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- Creator:
- Piercy, Brooke
- Description:
- Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders both globally and in the United States. Early-life stressors such as poor socialization and isolation, as well as diets high in fats and sugars have been shown to increase levels of anxiety and play a detrimental role on mental health. the present study sought to analyze the effects of both poor nutritional diet and social isolation on anxiety levels using an animal model. Eighty male Sprague-Dawley rodents at age five weeks at the beginning of testing were used to measure anxiety behaviors on the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM). Rodents were placed into one of four testing groups to assess anxiety: A control group, a high-fat and high-sucrose diet group, a socially isolated group, and an experimental condition in which social isolation and a high-fat, high-sucrose diet was given. It was hypothesized that Sprague-Dawley rodents living socially isolated and receiving the high-fat, high-sucrose diet would experience the high levels of anxiety, rodents living socially isolated would experience more anxiety than those receiving only the high-fat, high-sucrose diet, and rodents receiving the high-fat, high-sucrose diet would have higher levels of anxiety than the control group. Results showed that overall poor nutritional diet was not contributing to increased levels of anxiety in young male rodents, while social isolation was partially contributing to increased anxiety levels. Although many non-significant results were found, the importance of socialization and proper nutritional diet is explored, as well as the possible resiliency of young rodents to early-life stress.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438053847
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Leyh, Julius
- Description:
- Increasing tourism in Nosara, Costa Rica brings along more challenges for sustainable development of the community. as local resources become stressed and overdevelopment interferes with wildlife, the community is continuously developing strategies to mitigate environmental degradation and include the local population to benefit of the ecotourism industry. Using mixed methods, this thesis is examining the current challenges that Nosara is facing and the strategies that are in place to guarantee sustainable development. the research for this study was done through semi-structured interviews with employees of the hospitality industry and non-governmental organizations in Nosara. Questionnaires were used to gather information about tourists visiting Nosara. Additionally, secondary sources were used to identify the overall development goals of the tourism industry of Costa Rica. the current challenges in Nosara were identified as the lack of commitment from the local authorities to protect pristine beaches and wildlife, as well as neglecting the waste collection. Sustainable development in Nosara is only prevalent because of the voluntary actions taken by some local hotels, restaurants, and the many NGOs located in town. Future development strategies need to focus on more education of local businesses and a better motivated and willing governmental authority to support sustainable development in Nosara.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054684
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Geography and the Environment
- Creator:
- Tenbrook, Sean
- Description:
- Music is generally considered a powerful tool to experience emotions. However, there is mixed research on whether it can hinder or enhance our emotional states. the present study aimed to explore this concept further. Moreover, the purpose of this study was to examine music’s effects on emotional experiences and the potential mechanisms facilitating emotional catharsis when listening to music. These mechanisms included absorption, whether someone was a music major or not, mood-congruent music (sad), non-mood congruent music (happy), or white noise (control). a total sample of 68 students at CSUF was utilized, 40 being non-music majors and 28 being music majors. the Faces Scale and a Music Absorption Scale were used to measure emotional states before and after the musical intervention and to measure musical absorption levels, respectively. an independent samples t test was conducted, and it was found that musicians had significantly higher levels of musical absorption. an ANCOVA was performed, and the results found that music did facilitate emotional catharsis, but there were no major differences between musicians and non-musicians overall. However, the happy music did provoke the most emotional release, regardless of music major status. Interestingly, when listening to sad music, music majors experienced significantly more emotional release, therefore suggesting that if given specific conditions, facilitation of emotional catharsis through music can be effective and powerful. Implications of research findings, limitations and future directions are discussed
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054912
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Skorka, Christopher
- Description:
- Trypanosoma cruzi is the protozoan parasite that is the causative agent of Chagas disease. This disease is endemic to Latin America but has spread to other non-endemic areas due to globalization. the disease currently lacks an FDA approved treatment, and current treatments are non-specific and have severe side effects. More specific and novel pathways of T. cruzi must be identified to develop more effective treatments of Chagas. One potential target is ion channels, which play a wide array of important physiological roles throughout eukaryotic organisms. We have identified and characterized a calcium-activated potassium channel in Trypanosoma cruzi, TcCaKC, that is hypothesized to contribute to significant physiological function in T. cruzi. Using two-electrode voltage clamp method with Xenopus laevis oocytes heterologously expressing TcCaKC, the channel has been shown to be calcium-activated. This calcium activation causes an increase in current and a negative shift in reversal potential that is blocked by barium. These results suggest TcCaKC is a potassium conducting channel. Characterization of a selectivity filter mutant also supports this hypothesis. Fluorometric recording of parasites that were knockouts of TcCaKC showed that the channel plays a significant role in maintaining membrane potential, intracellular calcium, and pH of the parasite. Full biophysical characterization of this novel ion channel could potentially lead to the identification of a unique drug target for T. cruzi infection treatment.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054202
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Hamidi, Bijan Alexander
- Description:
- Bijan Hamidi explores economic systems in video games and expands on the definition of virtual economics to include economic behavior. Gamers commonly look to gain advantages over their opposition during game play. This thesis performs an analysis of how those decisions are constructed and provides insight on where economic principles are found in game play. This body of work is based upon preexisting virtual economic works from Edward Castronova, Zachary Simpson, and Richard Bartle. However, this work does not focus purely on economic markets, but extends to study economic behavior exhibited during play.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054585
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Robertson, Melanie A.
- Description:
- The purpose of this Case Study was to consider the current conditions for students as it pertains to their mindsets, and how they are being taught about their mindsets in the classroom. This Case Study was a call to action project for teachers who struggle with motivating their students who demonstrate behaviors that are fixed. By the end of this study students were able to recognize and identify the way they were thinking while problem solving, and were able to redirect their thinking and their behaviors in a positive way. The participants in this study included two fifth-grade all inclusive general education teachers at an Orange County, California elementary school. Two surveys were administered by the researcher and were taken by two teachers for the data collection in this study. the researcher focused on the teachers’ answers about whether or not their students’ mindsets were changed after the instrument had been given in the one-month timespan. The research from this study suggests that teaching students about Growth Mindset will help them think about how to resolve preconceived ideas that they might have about their learning and behaviors. After this strategy was implemented, shifts in the teachers’ mindsets occurred to reflect that they too, had adopted a Growth Mindset.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Special Education
- Creator:
- Millar, Nicole
- Description:
- Recent literature has highlighted the necessity to include specific strength training that mimic on-field demands that lead to successful performance. Few studies have examined specific strength training in female athletes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether explosive hip thrusts (HT) or explosive half squats (SQ) would improve strength, sprinting, agility, jumping, or kicking performance in female high school soccer players. the participants were randomized into two groups: HT (n = 6, age: 15.7 ± 0.8 years, height: 162.6 ± 5.8 cm, mass: 56.3 ± 6.4 kg) or SQ (n = 8, 15.3 ±.71 years, height: 159.1 ± 7.2 cm, mass: 56.7 ±6.7 kg). the 6-week training program required each group to perform their respective exercise twice-a-week during in-season. a two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed a main effect for HT and SQ strength, broad jump and kicking distance; however, no interactions were present for any of the dependent variables. Furthermore, ANOVA revealed HT provided a notable effect size for kicking distance when compared to the SQ, indicating greater possible carryover. the present study showed HT and SQ produced similar increases in performance, with no statistical advantage over the other. Therefore, it is recommended to include one of these exercises within a strength training program. Inclusion of either exercise may depend on coaching or athlete preference, specificity, and/or availability of equipment.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438053519
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Kinesiology
- Creator:
- Ricarte, Adrian
- Description:
- Copper Transporter 1 has been known to be the main route of dietary copper uptake while the involvement of Divalent Metal Transporter 1 is still disputed. in human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (Caco2), knockdown of DMT1 mRNA has been shown to reduce rates of both Cu(I) and Fe(II) uptake [18]. Over-expression of mouse or rat DMT1 mRNA in HEK293 (human embryonic kidney) cells has increased Cu(II) uptake [19, 26]. Using divalent ions known to inhibit DMT1, we measured uptake of 5µm radiolabeled 67Cu(I) in Caco2 cells. Neither 50 or 200 uM of Ni(II) or Mn(II) inhibited Cu(I) uptake. CTR1 and a potential Cl dependent transporter were also examined in Caco2 [20]. Silver inhibition (Ag(I)) can be used to determine contribution of CTR1 and substitution of 150 mM Na2SO4 for NaCl was used to assess Cl- dependent uptake. Ag(I) inhibited Cu(I) uptake (30%, p < 0.01). Substitution of 150 mM SO42- for Cl- decreased uptake (~30%, p < 0.01). in the presence of SO42- and Ag(I), ~50% reduction of the total rate resulted suggesting that the effects are additive. Pretreatment with extra Cu failed to change uptake rates significantly; iron status decreased rates significantly by ~60% (absolute rate). to conclude, Cl- dependent transporters and CTR1 make up approximately 60% of the total Cu(I) uptake rate and that DMT1 is unlikely to be involved in Caco2 cells. the remaining 40-50% reveals that there are still other Cu(I) transporters still not accounted for.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055148
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Creator:
- Sebastian, Trevor
- Description:
- Yoga has become an increasingly popular form of exercise in the West with promising findings of improved physiological and psychological well-being. However, researchers have expressed concern in its efficacy in a clinical setting. This study aimed to provide further evidence regarding yoga’s therapeutic efficacy in comparing both meditation and light cardio, along with further understanding whether the breathing (pranayama) or physical (asana) aspects of yoga contribute to its effectiveness. Participants (N = 48) were randomly assigned into either yoga, meditation, or walking conditions and completed five sessions at 30 minutes in length over the course of the week. Differences in reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, along with improvements of mood between yoga, meditation, and walking interventions were assessed through a one-way ANOVA. Significant differences were not found between the interventions, failing to reject the null hypotheses. Considerations were made regarding yoga’s efficacy as a complementary therapy where other therapies, such as meditation or other forms of exercise, may be more appropriate. Limitations and implications for future research were also discussed.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054950
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Psychology
- Creator:
- Jayaprakash, Neha T.
- Description:
- Recent developments in robot automation have fostered the development of many assistive devices to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. Notable among these devices are autonomous wheelchairs, which are capable of navigating to given destinations while avoiding obstacles. However, the method of destination selection and navigation in unmapped indoor environments remains a challenge for these autonomous wheelchairs. in this work, a novel approach to selecting a destination for an autonomous wheelchair in an unmapped indoor environment using Deep Learning System for object detection, camera, ranging LIDAR is presented. Object Detection Process not only recognizes and classifies object of interest in an image but also localizes each object by along with a bounding box and desired class name around it. the model for object detection was developed on TensorFlow Framework using three classes of dataset ie Forever21, JCPenney and Macy’s. the proposed System scans the environment (prototyped mall) at startup and compiles a list of possible destinations which are fed to object detection system for Predictive Comparison of the Stores. Once the stores are detected, Lidar examines the distance and the wheelchair is successfully able to navigate to the destination along with obstacle avoidance. the system successfully navigated to the destination in100% of the trials for close-range destinations and 90% of the trials for mid-range and long-range destination.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055223
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Huang, Harrison
- Description:
- The Southern California Bight receives approximately 1.5 million gallons of wastewater effluent per day. Although regional monitoring has occurred periodically since the implementation of wastewater treatment practices, few studies have attempted to investigate long-term fish population or environmental changes in response to changes in wastewater treatment. The present study compared Pacific sanddab, California lizardfish, and English sole populations and environmental parameters near a wastewater outfall site and far-field site located in Orange County, California, between 1990 and 2015. Biannual fish trawl data and environmental data (surface temperature, bottom temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen) collected by Orange County Sanitation District’s Ocean Monitoring Program were analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance and regression analysis. Overall, there was no interaction between sample sites and treatment periods on the fish population (except English sole abundance) and environmental parameters analyzed. Fish abundance and relative condition factor did not differ significantly between sites, but all fish species were significantly larger at the outfall site. Wastewater effluent did not appear to adversely impact the three fish populations or the four environmental parameters investigated in this study. Further monitoring and investigation into other indicators of pollution are necessary to manage and further asses the effects of wastewater discharge.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055247
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Biological Sciences
- Creator:
- Bowers, Samuel
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to explore how avatar appearance and player-avatar interaction impact prosocial and antisocial online play in World of Warcraft (WoW). the Proteus effect, a phenomenon where players shift their in-game behavior based on the appearance of their avatars, is well documented in experimental settings. Variable player-avatar interaction (PAX) is a newer concept that seeks to capture the way a player relates to his or her avatar as if it were an extension of self, a mere plaything, or a distinct social other. Analysis of survey data from 1,353 WoW players provided partial support for many hypotheses. Significant correlations were present between self-report measures of play motivations (relationship, socializing, teamwork, and competing motivations) and numerical data representing avatars’ in-game actions (healing-to-damage ratio and player-versus-player kill ratio). Overall, Proteus effect cues such as avatar attractiveness, gender, size, and clothing color had modest yet significant impact on specific measures of prosocial and antisocial play. Regression models showed PAX dimensions as significant predictors of prosocial and antisocial play. This study contributed to the field of game studies in three ways. First, it established correlations between player motivation and concrete measures of in-game behavior. Second, it tested the influence of the Proteus effect in a large-scale naturalistic setting. Third, it examined the influence of PAX variations alongside Proteus effect cues as predictors of prosocial and antisocial play.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055377
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Communications
- Creator:
- Martinez, Anastasia
- Description:
- West Nile Virus (WNV) is a worldwide concern to the health of the human population. Severe cases of infection can progress into neurological diseases that are potentially fatal due to the lack of treatment or vaccine. the NS2B-NS3 protease is a potential therapeutic target of WNV because of its’ vital role in the viral replication cycle. a drug that can inhibit this protease can serve as a treatment for WNV infections. with the use of a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay, a high throughput screen of a chemical library resulted in the discovery of Zafirlukast as a mixed competitive inhibitor for the WNV NS2B-NS3 protease. as an FDA approved treatment of asthma, Zafirlukast is a promising lead compound for optimization as a NS2B-NS3 protease inhibitor. through a series of structure-activity relationship studies, the significant structural elements of Zafirlukast as a WNV NS2B-NS3 protease inhibitor were identified as the cyclopentyl carbamate and o-toluenesulfonamide. Additionally, a Zafirlukast analog that replaced the cyclopentyl carbamate with a phenyl carbamate was found to have an increased inhibition of 92% at 60 µM and an IC50 of 22.58 µM. Molecular modeling of the Zafirlukast analog bound to the WNV NS2B-NS3 protease revealed mainly hydrophobic interactions with an allosteric site. the o-toluenesulfonamide seems to be important in blocking the NS2B cofactor from binding to the NS3 protein; therefore, inhibiting proteolytic activity.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055254
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Creator:
- Tyre, Anthony
- Description:
- Through interviews, research and a theoretical framework, this study examines “e-sports”, or electronic sports, and considers whether e-sports should be categorized as a sport and its players categorized as athletes. E-sports is the term used to describe professional/competitive video games. in the present study, discourse analysis used two primary interviews from two participants—one involved in e-sports, the other in traditional sports. the study used literature to compare the different aspects of both e-sports and traditional sports and noted where the two overlapped. Additionally, this was backed with existing literature and the theoretical framework of play theory to provide insight into sports entertainment. Results revealed interesting first-hand insight on the future of e-sports and in what way traditional sports fit into the equation. by isolating the terms “athlete” and “sports” as a basis for analysis, the traditional and current definitions can be fully understood. the research also revealed that like play theory, both traditional sports and video games originated from a common place—play, and it is because of this similar trajectory, they are what they are now. This study offers novel insight into how the distinction between traditional sports and the characteristics of athletes has become increasingly unclear; thus, with the amount of overlap between the two, traditional definitions, are changing and moving forward, and as a result, all sports and all athletes will be looked at through the same lens.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438054417
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Communications
- Creator:
- Qassim, Hussam
- Description:
- One of the promising processes to elevate the accuracy of the convolutional neural networks is by increasing the depth of the convolutional neural networks. However, increasing the depth of the convolutional neural network leads to a boost in the number of layers, which means an increase in the number of parameters. Which drive the depth convolutional neural network to be slow in convergence during the backpropagation process and prone to overfitting and degradation. We used two different techniques, the residual learning plus the deep supervision, to build the models. We trained the models to classify a large-scale scene dataset MIT Places 205 and MIT Places 365-Standard. the result from the experiments proved that the proposed models named (Residual-CNDS) have addressed the problems of overfitting, slower convergence, and degradation. the proposed models came in two models (Residual-CNDS8), and (Residual-CNDS10), which include eight and ten convolutional layers sequentially. Furthermore, reforming the proposed Residual-CNDS8 by applying a compression method to optimize the size and the time needed to train the Residual-CNDS8. Therefore, we proposed a Residual Squeeze CNDS, which address the issue of speed and size while maintaining addressing the issues of overfitting, slower convergence, and degradation. with matching the accuracy of Residual-CNDS8 on MIT Places 365-Standard scene dataset, the Residual Squeeze CNDS is 87.64% smaller in size and 13.33% faster in the training time.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055445
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Estrada Tiempos, Jose
- Description:
- The increasing demand for renewable energy sources has accelerated endeavors for the optimization of biomass fuel oxidation for direct liquid fuel cells. Good efficiency for electrochemical oxidation of biomass and other has been observed on palladium (Pd) based catalysts in alkaline media, but further catalyst optimization is required to increase the viability of these fuels for direct liquid fuel cells. as such this work explored the use of a single-walled carbon nanotube support for Pd catalysts (Pd/CNT), in place of a traditional Pd/C (carbon supported) catalyst, for the enhanced oxidation of renewable fuels: formate, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and glycerol. of these fuels, the greatest electrochemical enhancement, evaluated via chronoamperometry (CA), was observed for the oxidation of formate, propylene glycol, and ethylene glycol a 2.6, 2.6, and 2.5 fold increase compared to Pd/C, respectively. Furthermore, bimetallic alloy catalysts, such as PdCu/C have also been shown to promote the oxidation of these fuels. as such, a Pd 62Cu37/CNT catalyst was used to investigate whether the individual enhancements due to a Cu adatom and a CNT support are additive. Finally, the efficient electrochemical oxidation of ethylene glycol and glycerol on carbon supported Pd catalysts (Pd/C and PdCu/C), at high concentration and high pH, inspired the exploration of these catalysts for the electrochemical detection of ethylene glycol and glycerol. This work shows that a CA pulsed method is viable for the detection of ethylene glycol on leached-Pd10Cu 90/C and glycerol on Pd/C or leached-Pd10Cu90/C.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055469
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Creator:
- Fernandez, Esteban M
- Description:
- Since the early 2000s, a series of new voter identification laws have been passed. These laws could possibly reduce voter turnout in a way that provides a structural advantage to certain candidates. This paper uses state level presidential election turnout data for the elections between 2000 and 2012 in order to estimate the impact of voter ID laws on voter turnout. I find that there is no statistically significant decrease in turnout from these new laws. This may be due to the small number of strict ID laws that are in place during this period. I test this assumption by performing a simulated power-analysis. I find that this state level difference in difference methodology suffers from low power with a sufficiently low effect size. with caveats, this paper concludes by suggesting a different methodology.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055612
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Economics
- Creator:
- Raveendra, Rakesh
- Description:
- Stress is an unavoidable factor in everyday life that triggers the human body’s reaction to an anticipated threat, challenge, or scare. to test and receive a better understanding as to how the body reacts under stress, a method of stress measurement was tested through a technique known as Resonant Field Imaging (RFI). the RFI device measures the human energy field (Aura) intensity as frequency (MHz) around the human body at different energy reserve points (chakras). Acute stress was induced through a mobile game application called “Not Not”. This brain teaser game induces acute stress by challenging a player’s logic reasoning, directional choices, and quick decision making. Individual trials were accomplished to determine if there existed a correlation between the data received from RFI and conventional stress measurement devices. Overall data showed high frequency readings from RFI correlated with increased measurement readings from conventional stress measurement devices. These measurements are made very close to the human body (0-4 inches). Finally, a video-based technique was implemented using MATLAB for detecting the induced stress. This technique was introduced to serve the purpose of measuring stress from certain distance, away from the subject. We were able to classify the difference between physical and mental stress. This technique is useful for doctors to remotely monitor patient’s health condition.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438053410
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Computer Science
- Creator:
- Ungerman, Lindsey
- Description:
- This study investigated the effects of different designs of sports bras on peak absolute breast acceleration and perceived comfort ratings. This study offers two hypotheses: (1) the hybrid bra, controlling for the most superior-inferior motion, would produce the least amount of acceleration; and (2) the hybrid bra combining the encapsulation and compression principles, would be rated the most comfortable. Previous research indicates that breasts could be a barrier for physical activity and exercise. Eleven recreationally active female subjects ages 18–30 ranging from cup size 36C–34 DD were asked to perform six short running trials at two self-selected speeds based on the RPE scale (RPE 12 and RPE 17) in three different sports bra conditions. a triaxial high sensitivity ICP accelerometer was placed inside the bra anterior to the right nipple in order to track peak absolute acceleration. After each trial participants were asked to rate their overall exercise-induced breast pain using a numerical scale for breast pain. Results from this study showed manipulation of bra type had a significant effect on the resulting breast acceleration (p ≤ .001). the compression bra produced the greatest resultant breast acceleration in both the RPE 12 speed and the RPE 17 speed. the encapsulation bra was rated significantly more comfortable than the compression bra at the RPE 12 and 17 speeds. the findings of this study may help guide future research and sports bra design by attempting to illuminate the role acceleration plays in perceived breast discomfort while exercising.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055414
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Kinesiology
- Creator:
- Moffit, Tyler
- Description:
- Introduction: Strength training can be used to prevent injuries and improve running economy in distance runners. the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between lower extremity strength and distance running biomechanics. Methods: 36 competitive distance runners (26 male, 10 female) participated in this study. Participants performed maximal voluntary isometric contractions of the hip and knee extensors and knee flexors, a 1 repetition maximum back squat, and running biomechanics at a standardized and self-selected speed. Pearson correlations were used to analyze relationships between strength and biomechanics at the standard speed. Partial correlations were used to analyze relationships at the self-selected speed. Results: Hip extension peak torque (PT) was associated with less the peak hip extension power, standard speed (r = 0.48, p < 0.01), self-selected speed (r = 0.58 p = 0.001). Greater 1RM was associated with faster self-reported 5km time (r = -0.51 p = 0.002) and 1500m time (r = -.65 p < 0.001). Greater hip extension PT was also associated with faster 1500m time (r = -0.54 p < 0.01). Greater knee flexor PT was associated with faster 5k (r = -0.43 p = 0.01) and 1500m time (r = -0.50 p < 0.01). Discussion: Hip extension PT was positively correlated with hip extension power at preferred speed and standardized speed, indicating that weaker runners utilized more hip extension joint power for propulsion. While maximal strength may not influence joint mechanics at relatively slow paces in distance runners, it may allow the runners and maintain higher velocities in competition.
- Resource Type:
- Masters Thesis
- Identifier:
- 9780438055070
- Campus Tesim:
- Fullerton
- Department:
- Department of Kinesiology