Kinesiology
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Item Embargo The effect of Ventilatory TThreshold in Endurance and Resistance Training(East Carolina University, May 2024) Shackelford, Hunter; Dr. Joseph Houmard; Charles Tanner, M.S., Dr. Donghai Zheng; Charles Tanner, M.S., Dr. Donghai Zheng; KinesiologyThis thesis aims to compare and contrast the short stories of “Roberto” and “Tierra” from the collection Diecinueve garras y un pájaro oscuro by Agustina Bazterrica. Both of these stories portray the narratives of sexually abused young girls. Through analyzing these works, this thesis seeks to discover how the portrayals of the victims represents the culture related to sexual abuse both in Argentina and around the world. A close literary reading is used to explore the symbolism in the stories. The psychological aspects of these stories are also explored. Through the combination of these critical lenses, I propose potential interpretations for these open-ended stories.Item Open Access The Engaged Learner: Undergraduate Research and the Super Bowl(2024-01) Warner, Stacy; Buenano, Andrea L.Laudable attempts within the sport management discipline, such as the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) Teaching & Learning Fair and the Sport Management Education Journal (SMEJ), have been made to enhance and showcase how research and teaching ideally should be intertwined. Further, COSMA (Commission on Sport Management Accreditation, 2022) lists research/undergraduate research as an “Innovation” under its Common Professional Component (undergraduate only) within their accreditation manual. This is not surprising considering many agree that the main difference between undergraduate and graduate academic models within sport management “are the degree of research involvement” (Kelley et al., 1994, p. 95). Undergraduate research continues to be noted as a “high-impact practice” by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU), while student involvement in research has been shown to positively impact student retention and academic performance (Jones et al., 2010; Lanning & Brown, 2019), in addition to fostering campus engagement (Kuh, 2012).Item Open Access Girls With Game: Sport and Community Development Strategies(2023-06-19) Buenaño, Andrea L.; Warner, StacyThis case focuses on the Little League Softball World Series and the potential interest and growth of youth softball. The case outlines current trends and highlights potential opportunities to grow the game after a 2020 decision to move the Little League Softball World Series from Portland, Oregon, where it had been hosted for over 25 years, to Greenville, North Carolina. This case challenges students to (a) examine how sports organizations must be intentional about growing a sport, (b) develop new solutions to involve the local community, and (c) find new and effective ways to promote a girls’ sport (and an international event at the local level) in a manner that advances women in sport. It is intended for use in strategic management, event management, and/or contemporary sport issue courses. The case provides instructors with the opportunity to highlight the importance of advancing diversity in youth sport, with an emphasis on community impact, and effective strategies to promote women in sport.Item Open Access Relational Efficacy & Social Support in Athletics(East Carolina University, 2023-05-05) Russell, RJ; KinesiologySocial support is critical to athletes' mental health. Previous research has demonstrated that social support reduces burnout in collegiate student athletes while increasing overall well- being (Defreese & Smith, 2014). Despite the well-documented importance of social support in athletes' life, particularly from teammates, little research has been undertaken to investigate how a person's belief in a teammate's athletic potential is connected to the amount of social support provided to members of an individual’s training group. In terms of ‘belief’, Lent and Lopez (2002) proposed the tripartite model of efficacy beliefs. This model contained three different types of efficacy beliefs: self-efficacy (i.e., an individual’s belief in themselves), other-efficacy (an individual’s belief in another person), and relation inferred self-efficacy (an individual’s perception about how another person views them). PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of relational effects among teammates. Essentially, the researchers sought to examine how other- efficacy relates to social support provided by teammates, how that received social support relates to relation inferred self-efficacy, and how relation inferred self- efficacy relates to the self-efficacy of the athlete. METHODS: Participants included male (n = 44, 36.4%) and female (n = 67, 55.4%) athletes with an age range of 17-23 (MAge = 20.28 years, SDAge = 1.51). Athletes were required to complete a survey containing social support (i.e., perceived and provided tangible, esteem, emotional, and informational support), (i.e., self- efficacy, other-efficacy, and relation inferred self-efficacy), and demographic measures. RESULTS: Multiple linear regressions were used to test the relationships between each variable. Other-efficacy was found to significantly predict provided tangible (β = .31, p = <.001), emotional (β = .26, p = .004), and esteem social support (β = .24, p = .008). Provided informational social support was not significantly predicted by other-efficacy (β = .12, p = .162). The four types of received social support did not significantly predict relation inferred self- efficacy (RISE; β = -.06 - .180, p = .138 - .596). Finally, relation inferred self-efficacy predicted self-efficacy (β = .66, p = <.001). CONCLUSION: According to the present study, those who are confident in their teammate's talents are more likely to supply them with social support. Furthermore, a teammate's confidence in an individual predicts the amount of emotional comfort, self-confidence building gestures, and tangible experiences they provide.Item Embargo Lactate as a Predictor for Factors of Metabolic Syndrome in Males and Females with Overweight(East Carolina University, 2023-05-09) Sulpar, Rebecca; KinesiologyBackground: The prevalence of obesity has dramatically increased by more than 10% over the last twenty years. Risks of obesity include the development of metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) with concomitant development of conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. MetSyn is classified as having three of the following: a large waist circumference, hypertension, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, and dyslipidemia. Poor skeletal muscle metabolism is linked to obesity due to a low rate of fatty acid oxidation. Blood lactate is an indicator of oxidative capacity at rest and there is an inverse relationship between them. Elevated fasting plasma lactate levels in the body are present in obesity. Thus, lactate may be a precursor for obesity and metabolic diseases such as MetSyn in both males and females. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between blood lactate levels and its indices in men and women with overweight that has the potential to be used as a precursor for the development of MetSyn. Methods: Overweight subjects (n=29) with a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0-29.9 kg/m2 were screened for plasma lactate concentration. The subjects then returned for two additional visits. The first visit consisted of a DEXA scan, a 3-D body scan, and a maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer. The participants returned for a Resting Metabolic Rate measurement. Results: Average fasting plasma lactate was 1.05 ± 0.11 mmol/L. Plasma lactate was positively associated with factors of MetSyn such as total cholesterol (r=0.611, p=0.0004), triglyceride levels (r=0.49, p=0.007), LDL levels (r=0.582, p=0.0009), HOMA-IR values (r=0.626, p=0.0003), insulin levels (r=0.595, p=0.0007), android/gynoid ratio (r=0.396, p=0.034), and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass (r=0.672, p<0.0001). Other factors of MetSyn such as BMI, HDL, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), and waist-to-hip ratio were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The results from the current study show that plasma lactate levels have positive relationships with factors of MetSyn. Analyzing plasma lactate values may help clinicians and future researchers predict the development of metabolic diseases such as metabolic syndrome.Item Embargo The Effects of Exercise and Race on Placental C-Reactive Protein and Maternal Metabolism(East Carolina University, 2023-05-21) Tadlock, Sydney; KinesiologyBackground- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in women. C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory metabolite that is indicative of CVD. Pregnant women tend to have higher levels of CRP. Additionally, levels of CRP are reported to be higher in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) individuals; however, this has not been assessed during pregnancy. Although inflammation is associated with high lipids, glucose, lactate, and excess body fat, little research has investigated the interaction between CRP and lipids, glucose, lactate, and body composition during pregnancy. Conversely, exercise has been shown to lower CRP, lipids, glucose, and body composition in nongravid individuals. To date, the effects of exercise on CRP levels in placental tissue has not been investigated. However, the influence of exercise during pregnancy on CRP, lipids, glucose, lactate, and maternal body composition is unknown. Purpose- The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of exercise on placental CRP, blood lipids, glucose, lactate, and body composition with the intent to answer the question whether exercise lowers placental CRP and other maternal metabolic measures. Additionally, this study will determine the difference of placental CRP and other maternal metabolic measures between Caucasian women as well as women who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community. Methods- Pregnant women were enrolled between 13-16 weeks’ gestation. Subjects (n=19) completed body composition measurements and venipuncture at enrollment and 36 weeks’ gestation. Participants were randomized to one of four groups: Aerobic, Resistance, Combination (aerobic + resistance), Stretching. After randomization, women were exercised three times a week from enrollment to delivery. Once participants delivered, placental samples were collected and stored in -80 C. Samples were then homogenized, and analysis was completed via the Millipore tissue sample protocol. ANOVA was completed for assessments between exercise groups and t-tests for assessments between BIPOC and Caucasian women. Results- There are no differences between exercise and placental CRP between exercise groups. However, when comparing the difference between racial groups, CRP levels trended towards significance (p=0.14). Conclusion- These data suggest that exercise does not increase placental inflammatory or maternal metabolic markers, regardless of race. Further investigation with larger sample sizes is required.Item Embargo The Effects of Aerobic and Resistance Training on Insulin Sensitivity in Primary Human Skeletal Muscle Cells(East Carolina University, 2023-05-18) Jones, Christian Samone; KinesiologyInsulin is a hormone that plays a role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis, through the regulation of blood glucose levels³⁶. Insulin sensitivity is defined as how well the body responds to insulin, and when this is impaired, it results in insulin resistance. Insulin resistance refers to a decrease in insulin-mediated glucose disposal in insulin-sensitive tissues². Impaired insulin action can result in insulin resistance, which can lead to illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. PURPOSE: The purpose is to explore various training modalities and their effects on insulin action, with the intent to answer the question which mode of training, aerobics or resistance has a greater impact on insulin sensitivity. I speculate that the resistance exercisers will show greater improvements in insulin action, compared to the endurance and control groups. METHODS: To examine insulin action, glycogen synthesis was performed on primary human skeletal muscle cells that were derived from 3 groups: high active endurance, highly active resistance, and sedentary control. The samples underwent proliferation and were grown in a cell culture media incubator. After reaching 70-80% confluency, myogenic cells were isolated and differentiated. After cells went through five days of differentiation, they were ready for glycogen synthesis, which was determined using liquid scintillation counting. RESULTS: There were 11 participants in the highly active endurance group, 10 participants in the highly active resistance group, and 4 participants in the sedentary control group. The sedentary group had a greater BMI than the endurance and resistance groups. There was an increase in glycogen synthesis in all groups when stimulated with insulin (p < 0.0001). There was a significant difference between the highly active resistance and sedentary control groups, when fold change was calculated (p = 0.0060), with the change in the sedentary controls being greater than highly active resistance group. There were no significant correlations between the results and the group characteristics (age, BMI, and oxygen consumption). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that there was an increase in glycogen synthesis in all subjects, regardless of group, when comparing basal to insulin stimulated values. The results of this current study line up with results found in several others that have looked at aerobic trained individuals, however; they have failed to investigate resistance training. It is evident that resistance training has the same effects as aerobic training, but the topic needs to be further explored to confirm this finding.Item Open Access ASSOCIATION OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS, EFFICACY, AND PERFORMANCE IN ROTC CADETS(East Carolina University, 2023-05-04) Baker, Ajala; KinesiologyTransformational leadership is when leaders inspire, motivate, influence, and stimulate followers to build a connection and common belief towards goals. Military leaders that engage in transformational leadership encompass behaviors that can build their followers’ confidence to reach their full performance potential individually and collectively. Confidence is mentioned as one of the most needed psychological skills to succeed in cadets’ field training experiences. In addition to exhibiting transformational behaviors, effective military leaders instill confidence in their followers. Confidence comes from several sources including evaluations of oneself (i.e., self-efficacy; SE), leaders (i.e., other efficacy; OE), and the whole group (i.e., collective efficacy; CE). In addition to confidence, leadership styles can impact performance including military soldier’s abilities to meet challenges and perform tactical tasks. Unfortunately, very little evidence exists to support if ROTC cadets exhibit transformational behaviors and how these behaviors relate to their confidence and performance. The study’s purposes were to (1) examine the relationship between transformational leadership behaviors and performance in ROTC cadets; and (2) examine whether efficacy mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and performance in ROTC cadets. We hypothesize (1) transformational leadership behaviors will have a direct relationship with performance; and (2) self-efficacy, other-efficacy, and collective efficacy will mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and performance. Within the Army ROTC program, 67 participants completed all the assessments which included transformational leadership, efficacy, and performance measurements. Historical data of the cadet’s Army Combat Fitness Test that includes the maximum deadlift, standing power throw, hand release push-up-arm extension, sprint-drag-carry, plank, and two-mile run was used to measure performance. To test hypotheses, direct and indirect effects among transformational leadership, efficacy, and performance were analyzed alongside means, standard deviations, and correlation. Due to the nonsignificant direct correlations, the results did not support hypothesis 1. Using collective efficacy as the mediator, Hypothesis 2 not supported based on the strong negative indirect connections between the top three transformative leadership behaviors and Maximum Deadlift as the performance outcome. In conclusion, leadership behaviors might eventually affect a soldier’s or cadet’s performance and confidence in a mentally and physically.Item Open Access Parent Motivational Climate, Sport Enrollment Motives, and Young Athlete Commitment and Enjoyment in Year-Round Swimming(2022) Habeeb, Christine M.; Raedeke, Thomas D.; Dubose, Katrina D.; et alItem Open Access The Influence of Instructor Behaviors and the Perceived Motivational Climate on Undergraduate Students’ Experiences in College STEM Laboratories(2022) Moore, Whitney G.; Wineinger, Troy O.; Fry, Mary D.Item Open Access Quadriceps Muscle Volume Positively Contributes to ACL Volume(2022) Kulas, Anthony S.; Shultz, Sandra J.Item Open Access Skeletal Muscle Purine Nucleotide Degradation and Atrophy: Cause or Consequence of Increased Uric Acid Production(East Carolina University, 2022-07-26) Miller, Spencer Graham; Cortright, Ronald; Brault, Jeffrey; Witczak, Carol; Fisher-Wellman, Kelsey; Mansfield, Kyle; KinesiologyElevated serum uric acid is a risk factor for mortality in diseases and critical illnesses associated with skeletal muscle atrophy. Uric acid is generated by xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) and XOR inhibitors can partially attenuate muscle atrophy. Whether purine nucleotide degradation in atrophying muscle fibers contributes to increased XOR activity and serum uric acid, and whether uric acid is sufficient to induce muscle atrophy are unknown. Aim 1. To determine if purine nucleotide degradation is increased in atrophying skeletal muscle and its contribution to elevated uric acid production. Muscle atrophy was induced in mice by fasting and dexamethasone (DEX), and C2C12 myotubes by DEX and constitutively active FoXO3 (caFoXO3). Purines (hypoxanthine, xanthine, uric acid) were measured in serum, extensor digitorum longus (EDL) incubation buffer, or culture media by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). Fasting and DEX significantly increased serum uric acid and uric acid release from atrophying EDL muscles. In myotubes DEX- and caFoXO3-induced atrophy caused increased hypoxanthine and xanthine (uric acid precursors) efflux, but little to no uric acid due to lack of XOR expression. Co-culturing atrophying myotubes with endothelial cells (which did express XOR), increased media uric acid solely from the oxidation of myotube purines. These findings demonstrate that purine nucleotide degradation coincides with increased protein degradation in atrophying skeletal muscles. Increased purine release from muscle cells can drive XOR activation in XOR-expressing cells and contributes to increased serum uric acid. Aim 2. To determine if uric acid can directly increase muscle protein degradation and cause muscle atrophy. C2C12 myotubes were treated with physiological levels (175, 350, or 700 µM) of uric acid for 48 hours. Myotube proteins were labeled with 13C15N-Phe and changes in 13C15N-Phe were quantified by UPLC and used to calculate protein degradation rates. Media and intracellular uric acid were determined by UPLC. Uric acid exposure did not increase protein degradation rates or reduce total protein in culture wells. Media uric acid was not reduced after 48 h but intracellular uric acid was significantly increased in myotubes. These findings demonstrated that while uric acid can accumulate in muscle cells, it does not directly increase muscle protein degradation or cause atrophy.Item Open Access LONG-LASTING EFFECTS OF MTBI ON OCULOMOTOR ABILITY AND NEUROMUSCULAR CONTROL(East Carolina University, 2022-07-22) Sandri Heidner, Gustavo; Murray, Nicholas P; Domire, Zachary J; Mizelle, John C; Meardon, Stacey A; Sylcott, Bryan; KinesiologyConcussions result in short-lived to long-lasting neurological function impairment and disturbances, typically undetectable by standard neuroimaging protocols, which can persist for several months post-trauma. Eye-tracking and virtual reality can be a powerful tool in the assessment of short- and long-term concussed individuals. However, it needs a clear and concise methodology. When acting as an optical flow-induced perturbation of balance metrics and combined with electroencephalographic data, it can differentiate between a non-concussed fatigue state and a concussive state. Furthermore, when employed as a secondary cognitive task, it elicits neural modulations and postural control perturbations that can detect concussion-related impairments up to eight years post-trauma. In this dissertation we sought to (i) develop a virtual reality environment that implements known eye-tracking methodologies and validate its accuracy in differentiating between non-concussed and concussed cohorts, (ii) investigate the presence of neural signatures that could differentiate between a concussive state and a fatigue state, and (iii) determine if long-lasting oculomotor and peripheral muscle control impairments could be reliably detected in a concussed cohort several years post-trauma. Our overarching hypotheses were that (i) eye-tracking metrics observed in a virtual reality environment can differentiate between non- concussed and concussed cohorts, (ii) spectral power of cortical activations are different between non-concussed participants in a fatigued state and concussed participants, and (iii) oculomotor impairments and corticomuscular correlates of balance metrics can be detected in a concussed several months post-trauma. Our findings support the majority of the initial proposed investigation. We detected corticomuscular coherence and postural control differences capable of differentiating between non-concussed and long-term concussed participants, established a link between corticomuscular coherence and postural control adaptations observed in the concussed group, determined some limitations of virtual reality paradigms in concussion assessment.Item Restricted Characterization of the glucose transport mechanism responsible for mechanical overload- and acute injury-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose uptake(East Carolina University, 2022-06-24) Evans, Parker Lance; Choe, Jun-yong; Neufer, P Darrell; Spangenburg, Espen E; Welc, Steven S; KinesiologySkeletal muscle is a highly adaptable tissue. In response to stimuli such as resistance exercise training or trauma/injury, muscle glucose uptake is stimulated to fuel the energetic and biosynthetic demands of growth, repair, and regeneration processes. Understanding how muscle glucose uptake changes in response to resistance training or acute injury may advance new therapies for patients with type 2 diabetes or those with muscle trauma. Therefore, the overall objective of this dissertation was to determine the transport mechanism(s) used by skeletal muscle to increase glucose uptake in response to mechanical overload, a model of resistance exercise training, as well as in response to acute injury induced by barium chloride injection. AIM 1: Determine if glucose transporter 6 (GLUT6) is necessary for mechanical overload-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose uptake and hypertrophic growth. Mechanical overload stimulates an increase in GLUT6 levels in mouse skeletal muscle. However, its role in overload-stimulated muscle adaptations was unknown. Overload was induced by unilateral synergist muscle ablation surgery in mice lacking GLUT6 in all cells. After 5 days, muscle weight and glucose uptake were assessed. Neither overload-stimulated muscle growth nor glucose uptake were impaired in the mice lacking GLUT6. Lack of impairment in overload-induced glucose uptake and growth demonstrates that GLUT6 does not play an essential role in mediating overload-stimulated glucose uptake or growth in muscle. AIM 2: Determine if chemical damage-induced acute muscle injury stimulates glucose uptake via an adaptation intrinsic to skeletal muscle, and if so to determine the glucose transport mechanism(s) responsible for this effect. Glucose metabolism increases in skeletal muscle acute injured by chemical damage. Whether this is due to an adaptation intrinsic to the muscle tissue versus an in vivo factor(s) such as enhanced blood flow or nerve activity was unknown. Acute muscle injury was induced in mice by intramuscular injection of the chemical barium chloride. In isolated skeletal muscles, barium chloride stimulated glucose uptake was observed at 3-, 5-, 7- and 10-days post injection. This exciting ex-vivo glucose uptake finding demonstrated that chemical damage-induced acute injury stimulates muscle glucose uptake via an adaptation intrinsic to the muscle tissue. Additional key characteristics of the glucose transport mechanism underlying this adaptation included: 1) inhibitable by the facilitative glucose transporter inhibitor, cytochalasin B; 2) not dependent on glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) expression in muscle cells; 3) not dependent on glucose transporter 1 (GLUT4) expression in muscle cells; and 4) not dependent on glucose transporter 6 (GLUT6) expression in any cell type. The findings presented in this dissertation are significant because they add to the growing body of evidence demonstrating that skeletal muscle tissue can metabolically adapt to stimuli such as chronic muscle overload or acute trauma/injury by stimulating a novel glucose transport mechanism intrinsic to the muscle tissue. Characterization of this transport mechanism(s) represents a key first step in the development of new therapies for individuals suffering from type 2 diabetes or acute muscle trauma/injury.Item Open Access Parent Motivational Climate, Sport Enrollment Motives, and Young Athlete Commitment and Enjoyment in Year-Round Swimming(2022) Habeeb, Christine M.; Raedeke, Thomas D.; DuBose, Katrina D.Item Open Access Infant Mesenchymal Stem Cell Insulin Action Is Associated With Maternal Plasma Free Fatty Acids, Independent of Obesity Status: The Healthy Start Study(2022-08) Chaves, Alec B.; Zheng, Donghai; Johnson, Jonathan A.; Biagioni, Ericka M.; Krassovskaia, Polina; Broskey, Nicholas T.; May, Linda E.; Houmard, Joseph A.Item Open Access Long-Term Effects of Low-Level Blast Exposure and High-Caliber Weapons Use in Military Special Operators(2022-05-23) Murray, Nicholas P.Item Open Access Development of the Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy: Breaking Down Barriers to Prenatal Exercise(2022-07-26) May, Linda; Davenport, Margie H.Item Open Access A Transnational Research Collaboration: A Social Network Analysis and Perspectives on Our Community of Practice(2021) Ko, Bomna; Ward, Phillip; Devrilmez, Erhan; Ayvazo, Shiri; Dervent, Fatih; He, Yaohui; Iserbyt, Peter; Ince, Levent; Kim, Insook; Li, Weidong; Tsuda, EmiItem Open Access Age Does Not Affect the Relationship Between Muscle Activation and Joint Work During Incline and Decline Walking(2021) DeVita, Paul, 1955-; Waanders, Jeroen B.; Murgia, Alessio; Franz, Jason R.; Hortobagyi, Tibor