Injury Risk Estimation Expertise Assessing the ACL Injury Risk Estimation Quiz

Background: Available methods for screening anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk are effective but limited in application as they generally rely on expensive and time-consuming biomechanical movement analysis. A potential efficient alternative to biomechanical screening is skilled movement analysis via visual inspection (ie, having experts estimate injury risk factors based on observations of athletes’ movements). Purpose: To develop a brief, valid psychometric assessment of ACL injury risk factor estimation skill: the ACL Injury Risk Estimation Quiz (ACL-IQ). Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 660 individuals participated in various stages of the study, including athletes, physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, exercise science researchers/students, and members of the general public in the United States. The ACL-IQ was fully computerized and made available online (www.ACL-IQ.org). Item sampling/reduction, reliability analysis, cross-validation, and convergent/discriminant validity analysis were conducted to optimize the efficiency and validity of the assessment. Results: Psychometric optimization techniques identified a short (mean time, 2 min 24 s), robust, 5-item assessment with high reliability (test-retest: r = 0.90) and consistent discriminability (average difference of exercise science professionals vs general population: Cohen d = 1.98). Exercise science professionals and general population individuals scored 74% and 53% correct, respectively. Convergent and discriminant validity was demonstrated. Scores on the ACL-IQ were most associated with ACL knowledge and various cue utilities and were least associated with domain-general spatial/decision-making ability, personality, or other demographic variables. Overall, 23% of the total sample (40% exercise science professionals; 6% general population) performed better than or equal to the ACL nomogram. Conclusion: This study presents the results of a systematic approach to assess individual differences in ACL injury risk factor estimation skill; the assessment approach is efficient (ie, it can be completed in\3 min) and psychometrically robust. The results provide evidence that some individuals have the ability to visually estimate ACL injury risk factors more accurately than other instrument-based ACL risk estimation methods (ie, ACL nomogram). The ACL-IQ provides the foundation for assessing the efficacy of observational ACL injury risk factor assessment (ie, does simple skilled visual inspection reduce ACL injuries?). It also provides a representative task environment that can be used to increase our understanding of the perceptual-cognitive mechanisms underlying observational movement analysis and to improve injury risk assessment performance

Interim Report on Studies of the Mw ~7.9 Earthquake of 3 May 2006, Kingdom of Tonga

The very large and rare Mw ~7.9 Earthquake of 3 May 2006 in the Kingdom of Tonga aroused great interest among both Tongan scientists and their colleagues in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. To investigate the earthquake we formed a collaborative research group of scientists from Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and the United States. We brought in seven seismographs from Australia and the US to supplement the three-station network already in Tonga and eight GPS receivers primarily for the islands west of the earthquake epicenter. In addition, we made coastal observations to determine the regional pattern of subsidence associated with the earthquake. The GPS instruments can measure horizontal and vertical motion quite precisely, but only after the earthquake from the time of deployment onward, except for some sites on Tongatapu, Vava’u, and Lifuka that had been occupied by GPS receivers in the past. This report describes our efforts.Ministry of Lands and Survey, Kingdom of TongaGeoscience AustraliaGeological and Nuclear Sciences, New ZealandThe National Science Foundation, U.S.A.Institute for Geophysic

'Non-standard' Work in New Zealand - What We Know

'Non-standard' or ‘atypical’ work covers a multitude of work arrangements. Definitions of non-standard work are also numerous and rendered partially unsatisfactory by the very nature and variety of the area of study. While non-standard work has been growing in New Zealand, this does not necessarily equate to a worsening situation for all those engaged in non-standard work. This paper suggests definitions of non-standard work arrangements for New Zealand. It discusses the concept of precariousness as it has been applied to the topic and considers what evidence is available to assess its development. Through this examination, the paper makes suggestions as to where further research in the area of non-standard work could be usefully directed

The Seasonal Labour Strategy and the Role of Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) in helping make Transformative changes for Employers and Industry

The Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme is the most prominent part of a broader labour market strategy for the horticulture and viticulture industries. The purpose of the Horticulture and Viticulture Seasonal Labour Strategy (the Strategy) is to transform the seasonal labour market, which this decade has been characterised by very low productivity, high turnover, and illegal work practices. This labour market failure has cost industry and the government hundreds of millions of dollars, though the full cost will never he known. The Strategy, working off the fulcrum of RSE, has been very successful in its early stages of implementation. There are many problems, but the trajectory of change is highly promising. This paper explores the conception, theoretical underpinnings and implementation of a unique experiment in labour market transformation, evidence of that transformation, where available, is referenced

An exploratory study into the effects of a 20 minute crushed ice application on knee joint position sense during a small knee bend.

Objectives The effect of cryotherapy on joint positioning presents conflicting debates as to whether individuals are at an increased risk of injury when returning to play or activity immediately following cryotherapy application at the knee. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a 20 minute application of crushed ice at the knee immediately affects knee joint position sense during a small knee bend. Design Pre and post-intervention. Setting University movement analysis laboratory. Participants Eleven healthy male participants. Main Outcome Measures Kinematics of the knee were measured during a weight bearing functional task pre and post cryotherapy intervention using three-dimensional motion analysis (Qualisys Medical AB Gothenburg, Sweden). Tissue cooling was measured via a digital thermometer at the knee. Results Results demonstrated significant reductions in the ability to accurately replicate knee joint positioning in both sagittal (P=.035) and coronal (P=.011) planes during the descent phase of a small knee bend following cryotherapy. Conclusion In conclusion a twenty minute application of crushed ice to the knee has an adverse effect on knee joint repositioning. Team doctors, clinicians, therapists and athletes should consider these findings when deciding to return an athlete to functional weight bearing tasks immediately following ice application at the knee, due to the potential increase risk of injury

ARE PELVIS AND LOWER EXTREMITY JOINT ANGLES DURING CLINICAL FUNCTIONAL TESTS RELATED TO ANGLES DURING MORE DYNAMIC RUNNING AND DROP JUMP TASKS?

This study investigated whether peak joint angles during clinical lower extremity functional tests (Small Knee Bend [SKB], Single Leg SKB, Lunge and Hop Lunge) were related to peak angles during more dynamic landing tasks (Running and Drop Jump). Peak three-dimensional angles were quantified for each movement for 25 uninjured adults (22 ±4 years) and 23 uninjured young athletes (11 ±1 years) using a nine camera motion analysis system. In young athletes Pearson correlations between SKB and Drop Jump were moderate to very large (r=0.39 to 0.87). In adults and young athletes correlations between SKB, Single Leg SKB, Lunge and Hop Lunge with Running were moderate to very large (r=0.45 to 0.90). Clinical lower extremity functional screening tests are useful for estimating dynamic lower extremity alignment in adults and young athletes

'Non-standard' Work in New Zealand - What We Know

'Non-standard' or ‘atypical’ work covers a multitude of work arrangements. Definitions of non-standard work are also numerous and rendered partially unsatisfactory by the very nature and variety of the area of study. While non-standard work has been growing in New Zealand, this does not necessarily equate to a worsening situation for all those engaged in non-standard work. This paper suggests definitions of non-standard work arrangements for New Zealand. It discusses the concept of precariousness as it has been applied to the topic and considers what evidence is available to assess its development. Through this examination, the paper makes suggestions as to where further research in the area of non-standard work could be usefully directed

INCREASES IN JOINT RANGE OF MOTION WITH THE BODYWALLTM SYSTEM

Flexibility has important implications in terms of sporting performance, health and fitness, and general movement function. The BodywallTM is a new training tool developed to help improve joint range of motion. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the BodywallTM system in improving joint range of motion. Forty-five subjects from the general active population were assigned to one of three groups (BodywallTM stretching; control stretching; no stretching) and measured for joint range of motion before and after a six-week intervention period. The two stretching groups both produced significant increases in joint range of motion, with the BodywallTM group showing greater improvement. No changes in range of motion were seen in the non-stretching group

RELIABILITY OF 3D FRONTAL PLANE KNEE AB/ADDUCTION RANGE OF MOTION DURING RUNNING IN YOUNG ATHLETES

This study quantified within-session and between-session reliability of 3D frontal plane knee ab/adduction range of motion during the stance phase of running gait calculated for 18 long term athlete development programme participants (10 males and 8 females, 11.5 ±1.4 years) during two testing sessions (spaced 10 weeks apart). Average mean differences in frontal plane knee ab/adduction between running trials (for the right or left side) within a session (week 1 or week 10) ranged from 0.2 to 7.2% (ES 0.01–0.26) which were acceptable differences. However, average mean differences between sessions for running trials (for the right or left side) ranged from 0.1 to 20% (ES 0.01–0.6). The mixed model resulted in estimates of knee ab/adduction range of motion for effects of limb side (3.6°), session (2.8°), run trial (0.2°) and subjects (4.5°). Within-session ICCs ranged from 0.80 to 0.92 and between-session ICCs ranged from 0.51 to 0.73. Based on these ICCs, within-session reliability of frontal plane knee ab/adduction is good and between-session reliability is average to good