SLASH: Call and Response Composition in Jazz Music

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FORCE PRODUCTION DURING ISOMETRIC SQUATS AND KNEE FLEXION ANGLES DURING LANDING

The current study quantified the relationship between force production during isometric squats performed at different external knee flexion angles (40, 60, 80, and 100 degrees) and initial and peak knee flexion angles during landing. A total of 18 male and 18 female recreational/collegiate athletes completed a jump-landing-jump task and four maximal isometric squats at different knee flexion angles. Significant correlations were observed between peak force production during isometric squats and initial and peak knee flexion angles during landing for females, but not for males. For females, decreased isometric strength during squats was associated with decreased knee flexion during landing. For males, isometric strength alone may not be sufficient to explain differences in knee flexion during landing. Future studies are warranted to study the effect of postural-specific strength training on landing mechanics in females

Lowering minimum eye height to increase peak knee and hip flexion during landing

The purpose was to determine the effect of lowering minimum eye height through an externally focused object on knee and hip flexion and impact forces during jump-landing. Kinematics and ground reaction forces were collected when 20 male and 19 female participants performed jump-landing trials with their natural minimum eye height, and trials focusing on lowering their minimum eye height to an external object, which was set at 5% or 10% of standing height lower. Participants demonstrated decreased minimum eye height and increased peak knee and hip flexion during early-landing and stance phase when focusing on lowering eye height to the external object (p \u3c 0.01). Peak vertical ground reaction forces during early-landing also decreased for the greater force group (p \u3c 0.001). Jump-landing training through manipulating eye height provides a strategy that involves an external focus and intrinsic feedback, which may have advantages in promoting learning and practical application

Engagement with Higher Education Surface Pattern Design Students as a Catalyst for Circular Economy Action

The ‘circular economy’ is seen as an approach by which the issue of sustainability can be addressed whilst broadly maintaining patterns of production, consumption, economic growth, and living standards. If circular economy ambitions are to be achieved, ways and processes of manufacturing need to radically change from the current linear model, and there is the potential for higher education students to act as active participants and catalysts, as explored in this research. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the potential for collaborative learning projects to generate value to all stakeholders and participants, with the definition of value pertinent to each participant’s needs whilst also addressing the principles of circular economy. A case study collaborative learning design project is used to illustrate the positive direct and indirect outcomes and to show how such design projects can form part of a wider drive for transition through innovation towards circular economy ways of working. We consider this research to be at the intersection of circular economy advancement and the integration of effective methods of education for the circular economy in higher education. A cohort of 29 undergraduate surface pattern design students was engaged in a challenge-based design project co-created with an established manufacturing firm. This research shows how such projects provide learning not only for students but also the case study firm and give tangible outputs in terms of new value-generative products. Through an examination of the reflective comments of participants, an outline of key aspects to consider in delivering such projects to ensure greatest impact is identified

Non-chlorine detergent formulations as an alternative for unpasteurised milk removal from stainless steel surfaces

Hygiene is a major concern in the dairy industry, and detergents based on hypochlorite have commonly been utilised for cleaning-in-place (CIP) regimes. However, due to concerns about chlorate residues entering the milk processing chain, new detergent alternatives that are free of chlorate sources are required. Two new formulations were developed based on ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and wetting agents. Stainless steel surfaces were fouled with milk and cleaned once or 10 times using water, a caustic-EDTA product, a sodium hypochlorite product, an acid, or new cleaning formulations (Product A and Product B). The results demonstrated that the use of acid did not result in successful cleaning. The two new products performed well, with Product B performing equivalently during cleaning compared with the established hypochlorite or caustic-EDTA products. Product A exhibited better cleanliness than the other detergents tested. When allergen removal was considered, residual material was found to be retained on the surfaces, regardless of the cleaning type used. This study suggests that the new product formulations may be used to replace hypochlorite-based detergents to increase the hygienic status of a surface

Kinematic Analyses of Parkour Landings From as High as 2.7 Meters

During landing tasks, forces and moments are generated by the musculoskeletal system at surface contact to progressively decelerate the velocity of the body (Dufek and Bates, 1990; McNitt-Gray, 1993). When landing after a forward jump, the body’s downward velocity must be decelerated by an upward acceleration, while its forward velocity needs to be decelerated by a backward acceleration. Inappropriate landing patterns can cause excessive loading to the body, resulting in musculoskeletal injuries. The anterior cruciate ligament is commonly injured by abnormal landing patterns during athletic activities (Dai et al., 2015b; Krosshaug et al., 2007). Military training also involves jump-landing tasks such as parachuting, jumping off a vehicle, and traversing a ditch; all which increase exposure to jump-landing associated injury risk (Ekeland, 1997; Owens et al., 2007; Sell et al., 2010). Developing safe and effective landing strategies has implications for both injury prevention and performance training. Investigators have examined the effects of landing heights, distances, and techniques on performers’ motion, impact forces, and their associated risk of injury (Dai et al., 2015a; Dufek and Bates, 1990; McNitt-Gray, 1993). Lower extremity loading increases when the landing height and distance are increased (Dufek and Bates, 1990; McNitt-Gray, 1993; Zhang et al., 2000). Potential strategies to decrease lower extremity loading include landing on the forefoot, increasing knee and hip joint range of motion, and lengthening landing time (Dai et al., 2015a; Devita and Skelly, 1992; Zhang et al., 2000). However, previous findings are based on landing heights less than 1.5 m in combination with traditional landing techniques. An increased landing velocity resulting from a high landing height does not necessarily result in injury if appropriate landing techniques are utilized. As an example, Parkour is a form of acrobatic street gymnastics that has gained public popularity in the last decade (Puddle and Maulder, 2013). One important skill in Parkour is to land safely from high heights (\u3e1.5 m) such as vertical walls. Novel landing techniques with the use of hands and rolling motions have been utilized by Parkour practitioners. Investigators have quantified the effect of Parkour precision and roll landings on landing forces from a landing height of 0.75 m (Puddle and Maulder, 2013). The biomechanics of how Parkour practitioners land from higher heights remains unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to quantify the landing kinematics of Parkour practitioners landing from 0.9, 1.8, and 2.7 m utilizing the squat, forward, roll, and stiff landing techniques. It was hypothesized that the stiff landing would exhibit the least landing time and greatest change in vertical velocity during the early landing, while the roll landing would demonstrate the greatest landing time and least changes in vertical and horizontal velocities during the early landing for all landing heights. In addition, it was hypothesized that the four landing techniques would exhibit different lower extremity kinematics