Mechanochemistry: The mechanical activation of covalent bonds.

Martin Beyer received his diploma in physics in 1996 and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1999 from TU Munich. With a Feodor Lynen fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt foundation, he conducted postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley. In 2003, he received the Heinz Maier Leibnitz award jointly given by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung. He finished his habilitation in 2004 and obtained the venia legendi in physical chemistry from TU Munich in the same year. Martin Beyer's research focuses on gas-phase ion chemistry of molecular and metal clusters, computational chemistry, and fundamental concepts in mechanochemistry. Hauke Clausen-Schaumann studied physics at the Technical University of Munich. In 1995, he joined the group of Prof. Hermann Gaub, for his diploma research about the adsorption of DNA to nano-structured cationic lipid membranes. In 1996, he moved to the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, where he started his Ph.D. research in the area of single-molecule force spectroscopy. During this time, he also served as scientific coordinator of the national competence center for nanoanalytics. In 2000, he obtained his Ph.D. from the Ludwig Maximilians University, for his work on DNA mechanics. After several years as a scientist and R&D manager for private companies and public research organizations, he joined the Munich University for Applied Sciences as a Professor for nanobiotechnology, in October 2004. His research interests concern the mechanical properties of biomolecules and chemical bonds, the development of force-based biochip technologies, as well as biomembranes and single-enzyme activity. &nbsp

Effects of a lighter, smaller football on Acute match injuries in adolescent female football: A pilot cluster-randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: The high injury incidence during match-play in female adolescent football is a major concern. In football, males and females play matches with the same football size. No studies have investigated the effect of football size on injury incidence in female adolescent football. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of introducing a lighter, smaller football on the injury pattern in female adolescent football. METHODS: We conducted a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial including 26 football teams representing 346 adolescent female football players (age 15-18 years). The teams were randomized to a new lighter, smaller football (INT, N.=12 teams) or a traditional FIFA size 5 football (CON, N.=14 teams) during a full match-season. Acute time-loss injuries and football-exposure during match-play were reported weekly by text-message questions and verified subsequently by telephone interview. RESULTS: In total, 46 acute time-loss injuries were registered (5 severe injuries), yielding an incidence rate of 15.2 injuries per 1000 hours of match-play (95% CI: 8.5-27.2) in INT and 18.6 injuries per 1000 hours of match-play (95% CI: 14.0-24.8) in CON. The estimated 22% greater injury incidence rate risk (IRR: 1.22 [95% CI: 0.64-2.35]) in the CON group was not significant. With an IRR of 1.22, a future RCT main study would need to observe 793 acute time-loss injuries during match-play, in order to have a power of 80%. CONCLUSIONS: A large-scaled RCT is required to definitively test for beneficial or harmful effects of a lighter, smaller football in adolescent female football