Velocity, Distance and Shoulder Range of Motion in Two Throwing Programs

Success in baseball pitching is determined by throwing velocity and accuracy. Strength conditioning, as well as repetitive throwing programs, are used to improve the pitch. Recently, a weighted ball program has been developed and is believed to increase ball velocity with less potential injury. However, there is limited research examining the impact of this program on performance. The purpose of this study was to compare a traditional long toss program versus a weighted ball program. Baseline throwing velocity and distance as well as shoulder range of motion (ROM) were measured in collegiate baseball players. Participants were then randomized to either a six-week-long toss throwing program or weighted ball program. Following training, throwing velocity, distance, and shoulder ROM were measured again. Both training methods significantly improved throwing distance. However, throwing velocity did not change from pre-training measurements. All measurements of shoulder ROM (flexion, abduction, and external rotation) significantly improved in both groups, with abduction showing the greatest improvement in the long toss group. Our results suggest both training programs are beneficial for baseball performance

Imprints of radial migration on the Milky Way’s metallicity distribution functions

Recent analysis of the SDSS-III/Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) Data Release 12 stellar catalog has revealed that the Milky Way’s (MW) metallicity distribution function (MDF) changes shape as a function of radius, transitioning from being negatively skewed at small Galactocentric radii to positively skewed at large Galactocentric radii. Using a high-resolution, N-body+SPH simulation, we show that the changing skewness arises from radial migration—metal-rich stars form in the inner disk and subsequently migrate to the metal-poorer outer disk. These migrated stars represent a large fraction (>50%) of the stars in the outer disk; they populate the high-metallicity tail of the MDFs and are, in general, more metal-rich than the surrounding outer disk gas. The simulation also reproduces another surprising APOGEE result: the spatially invariant high-[α/Fe] MDFs. This arises in the simulation from the migration of a population formed within a narrow range of radii (3.2 ±1.2 kpc) and time (8.8 ± 0.6 Gyr ago), rather than from spatially extended star formation in a homogeneous medium at early times. These results point toward the crucial role radial migration has played in shaping our MW

Associations between comorbid disease outcomes among patients with depression in a student run free clinic

Background: Research demonstrates a correlation between diagnosed depression and increased markers of chronic medical illness, including poorer glycemic control, increased risk for cardiovascular events, and obesity. Moreover, medically underserved patient populations are especially at high risk for poor health outcomes due to chronic illness, which has profound implications for both individual patients as well as the healthcare system. However, very little research has been done on chronic health outcomes among underserved mental health patients treated in integrated behavioral health/primary medical care settings. MedZou, a student-run, free medical clinic provides integrated health care services to uninsured, low-income adults in Mid-Missouri, and provides a potentially ideal setting for this research. We wanted to compare health outcomes between patients identified with depression and those without depression that were treated at MedZou

Range expansion in an invasive small mammal: influence of life-history and habitat quality

Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity but provide an opportunity to describe the processes that lead to changes in a species' range. The bank vole (Myodes glareolus) is an invasive rodent that was introduced to Ireland in the early twentieth century. Given its continuing range expansion, the substantial empirical data on its spread thus far, and the absence of any eradication program, the bank vole in Ireland represents a unique model system for studying the mechanisms influencing the rate of range expansion in invasive small mammals. We described the invasion using a reaction-diffusion model informed by empirical data on life history traits and demographic parameters. We subsequently modelled the processes involved in its range expansion using a rule-based spatially explicit simulation. Habitat suitability interacted with density-dependent parameters to influence dispersal, most notably the density at which local populations started to donate emigrating individuals, the number of dispersing individuals and the direction of dispersal. Whilst local habitat variability influenced the rate of spread, on a larger scale the invasion resembled a simple reaction-diffusion process. Our results suggest a Type 1 range expansion where the rate of expansion is generally constant over time, but with some evidence for a lag period following introduction. We demonstrate that a two-parameter empirical model and a rule-based spatially explicit simulation are sufficient to accurately describe the invasion history of a species that exhibits a complex, density-dependent pattern of dispersa

An Analysis of Factors Which Affect Self-Management in Language-Diverse Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose: The purpose of this scholarly project was twofold: 1) To identify the impact that health literacy, diabetes knowledge, self-efficacy, and illness perception have on diabetes self-management behaviors and 2) To assess differences in project variables between English and Spanish-speaking participants. The Individual and Family Self-Management Theory was used as a guiding theoretical framework. Methods: Thirty-three English-speaking and twenty-eight Spanish-speaking adults with Type 2 diabetes (n=61) were recruited from a diabetes private-practice in the Southeastern United States. Patients completed a cross-sectional composite survey composed of demographic information, the Brief Health Literacy Screener, Diabetes Knowledge Questionnaire (DKQ-24), Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale (DMSES), Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ), and the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA). Results: Diabetes self-efficacy and illness perception were significant predictors of diabetes self-management behaviors. English-speaking participants possessed greater diabetes knowledge and perceived their illness to be more severe. English-speaking participants had greater health literacy, while Spanish-speaking participants had greater diet and foot care self-management behaviors. Conclusions: To improve self-management behaviors in adults with Type 2 diabetes, it is necessary to utilize patient-centered interventions, which focus on improving self-efficacy and illness perception, in an effort to improve self-management practices and therefore glycemic control. In addition, qualitative research, which assesses why linguistic differences exist in health literacy, illness perception, diabetes knowledge, and diabetes self-management behaviors would be valuable based on findings within this scholarly project

Kinematics of Bowing the Re-Strung Violin

Building upon existing research in motor learning and sensorimotor control, this thesis explores how the performance of a real-world task (playing a simple musical piece on the violin) is impacted by the spatial re-arrangement of the violin’s strings, and how performance recovers with practice (relearning). I recorded audio performances and bow kinematics as violinists with a wide range of prior skills played a familiar 2-octave G-Major arpeggio 50 times. Some subjects played all 50 arpeggios on a violin with the standard string arrangement (the control violin). Another set of subjects played the middle 30 arpeggios with a “similar” violin with an inverted string arrangement, preserving the typical nearest-neighbor relations among the strings. A third set of subjects played the middle 30 arpeggios with a “dissimilar” violin having a shuffled string arrangement that destroyed the typical nearest-neighbor relations. Results showed a transient effect on audio performance from the string re-ordering; this effect decreased across the 30 test trials consistent with re-learning. Contrary to expectations established in a related lab-based study, subjects relearned faster with the less similar violin (shuffled) compared to the more similar violin (inverted); additionally, there were after-effects on performance when subjects returned to the normal violin, but only after playing the inverted violin. By contrast, bow kinematics showed sustained disruption during the 30 test arpeggios. I observed no after-effects of exposure to either test violin on bow kinematics when subjects were again given the normal control violin. Whereas previous studies have reported facilitative effects of geometric similarity on motor learning, this investigation found the opposite effect: violin performance was disrupted more when playing the “similar” inverted violin than the “dissimilar” shuffled violin. This performance effect was not impacted by prior skill level even though some aspects of bow kinematics did vary with prior skill. Overall, this thesis contributes to the growing body of knowledge in motor learning and sensorimotor control, offering valuable insights into the factors influencing motor relearning in complex tasks like violin performance

Trends in U.S. Local and Regional Food Systems: A Report to Congress

This report provides an overview of local and regional food systems across several dimensions. It details the latest economic information on local food producers, consumers, and policy, relying on findings from several national surveys and a synthesis of recent literature to assess the current size of and recent trends in local and regional food systems. Data are presented on producer characteristics, survival rates and growth, and prices. The local food literature on consumer willingness to pay, environmental impacts, food safety regulations, and local economic impacts is synthesized when nationally representative data are unavailable. Finally, this report provides an overview of Federal and selected State and regional policies designed to support local food systems and collaboration among market participants

Sarah Hayden to Mr. and Mrs. Aldrich, 2 December 1872

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aldrichcorr_e/1030/thumbnail.jp