The Effects of Strength and Conditioning on Functional Movement Screen™ Scores in Secondary School Basketball.

Purpose: Injury prevention and mitigation are among the primary responsibilities of Athletic Trainers. Research has indicated that basketball players at the secondary-school level suffer up to 2.1 time loss injuries (TLI) per 1,000 athletic exposures (AE). It has been suggested that Functional Movement Screen (FMS™) composite and individual task scores may help determine injury risk. Researchers have suggested that a variety of strength and conditioning strategies may positively alter both composite and individual FMS™ task scores and reduce movement asymmetry. Methods: During a retrospective analysis of the records of all junior varsity and varsity basketball players at one secondary school over one season, no TLI was recorded over 1900 AE following the implementation of team-specific strength and conditioning programming. Results: Significant increases in pre-season and post-season composite FMS™ scores (pre-season mean = 14.33 ± 1.84; post-season mean = 16.44 ± 1.72; p \u3c 0.001), and FMS™ individual task scores; deep squat (DS) (p \u3c 0.001), hurdle step (HS) (p = 0.002), in-line lunge (INL) (p = .011), active straight leg raise (ASLR) (p = .02), and rotatory stability (RS) (p = .005) were noted across 27 male and female participants. Among females, composite FMS™ scores changed significantly (pre-season mean = 14.92 ± 1.38; post-season mean = 17.00 ± 1.04; p \u3c 0.001), as did HS (p \u3c 0.001) and INL (p = .025). Among males, significant changes were noted in composite FMS™ scores (pre-season mean = 13.87 ± 2.07; post-season mean = 16.00 ± 2.04; p \u3c 0.001), as well as DS (p = 0.007), and RS (p = .025). Reductions in the number of scores of one and movement asymmetries were also evident during post-season FMS™ screening. Conclusions: Emphasizing movement competency and strength and conditioning training has positive effects on injury risk reduction in secondary school basketball players

Design optimisation of high-brightness laser diodes for external cavity operation in the BRIDLE project

We report on the design aspects of high performance diode lasers for application in high-brightness spectral beam combining and coherent beam combining modules. Key performance trade-offs are identified and potential solutions are explored

Epidermal Mosaicism and Blaschko\u27s Lines

To test the hypothesis that epidermal rather than dermal mosaicism determines Blaschko\u27s lines in hypomelanosis of Ito (HI), we studied the distribution of chromosomal mosaicism in four patients. In two, mosaicism had not been detected in lymphocytes or dermal fibroblasts, but was clearly shown in epidermal keratinocytes; furthermore, the abnormal cell line was confirmed to the hypopigmented epidermis and the normal epidermis contained only normal cells. Negative findings in the other two patients might be because of mosaicism which was undetected either because it was submicroscopic or because it was present in melanocytes, which have not yet been studied. These preliminary results support the ideas that (1) Blaschko\u27s lines represent single clones of epidermal cells; (2) in patients with HI and severe neurological involvement mosaicism, if detectable, is best shown in keratinocytes; and (3) the cytogenetic defect in epidermal cells may be directly responsible for the failure of pigmentation in HI

Two-phase concurrent flow in packed beds

Pressure drop and liquid saturation accompanying two-phase concurrent flow have been studied in a variety of packings and with gas-liquid systems having a wide range of fluid properties. Two basic flow patterns were observed with nonfoaming systems. Correlations of pressuredrop and liquid-saturation data were obtained in terms of the single-phase friction losses for the liquid and the gas when each flows alone in the bed. Deviations from the correlation with foaming systems are discussed and illustrated with sample data.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/37316/1/690070213_ftp.pd

Measuring psychological pain: psychometric analysis of the Orbach and Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale

Background: Suicide is a public health concern, with an estimated 1 million individuals dying each year worldwide. Individual psychological pain is believed to be a contributing motivating factor. Therefore, establishing a psychometrically sound tool to adequately measure psychological pain is important. The Orbach and Mikulincer Mental Pain Scale (OMMP) has been proposed; however, previous psychometric analysis on the OMMP has not yielded a consistent scale structure, and the internal consistency of the subscales has not met recommended values. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the OMMP in a diverse sample. Methods: A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the 9-factor, 44-item OMMP was conducted on the full sample (n = 1151). Because model fit indices were not met, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on a random subset of the data (n = 576) to identify a more parsimonious structure. The EFA structure was then tested in a covariance model in the remaining subset of participants (n = 575). Multigroup invariance testing was subsequently performed to examine psychometric properties of the refined scale. Results: The CFA of the original 9-factor, 44-item OMMP did not meet recommended model fit recommendations. The EFA analysis results revealed a 3-factor, 9-item scale (i.e., OMMP-9). The covariance model of the OMMP-9 indicated further refinement was necessary. Multigroup invariance testing conducted on the final 3-factor, 8-item scale (i.e., OMMP-8) across mental health diagnoses, sex, injury status, age, activity level, and athlete classification met all criteria for invariance. Conclusions: The 9-factor, 44-item OMMP does not meet recommended measurement criteria and should not be recommended for use in research and clinical practice in its current form. The refined OMMP-8 may be a more viable option to use; however, more research should be completed prior to adoption