OCR Text |
Show MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 2013 Business & Science WWW.WSUSIGNPOST.COM Spring fever? How to avoid influenza By Elisa Wright b&s editor I The Signpost The start of a semester can be a busy, stressful time for all students. The kickoffs of spring semester are cold temperatures, sleep deprivation and probably some poor diet choices, all of which contribute to a weakened immune system. The sound of sniffles and coughing is not only the theme of a normal semester, but also a telltale sign of influenza season. According to the Centers for Disease Control's website, "People with flu can spread it to others up to about 6 feet away." The flu virus thrives in classroom settings because it is spread through droplets expelled by coughing or sneezing, and transmitted by landing on surfaces. These surfaces, if not treated with disinfectant, can hold the virus for 2-8 hours after exposure, according to the CDC. Amy Carter, the communicable disease registered nurse for the Weber-Morgan Health Department, said prevention is the key to avoiding an influenza outbreak. "The best way is to get the flu vaccine every year," Carter said. "A healthy immune system (is boosted by) good diet, proper hydration, sleeping at least 7-9 hours a night and working to keep a manage able stress level." Carter said having a healthy immune system beforehand can lead to faster recovery time. The Weber State University homepage ad- "A healthy immune system (is boosted by) good diet, proper hydration, sleeping at least 7-9 hours a night and working to keep a manageable stress level." - Amy Carter communicable disease nurse, Weber-Morgan Health Department vises students to avoid coming to campus with flu-like symptoms. However, the CDC website states flu symptoms may only be present for 1-2 days, while the contagious virus is present in the body for 4-7 days altogether. Symptoms include "fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue." The CDC recommends vaccination and antiviral treatments to See Flu page 8 Lego robots invade Weber State By Elisa Wright b&s editor I The Signpost The For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Lego League held its qualifier competition for teams on Saturday in the Weber State University ballrooms. The WSU qualifier is one of many around the state to qualify teams for the final competition, which takes place in three weeks. The FIRST Lego League utilizes teamwork and innovation for children ages 9-14 as they research, design and build their robots. Teams have eight weeks to complete their robots before competition. Each robot should carry out activities specific to a theme for the year. The 2012-13 theme is "senior support." Senior support allows insight into what senior citizens experience financially, emotionally and physically. The robots perform actions on a premade course to help overcome these theoretical hardships. "This is like play, and it is the hardest fun the (teams) can have," said Rainie Ingram, a recruiter for the WSU College of Applied Science and Technology. "They are having fun, learning, being challenged, and problem-solving. At the same time, they are learning about technology, researching and presenting." The FIRST Lego League emphasizes science, technology, engineering and math. The PHOTOS BY TYLER BROWN | THE SIGNPOST See Robots page 8 Students study (Top) A competitor places his team's robot on the tabletop obstacle course. (Bottom) A team robot completes different tasks during the competition. softs at Dew Tour By Corie Holmes digital editor I The Signpost Weber State University students in athletic training and nursing went to the Winter Dew Tour in Brecken- ridge, Colo., to gather research on concussions related to extreme snow sports through helmet sensors, video monitoring and blood draws. "It was a great opportunity for all of our students," said Matt Donahue, assistant professor, who attended the Dew Tour this year. "It was a long 8-9 days that we were there. We got a lot more out of it - not just the concussion study, but how medical coverage works at a large athletic event." One of the studies conducted at the Dew Tour this year was a biomarker test, performed by drawing an athlete's blood. The students were looking for specific chemicals that might indicate a concussion. This year, WSU researchers had more athletes participate in the research. "We are trying to narrow down from our research and biomarkers that might be the one that we can test for," Donahue said. "We are still going to need a couple years. We are seeing trends now, but not necessarily enough to have conclusive data." The team started researching a quick and effective way to diagnose concussions and if certain biomarkers can warn of future complications. "We're hoping the research we are doing will lead us to faster and more effective ways of actually diagnosing whether an athlete has a concussion or not," said Tiffany Vlahos, WSU senior. Vlahos said athletic trainers right now are dependent on athletes coming to them with problems, but a lot of athletes don't want to be assessed because they don't want to be pulled out of practice or competition. "We are hoping to find ways that can tell them if they have a concussion or not so they can get back to playing," Vlahos said. Concussions are linked to memory problems and death, and can weaken everyday abilities to function. Researchers have conducted many studies with football and professionals, but none with winter sports. The more athletic trainers can understand about those injuries, the faster they can be di agnosed. The research the students conducted at the Dew Tour will contribute to the first-of-its-kind, four-year longitudinal study at WSU of investigating overall brain and health in college athletes. The study uses biomarkers to identify possible brain decay and memory loss in athletes who participate in contact sports. "We've been looking at changes in biomarkers in their brain to see if we can forecast things that are happening in the NFL players," said lordan Hamson-Utley, assistant professor on the research project. "Are those things happening in college, and if so, should we stop here? Should we make changes in how they participate and practice?" The helmet sensor testing didn't go as well as researchers had hoped, Donahue said. "The athletes were not open to putting a sensor on the helmet, because many of them use helmets for sponsor logos," Donahue said. "We didn't see that as much of a problem, but it turned into a huge problem. We are talking to the company who makes the sensors to get ones to go on the inside of helmets for next year." Students and faculty started working with the Dew Tour a few years ago and have partnered with the Dew Tour to continue research. l "One of the main reasons we looked at the Dew Tour was because they came to us and asked for research relationships," Hamson-Utley said. "We developed that relationship with them and then asked what they would like us to look at." Another reason they wanted to research the Dew Tour is how long the athletes have been competing in the sport. "These athletes have been competing in the sport for a long period of time," Hamson-Utley said. "Rarely do you get an athlete in the Dew Tour who just picked up snow- boarding. Usually they've been doing it since they were 5. They engage in this sport over their lifespan, which could have an impact on them later." None of the results from this year's research have been concluded yet. The researchers are still complying and studying statistics, but Vlahos said it was a good step for them and they hope it will be useful information. "I think we were able to get a lot of cool information from what we were able to do there - hopefully, something useful," she said. Comment on this story at wsusignpos t.com. |