About the Project
As space agencies transition to exploration missions beyond low Earth orbit and the International Space Station, decisions need to be made regarding choice and/or development of effective exercise countermeasures to protect against negative physiological changes that occur due to low gravity exposure. While great progress has been made developing exercise countermeasures for the International Space Station, the constraints of exploration spacecraft such as the Orion vehicle will require new exercises to be recommended that work within these constraints. The synthesis of the evidence base in this field, and creation of guidance to facilitate operational decision making regarding countermeasures for exploration missions, is intended to aid space agencies in selecting operational countermeasures and guiding relevant research to support such decisions. This includes determining which exercise countermeasures will be most effective but still work within, and have the least impact on, technical constraints of exploration mission spacecraft such as Orion.
The following over-arching research question is proposed: “Based on terrestrial studies, what exercise interventions have the greatest potential to be effective as countermeasures for preventing physiological changes caused by low gravity exposure, provide the greatest benefit to relevant health outcomes for least resource cost and work within operational exploration mission space craft constraints?”
This research question will be answered through a series of systematic reviews of the current evidence base following the Cochrane model, as well as experimental studies of potential countermeasures. findings will enable the creation of operational guidelines to aid space agencies during decision making regarding selection and/or development of future exercise countermeasures. It is also expected that these guidelines will have transferability to other extreme environments, such as naval personnel working in submarines.
The successful applicant will work within the Aerospace Medicine and Rehabilitation Laboratory (www.aerospacemed.rehab) under the supervision of Professor Nick Caplan and Dr Andrew Winnard, as well as with support from Professor Dorothee Debuse (Lunex University, Luxembourg).
Eligibility and How to Apply:
Please note eligibility requirement:
• Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
• Appropriate IELTS score, if required.
For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/
Please note: Applications that do not include a research proposal of approximately 1,000 words (not a copy of the advert), or that do not include the advert reference (e.g. RDF18/…) will not be considered.
Deadline for applications: 12th June 2018
Interviews: July 2018
Start Date: 1st October 2018
Northumbria University takes pride in, and values, the quality and diversity of our staff. We welcome applications from all members of the community. The University holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award in recognition of our commitment to improving employment practices for the advancement of gender equality and is a member of the Euraxess network, which delivers information and support to professional researchers
References
Recent publications by supervisors relevant to this project
1. Winnard, A., Debuse, D., Wilkinson, M. & Caplan, N. (2017) Movement amplitude on the Functional Re-adaptive Exercise Device: deep spinal muscle activity and movement control. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 117(8), 1597-1606.
2. Richter C, Braunstein B, Winnard A, Nasser M, Weber T. (2017) Human Biomechanical and Cardiopulmonary Responses to Partial Gravity - A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Physiology, 8, 583.
3. Weber, T., Debuse, D., Salomoni, S.E., Elgueta Cancino, E.L., De Martino, E., Caplan, N., May, F., Damann, V., Scott, J. & Hodges, P.W. (2017) Trunk muscle activation and cardiorespiratory demand during exercise with a new device for lumbo-pelvic reconditioning. Physiological Reports. 5, e13188.
4. Winnard, A., Debuse, D., Wilkinson, M. & Caplan, N. (2017) The immediate effects of exercise using the Functional Re-adaptive Exercise Device on lumbopelvic kinematics in people with and without low back pain. Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 27, Supplement 1, S47-S53.
5. Winnard, A., Nasser M., Debuse, D., Stokes, M., Evetts, S., Wilkinson, M., Hides, J. & Caplan, N. (2017). Systematic review of countermeasures and rehabilitation interventions to minimise physiological changes and risk of injury to the lumbopelvic area following long-term microgravity. Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, 27, Supplement 1, S5-S14.
6. Lindenroth, L., Caplan, N., Debuse, D., Salomoni, S.E., Evetts, S. & Weber, T. (2015) A novel approach to activate deep spinal muscles in space – results of a biomechanical model. Acta Astronautica, 116, 202-210.
7. Caplan, N., Gibbon, K.C., Hibbs, A., Evetts, S. & Debuse, D. (2014) Phasic-to-tonic shift in trunk muscle activity during low-impact weight bearing exercise. Acta Astronautica, 104, 1, 388-395.
8. Evetts SN, Caplan N, Debuse D, Lambrecht G, Damann V, Petersen N, and Hides J. (2014) Post Space Mission Lumbo-Pelvic Neuromuscular Reconditioning: A European Perspective. Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, 85, 7, 764-765.
9. Gibbon, K., Debuse, D. & Caplan, N. (2013) Low impact weight-bearing exercise in an upright posture achieve greater lumbopelvic stability than overground walking. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 17, 462-468.
10. Debuse, D., Birch, O., St Clair Gibson, A. & Caplan, N. (2012) Low impact weight-bearing exercise in an upright posture increases the activation of two key local muscles of the lumbo-pelvic region. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 29(1), 51-60.
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