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The impacts of embryo development and asynchronous hatching on morphology, growth, and development of larval burbot (Lota lota).
Get PDFBurbot (Lota lota) are native fish in Lake Superior and typically spawn during the winter under the ice or by migrating up rivers. The early life history of larval burbot, where they dispurse, how fast they develop, and what their survival rates have not been extensively studied. Asynchronous hatching is a strategy used by other cod species as a bet-hedging strategy to ensure that some larvae are hatched in more advantageous conditions in a varying environment. Asynchronous hatching has been documented in burbot, but the extent of the period and the impacts that asynchrony has on the development of burbot larvae is unknown. This study provides detailed information on the impacts of asynchronous hatching on the morphology, growth, and development of larval burbot in Lake Superior. Burbot were captured and spawned during their winter spawning migration in southern Lake Superior rivers in 2022 and 2023. Larvae were separated by their date of hatch and photographed every other day to track growth and development of the different hatch date cohorts from the asynchronous hatching period. The asynchronous hatching period ranged 20-39 days for the observed families. Initial morphology such as total length and yolk sac area, as well as growth and yolk sac utilization rates were significantly different between early, middle, and late hatching larvae within and between families of burbot (
Effects of Positive Social Media Content on Emotion, Stress, and User Activity
Get PDFSocial media has become a prevalent part of today’s society, allowing for human connection and an abundance of information at the click of a button. However, the effects of content exposure have come under scrutiny. This study aimed to investigate the impacts of increased exposure to positive content and mindfulness techniques on emotion and stress when delivered through an online social media platform. The researchers intended to examine whether exposure to positive content through a social media platform influenced participants\u27 emotions, stress levels, and the type of content they posted, compared to exposure to more neutral content. Through a randomized control study, participants were placed in either a perceived “positive” or “neutral” group, where the researchers created confederate accounts to act as fellow participants and posted the appropriate content (i.e., positive, or neutral) to the group. Confederate accounts were used to minimize any bias that might be introduced by researcher interaction. The researchers measured stress and emotional responses before and after the experiment, and they also measured the type of content the participants posted. The researchers intended to find out if the type of content the participants viewed influenced the type of content that they posted as well as its effects on certain aspects of mental health. The results displayed a slight significance level, suggesting that exposure to positive social media content may lead individuals to experience more positive emotions than those not exposed to such content. Nevertheless, exposure to positive social media content did not alter stress perceptions, based on the study findings. Even a small but significant difference in perceived positive emotions may indicate the considerable impact social media can have within a short timeframe
SHARED AND UNIQUE PATTERNS OF RESTING-STATE FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY LINKED TO ATTENTIONAL AND INTERPRETATION BIASES
Get PDFA growing number of studies have shown that cognitive biases are associated with the development and maintenance of depression and anxiety. Relative to healthy controls, individuals who are vulnerable for affective disorders prioritize their attentional focus on more negative stimuli and interpret ambiguous emotional information as more negative. A great effort has been dedicated in recent years to identifying the neural mechanisms of cognitive bias, especially attentional bias. However, studies examining how different types of cognitive biases are associated with each other and the neural mechanism of their interplay are still scarce. Therefore, in the current project, both measures of attentional bias and interpretation bias were included to assess the overlapping and distinct neural correlates. To provide a direct measure into an individual’s focus of attention, the study assessed attentional bias and interpretational bias with an eye tracking paradigm—the Scrambled Sentence Task. In this task, six words were presented on the screen in a single line. Participants were instructed to mentally unscramble the sentence to form a grammatically correct and meaningful statement using five of the six words as quickly as possible. Moreover, to investigate the neural mechanism of cognitive bias, resting-state functional MRI data were collected. Results showed that each of the cognitive biases has its own pattern of the functional connectivity between different regions involved in emotion processing and cognitive control whereas the left rostral prefrontal cortex was associated with both biases. The main clinical implication from this project is that interventions should target multiple cognitive biases
Effects of Static Versus Dynamic Cupping on Ankle Dorsiflexion
Get PDFPURPOSE: Cupping therapy involves lifting and separating fascial tissue to facilitate stretching and promote blood flow. Although cupping is a common treatment modality for pain, studies are inconsistent in regards to whether cupping improves other outcomes, like range of motion. Possessing a limited range of motion can lead to musculoskeletal injury. The aim of this research is to determine the acute effect of different methods of cupping therapy on ankle dorsiflexion. METHODS: A total of 35 healthy adults (age: 22.1±4.52 years) with an average ankle ROM of 34.68±4.22° at baseline were included in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four cupping therapy groups: static cupping, dynamic cupping, static sham cupping, or dynamic sham cupping. Ankle ROM was measured pre- and immediately post-intervention. The minimal detectable change (MDC) for weight bearing ankle dorsiflexion was calculated based on the reliability of baseline measurements at 4.96º. A 2x4 mixed ANOVA was used to determine whether ankle ROM differed pre-to-post treatment. RESULTS: All groups showed improvement in ankle ROM post-intervention (38.41±4.95º), but no significant interaction effect between intervention and time (F(3,31)=1.31, p=.289). However, a significant main effect of time was observed(F(1,31)=33.69, p CONCLUSION: These findings support the potential of cupping as a modality for improving ankle ROM. Dynamic cupping may be more effective than static cupping for improving ankle ROM, so dynamic cupping can be considered as a potential intervention to address limited ankle ROM
PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS OF FREE THROW SHOT TRAJECTORIES IN RELATION TO SHOOTING PERFORMANCE
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to analyze free throw (FT) shot trajectories of individual basketball players using principal component analysis (PCA) and investigate whether variation in trajectories correlated with FT shooting performance. A markerless motion capture system was used to record three-dimensional FT shot trajectories of seven basketball players during practice. Horizontal and vertical positioning of the wrist joint center of the shooting hand were captured in both the sagittal and frontal planes for all trials. These coordinates were used as the input to the PCA. Positive correlations between the amount of variation accounted for by the first principal component and FT shooting performance (in-game FT%) suggest that players with simpler and less variable (i.e., more deterministic) shooting trajectories are better FT shooters
INCIDENCES OF STIFFNESS ON SQUAT JUMP VARIABLES
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to relation level the stiffness of the patellar tendon and three portions of the Achilles tendon; inferior, middle, and superior location with performance variables in the squat jump. The sample was composed of 25 belonging to Chilean elite male handball players. It assesses stiffness tendinous patellar and Achilles tendon using to MyotonPro® device. During the squat jump assessment, two force platforms Pasco and ForceDecks® software for analysis. The main results were RFD 0-50 ms (r=0.611), RFDN 0-50 ms (r=0.550), RFD 0-100 ms (r=0.615), and RFDN 0-100 ms (r=0.624) presented a relationship with patellar stiffness, while that Achilles tendon was down relation with peak power in squat jump (r=472). This information can be useful for training judo athletes. From the results, it can be concluded that the stiffness of the patellar tendon and the Achilles tendon determine some mechanical variables of the SJ, mainly in relation to the RFD
UPPER LIMB JOINT COORDINATION DURING ROUND-OFF IN FEMALE GYMNASTICS
Get PDFThe aims of this study were to integrate the analysis of the elbow joint loading kinetics with the coordination and coordination variability across three round-off (RO) techniques (‘Parallel’, ‘Reverse’, ‘T-shape’). Twelve young female gymnasts performed 6 RO trials in each technique. Kinematic and kinetic data were collected for each trial. Statistical parametric mapping of mean elbow joint ad/abduction moments was performed to compare differences between techniques. Modified vector coding technique were used to asses coordination patterns and coordination variability (CAV). Results indicated that the combination of anti-phase coordination and lower coordination variability using ‘Reverse’ technique may explain the mechanism which leads to increased elbow adduction moment and could result in overuse elbow injury
PEAK VERTICAL GROUND REACTION FORCE PREDICTION FROM KINEMATICS IN MALE RUNNERS USING MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to examine if peak vertical ground reaction forces during treadmill running can be predicted from kinematic input using machine learning models. Eighteen healthy male runners\u27 hip, knee, and ankle sagittal angles, with subject metadata, were input into random forest, support vector, and multi-layer perceptron regressors. Thirty strides per side at three speeds were pulled for the dataset. Random forest performed the best with a correlation coefficient of 0.950 and a root mean squared error of 0.456, while multi-layer perceptron was the worst with values of 0.948 and 0.462 respectively. The study showed machine learning models can predict peak vertical ground reaction forces
WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO BREAK THE WORLD RECORD IN THE MEN’S TRIPLE JUMP
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to bring together 30 years of athlete support and applied research into the horizontal jumps and develop a strategy for an elite athlete to challenge the World Record which has stood for over 27 years. Data on an elite triple jumper who has jumped over 18m was collected in a Diamond League competition and in training. Approach speed, phase distances, technical analysis and anthropometrical data were utilised to develop an interactive 7 segment model from which a new World Record was reconstructed. This study demonstrates a process of how to utilise biomechanical data and implement it into a high-performance setting, providing the coach with clear, objective and meaningful data from which they can set criteria to assist in developing performance