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Browsing by Author "Braun, Barry, advisor"

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    Development and evaluation of physical and mental readiness training programs for Army Reserve officer training cadets
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2024) Newman, Alissa A., author; Nelson, Tracy, advisor; Braun, Barry, advisor; Graham, Daniel, committee member; Cooper, K. Bradford, committee member
    Military personnel face myriad stressors in both the combat and training environments, including the singular and combined effects of physical exertion, cognitive overload, sleep restriction, energy insufficiency, ambiguous operational environments, as well as emotional and psychological stress. Though the demands of modern military operations continue to shift with technological advances, humans remain the central element and to be successful in the volatile and uncertain modern operating environments, high levels of both physical and psychological readiness and resilience are required. As failure to meet these demands can have catastrophic consequences, the military has placed a high emphasis on the development of physical and mental fitness, with each branch developing their own programs and initiatives. In 2019, the Army introduced its Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) system, with the aim of improving individual warfighter health and wellbeing as well as overall operational readiness. While H2F is a step in the right direction for the Army as a whole, non-Active-Duty components may have difficulty implementing the system. Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs often have limited access to the space, time, equipment, and expertise needed to optimally promote physical and mental readiness. ROTC cadets will commission as officers upon their graduation, will serve in leadership roles, and will be expected to perform at a high level both physically and mentally. Importantly, ROTC programs produce approximately 70% of the officers entering the Army each year and their preparedness, or lack thereof, has substantial impact on those they lead. The feasibility of delivering physical and mental readiness training programs in real-time within the Army ROTC environment and under the time and resource constraints is unclear. One possible mechanism for implementing readiness training in ROTC programs is through collaboration with university partners. By developing cross-campus collaborations, ROTC programs can access necessary resources, especially fitness programing, supervision, and support, to bolster readiness and prepare cadets for success as future Officers. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the development and implementation of physical and mental readiness training programs in an Army ROTC program, specifically through a collaborative effort between Colorado State University's Health and Exercise Science Department and Army ROTC programs. Study 1 evaluated two training programs designed to improve ACFT performance. The first was an adaptation of programs from Army Training Publication 7-22: Holistic Health and Fitness (ATP 7-22) and the other was designed by HES staff. HES staff, including a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach and undergraduate practicum students, supervised all physical training sessions alongside Army ROTC cadre. While we saw no significant differences between groups, we found a statistically significant improvement in ACFT scores in our collective study cohort. We faced several challenges over the course of the study period, including a global pandemic and severe weather that impacted and cancelled training sessions. Despite this, we showed that it is feasible to provide effective, multidimensional physical training with limited time and equipment, even in the face of unforeseen challenges. In Study 2, we delivered an 8-week mental skills training (MST) program to first- and second-year Army ROTC cadets. Our qualitative findings suggest that the intervention was impactful and that the participants were able to learn and apply the skills taught during the intervention in physical training and academic settings, as well as during their ROTC training. While we did not find any statistically significant performance outcomes, the results of this study demonstrate a positive impact of MST in this population and provide support for the integration of increased MST into the ROTC curriculum. Collectively, these studies show the impact of both physical and mental readiness training interventions in ROTC cadets. Perhaps more importantly, these studies demonstrate the feasibility of conducting such programs in real time, even with limited time and resources, as well as the capacity for a partnership between ROTC and other university academic departments. We believe that this collaboration is a successful model for the integration of H2F into ROTC programs and could be an effective solution to the challenges faced in delivering comprehensive readiness programming to ROTC cadets.
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    Novel modulators of blood pressure with age: a physiological and bioinformatics-based approach
    (Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Bachman, Nate P., author; Braun, Barry, advisor; LaRocca, Thomas J., advisor; Chicco, Adam J., committee member; Gentile, Christopher L., committee member
    Systolic blood pressure (SBP) increases with age and is a significant risk factor cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases. While the causes of high blood pressure (hypertension) have been extensively studied, the causes of the age-related rise in blood pressure independent of chronic disease remain unclear. Thus, the identification of novel mechanisms underlying age-related high blood pressure may lead to new strategies to reduce chronic disease risk in older adults. Therefore, the goal of this dissertation was to use both physiological and bioinformatics-based approaches to better elucidate contributors to elevated blood pressure in healthy older adults. The main findings are that 1) inhibition of Rho-kinase (an enzyme that participates in numerous cellular/regulatory pathways) lowers systemic blood pressure in healthy older adults concomitant with reduced vascular resistance but not improved endothelial function, 2) genes expression patterns in peripheral white blood cells differ in healthy older adults with elevated SBP compared to those with normal SBP and transcriptomic (RNA) changes relate to vascular and immune function, and 3) circulating chemokines and whole blood immune-related transcripts track with elevated SBP in healthy older adults. Taken together, this work shows that Rho-kinase, circulating RNA transcripts, and circulating chemokines may be novel therapeutic targets and/or biomarkers of elevated blood pressure in healthy older adults with untreated hypertension.