CHANGES IN ACCELERATION PHASE SPRINT BtOMECHANlCS WITH LOWER BODY WEARABLE RESISTANCE

Wearable resistance (WR) attached to the lower body may be advantageous for sprint acceleration training. The aim of this study was to quantify the kinematic and kinetic changes that occur during the sprint acceleration phase when lower body WR is worn. Radar and Optojump were used to assess fifteen male rugby athletes sprinting over 20 m under three different loading conditions: 0%, 3% and 5% body mass added weight (AW) attached to the lower body. Moderately loaded WR (3% AW) resulted in higher horizontal force and horizontal power outputs compared to heavier loading during the acceleration phase. Sprint acceleration biomechanics were minimally affected by WR loading up to 5% AW

KINEMATICS AND KINETICS OF THE BENCH PRESS AND BENCH PULL

A comparison of kinematics and kinetics from the upper body musculature in shoulder flexion (bench press) and extension (bench pull) movements were performed across loads of 10-100%1RM. Twelve elite male sailors with extensive strength-training experience participated in the study. 1RM strength and force were greater in the bench press, while velocity and power output were greater for the bench pull across the range of loads. Pmax for both mean and peak power occurred at a significantly (

TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY OF SELECTED ERGOMETER GRINDING PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Reliability of grinding performance on a custom-built ergometer was assessed using 18 highly trained America’s Cup sailors. Sixteen grinding conditions varied by load, deck heel (tilt), and grinding direction (forward or backward) were examined. Performance measures were peak power (W) and external work over five seconds (kJ). Statistics were difference in mean (Mdiff), standard error of measurement (SEM) and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC). External work (SEM = 1.6-6.9%; ICC = 0.91-0.99) was more reliable than peak power (SEM = 1.3-9.6%; ICC = 0.84-0.99). Performance was more consistent when varied by load than by heel condition, and was most reliable in lighter load conditions. Within heel conditions, downhill-uphill tilt was more reliable than right-left tilt. Grinding direction did not appear to affect performance reliability

Low Density Polyethylene, Expanded Polystyrene and Expanded Polypropylene: Strain Rate and Size Effects on Mechanical Properties

This preprint has not undergone peer review (when applicable) or any post-submission improvements or corrections. The Version of Record of this article is published in Journal of Polymer Testing, and is available online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2016.04.018Polymeric foam materials may be used as energy absorbing materials for protection in impact scenarios, and design with these materials requires the mechanical properties of foams across a range of deformation rates, where high deformation rate testing often requires small samples for testing. Owing to their cellular macrostructure, and the large deformations that occur during loading of foams, the measured stress‐strain response of a foam material may be influenced by the sample size. In this study, the mechanical properties of three closed‐cell polymeric foams (Low Density Polyethylene, Expanded Polystyrene and Expanded Polypropylene) at two different densities were investigated over a range of deformation rates from 0.01 s‐1 to 100 s‐1. For each foam material, three different nominal sample sizes (10mm, 17mm and 35 mm) were tested. On average, the polymeric foam materials exhibited increasing stress with increasing deformation rate, for a given amount of strain. Density variation was identified at the sample level, with smaller samples often exhibiting lower density. Expanded Polystyrene demonstrated the highest variability in sample density and corresponding variability in mechanical response, qualitatively supported by observed variations in the macrostructure of the foam. Expanded Polypropylene exhibited variability in density with sample size, and observable variability in the material macrostructure; however, the dependence of the measured mechanical properties on sample size was modest. Low Density Polyethylene was found to have a relatively consistent cell size at the macrostructure level, and the material density did not vary significantly with sample size. In a similar manner, the dependence of measured mechanical properties on sample size was modest. The effect of sample size was identified to be material specific, and it is recommended that this be assessed using sample‐specific density measurements and considering different sized samples when testing foam materials.The authors would like to thank DRDC Valcartier Research Center for financially supporting this research

Lifting the veil of depression and alcoholism in sport coaching: how do we care for carers?

The purpose of this article is to explore the insights of an elite sport coach living with comorbid depression and alcohol misuse. Such consideration is necessary because as coaching is increasingly repositioned as a caring activity the wellbeing of coaches themselves has rarely been considered. To address this gap, a narrative analysis methodology and a story telling approach was used to present the experiences of a case study coach (Steve). The story is derived from Steve’s own perspective and the perspective of his wife, Jane. This novel multi-voiced approach reveals the complex interplay between the sporting environment, Steve’s depression and his alcohol-related problems. In doing so, Steve’s story makes an original contribution by unveiling the issue of mental health in elite sport coaching. Steve’s story depicts the significant impact of depressive symptoms, coupled by excessive alcohol use on a coach, their personal life and their career. Using the work of Goffman and Sartre, the story alludes to how such symptoms can be hidden, to greater and lesser extents, from professional colleagues. This is an important theoretical contribution, because to care for coaches, colleagues, employers and health professionals will need to understand the needs of individuals such as Steve. Developing an open and supportive culture, which accepts that coaches are fallible, may however be a challenge within professional sport contexts

Nature tourism and Irish film

This article provides a historical overview and reading of seminal Irish film from the perspective of nature tourism. Within Irish cultural studies, tourism is frequently equated with an overly romantic image of the island, which has been used to sell the country abroad. However, using notions like the tourist gaze and taking on board influential debates around space/place, one can posit a more progressive environmental vision of nature and landscape in our readings of film

Supplier development practice: arising the problems of upstream delivery for a food distribution SME in the UK

The paper aims to emphasize on the impacts of the supplier development on reducing the defects in supplier quality for a food distribution small–medium sized enterprise (SME). An empirical study was conducted to measure the performance of the suppliers in three different key performance indicators of the outsourcing and supplier’s performance to arise the existing problems via information exchange, data collection and data analysis. It was found that supplier development through data and information exchange and better communication by any food distribution SME raises the problems more promptly. This can dramatically change the supplier’s behavior to improve the quality of the supplier’s service and products. It is suggested that more research is required to raise other key performance indicators and their related problems and to develop more improvement practices. Six sigma methodologies could be the potential good practices to be focused in future research studies. Supplier performance measurement, which encompasses data exchange and data collection, develops the systematic flow of information, which potentially improves the flow of goods and the whole food supply chain to address the final consumer satisfaction. The research took a novel approach in adopting some transport related key performance indicators of the food supply to the food distribution and retailing sector, which is almost a new approach in food industry

Sequencing and analysis of an Irish human genome

BACKGROUND: Recent studies generating complete human sequences from Asian, African and European subgroups have revealed population-specific variation and disease susceptibility loci. Here, choosing a DNA sample from a population of interest due to its relative geographical isolation and genetic impact on further populations, we extend the above studies through the generation of 11-fold coverage of the first Irish human genome sequence. RESULTS: Using sequence data from a branch of the European ancestral tree as yet unsequenced, we identify variants that may be specific to this population. Through comparisons with HapMap and previous genetic association studies, we identified novel disease-associated variants, including a novel nonsense variant putatively associated with inflammatory bowel disease. We describe a novel method for improving SNP calling accuracy at low genome coverage using haplotype information. This analysis has implications for future re-sequencing studies and validates the imputation of Irish haplotypes using data from the current Human Genome Diversity Cell Line Panel (HGDP-CEPH). Finally, we identify gene duplication events as constituting significant targets of recent positive selection in the human lineage. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that there remains utility in generating whole genome sequences to illustrate both general principles and reveal specific instances of human biology. With increasing access to low cost sequencing we would predict that even armed with the resources of a small research group a number of similar initiatives geared towards answering specific biological questions will emerge