Recognition Through Research

Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic

IN THIS ISSUE

• Parting Message
• Publications
• Projects Underway
• Presentations
• IRAPS
• Brain Teasers

William R. Boone, PhD, DC
Director of Research rboone@sherman.edu  

John Hart, DC, MHSc
Assistant Director of Research jhart@sherman.edu

Thank you for inviting us onto your screen. We seek to provide a newsletter that will be an effective tool of communication regarding activities in the area of research and other scholarly activities at Sherman. Should you have any question, or need any help from us with your projects, please do not hesitate to ask. In this issue, we have news regarding recent publications, 2009 IRAPS, and our usual feature to challenge your knowledge and stimulate the discovery process (reward included). Sit back, relax and enjoy the latest regarding scholarly activities at Sherman College. 

Parting message from the Director of Research

I will be parting as Director of Research from SCSC at the end of August, 2009. Dr. Irwin, as chief academic officer, has requested me to write a brief overview of my past five years with SCSC.

In 2004, I was asked early on to assist with an existing accreditation concern regarding the level of scholarship emanating from the DCP. I am pleased to say that from 2004 to present the level of scholarship meeting peer-review quality has eclipsed the entire publication and/or conference presentation history of SCSC covering the previous 25 years. The scholarship concern has been removed and is no longer an area of accreditation interest (mission accomplished). As well, the research department received the first sizeable research grant in its history, awarded by the South Carolina Chiropractic Association.

An important complement to the scholarship success at SCSC was established with the faculty senate adopting a policy of requiring publication of peer-review quality scholarship every 2 to 4 years. Supporting this commitment, it still remains the responsibility of the research department personnel to assist the faculty in achieving this goal. I am pleased to have observed my colleagues within the department willingly and competently assist other faculty to this end. In some instances the accomplishments also represented the faculty members’ first peer reviewed publication. Moreover, more students have attained and continue to attain authorship in peer reviewed journals than in the previous history of SCSC. This has been accomplished by linking the students to faculty already vested in projects destined for peer-review publication.

I am also pleased to witness SCSC providing the opportunity and release time for non-chiropractic faculty to publish in their respective areas of interest. This is a major advance for improving the institution’s academic quality. Unfortunately, chiropractic education as it currently exists does not emphasize publication level scholarship. It is my hope, however, that with these recent advancements, SCSC will recognize that a significant contribution to the profession will be to graduate practitioner/scholars. It is possible to integrate such a program into the curriculum, and it is my hope that my successor will be of a mind to do so, and that the administration will support such an endeavor.

I have enjoyed the past five years, as well as serving as Director of Research for ten previous years (1980-1990), and wish SCSC every success it is entitled to. It has been my privilege to create the initial design and implementation of the research department, and to once again be of service as its director for the past five years.

Sincerely,

William. R. Boone, Ph.D., D.C.

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Published or Accepted for Publication in Peer Review Journals

1. Rush PO, Boone WR. The implementation of virtual instruction in relation to x-ray anatomy and positioning in a chiropractic degree program: A descriptive paper. Journal of Chiropractic Education 2009 vol. 23; 34-40.
   
   
2. McAllister W, Boone WR, Power K, Hart J, Xiong T, Westbrook M. Chiropractic care and changes in physical state and self-perceptions in domains of health among public safety personnel: A longitudinal follow up study. JVSR, May 2009. http://www.jvsr.com/abstracts/index.asp?id=380
   
   
3. Lynch S, Boone WR. Somatovisceral responses to chiropractic adjustments JVSR; March, 2009  http://www.jvsr.com/abstracts/index.asp?id=380
   
   
4. Briggs L, Hart J. Surface area congruence of atlas superior articulating facets and occipital condyles: Reply letter to the Editor. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine, 2009 (in press).
   
   
5. Lu F, Gu L, Meziani MJ, Wang X, Luo PG, Veca LM, Cao L, and Sun Y-P. (2009) Advances in bioapplications of carbon nanotubes. Adv. Mater., 21, 139-152.
   
   
6. Luo PG, Wang H, Cao L, Tzeng T-R, Sun Y-P. (2009) Interactions of carbohydrate biofunctionalized carbon nanotubes with bacillus subtilis spores, Abstract of the 109th General Meeting of the ASM, Philadelphia, May 17-21.
   

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Projects Underway

1. Stackis T, Lester L O.D., Boone WR. Vision recovery in a patient diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa following a series of chiropractic adjustments. Manuscript in preparation.
   
   
2. Boone WR, Xiong T, Neely C. Scientometric study of a research paper tracked over a thirty year period: The implications of peer-reviewed publication. In review.
   
   
3. Jonckheere E, Lohsoonthorn P, Boone WR. Dynamical modeling in network spinal analysis: level specificity of sEMG signals at cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral points. Manuscript in preparation.
   
   
4. Gu L, Lu F, Luo PG, Wang H, Meziani MJ, and Sun Y-P. Functionalized carbon nanotubes for bioapplications in The Supramolecular Chemistry of Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials,  Ed., John Wiley & Sons press (book chapter). In review
   
   
5. Yang S-T, Cao L, Luo PG, Lu F, Wang X, Wang H, Mezian MJ, Liu Y, Qi G, Sun Y-P. (2009) Carbon dots for optical imaging in vivo. In preparation
   
   
6. Briggs L. Change in cortical regulation of pupillary reflex response following upper cervical chiropractic care, as visualized through functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Application for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant in the discipline of “Research and Training in Complementary and Alternative Medicine.” In Progress

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Presentations

1. Rush P, Boone WR. The implementation of virtual instruction in relation to x-ray positioning and imaging in chiropractic education: A descriptive paper. [Poster] RAC 2009, Las Vegas (March 13-14).

2. Hart J. Correlation of outcomes with chiropractor and medical doctor ratios (per population) in the United States: 1999-2003. [Poster] RAC 2009, Las Vegas (March 13-14).

3. Kuhta P, Hart J, Orndorff L, Reizer B. Prevalence of posticus ponticus within a chiropractic health center patient population. [Platform] RAC 2009, Las Vegas (March 13-14).

4. Boone WR. Chiropractic care and changes in physical state and self-perceptions in domains of health among public safety personnel: A longitudinal follow up study. [Platform] RAC 2009, Las Vegas (March 13-14).

5. Hart J. Correlation of selected health determinants and outcomes in the United States (2005). [Platform]. The Fifth Annual SC Upstate Research Symposium, Spartanburg, SC. (2009) http://www.uscupstate.edu/symposium/default.aspx?id=12976

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International Research and Philosophy Symposium (IRAPS)

The theme this year will be Advances in Chiropractic Science and Philosophy. The Symposium will be held on the Sherman College campus October 16-18, 2009. http://www.sherman.edu/iraps

Brain Teasers Stranger than fiction “Nervous System Antics”!

Rules: You must supply a reference for your answer(s). If via the internet, copy the web address and add it as a hotlink. The first  person to email rboone@sherman.edu with all answers correct will win a $50.00 universal gift card!

1. How does nature allow for the birth and survival of two-headed snakes?
   
ANSWER:

2. How is a headless chicken created that can perform bodily functions with nurturing?        
  
ANSWER:

3. What does this structure contain that has an effect on our nervous system:   
    http://pestcemetery.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/.jpg

ANSWER:

 4. Do you know what’s going on below? Well, don’t keep it a secret. A clue would be:
     (In the event of a zombie attack)

ANSWER:

5. What do the numbers below represent relative to the brain?

• 3 =
• 4 to 6 =
• 8 to 10 =  
• 10 to 23 =
• 20 =
• 100,000 = 
• 1,000 to 10,000 = 
• 100 billion = 

ANSWER:

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Good Luck

For any activity to be designated scholarship, it should be public, susceptible to critical review and evaluation, and accessible for exchange and use by other members of one's scholarly community.

--Lee Shulman, President, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching