Using the trajectory of the shuttlecock as a measure of performance accuracy in the badminton short serve

Accuracy of a projectile is typically quantified as the proportion of successful target hits, or the distance an object finishes from the target. Serving in sports such as badminton differs since the shuttlecock is usually intercepted by the opponent before landing on the target (i.e. court surface). Therefore, landing accuracy measures are inappropriate and a new method of determining accuracy of the serve is needed. During interviews, elite coaches and players described an accurate short serve as crossing the net with low clearance and having an apex before the net. Three-dimensional trajectory of the shuttlecock was therefore tracked from eight national-level players who performed 30 short serves in simulated match conditions (i.e. with an opponent); 27% of all serves were classified as ‘accurate’, 27% of serves as ‘inaccurate’, 21% with a ‘good apex’ position, and 25% with a ‘good clearance’ height. The proposed method of assessing shuttlecock trajectory as a measure of accuracy could be adopted by coaches and players to assess and improve short serve accuracy. Furthermore, this method is more representative of a match environment since the shuttlecock rarely lands because the opponent returns the serve

Rubella virus infection, the Congenital Rubella Syndrome, and the link to autism

Rubella is a systemic virus infection that is usually mild. It can, however, cause severe birth defects known as the congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) when infection occurs early in pregnancy. As many as 8%–13% of children with CRS developed autism during the rubella epidemic of the 1960s compared to the background rate of about 1 new case per 5000 children. Rubella infection and CRS are now rare in the U.S. and in Europe due to widespread vaccination. However, autism rates have risen dramatically in recent decades to about 3% of children today, with many cases appearing after a period of normal development (‘regressive autism’). Evidence is reviewed here suggesting that the signs and symptoms of rubella may be due to alterations in the hepatic metabolism of vitamin A (retinoids), precipitated by the acute phase of the infection. The infection causes mild liver dysfunction and the spillage of stored vitamin A compounds into the circulation, resulting in an endogenous form of hypervitaminosis A. Given that vitamin A is a known teratogen, it is suggested that rubella infection occurring in the early weeks of pregnancy causes CRS through maternal liver dysfunction and exposure of the developing fetus to excessive vitamin A. On this view, the multiple manifestations of CRS and associated autism represent endogenous forms of hypervitaminosis A. It is further proposed that regressive autism results primarily from post-natal influences of a liver-damaging nature and exposure to excess vitamin A, inducing CRS-like features as a function of vitamin A toxicity, but without the associated dysmorphogenesis. A number of environmental factors are discussed that may plausibly be candidates for this role, and suggestions are offered for testing the model. The model also suggests a number of measures that may be effective both in reducing the risk of fetal CRS in women who acquire rubella in their first trimester and in reversing or minimizing regressive autism among children in whom the diagnosis is suspected or confirmed

Low back pain: a call for action.

Low back pain is the leading worldwide cause of years lost to disability and its burden is growing alongside the increasing and ageing population.1Because these population shifts are more rapid in low-income and middle-income countries, where adequate resources to address the problem might not exist, the effects will probably be more extreme in these regions. Most low back pain is unrelated to specific identifiable spinal abnormalities, and our Viewpoint, the third paper in this Lancet Series,2,3is a call for action on this global problem of low back pain

Direct priming of CD8+ T cells persists in the face of cowpox virus inhibitors of antigen presentation

Vaccinia virus (VACV) was the vaccine used to eradicate smallpox and is being repurposed as a vaccine vector. CD8+ T cells are key antiviral mediators but require priming to become effector or memory cells. Priming requires an interaction with dendritic cells that are either infected (direct priming) or have acquired virus proteins but remain uninfected (cross priming). To investigate CD8+ T cell priming pathways for VACV, we engineered the virus to express CPXV12 and CPXV203, two inhibitors of antigen presentation encoded by cowpox virus. These intracellular proteins would be expected to block direct but not cross priming. The inhibitors had diverse impacts on the size of anti-VACV CD8+ T cell responses across epitopes and by different infection routes in mice, superficially suggesting variable use of direct and cross priming. However, when we then tested a form of antigen that requires direct priming, we found, surprisingly, that CD8+ T cell responses were not diminished by coexpression with CPXV12 and CPXV203. We then directly quantified the impact of CPXV12 and CPXV203 on viral antigen presentation using mass spectrometry, which revealed strong but incomplete inhibition of antigen presentation by the CPXV proteins. Therefore, direct priming of CD8+ T cells by poxviruses is robust enough to withstand highly potent viral inhibitors of antigen presentation. This is a reminder of the limits of viral immune evasion and shows that viral inhibitors of antigen presentation cannot be assumed to dissect cleanly direct and cross priming of antiviral CD8+ T cells.This work was funded by NHMRC fellowships to D.C.T. (APP1104329) and A.W.P. (APP1137739) and NHMRC project grants to D.C.T., A.W.P., and N.P.C. (389819, APP1023141, and APP1084283

Senior management perspectives of mathematics and statistics support in higher education: moving to an ‘ecological’ approach

This article explores the perspectives of three senior managers in higher education institutions in England regarding their mathematics and statistics support provision. It does so by means of a qualitative case study that draws upon the writing of Ronald Barnett about the identity of an ‘ecological’ university, along with metaphors associated with the notion of organisations as living ‘organisms’, suggested by Gareth Morgan. Using these ideas as a heuristic sheds light upon the view that whilst outwardly universities appear to represent a uniform landscape, mathematics and statistics support alternatively, can be seen as different ‘species’ within the higher education system. The study illustrates how three universities occupying contrasting ecological ‘niches’ are responding to the challenges they face by providing and planning different forms of learning support for mathematics and statistics. In conclusion, it is recommended that senior managers reflect upon the possibilities offered by the idea of ‘ecological’ identities in order to explore how they might respond strategically to a rapidly changing environment. This includes adapting various solutions and the further development of innovative ways of supporting students’ transitions throughout the academic lifecycle. In addition, an ecological approach could also aid the formation of the co-creational relationships and networks required for the future success of those developments

What is the evidence base for effectiveness and cost effectiveness of rapid response or enhanced response community palliative care service models?

The impact of COVID-19 has emphasized the need and increased the demand for specialist palliative care services. This has led to consideration of how to broaden the reach in delivering timely and responsive palliative care in the community. There is a recognition that palliative care services are supporting patients with increasingly complex needs and therefore, there is a necessity to adapt models of working accordingly. Gomes et al. 2013 showed that there is widespread evidence that over 50% of patients prefer to be cared for and die at home provided circumstances allow that choice. However, figures show that less than a third of patients in England and Wales achieve this with many ending up being admitted to hospital. The trigger for hospital admission is often multifactorial. These frequently consist of a combination of loss of symptom control, availability of medi-cine, carer health/stress and lack of clarity around prognosis/ expected disease trajectory, leading to a crisis that cannot be managed at home. In 2008, the Department of Health advocated provision of 24/7 services, using rapid response services (RRS) as one way to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and in doing so enabling more pa-tients to die in the place of their choice (Department of Health: End of Life Care Strategy: Promoting high quality care for all adults at the end of life. London: Department of Health; 2008.). Achieving patient preference for place of death is increasingly used as a measurable indicator of the effectiveness of palliative care services. Services which can provide a rapid response to sudden changes in care needs have been described as one potential intervention of value, although the definition of ‘rapid’ and the nature of the service intervention may vary. For example, Gage et al. 2015 and Holdsworth et al. 2015 described a rapid response service (RRS) as a team of healthcare professionals who, within 4-hour notice, provided intense care over a short period of time when crises arose. This service was accessible 24/7 and aimed to support patients in their own place of care to help avoid admissions to the acute sector. King et al. 2000 stated that their RRS, comprising of a palliative care nurse respond-ing mostly within 4 hours, was developed to respond to people in crisis who would prefer to die at home. Clayton and Spencer, 2013 whose RRS comprised of a specialist palliative care nurse, did not clearly define “rapid re-sponse” but described optimizing symptom control and supporting end of life care in the patient’s preferred place of care as the main purpose for the RRS. Addicott and Dewar, 2008, demonstrated an increase in home-based deaths from 19 to 42% with the introduction of an RRS, whilst Clayton and Spencer 2013 stated 75% of their RRS patients achieved their preferred place of death whilst also suggesting it prevented unnecessary hospital admis-sions. Although the definition and configuration of an RRS differs between services, common themes include a timely response to a crisis led by trained professionals (nurses or healthcare support workers) who could provide hands on care, aiming to support the patient in their preferred place of care. Therefore, the rationale for this review is to explore existing evidence from prospective studies on the effect of a rapid response or enhanced response community palliative care model of service, using the key themes above within the definition of RRS. It aims to explore the effect on patient outcomes including achieving preferred place of death compared to existing services and whether there is any economic impact on the healthcare system. The data presented by King et al., 2000, Addicott and Dewar, 2008 and Clayton and Spencer, 2013 is not included in the key findings because these studies represent service evaluations and therefore did not meet the inclusion criteria

The representation of citizens and monarchy in Acts of Parliament in 1800 to 2000 : Identifying social roles through collocations

Peer reviewe