Analysis of team success based on technical match-play performance in the Australian Football League Women’s (AFLW) competition

An understanding of the effect contextual data may have on key match-play technical performance indicators in the Australian Football League Women’s (AFLW) competition is warranted due to its rapid evolution. To address this, predictive models were fit to determine which technical match-play data, including new contextual information, more accurately predict AFLW match outcomes (win/loss, margin), and what are the most important contexts and technical predictors of team performance? Thirteen random forest models were fit, each with greater data contextual interaction including relative to opposition and harder-to-attain match-play variables, field location, and individual player contributions. Models were assessed by prediction performance on match outcome in a holdout sample and variable importance through Mean Decrease in Gini Index. Effective kicks and entries into attacking locations were important in models. Territory gained, contexts of relative performance to the opposition, and locational information around actions improved prediction. This methodology represents the most in-depth analysis of women’s Australian football technical match-play performance to date. Commentary presented surrounded issues of using aggregated datasets, prediction with match-play success as a dependent variable, and that detailed, process-oriented approaches are needed in future to avoid large assumptions

An investigation of data-driven player positional roles within the Australian Football League Women's competition using technical skill match-play data

Understanding player positional roles are important for match-play tactics, player recruitment, talent identification, and development by providing a greater understanding of what each positional role constitutes. Currently, no analysis of competition technical skill data exists by player position in the Australian Football League Women's (AFLW) competition. The primary aim of the research was to use data-driven techniques to observe what positions and roles characterise AFLW match-play using detailed technical skill action data of players. A secondary aim was to comment on the application of clustering methods to achieve more interpretable, reflective positional clustering. A two-stage, unsupervised clustering approach was applied to meet these aims. Data cleaning resulted in 165 variables across 1296 player seasons in the 2019–2022 AFLW seasons which was used for clustering. First-stage clustering found four positions following a common convention (forwards, midfielders, defenders, and rucks). Second-stage clustering found roles within positions, resulting in a further 13 clusters with three forwards, three midfielders, four defenders, and three ruck positional roles. Key variables across all positions and roles included the field location of actions, number of contested possessions, clearances, interceptions, hitouts, inside 50s, and rebound 50s. Unsupervised clustering allowed the discovery of new roles rather than being constrained to pre-defined existing classifications of previous literature. This research assists coaches and practitioners by identifying key game actions players need to perform in match-play by position, which can assist in player recruitment, player development, and identifying appropriate match-play styles and tactics, while also defining new roles and suggestions of how to best use available data

Demography and Dispersal Ability of a Threatened Saproxylic Beetle: A Mark-Recapture Study of the Rosalia Longicorn (Rosalia alpina)

The Rosalia longicorn or Alpine longhorn (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an endangered and strictly protected icon of European saproxylic biodiversity. Despite its popularity, lack of information on its demography and mobility may compromise adoption of suitable conservation strategies. The beetle experienced marked retreat from NW part of its range; its single population survives N of the Alps and W of the Carpathians. The population inhabits several small patches of old beech forest on hill-tops of the Ralska Upland, Czech Republic. We performed mark-recapture study of the population and assessed its distribution pattern. Our results demonstrate the high mobility of the beetle, including dispersal between hills (up to 1.6 km). The system is thus interconnected; it contained ∼2000 adult beetles in 2008. Estimated population densities were high, ranging between 42 and 84 adult beetles/hectare a year. The population survives at a former military-training ground despite long-term isolation and low cover of mature beech forest (∼1%). Its survival could be attributed to lack of forestry activities between the 1950s and 1990s, slow succession preventing canopy closure and undergrowth expansion, and probably also to the distribution of habitat patches on conspicuous hill-tops. In order to increase chances of the population for long term survival, we propose to stop clear-cuts of old beech forests, increase semi-open beech woodlands in areas currently covered by conifer plantations and active habitat management at inhabited sites and their wider environs

Enabling the cryopreservation of parathyroid glands for hospitals without biobank

In case of the secondary Hyperparathyroidism, the cryopreservation and -storage of the parathyroid glands for a later autotransplantation may be necessary. This cryopreservation and cryostorage of parathyroid glands had been done in the past by the clinicians themselves. Due to the small number of cases and the lack of standardization, the hospital is expectedly not willing to invest in necessary equipment

3D printing of hydrogels in a temperature controlled environment with high spatial resolution

There is great hope in 3D printing techniques to create patient specific scaffolds for therapeutic applications. The majority of these approaches rely on materials that both give support to cells and effectively mimic a tissue specific microenvironment. Hydrogels provide an exceptional support for cells but their physicochemical properties are not suited for conventional additive layer manufacturing. Their low viscosity and resulting fluidic nature inhibit voluminous 3D deposition and lead to crude printing accuracy. To enhance mechanical features, hydrogels are often chemically modified and/or mixed with additives; however it is not clear whether these changes induce effects on cellular behavior or if in vivo applications are at risk. Certainly it increases the complexity of scaffold systems. To circumvent these obstacles, we aimed for a 3D printing technique which is capable of creating scaffolds out of unmodified, pure hydrogels. Here we present a new method to produce alginate scaffolds in a viscosity- independent manner with high spatial resolution. This is achieved by printing in a sub-zero environment which leads to fast freezing of the hydrogels, thus preserving the printed shape and circumventing any viscosity dependent flows. This enables the user to create scaffolds which are able to reflect soft or stiff cell niches