Honours Projects in 2010

Phone

Do the actions of others bias our motor responses?
       The aim of this project is to determine whether these effects exist when making a reactive response to the actions of another by observing how
         reaction time changes when viewing actions unrelated to the response itself.

How do temporal and spatial constraints affect video-based decision making?
     This project is designed to determine how decision making is affected when temporal and spatial restrictions are introduced to
      a traditional experimental set-up.

Eye movements during a problem-solving task.
      How do eye movements evolve as an individual attempts to solve a simple spatial puzzle – is there an eye movement correlate to
        the ‘Ah ha’ moment?

Dr Derek Panchuk

Muscle Inactivity, Force, Muscle Mass and Fatigue
Muscle inactivity causes muscle wasting and weakness. Does limb movement restriction cause wasting and increase muscle fatiguability?

Sports Drinks - Plasma Electrolytes and Exercise Performance.
Do glucose/potassium/sodium contents affect exercise performance during intermittent (repeated sprint) exercise, as used by many team sports?

Does elevated Potassium contribute to Muscle Fatigue?
Rowing - large muscle mass plus intense exercise –does it cause extreme rise in potassium? How high? Does it Cause Muscle Fatigue?

Measuring Electrolytes, Glucose and Fatigue in Australian Football.
What are changes in glucose, lactate, potassium, pH during footy? Do glucose levels drop suggesting fuel supply is a problem?

Does decline in Muscle Excitability cause Muscle Fatigue?
EMG can be used as markers of fatigue during muscle contractions. Measuring “M-waves” during voluntary contractions, electrical stimulation.

Eccentric exercise and muscle damage.
Are disturbances in muscle ions a major factor in loss of muscle function?

MOTOR DEVELOPMENT

BIOMECHANICS

Validation and measurement of forces associated with AFL movements in training
Measurement of loads on the body during training is an essential part of an AFL training programme. However, one area that has not been researched is what forces exist during different tasks in training and how these might affect overall loads. The first part of this study will be to validate a portable insole measurement system that players can wear during training. The second part of this study will be to collect force data for different training tasks during an AFL team’s training to develop baseline data for use in the monitoring of physiological loads during training. This project will provide an understanding of in-field measurement, biomechanics of AFL skills and the chance to work with elite athletes.
 

A/Prof Rezaul Begg

Tripping and slipping risks due to different shoes (barefoot vs runners vs other shoes)
Falls and injuries during locomotion are a major public health issue. We know very little about how different shoes could affect our tripping and slipping risks during walking, running, etc. This project will investigate foot motion and ground reaction forces while walking (wearing various shoe-types or barefoot) and estimate the tripping/slipping risks associated with particular footwear. Findings will assist in providing scientific recommendations for safe footwear in different environments and will provide an understanding of tripping and slipping risks during walking. This project is a part of the major research program that is currently being undertaken within the Biomechanics Unit addressing important issues relating to tripping, slipping and falls during locomotion.
 

A/Prof Rezaul Begg

Dr Russell Best

(03) 9919 1118

russell.best@vu.edu.au

(03) 9919 1116

rezaul.begg@vu.edu.au