Digital Commons @ the Georgia Academy of Science
Not a member yet
1290 research outputs found
Sort by
DOES STRENGTH TRAINING IMPROVE CLUBHEAD SPEED IN COLLEGIATE GOLFERS?
No full textThe purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a six-week strength training program on golf clubhead speed. Eight male collegiate golfers’ golf swings were analyzed for club head speed and driving distance before and after a 6-week strength training program. Clubhead speed was measured using a sensor, and all golfers hit the same ball three times with speed averaged at the end of the three hits. The control group (n = 4) continued a regular training routine as prescribed by the coach, while the experimental group (n = 4) performed three sessions per week of a researcher-designed strength training program that included 60 minutes of total work three times per week. The exercise sessions included three sets of eight repetitions of the following exercises: bench press, squat, single arm row, lunge, shoulder press, upright row, ab crunch, medicine ball slams, and abdominal twists. Results from a paired t-test indicated that the clubhead speed of the golfers who underwent weight training was significantly different from that of the control group. Golfers with a weight training program had a significant positive relationship between weight training and clubhead speed (p = .01). There is a significant difference in clubhead speed between weight-trained (M = 98.45 mph) and non-weight-trained (M = 86.7 mph) male collegiate golfers. Golfers who completed the 6-week weight training had faster clubhead speed than the non-weight training group. The results demonstrate that incorporating strength training positively impacts clubhead speed in golfers, serving as a reference for designing such training programs
EFFECTS OF SUGAR INTAKE ON COLLEGIATE STUDENTS MEMORY RECALL
No full textIn higher education institutions cafeterias, most food options contain an excess amount of glucose. Most college students focus on courses and give little thought to what is consumed. This study focused on how glucose consumption affects collegiate students\u27 immediate (MWR) and delayed (DR) memory recall. This study was conducted in the Brewton-Parker College Kinesiology Lab on Mondays at 8 a.m. The convenience sample consisted of 20 participants (10 male, 10 female) with an exclusion of fasted blood glucose levels exceeding 110 mg/dL. Randomly assigned, both experimental and control groups were blind to the supplementation type, with the experimental group consuming a glucose drink of 15g of liquid glucose, while the control group consumed a placebo containing 10 drops of the artificial sweetener. Before supplementation and 10 minutes post, immediate and delayed memory recall was tested utilizing the memory and delayed recalled sections of the SCAT5 concussion testing protocol. For the immediate memory test, participants were read a list of words and repeated as many words as they could remember in any order. The delayed recall was performed after 5 minutes had elapsed with participants instructed to repeat any words on the original list. One point was scored for each correct response. The results of the study determined that there is no statistically significant difference in MWR between glucose (M = 4.4 words) and placebo (M = 4.5 words) supplementation (p = .77). Results did indicate a statistically significant difference in DR between glucose (M= 3.7 words) and placebo (M=3.6 words) supplementation (p=0.04). In conclusion, the study determined that under the conditions described here, there is no statistically significant association between the consumption of glucose intake and cognitive function concerning MWR in college-aged students. However, increased glucose consumption resulted in increased DR
FINDING EQUILIBRIUM CONSTANT VALUES FOR THE ETHANOL-ACETIC ACID REACTION
No full textThe ethanol-acetic acid reaction is often used in first-year chemistry classes to illustrate the importance of a catalyst and what occurs at chemical equilibrium. The impact of adding different catalysts and the time required for the reaction mixtures to reach equilibrium were studied. In all cases, 0.30 moles of ethanol and 0.30 moles of acetic acid were used. It is concluded that students may learn several things from this reaction. Four of these are: 1) the importance of adding a catalyst, 2) how the concentration of reactants decrease and products increase with time, 3) how to use titrations to measure the concentration of the remaining acetic acid and to use this to determine the concentration of the ethanol and ester concentrations and 4) how to measure an equilibrium constant. This reaction has the added benefit of allowing students to use titrations to track the decrease in reactant concentration with time. In one trial, initial product (ester) molar concentrations of 6.2, 6.9, and 6.9 were computed for one, two, and three weeks after the catalyst was added, yielding an equilibrium constant of 2.0
THE BIZZARE RANKINGS OF GEORGIA PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES AS THEY ARE CLEANING UP THE ELITES\u27 MESS AND EDUCATING THE MASS FOR LESS
No full textSome of the most persistent, nationwide, K-16 science misconceptions regarding the flow of energy and matter in ecosystems were found to be rooted in the intuitive beliefs of R. Feynman, a Nobel Prize laureate, graduated from MIT and Princeton and lectured at Cornell and Caltech (Said, 2024). At Georgia public universities, these misconceptions were long identified, challenged, and possible remedy measures were proposed (Said, 2009; Said and Martin-Hansen, 2019). Recently, the 2025 Best National Universities - US News Ranking, placed Georgia State University (GSU) at #4 among the nation\u27s Best Undergraduate Teaching . On the other hand, and as a result of another reputational survey by the 2025 World University Ranking (Times Higher Education), the two largest Georgia public universities, University of Georgia (UGA) and GSU, received the failing teaching scores of 42.2 and 31.3/100, respectively. Given the contradictory results of the two reputational ranking systems leaves us to question the validity of reputational surveys altogether. The academic performance at Georgia\u27s two public universities, UGA and GSU, is quantitatively assessed using the quantifiable and comparable data of official course evaluations, and the most recent reputational survey results are compared and contrasted with actual performance indicators. In 2023, GSU alone, admitted 27,610 students with an in-state cost of 60,000 and $70,000. To quantitatively assess academic performance at the Nation\u27s universities, ranking systems need to rely less on perceptions and reputational surveys that reward only the rich elites, and make use of the readily available, quantifiable, and comparable data of official course evaluations; also, rankings should account for admission size and affordability
LINKING DHEAS DIURNAL RHYTHMS AND SLEEP: EVIDENCE OF ASSOCIATIONS WITH SLEEP DISTURBANCES AND SUBJECTIVE SLEEP RATINGS
No full textThe androgen hormone, Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and its sulfate, DHEAS, is a biomarker of various cognitive and health outcomes, and its diurnal rhythm has been linked to sleep quality. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between DHEAS diurnal values and specific sleep quality measures. Participants (Mage = 50.3 years, SD = 19.33, range = 20-80, N = 183, 104 females) first completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); participants subsequently completed a modified PSQI immediately after waking for 10 consecutive days, which allowed for a Daily Subjective Sleep Quality (DSSQ) rating that was then averaged across all days. Additionally, participants provided saliva samples seven times a day for 10 consecutive days. The saliva was assayed for DHEAS. Daily DHEAS levels were averaged across the 10 days to provide a Mean DHEAS value. Diurnal Fluctuation of DHEAS, operationalized as the daily Peak-Nadir Difference (PND) averaged across all 10 days, was also extracted from the DHEAS data. Mean DHEAS and Component 5 of the PSQI (Sleep Disturbance) were significantly negatively correlated (p \u3c 0.01), such that fewer sleep disturbances were correlated with higher Mean DHEAS levels. Hierarchical linear regression showed that Sleep Disturbances significantly predicted Mean DHEAS (Model Comparison Approach: p \u3c 0.01; Likelihood Ratio Test further: p \u3c 0 .01). Additionally, DSSQ and PND were positively correlated (p \u3c 0.05). Hierarchical linear regression showed that PND significantly predicted DSSQ (Model Comparison Approach: p \u3c 0.01, Likelihood Ratio Test: p \u3c 0.01). These results uphold previous literature, and we identified specific attributes of sleep quality (i.e. Sleep Disturbances) which predict Mean DHEAS. We also have classified new diurnal dynamics (i.e. Diurnal Fluctuation) which correspond to DSSQ. These results offer more specific insight into the relationship between DHEAS and sleep quality and may inform the clinical application of DHEA
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION REDUCES ESSENTIALIST BELIEFS ABOUT RACE AND GENDER
No full textPeople intuitively adopt social essentialist beliefs and assume that social category membership are biologically determined and indicative of uniform individual features. Social essentialism often leads to negative social consequences, such as stereotypes and enhanced social boundaries. However, little research has explored possible intervention to reduce social essentialist bias. The current research aims to use mindfulness meditation, a commonly practiced strategy to enhance monitoring activities of the mind, as a potential intervention to reduce social essentialist thinking. Originated from Eastern Buddhism, mindfulness meditation encourages a neutral, non-judgmental perspective to observe and accept current cognitive and emotional states. Seventy-seven undergraduate students attending a large public university in Southeast USA completed a two-session lab experiment. In each session, they either listened to a nine-minute guided mindfulness meditation (mindfulness condition), or a nine-minute BBC podcast on neutral content (control condition), before completing two previously validated measures of social essentialism (a 9-point, 6-item Social Essentialism Scale; and a vignette-based Switched-at-Birth task). Preliminary findings showed that, as compared to those in the control condition, those who listened to mindfulness meditation were less likely to assume racial identities as biologically determined and fixed in both sessions; and less likely to assume gender identities as biologically determined and fixed in the post session. However, this effect was not observed when reasoning about political affiliation and social class. The current results suggest that mindfulness meditation can be used as an intervention tool to reduce social essentialist beliefs in some domains. Future research should continue to explore the contextual factors enhancing or limiting this effect, as well as its applications in non-laboratory settings
TRANSFORMING WORLD CITIZENS INTO NATIONAL AND GLOBAL LEADERS AT BREWTON-PARKER COLLEGE
No full textGeorgia\u27s private Christian colleges offer more than pathways to credentials and degrees. Brewton-Parker College (BPC), Mount Vernon, GA, has been offering the Students\u27 Undergraduate Research Experience Program (BPC-SURE) to her students since 1996. The SURE Program serviced ethnically diverse populations of students from underrepresented groups, providing students for graduate programs, operating as engines of economic development. The present paper summarizes the long-term impact and aspiration of the BPC-SURE Program at the national and the international levels, and recognizes two successful women of color, alumni of BPC; today are serving as national and international leaders: (i) Dr. Michelle Samuel-Foo is a 2000 summa cum laude graduate of BPC. She went on to earn both an Ms. in Agronomy and a PhD in entomology from The University of Georgia. Earlier, she served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Department of agriculture\u27s (USDA), National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which was the lead extramural funding arm of USDA. In this role, she provided leadership for research, education and economics projects at over 100 land grant universities in the United States. Recently, Dr. Samuel-Foo has joined the USDA Forest Service as Associate Deputy Chief for Research and Development (ii) Ms. Rajyeshwari Ghosh is a 2001 graduate of BPC. She went on to pursue graduate studies while working in Citigroup, Wall Street, PwC India, and KPMG India in the areas of finance, technology and consulting. In 2018, she has founded the Quantum Holistic Advisory Services, providing opportunities to equitable livelihood for small and home-based businesses, artisans and crafts people in her communities. Her work has been recognized by Modern Work Award in Germany, was certified by Good Market in U.K. and was awarded the Best Social Impact Award by Calcutta Management Association
GIS ANALYSIS OF FORENSIC BODY DUMP SITES ACROSS GEORGIA OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD**
No full textOne goal of forensic anthropology is the successful recovery of the remains of individuals in clandestine locations; often dumped by perpetrators. While law enforcement can use investigative measures to help ascertain the location of missing persons, it can be a fruitless task, wasting resources and straining financially strapped local organizations. Prior geospatial studies show relationships between roadway proximity, physical limitations and possibility of discovery, and terrain with located bodies. To this date, there has yet to be an analysis of the geospatial patterns of body dump locations in Georgia. The state has diverse landscapes, ecological systems, topography, and human-made structures. The socioeconomic and demographic statistics have changed rapidly, particularly in urban areas. Because Georgia has its own unique human and geographic profile, it is critical that anthropologists and investigators be aware of any patterns in dump sites. This could not only decrease the time to discovery but prevent advanced decomposition of the body which decreases the chances of identification. In addition to geocoding, manual digitizing on top of the aerial photography was used for mapping the body dump sites in ArcGIS Pro. The location layer was merged with a detailed attribute data to prepare a complete geodatabase. Secondary data on topography, geomorphology, landcover, roads and transportation infrastructure, and various other environmental and socio-economic variables were derived from the USGS, Census Bureau and the ArcGIS Pro data archive. We applied various geoprocessing tools to analyze the patterns of site location in relation to these secondary variables. With over ten years of recovery site data, it was hypothesized that GIS analysis will not only demonstrate relationships between dump sites and factors previously identified in the literature, but also illuminate patterns distinct to Georgia’s landscape and demographic distribution
Field observations of gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) activity at a rare double-burrow
Get PDFAfter a review of the journal, it does not appear that abstracts are included with Research Notes. Therefore, no abstract is provided. However, we certainly defer to the Editors on this requirement and will happily provide an abstract if needed
Bat Observation During a Solar Eclipse in Georgia
Get PDFEclipses are astronomical phenomena that occur infrequently enough, either spatially or temporally, that for most animals, experiencing an eclipse may only happen once in a lifetime. Thus, an eclipse can provide a unique combination of meteorological and environmental conditions, through which animal behavior can be evaluated. In this study we observed and documented bat behavior (order Chiroptera) in northwest Georgia during a partial solar eclipse in 2024. Using passive acoustic monitors at locations recognized as high quality bat habitat, we detected a single hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) 5 minutes before the solar eclipse peak. The bat was first detected via acoustic monitor and then observed by researchers. Although we only recorded activity in one individual, this observation demonstrates that eclipses may elicit unusual behavior. To our knowledge, this is the first documentation of bat activity during a solar eclipse with corroborating acoustic evidence. More research is warranted to fully understand this behavioral phenomenon