Getting the Best GRIP on Blood Pressure Control: Are Stress Balls and Computerized Handgrips Equally Effective?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified hypertension (HTN) as a global epidemic, and in accordance, has emphasized the need for cost effective, widely available alternative methods to lower blood pressure (BP) levels in all populations worldwide. Exercise, namely aerobic with dynamic resistance exercise as an adjunct, is a cornerstone method of reducing HTN. Recently, isometric handgrip (IHG) training, has become a formal recommendation of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), and the American Heart Association (AHA) in their recent guidelines. However, traditional IHG participation requires the use of a computerized dynamometer, which costs upwards of approximately $600 CAD, making the investigation of more cost-effective devices with a high probability for uptake warranted. However, prior to establishing the BP-lowering effectiveness of these devices, the acute stimuli need to be quantified. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to compare the heart rate (HR), BP, and rates of perceived exertion (RPE) to a bout of IHG performed using traditional computerized device and a more affordable inflatable stress ball (approximately$4 CAD) among 20 healthy adults with normal BP (average age of 24.70 ± 5.13 years; average resting BP 107.93 ± 16.14/58.68 ± 6.77; average HR 66.01 ± 8.61; 10 women). No statistically significant differences between these two devices were observed with respect to HR, BP, and RPE (all p \u3e 0.05). The similar cardiovascular and psychophysical responses between devices provide support for the potential use of the inflatable stress ball as an effective IHG device, and thus, lay the foundation for a future training study

Distribution and Prevalence of Bioerosion Within Two Coral Species on Inshore and Offshore Reefs Across the Western Caribbean Sea

Bioerosion, the process by which organisms bore into hard substrate, weakens coral skeletons and degrades the quality of coral reef habitats. Prior studies reveal that bioerosion is enhanced by ocean acidification, eutrophication resulting from the addition of nitrogen into the environment, and other anthropogenic factors. However, these studies were primarily conducted in the Indo-Pacific region, while little is known about the distribution and prevalence of bioerosion across the wider Caribbean Sea. To address this shortcoming, we extracted 191 skeletal cores from two abundant and ubiquitous Caribbean corals (Siderastrea siderea and Pseudodiploria strigosa) in a hierarchical sampling design spanning inshore and offshore reef zones across three major reef systems that include the Florida Keys Reef Tract (FKRT), the Belize Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System (MBRS), and the Panama Bocas del Toro Reef Complex (BTRC). It was hypothesized that inshore corals are more severely impacted by bioerosion due to their closer proximity to local anthropogenic sources of stress and that species would differ in their susceptibility due to differences in skeletal architecture. The number of bivalve boring holes within cores of both species and the percent volume of S. siderea cores bioeroded was quantified. The percent volume of P. strigosa cores bioeroded was not quantified due to its very complex skeletal growth structure. Linear modeling and variance partitioning were employed to relate quantities of bioerosion to ambient environmental conditions on reef collection sites. The number of bivalve borings was higher in cores collected from inshore corals when compared to offshore corals. Siderastrea siderea cores were plagued by greater numbers of bivalve borings than P. strigosa, providing evidence for a host preference amongst bivalve bioeroders. The differences between reef zones and species are less pronounced in the Florida Keys Reef Tract; suggesting that Florida is distinct from the other two reef systems in the western Caribbean Sea. Modeling reveals a positive correlation between bivalve borings and the concentration of chlorophyll A in the ambient environment, supporting established links between eutrophication and bioerosion prevalence. Understanding the patterns of bioerosion across spatiotemporal scales highlights the impact of eutrophication on oceanic bioerosion and provides a foundation for further investigations into the impact of bioerosion on contemporary coral reefs under climate change.Bachelor of Scienc

Junior Recital: Katherine Riess, trombone

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Bachelor of Music in Performance. Ms. Riess studies trombone with Wes Funderburk.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1463/thumbnail.jp

The pUL37 tegument protein guides alphaherpesvirus retrograde axonal transport to promote neuroinvasion

A hallmark property of the neurotropic alpha-herpesvirinae is the dissemination of infection to sensory and autonomic ganglia of the peripheral nervous system following an initial exposure at mucosal surfaces. The peripheral ganglia serve as the latent virus reservoir and the source of recurrent infections such as cold sores (herpes simplex virus type I) and shingles (varicella zoster virus). However, the means by which these viruses routinely invade the nervous system is not fully understood. We report that an internal virion component, the pUL37 tegument protein, has a surface region that is an essential neuroinvasion effector. Mutation of this region rendered herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and pseudorabies virus (PRV) incapable of spreading by retrograde axonal transport to peripheral ganglia both in culture and animals. By monitoring the axonal transport of individual viral particles by time-lapse fluorescence microscopy, the mutant viruses were determined to lack the characteristic sustained intracellular capsid motion along microtubules that normally traffics capsids to the neural soma. Consistent with the axonal transport deficit, the mutant viruses did not reach sites of latency in peripheral ganglia, and were avirulent. Despite this, viral propagation in peripheral tissues and in cultured epithelial cell lines remained robust. Selective elimination of retrograde delivery to the nervous system has long been sought after as a means to develop vaccines against these ubiquitous, and sometimes devastating viruses. In support of this potential, we find that HSV-1 and PRV mutated in the effector region of pUL37 evoked effective vaccination against subsequent nervous system challenges and encephalitic disease. These findings demonstrate that retrograde axonal transport of the herpesviruses occurs by a virus-directed mechanism that operates by coordinating opposing microtubule motors to favor sustained retrograde delivery of the virus to the peripheral ganglia. The ability to selectively eliminate the retrograde axonal transport mechanism from these viruses will be useful in trans-synaptic mapping studies of the mammalian nervous system, and affords a new vaccination paradigm for human and veterinary neurotropic herpesviruses

Jazz Guitar Ensemble and Jazz Combos

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents Jazz Guitar Ensemble and Jazz Combos.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1353/thumbnail.jp

Observational Limits on Type 1 AGN Accretion Rate in COSMOS

We present black hole masses and accretion rates for 182 Type 1 AGN in COSMOS. We estimate masses using the scaling relations for the broad Hb, MgII, and CIV emission lines in the redshift ranges 0.16<z<0.88, 1<z<2.4, and 2.7<z<4.9. We estimate the accretion rate using an Eddington ratio L_I/L_Edd estimated from optical and X-ray data. We find that very few Type 1 AGN accrete below L_I/L_Edd ~ 0.01, despite simulations of synthetic spectra which show that the survey is sensitive to such Type 1 AGN. At lower accretion rates the BLR may become obscured, diluted or nonexistent. We find evidence that Type 1 AGN at higher accretion rates have higher optical luminosities, as more of their emission comes from the cool (optical) accretion disk with respect to shorter wavelengths. We measure a larger range in accretion rate than previous works, suggesting that COSMOS is more efficient at finding low accretion rate Type 1 AGN. However the measured range in accretion rate is still comparable to the intrinsic scatter from the scaling relations, suggesting that Type 1 AGN accrete at a narrow range of Eddington ratio, with L_I/L_Edd ~ 0.1.Comment: Accepted for pulication in ApJ. 7 pages, 5 figures, table 1 available on reques

Jazz Guitar Ensemble and Jazz Combos

Kennesaw State University School of Music presents Jazz Guitar Ensemble and Jazz Combos.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1422/thumbnail.jp

Accretion Rate and the Physical Nature of Unobscured Active Galaxies

We show how accretion rate governs the physical properties of a sample of unobscured broad-line, narrow-line, and lineless active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We avoid the systematic errors plaguing previous studies of AGN accretion rate by using accurate accretion luminosities (L_int) from well-sampled multiwavelength SEDs from the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS), and accurate black hole masses derived from virial scaling relations (for broad-line AGNs) or host-AGN relations (for narrow-line and lineless AGNs). In general, broad emission lines are present only at the highest accretion rates (L_int/L_Edd > 0.01), and these rapidly accreting AGNs are observed as broad-line AGNs or possibly as obscured narrow-line AGNs. Narrow-line and lineless AGNs at lower specific accretion rates (L_int/L_Edd < 0.01) are unobscured and yet lack a broad line region. The disappearance of the broad emission lines is caused by an expanding radiatively inefficient accretion flow (RIAF) at the inner radius of the accretion disk. The presence of the RIAF also drives L_int/L_Edd < 10^-2 narrow-line and lineless AGNs to 10 times higher ratios of radio to optical/UV emission than L_int/L_Edd > 0.01 broad-line AGNs, since the unbound nature of the RIAF means it is easier to form a radio outflow. The IR torus signature also tends to become weaker or disappear from L_int/L_Edd < 0.01 AGNs, although there may be additional mid-IR synchrotron emission associated with the RIAF. Together these results suggest that specific accretion rate is an important physical "axis" of AGN unification, described by a simple model.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. 15 pages, 9 figure