programs

Collaboration Between Extension and Industry: Coordination and Assessment of Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue Training

Rescuing large animals from emergency situations can be fraught with dangers not only to the animals but also to the rescuers. People involved at the scene of such an emergency are most likely to include first responders, horse owners, and veterinarians. These groups need to be aware of how they can best work together to effect a safe and efficient rescue as none typically has all the knowledge and skills that are necessary. Extension training programs that bring together such groups can be beneficial in supporting emergency and disaster preparedness in the local community

Agricultural Safety Education: Formative Assessment of a Curriculum Integration Strategy

The purpose of this study was to assess an agricultural tractor and machinery safety curriculum for teacher training that focused on hands-on integration activities to assist with training youth in machinery safety skills. Teachers attended a single ten-hour summer training seminar hosted in Montana, South Dakota, or Utah during 2017. Teachers completed the National Tractor and Machinery Safe Operation (NSTMOP) exam to measure their existing knowledge prior to beginning the training. Upon seminar completion, teachers took an NSTMOP post-test to measure their knowledge gain of agricultural safety practices and hazard recognition associated with machinery and tractors. A total of 116 teachers completed the training. Fifty-three participants (45.7%) identified as female, and 63 (54.3%) identified as male. The average participant was 35 years old (SD = 11.3) and had 9.5 years of teaching experience (SD = 9.2). The average NSTMOP pre-test score was 35.2 out of 48 (SD = 3.3), and the average NSTMOP post-test score was 40.3 out of 48 (SD = 4.1). Participants‘ scores increased by ten percentage points. A paired-samples t-test was used to determine statistical significance. The difference between pre-test and post-test was significant (t(109) = 11.9, p \u3c 0.001). Open responses indicated continuation of hands-on activities that focused on “how to teach” skills training that is relevant to the students. Teachers suggested developing new activities each year with a rotation of topics for upcoming seminars. Research is needed to determine the training‘s influence on the behaviors of young workers in agriculture

Just do it? Investigating the gap between prediction and action in toddlers' causal inferences

Adults’ causal representations integrate information about predictive relations and the possibility of effective intervention; if one event reliably predicts another, adults can represent the possibility that acting to bring about the first event might generate the second. Here we show that although toddlers (mean age: 24 months) readily learn predictive relationships between physically connected events, they do not spontaneously initiate one event to try to generate the second (although older children, mean age: 47 months, do; Experiments 1 and 2). Toddlers succeed only when the events are initiated by a dispositional agent (Experiment 3), when the events involve direct contact between objects (Experiment 4), or when the events are described using causal language (Experiment 5). This suggests that causal language may help children extend their initial causal representations beyond agent-initiated and direct contact events.James S. McDonnell Foundation (Causal Learning Collaborative)American Psychological FoundationTempleton Foundatio

Arts Entrepreneurship: Faculty Support for Corrections to the Music Curriculum in Higher Education

This paper began with the assumption that higher education is a social contract, a quid pro quo between students, government and the academy. It explored the stability and nuances of this exchange within an historical perspective, beginning with Plato and continuing through the current era. This supported the assertion that higher education is facing unprecedented challenges and that the social contract is threatened on multiple fronts. The research focus narrowed to the relationship between artistic study, specifically music, and the expectation that higher education equates to employability and financial returns that exceed the non-college track. It explored the relevancy of the music conservatory curriculum to 19th century European culture, and the potential irrelevancy of that same curriculum to the 21st century cultural economy. In addition, it examined arts entrepreneurship, an innovative modification to the traditional curriculum designed to equip music students with non-musical, career building skills. A survey was administered to music faculties in Georgia and its five contiguous states. Perceptions about career opportunities; the impact of musical and non-musical skills on those opportunities; the provision of these skills at the institutional level; and the sufficiency of arts entrepreneurship to deliver these skills were analyzed. When quantitative analysis was juxtaposed with qualitative narratives and perspectives, it was determined that the respondents were pessimistic about the career opportunities of their students; that non-musical skills were equally important to musical skills when realizing those opportunities; that few institutions were delivering these skills; that most respondents advocated for a new curriculum in light of the modern cultural economy; but that few were willing or able to conceptualize a modern iteration of that curriculum. Analysis also revealed that arts entrepreneurship, a field of study in its infancy, received inconsistent support as a remedy for curricular deficiencies, and that it lacks the maturity to be designated as an emergent discipline. Summative analysis revealed that the respondents are deeply frustrated by the rift between society and the classical music product. The cumulative recommendation is a national conversation among higher education’s music faculties that redresses the traditional curriculum to equip students with career skills; and to create a modified curriculum that facilitates revenue-producing, artistic communication with 21st century, globally-minded cultural consumers.Shrader, James A.Fowler, Nicholas LukeBabidoux, Greg R.D.P.A.Public Administratio

Cyber-bullying: An exploration of bystander behavior and motivation

While previous research has examined mainly self-reported bystander behavior during cyber-bullying, the current study explored if and how bystanders responded when presented with a cyber-bullying simulation. We hypothesized that individuals high in empathy would supportively intervene (defend the victim) most frequently. College age participants (M = 20.34, SD = 1.26, range 18-27; N = 149), viewed a simulated Facebook conversation in which negative comments were directed towards another student and were provided open-ended opportunities to be involved in the Facebook conversation (i.e., “comment” to the other fictitious characters) and explain their reasoning for their behavior (“motivators”) at two time points in the conversation (Time 1 and Time 2). Using a deductive-inductive process, we categorized participants’ comments and motivators, the frequency of these responses, and their reasons for them. While the majority of participants (91%) asserted that cyber-bullying occurred in the conversation, most participants did not comment (Time 1: 69%, Time 2: 52%). Among those who commented, the most frequently cited motivators were either to defend the victim or mediate the situation. Consistent with our hypothesis, individuals who identified with the victim had higher empathy scores than those who identified with the bullies, although this was true only for the second part of the conversation (Time 2). Empathy scores did not differ by type of response at either time period. Future studies could utilize the categories and motivators established in this study as a framework for more extensive quantitative research to more comprehensively understand the underlying reasons for low intervention rates in cyber-bullying