Alexa Torres Martinez - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Alexa Torres Martinez

The International journal of sports physical therapy, Jun 1, 2023

Background and Purpose The Expanded Cutting Alignment Scoring Tool (E-CAST) is a two-dimensional ... more Background and Purpose The Expanded Cutting Alignment Scoring Tool (E-CAST) is a two-dimensional qualitative scoring system that has demonstrated moderate inter-rater and good intra-rater reliability for the assessment of trunk and lower extremity alignment during a 45-degree sidestep cut. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of the quantitative version of the E-CAST among physical therapists and to compare the reliability of the quantitative E-CAST to the original qualitative E-CAST. The hypothesis was that the quantitative version of the E-CAST would demonstrate greater inter-rater and intra-rater reliability compared to the qualitative E-CAST. Study Design Observational cohort, repeated measures reliability study Methods Twenty-five healthy female athletes (age 13.8±1.4 years) performed three sidestep cuts with two-dimensional video capturing frontal and sagittal views. Two physical therapist raters independently scored a single trial using both views on two separate occasions. Based on the E-CAST criteria, select kinematic measurements were extracted using a motion analysis phone application. Intraclass correlation coefficients and 95% confident intervals were calculated for the total score, and kappa coefficients were calculated per kinematic variable. Correlations were converted to z-scores and compared to the six original criteria for significance (α<0.05). Results Cumulative intra-and inter-rater reliability were both good (ICC=0.821, 95% CI 0.687-0.898 and ICC=0.752, 95% CI 0.565-0.859). Cumulative intra-rater kappa coefficients ranged from moderate to almost perfect, and cumulative inter-rater kappa coefficients ranged from slight to good. No significant differences were observed between the quantitative and qualitative criteria for either inter-or intra-rater reliability (Z obs(intra) =-0.38, p=0.352 and Z obs(inter) =-0.30, p=0.382).

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, May 1, 2022

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, Apr 1, 2020

The Astrophysical Journal

Flare frequency distributions represent a key approach to addressing one of the largest problems ... more Flare frequency distributions represent a key approach to addressing one of the largest problems in solar and stellar physics: determining the mechanism that counterintuitively heats coronae to temperatures that are orders of magnitude hotter than the corresponding photospheres. It is widely accepted that the magnetic field is responsible for the heating, but there are two competing mechanisms that could explain it: nanoflares or Alfvén waves. To date, neither can be directly observed. Nanoflares are, by definition, extremely small, but their aggregate energy release could represent a substantial heating mechanism, presuming they are sufficiently abundant. One way to test this presumption is via the flare frequency distribution, which describes how often flares of various energies occur. If the slope of the power law fitting the flare frequency distribution is above a critical threshold, α = 2 as established in prior literature, then there should be a sufficient abundance of nanofla...

Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy

International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 2022

Background Current clinical screening tools assessing risky movements during cutting maneuvers do... more Background Current clinical screening tools assessing risky movements during cutting maneuvers do not adequately address sagittal plane foot and ankle evaluations. The Cutting Alignment Scoring Tool (CAST) is reliable in evaluating frontal plane trunk and lower extremity alignment during a 45-degree side-step cut. The Expanded Cutting Alignment Scoring Tool (E-CAST) includes two new sagittal plane variables, knee flexion and ankle plantarflexion angle. Hypothesis/Purpose To assess the inter-and intra-rater reliability of the E-CAST to evaluate trunk and lower extremity alignment during a 45-degree side-step cut. Study Design Repeated Measures Methods Participants included 25 healthy females (13.8 ± 1.4 years) regularly participating in cutting or pivoting sports. Participants were recorded performing a side-step cut in frontal and sagittal planes. One trial was randomly selected for analysis. Two physical therapists independently scored each video using the E-CAST on two separate oc...

Molecular Therapy, 2021

Genome editing in the lung has the potential to provide long-term expression of therapeutic prote... more Genome editing in the lung has the potential to provide long-term expression of therapeutic protein to treat lung genetic diseases. Yet efficient delivery of CRISPR to the lung remains a challenge. The NIH Somatic Cell Genome Editing (SCGE) consortium is developing safe and effective methods for genome editing in disease tissues. Methods developed by consortium members are independently validated by the SCGE Small Animal Testing Center to establish rigor and reproducibility. We have developed and validated a dual adeno-associated virus (AAV) CRISPR platform that supports effective editing of a lox-stop-lox-Tomato reporter in mouse lung airway. After intratracheal injection of the AAV serotype 5 (AAV5)-packaged S. pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) and single guide RNAs (sgRNAs), we observed ∼19-26% Tomato-positive cells in both large and small airways, including club and ciliated epithelial cell types. This highly effective AAV delivery platform will facilitate the study of therapeutic genome editing in the lung and other tissue types.

International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 2021

Background Three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis is considered the gold standard for evaluating ... more Background Three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis is considered the gold standard for evaluating human movement. However, its clinical utility is limited due to cost, operating expertise, and lengthy data processing time. Numerous qualitative scoring systems have been introduced to assess trunk and lower extremity biomechanics during functional tasks. However, the reliability of qualitative scoring systems to evaluate cutting movements is understudied. Purpose/Hypotheses: To assess the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the Cutting Alignment Scoring Tool (CAST) among sports medicine providers and to evaluate rater agreement of each component of the CAST. The hypotheses were: 1) there would be good–to-excellent inter-rater and intra-rater reliability among sports medicine providers, 2) there would be good to almost perfect agreement for cut width and trunk lean variables and moderate to good agreement for valgus variables of the CAST. Study Design Repeated Measures Methods Te...

We placed proximity-sensing radio collars on 50 striped skunks in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA to dete... more We placed proximity-sensing radio collars on 50 striped skunks in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA to determine social contacts between October and February, 2012-2013. Rates of contact were highest in fall and spring, but we also documented potentially important movements of >1km during winter that linked at least 14 skunks in a social network. Juvenile females had the greatest number of contacts in fall and mature males in the spring. In 2012 and 2014, we used video surveillance to document skunk use of bird seed spilled below bird feeders and then added cat food to quantify how visitation and behavior changed in the presence of these two important anthropogenic food sources. Skunks used 18 of 20 feeders monitored across both years. Number of visits, number of skunks and number of aggressive interactions all increased in the presence of cat food. Finally, we investigated the potential for rabies to pass from bats to skunks via scavenging of dead bats by placing dead, rabies-negative Tad...

Journal of cosmetic science

Like water resistance in sunscreens, sand resistance in sunscreens is the ability of the sunscree... more Like water resistance in sunscreens, sand resistance in sunscreens is the ability of the sunscreen to retain its effectiveness while undergoing sand treatment. The influence of the type of sand on the sand resistance of sunscreens has not been described. The sand resistance of a control standard sunscreen, P2, and data on three grades of Quickrete commercial grade sand, #1961, #1962, and #1152, are described. These sands represent a fine sand, a medium sand, and an all-purpose sand. Using the methodology described in the 2007 proposed amendment of the Final Monograph (1) with one exception, we obtained an SPF of 16.5 (1.6) for the control standard, compared to the expected SPF of 16.3 (3.4). After a five-minute treatment of sand #1961, #1962, or #1151, the SPF of the control standard was 18.3 (1.6), 18.4 (2.0), and 17.5 (2.2), respectively. Thus, all three sands exhibited a similar sand-resistance response. Thus, there was no significant difference in the average SPF with and withou...

Urban Ecosystems, 2015

Cat food left out for feral and domestic cats and bird seed spilled from backyard bird feeders ar... more Cat food left out for feral and domestic cats and bird seed spilled from backyard bird feeders are two common anthropogenic food sources that may attract non-target animals like urban mesocarnivores but no studies have quantified mesocarnivore visitation at these food sources. We used motion-activated video cameras to monitor mesocarnivore use of spilled bird seed below 25 bird feeders maintained by residents in four neighborhoods in Flagstaff, Arizona, June-September 2012 and 2014. During the first five nights of monitoring only seed that spilled naturally below feeders was available. On each of the subsequent five nights, we placed a bowl of commercially available dry cat food below feeders so that both spilled seed and cat food were present. In both years, after cat food was added, the number of visits by striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis), raccoons (Procyon lotor) and domestic cats (Felis cattus) doubled and the number of times two animals were present simultaneously also increased. Aggressive interactions, in the form of displays or contacts, increased for all species combinations but significantly only between skunks in the presence of cat food. These results demonstrate that both spilled bird seed and cat food may be exploited frequently by urban mesocarnivores and that the type of food can elicit different behavioral responses that could have important implications for human-wildlife conflict and disease transmission. Keywords Bird feeders. Bird seed. Disease. Pet food. Rabies. Skunk Two commonly available food sources in urban environments, especially in the USA, are bird seed provided by humans for wild birds and pet food left out for domestic and feral cats. Approximately 47 % of households (50 million people) in the USA provided food for birds in 2011 (U.S. Department of the Interior et al. 2011) and a similar percentage did so in the United

Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, 2013

The purpose of these clinical trials was to determine if 300 W and 150 W xenon arc solar simulato... more The purpose of these clinical trials was to determine if 300 W and 150 W xenon arc solar simulators (SSs) deliver the same sun protection factor (SPF) and UVA protection factor (PFA). First, the SPF of the P7 control standard and of the P2 control standard was determined, testing 20 subjects using the method described in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Final Monograph and using 150 W and 300 W SSs. In the second clinical trial, the PFA of the Japanese Cosmetic Industry Association (JCIA) control standard and of the P2 control standard was determined, testing 10 subjects using the method described in the JCIA Technical Bulletin and using 150 W and 300 W SSs. The SPF values for P7 control standard determined using the 150 W and 300 W SSs were 4.54 ± 0.35 and 4.61 ± 0.32, respectively. The SPF values for P2 control standard determined using the 150 W and 300 W SSs were 17.0 ± 0.9 and 16.7 ± 0.9, respectively. The resultant PFA values for JCIA control standard determined using the 150 W and 300 W SSs were 4.06 ± 0.70 and 4.06 ± 0.70, respectively. The resultant PFA values for P2 control standard determined using the 150 W and 300 W SSs were 3.28 ± 0.25 and 3.44 ± 0.39, respectively. As the values are essentially identical for SPF and for PFA, the 150 W and 300 W SSs can be used interchangeably for SPF and PFA determinations.