Augmented soft tissue mobilization therapy (ASTM) is a newly developed massage technique. ASTM is applied with the aid of specifically designed, solid instruments and has been successfully used in the treatment of chronic tendinitis patients. In a study on collage nase -injure d rat Achilles tendons treated with ASTM, Davidson et. al (1997) reported gait improvement as well as fibroblasts proliferation and suggested ASTM may augment healing by the recruitment of fibroblast. The present study examined the morphological response of enzyme-induced rat Achilles tendons to 3 different ASTM pressure application: 1 newton; 2 newtons and 3 newtons. Collagenase-injured tendons exhibited disrupted and randomly arranged collagen fibers. Treatment applications were performed for 4 days for a total of 4 treatments. Morphological differences were demonstrated between groups in proportion to the ASTM treatment pressure application. The ASTM group treated with 3 newtons demonstrated the greatest mean fibroblast count (370.3 +/- 51.6). Further, electron microscopy revealed the presence of activated fibroblasts in the tendons of the 3 newtons, ASTM group. However, immunochemical staining comparisons of Type I and III collagen, fibroblast growth factor receptor, and insulin-like growth factor between groups were not remarkable. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

The purpose of this study was to determine the functional changes due to the Graston Therapeutic Technique (GTT) in an animal model. This study attempted to verify the biomechanical changes associated with the Graston Therapeutic Technique (GTT) in order to possibly apply it to humans as a major physical therapy modality. Eighteen adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned randomly to three groups. The groups were classified as follows: (a) no injured plus GTT treatment, (b) injured minus GTT treatment, (c) injured plus GTT treatment. The GTT therapy began after one week following injury to allow for optimum inflammation and scar formation. The animals receiving GTT had six treatments over the course of two weeks. Running tests were performed on a treadmill at a velocity of 22 cm/s prior to induction of injury, one week following injury, two weeks following injury, and three weeksfollowing injury in the experimental groups. Variables analyzed were knee and ankle range of motion (ROM), stride length (SL), and stride frequency (SF). Significance of effect between experimental groups were determined by repeated measures one-way ANOVA, Scheffe's post hoc test, and Newman-Keuls post hoc test. The stride length and stride frequency results of the present study appeared to indicate that the Graston Therapeutic Technique (GTT) had an effect on changes in the stride length and stride frequency after injury. Statistical analysis between observations for the GTT plus groups indicated a significant difference in the swing phase of knee ROM. The results of this study also indicated that the Graston Therapeutic Technique may have had an influence on knee joint range of motion. / School of Physical Education

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of multiple ice treatments on the signs and symptoms of exercise induced muscle damage. Twenty-four women performed vigorous eccentric exercise of elbow flexors to induce muscle damage. Subjects were randomly assigned into one of three groups(control, experimental group 1, experimental group 2). Experimental groups 1 and 2 received two and six ice bag treatments respectively for two consecutive days post exercise-induced muscle damage. Dependent variables included pain perception, resting arm angle, bicep, forearm, and wrist circumferences, elbow range of motion, and plasma concentrations of creatine kinase. Baseline measurements were obtained on day one and were repeated every 24 hours post-exercise for five days. No significant differences were observed between groups. The results of this study indicate that ice bag treatments do not have any affect on signs/symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage. / School of Physical Education

Many athletes and spectators believe that experiencing and controlling psychological momentum is a critical component to achieving success in sport (Perreault, Vallerand, Montgomery, & Provencher, 1998; Stanimirovic & Hanrahan, 2004). Despite this, little is known regarding why some individuals perceive momentum differently than others. This study was designed to determine if optimistic thinking has a relationship with psychological momentum perceptions. Female Division I NCAA volleyball players (N = 68) completed the Life Orientation Test – Revised (Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994), the Sport Attributional Style Scale - Short (Hanrahan & Grove, 1990b), and a psychological momentum survey. The results indicated that attributional style constructs intentionality and globality were significant predictors of psychological momentum perceptions. Also, participants had greater disagreement regarding the momentum value of early and late points in a set than those in between. Neither dispositional optimism nor sport-specific optimistic attributional style were correlated with psychological momentum perceptions. Future attempts to measure psychological momentum perceptions should consider a mixed methods approach along with more ecologically valid assessment protocols. / Department of Psychological Science

A differential diagnosis between head injury and depression is critical to ensure proper treatment and appropriate interventions. Knowledge about this can only aid counseling psychologists' work with this population and, identifying a measure that can assist in this process is essential. The purpose of this study is to measure the utility of the Dean — Woodcock Neuropsychological Assessment System (D-WNAS) in distinguishing individuals with head injury from those who have a primary diagnosis of depression, and general neurological impairment. Participants included 433 adults (222 males, 211 females) between the ages 20-55 years of age (mean = 35.3 years, SD = 10.97 years) from the Midwestern United States. During the individual's treatment in the neuropsychological laboratory, each person was administered the following: the Dean-Woodcock Structured Interview (Dean & Woodcock, 1999), mental status exam, the Woodcock Johnson — Revised Tests of Cognitive Ability (WJ-R COG; Woodcock & Johnson, 1989b), the Woodcock Johnson — Revised Tests of Achievement (WJ-R ACH; Woodcock & Johnson, 1989a), and the Dean-Woodcock Sensory Motor Battery (DWSMB; Dean & Woodcock, 1999). This study indicates that responses to D-WNAS can be used to reliably classify adults into groups of depression, head injury, and general neuropsychological impairment. In particular, responses to the D-WSMB portion of the D-WNAS can be used to reliably classify adults into groups of depression, head injury, and general neuropsychological impairment. Classification results revealed that the original grouped cases were classified with 62.6 % (p < .001) accuracy and with 73.2% overall accuracy when the head injury and general neurological impairment groups were combined and compared to depression and normative groups. The WJ-R COG and WJ-R ACH were not as reliable as the D-WSMB at predicting group membership. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The main purpose of the present study was to identify sensory-motor deficits caused by closed head injury (CHI) when individuals with CHI are compared to a normal sample. The study also investigated lower-level sensory-motor functioning, such as gait, balance, and coordination and its relation to neurological impairment related to CHI. Additionally, the study determined if age significantly influenced sensory-motor functioning.Archival data was utilized to complete the study. Data was collected from a large, Midwestern neurology clinic (CHI) as well as from a normative sample of individuals with no reported history of neurological impairment. Preliminary analyses were completed to identify outliers. Samples were then randomly selected from the impaired group (CHI) and matched with randomly selected subjects from the normative sample based upon age.Three separate analyses were completed. The first analysis focused on age and if age significantly influences sensory motor functioning. The second analysis was completed using an adult's only sample based upon the results that age significantly influenced sensory-motor performance. Finally, the third analysis utilized all age groups to determine how dramatically age had an impact on distinguishing between individuals with CHI versus a normative sample.Results demonstrated that age had a significant influence on sensory-motor performance. Measures of subcortical and cortical motor function, motor speed, motor coordination and tactile examination were able to accurately classify individuals with head injury from a normative sample to a clinically significant degree (78%). The study argues that the D-WSMB is a reliable and valid measure to utilize when evaluating individuals with CHI. / Department of Educational Psychology

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Educational Psychology

The mechanisms responsible for the healing of corneal surface wounds are the subject of biological controversy. In particular, the role and source of the regulatory chemical epidermal growth factor (EGF) is an area of intense debate. In the first part of this thesis, we propose a reaction-diffusion model which focuses on the stimulus for increased mitotic and migratory activity due to secretion of EGF. A detailed numerical study of various possible models, with parameter values based on biological data, reveals that, for realistic healing times, EGF must be released by the underlying layers of the cornea, in addition to the tear film source. The model exhibits travelling wave solutions and further analysis elucidates the interaction and role of the parameters in determining the speed of healing. Furthermore, we consider the effect of topical application of EGF and investigate the effect of curvature of the eye. We show that our model is consistent with many of the key features of corneal wound healing. Adult dermal wounds, in contrast to foetal wounds, heal with the formation of scar tissue. A crucial factor in determining the nature of the healed tissue is the ratio of collagen 1 to collagen 3, which indicates the fibril diameter. We develop a reaction-diffusion model which focuses on the stimulus for collagen synthesis due to the secretion of the different isoforms of the regulatory chemical transforming growth factor β (TGFβ). Numerical simulations of the model without diffusion lead to a value of this ratio consistent with that of healthy tissue for the foetus but corresponding to scarring in the adult. The model equations evolve to waves moving into the wound, but addition of TGFβ only has a transient effect on the final collagen levels. We investigate this effect by developing a caricature model. The model indicates that the main source of the fibroblasts is the underlying subcutaneous tissue and we determine key parameters which explain the difference between adult and foetal wound healing. Furthermore we make clinically testable predictions on the effects that topical application of various chemicals will have on scar formation.

The purpose of this investigation was to objectively evaluate whether three functional de-rotational knee braces stabilize an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency. The subject sample consisted of fifteen males and females with a unilateral ACL deficiency. The data for each subject was obtained using the Genucom Knee Analyzer. A right knee-left knee anterior laxity difference of 3mm or greater served as a subject inclusion parameter for protocol completion. The inclusion criteria reduced the subject sample to a total of eleven. / The study consisted of a randomized block design. The experimental design consisted of three parts: (1) an investigation of translational stability, (2) an investigation of rotatory stability, and (3) a comparison between the three braces. / The analysis involved a one way ANOVA of the criterion variables; anterior laxity (ALAX), anterior midrange stiffness (AMRS), anterior endrange stiffness (AERS), internal laxity (ILAX), and translation of the lateral tibial plateau (TLTP). / The AMRS characteristics differed significantly (alpha = 0.05) at 20$ sp circ$ flexion. The results were the following: $-$10.00 $ pm$ 9.78 N/mm for brace 1, $-$2.86 $ pm$ 7.2 N/mm for brace 2 and $-$41.02 $ pm$ 14.79 N/mm for brace 3. The values evaluated for ALAX, AERS, ILAX, and TLTP profiles did not differ significantly between knee braces.

Background: Agricultural workers in New Zealand have high rates of occupational injury compared to most other occupational groups. They are also over-represented in work-related fatal injury statistics. While it is recognised that the personal and social costs of occupational injuries to agricultural workers are considerable, the ability to develop and evaluate evidence-based injury control strategies for this group has been limited by the lack of quality information on occupational exposures and injury events. Aim: The aim of this thesis was to develop and pilot a comprehensive occupational exposure and acute injury outcome data collection system for agricultural workers which will provide an evidence base for a public health approach to acute occupational injury control within the agricultural sector of New Zealand. The thesis objectives were therefore to: * Develop study methods to collect occupational exposure and injury outcome information. * Assess the likely validity of these study methods. * Determine the feasibility of implementing the study methods. * Suggest modifications to the study methods to enhance their validity and feasibility. Methods: Pastoral farms in the Waitaki region of New Zealand were identified using a database of New Zealand farm owners. The owners and workers on these farms were contacted and asked to participate. Participants were required to complete an Initial Questionnaire which included items on farm and personal characteristics, the farm environment, training, safety perceptions and attitudes and safety behaviour. Participants were then monitored for six months. During the monitoring period each participant completed a monthly log of their work activities during the preceding week. Any work-related injuries to workers on participating farms were also recorded and reported monthly. Participants who were injured were followed up for an interview to obtain detailed injury event information. At the end of the monitoring period a second Questionnaire was administered to assess change during the study. Participants were asked about any occupational injury events during the study as part of one of the monthly logs and the second Questionnaire to provide a comparison measure to the monthly reports. A random third of participating farms were visited at the end of the study to assess the validity of participants� reports on the farm environment. Results: Sixty-two farms were recruited into the study, a recruitment rate of 24%. This resulted in 82 study participants. Fifty-seven farms and 72 participants completed the study, resulting in retention rates of 92% and 88% respectively. Return of study items was high, with the lowest observed level of return being 92%. Levels of response error were low in most of the study items, with exceptions being the recording of the hours spent handling animals (37%) and total hours worked (22%). Most postal items (over 68%) were returned before a reminder call was made. Participants� reports about the farm environment closely matched the observations made during the visits, with little evidence of significant misreporting. The validity of reported injury events during the study could not be determined, as the two methods of capturing injury events identified different events. Conclusions: Within the limitations of the study, most of the study methods appeared to be feasible and have acceptable validity. The low recruitment rate and issues with validating the capture of injury events indicated that modifications to the study design were necessary to achieve acceptable validity and feasibility, however. Recommendations were made on how feasibility and validity might be improved.