When does risk outweigh reward? Identifying potential scoring strategies with netball’s new two-point rule

Changing rules to promote scoring through more ‘high-risk’ play has become common in team sports. Australia’s national netball league (i.e. Suncorp Super Netball) has recently taken this approach–introducing a two-point shooting rule. Teams will be awarded two-points for shots made from an ‘outer circle’ 3.0m-4.9m from the goal in the final five minutes of quarters. We sought to answer a series of questions regarding the implementation and potential strategies surrounding the two-point rule in Suncorp Super Netball. We used video coded data from the 2018 Suncorp Super Netball season to identify the total number of made and missed shots from different distances across the season. We also used shooting statistics from recent Fast5 Netball World Series (a competition with a two-point shooting rule already in place) as a comparator. The reward of two-points is relatively well-aligned to the relative risk of missing shots from the proposed outer versus inner circle (2.22 [1.98, 2.48 95% CIs]) based on existing shooting data from Suncorp Super Netball teams. We found that the relative risk of missing shots from ‘long-’ (i.e. 3.5m-4.0m) versus ‘mid-range’ (i.e. 3.0–3.5m) was only slightly elevated (1.52 [1.21, 1.86 95% CIs])–suggesting teams should favour long- over mid-range shots when the two-point shot is available. Based on the typical number of shots a team receives in a five-minute period, we found that teams may be able to score ~3.51 extra points per quarter when taking all versus no-shots from the two-point outer circle. Analysis of the Fast5 versus Suncorp Super Netball data did, however, reveal that shooting accuracy from long-range may decrease when a two-point shot is available. Teams may need to consider situational factors (e.g. altered opposition defensive strategies) when developing their shooting strategy for taking advantage of the two-point shot

EXPLORING THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF STRENGTH TRAINING ON RUNNING ECONOMY: A SIMULATION STUDY

Strength training can improve running economy (RE) and performance in distance runners. This study investigated the effect of potential adaptations stemming from strength training on RE using simulation. Muscle-tendon unit (MTU) properties (muscle strength and mass, pennation angle, tendon stiffness, fibre composition) of muscle groups were altered within muscle-driven simulations of running at 4.5 and 6.5 m·s-1. Outputs from the muscle-driven simulations were input to an energetics model to determine whole-body metabolic power. Alterations to MTU properties resulted in variable changes (range = 1.4% decrement – 8.9% improvement in RE) to whole-body metabolic power and RE. The findings highlight potential targets for strength training programs aiming to improve RE in distance runners

Effects of microwave radiation on the digestion of proteins involved in body fluid identification

Body fluid identification plays an important role in understanding how the events during a crime may have taken place. The presence of a body fluid may help identify an individual who committed a crime, while the type of body fluid present may help investigators determine how a crime occurred. Current body fluid identification techniques are not always conclusive and may only suggest the presence of a body fluid type. A protocol developed by the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) established a method that confirms body fluid type through mass spectrometry. To identify marker proteins in a body fluid sample, the proteins in the sample must be digested into their smaller peptide fragments. Currently, this digestion is performed with trypsin in an overnight process that takes at least eight hours to complete. Microwave radiation has been shown to assist in the digestion of the body fluid protein samples, and the time needed for digestion reduced from eight hours to just minutes. The effects of microwave radiation on the digestion of protein samples commonly found in body fluids were examined here and compared to traditional methods. Ideal microwave assisted temperature of protein samples was determined to be 37°C, however no significant differences were observed between microwave assisted digestion and the traditional methods of digestion at different incubation times. Overall, this research shows microwave radiation can be used to assist protein digestion, achieving similar results to traditional digestion methods at 37°C

Stable silencing of SNAP-25 in PC12 cells by RNA interference

BACKGROUND: SNAP-25 is a synaptic protein known to be involved in exocytosis of synaptic vesicles in neurons and of large dense-core vesicles in neuroendocrine cells. Its role in exocytosis has been studied in SNAP-25 knockout mice, in lysed synaptosomes lacking functional SNAP-25 and in cells after treatment with botulinum toxins A or E that specifically cleave SNAP-25. These studies have shown that SNAP-25 appears to be required for most but not all evoked secretion. In order to further study the role of SNAP-25 in catecholamine secretion from PC12 cells we have used the recently developed technique of RNA interference to generate PC12 cell lines with virtually undetectable levels of SNAP-25. RNA interference is the sequence-specific silencing or knockdown of gene expression triggered by the introduction of double-stranded RNA into a cell. RNA interference can be elicited in mammalian cells in a number of ways, one of which is by the expression of small hairpin RNAs from a transfected plasmid. Selection of stably transfected cell lines expressing a small hairpin RNA allows one-time characterization of the degree and specificity of gene silencing and affords a continuing source of well-characterized knockdown cells for experimentation. RESULTS: A PC12 cell line stably transfected with a plasmid expressing an shRNA targeting SNAP-25 has been established. This SNAP-25 knockdown cell line has barely detectable levels of SNAP-25, but normal levels of other synaptic proteins. Catecholamine secretion elicited by depolarization of the SNAP-25 knockdown cells was reduced to 37% of control. CONCLUSION: Knockdown of SNAP-25 in PC12 cells reduces but does not eliminate evoked secretion of catecholamines. Transient expression of human SNAP-25 in the knockdown cells rescues the deficit in catecholamine secretion

Building Digital Libraries from Simple Building Blocks

Metadata harvesting has been established by the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) as a viable mechanism for connecting a provider of data to a purveyor of services. The Open Digital Library (ODL) model is an emerging framework which attempts to break up the services into appropriate components based also on the basic philosophy of the OAI model. This framework has been applied to various projects and evaluated for its simplicity, extensibility and reusability to support the hypothesis that digital libraries (DLs) should be built from simple Web Service-like components instead of as monolithic software applications

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries in Australian football: Should women and girls be playing? You\u27re asking the wrong question

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have been a rising concern in the early years of the women\u27s Australian Football League (AFLW), eliciting headlines of a â € knee crisis\u27 surrounding the league. There has been a focus on female biology as the primary factor driving the high rate of ACL injuries in the AFLW. Emphasising Australian football (AF) as being dangerous predominantly due to female biology may be misrepresenting a root cause of the ACL injury problem, perpetuating gender stereotypes that can restrict physical development and participation of women and girls in the sport. We propose that an approach addressing environmental and sociocultural factors, along with biological determinants, is required to truly challenge the ACL injury problem in the AFLW. Sports science and medicine must therefore strive to understand the whole system of women in AF, and question how to address inequities for the benefit of the athletes. © © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ

Anterior cruciate ligament injuries in Australian football: Should women and girls be playing? You\u27re asking the wrong question

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have been a rising concern in the early years of the women\u27s Australian Football League (AFLW), eliciting headlines of a â € knee crisis\u27 surrounding the league. There has been a focus on female biology as the primary factor driving the high rate of ACL injuries in the AFLW. Emphasising Australian football (AF) as being dangerous predominantly due to female biology may be misrepresenting a root cause of the ACL injury problem, perpetuating gender stereotypes that can restrict physical development and participation of women and girls in the sport. We propose that an approach addressing environmental and sociocultural factors, along with biological determinants, is required to truly challenge the ACL injury problem in the AFLW. Sports science and medicine must therefore strive to understand the whole system of women in AF, and question how to address inequities for the benefit of the athletes. © © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ

THE INFLUENCE OF MUSCULAR ACTIVATION PROFILES ON LOWER LIMB BIOMECHANICS DURING A SPORT-SPECIFIC LANDING TASK

The purpose of this study was to identify the muscular activation profiles utilised by female athletes during a sport-specific landing task, and examine the effects of varying profiles on biomechanical anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk factors. Muscular activation profiles were identified from electromyography data using a combination of principal component and cluster analysis methods, with the neuromuscular and biomechanical characteristics of profiles compared. Various muscular activation characteristics contributed to the presence of lower limb biomechanical patterns consistent with ACL injury risk factors. Reduction of ACL injury risk may be achieved by targeting these muscular activation characteristics via neuromuscular training programs