165 research outputs found
Traction forces generated during studded boot‐surface interactions on third‐generation artificial turf: A novel mechanistic perspective
The traction forces generated during studded boot–surface
interactions affect player performance and injury risk. Over
20 years of empirical research into traction on third
generation (3G) artificial turf has met with only limited
success in supporting the development of safer surfaces and
boots. Thus, the purpose of this perspective article is to
present a conceptual framework for generating scientific
understanding on 3G turf traction through a novel
mechanistic approach. A three-stage framework is
proposed. Firstly, the hypothesized traction mechanisms
and related analytical equations are identified, namely:
friction between the boot outsole and surface; shear
resistance of the performance infill layer to the outsole; and
compressive resistance of the performance infill layer to
horizontal stud displacement. Secondly, a Concept Map is
generated to visually represent the contribution of the thirtynine variables identified as directly affecting the traction
response. Finally, a Research Roadmap is constructed to
guide the direction of future traction studies towards the
development of safer surfaces and boots as well as improved
mechanical tests to assess surface safety. The proposed
framework represents the first attempt to deconstruct bootsurface interactions and hypothesize the science behind the
mobilization of traction forces
Comparative Judgement Modeling to Map Forced Marriage at Local Levels
Forcing someone into marriage against their will is a violation of their
human rights. In 2021, the county of Nottinghamshire, UK, launched a strategy
to tackle forced marriage and violence against women and girls. However,
accessing information about where victims are located in the county could
compromise their safety, so it is not possible to develop interventions for
different areas of the county. Comparative judgement studies offer a way to map
the risk of human rights abuses without collecting data that could compromise
victim safety. Current methods require studies to have a large number of
participants, so we develop a comparative judgement model that provides a more
flexible spatial modelling structure and a mechanism to schedule comparisons
more effectively. The methods reduce the data collection burden on participants
and make a comparative judgement study feasible with a small number of
participants. Underpinning these methods is a latent variable representation
that improves on the scalability of previous comparative judgement models. We
use these methods to map the risk of forced marriage across Nottinghamshire
thereby supporting the county's strategy for tackling violence against women
and girls.Comment: Submitted. 31 pages, 8 figure
Genomics reveals the history of a complex plant invasion and improves the management of a biological invasion from the South African-Australian biotic exchange
Many plants exchanged in the global redistribution of species in the last 200 years, particularly between South Africa and Australia, have become threatening invasive species in their introduced range. Refining our understanding of the genetic diversity and population structure of native and alien populations, introduction pathways, propagule pressure, naturalization, and initial spread, can transform the effectiveness of management and prevention of further introductions. We used 20,221 single nucleotide polymorphisms to reconstruct the invasion of a coastal shrub, Chrysanthemoides monilifera ssp. rotundata (bitou bush) from South Africa, into eastern Australia (EAU), and Western Australia (WAU). We determined genetic diversity and population structure across the native and introduced ranges and compared hypothesized invasion scenarios using Bayesian modeling. We detected considerable genetic structure in the native range, as well as differentiation between populations in the native and introduced range. Phylogenetic analysis showed the introduced samples to be most closely related to the southern-most native populations, although Bayesian analysis inferred introduction from a ghost population. We detected strong genetic bottlenecks during the founding of both the EAU and WAU populations. It is likely that the WAU population was introduced from EAU, possibly involving an unsampled ghost population. The number of private alleles and polymorphic SNPs successively decreased from South Africa to EAU to WAU, although heterozygosity remained high. That bitou bush remains an invasion threat in EAU, despite reduced genetic diversity, provides a cautionary biosecurity message regarding the risk of introduction of potentially invasive species via shipping routes
Renal artery stenosis-when to screen, what to stent?
Renal artery stensosis (RAS) continues to be a problem for clinicians, with no clear consensus on how to investigate and assess the clinical significance of stenotic lesions and manage the findings. RAS caused by fibromuscular dysplasia is probably commoner than previously appreciated, should be actively looked for in younger hypertensive patients and can be managed successfully with angioplasty. Atheromatous RAS is associated with increased incidence of cardiovascular events and increased cardiovascular mortality, and is likely to be seen with increasing frequency. Evidence from large clinical trials has led clinicians away from recommending interventional revascularisation towards aggressive medical management. There is now interest in looking more closely at patient selection for intervention, with focus on intervening only in patients with the highest-risk presentations such as flash pulmonary oedema, rapidly declining renal function and severe resistant hypertension. The potential benefits in terms of improving hard cardiovascular outcomes may outweigh the risks of intervention in this group, and further research is needed
The Leydig cell biomarker INSL3 as a predictor of age-related morbidity: Findings from the EMAS cohort
Background: Insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) is a constitutive hormone secreted in men by the mature Leydig cells of the testes. It is an accurate biomarker for Leydig cell functional capacity, reflecting their total cell number and differentiation status.
Objectives: To determine the ability of INSL3 to predict hypogonadism and age-related morbidity using the EMAS cohort of older community-dwelling men.
Materials & methods: Circulating INSL3 was assessed in the EMAS cohort and its cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships to hypogonadism, here defined by testosterone (T) <10.5nmol/l, and a range of age-related morbidities determined by correlation and regression analysis.
Results & discussion: While INSL3 is an accurate measure of primary hypogonadism, secondary and compensated hypogonadism also indicate reduced levels of INSL3, implying that testicular hypogonadism does not improve even when LH levels are increased, and that ageing-related hypogonadism may combine both primary and secondary features. Unadjusted, serum INSL3, like calculated free testosterone (cFT), LH, or the T/LH ratio reflects hypogonadal status and is associated with reduced sexual function, bone mineral density, and physical activity, as well as increased occurrence of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Using multiple regression analysis to adjust for a range of hormonal, anthropometric, and lifestyle factors, this relationship is lost for all morbidities, except for reduced bone mineral density, implying that INSL3 and/or its specific receptor, RXFP2, may be causally involved in promoting healthy bone metabolism. Elevated INSL3 also associates with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. When unadjusted, INSL3 in phase 1 of the EMAS study was assessed for its association with morbidity in phase 2 (mean 4.3 years later); INSL3 significantly predicts 7 out of 9 morbidity categories, behaving as well as cFT in this regard. In contrast, total T was predictive in only 3 of the 9 categories.
Conclusion: Together with its low within-individual variance, these findings suggest that assessing INSL3 in men could offer important insight into the later development of disease in the elderly
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