Metabolic Efficiency During Ramp Test in Collegiate Cyclists

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine trend-line patterns for efficiency in collegiate, competitive cyclists. METHODS: Subjects included 17male and 6 female (n=23) . Measures were the following: age (y), height (cm), weight (kg), maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max, mL*kg-1*min.-1), maximal heart rate (MHR, b*min.-1), blood lactate (BLa, mM) and maximal power (w). Subjects were fit, collegiate cyclists competing for Midwestern State University cycling team. Each subject performed a cycle ergometer test utilizing the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) cycle ergometer protocol. Blood lactate was determined by removing 10µl each minute during the cycle ergometer test to volitional fatigue. Oxygen consumption (VO2, mL*kg-1*min.-1) per power output (watts) was calculated as metabolic efficiency (VO2*watts-1). Trend-line analysis was correlated with metabolic efficiency in response to VO2 per work at each stage . Statistical significance was set a priori at p \u3c 0.05. Results: Mean (SD) demographic measures were the following: age (y) 22.8 (3.8); height (cm) 169.4 (16.9); weight (kg) 74.6 (5.20); Metabolic efficiency (VO2*watts-1) indicated a power curvilinear trend-line. Male data averaged across power output resulted in a mathematical power trend-line with a coefficient of determination of R2=.898. Female data averaged across power resulted in a power trend-line with a coefficient of determination of R2=.943. Conclusion: During the cycle ergometer test, cyclists exhibited an enhanced metabolic efficiency as work increased. However, trend-line analysis indicated a plateau as the subjects neared volitional fatigue

REAL-TIME HAPTIC FEEDBACK SYSTEM VALIDITY AND ITS FESIBILITY FOR RUNNERS IN A REAL-WORLD TRAINING ENVIRONMENT

This study sought to assess the use of a novel integrated haptic feedback system for use during running; specifically, the study aimed to 1) assess the validity of the system in measuring trunk inclination and step rate during running and 2) assess the feasibility of the system to modify running technique in a real-world training environment. Ten recreational runners initially ran on an instrumented treadmill in a laboratory where trunk angle and step rate data were collected from an IMU-based system and compared against 3D motion capture and instrumented treadmill data. Participants then completed three outdoor training sessions using the haptic system to modify step rate. The haptic system was found to be valid when compared to gold-standard laboratory methods for measuring step rate (max 1.1% difference). It was also found to be feasible and intuitive in providing real-time feedback via a vibrating wrist-mounted unit in a real-world training environment. Overall, the system showed promise for application to real-world gait retraining, however further refinements are needed to improve the validity of trunk inclination measurements

INFLUENCE OF SHORT-TERM GROWTH ON MECHANCIAL RISK INDICATORS IN FEMALE GYMNASTS

Female gymnasts have increased vulnerability to chronic injuries during heightened growth. The study aimed to further understanding of the influence of growth rate and morphological growth rate on mechanical risk indicators over a 12 month period. Biomechanical measurements were taken during the performance of handstand and forward walkover skills at three time points. Bicristal to biacromial ratio measurements informed the division of the gymnasts into ‘high’ and ‘low’ growth groups. Greater mean mechanical risk indicator differences were found when the cohort was divided according to morphological growth rate. Large effects ( >.14) were found between time points for 88% of mechanical risk indicators. The importance of the shape and size of growth, along with the value of longitudinal monitoring of gymnasts was subsequently emphasised

AN EXPLORATION OF ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTIONS TO THE MARGINALIZATION OF THE HOMELESS

It is estimated that at least two percent of the world's total population is homeless (Chamie, 2017) affecting up to 560,000 Americans on any given night in 2019 (HUD). Many of the strategies implemented by the United States, as well as globally fail to address the root of the problem. Many current solutions also fail to serve the unhoused in ways that are psychologically proven to improve one’s ability to find and keep housing (Pable, 2018). Instead of dealing with the societal impacts that lead to higher rates of homelessness such as access to education, poverty, and opportunity, many solutions for homelessness implement “hostile architecture” like uncomfortable benches or spikes placed in an effort to keep someone from sleeping or resting in one area, or other tactics that focus on pushing the homeless out of public spaces and thereby further marginalize them. Through this thesis I aim to demonstrate the shortcomings of anti-homeless architecture and compile an outline of architectural solutions that can include and integrate the homeless into public spaces and buildings, using existing research and case study buildings to form a list of my own design criteria

Resolved Imaging of the HR 8799 Debris Disk with Herschel

We present Herschel far-infrared and submillimeter maps of the debris disk associated with the HR 8799 planetary system. We resolve the outer disk emission at 70, 100, 160 and 250 um and detect the disk at 350 and 500 um. A smooth model explains the observed disk emission well. We observe no obvious clumps or asymmetries associated with the trapping of planetesimals that is a potential consequence of planetary migration in the system. We estimate that the disk eccentricity must be <0.1. As in previous work by Su et al. (2009), we find a disk with three components: a warm inner component and two outer components, a planetesimal belt extending from 100 - 310 AU, with some flexibility (+/- 10 AU) on the inner edge, and the external halo which extends to ~2000 AU. We measure the disk inclination to be 26 +/- 3 deg from face-on at a position angle of 64 deg E of N, establishing that the disk is coplanar with the star and planets. The SED of the disk is well fit by blackbody grains whose semi-major axes lie within the planetesimal belt, suggesting an absence of small grains. The wavelength at which the spectrum steepens from blackbody, 47 +/- 30 um, however, is short compared to other A star debris disks, suggesting that there are atypically small grains likely populating the halo. The PACS longer wavelength data yield a lower disk color temperature than do MIPS data (24 and 70 um), implying two distinct halo dust grain populations.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures (6 color), accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

How Attachment Styles Affect Our Perception of Daily Activities

Existing research indicates that social functioning (i.e., emotional motives, social interaction, relationships, interpersonal goals) is associated with personal attachment style (Locke, 2008) and avoidance in emerging adults. Furthermore, attachment styles of individuals can predict daily activities and personal motives (Springstein et al., 2023). While evidence has pointed to interpersonal risk (i.e., physiological safety versus threat) and a sense of security, research has yet to explore these variables in the relationship between attachment styles and helping other individuals in social settings in university students. For our research, we wanted to expand on this past research and test the effects of daily activities and how people perceive these based on their attachment styles. We hypothesized that participants who have an anxious or avoidant attachment style will be less likely to help in perceptive daily social situations than those who have a secure attachment style. The participant sample are 46 introductory psychology students who participated for class credit in SONA. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire of 10 hypothetical situations of daily activities demonstrated through prosocial Qualtrics. Afterwards, participants were to take an online attachment style questionnaire consisting of 24 questions that will conclude their attachment styles based on research of attachment styles positively influencing external relationships (Natisse et. al. 2022). We found that..

DYNAMICS OF HANDSTAND BALANCE

The purpose of this study was to identify parameters that are associated with more successful motor control during handstand performance. For two groups of gymnasts, ‘less skilled’, who were able to hold handstands for 4 to 6s, and ‘more skilled’, who held handstands in excess of 10s, centre of mass (CoM) and centre of pressure (CoP) motion during the initial 3s of the handstand stability phase were analysed, as well as the 6 to 9s stabilised period for the more skilled gymnasts (balance phase). Time-space, time-frequency, CoM-CoP coherence, Hurst Exponent and CoM-CoP causality were investigated in anterior-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) directions. Characteristics of CoM and CoP for more and less skilled gymnasts were found to be directionally dependent (AP and ML). Nonlinear and frequency domain measures distinguished skill levels to a greater extent than time-space domain measures. The study findings shed light on the subtleties and complexities of the mechanics and dynamics that define CoM and CoP relations with increased skill level, that add to both basic and applied understanding

COORDINATION VARIABILITY IN OVERGROUND RUNNING AND WALKING AT PREFERRED AND FIXED SPEEDS

Coordination variability (CoordV) is impacted by the type and speed of locomotion, however, the appropriate number of trials required for stable outputs during overground locomotion is yet to be determined. The purpose of this study was to analyse the CoordV of lower limb segment and joint couplings to determine the number of trials needed for a stable mean during running and walking at preferred and fixed speeds. Three-dimensional lower-limb kinematics were captured for recreational runners (n = 10) performing 20 trials of each condition. Using a modified vector coding technique, segment and joint couplings were derived, from which, CoordV was calculated using circular statistics. The number of trials required to achieve a mean within 100±10% of a 20 stride mean was determined for each individual. The study findings indicate the need for between 8 and 9 trials to produce a stable mean and contribute to reliable biomechanical outputs