The USF HFPL, located at the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, is a 6500 sq. ft. research facility designed and equipped to assess and equipped to assess performance of neuromusculoskeletal conditions involved in translational and clinical research. The HFPL is a cutting-edge facility for the assessment of impairments and functional limitations. Equipment in the HFPL includes:

• An optical motion capture (MOCAP) system which allows the quantification of movement. This powerful tool may be used to understand how movement changes with injury or disease and how normal movement patterns may be restored. The MOCAP system consists of:

1. 10 Vicon Vantage V5 optoelectronic cameras using infrared light to accurately capture movement at high speeds.
2. 2 AMTI Optima force platforms embedded in the walkway allows the forces exerted on the ground during movement to be quantified.
3. Brower TCI timing gates allow accurate timing of walking, running, and other speed drills commonly used in both research, rehabilitation, and sports performance settings. The wireless system may be used on its own or interfaced with the MOCAP system in the laboratory.

• Bertec Split Belt Fully Instrumented Treadmill (FIT) allows the forces acting under the feet to be quantified during continuous walking. The Bertec FIT allows researchers and clinicians to evaluate the effects of different gait conditions on movement patterns and simulate tripping response.
• Vicon Blue Trident and Noraxon Myomotion inertial measurement units (IMUs) simultaneously captures acceleration, angular velocity, and magnetic field strength in all three planes. These wearable sensors allow researchers and practitioners to quantify motion in real life settings, making them ideal for field-based studies and retraining applications.
• A Noraxon TeleMyo electromyography (EMG) system is available to collect wireless surface and needle electromyography allows the electrical activity of isolated muscles to be captured in during a wide array of movements. The data acquisition software is interfaced to allow wireless data capture for up to 12 channels.
• A BIODEX computerized dynamometer allows detailed measurements of numerous muscular strength parameters including torque, work, and power. The BIODEX can assess muscle strength both in static positions and throughout a range of motion using either fixed resistance or fixed movement speed.
• BIODEX Balance System SD force platform designed to meet the needs of everyone looking to improve balance, increase agility, develop muscle tone and treat a wide variety of pathologies. Using this unique device, clinicians can assess neuromuscular control by quantifying the ability to maintain dynamic bilateral and unilateral postural stability on a static or unstable surface.
• Neurocom SOT: a computerized tool for the assessment and rehabilitation of balance and mobility disorders. The SOT protocols isolate the functional contributions of vestibular, visual, and somatosensory inputs, central integrating mechanisms, and neuromuscular system outputs for postural and balance control. The product line is designed for use by medical professionals in a broad spectrum of medical disciplines including otolaryngology, neurology, physiatry, orthopedics/sports medicine, geriatrics, and physical rehabilitation to assess and manage a wide range of acute and chronic disorders.
• Protokinetic Mats 1.  Walkway: This system measures temporal (timing), spatial (distance) and pressure gait data via an electronic walkway connected to a computer. The walkway contains sensor pads encapsulated in a roll up carpet. This system provides accurate, reliable measures of all aspects of the gait cycle.  2. M-Square:  This system has the same technology, but is laid out in a square format to allow for the meaurement of activities other than forward gait.
• COSMED K4b2 portable metabolic system, which can provide energy expenditure measures during functional activities or in field-testing settings.
• Woodway Treadmill (4Front) is a motorized treadmill with specialized slat tread design for optimal comfort in running.

The Integrative and Applied Muscle Biology (IAMB) Laboratory, located in MDC 3026, is fully equipped to study muscle contractility at a variety of levels conduct all of the biochemical assays related to the proposed research. In addition to typical wet lab apparatus (e.g., dedicated pH meter, -40 and -80  C freezers, refrigerated centrifuge), the IAMB Laboratory is equipped to carry out tissue biochemistry (e.g., immunoblotting, SDS-PAGE). Specific equipment related to muscle testing includes:

In Situ Contractile Testing Apparatus: The PI has a customized Kopf Spinal Frame which can be fitted with various World Precision Instruments force transducers, a personal computer for data storage and analysis, 1 Grass S48 electrical stimulator with PSIU6 stimulus isolation unit, a WPI TB4M multichannel Amplifier, a heat lamp and aBAT-12 temperature monitoring system with rectal probe. This system has been used in several peer-reviewed publications (PMID#24316040, #21993787, #21966643, #20874807, #16857718, #18091018) for in situ contractile testing of the rat hindlimb. A VetEquip Compact Anesthesia System (isoflurane) is available from LAR.

Isolated Muscle Testing System: The PI has an Aurora 1205A Isolated Muscle System interfaced with Spike 2 software, CED Micro1401 interface, circulating water system for temperature control, Grass S48 electrical stimulator & CEM stimulus splitter for the collection of ex vivo contractile data. The interchangeable components of the system have been customized to allow testing of both rat and mouse muscles. Appropriate CO2 and O2 cylinders are available for the organ baths.

JASCO FP6200 Fluorometer: This cuvette based system allows collection of spectral and time series data for metabolite and enzymatic activity assays. The dual excitation and dual emission detection of fluorescent dyes such as those used to measure calcium handling, as well as . For the proposed studies, we will be working with Fura-2 in our assays of SR calcium leak, release and re-uptake. The system also has a magnetic stirring module and water-jacketed cuvette temperature controller. The system is also capable of performing fluorometric metabolite and enzyme assays.

Grip Testing Apparatus: The PI has a Columbus Instruments dual sensor 1027DR grip strength meter with a triangle bar, T-bar and grid attachments.