The effect of training order on neuromuscular, endocrine and mood response to small-sided games and resistance training sessions over a 24-h period

Objectives: This study examined the acute effect of small-sided-game (SSG) and resistance training sequence on neuromuscular, endocrine and mood response over a 24-hour (h) period. Design: Repeated measures Methods: Fourteen semi-professional soccer players performed SSG-training (4vs4 + goalkeepers; 6x7-min, 2-min inter-set recovery) followed by resistance training 2h later (back-squat, Romanian deadlift, barbell-hip-thrust; 4x4 repetitions, 4-min inter-set recovery; 85% 1 rep-max) (SSG+RES), and on a separate week reversed the session order (RES+SSG). Physical demands of SSG’s were monitored using global positioning systems (GPS) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE). Countermovement-jump (CMJ; peak power output; jump height) and brief assessment of mood were collected before (pre), during (0h) and after (+24h) both protocols. Salivary testosterone and cortisol concentrations were obtained at the same time-points but with the inclusion of a measure immediately prior to the second training session (+2h). Results: GPS outputs and RPE were similar between SSG-training during both protocols. Between-protocol comparisons revealed no significant differences at +24h in CMJ performance, mood, and endocrine markers. Testosterone was higher at 0h during RES+SSG in comparison to SSG+RES (moderate-effect; +21.4±26.7 pg·ml-1; p= 0.010), yet was similar between protocols by +2h. Conclusions: The order of SSG and resistance training does not appear to influence the physical demands of SSG’s with sufficient recovery between two sessions performed on the same day. Session order did not influence neuromuscular, endocrine or mood responses at +24h, however a favourable testosterone response from the resistance first session may enhance neuromuscular performance in the second session of the day

Neuromuscular, biochemical, endocrine, and mood responses to small-sided games' training in professional soccer

The 24h responses to small-sided games (SSG) soccer training were characterized. Professional soccer players (n=16) performed SSG’s (4vs4 + goalkeepers; 6x7-min, 2-min inter-set recovery) with performance (peak-power output, PPO; jump height, JH), physiological (blood creatine kinase: CK, lactate; salivary testosterone, cortisol), and mood measures collected before (baseline), and after (immediately; 0h, +2h, +24h). For PPO and JH, possibly small-moderate reductions occurred at 0h (-1.1W·kg-1; ±0.9W·kg-1, -3.2cm; ±1.9cm, respectively), before returning to baseline at +2h (trivial) and declining thereafter (small-moderate effect) at +24h (-0.9W·kg-1; ±0.8W·kg-1, -2.5cm; ±1.2cm, respectively). Lactate increased at 0h (likely-large; +1.3mmol·L-1; ±0.5mmol·L-1), reduced at +2h (likely-small; -0.5mmol·L-1; ±0.2mmol·L-1), and returned to baseline at 24h (trivial). A very-likely small increase in CK occurred at 0h (+97u·L-1; ±28u·L-1), persisting for +24h (very-likely small; +94u·L-1; ±49u·L-1). Possibly-small increases in testosterone (+20pg·ml-1; ±29pg·ml-1) occurred at 0h, before likely-moderate declines at +2h (-61pg·ml-1; ±21pg·ml-1) returning to baseline at +24h (trivial). For cortisol, possibly-small decreases occurred at 0h (-0.09ug·dl-1; -±0.16ug·dl-1), before likely-large decreases at +2h (-0.39ug·dl-1; ±0.12ug·dl-1), which persisted for 24h (likely-small; -0.12ug·dl-1; ±0.11ug·dl-1). Mood was disturbed by SSG’s at 0h (likely-moderate; +13.6AU, ±5.6AU) and +2h (likely-small; +7.9AU; ±5.0AU), before returning to baseline at +24h (trivial). The movement demands of SSG’s result in a bimodal recovery pattern of neuromuscular function and perturbations in physiological responses and mood for up to 24h. Accordingly, when programming soccer training, SSG’s should be periodized throughout the competitive week with submaximal technical/tactical activities

The between-week reliability of neuromuscular, endocrine, and mood markers in soccer players and the repeatability of the movement demands during small-sided games

BACKGROUND: Establishing the reliability and repeatability of both the movement demands and the consequential responses of athletes applied settings is important. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to assess the between-week reliability of potential fatigue monitoring methods in soccer players. Secondary aims were to establish the repeatability of the movement demands and the changes in monitoring variables from the same small-sided game (SSG) protocol programmed on consecutive weeks. METHODS: Twelve semi-professional soccer players (age, 21±2 years; mass, 80.1±6.8kg; height, 1.81±0.06m) performed the same SSG protocol (4vs4+goalkeepers; 6x7-min, 2-min inter-set recovery) separated by 7 days. Movement demands were monitored using global positioning systems (GPS), with countermovement jump (CMJ), saliva (testosterone and cortisol), and brief assessment of mood (BAM+) collected immediately pre and post SSG training. RESULTS: Results suggest that CMJ variables and hormonal markers have good between-week reliability when measuring athletes at rest (CV, 2.1–7.7%; ICC, 0.82–0.98), however BAM+ did not (CV, 23.5%; ICC, 0.47). GPS variables presented low to high repeatability during SSG training, with reliability statistics varying between metrics (CV, 4.4–62.4%; ICC, 0.30–0.81). In detecting responses from pre- to post-SSG training, CMJ and hormonal markers showed moderate to very-high reliability (ICC, 0.68–0.99), whilst BAM + did not (ICC, 0.12). CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study suggest CMJ and hormonal markers provide good between-week reliability, yet caution should be applied when using short subjective questionnaires. Additionally, some movement demands may not be repeatable when programming the same SSG session on separate occasions

Probing the folding pathway of a β-clam protein with single-tryptophan constructs

Background: Cellular retinoic acid binding protein I (CRABPI) is a small, predominantly β-sheet protein with a simple architecture and no disulfides or cofactors. Folding of mutants containing only one of the three native tryptophans has been examined using stopped-flow fluorescence and circular dichroism at multiple wavelengths.Results: Within 10 ms, the tryptophan fluorescence of all three mutants shows a blue shift, and stopped-flow circular dichroism shows significant secondary structure content. The local environment of Trp7, a completely buried residue located near the intersection of the N and C termini, develops on a 100 ms time scale. Spectral signatures of the other two tryptophan residues (87 and 109) become native-like in a 1 s kinetic phase.Conclusions:Formation of the native β structure of CRABPI is initiated by rapid hydrophobic collapse, during which local segments of chain adopt significant secondary structure. Subsequently, transient yet specific interactions of amino acid residues restrict the arrangement of the chain topology and initiate long-range associations such as the docking of the N and C termini. The development of native tertiary environments, including the specific packing of the β-sheet sidechains, occurs in a final, highly cooperative step simultaneous with stable interstrand hydrogen bonding

Boundary spanning in the context of stakeholder engagement in collaborative water management

Boundary spanners are individuals able to reach across organizational borders to build relationships and interconnections to help better manage complex problems. What is not clear, however, are the skills that allow boundary spanners to cross diverse scales, sectors, and organizations. To address this gap, we use a qualitative case study approach to examine evidence for how boundary spanning skills are implemented in the context of stakeholder engagement for addressing water challenges in agricultural settings. We employ a hybrid deductive-inductive thematic analysis approach to examine interview data collected with 25 stakeholder participants as well as direct observation of engagement behavior. Interview instruments were designed to elicit responses related to six deductively derived skills of boundary spanning: relationship builder, authentic leadership, trustworthiness, autonomy, perspective-taking, and effective science communication. Our inductive analysis identified evidence for three additional boundary spanning skills. Our study finds that some boundary spanning skills were exhibited more than others, and their frequency of use varied throughout the engagement process, and certain skills were used interchangeably. This research provides guidance on what boundary spanning looks like in action, and thus provides guidance on identifying and enhancing these skills in stakeholder engagement for water resource management

The Distance to Nova V959 Mon from VLA Imaging

Determining reliable distances to classical novae is a challenging but crucial step in deriving their ejected masses and explosion energetics. Here we combine radio expansion measurements from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array with velocities derived from optical spectra to estimate an expansion parallax for nova V959 Mon, the first nova discovered through its gamma-ray emission. We spatially resolve the nova at frequencies of 4.5-36.5 GHz in nine different imaging epochs. The first five epochs cover the expansion of the ejecta from 2012 October to 2013 January, while the final four epochs span 2014 February to 2014 May. These observations correspond to days 126 through 199 and days 615 through 703 after the first detection of the nova. The images clearly show a non-spherical ejecta geometry. Utilizing ejecta velocities derived from 3D modelling of optical spectroscopy, the radio expansion implies a distance between 0.9 +/- 0.2 and 2.2 +/- 0.4 kpc, with a most probable distance of 1.4 +/- 0.4 kpc. This distance implies a gamma-ray luminosity much less than the prototype gamma-ray-detected nova, V407 Cyg, possibly due to the lack of a red giant companion in the V959 Mon system. V959 Mon also has a much lower gamma-ray luminosity than other classical novae detected in gamma-rays to date, indicating a range of at least a factor of 10 in the gamma-ray luminosities for these explosions.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, submitted to ApJ 2015-01-21, under revie

On a Testing Methodology for the Mechanical Property Assessment of a New Low-Cost Titanium Alloy Derived from Synthetic Rutile

Mechanical property data of a low-cost titanium alloy derived directly from synthetic rutile is reported. A small-scale testing approach comprising consolidation via field-assisted sintering technology, followed by axisymmetric compression testing, has been designed to yield mechanical property data from small quantities of titanium alloy powder. To validate this approach and provide a benchmark, Ti-6Al-4V powder has been processed using the same methodology and compared with material property data generated from thermo-physical simulation software. Compressive yield strength and strain to failure of the synthetic rutile-derived titanium alloy were revealed to be similar to that of Ti-6Al-4V

The Peculiar Multi-Wavelength Evolution Of V1535 Sco

We present multi-wavelength observations of the unusual nova V1535 Sco throughout its outburst in 2015. Early radio observations were consistent with synchrotron emission, and early X-ray observations revealed the presence of high-energy (>1 keV) photons. These indicated that strong shocks were present during the first ~2 weeks of the nova's evolution. The radio spectral energy distribution was consistent with thermal emission from week 2 to week 6. Starting in week 7, the radio emission again showed evidence of synchrotron emission and there was an increase in X-ray emission, indicating a second shock event. The optical spectra show evidence for at least two separate outflows, with the faster outflow possibly having a bipolar morphology. The optical and near infrared light curves and the X-ray measurements of the hydrogen column density indicated that the companion star is likely a K giant.Comment: 20 pages, 13 figures, under review at ApJ, updated to match the most recent version submitted to the refere

Segmentation and modelling of hela nuclear envelope

This paper describes an algorithm to segment the 3D nuclear envelope of HeLa cancer cells from electron microscopy images and model the volumetric shape of the nuclear envelope against an ellipsoid. The algorithm was trained on a single cell and then tested in six separate cells. To assess the algorithm, Jaccard similarity index and Hausdorff distance against a manually-delineated gold standard were calculated on two cells. The mean Jaccard value and Hausdorff distance that the segmentation achieved for central slices were 98% and 4 pixels for the first cell and 94% and 13 pixels for the second cell and outperformed segmentation with active contours. The modelling projects a 3D to a 2D surface that summarises the complexity of the shape in an intuitive result. Measurements extracted from the modelled surface may be useful to correlate shape with biological characteristics. The algorithm is unsupervised, fully automatic, fast and processes one image in less than 10 seconds. Code and data are freely available at https://github.com/reyesaldasoro/Hela-Cell-Segmentation and http://dx.doi.org/10.6019/EMPIAR-10094