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Undulatory underwater swimming (UUS) is one of the major skills contributing to performance in competitive swimming. UUS has two phases- the upbeat is performed by hip extension and knee flexion, and the downbeat is the converse action. The purpose of this study was to determine which kinematic variables of the upbeat and downbeat are associated with prone UUS performance in an elite sample. Ten elite participants were filmed performing three prone 20 m UUS trials. Seven landmarks were manually digitised to calculate eighteen kinematic variables, plus the performance variable- horizontal centre of mass velocity (VCOM). Mean VCOM was significantly correlated with body wave velocity (upbeat r = 0.81, downbeat r = 0.72), vertical toe velocity (upbeat r = 0.71, downbeat r = 0.86), phase duration (upbeat r = -0.79), peak hip angular velocity (upbeat r = 0.73) and mean knee angular velocity (upbeat r = -0.63), all significant at P < 0.05. A multiple stepwise regression model explained 78% of variance in mean VCOM. Peak toe velocity explained 72% of the variance, and mean body wave velocity explained an additional 6%. Elite swimmers should strive for a high peak toe velocity and a fast caudal transfer of momentum to optimise underwater undulatory swimming performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests is largely influenced by viral load. • The average viral loads decreased at a population level over time during pandemic. • Viral load change should be considered when choosing suitable diagnostic methods. The sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests is inherently linked to viral load. We explored whether average viral loads changed at a population level in Queensland, Australia during the early phase of the pandemic. RT-PCR threshold cycle (C T) values, a crude marker for viral load, were compared for samples collected in February/March-2020 to those collected in April/May-2020, noting that the major public health interventions began in late-March 2020. Positive detections peaked mid-March, which coincided with the highest detection numbers and lowest C T values. However, this changed from April where the later C T samples (C T > 30) predominated. Overall, in February/March 29% (267/922) of samples had C T values >30 cycles compared to 88% (559/636) in April/May. Our study shows that SARS-CoV-2 viral loads in patients may vary at a population level over time. This needs considering when assessing suitability of diagnostic methods, particularly when methods in question are known to have reduced sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Forensic odontologists are involved in all phases of disaster victim identification (DVI). The failure of DVI management to embed odontology teams within all phases of the investigation and to include them in management decisions throughout the operation may lead to delays in the reconciliation process and could possibly compromise the integrity of the DVI investigation. In the case study presented, trained and experienced teams of forensic odontologists were not utilised to full capacity in all phases of the investigation. The complexity of the initial scene investigation was not identified resulting in the incomplete recovery of all remains. The scene had to be re-examined on three subsequent occasions. The post-mortem examination of the remains had to be deferred until all subsequent material had been collected. The collection of all ante-mortem dental records was not undertaken, resulting in transcription information that was incomplete and compromised. As a result, the reconciliation (formal identification) of the deceased became problematic because of the compounded errors in all phases of this DVI investigation and the resulting odontological report of identification could have jeopardised the integrity of the entire DVI process. Following a review of this case and the recognition of possible areas of omission in the management of the investigation a strategy to address these problems is proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]