Analysis of ball carrier head motion during a rugby union tackle without direct head contact: A case study

Rugby union players can be involved in many tackles per game. However, little is known of the regular head loading environment associated with tackling in rugby union. In particular, the magnitude and influencing factors for head kinematics during the tackle are poorly understood. Accordingly, the goal of this study was to measure head motion of a visually unaware ball carrier during a real game tackle to the upper trunk with no direct head contact, and compare the kinematics with previously reported concussive events. Model-Based Image-Matching was utilised to measure ball carrier head linear and angular velocities. Ball carrier componential maximum change in head angular velocities of 38.1, 20.6 and 13.5 rad/s were measured for the head local X (coronal plane), Y (sagittal plane) and Z (transverse plane) axes respectively. The combination of a high legal tackle height configuration and visually unaware ball carrier can lead to kinematics similar to average values previously reported for concussive direct head impacts

Get screened: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial to increase mammography and colorectal cancer screening in a large, safety net practice

Abstract Background Most randomized controlled trials of interventions designed to promote cancer screening, particularly those targeting poor and minority patients, enroll selected patients. Relatively little is known about the benefits of these interventions among unselected patients. Methods/Design "Get Screened" is an American Cancer Society-sponsored randomized controlled trial designed to promote mammography and colorectal cancer screening in a primary care practice serving low-income patients. Eligible patients who are past due for mammography or colorectal cancer screening are entered into a tracking registry and randomly assigned to early or delayed intervention. This 6-month intervention is multimodal, involving patient prompts, clinician prompts, and outreach. At the time of the patient visit, eligible patients receive a low-literacy patient education tool. At the same time, clinicians receive a prompt to remind them to order the test and, when appropriate, a tool designed to simplify colorectal cancer screening decision-making. Patient outreach consists of personalized letters, automated telephone reminders, assistance with scheduling, and linkage of uninsured patients to the local National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection program. Interventions are repeated for patients who fail to respond to early interventions. We will compare rates of screening between randomized groups, as well as planned secondary analyses of minority patients and uninsured patients. Data from the pilot phase show that this multimodal intervention triples rates of cancer screening (adjusted odds ratio 3.63; 95% CI 2.35 - 5.61). Discussion This study protocol is designed to assess a multimodal approach to promotion of breast and colorectal cancer screening among underserved patients. We hypothesize that a multimodal approach will significantly improve cancer screening rates. The trial was registered at Clinical Trials.gov NCT00818857http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78264/1/1472-6963-10-280.xmlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78264/2/1472-6963-10-280.pdfPeer Reviewe

First-order flows and stabilisation equations for non-BPS extremal black holes

We derive a generalised form of flow equations for extremal static and rotating non-BPS black holes in four-dimensional ungauged N = 2 supergravity coupled to vector multiplets. For particular charge vectors, we give stabilisation equations for the scalars, analogous to the BPS case, describing full known solutions. Based on this, we propose a generic ansatz for the stabilisation equations, which surprisingly includes ratios of harmonic functions.Comment: 27 pages; v2: presentation improved and references added as in the published versio

MSH3 polymorphisms and protein levels affect CAG repeat instability in huntington's disease mice

Expansions of trinucleotide CAG/CTG repeats in somatic tissues are thought to contribute to ongoing disease progression through an affected individual's life with Huntington's disease or myotonic dystrophy. Broad ranges of repeat instability arise between individuals with expanded repeats, suggesting the existence of modifiers of repeat instability. Mice with expanded CAG/CTG repeats show variable levels of instability depending upon mouse strain. However, to date the genetic modifiers underlying these differences have not been identified. We show that in liver and striatum the R6/1 Huntington's disease (HD) (CAG)~100 transgene, when present in a congenic C57BL/6J (B6) background, incurred expansion-biased repeat mutations, whereas the repeat was stable in a congenic BALB/cByJ (CBy) background. Reciprocal congenic mice revealed the Msh3 gene as the determinant for the differences in repeat instability. Expansion bias was observed in congenic mice homozygous for the B6 Msh3 gene on a CBy background, while the CAG tract was stabilized in congenics homozygous for the CBy Msh3 gene on a B6 background. The CAG stabilization was as dramatic as genetic deficiency of Msh2. The B6 and CBy Msh3 genes had identical promoters but differed in coding regions and showed strikingly different protein levels. B6 MSH3 variant protein is highly expressed and associated with CAG expansions, while the CBy MSH3 variant protein is expressed at barely detectable levels, associating with CAG stability. The DHFR protein, which is divergently transcribed from a promoter shared by the Msh3 gene, did not show varied levels between mouse strains. Thus, naturally occurring MSH3 protein polymorphisms are modifiers of CAG repeat instability, likely through variable MSH3 protein stability. Since evidence supports that somatic CAG instability is a modifier and predictor of disease, our data are consistent with the hypothesis that variable levels of CAG instability associated with polymorphisms of DNA repair genes may have prognostic implications for various repeat-associated diseases

DNA-analysis to monitor Fisheries and Aquaculture: Too costly?

Evidence from DNA‐analysis is commonplace in human criminal investigations, and while it is increasingly being used in wildlife crime, to date, its application to control and enforcement activities in fisheries and aquaculture has only been sporadic. Contemporary DNA‐analysis tools are capable of addressing a broad range of compliance issues, species identification, mislabelling of fish products, determining the origin of catches and the farm of origin of aquaculture escapees. Such applications have the potential to ensure traceability along the fish product supply chain and to combat consumer fraud and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing. Nevertheless, DNA‐analysis is not yet used routinely in investigations into compliance with fisheries and aquaculture legislation. One potential reason for this is that DNA‐analysis techniques may have been regarded as too expensive. However, costs have plummeted over the past decade prompting us to objectively assess whether the costs associated with routine use of DNA‐analysis techniques for fisheries and aquaculture control and enforcement activities do constitute an impediment. Based on a number of recent fisheries and aquaculture compliance investigations that incorporated DNA‐analysis, our results indicate that the use of genetic analysis was justified and worthwhile in all cases examined. We therefore conclude that the costs associated with DNA‐analysis do not represent a barrier to the routine adoption of DNA‐analysis techniques in fisheries and aquaculture compliance investigations. Thus, control and enforcement agencies should be encouraged to use such techniques routinely

Pleosporales

One hundred and five generic types of Pleosporales are described and illustrated. A brief introduction and detailed history with short notes on morphology, molecular phylogeny as well as a general conclusion of each genus are provided. For those genera where the type or a representative specimen is unavailable, a brief note is given. Altogether 174 genera of Pleosporales are treated. Phaeotrichaceae as well as Kriegeriella, Zeuctomorpha and Muroia are excluded from Pleosporales. Based on the multigene phylogenetic analysis, the suborder Massarineae is emended to accommodate five families, viz. Lentitheciaceae, Massarinaceae, Montagnulaceae, Morosphaeriaceae and Trematosphaeriaceae

iQuantitator: A tool for protein expression inference using iTRAQ

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantitation (iTRAQ™) [Applied Biosystems] have seen increased application in differential protein expression analysis. To facilitate the growing need to analyze iTRAQ data, especially for cases involving multiple iTRAQ experiments, we have developed a modeling approach, statistical methods, and tools for estimating the relative changes in protein expression under various treatments and experimental conditions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>This modeling approach provides a unified analysis of data from multiple iTRAQ experiments and links the observed quantity (reporter ion peak area) to the experiment design and the calculated quantity of interest (treatment-dependent protein and peptide fold change) through an additive model under log transformation. Others have demonstrated, through a case study, this modeling approach and noted the computational challenges of parameter inference in the unbalanced data set typical of multiple iTRAQ experiments. Here we present the development of an inference approach, based on hierarchical regression with batching of regression coefficients and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods that overcomes some of these challenges. In addition to our discussion of the underlying method, we also present our implementation of the software, simulation results, experimental results, and sample output from the resulting analysis report.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>iQuantitator's process-based modeling approach overcomes limitations in current methods and allows for application in a variety of experimental designs. Additionally, hypertext-linked documents produced by the tool aid in the interpretation and exploration of results.</p

Thematic assessment on Hazardous Submerged Objects in the Baltic Sea - Warfare Materials in the Baltic Sea

Contemporary society’s perception of past wars is almost exclusively driven by historic sources such as film recordings, photographs and written documents that are presented in mass media. However, the legacy of these wars is still present throughout European soil and waters, including the Baltic Sea. The marine waters of every Baltic Sea state contain warfare materials. Resulting risks may be direct and short-term. Fishermen, divers, offshore wind farm constructors and beachgoers can potentially be exposed to their remains while performing their daily work or while collecting objects in the surf. Other potential effects might be indirect and long-term such as the accumulation of carcinogenic toxic substances and their metabolites in the marine food web. Since 1974 Contracting Parties of the Helsinki Convention are seeking to address the increasing environmental challenges from human activities and that were having a severe impact on the marine environment. This includes the protection of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, and thus munitions in the Baltic Sea are addressed by HELCOM since 1993. The convention commits the signatories to take measures to conserve habitats and biological diversity and for the sustainable use of marine resources. In addition, warfare materials potentially constitute a hazard and an obstacle for the utilization of the sea floor for economic purposes. The global ocean economy is predicted to double in size by 2030, as compared to 2010 (OECD 2016). In the Blue Growth Strategy laid out by the European Commission the economic potential for the extended economic usage of the oceans was recognized and focus was placed on five blue growth sectors. Two of these sectors (ocean energy and seabed mining) require the ability to safely access large areas of the sea floor (European Commission 2017). In order to exploit the economic potential of the ocean energy and seabed resources sectors, the detection and removal of warfare materials in affected areas will become increasingly important (European Parliament 2021). Recently, numerous HELCOM Contracting Parties supported increasing the knowledge concerning warfare materials in the Baltic Sea and their effects on humans and the marine environment of the Baltic Sea. As a result of national, regional and international scientific research the understanding of the issue grows and consequentially numerous recommendations are published on how the warfare materials challenge can be addressed. However, international coordination is necessary to identify synergies and to avoid a duplication of efforts. This report provides the current state of knowledge on warfare materials in the Baltic sea based on recent research projects

Consistency of Financial Interest Disclosures in the Biomedical Literature: The Case of Coronary Stents

Background Disclosure of authors' financial interests has been proposed as a strategy for protecting the integrity of the biomedical literature. We examined whether authors' financial interests were disclosed consistently in articles on coronary stents published in 2006. Methodology/Principal Findings We searched PubMed for English-language articles published in 2006 that provided evidence or guidance regarding the use of coronary artery stents. We recorded article characteristics, including information about authors' financial disclosures. The main outcome measures were the prevalence, nature, and consistency of financial disclosures. There were 746 articles, 2985 authors, and 135 journals in the database. Eighty-three percent of the articles did not contain disclosure statements for any author (including declarations of no interests). Only 6% of authors had an article with a disclosure statement. In comparisons between articles by the same author, the types of disagreement were as follows: no disclosure statements vs declarations of no interests (64%); specific disclosures vs no disclosure statements (34%); and specific disclosures vs declarations of no interests (2%). Among the 75 authors who disclosed at least 1 relationship with an organization, there were 2 cases (3%) in which the organization was disclosed in every article the author wrote. Conclusions/Significance In the rare instances when financial interests were disclosed, they were not disclosed consistently, suggesting that there are problems with transparency in an area of the literature that has important implications for patient care. Our findings suggest that the inconsistencies we observed are due to both the policies of journals and the behavior of some authors