Objective. To determine the relationship between overall psychological well-being and stress on diet quality among young adult women and to examine the potential confounding influence of season, physical activity and sleep on these relationships. Design/Participants. The study used a cross-sectional design. Three hundred and fifty-one women were recruited to participate in the study. All participants were university students (20.2 ± 1.6 y). Overall psychological well-being was assessed using the General Well-being Schedule (GWB) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Diet intake was measured using three 24-hour recalls over a seven day period. The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) was calculated to assess diet quality. Physical activity (PA) and sleep were both measured objectively using accelerometers over seven consecutive days. Season of assessment was also included as a covariate. Results. The average HEI score was 59.3 ± 12.5 out of 100 and is classified as "Needs Improvement." The average GWB score was 72.8 ± 13.1 out of 110 which is on the border between "moderate distress" (61 to 72) and "positive wellbeing" (73 to 110). Significant relationships were seen with specific aspects of psychological well-being, however global psychological well-being as measured by the General Well-being schedule was not related to any measure of diet quality. Chronic stress was related to low adherence to dietary guidelines (F = 11.46 and p = 0.0008). Chronic stress was also related to low consumption of fruits and vegetables (F = 5.03, p = 0.0256). Feeling in control of emotions and behaviors was related to low consumption of non-nutrient dense foods (NNDF) (F = 3.33, p = 0.0198). Controlling for PA and sleep time reduced the magnitude of all of these relationships between 11% and 42%. Results from the PSS were positively related to the consumption of NNDF (F = 3.97, p = 0.0472). Controlling for PA and sleep time increased the magnitude of this relationship by 34%. Season had a negligible impact on any of the relationships between psychological well-being and any measure of diet quality. Conclusion. Subscales of psychological well-being such as chronic stress, acute stress, emotional behavioral control, and depression were related to diet quality. While these observed relationships were independent of the influence of season, physical activity and sleep, controlling for these variables had a moderating effect.

The objective of this dissertation was to examine the action profiles of elite field hockey players in relationship to the 2015 FIH rule change. The following are major findings of the dissertation: The following are major findings of the dissertation: Study 1 – Relative action profiles before the rule change revealed that defenders work at a lower meter per minute (m/min) when compared with all other positions, and that forwards, midfielders, and screens perform similar m/min during a game. Examination of pre rule change difference from the 1st to the 2nd half play showed that elite level field hockey players are able maintain high-intensity actions in zone 6 throughout the game by increasing actions in zones 1 and 2, and decreasing actions in zones 4 and 5. Study 2 – Action profiles after the rule formatting change revealed the team was unable to match the percent of distance covered in zones 4 and 5 during the 1st quarter all in subsequent quarters. The low intensity actions in zone 1 and 2 gradually increased, while m/min gradually declined. However the percent of distance covered in zone 6 showed no statistically significant change. When positional differences were examined forwards covered the greatest percent of distance in zones 5 and 6, followed by midfielders, screens, and defenders. This pattern varies for zone 4, within which the midfielders possesses the greatest percent distance covered. 3 Study 3 – Relative action profile comparisons for the team, pre to post the 2015 rule change did not indicate a significant change in zones 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. However zone 1 experience a statistically significant decrease. Positional analysis showed statistically significant changes for midfielders only. The changes were a decrease in zone 1, and increase in zone 5 and 6 during the first half of the game, and decrease in zone 1 and m/min during the second half of the game. A major focus of the US Women’s National Team is to develop the athletes’ physical capacity to maintain and repeat high intensity actions. The combination of physical preparation and tactical strategies allow the team to express high m/min and numerous high intensity actions throughout a match.

This present study was intended to identify the reliability and validity of the Vert™ device when compared to a Switch mat. Vert is a wireless device intended to measure jump count and jump height through an application on a smartphone or tablet and the Switch mat provides jump height using wireless sensors. Jump height is an important factor in many sports such as volleyball and basketball and it is important to have devices that coaches and trainers can use for testing that they can rely on. If this device is found to be valid and reliable, coaches and trainers could potentially use it in more practical settings such as practice and games due to the portability and small size. This study consisted of 6 subjects who volunteered. The switch mat was connected to the device to display the jump height immediately after the jump. The Vert sensor was clipped onto the subject’s hip near the center of mass and the jump count and height were then displayed on an app. The subjects completed a series of warm-ups followed by 3 sets of 5 repetition countermovement jumps while using both devices to collect the data. The total 15 jump heights from these 3 sets of 5 were then analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis as well as a paired sample T-test. The jump height recorded from the Vert was consistently about 10 cm off from the jump height of the switch mat, which for a volleyball player, could be the difference between blocking and missing the ball. The results of this study showed that the Vert device is reliable but not practically valid. If technical improvements were made to the device to correct the height components the device could potentially be used in place of a force plate or switch mat when conducting athlete testing but the device is not currently valid for practical use.

This study examined the effect of an 8-week, progressive exercise intervention on neural responses, specifically N2 amplitude as a measure of inhibitory control, to pictures of food. Healthy women ages 18-44 years were randomized to a morning (AM) exercise group or evening (PM) exercise group. The AM group did moderate-to-vigorous intensity exercise on 4 days per week between 6:30 and 9:30 a.m. while the PM group had the identical volume of exercise between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. Neural responses, eating behaviors, cardiovascular fitness outcomes, and body weight/composition were measured at baseline and after the 8-week intervention. The N2 amplitude in response to pictures of high- and low-calorie foods was assessed using electroencephalography during a go/no-go task. Dietary restraint, emotional eating, and external eating were assessed using the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire. VO2peak, HRmax, and time to completion were measured during a maximal treadmill test. Body weight was measured on a digital scale, and body composition was measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. There was not a significant task (go, no-go) × group (AM, PM) × period (baseline, 8 weeks) interaction (F = 0.18; p = 0.677), but there was a main effect of exercise over 8 weeks (F = 6.26; p = 0.017) with increased N2 amplitude following the intervention. There was not a significant interaction as a function of picture type (high-calorie, low-calorie), task, group, and period (F = 0.52; p = 0.478). Changes in body weight and neural outcomes were not significantly associated with changes in eating behaviors for either group (ps < 0.05). There was a significant group × period interaction for body weight (F = 4.90; p = 0.032). Body weight increased by 0.79 ± 1.16 kg in the AM group and decreased by 0.21 ± 1.46 kg in the PM group (effect size = 0.77; CI = 0.15-1.35). There was not a significant group × period interaction for body fat percentage, total body fat or fat-free mass (ps < 0.05). When examining the main effect of exercise on cardiovascular fitness outcomes, VO2peak was not different (F = 1.80; p = 0.187), time-to-completion on treadmill increased (F = 6.51; p = 0.014), and HRmax during the treadmill test was significantly lower (F = 5.49; p = 0.025). This study suggests that 8 weeks of exercise training may increase the inhibitory response to pictures of both high- and low-calorie foods. However, time of day of exercise did not influence this response. Eight weeks of exercise training did not change self-reported dietary restraint, external eating, or emotional eating, and there was no correlation between these eating behaviors and inhibitory control. However, evening exercise was more beneficial for body weight than morning exercise. Given the novelty of this study and its results, additional studies on the influence of time of day of exercise on weight management are needed.

No description available.

No description available.

Heart failure (HF) induced by aortic pressure over-load is associated with increased coronary artery stiffness. Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) and advanced glycation end products (AGE) both promote arterial stiffness. However, the mechanisms by which coronary PVAT promotes arterial stiffness and the efficacy of exercise to prevent coronary stiffness are unknown. The present study hypothesized both chronic continuous and interval exercise training would prevent coronary artery stiffness associated with inhibition of PVAT secreted AGE. Yucatan mininature swine were divided into four groups: control-sedentary (CON), aortic-banded sedentary heart failure (HF), aortic-banded HF continuous exercise trained (HF+CONT), and aortic-banded HF interval exercise trained (HF+IT). Coronary artery stiffness was assessed by ex vivo mechanical testing and coronary artery elastin, collagen and AGE-related proteins were assessed by immunohistochemistry. HF promoted coronary artery stiffness with reduced elastin content and greater AGE accumulation which was prevented by chronic continuous and interval exercise training. HF PVAT secreted higher AGE compared with CON and was prevented in the HF+CONT and HF+IT groups. Young healthy mouse aortas cultured in HF PVAT conditioned media had increased stiffness, lower elastin content and AGE accumulation compared with CON, which was prevented by PVAT from the HF+CONT and HF+IT groups. HF coronary PVAT secreted greater interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 compared to CON which was prevented by both continuous and interval exercise training regimens. We conclude chronic continuous and interval exercise is a potential therapeutic strategy to prevent coronary artery stiffness via inhibition of PVAT-derived AGE secretion in a pre-clinical mini-swine model of pressure overload-induced HF.

The pathophysiology of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) is highlighted by vascular dysfunction and low-grade vascular inflammation. Furthermore, the site-specific distribution of atherosclerosis throughout the arterial vasculature is primarily determined by local hemodynamic force. Therefore, this dissertation outlines three experiments designed to investigate the role of acute mental and physical (i.e., aerobic exercise), and vascular wall shear stress (SS) on the inflammatory aspects of atherosclerosis. Chapter 2 examines the effect of acute laboratory-induced mental stress on intracellular pro-inflammatory signaling pathways in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Chapter 3 investigates the impact of acute laboratory-induced mental stress and maximal aerobic exercise on the concentration of soluble VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1) and CX3CL1/fractalkine (sCX3CL1) in human serum. Lastly, Chapter 4 examines the role of short- (30 min) and long-term (24 hr) low-to-negative oscillating SS (LOSS) and high laminar SS (HLSS) on the expression and secretion (i.e., cleavage) of cell-membrane VCAM-1 and CX3CL1 by human umbilical vein endothelial cell cultures in vitro. Together, these experiments provide evidence that acute psychological stress, maximal aerobic exercise, and HLSS influence vascular inflammation and adhesive properties of the vessel wall. More specifically, the results from Chapter 2 provide evidence that acute mental stress promotes the immune-cell mediated synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines in circulation. In addition, Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 demonstrate that the elevations in blood flow and hemodynamic force associated with maximal aerobic exercise, and unidirectional high SS may have the capacity to alter the expression of endothelial-bound cellular adhesion molecules, in part by eliciting their release from the vessel wall.

Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) is regarded as the gold standard for assessing aerobic fitness. In 1923, Hill et al. proposed that VO2max represents the maximal ability of the body to take in and consume O2 during strenuous exercise. Recently, however, controversy has arisen over the issue of whether a leveling off, or "plateau" in VO2 is necessary to verify attainment of VO2max. Purpose: To compare two different VO2max protocols and determine if both protocols show direct evidence of an upper limit on VO2. Methods: Nine runners (18-35 years old) completed a continuous graded exercise test (CGXT), followed by a discontinuous graded exercise test (DGXT). The CGXT consisted of gradually increasing treadmill running speed to the point of volitional exhaustion; the highest speed attained was labeled the peak treadmill speed. Over the next several days, participants ran at 80%, 90%, 100%, 105%, and 110% of peak treadmill speed for 10 minutes, or until volitional exhaustion was reached. Results: All participants (n=9) achieved a "VO2 ceiling" (or upper limit) on the DGXT, while only 44% (n=4) achieved a "VO2 plateau" on the CGXT. There was no significant difference between the VO2max obtained from a CGXT (57.4 ± 2.6 mL*kg-1min-1) and DGXT (60.0 ± 3.1 mL*kg-1min-1). There was no difference between oxygen uptake measured at 90%, 100%, 105%, and 110% of PTV (p>0.05). However, the highest VO2 recorded at 80% PTV was significantly lower than that recorded at all other velocities (p<0.05). Conclusion: The VO2 ceiling effect on a DGXT is inherently different than the VO2 plateau effect on a CGXT. In this study, a ceiling was always seen on the DGXT, but a plateau was not always seen on the CGXT.

This dissertation is composed of three manuscripts based on two studies related to training and assessment methods used to evaluate change and overall quality in measures of performance, postural control, and functional movement. Study one evaluated the effect of sand training on athletic performance and postural control. Study two investigated the effect of scoring strata of the deep squat (DS) component of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) on the weight-bearing lunge test (WBLT), Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), and Lateral Flexion Test (LFT) in 101 male and female college students. Study one results included significant overall improvements of the five repetition maximum (5RM) squat (p=0.002), and WBLT (p Study two results indicated that limited dorsiflexion will lead to a reduction in DS performance and asymmetry of performance on the LFT may result in further movement limitations. Subjects scoring a one or two on the deep squat performed significantly lower (p