2199 research outputs found
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High-Cadence Cycling Promotes Sustained Improvement in Bradykinesia, Rigidity, and Mobility in Individuals with Mild-Moderate Parkinson’s Disease
No full texthttps://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/node/17543/87587-thumbnail.jpgIntroduction. Exercise has been shown to be an important adjunct therapy to medication in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the optimal type, frequency, and intensity of exercise or physiotherapy are still being debated. An important part of understanding the optimal frequency is to examine how acute bouts of exercise affect motor function and mobility in this population. The purpose of this study is to assess if six bouts of high-cadence cycling improves motor function and mobility in individuals with PD. Methods. Sixteen subjects with mild-moderate idiopathic PD were randomized into either a high-cadence cycling or a control (stretching) group. High-cadence cycling was completed on a custom motorized recumbent bicycle at a high cadence between 75 and 85 rpm. Cycling and stretching sessions were separated by 1 day of rest and took place over a 15-day period. Motor function and mobility were assessed after every cycling/stretching bout using the UPDRS Motor III scale, Kinesia ONE, and Timed up and Go (TUG). Results. Six bouts of high-cadence cycling improved UPDRS scores (2.5 pts, ), hand movement amplitude (), rapid alternating hand movement speed (), gait (), and TUG time (1.17 s, ) from baseline testing to end of treatment. The control group showed no improvements. Conclusions. These findings suggest that they are both acute and sustained improvements in motor function and mobility after high-cadence cycling. Future research should examine how exercise type, frequency, and intensity can be optimized for each individual.</p
Do different green roof substrates, plant communities, and mycorrhizal fungi impact water runoff quality and quantity?
No full textA major goal of green infrastructure is the reduction of stormwater in the urban and suburban landscape, which is accomplished by the design—particularly the growing substrate and plants within it. Engineered growth substrate is often used because it is a known quantity that can hold specific volumes of water while still being lightweight. Natural growth substrate (soil) is a more unknown quantity but has the benefit of being able to support more plant species and introduce native soil organisms into the system. The interactions between growth substrate, plant, and soil biota have the potential to be able to bring additional benefits to the urban environment besides just stormwater reduction, such as air and water purification, and providing biological habitat. This study aims to examine how different types of substrate, plants, and the addition of soil organisms called mycorrhizal fungi impact the quality and quantity of stormwater. Located at the Cleveland Industrial Innovation Center, 39 different square meter plots were built on a low height roof. Three different substrate types: a bioretention grade soil, a worm casting compost, and a conventional engineered media (RoofliteTM) were used in combination with two separate plant communities, a native prairie and a designed community. Half of these were inoculated with symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi and the other half were left uninoculated. Water runoff was collected bi-monthly over the course of a year and total N and P content were measured. Preliminary analyses show that substrate type had a very significant effect on the volume of water runoff, while plant communities significantly impacted the amount of nitrogen runoff. All the treatments showed high amounts of phosphorus runoff, which could potentially impact downstream water quality if not addressed. However, further analyses on the plants, substrate, and soil biota are still in progress and the information may help improve green roof health and functioning
Road Salt Runoff in Freshwater Constructed Wetlands: A Year in the Life
No full textRoad salts, brines, and other de-icers are used to melt snow and ice on roads and sidewalks. The runoff resulting from this process is high in salt ions such as sodium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. These ions end up in our waterways, and contribute to the problem of increasing salinity in freshwater ecosystems. In this study, two constructed freshwater wetlands near Kent State University were monitored for one year by measuring conductivity with in situ conductivity probes, concentration of road salt ions in surface water samples, and salt content in plant tissue. This data set allowed us to assess seasonal trends in road salt runoff as well as to estimate a mass balance for road salt ions in these systems. We found that the wetlands were a considerable sink for road salt ions over the course of the year. Moreover, the degree to which each wetland retained the ions was not the same. The wetland with continuous flow and comparatively less pore space retained less of the ions than the intermittently flowing, deeper wetland. This notable imbalance in the salt budget of these wetlands, despite their differences in flow regime, is symptomatic of unsustainable road salt practices in these and similar watersheds. Should this pattern continue, there could reach a point where the wetlands could no longer store the influx of salt ions each year, resulting in a large release of saline water into downstream freshwater ecosystems. Long term studies like this are critical to addressing these issues, and these findings can be used to inform management decisions not only in Kent, Ohio, but also in any city to better balance ecosystem function with public safety
Culture/Counterculture: Fashions of the 1960s and \u2770s
No full texthttps://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/ksumuseum/17/thumbnail.jp
Kent State National Ceramics Invitational
No full texthttps://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/node/10408/10563-thumbnail.jpgExhibition ran: February 21 – March 23, 2019
Featuring: Soojin Choi, Gabrielle Graber,
Michelle Laxalt & Andrew Stansbury</p
A Magazine Fall 2019
No full texthttps://kent-islandora.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/node/14547/83935-thumbnail.jp
How does elevation and/or substrate affect the composition of biocrusts?
No full textBiological soil crusts (‘biocrusts’) are conglomerations of a variety of organisms including bacteria, lichens and mosses that dominate soil surfaces in arid environments. Biocrusts are important in drylands due to their ability to perform several ecological functions such as soil stabilization and increasing pools of available nitrogen. Higher elevations are typically associated with more precipitation and, consequently, higher vascular plant densities, either outcompeting biocrusts or providing optimal conditions for later successional biocrust communities (lichens and mosses). However, the relationship between the abundance of biocrust and elevation may be obscured by soil type and its effects on nutrient cycling. We tested whether there was a relationship between biocrusts and elevation, and whether differences among biocrust communities were affected by soil type and enzymatic activity (a proxy for nutrient cycling). Biocrust samples were collected from a variety of sites along an elevational gradient between Phoenix (300 m) and Flagstaff (2,100 m) in Arizona while targeting different soil types. We measured % cover of biocrusts and the activity of three enzymes associated with carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. We found a significant effect of elevation on biocrusts. Lichens and mosses were significantly affected by elevation, while cyanobacteria were not. No significant substrate results were observed, except for the avoidance of granitic soils by mosses and avoidance of basalt by lichens. These results indicate that elevation affects the community composition of biocrusts, but perhaps greater sampling efforts are needed to make more general conclusions about the effects of substrate on biocrust composition
Impact of Deer and Soil Chemistry on Plant Mutualists in Forest Soil
No full textIn temperate forests, understory herbaceous plants are often affected by the abundance of white tailed deer, both directly through herbivory and indirectly through soil compaction. Soil chemistry, particularly soil pH, also has a large effect on the soil microbial communities that influence plant growth and survival. The objective of this study was to study the interactive effects of deer herbivory and soil chemistry on plant mutualists in forest soil using Jack-in-the-Pulpit plants. Jack-in-the-Pulpit are common understory herbs in temperate forests that deer will eat but are not preferred. In Bole Woods at the Holden Arboretum, 760 Jack-in-the-Pulpit plants were planted into 19 plots (both deer exclosures and un-fenced controls), each containing 4 subplots, 3 where soil chemistry had been altered and a control. Soil samples were collected from each subplot to be used for DNA analysis. Using PCR-terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, we determined community structure of the fungal and bacterial communities. Our results showed that across communities of general fungal, AM fungi and bacteria, there were taxonomic differences present with soil chemistry alteration. Subplots that were amended with limestone and calcium had similar communities compared to subplots that were amended with triple superphosphate or the control. These differences reflected changes in soil pH that we had seen previously.</p
Understanding biodiversity services in urban and analogous natural systems: the case of green roofs
No full textGreen roofs provide urban environments and the humans within them with many services, including stormwater management, reduced energy consumption and habitat for organisms. However, due to the physical constraints of many green roof environments, green roof habitats are typically characterized by thin soils experiencing drought, flood, and intense wind and solar radiation. Natural habitats with these characteristics are relatively rare, however, some intact thin soil environments occur in the Great Lakes basin. Our research examines the plant and insect communities arising around these natural and built thin-soil environments, to gain insight into how these habitats contribute service and function to the greater landscape. Insect communities are key contributors to several ecosystem services, including pollination, pest control, and decomposition. Improving our understanding of how insects in these habitats function is important to guide efforts to design structurally-analogous elements intended to deliver services in urban environments. We will sample three functional groups of insects (pollinators, natural enemies and decomposers) in green roofs and natural areas that are similar to green roof structure, while characterizing the plants and other physical attributes of each site. Once identified, we will compare communities between and within built and natural systems of various characteristics, and the functional ecology can be described. Our work will inform design of green roofs to improve biodiversity service delivery in urban environments.</p
The Effects of Deep-Ripping Reclamation on Abandoned Non-Coal Surface Mine Soils in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Ohio
No full textSince 2016, with the help of Kent State faculty and students, staff at Cuyahoga Valley National Park have been studying the effects of deep-ripping reclamation on abandoned non-coal mine sites within the park. The ultimate goal of this study and deep-ripping reclamation is to reforest the sites which otherwise have failed to support native tree growth post-abandonment. At 5 mine sites and 4 forested reference areas we have collected 205 ρbulk soil samples and 289 soil probe samples for grain size distribution analysis and have performed 66 infiltration rate measurements to determine Ksat. Soil textures encompass silt loams, loams, and sandy loams. ρbulk of the top 5 cm of soil is significantly higher in the mined sites than the forest areas, though values are not high enough to restrict root penetration. However, ρbulk samples at depth exceed root restriction values. Mine sites also have significantly slower Ksat values than reference areas. Deep-ripping reclamation was conducted at one site in September 2017. Near-surface bulk density samples and Ksat measurements were collected post-ripping. Deep-ripping did not appear to significantly alter ρbulk or Ksat. Deep-ripping reclamation was conducted at a second site in September 2018. Prior to deep-ripping we installed soil moisture sensors at two locations of different slope within the site: on a slope of 20.51% and a slope of 6.00%. Two sensors were installed at each location at depths of 20 and 50 cm to collect baseline soil moisture data for four months before they were removed for the deep-ripping. Post-ripping, three sensors were installed on the sloped portion of the site at a depth of 10 cm in rips running parallel and perpendicular to the slope and in a cross-rip. Two sensors were installed to a depth of 10 cm on the flat portion of the site: one in a cross-rip and one not in a rip. All five sensors continue to collect data and analyses of changes in moisture regimes are currently underway