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Light-frame wood construction is frequently used in the U.S. High wind events, such as hurricanes, may cause severe damage to these structures by breaking the roof envelope. This study focuses on computing reliability indices of roof sheathing panels exposed to high wind events while considering a time and spatially varying wind load. A procedure is developed that links probabilistic and dynamic finite element analysis codes. The results show that a few critical panels are most susceptible to damage, while most panels have significantly higher reliability indices than previous studies based on simplified analyses have shown. By setting a target reliability index, panel nail spacing can be adjusted to provide a more uniform level of safety over the entire roof.

One in three women and one in five men will experience a fracture due to osteoporosis in their lifetime. The clinical significance of osteoporosis is largely due to increased fracture rates, particularly in the hip and spine, that may lead to immobility and subsequent hospitalization. This may increase the risk of cardiac complications, pneumonia and pulmonary embolism, significantly impacting in-hospital mortality. It is a major health issue, with an osteoporotic fracture occurring every 3 seconds worldwide. Exercise is often recommended for people with osteoporosis and has been shown to maintain bone mass and reduce falls with fewer side effects. Although exercise has multiple benefits, adherence to this activity is poor, with 50% of those registered in a program dropping out within the first 6 months. One method to increase adherence to exercise is to identify the facilitators, barriers and preferences to physical activity. Identification of these facilitators and barriers may allow researchers and clinicians to design better exercise programs that increase motivation. This dissertation discusses the development of a new tool that can measure the factors that affect exercise adherence and calculates the content and construct validity and the test-retest reliability of the measure in the osteoporosis population. This tool has potential applications in both the research setting and in clinical practice. Investigators can use this tool to survey their population of interest and use this information to leverage the facilitators and limit the barriers in their methodologies when designing activity programs, while clinicians can identify and design better exercise prescriptions for individual clients. / Thesis / Master of Health Sciences (MSc)

In female college soccer players, there is no protocol for assessing fatigue. A total of 40 members of the Virginia Tech Women's Soccer team participated in the countermovement jump assessment to find a reliable way to gauge player fatigue and readiness in these athletes. These were tested by assessing the within and between-day similarity of a countermovement jump test as a measure of neuromuscular performance by comparing multiple jump heights during jumps performed within a single day and on separate days. Additionally, to determine the responsiveness of countermovement jump height as a marker of fatigue, we compared jump heights before and after activities thought to induce fatigue and competitive matches. All subjects wore a STATSports APEX unit that includes an 18Hz GPS, 952 Hz accelerometer, and 952 Hz gyroscope situated on the upper back over the second thoracic vertebra using a manufacturer-provided vest. After each training session or match, the data was downloaded using the manufacturer's software (APEXA). A custom MATLAB program was then used to calculate CMJ height from vertical acceleration. Results showed that CMJ heights were very reliable both within and between testing days. CMJ heights were found to accurately decrease following both high-load training sessions and a competitive soccer match. For both activities, the decrease in performance was dependent on the amount of load experienced. Lastly, CMJ height did not recover the day following high training load sessions. Across a training week, CMJ consistently decreased each day. This was followed by a recovery in performance following two off days. The results suggest that the use of a trunk-mounted, GPS-embedded accelerometer and a novel three-jump protocol is responsive to assess CMJ height. In addition, it is responsive to estimating fatigue following soccer activity. / Master of Science / In female college soccer players, there is no protocol for assessing fatigue. A total of 40 members of the Virginia Tech Women's Soccer team participated in the countermovement jump assessment to find a reliable way to gauge player fatigue and readiness in these athletes. We hypothesized that countermovement jump heights would not vary between jumps executed on the same day and on different days. We also hypothesized pre-training countermovement jump heights would vary across a 7-day training session with reductions dependent on the prior days' physical demands and would be reduced following a competitive soccer match, also dependent on each player's physical demands. These were tested by assessing the within and between-day reliability of a vertical jump test as a measure of performance by comparing multiple countermovement jump heights during jumps performed within a single day and comparing jumps on separate days. Additionally, to determine the feasibility of countermovement jump height as a marker of fatigue, we compared jump heights before and after activities thought to induce fatigue and competitive matches. All subjects wore a STATSports APEX unit that includes an 18Hz GPS, 952 Hz accelerometer, and 952 Hz gyroscope situated on the upper back over the second thoracic vertebra using a manufacturer-provided vest. After each training session or match, the data was downloaded using the manufacturer's software (APEX) and a custom MATLAB program was then used to calculate CMJ height from vertical acceleration. Results showed that CMJ heights were very reliable both within and between testing days. CMJ heights were found to decrease following both high-load training sessions and following a competitive soccer match. For both activities, the decrease in performance was dependent on the amount of load experienced. Lastly, CMJ height did not recover the day following a high training load sessions. Across a training week, CMJ consistently decreased each day. This was followed by a recovery in performance following two off days. The results suggest that the use of a trunk-mounted, GPS-embedded accelerometer and a novel three-jump protocol is reliable to assess CMJ height. In addition, it is feasible to estimating fatigue following soccer activity.